(A/N: Ok, so funny story. I accidentally almost posted the rough draft of this chapter last chapter. That would have made things confusing. Ah, but you don't want to hear that story, you want this story. The aftermath of Juri and Shiori's first date. And their first kiss. How is that going to affect their relationship? How are they going to act around each other? Let's see.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: Confrontation

"If it cannot break out of its shell, the chick will die without being born," Touga said as the elevator rose.

"We are the chick," Miki replied, "the world is out egg."

"If we don't crack the world's shell," Juri continued.

"We will die without being born," Nanami picked up.

"Smash the world's shell," Kyouichi finished.

"For the revolution of the world!" the five of them chorused as the elevator came to a stop at the section of the school exclusive to the Student Council. From there, they each placed their signature rose in the vase on the center table as they prepared for what was meant to be yet another meeting.

Well, on paper anyway. Truthfully, there was no reason for them to meet right now, but they still did almost regularly, even when there was no business to attend to. Really, the place had become more of a hangout area for the five of them rather than a place to conduct school business, though they did still take care of anything that needed to be addressed when they needed to.

"Why do we still give that speech?" Miki asked curiously. "The Dueling Game is over, and there was no revolution. And from the looks of it, there isn't going to be one."

Touga just chuckled. "Consider it inspirational. That speech can be used in reference to many things, depending on what one's own egg represents. We all have our own egg we need to crack through if we truly want to live."

"Besides, it's our motto," Kyouichi pointed out. "What's the point of having a motto is you're not going to say or live by it?"

"I suppose," Miki agreed thoughtfully.

Juri was inclined to agree with the other two boys. Living by some kind of motto was good for you. It was motivational, inspiring. And to say it out loud kept it alive and made it more real and reaffirmed it. She had certainly been making headway in breaking out of her own egg. And, quite frankly, she was surprised by what she had found.

Despite any drawbacks that had occurred, she considered her date with Shiori to be a great success. True, there had been a few unpleasant turns it had taken, particularly with those three boys who had tried to pick them up, not to mention her rash behavior in response.

She still couldn't believe she had just spontaneously kissed Shiori like that. She hadn't even planned on attempting to try to kiss her until at least their third date. But those boys, they had just made her act so irrationally. She knew very well what they had wanted, and while she didn't consider them a threat or intimidating, just three idiot boys hoping for a good time that were either too dumb or too egotistical to take a hint, she hadn't liked the fact that they had been lusting after Shiori.

Of course, she could tell that they were primarily interested in her and were hoping to either get Shiori to come along or would go after her as a secondary option, but Juri was used to men desiring her and knew how to ward off their advances. She was certain Shiori could take care of herself too; she was a pretty skilled duelist after all. Still, it was the principle of the matter. After finally managing to get a date with Shiori, to have someone else, anyone else, try and take her away, it had made her unbelievably jealous and possessive, causing her blood to boil and making her act irrationally.

She regretted it. Not kissing Shiori, she could never regret that, but how she had kissed her. What she had told her was true, she hadn't wanted their first kiss to go down like that. She wanted it to be memorable, romantic, magical, something they had both desired and would always remember, not be something meant to prove a point to someone else.

Now, the kiss they had shared outside of Shiori's room, that had been more along the lines of the kind of first kiss she had imagined, the kind she had wanted. So, in a way, she supposed she owed those boys a thank you for allowing her to move things along to that level faster than she had planned. Still, she didn't want the memory of the kiss she had dreamed of sharing with Shiori to be tainted by anything unpleasant.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," Touga said to her.

Juri glanced at him curiously. "What makes you say that?"

He just smirked knowingly. "Come now, Juri, you should know how good I am at reading people by now, especially women."

"He's right," Miki agreed. At Juri's raised eyebrow, he quickly clarified. "I mean about the having something on your mind part. You looked very deep in thought."

A sound of acknowledgment escaped Juri as she sat back in her seat. "Yes, I suppose I do."

With a knowing look, Kyouichi glanced at her with a smug smile on his face. "I'm willing to bet that it has something to do with your date with Shiori last night."

Juri looked at him in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

It was Touga who answered. "Really, Juri, we're the Student Council. Do you really think that one of our own can get permission to leave the school grounds with another student and we wouldn't hear about it? It wasn't that hard to figure out what was going on."

Juri almost wanted to swear. She should have guessed that that would be the case. In fact, one of the reasons she'd told them about her and Shiori even after saying that they could keep their relationship a secret was because she doubted that she would be able to keep it hidden from them.

Letting out a sigh, she let her head fall back. "Yes, we went out. And yes, that's what I was thinking about."

She said nothing more on the subject, and several long moments passed before Touga spoke again. "Well, are you going to tell us how it went?"

"Yeah, we're here to listen if you want to talk about it," Miki added.

Picking up her head, Juri glanced at them. Miki seemed eager while Touga looked mildly interested; Kyouichi and Nanami looked like they couldn't care less though. Sighing once more, she decided that she might as well tell them; another reason she had told them about her and Shiori was to have someone she could talk to about her relationship.

"It went well, for the most part," she told them. "Although there were some boys who tried to pick us up. I guess they thought we were just two friends having a night out since they didn't realize that we were on a date with each other."

Touga shrugged at this. "Well, you can hardly blame them. You and Shiori are both very beautiful."

She cut her eyes at him. "Womanizer."

She'd said it as an insult, but the red-haired boy just smiled in amusement. "I was complimenting the two of you. But I do hope you didn't let a couple foolish boys ruin your evening."

Juri's fists clenched and she looked away. "No… I think I did that myself." She hesitated for a few moments before saying, "I kissed her."

Both Miki and Touga's eyebrows rose, and even Kyouichi raised an eyebrow in interest. Nanami, however, wore a disgusted look on her face and covered her ears. "Eww! I don't want to hear about two girls kissing! Gross!"

"Nanami," Touga lightly scolded her. He then looked back at Juri. "So, you kissed her? So what's the problem?"

"Yeah, I thought you wanted to kiss her," said Miki, looking confused. He cocked his head to the side. "Did she not like it or something?"

Juri frowned, not sure how to answer. When she had kissed her in front of the three boys, Shiori had seemed more surprised than anything, so she wasn't really sure how she had felt about it. When she had kissed her outside of her room, however. Well, Juri wasn't exactly an expert on reading people outside of fencing. She supposed the best way she could describe Shiori's reaction would be… caught up in the moment? Yes, perhaps that may have been the best way to put it.

But it was the former matter that was really bothering her since that was still technically their first kiss. "It's just that… those boys wouldn't take a hint that we weren't interested. So I… I kissed Shiori in front of them to get the message to sink in."

Nanami covered her ears again and began humming loudly. The others ignored her though as Miki's eyes widened and Touga seemed to understand what Juri was feeling while Kyouichi once more looked disinterested.

"I see," the red-haired boy replied. "So you were marking your territory, so to speak."

"That's not…" Juri began, but then trailed off as she thought back to that moment. Was Touga right? Had she been marking her territory by subconsciously staking her claim on Shiori to those boys without realizing it? "I hadn't meant to."

Kyouichi scoffed. "And why not? What's wrong with staking claim on what's yours?"

Miki gave him a look of disapproval. "Shiori's not an object, Saionji. You can't claim a person."

The green-haired boy just harrumphed. "That's not what I said. Don't twist my words around. Shiori is her girlfriend, is she not? Then does that not make her Juri's just as much as Juri is hers, and so makes them off limits to others? She was simply portraying that to those boys who were trying to move in on her territory. She didn't like it and acted accordingly. Nothing wrong with that."

Juri considered this. Though she may not use his choice of words, she supposed she understood what he was trying to say. "I still wish I hadn't kissed her like that, at least not for our first time."

Touga flipped his hair back. "You were jealous. It's perfectly natural. Jealousy is the spice of love. It can cause us to become heated and impassioned. That's what happened with you, and it made you possessive."

Yes, she supposed that was true. It had been out of character for her though. But then, ever since she had decided to pursue this relationship with Juri, she had been acting a bit out of character. That or it was bringing out a bolder side of her that had always been there and she had simply been too afraid to let it out due to fear of losing Shiori.

"How did she react?" Miki asked suddenly.

"Huh?" said Juri, coming out of her thoughts.

"Shiori, how did she react after you kissed her?"

Did he mean the first time or the second time? No, he had to mean the first time since she hadn't told them about the second. "Very… casual, I guess."

Kyouichi snickered. "Casual?"

Juri blushed. "She mostly played it off like it wasn't a big deal. Perhaps… because she saw that I was upset with myself for what I did. But the second time I kissed her, she–"

"Second time?" Touga interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

Her cheeks heated further. "Yes, I kissed her again at the end of our date."

Kyouichi smirked. "Well done, Arisugawa. You have some big… Hmm, well, I was going to say that you have some big balls, but you're a little lacking in that department. So big ovaries then. You have some big ovaries."

Miki sighed. "Why must you be so crude?"

The green-haired boy gave him a pointed look. "I meant it as a compliment."

Touga just shook his head and returned his attention to Juri. "So, how did she react to that kiss?"

To that, Juri didn't really have words for. Largely in part because she had been trying to hold herself together. She may have looked calm and composed on the outside, but that was a mask she had long since mastered in wearing. On the inside, she had been a nervous wreck. Her heart had been racing, and it had taken everything to keep her legs from shaking and her voice steady.

Every fiber of her being had been shouting at her to stop, to fall back into her old routine and pretend that a friendship with Shiori was enough, to let the fear of losing her hold her back from going after what she wanted. But she had been going down that road for so long, and it had only led to pain.

This caused her thoughts to return to the Dueling Game. Admittedly, her initial motives had been… perhaps vindictive was the best way to put it; it was definitely for a less than noble reason. After Shiori had told her to believe in miracles, after hoping and praying for one, only to never receive it, she had become determine to win the tournament and disprove their existence, to validate her disbelief. And later, after her faith in them had been restored, after End Of The World had showed her what was possible, she had then sought to win the tournament to obtain that power to free herself from anything that might hold her back, including her own feelings.

After losing her locket during her final duel though, she had given up on obtaining that power entirely. Now she was going to seize what she wanted with her own hands. That was the shell of her egg, and she was going to crack out of it and revolutionize her own world.

A sigh escaped Touga, the sound returning Juri to the present. "You make it difficult to have a conversation with you if you keep retreating into your head instead of talking."

In response, she just gave him a somewhat smug look. "Perhaps I'm not the type of person to kiss and tell."

He just smiled in amusement. "Nor am I, but I was under the impression that you wanted to talk."

"Yeah, Juri," Miki said with a nod, "you know we're here for you. If there's anything you want to or need to talk about, we'll listen."

Juri gave him an appreciative smile. That was the whole reason she had told them about her new relationship, to have someone to talk to when she needed it. But then again, now that she thought about it, what did any of them really know about being in a relationship? Miki had never been in one; the closest thing he had being his crush on Anthy. Kyouichi had deluded himself into actually thinking that he was dating Anthy and that she was actually his girlfriend when in reality she had just been obeying his will since he had been the champion during that time, and thus the current owner of the Rose Bride. And Nanami, all she had in experience was that boy who followed her around all the time that she treated like her servant and allowed him to consider her his "girlfriend".

The closest one to have an actual relationship was Touga, and his experience basically consisted of taking a different girl to bed every night. So while he could probably offer her tips and advice on how to seduce, when it came to actually having a romantic relationship, she wasn't sure that he, or any of the Student Council, could really offer her any sound advice. Offer encouragement and make suggestions, perhaps, allow her to vent and confide in them, sure, but give any real advice from experience, probably not.

"I'm grateful for your assistance," she told them sincerely, "but I don't think there's really anything you can do to help me right now."

A smug smile crept up the red-haired boy's face. "Well, I'm just glad to hear that you finally made a move. If you plan on making any others and would like some suggestions on how to seduce your beloved, I'll be happy to help."

Juri resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Please do. I am a romantic after all, so I'm rooting for you two."

And once again, in less than ten seconds, she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. But he did have a point; he certainly knew how to seduce women. And, truth be told, she had tried to make a move on Shiori aside from kissing her. That whole exchange when she had been describing the meaning of the different colors of roses, particular the purple and orange ones, hadn't exactly been innocent on her part. And getting Shiori into proper position to bowl hadn't just been her helping her out.

Honestly though, Juri had been quite embarrassed by her behavior during those instances. She knew how to exude confidence, but that didn't mean she always felt it. But she was adamant to get out of the friend zone with Shiori and make this relationship be more than a simple agreement.

Giving her that ultimatum had been a stupid and desperate move on her part, she saw that now, but ever since Shiori had confirmed that she was bisexual, Juri knew that she actually stood a real chance, and she was casting all caution to the wind, unwilling to let fear and anxiety hold her back to take that chance.

"Ha!" Nanami suddenly said loudly. "You just better watch yourself with your little girlfriend, or else you'll just get your heart broken."

"Nanami," Touga said in warning.

"I'm serious," the blonde girl declared, and even though she sounded stuck up, there was an edge of seriousness in her voice. "If you're not careful, this could end badly for you. I'd hate to see you have your heart ripped out."

Juri supposed that was Nanami's way of saying that she cared, and she couldn't help giving her an amused look. "I thought you thought my relationship with Shiori was gross. Wouldn't you want it to fail?"

Nanami harrumphed. "This again? Don't misjudge me. So what if I think it's gross, that doesn't mean I don't support you. There are some boy-girl couples who have some weird fetishes and kinks that I think are gross too. But just because I find them disgusting doesn't mean I'm against them. You can get up to whatever you want in the bedroom, I really don't care; I just don't want to hear about it."

Miki frowned, his brotherly instincts coming out, even though the blonde girl wasn't his sister. "Nanami, you're too young to be thinking about things that go on between people in the bedroom."

"And as your brother, I fully agree with that," Touga added frowning in disapproval.

But the blonde girl just smirked and turned up her nose. "Please. I may be young, but I'm very mature for my age."

Juri had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at that. While she may be getting better, Nanami was far from mature. She was many things for her age, but mature wasn't one of them. "I'll take that under advisement."

The blonde girl gave her a serious look. "You really should. That Shiori is a social climber. Everyone can tell. She's been jealous and envious of you her whole life. And as soon as she had the chance to gain power over you, she took it and dragged you down in the process. Now you've pretty much given her the opportunity to gain social status by being your girlfriend. For all you know, she's just using you to elevate herself."

Juri frowned. As much as she hated to admit it, Nanami did make a good point. Shiori's inferiority complex did make her a bit of a social climber. Or, more specifically, made Shiori target Juri and her social status. She'd said as much herself, she had wanted to rise above her, and finding out about her feelings for her had been the tool she'd needed to do that.

Could this really be another ploy? Was agreeing to be her girlfriend just another way for Shiori to rise up to her level? Was she really that desperate to try and meet her on the same level or rise above her?

She internally shook her head. No, she didn't think so. Shiori may be able to manipulate others, but she wasn't that good of an actor. Her type of manipulation consisted of dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit to get it to do what she wanted, all with the rabbit knowing it was a trap, but getting it to rise to the bait anyway. She wasn't sneaky or secretive about her manipulation, but rather wanted her target to know that she was the one pulling the strings; it was part of her power trip.

Yes, Shiori's intentions were always very apparent. And that desperation she had shown when she begged Juri to be her friend again, that had been sincere; Juri knew that. But whether it was genuinely out of fear of losing her best friend or out of fear of losing the last person who could elevate her status was the real question.

Part of what made Juri sure that Shiori was being sincere about this was that she was the one holding all the cards this time. She was the one who could walk away at any time and leave Shiori with nothing, and it was the violet-haired girl who was desperate not to let that happen. That gave Juri the advantage. And if Shiori wanted to elevate herself, putting her fate in the hands of the one who essentially had the power to do that wasn't very strategic. Unless she was hoping that things would reach the point where Juri wouldn't be able to let her go, not even if she found out that Shiori was just using her.

Somehow though, Juri didn't think so. Like her and the rest of the Student Council, the Dueling Game and the events surrounding it had been very humbling for Shiori, for everyone involved, and it seemed that after she had been destroyed by Ruka and lost everything that a change had come over her and she had decided to reevaluate her life. There was definitely something different about Shiori now, Juri knew that for certain.

And as she had noted earlier, Shiori wasn't that good of an actor. She could manipulate others, but it was very clear that she was being manipulative when she did. And the way she had been reacting to Juri's advances, that hadn't been an act, those were genuine responses, Juri was sure of it. And worst-case scenario, even if she was just going along with this whole dating thing and was planning to use her, maybe she could change the violet-haired girl's mind with the more they acted like a couple.

"I appreciate the concern," she told Nanami, "but I don't think this is an act or a power play on her part. Still, I'll keep what you said in mind."

Nanami just scoffed. "Whatever. You know her better than me. Just watch yourself, because if she ends up breaking your heart, I'm just going to tell you that I told you so."

"Noted," Juri replied.

Nanami was right though, Juri did know Shiori. She'd been watching her for so long, she even knew her in some ways better than Shiori knew herself. This was how she could tell that this wasn't some ploy on Shiori's part. And if she was wrong and it actually was, then Juri was willing to put her heart on the line. No more running and hiding, it was time for everything or nothing.

Still, as much as Juri hated to admit it, Nanami's words caused her to feel some doubt. What if she didn't know Shiori as well as she thought? What if the change she had undergone hadn't made her more humbled, but even more cunning and manipulative as she learned how to hide her true feelings and motives? Juri really didn't think that was the case, nor did she see how someone could suddenly become that good of an actor overnight. She knew this was just her fear talking, but she had to admit that there was a chance.

Well, maybe it was time for her to be a little manipulative herself. She'd already did it when she gave Shiori that ultimatum. Perhaps she could find out how sincere the violet-haired girl was about having a relationship. Because one way or another, she was going to get to the bottom of this.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Gym class could be tough at times. While some days they would play sports, other days it would be full-on workout sessions. Today, it was the latter, with the students made to run around the jogging track twenty times within the time limit.

Shiori was actually rather grateful for the run. It allowed her an escape from all the thoughts constantly buzzing around in her head and the onslaught of overwhelming emotions that had been plaguing her since her date with Juri. Even now, it all just felt so… surreal, and she wasn't sure what to do with all these thoughts and feelings.

If she was honest, they scared her. The level of her feelings scared her. And she didn't have anyone she could talk to about them. She had friends, sure, but she wasn't sure they would understand, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about her relationship with Jury with them; plus, they had agreed to keep their relationship a secret for now.

There was Juri herself, but talking to her about her feelings for her when she was still trying to figure things out sort of defeated the purpose and would likely just complicate things and confuse her further. So Shiori was left to deal with her thoughts alone.

If she was honest, it was mentally exhausting, and she could use a break from her seemingly always active head and heart. The running, however, provided her with a distraction from her thoughts and feelings, but even then, plaguing thoughts still slipped through the cracks of her concentration on the physical activities. Not to mention she kept finding her gaze draw to the orange-haired girl responsible for all her inner turmoil.

Having worked up a good sweat, the students were all sent to the showers once gym class was dismissed. And as they headed off to the changing rooms, Shiori stole another glance at Juri. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw the orange-haired girl openly staring at her from where she was standing. Her breath hitched further as she took in Juri's disheveled appearance. Her skin glistening with sweat, her face flushed, strands of hair sticking to her face and neck, her gym uniform hugging her curves.

God, she looked so… sexy. Yes, that was the word that came to mind when she looked at Juri right now. Then again, when didn't Juri look sexy? And here she was, just staring at her like an idiot, and Juri could clearly see it. But then, Juri was staring at her too. Why? Was she also admiring her post-workout appearance?

Tearing her eyes away, she followed the other girls into the women's locker room. She knew Juri wouldn't be joining them, she never did, as she had her own personal shower in her own room that she used. There was no reason to think that today would be any different.

Which is why she was completely caught off guard while she was in the middle of washing her hair when one of the other girls suddenly cried out, "It's Juri!"

Shiori froze, her hands on her head as she scrubbed her scalp. Her eyes were closed to prevent the suds from getting in them, but her ears were working just fine, and she clearly heard someone say Juri's name.

Her hearing proved to be accurate by a follow up question from another girl, "Miss Arisugawa, what are you doing here? I thought you had your own private shower."

Shiori's hands remained in her hair as she strained her ears to hear Juri's response over the sound of the shower.

"I do," came Juri's reply, "but my water has been turned off for the next few hours for some maintenance, so I'll be joining you today. I hope you don't mind."

Mind? Mind!? Shiori couldn't even get her thoughts together, let alone decide if she minded or not. Juri was here, in the shower room with them, to shower. That meant that she was going to be naked. The very thought had Shiori blushing to the roots of her hair. What more, Juri would be able to see her naked. That had her blushing even more.

Calm down, she told herself. There was no reason to get so worked up. They were just washing off after gym class. They did this all the time, and one additional student wouldn't matter. Nothing to worry about. Besides, Juri wouldn't eye her up in front of all the other girls here. No, surely not. She wouldn't even try to discreetly sneak a peek; Juri was above doing such things like peeping.

But then, she thought suddenly, did she want Juri to see her? That thought nearly made her pass out with how hot her face felt. No, surely not… Did she want to see Juri?"

"Miss Arisugawa, you're so beautiful," she heard another girl comment. "Your body is amazing, and your skin is flawless."

"It's just a body," was Juri's reply. "Nothing to make a big deal over."

Shiori's heart had kicked into overdrive. The words Juri is naked, Juri is naked, Juri is naked, kept running through her head. This mantra was mixed with the reminder that she was naked as well. But then, so were all the other girls showering. So why did it matter?

Because none of them are your girlfriend, a little voice in her head whispered to her. The thought caused her to shiver, and she felt her stomach go funny, causing her to clench her legs together and shift about as memories of the kiss they shared resurfaced. Determine not to look at the orange-haired girl, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she resumed washing her hair.

She kept her eyes shut the entire time she showered, determined not to look at Juri. She jumped at every sound she heard and every voice that spoke, always expecting the source to belong to the orange-haired girl, and for her to suddenly be right behind her, even though it never was. As a result of her skittishness, she ended up taking longer than any of the other girls, and so she was the last one left.

She had become aware of the fact that she was alone with how quiet it had become, her shower being the only one that was still running. Only then did she dare to crack open her eyes and see that she was indeed the only one left in the shower room. She immediately felt more at ease and let out a sigh, then went about finishing washing up.

Turning off the water, she reached for her towel and began to dry off. When she finished, she wrapped the towel around herself, then wrapped a second smaller towel around her hair and left the shower area, her mind once again full of thoughts.

That had been… quite the experience. She couldn't believe how jumpy she had become having Juri there. Yes, they were dating now, but she was still shocked by her reaction. And how much of a coincidence was it that Juri's water had been shut off just after their first date. The timing seemed rather… suspicious.

Had that been a lie? Had her water really been shut off? Or had that just been an excuse Juri had come up with in order to use the shower room? If so, why? Had it really been to see her? Had she taken advantage of the fact that they were both girls? Shiori wasn't sure how she felt about that, but it had her face burning.

So lost was she in thought that she didn't even notice the orange-haired girl in question leaning against a locker as she walked by one of the sections. Juri's voice, however, did bring her to a sudden stop.

"That was quite a long shower you took," the orange-haired girl commented. "How do you expect to make it to your next class on time if you take so long?"

Red in the face, Shiori slowly turned to face Juri. Before she could though, the orange-haired girl reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the section she had been waiting for her in. The next thing Shiori knew, she was pressed up against a locker with Juri standing directly in front of her. It immediately reminded her of the confrontation of when Juri had given her the ultimatum to give being her girlfriend a try or to butt-out of her life. Only this time Juri was fully dressed while she only had on a towel. The thought caused her face to heat up further.

"J-Juri, what's going on?" she stammered.

"What are you doing with me?" the orange-haired girl demanded.

Shiori blinked, caught off guard by the orange-haired girl's tone as well as the question. "Huh?"

"Something's come to my attention," Juri told her, her tone remaining harsh, "so now I need to know, what are you doing with me?"

The violet-haired girl just stared, not sure what she was asking. "Juri, I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Dating me," she clarified. "Why are you dating me?"

Shiori blinked once more. "What? But I… You… You said I needed to give dating you a chance, remember?"

Juri slapped her palm against the locker by Shiori's head, making her wince. "Yes, but why are you? Is this another game of yours? Are you just using me to elevate yourself, or are you hoping to tear me down again?"

Her words were harsh, and a silent gasp escaped the violet-haired girl. "Why would… you think that?"

Juri stared at her long and hard for a short while before glancing away. "You've done it before, Shiori. Several times. I was… I guess I'm afraid that you're doing it again."

Shiori's shoulder slumped as Juri's actions suddenly made sense. Yes, she supposed it was natural for her to harbor such suspicions. Shiori had done some pretty awful things to her in the past. And now Juri was risking her heart once more. Why wouldn't she be worried that Shiori would recognize an opportunity and go back to her old tricks? She would be foolish not to consider such a possibility. She was actually surprised it took Juri this long to have her suspicions raised.

Hanging her head, she gingerly reached out and grasped the front of Juri's shirt with her thumb and index finger. "You're right, Juri. I was awful to you. I did terrible, horrible things to you. And I was conceited and selfish. God, I was so damn selfish. You're right to be suspicious of me. It'd be surprising if you weren't."

She felt tears creep up in her eyes as she lifted her head. "But I learned my lesson. I realized what a terrible person I was, and I saw where it got me." Her grip on Juri's shirt changed as she clenched it in her fist. "I've changed though. I don't want to be that person anymore. I swear, I'm not trying to use you, Juri, and I'll never try to hurt you again. Please, believe me."

She desperately clung to Juri's shirt, pleading with her eyes for her to believe her. The orange-haired girl was staring at her hard, her expression giving away nothing.

Finally though, her posture relaxed, and she lowered her arm from where she had been bracing it against the locker. "So, what are you doing with me then? Why agree to be my girlfriend?"

The tears that Shiori had been holding back began to slide down her cheeks. "Because… I didn't want to lose you. I lost you once before, and it was awful. I don't ever want to lose you, not again."

Juri seemed to accept this, giving her a small nod. "And your feelings for me? How do you feel about being my girlfriend?"

At that, Shiori glanced away. She had been trying to figure that out herself, especially after their first date. Or, more specifically, their first kiss. Prior to that, she had just known that she couldn't be without her. The thought of not having Juri in her life was unbearable.

As for feelings towards Juri in the romantic sense, well, she was trying to figure that out. She still didn't understand her own feelings in that area. They had only been girlfriends for a little over a week, and she had more or less been coerced into this relationship due to Juri's ultimatum. Could anyone work out such complicated feelings in such a short amount of time, and while also trying to make sense of so many emotions? Especially with such history between them.

"I… don't know," she answered honestly, keeping her face turned away. "I definitely have strong feelings for you, Juri, but… I still need to figure them out. I'm just trying to make sense of it all."

Juri was silent as she continued to study her for the next several seconds before finally uttering, "That's fair."

Shiori kept looking away, but then she felt Juri cup her chin and turn her back to face her. Shiori looked up at the orange-haired girl as Juri leaned in and kissed the tears from her cheeks before offering her an apologetic look.

"I just needed to be sure before I invested my heart in this anymore," she told her.

Almost without thinking, Shiori reached up and clasped Juri's hand that was holding her chin. "I promise, Juri, I'm in this for real to see where it goes, and I'm not trying to use or hurt you."

Juri nodded. "I believe you. Thank you, Shiori." She gave the violet-haired girl's hand a squeeze and smiled at her. "And I'm sorry for cornering you like this."

The violet-haired squeezed her hand back. "No, I get why you did."

Lifting Shiori's hand to her lips, Juri kissed the back of it. "So, are we still on for our date this weekend?"

Shiori offered her a small smile in return. "I don't have any other plans."

The orange-haired girl's smile became more affectionate and she reached up to stroke her cheek. "That's my girl. Now, better hurry up and get dressed; your next class will start soon. Don't want to be late."

Her words caused Shiori to remember her current state of undress; she had actually forgotten after having gotten caught up in the moment. Her face turned beet red, causing Juri to smile in amusement as she turned and began walking away.

A few moments later, Shiori called after her. "If I'm late, it'll be your fault for holding me up!"

Smirking, Juri called back at her without even turning around. "No one told you to take such a long time in the shower. Seems like something was distracting you."

Shiori didn't respond, she merely let out a small grumble as she puffed out her cheeks and pouted. Juri didn't even need to turn around to know that that annoyed look was on her face, but she kept walking as she made her way out of the woman's changing room, her amused smirk still plastered on her face.

(A/N: Ok, so we got to see the aftermath of Juri and Shiori's date. There was a bit of a drawback though after what Nanami said about Shiori being a social climber, which caused some doubt in Juri. It was a legitimate concern though, which was why she confronted her about it. Maybe not in the best way, but it certainly made for a fun chapter to right. Shiori's managed to convince her that she's being sincere about their new relationship though, and Juri has managed to make Shiori become more aware of her. They still have a long way to go, so stay tuned to see how their relationship grows from here.)