A Miracle Of Orange And Violet

by moviefan-92

Post-anime. Tired of suffering from unrequited love, Juri finally decided to sever all ties with Shiori. But when Shiori wants to make amends with her and be friends again, Juri issues an ultimatum. They can be friends again, but first they need to give having a romantic relationship a try. Now they both must face their feelings for each other while giving being girlfriends a try.

12. Chapter 12: Invites And Confessions

(A/N: Phew boy, I hope you're ready, because we have a very long chapter here, the longest one yet. I was really excited to get to this chapter due to the development that takes place during it. The second half gets a little dialogue heavy, but it's necessary. It's also one of the most important chapters in regards to characterization and Juri and Shiori's relationship, so enjoy.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 12: Invites And Confessions

School dances weren't uncommon events, and Ohtori Academy held a few different ones throughout the year. Another one was rapidly approaching, and it was, to no one's surprise, the talk of the school. Students were up in arms about procuring dates, some making rather grand gestures when asking.

"So, which member of your harem are you taking?" Kyouichi mockingly asked Touga during a Student Council gathering.

The red-haired boy just chuckled. "I don't have a harem, Kyouichi. And believe it or not, I'm actually having a little trouble getting a date."

Juri scoffed, giving him a look of disbelief. "You really expect us to believe that girls aren't jumping over each other to ask you out?"

He chuckled again. "I didn't say that. I said that I'm having trouble getting a date. It seems that Nanami has doubled-down on trying to keep girls away from me now that she knows I'm actually capable of falling love. Seems she's really afraid her big brother is going to be taken away from her."

Kyouichi snickered. "She really needs to get over her brother complex."

Touga glanced at him. "And who are you going to the dance with?" He smiled knowingly. "That Wakaba girl?"

The green-haired boy harrumphed. "Well, seeing as Anthy left the school, I figured I might as well." But then his expression softened. "I really owe her a lot…"

"Hmm," Touga replied curiously, but said nothing more about it. "Well, seeing as I can't go with who I really want to, I'm thinking of just going alone."

Though he certainly wouldn't be leaving the dance alone, Juri couldn't help thinking as she wondered who would end up in his bed next.

"If Nanami is making such a big deal over it, then just take her to the dance," Miki suggested. "That's what I'm doing with Kozue."

Touga wobbled his head thoughtfully. "Yes, I considered that. But as Kyouichi said, Nanami needs to get over her brother complex." He flipped his hair back. "And besides, if I do go alone, then I can share dances with all the lovely ladies who didn't manage to get dates."

Juri rolled her eyes. Typical Touga. But that reminded her, she had yet to actually ask Shiori to go. It hadn't really occurred to her because, truthfully, she more or less thought it was a given that they would be going together. Maybe that was a little presumptuous of her, but wasn't that really the case with couples?

As if reading her mind, Miki asked, "What about you, Juri? I'm guessing you and Shiori are going together."

They would be if she had anything to say about it. But now that she thought about it, even if it was a given that she and Shiori were going together, she wanted to have the pleasure of actually asking her to go.

"I haven't asked her yet since I assumed we would just be going together," she admitted. "But I plan to anyway."

"Of course," Touga told her. "Girls love when their love interest asks them out, even if it is assumed that they would be going together by default."

"You better ask her soon," Kyouichi lightly scolded her. "Shiori is a beautiful woman, even if she did put on a few pounds. Someone might ask her out before you."

Juri's eyes narrowed. "They wouldn't dare," she snapped angrily.

And they wouldn't. Everyone knew that Shiori was hers. If the image of them kissing after she won the dueling tournament hadn't gotten the message across, her confrontation with Shiori's bullies in the library certainly had. That message had been received loud and clear, and had quickly spread throughout the school.

As far as Juri knew, there had been no further cases of Shiori being bullied or attempts to force them to break up these past two weeks, not even from Sakura. But if Juri were honest, she had a feeling that Sakura's bullying had ceased because Shiori had stood up to her rather than because of her threat to go after anyone who harassed Shiori. Even if she hadn't made that threat, she had a sneaking suspicion that Sakura would have backed off after Shiori had fought back.

It also filled Juri with no small amount of pride that Shiori had not only stood up for herself against the head bully, but also that she had fought to maintain their relationship when those other students had demanded that she break up with her.

However, a small frown of disapproval crossed Juri's face at Kyouichi's comment about Shiori's weight. That was none of his damn business. While it was true that Shiori had put on some weight due to all the stress eating she had been doing, first from the pressure of their new relationship and then from all the bullying she had faced, she still had a slim figure. And now that those problems were in the past, she assumed Shiori's stress eating would stop; she was usually very good about taking care of herself.

An amused chuckle from Touga brought her out of her thoughts. "Don't worry, I doubt anyone will have the nerve to challenge the school's top duelist for her girlfriend." He lifted his teacup to Juri in a small salute. "Not that Shiori isn't worth fighting for, but I'm sure you already know that."

A light growl escaped Juri, but seeing as she couldn't tell if Touga was trying to be charming or was poking fun at her, she chose to remain silent. But she did intend to ask Shiori to the dance as soon as possible, and so went about making plans to do just that once the Student Council departed. With a few phone calls and a bit of her station's influence, both inside and outside of the school, the arrangements were made.

She watched and waited as Shiori made her way to her room after classes were done for the day, making sure she remained unseen until just the right time. Thanks to her Student Council privileges, which she knew she was clearly abusing for this one, she was able to temporarily get a key to Shiori's room, leaving a surprise inside for her to find. So she waited at the end of the hall, peeking around the side as she watched Shiori unlock her door and head inside.

Once the doors closed behind her, Juri quickly hurried down the length of the hall, coming to a stop outside of Shiori's room. Taking out the key she had obtained, she very carefully and quietly unlocked the door so as not to be detected and cracked it open. She peeked inside to see Shiori standing with her back to the door in front of her table, upon which was the box Juri had left for her.

Shiori was already in the process of tearing open the wrapping on the package, not noticing Juri peeking in at her, and perhaps that might have come across as a little creepy now that Juri thought about it, but it was in preparation for what came next. So she watched and waited as the violet-haired girl opened the box and let out a gasp of surprise.

Reaching inside, she lifted up the new dress Juri had gotten for her. With her back to Juri, the orange-haired girl couldn't see her expression, but based on her enthusiastic "Oh!" she had let out as she held up the dress, Juri figured that that meant that she liked it. She took that as her cue and quietly slipped into the room as Shiori stepped in front of the mirror and pressed the dress to her chest to try and see how it would look.

Smiling at the happy look on Shiori's face reflecting in the mirror, Juri decided to make her presence known. "I knew that dress would look good on you."

Shiori let out a startled cry and whirled around, clutching the dress to her chest. She relaxed though when she saw who it was. "Juri, you scared the hell out of me."

An apologetic look crossed the orange-haired girl's face. "Sorry, I was going for more of a surprise than a scare." She nodded at the dress. "So, how do you like it?"

Shiori's face broke out into a smile and she held the dress up to admire it. "It's beautiful, Juri. Thank you." But then a curious look crossed her face and she glanced at the orange-haired girl questioningly. "How'd you get it into my room though?" She blinked as she realized something else. "And how did you get into my room just now?"

Reaching up, Juri bashfully rubbed the back of her head, giving Shiori an apologetic smile. "I may have used my position as a member of the Student Council to temporarily procure a key to your room so I could give you your present. Sorry."

In hindsight, that may not have been the smartest decision. She had been trying to make a romantic gesture, but now realized how that could have come across as an inappropriate invasion of privacy. She relaxed though when rather than getting upset, an amused smile crossed Shiori's face.

"That's a total abuse of your power, Miss Arisugawa," she pointed out, though she certainly didn't sound like she minded.

Juri wobbled her head. "Perhaps. But what's the point of having power if you can't even use it to surprise your girlfriend with a gift?"

Shiori giggled. "If you wanted a key to my room, I wouldn't mind getting you a copy." She held up the dress again. "Thank you so much for the dress though, I love it. But what's the occasion?"

Approaching, Juri pulled out her other surprise. A rose, the same kind as the one she had gotten Shiori on their first date, and she held it out to her. "Miss Takatsuki, I wanted to invite you the upcoming dance."

She watched as the violet-haired girl's face lit up. "Oh, that. Yeah, I guess I should have known. I guess I just figured that we would just be going together."

Juri's smile widened, glad that they had been on the same page in that regard. "Yes, but like I said, I wanted to invite you."

She made to give the rose to Shiori, and the violet-haired girl giggled as she reached out to accept it. "Well, I would love to go with you," she replied as she took the rose. She glanced back down at the dress. "But you didn't have to get me a dress; I have plenty of my own."

"Hmm, perhaps," Juri replied, taking a step closer and circling her arms around Shiori's waist, pulling her in closer. "But I wanted to spoil you a bit. And like I said, I knew it would look good on you."

Shiori giggled again as she reached up and hooked her arms around the orange-haired girl's neck. "Oh? And how do you know that? I haven't even tried it on yet."

Resting her forehead against hers, Juri gave her a smile. "I could just tell."

"Could you now?" the violet-haired girl replied playfully. She tilted her head upward a bit so she could lightly rub their noses together. "And what are you going to wear?"

Smiling, Juri pressed a quick kiss to Shiori's lips. "That, you're going to have to wait and see."

Then Shiori returned the kiss with one of her own. "I'll look forward to that."

They kissed again, and then again, and what started as a few exchanges quickly grew in enthusiasm and became more heated. The moment was ruined though as Shiori suddenly winced and broke the kiss with a sharp exclamation of "Ouch!"

The rose fell from her hand and she popped her index finger into her mouth. Juri's gaze went from the fallen flower to the finger Shiori was sucking on, and it didn't take much for her to figure out that she had pricked her finger on one of the thorns, probably from gripping it too tightly.

"You ok?" she asked.

Nodding, Shiori retracted her finger and looked at it. "Yeah, I just jabbed myself."

Once more in hindsight, Juri figured that she probably should have had the thorns removed from the rose before giving it away like she had for their first date. But then, for some reason, there was just a sense of wrongness in cutting off a rose's thorns, like it was some kind of sacrilege to what roses stood for, or that it was demeaning or disrespectful to the flower in some way, and so lessened it as a gift.

"You have to be careful," she told Shiori as she reached up and lightly grasped her hand. "Beautiful things can have thorns."

Smiling a bit, Shiori gave her a nod. "Yes, but those thorns can make the prize all the more worthwhile once you have it."

"Indeed," Juri agreed. "But I know how to make it better."

Then she wrapped her own lips around Shiori's finger and began sucking on it gently. Closing her eyes, she took in more of the violet-haired girl's finger, nearly down to her knuckle. She felt Shiori shiver in delight at her actions as she lightly sucked and swirled her tongue around the digit.

She did this for nearly a full minute before slipping her lips off Shiori's finger with a light pop. She opened her eyes to see that Shiori had closed hers. They slowly opened as well, remaining hooded as she looked up at Juri almost deliriously.

Reaching up, Juri lovingly stroked Shiori's cheek. "Better?"

The violet-haired girl nodded. "Much."

Smiling, Juri leaned in and gave her a long, lingering kiss before whispering against his lips. "I can't wait to dance with you."

Shiori smiled back. "We've danced together before."

"Yes," the orange-haired girl acknowledged, "but now everyone will know that you're mine."

As tempting as it was to continue, Juri also felt that this was the perfect way to end this little meeting. So she reluctantly let her hands fall away as she backed away from her. She saw Shiori's hand twitch in her direction, almost as if she wanted to pull her back to her. Juri just continued to back away, determine to follow through with her elegant exit.

"I'll see you later, Shiori,' she told her before gracefully slipping out the door.

Had she stuck around a little longer or taken another peek through the door, she would have seen Shiori pick up the rose she had dropped and hold it to her heart before quietly saying, "You're right, Juri, I am yours. I always have been."

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

Juri had been right, the dress did look good on her. It was a dark magenta color, almost maroon, and was really more of a gown than a dress that came up just past her breasts with lacey straps that went over her shoulders and laces that crisscrossed down her back.

She admired her appearance in the mirror with a smile before reaching up to fiddle with her hair. She had debated doing it up in a fancy style, but decided that it looked better down. While she could admit that she could be a little vain at times, and really, who wasn't, she wanted to look extra beautiful tonight, and not just because Juri had bought her this dress.

A knock at her door had her heart skipping a beat and a smile spread across her face. She rushed to answer it, quickly pulling it open, and was greeted by the sight of her girlfriend. Juri stood in a stunning asymmetrical split-thigh dress that was dark green in color standing out against her pale skin and amplifying her beauty. She wasn't wearing the locket Shiori had given her, but there was no need for it, for tonight, Juri had her in every way that mattered.

Shiori felt her heart start racing at the sight of her girlfriend, and then beat faster still at the smile the orange-haired girl gave her. "I was right," Juri said admiringly, "you're stunning in that dress."

Shiori knew that she must be positively glowing right now, and she gave Juri an eye-full by slowly turning around so Juri could appreciate her at all angles.

"You look gorgeous as well." She told her once she completed her turn. "Now it's my turn to see. Turn around."

Looking amused, Juri complied, turning in place, and Shiori felt her already racing heart beat even faster when she saw that Juri's dress was backless, the sight making her mouth go dry and causing her cheeks to color.

Once she was facing forward again, Juri gave her a smile and held out her hand. "Shall we go, my lady."

Shiori nodded and began to reach for her hand, but then suddenly stopped. "Oh, hold on a second, I'll be right back."

She left Juri waiting by the door as she rushed into her room. She returned a few seconds later though and shyly held out a small box.

"For you," she said shyly.

Juri cocked her head to the side before accepting the box. She opened it to find a pair of dangling earrings that resembled golden dueling swords.

"Shiori, thank you," Juri told her, looking touched. "But you didn't have to get me anything."

The violet-haired girl bashfully swayed side to side. "Well, you did get me this dress, so I had to get you something too. Can't have you one-upping me."

Juri frowned slightly at that. "Shiori, I told you, it's not a competiti–"

"Kidding," Shiori told her with a smile. "I got them for you because I wanted to, and for no other reason." She winked at her. "It's like you said, sometimes you just want to spoil your girlfriend."

The smile returned to Juri's face. "Just having you is spoiling me enough."

She then reached up and removed the pearl earrings she was currently wearing and put on the ones Shiori had given her instead. She gave her head a shake, making her new earrings sway, and gave Shiori an expectant smile. "So, how do they look?"

Shiori looked at the earrings, but soon felt her gaze go to Juri's face before moving down the length of her body and then up again before settling on her face once more. "You look… perfect."

Eyes shining, Juri reached out and cupped Shiori's cheeks before pressing a kiss to her lips. "You look perfect." She kissed her again. Once, twice, once more before seemingly finally finding the strength to pull back. "Come on, let's go before I rip that dress off you and ravish you right now."

Shiori's heart skipped a beat again. She knew Juri was just teasing her, but her words still had her pulse racing and her face heating, and Shiori found herself very tempted to actually let her do just that.

They made their way through the school to where the dance would be taking place. Shiori recalled that during the last one, there had been a big commotion involving the Rose Bride; something about her dress suddenly dissolving after getting wet, but then… someone, Shiori couldn't remember who, had stepped in to help her. Hopefully, there would be no such incidents this time.

Despite the school seemingly having gotten used to the idea of her and Juri dating in the month and a half since their relationship became known, there were still several eyes on the two of them when they made their entrance. Shiori caught sight of Sakura and the boy she had come with. Her former bully scowled at her, looking at the two of them in clear disapproval before stubbornly turning away. Shiori didn't let it bother her; there hadn't been anymore bullying since the library incident.

Looking around for anyone else she might know, she caught sight of a few familiar faces, including the other members of the Student Council. Touga was, unsurprisingly, surrounded by a group of girls who had clearly come without dates and were now flocking to him. His sister stood a short distance away with her three flunkies, fuming over how much attention he was receiving from the girls, and a short distance away, three boys almost identical in appearance stared at Nanami's lackies longingly.

Kyouichi was standing around looking bored while his date, a brunette Shiori didn't know, fidgeted next to him with a light blush on her face. Miki, it seemed had come with his sister, the two of them currently enjoying the refreshments.

Shiori also spotted the young boy who had made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament, Mitsuru, Shiori thought she remembered was his name, and latched possessively onto his arm was the girl who had been supporting him during it, both of them with shy smiles and blushes on their faces.

She saw a few other familiar faces as well throughout the crowd, including a few of her own friends, who gave her nods of greeting when they made eye contact with her. And yet after her quick look-around, her gaze once again returned to her own date.

Juri caught her eyes and smiled at her before holding out her hand. "Care to dance?"

Shiori swallowed. "I would love to."

She placed her hand in Juri's and the two of them joined the other couples on the dance floor. They soon allowed themselves to get lost in the music as they fell into step with the other dancers. Naturally, being far more formal, it was a very different type of dancing from the ones they had done when they had gone to at the club. It was just as enjoyable nevertheless, and even more intimate as they performed more traditional and slower dances over the next couple hours.

"Seems like you two are enjoying yourselves," Miki commented as he and his sister joined them at the buffet table sometime later.

Juri gave him a smile. "Yes, very much so. And you two?"

Kozue, who was currently clinging possessively to her brother's arm, smiled broadly. "Yes, we're having a wonderful time. Did you know that Miki actually composed a few of these songs?"

Shiori's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Wow, that's very impressive."

Kozue squeezed Miki's arm even tighter, looking rather smug. "Yes, yes, it is."

The blue-haired boy let out a bashful laugh before giving the two of them a smile. "Hey, Shiori, I didn't get a chance to say it before, and I know it's been a while, but I hope there's no hard feelings about what happened during the tournament."

Shiori cocked her head to the side, not understanding what he meant at first, but then it registered. "Oh, about you beating me? No, no, of course not. I knew that you were out of my league; it's only natural that you would defeat me. I only entered the tournament for fun anyway; I never expected to win it. If not against you, then someone else on the Student Council would have definitely beaten me. I'm just glad I got a far as I did."

Miki looked somewhat relieved to hear that. "Well, that's good. I know we don't know each other that well, but if you're going to be with Juri, I'd like to change that."

Smiling, Shiori nodded. "Of course, I hope we can become good friends."

"So do I. Oh, and by the way, I just wanted to say that you and Juri make a lovely couple. I'm very glad you two finally found your way together."

Feeling herself blush, Shiori shyly averted her eyes. "Yeah, so am I."

"Hey, what about us?" Kozue suddenly chimed in, looking rather enthusiastic. "If you guys didn't know Miki and I were twins, don't you think we would look really good together? Don't we look like a lovely couple?"

Both Juri and Shiori blinked, finding the question a little strange. They shared a questioning look with each other before glancing back at the siblings. "Um, yeah, sure," Shiori muttered, not knowing what else to say.

"I guess so," said Juri, sounding somewhat uncertain.

The blue-haired girl giggled, looking giddy at their answers. At that moment, a new song began playing, and Kozue's face lit up. "Oh, I love this song! Come on, Miki, come dance with me!"

He let out a surprised yelp as she grasped his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor, and once again got lost in the music. The dance had been going on for nearly two hours now, but the night was still young. And four songs after Juri and Shiori returned to the dance floor, a slow song that was undoubtedly meant for couples, official couples, began playing. This suited Juri and Shiori just fine, as they had nothing to hide any longer.

Moving closer, their hands in the proper position, they began gently swaying to the music. Shiori kept her eyes locked in Juri's the entire time. She saw the love the orange-haired girl had for her shining in her gaze, not to mention the joy in them that they could be here together like this. It sent Shiori's heart racing, and she leaned in closer so they were pressed up against each other and rested her chin on Juri's shoulder, leaning her head against her. Juri's arms moved around her, holding her close as they continued to sway to the music.

Truth be told, although she thought she had hidden it well, Shiori felt like a nervous wreck. It had nothing to do with them being open as a couple in front of the entire school for the dance though. No, rather, she had something planned for tonight and was feeling rather anxious about it. The two of them had been dating for about five months now, and during that time, Shiori had been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching. It had indeed taken her quite a while, but she had finally managed to work through all her feelings and find the answers she was looking for. She no longer had any doubts about what she felt.

Perhaps Juri had somehow sensed that she was feeling nervous, or maybe she could just feel her heart racing due to their chests being pressed up against each other, but she eventually asked, "Is everything alright?"

For some reason, Shiori felt her eyes start to grow wet, but she held back any tears that threatened to creep up on her as she nodded against her. "Mmm-hmm. Everything is just perfect." They swayed together for another thirty seconds or so before Shiori brought her lips up to Juri's ear and whispered. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

She sensed Juri's confusion more than anything before the orange-haired girl asked, "Where would we go?"

Steeling her nerves, Shiori pressed herself even closer, placing her hand on the back of Juri's neck before whispering directly into her ear. "We could go to your room."

She felt Juri tense up as the orange-haired girl stopped dancing, but only for a few moments before she resumed their swaying. Although she hadn't actually said it, Shiori had left no room for doubt as to what she had meant. Juri's hold on her tightened as their dancing lost some of its rhythm, the orange-haired girl's movements becoming almost mechanical.

"Are you sure?" she asked carefully.

In answer, Shiori's own hold on Juri tightened as she worked up the nerve to say what it was that she really wanted to tell her, and it came out in a light whisper. "I love you, Juri."

Once again, Juri stopped dancing, but this time she didn't resume it once she regained her composure. Rather, she pulled back, staring at Shiori with wide eyes for several long seconds. Then, without a word, she grabbed Shiori's wrist and all but dragged her off the dance floor. She pushed her way past the dancing couples, heedless of who was in her path as she pulled the violet-haired girl out of the room.

She didn't stop there as she quickly made her way down one hall after another, pulling Shiori along with her. The violet-haired girl stumbled along after her as she tried to keep up, but the high-heeled shoes she was wearing made it difficult, and she wandered how Juri managed such a quick pace since she was wearing similar footwear.

"Juri, where are we going?" she asked.

But the orange-haired girl didn't answer as she continued to pull her along. Shiori eventually figured out where their destination was as she recognized what part of the school they were in, and she realized that they were heading to Juri's room. An acceptance to her suggestion?

Juri didn't say a word the entire time. And when they reached her room, she quickly opened the door and pulled Shiori inside, closing the door behind them. Only then did she release Shiori's wrist, but only to whirl around and grasp her shoulders, her eyes fierce.

"What did you say?" she practically demanded, her voice sounding hard and almost desperate.

Heart racing once more, and not from their fast pace through the school, Shiori wet her lips before swallowing. "I said I love you, Juri."

One of Juri's hands came up to cup her cheek, her touch indeed desperate. The orange-haired girl's eyes were full of hope as they bore into Shiori's, begging for her to tell her what she wanted to hear. "How? In what context?"

A somewhat shy smile crossed Shiori's face as she reached up and cradled Juri's face. "The same way you love me, Juri. The way you want me to love you. The way I…" she hesitated for a moment, "the way I've always loved you."

She saw the question appear in Juri's eyes. There was no need for her to ask it, her face said it all, and Shiori leaned forward and rested her forehead against Juri's chest as she went into detail.

"It's true, Juri. I've always loved you, even back before I moved away. I just hadn't realized it, not completely, and I buried my feelings so deeply that I barely even recognized them for what they were."

She glanced up and saw that Juri was frowning in confusion. "I don't understand. You dated Andou back then."

Sighing, Shiori let her hands drop as she stepped back, putting some distance between them. "Yes, I dated, Andou, and yes, I did have feelings for him… but they were nothing compared to the feelings I had for you."

Suddenly feeling ashamed, she turned her back to the orange-aired girl, placing a hand over her heart to futilely sooth the phantom ache she felt in it. "I had no idea that you liked girls back then. I mistakenly thought you liked Andou, and I knew he liked you. But even if I did know that you liked girls, I didn't think you would ever look at someone like me the way I wanted to you to."

She let out a deep sigh. "You're right, I did put you on a pedestal. I thought you were so far out of my league that I would never stand a chance. And… that hurt. You should know how painful it is to think the one you love would never return your feelings. So I buried my feelings for you and denied that I had them, even to myself. But not even that could make the pain go away. Being with you but not being able to have you, it hurt, it hurt so much. And that pain made me bitter and resentful towards you, Juri, because you were the source of my pain, even if I couldn't figure out why."

"Shiori…" Juri whispered.

The violet-haired girl glanced back up at her, smiling sadly as she blinked back tears. "And yes, I was jealous of you. I admired and idolized you, yes, but I was also jealous of you. Jealous of your talent, your popularity, everything that put you out of my reach. I guess I somehow thought that if you weren't so great, so perfect, or if I was better than you, maybe I could stand beside you, that maybe I could have a chance, even if I didn't realize what that chance was that I wanted."

She looked away again. "As for Andou, as I said, I did have feelings for him, and acting on those feelings allowed me to distance myself from my feelings for you and the pain that came with them. That pain also made me want to hurt you the same way I was hurting." She gave a humorless laugh. "I guess you really do hurt the people you care about the most. And that's partly why I started dating Andou. I thought that if I could crush the source of my pain, meaning you, that maybe it would hurt less. And, in a way, it did a bit, but I was never happy about it. That dissatisfaction just made me try to hurt you even more."

She took another deep breath, a longer and deeper one, still unable to face her. "I really thought about this lately, and I came to realize something else, something I hadn't realized back then that I was subconsciously doing. When I started dating Andou, it wasn't just because I thought it would hurt you. I also didn't want him to have you. I didn't want anyone to take you from me. I guess it was something along the lines of an 'if I can't have you, no one can' kind of thing."

"There was never anything between Andou and me," Juri told her. "I just let you believe that so you wouldn't realize I was in love with you, but he was only ever a friend to me. I knew he had a crush on me, but I never had any special feelings for him."

A humorless chuckle escaped Shiori. "I know that now, but back then I thought you both liked each other. So to prevent you two from dating, I told him that you were in love with someone else, and I started dating him myself. Like I said, I wanted to hurt you the way you were hurting me. I thought that by taking the person you wanted by getting him to pick me over you, even if it was through trickery, that it would mean that I was better than you at something, and that would put you and I on a more even level, and I guess I figured that that would make me more worthy of you somehow, even if I didn't realize it."

She let out another humorless laugh and shook her head at her past actions. "What a stupid, foolish little girl I was. It's no wonder that farce of a relationship didn't work out. I had some feelings for him, sure, but we were with each other for the wrong reasons. He was with me because he thought he couldn't have you, and I was really only with him to deny my feelings for you and imagining that by having him somehow gave me one up over you."

Reaching up, she grasped her locket. "And then when I found your locket, everything changed. I knew you kept the picture of the person you loved in it. At first I thought it might be Andou, but eventually realized it wasn't. Finding my picture in there though… it opened my eyes to so many things. To realize that you loved me, that you actually returned my feelings, to have what I secretly desired deep down, even if I didn't realize that was what I really wanted, it indeed felt like I had been granted a miracle. It was so overwhelming that I didn't know what to do. That's why I went to that Mikage Seminar, to try and work through everything."

She ran her hands over her face and through her hair in a clear display of distress. "I still don't really remember what happened after that, but I do remember what I felt. I was happy, sad, angry, and distressed all at once. Because to think that if you had just been honest with me from the beginning about your feelings, then perhaps I wouldn't have had to go through so much pain for so long. God, I was so mad at you for that, and it made me want to make you hurt the same way I was hurt."

Her hands closed into fists at her sides. "And yes, in hindsight I know that I could have sparred us all that pain too had I admitted my feelings for you instead of denying them, but how could I confess? You were Juri Arisugawa, the perfect prodigy that everyone admired. How could I possible compare to that? I think I even hated the fact that you were so great for that same reason, because how could I possibly stand by you? And how could you possibly love someone like me? And I didn't want to lose you by ruining our friendship by confessing to you, which was the whole reason I buried my feelings. Because how could you ever love someone so far beneath you? In fact, there were even times where I thought you were only friends with me out of pity."

Juri made to reach for her. "Shiori–"

"No, don't," the violet-haired girl interrupted without turning around. "Let me say this. I need to get it all out. I've spent years denying and running from my feelings and spent the last several months working through everything. I've been lying to myself for so long, but now I'm ready to face the truth. So please, let me say what I have to say before you say anything."

Juri retracted her hand, and even though Shiori couldn't see her with her back turned, she nodded. "Go on."

Several seconds passed as the violet-haired girl took some time to regain her composure before she took a deep breath. "Perhaps a part of it was me denying the true depths of my feelings for you since they had brought me so much pain for so long, but I gained a very warped view on love. I came to believe that the person who fell in love was the loser, because the person they were in love with would always have power over them. The power to hurt them, to make them happy or sad, the power to crush them completely. And the fool in love would never be able to escape, because their feelings would keep them bound to that person."

She glanced back at Juri with a sad look. "I imagine you know what that last part feels like." At the orange-haired girl's confirming nod, Shiori continued. "But there was still that part of me that thought I wasn't worthy of your love, and I feared that if our relationship did become romantic that our love would eventually fall apart because I was so far beneath you. But at the same time, if nothing became of us, then that love would fade away anyway, and I didn't want that to happen, especially now that I knew that you did return my feelings."

She turned away once more. "But knowing that you loved me, that meant that I finally had you, that you were mine. And I wanted to keep you that way. If not with us in a relationship, then with you beneath my heel as my prisoner, so to speak. That way you could never leave me, and our love would be eternal. So I hurt you. I used your love for me against you, maybe partly to prove to myself that I really had it. I tried to tear you down, to knock you off your pedestal to what I believed was my level, like some subconscious attempt to put us on more even ground so I would feel worthy of you and your love, all while denying my own feelings so I wouldn't be the one in your power. And because you loved me, I didn't need to fear losing you like I did in the past. That was so stupid, so selfish. It didn't even occur to me that you had been suffering right along with me the whole time. But then, how could I have noticed? Perfect Juri lived in a perfect world where everything went her way. God, I was so stupid."

She hugged herself tightly, her nails digging into her arms. "And then there was Ruka. I really did love him, you know; in a way I didn't love Andou. But even then, I still loved you more than him. But because of our falling out after everything I did to you, I was almost… desperate to have someone else to love, someone who wasn't you. Ruka allowed me to have that, he served as a distraction from my feelings for you and the pain I felt from everything. And considering his popularity, that also elevated me; another subconscious desire to meet you at your level, I guess. Even while I was with him, it seemed that everything I did was all for you, Juri."

A humorless chuckle escaped her. "And of course, I made the same mistake I made with Andou. In thinking that I got Ruka to choose me over you, it made me feel like I had beaten you in some way. Only this time it was real, because I hadn't resorted to any trickery. But Ruka did. I really should have believed you when you warned me about him, but it was easier to believe that you were just trying to be cruel to me after what I did to you. My God, he was such an asshole for what he did. Finding out that he really did love you and was only using me for your sake, it was devastating. It was as if everything I felt about not being worthy of you was proven to be true. I was so upset and so angry, and I took it out on you when you were just trying to help me; I'm sorry for that."

She placed her hand over her heart, remembering the pain she had felt that day. "But I wasn't only heartbroken when he dumped me, I was also afraid. Afraid that without him, all I would have left was my love for you and the pain that came with it, especially after everything I did to screw things up between us. He acted almost like a substitute for you, my love for him a distraction for my love for you, like some kind of outlet, even if subconsciously so much of everything I did was because of you. Even when I was with him, I was still trying to indirectly get you, even if I didn't realize it. And that's why I was so desperate not to lose him."

She paused here, taking several deep breaths after her emotional rant and reaching up to wipe away her tears. Once she had calmed down, she took a few more deep breaths before continuing. "In the end though, I think it was good for me. Everything that had happened with Ruka, it made me realize just how horrible I had been to you. I ruined everything, and I only had myself to blame for it. I hated the person I had become, and so I sought to change myself. But no matter how much I changed, there was one thing I knew for certain; I needed you, Juri. I needed you in my life, however I could get it, because being without you was unbearable. So I buried all my feelings, just as I did years ago, and tried to rekindle our friendship."

Several moments of silence passed before she was able to find her voice again. "And then you gave me that ultimatum, that if we were going to be friends again, we first had to give having a relationship a try. After just having buried my feelings for you again, we were going to begin a relationship. And I have to admit, Juri, I was terrified. You were basically demanding for what I had secretly wanted for so long. So the thought of actually having it scared me. And not just because I feared what would happen if things didn't work out. I had massively screwed things up after all, and I had, as far as I believed, been shown proof that I wasn't good enough for you."

She hung her head in dismay. "And if things didn't work out between us, I feared I might lose you for good, even as a friend. But even if things did work out, I was afraid of having to dig up all my old feelings. Not just because they've caused me so much pain in the past, or because I'd done some pretty horrible things because of them, but also because the intensity of them scared me. And if they were now going to bear fruit, then how much more intense were they going to get? It was all just so much."

Once again, she fell silent. When it seemed like she wasn't going to say anything else, Juri opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again as Shiori slowly turned around. She kept her head bowed though and her eyes downcast, almost as if she were ashamed or afraid to look the orange-haired girl in the eye.

"And then there's my inferiority complex. I think I developed that because I felt like I couldn't hold a candle to you with how great you are, when deep down, all I really wanted was to feel worthy of you, even if I didn't realize it back then, just so I could feel like I had a real chance with you. You know that at that point I felt like whoever was the one to fall in love was the loser, because then they would always be at the mercy of the person they loved. And my experience with Ruka, not to mention what I did to you, seemed to support that belief. I don't believe that anymore, although I guess there are those who will use someone's love for them as a way to control them. But the point is, my belief in that at the time also made it hard for me to dig up my feelings for you again. I already felt unworthy, and now I was expected to give you even more power over me?"

She shook her head, still unable to meet Juri's eyes. "But I was desperate not to lose you, so I agreed to us dating. I thought that perhaps I could keep my feelings hidden, but after we kissed that night on our first date… I don't know. I was just left so confused. And then after you confronted me in the locker room, I realized that I didn't think that I could keep my feelings to myself. And after our pool date though, I knew that I couldn't. So I tried to work through my feelings. All of them, from before I started dating Andou, from ever since we were kids. All my thoughts, all my feelings, even the ones I'd refused to acknowledge in the past, all that we've been through, everything. I know it took a long time, and I'm sorry for that, but there was a lot for me to figure out. About me, about my feelings, about our relationship, about what I wanted in life, so much to figure out."

A teardrop fell, and Shiori finally lifted her head to look at Juri, her cheeks wet from the tears flowing down them. "And after going through it all, I know without a doubt that I love you, Juri. I love you so, so much. I always have. I always knew I have, even when I refused to admit it to myself, even when I tried to bury my feelings. You're my everything. I know that sounds a little obsessive, and maybe it is a bit, but it's how I feel. I really, truly love you, Juri, more than anything. I want us to be together. I don't ever want to be without you. I want us to have a fairytale happily ever after. I know I was horrible to you in the past, and I'm truly sorry for that. And I'm sorry for also making you wait so long to hear my true feelings, but I wanted to figure everything out before I told you so there would be no uncertainties or misunderstandings anymore. And I thought that–"

Juri's hands suddenly grasped Shiori's cheeks, cutting her off. She stepped closer; her eyes boring into the violet-haired girl's so intensely that Shiori gasped.

"You have been talking for far too damn long," Juri told her, her voice just as intense as her eyes.

Then she was kissing her. It took a moment for Shiori to realize she was being kissed, and another moment to realize that she had immediately began to respond without consciously meaning to, as if returning Juri's kiss was the most natural thing in the world. Her hands came up to rest on Juri's shoulders as they kissed, whimpering when she felt the orange-haired girl's tongue engage with her own.

When they both could go no longer without oxygen, they came apart, both panting. Shiori looked up into Juri's eyes again, seeing the same level of intensity as before she had kissed her. She continued to cup Shiori's cheeks, using her thumbs to wipe her tears away.

"Shiori, I don't care what happened in the past," she told her. "It doesn't matter to me, not anymore. We've moved past that. Yes, we've made lots of mistakes, but we've learned from them, and in doing so, we've grown as people, and so has our relationship. I forgive you for all that you've done, and I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you too. All I want to focus on now is the future. You love me, Shiori. That's been my one true desire for as long as I can remember, and now you've given it to me. You've granted me my miracle, and I couldn't be happier or more grateful that you return my love, because I love you Shiori Takatsuki."

"Juri, I–" Shiori began, but the orange-haired girl cut her off once more by pressing a finger to her lips.

"Shh," Juri gently shushed. "No more talking."

She then removed her finger and moved in to kiss her again. Shiori lifted her head to receive her kiss, and their lips met once more. Shiori felt more tears slip past her closed eyes as she wrapped her arms around Juri's neck. The orange-haired girl's own hands left her cheeks, one settling on her lower back and the other cradling the back of her head.

There was no longer any holding back of any kind as the two girls poured all their love into each other. Lips and tongues engaged as they held the other close, their heat and passion rising as they broke apart only for quick breaths of air before their mouths sealed together again, unable to stop kissing each other. For Shiori, she began to feel like she was in a dream, feeling dazed and light-headed. She could hardly believe that the two of them had finally reached this point. And to think, they might have been able to have gotten here so much sooner if they had just been honest with each other from the beginning. It had been a lesson hard learned.

They finally broke apart resting their foreheads against each other, both their faces flushed as they panted heavily. Opening their eyes, they stared into the others, seeing the same love and desired reflecting in their own.

"God, Shiori, I want you so much," Juri whispered breathlessly.

Shiori's heart skipped a beat, but she was filled with the same need, and it was nothing compared to what she had felt with Ruka.

"I want you too, Juri," she whispered back. "Let's both have what we want. There's nothing holding us back anymore, nothing to get in our way."

She emphasized her point by letting her arms drop from around Juri's neck and moving back a few steps. She kept her gaze on the orange-haired girl as she lifted a foot and removed one shoe, and then the other, tossing both aside. Then she slowly turned around, exposing her back and the ties of her dress to Juri.

Several long seconds passed before she heard Juri finally take a step forward. A few more seconds passed before she felt the orange-haired girl's hands on her back. She could feel that Juri's hands were shaking slightly as she took hold of the laces of her dress and loosened them. Shiori's heart was racing the entire time as she felt her dress slide down slightly as it loosened.

Juri's hands then slowly slid up her shoulders. She felt her push her hair aside and then press a kiss to her neck. Closing her eyes, Shiori blissfully sighed and tilted her head to the side to give her better access. Juri placed light, loving kisses down her neck as she pushed the strap down Shiori's shoulder, her lips moving to pepper the area with kisses. At the same time, she pushed the other strap down her other shoulder until the dress slid down the length of Shiori's body and dropped to the floor. She then removed her locket and dropped it down onto her dress; she wouldn't be needing it tonight.

A shiver ran through the violet-haired girl's body as goose-bumps broke out across her skin, even though she felt anything but cold. She now stood in only a pair of black, lacey panties; she had been sure to wear her sexist pair in preparation of tonight. She felt Juri step away, and Shiori knew she was taking in the sight of her; she could practically feel the heat of her gaze move over her body. Slowly, she began to turn around, bringing her arms up to cross them over her chest.

Feeling as if her face were on fire, she turned to face Juri fully. The orange-haired girl was staring at her with raw want. She saw Juri's eyes settle on her arms crossed over her chest and saw the longing in them. Taking a deep breath, she slowly lowered one arm, then the other, baring her breasts to Juri's gaze.

She both heard and saw Juri inhale, and noted as the orange-haired girl's hands clenched and unclenched at her sides, as if she were trying to hold herself back from reaching for her. Shiori's own hands were clenched into fists as she tried to calm her racing heart. She was feeling very nervous and self-conscious while under Juri's gaze. Funny, she hadn't felt that way with Ruka. Maybe it's because she was doing this with Juri, and it had been something she had been wanting for so long, whether she had known it or acknowledged it or not.

Well, there was one other reason she was feeling self-conscious, and she shyly averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I… I know I've put on some weight from my stress eating while I've been dealing with all this, but I'm going to work on getting rid of it."

"Shiori," Juri said quietly, staring at her with nothing but love and adoration, "you're beautiful."

Shiori felt herself blush some more, but also felt elevated. Then she found her own gaze drawn to Juri, and her eyes ran up and down her figure. "I want to see you," she whispered longingly.

For a few moments, Juri did nothing, but then she lightly stepped out of her shoes, pushing them back with her feet. Slowly, she reached up behind her, undoing the part of her dress at the back of her neck. Her dress fell away, sliding gracefully down her body, almost like a liquid, and pooling at her feet. Now her only remaining clothing as well were a pair of white panties, and Shiori swallowed as she took in the sight of her.

"You're flawless," Shiori breathed, almost without thinking. "Absolute perfection."

Staring at her intensely, Juri slowly closed the distance between them, stopping when she was right in front of her. "No one is flawless, Shiori. We all have our imperfections, whether they're visible for us to see or not. That is what makes us perfect."

They both fell silent after that and simply stared at each other. Shiori grew shy under Juri's gaze and glanced away. She was unable to look away for long though and soon glanced back. It almost looked as of Juri was waiting for something, though Shiori wasn't sure what. Her hands were itching to touch her though and see if her creamy skin was as soft as it looked, and she finally gave into temptation.

Slowly, she lifted her hand, reaching up for Juri. She hesitated a moment, slightly drawing her hand back, but when there was no sign of protest from Juri, she continued onward. She didn't know why, but her hand ended up landing on Juri's neck, and her skin did indeed feel as soft as it looked, softer even, like the most delicate of silk. Juri remained immobile as Shiori gently stroked down her neck to her shoulder, then lower still to her breast.

Shiori's eyes had been fixated on her hand, but upon hearing Juri's breath hitch, she looked up at her. She could see right away that the orange-haired girl was trying very hard to hold herself back, wanting to make sure she was comfortable with what they were doing. Well, Shiori wouldn't have it. She wanted Juri to lose control, she wanted to make the always calm, cool, and collect Juri Arisugawa lose it with her.

Moving her hand so it rested over Juri's heart, feeling how fast it was beating, she gave the orange-haired girl a pleading look. "Touch me, Juri."

Her request had the desired effect. She saw traces of Juri's control crack apart as the orange-haired girl reached for her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Both let out simultaneous gasps as their nearly naked bodies pressed up against each other. Juri's lips instantly found Shiori's, both their arms wrapping around each other. They kissed fiercely, rubbing their bodies together, their hands trying to touch everywhere.

Shiori felt Juri work one of her knees between her legs and press up against her, causing her to moan into Juri's mouth. She mimicked her actions, pushing her own knee between Juri's legs, earning her a similar response. Their make-out session only continued to grow in passion and intensity as they took things to levels that they had yet to reach with each other.

So lost was she in her daze that Shiori actually had an idea of how they had somehow made it into Juri's bedroom. She wasn't even aware of it until she felt the back of her legs bump against the bed. She glanced down at it, then up at Juri. She watched the orange-haired girl's gaze go to the bed, then move back to her. She almost appeared to give her a questioning look, as if she were silently asking for permission.

In answer, Shiori released Juri and lowered herself down onto the bed. She kept hold of Juri's hands though as she laid down, then placed them on her hips over her panties before giving Juri an expectant look. She then watched as the orange-haired girl nervously licked her lips and looked down at Shiori's panties before hooking her fingers into the sides and drawing them down. Shiori assisted her by lifting her rear and then her legs, allowing Juri to slide them down her smooth limbs and off her feet.

As Shiori laid bare on the bed, her own eyes remained fixated on Juri. They moved briefly down to the orange-haired girl's last article of clothing, then went back to her face. Juri had followed her gaze down to her panties, then went back to watching Shiori as she slipped her fingers into the sides and pushed them down her legs, stepping out of them and leaving her just as bare as Shiori.

The violet-haired girl admired Juri in all her naked glory, drinking in her fill before giving her a somewhat shy smile and reaching out for her and saying softly, "Come to me."

Juri did, climbing onto the bed and sliding up over her. Shiori's arms went around her and she pulled the orange-haired girl in so she was lying on top of her. They kissed passionately as their limbs intertwined, eventually rolling onto their sides and coming apart to stare at each other in a loving embrace.

"Make love to me, Juri," Shiori whispered. "Love me and never stop."

Juri gently stroked her hair, pushing a violet lock behind her ear. "I'll never stop, Shiori. I know I can never stop loving you."

The violet-haired girl smiled. "Good, because I know that I can't either." She placed a loving kiss to her lips before whispering against them. "And I know I'll never want to."

(A/N: Phew, that was lengthy. And like I said, the second half got really dialogue heavy. But again, it was necessary. I really did a massive deep dive into Shiori's character, heavily psychoanalyzing he and her actions throughout the series, both on what we saw in the show and what the series writer said about her, then did a massive breakdown of everything involving her character and her feelings towards Juri. In the end though, I think it was worth it and turned out really well, as we saw the depths and complexity that went along with her and her feelings. But now everything is finally out in he hoping. Both she and Juri have truly confessed everything to each other and have finally consummated their relationship. I feel like I may have pushed the T rating towards the end there, but I think it still falls into the PG-13 realm. But our story is not over yet. There's still quite a bit more to come. So stay tuned to see where things go from here and how their relationship will continue to develop.)