(A/N: Ok, here we go, next chapter. Just a little heads up. There are some topics that appear in this chapter that may make some people uncomfortable. Not saying anything to avoid spoilers, but just wanted to forewarn you all so you'll be prepared to come across anything that might rub you the wrong way. Part of the reason for one of these topics is to address something that was never resolved in the series, so I thought it was important to at least bring it up. Enjoy.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Unconditional Love

Juri smiled at the members of the fencing club as their time came to an end. Every day they improved, gaining more experience a little bit at a time. And those who were already experienced duelists, they continued to improve even more.

"Excellent work today, everyone," she told them proudly. "You're all doing wonderfully. I hope to see you all at the next meeting. You're dismissed. Hit the showers."

"Yes, Juri!" the club members chorused.

They departed after that. Juri's smile widened as she caught Shiori's eye as she headed off to the changing room with the other girls as the boys headed off to theirs. But while they were done for the day, Juri still had some work to do. Being the captain came with certain responsibilities she had to see to. And making sure all the equipment had been returned and that everything was cleaned up and in working order was part of it.

It didn't take her too long though, by the time she was finished, everyone else had already usually showered, changed, and departed. So when she checked the girl's changing room, she was only somewhat surprised to still hear one of the showers running.

Usually, she would return to her own room, which had its own attached bathroom, complete with shower and bath, where she would wash up, but if someone else was still using the changing room's facilities, then perhaps she should just wash up here to make sure everything was in order when whoever was still showering left.

As she approached though, she heard the sound of someone crying. A worried frown crossed her face as she approached the shower room. "Hello? Is everything alright?"

There was no answer, only more crying, and so Juri stuck her head inside. A gasp escaped her as she saw Shiori sitting on the floor beneath a shower curled up in a fetal position as she wept into her knees as the water poured over her.

"Shiori!" she exclaimed, and instantly hurried inside. Headless of the violet-haired girl's nudity, she stepped underneath the shower's spray, not caring about getting wet. "Shiori, what's wrong? What happened?"

Lifting her face out of her knees, Shiori looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "Juri…"

The orange-haired girl's eyes narrowed angrily. "Did someone bully you again? Who was it? I'll make sure they won't do it again."

But Shiori just shook her head. "N-No, It's not that. It's just that I'm… I'm… I'm…" she let out a miserable whimper, "I'm fat!"

Juri blinked at the unexpected statement, so caught off guard by what she had said that she had to make sure she heard right. "You're what?

"I'm fat!" Shiori practically wailed. "I knew I was putting on weight, but I haven't weighed myself for some time. But today one of the girls said that it looked like I was starting to get fat, and she's right!"

Juri blinked again, completely unprepared for this strange turn of events. "Shiori, you're not fat."

"I am!" the violet-haired girl insisted tearfully. "Look at me!" She uncurled from her fetal position and probed her stomach. "See, fat! You must have noticed; you've seen me naked enough times now! You should have said something!"

Feeling awkward, Juri uncomfortably rubbed the back of her head. While it was true that she had noticed that Shiori's stomach had grown, she certainly wouldn't call her fat, even if her stomach wasn't as flat as it once was.

"I know why too," Shiori continued miserably. "It's because I've been stress eating."

"Stress eating?" Juri asked with a raised eyebrow.

The violet-haired girl nodded. "I started doing it when we began going out. I was so nervous about our relationship and with everything that was happening that I turned to comfort food. And now look at me!"

A sigh escaped Juri. Shiori had always had a slim figure, and while she had put on weight, calling herself "fat" was a bit of stretch. It definitely seemed like she was overreacting, likely as a result of her inferiority complex, but Juri certainly wasn't going to tell her that. She did feel guilty though, as it would have been her pushing them to give having a relationship a try that would have caused Shiori to resort to stress eating. Which surprised her actually, as that was certainly a new behavior for her. As far as Juri knew, Shiori wasn't one to stress eat. Had she really been that nervous about their relationship all this time?

"I've always been careful to take care of myself," Shiori lamented as she ran her hand over the small but noticeable swell in her stomach, "but I've been distracted with everything else going on in my life. I mean, I knew I was stress eating, but I thought that the additional exercise I was getting from the fencing club would make up for it. And now look at me! I'm fat and ugly, and you'll probably want to leave me!"

Once again, Juri was taken aback by her words. "I'll what?"

"You'll want to break up with me!" Shiori cried. "How could you want to stay with a fat blob like me? And then I'll end up with a bunch of health problems like diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure and–"

Juri silenced her the only way she could think of. She grabbed her and pulled her into a heated kiss. Shiori seemed surprised at first, but then began to kiss her back, clinging to her almost desperately.

Juri couldn't believe that Shiori would think that she would leave her over something like this. Did she really think her feelings for her were so shallow or fickle? But then she reminded herself of Shiori's inferiority complex. That had to be what this was. The comment of her gaining weight must have triggered it. But had it really been just an observational comment or had the girl who had said it been maliciously making fun of her?

Breaking the kiss, she gave Shiori a serious look as she gently smoothed her hair back so she could see more of her face. "Shiori, you're being silly. I'd never leave you over something like this. So you gained a bit of a tummy by putting on a little weight."

"A lot of weight," the violet-haired girl muttered.

Juri resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the over-exaggeration. Shiori was acting as if she were obese or something, but Juri didn't even think the small bulge even qualified as being fat. At most, she was just a little overweight.

"Regardless," she continued, "you're still beautiful in my eyes. And my love for you isn't only skin deep either. You could be fat, skinny, scarred, deformed, ugly, and it wouldn't matter. I don't care what you look like. I love you, Shiori, and I will always love and want you, no matter what you look like."

She saw some of the misery leave Shiori's eyes, but she still didn't look happy. "But I'm still fat. I don't want to be fat."

A resigned sigh escaped Juri. "It's nowhere near as bad as you're making it out to be. That being said, it is important to stay in shape to maintain good health. So I'll tell you what, if you want to, I can help you with a diet and exercise program. You'll burn the extra weight off in no time."

Shiori now looked hopeful. "You'll help me?"

Smiling, Juri placed a kiss to her forehead. "Of course. But from the sound of it, you just need to stop the stress eating." She frowned at that as a thought occurred to her. "Wait, you're not still feeling nervous about our relationship, are you?"

Shiori suddenly looked embarrassed and averted her eyes. "No…"

"Then why would you still be stress eating?"

Color filled the violet-haired girl's cheeks. "I… I guess it's because… I still don't feel worthy of you… That's what's still making me nervous…"

An even deeper sigh escaped Juri at that. So it really was her inferiority complex at work again. Acknowledging that she had gained weight had only added to it.

Taking her chin in her hand, she made Shiori look at her. "Listen to me, Shiori. I want you to stop thinking of yourself as inferior to me or unworthy. Because let me tell you something, there is no set value on love. It's not a competition of how strong or smart or talented or whatever kind of person you are compared to others. You just have to be a person worthy of loving, that's it. You are a person worthy of loving, regardless of the mistakes you've made in the past. God knows I've made plenty of my own. But, Shiori, I love you unconditionally. You do know what unconditionally means, right?"

At Shiori's small nod, Juri gave her a smile. "Then you must know this by now, especially after all the hardships we went through. My love for you in unconditional. I don't care about things like money, status, talent, popularity, or anything like that. I don't even care about a little pudgy belly." She playfully poked Shiori's stomach, earning her a ticklish light giggle from the violet-haired girl. "I just love you, and I always will. Nothing can ever change that."

Shiori just stared at her, taking in her words. Then she sniffed a few times before wiping her eyes, a pointless action since the shower was still spraying over them, and she gave Juri a bashful smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just being stupid again. I can't believe I let such a little thing get to me."

Juri just lovingly stroked her cheek. "You don't need to apologize to me, Shiori. I want you to be able to come to me with any problems you might have. I want us to get through them together and come out stronger." Taking Shiori's hands in hers, she stood up. "But right now, I want you to say these words. 'I'm worthy of Juri's love'."

Shiori blinked up at her. Color filled her cheeks again and she suddenly looked caught off guard. "What? But that's silly."

Juri shook her head. "'I'm worthy of Juri's love'."

The violet-haired girl blushed further. "I already know that. Like I said, I was just being silly."

Juri just gave her an expectant look. "'I'm…'"

Suddenly looking shy, Shiori averted her eyes. "I'm… worthy of Juri's love."

The orange-haired girl nodded. "Good. Now say it again."

"I'm worthy of Juri's love."

"Look a me." She waited until Shiori did. "Again."

Shiori's bottom lip trembled, but when she spoke, her voice held more confidence. "I'm worthy of Juri's love."

A smile spread across Juri's face, and she gave Shiori's hand a tug for her to stand up. "Again."

Getting to her feet, Shiori stood before Juri, looking right at her. "I'm worthy of Juri's love."

Releasing her hands, Juri reached out and cupped her cheeks as her eyes bore into hers. "Once more."

Staring back into Juri's eyes, Shiori took a deep breath and loudly declared, "I'm worthy of Juri's love."

Once she said this, Juri pulled her head towards her, and then they were kissing. Shiori's hands came up as well to cup Juri's own face as they made out under the spray of the shower. They kissed for what felt like forever, and when they finally came apart, they rested their foreheads against each other and stared into each other's eyes.

After several long seconds of silence, Juri finally spoke. "Whenever you start to get those silly ideas in that pretty little head of yours, I want you to say those words. Because they're true, Shiori. And not only are you worthy of my love, but you are loved. I love you, Shiori, more than words could ever describe." Her gaze suddenly darkened with desire. "And right now, I just want to get you back to my room so I can show you just how much I love and want you, regardless of the extra weight you're so needlessly concerned that I'll leave you over."

Shiori blushed again at Juri's open desire for her, and she couldn't resist the small giggle that escaped her. "You're so amazing. God, I love you, Juri. And when you say things like that, you only prove just how perfect you are. Is it any wonder that I feel inferior?"

"Shiori…"

She shook her head and took a step back, bringing her clenched fists up beside her. "Don't worry, I'll try not to be silly anymore. And when I am, I'll tell myself that I'm worthy of your love." She gave Juri a determine smile, and the orange-haired girl returned it with a proud one of her own. But then Shiori suddenly and bashfully glanced down at her stomach and gave it a poke. "I still want to get rid of this though."

Juri chuckled. "I'm sure you will. And like I said, I can help you. I'll even workout with you."

Shiori gave her a confused look. "But you're in perfect shape."

Smile widening, Juri playfully tapped Shiori's nose. "Yeah, but I'll never say no to spending time with you. Besides," she gave her a seductive look, "do you really think I would pass up seeing you dressed in a workout uniform, all sweaty and flustered?"

At Shiori's blush, Juri let out a laugh as she reached over and turned off the shower. Shiori glanced up at the no longer spraying showerhead, then at Juri. "Hey, wait, I didn't actually shower yet."

But Juri just waved this off. "Let's go back to my room; we can both shower there, uninterrupted, in my own private bathroom. In fact," her smile widened, "I think that's what we should do after practice from now on. Because I'm going to be honest, watching you fence, it really gets to me. You look so sexy that it takes all my self-control not to just drag you off to my bed."

"Juri!" Shiori exclaimed, blushing harder than ever. "You're embarrassing me." Then her shyness mixed with embarrassment, and she turned away. "B-Besides, I kind of feel the same way… whenever I watch you duel."

Smirking, Juri reached out and turned Shiori's head to face her again. "Then all the more reason." She leaned in and placed a quick kiss to her lips. "Now, hurry up and get dressed before I take you right here in the school's public shower."

Shiori didn't even bother to dry off.

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

Juri fully intended to go through with her promise to completely ravish Shiori once they got back to her room, but it seemed that those plans would need to be put on hold. As she and Shiori speed-walked hand-in-hand down the hall, they found a familiar person standing outside her room.

"Kozue," Juri said as they came to a stop in front of Miki's twin sister, "what brings you here?"

The blue-haired girl turned to them, and a look of surprise crossed her face as she took in Juri's completely soaked appearance and Shiori's still wet body but dry clothes. Her eyes then traveled lower to their joined hands and her cheeks colored slightly. Shiori then glanced down at their hands before blushing as well, but Juri just squeezed her hand tighter.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, keeping her tone polite, despite her eagerness to get Shiori into bed.

Still looking embarrassed, Kozue shifted uncomfortably as she kept her eyes averted. "I was… Um, I mean… I was hoping I could talk to you about something."

Frustration ate away at Juri. While she was good friends with Miki, she wasn't as close with Kozue, but she was still friendly with her. But why did she have to come now of all times to talk? "Can it wait until later? I'm a little… preoccupied right now."

Next to her, Shiori's whole face turned red. Kozue blushed harder as well, but she also looked distressed. "Oh… sorry. I guess it can…"

The distress on the blue-haired girl's face broke through Juri's resolve. Letting out a sigh, she turned to Shiori and whispered in her ear. "Go wait inside for me. I'll take care of this real quick and then join you." Then, suddenly feeling mischievous, she seductively added, "You can get warmed up for me while you're waiting."

Somehow, Shiori managed to blush even further. Juri resisted the urge to giggle at her expression and instead placed a kiss to her cheek as she pressed the key to her room into her hand. Shiori just nodded and walked past Kozue, neither of them making eye-contact with each other as Shiori unlocked the door to Juri's room and slipped inside.

Despite the other two girls' blushing faces, Juri felt no embarrassment. There was really no point. The entire school knew that the two of them were not only a couple, but were sleeping together, so why bother hiding or being embarrassed or ashamed of it? She had been ashamed of her love for Shiori for so long and had kept it hidden for such a such a long time that now that they were finally together, she wanted to shout it to the world.

She was pretty sure the faculty knew they were sleeping together as well, but they never said anything about it being inappropriate behavior between two students. It's not like they actually had any proof of it. But even if they did, they wouldn't dare to interfere; she was Juri Arisugawa after all. And besides, they were hardly the only two students having sex. Hell, it was a well-known fact that Touga had slept with what had to be at least half of the female student body, and Juri suspected even some of the teachers as well. But even if the faculty did have a problem with it and tried to put a stop to it, Juri would be damned if she let them keep her and Shiori apart.

Kozue, however, she would allow to come between them for just a few minutes. But whatever the blue-haired girl wanted to say, she hoped she would make it fast. So she crossed her arms and gave Kozue an inquisitive look. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

She waited, but Kozue didn't say anything; she merely stood there fidgeting. After several seconds though, she glanced at the door Shiori had disappeared through, then turned back to Juri, looking sad. "You two seem to be getting along really well."

Juri raised an eyebrow. "We are. We run into some issues, just like any couple does, but yes, we're getting along very well."

She wondered if this had anything to do with what Kozue wanted to talk about or if she had just brought it up to stall with what she actually wanted to say, because whatever it was she wanted to discuss, she was clearly uncomfortable talking about it.

For the next several seconds, Kozue continued to fidget. Finally though, she seemed to find her voice. "How'd you do it?"

Once again, Juri raised an eyebrow, this time in question. "Pardon?"

"You and Shiori," Kozue clarified. "You two weren't always like this. Everyone knows what happened with her and Ruka. You were already in love with her then, weren't you?"

It was much longer ago than that, but Juri didn't see the need to get into detail of just how long she had loved Shiori and simply nodded. "I was."

"Well, how did you do it?" Kozue asked again. "How did you bear it? How did you handle being in love with someone you shouldn't be? How did you manage to keep your feelings hidden? How'd you manage to love her from afar knowing you couldn't have her? How'd you deal with the pain?"

Now both of Juri's brows rose. So her initial question hadn't been her stalling from getting to what she actually wanted to talk about; it had been related. She decided to get straight to what she assumed would be the heart of the matter. "Kozue, are you in love with someone?"

A blush filled the blue-haired girl's cheeks as she shyly muttered, "Mmm-hmm."

"Another student?" Juri asked, and a moment later, Kozue nodded. "With a boy?"

Kozue didn't answer this time and instead looked away. Juri was taken aback by this as she reevaluated the girl. While she may not know Kozue as well as her brother, she had been under the impression that she liked boys. Had she been wrong? She'd never picked up any indication that Kozue liked girls. But then, Juri had managed to keep that side of herself hidden for a long time.

Was the same true of Kozue? Was that why she wanted to talk to her, because they both liked girls? If so, then who was it that she loved? It wasn't her, was it? A sudden surge of possessiveness and jealousy ran through her. It had better not be Shiori.

"A girl?" she asked, attempting to keep the jealousy out of her voice.

Kozue glanced back at her in surprise. "What? Oh, no, it's not that. I like boys." She then grew shy again. "And yeah, I am in love with one. It's just that this boy is…" she looked away, looking embarrassed and ashamed, "he's… not available…"

Juri immediately relaxed now that she knew it wasn't her or Shiori that Kozue was in love with. Her heart immediately went out to the blue-haired girl though as she recognized her plight. "Oh, so he has a girlfriend then?"

That would explain why she brought up her loving Shiori while she was with Ruka. But then, to her surprise, Kozue shook her head. "No, he's single, and he doesn't like anyone. Well, not anymore anyway, I don't think. But he's still not available."

Juri cocked her head to the side. "Why not? Does he not like girls?"

Kozue shook her head again. "No, it's nothing like that. He likes girls, but he's still unavailable… for me personally."

Now Juri's brows furrowed in confusion. If the boy she loved was single, liked girls, and wasn't interested in anyone, then what was the problem? Why was he not available to Kozue personally? That seemed to be what she was saying, but Juri didn't see why that would be the case.

"I don't understand," she said, still trying to figure out what the issue could be. "Why wouldn't he be available to just you? Who is he?"

The blue-haired girl's cheeks reddened again and she averted her eyes as she began fidgeting with her hands. She looked ashamed and… was that fear she was displaying? Why would she be afraid?

When Kozue refused to answer, Juri let out a sigh. "Kozue, I can't help you if I don't have all the information. Who is the boy? Why would he only be unavailable to you and no one else? You have to tell me if you want my help."

Torn. That was the way to describe how Kozue looked right now, torn. She wanted to tell Juri, but she also didn't want to. Something was holding her back. She was attempting to find her voice though, and her words came out in broke fragments as she hung her head so her bangs hid her eyes.

"I-It's… uh… H-H-He's… He's my… It's, um… M… M…"

Resisting the urge to tap her foot impatiently, Juri waited for her to say the name. And when she finally did, she said it so quietly that Juri couldn't hear. "Sorry, what? I didn't catch that." She said it again, but it was just an inaudible, incoherent mumble, and Juri brought up her hand to her ear. "I still can't hear you. You need to speak up."

Biting her bottom lip, Kozue openly steeled her strength before speaking. "I-It's… M-M-M… It's Miki!"

Her face twisted with clear pain as she finally said the name, her hand flying to her mouth as if she couldn't believe she had actually said what she had said. Juri lowered her own hand from her ear, but now her impatience disappeared as it was overcome with stunned disbelief, and she stared at Kozue in complete bewilderment.

It was now Juri who had trouble finding her voice. "W-What… did you… say…?"

Kozue hung her head. "I said it's Miki."

Juri could only stare as she tried to wrap her head around this. "But… Kozue… he's… your brother."

The blue-haired girl winced at the word. "Don't you think I know that!?" she cried, looking utterly miserable. "I know he's my brother! And not my foster brother or step brother like in some manga or anime, but my blood-related brother! My twin brother in fact! Why do you think I said that he's not available to me?"

Juri said nothing as she stared at Kozue as if seeing her for the first time. This… This was completely unexpected, and was most definitely not the turn she saw this conversation taking when the blue-haired girl said that she wanted to talk. What did one even say in response to such a declaration?

"Kozue… I… That…" she stammered, not knowing what to say. "Are you sure? I mean, he is your brother, so it's natural that you love him. And you're both teenagers, so you've got hormones and stuff flying around; it's a confusing time. And I know that he was in love with Anthy Himemiya, so I can understand that you might be jealous for his attention. But… in love? Are you sure?"

In response, Kozue's shoulders sank. "Trust me, I'm sure. I know the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. These feelings grew over time and they're most definitely not family love. When you love your brother the way a sister should, you don't want to kiss him or touch him the way a sister shouldn't, or do… the kinds of things I want to do to him. You don't… want to become his lover."

Yes, if those were the feelings and desires Kozue was having towards Miki, then they were most definitely not family love. "But, Kozue, that's… what you're describing, what you want… it's… it's incest."

"I know!" Kozue shouted, grasping her head in dismay. "I know! I know! I know! That's the whole problem! I'm in love with my own brother and want to do things with him that a sister shouldn't! What more, I want him to want the same thing as me! I want him to look at me, not as a sister, but as a woman, as a lover! This isn't some fetish either! I don't get off to stories of incest or anything, but I can't help wanting Miki this way!"

She lowered her hands, giving Juri a desperate look. "And I know how immoral these feelings are. Sisters don't dream about marrying their brothers." She scoffed. "Well, maybe they might when they're little kids and don't actually understand what it really means. But not now, not at my age when they know better. They don't want to marry them, to become lovers with them, to bear their children. It's wrong. It's wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!"

A whimper escaped her and she placed her hands over her chest, as if her heart were hurting, and tears filled her eyes. "But I do. I've wanted all that for a long time now. I know it's wrong, dirty, forbidden, completely taboo, and yet I still want it, and I don't know what to do about it." She gave the orange-haired girl a desperate look. "Please, help me. Tell me what to do about these feelings."

Juri was completely speechless. She had absolutely no idea how to respond to this. While she knew the pain of unrequited love very well, this was something else entirely. "K-Kozue… I… Why are you coming to me with this?"

Kozue slowly lowered her arms and wiped her eyes. "I thought you might understand. You know what it's like to have the person you love be unavailable to you. You know what it's like to have to keep your feelings hidden." She shrugged. "And seeing as you and Shiori are both girls, you know that there are those who would disapprove of your relationship, even find it disgusting. But I don't think that I can stand keeping these feelings in anymore and needed to talk to someone. I figured that you could relate, at least to an extent."

Sighing deeply, Juri ran a hand through her hair. Yes, she could understand some of what Kozue was going through, but nowhere near to that extent. She'd thought that her relationship with Shiori had been complicated, but this, this was something else entirely. They'd both had experience unrequited love, but this was definitely comparing apples to oranges.

"I don't think I'm the right person to come to with this," she confessed as she rubbed the back of her head uneasily. "Maybe you should talk to Nanami. She could probably relate to you better."

But Kozue just scoffed at this. "Please, it's hardly the same thing. Nanami greatly admires her brother, almost obsessively, and she has a major brother complex and is incredibly possessive of him for sure, but it's not even close to my situation. We both know that she'll grow out of it when she gets older, but my situation isn't a phase or something to be grown out of." She gave Juri a pointed look. "And even if our situations were the same, do you really think she would be the best person to go to for advice for something this important?"

Juri had to admit, she had a point there. While Nanami had matured a bit, she definitely wasn't the person to bring such an important matter to, even if she could relate to the situation.

"I still don't know what you expect me to do," she told her sympathetically. "Our situations are hardly the same."

Kozue frowned, looking utterly miserable. "I know that. I guess I'm… I guess I'm just looking for some advice. What did you do regarding Shiori, with knowing that you couldn't have her, or even tell her how you felt about her?"

Juri's eyebrows rose. Is that why she was coming to her? Well, she supposed she could help her with that. "Everyone's situation is different, Kozue. There's no one answer. But in my case, all I could do was keep my feelings hidden and pretend that everything was normal, even when Shiori dated other people."

From the look on Kozue's face, she wasn't anywhere near satisfied with such an answer. "But didn't it hurt? How'd you deal with the pain?"

Juri nodded. "Of course it hurt. It hurt so much I sometimes thought I would die. Seeing her with Ruka, it felt as if my heart were being torn out of my chest. But I endured. I endured because I had no other choice. Because if I didn't, I feared that I might lose her completely, and that scared me even more."

A look of dismay crossed the blue-haired girl's face and she looked away. "I'm not as strong as you, Juri. I don't think I can manage that."

Juri's heart once again went out to the poor girl as she remembered her own heartache from back then. "I knew I couldn't stop loving her, I tried to make myself stop for the longest time. I even tried hooking up with someone else." She gave Kozue a suggestive look. "Have you tried that?"

A blush filled Kozue's face and she shyly looked away. "I… I have actually. I uh…" She bashfully tapped her index fingers together. "When I figured out how inappropriate my feelings were and realized that they weren't going away, I actually hooked up with Touga Kiryuu."

Juri's eyes widened. "Touga?"

The blue-haired girl's face turned redder. "W-Well, he does have quite the reputation as being an incredible lover. I figured… if anyone could get my mind off Miki in that way, it would be someone as skilled as him."

At her explanation, Juri resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course it had been Touga. She really should have known it would be; it was practically a stereotype at this point. In fact, she legitimately wondered if there were any girls at Ohtori Academy he hadn't slept with, excluding Nanami of course. How did he even find the time to take on so many lovers?

It seemed Kozue had had the same idea as her. She really should have figured. She and Shiori had both gone to the Student Council President for the very same reason as well. And while Touga's reputation definitely proceeded him, if Kozue was still coming to her with this, then the hooking up with someone else ploy obviously hadn't worked.

"And that didn't help, huh?" she needlessly asked.

Kozue just shook her head. "No, it didn't. I mean," more blushing, "Touga definitely lived up to his reputation, but… he just wasn't Miki."

Yes, Juri could certainly relate to that. "Well, I recommend never telling your brother about your little hookup."

Looking irritated, Kozue just scoffed. "What's it matter? I actually made a point of dating boys that I knew Miki couldn't stand before, just so I could get his attention. How pathetic is that? At the same time, I deliberately chased off girls that I knew were interested in him. Guess I was taking a page out of Nanami's book on that. And all the while, I tried to distance myself from him, but all that's doing is hurting him. I just…" she covered her eyes, "I don't know what to do."

A sigh escaped Juri. "I'm sorry, Kozue, but I really don't know what you want from me."

Lowering her hands, Kozue gave her a desperate look. "Just tell me what to do. How do I deal with this? Please, I just need something, because I don't think I can take holding in these feelings anymore. I can't act on them though, so what do I do?"

Closing her eyes, Juri crossed her arms again and thought carefully about this. Her foot tapped in thought and her finger drummed against her arm. In the past, she'd thought that her feelings for Shiori had made things complicated, but that was nothing compared to Kozue's predicament. While there were those who would disapprove of her feelings for another girl, at least society considered them acceptable. Not for Kozue though. Society as a whole had labeled her feelings as taboo and completely unacceptable. And while Juri didn't want to judge, she too recognized the immorality of Kozue's love.

But what could she tell her? The obvious thing would be to tell her to keep her feelings to herself and try to move on from them, but Kozue had already been doing that, and it clearly wasn't working. Juri could relate, for that had been true of her feelings for Shiori as well. But while the two of them had been able to make it work, she didn't see how things could work out for Kozue.

Finally, she let out a sigh and gave the blue-haired girl a serious look. "I can't tell you what to do, Kozue, but I can give you some advice for what I think you should do, if you want to hear it."

Kozue nodded furiously. "Yes, please, tell me what to do. How do I deal with these feelings?"

Uncrossing her arms, Juri took a step towards her and laced her hands on her shoulders. "Talk to your brother."

Kozue blinked, clearly not expecting her answer. "What?"

"Talk to Miki," Juri insisted. "Tell him of your feelings. Tell him everything, then work through things with him from there."

Looking shocked and almost frightened, Kozue took a step backwards. "You mean… confess my love to him? But… I can't, he's my… my…"

"Brother," Juri finished for her. "Yes, I know, and that's why you should talk to him. Staying silent is obviously not working, and it's clearly causing you both pain and will continue to do so."

"But he's my brother!" Kozue shouted. "He'll never accept my love, not that kind of love."

Juri nodded. "Yes, you're right. And even if he did, society would never allow it. But as different as your situation is from mine, there are parts that are the same." She glanced at the door of her room. "Prior to us getting together, possibly the biggest problem that Shiori and I faced was a lack of communication. It led to a lot of misunderstandings and pain, and it really hurt our friendship and made us act horribly towards each other. If we had just been honest with our feelings, then we could have avoided so much pain and heartache, and maybe even gotten together much sooner."

She looked back at Kozue, giving her a small smile. "What held me back was my fear of losing her if I did confess. And the same was true for her. As such, I kept my feelings locked deep in my heart while she went into denial about hers. It caused a whole host of additional problems just because we couldn't talk to each other. Don't make our mistake. Talk to Miki, work through this together."

"But… if I tell him…" Kozue muttered, looking terrified.

"This is where our situations differ," Juri continued. "Unlike me, your love can never bear fruit, that's true, but also unlike me, you don't have to worry about Miki leaving you, no matter how disgusted he may become. He's your brother, you're bound together, he could never leave you. You don't ever have to be afraid of losing him, not over this."

Kozue shifted about uncomfortably. "I… I don't know…"

Juri gave her a pointed look. "You know Miki better than anyone, Kozue. You've known him your whole life. Do you really think he'll hate you or no longer want anything to do with you over this, over something you can't even control? Or do you think that, as your brother, he'll help you however he can?"

She watched as the blue-haired girl carefully considered her words, looking torn once more. Juri couldn't even imagine how difficult this must be for her. She thought about her own sister and tried to imagine loving her the same way she loved Shiori. But no, she couldn't even picture it. There was no way she could truly understand what Kozue was going through.

Finally though, she watched as the blue-haired girl's shoulders slumped. "I'm scared. I'm scared to tell him. Even if I don't lose him, I'm afraid of how things will change for us once I tell him."

A deep sigh escaped Juri. "I understand. And you're right, your relationship probably will change. But even so, he'll always be your brother; he won't leave you. He couldn't if he tried, that's what being family means; you're stuck together." She gave a shrug. "Of course, that's just my advice. You asked for it, and I gave it. It's up to you to decide how you want to handle things from here. But my suggestion is to talk to him. Communication is the key. That's really the only thing I can tell you."

She fell silent after that, not knowing what else to say. Several long moments passed where the two simply stared at each other, until, at last, Kozue nodded sadly.

"I see," she said quietly, sounding almost resigned. "I guess you've given me a lot to think about." She forced a grateful smile onto her face. "Thanks for the advice, Juri. I'll remember what you said." She began walking past her. Juri glanced at her as she left, but then she suddenly paused and looked back at her. "Oh, and could you please not tell anyone what we talked about. It's… kind of private."

Juri nodded, surprised she even needed to ask. "Of course, these are your feelings. You're the only one who has the right to talk about them."

The blue-haired girl gave her another grateful smile, this one more sincere. She still looked rather miserable though as she turned and continued walking down the hall. Juri watched her leave with a heavy heart, truly sympathizing with her. Whatever she decided to do, she really hoped things worked out for the best for her and Miki.

Well, she'd done what she could, the rest would be up to the twins. And so she let out a sigh and walked up to her door, but found it locked. Knowing that Shiori was inside with the key, she knocked. A few seconds later, the door was pulled open. Juri barely got a glimpse of Shiori before the violet-haired girl reached out and grabbed her, yanking her inside. Juri stumbled along as Shiori pulled her through the room, and the next thing she knew, she had been pushed onto the bed.

Lying on her back, Juri lifted her head to ask what was going on, only to suddenly find herself pinned to the bed with Shiori on top of her, the violet-haired girl staring down at her hungrily.

"Finally," Shiori remarked, her eyes full of lust. "The two of you were talking forever."

Juri was slightly taken aback at how quickly the situation had escalated, but then she smiled up at her. "Sorry to keep you waiting. It was a rather important conversation."

Smirking, Shiori leaned down and pressed a kiss to Juri's exposed neck, earning her a soft moan. "It's fine. You can make it up to me now."

A light chuckle escaped Juri as she reached up and wrapped her arms around her. She then proceeded to do just that, paying Shiori back in full for the wait.

Later, the two of them sat in a relaxing bubble bath together, Juri leaning against the tub with Shiori tucked up against her, her back to Juri's front. The orange-haired girl held her lover tightly and securely in her arms as they relaxed in the hot water, both of them spent from their activities.

Juri nuzzled the side of her head, lightly peppering kisses over Shiori's neck and cheek, causing her to let out pleased sounds. In the past, when she thought that she would never be able to have Shiori for herself, she'd almost thought of her feelings as a curse. But now, comparing her situation to Kozue's, her own hadn't been anywhere near as bad. Kozue had a far more difficult predicament, and unlike Juri, her own love could only end in heartbreak.

This realization really made it clear just how worse off things could have been for her. She could have fallen for someone she truly couldn't have, someone it would have been impossible to end up with, like her own sister. Instead, despite all the pain and hardships she'd faced, her love had been a success, and she finally had Shiori for herself.

"What are you thinking about?" Shiori suddenly asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Juri smiled happily. "Just thinking of how lucky I am to have fallen for you. Despite all the hardships we faced."

Shiori let out a happy sound as she snuggled up against her. "I love you, Juri."

"I love you, Shiori," Juri told her. And then, because she couldn't resist teasing her, she playfully poked her stomach. "Even if you do have a bit of a belly."

"Juri!"

(A/N: Wow, this chapter certainly took a turn. Anyone else ever get stuck in a stress eating situation? I did when my brother got really sick and ended up in the hospital for weeks. He made a full recover, but yeah, I did a lot of stress eating during that time. Seems that fed right into Shiori's inferiority complex. But Juri is helping her get over it. Such mindsets are not easy to break though, but she's working on it. But speaking of difficult predicaments, poor Kozuo. I know it was only heavily implied in the series, but the creator did confirm that Kozuo's love for Miki was indeed incestuous. This was never really addressed or resolved though, hence why I decided to address it myself. I did say that other background characters will have their own unresolved issues brought into the story. I've focused mostly on Juri and Shiori so far, but we'll be getting a look at some of the other characters and their situations and predicaments as well like we did for this chapter from here on out. The story will still focus on our two leading ladies though, these other things will just be going on in the background. Hopefully Juri's advice to Kozuo will help her. For more of Juri and Shiori's growing relationship and things regarding the other characters, stay tuned for more.)