JPHiP Forum

AKB48 Fanfics => AKB48 Fanfics => Topic started by: kevinwkl on June 21, 2013, 09:17:09 PM

Title: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on June 21, 2013, 09:17:09 PM
I’m just an amateur writer. This is my first time writing a fanfic. So please bear with my work. Don't be too harsh on me,ya.. ^^

---------------------------------------------

OS#1 - I have always wanted you

There I sat, across the room from Jurina. I couldn't help but stare. I wanted her so bad. But Jurina was with her. Her, being my best friend, Kashiwagi Yuki. It was completely my fault, so I tell myself, no matter how much I would like to blame this all on her, but it didn't feel entirely right to do so. Jurina liked me too, or used to, until Yuki swooped in and snatched Jurina up for herself. I could always tell she liked her too. But not as much as I do. I've been in love with Jurina since the day we met. I know it's cheesy to say, but those things can be true. We became friends quickly, just friends. That was the problem. Up until the day Jurina declared her love for me during lunch in the cafeteria at our school, Majisuka High, it hasn't been the same between us ever since. I turned her down. I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so instead I ran off in the opposite direction, leaving Jurina at her knees with a bouquet of flowers-- humiliated. I regret that day more and more I think about it. But that was almost a year ago. Yuki and Jurina have been together for 4 months now. I couldn't believe it myself.

At least Jurina doesn't completely ignore me. I mean, she acknowledges my presence... most of the time. That's something... right? Right?

I hear Yuki's giggling, which is only painful and annoying for me. It also snaps me back to reality. A place I don't really want to be. Jurina and I made eye contact, almost for too long. Her eyes look longing.

I observe for another minute, and Jurina almost looks... annoyed. Not with me, but with Yuki. The way she always drapes herself all over Jurina, I can only imagine her pain and annoyance. I would feel the same way if I were in her shoes. I feel sorry for Jurina. I can surely say that if we were together, --ouch, that's hurts to think about-- but I would give her space. All living things need their own space. I know. It's the way my cat, Churi feels when I cuddle her a little too hard and a little too long. I now know when to back off. But Yuki isn't getting the message.

Jurina quickly stands up from her seat, leaving Yuki sitting there, with a confused expression on her face. I look away, trying not to look obvious. But out of the corner of my eye, I see her approaching. Me. Uh-oh. Or is it an uh-oh? She hasn't approached me in, I don't know how long. I'm not sure what to think, or what to do. But I can't sprint off in the other direction. Not again. I couldn't do that to Jurina.

"Hey, Rena." Her black round eyes and warm cat-like smile melt my heart.

"Oh, umm. Hey, Jurina." My cheeks felt warm, which could only mean I was blushing.

"How are you?" What is she doing? Starting up a conversation with me? Was she trying to piss off Yuki? Because I know for a fact she cannot stand Jurina talking to me unless she's there with her.

"I'm good, I guess..."

"Really, Rena, how have you been?" Could she tell how much I was suffering all along? And now she's taking this moment, when we're not even alone, to approach me about it?

"Who cares how I feel, what about you? I hurt you and humiliated you. I'm the one to be asking you."

"I care, Rena."

"Why? I'm a terrible person for what I did, and now I have suffer the consequences."

"You are not a terrible person, don't say that." Jurina assures me, placing her warm hand on my bare arm. It only sets off unforgotten emotions I've been trying to forget for months. She really isn't helping.

I hesitated. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Why do I have reason not to be?"

"Because of what I did--" Jurina cut me off before I could continue.

"Stop saying that! That was the past. I want you now, Rena. I never stopped wanting you!"

The room fell silent. Everyone stared. Jurina had said that much too loudly. I could only imagine the expression on Yuki's face now.

Jurina's expression wasn't much better. She had just realized what she said and how loud she had said it. Everyone in this room was in shock. Especially me.


Before I could find the words to say, Yuki was already stomping her way over to us.

Her hands were curled into fists. Her face red with anger. What was about to happen?

"Did you just SAY what I THINK you said?!" She demanded of Jurina. Jurina looked scared to answer, because her answer wasn't what she wanted it to be, and we could all bet on that.

"I.. umm. Listen, Yuki.." She cut her off.

"No! You are not doing this to me! Not to ME!" She yells. "Nobody does this to Kashiwagi Yuki." Now she's talking about herself in a third person. This is never good.

"Yuki... I've been meaning to talk to you about--"

"No!! I don't want to hear it! If you want to be with that bitch, then so be it! I. Am. Done."

She means with being humiliated. And what did she just call me? I thought we were best friends. Oh wait, we stopped being best friends when she stole the guy
I've had my eyes set on for two years. Not that she would care.

Before she let anyone speak another word, she storms out of the room, her face the colour of a red Ferrari.

There was an awkward silence in the room. No one knew what to say next.

"Well," I began, chuckling a little, "That was something."

"She is something..." Jurina laughed.

"So what now?" I asked hesitantly.

"This." She said, as she reached for my arms and pulled me in. Then she tenderly kissed my cherry glossed lips. I felt a tugging in my heart. The good kind of tugging, though. This time, it was good. Very good.


I have always wanted you
THE END




Note : I am currently starting a new series called supernatural partner. Hope everyone will like it.. :))
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kuro808 on June 21, 2013, 10:02:46 PM
Great OS

Nice for the first time and I hope you have success here
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kevinwkl on June 22, 2013, 02:38:34 AM
Thank you for your comment. I was thinking that it miht be a bit too shabby for me being the first time writing. Thanks again and Please look forward to my new fanfic!  :) :D
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: gek geki on June 22, 2013, 03:10:33 AM
YEAH ITS GREAT BUT BUT HOW DARE JURINA DO THAT TO MY YUKIRIN??? SHE DESERVED BREAK UP IN GOOD MANNER KEKEKE MAYUKI I WANT MAYUKI TOO
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kevinwkl on June 22, 2013, 03:46:37 AM
Haha.. thx for reading my fanfic. But Jurina didn't realise that she had said everything out loud either. I'm a fan of Yukirin too. So i'm not going to give her another character like this.. EVER..  :D
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: Dieyg48 on June 22, 2013, 07:09:48 AM
Ahhh~ What a great OS indeed~~ Love it very much~
 :wub: :oops: :inlove:

~I'll wait for your fics for sure!! Because right now, i'm in love with your writing style!~!~
 :roll: XD :twisted:

~But yeah, wish you the best luck in here!~!~ Enjoy your stay!~!~
 :twothumbs :lol:

~And hey, pls make another great OS!~!~ I just like it~~
 :twothumbs :thumbsup :bow:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kevinwkl on June 22, 2013, 07:59:46 AM
You flatter me much..  XD

Thank you for reading my fanfic.. :w00t:

stay tuned for my new fanfic titled 'supernatural partner' :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: cisda83 on June 22, 2013, 12:29:22 PM
Ah... Rena was scared so she ran off...

Then Jurina and Yuki got together...

Rena regretted... that she just noticed that she also liked Jurina...

Then Jurina accidentally confessed her feeling towards Rena still like before unchanged in front of everyone, including Yuki...

Then Yuki broke up with Jurina 1st before she was being dumped by Jurina...

And at last... Wmatsui was together...

Yeah... Interesting simple OS, kevinwkl-san

I like it... Thank you for the OS

Can't wait to see your next OS 'supernatural partner' then...

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kevinwkl on June 23, 2013, 02:40:48 PM
haha.. thx for reading..  :) :twothumbs

'Supernatural partner' isn't a OS but a series!!

stay tuned!!  :D
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's 1st fanfic] I have always wanted you
Post by: kevinwkl on August 17, 2013, 08:14:12 AM
I made a new OS! A scary and creepy one though..


OS#2 - Hide and Seek Alone

Playing hide-and-seek alone is pretty popular in Korea and Japan. There are numerous posts from people who have actually tried this. A lot of people say it works, and that they felt that their lives were threatened. The meaning of this play is "If you can find me, you can have my body."

This "play" is necromancy - it is potentially very dangerous. It is not recommended that anybody should do it, even if you're curious. Because if done correctly, this WILL work. This play is not good for your sanity.

You need:
- A doll with legs. Not a human doll, since there's a great possibilty that the spirit will not leave the doll. Don't use a doll that you like because of the same reason. The doll will be a place for the spirit to come.
- Rice. The spirit that eats this offering is said to grow stronger.
- Red thread. This later symbolizes blood and acts as a restraint.
- Something from your body. It's usually fingernails, but some use their own blood, skin, hair, etc. It becomes a curse if you use someone else's body parts.
- Weapon. Something to stab the doll so that you can anger it. Real knives are dangerous, so most people use pencil or needle.
- Salt/Saltwater or alcohol. Without this, the game won't end. The material is used to get rid of the spirit.
- Safety place. You NEED a safe sanctuary, somewhere preferrably with lots of crosses, god statues, etc.
- A name. Giving the spirit a name is the most powerful thing a human can give to the spirit. Names give spirits great power.

Method:
1.Cut the doll and replace the foam/stuffing with rice.
2. Place something from your body into the doll.
3. Wrap the doll with a red thread as if to hinder(stop) the doll.
4. In a bathroom, pour water onto a large washbasin and find a place to hide.
5. Place a cup of salt water in the place before starting the game.

To play:
Start at 3 AM, since that is the time where spirits are the most free to move.
Give the doll a name (for example: Bob).
When the clock strikes 3, close your eyes and say, "First tagger is (doll name)! First tagger is (doll name)! First tagger is (doll name)!"
When talking to the doll, you MUST talk sternly.
Now go to the bathroom and place the doll in the washbasin.
Turn off all lights.
Close your eyes and count to 10, get your prepared weapon and go to the bathroom.
Go to the doll in the washbasin and say

"I found you (doll name)!"

And stab the doll.
After that, close your eyes again and say

"Now (doll name) is it! Now (doll name) is it! Now (doll name) is it!"

Place the weapon next to the doll and go to your hiding (safety) place. You MUST lock the door.
Also, lock all windows and doors.
Place the salt water in your mouth. DO NOT SPIT IT OUT. The salt water will protect you from the spirit.

To end the game:
When you want to end the game, take leftover salt water or alcohol and find the doll.
The doll may not be in the bathroom. (There are instances of the doll being outside).
When you find the doll, spit out the salt water and spray the leftover.
Close your eyes and shout
"I win! I win! I win!"

The doll will give up.
It is advised to burn the doll after the game.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
-You MUST play this game alone. If more than one person does this at the same time, there's a great chance that someone will be possessed.
- Do NOT go outside the house.
- Keep the game under 2 hours. After this time, the spirit will be too strong to remove.
- When hiding, you MUST be silent.
- Turn off all electronics before starting.
- When running away, do NOT look back. Only look forward. And don't sleep while playing - the doll may stab you.
- When discovered by the doll, you can get a small wound or be possessed. When the doll finds you, your weapon will be around the floor or in your pocket, so you must be careful.
- After the game is over, it is important to clean up properly. Spray salt on every corner of the house, especially places where you put the doll and where you found it. Salt scares away any spirits.

Common Experiences:
People say that usually the TV flips channels on its own, perfectly normal lights flicker, the TV volume seems to change, doors seem to open and shut on their own, or you can hear the sound of laughter.

_______________________________________

"There are no spirits in this world!" Watanabe Mayu did not believe such preposterous game existed, so she decided to put this game to a test by her own.
She was in the house alone that night, surfing through the net and found this game, and luckily the time was after 1 AM.
"Perfect.. I will prove that this game is just some bullshit created to scare the others.." I guess Mayu wasn't scared or anything... So she decided to play the game.
She took a Hatsune Miku doll and did the steps.
She was late in preparing so when she got the knife and the saltwater ready, it was already 2 minutes before 3 AM.
She turned off the computer, the lights of the living room and kitchen, and went into the bathroom.
Mayu didn't look at the clock carefully, but she remember thinking, "I guess it's about 3 now."
And did the chants...
Then she went into the guest room next to the bathroom, counted to 10, and went out and stabbed the doll.
Then she came in the guest room, closed the door, turned the TV on, and took the salt water and cellphone into the closet.
She could hear the TV and was waiting... She don't remember how much time had passed,
But soon static noise mixed in with the audio of the TV show.
Pretty quickly all Mayu could hear was static noise.
It was a bit creepy, but the TV in the guest room did that a few times before
so she tried not to mind it too much. But then...
Mayu could hear the sound from the TV "knock""knock""knock""knock"
It was mixed with the static noise, but it sounded
As if A HAND HAD COME OUT OF THE TV (it was next to the closet) and was knocking on the closet door.
That knock sounded about 10 times before stopping.
Mayu started becoming nervous, she couldn't breathe even after the sound had stopped.
But soon, the noise level STARTED TO DECREASE AND INCREASE.
It would get loud as if to burst her eardrums and then quiet as if the TV was off.
Then suddenly the TV turned off. Mayu thought 'What....?' and stopped her breath and waited
And the TV turned on again... With sound.

'Where''Are''You''Hiding'
(TV on and off)
'Are''You''Here?'
(TV on and off)
'I''Know''You''Are''There'
(TV on and off)
'COME OUT!!!"
(TV off, and after a while turns on)
'I''Guess''Not''Here'
(TV on and off)

Then static noise came. Mayu can remember that sound clearly.
As the channel was flipping, one word sound out (for instance, at channel A 'Where' then at channel B 'Are'... like that).
The middle 'Come out!' sounded as if it came from a TV drama. It didn't count out one word at a time
But was rather like a scene where a woman was screaming.
Then the TV turned off. And IT DIDN'T TURN ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
Mayu was so scared, she didn't want to go outside.
She wanted to call someone so she took out her cellphone. But her phone accessory made a clinking sound as they hit each other (She had a mini-mirror, USB, accessory, etc._
AT THAT MOMENT THE TV TURNED ON.

'What'
'Was'
'That'
'Sound?'


Then the TV turned off, and Mayu clutched her cellphone and stayed still.
She felt that she shouldn't make any sound.
Then the TV turned on again,




'HEY'






With that loud sound, the TV didn't turn off and static noise came again.
Then this time, with the static noise,

'I'
'Know'
'You'
'Are'
'There'

'I'll'
'Find'
'You'


She was really very scared, but it sounded like it hadn't found her yet since it said that it'll find her.
So with the saltwater in her mouth, Mayu ran out the closet.
(She didn't know it at the time, but the TV WAS OFF when she came out... Mayu had TURNED ON THE TV when she first came in)
Mayu opened the door and turned on the bathroom light,

AND THE HATSUNE MIKU DOLL WAS ON THE FLOOR WITH THE KNIFE.

The soaked doll looked as if it was trying to crawl out of the basin. The knife was thrown across the floor...
Mayu was so shocked, that she opened her mouth. Luckily, the saltwater fell on the doll and she took the knife and ripped the doll to pieces,
And turned on every light in the house. Kitchen, living room, TV in the living room, balcony, etc.
She didn't look at the clock and went to the kitchen to get a wrap, white plastic bag, and a black trash bag
And wrapped the doll, stabbed it with the knife a few more times, and with the knife she wrapped about 5 plastic bags around it
And tied it tightly in the trash bag. Mayu was still hesitant so she wrapped it with a tape.
Then she could finally relax and breathe.

Mayu looked at the time as she walked out into the living room and the CLOCK WAS POINTING AT 3:05.

All this happened in only 5 minutes....??!!

It should have been 5 minutes past when she started hearing the knocking noises...
No, taking care of the doll after the game should have taken longer than 5 minutes....

But all of this combined... IN ONLY 5 MINUTES?

What actually happened?


Hide and Seek Alone
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: clubhappy on August 17, 2013, 08:28:01 AM
Oh you write about this hide-and-seek alone urban legend XD
I knew about this when I read Shuuen no Shiori It's really scary  :nervous . Thanks for this OS
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: itamana on August 17, 2013, 09:41:33 AM
Huaaaah  :stoned:
It's really scary.... :fainted: :badluck: :err:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: cisda83 on August 17, 2013, 10:24:19 AM
Such a thrill there...

Scary...

Thank you for the OS

Can't wait to see others

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: Hirasawaizumi on August 17, 2013, 01:29:36 PM
Curious to try, but I was taken aback and scared so decided to let it be...
...this kind of stuff shouldn't try. I know. It's too creepy...
Thanks. It was a nice creepy OS...
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on August 17, 2013, 02:23:28 PM
Thx for reading~~

I just wanted to try something new..

So i thought, why not try an urban legend story? :on polter:

Yea.. One note, though.. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME

This story is based on real life experience.. Not something to be joked about..

Have a nice day! :on GJ:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: WotaOtaku~ on August 17, 2013, 02:24:26 PM
I'm only at important notes yet i'm scared to read this T^T i'm alone at home too D:

EDIT: Nice one there! You scared me and i'm alone at home luckily it's only afternoon..
I can't wait for your next update

P.S That was creepy and scary >.<
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on August 17, 2013, 02:26:26 PM
WotaOtaku : I understand.. If you're scared, you don't have to read it though.. Not gonna force you to.. XD
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: gek geki on August 17, 2013, 02:49:36 PM
I CANT READ THAT STEP BY STEP UUUGH IT'S SCARY~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: WotaOtaku~ on August 17, 2013, 02:50:50 PM
Haha it's ok, I choose to read it ^^
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: Terragen on August 17, 2013, 03:01:54 PM
weee so creepy for me but it's funny tooo~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #2 : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: MaRJ on August 17, 2013, 11:23:06 PM
OMGOMG so scary i read it at 530 ><
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #2 : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: Sherin on August 18, 2013, 04:08:32 AM
Lol using Hatsune Miku doll is what ruin the mood for me. XD

If it was a Barbie doll, I would freak out more.

Though I don't really get the 5 mins thing. It's a mystery~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #2 : Hide and Seek Alone (Creepy OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on August 18, 2013, 07:43:18 AM
A special Wmatsui OS made for Sherin~

Happy early Birthday~~~
:on BDay: :on BDay: :on BDay:

Now you owe me something~

OS #3 Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)


A single drop of blood hits the pond's surface, sending small ripples across the clear water. The red murky liquid doesn't dissolve, but stays its own as it twists and tumbles 'til it hits the sandy bottoms. Only then does the blood disappear, seeping into the small crevices between the tiny crystal like sand grains. I dig the blade deeper into my palm. Blood begins to trickle off my finger tips and run down my wrist. I grit my teeth and choke down the shrieks that want to escape my frozen, chapped, lips.

“Why are you doing this, Jurina? You've never done this, you've always thought this as pathetic and weak!”

I can just hear her yelling at me for cutting myself, but it's the only way - the only way I can feel better. The pain that is shooting up and down my arm is much easier to cope with than the internal emotional heartache that is tearing me into shreds.

It's all her fault for me being like this. She is the reason I feel depressed, weak, pathetic, and fragile. She left me. She had to go off and ... and get herself killed. She should have called me - I would have been there in a heartbeat. I should have gone - I could have made sure she never got drunk. I should have asked if we could do something different - all of this would have been avoided, no temptation of alcohol hanging over our heads.

But no, when she called asking if I could go to that party, I refused and said see you later. Unknowing that I would never see her alive again. I would never feel her soft breaths in my ear, hear her murmuring heartbeat, or listen to her soft soothing voice. I would never be able to hold her hand again. I would never be able to feel her skin against mine, no small gentle squeeze to reassure me that everything will be fine.

I need her to squish my hand again, one last time. I need to know that everything will be okay. But I will never know if I will be fine, or if she will be fine. She's dead, forever gone from this world, never to hold me, never to assure me again.

I look down at my bloody hand and glance at the knife. I see a bloody reflection of my face, the whole scene of my parents telling me the news about her comes to mind. No. No. No! I don't want to remember, I want to forget, but I can't. I can't ignore the memory.

My mom knocks on my bedroom door, soft and timidly, "Jurina?" she asks, slowly opening the door. I glance up from the book I'm reading and look at the tears in her eyes. She's pale and shaky. My dad comes into the room after her. "Jurina, we have some news for you. D - don't ... " and then she just stops and cries. Salty water drops fall out of her eyes, runs down her cheeks, and drips off her chin landing on the back of her hand.

Dad pats Mom's back, and then looks at me with his dark brown piercing eyes. "There has been an accident," he begins, glancing between my mother and me. He wants to continue, but the rest of the sentence is lodged in his throat.

"Dad, Mom, what accident? Who was in an accident? What happened?" I scream, wanting to know. I need to know, what if ... If they say -

"Rena isn't coming back from the party," Mom says in between her sobbing. I stare at her in shock. What does she mean she's not coming back? Of course she is, she has to!

"What?" my voice was shy, nervous, scared.

My dad sighed, and took a seat next to me on the bed. "Sweetie, Rena was driving back home from a party and she didn't see the stop sign, nor the other car coming ..."

"She's not ... she didn't ...?" I ask, my breathing becoming heavy with each word, each thought.

Dad shakes his head, "She forgot to wear her seatbelt." he doesn't have to finish. I don't need to hear the rest, I don't need all the gory details.

All I need to know is that Rena, my best friend, is gone forever.

I feel soft water drip down my cheeks, and land on my black dress. Today is her funeral. I am supposed to be there right now, praying and giving a eulogy, but I can't. I can't go there and see the faces of crying people, people who didn't know her like I did. So I'm here, letting myself bleed. Letting myself think about everything. Letting the thundering clouds above me rumble and try to scare me to go away.

Rena had to die, she had to get drunk, and she had to forget her seatbelt.

One stupid mistake and it killed her.


~~~~


I was always a loser. Seriously, I was. I got picked on at school for every possible reason: Mama’s child, nerd, totally out of style, ugly, etc. The usual stuff, I know, but it hurt all the same. High School wasn’t any better. I never had a girlfriend. Hell, I barely had friends, and they weren’t exactly the socialites of the century either. Like minds stick together and all that I guess.

Once I got into the real world, I drove a crappy car, because I couldn’t afford a nice one with the crappy pay from my crappy job. I barely even got the job I had, and only because the shear mass of my pathetic life weighed down on my boss’s conscience so much that it’d have been like kicking a three-legged puppy while it was down. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job and the people I worked with. It was just crummy pay, which resulted in the crummy car.

I did manage to move out on my own, but much like my car, my place wasn’t exactly fantastic. The roof leaked, the tap leaked, the shower leaked… pretty much anything that could leak, did. On top of that, it was above an Indian fast-food joint. This resulted in everything I owned smelling a tad too strongly of every kind of curry and spice known to man, and all at the same time. It had one window, and it was small. Really small. Insanely, stupidly small. I paid too much rent for it, but I was too much of a sucker to say anything.

I hadn’t kissed anyone until I was 24, and I won’t even bother embarrassing myself further by going into the details of my non-existent sex life.

Suffice it to say, I was pathetic in every possible way. I was the definition of ‘last place’.

Then I met Rena.

Rena was a girl I met at a coffee shop while waiting in line in a coffee shop to buy a coffee that was far too exotic and far too expensive for me. I have had a rather good day at work, and I felt like treating myself. She was in line behind me, though I only found this out after I had bought my way-too-expensive drink.

As I turned around, our eyes met.

I was in love, simple as that.

As I walked past her, I knew that she was ‘The One.’ I had to talk to her. I had to talk to her and find out her name and what she likes and what she hates and if she had pets and if she liked to read. There were a million other things I wanted to ask her, but at that moment I slipped on a wet tile and went down like a sack of potatoes.

When I came to realise, I was still on the coffee shop floor; my coffee raising the price of the tile that it had spilled on, and many a gawking person hovering over me. Rena actually had the decency to try and help me up. It took a couple tries as I was slipping far too much. She told me to sit still because I was bleeding, and it would probably be best to get a doctor to have a look at me. I’m pretty sure I agreed, but the whole thing is a little hazy. I remember asking her name (Rena), but after that I forget. From what I gather I passed out.

When I came around again, I was sitting in a gurney. Rena was sitting there, as worried looking as anything but hadn’t noticed I was awake. I managed to steal a couple moments to appreciate her.

She wasn’t the cutest girl in the world, but she had a charm about her that blew me away. Just looking at her nearly brought me to tears, though that could have been the endorphins wearing off. Time slowed as I took every part of her in: her eyes, her hair, her skin, her mouth, even the way she sat. Everything about her was breath-taking.

Then the doctor came in, and time resumed its normal speed. He used some of that faux ‘trauma doctor charm’ and said that he was glad to see me conscious. Not exactly a high bar, but it was good enough for him. He asked Rena what happened as he didn’t trust me to retell the tale. He had a look at my head and said that I was indeed going to need a couple stitches. He left for a moment, and returning with a nurse in tow, he told me to turn around so he could “patch me up.”

When the doctor had finished stitching me up, which took a couple tries because apparently my scalp rejects local anesthetic, he told me that I’m lucky I didn’t have a concussion and that my friend was smart to call paramedics. With that, he disappeared through the doorway to treat some other person with minimal enthusiasm.

Rena asked me if I was okay, and I asked her if she wanted to go get something to eat.

I didn’t expect myself to say it. Asking her that showed way more confidence than I actually had. I still blame the fall to my momentary lapse of Loserdom. She was so blind-sided that she actually agreed! My first date in years, and I got it from a trip to the hospital.

If only I had known it was that easy.

We walked to a little diner near the hospital, because neither of us had transportation. I had ridden in the back of the ambulance, and apparently she had as well.

We started to talk, awkwardly of course. I asked her about herself, if she had pets, if she read, and about three percent of all the questions I wanted to ask her. In turn she asked me similar questions, and we ended up having a lot in common. It was at this point that my previous feeling of The One had been confirmed. I had to be with her, and that was that.

Finding a diner, we went inside and got some late breakfast. We finished dinner, and I asked her whether I could see her again in a less hospital-related way. In a shocking turn of events she said yes, and I nearly choked on my much-less-expensive coffee. She thought I was cute in an awkward, nerd-next-door sort of way. I decided to take this as a compliment and asked her for her number. She scrambled through her overly-large purse and dug out a pen and paper. She scribbled her number down, handed it to me, and then somehow managed to flag down a near-by taxi.

This girl was magic.

I walked the 43 blocks home.

Our first so-called-date is something that was so wonderful, so pure, that it will forever be burned into my memory. We met at a park half-way between our homes. I brought a picnic basket filled with the nicest foods I could afford. Granted that didn’t really add up to much, but as Rena put it, “It’s the thought that counts, silly.” I can believe in that.

We met with it feeling almost like it was the first time all over again. We walked down a wide path surrounded by trees, both of us afraid to start talking. Mothers with strollers would walk past us, giving us knowing looks. Children would run blindly past us oblivious of the awkward air that they too would have to deal with when they grew older. I listened to the world, trying to glean some knowledge from the winds and the trees and the dirt.

She broke the silence by asking me how my day had gone, and told me about hers. I couldn’t trust myself to talk much, so I listened. I didn’t mind being the silent one since it’s something I’m used to. No one bothers to pay attention to me, so I end up being a listener anyway. She was thankful for someone who was such a good listener. Who would have thought that being ignored for a good portion of your life would finally pay off?

When we came to a nice clearing, I set up the picnic and we sat down to eat. The sun was just moving through the trees providing us with a semi-shade, and the wind blew through the leaves softly, creating music that you can only hear in your memories. If the day could have been any more picturesque, there would have been little ragged mice with violins playing to the side, tears in their eyes.

As we ate, I made it my mission to sit beside her. Juvenile I know, but I didn’t have much experience at this. Back to basics and all that. My self-induced mission took roughly 2 hours of eating, drinking and conversation, all the while my minds wheels turning on how to find any excuse to move closer. She either didn’t mind or didn’t notice; I assume she knew what I was doing but let me do it. She was always so understanding; she could read me like a book.

I made her laugh, and she made me smile. I told her jokes that I had heard, and she told me about her life, and the little things that made it special to her. I told her she was special, and so special things naturally came to her. She blushed, and I blushed, and we sat there on the ground silently competing for who closer match the shade of an apple. This would be later be my fondest memory within what is already my fondest memory.

As the sun started to set amongst the trees, and the winds started to cool, we opted to pack it in for the day. If I had had it my way, we would have sat there until the ends of the earth. She made everything brighter and more wondrous. She opened my eyes to all the little things I never appreciated. Her laughter was music, and her smiles fought the sun.

We packed the food and the wrappers; the forks and the plates. I folded the blanket we sat on and stood up. We walked back to the entrance to the pack in silence, listening to nature sing us to the end of the date. The air was no longer awkward, but full of magic and a creeping joy. I would have jumped and clicked my heels if I hadn’t been sure that I would have fallen right onto my face. I opted for allowing my insides to vibrate in happiness.

When we were parting ways, I stumbled over myself asking of she’d had a good time, if she was happy, and if she’d like to go out again. I know I got all three questions out but they may have all been one word. She laughed, put her finger on my lips and shushed me. She brushed her hair behind her ear and leaned towards me. Before I knew what was happening, she was kissing me. This soft, electrifying, burst of joy. It wasn’t a hard kiss, or even a long kiss, but I returned it, and for a moment in time, everything in the world was right.

We separated, the world returning to normal. I watched her walk out of the park and hail another taxi. It was only after I watched the taxi leave that I had no idea if I would see her again.

I still think she did that on purpose to make me call her again.

Our relationship wasn’t like any other relationships. It was in the borderline of best friend and a girlfriend. After a couple months of meeting up, we were officially mad for each other. We had done all the stupid cuddly stuff that hideously cute couples do together: going to the beach, going to carnivals as I spent way too much money winning her a stuffed animal (I’m not a very good throw or aim), watched the night sky, the whole lot.

We were together whenever possible.

The best part about it was that I didn’t feel like such a loser when I was with Rena. She was so cute and smart that by simply being around her, I felt smarter and cuter and not as much of a loser. She helped me find a nicer place, helped me find a better car for the same money, and even convinced me to ask for a raise at my job. She turned my life around, little by little.

In return I gave her the only thing I could offer: myself. If she ever needed help with anything, I was there. If she needed laundry picked up, I was already on my way. If she needed someone to call in sick to work for her, I was on the phone. Whenever she needed to cry about something, I held her like it was the end of the universe.

We were in love like it was the only thing that mattered.

Eventually things got more… intimate. After meeting up for nearly a year, our occasional snuggling had been pushed further and further into an adult-oriented scenario. I’m not going to gloat about it or release any sullen details because I don’t need to. Our love was progressing physically as it was mentally.

One night after going for an evening walk and getting ice cream (again, very sickly cute couple) we came back to my place and things got a little more serious than usual. We made it onto the bed, and after some tossing and turning, It happened.

It was wonderful, magical even. All of our emotion and our love was concentrated into that one moment, and for a split second we became one person. I know it sounds corny, but that’s honestly how I’d felt at the time.

As we lay in bed after, we just looked at each other for a while. Things were different now; we’d crossed that line and there was no going back. This wasn’t like a one night stand (which I had never had, thank you), or a fling. This was the real deal. As our eyes stared into each other, I asked her if she’d like to move in with me because I wanted nothing more than to wake up to those eyes every morning.

She started to cry, punched me lovingly on the chest, and called me an ‘idiot puppy.’ I just smiled and said “If you want to call me that, that’s fine. Just say yes.” And you know what? She did. Between her happy sobs, she smiled at me and I knew that I had achieved the one goal I had ever set for myself. I would be with this girl forever. I’ve managed not to screw everything up, and now she’s going to be with me forever.

We slowly fell asleep holding each other, and I cherished that moment more than anything else in my life.

Then the day comes. Rena was invited to a reunion party in which she invited me along. I denied her invitation as I wasn’t feeling too well on that day. So, she ended up going to the party all by herself.

Little did I know that she was drunk. Little did I know that she had forgotten her seatbelts. Before I knew it, she was gone.

I could deal with having a crappy place, a crappy car, and a crappy job. I could deal with being a loser with no hand-eye co-ordination. How could I deal without Rena? I loved her.

I still love her.

And I can still feel her when I fall asleep.


~~~~


I drop the knife into the water, a loud splash cracks the wall of silence. And just as the stillness of the water is broken, the clouds start to growl and cry. Rain pours down, first as a small sprinkle, then into a down pour. My hand is pounding, a searing pain that won't stop pulsing.

I'm not sure what I should do any more. I don't know where my life is going any more. Where am I heading? It's been two weeks since Rena's death, and I can tell how much I've dropped. I'm almost at rock bottom. I just need her hand, I just need to feel her touch, I just need her to whisper those simple words: Everything will be okay.

Gusts of wind wrap around me, my hair whips across my face, and the rain starts to come down lighter. Then the wind stops suddenly, I think there is a break in the storm. A golden ray of light blinds my eyes and everything has become calm. Then I hear her.

“Take my hand”, she purrs into my ear, sending chills up and down my spine. It can't be her, I'm just going crazy. It's just the wind, it has to be. “Jurina, take my hand”, the voice sounds more demanding, but still sweet and gentle.

"You're not here, this is all a dream!" I yell, covering my ears with my hands. I can't let this get to me, in the end when I figure out that this was all my imagination, I'll be crushed. I cannot sink any further to the bottom.

“No, I'm real. I'm right here, just look. Look up, Jurina.”

And I have to. Something deep in my soul is forcing me to look up, because it believes that Rena is right there. My eyes look into the golden light and there I see a shimmering figure standing right before me. Black sparkling eyes, soft raven black hair, Rena. I know I'm dreaming, this doesn't happen in real life. Angels don't just fall from the sky. Dead best friends don't just appear in front of you.

“Take my hand”, she repeats holding out her hand. It looks real except it's blurry and not holding a specific shape, it keeps disappearing and reappearing. I'm scared to take it, won't my hand just go through hers? But I let my bloody hand reach up to hers, and miraculously she grasps it. Her touch is firm, like she'll never let go. I am completely befuddled, this isn't real.

"How?" I quiver.

Rena just smiles and embraces me into a hug, the entire world around us melts. It's like she never died, she never got into that stupid car crash. We're back at her house, watching a movie in her room. Me, cuddled in her lap and she, stroking my head. We're just two best friends or lovers hanging with each other. Nothing in the world can tear us apart.

“Everything will be okay”, she murmurs, stroking the back of my head. “Everything will be okay, I swear”, Rena takes a step back, and grins at me. “I love you, Jurina. We'll be together again ... Someday.”

The wind picks up again, the light begins to fade and the rain comes back down to earth in large amounts. And the pain is gone. Just gone. I lift up my palm, and there is no more blood, not even a cut mark from the knife. It's like I never pushed the blade against my skin.

Everything will be okay. And for the first time in the last couple of weeks, I do believe that everything will be fine.

"I love you too, Rena." the wind catches my voice and sends it up to the heavens where Rena is looking down on me.

"I now know that everything will be fine. And she's waiting for me, up there in the clouds. Rena has a bowl of popcorn and our favourite movie waiting for me when my time comes, and we'll be together forever, as the two best friends that we are," my voice rings out across the crowd of people at the graveyard. I take a step down from the speaker and head back to my parents. Out past crowd, I see a golden angel, smiling. Some people may say it was just a trick of the light, or I was thinking things, but I'm positive that shimmering figure is Rena, my best friend, my lover, my guardian angel.


OS#3 - Guardian Angel
END

I'll write an epilogue for this story~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Sherin on August 18, 2013, 08:12:39 AM
For now I'll ignore that small crossed out sentence.

First I'd like like to say thank you so much for the wonderful BD gift.  :farofflook:

I always love reading miserable Jurina, BUT this is good ending?!!!!   :stoned:

Do you really have to kill off Rena in my BD fic?!!!!  :scolding:

You're supposed to make me happy.  :gyaaah:

So many feels...my WMatsui.  :pleeease:

And yes I hate you, Vinnie.  :tantrum:

(And thanks once again.)

Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on August 18, 2013, 08:43:22 AM
Sherin

Don't hate me =3=

You asked for a Wmatsui OS and i gave it to you..

But I will write an epilogue about this..

So, it may not be a sad ending after all~~ :on GJ:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Sherin on August 18, 2013, 08:59:51 AM
Lol I know all that crying won't be for naught.  :wahaha:

I am so looking forward to it~  :hee:

Of cuz it shouldn't be a bad ending, I told you from the start, I want good ending.  :bored:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on August 18, 2013, 09:02:16 AM
quite sad that Wmatsui can not be together in live...

But at least they can be together in death

So good story there....

Thank you for the OS

Can't wait to see more

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: p-o-p-e-y-oppa on August 18, 2013, 10:29:25 AM
Do you know what i looked like while i was reading this?
i was all like "oh" then "d'aawww"
literally mixed emotions haha. i can say i might be crazy but anyway,
i've been so deprived about wmatsui that i think i already read all One shots that have been written.
i've been thirsty about wmatsui moments too

and you, sir, are my thirst quencher.

thank you for the wonderful shots. :D
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Terragen on August 18, 2013, 11:08:55 AM
i couldn't believe when rena died here so saaaad
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on August 18, 2013, 04:18:27 PM
RENNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :panic:
I can't breathe.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on August 18, 2013, 07:58:26 PM
OK right now I'm really scared because of that game hide and seek. (I have a good imagination. I see quite lively all these things. Also I watch really a lot of horror movies.)
I'll NEVER play that game.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on August 18, 2013, 08:55:40 PM
Hitori kakurenbo - Creepy Hide and Seek (FULL MOVIE - ENG SUB) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLjy2CWIjQE#)
Oh there is the film about it. Going to see it right now.
I just love horrors.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Ruka Kikuchi on August 18, 2013, 10:04:52 PM
Um... this might sound selfish, but my birthday is this Thursday(day of Sayaka's graduation concert). Can you...

Can you make a Saeyaka fanfic for me?

I really like your fantasy fics... Maybe something sad, but sweet. Y'know, a happy ending.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Eyescrasher on August 20, 2013, 03:22:39 PM
*speechless*
I like it...
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: katekyohit on August 22, 2013, 01:42:00 AM
 :cathappy: :cathappy: :cathappy: :cathappy: :cathappy: :cathappy:
YAY! I like THIS! Finally got the chance to read it! ><
That's just so sweet between Rena and Jurina!
I don't mind Rena die...it's just so SAD!!!! ><"
This story really touched me.
What an amazing OS~ I like it and I truly look forward to see the epilogue of this!  :fap
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #3 : Guardian Angel (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on August 26, 2013, 11:13:06 AM
The epilogue of Guardian Angel dedicated also to Sherin~ :on BDay: :on BDay: :on BDay:

Not sure if you all will like it though..

It doesn't seem that interesting....

Well, anyway i already did it, so.....

ENJOY!!!! :on GJ: :on GJ:
_________________________________________________

Guardian Angel (Epilogue)


My name is Jurina. People used to stray away from me. But everything changed since I met Rena. The first time in my life that I actually felt useful or needed by somebody. Basically Rena was the best thing that had happened to me. She was the only reason for me to continue living on. Which is why when Rena lost her life in a car accident, I couldn’t handle the news at all. In the end, I attempted to commit suicide. I just didn’t want to continue living without Rena. There was no more meaning in life. Then she came. With a golden shimmering light, Rena stopped me and embraced me for one last time. I still remember her final words before she left me once again… “Everything will be okay, I swear. I love you, Jurina. We'll be together again ... Someday.”

It’s been two years since Rena had passed on to the afterlife. I no longer drive a crappy car now. I was promoted to the manager of my company. Ever since Rena’s death, lady luck had been on my side. It was as if Rena was the one who was bringing me all these luck that I had never dreamt of getting. I live in a bungalow now. Every Sunday, I would buy a bouquet of flowers and a melon pan before visiting Rena’s grave. I would sit down there and I would talk about how my week had been going while munching on Rena’s beloved food melon pan. I wonder if she heard everything I told her for the past two years.

As I made my way down the street after paying a visit to Rena, I sighed loudly, making a little girl, who was tightly holding her mother’s hand, look at me before I passed her. She smiled, and I gave a weak smile in return. She was really cute. She kinda reminded me of Rena. I was walking back to my home. I tend to day dream a lot about Rena as I walk, it’s a bad habit. While thinking things over, time seemed to escape me. It was 11:30pm. I caught a glimpse of something that seemed off. Three figures were standing in a shady spot on a dead end street. There were no street lights. I moved closer, hiding behind a tall, dead tree. The group didn’t seem right. Two of them were dressed in all black, while the other, smaller figure, was in what seemed like red or pink, I can't tell. But what would people be doing in place like this, at this time of night? It can’t be anything good, that’s for sure. When I got closer, the two tallest figures were rugged looking men. The shorter one was a girl, no older than me, but she was struggling… What the hell is going on? Her eyes were wide with fear, looking about, trying to find someone or something to help her. The girl’s mouth was covered with tape and her hands were behind her back. They were held tightly by one of the men, he seemed so much stronger than her. She was helpless. His partner stood facing her and was talking in a hushed tone.

“If Daddy doesn’t comply to our requests, well, he’ll never see his precious daughter again now, will he?”

She desperately tried to speak but her voice was muffled due to the tape.

Wait, who was she and what did these guys want from her father, money? That’s the only thing I could think of. They suddenly moved. I guess they didn’t want anyone, who were actually out this late, to see what they were about to do. The positioned themselves to the darkest part of the dead end street. No houses were built on the short block, the land was a vacant lot. The man who wasn’t holding the girl started to undo her shirt.

She desperately tried to get away. She tried kicking at him, but the man holding her wouldn't allow it. He barely seemed to notice her failed attempts at freedom. The guy working on her shirt glared at her.

“Now, now, don’t be like that. Do you want us to hurt you? Daddy wouldn’t like that very much.”

He smirked and went back at trying to undo her blouse. His hands were shaky though, that much I could tell. He was probably worried someone might see.

Shit. What was I going to do? A part of me was saying, “Get the hell out of there!” and some other force was pushing me to go to her rescue. I had to help. There was no time to turn back. I began to advance toward them.

I was only a short distance now. The two men were too preoccupied in trying to figure out how to undo a simple shirt button to notice my advancement towards them.

Luckily for me, they probably never had too much luck with women and a simple shirt button was considered rocket science in their minds. It gave me enough time.

I was close enough now. I charged at them, aiming for the man that was trying to get the shirt off the girl. He never saw me coming.

I punched his nose. I felt his nose break and my hand sank deeper into his face. The dirt-bag fell backwards to the ground. God that felt good! All the rage that was stored inside me from losing Rena alone was put into a single punch.

The other guy dropped the girl and took off the other way. She stumbled to the ground and looked shaken. She began to take the tape off her mouth; two pieces were crossed over her mouth like an "X". I stood with my back toward her, standing over the man I knocked out. “You disgust me…” I mumbled aloud. I glared at his unconscious body. There was a pool of blood around his face, gushing out of his nose. I could have killed him if I really wanted to. I, after all had learnt some martial arts when I was younger.

I heard the girl gasp. I turned around to see what was wrong. “Hey, you, alri-?”

I heard something, but didn’t have time to figure out what it was. Something hit me. I couldn’t breathe.

I fell to my knees.

I coughed up blood.

My vision started to become blurry.

I heard a scream.

Then, I heard the sound again. I began to lift my head to see what it was but I was struck for the second time. My body fell to the ground.

I realized what hit me, but it was too late.
The other bastard shot me…

Now he took off in the opposite direction. He was running away.

But, was she OK?

I slowly lifted my head. The girl was on her phone, crying. She seemed to be frantically speaking to the person on the other line, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. In fact, I suddenly realized I couldn’t hear anything. Everything was silent. The other man was still unconscious lying on the street next to me. There was more blood now. My head dropped. Everything was slowly becoming dark around me. I couldn’t see, everything was blurry and the darkness was taking over. My eye lids felt heavy. I didn’t have the strength in me to keep them open anymore. I closed my eyes, giving up.

It was over.

But then I heard a voice…

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”


What the hell just happened?

When I opened my eyes, the girl was gone. I was in, what seemed to be, an isolated location. I was surrounded by white. Looking around, all I could see was a plain white floor. But there wasn’t a ceiling, and there weren’t any walls. It seemed to go on forever in every direction.

“Where am I?”

I looked down at my chest, I had no bullet wounds and I was dressed in all white. My hair was the darkest thing in this place.

If this was heaven, it didn’t seem so great. I wonder if Rena was somewhere around here. But there was no one. Not a single soul. I sighed. I did feel strangely at peace though. I had no worries and I felt great. For once, I didn’t have a headache or stress about my job and I felt almost… free. I was about to look around when I stumbled across a door. Where did that come from? I knew it wasn’t there a second ago. This place is weird, and I had no clue where it was, yet it had a relaxing atmosphere.

The only thing I knew for certain was that I was dead. Or that I was just having a really bad dream. I took the chance and went in.

The room was very similar to the world outside.

White.

In fact, the room was exactly like the place on the other side of the door, other than the fact there was a huge desk a few feet away. Someone sat behind it in a big, off white leather chair. The back of the chair was facing me.

“Hey there, Jurina.”

For some reason, I trusted the voice. It seemed so familiar. I walked forward with some hesitation. The chair swivelled around and a girl turned to greet me. The face of a girl that seemed way too familiar to me. She was dressed in a white blouse. She doesn’t seem much older than I am, maybe in her twenties. She had long black hair and wearing a warm and friendly smile. Then I realized, it was a face of a girl I had known for a long time.

“R-Rena?” Jurina’s eyes widened

“It’s been some time, Jurina.” Rena instead replied with a loving smile.

“R-Rena?? I-Is that really you?” Jurina’s eyes was immediately blurred by her tears.

Rena chuckled.

“It is me, Jurina.”

Jurina couldn’t hold in her tears any longer as she laid her head onto Rena’s shoulder and embraced her body for a long time.

“I’ve been taking care of you from up here all these time, Jurina. You did really well. I’m very proud of you.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“You see… Everybody on earth has a guardian angel looking after them. I am your guardian angel, Jurina. Or rather, was your guardian angel.”

“Am I not dreaming instead?” Jurina pinched the right side of her face.

“Here, let me help you.” Rena pinched the left side of Jurina’s cheeks.

“Ouch!”

“You’re not dreaming, Jurina.. This is, in fact, heaven.”

“I wasn’t dreaming after all.. I really did die.”

“You have saved a life, Jurina. You’ve shown the one of the most unselfish acts that any human can display. Most people worry about themselves before others. You, on the other hand, didn’t care what was going to happen to you and just wanted that girl to be safe, and thanks to your unselfish act, she is.”

“The girl was saved?”

Rena nodded. “Yes, Jurina. Why don’t you take a look at this book for yourself?”

Rena took a book from her table and passed it to Jurina. It looked like a diary. To be exact, it is Jurina’s life journal. Everything that had happened to Jurina or the people she encountered was recorded in this very book. Everything was written in detailed even until the day of her death. In the book, it was written that the police came in time to the scene and managed to catch both the criminals and the girl, saved.

“Wait… So, you knew I was going to die today?”

Rena smiled and nodded her head.

“Well, why didn’t you save me then?”

“I’m only a guardian, Jurina. The furthest I can go is to stop you from committing suicide. I can’t interfere if the cause of death was by someone other than yourself.”

“But I’m kinda glad though.. That I died. I get to see you once again.” Jurina smiled warmly.

“The life you gave up for her will not go to waste, Jurina. Take a look at this.” Rena passed another journal to Jurina.

The journal had the picture of the girl that Jurina gave her life for.

“Her name is Maeda Atsuko. In five years time, she will be a professional idol and a very successful actress. Everything would have ended for her tonight if you hadn’t saved her.” Rena replied.

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. You do not want to live with a guilt forever carved into your heart, am I right?”

“I understand this, Rena. That is why I think I had made the right choice. You were right. Death is not the greatest loss.”

“We can watch over Maeda together, Jurina. Now, we can be together forever.” Rena held out her hand.

“Never to separate again...” Jurina held Rena’s hand as both of them faded away together in a shimmering bright light.



“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.”
-Norman Cousins


Guardian Angel (Epilogue)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #4 : Guardian Angel- Epilogue (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on August 26, 2013, 12:12:03 PM
great epilogue....Wmatsui together... at last...

But make a smalll sequel of adult Atsuko please...

and make it Atsumina too....

can't wait to see more OS

Thank you for the lovely ending

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #4 : Guardian Angel- Epilogue (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on August 26, 2013, 04:05:22 PM
She saved acchan, nice
It's pity that she died but also I'm happy that they are together. :grin:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #4 : Guardian Angel- Epilogue (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: chichay12 on August 26, 2013, 06:05:06 PM
But make a smalll sequel of adult Atsuko please...

and make it Atsumina too....
^wahh me like it!
Atsumina :wub:

Omg i just love ur fic and i cant wait to read more XD
Thank you for the awesome update :on gay:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #4 : Guardian Angel- Epilogue (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on September 22, 2013, 06:50:04 PM
Just a Wmatsui OS i did~
ENJOY~!


OS # 6 Always you (Wmatsui OS)


Today is about taking risk. And I’m about to take one today. I was dreading this day to come… but I have to face it. Confidence surge through me like I was morphing into some mighty creature. I have to confront her either the consequences are good or bad, I don’t care. I just have to do it. I scanned the hallway, and notice that there are still several people walking in and out of their rooms. I waited for the others to go because, for all I know, she will be left alone in their classroom since that day was her duty as the cleaner. My heart was pounding quickly and my hands were trembling. Tension was surrounding me like pouring rain. It’s unavoidable, unless I brought an umbrella with me. But unfortunately, that’s not the case here. After waiting for approximately 10 minutes or so, the hallway is finally void. But I can see through my whereabouts that she is still in the classroom. Perfect timing. So I breathe in deeply and walk straight through their room. Eventually, I knock on their door although it’s open. She abruptly discontinues brooming and looked at me. I swear, whenever she looks at me, I felt paralyzed. My heart is throbbing rapidly, so rapid I thought it would get out of its system.

“Hey, can I talk to you?” I asked. I went inside the room.

She detached her hand from the broom and walked towards me. “Sure.”

“Uh… ah…” My mind went blank. How should I start?

“C’mon, just tell me.” Her tone was impatient like I was a waste of her time. Besides, I am really just a waste of her precious time.

“Nothing,” I turned around and dash out from their room. I didn’t even bother to look at her.Earlier, I was so confident I thought I could just step up and say, “Hey, I like you. That’s all.” But that was earlier. Just looking at her made my mind goes vacant. Those ravishing eyes and those lips. Oh my gosh. I could kiss those lips forever. And her hair, styled nicely and that body.... She is so beautiful, it hurts. And me, I guess I don’t have to portray myself. I’m absolutely, no more protesting, out of her league.

“Rena, wait!” someone yelled from behind. I looked back and realize that it was her. It was Jurina. I froze. I had no clue that she was chasing after me. Perhaps I was too busy thinking about her that I wasn’t aware that she’s already at my back. You know, I always dreamt of someone chasing after me, but not like in the horror movies. Not ghosts. Not some psycho killer. Her. Jurina. I could not believe this.

She abruptly stops running when I stopped. All of a sudden, she put both her hands on my shoulder, pushing me backwards and my back bumped the wall. “Why on earth did you run away?” She was panting hard, to the extent that her voice came out breathy. It brought chills to my whole essence.

I can’t look at her face. Not now. “Look, it’s no big deal.”

“Is it true that you like me?”Wow. I didn’t expect that that question will come out of nowhere. But then I took a deep breath and look at her. “Y-Yea.”

There was an awkward silence.

More awkward silence.

“Please, don’t do this.” I broke the silence.

“Huh?” She looks confused.

“This.” I opened my eyes wide and did a gesture on the air “Pinning me on the wall.”

“Why?” She leans more closely.

“Crap.” I muttered. “Look, I like you but you can’t just pin me on the wall.” because it is turning me on. Except I didn’t say that. I continued, “Are you doing this to everyone who likes you? Pinning them onto the wall?” I gave her a hard look.

She started laughing hysterically.Did I just say something really funny? Well If I did, congratulations to me.“You know,” She laughed. My face is starting to warm up. “I was about to talk to you today but when I went to your room, you weren’t there.”

Because I was looking after you for the past 10 minutes. I thought. Wait, he was about to talk to me? About what? Intriguing.

“And what’s funny there?” I folded my arms onto my chest. Still giving her a hard look. For a second, I realized that I was tough. Or at least, I’m acting like I am. Whatever. But I can tell its working. She stopped laughing.

She then continued. “You see, when I texted you,” Indeed. She texted me. I remembered that because her texts were all saved in my phone. I was freaked out when I received her text. But later on, I figured out that she was just forced by her friends to text me. It was really sad, though. “I was really really nervous… I have no idea why. Like I can’t think of anything witty to tell you―”

“Because you’re not interested.” I snapped.

Despite my boorishness, she resumed talking like I didn’t cut her off, “Because you’re different. You see, you’re smart and all that. When I heard the rumors that you like me, I―”

“Jurina, why are you telling me this?” I cut her off again. She gaped at me for a long time. I started to get nervous. So I veered my eyes to another direction.

“Damn it. Will you please let me finish speaking first? If you’re going to keep butting in, this conversation is going nowhere.” Jurina demanded.

Shame well up around me. I didn’t speak. I nodded for her to continue. “So, here was I? Uh...” She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. Sexy. I can say that she’s trying to decipher. “There. When I heard the rumors that you like me, I... didn’t believe it.” She shook her head.

“Anyhow, believe now. You heard it from me. I like you.” I smiled at him. Isn’t it strange to think that I was courageously smiling in front of her? Isn’t it strange to think that I once was so terrified to look at her because she might catch me? Everything that’s happening right now is extremely foreign to me.

“I’m so sorry.” She said.

“For what?” I thought, but then I already reckon what was it. “No, don’t be, I unders―” But then she cut me off. Jurina cut me off by pressing her lips onto mine.

Every cell in my body was tingling with anticipation. My mind went out of focus and my core was throbbing furiously. I place my hand onto her chest and suspected that her heart was throbbing furiously just like mine. So, this is what it feels like being kissed by the one you really like. It was nerve wrecking, odd and most of all exhilarating. I shoved her away slowly and we both gasped for air.

“I’m very sorry. I can’t take it anymore. You can smack my face if you want to.” Jurina veered her face sideways to show her cheeks.

“Are you crazy?” I said laughing, still hangover from the kiss. “Why would I smack your face? I’ve been waiting for this since a long time ago.”

“Oh god. I was such a coward for not expressing my feelings to you.” She said. “I was so happy when I heard that you like me and was much happier when I heard it from you. I do really like you.”

“Figured. But are you serious with the stuff that you’re telling me? You really like me? Is the kiss just a phony?” I emphasize the word really and raise my right eyebrow.

“More serious than I had ever been” She winked.

“Soo...” I teasingly said.

“Soooooooooooooooooooooo....” She said it longer.

I jumped and embraced her relentlessly like she was going to die. She embraced me back, tighter, I thought my spinal cord would break. For an instant, I want to picture this moment forever and put it on a photo frame so when I got old and frail or even though, if ever, fate has forbid us to be together, I’ll still be looking at it when I thought of Jurina. I also want to reiterate the moment when she kissed me. I want to rewind everything. But I presume I don’t have to. I have all the time in the world. Besides, Jurina admitted that she likes me back. I’m not really sure that she does but I have to trust my instinct. And I felt that she is stern with her words and actions. And that’s more than anything. Maybe this isn’t the last time that she is going to kiss me. My heart is fluttering right now. The exhilaration is contagious. We are still embracing. Jurina whispered something into my ear; I didn’t fathom the words because she laughed instantaneously before I asked what was it.

“Rena?”

“Yeah?”

“I remembered something that my friend told me,” Her laugh was soft. “Is it true that you kept the candy wrapper that I once thrown?”

Oh crap. I can melt out of embarrassment right now. How did she freaking know? And who is this friend of hers who told the most mortifying thing I had done? She has so many things to tell me.

“Shamefully, yes.” I gave up.

“It’s cute.” She said. I can still tell that she is chuckling even though I can’t see her face. I unwrapped my arms around her and she does the same too.

“I think you still need to finish your work.” I looked at her classroom.

“Oh. Right.” Juria rubs the back of her head.“You should go.” I said.

She walked away slowly but then she suddenly returned to me.

“But not without you now.” Jurina kissed my forehead and held my hand as we went back into the room.



OS # 6 - Always you
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #6 : Always you (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Koneki on September 22, 2013, 08:41:10 PM
jdwediehwd wfrwcnrecerwr :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: cuteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

and rena LOL, sh kept the candy wrapper that jurina thrown LOL such a crazy stalker hahhaha  :cathappy:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #6 : Always you (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Archer1992 on September 23, 2013, 01:34:53 AM
cute just like wmatsui was...

thanks

^3^
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #6 : Always you (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on September 23, 2013, 04:15:33 AM
Great Wmatsui OS

Very cute and sweet as always

Can't wait to see more OS

Thank you for this OS

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #6 : Always you (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on September 23, 2013, 11:59:09 AM
Rena......and running away? So athletic. :grin:
Thank you. Look forward to another. :)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #6 : Always you (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on September 25, 2013, 03:27:46 PM
OS # 7 Physics Lesson (Wmatsui OS)


Rena POV

”Tell me about geostationary orbit.” she asked.

I stared at her wide-eyed. It’s not like it’ll ever be a testing point in the exam. I bet it’s out of syllabus.

”The orbit when the satellite remains stationary relative to the planet.” I muttered.

A month before our final, the final that symbolizes the end of high school. And we were sitting in my balcony, having our study session which she insisted on.

“Today we were doing Physics.” she suggested.

”How do you know about this?” I let my eyes meet hers. She had those beautiful black eyes that made my heart flutter most of the time. It’s like she didn’t know, but she did this always to make me feel good about myself.

”You know, do you.” I signed. We were best friends since kindergarten. She knew better than anyone that I was totally heads over heels about Physics. And her too, I secretly added. Perhaps it was the one and only thing that she didn’t know about me. She smiled, and for the slightest moment I saw her face blush.


~~~


Jurina POV

The first day I saw her was the first day I was transferred to a new kindergarten at my new neighborhood. The whole class was in a mess, swarmed with laughters and cries, screams and chatters. Anyway, I saw a girl standing alone at the back of the classroom, preoccupied by little stones and feathers and stuff like that floating in a tank of water. It’s like she had this invisible mist of air surrounding her that prevented people from reaching her. It said, ‘Science Corner’.

”Hey. I’m Jurina. I’m new here. What’re you doing?” I flashed her a big grin. I wasn’t the kind of kid who cried and pulled at her mom’s sleeves not to go to school. I had no clue what’s the evil behind because I was more than ecstatic about that, especially when I could make lots of friends and play and have so much fun.

She turned and gave me a look that had me wonder if it was a smile, even the slightest one. "Hi. I’m Rena." She had a chubby face and big black eyes, and cheeks that glowed like roses. She smelt like apple. She turned back to the water tank as soon as we greeted, the tank of magic that captured her soul.

”Some of these float, and some of those sink. Some linger at the middle. Isn’t that amazing?” She said, sticking her eyes on it.

I placed a bunch of colored beads-light and heavy- into the water, and was amazed by its splendor under the rays of sunlight. She suddenly giggled, following me. We placed the beads until the water glowed with colors like those created by elegant angels across the sky with a magic wand.

Then I noticed she was kind of cute.

Later we talked through kindergarten and grade school about science and dreams for our future, though it barely sounded like the stuff we should be doing as small, innocent kids.


~~~


Rena POV

I let the summer breeze brush through my hair and cheek, like a hand of the blind gently touching my face to feel who I was. That was too beautiful a night to be spent on revision, though the pressure of the final exam was also closing in on us. We let silence slip in between us, while we were just sitting inches away, our shoulders at the tip of brushing each other. It was not the kind of awkward moments that made people’s nerves clutch their stomach, their heads furiously working out what to say next. I was most comfortable when I was with Jurina, I always had been, even if no words went through us. I reckoned what they said was right, sometimes silence spoke the loudest.

I slouched into the couch further, gazing at the sky. The milky stars looked incredible floating in the black sea of night. OK, I admitted, I was thinking about Physics, again. It was my life, me, Rena. So now I started to have the numbers running through my head again-the radius of these beautiful planets, the gravitational field strength on these twinkling eyes, again. I couldn’t help it. Every so often I wondered how long it spent if I could really fly in those fancy spacecrafts and land on them, spend my entire life there with someone I love, and forget all about those stupid exams and getting into university.

“What’re you thinking?” Jurina, like me, was clearly mesmerized by the remarkable beauty of the night.

”You guess. You’re best at mind-reading.” I smiled slightly.

”Don’t tell me that you’re calculating the distance between the stars and the Earth, again!” She emphasized the last word, and playfully looked over the top of my head, tilting her head higher and higher.

“Well, isn’t that the Newton’s law of gravitation popping out of your head right there?” We both laughed.

How many more nights we could spend like this? Not many, for sure, I just knew. Adulthood always daunted me. And Jurina was planning to go to the States to further her studies. I simply couldn’t picture how I could go on without my best friend to give comfort when I was down in the dumps, to share private thoughts with, or even to laugh at me.

”Nope. You get me wrong this time. I wasn’t thinking about anything.” I didn’t know why I lied, and I blinked at her.

She was obviously amused, stifling a burst of laughter. ”That’s really funny, Rena.”

”What?” I frowned.

”You not thinking about anything is like something that will never happen in another million years! That’s if you’re still alive after a million years...”

”Oh please.” I felt heat sizzling on my cheeks, and I started out laughing. “I can’t remember how many times I’ve said this, but you really have a natural sense of humor.”

”And that I am easy in flirting with the others with this.” She winked.

For a moment, I was foolishly happy. But then every cell in my body tried to hold me back and remind me that we were simply friends, and nothing more. Or best friends to be more precisely, which we had seriously declared when we were back in grade school. We even made a bow on it, under the sakura tree in my backyard. Indeed it’s really a big honor for me to have one who’s a genius in almost everything you could name of-science, sports, music, socializing, unlike me. I remembered how literally every girl on the bleachers screamed her name every time she’s leading the seasonal game; how she captivated me by playing her guitar on my bed with the lyrics she created especially for us while locking eyes the whole time with me; and how many eyes were stuck on her in admiration when she made her way through the cafeteria. She was one that many would kill to date, but for as long as I knew, she never was serious about anyone, though I always teased her for getting close to some girlfriends of mine and gave her free dating advice she didn’t exactly need. I couldn’t risk losing her if I didn’t strive to keep one vulnerable part of my feelings at bay.

But sometimes I still wondered if there’s anything romantic between us. Before he could read my mind, I started to change the conversation.

”Seriously, what do you think about college? I mean, I know you can definitely enter any one, like, with flying colors. But have you ever ever fear about it?”

Jurina paused a bit to digest my question. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I am just as puzzled about my future as you are. I’d love to go further into chemistry, like I said, to the States, but then my dad wants me to continue his fashion business here. I guess it’s the duty for the only child?” She smiled, but I felt a tonne of coal dropping on him when Jurina said this.

”But it’s really old-fashioned thinking, and it’ll be a waste of your talent and knowledge.” I squeezed her shoulder, gently, like she always did to tell me everything’s going to be fine.

“I’m sure you’d make a good scientist, and your dad would understand.” I continued.

”I hope so.” Jurina rose and leant over the edge of the rail, perhaps to take in some fresh air. Out there the air was just so sweet.

”But I couldn’t picture myself sitting in the air-conditioned office yet,” She added, staring at huge piles of document on garment shipping and making endless sketches of designs.

“Plus I still am not ready to have the whole office of grown-up people gossiping about me.” Jurina burst out laughing.

”You sound very flirty.”


~~~


Jurina POV

I tried hard to get something out of her response but this time in vain. She’s been my closest friend for ages, and yet sometimes she’s a well of motionless water that wouldn’t show its waves easily.

”How about you? You haven’t told me about your plans.”

She hesitated, then gave an unconvincing shake of her head. “Plans? No, I don’t have any, and honestly I totally loathe this. Yes I’m interested in Physics, but getting good grades at this is another thing-You know how s-l-o-w I write and how messy my words are.” She started to play with her fingers. “So I don’t know if I can ever enter a good college, and let alone choose my own major.”

I saw her brows furrow in deep thought. “You know, it’s unhealthy for you to always think so low of yourself. Physics. Definitely not a problem for you. Remember how every time Mariko sensei praised you for your skillful fingers when we were having practical sessions? And how people get so jealous of you being the Physics representative every single semester? Plus you did a really great job being the Physics club president…”

”OK, OK, Jurina…” she giggled, showing casually her cute smile which I liked her for. “But English and Biology and Chemistry definitely are bad.”

I raised my brows. “How about this. I give you free tutorials for those, and you buy me free lunches for a month.”

”But you said it’s free!” Rena argued.

”I thought you’d be thinking how to thank me for this.”

”Just to make sure you still remember-the final is merely one month away.”

”Okay. So isn’t that I’m now trying to force you into this study session with me? I just want you to know-”

”Life is like a mirror. If you smile at it, it smiles back, but if you cry at it, it cries back. So I should be glad that I still have time to catch up, huh?” I continued Jurina’s sentence and caught her smiling at me.

”That’s good you don’t forget it. I’m thinking that maybe later you’d snatch the Physics Nobel Prize for creating some really great machine and then we can get to one of those fairytale planets and live happily ever after.”

”Yeah.” Rena sounded totally unconvinced, and she turned her eyes back to the sky.I squeezed her shoulders, showing support. Then she buried her head in my arm, and my jaw automatically rested upon her head. I instantly knew she was upset again. Sometimes she ended up pouring her entire self out in front of me, or crying on my shirt, or quietly falling into sleep. But I must admit how I loved seeing her sleep, when she rested peacefully in my arms and looked like a 5-year-old girl, free of worries. If only life could be that simple, like what was seen from the eye of a 5-year-old.

But life was like this. Each and every one of us has our own problems. And I really wished to share hers as well as happy moments my entire life, forever. I didn’t how suddenly I had this little urge to kiss her on the forehead, how innocent I was to think that I could simply kiss away all her worries. I wanted very much to tell her I was here and all was well, but, I ended up playing with her smooth, black hair. But, it’s this word again, seemed like there’s one but in everyone’s life. I was probably getting away from here, when she’s going to stay. Long-distance relationship was always…intimidating, despite the advanced techonology which was practically nothing compared to day-to-day face-to-face contact. Honestly I just couldn’t stand those touchy movies scenes of friends or families or couples separating from each other and I might secretly shed a tear or so…OK, I knew, I knew, but just don’t laugh at me, alright?


~~~


Rena POV

”We can get to one of those fairytale planets and live happily ever after.” My heart actually skipped a beat when the word slipped into my ears. Jurina had thought that we jumped onto one of those fairytale planets and lived happily ever after. It was as if my heart was being lifted up to the stars by thousands of angels who were fluttering their wings against its glimmering surface…and oh, was I going too far away again? Deep down, we both knew she just treated me as a best friend or perhaps a sister too, the end. As I slipped into her warm embrace, I felt this familiar and fresh smell of her, like rain. I wished I would never forget that, even if we had to go our different paths afterwards.

Sometimes I thought I was exaggerating things, or turning simple things into complexity, but I just couldn’t help it. At this, my mind wandered off to think about how large the gravitational force was between us was. Sure it was small, but you couldn’t deny that it still existed. Her fingers were playing with my hair, twisting it like she always did because, according to her, “It’s just so smooth and ‘twistable’. " My vision was suddenly blurred. Stupid tears. I curled myself into a small tight ball, and willed the breeze to blow stronger, to get them evaporated, and hoped Jurina couldn’t feel my shoulders slightly shaking. She suddenly straightened his back, and smiled. “Okay, two last questions for the night.”

Ouch, I completely forgot this was supposed to be a study session.

”Let me see…” She flipped through the Physics textbook, and finally got a clue. “What does g stand for?”

”Gravitational field strength. Formula is G M over r square.” I answered almost like a robot. Then I realized my tears had finally gained enough energy to break through my stupid eyes. I faked a smile so she wouldn't see.

”Spell gravitation.” Jurina asked.

”Hey, the exam doesn’t take off for spelling!” I protested and pinched her thigh.

”Just to check if you know. Now it seems like you don’t.” A funny smile spread across her face. Her eyes were clear and bright and watching me, waiting. It’s like magnet that kept drawing me into her, or sticky cotton candy, or honey, or was it gravitational field? Magnetic field? I had no idea what I was thinking, why everything in my head was swirling. And well, how did I spell gravitation?

”G.R.A.V.I.T.A.T.I.O.N.” I spelt them out dreamily.

”Correct. Final question before you win the big jackpot. What are the 3 big things when we need to consider the Newton’s law of gravitation?”

”Easy. One, it holds only for point masses. Two, the planet is uniform sphere. Three, r must be measured from the center of the planet.” I answered confidently.

”You sure of that?” She tiled her head, as if it really was a question.

”Most certain. Where’s my prize now?”

Jurina was letting me think twice on this, questioning me on something I was most confident about. I’d memorized it for, like, the millionth of times.

”Really?” She looked at me mysteriously.

”Why? What could the 3 big things be then?” I was bemused.

She paused for a while. Her stunningly beautiful eyes met mine. I was momentarily at rest. I meant, I momentarily forgot how to breathe.

”I, love, you” And she leant in to kiss me on my forehead.



OS # 7 - Physics lesson
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #7 : Physics lesson (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Sherin on September 25, 2013, 03:59:23 PM
Lol Jurina, you sly girl.

Hey! It's not enough! I want to see R's reaction to that Jurina's law of gravitation. XD
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #7 : Physics lesson (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Archer1992 on September 25, 2013, 04:25:41 PM
woow so romantic and cute

thanks
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #7 : Physics lesson (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on September 25, 2013, 04:27:08 PM
This is nice story, but I want to know how it continue. :grin:
Will Jurina really go to States, what about Rena. :wth
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #7 : Physics lesson (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Haruko on September 26, 2013, 03:34:19 AM
no  forehead juriboy.. lips!! lips!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #7 : Physics lesson (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on September 26, 2013, 05:56:59 AM
Ah... So great... Wmatsui...

What's going to happen to them next?

Would they be separated?

Can't wait...

Thank you for the OS

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs

Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Sherin on September 27, 2013, 03:11:08 PM
The Yukirin part cracked me up. XD

Rena, J is only gay for you. Lol.

Another nice OS, Kevy~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zita on September 27, 2013, 03:18:00 PM
 :farofflook: :on woohoo: :on gay:
So many emotions inside me, but all good ones.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: olive29 on September 27, 2013, 03:20:57 PM
Yeahhhh...Rena make Jurina gay.. :lol:

Nice story.. :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Koneki on September 27, 2013, 04:09:44 PM
excellent!! ahhaha rena made j gay hhaahah GOOD JOB RENA  :twothumbs :twothumbs

Thanks for put on my hard week a lot of wmatsui <3
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Angeldarke on September 28, 2013, 04:07:00 AM
Great fic i love it rsrs  :hee:

wmatsui is the best couple ever  :wahaha:

please do more Wmatsui rsrs  :on woohoo:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Seigus on September 28, 2013, 06:25:42 AM
Hi kevinwkl, just in case you haven't been checking your PMs, I had messaged you the reason "Crazy Stupid" was removed yesterday. I have just sent you another PM explaining why your subsequent post was deleted as well. Please check and acknowledge via PM. Thank you.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on September 28, 2013, 03:23:20 PM
A repost of my Crazy Stupid Wmatsui OS after I edited this fic a little~

Double thanks to seigus for correcting my mistakes~


OS # 8 Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)


Rena stood on one side of the partially dark room, watching everyone else have fun. Usually she’d have been the life of the party, but tonight she just wasn’t up for it. Not without her best friend there.

She wasn’t going to kid herself into thinking that Jurina, the only other person who knew her as well as she knew herself, didn’t mean the world to her. And that thought made her chest ache. Jurina was probably off in the school somewhere flirting with some guys from the basketball team.

Rena ran a furious hand through her hair and huffed a breath. Why was she allowing Jurina to get to her? The other girl was her exact opposite and so definitely not her type. And yet…she was still attracted to her.

Rena groaned in anguish and stalked over to the nearest punch bowl. In silence she filled a styrofoam cup with the mildly appealing pink liquid and took a sip, only to spit it back out into the cup a second later. It tasted like feet, like old guy feet. Rena set the cup on the table next to the bowl and headed for the exit this time. She looked over her shoulder once more; Jurina was nowhere in sight and she didn’t intend to wait around for hours until she decided to grace Rena with her presence.

Pissed beyond all recognition, Rena shoved the double doors open and stepped out into the cold night. It was much colder than she’d expected; then again, Kashiwagi Yuki had always been a crappy weather girl. On the six o’ clock news she’d estimated clear skies and an over thirty degrees Celsius temperature. It seemed as though the fates had plotted against her, because at just eight o’ clock a huge thunderstorm rolled into town, almost flooding the low-line area. Rena hadn’t been able to go to work that day and so she spent the whole morning cursing the weathergirl, very aware that she couldn’t have heard her but no (not) really caring either.

Tucking her hands deep into the pockets of her pants, she started walking towards her house. It wasn’t far from the high school, close enough where she didn’t have to be late for any scholastic events but still far enough where if she didn’t hurry she’d freeze her ass off. She was still trying to figure out how and why she’d let Jurina talk her into going to another one of their superficial school dances. It wasn’t as if she had a date at any given time.

Rena felt and heard a low buzz coming from the inside of her back pocket. She stopped walking for a moment, just long enough to find and pull the phone into the open, before she started again. She pressed a button and the screen of the phone came to life, almost blinding her with the intensity of the lights. It was a message. From Jurina.

”Where are you?”

Rena scoffed and deleted the message, not even bothering to answer her. She hoped Jurina would take the hint and leave her alone. A few minutes passed, the only thing Rena had to focus on being the pounding of her shoes on the damp concrete and the sounds of various insects. It was after one in the morning. Of course there would be no one else on the streets. Then the phone buzzed again. She checked the screen. Another message from Jurina.

”I’m sorry for ditching you. You must be cold. Tell me where you are so I can come pick you up.“

Again, Rena deleted the message. She really didn’t want to talk to her friend tonight, or anytime soon in the near future she suspected.

The night was Rena’s only companion as she walked the lonely streets to her home. Jurina had pestered her several times more, but each time Rena had neglected to answer her and had deleted the messages. At long last, it seemed, she walked up the front steps to her house and searched her pockets for her keys. Trouble was, her fingers had gone numb, so finding the already jingling apparatus was a challenge. She heard the rumbling of a car engine revving and stalling close-by, but her brain didn’t register it until she heard a familiar voice.

“Rena, hey you okay?”

Rena’s diners froze for a split second before she searched for the keys erratically, hoping to get into the house so that she could shut the door in Jurina’s face before she started to blab her mouth off.

“Rena? Did you hear me?”

Yeah, I heard you, Rena thought. She wasn’t going to answer the other girl though. She had nothing to say to her. At last, her half-warmed fingers clutched at the warm metal in her pocket and she pulled the bundle free, putting the correct key into the lock by experienced feel. It was too late though. Rena felt the warm hand on her shoulder but she was too frozen to do much about it.

“Rena…” Jurina’s voice had a worried tone. “Are you alright?”

Rena shook off her hand. “I’m fine. Go away.”

Rena heard a scoff and then Jurina had grabbed her arm and whirled her around so that they were face to face. Though she was almost a year younger, Jurina had at least six inches on Rena and probably a little bigger in size. Rena herself was pretty skinny, so she felt very much inferior to the other girl. Story of her life.

“What is your problem?”

Rena looked away from Jurina’s face. Every time she saw those intense black eyes, her heart leapt. And tightened. So much that she thought she was dying. She didn’t want it anymore, and yet Jurina wanted more of it.

Rena cleared her throat, trying to free the lump that had grown there so she could speak. “Nothing’s wrong. I told you, I’m fine. Please, just go home.”

Jurina’s hands cradled Rena’s face all of a sudden, lifting the girl’s head so that she was staring into her intense gaze. “Rena, talk to me.” Jurina’s concerned voice was soft and so hot, Rena felt her whole world crumbling down around her. Under no circumstances could she allow Jurina to know how she felt for her. Rena lifted her own hands and pried Jurina’s fingers from her cheeks and turned back to the door in silence. She turned the key on the knob before pushing the door open and stepping inside, slamming it in Jurina’s face afterwards. As soon as she was inside, she put the latch on the door and sank to her knees. Her heart was still beating erratically. She wondered if Jurina was aware of how she’d even turned her on.

Before she knew what was happening, a quiet sob shook her. She buried her face in her hands and silently cried for the knowledge that her best friend would never, ever be hers. Eventually she heard Jurina leave the porch and her car driven away from the house. She wasn’t entirely sure of the time, but she was certain that she wasn’t going to be at school for the rest of the week. She couldn’t face Jurina anymore. At least, not as her friend. She was always going to want more from Jurina but she knew that all her hoping and praying weren't going to help her where that was concerned.

The phone rang incessantly. Each time the tone got louder than the first and still Rena wouldn’t answer it, despite the heavy looks from her classmates and her homeroom teacher, Mariko sensei. Fed up and annoyed, she pulled the cellphone from her bag and turned it off, not bothering to see who was calling her. She already knew who it was. She hadn’t seen or spoken to Jurina in four days. She hadn’t been to school to see her though so that was the obvious cause. As much as Jurina had tried to contact her, Rena ignored her. She really didn’t have anything to say to her friend.

When she looked up, Mariko sensei had resumed her lesson. One girl sitting across from her was staring at her intently.

“Is there a problem, Rena?”

Rena gave her a fake smile and shook her head. “Nope. No problem Mayu.”

Mayu was Rena’s cousin and so she couldn’t exactly blame her for being curious. But her issues couldn’t be shared with anyone except herself.

The bell rang just as Mariko sensei had finished putting the homework on the board. Rena wrote it off in a rush and packed her things. She was almost the last person out of the room so she didn’t have to worry about the ‘cafeteria sandwich’, which was basically what happened when a ton of kids tried to exit the classroom at the same time in a rush to get to the cafeteria. The result was a huge dam of sorts and it always amused Rena to see it.

When she left the classroom, she headed straight for her locker. She was surprised as she walked down the hallway that Jurina, dressed in full black and her dark hair tousled as usual, was lounging so casually next to it. At the start of their senior year, they’d each been assigned lockers on different sides of school and so Jurina had to go out of her way to see Rena outside of classes. Rena pretended she didn’t see her and spun the dial on her lock a few times before it clicked and she pulled it off.

“What? No hello? Or hey?”

Rena didn’t answer. Jurina was obviously annoyed. Rena just restocked her locker shelves with books and her bag with a few extras before she shut the locker and turned her back to her friend.

Rena winced when Jurina grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around, like she had that night after the dance.

“How about, ‘I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls or texts’?”

Rena refused to look up into her eyes. They would very literally be the death of her. “No. I have nothing to say to you.”

Jurina sighed. “Is this because I ditched you after the dance? Come on, get over it.”

Rena raised an eyebrow. She pulled Jurina’s hand off her arm as fiercely as she could. “Get over yourself, Jurina. Don’t make insignificant things bigger than they are.” She turned on her heel and walked down the hall, away from Jurina.

She was almost to the cafeteria when she felt herself being hauled off track and forced into a dark room near the cafeteria by a burly form. The lights flicked on and Rena was staring into Jurina’s annoyed face.

“I’ve told you ever since we were kids that it isn’t a good idea to turn your back to me.” Jurina ground out between gritted teeth. She seemed to be very, very angry. But Rena couldn’t fathom the reason.

“What are you doing, Jurina? We need to get to lunch.” Rena tried to push past her. Jurina was directly in front of the closed door and her form was blocking it. Jurina just pushed her back into the room.

“What the hell? Move!”

Jurina shook her head and leaned against the wall, giving Rena one of her most arrogant smiles. “I’m not moving until you tell me what the problem is.”

Rena groaned. She’d forgotten how irritating Jurina could be. “Well, I have nothing to say to you. So save yourself the trouble and move.”

Jurina muttered something and pushed off the wall, approaching Rena with laboured steps. As if she wasn’t entirely certain about what she was doing. She wound a hand in Rena’s shirt and pulled her closer. “You listen to me, Rena. I don’t care whether or not you think I don’t need to know what your problem is. I asked you nicely, so I expect you to tell me.”

Rena swallowed past the lump in her throat with great difficulty. Her heart rate had gone haywire again, it was worse than when she was looking into those intense black eyes. “Jurina…please. Back away from me and leave.”

Jurina’s brows furrowed as she stepped closer to Rena. A soft groan left Rena’s mouth as their thighs brushed. She saw a light shine in Jurina’s eyes and her eyebrows lifted. Rena knew that the truth had sunk in at last, but there was still the issue of her best friend believing it.

“Rena? Are you a…?”

Rena pushed Jurina from her and took several deep breaths to calm herself. “Yeah, I am. I have absolutely no interest in guys. Now you know. Just…please. Go.”

Jurina just stared at her for a very long time. Rena didn’t bother to look at the other girl again, worried that she’d see the disgust in her eyes.

“Rena, why didn’t you tell me?”

Rena was surprised to hear that Jurina’s voice was filled with hurt and confusion, not disgust. Rena couldn’t even speak. She didn’t know what she could’ve said. She just shook her head and stared down at the floor.

“Baka…” she heard Jurina murmur.

Rena risked a glance at her. Jurina was smiling. Broadly.

Rena was a little more than confused. Especially when Jurina stepped close again and pulled her in for a hug. “J-Jurina?”

Jurina mumbled something that Rena didn’t quite get. Then she said, “You know you can tell me anything and I won’t give you crap for it.”

Rena was speechless. Jurina was really something else. But then it hit her that Jurina was only expressing her acceptance of Rena, and not the other way around. That made Rena shove Jurina away and glared at her, tears filling her eyes.

Jurina twisted her mouth around. She looked as if she wanted to say something but she held back. “Why do you always push me away?” she whispered.

Rena gasped quietly and looked down at the ground. Her heart pounded and her knees felt weak, but this time it was all because she thought that she hurt Jurina.

“You always push me away,” Jurina said. “I try my hardest to get you to realize how I feel and you’re so damn stubborn you don’t see it!”

Rena’s eyebrows shot up. How she felt? “J-Jurina…”

Jurina’s hand shot out and her finger curled in Rena’s collar. She pulled her best friend close and lowered her mouth to Rena’s.

Rena’s eyes widened as Jurina’s lips touched hers and it was everything she’d imagined and more. Rena tore her mouth off Jurina’s to drag in some much needed breaths. Jurina closed in for a kiss once again.

“J-Jurina…” Rena muffled.

Rena pulled her mouth off Jurina’s and Jurina’s hands came up to cradle her face. “Rena…”

The look in her eyes scared the living daylights out of Rena. Then Jurina said, “I just needed to make sure.”

“Make sure?”

Jurina nodded. “That you felt it too. I didn’t want to make a move and then you hated me for it. I had to make sure that you would agree to be with me.”

Rena’s eyes brimmed with tears and threw her arms around Jurina’s neck. “Jurina, I couldn’t make a move. I always thought you were straight, or maybe this would’ve happened already.”

Jurina’s fingers slid across Rena’s lips before she put her mouth on Rena’s ear. “I was straight. Until you stayed over at my house for that month after your mom was in the hospital.”

Rena’s eyebrows shot up at Jurina’s words. Since her mother was in the hospital? That was over six months ago. Rena shuddered when Jurina kissed her once again.

After separating once again, Jurina held unto her and kissed her forehead.

“That was…” Words escaped Rena’s mouth.

Jurina chuckled. “Good? Great? Mediocre?”

Rena sighed and cupped Jurina’s face in her hands. “It was very, very good.”

Jurina smiled. Then her expression sobered and she stared into Rena’s eyes. For the second time that day, Rena was scared by the expression in Jurina’s eyes.

Because it mirrored the expression she had in her own. One of longing and fear that she would never have the one she truly wanted.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something…” Jurina said softly.

Rena thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest as it was beating so fast. “What is it?”

Jurina took several deep breaths, as if she was still trying to figure out if she should or shouldn’t tell Rena. Then she smiled gently and brushed her fingertips across her friend’s cheek. “I love you.”

Rena smiled and punched Jurina in her side.

“Ouch! What was that for?” She didn’t let Rena go, though.

“Took you long enough! To figure it out!” Rena scowled.

Jurina sighed and hugged Rena as if she was trying to merge their bodies together. And their souls. “It’s crazy, I know. But I do love you.”

Rena’s heart swelled with joy. “It’s not crazy, it’s stupid.”

Jurina chuckled. “Crazy stupid, then.”

“We have a long road ahead of us,” Rena said softly. It was true. They were both girls and they would have to deal with a lot of criticism and people that (who) would never understand their relationship.

“I know.” Jurina lifted Rena’s face so that she was staring into her eyes. “But I love you, and we’ll get through it.”

The tears finally spilled from Rena’s eyes as she kissed Jurina’s cheek. “I’ve wanted to tell you something for a long time too.”

“What?” Jurina grinned.

“I love you, with all my heart.”

Jurina chuckled. “This really is crazy stupid.”

“That was redundant…baka…” Rena muttered.

“That’s why you love me isn’t it?”

Rena nodded and rested her head on Jurina’s shoulder, breathing in her friend’s scent. The scent she’d be smelling for the rest of her life. “Yeah, that’s exactly why.”



OS # 8 Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: karenchan on October 06, 2013, 09:00:07 PM
*Hide and seek alone*
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA  :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat:
when I read this, its 10 min before 3 am :badluck: :badluck:
And now I really need to go to the bathroom. But I cant.
Its fucking 3 min to 3am. /sorry for cursing/
And yeah while I writing this comment this freakin line, my mp3 played a horror movie ost.
Perfectly perfect situation.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Terragen on October 10, 2013, 03:55:56 PM
want more wmatsui or mayuki


crazy crazy in love
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on October 10, 2013, 10:32:09 PM
Oh.. Jurina is a bit slow...

So cute... Wmatsui...

Great... OS

Thank you

Can't wait to see more OS

  :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #8 : Crazy Stupid (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on October 11, 2013, 06:39:31 AM
OS # 9 When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)


Note : This OS wil be entirely from Jurina's POV


When is it the right time to tell someone you love that you've decided that they're the right person for you? Apparently for me the answer would be: too late. It took for the girl I love to be in a coma for me to realize that I love her more than anyone. I regret telling Rena that I wanted to see other people, she cried but understood that I wanted to have new experiences with other people. That was one of her admirable traits. She told me before we left that she would always be there for me, whenever I needed it. I told her she would always have a place in my heart. Our relationship had helped me grow.

My last few relationships were good, but nothing like what I had with Rena. She hadn’t found anyone else, she was busy between school and many volunteer opportunities. She had a good heart. I received an invitation in the mail, inviting me to her birthday party. She was the star of it. I remembered that I had smiled at the invitation. She had hand wrote it, it said it would make her immensely happy if I went.

I packed up my things and caught the next train back into the city. I stayed with my family. When her big day came I wore my best clothing and brought flowers, her favorites. There was many unknown people but also some of our friends were there. I remember that I was anticipating seeing her, it had been a while. The whole group was asked to proceed to the ceremonial room. Myself and a cluster of friends were asked to sit on one side of the room. Across, on the other side, I recognized her family.

About fifteen to thirty minutes later Rena proceeded into the room. She looked beautiful, more so than what I last remembered. She wore a white gown that fit her slender body. The waist section was pulled in just enough to show her figure. Her raven black hair was long now, reached to the middle of her back. Throughout the day, everyone bombarded her with congratulations. After they would go eat, I stayed behind and waited for her. When she saw me, her black eyes lit up with excitement. I think a tear escaped. Her smile was wide and inviting.

“You made it!” Rena said excitedly. I couldn't forget her excitement.

“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” I told her returning the smile. She smiled again. Then the crowd of people took her away again. I still stayed, wanting to talk to her more than ever. It took a good half hour for her to be by herself. She was packing the presents. I gave her the flowers and she smiled again. Then she hugged me. I hugged her back. It had been a year or two since we hugged. It felt good to have her in my arms again. All I wanted to say was 'I love you', maybe out of habit. But I did still love her, she still had a place in my heart. I wondered if she still loves me.

“How's your life been?” Rena asked still embracing me.

“Good, busy.”

“How's the partner aspect?” she asked.

“The last one was too needy for my taste. Always needed my attention, always needed my money” I said. I couldn't tell her that I still loved her and that I missed us being more. She let go and picked up some bags. I picked up the rest.

“Thanks.” she said with a small smile. Her cheeks were red. The rest of the evening went by pretty fast until there were just a couple of stragglers. She finally sat down and ate in peace. I walked over and sat next to her. She looked up and smiled. We spoke for a while, trying to catch up. It was late when we left. Rena hugged me and whispered something in my ear then left in a car. She told me that she still loved me a lot. I never got to tell her that I loved her too. I told myself that I would call her in the morning.

I called her in the afternoon. I left her text messages. Her phone finally picked up but it wasn't her. It was her mother, telling me she was in the hospital. Last night her car crashed, as far as they knew she was in a coma. And that's where I was for the first couple of days, right next to her, holding her hand and stroking it with my thumb. The doctors tried telling me that she may not come back, and if she did she may not be the same. I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to go back and tell her and offer her a ride home.

Today makes it a week since the accident. If she stayed asleep anymore I'll lose her forever. I held her hand. I wanted to tell her everything.

“I'm sorry that I left you. You know, I couldn't find anyone like you, Rena. I love you a lot.” I kissed her hand. “I want you back. I want you to smile at me again. I...I want you with me again. I'm sorry I took so long, I wasn't sure if you wanted me back.” I looked down at the floor. Tear droplets made a little puddle on the floor. Then I felt something squeeze my hand. I looked up and saw Rena. Her body was still in the same position, her face expressionless, but I saw something reflect light on her face. It was a tear drop that escaped her eye. One of the monitors that had been a straight line now had a jump in it. Doctors rushed into the room and I was kicked out.

About one to two weeks later I was allowed to see her. I walked in with her favorite flowers and she was sitting up in her bed. She saw me and smiled. Her face looked worn, as if she was deprived of much sleep. But she was alive.

“Hey.” I said with a smile as I placed the flowers on a table.

“Hey.” Rena said in a weary voice. She managed a weak smile. I sat down and took her hand and began stroking it with my thumb like I had before.

“You did this before didn't you?” She asked.

“Who told you?” I asked still smiling, I was happy to hear her voice again.

“This feels familiar.” she said. I lifted her hand and kissed it. Her cheeks attempted to turn red.

“I love you.” I said finally to her.“I know, I heard you.” she said.

Two months passed and she was out of the hospital. She was in my arms again as we swung in a hammock.

“Why did you let me go if you still loved me?” I asked her as I played with her hair.

“You wouldn't have been happy if I held you down. If you love something, you let it go. And if it comes back to you then you can keep it.”

“And never let go again,” I said as I hugged her.


~~~


When is it the right time to tell someone that you love them? Apparently for me: almost too late. Right now I am in a hammock with my beautiful girl friend, she’s sound asleep. I was still stroking her raven black hair. I had almost lost her, for a second time. The first time we were in high school. She was always beautiful, back then I never had enough courage to tell her. I remember always seeing her in the hallways. I was always eager to see her smile her brilliant smile. I was too nervous to even try to talk to her.

The week I almost lost her was like any other week, boring, trying to see her smile. She had been acting strange that week. She wasn’t talking to anyone, her boyfriend wasn’t around. Her usual cheeriness was missing and was replaced with a negative feeling. It was as if she was replaced by some clone. I decided that day to go up to her and ask if she was okay.

“Hey Rena, are you alright?” I asked her. She seemed to be looking elsewhere. I waved my hand in front of her.

“Huh?” she asked. She saw me, then her cheeks started turning red. I stupidly thought she was sick. “You were talking to me?” she asked.

“Um yeah,” I looked at the floor, “just wanted to make sure you were okay, you seem sick.”

“I’m …fine,” then she walked away.

The next day she didn’t come to school. I was really worried; she never missed a day of school. That much I knew because I hadn’t missed a day of school, and I always saw her smile every day until this week. I was sick to my stomach with worry. All I did was, I kept telling myself that maybe she was home sick. After I had managed to calm myself down I began laughing. I thought it was stupid of me to care so much about her, even though she had no idea of my feelings for her. We rarely spoke and she never smiled at me. I couldn’t help but feel stupid.

As I walked in the hall way I couldn’t help but notice that no one had made a comment about her strange absence. Then I saw her boyfriend in the hall way, flirting. As I walked by them I overheard:

“Aren’t you already taken?” the girl asked.

“Who says that? I haven’t been taken for a while,” he said with a sly smile.

If Rena’s not with him anymore then where can she be? Was all I could think of. It explained a little why she was acting like the she had been. I tried listening to all of the gossip, in hopes of trying to find out if anyone knew anything. It was useless. I went home and felt depressed and sick to my stomach. I tried to go to sleep that night but my mind was coming up with a list of endless possibilities of what could have happened to her. I finally fell asleep.

I thought it was the next day – it felt like it. I went down stairs and saw the mail, there was a letter for me. The letter was from her. The letter said that she was sorry, that she had to get rid of all the pain in her head. It said no one cared about her, no one loved her. all I could think of was ‘No this can’t be happening!’. Then on cue the news reported a high school student was found dead in the river, multiple lashings on the arm. It was Rena, she killed herself; the bridge was right by our school. I burst into tears, it was stupid but that’s how my anger and frustration came out as. I dropped the letter on the floor. Then I saw there were two pieces of paper. It said she had to tell me one last thing, it said that she like me so much she thought it might actually be love. And that the other day when she said she was fine, she really wasn’t. I ran to look at a calendar and saw that it was Saturday; I knew that couldn’t be right because yesterday was only Wednesday. Then a loud annoying sound caught my attention.

My alarm woke me up, and it was Thursday. Something told me that I might have just seen the future but I wasn’t going to risk anything. I grabbed my bag and ran to her house; I overheard it one time, and knocked on her door. Her parents said she wasn’t feeling good yesterday and that she was at school that day. I ran as fast as I could. I remember how fast my heart was pounding. I thought it would break through my chest. I was quite surprised that my legs hadn’t given out, good thing I did my morning jogs usually. My throat was becoming parched but I couldn’t stop. Not until I knew she was safe and nothing of killing herself.

I got into the school and ran through the hallways to find her locker. It was still early. I bumped into several people but I couldn’t stop. I knew Rena’s locker was close by but what would I say to her? She was at her locker; I saw her long raven black hair. I still had no idea what I should say to her. The last part seemed like slow motion to me. She looked up and looked at me. Her black eyes were wide, scared most likely because I was running towards her. Then I knew exactly what to say. I slowed down enough then I kissed her. My hand went to her cheek and pulled her closer to me. I pulled back so I could breathe. Her black eyes were full of surprise and her cheeks were red.

“Did you mean that?” she asked. I couldn’t speak because my throat was too dry. She stated to walk away. I couldn’t let her get away. I grabbed her quickly and pulled her close to me.“Don’t…Don’t kill yourself,” I said with heavy breaths in between, “I love you, I care about you, I need you. Please don’t go.” She looked up at me. There was a slight tug at the corner of her mouth. A smile for me. I smiled and pulled her in for another kiss, her arms wrapped around my neck. I didn’t care that the whole school was watching.

And now here we are, together in a hammock. She stated to wake up. She looked at me and smiled her brilliant smile. I smiled back. She leaned closer to my face and kissed me.


~~~


Is it the right time? That's the question we ask ourselves isn't it? Is it the right time for me to propose to my girl? So I can ensure that she's with me forever. For me there is no right time. The amount of times death has tried to take her is an unusual high amount. Then again I'm not necessarily a usual person.

It had started off not like any other day; I woke up calmly without any crazy dreams. I was back on campus for class. She was still in the city. When we were kissing good bye, I told her I had a bad feeling about leaving her there and that she should come with me. She gave a look, one that said she wanted to believe me but didn't. The feelings I get, dreams whatever the case may be have been a warning for me for her that I had chosen to ignore. Every time something close to a near death experience was to happen to her, I would be warned. I use to brush it off, believed for a hot second in high school, but afterwards I ignored it. But after the car accident, I haven't ignored those feelings. She said that she would be fine and safe and that I shouldn't miss so much school. Then I left her at the train station.

I leave her messages through all forms of media. She doesn't get back to me in such a long time and it kills me. The feelings and dreams attack me when I'm not awake and aware. I told myself that it meant she was still alive everyday if I still felt it. So for me to wake up calmly from a good night’s rest is unusual for me. It scared me more than anything. I tried calling her all of that day. I got her mom on one of the lines, she tells me her daughter is fine. Her mom scared me sometimes. Not exactly the nicest person in the world. The way she said "she was fine" had me on pins and needles.

That day was the last day of my finals. I finished packing my bags and ran off to class to ace my test. The Dean inquired why I wasn't going to commencement. I told him I had other important things to do. He gave me a look but didn't insist that I elaborate. Instead he handed me my diploma that said I graduated with high honors and all that fun stuff that came with a masters. With a letter that says they loved my thesis.

I tried calling Rena again, I left a message like usual, "Hey babe, I'm getting ready to head off campus, can't wait to see you. Will you be at the station? Give me a call when you can. I love you," I said before hanging up. I got on the train and found I couldn't sleep an ounce the entire travel to the city. It wasn't because of the feelings I get, that's what terrified me the most.

When I got to the city I got a hotel room so I could put my stuff somewhere and ran to Rena’s house. It took an hour to get to her house. It felt like the longest hour in my life. I have a copy of her key. I went in and looked around. I was in shock. Her place was a mess and looked like a fight broke out in it. The scariest thing I saw was when I saw blood smeared on the wall. The amount scared me. How much of her blood isn't in her? Logic told me to call the police. My feeling told me I didn't have time for the police right now.

I hailed a cab and went over to her mother's house. Her mother used to scare me. Her parents were divorced. Her father was a nice man happily married to a nice woman. Her mother married a drug lord....I think. How this happened I will never know. So it didn't surprise me that her mother tried killing me after she let me in the house. Her husband wasn't home thankfully. I don't think I would be able to handle them both.

I called for her in the house, screaming her name in the bit of voice I had left. The running and fighting took away a lot of my energy. Rena didn't respond, maybe she couldn't respond. I felt my adrenaline pumping like crazy. I had an urge to break everything in the damn house until I found her. Then I noticed a door under the stairs which led to the basement. The damn basement why didn't I think of checking there? I yelled at myself.

I watched my step down the darkened stairs, unsure of what I might find. There I found well put together greenhouse for guess what - weed. Why the hell did I leave Rena here? Who knows what could have happened. I searched the entire floor but didn't see her. Where could she be? I stood in silence. I heard small knocking sounds. I panicked thinking it was coming from upstairs. That her mother had come to or worse her husband was home. But it didn't sound like it was coming from upstairs. I walked around the room to find the source of the knocking noise.

I discovered that it came from behind a metal shelf. I pushed it aside and discovered another door. I ripped open the door wide not caring of what possibilities lied inside. But I was not prepared to find her behind the door. She was beaten purple from what I could tell in the low lighting. There was blood on her, around her, everywhere. I knew hot tears were coming down. I bent down and brushed her brown hair away from her eyes gently. Her beautiful eyes open and I saw how they recognized me.

Rena started crying and then began muttering, "I'm sorry I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you before and-"

"Shh..." I said to cut her off as I ran my hand over her face, "Now isn't the time for I told you so’s" I said. I took off my jacket and put it on her. The damn bastards had her nude. My jacket was big enough to cover her up to thigh high. She needed more than that. I grabbed a disgusting sheet and wrapped it around her. Rena still seemed a bit shocked and scared. I took a moment and leaned my forehead against hers carefully. She closed her eyes and I kissed her lips gently to assure her that everything that was happening was real. The kiss tastes salty from our tears and I saw her wipe away some of her blood from the corner of my mouth.

Before I picked her up to carry her, I gave her my phone. "Call the police okay?" I told her. She was scared again but nodded her head. I felt danger coming, danger that would kill her. And I couldn't let it kill her. I managed to open a small window and try to climb out of. It was too late though, the husband was home. I heard him storming for the stairs down here. I pushed her out and she began calling for help. There wasn't enough time for me to get out with her though. And I knew it. It was why I had her leave first. It's why I gave her my jacket, there would be cash for her to get away and buy whatever she needs.

She ran away from the window. Turning back to see I wasn't coming but she kept running. She's safe at least. It's not her turn to die yet I thought. I turned and punched the husband in the face. He had a gun. I ducked and dodged bullets somehow. I managed to turn one of the tables with the plants on it over to use as a shield. This went on for who knows how long. After a while though we smelled smoke. The husband tried going upstairs to discover that the whole hallway was on fire. After the next part though I don't remember what happened. He was charging at me to get to the damn window and I wouldn't let him.

“...”

My eyes opened and I found myself in a white room feeling very stiff and uncomfortable. However there was something warm attached to my right arm. I glance over and saw that Rena was there. Her hair had fallen to one side of her face that I could see was healing. Her hand was wrapped around mine; her head was resting on my arm. I saw tear streaks on her face. She started waking up and as she did she started crying a bit again.

“I’m so sorry,” Rena said.

“Don’t blame yourself,” I said rolling my head closer to her.

“You’re just saying that,” she said as she wiped away tears, “I know somewhere inside of that head of yours, you're saying ‘I told you so.’”

“I’m just glad you're safe,” I said with a smirk.

“Don’t you start that damn speech. You're not dying. The doctors said you were healing and that you should be out soon.”

“Hey, there’s something in my coat for you,” I said. She looks suspiciously at me. Then she got up and went to my coat and pulled out a small present with her name on it. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “I meant to do it right but that never happened, however I think now is as good of a time as ever to ask you this. Will you marry me?” I asked.

She opened the box to reveal a diamond ring, one that I have been saving to buy for her. She cried some more.

“Yes,” she said as she bent over and kissed me. She was happy.

“Is everything okay with you?” I asked after she let me breathe.

“We can talk about it later. I just want to savor this moment. I suppose I will have to start packing,” she said. She must have been able to decipher my face because she quickly laughed, “I assume you will want me to live with you when you’re feeling better.”

“It’s up to you where we live so long as I’m with you,” I say with a smile. She smiles again. I can see that she’s hurt and possibly a bit broken but I can also see that she’s getting better. I can see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Hope that she will be able to move past this all. I will help her as best as I can because…I love her.

“You know, you’re the only damn person that causes this many tears from me, you know that right?” Rena asks with a laugh escaping at the end of the question. All i can do is just smile back at her.

“I love you.” she whispers against my lips before kissing me again, not allowing me to return the words to her.



OS # 9 When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #9 : When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: olive29 on October 11, 2013, 07:59:13 AM
Arggghhhh...it's so sweet..  :inlove: :inlove:

Can't wait for your other story.. :grin:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #9 : When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Terragen on October 11, 2013, 11:59:41 AM
cool~

jurina was so cool~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #9 : When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: cisda83 on October 11, 2013, 12:06:07 PM
another wonderful story for Wmatsui...

Jurina is so great

Can't wait to see more OS

Thank you for the OS

 :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #9 : When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Luffel on October 11, 2013, 11:19:50 PM
I love how you keep delivering new WMatsui fics for us. ヾ(*´∇`)ノ You are a blessing to the shipper's heart.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #9 : When is the right time? (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on October 21, 2013, 04:56:26 PM
OS # 10 The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)


My name is Matsui Jurina and I’m eleven years old. I go to AKB Elementary Girl School where I’m in the sixth grade. Today, after school, I have to kiss a girl.

Now, you may be asking yourself how a girl can get herself in such a pickle that she’s got to kiss a girl. In the movies I’ve seen and heard about, it happens all the time. It usually happens because of a confusing but funny string of events, and afterwards, both parties are happy about it. The reason I have to kiss a girl is simple, and I’m not happy about it at all.

It all began today during recess. The sixth grade students were playing dodge ball on a sea of black asphalt the teachers call the playground. The only grass at my school grows out in front of the principal’s office. You get in trouble if you step on that grass. So, instead of playing on grass, we have to play on black asphalt painted all over with lines to make boundaries for games like two square, four square, futsal, and my favorite game, dodge ball. The playground also has hopscotch squares painted on it, and the students like to draw their own squares with chalk they take from the classroom. The sea of asphalt, painted lines, and chalk lines stretch for miles in all directions, at least it seems that way, right up to the bungalows the principal keeps moving onto the playground to handle the new kids that show up every week. It’s funny to think that as the school grows the playground shrinks.

Another thing worth mentioning about the playground is that in the 38 degree heat of summer, you can see waves of heat being pumped out of the asphalt making the school buildings, monkey bars, and surrounding houses shimmy like they’re doing the hula. The asphalt becomes so hot that it melts the patches laid down over the cracks in winter making pools of hot, sticky tar that’ll sure ruin a new pair of shoes in a hurry. Take my word for it.

Anyway, I was about to tell you how this kissing thing got started. Like I already mentioned, I’m in the sixth grade, what’s called an upper classman, but what I haven’t mention is that I’m the biggest kid in the sixth grade and that all the other girls in school look up to me as their leader. Being a leader can be tough and one good way to keep being a leader is to win at dodge ball. It was looking like my team was going to win again today, and I was slinging the ball really hard to make sure that’s what happened, when something I hadn’t thought would happen, happened instead.

It all began with a try at splitting Watanabe Mayu’s lip with a shot to the chops from the red rubber menace with some heat on it. Mayu was a wise-cracker and it was time to remind her why it was best to direct her wise-cracker-ness toward kids other than yours truly. I launched the ball using my catapult sling technique borrowed, with some important improvements, and to my satisfaction saw that my aim was dead on. Unfortunately, Mayu was looking straight at me, she was prepared, and she was squirrely, and by that I mean quick. As the red sphere of death came whistling toward her kisser, she managed to drop to all fours in time to have her hair parted by the passing shock wave but to avoid more serious damage. Matsui Rena wasn’t so lucky. She was glancing my way, and therefore must have clearly seen the dreaded orb speeding towards her face, but she was not prepared and she was definitely not squirrely. Her reaction to the ball could best be described as tortoisey.

What happened next, happened quick. Only later was I able to replay it in my mind in slow motion to fully appreciate the magnitude of the disaster. The rubber ball hit Rena high in the head, just above the left eye. The speed behind it made the ball seem to deflate on impact, turning it into a wide sheet of rubber that slapped itself hard onto her face then wrapped itself around her head and ears like a mask. The mask then blew itself off her face as the energy from the ball was converted to a sharp backward snap of Rena’s head, followed by her body when her head could go no further. She went down like a felled tree, and would have received even more abuse from the asphalt if she hadn’t been lucky enough to fall backwards into the arms of Kashiwagi Yuki, who fell on Oshima Yuko, and so on. A line of girls went down like dominos, receiving little harm beyond black asphalt smudges on their dresses and butts. Except Rena. After the shock wore off, which also happened pretty quick, she started to wail.

I ran fast to Rena’s side, not just to help, but to shut her up, and here’s why. As I already mentioned, I’m the biggest kid in the school, and in response to past accidents, I had already been warned by Principal Mariko to take it easy with the smaller kids. Based on many past conversations, I knew the principal would believe me when I told her that hitting Rena was an accident, but what about my intended target, Mayu? Principal Mariko was no dummy and I had no interest in finding out whether rumors of a spanking machine hidden in a back office were true.

“Rena, I’m really sorry,” I solemnly offered. “Are you okay?” I asked quickly, slipping into my earnestly concerned face.

By this time, the domino girls were beginning to set themselves upright and take notice of the asphalt stains on their clothes. It was obvious that things were about to go from bad to worse when their voices joined in a piercing chorus of whining.

“My dress,” said Kashiwagi Yuki. “You completely ruined my Sunday dress!”

Her dress was pretty badly smeared owing to the fact that she had been at the back of the conga line and most likely bounced and slid the most when she hit the ground. Of course, my first thought was to point out that it served her right for playing dress up for school. Fortunately, this probable trouble-maker stayed buried in my mouth as additional voices sang out.

“Oh, I think you broke my backside, you stupid idiot!” Oshima Yuko accused. Oshima Yuko had a huge backside which I doubt could be broken by a fall from an airplane. “You big jerk, you hurt Rena!” Takahashi Minami bellowed, punching me in the shoulder – didn’t hurt. And then came the real killer. “I’m telling!” Kashiwagi Yuki threatened, hands on hips and turning to seek out the recess lady.

Holy smoke, I thought. I had to do something and quick. Having no time to think, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind hoping to buy time.

“Rena, I’m really, really sorry,” I tried again, this time doubling the really part to show that I meant it. “I didn’t try to hit you. It was an accident. Please don’t tell!” I added in short bursts. Getting no response, I decided to go for broke. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Anything, just name it!” I pleaded.

I really didn’t expect this last gasp effort to work, the previous concerned look and apologies having done no good. So, I was surprised when I heard Rena stop crying. I guess the domino girls were surprised too since the threats and attacks stopped and all eyes turned to Rena; except Yuki’s of course, which were instead turned my way along with a look that said “Now you’re going to get it, you big creep!” Yuki is just that kind of girl.

Rena looked up from her lap. Although her eyes still pooled with tears, they were no longer filled with pain and anger. Instead, they hinted at confusion and a touch of curiosity in response to my offer. I wasn’t sure but that I didn’t prefer the pain and anger. She brushed her hair out of her face and I could clearly see an ugly red bruise forming over a large portion of it. She seemed to be mulling over her options, her eyes staring straight through me; then I guess she made up her mind since she broke her stare and dropped her gaze back to her lap.

“You can kiss me,” she offered timidly.

I blinked hard, then swallowed harder.

“What did you just say?” I asked, sure that I’d heard what she just said but equally sure that I couldn’t have actually heard what she just said.

“You can kiss me,” she repeated, this time with confidence, returning her gaze to my eyes. I noticed that all confusion was now gone from her face, replaced by a look of stubborn determination. Now I found myself missing the confused curiosity.

At first, I didn’t know what to say. After some thought, I still didn’t know what to say. Being this close to her, what she’d just said, and the creepy look she kept giving me, all combined to make me feel antsy. It didn’t help that the other girls started whispering and giggling, then turning their heads back and forth between the two of us like picnickers watching an egg toss and hoping for someone to get egg on their face.

“If you really, really mean it, that you’ll do anything, then today after school you can meet me behind the bungalows and kiss me,” she said, restating her terms in greater detail and keeping me pinned on the tines of a wicked I dare you glare. I had to admit that it was pretty clever throwing that repeated really thing back in my face.

“If that’s what you want, then fine,” I said flatly. “I’ll meet you behind the bungalows right after school.”

I remained crouching beside Rena, returning her glare. Then I realized what I’d just said. I felt my stomach begin to cramp up and sweat begin to form on my forehead. I thought I was going to heave but we continued to glare at each other instead. I was sure that this stare-down would soon end with me passing out in front of everyone from the terror I felt punching me in the gut, then Rena up and ended it for me.

“Fine,” she said smiling and bouncing to her feet as if nothing had happened. She then turned and walked away across the playground, the rest of the girls following like a herd of geese, but looking back over their shoulders to blow me kisses.

What had just happened? Was she faking it? Did I really just say what I know I just said? Did I just get conned?

I was very confused and feeling very shaky. What a girl like me needs at a time like this is her friends to stand by her, tell her everything is okay, and most important of all, help her figure out how to get out of the mess she’d just gotten herself into. Apparently sensing my need, my friends gathered around me and a raucous discussion was soon under way.

“Geez,” my best friend Takayanagi Akane said to open things. “I mean, just geez.” Admittedly, this was not the most brilliant contribution, but her statement did manage to convey a proper degree of concern and certainly summarized my thoughts at the moment.

I was still stunned by what had just happened and by the fact that Rena wanted to kiss me; especially after I hit her in the face with a scorcher. I knew she liked me but, as Akane would say, geez! I think I first impressed Rena by not getting involved when others started calling her Raining; that having a similar pronunciation with her name. I mean, I agree that Rena is a funny sounding name, but didn’t see it as a big put-down getting tagged with a weather most people hate. I think Rena saw that I was the reason they stopped, and that may be the reason she wanted to give me something now. To say thanks. But a kiss? Why not a matchbox car or a neat marble she found on the way to school – anything but a kiss.

“Jurina, you can’t do it,” said Watanabe Mayu, looking at me like I had just been condemned to the gas chamber. I returned a look that showed that I fully agreed, but threw my hands out to show that I didn’t know how to avoid it, not wanting to be a welcher. I did the mime act because I couldn’t speak yet. Mayu acknowledged my dilemma with a nod, then got an excited look on his face and blurted, “Maybe you can kiss her but be wearing wax lips. I got a pair last Halloween.

”It seemed to me that Mayu was on to something with this advice. After all, using wax lips to kiss a girl made sense the way that a drop drill makes sense. Drop drills are something teachers make us practice once a week just in case the Reds decide to drop the big one on us. They involve dropping onto all fours, crawling under your desk, and throwing your arms over your head to protect yourself – and doing it all as quick as possible. And the teachers always holler at the kids about keeping their backs to the windows so flying glass doesn’t get poked into their faces and eyes. Now, I view drop drills as a good thing; after all, if the Reds are in such a hurry to bomb my school, then I want to be ready for them. But I’ve always wondered how good a wooden desk could really be at protecting you from an explosion strong enough to knock all the windows out in your school. Heck, the Yagami family, who live three houses down from us, built a concrete and cinder block bomb shelter in their side yard to protect them from the big one. What chance did I have hunched under a flimsy, wooden desk? And besides, wouldn’t there be other bad stuff going on if the commies did try to bomb our school? It seems to me that handing out guns might be a better way to protect ourselves from attack than learning how to climb under our desks fast. Anyway, the point is that I was willing to hear Mayu out, but with what my dad calls reservations.

“Okay Mayu, I like your idea,” I responded.

“Aw nuts,” Mayu interrupted before I had time to urge her on. “I think I ate my wax lips last week,” she explained. I was crushed by the news. After a short exchange, round-table fashion, I found that no one else had a pair of wax lips and that this was the only plan that made any kind of sense that anyone could think of to avoid kissing Rena. I hung my head in defeat and despair.

“You’re gonna get cooties,” said Takayanagi Akane, staring up at me with eyes that always looked too big for her head but now looked like they might pop right out. Akane is a second grader, so technically, she shouldn’t speak directly to me. Instead, she should have given her two cents to someone in the third grade, maybe forth, to be considered and then forwarded if it made sense. However, realizing that this breach of command structure probably had more to do with concern for my well being than a need to challenge tradition, I decided not to give her a wedgy on the spot.

“There’s no such thing as cooties, numb nuts,” said Furukawa Airi in reply. Airin was the member of our group who was always coming up with neat, new expressions she heard from her two older brothers. I had heard the numb nuts once before, and although I knew what nuts were and what could make them numb, I still wasn’t sure what accusing a kid of having been kicked in the family jewels, another of Airin’s expressions, had to do with their opinion. In any case, Airin had in a round-about way supplied support for my own feeling that cooties were like Santa Claus: fun to believe in but a bunch of nonsense.

“She’s right,” I stated confidently. “There’s no such thing as cooties.”

At this point the bell rang, putting an end to recess and further discussion. Although I felt that more information could only help, I was also pretty glad to stop talking and head back to class, disappointed that it took so little time to learn all that my pals knew about both kissing and girls. So, I joined the stream of kids marching back to their classrooms. Sitting down at my desk, I was without a plan and running out of time. But at least I would be running out of time slowly since this would prove to be the longest afternoon of my life.

The hands on the clock across the room slowed to a snail’s pace. School clocks don’t have second hands, probably to keep kids in predicaments like mine from simply watching the second hand go round while attempting to psychically will the hand to speed up, like Dr. Strange in that comic book. Instead of slowly advancing, the big, minute hand on the clock instead jumps forward making a loud clunking sound that you can clearly hear if you’re waiting for it. However, the clock in my classroom was broken, the clunking sound tolling the minute coming around only once an hour by my internal clock. Instead of watching time fly, I got to feel time crawl.

Then Mrs. Haruna began the afternoon with spelling. I hate spelling, probably because I can’t spell. To hear my dad talk about it, I would guess I inherited the bad spelling bug from him.

I was glaring up at the clock, trying to psychically will it back into working order, when Mrs. Haruna called on me.

“Jurina?” she asked, and from the tone of her voice I could tell that she already knew I hadn’t been paying attention and didn’t hear the question.

“Sorry, Mrs. Haruna,” I replied, “I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t hear the question,” I confessed.

Possibly due to the hang-dog expression I was wearing, but more probably due to the fact that she had already caught word of my plans for this afternoon, Mrs. Haruna decided to take pity on me rather than read me the riot act.

“That’s alright, Jurina,” she replied, flashing me a really convincing concerned look of her own. Mrs. Haruna could sometimes be unexpectedly kind. “It’s obvious that you have important things on your mind. So, we’ll move ahead to Yamamoto Sayaka,” she continued, finding a new victim to drag from her day dreams into her dreary world of words.

Of course, being left out of the spelling and vocabulary milieu, which proves that I’ve paid enough attention to pick up some pretty big words along the way, also left me to stew in my own juices. And boy did I stew. As I came to terms first with the fact that I was indeed going to be kissing a girl in a little under an hour, I then found that I needed to consider just how to go about it. I mean, I didn’t want to come off like a complete ignoramus in front of Rena and who knew how many other kids. As I started considering the finer points of kissing – whether and where I should touch her, how long to kiss her, whether to wet my lips first, and if so how wet, and if not what to do if our lips stuck together – I felt my intestines seize up and wondered if I would need to emerge from my comfy classroom exile to beg permission to run to the bathroom.

Uncoiling my legs from around the legs of my chair, I was preparing for a potential dash when I noticed first that I had had my legs tightly coiled around the legs of my chair, and second that my heart was racing like a stallion. The former fact pointed to a condition known as spaghetti-legs where a growing boys feet end up sticking out sideways from being forced outward by being wrapped around the legs of a chair all day. The other fact, my pounding heart, hinted that I might be having a heart attack. If caught with spaghetti-legs in class a kid is sent to a special class with special kids to work on improving their posture – potentially a fate worse than death. A heart attack can kill you – a fate that is death. I decided that with a little focus I could hide my spaghetti-legs for the rest of the day, since my feet already stuck out sideways like a duck’s anyway, so I should instead focus on my heart attack.

The more I tried to steady my heart, the more I realized I just wasn’t going to pull it off. I would never have admitted this to another person, but had to admit it to myself – I was excited. I was curious about what it would be like to kiss Rena. I was scared that I might not do it right. I had short fantasies of sweeping Rena into my arms like in the movies and then leaving her yearning after me as I went off to war. I wondered if she’d taste good, like candy, or bad, like liver. In the end, I wondered if she’d like it or hit me in the face after I was done.

I was pondering all of these thoughts, and many, many more, when all thought was suspended by the sound of the bell tolling the end of the school day. I could have sworn I heard the class share a collective intake of breath, but realized it was probably just me gasping for air. I noticed that this day had not ended with the typical excited talk of kids waiting to be dismissed, and looked around the class to find all eyes turned my way, even Mrs. Haruna’s.

“Class dismissed,” Mrs. Haruna announced, sounding like the voice of doom. I rose from my seat on legs of rubber and was glad to feel a hand slip under my arm to steady me as I turned to find Mayu at my side. She guided me like a blind man out of the room and back onto the playground where this whole stupid mess had begun.

Once more on dry ground, I soon found my land legs and started to walk. I rounded the corner of bungalow 12B to find what looked like the people on either side of a street waiting for a parade to pass. I was expecting cheers and confetti to start flying any time. But as I walked through the crowd, instead of cheers, I heard nervous laughter and whispered words; instead of confetti I saw anxious looks of concern and disbelief. I guess the kids who had stopped by to see the show were surprised that the lead hadn’t decided to take a powder.

Assuming that Rena was most likely already waiting for me, I led my posse to the farthest bungalow on campus, 13A, intending to continue behind to meet my fate.

“No,” a voice announced to accompany an out-thrust hand. “Only Jurina may pass.” It was Yuki and Yuko of course, two of Rena’s right hand girl.

Turning back to my buddies, I indicated that they should stay behind rather than rushing both Yuki and Yuko and pinning them down while the rest of us passed. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary violence, there’d already been enough of that, and besides, I didn’t think that an audience would help with what needed to get done.

Taking a deep breath, I put one foot in front of the other and ended up walking around the bungalow into the secluded alley way formed by the building I’d rounded. Looking up, I spotted Rena about ten paces ahead, midway down the alley. I cleared my throat and she twirled to face me.

The dress she wore, I only just noticed, was white and had little flowers on it. Although now stained in several places with black smudges, especially in the back, it was pretty. She wore short white sox, with a decorative fringe on top, which were folded down to make them even shorter. These socks rode within a pair of nicely polished black, patten leather shoes in which I felt I should be able to see my own reflection. Her raven black hair was pulled back away from her face to be gathered and then cascaded down her back of her head by one of those springy hair things. When I saw this, the fascination I felt in examining her gave way to shame that I felt turning my own face red.

I walked forward to get closer and she shyly looked down at her feet as I approached. I stopped in front of her and she looked back up with a smile, which made me smile in return.

“Hi, Jurina,” she said.

“Hi, Rena,” I replied.

“I didn’t think you were going to show,” she said, cocking an eyebrow to show her curiosity.

“Neither did I,” I found myself confessing.

I was surprised that she seemed so calm considering the situation. She then explained.

“You don’t have to worry, Jurina,” she began. “I’m not actually going to make you kiss me.”

“You’re not?” I asked a little shocked. I was also shocked that it was actually possible to feel both relief and disappointment at the same time.

“No,” she said smiling back at me. “That’s why I decided to meet you alone. We only need to wait a few minutes, then walk back out and tell the others whatever we want them to believe.”

Wow, this girl’s mind had a seriously devious streak running through it. Sometimes you’ve got to be tricky to get what you want. Rena was apparently quite tricky. Her stock had just jumped several points in my books.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I answered. “That’s a really clever idea,” I had to admit aloud.

Rena’s smile broadened as she walked back to stand next to me.

“Although, I should make you pay for hitting me so hard with the dodgeball,” she said pointing right at my face. “Maybe pin you down and give you an Indian rope burn. Isn’t that the standard price for such an offence?”

“Yeah, that would be about right,” I admitted as we shared a laugh. I couldn’t believe how quickly a person’s world could change. A few moments ago, I had been afraid I was going to puke and even more afraid of this girl standing beside me. Now I felt great and was really beginning to like Rena a lot.

“Well, that’s probably enough time,” Rena said beginning to walk to the corner of the bungalow. “Let’s go show our faces and tell our tales,” she concluded.

“Rena,” I said stepping up to her as she stopped, then forgetting what I was going to say. “Thanks,” I offered as the obvious choice, then added something a little closer to what I was really feeling. “You know, you’re alright.”

This last statement seemed to please Rena since it forced a huge smile to stretch across her face. I liked that smile a lot, and I wanted more.

“Rena,” I began, then simply decided to go for broke one more time.

What happened next happened even quicker than the dodge ball fiasco, but in this case I knew that what was happening was something I’d replay many times in slow motion the rest of my life. I grabbed Rena by the shoulders and pulled her to me, surprised at how light she was in comparison to any of the other people. She seemed a little shocked and scared, but I didn’t have long to check on her expression as my face moved quickly toward hers. I was pleased that I had the intuition to turn my head sideways to avoid a nose collision. Then our lips were touching. I continued to press my lips against hers and was at first concerned by the rigidity of her response, but then felt her relax as both our lips parted slightly to more fully experience the contact. Her lips felt good, and she sure didn’t taste like liver. Of course, she didn’t taste like candy either. She tasted different, but really, really good.

I have no idea how long we remained with our lips together. At first I thought that I wanted the kiss to last forever, and then I started to feel self conscience. I began to wonder if I should be moving my lips, or my head, or squeezing her tighter. Guessing that I had probably reached the point at which the spell had been broken, and finally understanding what that meant, I gently pushed Rena away causing our lips to part. I then felt the muscles of my face tense in preparation for getting hit, but Rena didn’t seem to be paying any attention to me. Her eyes were still closed and she was rocking slightly on her heels. Her tongue poked out of her mouth to lick her lips, like she was getting a tasty bit of sauce off her mouth after spaghetti night. Then she opened her eyes and smiled real hard. I felt her grab my hand and was afraid I was in for another lip lock, but instead she simply squeezed it twice before turning to run away around the corner of the bungalow. She never said a word and didn’t even look back. Just like that it was over.

My name is Matsui Jurina and I’m eleven years old. Today, after school, I kissed a girl. They say that being a leader is hard, but being a follower is even harder. I don’t know much about that, but I do know that I plan on doing a lot more kissing in the future. So, watch out, you’ve now been warned.




OS # 10 The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: imteedee on October 21, 2013, 05:16:15 PM
Dear kevinwkl,

You made me squeal to death thank you very much...

Sincerely,
Your fan  :deco:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: sakura_drop_ on October 21, 2013, 05:19:23 PM
Kevs, thank you~!!!!!

God, this was so cute~!!!  :wub: :wub: :wub:

GAH, my wMatsui feels~!!! MUAH~


ask me for a pairing, I'll write you an OS with them ;)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: LoyalFlutist on October 21, 2013, 06:41:53 PM
Alright then. I honestly haven't commented on your fiction before, kevinwkl-san, but I shall let this be the first time you receive a comment from me haha. :)

Guess we'll start off with my usual response and opinions on this one shot.

So I see that Matsui Jurina here is a sixth grader. Reminds me a bit about my younger self, haha. Except the only difference is by the time I enter into my sixth grade year and higher, there wasn't anymore "free time" to spend outdoors. It's just studies and... more studies to perform in classrooms. Anyway, the beginning statement was a little startling. Giving us the message that Jurina had to kiss a girl. And it looks like it's under a circumstance that she doesn't particularly like. :nervous Then of course, knowing that Jurina is an athletic girl who plays dodgeball and apparently smacked Rena by accident... Guess she should be prepared for the consequences. :sweatdrop: Poor Juju... Getting yourself involved in this sort of mess.

But after agreeing to what Rena had said, Jurina went to complete the little task she was asked to do. It seems though that Rena really is nice and just wanted to brush it away so Jurina doesn't have to face the wrath. Okay, aside from the infamous Indian burn technique that we all like to perform on someone intentionally, of course. Though it seems that Jurina surely is starting to like Rena... And even gave her a kiss for her personal sake rather than for the task. Oh you Jurina. :cathappy:

Then there's this quote:

Quote
I don’t know much about that, but I do know that I plan on doing a lot more kissing in the future. So, watch out, you’ve now been warned.

Oho~ Looks like we found our reason to why Jurina is such a kissing, flirty monster. :rofl: Sometimes a single event can create a domino effect (aside from knocking down the girls in the beginning, LOL). And so far from what I'm seeing, we're beginning to see a growing seed sprouting out into a full-fledge player. :nervous

wMatsui here is very cute and it's even cuter to realize that some of these parts of the story came from your experience in your life. :cathappy: I'm glad I got a chance to read your work and I'll personally be looking through your other work. The tension in the beginning that Jurina experiences surely can be felt, but alas, looks like it was all relieved when Rena explained to Jurina her motives. :sweatdrop: Thanks for posting it up and looking forward to more of your work! :deco:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Archer1992 on October 25, 2013, 11:44:53 PM
Matsui Jurina you'r my Hero!!!!


thanks

continue with another OS....
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: imteedee on October 28, 2013, 07:05:40 AM
(http://i.imgur.com/Q4Nd65i.jpg)

MamaBbSis almost made everything, cause I'm baka at editing! still Happy Birthday Bro! Have a blast  :on BDay:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: BbSis on October 28, 2013, 07:09:51 AM
Happy Birthday, my son~~ Mama is proud of having you as a son  :heart:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on October 28, 2013, 02:08:01 PM
Thx for your wish, Tii-chan and mom~! XD XD XD

That's a nice poster~

Thank you soooooo much XD
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS #10 : The Kiss (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on November 16, 2013, 01:55:47 PM
A little present for sakura_drop for being such a wonderful friend of mine~

Here comes the very first YukoRena fic I made~! XD


OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)


If you asked Yuko to pinpoint the moment that it all happened, the catalyst of it all, she wouldn’t be able to. It was such a natural progression. Yuko thinks maybe it was leading up to it since the very beginning. Everything just slowly syncing up and falling into place. The shifts so slight she hadn’t even noticed they were happening at all.

When Yuko was younger she used to feel quite sorry for herself when her Mom dropped her off at prep school with a quick kiss to the cheek, and a distracted wave, a mobile pressed firmly against her ear the whole time. She remembers her eyes following the sleek black car as it drove out of site willing her to turn around and at least pretend like she might miss her.

It never happened, and eventually Yuko learned that she didn’t need it to. She learned that, though her mother seemed immune to it, she was the type of person people wanted to love. She learned that she could get away with quite a lot if she just grinned wide enough for her dimples to press into her cheeks.

She made friends easily, and teachers couldn’t help but be amused by her. She didn’t find it overly strenuous to keep up with her classes, and she didn’t even mind wearing the blazers now that she was used to them.

This was a place where she didn’t have to run a marathon just to get someone to spare a glance in her direction, and so now she didn’t even mind when her driver dropped her off at the start of the semester instead of her mother like most of the other kids. There was hardly even a twinge when she saw Yukirin trying to stop her mom from pressing kisses to her cheek while tears welled up in her eyes. She gave her a small wave and they made their way towards their dormitory together.

Yukirin informs Yuko that there is a new girl in their building this year since someone had been kicked out just before the term ended last year. Yuko is mildly interested, just because there hasn’t been much variation since she first started coming here. The school prided itself on being selective. So she allowed Yukirin to babble on about what little she had heard about ‘Rena’ in the five minutes she had been here.

It doesn't take long for Yuko to meet Rena, because the school isn’t that big, and Yuko is friends with everyone. And everyone includes Takamina. Takamina invites Yuko and Yukirin to her room for a small gathering. They have to sneak quietly down the creaky steps after curfew, but they’ve done it enough times to know which spots to avoid.

When Yuko and Yukirin arrived, Mayuyu is already sunk into a red bean bag chair with her hand rooting around in the bottom of a bag of crisps while Takamina sits on the couch chatting to who Yuko assumes must be Rena (she doesn’t recognize her so it seems like the most viable option).

She is vaguely aware that Rena is probably the most attractive person she has ever come into contact with. It’s not really the type of thing a person can be unaware of, the fact that Rena is beautiful, that is. She assumes they are all aware of it really. It’s nothing she particularly pondered over or anything, just a fact like any other little tidbit of knowledge one has stored in their head.

Rena’s a bit quiet so the only other thing Yuko really knows about Rena is that she’s smart, but not just smart, because really that would be nothing special at a school like this, but off the charts smart. Apparently Rena’s made it into the academy on a scholarship, something Yuko’s never heard of happening before. One time Yuko’s English teacher reads out one of Rena’s essays in class and Yuko knows why they’ve made an exception.

+++

Takamina seems to have really hit it off with Rena so now if Yuko ever meets up with the other girls after lights out he expects Rena to be there too. Yuko finds out that she’s actually not that quiet once you get to know him.

One particular Friday night, Mayuyu had somehow managed to smuggle some cheap beer into her room. So, they all lay sprawled out on the floor staring up at the ceiling, their heads meeting in the middle forming a vaguely starlike shape as they pass a bottle around taking turns sipping from it.

Yuko laid there feeling relaxed and only slightly buzzed as they took turns asking questions and answering them. The questions started out silly, things like, “Would you rather have an elephant trunk for a nose or dolphin fin instead of a left hand?” but then slowly edged into deeper more revealing questions. Questions about their families (a subject Yuko was never too keen on) and questions about their thoughts.

Yuko listened carefully to all of Rena’s answers. She had known Yukirin, Mayuyu, and even Takamina too long to be surprised by any answers they gave anymore, but Rena was surprising Yuko almost every time he opened her mouth. Maybe it was the slight buzz from the just a bit too warm beer, or the fact that it was too dark to see anyone’s faces, but Yuko felt like Rena was a lot less guarded than she usually was. Yuko decided she liked it. She found herself unconsciously scooting closer to Rena.

+++

After that night Yuko no longer thought of Rena as Takamina’s friend, but also as her own. And Yuko doesn’t remember exactly when they started hanging out with just the two of them, but she knows that’s how she spends most of her free time now.

Sometimes they just lay on their stomach’s with their legs kicking back and forth, as they work on their homework, with Yuko’s iPod playing in the background.

Other times they wrestle about on the floor and play video games throwing random things at each other trying to distract the other, and steal the victory.

Sometimes they take turns telling jokes, and even though Yuko’s are always completely awful Rena laughs every time. And not just the pity laugh they usually earn from Takamina, but a full on laugh. The kind where Rena’s eyes crinkle up, and her nose scrunches, and her head falls back. “That’s so bad it’s funny!” she gasps out, and Yuko didn’t even bother pretending to be offended. She figured she didn’t really mind being crap at telling jokes as long as she got to hear Rena laugh.

On just such a day Yukirin came striding into Yuko’s room without bothering to knock. Actually Yuko doubts Yukirin has even once bothered to knock on a door before entering it. She looks at Yuko and Rena suspiciously, and then asks, “What’s so funny?”

“Yuko told me... this.. joke... and” Rena tried to get out in between fits of laughter.

Yukirin held her hand up stopping her. “Say no more. I’m sure it was awful.”

Yuko pouts a bit at that, and Rena starts up a fresh round of laughter.

“Anyway, I definitely didn’t come in here to hear Yuko’s failed attempts at being a comedian. I just came to ask if you two wanted to come to mine tonight. I’ve found Mrs. Mariko’s secret wine stash, and stolen a few bottles. Bunch of us are meeting up after lights out, you in?”

Yuko and Rena share a glance at each other briefly and then Yuko looks back at Yukirin, slinging an arm over Rena’s shoulder, and says, “Nah. Rena’s forcing me to watch some awful movie with some weird actress in it tonight. Next time yeah?”

Yukirin looks at her a bit incredulously, and then throws her hands up in the air. “You two are sickeningly domestic I hope you know.” she says before promptly making her way out the door. Yuko and Rena laugh a bit as they hear her huffing all the way down the hallway.

+++


Yuko lies in bed that night with her ears peeled waiting to hear the teacher on night patrol pass so she can slip by and make her way to Rena’s room. Once the coast is clear she peeks her head out the door looking both ways, and then silently creeps down the stairs and across the hall into Rena’s room.

When she gets there, she sees Rena rummaging around her closet where all her blazers are neatly hung (Yuko briefly recalls that all of hers are strewn about on the floor), and pulling out secret stash of sweets. “I had to hide them, because Mayuyu stopped by earlier” she says in explanation.

Yuko has a bit of a laugh at that, and makes her way over to sit on Rena’s bed. Her eyes scan over the familiar room. Rena is rather tidy, but the whole room is filled with little pieces of her. The bookshelf is filled with all the books Yuko has heard her quote a hundred times, the walls have various paintings and drawings Rena’s done in her spare time, and the desk has a simple black photo frame surrounding an image of Rena’s family smiling brightly with their arms all slung around each other.

Rena flops down next to her on the bed with her laptop in hand. She pops the DVD into the tray and starts it up. They sit up backs against the headboard passing an open bag of skittles between them.

They briefly lose track of the movie when a contest arises involving catching the skittles in their mouths. It quickly deteriorates into them throwing skittles at each other’s faces. Once they got tired of that, they go back to watching the film, and even though Yuko’s sure it didn’t start that way they are now sitting right next to each other. Legs and arms pressed together, and Rena's skin is warm and somehow familar. For the first time in known history Yuko feels quite pleased to be missing a party.

Yuko had intended to stay awake, she really had. The movie really wasn’t all that bad, and Rena had said it was one of her favorites. Yuko had been genuinely curious, but it’s not too long before her eyelids are getting heavy, and her head is dropping onto Rena’s shoulder.

+++

The next thing Yuko knows it’s morning. She’s smiling, and she’s not exactly sure why. Her mind still foggy with sleep. She’s also quite comfortably warm. After a few seconds her mind is no longer disoriented, and she figures out why. She’s got her arms wrapped around Rena, and Rena’s snuggled up close with her face pressing into Yuko’s neck and her arms tight around Yuko's back.

She feels Rena stir a bit, and then sees her open her eyes. They looked at each other for a few seconds, before they give way into a giggling fit. Maybe this should be weird to Yuko, but for some reason it’s really not. So she leans forward and presses a loud kiss to Rena’s cheek and then laughs again, before finally making an attempt at untangling all their limbs.

At this point Rena glances over at the alarm clock sitting on her desk across the room (because the only way an alarm clock actually works for Rena is if she actually has climb out of her bed to stop its obnoxious beeping), and realizes they’ve already slept through three quarters of their first class.

They rush about as quick as they can rooting around for uniform items, and hurriedly throwing on their white button ups. Once Yuko gets to the bottom button she realizes she’s missed one somewhere along the way, and now one side is longer than the other, but she just tucks it into her wrinkled slacks anyways. Rena’s got one shoe on and is digging around under the bed searching for the other one with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. Rena successfully locates the missing shoe just as Yuko finishes sloppily wearing her clothes. Rena heads over to her closet, slides two blazers off their hangers and chucks one to Yuko.

They make their way down the stairs skipping every other one, laughing while they slide their arms through the sleeves of their jackets. The sleeves are bit short on Yuko, but it smells distinctly like Rena so she really doesn’t think she’ll mind.

+++


After that it becomes routine for Yuko to slip into Rena’s after patrol has passed. They sleep all curled up around each other with their fingers intertwined, and wake up with stupid grins on their faces.

Yuko would have expected some dramatics after the realization that she and Rena were more than just friends, but it seemed she was wrong. She and Rena continued on as they had been, except now they kissed a lot more. Lazily licking into each other’s mouths as Heavy Rotation piped out of Yuko’s speakers, and sharing quick pecks on the cheek between classes.

In fact that first morning after Yuko and Rena woke up in each other’s arms it had barely even caused a stir when they walked into lunch with their fingers interlocked, tugging each other along and grinning at at one another.They took their seats next to Mayuyu, sitting across from Yukirin and Takamina looking up at them expectantly. For a brief moment Yuko suddenly felt nervous. However, not one of their three friends looked the least bit surprised. Yukirin raised one neat eyebrow and simply said, "About time" and that was that.


OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)
Post by: AryaMachdi on November 16, 2013, 04:03:26 PM
This is actually good for a start of making YukoRena fics~ :)

I like how it's from their first meeting to their ongoing relationship. It shows the process of their feelings being realized, so good job on making that! ;)

Can't wait to read more of your oneshots, thanks for making this one! :D
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)
Post by: imteedee on November 16, 2013, 06:06:14 PM
Hello KEVIN! are you surprised? I'm here  :ph43r:

What I like about this OS (aside from it's YukoRena *cough*) is that it's quite new and refreshing reading with less character lines and need not to say anything for the fluff part,  the interaction between Yuko and Rena is so cutey-lovey-dovey 'says the one who said who doesn't write FLUFF' *flips table and throws popcorn at you*

btw thanks for le MaYuki service  :wub:

*TO OZ!!*
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)
Post by: sakura_drop_ on November 17, 2013, 01:24:02 AM
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! T^T

Thank you, Kevs  :deco:

(sorry for the lame comment, my head is in wonderland right now  XD  :nervous)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 11 Falling into Place (YukoRena OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on November 22, 2013, 04:50:28 PM
The very first Atsumina OS i did...despite Acchan being my kami-oshi.. OTL

I blame Wmatsui for being my kami-OTP and distracted me away from Acchan  :PP :PP :PP :PP :PP

However.................................here it is~!

Enjoy~!


OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)

“Acchan, you around?” Takamina yelled as she walked into the flat and found the front room empty, after having been away for a week.

“Minami!” Atsuko came running out of her bedroom and barrelled straight into Takamina, wrapping her arms around her. “You’re home! Why didn’t you tell me you’d be home?” Atsuko said into her ear as she squeezed her.

Takamina latched onto Atsuko intent on not letting go. “Didn’t think I’d be back so soon. Thought I’d surprise you.” She pulled the girl down to the sofa with her and let out an ‘oof’ as Atsuko landed on her lap. “Yes of course sit on my lap.” She said sarcastically but even as she was saying it she wrapped her arms around Atsuko’s waist.

“How was your holiday?” Atsuko asked as she snuggled into Takamina’s neck.

“It was alright. Missed my kawaii little girl.” She said tickling Atsuko’s side.

“Missed you too.. I got bored without you.” Atsuko squirmed under the tickling. Takamina continued to tickle her until she was rolling and wriggling on the floor. “Stop! Stop!” She yelled laughing.

“Never.” Takamina grinned at the giggle that escaped her beautiful girls’ mouth.

“Minami please.” She was gasping, a grin splitting her face. “I surrender.” This got Takamina to stop, and in the time she spent sitting up, Atsuko had grabbed her and flipped her so that Takamina was under her. “Sucker!” She grinned and laughed as Takamina tried to flip her to the floor. “You can’t escape me.”

Takamina kept wriggling but when it became apparent she wasn’t going anywhere, she decided she needed another tactic. She tried to distract the girl on top of her by making stupid faces and making her laugh but it still wasn’t working. She turned to her next tactic. She began to softly run her fingers up and down Atsuko’s arms and side. She and Atsuko were in each other’s space a lot and were no stranger to intimate touches but it might just distract Atsuko enough to get back on top.

Sure enough Atsuko’s eyes did begin to glaze over and she got that look in her eyes that made Takamina insides melt. Atsuko was so gorgeous like this that Takamina nearly forgot what she had started this to do and was content to stay like this with Atsuko. Suddenly it came back to her and she picked Atsuko up and threw her onto the sofa. “Come on now, Acchan. You know you can’t beat me.” She sat down close to Atsuko.

Atsuko was now sulking, lips sticking out obscenely as she pouted. Takamina put her hand under Atsuko’s chin and made her look in her eyes. “Acchan, I’m sorry.” Takamina felt guilty. She hadn’t meant to upset Atsuko. She began to stroke Atsuko’s cheek softly until Atsuko grinned cheekily.

“I’m just playing. I’m not upset.” She smiled and lean into Takamina touch.
“Cheeky!” Takamina sat back and looked at the girl properly for the first time. She was wearing tight sweats and a pink t-shirt, all of which looked remarkably familiar. “Acchan, are you wearing my clothes? An entire outfit of my clothes?” She smiled softly as the girl in question went pink and pulled at the t-shirt.

“I missed you.” She said in a quiet voice and damn if that didn’t make Takamina’s heart melt.

“They look good on you.” She said and put her free hand on Atsuko’s waist. “You should wear them more.” Takamina wasn’t stupid. She knew what she felt about Atsuko wasn’t friendship and she thought Atsuko at least felt something for her, but she wasn’t sure. Takamina was also sure she’d made her feelings fairly well known and she wanted Atsuko to make the choice. She rested her hand under her own t-shirt on Atsuko’s body and cuddled up next to her. “What do you want to do?"

I was going to make some food. Do you want to help?” Atsuko said as she pulled herself off the sofa.

“Are you sure?” Takamina looked apprehensive. She wasn’t good at cooking and she didn’t want to be in Atsuko’s way.

“Come on, I missed you too much to let you go away.” Atsuko said laughing, pulling Takamina with her.

“What are we making?”

“Spaghetti Bolognaise I think.” Atsuko said getting the appropriate food and utensils out.

“What would you like me to do?” Takamina said looking around the kitchen.

“Chop up those vegetables for me?” Atsuko said pointing. Takamina wandered over to them and began to cut them up. Badly.

“No. No, babe, no.” Atsuko said laughing, even more so when Takamina pouted.

“Don’t look at me like that. Here, I’ll show you.” Atsuko crowded her from behind and placed her hand over the hand on the knife and then placing her other hand on the vegetable in question. “Like this okay?” She said as she guided Takamina through the action.

“You’re going to distract me, Acchan.” Takamina breathed as she leaned back into Atsuko.

“Pay attention! We can cuddle later but I’m hungry and I’d rather not ruin my dinner.” Atsuko grinned into Takamina’s neck, pleased at the reaction she was gaining from her ‘secret’ crush.

“Okay! Okay, okay.” Takamina said as Atsuko moved away and set to chopping the vegetables and looking around at Atsuko occasionally as she did whatever she was doing with the pasta. Takamina didn’t think cooking should be this complicated, but if Atsuko looked this good while doing it she really didn’t mind. Her smooth black hair was plastered to her forehead from the heat and her eyes gleamed in happiness. Takamina moved the vegetables over to where Atsuko was and when she turned around to take them, Takamina pushed the hair off her forehead so it stuck up at a funny angle.

“Cute.” She grinned. “What next?”

“Go and set the table, baka.” Atsuko smiled, smacking Takamina on the bum before continuing on with her cooking.

Takamina set the plates on the table, found some nice music to put on and then lit some candles. She’d been without Atsuko for too long and she’d decided tomorrow they were going to spend the day together and she was going to spoil Atsuko. She knew it wouldn’t be hard to get Atsuko to agree. Atsuko loved being spoiled by Takamina no matter how much Atsuko protested in vain. Content with her table work she went back to the kitchen taking in the gorgeous smells coming from the room.

“I’m so glad to be home.” Takamina said as she breathed in the smells and looked at Atsuko, the picture of domestic life. “I’ve done the table, dear.” She said right in Atsuko’s ear, who was so absorbed in cooking she hadn’t noticed her. Takamina laughed loudly, doubling over as Atsuko jumped into the air and started hitting Takamina.

“Minami! Why do I like you?” Atsuko said frowning although Takamina could see a smile threatening her features.

“Cos I’m gorgeous and lovely and funny and perfect and you loveeee meeeeee and I loveeee youuuuuuu.” Takamina sang. Atsuko got a funny look in her eyes and started smiling sappily, grabbing Takamina into a hug.

“Thought you were hungry, babe.” Takamina smiled pulling Atsuko to the table and pulling her chair out for her. “Sit.” She said as she went to get their food and drinks. She served food to Atsuko before putting food on her own plate and sitting down opposite.

“So tomorrow.. I was thinking maybe we could go out? Shopping or something? All day. Go out to eat as well” Takamina asked. She didn’t know why she was feeling shy; she just needed Atsuko to herself for a sustained period of time.

“That sounds really great.” Atsuko grinned reaching over to touch Takamina’s hand. “How’s the food?”

“Great. Especially the vegetables.” She beamed. She was so happy to be home, here with Atsuko.

“You’re funny.” Atsuko said trying to keep a straight face. “Eat your food. Need your strength for all the shopping tomorrow.”

“Minamiiiiii.. Minami, wake up!” Takamina woke with a start as she realized someone was bouncing on her bed. “It’s 8am and you promised to take me shopping. Get up.” Atsuko said as she jumped down next to Takamina.

“No.” Takamina grumbled, burying her head back into her pillow. Atsuko was still fidgeting around and moving, stopping Takamina from drifting back to sleep. She reached out blindly, wrapped her arms around Acchan to pull her towards herself and then plastered herself to the girls’ back. “Shh. Sleep time.” She said into Atsuko’s ear, grinning at the shiver that elicited. Thankfully Atsuko quieted down and moved back into her, settling down to rest.

“Mm, good girl, thank you. Shopping later. Sleep now.”

“Ohay, Minami...” Was the last thing Atsuko said before her breathing evened out and she fell asleep, Takamina following close behind.

Takamina blinked awake as she felt sun hitting her face and groaned when she realized she hadn’t shut her blinds last night. Her mood however lightened when she realized that Atsuko was still wrapped in her arms. She moved gently away, trying not to wake her up, and after washing in the bathroom went to the kitchen to make the two of them a fry up before shopping. A fry up was something she could actually cook as Atsuko had insisted on teaching her over and over how to make it properly so Atsuko could be made it by Takamina whenever she wanted it. She set to work, singing along to the radio.

When Atsuko woke up, she was momentarily confused. This didn’t look like her room. She then remembered what had happened this morning and grumbled when she realized Takamina had convinced her to go back to sleep. Not only had Takamina convinced her to go back to sleep, she now wasn’t even in the room! Still grumbling, she wrapped the fluffy duvet around herself and stumbled through to the living room. The grumbling stopped however when she saw Takamina dancing around the kitchen. Atsuko laughed quietly, alerting Takamina to her presence.

“Oh no! It’s a marshmallow monster!” Takamina fake screamed. Atsuko kept laughing trudging forward, opening her duvet prison to Takamina and capturing her inside.

“The marshmallow monster seems to have eaten you.” Atsuko laughed. She looked at Takamina; her sleep mussed hair, bleary eyes and too big pajamas and pulled her into a hug. She loved this girl so much. “Morning, Minami.”

“Morning, Acchan.” Takamina said and pressed a kiss into Atsuko’s hair. “I’m making you a full English breakfast.” She grinned as she escaped the duvet. “Go sit down and watch TV and I’ll bring you food when it’s done.” Takamina declared, shoving the giant white blob that was Atsuko towards the sofa.

“Tada!” Takamina shouted as she shoved the food in front of Atsuko’s face and sat down next to her with her own. “Better get your strength up for shopping.” They ate together in companionable silence before Takamina went off to have a shower and Atsuko got changed.

Clean and dressed, Takamina ambled into the living room and looked at Atsuko with a raised eyebrow. “Hey you said I should wear your clothes more often. So I am.” She grinned cheekily. Atsuko was drowned in one of her big jumper, Atsuko’s own jeans and a pair of Takamina’s shoes.

“I did and like I said it looks good on you.” Takamina said ruffling Atsuko’s hair. “Let’s go!”

The car ride was filled with loud obnoxious singing to silly songs, both of the yelling until their voices were sore and they had tears of laughter streaming down their faces. They got out of the car and Takamina immediately started dragging Atsuko into shop after shop, buying her whatever she even mentioned was nice. “Minami! Minami stop!” Atsuko stood still, grabbing onto Takamina to stop her from charging into the next shop with all their shopping bags. “Why are you buying me all this stuff? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just missed you. I want to spoil you.” Takamina smiled.

“Minami, I’d be perfectly happy to spend the day doing nothing with you.” Atsuko said pulling her towards a nearby café.

Takamina tried to resist, whining “But Acchan, I wanted to take you somewhere nice for lunch.”

“We’ll go out tonight yeah? Have some sandwiches now and do some more shopping?” Takamina looked slightly placated at this and she settled down while Atsuko went to order their lunch.

After lunch they’d managed to find their way to a jewellery shop, Takamina insistent on going in nearly every shop and buying something.

“Go on then Acchan. Go choose something.” Takamina said propelling Atsuko towards some stands. Atsuko looked aghast.

“Minami no. Have you seen some of these prices? I’m not letting you buy me anything in here.” Atsuko looked determined and Takamina knew she wasn’t going to win.

“Fine. Go and sit outside and I’ll choose something for you. Please Acchan. I just.. I really want to get something for you.” She leaned in close to Atsuko, so their foreheads were touching and she was looking earnestly into her eyes.

“Okay.” Atsuko sighed. Takamina beamed, knowing Atsuko couldn’t resist presents or her, especially one that was going to be as special as this. Atsuko trudged out of the shop and sat down to wait. 20 minutes later, Takamina danced out looking insanely happy with herself. “Well?”

“Nope I’m not going to tell you, it’s a surprise.” And with that she grabbed the shopping and sped off to the next shop.

Eventually Atsuko grew bored of shopping and Takamina’s arms were tired. “Come on Minami. We’ll go home and re energize ready for dinner tonight.” She wrapped her arm around Takamina as they walked to the car.

Takamina knew Atsuko was dying to know what her present was and after making Atsuko show her all the clothes they’d bought on her, which she looked great in, Takamina consented to giving it to her. “Come here.” Atsuko said, opening her arms for Takamina to sit on her lap. Takamina settled down and got the bag out, giving it to Atsuko. She watched as Atsuko undid the paper and opened the box slowly, trying to gauge her reaction from her expression. However Atsuko was being unnaturally silent, it was unnerving.

“Acchan?” Still the girl said nothing. Takamina tried to move off her lap and the movement seemed to bring Atsuko back to herself. She tightened her arms around Takamina and looked up at her through her eyelashes, eyes gleaming.

“It’s gorgeous.” She breathed. Takamina blushed and tried to move, for once not liking the attention. She looked down at her knees and mumbled, “It’s for you so it had to be.”

“Babe it’s gorgeous. Look at me.” Takamina still wouldn’t look up. Atsuko nudged at Takamina’s face until she looked up. “I love it. Put it on me. Minami, please.” Takamina looked slightly happier now Atsuko was talking again and saying she loved it. Takamina grabbed the small box and pulled the contents out.

Inside it was a thick bronze ring with some leaf patterns on the outside, the leaves twisted into each other and twined together. She took her right hand and put the ring on her gently. Atsuko lifted her hand up and looked at the ring in the light.
“I just saw it and it made me think of you.” Takamina said sheepishly.

“Minami, seriously. Trust me, I love it.” Takamina looked closely at Atsuko’s face. Her eyes were watery and completely focused on Takamina. She looked so full of love that it made Takamina’s heart hurt. Atsuko leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Takamina’s cheek. “I love it. Like I love you.”

Takamina nuzzled into the soft touch and said “Mmm I love you more.” She curled further into Atsuko’s warm body and closed her eyes.

“No Minami, no sleepying” Atsuko grinned, poking Takamina in the side. “We’re going to Mayu’s for lunch and X-Box.” Takamina still refused to move so Atsuko hoisted her up and then dumped her back on the sofa. “I guess I’ll just go all alone then. I mean what sort of best friend would buy her friend a beautiful present and then leave her to go out alone.”

“Noooo.. Wanna cuddle.” Takamina pouted hoping to make Atsuko crack. Atsuko however walked away.

“I’m leaving.” Atsuko opened the door; leaving it open knowing Takamina would follow her. Atsuko was about to start the car when Takamina bundled herself into the passenger seat. “So you have decided to join me?”

“Couldn’t let you go all alone. You’d look like a loser.” Takamina moved further into her coat and wrapped a scarf tighter around her neck. “I’m cold.”

Atsuko looked at Takamina, concerned. It was chilly yes but not that cold. “Maybe you’re coming down with something. Maybe we should go back in.” Atsuko said, frowning.

“Nahh, it’s alright...” She smiled at Atsuko and poked her. “Come on let’s go.” Atsuko gave her a funny look but they set off none the less.

Yukirin opened the door and the two came bounding through.

“Afternoon girls.” Takamina shouted, immediately coughing after. Atsuko was suddenly next to her, rubbing her hand along her back. “I’m fine..” Atsuko looked unhappy but left to go to the kitchen where Mariko was rummaging through the cupboards. “Where’s Mayu?” Takamina asked Yukirin. As if on cue Mayu came in.

“Oi Mariko, stop eating all my food!” A muffled sorry came through but the rummaging didn’t stop.

“You ok?” Mayu asked, pulling off Takamina’s beanie.

Takamina whined and tried to get it back. “Acchan. Acchan, Mayu took my hat and she won’t give it back.”

“Give Minami her hat back, Mayu.”

“Oh does the princess need her knight in shining armour to save her?” Mayu mocked, sitting down on the sofa and grabbing a controller. Eventually it was Yukirin who got her hat back, hitting Mayu on the head for good measure, shoving it back on Takamina’s head. Mariko then emerged with food, Atsuko in tow with drinks. They arranged themselves around the living room; Mayu on a bean bag, Yukirin leaning on her, Mariko on the armchair and Takamina and Atsuko on the sofa. The 3 controllers were shared around the room, shouting, swearing and laughter as people won or lost. Takamina wasn’t really participating much, content to just sit and lean on Atsuko, breathing in her scent, drifting off to sleep. Her head hurt, her throat hurt and she couldn’t open her eyes. She groaned a little. Atsuko looked down at Takamina on her shoulder. She didn’t look good at all. She placed her hand on the girl’s forehead. She was burning up!

“Girls,” she said quietly, “I’m going to have to take Minami home. I think she’s ill.” The other girls looked at Takamina anxiously and nodded.

“If you need anything, call us ok?” Yukirin said as they all trudged out to the car, supporting Takamina as they went. Atsuko strapped her in; made sure she was wrapped up and started on the journey home.

Takamina felt like she was been shaken and began to groan loudly in protest. “Hey now, Minami. It’s okay. I’m just trying to get you to bed. You’re not looking too good.” Atsuko said looking down at her.

“I always look good.” Takamina said bitchily, still unhappy at the movement. Atsuko was carrying her upstairs to the flat. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something other than the movement.

And there it was, the shaking again, except this time she was on the sofa being moved around until she was in a comfy position with enough room for Atsuko to slip down next to her. She felt Atsuko begin to move away and whining she tried to pull her back. “Hey, I’m just going to make you some drink and some food okay?” Atsuko ruffled her hair and she moved into the kitchen. Takamina struggled into a sitting position. She had a massive headache and her voice felt scratchy. She hated feeling ill but at least Atsuko was here to look after her.

Atsuko came back in with the food and made sure Takamina ate it all before helping her to bed. When she tried to leave however Takamina quickly grabbed onto Atsuko. “No, don’t go. Stay with me. Please.” She pulled out her most pathetic look and pulled at Atsuko. Atsuko sighed and climbed into the bed next to her, “Yeah, I’ll stay. Come here.” She pulled Takamina towards her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Wake me up if you want me okay? I’m here to look after you.” Takamina nodded sleepily. Atsuko smiled as Takamina fell asleep quickly, curled up in her arms. She pulled her phone out of her pocket as she felt it vibrate and frowned at the message on it. Yuko wanted to see her tomorrow. She couldn’t very well say no, but she needed to look after Takamina. In the end she just said yes, thinking she’d deal with it tomorrow and settled down to sleep.

The next morning Takamina was in the living room when Atsuko got up so she decided to just get ready to go out straight away. “Minami, I’ve got to go out.” She didn’t want to face Takamina. She knew her best friend was still feeling ill and she didn’t want to leave her but she’d already agreed.

“But who’s going to look after me?” Takamina frowned. She was still pale. Atsuko went to the kitchen, got some soup, medicine and Takamina’s favourite tea out of the cupboards.

“Minami, I’ve put everything you need in the kitchen.” Atsuko still didn’t look at Takamina.

“But I thought we could just watch films and cuddle today until I feel better.”

“I have to go out.”

“Where are you going?” Well that was a question Atsuko didn’t want to answer.

“Yuko asked to see me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask.” That wouldn’t sound great and she knew it.

“And that’s more important than me? Not just me, but me ill as well?” Atsuko felt herself getting angry but she couldn’t help it. Takamina was making this harder than it was.

“Look I’m sorry okay? I’ll be back later.” She tried to leave but what Takamina muttered next stopped her.

“Yeah I get it. I’m the most important until another person comes into your life.”

“Seriously?! Minami I’m not your keeper. You’re feeling ill, I get it. But you’re not that ill. Get over yourself. I don’t have to look after you. You aren’t my girlfriend. I can go out with whoever I want. Just shut up. I’ll probably be back later. Then again I might not.”

She stormed out to the hall still fuming, trying to find her jacket and her keys, while trying not to listen to the wracking sobs coming from her best friend and the sounds from her throat that sounded painful. She couldn’t stay those sounds were killing her and she didn’t think Takamina would want her near her right now. Why did she have to say that? Takamina was right, she should be staying with her.

No! No, Takamina was wrong. She picked up her stuff finally and swept out the house.

She drove to where she was meant to meet Yuko, all the while thinking about Takamina. Why had she said all that? Now Takamina probably hated her. As she thought that, she got a text, she pulled out her phone, heart breaking as she read the message,

I’m sorry, Acchan. Tell me if you’re coming home later or not. I’ll order dinner. I love you.

Of course Takamina would feel bad for what happened. This was so stupid, why was she even here. She should be with the girl she loved, who was feeling ill, who she’d left alone after an argument. God, she was so stupid.

I’m coming home now.

She sent that to Takamina and set off home.

At home Takamina was curled up crying on the sofa crying. She heard the door go and tried to wipe her eyes. She heard Atsuko come up behind her but refused to look at her. “Minami. Will you look at me?”

Atsuko knelt down in front of Takamina and put her hands on Takamina’s knees. “Minami, please look at me.” Even though this was her request, she felt guilt shoot through her as Takamina looked up. Her face was sheet white and her eyes were rimmed red, tear tracks down her face.

“Minami, I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t resist any more; she swept Takamina into her arms and started rocking, the words flowing out of her mouth without abandon. “I’m so sorry Minami seriously. You are the most important. You are always the most important person in my life. I should have stayed with you. I always want to stay with you. You mean everything to me, Minami and I was being stupid. I’m so sorry.” Atsuko was crying into Takamina’s hair, Takamina wrapped in her arms crying. Atsuko was startled when Takamina laughed.

“Look at us. A pair of hormonal girls. All we need is some ice cream and a crap film and we’re set.” Takamina smiled at Atsuko. “Acchan, I’m sorry too. I was being a stupid jealous fool. I just wanted you all to myself.”

“I should never have left. You’re ill and I should have stayed with you anyway.” Atsuko put her hands into Takamina’s hair and started rubbing, smiling as Takamina melted into her. “I’ll make it up to you okay?”

“Hmm you can make me some food and then come and snuggle with me.” Takamina said shoving Atsuko off the sofa and settling down properly.

When Atsuko sat down, Takamina leant up to kiss her cheek jokingly at the same time Atsuko leant down to nuzzle her hair and their lips ended up colliding in a soft kiss. Both of them pulled back in shock, eyes glazed over and eyes not leaving each other before Atsuko shot off the sofa heading out of the room.

“Acchan!” Atsuko stopped dead in her tracks still facing away from Takamina. In a quieter voice this time she said “Don’t you dare walk away from me again.” The air left Atsuko’s lungs and she slouched. She turned back around slowly and made her way back to the sofa. “Sit down Acchan.” She sat as far from Takamina as she could and looked at her hands. Takamina sighed, “Acchan?” She smiled when Atsuko looked up. “Hey, gorgeous. What’s up? It was an accident, ok?”

“Yeah I guess so.” Atsuko blushed red.

“So why are you so embarrassed?” Takamina sensed her chance to make Atsuko hers, however Atsuko wasn’t answering her. “I want it to happen again. You know that we’re different Acchan. I love you and I know you love me. I know we should be together. We basically are. Acchan, I love you so much and I need you. I can’t be without you any longer so please put me out of my misery and please, please don’t ever leave me again.” Takamina didn’t want to look away, didn’t want Atsuko to leave. “Tell me you love me, Atsuko.”

Apparently Atsuko couldn’t even get that out because she surged forward and re-attached her lips to Takamina’s softly. Takamina let out a noise of appreciation, scooting herself closer to Atsuko and whining as Atsuko moved. “I thought you want me to tell you I love you.”
“Kissing now, I love you later.” Atsuko laughed at Takamina’s statement.

“Minami, I love you.” Atsuko smiled, giggled and beamed, showing all her teeth at Takamina. Leaning down to kiss Takamina again was interrupted by,

“I’m ill!”

“So?” Atsuko moaned.

“You can’t kiss me.” Atsuko groaned but pulled herself together.

“Let’s just focus on getting you better then.” She bundled Takamina up in a duvet, got her medicine and set about getting this lovely girl better.


+++


"Honeyyyy I’m home!” Takamina sing-songed as she came through the door. She threw her jacket and keys down and headed the kitchen where she could smell some lovely smells. She crept up behind Atsuko and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her neck. “Hey Acchan.” She whispered, nibbling Atsuko’s ear.

“Stop it, Minami. That tickles.” Atsuko giggled. “We’re having Chinese food, because I couldn’t be bothered to cook.”
“Mm knew it smelt good. Better than what I usually get.” She grinned cheekily, spinning Atsuko around before she could get angry. “Hey.” She said before she leant in and gave her a soft kiss. “How’s your day been?”

“Alright. Haven’t done a lot. Would you like to go out to dinner tomorrow?”

Takamina nodded her assent before grabbing her plate and her girlfriends hand and dragging them to the sofa. Atsuko sat down in the corner of it, Takamina next to her, feet tucked up under her. They sat in comfortable silence eating their meals before Takamina turned to Atsuko.

“Why are we going for dinner?”

“I fancy going out with my girlfriend. Is that alright?” Atsuko winked.

“As long as you pay!” Takamina grinned, jumping up as Atsuko tried to swat her. She ran away from Atsuko, who was chasing her, and ran towards her own bedroom. Atsuko followed her in and kept chasing until Atsuko could throw Takamina onto the bed and jump on top of her.

“Déjà vu?” Atsuko grinned, breathless.

“Kiss me baka!” Takamina giggled, equally breathless. Atsuko leaned down and pressed her lips onto Takamina’s. After some slow, casual kissing Atsuko lay fully down a top Takamina, letting them touch everywhere. Takamina pushed harder into their kisses, melted further into Atsuko and let out little whimpering sounds. “Everything okay gorgeous?” Atsuko smirked. Takamina pouted and pulled Atsuko closer. Takamina pushed her fingers into Atsuko’s smooth black hair. She rubbed at Atsuko’s scalp before removing them, chuckling at the pathetic noise she emitted. “Don’t want to ruin my princesses’ gorgeous hair.”

“Minami.” Atsuko whined until Takamina put one hand back in her hair and the other on her hip. Atsuko continued to press down into the kiss hard. She slipped her tongue past Takamina’s mouth and bit softly on her lip, eliciting a quiet sound from Takamina. Suddenly Atsuko’s phone rang and she leaned up to grab it.
“No baby no. Leave it please.” Takamina pouted and tried to stop Atsuko from grabbing the phone.

“It’s my mum. I’m sorry.” She said, genuinely looking guilty as she picked up the phone. “Hey mum. Yeah everything’s okay. No it’s good we fixed it. Yeah she’s here now. Oh my goodness mum yes we that sort of fixed it! Yeah yeah I love you too.” Atsuko grinned as she hung up and turned to face Takamina who had settled under the covers in the time she’d been on the phone. She looked nervously at Takamina and bent to kiss her goodnight to go to her own room before Takamina stopped her. “Stay.”

“Tonight?” Atsuko asked innocently.

“Every night Acchan.” Takamina looked nervous before Atsuko pulled her trousers off and jumped into bed next to Takamina. They snuggled themselves into each others’ embraces.

“Stuck with me now.”

“Can’t think of anything better.”



OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: AshuraX on November 22, 2013, 05:15:08 PM
THOU SHALT BE PLAGUED BY THE ADVANCE OF VENGEANCE FROM OUR LORD!
I CALL THY, LORD OF 69!!!!!!

Damn the diabetes-inducing fluff in this fic.
Atsuko had a branching for a bit to choose either TKMN or Yuko.
She chose TKMN in the end *sigh*
Ah well, glad to see you finally do an OS of yer Kami, mate :lol:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: Haruko on November 23, 2013, 04:50:41 AM
Cute fic..
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: chichay12 on November 23, 2013, 10:36:02 AM
MY ATSUMINA FEELS
 :luvluv1: :luvluv2: :wriggly:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: Konoe on November 23, 2013, 10:47:26 AM
So sweet. :wub:

I love it. :heart:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: TakaminaBG on November 23, 2013, 12:39:20 PM
This is one of the best fics I've read!!
Cute, romantic. Their bond is amazing!
Thanks to the accidental kiss they realized it's time, although it looked like they were alredy going out,
Great OS, thak you!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: lezperv on November 23, 2013, 10:03:10 PM
KYAAA!!!! That was sooo CUTE!!! XD

I've been really AtsuMina deprive lately :badluck: so I'm really happy to have read this  :luvluv1:

It was just plain cute and adorable, though I can't really see Minami acting like she did in this fic lol nonetheless it is still a good fic :)

hopefully you would be able to write more about AtsuMina  :on GJ:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 12 Good to be home (Atsumina OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on December 05, 2013, 03:50:40 PM
First Mayuki fic I made..
Enjoy~  :P :P :P

OS # 13 Chasing Rainbows (Mayuki OS)



Yuki is a kind, healthy, 24 year-old young woman. She has a lovely family, cool good friends, a house of her own near her parent's and a well paid job as a chef at a local restaurant. She owns a decent blue car and a copper-haired, female puppy that she adores. She enjoys her mere company. Yuki is rarely moody and never depressed. She's usually a very positive, happy lady who is thankful for what she has.

In spite of her seemingly perfect life that she's so grateful for, there are still those days when she feels like something is missing. This doesn't make her feel sad, only somewhat incomplete. Ironic as this may sound coming from a chef, she hasn't been able to decipher what the lacking ingredient in her life's recipe is. Therefore there is nothing she can do about it, so she just shrugs it off.

******º******

It's Sunday, Yuki doesn't have to work. Her friends and her younger sister Rena are going to see a band that Yuki isn't too keen on play. She could pay her parents a visit, it's only five houses away; but it's raining, it's cold, Yuki is too comfy to leave home.

This leaves her with her puppy as sole companion. Yuki intends to peacefully sit on her old couch next to the window watching the rain fall down. The stubborn canine has other plans. She doesn't want to stay quiet while Yuki hugs her close to her chest and absently brushes her fur with her long fingers. She doesn't care about how much it's raining or whether it's cold outside. She barks, tugs at Yuki's sleeve with her teeth, scratches her knee with her two front paws. The puppy's owner doesn't yield.

"Stop it, Juju! Don't you see it's raining?" she again tries to make the puppy sit still on the couch, but she jumps on the backrest and squashes her nose against the glass. Yuki laughs and imitates Juju's actions, laughing some more at her own silliness. Then she sees it: the sun emerging like a victorious, powerful warrior from among grayish clouds, defying the rain that -at the most- has only slowed down. More important: when Yuki rubs the cold-and-respiration-fogged window clean and looks up at the sky, she discovers a wonderful rainbow. One of the most vibrantly colored she's ever seen.

"What if the legend is real? What if the leprechauns really did hide pots of gold at the end of the rainbow? It's not like I have a desperate need for money. I have a house, I can pay my bills and go out with my friends at least once or twice a week. And you and me both eat well. But...don't you agree that a pot of gold is something anyone would benefit from?" she talks to the puppy, stroking her left floppy ear. Juju gives out a joyful, short bark as response, wagging her tail. "Was that a nod? Okay, okay, you win. We'll go out and find that rainbow's end!"

Yuki meditates over her clothes for a while and concludes that her faded blue jeans and dark green hoodie are an acceptable outfit to go on public. She throws her brown jacket on and doesn't bother with her hair. She hates umbrellas so it's going to get wet anyway. Juju only needs her purple collar and leash.

******º******

It's not too clear who is walking who. Yuki is dragged along by a very eager Juju and she thinks of how safer it is to have gotten a small-sized puppy and not a huge puppy instead. She'd be flying her like a kite right now if that had been the case. After she has released most of her pent up energy, the situation finally feels closer to walking than flying to Yuki. She sets her eyes on the rainbow and advances half-blindly in pursuit of her illusory destination. On any more rational day, she would remember that no matter how much she walked towards a rainbow, it would always seem to be at the same distance. Well, that is irrelevant today. She just follows the way the rainbow shows her, this leading her to the beach where the sun is soon to be eaten by the sea. The rainbow won't live too long.

There's a solitary person sitting on a rock near the shore. Yuki can only see the back and a hooded head, nonetheless gets curious about what that person could be doing there alone in such a cold and humid day. She's not going to disturb that person, of course; sometimes you just want to be alone.

The rain has waned into an almost imperceptible drizzle and she lets Juju free to run around, taking some time to remove the hair that is plastered to her face. She brushes it with her fingers and then shakes it, spraying water droplets like a puppy after a bath. Thanks to this mental comparison, she forgets about making her hair less languid and focus back on Juju. Too bad she does this a bit too late, just as she rushes towards the aforementioned stranger and jumps on the stranger, true to her intemperate style when it comes to saying 'hi'.

When Yuki arrives at the scene -not without getting a good amount of sand in her dusty white sneakers- the hyperactive pet is licking this person's face. The hysterical giggles coming from under the black hood tell Yuki it's a young boy.

"Juju! Leave the poor boy alone!" she reprimands the puppy, seizing her by the collar. The second the stranger raises her head, Yuki wishes for the sand to turn into quicksand.

"Last time I checked, I was still a girl" The voice is evidently that of a female. The girl doesn't sound offended, more like amused at the gender confusion.

"Oh...crap, I'm sorry. I thought....I really didn't..." Yuki starts to apologize and gets very nervous out of nowhere. she's embarrassed, yes, but it's not just that. The girl in front of her is very pretty, that's all her mind can register. Now, if she was into girls, this would totally make sense as an excuse for her nerves. "I just assumed..."

"It's okay, I..."

"No, no, but I want to apologize because..." Again Yuki is stuck staring at this stranger who appears to be a few years younger than herself and on the small side. Yuki can tell she's wearing lots of clothes under that heavy black jacket. The hood and the sleeves are rimmed with beige fur-like material, making her look like an Eskimo. Her face is round and smooth, cheeks and nose reddened by the cold but mouth still so pink that it must be nearly red when not freezing. A silver ring gives the final touch to those well shaped lips, matching the one on the right side of her nose. The bright, long-lashed eyes -black, Yuki guesses- are elegantly lined with black itself. Why is Yuki paying so much attention, by the way? "I...sorry?"

"I told you it's okay," the victim of the gender mess-up repeats, Yuki's inability to articulate a whole line causing her to giggle again. "It's not the first time someone thinks I'm a boy. And your puppy wasn't bothering me, she's adorable."

"Still, I'm sorry," Yuki persists. She takes a seat on the rock besides the girl, watching her pet her puppy and kiss her head affectionately. "Her name's Juju, as you must have heard. And I'm Yuki."

"I'm Mayu and I love your puppy's name!" she shakes Yuki's hand with a grin.

"Thanks!"Mayu next adds in a whisper, "I also love your name."

Silence engulfs them as they give the fading rainbow their full attention. Yuki sighs loudly and hears Mayu do the same in incredible synchronicity. They both laugh at the coincidence but then stop abruptly. At that exact moment there is some kind of wordless understanding between them, as if they could read each other's minds. Yuki feels, knows that she and this young girl she just met have something in common at least right there and now.

"Do you have a boat?" Mayu asks.

"No, I don't," Yuki answers.

"Damn, me neither! I guess I'll never reach it. I always either get tired of walking or find some impassable obstacle. Most of times it disappears too fast. I often stay and pay attention to see if I spot any leprechaun that I could follow, you know? My grandma says they're tricky bastards, but everybody makes mistakes or gets distracted once in a while. I've had no luck, though." Mayu shakes her head and laughs. A contagious laughter. She's the most expressive person Yuki has ever met, every inch of the girl's face is fascinatingly animated. Even under all those winter clothes she talks with her whole body. Also -and Yuki does try to not judge a book by its cover, Mayu is by no means straight. Anyhow, it's just another detail and she doesn't mind at all.

"I never tried to reach it before," Yuki declares.

"No?"

"Nope."

"And what made you try today?"

"I guess I was bored, saw it, and got too caught up in surreal ideas. I thought a pot of gold could be of great use!"

Mayu just nods, and for an instant Yuki thinks there is a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I'll keep on trying." the girl says firmly.

"I don't think I will..." Yuki trails off.

Suddenly, silence strikes back and they look at each other while the wind blows faster and colder. The rainbow has disappeared long ago, absorbed by white clouds that gradually turn pink as the sun falls on the horizon. A chill runs up Yuki's spine, but she knows it's not the cold; she actually feels warm inside. It's a strong feeling that she can't even comprehend, it scares her. she stares into Mayu's eyes and they shift nervously, she sees that same fear in them and the girl shakes her head in evident confusion.

"No, can't be, it makes no sense. I'm not..." Yuki mumbles. "Sorry, Mayu I...I gotta go, Juju doesn't like it when it's night..."

"It's ok, I gotta go too. Promised my mom I'd be home for dinner and she'll be making my favorite food so...that, can't fail my mom." Mayu gets up -she's short, indeed- and Yuki can't restrain her eyes. They quickly wander down, to the other's curvy thighs and hips as she stretches and the jacket moves up just a little. Yuki finds her uncomfortably attractive.

No more words, no goodbyes. They simply walk away in opposite directions.

Yuki has only made a few steps when she hears Mayu call her name. Her heart beats faster and she turns around. "Yes?"

"Please, don't stop chasing rainbows." It sounds as if Mayu genuinely cared; had a real, personal interest in what she's asking Yuki. Sounds like it truly makes a difference to her whether Yuki goes on with the chase. Like there's a deepest meaning behind those five words.

Then again, maybe not.

******º******

That having been said, and whatever Mayu's words had meant, Yuki doesn't stop chasing rainbows. She practices this new favorite sport whenever she can, suffering during those times when all she can do is admire the taunting colors through the little window of the restaurant kitchen. The colors call her.

Her quests for rainbows take her on seemingly never-ending walks that often end up in races as soon as she sees the spectrum start to fade away. Her faithful puppy Juju has no other choice than to be her partner. Yuki eventually chooses to ride her car -with Juju as her committed copilot.

There is this one particular occasion when the rainbow stays visible longer than usual. Yuki's mind is so set on her goal that she doesn't snap out of it until only a blur is left in the sky and she discerns a sign telling her that she's driven past the state limits. She feels utterly stupid then.

All this time she never ceases to think about Mayu. She doesn't know why it is that a person she has only seen once is imprinted in her mind so vividly. She tries and convince herself that it is just because of the indescribable moment they shared, peaceful and awkward. She ignores the memory of that warm feeling Mayu's stare gave her, pushes it to the bottom of her thoughts.

She sees Mayu at that same beach a couple of times, but doesn't dare get any closer. she quickly puts her puppy on a leash so she won't go and delate her.

******º******

Two months later. It's still early in the afternoon, the sun still far from the horizon when her obsession boldly performs its appearance act through the thin curtain of rain. Yuki contemplates the spectacle through that same too small window that she makes sure to meticulously clean every day so it stays stainless and perfectly see-though. She waits with bated breath, opens the window and sticks her head outside, twisting her whole body in weird angles to be able to look in all directions.

"What are you doing, Yuki?" her coworker Yuko asks.

"There it is!" Yuki nearly screams, unaware of anything else. "Yuko, please cover my back with the boss? I really need to leave now, tell her I...I felt very sick, okay?"

"I..."

"Thanks, Yuko." she landed a quick peck on her, speedily unties her own apron and leaves, abandoning it by the entrance.

Yuki doesn't lose time getting her car. The weather is nice, it smells like rain-wet soil and the beach is not far from there. She knows it's pointless to even try to succeed at this hour, when the endless sea selfishly keeps that rainbow out of her reach. Even if she did have a boat she would need to cross the sea to get there, and it'd be oh so late. Or maybe she would find out that the rainbow sinks into the ocean, and then she would have a different problem.

Nevertheless she goes to the beach, to hungrily behold that rainbow's end and dream of leprechauns and pots of gold. That's what she says to herself, but her disappointed expression betrays her. The rainbow is there and the frustration connected to it is not new. Still, something else is missing, something Yuki longed to find even if she wouldn't admit it: Mayu. Mayu's not there.

She moves away from the shore, closer to where the city invades the beach, but continues to walk along it careful to avoid eyeing the sky. The rain lingers on, the sun's still shining and she knows that stealthy arch of colors will still be there. Mocking her.

After walking for a while, Yuki stops and looks around. She frowns confused at what it's being unveiled to her right: the famous colors. The red, the orange, the yellow, the blue, the green, the indigo, the violet. She can see the sky, where the sun peeps through fluffy gray clouds. She doesn't see the sea and the image looks slightly distorted, disrupted by steel bars. That is it; this sky is not the real thing, it's a copy captured on a canvas of glass and steel. The frame is a big, modern building in front of the sea, at a safest enough distance from the occasionally advancing, furious waves. Yuki recognizes it, or she at least knows that the first two or three floors are occupied by a record company.

Even so, the rainbow is there and Yuki can see its end. So close, so reachable, right where the mirror-like glass gives way to vulgar bricks and cement. It's not the same, it makes no sense, but it's the closest she has been and she's not going let the opportunity go wasted.

Following her impulses she enters the building, heading straight towards a desk where a secretary is filling up some papers. Yuki's pants make her look up and, judging by her curious semblance, she must be a funny sight. she's not exactly presentable, wet clothes and rain drops slipping off her long black hair, falling on the brown carpet at her feet.

"Excuse me," she decidedly tells the girl, hoping the surprise factor will keep her from questioning who she is and why she should give her any kind of information. "Is there a lower floor?"

"Uh...yes. Storage, archives, and the room where the assistants..."

"Thanks!" Yuki waves at the blinking girl and runs to the center of the hall, examining the place until she sees the stairs leading down. That's when the secretary finally reacts and follows her.

"Wait...ma’am! I can't let you go in there! You didn't even tell me..."

I won't get you into trouble, I promise!" Yuki shouts, speeding through the steps yet being cautious not to slip. She couldn't let anyone or anything stop her now.

The illumination there is dimmer, nearly lugubrious she could venture to say -although that's maybe just her terror-movie obsession playing tricks on her. Once she stops imagining possible murder scenes and puts her senses to better use, she hears loud voices coming from above. The girl must have called security. Desperate, Yuki rushes along the corridor scanning the signs on every door. There is a little problem: she has no idea what she's looking for. It's not like one of the signs will read 'End of the rainbow'. her instincts are not giving her any hint so far, so she carries on; half walking, half running. she hears more voices, this time lower but merrier and closer, and is startled when she gets to a door which is not closed.

Several young boys and girls stare back, waiting for her to speak, move, do something. Right then the screeching sound of an elevator is heard and Yuki ponders no more. she steps into that room and shuts the door behind her.

"Please, don't tell anyone I'm here," she begs. She doesn't wait for an answer, though. There's something in that ample, messy, rather dirty room that calls her. Calls her like those colors she was chasing.

She walks past cluttered desks covered with papers, folders, half eaten sandwiches and empty plastic cups. she cringes at the tiny windows, so much smaller than the one of the restaurant kitchen. These are not even a decent size to let much daylight in and are placed considerably high due to only half of that floor being over ground level. She figures -hopes- they're still enough to ventilate the room when open. These boys and girls might not care much about that detail, anyway; they do have an air conditioner. Only when she actually sees the device Yuki addresses the fact that the temperature in there is, indeed, pleasant. she doesn't know why she cares so much about these people's work conditions, she just does.

Behind Yuki the employees are talking, talking to her, asking questions. There's a knock on the door and a voice comes through it. Yuki supposes it belongs to someone who is after her, however she's not worried. she feels confident, optimistic.

The assistants must have told her haunters that there's no stranger there, because no one gets in. It's not like Yuki is paying much attention, to be honest. She's examining the windows, again. She has a good reason to do so: while they're all filthy and smudgy, there is one to the far left which has been recently cleaned and looks shimmering. One could even go as far as to asseverate that dirt has never been allowed to accumulate on it.

A shelving conceals whatever is directly in front of said window, so Yuki walks around it, stopping dead when met by the most luminous corner of the room and a wall literally full of rainbows. There are legitimate pictures of rainbows, posters of rainbows, paintings of rainbows, drawings of rainbows. Among all that, perfectly fitting in the free spaces, are images of leprechauns. Funny, benevolent looking ones sitting on pots of gold. This corner smells like flowers, and Yuki understands where that comes from when she manages to take her eyes off the colorful wall and glances down at the desk in front of her -in front of the immaculate window. In contrast to the others, this one is neatly organized; a purple vase containing flowers of many types and colors adorning it.

At last, Yuki looks behind the desk. Sitting on a chair which back is leaned against the shelving is a girl, a long fringe hiding half of her round face while she bobs her head to whatever is sounding in her iPod. The rest of her black hair is brushed back. Yuki guesses it's not too long, but she can't really see it. Besides, she's too distracted by the red little flower above the girl's right ear. She moves to a side to get a better view, blocking the window in the process. The girl's head pops up, her eyes crack open and her hands simultaneously reach up to take out her earphones.

This is when everything suddenly seems to make sense.

"Mayu?" Yuki exclaims as the small girl stands up and contemplates her with her mouth ajar. White buttoned shirt. Black low-cut jeans and a studded belt. Yuki doesn't want to be this observant, but she can't help it. Mayu looks different like this, yet just as beautiful as the first time she saw her. She's also glad to confirm that it wasn't the winter clothes fooling her back then; Mayu has meat on her bones and she wears it exquisitely.

"Yuki?" A timid smile graces Mayu's lips, turning into a full grin when the named one nods and smiles.

"Last time I checked, that was still my name. Yes."

"Oh my God, Yuki! What are you doing here?" Mayu's hands move even more frantically without restraining clothes; her speech rushed, dynamic and high-pitched. "How did you know? I never ever thought I'd see you again! Or well, okay, I lie. I must confess I did have a hunch that I'd see you again, though it was maybe just wishful thinking, you know? One thing's for sure: I never imagined you'd show up at my place of work. Talk about surreal! How's Juju? That puppy's so damn cute!"

"Did you find the end of the rainbow?" Yuki chooses to ask instead of responding to Mayu's verbal attack. The girl is the pure definition of 'talkative'.

"No..." Mayu pouts. "I tried and tried and tried but that rainbow is too fast at disappearing and loves to laugh at me all, 'You can’t reach me! You can’t reach me!'" she sings. "It's so unfair. I'll never give up, though. I'm a very perseverant person. How about you?"

"Oh my, Mayu! Do you ever breath?" Yuki laughs.

"Yes, I do. Answer! Did you find the end of the rainbow in these two months, one week and three days?"

"I..." Yuki is taken aback by Mayu's preciseness. It sounds kind of creepy but she isn't one to speak. Maybe, only maybe, she has kept track too. "I did find it."

"What?! How? Where?" The younger girl jumps up and down and claps her hands, standing now at the other side of the desk, next to Yuki.

"Today, now."

"Wait wait wait! You mean there was a rainbow today and I missed it? How did that happen?" Mayu runs to the window and spies outside, squealing loudly. "It's still there!"

"Cut off the fangirling, rainbow princess!" one of her co-workers yells, the laughter in her voice denoting that she was only joking.

"You should add some color to your life, Kojiharu!"

"You have enough color for all of us there," the young girl -who now Yuki can see has long brown hair- replies.

"And you thank me every day for it, my dear." Mayu blows her a kiss and giggles. "Now, Yuki...WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FOUND THE END OF THE RAINBOW? It's in the middle of the sea and you said you didn't have a boat! Did you buy one?"

"No, the end of the rainbow is right here."

"Are you drunk? Show me it!"

"Okay, calm down!" Yuki takes Mayu's hand and drags her behind her, the short one struggling to keep the pace. "You...uh...Kojiharu! Cover Mayu's ass, please!"

They don't mind about people yelling after them. Mayu opines that the "It's ok, she's with me!" she screamed back will suffice to get Yuki off the hook.

As they make it to the sidewalk and are welcomed by the cool sea breeze, Yuki stops to look at Mayu, marveling at the way the wind tousles her hair. It's not short, it was only tied up. Now it freed itself with the movement and it grazes her shoulders, slightly curly and soft. Too bad the red flower got lost.

"Come on, we need to distance ourselves from the building a little more."

"Okay, okay just...slow down." Mayu gasps for air. "I'm not in shape like you!"

Yuki is tempted to reply with "You have the kind of shape I love," but decides it would be a bit creepy. Instead she says, "I'm far from 'in shape' myself, don't let appearances fool you, my friend. Come on, the rainbow will disappear!" and tugs at Mayu arm, obliging her to resume the running.

That rainbow doesn't seem to want to disappear, though. How long has it been up there already? At least 40 minutes, she calculates. It's still raining softly, the sun is still in the sky, slowly descending towards the sea.

"I don't unders..."

"There it is." Yuki points at the building they just left. her hand unconsciously wraps around Mayu's as they both stare up.

"Wow. That is my..." Mayu extends her free hand, seemingly lost for words. Yuki can't believe she finally got her speechless; but her small, silly victory is left behind when she realises what Mayu's finger is signaling. Right below where the rainbow appears to hide, where the glass gives way to vulgar bricks and cement, there's a tiny window that shines more than the others under the last rays of sun.

Now Yuki also needs some seconds until she's able to speak. "Too bad there's no pot of gold. Well...unless you already found it inside that office and you're not telling me."

"I was never after the pot of gold," Mayu states. "I was in it for the magic. I only wanted to find the end of the rainbow to know that the legend was true. Reach that spot, maybe see some leprechauns and tell them to keep their damn gold. It's been my dream since I was a kid and read about it in a book my grandma had. Anyway, I think the part about the pot of gold is just a metaphor, I already found what I was looking for."

"You know..." Yuki swallows, Mayu's clear eyes fixed on her bringing that warm feeling back. she's confused, she's never experienced anything this strong with a girl. Hell, she's never liked a girl before! "That's the thing. You just said it."

"I said many things." Mayu laughs.

"Oh, you certainly did, but I mean what you said about it being a metaphor. I started searching for the pot of gold, even though I didn't really need it. At one point I forgot about that. Like for you, it all became about the magic, the illusion. Now I understand that there is a treasure at the end of the rainbow, but that treasure is not necessarily made of gold. It's made of whatever we need for our lives to be complete. It's made of personals goals, needs or dreams. After that sunset two months, one week and three days ago, I've always known what I was expecting to find, I was just too stupid to admit it. I found my treasure today, and I'll fight all the leprechauns to keep her."

"You mean..."

"Yes..."

"Awww, Yuki, you're so cheesy!"

"Says the girl who fangirls over rainbows."

"Oh." Mayu blushes furiously and is truly silenced for once.

Yuki and Mayu continue to contemplate the reflected rainbow. They could easily turn round and watch the original, which is teasing all believers -like them- as it hides its end among the waves. However, this other one that is portrayed on glass and steel is their own rainbow, the only one that allowed them to catch it.

"Mayu..."

"Yes, Yuki?"

"I know it'll sound crazy, this being the second time we've seen each other...but I think the moment is asking for it. Uh...I just need to."

"You need what?" Mayu smirked.

"I need to kiss you."

"And what are you waiting for? Our rainbow is fading!"

And fading it is. The rain has stopped, the sun is almost gone. Yuki doesn't care, she already grabbed her treasure tightly, afraid that she might fade away together with the colors. Mayu's arms are securely placed around her neck, claiming her own prize. None of them is going anywhere right now.

Yuki goes for it first, Mayu acting momentarily shy. Their eyes close automatically as their lips touch, multiplying the waves of warmth that roam through Yuki's body, descending until her toes tickle inside her cotton socks. The kiss is everything Yuki's mother had told her a kiss with your soul mate should be. Everything she's always labeled as cheesy and pertaining to teen love movies. Everything she -now realizes- has never felt. It's not lustful, rushed or desperate. It's slow and testing and they're smiling in it. There are no tongues involved, their minds agreed that it's too soon for that. There are lips caressing each other, barely daring to suck; stopping, pecking and diving in again in slow motion. Yuki's eyelids are dropped and the same she can see. she sees the reds, oranges, yellows, blues, greens, indigos and violets.

When the kiss stops and she opens her eyes, she swears all the colors are hiding in Mayu's irises. Mayu smiles widely. Does she see the same in her eyes?

"Yuki?" she asks.

Yuki blinks and Mayu's eyes are black again. They don't need of all those colors to be beautiful.

"I..." Yuki is searching for words when another voice interrupts them.

"HEY, WATANABE!" Kojiharu is standing a few feet from them with an amused look in her face. "Uh...sorry. You better get your ass inside now. I told Takamina that you didn't feel too well and were in the bathroom, but she's not gonna buy that lie forever."

"Oh, yeah. Thank you, Kojiharu, I owe you one," Mayu answers.

Yuki takes her hand again and walks her towards the building. Ray enters; they come to a halt at the doors.

"How did she call you?" Yuki questions.

"Watanabe. Watanabe Mayu."

"Ahh! Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi Yuki." Their hands still entwined, she presents her other one to Mayu.

The younger girl shakes it. "Please to meet you, Kashiwagi Yuki."

"Same, Watanabe Mayu. And now...what?" Yuki is afraid, nervous, hesitant. she doesn't want to wait another two months to see Mayu again. she doesn't want to wait until the next rainbow is painted on the sky. she doesn't want to wait at all.

"Now...you're going to wait here for me, because I'm done in half an hour and I'm really hungry. Wait, okay?" Mayu pushes Yuki's chest gently with her index finger.

Okay, maybe Yuki can wait half an hour.

******º******

Yuki is lying on the front stairs of the building, looking at the stars, when a pair of hands that smell like roses cover her eyes. It kind of scares the shit out of her, but then she laughs.

"Is it a leprechaun who's coming for me?"

"Close!" The cover is removed and through the blur the pressure had created she sees Mayu's beaming face; lip and nose rings back in place, glistening under the light of the lamps. she's wearing that same Eskimo jacket, only not fastened and with the hood hanging on her back.

"Do we go now?" Yuki invites, her hand drawn to Mayu's like a magnet. The other nods and they go for a stroll along the shore, keeping in mind to stop as soon as they spot a place where they can eat.

"Oh, Yuki...I have to ask you something!" Mayu sounds alarmed. Yuki is a little apprehensive about what she might hear next.

"Yes?"

"Please, please, don't tell my parents what you saw in my corner at work! It's not like...like they don't know. They do, I told them long ago. Well, I honestly don't think anyone could not know I'm gay, since -I admit it- I'm pretty obvious. They..."

"Mayu..."

"...were okay with it and they love me and accept me the way I am, but they do tell me I overdo it sometimes, you know what I mean? Like...the whole world don't need to know I'm gay. Sure, I'm 20. I'm not a kid anymore and can take my own decisions but they're still my parents and..."

"Mayu..."

"...I've only been working in this place for two weeks 'cause a friend of mine got me the job, and mom and dad are proud of me. And I really love working there because ok, I don't do anything too important just...taking papers and stuff from one side to the other and so, but I try to learn as much as I can and then maybe one day I can get a better position or even have my own record label! Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"Yes, but..."

"Uh...what was I saying? Ah, yeah! Please don't tell my parents I have rainbows and flowers all over the wall and..."

"Mayu...I don't even know your parents."

"Oh, but I think you might...very soon!"

It is Mayu who kisses first this time, launching her whole body onto Yuki and nearly knocking her off her feet. Yuki should be scared, wondering what she's getting herself into, but she's too delighted seeing rainbows in this faultless starry night.



OS # 13 Chasing Rainbows (Mayuki OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: katekyohit on December 05, 2013, 03:59:25 PM
Both Mayu and Yuki are just so adorable! <3 Yuki being chef? OMG! AHAHAHAH! I have a brother who's a chef too! It just make me want Yukirin as my older sister! With Yuki not giving up on finding the end of the rainbow, she finally meet with her treasure~ <3 <3 <3 The kiss is just so downright adorable! DAmn YUKIRIN! Can't wait to kiss your treasure? XD I love that side of Yuki~ Such a bold honest side! I bet if she gets pervert, she's going be an extreme S or M character XDDDDDDDDDDDDD The scene that Yuki saw rainbows in Mayu's eyes is so great! XD It makes my mayuki feels go DOKI DOKI DOKI~  :deco:

I hope you write more MAYUKI!!! I'll definitely come read it OwO Huhuhuhuhu~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Konoe on December 05, 2013, 04:05:22 PM
Instead a pot of gold they found love. :nya:

Mayu is so talkative here. :lol:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: imteedee on December 05, 2013, 05:19:32 PM
I was summoned again and thank heavens I didn't see any torture/death/horrifying acts towards my Mayuyu.  :bow:


Juju as le puppy is awesome, our little cutey-pie Juju  XD. Even I also wondered about that legend about rainbows (oh you don't have to deny it, I know you do too :V) It's refreshing to see a lively Mayuyu for once, and yes I agree she's indeed talkative here  XD Their interaction is so cute and sweet. In the end, It's worth trying and searching despite of uncertainties, Either way not trying is tantamount to wasting all your given chances in life. And so, they found love as the most precious reward.  :)


Oh my holy! that kiss. Their first kiss...kinda reminded me of someone's first kiss here  :lol: That's the ultimate sugarific kiss one can ever imagine~! I think I'm getting diabetes on that kiss.  :wub: :twisted: :heart:


In the name of rainbows and flying unicorns,
I approve!  XD
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Koneki on December 05, 2013, 05:32:45 PM
The world need more ppl like mayu here  XD

rainbows~ rainbows around the world  :heart:


Beautiful fanfic! :wub:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: chiqinna on December 06, 2013, 04:50:54 AM
awwwwwww~~~ >_< mayuki feels~ :3
perfectly adorable!! a talkative mayu~ xD
more OS!!!!!  :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 13 Chasing Rainbow (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on January 04, 2014, 04:01:18 PM
Hello, folks~

I'm back with another Mayuki OS~

There will be some Wmatsui and Atsumina moments as well  XD

Brace yourselves, people~! This is by far the longest OS I have ever written~! 19143 words to be exact~! That's freaking reaching 20k words!!

This whole OS will be based on Watanabe Mayu's POV~

Enjoy~!


OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)


I never would have guessed that when I was eighteen, I'd be homeless. I'm pretty sure no one actually does, but still, I would have guessed I'd be in college, or I'd at least have some shitty job for minimum wage. It obviously didn't turn out that way.

To be homeless, usually it involves something going wrong. That's what I've learned from anyone else I've met. They spent all the money on illegal stuffs, they got unemployed, someone died, or any other thing. For me, I made the mistake of telling my parents the truth. I've also learned that honesty is not the best policy.

To make a long story short, I told the truth, I get kicked out of the house. After that, I tried to stay with other members of my family, but they cut me off along with my parents. I had no friends to turn to, because after yet another mistake I had made, none of my friends liked me anymore. They were assholes anyways.

So that's how I ended up in the homeless shelter. Truthfully, I was lucky I made it there so fast. A lot of homeless stay on the streets, sleeping in awful places and rarely showering. That's not how it is at the shelter, it's actually nice, as far as it goes when you're homeless. They make everyone who stays there shower everyday, and we get fed everyday. They actually try to help us get better, which is great. But I can't quite get there. Because no matter how much the shelter people care, to become not homeless, you need a job. Jobs are really hard to find when you're homeless, especially good ones. It's kind of an endless cycle.

My latest interview was at a grocery store. It made me laugh, because just three years ago, I made a vow to never work at a grocery store. I hate them more than anything, and I had thought I'd never have to sink that low. Too bad things change.

I gathered up the nicest clothes I could find the morning of my interview. They were some of the clothes my mother has gotten me. I kind of found it entertaining, it's amazing what it took now. I thought I looked very nice in the clothes, as I looked at myself in the somewhat dirty mirrors in the shelter bathrooms. I could so get that job.

Five hours later I was sitting on a bench, still jobless. The problem was that they always asked about my home life, and of course, they didn't like the answer. Even my line about how if they hired me, I wouldn't be homeless didn't work. It never has before, but I thought someone might buy it. No such luck for me.

One of the worst parts about not getting a job was going back to the shelter and seeing how disappointed everyone was. Since I'm the youngest person in the shelter, who isn't in the mother children section, of course, they all kind of baby me. They have hope that my life will turn out better than theirs. So whenever I come back and have yet again screwed up another job interview, everyone else seems even more disappointed than I am. The worst is Mariko. She's in the mother and children section, with her baby girl, Miichan. She acts like my mother most of the time, and whenever ever I say anything, she says, "Well, your own mother obviously wasn't doing her job, so I guess I have to. You're a bright girl, Mayu, you can get out of here, soon, and you can live your life like a normal person. You'll own your very own house, a nice big one, I can see it. And when you do, you'll think back to me and say 'hmm, I guess Mariko was right all along.'”

She expects more from me than anyone, and truthfully she motivates me more than anything else. I will live up to all her hopes of me.

I check my watch, the cheapest one I could find at the AKB Mart, which is truly a great place, I hadn't realized before, and I realized it was about time for lunch. For lunch we had to go to a food kitchen, because the shelter doesn't serve lunch. I had learned fast that in order to get the best food you had to get there early. And I was on the verge of not being early. I gathered my backpack, and hurried to the nearest kitchen. I have definitely learned a lot more about this city since I've been homeless, I could practically map out the entire city by now. As I was thinking this I passes a previously empty shop area. It wasn't anymore.

This confused me, because I was sure when I passes it just last week it had been empty. Now there were tables, lights, and I was pretty sure the walls had even been painted. And, the best was, that there was a Help Wanted sign in the window. I felt like it was meant to be. I wouldn't normally be in the part of town for another couple of weeks if I hadn't had that job interview, and by then all the jobs would have probably been filled. I couldn't believe my luck, even though there was no knowing if I'd even get an interview for the job. I didn't care, though, because I was hopeful. I wrote down the number on the sign and smiled as I did so.

Later, when I called the number, I got an interview date and time within just a few minutes. It made coming back to the shelter better, because I already had another chance. As I got there, the first thing I did was look for Mariko. It wasn't dinner time yet, and I knew Mariko had probably taken Miichan outside to play with the other kids.

"Mariko” I called out when I saw her. She looked up at me and smiled, probably guessing I had a job by the excitement in my voice. That made me feel like shit for a moment, but I quickly got over it. "Okay, no, I didn't get the job, don't ask. But I do have another interview already! And I think this one will work out, I'm sure it will!"

Mariko laughed at me, and shook her head, causing her chin length hair to fall out from behind her ears. "Well, you better get this next job, ya hear? I'm sick of seeing your face here."

I laughed, sitting down beside her. I was struck by how much older than me she looked. She was only ten years older, but she looked at least twenty years older. I did still look young for my age, with a teenage haircut and thin, tiny body. But the many mistakes that Mariko had made when she was my age has caused her to look much older than she actually was. She had straightened out when Miichan was born, but there was still too much evidence of her past in her looks.

I continue to chat with Mariko, and play a game of peekaboo with Miichan until it's dinner time. There, I was asked way too many times how my interview had gone. They were less disappointed when they found out I had another interview, but they weren't completely pleased.

The rest of the night passed the same as any other, dinner, showers, picking out our clothes, and all of those fun activities. I was on my way to my bunk, which I was so lucky to have gotten, it was so much better than a mat on the floor, when Officer Takahashi pulled me aside. We don't actually call her that, usually we just call her Takamina. Takamina's the cop the takes care of all the homeless problems in the city. The other cops constantly make fun of her for that, but she doesn't care much. She really cares for homeless people, at least the ones who care about themselves, because her girlfriend Atsuko was one of us a couple years ago. She had gotten back on her feet before she had even met Takamina, but she made sure to help out the homeless in anyway she could, which eventually she passed on to Takamina.

"Mayu, I heard you didn't get the job today. Hey, come on, you need to step it up." Takamina scolded. She could sometimes come off as an asshole, especially when you're new, but she actually only wants the best for all of us.

"But did you hear I also have an interview? It's on Wednesday, and I've got a really good feeling about this," I insisted. I had said this so many times tonight, I had almost had a practiced speech.

"You better get this one. I had even gotten Atsuko all excited for that interview today, I hate disappointing her," Takamina sighed, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Don't worry, I'll get this next one, and soon I'll have my own house!" She smiled, probably finding me amusing. Most people did, I wasn't ever sure how to feel about that. I mostly hoped it would help me charm my way into a job. It hadn't worked yet, but I still had hope. Takamina sent me off to bed after making me promise to get myself a job by this time next week.

That night I had dreams about new sheets and fancy pillows. Also, there was a warm body pressed against me. Relationships at the shelter weren't allowed, unless you were married before and all that. It was hard to be a teenage girl with way too many hormones and no one to share them with. Yet another reason why I had to get out of this shelter.
 
On Wednesday morning, I found myself putting on my fancy clothes again. I even spent time fixing my hair to look nice. I used to spend so much time working on my hair. It's amusing to think about who I used to be. Even though I was in a crappy situation now, I was a much better person. Before, I was an asshole, plain and simple. getting everything I had taken away from me had really put things in perspective. I knew I would never be the same. I was a completely changed person, and it was okay. Change is a funny thing, it could be horrible and wonderful at the same time.

At breakfast everyone was wishing me good luck, patting me on the back and wishing me good luck. I could feel the pressure that was on my today. Everyone wanted me to get this job, and I was actually nervous. I had to try my hardest, do whatever I could. Today was my future.

The walk to the building was long and hazy. I finally stumbled in front of it five minutes before my interview. Even more work had been done the past couple of days. There was even a fancy sign that said 'Day Met the Night'. It sounded like a fancy restaurant name, at least if you ask me.

I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Inside looked even better than I'd thought it had, it was just so pretty. The walls were painted a happy golden color that made the whole room happy and calm. Whoever had picked everything out obviously knew what they were doing.

I couldn't find anyone in the shop though, so I called out, "Hello? Is anyone here? I'm here for an interview."

I heard a clang and then a girl came from a separate room. She had black eyes and... Quite a bitchy look on her face. I was scared that I had done something wrong. Did I get the time wrong? Did I go to the wrong restaurant? I thought of everything I could've done wrong for a couple of seconds before I forced myself to calm down. I needed to pull this off, and being a spaz won't help me with that.

"Is something wrong?" I finally ask the girl. She could only be a little older than me.

She shook her head. "No, just Yuki's a little air headed sometimes and probably lost track of time. She gets her head so wrapped around planning stuff that she just loses all connection to the world. I'll go get her, just sit down wherever," The girl starts to walk towards a set of stairs in the back of the restaurant. She stops and turns around, "I'm Jurina, the chef, by the way. I'll probably see you around, unless you totally screw up this interview. Yuki's desperate for more employees."

She leaves then, and I sit down at a table near where I was standing. I noticed every table had some sort of decoration in the center. This one had a little sun figure. I spent a few minutes looking around the restaurant before I hear footsteps on the stares. Jurina goes straight to the room she had originally came from, what I'm guessing is the kitchen. There's another girl that walks over to me. She's tall and thin, thinner than I even am, and a couple years older. She had black hair that was neatly styled and very pretty eyes. Who was she? She couldn't be the owner of the restaurant, could she? She looked maybe twenty, was it even possible to own a business that young? Heck if I knew, I couldn't even own a goldfish.

"I'm Kashiwagi Yuki," she said smiling. Hm, guess she is the owner. She obviously made some very different life decisions than I did. "I own this restaurant. And you're, um, Watanabe Mayu, right?"

I slightly cringe at the name. She was close at least. "Um, Mayu, but yeah, that's me."

"Okay, cool. So what kind of job are you looking for?"

"One that pays," I reply immediately. Then I realized it was not the right thing to say. I've been coached through interviews by so many people, and that was never an acceptable thing to say. Oh, crap, why do I do crap like this?

She laughs though, and responded, "I'd assume so. I was meaning more of a position."

"Oh, um, yeah, I totally knew that. I'll do anything. whatever you have available, I can do." I was probably being so freaky because she was a cute girl, That’s always one of my weaknesses.

She looked as though she was considering something for a moment before saying, "I'm just going to tell you the truth. I'm kind of desperate here, and you are the only person who has applied. So you pretty much have the job. I don't really know how to do this whole interview thing. I figure I'll just let you work for a couple days on a trial basis and hope you do good. Could you be a waiter, and kind of just work up here, do whatever needs to be done?"

I nod quickly, excitement building up. "Yes, I can do anything. And I'll do it better than anyone else you could hire, I promise." The homeless thing hasn't even come up in this. She might not have to know. I might be able to just be a normal employee. I might get to be an employee!

"That's great, you have no idea how big of a help you'll be. You’re good with people aren't you?"

I nod again. "People usually like me, I'm easy to talk to, or so I've been told."

She smiled, "Awesome. So we just have some boring stuff to talk over, then you can start when we open. Which is Friday. Is that too early?"

Yuki seems just as nervous about all this as I do. She has no idea that I need this just more than anything, I would never have a problem with it. "Nope, not at all. I've got nothing planned."

After that she talked about benefits, hours, and my pay. With everything she said I got more excited. I had a job. I had a job with a super cute manager, who was probably straight, and I couldn't date anyone now anyways. The longer we talked things over, the more energy was gathering inside me, and at one point I was practically bouncing.

As I left I called out, "Bye, Miss Kashiwagi! I'll see you on Friday! Don't worry, I'll blow your mind with my amazing working skills!"

I could see her laughing as I left the shop. I waited until I was at least around the corner to jump up in the air and yell, "YES!"

I got a lot of weird looks from that, but I didn't care. I ran all the way back to the shelter. This was the beginning to my come back, I could feel it. Or maybe not. After spending the rest of the day researching how much living somewhere would cost, I realized I could never afford it, not until I had saved up, for awhile.

"Shit," I said as I lay down on my bunk shortly after dinner. I would have to stay here for months, if not years. I had always seen the shelter as a very temporary thing, but it turns out it's not as easy as I had assumed it was. Of course not, nothing is easy in real life.

It sucked how we spent our entire childhood preparing to be adults, but they never really teach you what it's like. No one says what happens if things don't work out, if you can get a freaking fancy scholarship to an amazing college and get a wonderful job. No one says anything about it.

As I'm hating my entire useless childhood, someone sat down on my bunk. After a few minutes of blatantly ignoring whoever it was, I look up, with a nasty 'what?' ready on my tongue when I see it's Takamina. I guess I can't be completely rude to a cop.

"Yes, Takamina?" I say instead. Sarcasm is nothing to Takamina, I've learned that.

"What's wrong, Mayu? You finally have a job! You're entire life it lining up for the better!"

"But it isn't! I'm supposed to be in college now! In ten years I'm supposed to a filthy rich doctor with an amazing house and a husband! You know where I'll be in ten years? In a shitty little apartment, working two jobs just to keep that! And I won't have a freaking husband, because I have to be gay! Goddammit, maybe if I wasn't gay my parents wouldn't have kicked me out! I'd be living life like I should! But no! Not only am I super gay, I decided to tell my parents. Now my whole life is shit, and will always be shit, and there's really nothing I can do!" I barked at Takamina, suddenly letting all my anger out.

I didn't mean to say what I did, but I did mean it. I meant every word. Takamina suddenly grabbed my shoulders, and made me look her straight in the eyes. "Listen here, Mayu. You are a great kid, one of the best I've ever met. Just because you had shitty parents who made you think there was something wrong with you doesn't mean there is. You have tons of potential, and I'm not going to let you waste it. Yes, it might take awhile to get your grounding, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. You need to just keep doing your best at everything, and I promise things will be better."

Takamina was one of the last people I had expected to hear an inspirational speech from. she seemed like more of the aunt who gives you beer when you're twelve, not the wise grandmother. It was a pleasant surprise, actually.

I smiled and said, "Thanks, Takamina."

"No problem, buddy. Just remember I'm always here for you." she smiled and left. Things will probably suck for awhile, but when it's done sucking, it'll be worth it.
 
On Friday morning, I was getting dressed yet again. This time was different, though, because it actually wasn't an interview. And I had to find nice looking clothes that weren't my church clothes, since I had worn them just two days ago. There were always clothes at the shelter, but when you're broke and homeless, you care way more about warmth than appearance. The hunt for clothes that make me look nice and put on a good impression was a long, tedious one. I even had Yuko help me look for something.

Yuko was an interesting person. She had been at the shelter a little longer than I had, but she didn't have to be there. She had a little sister, Kawaei, who came by every week and offered to let Yuko stay with her. Every week, though, Yuko refused. She said she wanted to recover on her own. I could kind of see her point of view, but I know if I had some family member that didn't hate me, and they offered to help me out, I would say yes in a heartbeat. But then I am a formerly spoiled teenager, so I guess that made sense.Anyways, Yuko was actually a great help. She knew all the clothes in the shelter like the back of her hand. She could be dressed like a rock star everyday if she wanted to, but she choose the traditional homeless look instead. Like I said before, I didn't understand Yuko.

That day I had a nice black button down shirt, and black dress pants to go with it. I even borrowed a hair straighter from Takamina. It turns out that she's very careful about her looks, and she has no problem assisting us with ours. Have I mentioned all the other cops make fun of her? Because they do, a lot.

As I walked to Yuki's restaurant that day, I felt excitement in place of Wednesday's nervousness, and it was a much better feeling. I felt unstoppable. I had a job, and I was going to eventually get paid for it. And I had a cute boss, but I really should forget about that, as soon as possible, actually.

The restaurant wasn't open yet, I had to arrive an hour before opening, but it looked like a real restaurant. I was amazed someone as young as Yuki could have done all this, I knew I sure as hell couldn't. I realized then that I didn't know anything about my boss, that I knew as much about her as she did me. And I was a homeless kid. Who knew what she could be?

"Hey, told you I'd see you again," Jurina, the chef, calls out as I enter the restaurant. She's sitting at one of the tables with another girl. The other girl had raven black hair and looked like an overall nice girl. I instantly liked her. Jurina gestured to her and said, "And this is Rena. She's going to be helping me out in the kitchen."

"Hi, I'm Mayu." I said to Rena. She nodded and waved me over to sit with them.

"What do you know about video games? Jurina and I were just having a very heated debate, and I need someone to back me up," Rena declared. Luckily for me, I knew a lot about video games. At least ones from before the incident, because of course, as a teenage girl, I spent 90 percent of my time playing them.

A half an hour later, I knew both Rena and Jurina's views on most of the major video games, and that they and Yuki had been friends for ever. Like, I knew you when you were in a diaper type friends. The type of friends I knew literally nothing about. They were cool girls, I was excited about working with them.

"Oh shit, shouldn't I be working or something? Isn't that what I'm here for?" I realized after way too long. I was doing a good job towards getting fired, before I even started working.

Rena laughed, "No man, don't worry about that. The only reason why you had to come in so early is because Yuki is absolutely freaking out. She's nervous. Like, right now she's in the kitchen, recounting everything to make sure we have enough. For the third time."

Jurina added, "It's best to just let her worry today, she'll probably be okay later. For now you can just hang with us until opening. I assume you can figure out how to ask people what they want to eat, then tell us."

"Okay, cool, I can totally do that," I said just as the door to the kitchen swung open.

Yuki came running out, her hair a mess and her shirt buttoned up wrong. "Jurina, Jurina, I can't find the salt, where's the salt?"

"Yuki, calm down, gal. Rena and I put them all on the tables yesterday. Everything's fine, just stop freaking out. And hey, your new employees here, nice of you to greet her," Jurina said with a sarcastic edge. I already liked her sass.

Yuki looked to me and said, "Oh, yeah, sorry, I lost track of time."

"Don't worry, Jurina and I were putting her to good use. She's on my side, by the way. Now when we get in debates, you and Jurina can't gang up on me, the sides are even now," Rena went off, telling some story about a time when they were younger.

Yuki sat beside me at some point during the story and whispered, "Rena might say that Jurina and I gang up against her, but I really think it's her and Jurina against me. They've been dating since Jurina's freshman year, and they seem to think the same thoughts sometimes," Yuki pauses, and then said hesitantly, "You don't, um, mind, do you? Because that might making working a little awkward."

I almost laughed at that, considering I was the last person who would have a problem with them being gay. I didn't want to be too obvious, though, because if Yuki knew I thought she was hot, well, that'd make working even more awkward. "Not at all. Actually, some of my best friends are together, Takamina and Atsuko."

It was going a little fall to call Takamina and Atsuko my best friends, since we're not really friends, at all, Takamina's just the cop the has to watch over me. I guess we might be friends if I weren't homeless. I'll have to see when I get back on my feet. But still, I figured it was a nice way to seem okay with homosexuality without giving away my own sexuality.

"That's good. that's actually really good. Because they don't like to have to hide their relationship, you know? After being together for so long, it's just natural for them. And I really can't stand homophobes, so yeah, I think this whole job thing will work out well. I got lucky, I really don't know what I'm doing half of the time with all this. But don't feel like I won't be a good boss! I won't forget to pay you or anything, oh man, you're going to quit and then I'll be screwed," Yuki proclaimed, putting her head in her hands, giving me a good view of her hair. It was lighter than mine, but darker than Jurina's, and it fell in pretty waves/curls, around her face. Even a few years ago when I was clinging to being straight with all my life, I had a thing for dark, wavy haired girls. Really, Yuki was my dream girl, which was awkward considering she's my boss, and probably straight. I really had no idea what she was.

"No, you're good. I'll let you in on a secret, I want this job more than anything. There's almost no way I'd quit. You're kind of stuck with me," I revealed. Ran looked up and smiled at me. her smile was amazing, it lit up her whole face.

"I know you're enjoying your conversation, but we've got a business to run! Starting in ten minutes," Jurina called out to us then. We scrambled around, getting everything tidy, Yuki giving out last minute instructions to me. I was nervous, especially since I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but they day passed relatively well.

Sure, there were a few mishaps, like the time where I got two tables orders completely backwards. The people ere kind when I explained how it was my first day and how I was new to all of it, so I got off lucky. No one even had to complain to my manager about me, which I was sure would happen at least five times. I had even gotten a good amount of tips, or at least enough for me to buy myself an actual dinner, which was more money than I've had for months, so I counted it as a good day.

After the place was completely closed up, we all sat at a table, sharing our interesting stories of the day. Jurina had caught her sleeve on fire for just a little bit during the lunchtime rush, and Rena had gotten a minor burn trying to put it out. Now that I knew they were a couple, it was obvious to me. They just worked together perfectly, and it would seem wrong if they weren't together. Yuki hadn't really done anything wrong the entire day, because it turns out she just had a natural gift with running her own restaurant.

"Mayu, congratulations on doing such a good job today, I think we'll keep you around for a little longer," Yuki joked as she shoved my shoulder playfully. "So, since you survived a day of working with us, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

Oh shit, oh shit, this is exactly what I needed to avoid. What could I tell myself about them? My entire life pretty much revolved around the fact that I was homeless. I didn't have time or money for anything else. The air in the room took a turn towards awkward as I failed to answer the question. "Um, well, when I was a kid, I used to get bullied around by my brothers a lot, because I was so small, so I had to start trying to outsmart them. After I got beaten up pretty bad one time, I stole all of their underwear. To make it less suspicious, I even took some of mine with them, and hid them in one of my sister's room. So not only did my brothers go without underwear for a couple days, my sister also got grounded when they were found. It was a win win situation. For me, at least."

They all started laughing at my story, and then we started sharing childhood stories. Most of Yuki and Jurina's stories were entwined together, I got the feeling the spent most of their time together when they were kids.

A story of Rena's had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe. It was only then that I noticed what time it was, 9:30. Oh shit, I thought to myself. The shelter doesn't let you in after nine, even if you're a long term resident, unless they knew ahead of time. Oh, shit..

"I've got to go, um, I'll be here tomorrow, on time and all. Bye!" I excused myself, trying to hide how worried I was. There was no way they' let me into the shelter. I'd have to stay on the streets for the night, and I never liked that idea. I was to small, weak, I could never defend myself. I leave the restaurant in a haze, too busy thinking about where I could go. I knew there where some almost okay girls who camped up out the beach, that'd probably be my best shot.

Luckily, I happened to be friends (not quite friends, but we had talked a few times, and knew each other's names, which is close enough to friends really) with a girl there, and she let me sleep in her area. It was disgusting, I had to say. Being homeless, I had no room to judge people, but come on, cleanliness is awesome, no matter who you are. Okay, so I'm probably a stuck up homeless girl, whatever.


I don't get much sleep that night, I was too worried about bugs and rats. The sun finally comes up around six, and I got out of there as fast as possible, practically running to the shelter. I get in, and am allowed to shower, get dressed, and eat some breakfast before we're all kicked out again. I got some weird looks from people who knew that I don't ever not come back to the shelter at night, but no one says anything to me, and I'm glad. I'm not proud that I had to stay on the streets. Some people think that's the ultimate sign of coolness, and staying in the shelter is lame, but like I said, I'm a little high maintenance.

At my second day of work, no one seems to notice anything different from me. Yuki even compliments me on my shirt. At the end of the day, I smile. I might actually be able to pull this off.

The weeks pass in a blur of work, Yuki, shelter, Takamina, and rushing back to the shelter before nine. I actually enjoy what I'm doing, and I kind of feel like I belong. It's really easy to become friends with Yuki and her friends. They occasionally invite me out to do things with them whenever the restaurant is closed.

"Hey, Mayu," Jurina calls from where she's perched on the counter of the bar while all of the rest of us are cleaning up for closing one day. When I asked her why she didn't help clean up one time, she told me that she is better at supervising everything. Sometimes I wondered if Yuki ran the restaurant, or Jurina secretly control everything. It was hard to tell. "We're going out for drinks tonight, and you're coming with us, no excuses."

As she was asking I was already forming a fake reason not to go. Damn, she knew me too well.

Rena added, “Yeah, it'll be fun. If you get Jurina drunk enough, she'll dance. It's hot, take my word for it." she smiled and kissed Jurina on the cheek as Jurina flipped her off. I had learned over time that they really were the super couple, and it was really cute. Sometimes I got jealous of what they had, because it was hard to believe that I could ever have that. But whenever I thought that, I just told myself, maybe when I have a house, maybe when things are good.

I still wasn't completely convinced about going. I mean, drinks cost money, and getting water at a bar just makes me look like a freak. I change my mind when Yuki says, “I'll pay for your drinks, Mayu. Come on, please?" with her pretty eyes begging me, because, really, if I could say no to that I probably had no soul.

"Okay, I'll go, if you girls want me there so badly," I gave in. Rena whooped and then we were leaving. I had convinced Rena to give me a piggy back ride for part of the way."What are you, four?" Yuki laughed at me. I stuck my tongue at her and urged Rena forward.

At the bar, Rena was the one who had to get everyone's drinks, because none of the rest of us were 21 yet.
"How old are you, Mayu? I realized I didn't even know," Yuki whispered into my ear as Rena went to get the drinks. I had probably made it clear that I had never really drank anything before by the way that I had almost no knowledge of drinks.

"I'm eighteen, legal, I promise," I replied with a smile.

"It's weird, I feel like I know you very well sometimes, and sometimes I feel like I know nothing about you," she informed me as we saw Rena returning with drinks in her hands.

"Well, you've got time to get to know me better," I said with a slightly flirty edge. I really needed to watch myself, but sometimes I don't care. Every once in awhile, you need to flirt with your straight boss, it just has to be done.

She doesn't get the chance to respond because Rena arrives with our drinks. She gives me some fruity, frilly drink that most girls would probably be ashamed to be seen drinking. I smile and remarked, "Oh, Rena, you know me so well!"

After the first drink, the rest of the time in the bar is blurred together. I had fun doing whatever it was. Around two in the morning, we set off. It's then I realize it's two in the morning.

"Oh shit, girls. It's so late, I can't go home now. Oh no." then I notice a particularly nice looking trash can. "Oh, yay, I can stay there tonight! What a nice trashcan!"

They just barely stop me from diving head first into my trashcan. Goddamn, they've got to ruin all my fun, don't they?

"Yuki, you want to take Mayu back to your house? If we let her go on her own, she'll probably end up finding a dumpster of something. She's so drunk.. I didn't expect that." Jurina said, laughing.

"Miss Jurina, I am certainly not drunk at all!" I defend myself.

"Sure, sure, and a completely sober person would try to climb into a trashcan."

I get mad at that, so I sit down right on the sidewalk. Yuki sends Jurina and Rena on their way, telling them she could take care of me.

"Mayu, come on, let's go," she insisted. I shook my head and stayed right where I was.

"I have nowhere to go, anyways. They won't let me in," I say. Something tells me I shouldn't say that, but I can't really find myself in a place to care.

"You don't have to worry, you can stay with me tonight. But, Mayu, who won't let you in?" Yuki asks.

"Takamina. maybe, I'm not sure who works there. Actually, probably not Takamina, because if it was Takamina, she'd let me in. Oh, but I'm drunk too, aren't I? They wouldn't like that. Did you know that Takamina's not really my friend? Well, she kind of is, but not really. She's just a cop who cares about us. It's because of Atsuko. But I think when I have a regular life, we'll be friends! And Takamina and Atsuko can go on a double date with me! And my girlfriend! Because I'm gay, you know. I don't have a girlfriend though. I want one, but that's not allowed either. I'm not allowed to do anything fun!" I yell, starting to get mad.

"Calm down, Mayu. Come on, you're going to come home with me, okay? Then you can tell me all about it," Yuki tells me soothingly. It works, and soon enough I find myself in an unknown apartment. I'm guessing it's Yuki's. Or it could be the cat's. I saw a cat walking around, maybe she owns it and is letting Yuki stay here. I should find myself a cat with a house.

Yuki leads me to a room with a bed. The bed looks so nice, and I haven't slept on a real bed since before. I inform Yuki of that as I plop down on it.

"Oh, and it smells good, like you! Is this your bed, Yuki?" I say as I climb down under all the blankets, enjoying the warmth and comfort of it all.

"Yes, it's my bed. Do you care if I sleep in it with you?" Yuki asks me.

"Not at all!” I say with way to much enthusiasm. Yuki laughs. She changes into other clothes, and I sadly don't see anything fun. Then she slides into the other side of the bed, much more graceful than I had been.

After a few seconds, Yuki asks, "Mayu, you don't have to tell me, but who exactly were you talking about earlier?"

I think back to what I had said earlier. Lots of stuff. "Oh, about the shelter, you mean?"

She nods, "I think so."

"That's where I live. I didn't tell you because no one hires homeless people. But I don't stink or anything, I shower everyday! I don't want to be homeless wither, but my parents don't like me anymore. And then I couldn't find a job! No one really wants to hire a high school dropout, even if I only missed a month of school! Silly people! But then you did, and you're really my savior. You're like... Like... Saint.. Yuki." I say as I let out a yawn. I roll close to Yuki, and she puts her arms around me. It felt so nice. "You're my saint, my very own." I say as I slide into sleep. It's the best night of sleep I've had in sixth months.
 
The next morning is not good though. Even waking up in the most comfortable bed in the world couldn't make the awful pounding in my head go away. And I couldn't remember how I had even gotten to this bed, which was so much nicer than my bunk. Maybe I'm about to be killed. What if I had gotten drugged and raped last night? I thought nervously, But I didn't hurt anywhere other than my head, so I had a feeling that didn't happen.

I open my eyes and look around, and I notice I'm not alone in the bed. Yuki is beside me. I remember going to get drinks with her, Jurina, and Rena, but I wasn't sure how I had ended up here. I had no idea what I had said, or done. Oh no.

My movement woke Yuki up, and she opened her eyes. We stare at each other in silence for a few moments before I finally say, "What happened last night? I'm pretty sure I was drunk as hell."

She stares at me, probably trying to think of a good response. "Um, well, you were so drunk that we didn't trust you to get home on your own. So I brought you with me. And you kind of, uh, have no filter when you're drunk."

Oh holy shit, "What did I say?"

"At one point, you came out of the closet”, she started. Well, it could be worse than that.

"And you told me Takamina was a cop, and I eventually got the fact that you're, well, you live in a homeless shelter."

My heart drops. "Damn, remind me not to get drunk anymore. So, I'm guessing I'm fired? I'll be out of here as soon as possible, don't worry, you wont have to see me again."

She sits up, and I get a nice view of her bed head. It's really so cute. I spend as much time as I can looking at her, before it gets too creepy, and then I start to get out of bed. Which didn't work very well, considering I had a god awful headache, and Yuki pulled me back down. What?

Before I could even register it, she was kissing me. Her warm, dry lips were on mine, and I was truthfully in heaven, well, hangover heaven. Not actual heaven, because I think that would hurt a little less. I kissed her back, even though I knew I had nasty morning breath. I didn't care, I was kissing Kashiwagi Yuki, this probably won't happen again. Isn't she supposed to be straight?

When we pull apart, instead of saying anything reasonable, I ask, "Aren't you supposed to be straight?"

Yuki laughs, "No, not really. I've liked girls for awhile now, truthfully."

I let that thought sink in. Huh. "So, I'm should continue leaving now, shouldn't I?"

Yuki shakes her head, and gives me a confused look. "I just kissed you, and you think that means I want you to leave?"

"Well, I don't know. I mean, I'm homeless, no one besides Takamina likes us. Everyone thinks we're nasty and all we do I drink and do drugs."

"But you already told me you aren't nasty, you shower everyday. Don't try and tell me that's a lie." I laugh and shake my head. I am so never getting drunk again.

"So... What does this mean?" I ask, still confused about what was happening.

Yuki smiles shyly, looking at me through her hair (which was still beautifully messy, if you ask me). "I was thinking maybe you could, I don't know, move in with me? Then we could go on some dates. I know that's kind of backwards, but I've got a spare room and everything, so you could move in even if you don't want to do the date thing. But yeah, I kind of really like you, and it would hurt to know you had to sleep in a shelter every night. So, what do you think?"

I stare at her in shock for a second. It occurs to me exactly what is happening. I'm getting offered a place to live, and maybe a girlfriend at the same time. Oh my god. I look around Yuki's room, at the all her clothes, books, and guitars, and I Imagine myself in here. Some of those could be my clothes. This could eventually be our room.

"I'm freaking homeless. Do you think I could really turn down an offer for a place to live? I'm not Yuko. Oh, wait, you don't get that, yeah, I'll explain that reference sometime. But totally yes on that part. And, about the dates... I've been kind of checking you out everyday since I've met you, I've kind of got a huge crush on you, so..."

I was Interrupted by Yuki's mouth on mine again. I smiled slightly, and brought my hands up to her face. Not being homeless was already a hundred times better. I pulled back and said, "Just wait until I tell Takamina and Mariko! You're so going to have to meet them! Hey, one of those dates could be-"

"A double date with Takamina and Atsuko?" Yuki finishes for me. I give her a look of disbelief, how had she known what I was going to say?

"You mentioned it last night, silly," Yuki informed me.

"What didn't I say last night?" I ask.

"Well, you didn't tell me about that crush you had. Guess it's a good thing you told me today." This time, I'm the one who pulls Yuki in for a kiss. Right now is actually looking pretty good.


~~~~~~


When I told Takamina what Yuki had offered me, she laughed at me. Like, right in my face hysterical laughing. It took twenty minutes and an actual phone call to Yuki before she believed me.

"Jerk," I tell her after I say goodbye to Yuki. I hadn't called her on a phone of my own, I didn't own one, but she had given my her number and I used the shelter phone. I hadn't planned on calling her so soon, but Takamina had to go and be a complete asshole.

Takamina chuckled one last time before saying, "I'm sorry, but it was really hard to believe. I mean, you don't come back one night, and when you do return, hung-over by the way, you're saying that you're now dating some girl and she's going to let you move in with her. You do realize how ridiculous that sounds to most people, right?"

I could see where she was coming from. But Yuki and I had a completely different case than most people would ever even understand. "I get what you mean, but it's not like Yuki's some random pimp off from the street or something. We're friends. Or, well, we were friends."

"Yeah, yeah, I get that now, you made me talk to the poor girl," Takamina pointed out, then continued, "I'm happy for you though, really. I knew you'd get somewhere someday. I just didn't guess it'd be by sleeping with the boss."

I slap her on the arm. "Jerk," I say again.

She just laughs and gets up to leave. "Well, I've actually got some work to do. Are you still staying tonight?"

I nod, "Yeah, we've got some things to work out before I can move in. And I kind of want to give her time to make sure she really knows what she's doing."

"Yeah. Whatever you do, hold on to that girl. She seems like a keeper. And she sounds totally hot. Oh, by the way, you should probably tell Mariko. She'll be over the moon."

She was. I found her shortly after talking to Takamina, and she took the news a whole lot better than Takamina had. Takamina's just an ass, though, so I guess I shouldn't have expected more from her. Mariko was really proud of me, she even told me that I was like her daughter, and she could see me going far. It was nice to know that some people had faith in me.

I didn't have to go back to work for two days, but I did call Yuki that night, to hear her voice and all. I was already a freaking weirdo over this relationship. I just loved knowing that someone actually liked me. In a way that they might want to have sex with me someday. Okay, because I am still a teenage girl, those things do matter to me. My phone call is cut short by Yuko, though.

"Yuko, what are you doing? I wasn't done talking yet!" I pointed out to her.

She just smiled. "But you see, I talk to someone every week at this time, so I have power over you. It's my right, I'm pretty sure."

I shake my head at her. "Who's so important you felt the need to hang up on my phone call?" I ask her.

"Her name is Kojiharu. She's my best friend. I don't get to see her often, since the homeless thing is kind of time consuming. but she still calls, every week, to see how I'm doing." she smiled again and shooed me away as the phone rang. Besides her being overall juts super weird, she really was lucky. Not only did she have a sister who would do anything for her, but she also had a really good friend who cared.

It struck me that I know had someone that cared about me. At least, I'm pretty sure she did. It was a really nice thought, since I hadn't had that since my parents disowned me. It's really hard to go through life alone, that was surely a lesson I had learned lately.

That night I went to sleep easily. Not quite as well as I had when I was in Yuki's bed, but certainly better than I had in this bunk the past couple of months. Just knowing someone cared was enough to make things better.

When I finally had another shift at work, I didn't think I could get there fast enough. But then I was also nervous about seeing Yuki. How was I supposed to act? Did Rena and Jurina even know what had happened?

My second question was answered as soon as I had walked in the door. "Oh, Mayu," Jurina called out, scaring the shit out of me. "You're just the person I was looking for! Let's have a little talk, just you and me."

Oh shit, was I about to get killed or something? Jurina had one hell of a glare, I couldn't doubt what she was capable off. She leads me into a supply closet that was mostly empty, flicks on the light, and closes the door behind me.

"Being Yuki's best friend, she has obviously told me almost everything that's happened. And while I do like you, I just want to make this clear, if you hurt Yuki, you will regret it the rest of your life. And you better not be using her just for a place to stay, because if you are, I swear to god I will chop off your head," Jurina threatens. My eyes widen in fear. Shit, Jurina really is hardcore.

"I would never hurt her, I promise. And I would never use anyone for a place to stay, I promise. If I would, I think I'd already have a place to stay by now," I say, hoping Jurina sees I'm telling the truth.

She stares me down for way too long, then says, "You're lucky I like you. If you were anyone else, this would've had to be a lot harder. I believe you, though. You're too much of a puppy to actually cause anyone pain on purpose."

I smile and jump up and down. "Aw, Jurina, am I special? You make me feel special! You gave me permission to love Yuki! Aw, Jurina, you wonderful person!" I pull her into a giant hug. She's not as good at hugging as Rena or Yuki, but considering they're both extraordinarily good huggers, Rena with her teddybearness, and Yuki just being herself, she was being compared to ridiculously high standards. It really wasn't fair. And I liked Jurina, especially since I passed the super creepy best friend test.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I think you've got a job or something to do now," Jurina says as she pulls me off of her. I follow her out of the closet and then go on a hunt for my nametag. I knew I left it somewhere. But after looking all over the restaurant, I realize somewhere evidently wasn't where I thought it was. I end up crawling on the floor searching for it.

I really should talk Yuki into finding some better way of going about the nametag business. Jurina would probably suggest that we write my name on my forehead, which, no. For one, that would not in any way be attractive, and I've got to keep up my appearance now, because I have someone to impress. And also, that would just look very ridiculous.

My name tag doesn't seem to be under tables 3,6, or 8, but I had found a dollar, which was always nice. Maybe I could sneak over to the grocery store later and buy a candy bar.

"Are you looking for something, or did hanging out under the tables sound like a good idea to you?" Someone asks from above me, startling me and causing me to hit my head on the table. I crawl out from under the table rubbing my head. Yuki's staring down at me with a somewhat amused look on her face.

"I was, um... Maybe looking for something. Don't worry, though, I'll find it!" I had lost my nametag a few times before, and Yuki had talked to me about it, so I didn't want to let her know I had lost it again. I really do try to keep track of it, I just lose it. A lot.

It occurs to me that that wasn't quite the romantic reunion I as hoping for, but it was exactly the type of thing that would happen to me.

"Uh huh. Are you looking for your nametag, by any chance?" Yuki asked with a sly smile. Oh, she's onto me. Dang.

I stand up and look at my shoes, kind of ashamed. "Yeah, maybe."

I hear Yuki laughing and look up. I had expected her to be mad. But then I saw she was holding out her hand towards me, and in it was my nametag. "I had kept it so you wouldn't lose it. But when I came to give it to you, you were crawling around on the floor, and it was too funny not to watch for a little bit."

"Yuki! How mean of you! You also made me hit my head, and it could've all been avoided!" I say in mock anger as I put my nametag on.

She stepped closer, pulled me to her, and whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry I made you hit your head. I can kiss it and make it better." she smiled before kissing the top of my head softly. "Is it better now?" she asks.

I think for a second. "Not really. Maybe you should try again." she laughed and kissed my head again, and again. Then she moved down to my forehead and kissed that, then my nose, followed by my cheek.

"Should I keep going, or do you think you're good?"

"Not nearly there, nope not at all," I say, smiling.

She kisses the corner of my lips once before kissing me completely on the lips. The kiss was sweet and so wonderful. I was pretty sure I was exploding on the inside. I wrap my arms around her neck just to get as close as I could.

"Do we need to make a ‘No Public Displays of Affection’ rule?" We're interrupted by Rena, who is standing a few feet away, smiling.

Yuki shakes her head, "I think you forget that I own this place. And I let you and Jurina make out all the time, really, you have no room to judge."

"True," Rena agrees, and the leaves, presumably to go make out with Jurina. Those two make me laugh. You might think you'd get sick of being around someone constantly. But with those two, all the time in the world is obviously not enough. I wonder what Yuki and I will be like. It's way to early to really know anything, we haven't even gone on a date yet, but I'm kind of hoping we could be like Rena and Jurina.

"How are you?" Yuki asks me. I'm still kind of wrapped around her, but I don't have any immediate plans to move away.

"I'm pretty good now actually. Although, I'll probably have to start working soon. I have this boss, you know, and she's a total hardass."

Yuki laughs, and I can feel it where I'm pressed against her. It's actually really nice. "Oh I'm sure. Why don't you go to work then, since your boss is such a jerk."

Truthfully, this was the best day of work I think I've had, like, ever. One time when business was slow Yuki had even pulled me into a closet, the same one Jurina had pulled me into earlier, and we made out for fifteen minutes. It was wonderful. After work, Yuki suggested that we go back to her house and start preparing space for me.

"So, there's a bed in the extra room for you, and you can move all the stuff you want in there, it's mostly empty," Yuki was telling me as we walk into her apartment.

"Whoa! A bed, oh my god!" I said enthusiastically. Beds were awesome, actually they were beyond awesome, they were this new unheard of level of amazingness. "I haven't slept on a bed since, well other than the other night, since like, I don't know, March? I don't even know anymore."

Yuki stopped and looked at me. "So you've been, well, you know, for all that time?"

I nodded, and sat down on the couch in her living room. Couches are cool, too, actually. "I made the mistake of telling my parents I stopped believing in their religion and coming out at the same time. I wouldn't recommend it." I decided it was best to be completely honest with Yuki earlier, rather than later.

"You're parents just kicked you out? Were you even eighteen yet?"

"Yep, they weren't going to have a gay under their roof. My dad actually used that, can you believe it? He just told me to get out of his house as soon as possible. I turned 18 about a month and a half later. Not exactly the 18th birthday I had imagined, you know?"

Yuki nodded, "That must've been awful. I'm sorry Mayu. Come here?"

She had sat down in one of the recliners she had, it was nice and big. There would have probably been plenty of room for both of us to sit in it, side by side. I decided it'd be a lot more fun to sit right in the middle of Yuki's lap, slightly turned towards her. It was evidently what she had wanted because she smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Do you want to tell me about it, Mayu? I'll just listen. I want to here about you."

I laugh slightly, "It's not the prettiest story."

"I don't mind."

"Okay then. You know I got kicked out by my parents' they had completely disowned me. But kids have gotten kicked out before, you know, it's not really that big of a problem. They'll just go stay with their friends or something. I tried that. It didn't work though. I was an ass before it all, I'll admit to that now. Part of my figuring out my sexuality had involved making out with the schools star cheerleader. She was gayer than anything, believe me, but she'd never admit to it. I didn't care so much, and I had kind of wanted to come out, to everyone, you know? I didn't, because this kid didn't want to end our thing, but she said she couldn't be seen with me if I was the school gay. We got caught making out at some party, though, so it really didn't matter. This kid, she didn't want anyone knowing about her, though, so she told everyone I had attacked her. Since I was kind of a huge jerk, the whole school actually believed her. For a whole week, all you could hear in the hallways was 'Did you hear how that Watanabe kid practically raped the cheerleader?'. All of my friends ditched me, not wanting to be seen with the rapist. So I figured it'd be a good time to come out to my parents, what else did I have to lose? Apparently a lot. So yeah, my family all sided with my parents and my friends were afraid I would ‘rape’ them. It left me totally alone. It's really hard to be completely alone for the first time in your life. I had nowhere else to turn, no one even cared about me. That was probably my lowest point. I spent a few days sleeping in my families bushes, thinking maybe it was a joke. No, it definitely wasn't. And when my father got rid of me the second time, that's when I found the shelter. I made some friends there, like Mariko and Takamina, and they all wanted me to get a job as soon as I possibly could. I spent the next couple months looking for a job. I Being homeless almost immediately ensures that you're not considered for the job. I had almost given up hope by then. After another interview where they had turned me down, I was just walking to the nearest soup kitchen for lunch, and there happened to be a new restaurant and a help wanted sign. You kind of know the rest of the story."

We sat in silence for awhile. I laid my head on Yuki's shoulder, and she hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry all that happened to you."

"It could've been worse. A lot worse. At least I'm still alive and I got off the streets, you know?"

I could feel her nod. "I still wish you didn't have to go through all of that. So, do you want to watch a movie or something? Lighten the mood?"

"Only if we watch a good movie," I say with a smile. In order for us to watch a movie, I had to got off Yuki to let her got put the movie in. I took her seat and enjoyed the view. I might've been slightly pervy, but it was mostly Yuki's fault for wearing pants that showed off her butt so well. That thing was a master pierce, truly. I decide to move to the couch as Yuki wonders into the kitchen. She comes back with a giant bowl of popcorn and two drinks. She sets the drinks down on the coffee table and grabs a big, warm looking blanket. We cuddle up under it, the popcorn between us, and Yuki starts the movie.

It was actually one of my favorite movies, Yuki's got good choice, and I was kind of disappointed that I missed most of it. Considering I missed most of it because I was too busy thinking about Yuki, I wasn't too disappointed. When we finish most of the popcorn, Yuki moves the bowl to the floor, and I scoot closer to her. I purposely do the cheesy stretch, put your arm around someone's shoulders thing. Yuki just smiles at me and curls into my side.

Somehow, I end up falling asleep during the movie, and when I woke up a few hours later, I was completely laid out on the couch, and Yuki was partly laying on top of me. I checked my watch, it was midnight. Too late for me to go to the shelter. Hopefully Yuki didn't mind me staying here for the night. Judging by the way she was completely out, I doubted she cared. I knew I should just go back to sleep, and it was creep to just stare at Yuki, but I couldn't help it. She was using my chest as a pillow, and it was really cute. I ran my fingers through her hair. She is my girlfriend. It was such a nice thought. I fell asleep again, dreaming of happy, light things.

I was late for work the next morning. But considering my boss was just as late as I was, I really wasn't concerned. Because we had fallen asleep on the couch, we had no alarm or anything to wake us up. Yuki had forced me awake ten minutes after the restaurant was supposed to be open.

"Oh, I'm so lucky for Jurina, she's actually my savior sometimes. Come, Mayu, get up," Yuki said, pushing me off of the couch.

"Yeah. Um. Yeah. I think I'm up," I murmured. I wasn't used to sleeping this late, at the shelter, we always got up at six, so I was really out of it.

"Can I use your shower?" I ask Yuki as she's rushing around, doing god knows what.

"Sure, sure. Towels are in the closet, you can use any of the products in there you find, and you can take some of my clothes if you want." she said, before running off to the kitchen.

The shower was really nice, it was so much better than the showers at the shelter. I wanted to just stand in there for as long as possible, but I knew Yuki wanted to get to the restaurant as soon as possible.

Yuki also had great towels. The were the huge fluffy ones, they completely devoured me. I was literally in heaven. I walked over to Yuki's room with her the towel around my naked body. I got in there just in time to get a glimpse of Yuki's half naked body before she pulled a shirt on.

"Damn, if only I was a little sooner, I would've gotten a much better view," I said.

Yuki turned to look at me and raised her eyebrows. "Looks like I get a much better view than you did."

I smiled, "True, true."

Yuki stepped closer to me, until there was barely an inch separating us. "This situation could be a lot more fun if we didn't have to go to work very soon."

She ran a finger down my collarbone, before stopping at the edge of the towel. "Would it be bad if I kissed you right now?"

I leaned in until we were kissing, Yuki's hand still at the top of my towel. We stopped soon, knowing we had to go to work. Yuki pulled back and looked me over sadly.

"It's a shame," she said sadly, before backing away. I started to turn towards her closet, looking for clothes, but suddenly my towel was gone. I looked down in confusion for a second, before I looked over to Yuki, realizing what had happened.

"What? I just wanted to get the full view," she said, smiling. Just because of that, I shimmied my body a little before moving to her closet.

"You care if I borrow some underwear?"

When we finally got to the restaurant, Jurina was pissed. But by the smile on Rena's face, I knew Jurina wasn't that mad.

As I walked past Rena to get ready for the day, she said, "Did you get lucky last night?"

I shook my head. "And if I did, I'm not sure I should tell you. Although, I guess you'd know anyways, since Yuki would more than likely tell Jurina."

"True. I'll probably know that you're going to have some sexy time before you even do."

I laughed, and went to table 3 to get their orders. The rest of the day passed slowly, I stayed busy taking people's orders and being a nice likable person. The last hour was slow, so I started a game of I Spy in the restaurant, even some of the customers played along.

It was my turn as Yuki walked down from her office. She was doing some sort of financial thing that I more than likely didn't understand.

"I spy with my little eye, something... Hot," I said, keeping my face blank. A customer looked around for a second before spotting Yuki, and saw me watching her too.

"Oh," she said. "I have a feeling there's something going on between the waiter and her boss. Nice. My votes are on the skinny lady over there."

I laughed and said, "Well, looks like you win."

Yuki walked over to me and said, "I'm pretty sure playing children's games with the customers wasn't in the job training. Luckily it doesn't seem like they mind."

"I'm making their eating experience more enjoyable, you should be thanking me," I told her. "Hey, by the way, I was wondering, you know how I was talking about how we should go on a double date with Takamina and Atsuko? Well, I think we should, like, Friday. It could be our first date! Do you want to?"

I was actually really nervous about asking Yuki out. If she said no, I'd just look like a giant dumbass. And if she said yes, and I totally freaked out, I would still look like a dumbass. I really couldn't win.

"I think that'd be great," Yuki answered. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know, I can ask Takamina what the want to do tonight, then call you? Does that sound good?"

Yuki agreed, and a couple hours later I found myself trying to build up the courage to ask Takamina about the date.

"Mayu! Nice to see you around, I missed you!" Takamina said as she spotted me. "How much longer are you going to even come back here?"

I didn't actually know for sure. "I don't know, another week or two? I stayed at her house last night, but it was only because we were watching a movie and I fell asleep, and then it was too late to go back then."

Takamina looked like she didn't believe me. 'Sure, sure."

"It's the truth! Anyways, okay, so just hear me out here, okay? We're kind of friends, right? So you could do me a favor, yeah? Because, well, I really want to go on a date with Yuki and so I asked her if she wanted to go on a double date with you and Atsuko, because I was really nervous and it's hard to ask someone out, you know, and it'd be really nice." As I kept talking everything I said got faster and faster until it was mostly a blur of words.

"Aw," Takamina said. "Little Mayu's nervous for her first date. I feel like I've trained you, I've built you up for this, I'm part of the way responsible for you. Of course a double date would be cool! Any excuse for me to show off Atsuko," Takamina winked then in a really creepy manner. I had met Atsuko a couple times before, and it had always amazed me how someone as nice as Atsuko could handle Takamina. she seemed like a handful.

"Oh, thank you so much Takamina, you really have no idea how great this is!" Okay, what do you want to do? Yuki's expecting me to call her and tell her."

Takamina shook her head, "You really are lost here, aren't you kid? It's times like these that I remember how inexperienced you are. We're going to dinner, then a movie. Hope you can handle that."

I glare at her, "I'm not that bad."

"Sure. Now, do you need me to explain the gay sex process, I mean-"

"Takamina!" I covered my ears. I did not need this from Takamina, oh no, that would not be cool. I left to go call Yuki.

The day of the date, I was beyond nervous. I had never really been on a date before. Not that I was going to tell anyone this, but it was still true. I had never even had an awkward middle school date to the putt putt course.

Luckily for me, Jurina invited me to come get ready at her and Rena's place. It was always so much better to not have to deal with the shelter showers and stuff. I had even gone out an bought a new outfit. I also put aside money to pay for Yuki's dinner and her movie. I invited her, so I was damn sure going to pay. I don't care if I'm homeless, I will not be a bad date.

I wondered if I should open doors for Yuki, and stuff like that. Is that how it works for girls? Or do they get pissed when you do that? Oh shit, I'm going to suck so badly.

I would smell great at least. I had bought some of my favorite products from before, things that almost made me feel like Watanabe Mayu again. Not like the asshole, but more like me. This date was a really big deal for me.

I came out of Jurina and Rena's bathroom about a half an hour before the date.

"Girls, what if I faint? Would Yuki dump me?" I ask them as I walk into their living room, where they're sitting.

"She wouldn't, but I sure as hell would," Jurina says, not looking up from the television.

Rena, on the other hand, is much more caring, though. "Mayu, are you nervous? Don't worry! It's just a date, Yuki's not that crazy or anything, you know that."

I look down at my shoes and mutter, "But I've never been on a date before."

Of course, Jurina chooses that moment to care. I could be getting murdered in her kitchen and she wouldn't notice, but if I offer up a bit of information that can be used a blackmail, she gets the ears of a hawk.

"No way!" Jurina exclaims. "Are you telling me that this is your first date? Ever? Wait. Are you a virgin? No way!"

I refused to say whether or not I was a virgin. I was, because even when I fooled around with that kid in high school, nothing happened, but I sure as hell wasn't going to make the mistake of telling Jurina that, no way, because then I know Yuki would hear about that in no time. And that would just be so embarrassing.

I left before Jurina could interrogate me too much, and went to Yuki's house. Then, from there we were going to meet Takamina and Atsuko at a near by restaurant.

I walked up to Yuki's apartment, same as always, and knocked on her door. She opened it with a smile.

"Hey," I said as I stepped into her apartment. I hugged and gave her a quick peck on the lips. We left soon afterwards, and as we were walking I grabbed her hand.

I saw Takamina and Atsuko before they saw us. Takamina was attempting to climb a decorative pole that was in front of the restaurant. She wasn't getting much progress, but Atsuko seemed entertained by just watching her.

"That's them," I pointed out to Yuki. "The one climbing the pole is Takamina, she's an officer of the law when she's not being a dumbass, if you can believe that. Atsuko is the girl watching her."

"That was totally not how I imagined you cop friend," Yuki informed me.

"It's not how I did either," I reply.

As we got closer, I saw Takamina had actually gotten more than a foot of the ground. Atsuko was cheering her on.

"Hey, Atsuko!" I called out. She turned and waved to me. Takamina also turned to look, which turned out to be a mistake. She fell of the pole, but luckily only a couple of feet.

Atsuko reached out a hand to help her out. "Hey Takamina, are you going to make it? This is Yuki by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Yuki. Sorry Takamina's being an idiot, but she was sure she could climb the pole," Atsuko said with an easy smile. It was impossible not to like Atsuko.

"I could've. Mayu distracted me, though, that's the only reason why I didn't."

"You're just lying to yourself now, Takamina, you really should know better," I tell her.

We head into the restaurant after a we talked for awhile. Takamina had picked out the restaurant, so of course it was a little bit different. I leaned over to Yuki, "I totally think we should share the food. I don't know what half of these things are. So I'm just going to pick one and hope for the best. Want to do the same? One of us will probably get lucky."

She nodded. "I think you've got an idea there. Maybe."

Out of the blue, Takamina asked, "Okay, Yuki, so, since you own a restaurant, whenever you go anywhere, do you completely judge every thing they do?"

Yuki smiled and said, "A little bit. It's hard not to notice certain things."

Takamina nodded."Interesting."

She continued that for awhile, asking Yuki random question after random question. I was impressed on her ability to make up questions like that. I got the feeling she was either trying to get to know Yuki, or was testing her. She might've have been testing Yuki like Jurina had tested me. Takamina was just doing it her own way.

Dinner passes nicely, with no difficulties or awkward moments. There's one time where Takamina almost causes a problem with a girl a table over, but Atsuko luckily settles things down, so it was no big deal. As we're leaving, Takamina walks y my side and whispers, "I like this one, keep her. Oh yeah, and take this."

She shoves a piece of folded up paper in my pocket, then runs over to Atsuko and hugs her. I'm tempted to look at the paper, but I know it'd be best to wait. Instead, I grab Yuki's hand as we walk. It's not very far to the movie theater, so we arrive pretty early.

I buy a couple different packs of candy and hope Yuki likes one of them. When we walk into our theater, it's mostly empty. "Awesome!," I say as I drag Yuki to the back row, Takamina and Atsuko following.

"Okay, so I used to come here with my friends, and we'd always write something on the walls in the very back. I want to see if it's still there."

Sure enough, I find ‘W.M was here,’ followed by a smiley face and a heart. I point it out to Yuki.

Yuki buried her head in my shoulder, shaking with laughter. I use this as an excuse to put my arm around her. Takamina and Atsuko are sitting beside us, and they are completely in their own world, with Takamina telling a story with wild hand motions.

"So you know what I don't know?" I remark to Yuki. "Whether or not you're ticklish."

I'm already tickling her before she's able to process what I said. She curls up on herself and chokes out laughter.

"Oh my god, Mayu, okay, I think you get it, yes, I'm ticklish, okay, okay!"

I stop and Yuki mock glares at me. "Just you wait, I'll get you back."

I nod, "Sure you will."

The movie starts soon, and I decide to actually watch this movie. It works out well, until I notice what Takamina and Atsuko are doing. They are making out so intensely that it's hard to tell who's who. They're also being extremely loud. I try to ignore them for as long as possible, but I notice Yuki also starts sending uncertain glances their way. It's starting to get awkward. Yuki grabs my hand and raises and eyebrow in question. I take it as an invitation to kiss her, so I lean forward and barely touch my lips to her.

"Not exactly what I had in mind. Why don't you just follow Takamina's lead, huh?" Yuki murmurs against my mouth. I accept the challenge and completely pull her onto my lap. I put my arms around her waist and pull her close, then kiss her deeply.

Yuki's hands find their way to my hair, and her tongue finds it's way to mine. This kissing is hot and heavy, probably more so than it should be in public. I don't really find myself caring.

Yuki slides her hands from my hair to my face, them eventually to my chest. Her hands feel so good on my body that I start to moan. Oh crap, I thought to myself, isn't that embarrassing. It totally showed off what an inexperienced teenager I was. Yuki pulls back for a breath, before leaning down to nibble on my neck. It turns out I really like that, which I didn't know before. The kissing was getting intense. Way too intense. I'm just about to push Yuki away when Yuki rolls her hips down. I choke back a moan. "Do you realize what you're doing right now?" I whisper breathlessly to Yuki. If felt way too good to have any amount of friction down there, but I didn't trust my own stamina.

Yuki breathed out against my throat. "Yes. I'm very aware." she said as she rolled her hips yet again.

"Oh my god..." I say, most of my other words leaving me. Yuki continues to place soft kisses on my neck, occasionally sucking on a spot.

Soon, I notice the lights are turning on and the end credits rolling. Yuki kissed me on the lips once more before sliding back into her own seat. "Later," she promised, accidentally, but not accidentally at all rubbing her hand over my sensitive hips as she slid back over. What a sly girl.

As we leave the movie, Takamina winks at me. I pointedly ignore her. Yuki and I part ways with Takamina and Atsuko, making plans for another time.

As soon as we walk into Yuki's apartment, I corner her against the door. "That was very rude of you to leave me like that, you know." I inform her as I place soft kisses along her jaw.

I feel her hum. "I could make up for it, if you want."

I pull back and look her in the eyes. "What were you thinking of? I'm open to things."

Yuki smiled, and flipped us so I was against the door. She kissed me and sucked on my lips. Afterwards, I was a little out of it, but I knew enough that I should probably return the favor for Yuki. I pull her in and kiss her hard, tasting myself in her mouth.

Yuki then led me to her bedroom. "You kind of have your own room here, and you could stay there if you wanted, but I'd kind of like to have you with me now. Is that okay?"

I nodded, and we settled down in her bed. It was only then that I remembered Takamina's note.

"Wait, don't turn of the light yet," I told Yuki as I pulled the note out. As I opened it, I saw it was a paper titled, "Step By Step Instructions for Gay Sex". Yuki saw what it was and laughed her ass off.

"Damn you, Takamina." was all I had to say. Yuki curled her arms around me and kissed my neck, settling me into sleep. I was reminded of a dream I had awhile ago in the shelter, where I fell asleep with a warm body pressed against me. The dream was like what I had now, except real life was a hell of a lot better. It was always nice when that happened.


~~~~~


I woke up to cold hands under my shirt touching my stomach. "Yuki, oh my god, you're hands are so cold!" I screech, waking up pretty fast.

She laughs and says, "That's the point, I'm trying to warm them up."

I shake my head and pull her close, with her hands still under my shirt. "How the hell did you get them that cold anyways?"

She shrugged and replied, "I just woke up and they were really cold. You weren't though, so I connected two and two."

"Are you cold anywhere else?" I ask, smiling at her.

"Oh, just everywhere!" she sighs, "I really wish someone could help me out with that."

I pull her flat against my chest then, and fling one of my legs over her. She smiles and takes one hand out of my shirt to curl around my waist. "Is that any better?" I ask.

The top of her head is by my shoulder, and all I can see is her hair as she nods. "You're very warm, like my own heater."

"And I'm free. You really got a good deal out of this whole thing," I joke. We stay like that for awhile, Yuki curled up against me, just talking about little meaningless things. It was so nice, and so relationship like that I couldn't believe my luck. Yuki really had changed everything for me.

On that subject, I really needed to plan out the rest of the details for when I moved in with her, and now would probably be a good time to do it, even though I wasn't quite ready to end this nice moment.

"So, when I move in," I say, and my heart speeds up at the mere thought of moving in with my freaking girlfriend, who, in my honest opinion, is as hot as hell and the most perfect person ever (so I'm a little bit biased, sue me). "Do you want me to pay you a part of the rent, or electric, groceries, whatever? Because I will, no problem."

Yuki pulled her head off my chest then, and looked me in the eyes. "Mayu, do you really think I'd make you pay anything?"

What? "Um, of course? Why wouldn't I?" I ask, confused. It was the least I owed her, really.

"Maybe because you're my girlfriend? Why do you think I'd make you pay for stuff?" she says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

I sit up, then, and say, "Just because I'm dating you doesn't mean I shouldn't help you out with money and stuff. It's a perfectly normal arrangement!"

She sits up too, knocking a blanket off of her bed. "Mayu, I will not make you pay anything. I think you need your own money more than I do. I can cover the cost of everything myself."

I could feel my face heating up with anger and embarrassment. "Oh, I see what this is about! Just because I'm homeless, you're pitying me! I don't need you pity, I can get along on my own!"

She runs a hand through her messy hair. "I never said you couldn't. I'm not doing this out of pity either. I'm just saying that I don't want your money, it'd go to much better use if you kept it and saved it."

"That sounds an awful lot like pity to me!"

"I'm not trying to make this into a big deal, but Mayu, come one, be realistic here!"

I get off the bed, and grab my shoes from where I had kicked them off the night before. "I am being realistic, and I should be able to pay something, if I'm going to be bumming off of you!"

"No, I'm not going to take money from you, because you need it!"

That was the last straw for me. "Maybe I just won't live with you then." I said as I walked out the door.

"Fine, then, be an ass about it!" Yuki yells after me.

The whole situation made me really mad. I had a job, Yuki knew that, she was the one who had given me the job, and giving her a little bit to cover something wasn't unreasonable at all. I just wanted to feel like a normal person, after all this time. But no, she had to go taking pity on me, like I couldn't do anything for myself. I wasn't going to take it, I'd show her that I could be a normal person.

It took me a couple hours, and a bitching from Takamina, but that was just a mess, so I'm going to ignore that part, to realize what a big mistake I had made. I got angry way to fast and I let my pride get in the way.

"Oh shit," I said to Takamina as we're sitting at a table in the shelter. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

She nods and says, "Yeah, you're pretty much a giant asshole. Especially after the date last night, which I thought went really well."

I lay my head down on the table, frustrated. "I didn't even think while it was happening, I was just freaking out. But still, don't you think I should help out?"

"No! First of all, your money comes from her in the first place, and she's just being nice!" I groan and keep my head on the table. "I really screwed this up. Hopefully she forgives me."

Takamina pats my back and says, "If she doesn't at first you're just going to have to keep trying, and try harder each time. I speak from experience, I mess things up with Atsuko once a week. Like, last week actually," Takamina continues on with a long story about how she almost threw away Atsuko's favorite hat, (which really, how did she do that) and she had to make her a wonderful dinner, naked (this is where I stopped her, because I really wasn't prepared to hear the rest of the story, too much for me to handle).

"But do you think I can eventually make it up to Yuki?" I ask her, before she could tell any more stories about her and Atsuko's relationship.

"Definitely, man. You didn't mess up too bad, and it's the first time. Should be a total piece of cake."

That made me feel better, but I still felt so bad for freaking out like I had. I had turned a small issue into a big deal. I'd need to work on that in the future, if I wanted to have this relationship last, which I definitely did. I really liked Yuki, I wanted to spend a lot of time with her, hopefully, like, forever. Now I was turning into a cheesy romantic girl, but I could see a lot of potential in out relationship, as long as I was being a giant idiot.

I called Yuki after I had thought through a very nice apology, which I made sure was perfect. As the phone rung the first time, I got freaked out she wouldn't answer. Maybe she had gone over to Jurina's to complain about what an idiot I was, and how I had messed up our entire relationship. We hadn't even had sex yet, it was way to early for me to start messing up the relationship!

As the phone rang for a second time I got even more freaked out. What if she did answer, but she had already moved on from our relationship and accepted that it wouldn't work. What would I do, then? Curl into a ball and die? Because that is totally what I would feel like doing if things turned out that way.

The ring sounded again, and I almost had a heart attack. What if she had another girl already and they were shacking up at this moment, and Yuki was laughing because I had thought we had really had something special, something-, "Hello?"

I was interrupted by Yuki answering the phone, which had caught me off guard, causing me to stumble on my words. "Yuki, uh hi wow just let me, wait no, that's not what I meant um, wow. Hi, Yuki, it's Mayu."

Normally she probably would've laughed at my failure of words, but tonight she just said, "Yes?" with little emotion. It hurt, a lot.

"Yuki, I'm so sorry for earlier, I was just being such a dumbass, please understand that I didn't mean it." I begged her, practically laying my heart and soul on the line. Okay, it wasn't that drastic, but it was a big deal for me, and it kind of felt like I had.

I could hear Yuki sigh, but she didn't say anything for a few seconds. I didn't even dare think about what would happen, I just sat there and waited for her response.

"Listen, Mayu, I appreciate you're apology, but I just have to think some things through. Without you. It might be awhile. Can you please just... not call, or come over, or anything like that.

I could feel my heart deflate at the words, completely dejected. I had lost everything good in my life, hadn't I? With just one mistake. Damn, wasn't this familiar.

I held myself together long enough to say, "Oh, no problem, well bye!" without sounding like a kicked puppy.

Why did I have to mess everything good I ever have up?
 
The next day or so was mostly a blur. I slept, I ate, I did everything I needed to, but for everything else, I was just numb. I wasn't quite sure how to feel. We weren't broken up, but we certainly weren't together. I had also lost all hope in my immediate future. It would be the same, I would continue to be a homeless waste. Mostly I was drowning in self pity, but I didn't care enough to stop.

Monday came around too fast though, which meant work. I wasn't sure if I was even still welcome at work, but since it was my job I figured I should be okay, and if Yuki didn't want me there, I could always go lay back down in my bunk at the shelter for another week, no problem.

As I walked in, Yuki was no where to be found, probably in her office, but Jurina and Rena were front and center, more than likely waiting for me.

Before I could get bitched out by Jurina, I said, "Look girls, I know I messed up and I really am truly sorry, do you hate me?"

Rena got up from where she was sitting on the counter and put her arm around me, while Jurina stayed in her place behind the counter.

"Aw, Mayu, we're not mad. Yuki's being pissy enough for all of her, even Jurina, which let me tell you is not an easy task." The last part was whispered, presumably so that Jurina wouldn't hear, but she did anyways.

"Rena, please..." Jurina said as she went off, probably to talk to Yuki. she wasn't actually mad though, she was just being normal Jurina.

"So I'm guessing you girls know all about it?" I ask Rena as we sit down at a table, Rena across from me.

"We probably know more about it than you do at this point. As you know, Yuki and Jurina are attached at the hip, and they can practically read each other's minds. But I wouldn't be too worried if I were you. Yuki will forgive you, it might just take some time and space."

"Yeah," I say gloomily, before starting my work for the day, going on a hunt for my nametag. Usually Yuki has it, but since she's not talking to me, I have to search for it on my own. It really sucks not having Yuki to make fun of me for constantly losing my nametag, then having to wrestle it from her, which would probably end up with us making out in a supply closet. It hurt to think about, so I just put it out of my mind for the remainder of the day.

Even thinking about anything other than Yuki for the entire day, the day went really bad. I kept forgetting which table ordered what, and I was an overall shitty waiter. Yuki will probably just fire me and be done with me, after all that happened. she never even left her office, which just helped to show how mad she was at me. Jurina treated me with a fine look of bitchiness for the entire day, and when I tried to joke with her like normal, she barely acknowledged I said anything. I needed to fix this situation, as soon as I possibly could. I knocked on Yuki's office door the next day after work. Yuki, probably not knowing who I was, called out, "Come in!"

I opened the door and walked into her office. I hadn't been here too often, I never really had a reason to. It occurs to me that it would probably be a great place for a make out session, but we had never utilized it before, since if we ever made out at work, we usually wound up in a closet or the kitchen (we had made that mistake too many times and after every time we got a huge lecture from Jurina about how she didn't want to see that in her place of work, which was totally hypocritical after all the times we found her and Rena doing much worse things, all of the freaking restaurant). Now was not the time to think about how good of a kisser Yuki was though, so I moved on.

Yuki's face instantly fell as she saw me walk in. It hurt, but I can't say I didn't see it coming. Before she could tell me to get lost, I said, "I know you kind of hate me right now, but please look past that, because I've got some thongs to say and you're going to just have to listen to me."

I pause to take a breath, but I don't give her the chance to say anything yet. "You're kind of, sort of amazing, and it turns out that it's really hard for me to be without you anymore, because the past couple days have been awful. I know I completely went out of line that morning, yeah, it was just my pride, you know? I didn't want to have to rely on you for everything without having anything to give you in return, because that's really no fair to you. I just want to tell you that right now, that kind of stuff doesn't even matter as much as just being with you, you know? Wait! I'm not done!"

I say the last part as Yuki starts to stand up. she's wearing a button up shirt with a vest over it, and she just looks so good I lose track of my thoughts momentarily. Her hair was in little waves falling into her face and she was just so beautiful. I was totally a teenage girl freaking out about her crush, that's was I was, and I would be the first to admit it. It felt so right, though, that I really couldn't bring myself to be embarrassed.

"Will you please forgive me?" I murmur. "Because I will literally buy you a chocolate milkshake. Really, I completely mean it, we can leave right now, and we can go get it, as long as you start talking to me again."

Yuki just stares at me for awhile, expressionless. I'm afraid she might deny my offer, and then I'd be completely lost. Instead of freaking out on me, like I though she might do, Yuki smiles and says, "For your sake, Mayu, this better be the best damn milkshake I've ever had."

I smile wide, echoing her and reply, "Oh, it will, because you'll be having it with me."

On the way to the restaurant we're getting milkshakes from, we discuss the whole home problem, which was what our fight was over in the first place. I keep my head on, and by the time we get there, we've got everything worked out, and both of us are happy.

"Here you go.." I say as I open the door for Yuki. She walks in and I order two large chocolate milkshakes.

I sit down at a table, and Yuki sits down across from me. "I'm sorry for ignoring you the past couple of days," she says, taking a sip from her milkshake. "I think we both kind of messed up."

"Don't worry, I deserved it. I probably should've waited to bother you, but you're addictive, I swear."

She smiles brightly. "You're just sucking up to me."

"I am not!" I protest. "I kept making jokes and Jurina just doesn't laugh. I kept imagining you were there, and I knew you would laugh if you were. It's just not the same without you."

Yuki laughs, "Oh, so I bet Jurina was such a jerk to you this week, wasn’t she? I'm sorry, I know she's like, super protective of me, and, man."

Jurina was actually kind of rude. She certainly didn't help with the situation any. Sometimes I'd walk by her in the kitchen and she'd just be sitting there glaring at me, as if she wanted my head on a plate. "It's okay. Rena was extra nice to me, I think she was trying to make up for Jurina."

"Probably," Yuki agrees. "They're just like the perfect couple. They made all my past relationships look like shit compared to their. Oh! Not that I think this is going bad or anything! It was great until the fight, really!"

I laugh, and brush it off. "Didn't think you were. So, that milkshake, it's the best you've ever had right?"

She nods, and my heart just gives up. Things are looking pretty good.

"What was your childhood like?" I ask pretty randomly. We had known each other for a month or more, and while I knew her, I didn't know much about her past. Not that I though she had some strong criminal background or anything, but she knew my life story, it'd be nice to know hers.

"It's always just been my mom and I," she started out. "She raised me, and she was probably a normal parent. She was a little bit strict, but yeah, pretty much normal. A problem was we didn't always get along very well, we'd have fights all the time. I spent a lot of time at Jurina's, her mom loved me, and we had been friends since, I don't know, forever. In high school, Jurina met Rena, and they became the super couple, and we were each others' best friends. Other than them, high school was just terrible. I wanted to own my own business after high school, and since Jurina and Rena didn't know what they wanted, they decided to help me out. We spent the last couple years working on it, and now we've got the restaurant. That's about it as far as my life goes."

I pay close attention to her entire story, wanting to soak up all the knowledge of Yuki's past, just wanting to know all about Yuki. I didn't know hardly enough. Just as I'm about to comment on her story, someone strangles me from behind. Okay, maybe it wasn't strangling, the person probably considered it a hug, but it scared the shit out of me.

"Mayu! I see you're here with your girlfriend, oh I'm so glad everything's worked out between you two," Takamina said, right by my ear. I should've known it was her.

"Hi Takamina," I said, amused. "Shouldn't you be working or something?"

"Nope," she called out as she slid into the seat next to me.

We look around to see that Atsuko is getting Takamina and her food, since Takamina had apparently came straight over here. As Atsuko sat down beside Yuki, passing Takamina her food and saying hello, Yuki remarks, "You're not how I really imagined a cop being."

Atsuko laughs the hardest of us all, but Takamina herself isn't far behind. "I didn't either," Atsuko said between gasping breaths.

After we had calmed down a little, I told Takamina, "You're lucky Yuki and I had met you already, because if we hadn't and you had said that, that would cause one hell of an awkward situation."

She shrugged. "I guessed well enough."

It was really fun to watch the flow between Takamina and Atsuko. If you had known both of them separately, you probably would never think they'd be a good couple. But when you get them together and in full action, you can tell they're kind of meant to be. We spend the next half an hour with Takamina and Atsuko, most of it filled with Takamina and I telling various. I actually have some good homless ones.

"Okay, one time," I started, "right after I started working for you, Yuki, I stayed around after work too late, so I couldn't get into the shelter that night, so I had to sleep on the streets. And while I may be homeless, the streets still scare the shit out of me. I ended up sleeping on the beach with these girls I kind of knew, I got really lucky."

Across from me, Yuki gasps, "Oh, so they don't let you into the shelter past a certain time? That makes so much sense now! That night we went to the bar, you kept going on about how you couldn't go back, so you were going to sleep in a trashcan!"

This causes Takamina to laugh her ass off. "A trashcan? How drunk were you?"

"Pretty drunk," Yuki informs her. she probably doesn't even remember it.

She's right, I don't. "I have no recollection of that ever happening. Are you sure you aren't lying?" I ask, fighting back a smile.

"Me? LIE? Who do you think I am, Mayu? I'm greatly offended." Yuki says, playing along with me.

She's great, I'm definitely keeping her around, for like, ever. We all leave soon, and as we're walking out the door, I give Takamina a hug. "I'm going to be moving into Yuki's this week, I'll miss seeing your dumbass everyday." I tell her.

Takamina pulls back and says, "You're not going to get rid of me that easily. You girls better watch out, or Atsuko and I might just move ourselves in with you."

Atsuko chuckled and pulled Takamina away. "See you girls soon," she waved goodbye.

"What should we do now?" I'm pretty sure we're on good terms again, but I'm cautious, I'm not ready to mess this up again.

Yuki, in a move I wouldn't have seen coming in a hundred years, walked right into my personal space and said, "I think we should go back to my place." her voice was dark and the suggestion in it was clear as day. Well then.

As soon as we get into her apartment, Yuki crowds me against the door and starts kissing me intensely. This was already different from any time before, this time we had a destination. Yuki took my bottom lip between her and nipped it, before sliding her tongue into my mouth. After awhile, I decide I can't let Yuki take complete control, so I lead her back to her room, and push her down on her bed, crawling over top of her, my knees landing on either side of her hips.

My hands slide down her chest to her side as we start kissing again. She makes a sound of encouragement and grabs onto my hair. I start pulling off her shirt, but in order to get it completely off, we need to break apart, which neither of us is too willing to do.

Yuki pulls for my shirt as soon as her is off, and I have a moment of worry that maybe I'll screw this whole thing up, because I've never been in this situation before. Yuki must sense my worry because she rolls us over so she's on top and says, "Don't worry, just follow my lead, do what feels natural."

I nod and she pick up on taking our clothes off. Soon enough, we're both naked, and I'm as hard as hell, and actually, so is Yuki, I can feel her. Just that knowledge that her chest is touching mine blows my mind, and I'm completely ready for this.

After some raunchy sex scene which I will not reveal, I'm all sweaty. We're both breathing slightly heavy, and it's really perfect, to me at least.

"I love you," I whisper into Yuki's ear.

"That's good, because I'm pretty sure I love you, too," she says, and I smile wide.

I fall asleep that night cuddled with my girlfriend, no longer a virgin. I'm technically still homeless, but that would be changed soon. Life was looking pretty good for me.
 

~~~~~


"But Jurina," I whine. "It's my money, you can't tell me how to spend it!"

Jurina looks at me in a way that shows she really doesn't care. "I can when you're about to buy something really dumb."

Rena walks up then and say, "What is Mayu trying to buy now?"

"A really cool jacket! I need it, Rena! Yuki! Yuki! Please can I get it?" I beg as Yuki walks up to us.

"Sure, you need some warmer shirts anyways," Yuki says, no problem.

I stick my tongue out at Jurina and take my pink jacket and run to the cashier as fast as I could.

"You're a pushover," Jurina informs Yuki.

"Yeah, but really, think of how adorable she'll be in that? Besides, she'll be over the moon for the next week because of it."

"Pushover," Jurina repeats. Rena walks up behind her then and whispers things in Jurina's ear that makes her smile.

"See? We're all happy now!" I say as I rejoin them, already wearing my jacket. I looked damn good in it, if I do say so myself.

"Let’s just move on," Jurina says.

We pass a smoothie shop, and of course I need a smoothie, so of course we stop so we could get one. Yuki and I end up sharing a large one, and somehow I get it on my face, and Yuki has to lick it off.

"You girls are sickly cute sometimes, you know?" Jurina says from across the table.

"Oh shut up, I've dealt with you and Rena since high school, this is nothing." Yuki retorts. I just smile and kiss her, and we both taste like fruit.

"Is that the Watanabe kid?" I hear from behind me. I instantly tense, not recognizing the voice, but recognizing the tone. They're from my old school.

I turn around to see two kids that used to give me crap all the time, and my stomach falls to the floor. They're still bigger size than me.

"It is!" One of them, the bigger one says, and they move towards me. "So, didn't you drop out or something? Did it get too hard for your little homo brain?"

This pissed me off, because not only was I smarter than they were, but the insult itself was also very dumb. Before I can say anything, though, Rena steps in front of me.

"I think you need to leave Mayu alone now, or you'll regret it," Rena says, sounding threatening. Truth be told, I didn't know she had it in her, I was impressed.

Even more amazing, the girls actually listened to her. I spent almost four years of high school being pushed around by those jerks, and it takes Rena two minutes to get rid of them?

"Oh, Rena, where have you been all my life? Please stick around!" I say I I hug her tightly.

"I plan on it," she says as she ruffles my hair.
 
After we finish shopping, Yuki and I go home. Not her home, or mine, ours. I had finished moving anything I had left in that day with the help of Takamina, Atsuko, Jurina, and Rena. They are my friends.

So many things had changed for me over the past coupe of months, and none of them were bad. I got a job, a girlfriend, some of the first real friends of my life, and a home. I wasn't homeless anymore, I never planned on sleeping in a shelter again. I had my own bed now. Okay, I didn't actually use MY bed, but that was only because I slept in Yuki's. Everything wasn't completely perfect, it never was. I was still a high school drop out whose parents wanted nothing to do with, but I made my own family, and found my way in life without the diploma, so things were good. I was proud that I was finally able to make my own way, maybe with the help of Yuki and some friends, but nonetheless, I had made it.

But really, I was just damn glad to no longer be homeless.



OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: RenshuChan on January 04, 2014, 04:35:50 PM
I AM READING A NOVEL !!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: katekyohit on January 04, 2014, 06:22:57 PM
I love how the story proceeds with Mayu found her way to be and live with Yuki in the end~! It’s indeed a very long fanfic, but worth the time to actually read it carefully ☺ I really do enjoy it and had quite a lot of imaginations running wild in my head too~ XD The wMatsui are super cute too~ Maybe you should write the smut scenes between MaYuki and wMatsui at the restaurant! They’re sure making this into some sex hotel already :P instead of a restaurant!

Oh dear…Atsumina making out in the movie theater? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That’s so amazing, LOL! So bold~ And Mayu tries to follow up with them too! Damn…how cute is both Mayu and Yuki~ Also, their fights are sure an interesting topic that could be discussed or elaborate even more to increase the intensity of the drama~  :thumbup :thumbup :thumbup I love the fight between both of them and how Jurina got so mad and pissed at Mayu about it.

Oh well~ At least they came back together again! yay~ sweet cute ending~  :deco: :deco: :deco:

....BAAAAAATTTTTT!!!!!! [Fluff Mode activated] Ahem, there are still some points that can be improved to INCREASE THE FLUFFINESS!!!!  :inlove: But overall let's say its much better than the previous "Dear Yuki" OS you wrote! I'm quite surprised with the improvement of yours~ sugoi neh~ I look forward to your next story~ Obviously, needs to be MaYuki or wMatsui!!!  :peace:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Kirozoro on January 05, 2014, 12:05:59 AM
Ur story is so beautifull...

Jurina is a protextive friend

Im glad that Mayu and Yuki don't break up

Please update more Mayuki
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Chanaline on January 05, 2014, 12:10:38 AM
T-That fanfic was so goooooooood!

Why I can't write something like that!!! So beautiful :ptam-cry:

I-I want to write like that!!! Sensei! OR NOT! (speaking about the sensei thing Tehe~!!)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: anakpanti on January 05, 2014, 05:28:07 AM
Hi kevin...  :)

Did I ever tell you that you're an amazing writer? Well... if yes, let me say it again. You're AMAZING!!!  :ptam-kiss:
You didn't know how much I love you.  :lol:

I love your fluff... I'm enjoying your fluff in your fics.  XD
This is really funny. I keep laughing in every single pragraph. You make Mayu's character as a cool-funny-perv-hardworker-flirty-virgin kid.
I love it.

I didn't expect Jurina will become a grumpy girl here. It's so rare.  XD

Yeah! MaYuki.. perfect!
Yuki is extremely kind to a stranger. It makes Mayu movement easier to get her. :lol:

Somehow... I wanna read about Mayu's successful life as well.. she will have her own home, right?  :grin:
I don't like her parents.  :angry:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Koneki on January 05, 2014, 06:05:40 AM
now (after hours  :bleed eyes:) I'm able to post a comment (bad.or rather said..NO CONNECTION TO INTERNET  :nervous  :bleed eyes:)
and omg

IT'S PERFECT!!!!!!
I loved it with all my soul!!!!!

such a nice story...
I read it as exited as a little with a big ice cream  :cathappy: :cathappy: :cathappy:

Kepp writing MAYUKI!!!!!!!!!!!
AND DON'T FORGET WMATSUI! >__<  :heart:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: FairyNyan on January 05, 2014, 07:20:52 AM
So loooong and sooo perfect  :twothumbs


I like your OS  :D please make more mayuki  :lol:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: DC2805 on January 05, 2014, 08:02:06 AM
Mayu is the luckiest get!  :lol:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: -gibson-mayulover on January 05, 2014, 12:14:36 PM
Kev this is one of heck long fanfic
And I must say thank you
This is so amazing 
One of the best mayuki fanfic that I've read

Hope for more fanfics to come hehehehe
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: chiqinna on January 05, 2014, 01:00:24 PM
I really need to comment on this lol
it really worth reading this long OS for around 3 hours(?) ~  :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
Mayu, in such a young age, being homeless.. but still work hard to get on her own feet.. until she found Yuki~ ♥
and Wmatsui~ ♥
this story also gives a moral value that 'hard work will always be rewarded' ..never give up.. :)
I really loves how Mayu's character here like AnakPanti-san described.
and DRUNK MAYU'S POINT OF VIEW is ONE OF A KIND... for me.. :twothumbs LOL XD
.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: MayuxMatsuixMusic on January 05, 2014, 02:14:16 PM
hoho~~ too bad it is only a one shot :( :cry: :( :cry:


pls. continue :bow: :bow:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 14 Home (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on February 09, 2014, 05:25:34 PM
OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)


Tokyo was amazing, made of dreams of a childhood spent wanting to be out of Nagoya, free to be who she was, who her mother would have encouraged her to become. Yuki loved it from day one, despite the noise, the constant flow of people and the fact that she was irremediably late for her first classes. It was as though she was bathing in magic, tendrils of it sliding over her skin and brushing through her hair. Just when she thought that Tokyo couldn’t get more perfect, she stumbled upon Mayu.

It was a rainy day, the humidity making her hair curl unpleasantly, and once out of classes Yuki immediately sought the refuge of the small café right outside campus. She was waiting in line when she spotted her, sitting in the furthest corner, a book opened in front of her and a pair of glasses perched precariously on the tip of her nose.

It had been a long time since Yuki had thought a girl was cute and definitely the girl immersed in her book was the cutest she had ever seen. Blinking her way back to reality, she ordered her non-fat mocha and spent the wait for her coffee stealing glances of the girl. Yuki noticed she bit her lower lip now and then, probably out of concentration; she couldn’t help thinking the stranger had beautiful lips, plush and surely soft. Clutching her cup a bit tighter, she made her way to her usual table near the window, right next to the reading beauty. As she sat down, the girl lifted her gaze and Yuki couldn’t help staring. Her eyes were big even behind the lenses, warm and the colour of caramel or milk chocolate. The girl smiled and Yuki’s heart fluttered like butterfly wings. She forced herself to smile back, knowing that her cheeks must be completely red.

“Hi.” The girl greeted.

Yuki blinked, the girl’s voice was warm like her eyes, soft and rich; Yuki thought she would be a perfect singer. “H-Hi.” And really she wished she hadn’t stammered, but these things didn’t happen to her; beautiful girl noticing her and talking to her like that.

“You’re a student at AKB, right?”

Yuki quirked an eyebrow. “Yes, costume design.”

The stranger’s smile grew bigger. “I knew it!”

“You mean you know me?”

“Well, I study musical theatre writing and I passed you a few times in the hallways since the beginning of the semester.”

The girl’s cheeks grew redder and her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke again. “You’re not easy to miss.”

Yuki’s fingers tightened around the cup; she didn’t know how to interpret the girl’s words. Back in Nagoya she had been all too used to disgusted stares following her as she walked along the hallways, always sticking out, always different.

The girl must have guessed what she was thinking because her eyes grew wide and she forcefully shook her head, curls bouncing slightly. “Oh no, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just that…well, you’re beautiful.”

Yuki’s mouth fell open and for an instant she was sure she had lost control of her whole body. The girl passed a hand through her hair and groaned softly.

“Oh God, now you’ll think I’m some kind of freak. I swear I’m not a stalker and I’m sorry, I tend to blurt out things without thinking and…” She was adorable, all flushed and rambling and Yuki couldn’t contain a chuckle.

“No, don’t worry, you just…took me by surprise, that’s all.”

The girl flashed her a relieved smile before lowering her gaze again. Yuki focused her attention on the bottom of her cup, willing her heartbeat to slow down. When she lifted her gaze again the girl was looking at her. “Do…do you mind if I sit with you?”

Yuki tried to answer but her tongue didn’t seem to cooperate so she simply nodded. The stranger collected her book and cup and stood up. Yuki took in the red cardigan she was wearing. Adorable and at the same time so gorgeous that Yuki almost couldn’t believe she was real.

“I’m Mayu, by the way.”

Yuki looked at the girl’s hand, long and broad. It was warm against her when she took it.

“I’m Yuki. Nice to meet you.”

It was easy to lose track of time talking with Mayu; she was funny and bright and smiled with the force of ten suns. Since she arrived in Tokyo and started attending AKB she had met people like her, with dreams too big to be contained, who had started reading Vogue as soon as they found out about its existence, who loved Broadway with passion. But Mayu was like no one she had ever met. She spoke about music with such a quiet passion, her eyes shining with the force of it. She spoke about it as though it was part of her and the more they talked, the more Yuki found that she wanted to know Mayu. To discover how she was like when she was growing up, what her true dreams were. It was scary somehow; having always been so guarded when it came to herself, to her past and to her deepest desires, almost afraid that the world could break them.

When Mayu told her she used to be in her school’s glee club and that once becoming a singer had been her biggest dream Yuki couldn’t prevent a small sad smile from quirking her lips.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Yuki shook her head. “Not at all. It’s just that singing used to be my dream too.”

Mayu nodded and smiled. “My grandmother used to say that the beautiful thing about dreams is that they may change but the remain made of magic.”

Yuki took a gulp of her now cold coffee, her heart weirdly lighter.

Making her way back to her apartment, Mayu’s number memorized in her mobile phone and the warmth of her hand still making her fingertips tingle, Yuki thought that Mayu was exactly the person she had been waiting for when she was still in Nagoya, a girl dreaming about a gentle and loving girlfriend.

Even though she knew it was unwise to fall for someone she had just met, that didn’t change the fact that she spent the whole ride on the underground smiling at the tunnels sliding by behind the windows, hoping to meet Mayu on campus the following day.


*****


Mayu woke up as her alarm clock dismantled the dreams she had been having. For a while she remained there, staring at the ceiling, remembering the previous afternoon, the way the gray light had caressed Yuki’s beautiful face, the musicality of her voice, the uncertainty that had laced her words when they were talking about music and old dreams.

She had never been good when it came to romance if the failed attempt to serenade a GAP’s manager whom she had a crush for or her failed attempt to build a relationship with Annin, when she wanted nothing more than a toy to play with, were anything to go by. But when she looked at Yuki, beautiful and frail and so strong at the same time, something that had never completely gone off inside of her flicked back to life, the flame of romance that made her start fantasizing about sweet and lovely girlfriends when she was thirteen years old and figured out that she wanted a princess and not a prince.

It probably was stupid to feel this way and think such things, because life had proved to Mayu more than once that it worked differently from what they wrote in books and put into movies. Life was made by parents who didn’t know how to behave around their own daughter, by bullies that cracked your bones under their shoes simply because you were different. But then again life was also music, living in Tokyo and meeting Yuki.

Life could be built upon dreams that come true. Despite all she had already been through at the age of nineteen, Mayu had always believed in that and always would, because it was a precious thought to hold on to when the sea was too wild and the darkness too deep. She had noticed the way Yuki had reacted to the mention of childhood dreams and she wondered if maybe Yuki felt lost without a light to guide her. Mayu foolishly hoped that she could become that light one day.

If there was a new spring to her pace and everything seemed slightly brighter as she made her way towards campus, Mayu knew perfectly well the reason behind it.


*****


Yuki was easy to spot, sitting on a bench in the cafeteria, a sketchbook perched on her knees. She was probably drawing something, her tongue poking out from between her teeth and a surge of heat sloshed around inside Mayu’s stomach at the sight. She was sure she had never met someone as naturally sexy as Yuki; everything from her milky wrists barely visible under the cuffs of her shirt to her perfectly styled hair screamed beauty and it was almost overwhelming.

Nervousness slowly crept over her, what if she had misjudged Yuki’s interest the previous day because she was too eager to get her attention, to get to be close to her? She might make a fool of herself walking over and simply sitting down as though she had some kind of right to do it. She was almost about to turn around and walk out of the room when she remembered the small shy smiles Yuki had directed at her, the brightness in her eyes when Mayu had asked her for her number. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders despite the butterflies going crazy in her stomach and started walking.

Yuki lifted her gaze from her notebook when Mayu stopped in front of her; it felt as though someone had pinned her to the spot, the black orb of Yuki’s eyes almost mesmerizing.

“Hey.”

Yuki’s voice was slightly breathless and to realize that maybe she was the reason for it sent Mayu’s heart stuttering helplessly against her ribcage.

“Hi. Busy creating?”

Yuki shrugged and closed her notebook, scooting backwards on the bench to leave her place to sit; Mayu felt insanely happy and grateful for it.

“Nothing much, just a couple of sketches.”

Mayu found herself hoping that one day Yuki would trust her enough to show her her work; maybe she would be lucky enough to be the one Yuki would come to for advices. She’d love to be that for Yuki, to be a constant in her life, to support her and kiss everything better when the world tipped around the wrong way.

Clearing her throat she took a seat on the bench and smiled nervously, mentally berating herself because she hadn’t given more thought about the way to proceed from there. “Nice shirt.”

Yuki’s smile was genuine and something relaxed inside of Mayu. “You like it? I guess I’ve been obsessed with clothing since I understood what they were.”

“Being obsessed with fashion is always good.”

“It is and I have always worn my clothes with pride even when they teased me mercilessly for that.”

Yuki’s smile was thin and Mayu wondered if once again she had hit the wrong key; she should have known better, leaving certain memories behind wasn’t always easy and the scars remained anyway. Her scars were there every morning, white and wide right under her ribs, but where were Yuki’s? How deep did they run? She really should have known better. For a while Yuki remained silent, the sounds of the cafeteria engulfing them, clinking of cups and voices talking and laughing. Mayu wanted to reach out, to take Yuki’s hand and brush her thumb over those pearly-white knuckles, but she couldn’t; she adjusted her glasses on her nose to give herself something to do before speaking again.

“I am sorry; it seems I always manage to say the wrong thing.”

Yuki shook her head, eyes wide and so clear that they seemed made of glass.

“No, it’s just…I thought I had put some things behind my back now that I’m here, but it seems I haven’t.”

Mayu took her in, her shoulders slightly hunched, her lips set in a thin line; she didn’t want to be the one responsible for that look on Yuki’s face. She knew they didn’t know each other, except for their names and for a couple of silly music-related anecdotes; they shouldn’t have been here, standing on tiptoes on the verge of a possible discussion about wounds and broken hearts, a discussion that Mayu had never had with anyone else before. And yet there they were and Mayu had to do something about it, had to find the courage because things like this didn’t happen every day, people like Yuki didn’t happen every day.

“D-do you want to go for a walk or something?”

She held her breath as Yuki worried her lower lip and let her gaze travel around the noisy space. When she finally nodded, Mayu’s heart thumped happily. Waiting for Yuki to collect her belonging she had to remind to herself that this was nothing much, just maybe the beginning of a friendship, and no matter how beautiful Yuki was, no matter how faster her blood rushed when she was close, that would have to be enough.

They walked in silence, shoulders brushing as they navigated through the busy streets. Words piled up high in Mayu’s throat, her fingertips tingling with the need to do something to fix whatever was preventing Yuki from being completely free to build something new for herself.

When they finally sat down on a bench in Akihabara Square, Yuki surprised her by being the first one to speak.

“I wasn’t expecting this.”

Mayu looked at Yuki who kept her eyes focused on the fountain in front of them.

“What part weren’t you expecting?”

“The part where I meet you, we don’t even know each other and yet you want to know about me.”

Guilt unfurls cold in Mayu’s stomach; she shouldn’t have pushed so much, she knows and yet there was no way she could help it.

“I am sorry.”

Yuki turned, then, a small smile on her lips. “You shouldn’t be sorry, Mayu. It’s just…I wasn’t expecting it, I…I have never had someone who asked me to talk, really talk.”

Mayu nodded, because she knew the feeling; back at her place, the Matsuis were her friends but there were certain things Mayu had never felt like sharing and no one asked for her to unlock the door she had closed and locked after that night at the prom. There were things that she felt they couldn’t understand, not because they didn’t care about her but because they hadn’t lived them.

“I know. It was the same for me, except maybe I was the one who didn’t want to talk about them.”

Yuki tilted her head to the side, her eyes attentive and glinting slightly in the afternoon light.

“You seem so at ease with your past, though.”

It had taken time and a lot of patience, to dig underneath the debris of disapproving glances and aching bones, but Mayu had always known she had to make it; she owed herself that, a second chance, not giving the possibility to those who had hurt her to keep doing it throughout her life. She wanted happiness, she wanted music and freedom to be herself so she had taken them. Her hands were still covered in the scars she had acquired trying but each of them was worth it.

“It isn’t that I am at ease with it; more like I decided it didn’t matter enough to prevent me from living all the rest, if that makes sense.”

She shook her head, wishing she was better with words.

“It does make sense.”

Mayu lowered her gaze on Yuki’s hand, resting on the bench between them, and allowed herself to cover it with her own. It was soft and warm, just like she had imagined it.

“Look, Yuki. You might not see it but you’re already there. You are in Tokyo, you’re studying something you love, you have the world in your hands, waiting for you to shape it.”

Yuki shifted on the bench but didn’t pull her hand away.

“It’s just that sometimes I think certain things will always remain inside me and…”

“Oh, they will, but you’ve got to use them to become better and stronger, not to let them drag you down when you’re supposed to soar.”

Yuki’s eyes were looking straight at her, serious and deep.

“Thank you, Mayu.”

Something lifted inside of her, floating light at the thought that maybe she had managed to do something for Yuki.

“No need to thank me, Yuki.”

They kept looking at each other until Yuki’s cheeks started to color and Mayu felt her own getting hotter. She quickly removed her hand and cleared her throat.

“So…”

“Want to go for a coffee? Also you’ve to tell me how comes that you’re so good with words when you’re supposed to write music.”

Mayu chuckled.

“Sure! And, well, I’ve to admit I’ve always had a weak point for those small poems they print on chocolate’s wrappers!”

Yuki’s laugh rang perfect and clear and slipped easily in the small space under Mayu’s heart where she kept the biggest dreams, nestling as if it was there to stay.


*****


Mayu's texts are written in bold and Yuki's in italics


(23:30)
I just wanted to thank you again for today; it meant a lot to me.

Again, you don’t need to thank me and I know we don’t really know each other yet, but I am always here, you know?

Mayu hid her face against the pillow, hoping that the fact that Yuki was taking time to reply didn’t mean she had embarrassed her.


(23:40)
Weird as it may sound I actually feel like I already know you.

Mayu grinned, her stomach assaulted by butterflies. She had never felt like this before, light and humming with warm energy; it was one of the best sensations ever.


(23:42)
Same for me. Maybe we’re both crazy or maybe we’ve already met in a parallel world or something.

Okay, you definitely are the crazy one here!

Just so you know I might get offended but I won’t; only because it’s you, though.

Oh, I feel honored!

Good, you should :P

Mayu stared at her phone’s screen; was Yuki flirting with her? It was almost surreal, to think that someone like Yuki, beautiful and talented and sweet, could be interested in her. She certainly couldn’t deny the sparks that every text ignited inside of her or the desire to spend more and more time with Yuki.


(23:50)
Also, tell me if I am too pushy, but would you like to have lunch together tomorrow?

She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax; it was just a small invite to lunch, right? She wished she was better at this, but all of it, from the trembling in her heart to the playful texts was unknown territory. With Annin there had been none of it and it made her angry because now she knew she shouldn’t have given up so much hoping to catch something more than lust in Annin’s eyes. She shook her head forcefully; it didn’t matter now, what mattered was the present and the fact that no one could rob her of the chance to be happy with Yuki.


(23:55)
I’d love to.

Great! I’ll see you tomorrow at the cafeteria, then.

See you tomorrow, Mayu. Good night x

Good night, Yuki x

She fell asleep with that small “x” shining against her closed eyelids.


*****


Yuki slipped into this new life with Mayu in it easily; somehow it was like going back home, back to a place where she belonged. Without realizing it, since her arrival in Tokyo, she had shielded herself, maybe it was out of habit or maybe out of fear because she was too used to people not liking her, judging her. Sure, she would never change who she was, she had fought too hard to end up like that, but that didn’t mean judgment was easier to deal with. Doing so, though, she had held in part of the passion that had brought her in the city of her dreams; only a small rivulet of it had kept fueling her new-found dreams, and they needed more than that, she needed more than that.

Then Mayu had come, with her soft words of encouragement and those incredibly contagious smiles, with her habit to take her by the hand when the streets were too crowded or she was too excited and wanted show her something. All of it was new to Yuki, the happiness that filled her when she heard Mayu laughing, the warm tingling that made her tremble from head to toe every time that Mayu leant too close when they were watching some musical together or when they stood on a packed underground train. It was like a low hum, spreading through her body, igniting her nerves. It was like taking a step out of a garden and realize that the world was waiting for her.


*****


She should have realized it since the beginning, since Mayu lifted her gaze from that book in the café and the mere sight of her eyes had sent her stomach fluttering, but she hadn’t. The moment Yuki realized fully that there was no way she could look at Mayu only as a friend was on a night in late November. They were sitting on the roof of Mayu’s building, huddled under woolen blankets and drinking hot spicy wine they had prepared.

Mayu was talking about a story she had dreamed of writing when she was still in high school. It was about a girl who lived on the edge of the unknown, all alone, with no one to answer her questions, to sing her to sleep or to kiss her. One day, tired of the loneliness, the girl took a step into the unknown and then another and another, until she felt someone take her hand. For the whole story she never saw who the person was, but she could hear a voice, singing softly to her and answering all the questions that before had been left unanswered.

“Did this person kiss the girl too?” Yuki looked at Mayu as she tipped her head backwards and stared at the sky stretching black above their heads.

“I like to think so.”

When Mayu turned towards her she was wearing the most tender, beautiful smile Yuki had ever seen. And in that moment, with the scent of cinnamon twirling around them, she understood that what she had begun to feel for Mayu simply couldn’t be confined in a box labeled “friendship”. She wanted to be the one to take Mayu’s hand, answer her questions and kiss her, until the end of time.


*****


Mayu realized she had to something because otherwise her heart was going to crack at the seams for how big what she felt was on a Thursday morning in December, right before Christmas break. Yuki had been so stressed during the previous week because of exams and projects to hand in and Mayu had wished she knew what to do to cheer her up, to help her out. In the end she had simply opted for being around the more that she could, knocking on Yuki’s door almost every night, a movie in one hand and sometimes takeaway in the other.

The day of Yuki’s last exam, Mayu was standing on the pavement right outside AKB’s entrance, clutching a bouquet of yellow roses as though it was a lifeline. She had spent at least half an hour at the florist, looking at all those flowers and feeling so lost that the shop owner had taken pity of her and asked if she needed help. Blushing she had said that she needed something for someone special. The woman had looked at her with a raised brow. “I guess it’s for someone who’s more than a friend?”

Mayu had looked at her and a small smile had titled her lips, “Yes, definitely.”

When the doors opened and Yuki steeped out, Mayu’s heart went completely crazy and all the words got lost somewhere, swept away by the wave of anxiety and longing that sloshed through her.

“Mayu!”

She swallowed around the lump in her throat and held out the bouquet for Yuki to take it. “These are for you.”

Yuki blinked, cheeks red and eyes wide. “But…”

“Because you worked so hard and to remember that you’re amazing, Yuki.” Mayu desperately hoped that this was alright, that Yuki didn’t think it was too much. Then, Yuki’s arms were around her and she found herself pressed against her, the sweet scent of her perfume making her whole body thrum.

Yuki’s voice was trembling slightly when she spoke. “Thank you, Mayu. You were the amazing one, always being there for me. I…no one has ever done something like that for me.”

With trembling arms Mayu hugged her back, and all she could think was that she loved this girl, completely and without possibility to turn back.


*****


Mayu spent the whole Sunday sitting cross-legged on the floor in her room, guitar in hand and crumpled music sheets blossoming like flowers around her.

She had been composing music, thinking about notes and songs, since she could remember; back when she had been a kid, trying to figure herself out not having anyone to talk to, that had been the easiest way. Pouring everything into small songs that she would sing to herself under the shower, before going to bed at night or as she dressed for school in the morning. Her grandmother used to tell her that music was a part of her, like it had been for her grandfather.

Closing her eyes she let her mind free to reach out for the small memories of Yuki she had made through the past months- Yuki looking in awe at a shop’s window, Yuki with her nose white because of cappuccino foam, Yuki laughing, Yuki twirling as snow fell over the park, Yuki sitting on her bed crying as they watched a sad movie, Yuki drawing at her desk, Yuki hugging her.

With every single image something inside of Mayu dilated, growing bigger and bigger, surging like a wave. Her fingers moved easily on the chords, her love for Yuki making every note clear and sharper. She played and played until the night fell outside and she was satisfied with what she had created. Now she had to be brave and sing it to Yuki, because there was no way she could express how she felt with words, she needed music to do it for her.


(22:40)
I know you are flying back home early on Tuesday, but do you we could meet tomorrow evening?

Of course! I wouldn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to you x

Mayu cradled her mobile closer to her chest- Please, never say goodbye to me.


*****


Yuki went down the stairs taking two at a time; she hated being late, but to push all the clothes she needed inside her suitcase took more than expected. It was going to be her first New Year’s Eve as a ‘Tokyoer’, no longer tied down to Nagoya and she wanted to look fabulous. As she walked along the street towards the underground station, her thoughts obediently trotted back to Mayu, to the sweetness of her smiles, to the greatness of her passion for music, for life.

She had always spent a lot of her time dreaming, since she was a kid, playing in the back garden imagining to live in a castle with beautiful clothes and a princess by her side or, later on, dreaming that one day she would wake up and her mother would be there, beautiful and kind as she had used to be. She had kept on dreaming when she was in middle and high school, dreaming of bright lights and billboards, of fabulous clothes and of loves big enough to overturn the whole world.

Before meeting Mayu, she hadn’t realize how much having to let go of some of those dreams had scarred her, deep down, where she stuffed things which were too precious to see the light, right beside the faded memory of her mother’s smiles. Getting to know her had unveiled those scars and Yuki had been forced to look at them, and accept that they were there but simply couldn’t prevent her from dreaming more and bigger.

Thing was that now the majority, if not the totality, of her dreams seemed to revolve also around Mayu. There were both small things, like fantasizing about romantic walks in the park, and bigger ones, like daydreaming about a future together, waking up side by side in the morning and kissing over the kitchen table they would have bought together.

When Mayu had asked her to meet before her flight, Yuki couldn’t deny the way her heart had fluttered, like a small and excited bird. Standing on the underground train, she gripped the pole tighter, repeating to herself that she shouldn’t expect anything. She shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen, for their friendship to morph into something more, and yet something inside her kept growing with each morning they shared Mayu’s favorite biscotti, with each shy smile, with each dream of tanned skin and soft lips that left her aching.

Mayu had told her to meet at the obelisk and Yuki hurried along the path; the ground was still covered in snow here and there and it reflected the orange light of the lamp posts, making everything seem so much brighter. Yuki thought it looked like a dream, or like one of those fairytales her mother used to read her at night. It was still early and there weren’t too many people around, everything felt muted and softer. Yuki’s heart thumped against her ribcage, filled with the desire to see Mayu. She didn’t like the idea of not seeing for two weeks, as she didn’t like the idea of Mayu spending Christmas back at home without her brother, having to endure hours of her father parading her around, of course being careful not to mention the fact that his daughter was gay.

The first time Mayu told her about her coming-out about the way her father had treated her since then, Yuki was rinsing strawberries to make a dessert for the two of them and she had squeezed them so hard they had broken, spilling red pulp on her fingers. She had yelped and Mayu had walked over; she didn’t look at her but had helped her cleaning her hands. Yuki could still remember the feel of Mayu’s fingers firm around hers. That day Yuki had told her that there was nothing wrong in being upset or angry sometimes, that forcing herself to be always happy and optimistic would dry her up eventually. Mayu had scooted closer on the couch and had taken her hand. Yuki had squeezed it firmly. With me you’re free to be yourself, to let go when you don’t have the strength to hold on.

Yuki had never had a friendship like that, back then no one had trusted her with so much of herself that she felt truly free to lower barriers forged by years of loneliness. With a small smile on her lips, she reached the obelisk and stopped dead in her track. Sitting on the fence, guitar in hand, Mayu looked up at her and smiled. Then she started playing and the whole world seemed to fade away.

Mayu looked at Yuki, standing perfect in front of her, immersed in the whiteness of the park covered in snow. She looked like an illustration out of a book, she looked like a dream. And Mayu knew that she would regret it through all her life, if she didn’t get this chance and bare her heart completely for Yuki to take it or refuse it.

She had spent the whole day working on the song she had composed; it felt as though it was engraved in her bones, along with her love for the beautiful girl standing in front of her, lips slightly parted and cheeks red. The words stirred inside of her and easily and gracefully caressed her heart before slipping past her lips, for the world to hear, for Yuki to understand.


They told me dreams are made of hopes
I hoped and hoped and nothing came
They told me dreams are made of magic
But I soon learned I wasn’t a magician
So I waited and dreamed
Because they say that’s what human beings do better
I didn’t know what dreams were made of
And then I met you
And you were calmness among confusion
You were big and bright skies
And I thought you were it
And I thought you were it
what my dreams were made of
You are the flesh and bones of my hopes
The hidden rhythm of my heart
You are the magic
The magic my dreams are made of



The last note fell on the snow-covered ground and Mayu held her breath, her heart beating out of rhythm, like a broken piano. Yuki stood motionless, her eyes glinting in the morning light and Mayu wished she were closer to understand if she was crying. She was about to stand and apologize, her hear sinking and sinking, when Yuki took a step towards her and then another and another, small white clouds dancing in front of her lips as she breathed.

Mayu instinctively rose got up, setting the guitar aside. Yuki didn’t give her the time to say anything before she threw her arms around her neck pulling her close. Everything inside of Mayu shut down the moment Yuki’s lips met hers.

There were only warm clouds of breath and fingers sinking in her hair. There was only Yuki’s body pressed so impossibly close and yet not even remotely close enough. There was only her love overflowing, drowning all the rest. Her breath shook with the force of it, her skin thrummed.

Then, Yuki pulled back, gasping down air, the tips of their noses were brushing and all that Mayu could see were Yuki’s eyes, those beautiful eyes.

“Then this is what dreams taste of.”

Yuki’s laugh sounded like fireworks in the small space between their lips.

“You are incorrigible.”

Mayu knew it was no use to keep it inside, not when Yuki was there, so perfect and so important, like oxygen, like happiness itself. Yuki was the one, the one she dreamed of, the one she composed music for even before meeting her, the only one who came to know all of her and didn’t walk away. The one Mayu wanted to try to share her future with.

“I love you, Yuki.”

Yuki kissed her, long and deep, with the morning light sliding over the snow and with their hearts beating in sync.

“I love you too, Mayu.”


*****


She walked Yuki back home, hands clasped and swinging slightly between their bodies. Yuki talked and smiled and shone like a star. And Mayu couldn’t believe all of it was true, that it wasn’t going to disappear in the morning like a simple dream. But no, Yuki was no ordinary dream, she was the dream Mayu had been having for so long that it became part of her. She was the only dream that mattered.

Yuki kissed her again and again in front of her door. She kissed like she smiled and like she felt, pure and strong and Mayu thought she could live on Yuki’s kisses. Time slipped past and they remained there, on the landing, holding each other. After months spent daydreaming about it, Mayu tried to memorize how Yuki felt in her arms, how her lips tasted. She knew she had to let go because Yuki’s flight was early in the morning the following day but she couldn’t bring herself to.

“You know I’m not going anywhere, right?”

Mayu lifted her head from Yuki’s shoulder and looked at her; she was smiling tender and gentle. “I know, it’s just…”

“Why don’t you come to visit me in Nagoya for a couple of days? I mean…of course if it is alright with you…”

“Yuki, I’d love to.”

Yuki’s arms were strong around her. It surprised Mayu to realize how much she needed their safety and their support when she usually was the one trying to support other people. She hid her face against Yuki’s chest, taking in her perfume and her warmth.

“You make me so happy. I feel like I’m dreaming.”

Yuki kissed her forehead gently. “Let’s never stop dreaming then.”


(00:01)
Goodnight, Yuki. I hope you’ll have wonderful dreams. x

Of course I will, after all you are what my dreams were made of.


*****


Mayu doesn’t feel like waking up; she loves Sunday mornings, when Yuki doesn’t have to rush to work and has time to cook breakfast, when she usually doesn’t have rehearsals and can curl around Yuki, holding her under the blankets as long as she wants.

Right now Yuki is still asleep, hair tousled and a small smile on her lips. Mayu watches her and remembers the first morning they woke up together, legs tangled and arms entwined, in the small bed of her dorm room. That morning they had breakfast in a small café, in front of the huge windows, people passing by outside and pale winter sun shining, Yuki smiled the whole time, bright and beautiful over their cups of coffee, foot touching her under the table. In that moment Mayu thought she had finally learned what happiness meant.

Four years have passed from that January morning and Yuki still smiles at her that way when they sit at the small table in their kitchen, sleepy and full of love, and Mayu still feels the luckiest girl on Earth. She thinks she’ll never stop feeling like this with Yuki by her side, which means she’ll feel like this until the day she dies because when she pictures her future Yuki is always there, waking by her side in the morning, kissing her goodnight and bringing her flowers after every performance.

She asked Yuki to live together right after their graduation from AKB; she had practically been living at Yuki’s place, her clothes hang in the wardrobe beside Yuki’s and their toothbrushes side by side on the bathroom’s sink, but she wanted a place for them, a place where they could build a new life together.

When she gathered enough courage to ask they were sitting on a bench in the park, warm spring sun washing over them; Yuki had dropped the Styrofoam cup she was holding and hugged her tight, lips brushing against the shell of Mayu’s ear as she repeated “yes” over and over again. Mayu had held her tight, heart soaring.

They went house hunting together, hands swinging between them as they walked along the busy streets, hopes flying high above their heads, because the moment was come to move on from their university years, to take their dreams in their hands and morph them into something beautiful and they were doing it together.

The day they moved into their new apartment, small but cozy, Mayu made love to Yuki on the small air mattress they had brought with them. Yuki held onto her tight, their moans mixing and rolling over the wooden floor, echoing against white walls. As Mayu sank deeper and deeper, love burning along her veins and igniting her bones, she realized that Yuki was to her like a beautiful dream come true. A dream made of pale skin and soft lips, a dream who loved her and took her hand and didn’t let go.

At first they only bought the bed and a few pans and plates, waiting to save up more money to buy the rest. They ate sitting on cushions on the floor and cooked their meals on a small camp stove their neighbour gave them. It didn’t look like a normal house at all, but it was perfect nonetheless. They came back home to each other after long days spent doing internships and part time jobs- Yuki worked in a small café and Mayu in a little bookshop- and that was what mattered. Showering together, Yuki gently washing her hair, falling asleep together; it wasn’t new but it meant so much more now that they were in their new house. The place where they learned and loved, the place where Yuki drew and Mayu composed; the lyrics of the songs she wrote for Yuki scribbled on crumpled paper and pinned to the walls of their bedroom.

Slowly they raised up enough money to start buying new pieces of furniture, new sheets and curtains, they definitely needed those. Piece by piece they kept making it theirs, piece by piece they learned how to work around each other even better than before, small things like Mayu passing Yuki a spoon or a glass without the need for Yuki to ask, or Yuki making sure to cook Mayu’s favorites after a difficult rehearsal. Small things and so precious Mayu’s heart was always on the verge of cracking because of all the happiness and the gratitude piling up inside of it.

Of course there have also been fights, slammed doors and yells, nights Yuki slept on the couch and Mayu had the feeling of drowning in the vastness of their bed. Times when their love was too big and cumbersome to react properly, when words hurt too much and pride prevented their hands from reaching out. Afterwards came hours spent talking, hands holding tight mugs of tea or of coffee, apologizes and promises. They always went back to their feet, the thread linking their hearts together stronger. Mayu hated fighting with Yuki, but loved the fact that from every fight they emerged with a deeper knowledge of each other, steadier on their feet, her love for Yuki engraved a bit deeper in her bones.


*****


Yuki starts to stir and Mayu allows herself to lean forward and press a kiss to her forehead. “Mmm good morning.”

Mayu smiles against Yuki’s warm skin. “Good morning, love.”

Yuki blinks her eyes open. Mayu presses closer, until every line and every curve of her fit against Yuki’s.

“You are so beautiful when you sleep, Yuki. Like something that isn’t supposed to be here on this planet.”

Yuki smiles, cheeks coloring and eyes glinting, her palm pressing gently against Mayu’s lower back to pull her even closer.

“Oh I think this is exactly where I’m meant to be.”

Mayu’s heart flatters like the wings of a small bird and she smiles before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the corner of Yuki’s mouth.

Yuki makes love to her gently and slowly, because they have all the time in the world today, today the universe is contained in the small space between their arching bodies and the whiteness of the sheets. Mayu will never get tired of this, of the way their bodies keep calling each other, and becoming one over and over. She’ll never get tired of the way being held by Yuki makes her feel, safe and happy and walking and breathing through a constant dream. They spend the rest of the morning holding each other, caressing and kissing and whispering future plans and snippets of songs.

When her stomach starts to grumble, Mayu pushes herself out of bed and puts on a pair of sweatpants and a beany, ready to brave the winter afternoon to go and grab a couple of cappuccinos because they are out of coffee. Yuki accompanies her to the door and presses a small kiss to her lips.

Her heart seems to float inside her ribcage, fill with love and adoration and sheer joy, pure and untamed. As she is making her way to the nearest café, she fishes out her mobile phone and types.


(10: 00)
I love you so much words or notes are never going to be enough.

Good, because I don’t need words and notes. I simply need you (and that cappuccino, so come back soon!) <3



OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: An-chan on February 09, 2014, 05:40:04 PM
ouhhh.. :panic:
I like It  :inlove:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Kirozoro on February 10, 2014, 03:24:56 AM
Omg ur story is so beautiful and lovely as always  :love: XD

Please write more
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kurogumi on February 10, 2014, 01:44:31 PM
this OS totaly touch my heart!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: sakura_drop_ on February 10, 2014, 03:44:16 PM
OH KEVIN~  :gmon heartu:

THIS WAS WONDERFUL~

GONNA LEAVE A LAME COMMENT~

NYAHAHAHA~ :gmon witch:

meh, actually I must say I am really impressed with your stories more and more, and you know what? :gmon bang:

me and niichan were recently talking about you and your writing :gmon hot:

we realized that you are one of those few people who are capable of grasping the personalities and quirks of the characters. Your writing style is also very nice and comprehensible and the flow of the story is always easy to follow~  :gmon flowers:

It's like, we give you any pairing and you write it. Not every person is capable of doing so, so feel blessed I guess  :gmon nya:

And back to the story, I think I mentioned it already, but it was a very nice read and deeply touched me in a nice way  :gmon shy:

Sankyuu~  :gmon sweet:

*off to Sakugeki playground*  :gmon fry:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: DC2805 on February 10, 2014, 04:08:35 PM
such perfectly sweet dreams!!!
 :wub:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on November 28, 2014, 06:31:29 PM
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRADUATION, KAHI~!!!!!!!
THIS FIC IS A PRESENT FOR YOUR GRADUATION~
KEEP CALM AND READ ON~!


OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)

P.S : Fictional Birthdays in this fic~
P.S.S : This fic may cause diabetes



Paru set her school bag down, and collapsed onto the sofa. She was exhausted. Not just because it was Friday, June twenty seventh, but because it was the last day of school. Needless to say, the school year had really tired her out, and all she wanted to do was sleep all summer.

But, that wasn’t going to happen. Paru was going to a sleepaway camp for the whole two months of summer. It was a bit late for summer camp; at fifteen years old (sixteen in a few weeks), if she went back to the camp next year, she would need to be a counselor in training. But her mother had signed her up months ago, and well, it was official. Paru’s mom didn’t entirely make the decision for her. Part of Paru wanted to go. However, both Paru’s parents were working the entire summer, so she would be stuck at home entertaining herself anyhow. So, she figured she’d give camp a shot.

As for friends to entertain her...Paru didn’t exactly have any. she wasn’t bullied; it’s not like her entire school was against her. she just preferred to be a wallflower. She watched and observed people, but didn’t interact with them as much. And people at school had their own lives to tend to; no one had the time to come up to her and try to make a conversation. Paru didn’t go up to people, and people didn’t come up to her. This was mostly okay with Paru. she enjoyed solitude; probably as much as she would enjoy having the company of friends. But without company, everyone gets lonely sometimes. Including her.

Paru had moved to Tokyo when she was eleven. her father was from Tokyo who was in Kyoto for work temporarily, so when she married Paru’s mother, it was agreed that they would have to move back to Tokyo sometime. This may be part of the reason why Paru didn’t have many friends; she didn’t fit in quite as well with the Tokyo students as she had with the Kyoto. In all her years of living there, it just hadn’t been the same.

Paru needed to pack. she lifted herself off the sofa and dragged her feet as she slowly walked to her bedroom. she grabbed her packing list from one of her drawers, and eyed the first thing on the list. Once she had laid everything out on her bed (which wasn’t much, Paru was a light packer) she went over to her wardrobe, and took out two suitcases. she neatly folded and put everything into the bags.

Once packed, Paru headed downstairs, and turned on the television. Amidst her TV watching, she heard a key turn in the keyhole, and saw the door open as her mother came in from her second to last day of teaching math for the school year.

“Hi Paru,” she said with a smile.

“Hey mom,” Paru replied. Paru was pretty close with her mother. Her father as well, but she had a special relationship with her mother. They understood each other, and Paru was aware that she could come to her if she ever had a problem. Maybe it was because they were both from Kyoto. Did Paru just naturally connect better to other Kyoto people? Her mother headed up to her room, and Paru continued watching television before her mother sat down beside her.

“Are you excited for camp on Monday?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Paru responded. “I’m a combination of nervous and excited. I have no idea what it will be like.”

“Don’t worry,” said her mother. “The people there are very nice. I’m sure you will befriend a few people. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet,” replied Paru.

“Alright then, I guess we’ll order mexican food,” said Paru’s mom as she got off the couch to order food.

Until dinner arrived, Paru continued watching television. Her father got home as well, and Paru sat down at the dinner table. She discussed the school year and camp with her parents before excusing herself from the dinner table, and heading up to her room.
In her room, Paru curled up with a good book. She was currently reading “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, for the second time. Paru, unlike others, quite enjoyed classic literature. she could learn quite a bit from it, and found it just as engaging as current novels.

After reading, Paru brushed her teeth, changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed. The fatigue that had settled over her on the couch after school was no longer present. Instead, she buzzed with nerves and excitement. What would camp be like? Would she make friends? Were the counselors nice? What activities would she enjoy? These thoughts were buzzing through her head at high speeds until she finally dropped off to sleep after a half an hour of just thinking.

The first thought that came to Paru’s mind when she awoke on Monday morning was camp. she lifted herself out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth, before getting back to her room to get dressed. she had picked out an outfit the night before that she thought was suitable for the first day of camp. It was casual, yet attractive. she dragged her large bag downstairs.

She found her mom in the kitchen preparing breakfast. “Morning Paru,” she said. “I’m currently preparing breakfast. After we eat breakfast, we’ll head out.”

Paru ate her eggs and french toast in silence as her mother ate. her father came downstairs soon after, and ate her breakfast as well. Then it came time to say goodbye. Paru had always been very close to her parents, and this was her first time going to summer camp, so this wasn’t an easy thing to do. One of Paru’s biggest fears was that she would get homesick at summer camp, and make a complete and utter fool of herself. With pictures of her family in her suitcase and a goodbye kiss, she hoped this wouldn’t happen.

“I’m going to miss you dad,” Paru said and smiled sadly as her father pulled her in for a hug. She wouldn’t cry.

“I’ll miss you too Paru. But don’t worry, the summer will fly by before you know it.”

“Eh, I have mixed feelings about that. It’s good because I’ll get to see you again soon. Bad because I’ll have to go back to school,” Paru sighed, and frowned. “If camp is hell, I’ll surely be very glad it went by fast.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be. It’s summer camp, it’s supposed to be fun!” her father reassured her. Paru gave her father one last goodbye hug and kiss before grabbing her two large suitcases and trudging out the door.

One thing Paru wished she had to say goodbye to was a dog. Paru had always loved dogs, and really wanted one. No one in her family was allergic, including her older brothers, who were off on summer internships, and whom she’d said goodbye to once they left. Her brothers biological father’s weren’t Paru’s current one; he was from Kyoto and Paru had never met him. They just didn’t want the responsibility. Paru always said she’d fully take care of the dog, but her family wasn’t buying it.

She stuffed her suitcase into the trunk, sat down in the passenger seat, and stuffed her ear buds into her ears. Her mom got into the car next to her, stuck the key into the ignition and started driving. The camp was a good three hours away, and Paru knew that the car ride would be boring. She couldn’t focus on reading or watching or playing a game on her phone due to nervousness, so she just sat there and rubbed her palms together; listening to music. But even that wasn’t much of a distraction.

As they got closer and closer to the camp, Paru got more and more nervous. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and her mouth was dry. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and shook her leg as she sighed and stared at the window.

“Nervous?” her mother asked. Paru pulled one earbud out of her ear to hear her.

“Yeah,” Paru replied.

“Don’t be. As your father said, it’s summer camp, it’s supposed to be fun! I’m sure everyone there is very nice. We will exchange letters and gifts, and you’ll be fine. I went to summer camp when I was younger, and let me tell you, I had a blast.”

Honestly, her mother’s words didn’t reassure her much. she gnawed on her lower lip, and tried to let the music distract her and calm her nerves. she wanted to fall asleep in the hopes of escaping her excitement, but it just wouldn’t happen. They would get there eventually.

“Are we there yet?” Paru impatiently asked her mother.

“Almost, we still have about forty five minutes.” This calmed Paru down a bit, while making her more nervous. Was that even possible?

“We’re here,” her mother said, before as she pulled into the parking lot.

“Oh no,” Paru said with a nervous tone.

“Just relax,” Paru’s mother replied with a rather impatient tone.

Paru reluctantly unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of the car before taking one of her  suitcases out of the trunk as her mother grabbed another. They walked along a grassy field until they saw a young woman with blonde hair, shorts, a camp T-shirt, and a whistle around her neck, alongside a man, sitting under a tent behind a table.

“Excuse me, where should we go?” asked Paru’s mother politely.

“The dining hall is right down there, and make a left,” she replied.

Paru and her mother walked down to the dining hall, and entered. Two men greeted them.

“What’s your last name?” asked one.

“Shimazaki,” replied Paru.

“Is it your first year here?” asked the other man. Paru nodded.

“You will be in cabin thirteen, in the oldest age group. There seem to be quite a few Kyoto campers this year, so we decided to put them all in a cabin together to make them feel more at home,” said the first man.

“Thank you,” responded Paru’s mom.

This cabin arrangement sounded nearly impossible to Paru. She hadn’t met someone from Kyoto in Tokyo. But she was comforted knowing that there would be people from her hometown in her cabin. And Kyoto counselors at Tokyo camps seemed to be quite a common thing.

They walked up a rocky path, through a grassy field, until they came to a group of cabins. Some of the doors were open, but Paru couldn’t really see inside.

“I think this is where the cabins of your age group are,” said Paru’s mother. her heart started beating rapidly, and her palms got clammy.

When Paru saw a cabin she thought said “thirteen” on a small sign by the door, she walked up the hill, her mother following closely behind. When she got to the porch, she peeked inside the cabin. her mother stepped ahead of her.

“Hi, is this cabin thirteen for the oldest age group?” she asked.

A young lady, who had previously been standing by a bunk bed inside the cabin, stepped forward and walked up to the door.

“You found us! I’m the counselor of this cabin. My name’s Yui. And you are?...”

Paru had been standing by the door, out of sight from the people in the cabin. She hadn’t even seen the source of the voice coming from inside the cabin, although she’d admit it was a nice one. It was high pitched, in an endearing way, and very, very Kyoto-ish. Even more than her was. She was right about the counselor being from Kyoto as well.

“I’m Paru’s mother. she will be staying in this cabin.” Paru slipped out from beside the door to beside her mother, and saw her new camp counselor.

She was, admittedly, very attractive. Paru knew Kyoto girls were pretty, but she hadn’t seen anything like this. she had fair, sun-kissed skin, smooth, streaked hair, bright black eyes, and deep dimples. She was wearing a tie-dye camp shirt, beige shorts, and a few bracelets.

Okay, she was strikingly beautiful. But, as much as Paru wanted to, she wasn’t going to stand there and stare at her forever.

“Paru! It’s nice to meet you. As I said to your mother, I’m Yui, your new counselor. Why don’t you come inside; unpack, make yourself at home?” Yui said with a radiant smile that Paru couldn’t help but return slightly.

“Sure.”   

Yui reached out a hand for her bag, grabbed it, and lifted it. Paru admired the way her tan biceps flexed as she took the bag from her hand.

“Well, this certainly is the Kyoto cabin. Although I’m not the only Kyoto counselor, I requested that if there were any campers from Kyoto, they’ll be put in my cabin, no matter how many there were. I just moved here at the beginning of June when my last year of high school ended, so I like to feel more at home. Is it your first year here?” asked Yui.

“Yes it is, and because of this, would you mind staying with her? I wouldn’t want her getting lost around the camp, it looks like quite a large one. Paru’s also pretty anxious about going here,” said Paru’s mother. Paru felt slightly embarrassed.

“I can assure you, your daughter is in good hands. But because you said that, how about you take the top bunk above my bed?” Yui asked as she slid Paru’s suitcase behind her bed, and her mother put the other one beside it.

“Alright,” Paru replied with a shrug.

“Well Paru, it seems like you’re in good hands. I should probably drive home now,” said Paru’s mother. Paru frowned, and sighed. She wouldn’t cry. She didn’t cry when she left home, so she wouldn’t cry now.

“Why the long face? Camp will be over before you know it, which, as you said, is both good and bad.” her mother smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” said Paru, tightly hugging her mother.

“I’ll miss you too. We’ll write to each other, and I’ll send you gifts. Perhaps you’ll even get something from your brothers. And remember to put on sunscreen!”

“I’ll make sure she does,” Yui added. Paru blushed. Her mother was so overprotective sometimes.

Paru’s mother kissed Paru’s forehead, and exited the cabin.

“We should probably set up your bed,” said Yui. Paru pulled her bedsheets and pillow out of one of her suitcases. They took the mattress off the top bunk, and put the fitted sheet on, before putting it back up and putting the pillow and sheets on top.

Once they were done, two young girls entered the cabin. One had dirty hair and pale skin, the other looked more exotic and was holding a soccer ball.

“Hi Jurina, hi Mayu. This is Paru, she’s going to be the last member of our cabin. We have quite a small one; all the others are full, and the last one usually ends up having the least amount of people. So, it’s just going to be us. That’s also why I’m the only counselor for this cabin.,” said Yui with a smile. “We also only have a few people in our cabin because you’re the only Kyoto campers. This camp is quite a diverse one. People come from all over the world.”

“Not true, although I lived in Kyoto, I’m from Saitama,” corrected Mayu. “Hi.”

“Are we eating dinner soon?” asked Jurina.

“We’ll head over to the dining room in a few minutes.”

In the meantime, the girls in the cabin continued organizing their stuff and setting up their beds. Soon after, they headed over to the dining room. Paru sat down at a table in front of Yui, and beside Mayu who sat across Jurina. she got a plate and forks.

“So Paru, tell me about yourself,” said Yui, as she scooped some spaghetti onto her plate.

“Well, I’m fifteen going on sixteen, it’s my first year here, I’m going into eleventh grade, I have two older brothers...there’s not much to say to be honest. I’m not very interesting.”

Yui smiled. “I’m sure you are, you just don’t know it. What are your interests?”

“I play the guitar and sing a bit.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“I like penguins and dogs. Are we playing twenty questions or something?”

“Sure, if you want.”

Paru chuckled. “Okay then. What about you?”

“I am seventeen years old, almost eighteen, and it’s my first year being a counselor, and at this camp. I have a younger brother and sister. My parents are divorced; I’m no longer in touch with my father. I am going into college next year, and thought doing this would be a good way to get to know people here, and earn some money for college. But as I mentioned, I wanted Kyoto campers in my cabin to feel at home, so I’m glad you’re here. I like to sing as well, but I’m not very good at it. I play a variety of instruments, but the drums are my favorite.”

“What are you studying in college?”

“Music, literature, drama, and science. I’m quite interested in those four.”

Paru was genuinely intrigued, and wanted to know more. But the rest of dinner was rather quiet. The girls finished up their dinner before heading back to the cabin.

“There’s going to be a bonfire tonight. The camp director will make an introductory speech, and we will play some games. I will actually be singing a song we wrote about the camp. It’s a pretty silly song, but I think you’ll like it,” said Yui as the girls were walking over to the cabin. Once back in the cabin, the girls got their things together, and headed over to the bonfire.
 
The campers sat on logs around a fire. The camp director spoke about the camp’s history, what people did there, and how amazing it was. Yui, who was sitting beside Paru, then got up to sing the song. A few counselors sang as one of them played the ukulele. Yui had been right, it was a very silly song. It was a bit like a camp cheer; full of camp spirit.
A few people got up to tell stories. Some of them were legends about the camp, others were just plain silly. Other than that, the campers and counselors played games, sang songs, and did a few group building activities before heading back to the cabin.

“Did you enjoy that?” asked Yui excitedly.

“Yes, it was quite fun,” replied Paru. “Will there be anything else like it?”

“There will be a talent show and a closing campfire. You said you sing and play the guitar. You should perform. In fact, Jurina and Mayu sing and play the guitar as well. Maybe we could do a band performance; that would be cool.” Paru agreed.

When they got back to the cabin, the girls showered, changed into their pajamas, and got into bed. Yui sat in the middle of the rug on the cabin floor. She gave the girls a brief speech about cabin rules, and camp rules in general.

“If you girls need anything, you can come talk to me, alright? Sometimes, counselors go out at night to have meetings and talk. If I’m out and you need a counselor, there are people who walk around at night. You can go to one of them, ” Yui said, concluding the speech.

It being Paru’s first night of camp, and Yui being the one Paru was friendliest with in the cabin, she didn’t want Yui to leave. “Will you be going out tonight?”

“Nah, since it’s the first night of camp, I’m going to stay to make sure everything’s alright. Tomorrow though,” said Yui as she got up off the cabin floor. “Goodnight girls,”

“Goodnight,” they all replied in unison.

Yui went to the bathroom, and got ready for bed as the rest of the girls had done, before getting into her bed.

Paru couldn’t sleep. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep at all tonight. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and she could not stop tossing and turning. As she rolled over to the right, she saw a face by her bed. She nearly screamed, before realizing it was just Yui, with her forearms resting on her bedpost and her head resting on in her hands.
Yui, seeing Paru’s alarm at her sudden appearance, giggled. Paru swooned. “It’s just me. I’m sorry I scared you. You were just making quite a bit of noise by tossing and turning,” she said.

Paru’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”

“It’s alright,” replied Yui. “Are you nervous? Something keeping you awake?”

Paru sighed. “I’m just nervous, I guess. I mean, I’ve never been here before, so I guess it’s just keeping me awake.”

“If it makes you feel any better, as I previously mentioned, it’s my first year of counseling, so I’m quite nervous as well. Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?”

Paru didn’t know if Yui was really nervous, or if she was just saying that to make her feel better. “I don’t think so. But I promise I will stop tossing and turning. I’m sorry I’ve kept you awake.”

“You haven’t. And perhaps if you stayed still, you’d fall asleep easier. Goodnight Paru.”

“Good night Yui,” said Paru. Yui patted her head. Paru didn’t know what that’s all about.
Yui was right about staying still making it easier to sleep, because Paru stayed in her position, not wanting to keep Yui awake, and drifted off to sleep.

“Alright girls, time to get up!” was the first thing Paru heard the next morning. Honestly, Paru wouldn’t mind waking up to that voice everyday. Soon after, Paru also heard a few groans from around the cabin. she guessed the other girls weren’t very eager to get up.
Nevertheless, Paru got out of bed, and padded over to the bathroom. she brushed her teeth, got dressed, and put on sunscreen.

Jurina seemed to be the one to take the longest to get out of bed. Mayu and Yui had to wake her up a few times before she got up, and got dressed and ready. Once ready, the girls gathered on the cabin porch. “The first activity we will be doing today is ziplining,” said Yui with a smile. Paru wondered to herself how Yui was so cheerful this early in the morning. “But first, let’s go eat breakfast.”

They walked over to the dining hall, filled their plates with scrambled eggs and bacon, and consumed their breakfast. Paru, who sat across from Yui once again noticed that she had a cup of coffee. she’d always liked coffee, and admittedly relied on it some mornings. she wasn’t even in college yet.

“Am I allowed to get coffee?”

Yui smiled. “I’m afraid the coffee’s for counselors only.”

Paru frowned. “Then can I have a sip?”

Yui carefully handed her cup of coffee to Paru, and their hands touched when Paru put her on the cup. Paru tried to ignore the butterflies, and took a sip before handing it back to Yui.

“Don’t tell any of the other counselors I did that,” joked Yui.

Paru shrugged. “I don’t think you’d get in trouble, I’m not much younger than you.”

Once they finished their breakfast, they all walked over to the place where campers ziplined. Paru, who had never ziplined before, was nervous, and requested that she go last. As Mayu was going, Yui noticed Paru’s nervousness.

“Have you ever done this before?” she asked.

“No,” replied Paru. “I’m worried that the rope will break or something.”

“It’s not that scary once you’re on there, it’s actually quite thrilling.”

Paru pulled up her belt, and attempted to adjust it, but had some trouble.

"Here, I've got it," said Yui. The feeling of Yui's fingers brushing against Paru's waist as Yui's long fingers adjusted the belt...it was a nice one. So was the feeling of Yui clipping her onto the zip line. It gave her butterflies in her stomach...adding to the ones she already had in anticipation of going on the zip line.

After clipping her in, Yui put a comforting hand on Paru's shoulder. "Relax, just enjoy the ride, and it will be over before you know it," she said with a pat to Paru's shoulder.
Paru nodded, too nervous to speak.

"Want a head start?" Asked Yui with a grin. Paru nodded, although she didn't exactly know what she meant by that. Before she knew it, Yui was getting behind her, grabbing her by her hips, and pulling her back. Paru was on her way. Panic flooded through her momentarily, before Paru calmed down, did as Yui said, and enjoyed the ride. she found herself grinning widely, feeling the wind run through her hair, and throwing her head back.

But all good things come to an end, and soon, Paru was at a halt. Yui climbed up the ladder at the end, unbuckled Paru, and helped her down.

"I saw the look of panic before you started going, but the smile on your face was priceless. You're so cute, I can tell you really enjoyed it. I knew you would," said Yui as she ruffled Paru's hair. Paru smiled and looked down, hiding her obvious blush.

"Good job Paru," said Mayu, whilst giving Paru a high five.

The girls headed over to the dining hall for lunch, before heading back to the cabin.

"We are going to rest for an hour, before heading over to the lake to swim," said Yui as the girls headed back into the cabin.

Jurina and Mayu played a game of cards in Jurina's bed, as Yui lay in her bed. Paru decided to write a letter to her mother, assuring her that she was okay, and liked her camp. (she liked her counselor as well, but she wasn't going to tell her that.) Once she was done with her letter, she listened to some music off her iPod (campers were allowed to bring iPods at their own risk).

Just as she was dozing off, Yui's voice woke her up. "Alright girls, you should probably start changing into swimsuits." Paru climbed down her ladder, and grabbed her swimsuit before climbing under her blankets to change. The girls headed out of the cabin once changed, and over to the lake. The lake was large, and open. There were boundaries at the edges to make sure people didn't go too far, but there was a diving area pretty far out.

She averted her attention from the lake to see Yui pulling off her top, revealing her bare back. Paru felt dizzy just looking at it, and had the brief urge to touch it. She quickly looked away and blushed before it became blatantly obvious that she was staring.
Looking at Yui made her self conscious, and she decided against taking her own top off. She kicked off her shoes, but got worried realizing that there were no lifeguards present.

"Um, Yui? Who are the lifeguards?"

"The counselors are. We're decent swimmers, and CPR certified. The campers can't go any further than the diving dock over there, and counselors are there and spread throughout the water."

This relieved Paru. she walked into the water, and started wading around. she grabbed a large tube floating in the water beside her, before feeling something splash her, and hearing a familiar giggle.

"Can you swim?" asked Yui, the source of the giggle.

"Yes," replied Paru. "Not professionally, but a decent amount."

"Would you like to head to the diving area with me?"

Paru complied, and started walking over with her, swimming when it got too deep. she climbed up the ladder to the diving area. When she got to the edge, she got nervous, and reluctant to jump off.

"You alright?" Asked Yui, coming up behind her.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous."

"You get nervous quite a bit when it comes to trying new things, don't you?"Asked Yui. Paru didn't know how to reply to that.

"I can jump with you," suggested Yui, as she took Paru's hand. She didn't intertwine their fingers, but Paru's heartbeat still sped up, and she still very much enjoyed the feeling.

"Ready? One, two, three," counted Yui, before jumping into the water, and pulling Paru with her. Somewhere underwater, Paru lost Yui's hand, and floated back to the surface.
"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Asked Yui. Paru shook her head, and smiled. "Let's do it again!"

The next day as Paru's rope activity, she was rock climbing. she looked forward to this; it wasn't something she had done before. This time, she decided to go first.

"Being a dare devil today I see," said Yui with a smile when Paru volunteered to go first. "I've taught you well."

She put her belt on, and Yui hooked her to the rope. she grabbed the first rock, and started to climb, hoisting herself up, rock by rock. When she got to a point on the wall, she got stuck.

"Lift your right arm up, and grab that one," said Yui from down below. Paru reached for it.

Soon enough, with Yui's directions, she got to the top. she heard everyone cheering from below. It was a bit cheesy, but it gave her pride.

The rest of the day went as planned, and so did the rest of the week. she bungee jumped the next day, which was quite an adventure. Yui commented on how light Paru was, considering how high she was able to bounce.

Thursday was the fourth of July. The girls in Paru’s cabin were all Kyoto, but had been celebrating the fourth of July the years they lived in Tokyo, and were familiar with it. The campers gathered around the campfire area once again, and since they couldn’t see or set off fireworks, the campers were given sparklers to celebrate, and told to wear patriotic colors. Paru enjoyed it. Yui looked breathtaking under the light of the sparklers, and all the campers had a blast. The sparklers didn’t burn her hand like she thought they would.
 
But as the week went on, Paru's homesickness started to settle in, and by Saturday night before bedtime. She found herself holding the photo of her family she brought, and felt a single tear slip from her eye. she turned facing the wall, not wanting anyone to see her and think she was childish. Nevertheless, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"You alright?" Asked Yui. Paru reluctantly, but slowly, turned toward Yui.

"Yeah," she sniffled, and wiped the back of her hand across her nose. "Just getting a little homesick is all."

"Awww," Yui cooed, wiping a tear from Paru's eye.

"Look at pictures of your family," suggested Jurina from her bed. "It helps me."

"That's what I'm doing, and I guess it sort of brought on the homesickness." Paru sighed.

"Mind if I come up?" Asked Yui. Paru shook her head.

Yui climbed up into Paru’s bed, lay beside her, and brought her into her arms. Paru cried softly into her chest. "I'm such an infant, I know," said Paru, and attempted to laugh but it came out as more of a sob.

"No, everyone gets homesick," responded Yui, rubbing Paru's back softly. she spotted the penguin stuffed toy behind Paru, and handed it to her. Paru cuddled it between her and Yui.

"Would you like me to stay?" Asked Yui.

Paru couldn't say no to that. she loved the feeling of Yui's strong arms around her. It was incredibly comforting and lovely. If Yui would do this every time Paru was homesick, she didn't think homesickness would be a problem.

Paru must have woken up before Yui the next morning, because she woke up with her head on her chest. She gently turned her head so that she could see Yui's face to figure out whether or not Yui was still asleep, and indeed, she was. Paru thought she looked adorable and youthful asleep; quite different than when she was awake. It was endearing. Paru continued to watch her sleep, until she felt her stir, and saw her eyes open. Yui smiled down at Paru, and started threading her fingers through Paru's hair. Paru smiled, and her pushed her head toward Yui's fingers. Yui giggled. "I should probably get up."

Paru found Yui's morning voice incredibly sexy, but moved aside so that Yui could get up.
Paru got slightly confused when she saw counselors and some campers wishing Yui a happy birthday, so that day, during breakfast she asked Yui whether or not it was her birthday.

“Yes it is,” replied Yui.

“How old do you turn?” asked Paru.

“Eighteen,” said Yui.

Paru smiled. “Oh, right. If you still lived in Kyoto, you’d be the legal drinking age. Wow.”

Most counselors would have called this inappropriate, but Yui simply laughed. “Unfortunately, you can’t drink here.”

“Well, you don’t know that. Perhaps I have a secret party with the counselors tonight. Shhh, don’t tell the other campers,” joked Yui.

“Invite me, I turn sixteen in a couple of weeks, on the sixteenth to be exact,” joked Paru in return.

“Alright, we’ll plan something,” replied Yui.

“If I’d have known it was your birthday, I’d have brought you a gift.”

Yui grinned. “You’re good enough.” Just a simple flirtation, but it drove Paru crazy inside.

“Sucks that my birthday’s not during camp. Well, it would be if I still lived in Kyoto,” said Mayu.

“Yeah, mine’s in March,” agreed Jurina.

Paru felt bad that she hadn’t given Yui anything, so she made her a card during resting hour. She wasn’t the best artist, but she decided the card would be dull if she didn’t add any art, so she drew a picture of the camp. she drew Yui sitting up in a tree beside the lake, and inside the card, she wrote about how although she had just met Yui, she really liked her as a counselor and was glad to her first counselor was her.

At dinner, a couple of chefs came over with cupcakes for Paru’s cabin. There were two candles in Yui’s cupcake; the numbers one and eight. They all sang happy birthday to Yui, and told Yui to make a wish before she blew out her candles.

“What did you wish for?” Paru asked Yui after she blew out her candles.

“A good summer at camp for everyone,” replied Yui.

The cupcakes turned out to be chocolate with buttercream frosting, which they all devoured.

“The cupcakes are only for the people in this cabin?” Paru asked Yui.

“Yep. That’s what happens if you’re a camper or counselor here and your birthday is over the summer. Hey, if I could request that all campers get a cupcake, I would. But it would take too long to make all those,” replied Yui, with a bit of frosting above her lip. Paru would usually find this disgusting, but on Yui, she found it adorable. She gave Yui the card before bedtime, and Yui looked at it and read it before pulling Paru in for a hug.

“Awwww, thank you Paru,” she said. “This was very thoughtful of you. I’ll be sure to do something extra special for your birthday. It’s on the sixteenth, right?” Paru pulled away from the hug, and nodded, before climbing into bed.

The next day, Paru got a package from her mother. It included some small gifts, and a card. she decided to send her mother the Kyoto flag from her cupcake from Yui’s celebration that she kept along with her next letter to her mother.

Two days later the campers choose their next activities. Paru chose gardening in the large garden at the back of the camp. The instructor wasn't Yui this time. It was Mariko, a kind lady. Paru enjoyed gardening. It was a good distraction, and she didn't mind the dirt.

It was Thursday, and Paru was gardening. It was nearing lunchtime, and Paru was watering her last group of flowers when she heard something buzz nearby her, and felt something on her arm. She put her hand there to see if a bug was on it. To her luck, there was, and after a few seconds, she felt a strong stinging sensation, and saw the bee fly away. It must have gotten scared when Paru trapped it, and as a response, stung her.
Tears flooded her eyes as Mariko told the campers to start heading to the dining hall. She gripped her arm. She wouldn't cry. When she got to the dining hall, she saw Yui waiting outside. she saw Paru's distress, and her hand on her arm.

"What happened?" she asked with concern.

Paru shut her eyes tight. "I think something stung me."

"Can I see?" Asked Yui. Paru slowly removed her hand from her arm.

"Oh yeah, looks like a bee stung you. I'm going to remove the stinger, okay? Just don't move." Paru nodded.

Having a stinger removed from her skin was painful, and she cried out as Yui removed it.
"It's okay," Yui told Paru, as she wrapped her arms around her in a hug, and rubbed her back. She bent down and kissed Paru's arm where the bee was stung. Paru was sure Yui’s kisses had healing powers. If only the bee had stung her on the lips.

"Guys, you can head into the dining room, I'm going to take Paru to the infirmary," Yui said to Mayu and Jurina.

"Why? What happened?" Asked Jurina.

"She got a bee sting." she turned Paru's shoulder toward them so the sting was visible.

"Ouch. Make sure it doesn't get too swollen. You could be allergic. Unfortunately, I speak from experience," said Mayu, before her and Jurina headed into the dining room. Yui and Paru headed over to the infirmary, and Yui told the nurse what had happened.
While she went to grab ointment for the sting, Paru apologized for acting babyish and crying.

"It's fine," replied Yui. "Getting stung by a bee hurts like hell. I got stung in the ass once while I was swimming. Unfortunately, no one was too eager to kiss it. A shame, really." Paru couldn't help but giggle at that statement.

The nurse told Paru that her sting would probably become less swollen and painful over time, and that she most likely wasn't allergic. Paru was relieved at this having never been stung before, so she hadn't been sure. For the next couple of days, Yui kept pestering Paru about the sting, but Paru insisted that it was fine. Within the next couple of days, it healed, and before Paru knew it, she had a quarter of camp behind her.

It was resting hour. Paru was writing a letter to her parents when Yui suddenly sat up in bed. "Oh, I just remembered! About a month from today, there is going to be a camp wide talent show. From what I've heard, everyone in this cabin plays an instrument. Perhaps we could perform as a band," said Yui.

"Oh yeah! We could even write our own song," replied Jurina.

"Wait, you guys play instruments? Which ones?" Asked Paru, who vaguely remembered hearing this before, but couldn’t exactly remember.

"Yeah, we both play the guitar and sing. I've played bass before," said Mayu.

"Alright, I'd do it." Said Paru. The rest of the cabin agreed as well.

That week, Paru chose arts and crafts with the younger campers as her activity. Paru was quite awkward with younger children, having little experience with them. But they were fun to be around, and Paru could really relate to them. Yui chose arts and crafts as her activity as well, since every two weeks, counselors were allowed to change the activity they helped direct. Paru enjoyed seeing Yui with the younger kids. They all loved her, and she was very good with them. They made her bracelets the day they made them in arts and crafts, all of which she wore, so by the end of that day, her wrists were filled with bracelets from top to bottom. Paru would have made one for Yui as well, but apparently, bracelet making wasn't her forte. She couldn’t even braid the string together. Yui, seeing that Paru was having trouble, made one for her instead before Paru gave up on making her own. Paru loved watching Yui's long, quick, nimble fingers work the threads into a beautiful pattern. Paru would be lying if she said her heart didn't swell when she saw that Yui had the same bracelet around her wrist as the one she made Paru. But it could have been made by one of the younger children; although Paru thought it was a bit better than the others on her wrist.

Another activity Paru did in arts and crafts was tie-dying shirts. This turned out to be pretty difficult; you had to tie the shirts in a very specific way in order for the shirt to turn out nice. Paru loved untying the shirt and watching the pattern unfold before her eyes. she thought her turned out alright. Yui's, however, was a work of art. Was there anything her counselor wasn't good at?

It wasn't exactly jealousy that Paru was feeling over Yui's overall perfection, although there was some self-consciousness involved. she was feeling more of an...extreme attraction? This was something Paru became more aware of as her third week of camp came and went, and by the end of the week, she had accepted it: she had a crush Yui.
Well, accepting it wasn't really something Paru could do. Yui was, after all, her counselor, although she was but a couple of years older than her. Was it even legal for a camper to have a relationship with their counselor?

Although a relationship with Yui was something Paru fantasized about quite often, she knew she was going to far with her thoughts. She didn't even know if Yui liked people of the same sex; let alone her. What would the other campers think? Will Yui and Paru even see each other again after camp?

So, in addition to her crush on Yui, Paru accepted that a relationship with her was nearly impossible. It was only something she could hope for. She still couldn't help but do things that could potentially increase Yui's interest in her, like making sure she looked okay, and go out of her way to avoid doing anything embarrassing in front of Yui (which also meant getting nervous whenever Yui would come near her). She also tried to analyze Yui's behavior toward her to see if there was any chance that Yui liked her too.
There would be times when Paru would catch Yui staring, and times when Yui would compliment Paru. There would also be times when Yui would show that she was concerned about Paru, for example, when Paru was stung. There were times when Yui would gently touch Paru; whether it be by resting her arm on her shoulder, or cuddling her in bed. When Mayu or Jurina touched or even spoke to Paru, sometimes, Paru swore she could see jealousy in Yui’s eyes. Most of these things didn’t necessarily mean that Yui was into Paru, but they were things that drove Paru crazy. Crazy with attraction.

But on Tuesday of that week, it was Paru’s birthday. Yui handed Paru a card with a picture painted on it (of a penguin on a zipline, wearing a large grin and a t-shirt that said “Paru”. It was tye-dyed the same pattern as Paru had tie dyed her that day), and a bracelet taped to it. It was the one second one she had made for Paru; the other one was different pattern, Yui had given it to her the day before, and she had a matching one. On the inside was a message about how she was proud of Paru for trying new things, and had really made her first experience as a camp counselor a good one.

“So that’s what you didn’t want me to see yesterday during arts and crafts,” said Paru as she looked at and read the card, before pulling Yui into a hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m kind of a shit painter, worse than I am at making bracelets, but I figured it was worth a try.” Paru wasn’t buying it; the painting was adorable, and better than she could ever do.

“Happy birthday,” said Yui, before kissing Paru on the cheek. Paru blushed furiously, as Mayu and Jurina chimed in with a “happy birthday” as well. “By the way, do you prefer cupcakes, cakes, brownies, ice cream, cookies...which dessert do you like?”

“Um…I quite like cupcakes, I guess? With candy on top, those are quite good.” In all honesty, she had no idea why Yui was asking her this.

Which was why she was quite surprised when she saw chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting and smarties on top brought to her table after dinner, with smarties on top. Her table started singing happy birthday to her, and Paru made a wish and blew out her candle. She wished for a good semester at camp, a dog, world peace, and many other things, including a relationship with Yui, as far fetched to her as it was. What could she say? she had high hopes, and big wishes.

“Did you request for these to be made for us?” asked Paru, as she took a first bite of her cupcake.

“Of course, why else do you think I would ask what your favorite dessert was?”

Paru shrugged. “Well, thank you either way. For requesting this little celebration.”
Yui grinned. “No problem.”

She whispered happy birthday once again to Paru that night, as she sat on the foot of her bed.

“Are there any other birthday gifts I can give you?” asked Yui.

“A birthday cuddle?” Paru boldly requested, before Yui lay next to her and wrapped her strong arms around her for the second time that summer. Paru hoped it wasn’t the last. She was honestly quite surprised that although Paru and Yui had only known each other for three weeks, they were already so close to each other. Perhaps it was fate. Their relationship was definitely beyond professional; normal counselors didn’t swear in front of, cuddle with, or kiss their campers on the cheek. Maybe it’s because it was Yui’s first time as a counselor, but she didn’t treat Jurina, Mayu, or any other camper or counselor the way she treated Paru. She didn’t cuddle with them, look out for them (as much) or show the concern she did for Paru.

Paru’s next chosen activity the week after her birthday was archery, and the director was a counselor named Takamina. It took Paru quite some time to get the hang of archery (she completely missed the target every time for the first couple of days), but she improved with time.

It was a Wednesday night, and the girls were about to go to bed. Yui stood in the middle of the cabin, about to head outside.

“At the end of the first session, which is at the end of this week, the campers always take a trip to a campsite where we spend the night in sleeping bags. We will only be there from Saturday evening to Sunday morning, but I’m just letting you know now so that you’re not surprised when Saturday comes,” said Yui.

“What will we do there?” asked Paru.

“We will eat dinner and sleep there, then eat breakfast there the next morning. I’ll tell you the details when the time comes, but for now...goodnight girls.” With a wave and a smile, Yui was off to have a meeting with the counselors about the trip she had just told the girls about.

Fortunately, the weather that summer had been especially good, and so had Paru’s health. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and unfortunately for Paru, they came to an end simultaneously. Although it wasn’t that bad, since Paru had an excuse not to go outside and do things. All morning during archery, Paru had been feeling unwell. The day had been especially warm and humid, which may have contributed to the thunderstorm later that day, as well as Paru’s feverish feeling.

Takamina noticed Paru’s flushed cheeks and lack of ability to hit the target. “Are you alright? What ails you?” she asked Paru.

“Just feeling a bit warm and fatigued, is all.” replied Paru.

“Do you need to go to the infirmary?” asked Takamina.

“No, I think I’m good,” Paru responded.

But she had no appetite for lunch, and had to rest her head on the table at one point due to dizziness. Yui, who had been sitting across from Paru, moved to sit beside her. She rubbed her back slowly.

“Are you alright?” she asked with concern.

“I feel a bit ill,” replied Paru.

“Alright, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

“No, it’s fine. This happens a lot over the summer. It will probably be all gone by tomorrow. I can just go back to the cabin, and rest,” replied Paru.

“Alright, if you say so.”

By the time they got out of the dining room, there was lightning, and it started to pour. The campers rushed to their cabins, and shut the door, in fear of getting hit by lightning and to avoid the rain as much as possible. Paru walked over to her bed, climbed up to her bunk, and lay down. Soon, she heard Yui climbing up her ladder and sitting at the foot of her bed.

“Well Paru, it looks like you’re in luck. There’s no swimming in this weather, so we will probably just stay here until dinner. Want me to lie down with you?”

“I don’t want you to get sick,” Paru insisted.

Yui shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’m your counselor, it’s my job. Just don’t spit on my hand, or anything,” joked Yui, before she lay behind Paru and spooned her.

Paru slipped in and out of consciousness as Jurina and Mayu played cards on Mayu’s bed and spoke quietly. Paru kept being woken up by loud claps of thunder, and bright flashes of lightning. One especially loud clap of thunder made Paru yelp, and Yui politely quieted her down and rubbed her back.

At one point, Paru woke up and felt as if the storm outside had moved into her digestive system, and the thunder and lightning was only making her more nervous, making her even more nauseous. She was quivering like a leaf. She really didn’t want to get sick. It was something she hated doing, and avoided to no avail. Her emetophobia had only recently gotten better, but she still hated vomiting. As she felt the bile rise in her throat she rushed to the bathroom, and sat down in front of the toilet before she could close the door. Yui followed her in, and closed the door behind her. She rubbed Paru’s back and combed her fingers through her hair as she whispered comforting words. Soon enough, Paru was retching, and everything she had eaten that day went out of her stomach, her digestive system going in reverse. Yui didn’t pull away in disgust or cringe; she simply continued comforting Paru.

Once Paru finished, she was out of breath, and wanted to cry. She rinsed out her mouth, and washed her hands, directing Yui to do the same, not wanting to spread her germs. She wanted to cry. She hated getting sick. She went back to bed, and Yui cuddled her once again.

“Are you alright?” asked Jurina from Mayu’s bed.

“Yeah, I just got sick. Sorry you all had to witness that, it was gross, I hate it.”

“Hey, it’s no fun. But it’s a good thing, it means you’re getting something bad out of your system. Do you think you have food poisoning, is there a reason why you’re ill?” asked Yui.

Paru shrugged. “As I’ve said, it happens. And it could be dehydration. I think that’s why I get sick. It is hot today, and I haven’t really drunk much water.”

“Well, dinnertime is soon. I think I’m going to bring you back something to see if you can eat it. You should eat something, especially after getting sick. And for goodness sake, drink some water! You’ll feel better. I’m really going to be on top of you about your water consumption for the rest of the summer,” said Yui, getting Paru’s water bottle and giving it to her.

After getting sick and sipping water, Paru started to feel slightly better. she ate the soup Yui brought back to her, and Yui stayed with her all night. So by the next morning, Paru felt almost one hundred percent better, and so was the weather.

All week, Paru had been looking forward to, and curious about Saturday. she wondered what this camping trip would be like. Would they really only sleep in sleeping bags? What if it rains again? Will the woods be their restroom? Nevertheless, Paru was also excited to sleep under the stars, as cheesy as it sounded.

Saturday afternoon finally came, and during their free hour, Yui had suggested that the girls start packing for the camping trip. Naturally, Paru went to Yui with her questions.

“So...we’re only sleeping in sleeping bags? What if it rains?” asked Paru.

Yui shrugged. “It’s happened once or twice, it’s just something we deal with. And yes, we won’t be bringing tents or anything.

“Will we have to ‘go’ in the woods?”

“Yes, but since you’re male, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Any more questions?”

“Will there be bears?”

Yui giggled. “That must be the millionth time I’ve heard that question. It’s possible that a bear will come out. They do roam around in the forest, but it’s highly unlikely. If a bear does happen to show up, we can scare it away. Well, you can. You’re quite intimidating, if you haven’t noticed.”

Paru giggled. “What’s for dinner?”

“Now that, my young, noble Paru, is a surprise. Now c’mon, get packing!” joked Yui, as she lightly slapped Paru’s butt. Paru wished she would do that again.

The campers packed, and hiked over to the area. The girls were to sleep in a different area than the girls. The area was about a half an hour hike through the woods to a large, grassy meadow. Paru silently wow’d to herself when she got there. There was a nice view of the sky from this meadow. They were lucky the weather was nice. Paru walked over to an area near where Jurina and Mayu set up their sleeping bags, and decided to set her up there. she noticed Yui setting up her sleeping bag, and decided to set her up right beside Yui’s, because it’s not like she wanted to sleep next to her or anything. She wanted to sleep with her...as in, in the same sleeping bag.

As the campers spoke and set up their things, one of the girls decided to start having sleeping bag races. These were like potato sack races, just with sleeping bags. Seeing this, Yui climbed into her bag, and pulled it up to her shoulders before looking beside herself at Paru, and grinning. “Want to race to that tree?”

Paru got into her sleeping bag, and looked ahead toward the tree. “It’s on.”

The girls laughed loudly as they jumped up and down along the field toward the tree. At one point, Paru tripped in her sleeping bag and came tumbling down on top of Yui who was right in front of her. Both girls continued laughing, but stopped when Yui turned over and saw Paru’s eyes. Paru stopped laughing as well, and instead, looked back at Yui. Their mouths were inches apart, and their bodies were pressed up against each other. Paru had never experienced a better feeling, and was almost expecting one of them to lean in for a kiss when Yui cleared her throat and looked away.

“Can you get off? You’re kind of on top of me,” Yui said with a giggle.

“Oh. Yes. I mean, of course. Sorry,” replied Paru, and proceeded to climb off of Yui, who got out of her sleeping bag, and brushed herself off, before walking over and putting it back.

It turned out that there were hot dogs for dinner, which would be roasted in the campfire like marshmallows. There was also pizza for vegetarians, and both for those who wanted both. Paru went for a hot dog, and sat with her cabin mates to eat. After dinner, of course, came s’mores. Paru had to go out into the woods to find a stick, and her marshmallow caught on fire soon after soon after she started roasting it. Yui blew it out for her, before sandwiching Paru’s second marshmallow between some graham crackers and chocolate. It looked delicious, and Paru started eating it as soon as Yui handed it to her.

“You’ve got a little…” said Yui, pointing to Paru’s mouth.

Paru, knowing what she meant, started wiping the part of her mouth Yui had pointed to in an attempt to wipe off the melted marshmallow, but was interrupted by Yui.

“No it's—here, I’ve got it,” said Yui before leaning over and licking the marshmallow off the corner of Paru’s mouth.

“Gross!” exclaimed Paru, totally ignoring the fact that her biggest crush in the history of crushes just licked the corner of her mouth. Yui laughed.

After dinner and dessert, the campers started to settle down. They played some catch with a ball the counselors brought, and some of them gathered to play soccer. Paru had experience with soccer, so she wasn’t too bad. Mayu, however, was a very talented soccer player. She was looking to get a professional career in soccer.

After playing sports, at around ten o’clock, when the stars and the moon rose into the sky, the campers finally started to settle into their sleeping bags. Paru climbed into her and got comfortable, Yui following soon after. Mayu and Jurina fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows; out like a light, whereas Paru lay there, gazing at the stars, mesmerized. Although she lived in the country, it wasn’t everyday that she got to sleep under the stars, and see them unfiltered like she was now.

She heard rustling beside her, and when she looked to the side, she saw Yui facing her. “What are you thinking about?”

Paru shrugged. “Isn’t it weird how, when you look up at the stars, moon, or sun, you’re seeing something outside of Earth, millions of miles away? And that’s just in this galaxy. Most of the things we see are on Earth, but when you look up, you’re seeing things from outside Earth, although they sort of look like they’re inside Earth, beneath the atmosphere? I don’t know, I probably sound crazy, but…” Paru shrugged again.

“No, I see what you’re saying,” replied Yui, as something flashed above them. “Oh look! A shooting star. Make a wish.”

“Nah, I don’t wish on those things,” Paru responded.

“Why not?”

“Why the hell would I wish upon a rock burning up in the atmosphere?”

Yui laughed, and shook her head. “So pessimistic.”

“I’m not pessimistic, I’m realistic.”

Paru turned back toward Yui, and looked into her eyes. Yui was looking right back at her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Yui said “You know what we should do?”

“What?” asked Paru.

“We should zip our sleeping bags together. I’ve done it with friends before. C’mon!” said Yui, unzipping her sleeping bag.

“And do what? Sleep in them?” asked Paru.

“No, leave them here and go sleep up in a tree,” Yui rolled her eyes. “Yes sleep in them!”

“Okay,” replied Paru, and started unzipping her sleeping bag. She didn’t exactly know why Yui wanted to do this. Perhaps it was to cuddle with, or be closer to Paru? Paru sure hoped so.

It took some time to figure out exactly where and how to zip their sleeping bags together, but after some time, they ended up doing it, and had one large sleeping bag. Yui crawled into it, and, seeing Paru hesitate, raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in!” said Yui, holding one side of the sleeping bag open. Paru crawled in.

Once she crawled in, Yui pulled her in toward her chest, and Paru lay beside her. It was strange. Many times, Paru forgot that Yui was her counselor. Yui felt way more like a friend to Paru than a counselor. A friend Paru had strong romantic feelings for. Paru was pulled out of her thoughts by Yui’s voice.

“I really like you, you know.” Paru looked to the side to see Yui staring at her, once again.

“Yeah, I like you too,” replied Paru. “You feel more like a friend to me than a counselor. A friend that I have feelings for.” Paru didn’t realize she said the last part out loud until a few seconds after she said it, and her eyes widened as she looked at Yui to see her reaction.

Yui looked surprised at first, before breaking out into a wide grin. “What kind of feelings do you mean?”

Paru was a bit panicked. “I think you know what kind.”

Yui didn’t respond. Instead, she simply stared at Paru. Paru stared back, and the last thing she saw before feeling Yui’s lips on her was Yui leaning in towards her. Paru was surprised at first, but she soon closed her eyes and started kissing back. She had been waiting for this ever since she first saw Yui. Yui’s lips were soft, and she kissed like she meant it. The kiss was chaste yet passionate at the same time, and Paru didn’t want it to end.

Yui was the one to pull away, slightly out of breath, and smile at Paru. Paru smiled back.

“Have you been wanting to do that? Because I have,” said Yui.

“Yes. And I’d like to do it again,” Paru admitted, blushing slightly.

Yui turned over onto her back, and took Paru’s hand in her, before starting to gently play with her fingers. Paru started wondering about Yui, whether Paru was the only girl she liked, whether she was just an experiment. She decided to ask.

“Have you ever liked a girl? Does it phase you that you do?”

Yui shrugged. “I don’t really care who I like, honestly, as long as they’re human. When people like someone of the same sex, they’re so obsessed with the fact that it’s someone of the same sex, and not with the fact that they are human too, and have amazing qualities that the person fell in love with. Sexuality is fluid. Humans fall in love with other humans. Whether that human has the same sexual organs as them or not shouldn’t matter really. I’ve liked other people; girls and girls. I wasn’t too phased when I first had a crush on a girl.”

Paru smiled. “Wow,” was all she could say. Not only was Yui funny, respectful, and attractive, she was also incredibly intelligent and accepting of herself. Paru didn’t know why someone as amazing as Yui would want to be with someone like her.

“How about you, Paru? You’re pretty young, ever liked a girl?”

“I had one girlfriend last year who I broke up with. I liked her a decent amount. She wasn’t a real, serious girlfriend though. Other than that, you’re the first girl I’ve ever liked, and I like you more than I’ve liked anyone, really. But because of what you said, I’m not too phased by it, so thank you,” said Paru, smiling once again.

Yui and Paru both lay on their backs, staring at the stars, but thinking of each other. They fell asleep holding hands.

Paru woke up at twilight, with a strong urge to use the restroom. she didn’t want to wake Yui, but she remembered what the counselors had said about having to take someone into the woods, in case of anything happening to them. She noticed that her and Yui’s fingers were intertwined, and she smiled. She put her hand that wasn’t holding Yui’s on her shoulder, and gently shook it. Yui slowly opened her eyes.

“I have to pee. Would you mind coming with me? I’m really sorry for waking you,” said Paru.

“No, I don’t mind.” Paru and Yui got up, and Yui brought her into the forest. Once Paru finished, they headed back to the sleeping bag, and crawled in it.

For a summer morning, it was surprisingly chilly. Paru huddled close to Yui, and Yui put her arms around Paru. The memories from last night came crawling back into Paru’s mind. Yui had kissed her, and said some incredibly intelligent things. A feeling of sadness overcame Paru, however, when the thought came to her mind of Yui regretting the kiss. Looking up, and seeing that Yui was still awake, Paru decided to ask Yui.

“Hey Yui? Um...we sort of...kissed last night. Do you, by any chance, regret it?”

Yui responded, “Not at all. Why, do you?”

“No! No, not at all.” Paru didn’t want Yui thinking such false, vile things.

Yui smiled. “Want to do it again?”

Paru nodded, before moving her face in front of Yui’s, and brushing their lips together before pressing them together. Their lips moved in sync for a few moments before Paru felt something wet brush against her lower lip. she guessed this was Yui’s tongue. she opened her mouth wider, granting her entrance, before Yui’s tongue started exploring Paru’s mouth. This was the furthest Paru had gone with anyone. It suddenly hit her that she was full on making out with Yui, and that her tongue hadn’t moved yet. Even though they hadn’t brushed their teeth yet, Yui didn’t taste bad at all. Paru hoped she didn’t either. she slowly started repeating what Yui did with her tongue, and as a result, she heard Yui let out a quiet moan, which Paru couldn’t help but repeat. The two pulled away, out of breath and in need of oxygen. Paru sighed contently.

“Wow. That was...one of the best things I’ve ever experienced,” said Paru.

“You mean you’ve never done that before?” Paru blushed, and shook her head. “Wow, I’m surprised. I liked it though, so don’t be ashamed.”

Paru put her head on Yui’s chest, and fell asleep. Yui woke her about an hour later, and the campers packed up and headed back to the cabins. After they dropped off their stuff, they headed back to the cabins for breakfast.

After breakfast, it came time to choose next week’s activities. Paru chose sports. she had enjoyed playing soccer on the camping trip, and wanted to do it again. For the sports activity, every day, the people in the group would do a different sport; basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and mini golf. Mayu chose sports as well. It turns out she had chosen it for the second time.

Paru received a second package (from her brothers this time) after lunch. She had been exchanging letters with her family periodically as camp went on, but it was good to receive something from her brothers.

The next day, after playing basketball and having lunch, it was time for the camper’s free hour. Paru sat down on her bed, and decided to write a song, or at least start writing one. Her experiences with Yui and overall attraction to her definitely inspired songwriting. Paru had written songs before, and she was excited to start doing it again. To think up some lyrics, she started thinking about Yui. she thought about how Yui was smart, kind, funny, attractive...everything she wanted. This is what made her decide “Everything I Want” would be the title of the song, and she started writing it. She heard someone climbing up her ladder, and saw Yui sitting at the foot of her bed. “What are you writing?” asked Yui, laying beside Paru.

“A song,” replied Paru. she saw Yui looking over the lyrics.

“Wow, this is really good. Who’s it about?”

Paru smirked at her. “The person I kissed last night. Who do you think?”

Yui watched Paru write the song. “When you’re done, you can perform it for us. Perhaps we can sing it at the talent show.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” agreed Paru. Paru closed her journal, and lay on her side, facing Yui.

“Hey Yui, I’m not really in the mood for going swimming today. I was thinking perhaps we could go canoeing together?” she asked Yui.

“Sure,” Yui replied. “I think I could get off lifeguard duty for a day. Perhaps the person who supervises boating wouldn’t mind being a lifeguard. We could go together.”

Mayu, overhearing their conversation said “Yeah, Jurina and I along with a few other friends went last week. It was fun. Wear your swimsuits though, you get a bit wet. And I don’t know about you, but Jurina ‘accidentally’ flipped the boat over. Maybe that will happen to you as well.” she added air quotes to “accidentally.”

“It was an accident!” replied Jurina.

“If you say so,” said Mayu sarcastically.

The girls changed into their swimsuits and left the cabin. When they got to the boating area, Yui asked the instructor if she could take over for the day. She agreed, and Yui handed Paru a life vest and put one on herself. Yui helped Paru into the boat, and smoothly pushed it off the shore and jumped off. she took the oars, and started rowing.
Paru watched the small muscles in her toned, biceps flex as she pushed the oars back and forth and rowed the boat at a leisurely speed.

“Whatcha starin’ at?” asked Yui smirking.

“Nothing. Nice arms,” replied Paru.

Yui giggled. “Thanks.”

When the girls were far enough out in the lake, Yui put down the oars and moved to sit beside Paru. she put her arm around her. “This is quite romantic isn’t it?” Paru nodded.
After staring at Paru for a while, Yui leaned in and kissed her. Paru immediately started kissing back, and put her hand on Paru’s cheek. They kissed like they had under the stars; passionately (and with tongue involved) before pulling away. Paru put her head on Yui’s shoulder.

“This is nice,” she said. “I should have done this before.”

“Well, you have the rest of the month to do it,” replied Yui.

And then it hit Paru. she only had a month of camp left, a month left to properly be with Yui. she tensed up.

“Yui,” she said. “Where do you live? You don’t live in Kyoto or anything, right?”

Yui chuckled. “No, I did, but I will be living in Saitama for college. Not too far from here.”

“Oh,” replied Paru. “Do you think we can see each other after camp?”

Yui sighed. “I’m going into college, so I will be quite busy. But on the weekends we can probably visit. Where do you live?”

“In Sano, about an hour’s drive from Saitama. Will you be moving back to Kyoto after college?”

“No, I think I’ll make a life for myself here in Tokyo.” Yui smiled at Paru. Paru laughed. They kissed and cuddled some more before rowing back to the shore.

The next resting hour, Paru finished and edited her song. She had to borrow a guitar from another counselor who had brought one to think up the melody. The next day she sang it to the girls. They all complimented her on it. Yui complimented her voice. Paru swooned.

The girls in the cabin continued practicing the song after that. Yui learned it on the drums, and they practiced. They also chose to cover a song in the talent show. They all liked the song very much, and knew it well. They thought that they sounded pretty good performing it. They assigned different parts of the song for Paru, and Mayu to sing.

Other than that, the rest of the week went by smoothly. Paru would play sports before lunch. She wasn’t good at all of them, and got hit in the eye with a tennis ball, but it healed relatively smoothly, and Yui was sure to give it a kiss. Yui and Paru would cuddle in bed at night, and kiss each other sneakily when they thought no one was looking. They kissed behind the cabin during resting hour, on canoe rides, and even underwater when swimming. At this point, Mayu and Jurina knew that Paru was more than just a camper to Yui, and Yui was more than just a counselor to Paru. They teased them about it occasionally, but didn’t have too much of a problem with it. They didn’t threaten to tell anyone about it. Paru and Yui knew that if the wrong camper or a counselor found out about their relationship, it could mean trouble. Yui could get fired, and Paru may not be able to go back to the camp, which neither Paru nor Yui wanted. So, they were extra careful that the relationship was kept within their cabin.

The next week, Paru chose fishing as her activity. she’d never fished before in her life, so she was excited to try, although she didn’t expect to catch anything. The fishing was off the shore; not off boats. Jurina happened to choose this activity as well. Paru ended up catching a small fish that Wednesday. At that point, she had gotten enough practice to know how it was done, and Jurina took a photo of her and the fish on the disposable camera Paru had brought. Paru also liked to pick up the little sea creatures, such as the frogs and other reptiles that roamed by the shore, put them into water buckets, and observe them with Jurina and the other campers as she fished.

Before Paru knew it, at the end of that week, it was the day of the talent show. The girls had spent plenty of time rehearsing the song during their free hours, so they knew it by heart. They had split the song pretty evenly; although Paru was disappointed that no part was given to Yui. Yui insisted that she wasn’t a good enough singer, although Paru had heard her sing at the camp’s introductory bonfire and in the shower. She thought Yui had a splendid voice, and told her this. Nevertheless, Yui still refused.

The performances (other than theirs) were pretty good. Some people sang, others danced, some told stories or jokes, others played games with the audience. When it came time for them to perform, they announced their song and performed it. Yui played the drums, Paru sang and played the guitar, Jurina played the guitar and sang, but Mayu only sang. Yui drummed on the cajon she brought to camp. Paru had seen it sitting around in the cabin, and had seen Yui using it. she loved the way Yui's drumming sounded, and loved the way she bobbed her head to the beat as she drummed.
The song went smoothly, and the audience seemed to agree. No one forgot the lyrics or messed up, although Mayu later said that she almost forgot them at one point, but it didn’t show.

“Alright, this next one’s an original. It’s called ‘Everything I want,’” announced Jurina before the song.

“Paru wrote it,” Yui felt the need to add.

The performance of “Everything I Want” was a hit. The audience enjoyed it. After the talent show, other campers and counselors complimented them on their singing and instrument playing. They asked them what their band name was, and when the girls said that they had none, they said they should form a band.

“Well, that went well,” said Paru, walking back to the cabin.

“Yeah,” agreed Jurina. “If only we went to the same school, we could actually form a band.”

“Well, we live on the Northern Japan. We could jam sometime. And perhaps we could visit our hometown together and jam there,” said Mayu.

“Count me in,” added Yui.

They all went back to the cabin, crawled into their beds, and started talking and laughing about nothing in particular. They were all pretty high energy from their performance.

“Paru, do you think you’ll keep writing songs?” asked Mayu. “You should. You’re quite good at it.”

“Thanks, and yes, most likely,” replied Paru. “I enjoy it, after all.”

“Was this your first song?” asked Yui.

“No,” answered Paru. “I’ve written a few others.”

“Same,” said Yui. “I’d love to hear them.”

“I think we’ve all written songs,” said Jurina. “Mine are crap, though.” They all kept talking until they fell asleep.

Paru woke up in the middle of the night. she felt lips on her neck. she looked down, and saw a topless Yui giving her neck butterfly kisses. she giggled.

“Yui,” she asked. “What are you doing?”

Yui started biting and sucking at areas of her neck, leaving small red marks. It wasn’t something Paru had felt before, and it wasn’t something she thought would feel good, but surprisingly, it did. So much that it made her moan. Yui ran her fingers down Paru’s stomach to her crotch, groping it lightly. She got on top of Paru, and started grinding their hips together. The two moaned, in fact, Paru moaned so loud that she woke herself up.

Paru woke up (for real this time) in a cold sweat, and achingly hard. This would be completely normal, except for the fact that Paru had never experienced this before.
It was, indeed, crazy. She had never really been sexually attracted to people. Sex, once she found out what it was, didn’t appeal to her. She never watched porn, and looked away whenever a raunchy scene came on during a movie. Perhaps she was asexual, and wasn’t sexually attracted to people. Or perhaps, she was demisexual and wasn’t sexually attracted to people she wasn’t romantically attracted to, although she didn’t think she was in love with Yui yet. Sexuality was fluid, as Yui said, and didn’t need to be labeled. For whatever reason, she didn’t feel comfortable.
 
With the next day came the seventh week of camp, and it hit Paru that she only had two weeks left of camp. she would certainly miss the people in her cabin, Yui especially, and even some of the other people she met, but it was good to know that they all lived in the same general area as her. She didn’t know if she and Yui had a proper relationship, or if they ever would, she just knew that she liked spending time with her. Paru’s next activity she chose was yoga by the lake. She had practiced yoga a few times in the past when she was younger with her mother. And yoga by the lake turned out to be very relaxing. The instructor put on some music while she told the campers what moves to do, and Paru enjoyed it very much.

Soon came the end of the second to last week of camp. Paru was excited to see her family, and anxious to see her mother. For the last week of camp, the only other activity left to choose was dance. Mayu and Jurina had saved this activity for last as well. They learned a variety of dances to various songs. Most of the songs were mainstream pop songs. Mayu turned out to be quite a good dancer. Paru had fun with it.

In this last week, Paru was sure to make every moment with Yui a good one. She kissed and held Yui every moment she got. During this week of camp, Paru’s sunscreen ran out, and after one day of camp, her skin was blood red. Paru had always been pale, so the sun didn’t do her the pleasure of tanning her; it burnt her to a crisp. Yui rubbed aloe vera into Paru’s back (which Paru enjoyed with a vengeance), told her to take a cold shower, and promised to lend Paru sunscreen every day from then on. That week, Paru realized she hadn't visited the camp store yet. She visited with the people in her cabin. she got a pair of pajama pants for winter, and a keychain for Yui. In return, Yui got Paru a flashlight, which Paru used at night when reading and songwriting.

Before Paru knew it, it was the second to last full day of camp. Paru and Yui were sitting on the porch alone once again. Paru was on Yui’s lap once again. she enjoyed this position. Yui was stroking her hair. Paru sighed and leaned into her touch contently before getting an idea.

“We should go skinny dipping,” she said, announcing her sudden idea.

Yui laughed. “What? I guess camp has really corrupted you, you wouldn’t have said that before! Man, you’re a real daredevil now.” Yui shook her head.

“What? It would be fun. We could head down to the lake now. It’s the second to last full day of camp. We have nothing to lose.”

Yui admitted that skinny dipping would be a fun activity. she also admitted that seeing Paru completely nude would be a fun activity, just not out loud.

“We can invite Mayu and Jurina. It could be a cabin wide skinny dip,” said Paru, getting off Yui’s lap. Yui secretly hoped they declined. Skinny dipping with Paru was something she wanted to be a private activity.

“Yui and I are going skinny dipping, wanna join?” asked Paru, in the doorway of the cabin.

“What? No!” replied Jurina.

“C’mon, it will be fun! An Kyoto cabin skinny dip.”

“I don’t think you really want Jurina and I to come,” said Mayu. “And I don’t think Jurina and I really want to see the result of this.”

Paru sighed. “Fine,” she said. “C’mon Yui, lets grab towels.”

“I’d say we should do this at night, when no one’s by the lake, and we can shower right after,” suggested Yui.

Paru shrugged. “Alright.”

That night, after dinner, after they got back to the cabin, Paru and Yui grabbed towels.

“Have fun,” teased Mayu.

“Yeah, come back by curfew. And when you get back, don’t make too much noise!” added Jurina. Yui and Paru blushed, before heading down to the lake, hand in hand.

It, being a summer night, was only sunset by the time they headed out and reached the lake.

“Are we really going to do this?” asked Yui when they got there. “What if someone sees us?”

Paru rolled her eyes. “No one’s here.”

Yui pulled off her shirt and her shorts, and looked to the side to see Paru standing there, watching her. “Well?”

Paru looked away and blushed, before doing the same. Yui quickly took off her panties, and turned around to see Paru, fully nude as well, watching her. Paru walked over to her, and intertwined her fingers with Yui’s, looking toward the lake. This was their first time seeing each other fully naked; unfiltered. They very much enjoyed the sight.

“Alright,” Paru said. “On the count of three, we jump. One...two…”

They walked toward the lake, and before Paru could say “three”, they jumped into the water. The water was warm at night, and Paru swam through it, loving the feeling. She slowly swam over to Yui, and put her arms around her. They rose up to the surface.

“Wow,” said Yui. “This was a good idea. The water’s so lovely in the evening.”

They swam toward the shallow end of the lake. “You look hot when you’re wet,” she told Yui, looking over at her.

Yui giggled. “So do you.” Paru took Yui’s hand, pulling her toward her, and started kissing her.

They made out passionately, hands combing through each other’s wet hair, and roaming around each other’s wet, nude bodies. Yui moved her hand toward Paru’s below, but Paru caught it, and held it. “Not here.”

The two kissed, and swam and laughed until the sun went down. Paru swam over to where they got in, and got out of the water, moving her hands to cover her bottom before putting the towel around her waist. The girls dried off, put their clothes back on, and went back to the cabin.

When they got to the cabin, Mayu and Jurina were asleep. They went into the bathroom, and stripped off their clothes once again to shower. They stepped into the shower, and Paru turned on the water.

“Cold,” Yui exclaimed when Paru turned on the freezing water, before adjusting it so that it was warmer.

Paru poured shampoo on her hands, and instead of washing her own hair, decided to watch Yui’s. she massaged the shampoo into her scalp as Yui sighed contently, and did the same for Paru.

Yui’s long fingers felt amazing massaging Paru’s scalp, and Paru purred and moved her head toward Yui’s hand. The two then put soap on their hands, and washed each other’s bodies in unison. Yui washed Paru’s entire body, before she rinsed off. The girls finished up in their shower before getting out, drying off, and getting into their pajamas. Paru crawled into Yui’s bed once again.
 
The next day was the day before the campers left, and the day of the closing campfire. Paru ate breakfast, went to her dance lesson, ate lunch, and swam for the last time that year at camp. she made sure to spend time with her cabinmates, and Yui especially.
The closing campfire was fun. More games were played, and songs were sang. They even showed a slideshow, and reflected upon, that year at camp. Paru was in a few of the pictures, some with Yui, and in all of them, she had a huge smile on in face. In conclusion, this year at camp was a good one. Paru couldn’t agree more.

Paru was surprised when Yui got up to sing a song with her guitar, which, of course, she could also play. “This one I wrote, it’s called ‘Long Way Home’.” she looked at Paru as she said this. she didn’t publicly dedicate the song to her, but Paru got the memo. Paru also loved the song. Everything about it was great. Yui’s voice, the lyrics...everything. The song described Paru and Yui’s relationship well; going places alone, kissing, and just being together. Paru had to hold herself back from tearing up.

Soon enough, the campfire was over, and the campers headed back to their cabins. Once they were back there, Paru got yet another idea.

“I have an idea,” Paru announced.

“Oh God, not another one!” exclaimed Mayu.

“If you’re asking us to skinny dip again, I politely decline. No actually, not politely. I emphatically refuse,” said Jurina. At this point, they were close enough to banter like this.

“It’s not that. I think we should put our mattresses on the floor, and sleep on them,” said Paru.

“And why do you think we should do this?” asked Yui.

“We would all be closer, it’s the last night of camp, and I want to be closer to you guys,” said Paru.

“Awwww, don’t get all sappy on us! Fine, I’m down,” said Mayu. The other two agreed.
They dragged their mattresses down onto the ground. The top bunk ones were a bit hard to get down, but with teamwork, it happened.

Once all the mattresses were on the ground and the girls were tucked in, they talked and laughed. They reflected upon the year’s happenings, like the the activities they did, as well as after camp plans. Soon, Jurina and Mayu had fallen asleep, leaving only Paru and Yui awake. They had stayed up on purpose, to talk alone.

“Well, we had a special relationship,” said Paru. “I really like you, more than I’ve liked anyone. What even are we?”

“Same,” replied Yui. “We are two people who like each other. Isn’t that enough? We’re happy campers.”

Paru giggled, “No, I’m a happy camper, you’re a counselor,” before getting more serious.

“I mean, are you going to find someone knew once camp’s over?” asked Paru. It was a serious question.

“Honestly? I don’t think I can,” replied Yui. “Cheesy as it sounds, I’ve only eyes for you.” she lightly tapped Paru's nose.

“I’m going to miss you,” said Paru, getting off of her mattress and onto Yui’s, cuddling close to her.

“Not as much as I’ll miss you,” replied Yui.

“Don’t even start,” said Paru. And the two fell asleep.

The next morning, after the girls awoke and got ready, they packed up their things as they exchanged contact information, and headed to the dining room for breakfast. Sooner than it should have been, it was time for Paru to say goodbye to her cabin mates and counselor. It was like the Wizard of Oz; Paru as Dorothy, crying and kissing each of her cabinmates on the cheek, before turning to one of them (Yui) and saying “I think I’ll miss you most of all.”

Except not exactly.

Mayu’s mom was the first one to show, along with Mayu’s sister Miyuki. Mayu introduced the two of them to her cabin mates and counselor, before hugging all of them goodbye. “We’ll have to jam sometime, guys,” said Mayu.

Paru winked. “You have our numbers.”

Jurina was the second to go, her mom showing up soon after Mayu’s. She introduced her cabin mates and counselor to her as Mayu had before hugging Paru and Yui goodbye. Paru’s mom was a bit late, but she didn’t mind. It meant more time with Yui. Paru looked for her mom at first in the parking lot, before spotting her in the driveway. She ran up to her, and wrapped her in a hug. Yui watched fondly.

“I missed you,” she said. her mother chuckled.

“I missed you too, and I brought someone.” Paru spotted her father sitting in the drivers seat.

“Hi dad,” she said, hugging her as well. “Missed you as well of course,”

“Well, yes, I brought her. But I also brought another guy, look.” She pointed to the passenger seat, and sitting there was an adorable beagle puppy.

Paru put her hands over her mouth. “Oh my God,” she exclaimed. “Is that...a puppy?”

“No, it’s just my coat,” her mother joked, before reaching over Paru’s dad, grabbing the puppy, and putting it into Paru’s arms.

Paru cooed as she held the puppy, and stroked her ears. “Is she for me?”

“All yours. she’s an after camp surprise,” said Paru’s father.

Paru’s mother smiled. “Enjoy your new puppy.”

Paru walked up to Yui, and showed her her puppy. Yui giggled, and started rubbing the puppy’s head fondly. It was endearing seeing Paru with a new puppy. It wasn’t something she thought she’d see. she remembered Paru saying her second favorite animal was dogs (after penguins) and that she’d always wanted one, so it was nice to see that Paru’s parents were thoughtful enough to give her something like this.

“What should I name her?” she asked Yui.

“Hmmmm...I’ve always thought beagle sounded a bit like bagel.”

“Bagel’s a good name! Bagel it is,” replied Paru.

“I was joking, but alright. It’s good to know I think of good names,” said Yui.

Paru walked back over to her parents. “Mom, can you hold Bagel? I think I left something in the cabin.”

“Bagel?” asked her mother.

“Yes, Yui thought of it.”

“Wow. I’m glad you had a good counselor,” replied Paru’s mom. She had no idea. "Sure, go grab what you need.”

Paru went back to the cabin, Yui following closely behind.

“I didn’t actually forget anything, I just wanted to say goodbye. My mom knows you’re my counselor, she’ll think it’s weird if we kiss,” said Paru, before leaning in, and giving Yui a passionate kiss, pulling away soon after she started.

“Now’s the time where I give you a cheesy goodbye speech,” said Paru.

“Oh God,” replied Yui.

“Now’s the time when I tell you how amazing you are, and how I liked you from the moment I saw you. How you’re not only talented, but kind, funny, smart, sugar, spice, and everything nice. I don’t think there’s anything you’re bad at, and I don’t think there’s a mean streak in you. As I said in my song, not to quote myself, you’re everything I want. I don’t love you, but I like you a whole lot, and if I spent more time with you, I think I’d definitely fall in love with you. I think we should spend time together after camp, because being around you is the best,” Paru rambled, as she started to cry. She wasn’t even ashamed this time.

“Well, a thank you isn’t enough, but it’s going to have to be. Just kidding. A ditto will work. Alright, I’ll get on with it,” joked Yui. “Paru, I too, liked you from the moment I met you. You’re adorable and sexy at the same time. You’re nice and funny and cute and smart and ridiculous and like-able. I like you as well, and...holy shit, we are so cheesy,” said Yui as the two broke into laughter.

“I don’t think words can sum up our summer together,” said Paru.

“Getting cheesier,” said Yui.

The two kissed one (maybe three) more times. Paru hugged Yui tight, and cried on her shoulder. Even Yui teared up as well. Paru dried her eyes as they exited the cabin, walking hand in hand until Paru’s parents could see them.

“Took you long enough,” said Paru’s mother when they got to her car, not noticing that Paru’s hands were empty; that she didn’t retrieve anything from her cabin. “Now c’mon, let’s get you home. I’ve missed you too much.”

Paru got into the backseat of her car, before turning around and facing Yui, waving as her father drove away before turning around, and cuddling Bagel, who was now in the backseat in her lap. As much as Paru missed her parents, she’ll miss Yui too, and more than anything, hopes to see her again. She hoped this potential love would last longer than the summer, and she hoped Yui would remember her, even if they never saw each other again. But of course, transportation never really was a problem in this era.


OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: kahineechan on November 29, 2014, 04:49:06 AM
Okay, so one: KEVINNIE THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL SPECTACULAR GRADUATION GIFT! YOU ARE SO KIND! I WUB UOU.

TWO: HOLY SHIT, when you were giving me spoilers for this fic, I thought that it is the most perfect OS ever

And the camp thing was so goooooood. Like yaaaasssssssss. And oh my gosh, I cried with the songs the made for each other.

Also the skinny dipping part I was going like "horre shet, skinny dipping at night no one can see yaaassss" and then I rolled on my bed like the potato I am. *potato noises*

BAGEL! SECRET YUIPARU KISSES, BURY MY LIFELESS BODY BENEATH THE EARTH. THE YUIPARU FEELS ARE REAL.

IM SO VERY YOU TANK YOU KEVINNIE FOR THIS WONDERFUL FLUFFY FIC!

*moar potato noises*
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: mitsuhara_itsuko on November 30, 2014, 04:11:14 AM
I  :heart: THIS!!!  :inlove: FWEFAWEFKAWEKFNAKSFAWEKFMALWNFKAWENFKJWF  :grin: :sashiko:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: Kairi65 on November 30, 2014, 09:16:57 AM
I  :heart: THIS!!!  :inlove: FWEFAWEFKAWEKFNAKSFAWEKFMALWNFKAWENFKJWF  :grin: :sashiko:

totally agreed~!! :twothumbs :deco:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: akibastar on December 03, 2014, 05:06:55 AM
you just magnificently and beautifully made a YuiParu fic T^T this is definitely going to be one of my faves :D

keep up the good work and I'm definitely going to wait for your upcoming fics! You're so awesome <3

and more YuiParu please HAHAHAHAHA
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: chiqinna on December 03, 2014, 02:51:14 PM
FACT : THE FIRST YUIPARU FIC I'VE READ.
AND IT'S NOT BAD. GOOD.
I LIKE IT.
GOOD JOB.
K.
BYE. 
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 16 Summer Love (YuiParu OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on December 18, 2014, 04:05:13 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAMA BBSIS~!
HERE'S YOUR PRESENT~
I'm not really experienced in writing Saeyaka.. Forgive me if the story doesn't fit..
Hope you will like it..
  :D :D :D

OS # 17 Shine a Light (SaeYaka OS)


It was hot, loud, dark. The music in the club blasted from the speakers, the crowd was running wild as the band played one of their last songs. That's when she saw it, out of the corner of her eye.. A flash of something bright, reflecting the laser lights back at her. People around her kept jumping like before, perspiration flying through the air, but Sae had stopped, slowly coming to a halt as she turned her head in the direction of the flashing in the dark. As if in slow motion she blinked when she caught sight of a tall girl, jumping along with the crowd, and felt all her attention drawn to this one beautiful person. her bright fringe flapped against her forehead, her smile so infectious it took her breath away. She stared as if in trance when the girl's eyes flickered towards her spectator for only a split-second.

Sayaka looked again, positive now that she was being watched by this handsome dark haired girl one row up. The song changed to a less hectic one, allowing the tall girl to slow her movements. The other one was still looking at her, a flash of green crossing her face every now and then when the lasers rotated into their direction. She was.. gorgeous.

Sae smiled when she saw that the long haired beauty looked back at her. As everyone else was swaying to the music, they both stood still, just staring through the crowd and at each other. Sae made a step forward, extending her hand, offering it for a dance. Sayaka narrowed her eyes and bit her lower lip, leaving her place next to her sister at once, a curious look on her face as she passed a few people on her way to this mysterious girl. Without thinking, she took the offered hand and felt herself being drawn in for a spin.

Sae saw her laugh at her antics and it was basically the most beautiful thing ever. She spun her around a few more times as they danced along to the song before she pulled her in for something rather Waltz-like, since the music became more and more shallow. She was taller than Sae had expected, but she didn't care. It was actually the perfect height for her to rest her head onto her shoulder as they swayed away. Sayaka blushed when she felt the Sae leaning into her, overwhelmed by the sudden affection. No one had ever given her this much attention before; no one this handsome anyway. She felt super flattered and flustered, a grin playing along her lips as she pulled the other girl a little closer and, still dancing, shut her eyes.

As the song ended, Sayaka felt a tugging on the back of her shirt. Her sister had seen enough. She grabbed the tall girl's arm and, her makeup already getting kind of runny, signaled her that she wanted to go home. Sayaka shot her an annoyed look, sensing that at the jerky movements Sae had been detaching herself from her to look for the source of disruption.

Sae shared a questioning look with the girl that was pulling on the girl's arm and who looked suspiciously a lot like her.. She glanced up only to find the tall girl smiling at her apologetically, ensued by her letting go of her hand and starting to follow said girl. Sae pondered for a split-second before she quickly grabbed the tall girl's collar and pressed a short kiss to the corner of her mouth. Smiling at the baffled look she received, she waved once and turned to watch the band play their finale.

Sayaka gave her sister a pleading look. Rolling her eyes, she reached inside her purse and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. Thanks, she mouthed at her as she scribbled onto it before she went back to Sae. Sae felt a hand on her shoulder and turned, surprised to see the tall beauty behind her again. She smiled and waited, while the tall girl took her hand, placing a note inside and with a wink left the dance floor, now herself leaving a baffled girl behind.

Sae held the piece of paper into the red light that shone her way and narrowed her eyes, trying to read the words. she felt her face light up as she managed to identify numbers and...

Sayaka

 

***

 

Upon arriving at their house, Sayaka checked her phone for the what seemed to be the hundreds time. Still no message. "You really shouldn't do that," her sister interrupted the silence between them. "Check your phone while driving, I mean."

Sayaka glared at her as she pulled into their garage.

"Hey, I get it," she waved her hands defensively in the air, "She's cute and all. But honestly.. It makes you look desperate. Plus, I don't want to die in a car crash."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll turn it off then." They got out of the car and strolled across the front yard. The tall girl had to support her sister as she kept on sinking into the damp grass with her heels. Once inside the house, it felt strangely cold and quiet, enhancing the throbbing sound of rushing blood in their ears; not the only aftermath of their night out.. Sayaka's sister groaned as she removed her shoes and rubbed her hurting feet. Sayaka stretched leisurely, creaking a few joints in her back and positively making her sister jump at the sound.

"Ew, gross."

Sayaka shrugged and made her way upstairs, coming to a halt in the middle of the hallway. she turned when she heard her sister behind her. "She was cute, right?"

Sayaka's sister gave her a small smile. "Yes."

"And she kissed me.."

"I saw that." She pushed her forward; she was blocking the way to her room. "Move, little sis. And get your dreamy eyes somewhere else on, I'm tired."

It was early of next morning when Sayaka was awoken rather unpleasantly.. by their fluffy brown cat. she groaned as she rolled over in search for her phone, glancing at her bedside clock. 7 am waking up in the morning.. she groaned again, pushing herself up onto her elbows as Juju ran over her back and along her legs, urging her to prepare cat-breakfast. Sayaka looked for her phone again, knowing that she was way too eager for this time of the day.. When she found it lying on the floor, she quickly turned it back on only to see 3 new messages. Oh.. she didn't recognize the number, so, with Juju next to her face, she excitedly opened the first text.

Hey so-called Sayaka. Thanks for that dance..

Sayaka almost fell off her mattress. Oh my God, it's her! she looked at the time stamp. She had sent this about four hours ago. Sayaka smiled. And what sort of time do you call that? She opened the next message.

I'm Sae, by the way.. Sorry, I forgot to mention that

Sae.. what a beautiful name. Suits her.. Sayaka was trailing off as she rolled onto her back and stared at her phone. Juju meowed impatiently and began to rub her face against Sayaka’s shoulder before she finally gave up and snuggled into her side. Sayaka smiled and absentmindedly ran her fingers through her cat's smooth fur when she opened the last text message.

I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking about you.. Wanna meet me for breakfast? Or lunch? Or whatever you want, really..

What followed was not Sayaka's proudest moment, to be honest.. She squealed and kicked her feet in the air as she almost rolled over the sleepy cat next to her, receiving an annoyed meow as the fluffy animal jumped off the bed and fled to the door. Sayaka let her phone fall onto her chest and, while scrunching up her face in excitement, pressed her hands over it to muffle her happy little squeaks. Then, taking a look at the clock again and with her phone in hand, she bounced off her mattress and into her bathroom. She bit her lower lip as she saved Sae's number and finally typed her response.

Hey so-called Sae. Meet me at the AKB Cafe in 2 hours?

When Sayaka got out of the shower less than 10 minutes later, she had already received an answer. She swung a towel around her waist and paddled back into her room, a grin playing along her lips..

Brilliant! See you there

 

 

***

 

As Sae was on her way to the AKB Cafe that morning, she shivered over and over again.. Sadly, not exclusively from anticipation. An unseasonably cold wind was ruffling up her hair and clothes on the short distance between her car and the entrance, her legs still aching from her night out. she was about half an hour early, but that was just her being excited. And she was. Excited.

Once inside, the short haired girl ordered her first caffeine for the day and flopped down on one of the sofas, repeatedly running her hands over her arms to lose the cold feeling. Fast, she went through her drink, glad that it warmed her from the inside just as much as the thought of Sayaka beauty.. no, Sayaka... who would be entering the coffee shop pretty soon.

And when she did, it was like sun rise all over again.

Sayaka shook her hair after she stepped through the door, trying to smooth it down after that torture of a whiff that had hit her square in the face as soon as she got out of her car. Sae couldn't tear her eyes off of the mesmerizing sight in front of her. Wow, Sae.. what happened to you? One dance and you are all flustered? She tried to quiet her chatting mind as long as Sayaka hadn't seen her yet. There was a kiss too, you know. She caught Sayaka's gaze and smiled warmly. Yeah, half a kiss that you initiated.. Sae winced noticeably, but Sayaka was too busy focusing on not tripping as she walked over to the sofas. Damn you, brain, shut up already.. she's here, isn't she?

"Sae?"

Wow.. Music to sore ears.

"Sayaka?" Sae smirked and, after getting up, went awkwardly around the chunky furniture to reach the tall girl.

Sae didn't even remember moving on her own account; her legs seemed to have a mind of their own since she found herself approaching the counter, Sayaka in tow. With her right hand, Sae motioned for Sayaka to pass by and get in line first, receiving a smile and a curtsey that only broadened her grin.

Standing behind the tall girl, Sae quickly let her eyes wander down her body. She was wearing a dark blue coat with what appeared to be a gray hoodie underneath. Also tight black pants that fit her long legs perfectly.. Unfortunately, the coat covered a whole lot of Sayaka's thighs, naturally including her.. Sae cleared her throat. Not that she wanted to check that out or anything.. she sighed and turned her attention back to Sayaka's head, seeing that, grinning widely, said Sayaka had been watching her over her shoulder.

Busted.

Sae bit her lower lip, then shrugged. she found her hot, so what?

Sayaka ordered a huge blueberry muffin and a cinnamon latte when it was their turn, whereas Sae settled for another black coffee and doughnuts. "My dad's a cop, it runs in the family," she explained when Sayaka eyed her choice of breakfast. They stood close together while they were waiting, fingers lightly brushing against each other. Sayaka was about to take the Sae's hand when their order was up.

They took a seat at a table near the windows. Early sunlight was softly lighting the room around them.

"So Sayaka, tell me.." Sae sipped at her coffee and added more sugar. "How come you just go and have breakfast with a complete stranger?"

Sayaka stirred her latte, elbow propped on the table and head casually in one hand. "Counter question." she stirred a little more, her brown eyes never leaving Sae. "How come you just go around asking complete strangers to dance.. and then to have said breakfast?"

"I don't," Sae answered shortly, taking another bite from her pink frosted doughnut. "Only once."

"I'm flattered."

Sae leaned back in her chair, already finishing the first of her baked goods. "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm not sharing my muffin!" Sayaka stated quickly, holding it protectively to her chest; thereby almost shoving her coat off the back of her chair as she turned halfway from Sae. The look in her eyes was so sincere, Sae couldn't help but chuckle. It was adorable.

"Not that, silly." she waited shortly and when Sayaka continued to pluck at her muffin like before she continued. "Is that... your real hair?"

Sayaka eyed her suspiciously. What kind of question is that? "Something wrong with it?"

"No, I'm just curious."

"Well, Sherlock, you got me. I'm actually gray as a mouse." she smiled and took another bite.

"Really?" Sae looked at Sayaka in wonder and without thinking twice leaned forward, reaching out to touch a strain of hair that struck a little to the side. "How old are you again?"

Sayaka was glued to her chair and cleared her throat awkwardly as soon as the Sae came back to her senses and swiftly withdrew her hand. "About 35?"

Sae raised an eyebrow. "You don't look it."

"It's magic."

Did she just wink at me? "Oh, right," the Sae chuckled, crossing her legs beneath the small table. "I need to get me some of that.."

"Nah, you don't need it."

"Are you flirting with me? At your age?" This time it was Sae who winked. "Pedophile."

Sayaka drank some more of her coffee, very much enjoying the warmth that was filling her stomach and her heart. she looked up over the rim of her mug, straight into the Sae's hazel eyes, and smiled. "It's real," she clarified, tilting the mug for yet another sip.

Sae seemed to be a tad disappointed as she bit into her second doughnut, still the smile on her lips, though. And also frosting.. Sayaka felt hypnotized by that little pink fleck and, holding her breath, she pointed with her index finger to her own mouth. "You have..." she almost fell forward onto the table when Sae wiped her mouth with her thumb and licked it clean. The tall girl blushed and ducked her head quickly, hiding behind her coffee. With a chuckle and nothing but proud, Sae hemmed before she tried to change the subject to make Sayaka more comfortable.

"So, tell me something about yourself... Some basics, maybe."

"Akimoto Sayaka, Leo, if you're into signs and that kind of stuff.. Which is ironic because I'm actually a twin.."

"Really?" Sae interrupted her at once. She didn't know any twins at all.. How exciting!

"Yeah, She was with me last night.." They both blushed at the memory. Last night.. Singing, dancing, touching..

Sae coughed slightly. "She looked nice." Although she made you let go of me. she sipped on her coffee. Yuck.. Why is this so cold already? Suppressing the urge to grimace at the taste, "I don't have any," she said instead. "Siblings, I mean. It's just me and my dad."

"Oh." Sayaka didn't know what to say.. she felt like she was intruding or something.

"It's really not that bad." Sae tried to get back to the important part of their conversation: Sayaka. The Sae wanted to know everything. "So, who's older?"

"She is." Sayaka sighed and chugged down the last sip of her latte. "Only by 3 minutes though, but she still insists that I'm her little baby sister."

"That's cute.. And probably annoying." she motioned towards Sayaka's empty mug. "Care for another? I'm buying," she added with a wink.

"Sure." The thought alone made Sayaka's face light up, before she continued talking more to herself really. "Mmmhh.. more cinnamon." she was a little addicted, to be honest. It was just soo good..

Sae raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "You like that?"

Sayaka smirked back. "I like a lot of things."

By now, the Sae had gotten up to buy more coffee, planning on throwing the rest of her away. "For example?" she asked, halfway facing the line.

That gave Sayaka the opportunity to let her eyes wander along the Sae's body. Her jeans were dark and washed out, her long sleeve tight-fitting. Sayaka.. appreciated..the view. She grinned, being rewarded by Sae rolling her glittering eyes again before she spun around and got into line. Huh. Another really nice view.

Sayaka couldn't help her inner squeal as she hid her face behind her clenched hands as soon as Sae was out of sight. she's totally flirting, right? And I'M flirting! How did that happen? Gosh, she's gorgeous...

When Sae returned, she had two cups in hand and placed them both in front of herself. Sayaka reached out, but her hand was shooed away. "Patience, young one. You'll get yours as soon as I get a serious answer." her heart almost melted at the view of Sayaka's pout. Oh my...

"Fine." she immediately started counting on her fingers, "Music, anything caffeine, animals and Iron Man.. Now, gimme!" she whined, once more trying to catch at the cup like the impatient child she was. Attractive, Sayaka.. And she was, yet again, denied.

"Nah-ah-ah!" Sae lifted the latte slash blackmail material? and brought it out of Sayaka's reach. "Now tell me something no one else knows."

"But.. please? Sae? Ugh..So not fair." Failing at grabbing the cup, Sayaka leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, with a huff blowing her bright bangs out of her eyes. Sae just waited and smiled to herself. This was fun.

"I think you're cute."

Sae chuckled. How daring.. "I already knew that."

"Okay, now you're just saying that to mess with me!" she groaned as Sae lifted her latte again. "Fine, Sae.." Sayaka thought for a while..Something no one knows.. Not even Sayaka's sister? "Okay, are you ready for this? This one time," at band camp, "I put my sister's makeup on to see how much we really look alike."

"Only once?" Sae asked as she handed the drink over, her expression blank.

Sayaka happily took a big gulp, sighing into the warm cinnamony taste. Hea-ven. she made a few satisfied sounds before she put the cup back down, eyeing Sae's side of the table curiously. I need to take the rest of her doughnut away, if I want to interrogate her as well.. "Yeah, a few years back," she answered finally. "She had this whole raccoon look going on, like, 24/7."

Sae's eyes seemed to drift away from the conversation, in and out of focus on Sayaka's eyes, then lips, then eyes again. "I bet you look great with dark eyeliner.." she blushed as soon as the words left her mouth, all of a sudden finding the cars parked outside extremely interesting.

"Huh?" Sayaka furrowed her brows slightly. What did she..? Ooh, I see.. she smirked knowingly. "Maybe."

She liked this game.

 

***

 

Sae and Sayaka had been talking for over two hours when in the middle of their discussion of Iron Man vs. Batman there was a buzzing sound coming from beneath their table. Sae stopped mid-sentence as Sayaka got her phone out of her pocket and gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, that's my sister. I need to get this." she got up and, as she was walking to the exit, Sae could hear her answer the call.

Either this was a real call, she pondered, or it was Sayaka's nice way to end this date-thingy. Was this a date? She watched Sayaka through the front windows, pacing and arguing. She looks cute when she's angry. Whatever kind of call this was, she decided to join the tall girl outside anyway. Smiling to herself, she grabbed Sayaka's coat and her latest de-caff before she, once outside in the cold, waited by the door.

Sayaka couldn't believe her sister sometimes. Or her luck.. With a sigh, she put her phone back and slowly turned around, not sure how to break it to Sae that she had to leave. Surprised, she found the Sae already waiting for her not more than 10 feet away.

"So, who's in the hospital?" Sae winked at Sayaka as she stepped forward. Sayaka's coat felt nice and soft and it smelled really good as well, but it seemed awkward to hold on to for no apparent reason, so Sae quickly handed it over.

Sayaka flashed her a sad smile. "No one, it wasn't that kind... She needs the car." Sae looked puzzled.

"Isn't that your car?"

"We sort of share it, since she had that accident. She was okay, don't worry, but her car wasn't. Someone drove into the back and, well, it's wrecked. So yeah." Sayaka was shuffling on her feet, coat on, hands in her pockets, trying hard to explain to Sae why she had to leave. "She has to go to work or something. It's short notice. Sorry." When she looked up, she saw to her surprise that the Sae smiled. Why..?

"It's okay, I understand. But you don't want to leave, do you?"

"No, no, I don't," Sayaka clarified quickly.

"So.. you want to continue this?"

"Yes? I mean, I just told you.." Almost immediately, she got interrupted by Sae, waving her hand dismissively in her face.

"Lead the way, then! I'll follow you with my car," she said with a wink as she pointed to her blue Ford. "We can always decide what to do next once we're at your house." Sayaka didn't answer right away.. Or verbally, for that matter. Instead, she grabbed Sae's hands and basically started bouncing on the spot, flashing the Sae the most brilliant smile.

Sayaka's sister was already waiting outside their house, impatiently tapping her foot on the gravel. She mumbled an annoyed "freaking finally" when Sayaka tossed her the keys and led Sae inside. They had decided to stay for a while; there was really nothing to do anyway. Sae glanced around the house while they climbed the stairs to Sayaka's room, positively impressed by its tidiness. Most of the rooms seemed to be held in light cream colors, even Sayaka's. Although her was plastered with posters and blue furniture.

"It's really nice here," she commented after they sat down on the bed. "So different from mine.."

Sayaka looked a little shy. It did not happen that often that she had a guest. A female guest whom she found very attractive.. Or frankly put, hot. Sayaka blushed a deep crimson when she caught herself thinking that, and cleared her throat awkwardly. "What's it like?"

"I dunno, just different. Older looking, maybe? Everything is worn out. That's just our style, I guess."

"You and your dad's?"

The Sae nodded. She sat cross-legged in the middle of Sayaka's mattress, comfortably propped up onto her elbows. Sayaka didn't say anything for a while, so they just enjoyed each other's company in silence. This actually gave Sae the possibility to hear a faint sighing sound from underneath the bed. she looked over the edge and saw something fuzzy sticking out. "What's that?" she asked.

"Huh?"

Sae shushed her with one finger over her own lips before she pointed downwards. Sayaka was now able to hear the purring and chuckled. "It's just Juju.. Our cat." she whistled shortly, called her name a few times and surely, a big fluffy ball of fur came crawling out from under the bed, stretched and then hopped onto the mattress. Suspiciously, she eyed the newbie before she walked over to Sayaka and curled up between the two of them. "She's sleepy," Sayaka explained. "Usually, she'd be outside or something."

Sae reached out and lightly petted the brown fur as Sayaka was doing the same thing. When their hands touched on top of the cat, she didn't hesitate to intertwine their fingers, although she couldn't fight the urge to look up and make sure that there was no form of discontent showing on Sayaka's face.

Fortunately, she found none. Just a shy smile; a happy smile, that made her feel happy in return.

Sometime that afternoon, the cat left them for cat-lunch. Sae and Sayaka stayed behind, hands still interlinked, lying next to each other across the bed. The Sae told her about her dad and Sayaka described her school until Sae's stomach started to rumble.

"Hungry?" Sayaka grinned as she looked over.

"I don't know what could have possibly given you that impression.." she sat up and soon found herself being dragged out of bed and downstairs by her hand. As they crossed the hall on ground-floor, she caught sight of the living room. It seemed big and friendly, but what really stood out was what she saw through the French door. The backyard looked beautiful. There was definitely a tree and a bench...

"That looks nice," she said as she stopped and, like a child, tugged on Sayaka's hand. "What else is out there?"

Sayaka smiled. "Let's have a look." she grabbed her coat hanging over the baluster on their way out. The sky is nice and clear, no clouds in sight, just the sun was shining pale against an even paler blue. she sighed, looking up. Quite lovely, if it wasn't for the cold wind.. Sae was walking through the garden, inspecting the bench and their old swing set. The wind was lifting her long sleeve and she wrapped her arms tighter around her body.

"You're shivering," Sayaka stated into the quiet. Thanks, Captain Obvious...

Sae turned towards Sayaka with a smile playing around her lips. "I don't care."

"Come here." Sayaka unbuttoned her coat and held it open, arms spread wide. Warily, Sae walked over and, with a sigh, hugged the tall Sayaka around the waist, embracing the warmth and feeling the soft fabric immediately surrounding her. She nestled her nose into Sayaka's neck and held on tightly, her fingers brushing against a strip of exposed skin between Sayaka's hoodie and waistband of her jeans. Her hunger long forgotten, she chuckled as she sensed Sayaka's reaction to that.

"Now, who's shivering?"

Sayaka's face turned a gorgeous shade of pink, her head leaned against Sae's as she nudged her lightly. "Oh, shut up," she murmured sheepishly.

"Your heart's also beating pretty fast." Sae bit her lower lip to suppress her grin. "Do I make you.. nervous?"

"N-no." Sayaka squinted her eyes shut. Dammit.

"Uh-huh.." The Sae let her hands wander beneath Sayaka's shirt and rested them flat against the hollow of her back, making her flinch in the process.

"Your..er..your hands are really cold, you must be freezing." Yay for that masterpiece of a semi-coherent sentence, Sayaka.. she took a deep breath while Sae was rubbing her fingers against her skin; the scent from her dark hair had a strangely calming effect on the tall girl and she tightened the hug.

Sae could feel the goosebumps on Sayaka's skin as she shifted in their embrace. Carefully, she tilted her head and experimentally brushed her lips over Sayaka's exposed neck. She was rewarded with a content hum that boosted her confidence. On her tiptoes, she nestled her cheek against Sayaka's, who was still humming under the touch. Tipping her upper body back just a little, she glanced up into a pair of beautiful brown eyes, just before she closed her own and leaned in. Sayaka met her halfway, gently pressing their lips together.

Sae was the first to break the kiss. "Let's go back inside."

Sayaka looked stunned, her lips parted and a deep blush starting to light her face on fire. Once they were in the house again and with one hand covering her mouth, she began rambling through the living room. "I-I- and you were.. and we.."

"Kissed?" Sae suggested, not sure if her happiness was appropriate or not. Sayaka was clearly not coping. Nah.. that kiss was awesome, you can grin. "I noticed."

Sayaka stopped midway between the Sae and the sofa; her face hot, eyes radiating a mixture of longing and fear.

Trying to be somewhat helpful, Sae took a step forward and held her hand out. "Care for another?"

It took Sayaka a split second to register that this was indeed real.. she grabbed Sae's hand and pulled her towards the couch, letting herself fall back, soon being covered with Sae's body. Sae pressed Sayaka into the cushions as she eagerly re-connected their lips, though with more force this time.

Sayaka parted her lips when Sae's tongue asked for entrance and, slowly but passionately, she explored Sae's mouth, her hands exploring the other's back in the meantime. She felt Sae's fingers weave through her hair and a soft moan escaped her lips.

Sae backed away, their faces barely an inch apart, her eyes glistening happily as she tried to catch her breath, still flush on top of Sayaka. "Your hair really is magical."

Sayaka rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're so cheesy."

"And you are adorable."

 

***

 

The ladies were still lying on the couch, Sae flush on top of Sayaka, both hands resting on her chest and a smile on her face. Sayaka was gazing into her deep hazel eyes and pulled parts of her dark fringe behind her ear. "So.. how do you wanna do this?" Sayaka gestured between the two of them. They hadn't talked about relationship stuff until now, like, at all. Sayaka didn't know anything about Sae's former girl-(or possibly girl?)friend's; she hadn't asked. Not like the Sae had either.. it was just a little weird to talk about..

Sae gave her a cheeky smile, on finger suggestively stroking down Sayaka's chest. "Upstairs on your bed? And without clothes?"

Sayaka hit the Sae in the shoulder with a flat hand. "Sae!" she laughed and rolled her eyes. Great.. her date was one of the horny kind.. This was a date, right?

"What? So I'm not getting lucky tonight?"

Sayaka stared at Sae with wide eyes, shocked at what she was hearing. "I can't believe you just said that."

"Relax, Sayaka. I was just joking." Sae looked down into Sayaka's tense face, trying to pout and flutter her eyelashes.

The tall girl couldn't help but laugh at Sae's adorable puppy dog eyes. Dammit. "You are horrible," she said, looking away from the girl on top of her. "Now get off me."

"But Sayaka! I'm really really sorry! Pleeease?"

"Okay, okay. Five more minutes.." she chuckled when Sae clenched her fists triumphantly, her face scrunched up as she victoriously exclaimed a silent YES!

Another quarter of an hour later, Sayaka's limbs were completely and utterly numb. she groaned when the unnerving tingling sensation in her legs began to hurt, causing Sae to gaze at her worriedly. "You okay there?"

"It's my legs. Asleep. Pain.." she groaned as she shifted to a seated position, Sae falling aside and against the backrest.

"Do you.. want me to rub them?"

"After that comment from earlier? You wish!"

"Come on, Sayaka," the Sae said, stroking the tall girl's back affectionately. "I was the one cutting off your blood circulation.. Let me help."

"Fine! But no-.. I mean, hands on the wheel, Sae!" Flustered, she lay back on the sofa again and Sae moved to sit between her legs. Her hands worked gently at first as they began massaging Sayaka from the bottom to the top. Slowly, Sayaka's little noises of displeasure disappeared and were replaced by a content humming sound. As Sae got further up Sayaka's long legs, she felt a blush heating up her neck and cheeks. She glanced at Sayaka's face, finding that she had put her arms behind her head and her eyes fixed on Sae's hands. When she noticed the Sae watching, she bit her bottom lip and held her gaze.

Sae changed the leg again and kept massaging, noting that Sayaka's breath had just hitched and she looked like she was actually biting her lip harder. I must be close to her.. Her own blush deepened, but her hands kept moving even when she saw that Sayaka's hoodie was rucked up. She almost started drooling at the sight of the exposed strip of skin, reluctantly making herself glance back into Sayaka's eyes, and waited for the sign to stop.

Then she brushed something.. And it wasn't a phone or a wallet, judging by the moan that escaped Sayaka's lips. Sayaka sat up immediately, hand covering her mouth, eyes wide and once more staring at the Sae's hand, which was now hovering over her leg and not touching her anymore.

"Sorry," Sae said quietly. "I know, hands on the wheel.."

"It's just.. It's been a while and you and I, we.. this is so new and I- I don't even know what we are.. This is so confusing.."

"What we are?" Oh right, relationship and stuff... The Sae withdrew her hand completely and folded both of her in her lap. When Sayaka finally looked her in the eyes, face still flushed (which, by the way, was simply the most adorable thing ever), she smiled warmly. "I like you, Sayaka. Do you like me?"

Shyly, Sayaka brushed her bangs aside. "Yes."

"Would you like to go on a second date?"

Sayaka smiled softly. "This was a date then?!"

"What else..?" Sae frowned. Seriously, Sayaka? "Okay, never mind, that's not important. You didn't answer me, though." she reached out and hopefully put one hand on Sayaka's knee. "Would you?" Sayaka covered it with her own and when Sae turned her palm upwards, she easily intertwined their fingers.

A second date, huh? Sayaka didn't even have to think twice about it, but she teased the Sae just a little longer, Sayaka's sister's words ringing in the back of her mind. Desperate.. When she answered, she couldn't help the grin that spread across her flushed face. "Honestly? Yes, I'd love to."

Sae smiled, leaning over, and placed a simple kiss to the tall girl's lips. Got lucky after all.. "So, what we are, you ask? One might call that dating."

 
OS # 17 Shine a light (Saeyaka OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 17 Shine a Light (Saeyaka OS)
Post by: Ruka Kikuchi on December 18, 2014, 04:22:19 PM
(http://cdn4.gurl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tumblr_m6e457eDSu1ryj6qoo1_500.gif)

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 17 Shine a Light (Saeyaka OS)
Post by: Kirozoro on December 18, 2014, 06:55:23 PM
U back!!!!!!!!

Love Saeyaka they so cute
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 17 Shine a Light (Saeyaka OS)
Post by: luvsidney on December 19, 2014, 04:01:01 AM
how come you said no experience!!!! you write the story sooooooooooo good!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it very very very very x n much~!!!!! you write them cute~!! I gotta keep this story for my own hehehe
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 17 Shine a Light (Saeyaka OS)
Post by: BbSis on December 21, 2014, 05:37:44 AM
SOOOOOOOOOON  :heart:

(https://bbsis.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/dsc_0017.jpg?w=497)

This means I loved it deeply! With all my soul and heart!

It was the best gift EVAH  :heart:
I wub u  :inlove:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 17 Shine a Light (Saeyaka OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on March 30, 2015, 06:38:03 PM
A new Wmatsui OS I written for a special someone who I care about a lot~
Special person, you know who you are~
I've written this for you and I hope you'll like it~
It's almost 19k words.. And I did it in a mere 3 days..
Just imagine the amount of sweat and blood I poured into this OS XD
I hope it will help you ease up your stress in your daily work and assignments..
Anyway, here it is~


________________________________________________


OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)


When Jurina steps into the tour bus, she's greeted with the sight of Takamina and Atsuko making out. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly because it's a sight she's familiar with by now and she really doesn't begrudge them their time together since they spend so much of their time apart, she sees Rena lying face down on the sofa. Making a beeline for her, she's about to lean down to tickle Rena because really she's just leaving herself wide open for it, when she pauses and takes a closer look. Rena seems to be staring at Takamina and Atsuko. Jurina's hand is hovering over Rena's back, poised to tickle but something tells her this isn't the time. Instead, she shifts to drop her hand gently onto Rena's head and lets her fingers bury themselves in Rena's curly mop. Rena turns her head slowly and it's like she's literally dragging her eyes away.

Jurina immediately reverts to protective mode and she crouches down to block the couple from Rena's view. "Hey."

Rena's eyes are now locked on her and she can see the sadness in Rena's beautiful gaze. Jurina lets her hand drop onto Rena's shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"You okay?"

Rena shrugs and that's all it takes for Jurina to grab her hands and yank her up off the sofa, ignoring Rena's unhurried protests as she tugs her out of the room and into the bunk area. She pushes her gently towards Rena's bunk. Rena shifts so that she's more comfortable as she sits on the edge of the bunk and looks up at Jurina, who eventually takes a seat on her bunk opposite.

"What's up?" Jurina asks and she keeps her voice low and soft. Her hand reaches out to cover Rena's, resting on Rena's knee and she strokes the soft skin idly. Rena just looks down at their hands and frowns. "Come on, talk to me," Jurina says and she squeezes Rena's hand in reassurance.

Rena's eyes drop immediately to the floor and Jurina can feel her heart sink.

"It's okay, Rena," Jurina soothes and she grabs Rena's other hand, offering strength to her friend. "We'll get through whatever this is, yeah? It's okay."

"It's nothing," Rena says quietly and she sighs like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. "It's nothing, Jurina. I swear."

"I don't believe you," Jurina says, shifting slightly so she can lean forward, because Rena is barely audible at the best of times. "Why are you so sad, huh?"

"It's silly," Rena says and her tone suggests that she'd like Jurina to drop the whole subject, but they both know that's not going to happen. Jurina can never walk away from any of them when she knows there's something wrong. She's like a dog with a proverbial bone when it comes to one of them being upset and fixing them. "I just - well, I just wish I could have what they have, you know?"

Jurina blinks slowly as she tries to understand. "You want a girlfriend?"

Rena shrugs yet again and Jurina can tell she's a little embarrassed, which throws Jurina completely because she's never known Rena to actively seek out a relationship before. Jurina is at a complete loss of how to proceed or what to say, so she just continues to stroke Rena's hands and waits.

"It's stupid, right?" Rena glances up at Jurina as if looking for validation.

"Of course it's not stupid," Jurina says automatically because it's not stupid that Rena wants someone to love and to love her back. If anyone deserves love it's Rena. She's often thought it strange that Rena has been single in all the time she's known her. "What's brought this on then?"

Rena flushes and Jurina heroically manages to stop her mouth from dropping open in shock because she's never seen Rena blush before. "I guess it's been sort of there for a while. Like when Miyuki comes to visit and Sayanee gets all stupid and giggly and it's ridiculous because Sayanee being giggly is so beyond weird but also kind of amazing and that's what I want, I think."

"Yeah," Jurina says softly. If anyone understands, it's her. She loves being in a relationship and although she's been enjoying her freedom recently, part of her still craves that feeling when someone is entirely focused on you, who smiles when you walk into the room, who lights up when you're near and who loves you more than anyone else.

"So, perhaps I should like, go on dates and stuff," Rena says slowly.

Jurina nods encouragingly.

"But maybe I should wait til we're back home," Rena says and looks to Jurina for assurance and smiles when Jurina nods thoughtfully. "I think it'd be easier when we're not on tour and I can, you know, have some time to myself without everyone watching. What do you think?"

Jurina lets go of one of Rena's hands and reaches up to bop Rena on the nose, grinning when Rena wrinkles her nose and grins back. "Whatever you think is best, Rena. I'll support you."

"Yeah," Rena murmurs as she leans in and lets Jurina hold her in a loose embrace, her hands stroking gently down Rena's back. "I know."

"Hey, let's go shopping," Jurina says because she knows it always cheers Rena up.

"Shopping?" Rena asks and Jurina can see her eyes light up. "What kind of shopping?"

"Uh, whatever shopping you like?" Jurina says. "Clothes, music, home stuff?"

"Clothes," Rena says decisively and Jurina thinks it'll be totally worth the hassle of trying to get past fans and closing down stores (which Jurina still thinks is lame but she understands the necessity of it) just to keep that smile on Rena's face. It takes very little persuasion to get Mariko to agree and soon they're pulling up outside a designer store and Rena's eyes are lighting up like it's Christmas morning as she looks at the store front and eyes up some outfits.

Rena reaches over and grabs Jurina's hand before the door opens and they emerge together, keeping hold of each other as they smile at the fans and wave as they sign a few autographs and pose for pictures before their hands find each other again as they're ushered inside. Jurina pulls her closer as they head for the first rail and hugs her for a second. "Okay?"

Rena nods as she starts to browse and soon the poor store assistants are buried under jackets and jeans and shirts for Rena while Jurina has passed over a few things to try on. Eventually, Rena stops pulling out clothes and heads for the changing room, dragging Jurina into the same one as she pulls off her skinny jeans and tugs on almost identical ones. Rena asks Jurina for her opinion on everything and Rena listens carefully, rejecting anything that Jurina doesn't rave over and spending ages trying to check out everything from every angle. She ums and ahs over a jacket that Jurina thinks looks great on her and eventually deciding to put it in her 'buy' pile. Jurina is persuaded by Rena to buy two pairs of jeans that Rena thinks make Jurina's butt look amazing, so really Jurina can't say no. By the time they're ready to leave, Jurina's blown a couple of hundred dollars while Rena's purchases run into the thousands but Jurina knows it's worth every penny because Rena is happy and smiling as they pose for more pictures before being whisked into the car. Rena cuddles up to Jurina and grins happily as she rests her head on Jurina's shoulder with Jurina's arm around her shoulder and falling to her waist.

"You're the best, Jurina," Rena murmurs happily.

Jurina eyes up the bags in the back of the car and simply refuses to think about the amount of money they've just spent. Instead, she lets her head rest on Rena's and closes her eyes. When they get back on the bus, Rena insists on pulling every purchase out to show the rest of the girls, who have varying levels of interest. Mayu, who is completely disinterested, loads up FIFA and hands a controller to Jurina, who starts to play with half concentration as she's also keeping an eye on Rena. Sayanee looks up from her phone every now and again and gives her opinion, good or bad, which Rena just rolls her eyes at. Takamina insists on Rena trying on everything and gives a nonstop commentary on whether she thinks it's flattering or not. It results in Rena throwing herself on Takamina and tickling her until Takamina gives in and calls for Atsuko's help.

Rena's mood immediately shifts as Atsuko steps into the room, looking sleepy and adorable from what was clearly a nap and Takamina whisks her back to the double room at the back of the bus that couples use whenever girlfriends visit. Jurina doesn't even realize she's moved until she finds herself sat next to Rena, throwing an arm around her, dragging her into her body and cuddling while keeping an eye on the television and fouling Mayu, who protests loudly while Jurina laughs. She throws the controller to Sayanee who drops her phone to catch it and she's right in the game within seconds, leaving Jurina free to turn to Rena, who looks up at Jurina with a slightly wobbly smile and the sight of Rena looking anything other than completely at ease and comfortable has Jurina's stomach swooping and her face drops. She grabs Rena's hand and stands up, muttering something about needing to talk to her and just hauls her out of the room. She stands by the door, trying to figure out where they can go before drawing her into the bathroom. She pushes the door shut behind her and drags Rena into a hug, which Rena returns tightly.

"I'm such an idiot," Rena mutters and Jurina just holds on tighter.

"Just think about how amazing you're going to look on your first date with what could be the love of your life," Jurina says sweetly.

Rena laughs and drops her head onto Jurina's shoulder, her body shaking uncontrollably. "Jurina, you're such a soppy romantic," she says with a shake of her head. "How on earth have you managed to stay single for months?"

Jurina shrugged and frowned. "I thought you wanted a relationship?"

"I do," Rena says quickly.

“Yup. You'll be a lot happier."

Rena hums in agreement as she presses a sloppy kiss against Jurina's cheek. "Absolutely. In the meantime, I have you to cheer me up."

"Glad I can help," Jurina grumbles as Rena laughs in delight once more.

When Atsuko goes home, Rena's mood lightens and while Jurina is keeping a close eye on her, she rarely sees Rena looking sad, nothing that a ruffle of her hair or tickling her tummy can't solve anyway. Of course, that might be because Jurina is deliberately distracting Rena and filling her days and nights off. So far, they've gone to a jazz night with Sayanee, they've hit the beach whenever they're on the coast, they've snuck into a few movie theatres to watch a few romantic comedies that Jurina has wanted to scratch her skin off during but Rena has laughed long and loudly through them all so Jurina guesses it's worth it in the end, they've been to a few basketball games and on their nights in, Jurina has sat through hours and hours of Rena's favourite boxsets. Well, she's sat next to Rena and dozed through them, but she's still physically been there and Rena has seemed to enjoy it, so Jurina's counting them as wins as well.

It's all going really well until Miyuki drops by for a flying visit. Sayanee lights up when she's nearly there and drums her fingers on her thighs as she anxiously waits for her to arrive. Rena's on her phone, texting or on twitter, Jurina's not sure, but she keeps looking up at Sayanee before her gaze darts away. Jurina's hand moves so that it rests on Rena's leg as she reads the latest email from her mum. She feels Rena's sigh and Rena's hand rests on her lightly. Jurina turns her hand so that she can thread her fingers through Rena's and she squeezes gently. When Miyuki bursts through the door and throws herself on Sayanee, Jurina carefully sneaks a glance at Rena, who just looks at her. Her mouth lifts into a small smile and Jurina's so relieved that Rena's okay that she just beams at her. Rena reaches out to touch the crinkles by one of Jurina's eyes and she grins before her hand drops back down to lace once again with Jurina's.

"You okay?" Jurina says quietly as Rena's smile begins to fade.

"Yeah, I'm good," Rena says and Jurina actually believes her this time. "Just ... stay here, ok?"

Jurina nods and turns back to her email, her hand still in Rena's. Miyuki only stays for one night before she has to get back to the band and then it's their last night on tour and soon enough they're on a plane back home, exhausted but excited to be on their way to Tokyo at last. Jurina thinks she could sleep for a week, but Rena wants to head straight out to catch up with friends. Mayu is heading back to Hokkaido and Takamina wants to bury herself in family. Sayanee just wants to disappear. When they land, they're all hugging and kissing each other goodbye, and it's always a mixed feeling of sadness and elation that they all understand perfectly. Soon it's just Jurina and Rena heading towards their car to share a lift back to their houses and they snuggle up in the backseat, shattered. Jurina can feel her eyes drooping as she managed to stay awake on the flight over but she's just about done for and she's dreaming of her big, comfortable bed and turning off her phone to just sleep until she can't sleep anymore.

"Hey, Jurina?" Rena's voice rouses her and she opens one eye to find Rena staring at her.

"Yeah Rena?" Jurina's voice is husky with sleep and she can barely focus on Rena's eyes which are swimming in front of her.

"Come back to mine?"

"Huh?" Jurina shakes her head as if to clear it but she still feels fuzzy.

"I don't want to go back to my place alone. Come back with me?" Rena asks again.

"Okay," Jurina agrees sleepily as she lets her head fall back onto Rena's shoulder. When she next wakes, Rena is shaking her gently and telling her that they're home. Jurina grabs her bags and follows Rena to the front door, remembering just in time to turn and thank the driver before she stumbles into Rena's house and the door closes behind her.

"Come on," Rena grabs Jurina's hand and tugs her upstairs, laughing as Jurina trips several times before Rena shoves her into her bedroom. Jurina tugs her shirt over her head and kicks off her converse before attempting to drag her jeans off. She finally manages it and falls headfirst onto the bed, grumbling as Rena tries to drag the covers from under her. She feels Rena slide into bed next to her and then she has a handful of almost naked Rena curling up against her. Jurina tiredly lifts her arm and Rena scoots under to slot her body in tightly. Jurina doesn't notice because she's fast asleep.

When she wakes up, she's sprawled across the bed. Or more accurately, she's sprawled across Rena. Somehow in the night, she's flung an arm and leg over Rena as if she's pinning her to the bed and her head is burrowed into Rena's shoulder. Jurina shifts slightly to bring her arm and leg back to a more reasonable position before she lifts her head to find Rena's face turned towards her, mouth open and drooling. Jurina grins and fumbles around for her phone, snapping a quick picture that she plans to use for blackmail at a later date. Jurina wriggles a little and starts to poke Rena's side, muffling a laugh when Rena frowns in her sleep before her eyes shoot open and she flips over so she lands on top of Jurina, to her surprise. Rena's down before Jurina can stop her and she finds herself on the receiving end of a love bite. She knows there'll be a mark there by the time she can remove Rena so she just lies back and lets Rena continue, enjoying the feel of her mouth on her skin in a way that Jurina no longer finds weird. Sometimes, it was just nice to feel a physical connection to someone, even if that someone was one of your best mates and she was only doing it for a laugh.

When Rena finally lifts her head, she's grinning like a lunatic and Jurina can't help but reach out and tickle her sides. Rena falls forward and giggles furiously as she wriggles to escape but Jurina just laughs, because it always amuses her when Rena thinks she can overpower her. Eventually Rena gives in and just flops against Jurina, who shoves at Rena's shoulder so that she falls onto the mattress and they both take a minute to catch their breath.

"I guess I need to go home," Jurina says finally, turning her head towards Rena.

Rena hums gently. "What are you gonna do today?"

"Uh," Jurina thinks about what she should be doing today versus what she really wants to do today. For once, just today, she figures she's going to do what she wants because she's earned it after the tour and she's going to be selfish for once. "Nothing, really. I'm going to take a whole day and do nothing with it."

"Not even unpacking and doing your washing or calling your parents or some household chores?" Rena teases and she shakes her head in mock-disappointment at Jurina's irresponsible ways.

"Nope," Jurina says cheerfully and sticks her tongue out at Rena, who just grins.

"So instead of getting up, showering, dressing and catching a cab to yours, you could stay and we can hang around doing nothing all day and get takeaway and you can crash here again tonight," Rena says thoughtfully, casting a quick glance at Jurina before staring up at the ceiling. "Because since I plan to do absolutely nothing as well, we could just do nothing together."

"You want me to stay?" Jurina asks, the surprise clear in her tone. "I thought you'd be rushing to kick me out the door so you can catch up with all the people you haven't spent the last two months stuck in a tour bus with."

"Not really," Rena says and Jurina can hear her sigh. "I hate going from seeing everyone every day to seeing no one and being on my own."

"Alright," Jurina says easily, because she's more than happy to stay. "But we're not watching any romantic comedies. Deal?"

Rena pouts but eventually gives in. Jurina showers, and shoves Rena in after she gets out because she still has standards. Rena throws on some jogging bottoms and Jurina manages to find some shorts in her bag and they sprawl across Rena's sofa. Rena persuades Jurina to watch the first Harry Potter movie and they both yell out their favourite line together and Jurina tickles Rena until she's gasping for breath and collapses onto Jurina's side. They remain locked together through Chamber of Secrets until Rena decides she's so hungry that she might die if they don't order some Chinese food. Jurina gets up to take delivery because Rena has decided that picking up the phone and placing the order is the entire sum of effort she can put into today and when Jurina places everything on the table, Rena sends Jurina upstairs to grab a duvet and they spend the rest of the evening eating too much food, laughing at each other and sneaking pinches and pokes to make the other jump. When they finally decide to turn in for the night, Rena drags Jurina into her room, ignoring Jurina's protests and jumps under the covers, lifting them up for Jurina who just sighs and climbs in. Rena cuddles up to her and Jurina has to admit that she misses sharing a bed with someone and cuddling with Rena just happens to be a way of life for her now. It's almost unavoidable.

"Thanks for staying, Jurina," Rena says quietly into the silence. Jurina just tightens her arm around Rena and buries her head into Rena's neck.

In the morning, Jurina wakes up and blearily announces that she really has to go home, but somehow (and Jurina's a bit fuzzy on the details) Rena talks her into staying again. Not that Jurina minds, she figures she'll head home at some point. They spend the day doing chores, like their washing and food shopping, bickering over fruit and whether they want carrots or broccoli for dinner, while Rena blocks all of Jurina's attempts to throw anything with sugar in the basket. Rena relents when Jurina throws popcorn in though and Jurina thinks that's a pretty good compromise.

As they're unpacking the shopping , Rena casually mentions that Yuko and a couple of friends are coming over. Jurina blinks slowly before she finishes putting the fruit in the overly large and ostentatious fruit bowl that Rena loves. "Oh, okay," she says, trying to ignore the bubble of hurt and rejection rising in her because she knows Rena just wants to see her friends, which Jurina can hardly blame her for, and it's time for her to go home really, so she starts towards the door. "I'll just grab my stuff and get out of here."

"Hey, what?" Jurina feels Rena's hand around her wrist and she's being turned around to face a confused Rena. "I thought you were staying here?"

"But you know, with Yuko and that lot coming here, I thought you'd want me to go." Jurina asks, her voice a little huskier than usual. "I mean, I don't really know them and I don't think they really want me here, they're coming to see you and this means you won't be on your own anymore right?"

Rena just frowns. "Jurina, I don't want you to go. I asked you to stay, remember? And who cares if Yuko likes you, because I like you and I asked you to stay because it's my house and I want you to stay, so just stay, ok?"

Confused, Jurina just nods because she's not sure what else she can do. She doesn't really socialize with Rena's friends so she's a bit intimidated by them but if Rena wants her to stay, then of course she'll stay.

Rena slips her hand in Jurina's and squeezes gently. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Jurina says and she manages a small smile. "Just don't abandon me, ok?"

Rena just laughs and pulls Jurina back into the kitchen to unpack the rest of the shopping.

The visit goes pretty well, Jurina thinks. They stay for three hours, lounging around and catching Rena (and Jurina by extension) up on what's happened while they've been out of the country. Jurina doesn't exactly know who some of the gossip is about but she nods and smiles in the right places, she thinks. Yuko makes Jurina laugh a few times and she smiles at Jurina in approval, so Jurina counts that as a win. And Rena sits curled up next to her on the sofa for the entire time they're there. She doesn't cuddle Jurina or get all handsy like Jurina's used to Rena being, but she figures it's just that Rena behaves differently with different people and that's fine with Jurina because she likes to discover new sides to Rena. When they leave, Yuko makes a point of saying goodbye to Jurina and calls out that she's sure she'll see her soon and Jurina stands on Rena's doorstep, waving goodbye because Rena's drawn her there. When Rena shuts the door, she flings her arms around Jurina and shudders theatrically.

"God, they talk so much," Rena moans and Jurina just rolls her eyes because she knows Rena loves gossiping and she loves her friends and this is just Rena being silly. "Dinner?"

"You're cooking, right?" Jurina asks hesitantly because she's terrible in the kitchen.

"Course I am," Rena scoffs because she knows Jurina's terrible in the kitchen. "Come keep me company."

While Rena cooks, Jurina struggles to bring up the topic they've been avoiding while they've been holed up in Rena's house. "Uh, Rena?"

"Yeah?" Rena asks distractedly as she tastes her sauce and wrinkles her nose before reaching for more seasoning.

"The whole dating and relationship thing, do you still want to do that?" Jurina asks, a little nervous about bringing it up.

"Oh yeah," Rena says, whirling around and grinning. "I forgot about that. I should probably go out and meet some people, right?"

"Well, that's what you're best at," Jurina points out with a smile. "You pick up more friends on a quick run to the shops than I've done in my entire life."

"Firstly, that's not true," Rena says sternly, waggling her spoon at Jurina with a frown. "And secondly, I thought I was best at singing like an angel?"

"Who told you that?" Jurina teases and moves to avoid the onion Rena's just thrown at her.

"You did at judges houses when I was throwing up with nerves," Rena says as she turns back to the stove.

"A little white lie to get us through," Jurina says with a grin, which becomes a laugh when Rena glares at her and she hands her back the flung onion. "Hey, come on. Seriously, what's your plan?"

"Uh, I don't have a plan," Rena says with a shrug as she starts dishing up. She carries the plates over to where Jurina is and sits down, reaching for the glass of wine Jurina's poured them even though Jurina doesn't really like wine, simply because she knows Rena does and Jurina is the most well-mannered guest Rena will ever have to stay. "I thought I'd just go out, chat to some people and see if there's anyone I fancy."

"You make it sound so easy," Jurina grumbles as she takes a bite. "Hey, this is good!"

"Well of course it is," Rena says, as close to exasperated as Jurina's ever heard her. "What did you expect?" Jurina just winks at her and Rena flips her off before she picks up her fork and tucks in. "What do you mean, I make it sound so easy? It is easy."

"For you," Jurina says and that's all she's willing to say. She ignores the look Rena gives her and is grateful that Rena changes the subject to the text she got from Yuko a few minutes ago asking her and Jurina to a party tomorrow night.

"She asked me as well?" Jurina asks and she tries to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"Yeah, course she did," Rena says as if she can't comprehend why Jurina wouldn't be invited. "You'll come, right?"

"I guess, if you want me to," Jurina says as she clears her plate and sits back, stretching. She sees Rena looking furtively at her and she grins. "You want me to lift my shirt, babe?"

"Matsui Jurina, you flirt," Rena mumbles through a mouthful of food. "You know I always appreciate your body, considering the amount of time you spend showing it off these days. You're staying tonight, right?"

"I might as well just unpack here, Rena," Jurina laughs as she carries her plate to the sink and starts washing her plate. "I really need to go home at some point."

"Why?" Rena asks and the blunt tone has Jurina looking over her shoulder at a frowning Rena. "I mean, you might as well just stay here."

Jurina's initial reaction is to say no, of course she can't stay here when she's got a perfectly good flat two miles away when she realizes that there's no actual reason for her to go home, except maybe to check that everything's in order and maybe pick up some different clothes. "Okay. But I pay for half the food and when you want me to go home, just kick me out, ok?"

"No problem," Rena says easily and she smiles that slow smile of her that has Jurina turning back to the dishes with a warm feeling in her chest.

"You wanna try that new boxset tonight?" Jurina calls over her shoulder and hears Rena agree.

Once the dishes are clean and set to dry, Jurina puts the show on and lies down on the sofa next to Rena, putting her head on Rena's lap and she sighs happily when Rena's fingers slide into her hair and strokes and rubs gently.

After a ridiculously good night's sleep, Jurina is up and bounding around the house early, trying to get Rena out of bed despite her protests. She ends up physically lifting her out of bed and carrying a wriggling and yelling Rena to the shower, dumping her inside and turning on the water, chuckling as she leaves a very wet and bedraggled Rena grumbling behind her. When Rena emerges, she's got a beanie shoved over her head and she's glaring at Jurina, who offers her a piece of toast and a banana as a peace-offering.

"Why am I up?" Rena grumbles as she swipes the banana and peels it carefully.

"We're going to go check on my place and I'm going to pick up some clothes and stuff," Jurina explains as Rena swipes the toast and throws the banana peel in the bin.

Rena's expression immediately brightens. "Because you're staying here, right?"

"Right," Jurina agrees and she's shoving Rena's jacket at her and throwing her keys, which Rena fumbles before holding them aloft victoriously with an adorable grin.

They pull up and manage to get inside without anyone noticing them and Jurina hurries Rena into her apartment. As she looks around, everything seems okay and she disappears into her bedroom to start throwing stuff into a bag. Rena ends up lying on her bed, giving her opinion on what Jurina should take until they've wasted two hours deciding on whether Jurina should take her lightwash jeans or whether she needs five white t-shirts. She checks her messages, finds that none of them are urgent and grabs her mail, shoving it into her bag as well and she figures she can open it at Rena's.

Jurina runs into a Starbucks on their way home and grabs lunch, stopping to sign a few autographs and pose for pictures and she's grateful no one can see Rena through her tinted windows kerbside, because otherwise they'd have a mob on their hands. She manages to finally escape and falls into the car, groaning. Rena's look is sympathetic and she pats Jurina's hand in compassion before pulling away.

It takes Rena most of the afternoon to get ready, while Jurina spends the afternoon going for a run and vegging out in front of the television. When Rena yells at her because she's not ready and they have to go in twenty minutes, Jurina jumps in the shower, spends two minutes doing her hair, checks her stubble is still in some kind of tidiness, throws on her lightwash jeans and a white t-shirt, throws on a jacket for good measure and she's good to go.

Rena wolf whistles as Jurina walks down the stairs. Jurina blushes because she's still not used to compliments, even after all this time in this band of theirs where they aren't afraid to discuss at length each other's butts, their hair, their eyes, their hands, their torsos and well, anything really.

"You look hot, Matsui Jurina," Rena announces and leans in to smack a wet kiss on her cheek.

Jurina's flush worsens and Rena's grin widens. Rena's in black skinny jeans and some kind of rainbow shirt which Jurina thinks is both awful and amazing and she's got those damn brown boots on that Rena loves but Jurina secretly wants to throw out with the trash.

"Maybe while we're finding me a cute girl, we'll find you a cute boy, what do you think Jurina?" Rena teases as she grabs Jurina's hand and tugs her out of the door. Rena lets her hand slip into Jurina's as they walk the short distance to Yuko's place. "You're looking pretty irresistible tonight, you know."

"Shut up," Jurina says fondly as she nudges Rena with her hip. Rena nudges her back and they're halfway to wrestling in the street before someone walks past them and Jurina straightens, grinning stupidly as she holds Rena in a headlock. "You gonna behave tonight Rena?"

Rena twists slightly so she can grin up at Jurina from her tenuous position. "Probably not," she admits honestly but she looks so adorable that Jurina just rolls her eyes and lets her go. Rena instantly moves back into Jurina's side and they turn the corner into Yuko's place, Rena's hand on Jurina's back and propelling her forward so that Jurina has to walk in first.

After introducing Jurina to what feels like a hundred people, Jurina finds herself on a sofa, squeezed between two people she can't remember the names of but she's had too many drinks to care. She's talking to them about food when she looks up and sees Rena talking to some girl. She's pretty cute, Jurina thinks objectively. She watches Rena laugh at something the cute girl is saying and she feels a twist in her stomach. Probably just had too much to drink. She stands up carefully, excusing herself politely and heads for the bathroom. She gets stopped twice on the way by people wanting to talk to her, which she can still never get her head around because she's at a party with lots of famous guests, so why anyone would single her out is beyond her, but she manages to lock herself in the bathroom eventually and splashes some water on her face, grimacing as she peers at herself in the mirror. Running her hand through her hair, she tries to put herself together and after a few minutes, figures she's good to go. She heads back to where she last saw Rena, only to feel something launching themselves at her back. Without turning, she reaches down to pat the hands locked around her waist.

"Hey Rena," she murmurs before turning in Rena's arms. "How's it going?"

"I've met some cute girls, Jurina.." Rena says happily and cuddles closer, dropping her head onto Jurina's chest and tightening her grip.

"That's great," and Jurina really does mean it, even if she kind of finds it irritating that Rena can find it so easy to just collect people. "But you probably shouldn't be hanging off me if you want to find a date, you know."

"My dates have to love you, Jurina or they're not worth it," Rena slurs carelessly as her hands drop to Jurina's butt and while Jurina's hardly surprised because the band grope each other all the time, she's reaching back to lift Rena's hands back up to her waist because it's not just the two of them here and if Rena's trying to find a nice girl to date, nice girls aren't going to go on dates with Rena if they see her all over another girl, no matter how innocent it is.

"How much have you had to drink?" Jurina asks suspiciously as she reaches up to cup Rena's face and forces Rena to look at her.

Rena giggles. "You gonna kiss me Jurina?"

"Okay, time to go," Jurina says firmly as she tugs Rena over to Yuko and says goodbye and thanks her for inviting them. Rena plants a sloppy kiss on Yuko's cheek and waves goodbye as Jurina pushes her towards the door. As soon as the fresh air hits her, Rena's whining and trying to curl into Jurina, seeking warmth. With a sigh, Jurina shifts so that she can wrap an arm around Rena's back and offers Rena her body warmth.

"You taking me to bed Jurina?" Rena giggles again as Jurina turns into Rena's driveway.

"Something like that," Jurina mutters as she fishes Rena's spare keys out of her jeans pocket and opens the door. She pushes Rena upstairs and pushes her gently onto the bed. She slips off Rena's boots and works on tugging her jeans off, cursing their bloody tightness and considers it a victory when they finally slide off. Rena's lost in her t-shirt as she tries to take it off and calls for Jurina to rescue her. Wondering how this became her life, Jurina tugs the shirt off her and wraps Rena in the covers.

"Hey, you come to bed too," Rena frowns as she reaches out to tug Jurina down.

"Not yet, you idiot." Jurina frees herself from Rena's long fingers and heads downstairs to get a glass of water for Rena, placing it on her bedside table. She then quickly strips and slips into bed but makes no move to cuddle Rena.

"Heeeeeeey," Rena whines as she tries to move into Jurina's space and Jurina fends her off. "What's wrong? Where's my cuddle?"

"No drunken cuddles," Jurina says firmly. "You get handsy when you're drunk."

"You love it when I'm handsy," Rena says coquettishly before she giggles and reaches out again, only to find Jurina's hands wrapped around her wrists, keeping her at bay. "Hey, this is kinky. You never mentioned your kinkiness before, Jurina."

Jurina stays silent and prays for patience.

"I wanna cuddddddddle!"

Groaning, Jurina turns around and wraps her arms around Rena, flexing her arms tightly so that Rena is imprisoned and can't move.

"We're going to discuss this kinky stuff you're into in the morning," Rena informs her with a yawn. "I think I like it. I definitely like your arms, Jurina. They're strong and they make a girl feel safe, you know?"

Jurina pushes down the weird bubble of feeling that appears in her tummy. "Go to sleep, Rena."

"Night Jurina. Love you."

"Yeah, you too, you idiot."

Jurina wakes up to find Rena's face inches away from her own. She blinks slowly as Rena's face comes into focus. Jurina finds herself admiring Rena's face, because it's a very nice face, and she can see why her female fans go crazy over her. Sometimes she thinks she goes a bit crazy over Rena because otherwise she'd be in her own bed right now, in her own flat and seeing her own friends. Yet here she is, sharing Rena's bed and just staring at her like some kind of crazy stalker.

"Morning," Rena's husky voice has Jurina lifting her eyes from where they'd rested on Rena lips to look up into curious black eyes. "Sleep well?"

"As well as I can with a handsy drunk," Jurina replies but her voice is soft and her tone is fond, so Rena just lets her lips curve into a gorgeous smile and Jurina finds her gaze drawn back down to look at it.

"Sorry Jurina, can't help it if you're irresistible when you're being all responsible and sensible and trying to get me into bed," Rena says and then bites her lip.

Jurina frowns as she watches Rena's teeth worry her bottom lip.

"Seriously, thanks for looking after me," Rena says and Jurina's gaze is still fixated on Rena's mouth so she watches as Rena moves closer and presses a soft kiss on Jurina's lips. Rena moves back and jumps out of bed, complaining that she needs a shower and Jurina is left lying in bed, staring after her.

When Rena emerges, she tries to persuade Jurina to go sightseeing. Jurina argues that they'll be mobbed as soon as they head outside together, because it's just about manageable when it's one of them, but Rena promises to dress inconspicuously and promises that she'll wear a baseball hat, an offer that Jurina can't turn down which is why they end up queuing to get on the Ferris Wheel. Rena leans on Jurina's back, looking over her shoulder and Jurina stands as still as she can to keep Rena upright, because Rena has the worst balance in the world and Jurina's braced to catch her if she starts sliding.

"Hey Jurina, do you know how anything about plumbing?"

"Uh, a little," Jurina offers, a little dubious. "Why?"

"The kitchen sink's been a bit clogged, didn't know if you knew how to fix it or whether I should call someone," Rena murmurs.

"I can take a look later when we get home," Jurina offers and she hears Rena saying something that sounds like thanks.

"Did you hear from any of those girls you met last night?" Jurina asks idly as she watches the wheel turn, craning her neck slightly to look up to the top of the wheel.

"Yeah," Rena mumbles and Jurina's pretty sure she's got her eyes closed and is two minutes away from falling asleep on her. "Two of them want to set up dates."

"I don't know how you do it," Jurina grumbles, annoyed once again at the ease with which Rena can find dates. "What did you say?"

"Nothing yet," Rena says and she follows Jurina as the line moves, keeping her head on Jurina's broad shoulders. "What do you think I should do?"

"Um, go on dates with them?" Jurina rolls her eyes and wonders how Rena gets through life, generally. "Go on a first date with both of them and see if you get on with them. If you do, pick whichever one you get on best with and go on another date. And if you enjoy that date, marry them."

Rena lets out a surprised laugh and presses a wet kiss on the back of Jurina's neck, which has Jurina shivering. "Straight to marriage, huh?"

"I think it's best that you don't have too many choices, Rena," Jurina says seriously. "You're rubbish when faced with choice. You can't even pick a movie, let alone a life partner. I think it's best to just settle down as soon as you can find someone to put up with you and your idiot ways."

"In that case, we should get married," Rena muses.

Jurina laughs. "Yeah, or you could marry Mayu or Takamina. Maybe not Sayanee, I don't think she could live with you for more than three months at a time, max."

"Dating sounds like a lot of work," Rena says with a sigh and Jurina turns around to look at her.

"But totally worth it," Jurina tells her and Rena smiles sadly. Jurina reaches out and hooks her hand around the back of Rena's neck, bringing her closer and resting her head against Rena's. "I promise. In six months when you're happily coupled off, I'll be more than pleased to tell you I told you so."

"Deal," Rena says and leans forward to press her lips against Jurina's briefly.

"Come on lovebirds."
Jurina and Rena jump at the muttered comment coming from somewhere further down the line as they realise the line has moved in front of them and they've been so wrapped up in each other that they haven't noticed. Flushing, Jurina steps away from Rena and mutters an apology before catching up. Rena slips her hand into Jurina's and grins up at her. "That was embarrassing, wasn't it Jurina?"

Rena spends the rest of their time queuing cooing at Jurina and pretending to be girlfriends, amusing herself while Jurina just pretends to ignore her. she carries on, all through the ride, snuggling up to Jurina, pressing kisses against her neck and cheek and any bare skin she can get to before Jurina shrugs her off, sneaking her arms around Jurina and calling her all the pet names she can come up with, her favourite being Jurina-beans, for reasons that completely escape Jurina.

"You really need to get laid," Jurina says as they walk away from the wheel, making Rena laugh loudly.

"Hey, I'm trying," Rena points out.

"Not with me!" Jurina says exasperatedly.

Rena gives her a funny look. "I meant with my dates, Jurina."

"Oh, right," Jurina says and pretends that she's not completely embarrassed . "Did you text them back?"

"Yeah, I'm going on a date tonight. Is that okay?" Rena asks hesitantly.

"Of course it is," Jurina says, punching Rena lightly in the arm and pushing away the sad thought that she'll have to spend the night alone for the first time in forever. Perhaps she'll call Churi and see if she's around for a catch up.

"I won't be late or anything, especially if she's an idiot," Rena says as she presses against Jurina and looks across at her through her eyelashes.

"You can be as late as you like, Rena," Jurina says reasonably. "Don't worry about me, seriously. I'll text Churi and see if she's around."

"Okay," Rena says and Jurina can tell from her tone that she's unsure. Jurina doesn't want her to talk herself out of going on the date so she shoots off a quick text to Churi, who replies immediately to say that she can meet her for a drink.

"See? I'm all sorted," Jurina says and is entirely grateful to have such a good best friend.

"But you'll come back home after, right?" Rena asks and she slips her hand into Jurina's unobtrusively.

Jurina squeezes it. "Yeah, course I will. All my stuff's at yours."

Rena just smiles and they head towards the Tokyo Tower.

Jurina has a great evening catching up with Churi. She only texts Rena three times to make sure she's okay, that the date is going okay and to see what time she'll be home. From what she can gather, Rena's date is very nice, she was punctual and Rena will be home by 10pm. Jurina's a bit dubious about how well the date can be going if she's going to be home that early, so she insists on leaving at 9.50pm, despite Churi's incredulous protests and heads home. The house is still empty so Jurina puts the kettle on, because Takamina has drilled it into the rest of them that tea is good for any situation and sits down, playing on her phone and trying to pretend that she's not nervous. Nervous in case it went well or nervous in case it went badly? Jurina pushes the rogue thought away and starts to drum her fingers against the table. When the door finally opens, Jurina jumps up and hurries to meet her. Rena looks normal, Jurina thinks, no tears but no foolish grins either.

"So?" Jurina thinks the wait is going to kill her, even though it's only been five seconds before Rena walked in.

With a shrug, Rena hangs up her jacket. "It was okay."

"Just okay?" Jurina asks, grabbing Rena's arm and dragging her into the kitchen and sitting her down while she pours the tea.

"Yeah, just okay," Rena says. "Don't think there'll be a second date."

Jurina ignores the weird leap her stomach makes and sits down, placing the tea in front of them. "Oh, well better luck next time, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rena says, taking a sip. "I'm having lunch with the other one tomorrow."

Jurina ignores the instinct to protest, because it's another few hours she'll have to spend alone, and seriously what was wrong with her? She's managed to fill her free time from tour and band duties very well in the past, so why is she even thinking about moaning when Rena dares to spend some time going on dates, something that Jurina has long thought overdue?

"Cool," is what Jurina manages to say. she sees Rena looking a little down and she reaches out to tug a curl. "How can anyone go on a date with you and it just be okay?"

Rena bites her lip and flushes, keeping her eyes down. "Dunno."

"If that were me, I'd be dragging off to the nearest bed," Jurina says with a teasing wink that Rena catches with a reluctant grin.

"Well, you do drag me to bed every night," Rena says with a straight face. Jurina pulls a face, which entices Rena to reach out and bop her nose.

"That'll have to stop when you start shagging one of your dates," Jurina says and tries to stay upbeat when really the thought makes her much sadder than it should.

"Yeah, I guess," Rena says and Jurina thinks she sounds sad too. "But not tonight."

"Nah, not tonight," Jurina says as she stands and puts the cups in the sink to wash up tomorrow. She turns around and shoves Rena towards the stairs, both of them giggling stupidly. "Tonight, I'll put up with your wandering hands and flailing limbs."

"You love it," Rena returns as they run up the stairs together, Rena chasing Jurina with absolutely no hope of catching her. "As much as I love your stupid snoring and deadweight arms draped around me."

"Don't really know why we don't just make up the guest bed," Jurina mutters although really that's the last thing she wants.

"Because I hate the guest bed and refuse to sleep in it," Rena points out as she strips and climbs into bed, picking up the remote and turning on the television and finding something silly to watch.

"No, for me, stupid." Jurina says as she climbs in the other side and grabs the remote and changes the channel to the football.

"Like I said, I refuse to sleep in it," Rena repeats and lays her head on Jurina's shoulder to watch the game.

Jurina refuses to acknowledge how that thought makes her ridiculous, stupidly happy. "I fixed the sink," she says quietly.

"You're the best," Rena says just as quietly and she reaches out to squeeze Jurina's arm in gratitude, and Jurina doesn't mind when Rena leaves her hand there while they watch Match of the Day.

When Rena disappears on her lunch date, after Jurina's sat through three outfit changes and Rena trying to change her mind whether to actually go which resulted in Jurina stealing Rena's house keys and pushing her out the front door, Jurina decides to go for a run. She's been slacking on her workouts since they've been home and she's suddenly got excess energy to burn. She runs through the streets of Tokyo, keeping her stolen-from-Rena-beanie-covered head down and just focuses on the beat in her earphones and the rhythmic thud of her trainers hitting the street. She runs until her lungs are burning and she runs until she can barely breathe. She runs until sweat is dripping down her face and down her back and her whole body aches.
She runs until she stops thinking about how Rena's date is going and whether she'll be home yet. When she finally heads home, she finds Rena sitting on her own doorstep, tapping her feet and texting. Rena looks up and her eyebrows raise slowly.

"Shit, I forgot I had your keys," Jurina swears, rummaging in her shorts for a key. "Sorry Rena."

"No problem," Rena shrugs and Jurina's glad she's the easygoing one because Jurina would have been pitching a fit by now. A quick glance at her watch tells her that she's been gone almost three hours. "You look sweaty."

"I am sweaty," Jurina mutters as she finally finds her keys and lets them in. "I need a shower."

Ahe disappears upstairs and spends far longer than she needs to in the shower. When she emerges, she finds Rena curled up on the sofa, still texting.

"So how did it go?" Jurina asks as she flops down on the chair opposite.

Rena looks up and frowns at her. "Yeah, it went okay."

"So why are you frowning? Okay is good, right?" Jurina asks as she closes her eyes and stretches her aching limbs.

"No reason," Rena murmurs but it has Jurina opening one eye to squint at her. "Well, what are you doing over there?"

"What am I- uh, stretching?" Jurina answers, bemused.

"Well, stretch over here," Rena grumbles. "Stop being unsociable."

Jurina shakes her head in disbelief but gets up and joins Rena, who yanks her down to lie across her, head in Rena's lap. "That's better."

"You know it's not unsociable to sit on different pieces of furniture, right?" Jurina murmurs but she's not really complaining when Rena's stroking her hair and it feels so nice.

"Of course it is when there's only two of you," Rena says like Jurina's being stupid. "Especially when it's us."

Jurina doesn't answer because she's half-asleep, the combination of a crazy workout and Rena's soothing touch lulling her to drowsiness.

"I don't think she's the one either," Rena says quietly and Jurina struggles to open her eyes, looking up at Rena to see her smiling sadly down at her. Jurina reaches up and strokes Rena's cheek, smiling as Rena leans into her hand and closes her eyes.

"That's okay, Rena," Jurina reassures her. "You'll find someone, I promise."

"Yeah," Rena whispers and they stay there for ages, Jurina's hand on Rena's face and Rena's hands in Jurina's hair.

Every time Rena goes on a date, Jurina goes for a run. After a week, Jurina's fitter than she's ever been and yet she continues to push herself every time. She needs to run to clear her head each time because she knows Rena is going to come back from her date quietly upset and disheartened and it's going to break Jurina's heart a little more. They've developed a routine of sorts where Jurina puts on Rena's favourite movie or television show to cheer her up and Jurina wraps Rena up as tightly as she can in her arms and they stay there until they're drowsy enough to fall into bed, exhausted. Jurina kind of loves it. And she thinks Rena does too because she traces the muscles on Jurina's arms and wraps her hands around Jurina's wrists and that's how they settle in together. When Takamina calls to say she's coming down for a visit and bringing Sayanee, Jurina spends the morning before they arrive bouncing around, cleaning and fussing until Rena pins her to the sofa. Of course, Jurina could escape if she wanted to but she enjoys Rena wriggling around on top of her and she likes seeing Rena grinning stupidly above her, so she stays where she is while Rena holds her wrists together. And that's how Takamina and Sayanee walk in on them. Of course Takamina has keys, because she treats Rena's place like her own when she's in town, so Rena and Jurina barely spare them a glance as Rena crows above Jurina.

"Interrupting something are we, girls?" Takamina asks, amused.

"Jurina was being her usual puppy self and running around chasing her tail in excitement, so I had to sit on her," Rena explains.

"Well, let her loose and come give us a hug," Takamina says fondly and Rena scrambles off Jurina, giving her a pat on the cheek before she climbs off and finds herself wrapped up in Takamina. When they pull apart, Jurina is tangled up with Sayanee on the sofa and Takamina tugs Rena so that they both end up on top of them and Jurina is glad she's strong enough to hold all three of them because otherwise she'd be pretty squashed right now.

"What have you two been up to?" Takamina asks when they finally let each other go and she's made tea for everyone.

"Loads of stuff," Jurina says, looking over at Rena with a smile.

"Yeah," Rena agrees. "We've been sightseeing, we've been to a couple of parties and we've watched loads of movies, right Jurina?"

"Lots of movies," Jurina says with a fond eye roll. "Rena's stocked up on weird-looking clothes so that she can be papped in designer shit."

"Heeeey," Rena protests and dives on top of Jurina, who just catches her and holds her hands together, laughing as Rena struggles to get free. Neither of them notice the look Sayanee and Takamina share.

"Wait, have you two spent all your time together since we got back?" Sayanee asks, a bemused look on her face.

"Yeah," Rena says, finally wrestling her hands free and pushing her hand against Jurina's chest to push her back. "Jurina kind of never went home."

"Rena convinced me to stay because she doesn't like to be alone," Jurina shrugs as if it's not unusual.

"So you've been living here?" Takamina clarifies slowly, glancing at Sayanee again.

"Pretty much," Jurina says.

"Jurina's a pretty good housemate," Rena leans forward and whispers to Takamina and Sayanee, as if Jurina can't hear her. Jurina ducks her head slightly to hide her beaming smile. "She fixes stuff."

"Oh really?" Takamina says and her tone invites Rena to reveal more.

"Yeah," Rena nods seriously. "And she washes up after I've cooked and she doesn't mind doing the washing."

At Takamina' stare, Jurina just shrugs and tries to pretend that she's not flushing. "Sounds very ... domestic," Takamina says slowly.

Jurina ignores the pointed look Takamina is giving her and turns the conversation round to what the other two girls have been up to. All day, Jurina is acutely aware of Takamina's stares. She's aware of it when Rena curls into Jurina and she's about to wrap her arms around Rena like usual but stops herself. She's aware when Rena announces that Takamina and Sayanee don't have to share because Jurina's been sleeping with Rena this whole time and Takamina' eyebrows can't possibly rise any further. She's aware when Jurina and Rena move around the kitchen and each other fluidly when Rena makes dinner because they do this every night and they have a routine. It's just that she and Rena have spent a lot of time together over this break, that's all. They've developed a rapport, not dissimilar to Rena and Takamina in the past.

When Rena reveals over dinner that she's been on some dates, Takamina immediately turns to Jurina and stares. While Sayanee talks to Rena about her dates, Takamina leans closer to Jurina and says quietly, "So how do you feel about your girlfriend going on dates with other girls?"

Jurina just stares at her, her eyebrows drawn together. "What are you talking about Takamina?"

"The fact that you and Rena have some weird love nest setup going on here. What the hell is going on, Jurina? You're living here, sharing Rena's bed, snuggling together on the couch, going on dates, playing house together. Surely you can see that this is a bit ... unusual."

"It's not like that," Jurina insists because it's really not. And she turns back to the conversation, deliberately ending the conversation, but she knows it's not over.

When they sprawl out in front of the television with their beers, Jurina doesn't think it's weird if Rena nuzzles into Jurina's neck or if Jurina's arm curls around Rena, because Jurina would do this with any of her bandmates. When they eventually stumble up to bed, hugging each other goodnight and Jurina and Rena crawl into bed together, Jurina doesn't think it's weird because she's shared beds with all of the band at one time or another. When she eases behind Rena and wraps one arm around her waist, she doesn't think it's weird because it's Rena and it just can't be weird. Jurina's final thought before she drops off to sleep is that it can't be weird because it feels so right.

When they wave Takamina and Sayanee off in the morning, Jurina tries to put aside the warning Takamina gave her when they hugged goodbye. "Just be careful, ok?" she whispered in Jurina's ear. "I hope you know what you're doing, both of you."

Jurina just squeezed her shoulders because even though she's wrong, Jurina appreciates that Takamina cares so much. When Rena presses a kiss against Jurina's cheek before turning to go back inside, Jurina's stomach totally doesn't swoop and she doesn't want to lift her hand to press against her cheek whatsoever. But Jurina is slowly noticing things that she didn't notice before. Like how much she and Rena touch. Jurina doesn't realize she's doing in half the time and she's pretty sure Rena isn't aware either, but they rarely go five minutes without reaching out to the other. Or how much Jurina hates talking about Rena's dates. She'd thought she just didn't like seeing Rena upset when they didn't work out, but since Takamina' visit, she's trying to be more honest with herself and that means admitting that a part of her doesn't want Rena's dates to go well because it means Jurina will have to go home and this closeness they've achieved, something closer than the bond they'd built in the past three years, would be lost. And Jurina feels particularly awful about this particular knowledge because she does want Rena to be happy and to be in a relationship that makes her smile and laugh and be endearing. But she can't finish that thought process out because she's pretty sure she's not ready to face that particular truth yet.

Every time she touches Rena now, it's different. She finds her hands lingering, unwilling to pull away from Rena and lose the connection. She makes sure she gets up first in the morning, not waiting for Rena to wake up before she jumps in the shower because when she wakes up to find Rena pressed against her, it's had an effect on the color of her face that she needs to address before Rena can see anything. She's not sure what to do. Logically, she knows she has to get out of the shower, get dressed and pretend for the next fifty years that she hasn't just had a sudden realization that could break everything in her life. her friends, her career, her Rena.

She at least manages the first step. She's dressed and out of the house within minutes, running harder than she's run all week. This time she doesn't just want to forget Rena's dates. This time, she wants to stop thinking about kissing Rena. Stop thinking about setting up house with Rena and yelling honey I'm home in a semi-ironic way every evening. She really doesn't want to think about the pitying look Rena's going to give her if she ever learns about Jurina's crush because Rena will be so nice about it all while breaking Jurina's heart. She keeps running until she almost passes out. Then she grabs a chocolate bar and heads home slowly, wondering what the hell she's going to do.

"Juuuurrriiiiinnnnaaaa!" Rena's throwing open the front door and staring at her in horror. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Running," is all Jurina manages to say because she's suddenly more breathless than she was before she almost passed out. Rena is standing in front of her and all Jurina can think about is pressing her lips to Rena's and going back to bed. But that's not going to happen, obviously.

"Get in," Rena says and grabs Jurina's shirt, yanking her forward. Jurina stumbles and almost falls on Rena but manages to save herself at the last second. "Damn, Jurina."

"Sorry Rena," Jurina says slowly as she tries to regain her balance.

"You have to go shower, quickly," Rena says with a wrinkle of her very adorable nose. Jurina wants to punch herself in the face.

"Yeah, I'm going," she says tiredly and trudges upstairs, belatedly realizing that Rena's following her.

"We've got a guest coming for lunch," Rena says quickly and it's enough to make Jurina's heart sink as if she knows what's coming.

"Oh?" she manages to say as she starts to strip off but she's so exhausted that Rena steps forward to help her and it's the worst possible thing to happen because Jurina has to force herself not to wrap her arms around Rena or breathe in her scent.

"Yeah, it's kind of maybe ... she might be girlfriend material?" Rena says and the hope in Rena's eyes just about kills Jurina. She can feel her barely-there smile slipping and just about keeps it in place.

"Wow, that's great Rena," Jurina says stiltedly. "I'll just jump in the shower then."

"Okay," Rena says brightly and leaves Jurina to step into the shower and bang her fist against the wall in pure frustration. On the very day she realizes that she wants to play happy families with Rena forever, Matsui Rena, is bringing her first girlfriend home for Jurina to meet. Her life sucks. It really, really sucks.

She climbs out of the shower wearily and throws on jeans and a t-shirt before heading downstairs. She freezes halfway down when she hears Rena's giggle and another voice. Oh God. She can't do this. She's feeling awful anyway because it's not every day you realize that you're in love with one of your best friends and there's no way she should be expected to smile and be nice to Rena's new girlfriend when really all she wants to do is growl and throw her out of the house before throwing herself at Rena and begging her to give Jurina a chance. But Jurina knows that Rena is relying on her and she can't let Rena down, no matter what. And there's a chance that this girl could be the love of Rena's life, as hard as it is for Jurina to even think about that possibility, so Jurina needs to suck it up, get through the next few hours and then head home to wallow in her stupidity for the next two weeks until they're back on tour. Jurina straightens up, plasters her best fake smile across her face - something she's grateful for all the media training for - and heads into the room, looking for all the world as if she can't wait to meet Rena's girlfriend.

Two hours later, Jurina's head is pounding and she wants to be sick. Rena's saying goodbye to her girlfriend while Jurina's sitting in the living room with her head in her hands. She wants to hate Yuki, she really does, but she seemed nice and she kept glancing at Rena and smiling and Jurina just wants to rip her head off because Jurina is apparently the jealous type and Yuki is so gorgeous and funny and she makes Jurina feel absolutely inferior. She watched Rena laughing and giggling and generally being adorable and Jurina thinks she might just keel over in heartbreak. She pulls herself together though, because really who dies of heartbreak on the same day they fall in love? She heads upstairs and starts throwing stuff into her bags and she's stupidly sad that it only takes five minutes to clear up all her stuff and erase herself from Rena's home. She trudges downstairs and walks into the kitchen, dropping her bags on the floor. Rena spins round and her face falls. she takes in the bags and Jurina's expression and she starts to shake her head. "No."

"It's time for me to go home, Rena," Jurina says as brightly as she can manage while her heart weeps a little. "You're going to want to have this place to yourself now that you have Yuki and you're too nice to throw me out, so I'm throwing myself out."

"Jurina," Rena moves over to her and reaches out to grab her hand but Jurina steps back, mostly for self-preservation. She ignores the surprised look in Rena's eyes and just shuffles around. "Jurina, please don't go, I don't want you to go."

"Come on Rena," Jurina says as gently as she can manage, trying to overlook the fact that her voice has inexplicably deepened. "This isn't a permanent arrangement. I have to go home. How would you explain to your girlfriend that you share a bed with another girl every night?"

"She's not my girlfriend," Rena says with a frown.

Jurina just shakes her head. "She wants to be your girlfriend. And you want her to be your girlfriend otherwise you wouldn't have introduced us. I think she's really nice, Rena." The words don't quite choke her. "You're good together."

"We're good together," Rena mutters and Jurina's heart breaks a little more.

"We're mates, Rena," Jurina says, mostly for her own benefit. "I know you're scared of relationships, and that's normal because it's a big step. You have to learn to trust someone and give your entire self to them and it's scary because you don't know for certain that it'll work out, but you have to try and you have to be open. And you cannot share your bed with anyone other than your girlfriend, no matter how good mates you are. Okay?"

"Jurina ..." Rena's voice sounds like it's coming from far away.

"I'll text you later, ok?" Jurina leans forward and presses a fleeting kiss on Rena's forehead, moving back before Rena can grab hold of her. "Thanks for letting me stay here, Rena. It was fun."

Jurina grabs her bags and hurries out. She doesn't look back. When she gets home, she crawls into bed and shuts her eyes, trying not to think about how lonely her bed is without Rena in it or how her sheets don't feel the same way Rena's do and they don't smell like Rena's do. Pushing it all aside because she's afraid she's going to go crazy, she wills herself to fall asleep and to start putting everything Rena-related into a big, black box labelled 'friends and nothing more'.

Three days later, Jurina thinks she's finally descended into crazy. She hasn't showered or gotten dressed since she's been home. She's watched stupid romantic comedies that make her shed a tear and she hates them so much but she's also slightly addicted to them. She hasn't left her apartment and she's sick of takeaway but not so sick of it that she wants to go outside into the world because she's not ready to face anything yet. All she can think about is Rena and how much she misses her, and until that goes away, she can't face anything else. She spends her hours thinking about what Rena's doing, who she's seeing, whether she's asked Yuki to be her girlfriend yet, whether Yuki's stayed over yet, whether Rena's making out with her or if they're fooling around in bed and that's why Jurina thinks she's actually crazy now. Her phone has rung several times but she doesn't want to answer it so she doesn't. It's probably just her mum or her sisters, and she really can't deal with them now. Sometimes there's a knock at the door but she doesn't answer that either.

It takes another two days before Jurina finally tires of takeout and gets in the shower. She emerges feeling a bit better but when she walks into the store, all she can think about is food shopping with Rena and how much fun it was. Jurina grabs a basketful of necessities and runs home, locking herself in once more.

The next day, she's woken by someone knocking on the door. She screws up her face and blearily looks at her watch - it's 11am. She switches off the television which is stuck on the menu page of the Love Actually DVD she'd been watching and stumbles towards the door. She couldn't be more surprised to see Takamina standing there, staring at her.

"Jurina, what the hell?" Takamina shoves her back and steps into the apartment and slams the door shut behind her.

"Hey Takamina," Jurina's voice is croaky from lack of use. "What brings you here?"

"The fact that you disappeared off the face of the planet and Rena won't talk to me or the other girls and you look damn awful."

Jurina just shrugs because she can hardly deny it.

"Come here," Takamina grabs her shoulders and pulls her close, wrapping her arms around Jurina, who just collapses into her. "Hey, what's this?"

"I screwed up," Jurina mumbles into her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know," Takamina sighs and rubs her back soothingly. "Come on, I'll make tea and we can talk about what an idiot you've been."

Jurina laughs a little brokenly and sits on the sofa, staring at nothing until Takamina places a cup of tea in her hands and sits next to her.

"So tell me," she invites.

"I might have, um, accidentally ..." Jurina stutters because she's not said the words out loud before and they scare her. "Well, you know."

"Fallen in love with Rena," Takamina supplies helpfully.

Jurina's shoulders slump.

"Well, she is charming and beautiful and adorable, all that shit," Takamina teases gently but Jurina's just withdrawn into herself. "Have you told her?"

She shakes her head. "I just realized it when Rena invited her new girlfriend round."

"Well shit," Takamina's sympathetic tone almost kills Jurina.

"Yeah," Jurina half-laughs but it sounds painful even to her. "Great timing, right? Not that anything would ever happen with me and Rena but still."

"Why wouldn't something happen between you two?" Takamina asks before slurping her tea to amuse Jurina. "You're fit, she's fit. You've got loads in common, you know each other's bad habits and you still fancy her, oh, and you've been playing girlfriends quite happily for the past few weeks."

"We weren't playing girlfriends," Jurina denies. "At least, not intentionally."

"It was clear as mud, mate, to me and Sayanee," Takamina tells her, softening her words with a kind smile. "And it wasn't just you."

"That's just Rena though, right? I mean you two used to be like an old married couple," Jurina says sadly because she wishes it wasn't true, that it was different between her and Rena but no matter how much she wished it, it didn't make it true.

"Yeah, but that was just us being silly and scared and clinging to each other," Takamina says. "You two were proper domestic. It was pretty cute, actually."

Jurina just attempts a smile but when it falters, Takamina' arms encircle her and she pulls Jurina into her body and they just stay locked together. "I hate it when you're like this," Takamina mutters.

Jurina sniffs and apologizes immediately, which just has Takamina tutting crossly. "No, you idiot. It's perfectly alright to be upset, I'm just saying I hate it because you're so bloody resilient most of the time so when you're like this, it makes my stomach hurt."

Jurina's response is to reach out and pat Takamina' tummy gently and it has Takamina laughing but she doesn't let go.

"I'm going to sit here with you all night and let you wallow," Takamina says softly. "Then tomorrow, you're going to shower, clean this place up because it looks like a pigsty, then we're going to get you back on track, right?"

Jurina just nods.

The next day, Takamina makes Jurina turn on her phone. She's got a few worried texts from Sayanee and one from Mayu, announcing that she's the Hokkaido pie-eating champion and she expects due adulation when they next see each other. She's got a few texts from her mum and sister, Churi sent her a funny picture and there are six texts from Takamina, all more irate than the last. Jurina looks at her sheepishly but Takamina ignores her. And of course there are a lot of texts from Rena.

Jurina, are you home?
Juuurrriiinnna, where are you?
Jurina, call meeeee!
Why are you ignoring me? :-(
Jurina? I miss you and your stupid arms :-(
I can't sleep. Text me!


And that was just the first night.

What are you doing? Let's go do something fun!
Are you still alive?
I'm going to call Takamina if you don't respond.
Takamina's coming down in two days if you don't respond.
DID YOU HEAR ME? TAKAMINA'S ON her WAY
Jurina, seriously, are you okay?
You're not answering your door, so you must be out but call me, okay?
Oi Jurina, send me a text to let me know you're alive.
Juuuurrrriiiiiinnnnna. I miss you. I MISS YOU.


Jurina feels a little guilty. Hell, she feels a lot guilty.

"Miss you, did she?" Takamina asks smugly.

"Only because she's lonely in that house," Jurina reasons but her heart is pounding a little. "I'm sure Yuki is making it easier on her."

"Funny thing," Takamina muses. "When she called me in a panic because you'd disappeared off the face of the planet, she didn't mention Yuki, not once. And when she called me yesterday and ordered me to come down to find you because she'd been round three times with no answer and she couldn't find you at your gym or with Churi or your parents or sisters or with the rest of us and there were no pap shots of you and she'd even gone on tumblr to see if anyone had caught sight of you, she still didn't mention Yuki. I didn't even know Yuki existed until you mentioned her last night."

"Perhaps I should text her, let her know I'm okay," Jurina says slowly.

"Yes, I think that's a brilliant idea," Takamina says with a straight face.

Sorryyyyy, been really busy. Takamina’s here nowwww.

She gets a response straightaway.

Don't move one inch, I'm coming over!

Jurina groans.

"That's my work done, I'm off," Takamina says and grabs her stuff, pats Jurina's cheek comfortingly and heads out of the door while Jurina's still stunned on the sofa. "I'll be at Sayanee's, call me after!"

It takes Rena exactly seven minutes to make it to Jurina's door, and Jurina's not quite sure how that's possible because she lives further away than that but the minute she opens the door, she's got a handful of Rena and she's falling back onto the floor with the momentum with which Rena hits her.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Jurina," Rena growls into her neck.

"Uh, I'm sorry?" Jurina offers but really she's just lost in the pleasure of having her arms around Rena and knowing that Rena was worried about her.

"You're such an idiot," Rena mutters. "You didn't have to give me so much space that you disappeared altogether."

"Oh, uh, no, okay," Jurina stutters. "Perhaps we can get up?"

"I'm quite comfortable here," Rena mumbles and her arms tighten.

Jurina's tighten as well and they're locked in a tangle of limbs.

"So, how's it going with Yuki then?" Jurina asks the question she's been dreading for the past week.

"Yeah, it's okay," Rena shrugs, burrowing her head deeper into Jurina's neck. "She's nice.."

"That's nice," Jurina manages and she's quite proud of herself despite the sick feeling in her stomach.

"I missed you," Rena lifts her head at last and her stare is hard and bright.

"We've spent longer apart than this," Jurina points out but her heart is racing.

"But it's different," Rena whines. "We've spent two weeks together, just the two of us, and the two months before that on tour. I miss you. Come back to mine."

"Rena, I'm not coming back to yours," Jurina says with a gentle roll of her eyes. "Come on. We talked about this."

"Yuki can just sod off then," Rena grumbles.

Jurina's body jerks in reaction but she sternly reminds herself that Rena's just kidding.

"I hope someone's warned her about your mood swings," Jurina teases as she gives into temptation and reaches up to tuck a curl behind Rena's ear.

"No, not yet," Rena grins. " she still thinks I'm adorable."

"More fool her," Jurina teases again.

"Hey, I am adorable!" Rena protests.

"Not nearly as adorable as you think you are," Jurina replies and tweaks Rena's nose. "Or as adorable as our fans think you are."

"Tell me I'm adorable," Rena orders as she grabs Jurina's wrists and holds them above her head and too late Jurina remembers that they're lying on the floor in her apartment, with Rena lying on top of her, bodies pressed together and Rena restraining her hands.

"You know I can flip you without even trying, right?" Jurina points out.

Rena grins happily. "I know. But you won't. You know why? Because I'm adorable."

"I'm still not moving in," Jurina says firmly.

"Fine," Rena huffs as she finally clambers to her feet and holds out a hand to help Jurina up. She slides her hand into Jurina's as she reaches back to slam the front door shut and tugs Jurina over to the sofa and quickly arranges them into Rena's favourite position. "But you'll come over and have dinner, right? And watch movies? And fix my broken stuff?"

"Rena," Jurina says warningly and she has to steel herself against Rena's pleading eyes. "I just can't, okay?"

"I don't understand." Rena's frowning and Jurina can see that Rena really and truly doesn't get it. It's both endearing and frustrating in equal measure, which pretty much sums up their entire relationship up to the moment Jurina moved into Rena's, when it progressed to intimacy and awareness.

"I know you don't," Jurina says tenderly as she reaches out to run her hand through Rena's hair and lets herself enjoy the feeling once more before she starts her Rena detox. "You should invite Yuki around for dinner and curl up in front of the television with her."

"Fine," Rena sighs as she reaches for her phone with her free hand and shoots off a quick text. She gets a reply within minutes and throws it down on Jurina's coffee table. "There, she's coming around tonight."

"You could sound a little happier about it, Rena," Jurina says with a gentle nudge. She knows that this is just Rena being Rena and when Yuki arrives tonight, Rena will have a much better evening than they've ever had together at Rena's home, but she still has to bank down a little frisson of happiness at Rena's sulking.

"I'll be happier when you cuddle me and tell me you missed me as much as I missed you," Rena says grumpily.

Jurina grins stupidly. "I missed you, you whiny, needy crybaby."

Rena turns and glares at her.

"Okay, okay," Jurina laughs and lifts her hands in protest. "I missed you. Lots."

"That's better," Rena beams and presses a kiss against Jurina's cheek. If Jurina flushes, it's okay because Rena's turned back and is fidgeting to get Jurina's arms around her the way she likes. Jurina grabs the remote and puts on some antiques show that she knows Rena likes and they waste most of the day lying together on the sofa, not really talking. Jurina has to practically throw Rena out when it gets late and Rena needs to be home for her date.

"Fine, I'm going," Rena pouts as she stands in the doorway and looks at Jurina. "But I'd rather be here. Don't forget Yuko's party tomorrow."

"Wait," Jurina reaches out to grab Rena before she turns and leaves. "What party?"

"Yuko's party tomorrow," Rena says slowly. "Did I not tell you?"

"No, in the six hours you've been sat next to me all day, you didn't once mention a party," Jurina says with a sigh. "What time?"

"Get to mine for eight, ok? We'll go together," Rena says and she's off with a little wave. "Takamina, Sayanee and Mayu are coming too. Miss yooooou!"

"Go away!" Jurina calls after her but ruins the sentiment with the utter fondness she can hear in her own voice.

When she closes the door, she forces herself to sit down and find something distracting to watch so that she doesn't have to think about what Rena's doing, because if she does, she might just break.

Jurina decides to get up and go out in the morning, so she goes for a run and after a quick shower, heads into the city to do some shopping. She signs some autographs and poses for pictures and manages to almost double her wardrobe in one trip. She gets a text from Takamina mid-afternoon asking how it went with Rena.

Went ok. She went home for a date wth Yuki. It’ll be ok, promise. See you tonight!

Jurina dresses in black jeans and one of her new t-shirts. It clings to her shoulders and hangs loose around her torso. she doesn't wear a belt and chooses boots to complete the outfit.She grabs a jacket on her way out and heads to Rena's, wondering whether Yuki's going to be there or not. When she reaches Rena's door, she reaches for her key automatically before she remembers that she doesn't live here anymore. She rings the doorbell and waits, her foot tapping nervously on the step as she waits. Sayanee answers the door, an odd look on her face that Jurina barely has a second to decipher before Sayanee's pulling her inside.

"Hey." she says quietly before she steps in for a hug that Jurina returns instinctively.

"Hey." Jurina echoes with a smile as they pull back to look at each other. "Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sayanee says. "Come in, Mayu's in the kitchen and Takamina and Rena are upstairs dealing with some crisis."

"Oh, uh, everything alright?" Jurina glances up the stairs as they pass, resisting the urge to run up and check that Rena's okay.

"Yeah, it'll work itself out," Sayanee says and Jurina's not sure what she means but figures it's probably about clothes or hair.

"Jurina!" Mayu catches her in a bear hug and Jurina leans in, holding her close before letting move back a little but she keeps hold of her.

"How's home?" Jurina asks, grinning happily.

"Ah, amazing," Mayu says and pulls Jurina down to sit with her as she regales her with all the gossip from Hokkaido.

Sayanee disappears somewhere halfway through, and Jurina suspects she's already heard this at least once, and when she comes back in, she heads upstairs. Jurina watches her go and has to force her attention back to Mayu rather than whatever is going on upstairs. When she checks her watch, it's almost 9pm and she wonders what's holding them up. When she mentions it to Mayu, she just waves her hand carelessly and says something about them being down when they're ready. When Takamina comes into the kitchen, Jurina's surprised to see she's fairly subdued.

"Alright, Jurina?"

"Uh, yeah," Jurina answers with a frown. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Takamina answers distractedly and pats Jurina on the shoulder.

"Where's Rena?" Jurina asks and she meets Takamina' gaze.

"She's just getting ready," Takamina says. "She'll be down in a minute. You know what she's like, she likes an entrance."

"So is Yuki coming then?" Jurina asks idly, or as idly as she can manage.

"No, no she's not," Takamina responds and her hand returns to Jurina's shoulder to rub gently.

Jurina leans into her and that's how they stay until Rena emerges five minutes later.

"Hey Jurina," Rena greets her.

Jurina knows something's wrong. She can see it in Rena's eyes and the way her smile is a little forced. She knows it because Rena hasn't run in to throw her arms around Jurina, the way she has for the past four weeks. And she knows because Rena is standing in the kitchen doorway while Jurina is several paces away. In the past four weeks, whenever they've been in the same room, they've been within touching distance of each other at all times. They've gravitated towards each other, and she actually hates how far away Rena feels right now. God, no wonder Takamina picked up on Jurina's feelings so quickly. It would have been obvious to a complete stranger, let alone one of their closest mates.

"So, ready to go?" Takamina asks brightly as she slips her arm around Jurina's waist and squeezes gently.

Mayu grabs Rena and spins her around, ushering her out of the house, followed by a more sedate Sayanee. As Takamina pushes a reluctant Jurina towards the door, Jurina can't take her eyes away from Rena.

"Tamakina, what's going on?" Jurina asks in a hushed voice.

"Just Rena being a diva," Takamina says with a cheeky grin. "Nothing to worry about."

"Let's get trashed!" Mayu shouts as they turn into Yuko's road.

"Not a bad idea," Takamina admits to Jurina as they walk into the house and Jurina loses them all immediately.

It's okay though because Mayu's back within seconds, handing Jurina a drink. Shrugging, Jurina tosses it back in one and grins at Mayu, who whoops excitedly. Jurina stops at the fourth drink and switches to water. She hasn't seen Rena or Takamina all night, but she's caught up with Yuko, she's seen Mayu bouncing around and checking in and she's currently chatting to Sayanee outside while Sayanee drinks.

"You okay there?" Sayanee asks as she sips her drink slowly. Jurina gives her a look and Sayanee just returns it steadily. "What are you going to do about Rena?"

Jurina sighs heavily. "Slowly torture myself while Rena falls in love with some perfect girl who is probably great in bed and makes stupid jokes that make Rena fall about with that stupid laugh she does."

"Sounds like a hell of a plan, Jurina," Sayanee says sardonically.

"It's the best I can do, Sayanee," Jurina says heavily and she leans into Sayanee when she slings her arm around Jurina and takes another drag.

Jurina starts to round them all up when the party starts to fade. She has Sayanee look after Mayu and makes sure they stay near the front door. She searches high and low for Takamina and Rena but they aren't anywhere to be found. She knocks on every door in Yuko's place but no one has seen them. she knocks on the last door, Yuko's en suite bathroom and Takamina' face appears. she's blocking Jurina's view and steps outside, forcing Jurina back.

"You alright Jurina?" she asks cheerily.

"Yeah, we're just heading off," Jurina says distractedly as she tries to look past Takamina but she's being effectively blocked. "You coming?"

"Yeah, we'll be right down," Takamina says. she turns to go back in the bathroom when she spins around and throws her arms around a surprised Jurina. "I love you, you know?"

"Uh, love you too Takamina," Jurina says, patting her back and wondering exactly how much Takamina had to drink. "See you downstairs, ok?"

Takamina just nods and disappears, leaving Jurina staring at a closed door. Jurina heads back downstairs and finds Sayanee and Mayu where she left them. They chat quietly but Jurina's gaze is on the stairs, waiting for the girls to appear. When they do, Jurina's up immediately and moving forward before she can stop herself. She moves past Takamina and stops in front of Rena. Jurina waits for Rena to look up, worried and when she does, Jurina's heart stops because Rena looks wrecked. She steps forward and pulls Rena close, wrapping her arms around her, locking them tightly the way she knows Rena likes. She feels Rena freeze for a second before she softens and wraps her arms around Jurina and they stay there for who knows how long before Takamina is coughing and suggesting that they head home.

Jurina lets her arms drop but she slots her hand into Rena's and squeezes tightly. Rena doesn't squeeze back but Jurina feels her move closer and they walk slowly home, following the others at a distance. Jurina's desperate to find out what's wrong, but she can wait a bit longer until she can get Rena alone. When they turn into Rena's drive, Takamina already has the door open but the three of them are standing outside, waiting for them.

"Uh, we're going to head back to Mayu's place," Sayanee says quietly. "Leave you two to sort things out."

"Look after her, Jurina," Takamina says before Jurina can ask Sayanee what she's talking about.

"Yeah, of course," Jurina says as if Takamina's said something stupid.

Then they're gone and Jurina is left standing outside of Rena's house, holding hands with a clearly upset Rena. Jurina steps into the house and pulls Rena with her, shutting the door behind her.

"Sofa or bed?" Jurina asks, turning to look at Rena, who seems to be avoiding her gaze.

"Bed," Rena says quietly.

Jurina's seriously worried now, but she leads Rena upstairs and they change into their pajamas quickly before lying down together on the bed. "What's wrong Rena?" Jurina asks and she laces her fingers with Rena's. She sees Rena look down at their hands.

"Uh, Takamina says I should just be honest," Rena says and Jurina hates the vulnerability she can hear in Rena's voice. "I um, well, you know I saw Yuki last night."

Jurina nods and her throat tightens.

"Well, it was going okay but all I could think about was that she wasn't the right person," Rena says slowly. "She wasn't the right person at all."

"Oh, Rena," Jurina whispers and moves closer to rest her head against Rena's. "It's okay. You'll find someone, I promise."

"No, it's not..." Rena pauses and moves back so that she can look at Jurina. "Takamina promised me it would be okay to tell you and I know it is because you're the sweetest, nicest, most loyal person I've ever met."

Jurina tries not to get distracted by Rena's words and tries to focus on what Rena wants to tell her. "You can tell me anything, Rena, you know you can."

"Yeah," Rena says with a sigh. she lifts herself up onto her elbows so that she's looking down at Jurina. She reaches out a hand and strokes Jurina's face, smiling fondly when Jurina's eyelids flutter slightly. "Yeah, I think I can."

Jurina waits patiently because she knows it can take Rena a while to build up to what she wants to say. So when Rena starts lowering her head, she just waits with an encouraging smile. Rena keeps coming though and when she presses her lips against Jurina's, she's so surprised that she just freezes. She cannot move. She can't move when Rena moves back and looks at Jurina in increasing horror. She can't move when Rena makes a little noise that has Jurina blinking quickly. She can't move when Rena closes her eyes and swears under her breath. When Rena moves to climb off the bed, Jurina unfreezes and grabs Rena's arm in a vice-like grip, preventing her from moving.

"Damn it, I knew Takamina was wrong, I knew it," Rena was muttering as she pulled against Jurina's grip.

"Wrong about what, Rena?" Jurina asks, her voice husky.

"About this," Rena gestures between them, eyes a little wild, her hands shaking. "She said it would be okay. I thought it would be okay."

"Rena," Jurina pulls her close and Rena falls back onto the bed, finding Jurina leaning over her and looking down at her. "You just kissed me."

Rena shrugs, avoiding Jurina's gaze, neatly pinned in by Jurina. Heart racing, Jurina slowly leans down, echoing Rena's move and presses her lips against Rena's. When Rena's arms come up to encircle Jurina's shoulders and pull her closer, Jurina groans against Rena's mouth and Rena starts licking into her mouth eagerly. Jurina buries her hands in Rena's hair, letting her fingers get tangled in the curls. She feels Rena writhing beneath her and it's a turn on. One of her hands slips down Rena's body to grasp Rena's hip and her fingers dig in as Rena bites Jurina's bottom lip. Jurina groans again and she breaks the kiss. When Rena lets out a disapproving whine, which has a serious effect on Jurina's mental acuity, Jurina presses another kiss against Rena's lips before letting her mouth drift across Rena's jaw and down her neck, pressing soft kisses anywhere she can find bare skin. She finally lifts her head and looks down to see Rena gazing at her with sleepy eyes. She notes the smile playing on Rena's lips and she dips again to kiss her.

"Takamina's never wrong," Jurina murmurs with a smile and she grins happily when Rena lets out a quick giggle.

"We should talk, ok?" Rena asks and when she licks her lips and glances back down at Jurina's mouth, Jurina highly doubts she can even finish a thought let alone have a serious conversation. There's too much to say and they're both tired and emotional. They've taken a massive step forward and while Jurina can barely think past the fact that she's making out with Rena in Rena's bed, she knows they'll make more sense in the morning.

"Let's talk tomorrow when we're sober and I can think properly and string two sentences together," Jurina suggests and she sees Rena nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Rena says and her voice has already turned sleepy. "But you'll stay, right? Here? With me?"

Jurina settles herself against the pillows and reaches out to pull Rena into her side, where she places her head on Jurina's shoulder and snuggles in, pressing kisses against Jurina's chest and giggling. "I'm not planning on going anywhere."

"Goodnight, Jurina," Rena whispers and lets her fingers trail across Jurina's chest, making her shiver and seriously doubting the wisdom in trying to get some sleep when Rena's all pliant and affectionate. Jurina sighs and forces herself to cool off. Plenty of time for that later, she thinks to herself. She tightens her arms around Rena, presses a long kiss against Rena's head, which makes Rena wiggle a bit and sigh happily, before they both relax almost in sync and she closes her eyes. They're both asleep almost immediately.

When Jurina opens her eyes, her hand is already outstretched, reaching for Rena. When she finds nothing but sheets, she sits up quickly and looks around but Rena isn't there. She pauses, listening to hear whether Rena is in the bathroom or downstairs, but the house is silent. She throws on her jeans and heads downstairs, hoping that Rena's lying on the sofa watching cartoons, or in the kitchen making tea, but she's not. Jurina races back upstairs to grab her phone, but there are no missed calls. No texts. She looks around but there are no notes. There's nothing. Jurina tries not to think the worst. She tries not to think about Rena freaking out when she woke up this morning. She tries really, really hard not to think about Rena having regrets about the night before. About Jurina. She tries really hard to think about everything she knows about Rena, about how sensitive she is and how she tries to put everyone else before herself. She tries to think about how deeply Rena loves every single one of them, and how she's never deliberately hurt anyone in her life. She tries not to think about how Rena might be breaking her heart. It's so much to not think about that Jurina climbs into bed, shuts her eyes and tries not to think about anything at all because all she can do is lie here, in Rena's bed, and wait for her to come home.

After three hours of staring at the ceiling, Jurina decides that she can't wait any longer because Rena clearly isn't coming home and she dresses as fast as she can and runs all the way home, ignoring the stares of passersby, who hopefully just think she's doing the run of shame and don't pay any attention to the fact that she's one fifth of AKB Band and doing the run of shame. She jumps in the shower and just stays under the spray, turning up the temperature until it's painful and harsh on her skin. When she drags herself out, she's red raw and the pain is now as external as it is internal. But she's trying not to think about that because she knows there's a reason. She knows Rena wouldn't do this to her, not deliberately, because she didn't just imagine Rena kissing her last night. All she had to do was be patient. Rena would call her and explain everything and they'd talk everything out and they'd be okay. They had to be okay. Jurina doesn't know what she's going to do if they aren't okay. She dresses and lays down on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, her phone resting on her chest so that she can check it every few minutes. When her phone finally vibrates, she grabs it and looks at the text message. It's Rena.

Hey, meet me at AKB Garden in 30 minutes? Wear something smart. I'll explain everything. Can't wait to see you .xx

Jurina's up and stripping off before she even processes Rena's text. She changes into a nicer pair of jeans, wears a button down shirt and grimaces as she slips her feet into a pair of lace ups. She's so desperate to just see Rena that she doesn't care that Rena basically abandoned her for a whole day because she knows if she just sees Rena, it'll sort itself out.

She arrives right on time, seeing Rena standing by the station trying to look inconspicuous. Jurina moves towards her and she sees the exact second Rena spots her. her dimples flash and Rena's moving towards her. They stop inches away from each other and Jurina's grinning stupidly because Rena is beaming. Rena grabs Jurina's hand and tugs her down a side street and into what seems like a dark house but Jurina realizes it's a restaurant that is deserted. Rena guides her towards a table near the back and waits for Jurina to sit, bemused, before Rena sits as well.

"Hey," Jurina says because she's suddenly nervous and she needs to fill the silence.

"Hey," Rena echoes, before she's grinning again and leaning forward. "You look great, Jurina."

Jurina flushes. She can't help it. She's not used to Rena giving her compliments, they're more likely to yell insults at each other's choice in clothing. She finally notices that Rena's in a dark shirt and jeans. "You look great too, Rena."

Jurina watches as Rena blushes and looks away, and she thinks it might just be the most adorable thing she's ever seen in her life.

"So you're probably wondering where I've been today," Rena says eventually after they've been staring and grinning at each other for a few minutes. Or possibly hours.

Jurina nods slowly.

"I've been planning this," Rena says, gesturing to the restaurant. "It's all ours, tonight."

Jurina's eyes widen. "Wow."

Rena giggles. "There's more, Jurina," she says with an eye roll. "I haven't spent all day hiring a restaurant."

"Oh good," Jurina says with a relieved sigh and crosses her eyes, making Rena laugh.

Rena reaches out her hand and lays them on the table, palms up. She looks at Jurina and she looks calm, Jurina thinks. She reaches out and places her hands in Rena's and Rena closes her hands, letting her thumbs run back and forth over Jurina's hands.

"So we should talk, yeah?" Rena asks for the second time and Jurina nods. "So you've probably guessed that my date with Yuki went spectacularly badly."

Jurina frowns, because she hasn't really thought about Yuki at all, to be honest.

"I just kept thinking that it wasn't right because she wasn't holding my hand like you do, and she wasn't laughing at my stupid jokes like you do, and when we were on the sofa, watching some terrible film that Yuki thought was hilarious, her arms were round me and I just couldn't bear it. They weren't your arms and she didn't feel like you and then I kind of freaked out and Yuki left and basically I don't think we'll be seeing each other again," Rena says and Jurina thinks she's leaving out a lot of information. "So I called Takamina who came over and after I explained that I didn't think it would work with Yuki, Takamina asked why," Rena continues and she looks up to smile sweetly, which has Jurina squeezing her hands. "Well, Takamina said that perhaps I was looking in the wrong place for a girlfriend. I told her I didn't know where to look then, but she just gave me a weird look and asked what I wanted in a girlfriend. So I listed all the things I wanted, and she asked if perhaps there was already someone who did all those things, who was all those things."

"Yeah?" Jurina prompted.

"Yeah," Rena says simply. "Turns out that person was already right in front of me. Fixing my problems, staying in my bed, taking me on dates and looking after me. The only thing was, it was completely platonic. And Takamina made me realize that I didn't want it to be platonic. So I freaked out again because I screamed at Takamina that you were straight, you had boyfriends and you fancied boys and when I finally stopped shouting, Takamina told me that I was an idiot and anyone could see that you and I were, like, practically a couple."

"Yeah, Takamina had to tell me that we were basically girlfriends before I realized it as well," Jurina says with a smile. "So we're both idiots."

That makes Rena grin stupidly. "So basically I spent most of yesterday freaking out and then when I saw you in the kitchen, I just wanted to go over to you and have you put your arms around me like you usually do, except I also wanted to kiss you stupid. So when we made it to the party, I dragged Takamina upstairs and she spent most of the night telling me to just go for it and I just worked myself up until I freaked out again."

Jurina waits but Rena seems to have said all she wants to say. "Did you freak out this morning?"

Rena shakes her head solemnly.

"Are you planning to freak out at any point tonight?" Jurina asks and she lets a little smile slip past her lips.

Rena shakes her head, grinning.

"So you're all done freaking out?"

"Totally calm," Rena confirms.

Just then, a waiter appears and Rena orders two glass of wine. Jurina scans the menu and they order. Jurina waits for their wines to arrive and the waiter to disappear before she looks back at Rena.

"So you're okay then, with this?"

Rena shakes her head. "Jurina, it's crazy how okay I am with this."

Jurina can't stop the smile that stretches her cheeks so much that they start to ache. Rena laughs and she's grinning too and they're just two idiots, grinning at each other.

"So what are we doing after dinner?" Jurina asks finally. "Or are we staying here?"

"I have a few plans," Rena says mysteriously and Jurina lights up.

"Oh, I love surprises!" Jurina bounces up and down and Rena just looks at her fondly.

They enjoy dinner, laughing and flirting and touching each other as much as possible. When they can't touch hands, Rena's foot is rubbing against Jurina's calf and Jurina's leg is stretched out to rest against Rena's leg, tangling together. Rena offers Jurina a bite of her chicken and laughs when it falls off Rena's fork before Jurina can lean forward. Jurina cuts a piece of her steak and puts it on Rena's plate, arguing that it's safer than trying it Rena's way, while Rena argues that it's not romantic and Jurina says that chicken that's fallen on the table isn't romantic at all. They skip dessert and Rena pays the bill, ignoring Jurina's protests. When they stand, Rena reaches for Jurina's hand and curls her own around Jurina's. They smile stupidly at each other before Rena leads her out of the restaurant. They walk through the streets, Jurina letting Rena guide the way, just happy to be holding Rena's hand and sharing stupid, secret smiles with each other. Rena stops outside a theatre. Jurina looks up, confused, because it looks closed.

"Uh, so this is kind of all ours for the night as well," Rena says shyly and Jurina laughs at Rena's utterly endearing version of date night.

"What are we watching?" Jurina asks as Rena pushes the door open and she smiles charmingly at the girl behind the counter.

"It's a surprise," Rena says and winks at the girl, who blushes. "Do you want popcorn?"

Jurina just raises an eyebrow and Rena grins as she reaches out to grab some chocolate. "And butter popcorn and a large coke."

Jurina nods in approval and tries to pay once again but Rena just glares at her as she hands over the cash. They walk into the theatre and Rena picks seats in the back row, although Jurina protests that they've got the screen to themselves so they could just as easily sit nearer because no one is around anyway. When Rena pouts, Jurina gives in and follows her to the back row.

The film starts as if by magic and Jurina chuckles when she hears the familiar theme. "You chose Toy Story?"

Rena grins. "I know you've seen it a million times, but this is our first date and I wanted it to be perfect."

"It is perfect," Jurina says earnestly and she can't resist the urge to lean forward, cupping Rena's face in her hands and placing a kiss on Rena's lips.

Except then they both forget about the movie and the food and spend most of the movie making out and copping feels that Jurina feels slightly guilty about because really they're still kind of in public but then Rena's hand is in her lap again and Jurina forgets what she was thinking about anyway.

"This is the best first date ever," Rena says as she presses a kiss against Jurina's neck, grinning when Jurina shivers.

"Absolutely," Jurina agrees as she pulls Rena closer for a kiss.

"We should probably talk about how this is going to affect the band and stuff," Rena murmurs against Jurina's mouth.

"Yeah, probably," Jurina's distracted by Rena's hand moving lower and hovering over Jurina's lap. "Maybe we should go home."

Rena beams and presses a quick kiss against Jurina's mouth. "Yeah, let's go home."

"Unless you had something else planned?" Jurina asks as she kisses Rena.

"Just a karaoke bar," Rena murmurs.

Jurina groans. "Next time, ok?"

"Yeah," Rena agrees as she stands up and hauls Jurina to her feet.

"Seriously Rena," Jurina pauses and Rena stops, her hand in Jurina's. "This was the best date. Thank you."

"I just wanted to do something special, you know?" Rena says and Jurina steps closer and kisses her gently. "I know we weren't dating when you were staying at mine, but you were kind of the perfect girlfriend anyway and I wanted to show you that I can be pretty good at this stuff too."

"Rena, you don't have to show me anything," Jurina says softly and Rena wraps her arms around Jurina's waist. "You just have to be you and I just have to be me and together we'll work it out, yeah?"

"Okay," Rena says happily and leans her head against Jurina's chest. "But when we get home, I can show you how fit I think you are, right?"

"Definitely," Jurina agrees. "It's actually kind of compulsory."

"And if you wanted to lift me in your stupidly strong arms, that'd be okay," Rena murmurs and Jurina grins.

"Okay, Rena, that's good to know."

"And while I don't normally put out on the first date, I think you might be in luck tonight," Rena says and she's tugging Jurina towards the door. "Because really, we've been dating for over a month now."

Jurina's still laughing as Rena hails a cab and they fall inside, limbs entangled.

"Okay, but when we celebrate our anniversary, I'm counting it from today," Jurina warns her.

"Anniversary," Rena repeats quietly and her eyes go soft.

Jurina just rolls her eyes, checks the cabbie isn't looking and yanks Rena towards her, kissing her senseless.


OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Zhen on March 30, 2015, 06:40:06 PM
BUHAHA. IM JUST SAVING A SPOT. SO I CAN POST a comment LATER~ :P

wow.Again. Awesome writing skill. Loving it as always kev-sama.
YESH. LOVING HOW THEY ACT LIKE LOVERS BEFORE KNOWING THEY ACTUALLY HAVE FALLEN FOR EACH OTHER....
I was wondering the whole time does Rena even knows that she have fallen in love with jurina..... AND IM glad you have answer it....

Quote
"No, it's not..." Rena pauses and moves back so that she can look at Jurina. "Takamina promised me it would be okay to tell you and I know it is because you're the sweetest, nicest, most loyal person I've ever met."

Jurina tries not to get distracted by Rena's words and tries to focus on what Rena wants to tell her. "You can tell me anything, Rena, you know you can."

"Yeah," Rena says with a sigh. she lifts herself up onto her elbows so that she's looking down at Jurina. She reaches out a hand and strokes Jurina's face, smiling fondly when Jurina's eyelids flutter slightly. "Yeah, I think I can."

Jurina waits patiently because she knows it can take Rena a while to build up to what she wants to say. So when Rena starts lowering her head, she just waits with an encouraging smile. Rena keeps coming though and when she presses her lips against Jurina's, she's so surprised that she just freezes. She cannot move. She can't move when Rena moves back and looks at Jurina in increasing horror. She can't move when Rena makes a little noise that has Jurina blinking quickly. She can't move when Rena closes her eyes and swears under her breath. When Rena moves to climb off the bed, Jurina unfreezes and grabs Rena's arm in a vice-like grip, preventing her from moving.

"Damn it, I knew Takamina was wrong, I knew it," Rena was muttering as she pulled against Jurina's grip.

"Wrong about what, Rena?" Jurina asks, her voice husky.

"About this," Rena gestures between them, eyes a little wild, her hands shaking. "She said it would be okay. I thought it would be okay."



AWHHHHH!!! this scene Just killed me. XD

Quote
"Takamina's never wrong," Jurina murmurs with a smile and she grins happily when Rena lets out a quick giggle.

AGREE! TAKAMINA NEVER WRONG! :P

AH~ this fanfic made my heart go doki doki as I read. XD HAHAHA! Good Job and thank you for making such awesome fanfic.... Once again!!!!! :P

I love the jealously~ that Jurina had for Rena. XD So flufffyyy~

Ps: I took an hour to finish reading.... YES! I enjoyed it and Im a slow reader. :P
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kuro_black29 on March 30, 2015, 09:51:43 PM
Seriously amazing..their relationship the best
Wmatsuiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~
Jurina here is awesomeeeee~and
Rena having to much freakin out
Too much emotion reading...
thanks for the update~
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: chiqinna on March 31, 2015, 05:12:44 AM
sweet~ sugar crush!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Haruko on March 31, 2015, 08:30:56 AM
it was so lovely and cute :D really thank you for this
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: DC2805 on March 31, 2015, 12:22:19 PM
i enjoyed reading this long OS…spent almost an hour doing so! haha…

it never disappoint me, a lovely story of falling in love with your best friends, the bittersweet, almost heart wrenching feeling to be endured. Glad it turned out to be a happy ending  :two thumbs and kudos to Takamina for helping to get the 2 sorting out their mind, especially Rena, to take the 1st step in the confession.
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: MisakiShishido on March 31, 2015, 02:47:32 PM
Waaaaay too amazing of a fic... I just don't know what to say but it was definitely worth the time spent on it!  :inlove:

A calm and collected Jurina paired with a airheaded, playful Rena... and the fact they have been acting like a couple before they realised their love for each other? Yep. This is one of the best settings I have ever read  :thumbsup

Loved this OS through and through. I salute you, Sir. Thank you very much for this!!!  :twothumbs

P.S. Takaboss is the best indirect matchmaker of the century  8)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Kirozoro on March 31, 2015, 06:49:34 PM
Kyaaaa Wmatsui is so cute

They finally realize their truth feelings for each others

Thank for the OS
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: RenshuChan on April 01, 2015, 01:23:17 AM
My toes curling at how sweet the story is. Sometimes you don't realize that the person in front of you is the fittest girlfriend/boyfriend for you, I get that point.
Great job as always Kevin :)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: gek geki on April 01, 2015, 03:04:45 AM
cuuute


ah rena
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: Raizel on April 05, 2015, 05:36:43 PM
OMG..  :shocked: 19k words, story about wmatsui.. kyaa.. :inlove:
You spoiled us again kevin-san.. :P
Sorry for being a silent reader until now..  :banghead:
Really love your work,.. :twothumbs
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 18 Girlfriends (Wmatsui OS)
Post by: kevinwkl on April 24, 2015, 04:07:00 PM
Hello~
Welcome to my new OS~ It's close to about 14 words XD
It'll be a Mayuki fic.. A fencing fic I wrote for CLUBHAPPY for doing me a favor of drawing a fanart for my series XD
Before you proceed, I wrote down some fencing basics right below. You just have to understand these terms and you're ready to read the whole fic. It's not much  XD
ENJOY~!

The sport of fencing consists of three distinct disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre. Fencers often specialize in just one weapon.  The weapons differ in the way they are used to score hits: in foil and épée, only a thrust with the point of the weapon counts, whereas in saber a hit can also be made by the side of the blade.

Lamé is an electrically conductive jacket worn by foil, épée and sabre fencers in order to define the scoring area.

Riposte is an attack right after parrying. Think of it as a counter attack.

Not much to know right? XD


_______________________________________________________________________



OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)



Yuki sized up her opponent, shifting her weight between the balls of her feet as she ran through her options. She'd fenced Coach Akimoto before, and while the woman was a former Olympian, age had slowed her...somewhat. Not nearly enough. To be honest, the former Olympian didn't really need speed. She had timing, experience, and Yuki had seen her time and time again go up against the odd arrogant student who thought they could challenge the older fencer. It always ended the same way: 5-0, with one ego bruised and an untouched ex Olympian. She should never have let herself get suckered into this.

Some freshman simply had to bring it up. They had to ask if the team's resident ace could handle their infamous coach. Sayaka being Sayaka, she'd been more than up for a 'friendly bout'...with everyone watching. At least her coach had agreed to go with épée. It was no secret that their coach preferred saber, but épée was Yuki's specialty. It evened the odds...a little. Coach Akimoto was taller, more experienced, more skilled, and honestly, a lot more devious.

Yuki didn't like her chances. Granted, she could probably land a few hits on the older woman. It wouldn't be completely one-sided, and she would make Sayaka work for it. Still...she wanted to win. She wanted to show her coach that she could manage a victory, even in a thoroughly unbalanced fight.

"Let's make this fast. First to touch?" It was the best solution. It ended this little show as quickly as possible, and a single touch meant almost nothing. It could be put down to luck, or the timing, or any number of factors other than the fact that Sayaka was simply better, and about to kick her ass. Plus it saved at least some of the loser's pride. Maybe they'd tie. She could always hope.

Sayaka nodded, fixing the zipper of her jacket before smiling at the assembled students. "That's fine with me."

Resigned, Yuki slid the mask down over her head. The two women saluted, then sank into the ready position, their guards up, both blades aimed at the other's chest.

"En garde."

Her body wanted to tense up, to coil, to spring forward the second the starting gate opened. She fought the urge, doing her best to relax, stay loose. Tensing up would just slow her down.

"Ready." The referee's hands came up.

She could do this. She could do this.

"Fence."

They darted forward, keeping just on the outside of each other's range. It was a fruitless dance, the two of them teasing each other's defense, their shoes squeaking on the metal plates set atop the hardwood floor. Everything faded but for the much taller woman in front of her, the two of them inching back and forth, making the occasional flick with their weapons, testing for reactions.

Sayaka extended a little – another test, another tease – only this time, Yuki saw it coming. She moved, body singing as her feet pounded the step it took to get her within range. Her fingers twitched, the small movement flicking her blade around Sayaka's, trapping the opposing weapon between her blade and guard, twisting to force the spring-loaded tip away from her body. She didn't flourish, didn't try to throw the blade away. She didn't need flair, she just needed the tip out of her way.

She felt the point of her épée hit the edge of Sayaka's chest protector, the molded plastic deflecting the blade away from her center of mass. A surge of pride swelled in her, only ruined a little when she felt Sayaka's tip flick her stomach at almost the same time. Yuki heard the buzzer, and allowed herself to breathe. She'd done it. Both red and green lights lit up the score counters. They'd tied.

"Good move, Kashiwagi!" Sayaka already had her mask off, clapping her on the shoulder as the other members clapped appreciatively.

"It was one hit."

"Sometimes, that's all you need. Better a tie than no point at all."

The other members had started to move, dragging themselves off the ground to pull weapons from oversized bags, running wires down arms and clipping themselves to the fencing strips. The spectacle was over; it was back to training as usual. Yuki nodded, happy to see them not wasting any more time. Everyone needed the practice, especially so soon after summer vacation. She was a second away from finding one of her teammates, asking for a round or two, before Sayaka tapped her shoulder.

"Yes, coach?"

"I think someone's looking for you."

Just inside the gym door stood a short girl in a red hoodie over a tank top and yoga pants. She was gazing around the room with rapt attention, her face shining as she watched the other members pair up as practice started once again. Soon the room filled with the buzz of score machines, squeaking shoes, and the sharp notes of clashing blades. If anything, the girl grew more excited, her eyes widening as a pair of saberists began their bout, clashing into each other in the way that only they could.

"Why do you think she's here for me?"

"Because she wouldn't take her eyes off you until you looked over there." Another pat on her back and Sayaka was whispering in her ear. "Good luck."

Submissive to her duty as the club captain, Yuki unclipped the wires from her weapon, tucking her mask under her arm as she went over to the newcomer. The girl stayed by the door, shifting awkwardly as Yuki got closer.

"Um, are you Yuki?" The girl asked before the fencer could even open her mouth, the wide-eyed wonder now replaced by nervous fidgets.

"... I am. Can I ask wh-"

"Oh, good. Jurina just told me you had long, raven-black hair, so I had no idea where to start and I was soo gonna get lost. I mean, you guys were all fighting and you had your masks on and I-" Yuki could feel herself being driven back by the onslaught pouring out of the short girl's mouth. The girl must have seen it in her eyes, and stopped herself. Coughing to clear her throat, she took a breath and started over. "Sorry. I'm Mayu. Jurina told me to say that she'd 'vouched for me.' Guess you're supposed to know what that means, 'cause she didn't explain."

“Jurina?” Yuki scowled. Thanks Jurina. She would send this girl now, when Yuki was sweaty, with mussed hair, still hopped up on adrenaline from her bout, and in absolutely no shape to deal with the bubbly girl staring at her with wide, excited eyes. Wide, excited, round eyes.

She almost growled. She wanted to growl. It was the curse of having your best friend as your roommate – it didn't take long for them to figure out your type, even if you only grudgingly admitted you had one. Short was a plus. When you were as short as Yuki, it was a nice ego boost to have someone who looked up at you. Yuki shook herself, trying to get those pesky thoughts out of her head.

"Are you looking to join the club?" Perfect. It was diplomatic. Professional. Totally and completely in control and not at all tempted to check out the new girl.

"Is it okay? I know it's a little late."

"We let anyone join during the first two weeks of a semester. Try-outs for the team are a...whole different issue, which you're probably not interested in." Yuki turned back towards her coach, nodding her head at the newcomer and giving Sayaka a look that said in no uncertain terms that this was supposed to be her job. Shaking her head, the ex Olympian smiled before giving her a small thumbs-up. Great. Thanks so much, Coach.

"If you'd like," Yuki grumbled, fighting to keep her teeth from grinding, "I can give you the tour, maybe show you the basics. Apparently, I don't have anything else to do tonight."

"Actually, that sounds awesome!"

Yuki waved her over to the rack of practice weapons. Most of the members had their own, but they kept a small set aside for new students. "Do you have any background in martial arts? Any sports at all?"

Mayu grinned and rocked on the balls of her feet. "I know kung fu."

The fencer twitched, the part of her brain that reacted to bad jokes already starting to throb. Especially overused bad jokes. And puns. God-awful puns. "Did you take a few classes, or-"

"First-degree blackbelt."

Of course. "Why come here? If you don't mind my asking. There has to be a dojo nearby."

"There's only two groups who practice within an hour's drive from of campus, and they're both not related to the martial arts I took." Mayu grinned, pulling a glove from the basket Yuki handed her. "Plus, it's college. I'm supposed to try something new. Hitting people with a stick sounded fun."

"It's not just about hitting someone with a metal stick."

"Really? Those two seem pretty good at it."

Yuki spared a glance over her shoulder at the pair fencing behind them. They were doing saber, pounding down the strip with abandon as their weapon flicked towards each other. Wonderful. "It's much more complicated than most people think."

"It looks awesome."

"... would you like to try?"

"Sure!"

Yuki shrugged, grabbing a weapon off the rack, and holding it out. "Fencing 101. This is a foil. It's the first weapon most people work with."

"Cool." Mayu swished it through the air like a pirate's hanger, ending in a particularly impressive pose, ruined a little by the girl's striped knee-socks.

Yuki rolled her eyes. "Come on. Heel-to-heel. Make a ninety-degree angle. Good. Now take two steps with the right foot. Now bend your knees."

Mayu followed her directions without complaint, slowly settling into the stance. A few minutes later, and the girl was making deliberate steps, advancing and retreating, pausing only when Yuki stopped to correct something. Then, Yuki brought up her arms, moving her into the basic closed six position, her weapon up and in front.

Oh god. She was finding excuses to touch Mayu for some reason. Yuki moved back, fighting the urge to twine herself around Mayu's arms and guide her through the motions, holding her from behind while Unchained Melody played in the background ... ‘Dang it, Jurina!’ She'd known movie night was a bad idea. Her favorite nerd's overactive imagination was starting to rub off on her.

A half-hour later, and Mayu was watching as Yuki showed her the basic lunge, her foot whipping out as she pounced, tip spearing the practice target through the chest. Each thrust ended with her tip square in the center of the little padded target that hung on the wall, years of practice having burned the movement into her bones.

She spared a glance back at Mayu, making sure the girl was paying attention to the movement, ready to try it herself after Yuki finished the demonstration. “Good. She's watching the footwork, not my hands. Too many people-” Yuki stopped and followed the line of Mayu’s eyes.

She wasn't looking at her feet. She was zoning out.

"Ahem."

"Yes?" Mayu's head snapped up, eyes wide and guilty.

" ... would you like me to show you that again?"

The small girl's face went completely red, eyes snapping down to the floor before glancing nervously back up at Yuki. The fencer wanted to groan. Mayu was so obviously embarrassed about zoning out, and yet somehow Yuki was the one who felt guilty. She hadn't even snapped at her, hadn't done anything, and yet that vulnerable look left her feeling terrible. "Yeah. If you don't mind."

Yuki forced a smile, then turned back to the target, the foil flicking back up into the guard position. Another lunge, another thrust, and the tip thudded into the padded square.

"Could you ... maybe ... I'm still not sure I ... One more time?"

"Sure. One more time."


XXXXXXXXXX


Yuki had to hand it to her, Mayu was a fast learner. Having some martial arts experience helped. It would hinder her later, the old footwork movements interfering with the new ones, but the muscle was there, along with the sense of timing that only came with years of practice. Her lunges were hesitant and slow, the girl focusing on moving correctly, rather than quickly. By the end of practice, Mayu had definitely made progress, hitting the general area of the target more often than she missed.

Yuki took the foil back from Mayu, sliding it onto the rack before unzipping her jacket, feeling the colder air rush against her sweat-soaked skin. "Why try fencing, anyway? Wouldn't something like karate or tae kwon do be more familiar?"

Mayu paused for a second, trying to pull off her glove as she looked over at Yuki. "Not really. It's like learning Spanish when you already know French. You can do it, but it takes a while before you stop mixing up the verbs." She finally managed to her the glove off, tossing it back onto the pile. "This is...Russian. Different sounds, different letters. Plus, I don't want familiar. My sister...she made me promise I wouldn't fall back into the same habits from high school. Then Jurina mentioned you, so..." Mayu trailed off, fiddling with the foil before getting ready for another lunge.

"What did Jurina tell you about me?"

"That you're the best the club has." Mayu grunted as she moved, the tip landing about an inch from the center. "That you can be kinda mean, but you demand more from yourself than you do from your teammates. And that you're...well, I think her words were 'drop-dead gorgeous.' which turned out to be very true."

Yuki blushed. Yuki doesn’t blush. What the hell. She probably wasn't reading the signals wrong, and if she was, better to get it over with now. But then again, who could resist Mayu’s adorable charm? Taking a breath, Yuki ran a hand through her hair, wishing it wasn't matted and messy. That she wasn't covered in sweat and smelling of practice gear. "Normally, the club grabs bubble tea after practice. Wanna get one?"

“Sure!!”


XXXXXXXXXX


“Ready?” was all Yuki said, stepping forward with her white jacket she wore for lessons.

Mayu gave a brisk nod, flipping her pony tail over her shoulder before they saluted each other with a quick flick of their blades. As soon as she pulled her mask down over her face, she sank down into en guarde, knees bent and perpendicular to one another, back straight, right arm slightly outstretched, her blade resting against Yuki’s.

“Lunge!” Yuki barked, stepping back.

Before Yuki even finished the words, Mayu had already leapt into action, sore quads aching as she launched forwards, arm out.

And then as soon as her point had rapped him quickly on the shoulder, back up again, falling into the empty mindset of pure physical action and mental absorption. Out there with her mask down and blade in her gloved hand, there was no one else but her, Yuki, and the sounds of her pounding lunges, the sharp rap of steel on steel.

The training wore Mayu down to the bone until she was sweating like a pig and her lungs were screaming for enough air to power her lunges. Still, Yuki chased her up and down the strip, calling out actions a split second before she expected her to execute them.

By the time Yuki held up a hand for her to stop after their final training, she was trembling, pulling her mask over her sweaty forehead with a shaking hand, her hair clinging in curls to her cheeks and neck.

They shook hands, Yuki’s grip firm, and she gave Mayu a sharp pat on the back over her damp shirt. “Good lesson today. Keep it up and soon you will be fencing like a professional.”

“Thanks, Yuki.” 

“Your face is all sweaty.” Yuki pointed out at the curls stuck on Mayu’s cheek and neck.

“Your face is also really sweaty. Seemed like I gave you quite an exercise despite being an amateur, huh?”

“You were goo-” Yuki was left silenced when Mayu suddenly placed her right wrist on Yuki’s forehead and dabbed the sweat off her. Yuki literally froze. She didn’t know how to react. Maybe Mayu was doing this out of courtesy but Yuki felt her heart beat fast from her little gesture.

“Oh..sorry.” Mayu giggled as she realized that Yuki’s bangs went out of place when she was dapping the sweat off Yuki’s forehead.

“It’s fine.” Yuki took a step back and rearranged her fringe once again before Mayu could make her heart leap once again. At that moment, Yuki thought it would be shameful to act like this as the captain of the fencing team. One thing for sure was that Yuki really likes Mayu. She knew she had to step front and make the first move instead of letting Mayu make the first move instead. “Now that our training is done, we could go get our bubble tea.”

"Yeah! That sounds grea-"

"Or." Yuki cut her off. She had to say this now. It would be stupid to let herself develop feelings for someone who wouldn't or couldn't return them. Especially if the girl kept showing up to practice. She didn't need an unrequited crush sitting under her nose, distracting her during training. If Mayu felt the same way, wanted to give her a shot, great. If not, she'd get over it. It’s already been two months since they first met. What could go wrong...right? "You and I could grab something to eat. Just the two of us. Give us some time to talk."

" ... like a date?"

Yuki gave her a short nod, her bound hair bobbing against the back of her neck. "If you don't want to, it's fine. I just thought-"

"No, that...that sounds really nice."

"... okay." Great. They'd gone from awkward to happy and awkward. Not that it made the soaring feeling in her chest any less gratifying. "I'd like to grab a shower, so...twenty minutes?"

Mayu beamed before turning away, leaving Yuki to wait until her heart stopped hammering. Oh, she was in soo much trouble. Her phone buzzed when she went to grab her bag, vibrating inside the pockets of her jeans. She fished it out, trying to get as little of her sweat-soaked arm on the clean clothes as possible. It was a message from Jurina. ‘So? You ask her out yet?’

Yuki glared down at the little white slab of plastic, the lit screen flashing, mocking her. ‘Stop teasing.’

Yuki didn't waste any time ducking out of the shower, towel wrapped haphazardly around her chest as she fumbled for her phone.

‘Jurina. Jurina!’ she typed one-handed, flinging damp hair over her shoulder with the other. She glared into the locker mirror, scowling at the wet length that spilled over her shoulder. Still, Mayu had seen her with a matted and messy bun streaked with sweat, so...anything would be an improvement. Yuki had just started work on a braid when the phone beeped again.

‘What?’

Finally. ‘What food does Mayu like?’

‘Cookies.’

‘You know what I mean. Italian? Thai?’

‘Cookies. ;)’

Yuki glared at the screen, wishing a 4G connection could transfer sheer rage and annoyance as well as her roommate's stupid emojis. ‘Not helping.’

It took Jurina a little while to reply, giving Yuki the chance to finish the French braid and start pulling on her clothes, half-wishing that she'd asked Mayu for enough time to go home and grab something a little more date-worthy. Her jeans were half-on before the sharp ring heralded another text.

‘Her diet is 50% cookies and 50% chocolate. She has chocolate milk in cookie cereal for breakfast. Every. Morning. Miracle she doesn't have diabetes. Just go somewhere nice – she'll enjoy being there with you. And you still owe me lunch.’


XXXXXXXXXX


Mayu was waiting for her by the entrance, her breath a cloud of mist in the November air. She was back in the red dress, wrapped in a crimson hoodie just big enough to swallow her. The front rippled in waves every time she moved, the sleeves constantly slipping down over her hands. It looked the most comfortable thing Yuki had ever seen. Straightening her collar, she stalked over to the younger girl, careful to keep her face calm as she looked down at the adorable creature. She was the older one, the responsible, calm team captain who just happened to ask out a brand-new member. Not like it hadn't happened before – there had been more than a few couples come together within the club.

“You seem to love red a lot.”

“Oh, do I?” Maybe Mayu herself did not realize that most her clothes were either red or pink in color. 50 shades of red.

"It’s no big deal actually. Are you ready?" she asked, reminding her stomach of all the horrible things she could do to it if it didn't stop its nervous churning.

"Yup!" Mayu chirped, twisting on stockinged legs as she turned to face Yuki. "So, where are we going?"

"How does pizza sound?"

Mayu’s red lips split in a grin that would have been positively sinful on anyone a little less cute. "Sounds delicious."

Moving along with the trickle of students leaving the gym, the two walked past the parking lot, pausing just long enough to lock her fencing bag in her car. Mayu seemed to enjoy the weather, and Yuki wasn't going to complain about a few extra minutes of walking. Not with the way the cold air made the younger girl's cheeks flush.

"You'll like Minami's Pizza. They used this buttery dough for the crust that just crumbles when you bite it."

"Sounds like someone's been there before."

"It stays open late. Plus, it's wood-fired in an oven from the forties that gives it just the right amount of charcoal."

"Hipster," Mayu accused lightly, her smile taking any possible bite out of the accusation.

"I am not. I just like the food."

Another half-block, and they were well into the heart of the university village, boutiques and coffee shops sitting low to the ground alongside the parking structure that still wasn't finished. Yuki clocked the second of four Starbucks as they moved through the sparsely crowded path. Street lamps were already hung with unlit strings of lights, floating in purgatory till the thirtieth of November, when Christmas decorations could be hung in earnest. Ceramic, plastic, and paper turkeys sat in more than a few windows, preserved and faux pumpkins framing the displays. Customers moved sluggishly, strolling from one storefront to another, the ever-present coffees scenting the air with pumpkin and cinnamon.

Their destination sat in front of what was once the local bookstore, replaced by some furniture depot after the shopping center raised the rent. The stylized sign hung out over the sidewalk, swinging doors releasing warm waves of bliss, scented with garlic, tomato and toasted cheese. Light strumming trickled out the door, the Italian folk music unapologetically out-of-place with the season.

The door jingled as Yuki held it open, letting Mayu slip in ahead of her. Never let it be said that Kashiwagi Yuki was not a courteous date.

One look, and the older girl knew she'd been right: Minami's Pizza was perfect. This late, the place was nearly empty, wonderfully absent the occasional crying child or incessantly chattering students that normally made Yuki get her pizza to-go. The whole room was warm, almost stifling after the frigid conditions outside. Red-and-white checkered tablecloths stayed on just the right side of camp and cheesy, dodging the serious romantic for a cozier, playful feel.

The waiter led them to their booth, menus pulled from a shelf mounted into the table. Mayu scooted in, sweeping her skirt behind her legs as she sat down, drawing Yuki' eyes to the slice of skin sitting between her knee socks and her skirt. She tried her best not to notice how much that appealed to her, but some primal part of her brain wholeheartedly approved.

"Miss-a Yuki. So-a good of you to come," the clearly not-Italian lady called as she came up to their table, her accent far too horrible to be genuine.

"Really Takamina? Still faking the accent?"

"Only when you walk in. Mario, baby." The rail-thin pizza chef grinned at the two as she whipped out his notebook. "I'd offer your usual, but this doesn't look like take-out night. Now, what can I get you girls?"

Yuki was halfway to ordering a beer, when she remembered the girl sitting across from her. The girl who had to be a year or two younger – too young to drink. Granted, it would steady her nerves, something she could really use right about now, but it would mean drinking alone. "Just water, please."

Mayu grabbed for the menu, flipping through in search of beverages. "Do you have lemonade?"

"Yup. Strawberry lemonade too, if you wa-"

"Yes. That. Definitely that." It seemed Mayu really loved lemonade. Or simply just because the lemonade was red.   

The proprietor jotted down their drinks on her pad, flipping the cover shut with a smile. "Be right back."

And she was, before either girl could get out so much as a word, glasses in hand and asking for their orders. Yuki bit back a smile as Mayu pawed through the menu, desperately panning over the combos list. She shouldn't enjoy this as much as she did, but Mayu made for a cute frantic. It wasn't until the younger girl bit her bottom lip with indecision that she chose to take pity on the poor thing. "Mayu."

The cute little head jerked up from the menu, pupils shrinking as they adjusted.

"What do you like on your pizza?"

"Meat. Peppers. Onions."

Yuki smiled and ordered a medium Deluxe, passing the menu back to Takamina. The aging chef bobbed her head, heading off for the kitchen with another snap of her notebook.

"Do you think that'll be enough?" Mayu asked, trying and completely failing to hide her doubt that it would be enough food.

"Trust me, you want to save room for dessert."

"Oooh. Does she do those giant sundaes with brownies or something?" The younger woman reached back for the menu, already eyeing the dessert section.

"Or something." Yuki laid her hand on the binder, gentle but firm as she slid it away from her date. "You'll like it. Trust me."

"Mysterious," Mayu laughed, but she didn't argue as Yuki hid the menu. "You're lucky I like surprises."

Her laugh trailed off into silence, both of them waiting for the other to speak, neither particularly wanting to be the one to start. But there were only so many places to look, so many times Yuki could adjust the placement of her napkin, so many packets for Mayu to fiddle with.

"I think this is the part where we try small talk," Mayu chuckled, crinkling the paper wrapper from her straw into a ball.

Yuki nodded, grabbing the glass to give her hands something to do. Mayu was right; even worse, Mayu was the one bringing it up. It should be her. Yuki was the older one, the more grounded one, the more experienced – dear God, she hoped she was more experienced. It should be Yuki reassuring Mayu, the one making sure the date went smoothly.

"So, how's Tokyo treated you so far?" Good start, now get it together, you idiot! Yuki scolded herself.

"I'm liking it."

"You have a major in mind yet?"

"Not really." Mayu toyed with her straw, whirling it in little circles inside the red plastic glass. "What's yours?"

"International studies." Well, that was the easy answer anyway, and few people outside the department really cared which area your focus was. Western Europe with a focus on post-war Germany was usually a little more information than most people either wanted or needed.

"Is that...fun?"

"Depends on the day. My modern history class is a pit of soul-crushing despair, but I like the cultural studies." Yuki kept her voice dry, rewarded by chuckle at her misfortune. Good. Humor. That was definitely a good place to start. "What classes are you taking?"

They settled into an easy rhythm, complaints about professors mixing with jokes about classmates and roomies. Yuki took the chance to introduce Mayu to any parts of campus she hadn't seen, lips twitching when Mayu’s eyes went wide at the news that the aeronautics department had a laser in their basement. In the girl's defense, it was a very impressive laser.

Then the pizza came, in all its cheesy glory, and their mouths were too busy for talk. Vegetables cooked into perfect softness mingled with sausage and pepperoni, all coated with tomato and mozzarella, all of it devoured and downed by the two young women.

Mayu was halfway through her third slice when her eyes caught on the obvious scar on her face, just staring at it. Everybody always asked Yuki. Although, to be fair, how could they not? She couldn't really blame Mayu for staring – the slash went down from above her eyebrow, ending at the edge of her cheekbone, the scar tissue prominent and pink against her otherwise pale skin. Apart from her long, raven-black hair, it was her most noticeable feature; Mayu's gaze had lingered on it once or twice already. If anything, her date had been fairly restrained in not asking before now.

"Do you want to ask?" Yuki swallowed her bite while Mayu cringed, looking all the part like a child caught misbehaving. "You keep looking at it."

"Sorry," she apologized, and Yuki believed her. Whatever else this girl might be, she was definitely expressive. Someone that open, that honest – she seemed like the kind of person who couldn't tell a convincing lie if she wanted to.

"It's fine." That lie came easily, second-nature after years of practice. Practice with parents, teachers, the occasional therapist ... too much practice. "Do you want to know?"

"You sure it's okay?"

"It's a little...heavy for a first date. But, if you want..." and she meant it. She actually meant it. If Mayu asked, she would tell her – something that surprised her more than anything else.

“I...uhm....” It was definitely hard for Mayu not to question about it.

“I guess I should tell you about it then.” Yuki smiled.

“Sorry. I was just curious.” Mayu felt apologetic.

“Don’t be. You’ll ask me sooner or later anyway, so might as well I tell you right now. I got this scar while fencing without my gears.”

Mayu was literally surprised. “You fenced without your gear?”

“I was 11. I didn’t understand the importance of the safety gear at that time and my dad was away. I was playing around with the foil with my cousin and this accident happened.”

“That’s dangerous!”

“I know right? Any more to the left, and I would have lost an eye.”

“Must have been painful..”

“But then again, I got injured doing what I loved to do so I just shrug it off and try not to care too much about it even if the scar stays there for the rest of my life.”

"....Let's just talk about something else." Mayu suggested.

"Probably a good idea." Yuki forced a smile, although the relief she felt was genuine. It was odd – she normally didn't feel this guilty talking about the scar. It was human nature to stare, to wonder, and she always refused to let it bother her, refused to feel shame over the wound. “Since we’re talking about fencing, I have something to tell you.”

“Hmm?” Mayu tilted her head and she simply looked adorable in that pose.

“There’s a fencing tournament coming up near Christmas. I was thinking you may be interested to join, maybe? It’s for beginner fencers with three or less years experience in fencing, so no worries.”

“Hmm.... Fencing competition, huh? I don’t know.... I’m still quite new to it...” Mayu was doubting a lot.

“You’ve done nothing but impress me for the past few months. Might as well give it a try. You might not know what the outcome will be if you don’t try. Besides, it’s a good experience.”

“But it’s near Christmas.. That’s like a little over a month from now..”

“That is more than enough time for you to improve more.”

“Hmm... Sounds interesting but I’ll think about it.” Mayu pushed her empty plate to the side. "So, what's this secret dessert I was saving room for?" Now the empty plate had another meaning, and Mayu bobbed her head to the side - half-shrugging her apology.

"I'll go get it." It was only a few feet to the counter that separated the booths from the ovens, giving the curious onlooker a perfect view of the cooks prepping sauces and tossing balls of dough, turning into circus tents around Takamina's practiced hands. Any other time, Yuki would be happy to simply watch them work, admiring the care and skill that went into something that was still always devoured minutes after its creation. But this wasn't any other time, and the crow she was about to eat ruined the normally welcome sight. She fished out the twenty-dollar bill with a sigh, allowing herself a particularly malevolent scowl. Clearing her throat to get the chef's attention, she slapped the bill on the counter. "Do it."

Takamina's eyes flicked from her to the carefully folded note, widening with recognition. "My god, is Kashiwagi Yuki asking for the special? Because I remember a very precocious girl in pigtails saying she would rather chug a bottle of turpentine than take one bite of something so crass and tacky as my-"

"It's not for me, Takamina, it's for her. If you ruin this, I swear-"

"Whoa there, little lady. Never let it be said I stood in the way of your love life.” Takamina reveling in her long-awaited victory. "She's cute too. Although, you're robbing the cradle a bit, ain't cha?"

"She's two years younger than me, that's not-"

"That makes her a freshman." Takamina sang the word, pitching her voice just low enough for Yuki to hear. "A vulnerable, impressionable freshman being taken advantage of by a world-weary, cynical-"

"I know this place almost as well as you, Takamina. It would take me exactly eight-and-a-half minutes to burn it to the ground, and leave no evidence."

The aging chef merely grinned wider, slipping his hard-won money out from under Yuki's fingers. "One chef's special coming right up."

Yuki caught herself before she stormed back to the table, deep breaths pushing the frustration to the back of her mind. She was not going to let herself ruin this date out of irritation over a childhood bet. It should make the girl across from her happy; that was all the justification she needed.

They settled back into easy conversation, Mayu trying and failing to explain her martial art methods. Yuki was just about to surrender to the girl's obvious enthusiasm when Takamina returned, hands filled with a serving dish hastily topped by a slightly too-large lid.

"Ladies," Takamina purred, drawing out the 'l' as she set a covered dish atop the table. "I bring you the Chef's Special."

Yuki watched as Mayu’s eyes went wide when Takamina swept the lid off their dessert. Red lips split as her jaw dropped, pupils as wide as the monstrous dessert the pizza chef had delivered.

"No," Mayu gasped, her voice feeble with wonder. "You didn't."

"I heard you liked cookies," Yuki shrugged, refusing to show how pleased she was at Mayu's obvious glee.

Mayu practically drooled over the mammoth cookie pizza, the cream cheese frosting layered with fudge and caramel, sprinkled liberally with chocolate chips.

"One cookie-dough pizza, as ordered," Takamina winked at Yuki, drawing a scowl from her. "Enjoy."

It took the girl in the red hoodie scant seconds to devour her first slice, satisfied moans rolling from her throat as she closed her eyes in chocolate-induced bliss. "You are the best date. Ever."

"I'm glad you like it." Yuki took a bite, eyebrow twitching skeptically at the taste. It wasn't terrible, but she had never been a fan of anything that tasted like distilled diabetes. But Mayu liked it, and in the end, wasn't that what mattered?

It was pitch-dark by the time Yuki pulled up in front of Mayu's dorm, stepping out of the driver's side door to walk the younger girl to the door. "I had a really good night."

"Me too."

"So, would you..." The words died in her throat, her tongue tripping over itself as she tried to speak. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn't some hormone-ridden teen, struck dumb by a pretty girl's smile. Kashiwagi Yuki was not going to get flustered over asking a girl on a second date. She swallowed, the motion freeing her tongue from whatever nerves had trapped it. "Would you like to do this again?"

"Y-yeah. I'd like that." Yuki blinked as Mayu grabbed her hand, confusion melting into relief as a felt-tipped pen dragged across her skin. "My number." Mayu let her go, careful to cap the pen before letting it disappear back into her pocket. "Tonight was fun, and not just 'cause you found the best dessert ever."

"Good to know you're not just looking for another cookie."

"Nah." Mayu smiled up at her, lopsided grin flashing in the burnt orange light of the street lamps. "The date made me want to give you my number. Dessert made me want to do this."

Standing on tiptoe, Mayu stretched, her lips pressing gently against Yuki's own. The older girl froze for a moment, her body paralyzed with shock. She hadn't expected this, would have been fine wishing her goodnight and calling the next morning. For a moment, Yuki forgot what she was supposed to do, where to put her hands, how to react to a gesture this intimate. Then she noticed the strain in Mayu's legs, arched up onto the balls of her feet to reach Yuki's lips.

The older girl bent down, sanity restored by the other girl's needs, letting Mayu relax back as the kiss lingered. There was a second where Yuki fought being swept away by the girl in her arms, tried not to let the world fade away but for the young woman pressing herself against her. Then she surrendered, letting the feel of Mayu wipe everything else from her mind, leaving the two of them alone, safe and secure in their own little private world.

Mayu's lips were warm and soft against her own, pulling away only to return, pressing and pulsing against her mouth. She was gentle and tender and all those adjectives Yuki couldn't remember, with just the hint of passion still held back. It was cautious, testing, and Yuki was not about to give her any reason to stop. Her hand stayed safely on Mayu's spine, as possessive as she dared be without pulling her any closer. Mayu didn't have her reservations. A hand slid up Yuki' neck to the base of her hair, cradling her head as the young woman kissed her just a little deeper, just a little harder.

An eternity later, Mayu pulled away, eyes sliding open as she smiled up at the older girl, her face flushed, lips a few shades redder than they had been a moment before. "Good night, Yuki. Call me."

Then she was gone, dormitory door clicking shut behind her and leaving Yuki stunned and swaying on the stoop. Her heart pounded in her chest, telling her to run, to cheer, at the same time her legs begged to collapse against the wall, her lungs burning for air. She'd tasted like chocolate chips and cookie dough, and Yuki couldn't bring herself to mind.


XXXXXXXXXX


"Watanabe and Sashihara, report to strip eight!" the referee called, dark suit particularly conspicuous among the competitors clad in white-and-silver.

Now here she sat, minutes before her bout against the third seed of the competition. She looked down at her new foil she got from the gym storage. The original blade had snapped the week before, bent a little too far one too many times, finally giving up the ghost after a particularly close lunge. She'd felt awful after it happened, looking down at the two broken shards of Yuki's old foil, the edges jagged where the metal had snapped in half. She'd used one of the club's weapons for the rest of practice, but her heart hadn't really been in it.

She'd hung back after everyone else left, staring blankly into her bag and wondering how to tell Yuki that she'd broken her foil. Which, of course, is where Yuki had found her, already showered and dressed and gorgeous enough to leave traffic collisions in her wake.

She'd tried to apologize, and was mortified when Yuki had actually snickered. "That's why you get new blades from the gym, you dolt," Yuki said, smiling down at the younger girl and squeezing her hand, a rare display of affection from Yuki in public. It wasn't that they were hiding their relationship, but the heiress was the club captain. She needed to at least look impartial, or so she said. Mayu had a sneaking suspicion that it had more to do with the way her girlfriend tended to blush when caught off guard.

After that, it was just a matter of showing Mayu the suppliers, telling her the differences between various makers, and thoroughly failing to explain why Yuki preferred German blades to French or Russian ones. Mayu nodded and humored her, ordering a set of the glinting blades and asking Yuki to show her how to put them all together.

Which was how she'd ended up here, with several foils under one arm, her mask under the other, juggling the equipment as she futzed with the neck of her lamé. She'd done well in her pool: three wins, one tie, one loss, and that was to one of the D-ranked fencers trying desperately for one of the top spots. There were several of them here, even some from their club, and all were just a little more cutthroat than usual.

Then it was onto the direct elimination round. Mayu had ended up around the middle of the pack – the upper middle, Yuki had been quick to point out – and fortunately for her, her first bout had been easier than she'd expected. She'd fenced Shimazaki before, and she knew to look for her habit of twitching before she lunged. She went down like a sack of bricks. All she had needed to do was watch her feet and wait for the attack. Several ripostes later, Mayu had a commanding lead.

She doubted this round would be nearly so easy. It’s called the semifinals for a reason.

R. Sashihara – the call sheet only had the first initial – was a young woman, maybe a year or two older than Mayu, but only a couple inches taller. ‘Good’, she thought, leaving her backup foils by the end of the strip and hooking up to the strip's wires. ‘Someone who won't have too much of a height advantage on me, for once.’

Body cord snapped into the reel, she marched down the marked-off strip. Sashihara was already there, eyes staring out from beneath her bangs. Mayu nodded politely, bouncing on her toes while they waited for the ref to finish speaking to one of the organizers. Mayu checked the scoreboard – she had the red light, and Sashihara the green. Red had always been her lucky color. She had scored quite a number of lucky shots when she had the red on her side. So, she would be able to score a few lucky shots against the third seed too, right?

Finally it was time to start, their test setting off both of their lights. No broken wires or jammed springs. Mayu was rearing to go, and from the look on Sashihara's face beneath her mask, so was she. It was time. They saluted when told, then settled into the stance, foils held out before them, their off-hands held loosely at their sides.

"En garde."

Mayu resisted the urge to bounce and fiddled her hand, trying to stay loose and ready to go. She had this. ‘Come on, come on, come on.’

"Ready," the ref called, his hands raised to signal the start. "Fence!"









The buzzer rang, and both fencers lowered their weapons as the ref called for the rest. Turning around, Mayu trudged down to her end of the strip before crouching down on the balls of her feet, bouncing to stay loose and trying increasingly hard not to lose her temper. She looked back at the scoreboard, seeing the little yellow lights shining out their scores. Seven-one, and not in her favor.

"You doing okay?"

She looked up to find Yuki standing over her, Mayu's water bottle held in one outstretched hand. "I can't get her," the younger girl sighed and drank, more annoyed at herself for losing her temper than anything else. Glancing over, she watched as her opponent raised her mask to wipe the sweat from her eyes. Dark skin shone above the white and silver outfit. ‘At least I gave her a workout.’

"Can I give you some advice?" Yuki asked, crouching down by the side of the strip. Mayu sipped and nodded, only half-listening. The bout was basically over already. Her chances at even getting close to Sashihara's score now.... Still, it was nice of Yuki to want to help.

"Most fencers are like dogs, Mayu. You ring the bell, and they'll come for food." The heiress poked her in the arm, making Mayu look up at her, and took the water bottle back. "You've seen how she reacts, now make her give you an opening. Set it up, then go for the touch."

The buzzer rang. It was time to start.

Yuki held out her hand, offering to help Mayu up. She took it, and Yuki squeezed just a little longer than she needed to, held her just a little tighter. "She over-commits and tends to aim high. You can still win this."

"Thanks," Mayu said, adjusting her mask and turning back to the line.

She was halfway down the strip when she heard Yuki call after her, "And move your feet!"

She chuckled and settled into position behind her starting line. Yuki was right. She could do this. ‘Don't get frustrated,’ she reminded herself, grip tightening on the grip of her sword. ‘Focus on what she does. Don't wait for an opening, make her give me one.’

The ref raised his hands, ready to call the start of the round. Mayu looked over her shoulder at the spectators, namely the woman with the long raven-black hair streaming down her back. Yuki was watching.

She could do this.









The buzzer rang, both red and green lights shining from the board. Mayu waited for the ref's decision, already knowing what it would be. Sashihara had taken the right of way; it was her riposte that should get the touch. Unless the ref hadn't been paying attention, or missed it-

He hadn't. His hand went up on her opponent's side, and he pushed the scoreboard's remote to add another point to Sashihara's score. Fourteen to thirteen, with Mayu down by one.

‘Honestly, I did really well,’ she reminded herself, trudging back to the starting line. In the second and third round, she'd gotten two points for every one scored against her, but she was still just barely catching up.

"En garde!"

Slow breaths escaped Mayu’s mouth.

"Ready!"

She has to score this one.

"Fence!"

Her club members cheered as loudly as they could, making sure to stay in the polite range of it. She pushed most of the words out of her mind; the support was nice. Then one voice cut through the din of sneakers squeaking on the floor, of buzzing strips and clashing blades and cheering friends.

"You can do it, Mayu," her girlfriend called, sounding absolutely sure, as if there wasn't a single shred of doubt that the younger girl wouldn't win.

She moved and thrusted.

The buzzer sounded, and Mayu pulled out of her lunge. She glanced over at the board, just to be sure.

One red light.

Her friends clapped and cheered, ecstatic that their clubmate had gone from six points down to tied in two rounds. Not that she noticed. Right then, all she had eyes for was Yuki standing at the side of the crowd, face beaming with pride at her girlfriend's success.

Fourteen-all, with three seconds left on the clock. There’s only time for one attack.

"En garde!"

Sashihara was the third seed for a reason. She was better and more experienced. By now, Sashihara had seen all her tricks. Mayu could pull back. Run down the clock, let the match go into overtime. They'd flip a coin to see who got priority, who would win by default if neither scored during that last sudden-death round.

"Ready!"

To hell with that. Yuki was watching. She was gonna win.

"Fence!"

Sashihara pounced from the line, bolting towards her, lunging for her chest...and then Mayu simply wasn't there.

The scoreboard buzzed. One red light. Sashihara stood on the strip, her foil extended out in front of her, little spring-loaded tip hovering in midair. Mayu sat on her haunches, crouched on the balls of her feet, her foil angled up and pressing right into the center of Sashihara's lamé.

Sometimes it pays to be short. The fourteenth seed had won against the third seed.

The club lost it, barely contained shouts of joy audible across the gym before they died down. Even with such an unlikely victory, they weren't about to risk a penalty from the refs.

Only half-hearing the order, Mayu pulled off her mask and saluted her opponent, staring over at her mortal enemy of the past fifteen minutes. The two girls were positively drenched. Sweat streamed down the other girl's face, tricking down to her chin and ripping onto her collar. Mayu had no doubt she was just as sweat-soaked, her heart still pounding from that last touch.

They shook hands, both of them completely exhausted, before returning to their separate sides and unhooking from the strip. Well, Sashihara did. In Mayu's case, she jittered in place while Yuki unhooked her from the wires.

"I did it! I did it!" she said as she bounced, still hopped-up on adrenaline, and wrapped her arms around Yuki' chest.

"Mayu!" Yuki scolded, but there wasn't any heat in her voice, and the arms trying to pull her off seemed very reluctant to do so. Eventually, Mayu let her go, collapsing onto one of the benches that ran along the wall, her legs aching, her feet sore.

Yuki sat alongside her, their shoulders just barely brushing, and squeezed her hand. "I am very proud of you. But, you do know that you have another bout in a week time, right? And it’s the finals."

Mayu gave her a mock-glare, annoyed at the trespass of reality on her righteous, victorious joy. Then she smiled, the perfect revenge already coming to mind. "Hey Yuki, could you take a look at my lamé? I think the top might be rusting."

Ever the responsible one, Yuki leaned down to look. "It doesn't look like i-"

Quick as a flash, Mayu turned her head and leaned in, pressing her lips against Yuki's before the taller girl could pull away.

The heiress blinked, stunned into silence by the unexpected and completely forbidden kiss in public. Mayu grinned as her girlfriend's face went beet-red, taken aback and completely unprepared for Mayu's teasing. "Y-you little ..."

Mayu merely stick out her tongue at Yuki and hopped towards her clubmates to celebrate her victory.


XXXXXXXXXX


Flurries whipped by the windows as Yuki traveled down the unlit road, headlights gleaming out onto the snow-covered lane. The wipers swished back and forth, trying to keep at least some of the snow from blinding her. It was a futile struggle. She knew it. As soon as the plastic rods pushed aside the piling snow, fresh powder took its place. At least she could still see the road. Mostly.

Yuki growled as another blast of snow hit the windshield, wipers working furiously to clear the glass. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. She should have left earlier, or called ahead, or...something. There had to be a better plan than a two-hour drive in a snowstorm.

At least she was warm – the radiator working overtime to heat the vehicle – and the roads were almost completely deserted. She hadn't seen another car on the road in the last hour, and only a few others before that.

Then again, of course they were clear. What kind of idiot would be driving in a near-blizzard on Christmas Eve?

Her kind, apparently.

If anything, Yuki had felt relieved. They'd spent the last few days cramming for finals, hiding from the cold in the nearest coffee shop, Mayu constantly trying to make Yuki laugh at her antics.

She'd gotten all the way to the driveway, staring up through her windshield at her father's house, and she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to put one foot past that door. So Yuki had backed out, turned around, and took off to see the girlfriend who did not know she was coming. Who didn't expect her and probably would not be pleased to have an uninvited guest arriving on her doorstep. At least she didn't plan on staying.

She even had time to swing by the dorms and pick up Mayu's gift, hidden away after they agreed on no presents this year – a promise Yuki was cursing herself for agreeing to in the first place.

Especially now that she was going to break it.

She pulled off before the next intersection, the knot in her stomach growing until she was sure that this really was the right turn. The GPS on her phone was being particularly unhelpful, local coverage or the snowstorm itself making the connection unbearably slow.

Waiting for the map to complete, Yuki glared down at the radio, wondering if she could risk turning it back on. The constant loop of holiday songs had grated on her nerves for the first hour, until she finally gave up and settled for silence over artificial cheer. Christmas songs had quietly snuck onto the radio, into the malls, the coffee shops, and everywhere else that had a sound system. She wouldn't mind, except they'd played on a loop since October, the constant cycle of reverent carols mixed with upbeat jingles and sarcastic parodies only fueling Yuki's dislike of the season.

The phone pinged, and she was off again, turning onto small suburban streets, the houses decked out for the holiday. Twenty minutes later, Yuki found herself staring down at the little white rectangle, a mechanical female voiced informing her 'You have arrived at your destination.'

Yuki looked up, a lump swelling in her throat as she stared at Mayu's home. Someone had tied red ribbons around the lamps, and wreaths decked with holly hung from the garage doors. Small white lights ran around the roof, with smaller, colored sets ringing the second-story windows. One pane was covered by a crude rendition of a foil, little lights blinking down the blade, curving into the guard. It had to be Mayu's room.

Compared to some of the displays Yuki had passed, it was positively restrained. No giant Santas loomed over the lawn, no tacky plastic reindeer danced on the snow-covered grass. Light beamed out from curtained windows, making it seem impossibly warm and welcoming against the freezing cold outside. It was actually festive, rather than some illuminated red flag of the owner's possible psychotic tendencies. Somehow, that just made it even more intimidating.

Yuki parked at the end of the drive, wrapping her coat tighter around her shoulders as she marched through the snow, Mayu's wrapped gift in hand. Before she realized, she was on the step, her hand hovering over the brass knocker.

She could go. They probably hadn't heard the engine, not over the sound of the wind. She could leave, find a motel or a car park to crash at, maybe a late-night diner to give her the energy to actually make it back to her father's.

At the idea of her family's home, Yuki's jaw clenched with determination, her hand shaking slightly before bringing the brass ring down in two sharp knocks.

"I got it!" a cheery cry echoed, even through the walls. Panic set in as Yuki heard rustling inside, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited, dreading the moment when that door opened. A shape slipped past the shrouded glass, no doubt moving to look out through the peephole. Yuki smiled, nerves making it shakier than she would like.

"Yuki?" a muffled voice cried through the door, followed by metal scraping as the lock came undone. Mayu swung the door open, complete with a mug of coco and a Christmas sweater covered in wings of wolves and reindeer. The shorter girl's eyes were wide with surprise as she stared up at Yuki, her mouth just a little open with disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," Yuki apologized, clearing her throat before Mayu could realize she hadn't said what she was sorry for. "I know it's only been a month, and that I agreed not to do the holidays this year, but I..." Yuki paused, the woods catching in her throat as she looked down at Mayu. "I wanted to give you this." She pulled the neatly wrapped tube out from behind her back, half-shoving it to the younger woman in her haste to be rid of the damn thing.

Mayu glowered at the present, before turning her accusing glare on Yuki. "Not fair. We agreed no gifts this year."

"It's not from your girlfriend – it's from your coach."

One dark eyebrow raised in blatant skepticism as Mayu gingerly took the long tube, cradling it awkwardly in her arms. "My coach IS my girlfriend."

"Fair enough." Yuki said, her weight shifting onto her other foot. "Could you open it?"

"It's not Christmas yet."

"I know but ... I'd like to see you open it. If that's okay."

Mayu sighed, closing the door behind her and stepping out onto the welcome mat, pulling at the carefully taped paper around her present. "Gee, thanks," she said, voice pitching with sarcasm, "A PVC pipe. Just what I've always-"

"Don't be a pest," Yuki scolded before she could catch herself. "Sorry. It's inside the tube.”

Giving her a look that promised retribution, Mayu twisted off the cap of the large tube, pulling it aside before reaching her hand into the white plastic. Her brow furrowed as she looked down, staring at the foil that she pulled out. The blade gleamed a dark, metallic red, the colored steel glinting as Mayu drew it from the cylinder. The untouched hilt gleamed, an unmarred shine that only unused blades ever kept for long. The pistol grip's plastic was a deep, dark crimson that fit perfectly in the younger woman's hand, looking as if it was made for her. It should – Yuki had taken it apart herself, making sure the springs reacted perfectly, that the tang was solid within the grip.

"Do you like it?" Yuki waited for her answer, hand clenched to keep from trembling.

"Yuki...it's," Mayu looked up at her in disbelief, awe and confusion plain on her face. "Why?"

"I thought you might want your own gear instead of using the ones back in the gym. And it’ll be your finals tomorrow, so-"

"Yuki," Mayu cut her off, eyes still locked on the gleaming weapon. "It's perfect." She slid the foil back into its tube, looking almost reluctant to strap the hilt back into the protective plastic. "Would you..." Mayu took a breath, an odd look on her face before she smiled up at Yuki. "Do you want to come in?"

Yuki wanted to say yes. She really did. But they had decided to keep Christmas separate this year, and she had respect that. This was Mayu's family. Her home. Yuki shouldn't be here, shouldn't have come....

"... no. I just wanted t-to give you your gift. You were right, it's still too early for something like this."

"How long did you drive to get here?"

Yuki hesitated. "... not that long."

Mayu's eyes narrowed, her lips pursing slightly as she arched one eyebrow at Yuki. "How long?"

"Two hours."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes, grabbing Yuki's hand and pulling her into the house. "In."

"Mayu, I-"

"You came all the way here after agreeing not to, so you could give me the gift we said we weren't giving. The least you can do is listen when I tell you to sit down and let me get you some coco."

"... okay," Yuki said.

Propelled onto the sofa, the heiress settled herself as well as she could, only half-seeing the room around her before Mayu rushed off to what she assumed was the kitchen. Trying to ignore the voices she could hear from upstairs, Yuki gazed around the room, forcing her breathing into a steady rhythm, trying to calm herself.

Homemade ornaments hung from every branch, Christmas balls and candy canes dangling between colored lights and miniature reindeer. A fire crackled in the hearth, the heat spreading through the room, banishing the blast of cold that had swooped in when Mayu opened the door. It was quaint, and cozy, but most of all, it was familiar. It deserved being called 'festive,' far more than the clinically dressed tree waiting for her at home.

A quiet cough came from behind her. Yuki turned, looking up to find Mayu standing behind the sofa, flanked by a particularly tall woman, and a man that could only be their father.

Mayu smiled reassuringly down at her. "Dad, Miyuki, this is my girlfriend. Yuki, I want you meet my dad, and my sister."

Yuki moved to her feet, not quite jumping as she came up to her full height, still well short of the blonde woman staring down at her.

"Ooh. So you're Yuki. Nice to meet you." Mayu's sister grinned, leaning down to whisper about as quietly as a bullhorn, "Nice catch, little sis."

Mayu scowled, elbowing her sister in the side. The ghost of a smile crossed their father's lips as he looked down at Yuki,

"Let them be, Miyuki. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow morning." He shot Yuki a look that promised they would have the time, then ushered Miyuki back up the stairs, pausing only to look back at the increasingly nervous heiress. "It was nice to meet you, Yuki."

Yuki nodded, her throat working around a steadily growing lump. "You too, sir."

Mayu waited until they were gone before pulling her girlfriend back onto the couch. "It'll be fine," she promised, patting Yuki' leg, squirming closer until she was flush against the taller girl's side, snuggling deep into the sofa.

"This is nice, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. It is."

"So," Mayu pulled just far enough away to look up at Yuki. "You wanna tell me why you don't like Christmas?"

"You knew?"

"When you answer every 'Merry Christmas' and 'Happy Holidays' with a surly grunt, it's pretty obvious. I know you're not religious, so ..."

Yuki paused for a second, her jaw working as she decided how much to tell her.

"I've never had a Christmas I remembered fondly, Mayu. So, let's just leave it at that for tonight, okay?"

"Okay." Mayu shifted back down against her, her head leaning against Yuki's shoulder. "You know, Dad will have put out a mattress for you."

"Thanks. I am sorry I just showed up out of nowhere, I-"

"But," Mayu cut her off, staring at her until she was sure Yuki was suitably chastised. "If we happened to fall asleep down here, it wouldn't be fair to wake us up until morning."

Mayu snuggled closer, pulling Yuki down until she could rest her head on the taller girl's shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather sleep down here, next to you. Now," Mayu looked up at her girlfriend, a smile on her face. "Are you gonna kiss me or not?"

"... sorry." Yuki leaned down, breathing in the scent from her hair, lips pressed against the top of Mayu's head. She felt the smaller woman stiffen beneath her, an annoyed little sniff coming from her nose. Obedient, Yuki kissed her forehead, her cheek, her twitching nose, feeling Mayu wriggle a little before finally pulling the younger girl's chin and bringing Mayu's mouth to her own.

She tasted of gingerbread and chocolate, of childhood memories Yuki dearly wished she had, and new ones she desperately wanted to make. It was soft and giving, Mayu pressing up into her as she lingered on her lips. Yuki could feel her warmth through their clothes, the quiet beating of the Mayu's heart pulsing against her side. It was comfort and joy, warm and welcoming, perfect in every way she could imagine, and when it ended, Yuki nearly groaned from the profound sense of loss. All she wanted to do was kiss this sweet girl, to spend every waking moment in front of this fire, this tree, with this gorgeous, forgiving person wrapped around her.

She settled for snuggling a little closer, tucking Mayu's head beneath her own. "Merry Christmas, Mayu."

Yuki thanked whatever spirits had guided her here that the younger girl couldn't see the smile that crept across her mouth as Mayu's arms wriggled their way around her, pinning them together as Mayu yawned and laid her head down to rest. "Merry Christmas, Yuki."


XXXXXXXXXX


Doing her best to shake off the pre-bout jitters, Mayu from the bench, smiling as she pulled the dark red blade out from its capped PVC holder. She let herself stare down at it for a second, warmth rising in her chest at the sight of Yuki's gift, checking one last time that the new blade fit perfectly in the grip. A crimson blade, radiating from the lights all around, staring back at her.

In five minutes, she would be facing the top seed of the competition for the champion title bout. The fourteenth seed against the top seed. What are the chances of winning, really? But then again, this fourteenth seed won against Sashihara who happened to be at the third seed. That might have boosted her confidence a little, but not much. That moment, she would be in front of a crowd of several hundred people, challenging someone with more experience and she was nervous. Actually, that may have been an understatement. Nervous meant butterflies in the stomach. Mayu felt like a swarm of bees were doing backflips in her stomach.

And then the ref anounced. “Ladies and Gentleman. In a few minutes, we will be holding the final bouts to decide the Men and Women’s foil champions of the 2015 Annual Amateur Foil Championship. The women’s bout will be held on the North platform and the Men’s will be held on the East platform. Would the fencers please report accordingly.”

The announcer finished speaking over the PA system and his words sank in and Mayu no longer felt nervous... She now felt rather sick.

“Mayu?”

Mayu’s head shot up at her girlfriend’s voice next to her shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Yuki sounded really concerned looking at Mayu’s pale face.

“I think so.” Mayu said, straightening up and forcing a long slow breath out. “I don’t know actually..”

“Believe in yourself, Mayu. You can do it. No matter what the results are, I could not be prouder of you. You did really well reaching the finals.”

“Thanks, Yuki.” Mayu said with a slight smile, before grabbing her mask and foil from the chair on her other side.

“Now let’s get to the north platform.”

Mayu’s opponent was taller than her and lean, though she had kept her back to her or had her mask on so she couldn’t see her face. Here she was... 19 and readying to face an older bigger and taller opponent for the Champion title. Mayu was indeed no longer nervous nor does she feel sick. She was now terrified. All her anxiousness hit her hard and she felt like vomiting. The Judge called both fencers to their marks on the platform to begin the bout. After a brief salute to each other and a handshake, they introduced their names respectively.

“Miyazawa Sae.” said the taller girl.

“W-Watanabe Mayu.”

“Take it easy. No hard feelings.”

“Thanks.”They took the on guard position. Mayu got the red light side while Sae got the green light. She won Sashihara from the red side so she had to win this time too. Cause this time, she had her new crimson foil with her.

“Mayu, you can do it. Whatever you’ve learnt, just pour it back out. And remember. Move your feet.” Yuki wasn’t too sure if Mayu heard her from all the nervousness lingering within her.

“En Garde!”

‘You can do this, Mayu. You beat Sashihara who was definitely faster and better at parrying. So you can do it this time as well.’

"FENCE!" and all thoughts but the bout were driven from Mayu’s mind.

Sae advanced and Mayu parried her thrust before pressing her own attack. Mayu used Yuki’s technique against Sae‘s defense by tapping her blade aside just enough for her to
slip her blade in and score a touch on her torso for the first point of the bout.

Mayu’s teammates went crazy over the first point scored by Mayu against the top seed of the tournament. Mayu couldn’t believe it either, but the match was far from over. Mayu may have one point lead as of now, but the first fencer to 15 hits would only be pronounced the winner. It’s still too early for Mayu to even celebrate. But one thing for sure, Mayu’s confidence boosted up a lot from getting the first point.

“Be on guard, Mayu. Chances are, she might just be testing you for the first point.”

Mayu gave a slight nod to her girlfriend then sank into the ready position, both their guards up, both foils aimed at the other's chest.

“En garde!”

‘You got the first point, so you can do it, Mayu. Just keep this form up.’

“Ready! Fence!”

In an instant, Sae managed to leap over towards Mayu and landed an attack just within one second into the bout. Mayu did not even have the time to react to it. Losing her confidence immediately, Mayu looked over at Yuki with her face carved with nervousness once again.

“Don’t worry about that, Mayu. You’ll get that one back. Don’t let it bring you down.” Yuki convinced. “Watch out for her attack and parry, then go for the riposte.”

Mayu nodded. Mayu could literally feel it. Sae was no amateur. Her pose and everything was too good. This really doesn’t look good on Mayu. Sae was so much better than Sashihara whom Mayu even find it so hard to deal with. ‘Just remember, Mayu... Parry and riposte.. Parry and riposte..’

“En garde!”

Mayu let out a couple of heavy breaths as she reminded herself of the lessons learned.

“Ready! Fence!”









The buzzer rang, and both fencers lowered their weapons as the ref called for the rest. Mayu was panting from the amount of energy she used to parry Sae’s attacks. Turning around, Mayu walked down to her end, bouncing to stay loose and trying increasingly hard not to let her anger consume her. She looked back at the scoreboard, seeing the little yellow lights shining out their scores. Eight-one, Sae’s lead. This was worse than the time she went up against Sashihara.

“She got 8 points out of me, Yuki.” Mayu literally felt like crying. She did not see an ounce of hope to win at all. “She even countered my riposte!”

“Calm down, Mayu. Just calm down.” Yuki placed both her hand over Mayu’s shoulder and tried comforting her girlfriend which doesn’t seem to be working at the least bit.

“She’s really fast, Yuki. I don’t know if I can.. I don’t know.... I’m down by a lot..” Obviously Mayu was starting to lose her cool. “I can’t win, Yuki! I can’t! It’s impossib-”

Mayu was suddenly silenced with a kiss on the lips which gained some woos from her clubmates. And boy, did that calm her down a lot. As Yuki pulled away, she encouraged Mayu one final time. “You can do it, Mayu... Just calm down and concentrate. Watch out for her footing.”

Mayu nodded softly.

“Remember your lessons, Mayu. Attack, parry, riposte.”

Mayu could only let out a loud breath and got up on the platform again.

“En garde.”

‘Don’t panic, Mayu. Just do what you do best.’

“Ready! Fence!”

They darted forward, both teasing each other's defense, making the occasional flick with their foils, testing for reactions. Sae seemed to like to tease Mayu a lot as she kept on extending and retracting her foil again and again. And then she went for the offense, only this time, Mayu saw it coming. Just like Yuki taught her. Mayu moved, body singing as her feet pounded the step it took to get her within range. Her fingers twitched, the small movement flicking her foil around Sae's, trapping the foil between hers, twisting to force the spring-loaded tip away from her body. And then the riposte.

One red light.

Mayu’s clubmates burst into applause from Mayu’s second point. Yuki as well, was cheering for Mayu loudly.

‘That’s good, Mayu.. That’s good. Keep this up.’ Mayu reminded herself as she looked at her red foil. ‘Red’s your color. You can do it.’ The match commenced and Mayu was really getting her head in the game this time. She was a lot calmer now. Who would have thought a kiss could be this effective? She managed to score a few more points out of Sae level. That really meant a lot for her.

The two finalists traded blows for almost ten minutes. As soon as one would score a hit, the other would retaliate with an even more inventive attack and score a hit. The bout was tied at 13-13 after ten minutes, and Mayu had scored the previous hit.

It was a really tight match between them as both exchanged blows once again. A very close match, and it ended with both of them sticking the tip of their foils on each others’ lamé at the same time. Mayu heard the buzzer, and allowed herself to breathe. Both red and green lights lit up the score counters. They tied for the last point, making it 14-14.

“Just one more, Mayu!” Yuki shouted from her place.

“En garde!”

This was the final en garde call of the tournament and everyone became silent from the tension. Mayu should be happy. She'd done really well. All of Yuki' advice, her coaching, had paid off – this bout had gone from one-sided to a fair fight thanks to her. No one would blame her if she didn't win after working this hard.

She spared the scoreboard one last look as she got into position. Just like her match with Sashihara. Fourteen-all. There wasn't time for anything fancy. No time to set anything up. This would come down to one final thrust, one last parry, one finishing riposte, the match going to whoever could manage to pull this off.

“Ready!”

Sae would win. Her parry was faster, and Mayu didn't have the time to set up another trap for her to walk into. Sae learned all her tricks, knew the openings she liked to take. Screw that, it’s now or never.

"FENCE!"

Mayu braced for Sae’s advance. It never came. Mayu was confused. She always let her opponent come to her, and so far this bout, she had obliged. Now she seemed content to wait for Mayu to press an attack. Does this mean Sae was actually suppressed by Mayu’s consecutive point gains and tried to play it safe during the final point?

Deciding to test Sae, Mayu took a small shuffle step forward. Sae ever so slightly shifted her weight in preparation of a retreat, but otherwise Mayu got no reaction from her. Another step towards Sae yielded a single step in retreat. Deciding to end the bout, no mater the outcome, Mayu lunged, and employed her attack. Sae wasn’t Sae for no reason. Of course she managed to parry Mayu’s lunge attack and went for the deciding riposte. Things definitely did not look good for Mayu at this point and then....

Slow pants escaped Mayu’s mouth. The whole stadium was silent. Her body was turned sideways as she looked upon Sae’s foil tip hanging in the air from in front her face. As she turned her face front, she was greeted with her foil angled up and the tip connected with Sae’s lamé.

The scoreboard buzzed. Red indicator lighted up.

The crowd literally went wild and burst into cheer for both fencers as they straightened. Mayu’s fencing club lost it. Inaudible shouts of joy echoed across the stadium and it doesn’t seem to die down. Mayu was crowned champion on her very first tournament. Why wouldn’t they be excited? It was a completely unexpected victory. Mayu was the dark horse of the tournament being the fourteenth seed and winning the competition. Who would have thought something like that could even be possible?

Returning to their starting marks, both fencers were instructed to remove their masks and salute by the judge. Mayu’s hair was literally stuck all over her face from all the sweat and her heart still beating heavily from the tension of the last strike. Even Sae was drenched in sweat. They shook hands.

“Well fought, Watanabe. I look forward to face you again sometime in the future.”

“Thanks. I got lucky. You were definitely a better fencer.”

“See you around.”

“See you.” And they got back to their respective sides.

“You did it, Mayu!” Yuki came rushing in and landed a hug on her girlfriend and then a kiss on her forehead before she could even get off the platform. “I am so so proud of yo-”

Before Yuki’s brain could catch up, Mayu cupped her cheek with her hand, pushed herself up to kiss her. Yuki made a happy noise, bumping her nose against Mayu’s, and everything felt weird but good, with the entire stadium watching them. They didn’t even care what was happening around them. It’s just them in their very own world. They broke apart at length and Yuki pulled back, reaching for Mayu’s hand and leading her towards the seats.

"My first tournament and first gold medal thanks to you, Yuki!" Mayu said as she hopped around like a bunny, still pumped-up on adrenaline despite sweating so much. Curls stuck on her face made her look even more adorable while doing that.

“When did you learn how to dodge a riposte??” Yuki wanted to ask.

“Uhm.. Actually I didn’t..” Mayu giggled and whispered into Yuki’s ears. “The platform was a little slippery. So...I kinda slipped a little at the last minute and well, accidentally dodged her riposte. But let’s leave it as that.”

“Red really is your lucky color.” Yuki giggled.

Mayu raised her crimson foil and smiled. “Which is why this foil landed so many lucky strikes.”

“We must go out for celebration tonight.”

“So, where are you taking me?”

“Uhm... How about pizza?”

Mayu’s red lips split in a grin that would have been positively sinful on anyone a little less cute. "Sounds delicious."



OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
END
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: clubhappy on April 24, 2015, 04:08:36 PM
OK First I need to THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OS XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Now imma read it and i'll write a proper comment later xD

A small LONG AND CUTE MAYUKI FIC WITH ALL THE FLUFFS XDDDDDDDD OMG I LIKE IT
I want to know a bit more about Yuki's past though
THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR THIS OS M(_ _)M
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: pattinium on April 24, 2015, 05:56:43 PM
Thank you for this One Shot !!!!
Enjoy reading it ><
Seemed like Yuki has some dark backgrounds...
Somehow I feel sorry for her T____T
Anyway, Mayuki interaction at the end is sooo cute !!!
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 15 What dreams are made of (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Nno23 on April 26, 2015, 12:53:22 PM
ouhhh.. :panic:
I like It  :inlove:
this is awesome !
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: soraheartAKB48 on April 26, 2015, 04:54:13 PM
That was really long but really good I LOVE it  :love: but when you describe Yuki scar its reminded me of Weiss Schnee in RWBY and the first part of the fic reminded me about this fic "Prise de Fleur " by Dinas Emrys (you can find this fic on fanfiction.net)
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: Kirozoro on April 27, 2015, 03:51:33 AM
Another awsome OS!!!

Please write more Mayuki and Wmatsui :bow:

Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: JoeYee on April 27, 2015, 10:48:21 PM
Woah.. A very long one shot. Not that I'm complaining. (´∀`)♡
Mayuki is very the cute~~
Nicely written and it's very detailed. *Thumbs up
Hope to see more OS soon and thank you for this story!≧∇≦
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: takagil on July 11, 2015, 02:49:15 AM
I came here for AtsuMina, and even thought it's only 1 OS out of many, I'm not disappointed  :oops:
Thank you!!!  :drool:

Ps. Do more Atsumina plssssssss!!!  :inlove:
Title: Re: [Atsuko_love's OS Compilation] New OS # 19 En Garde (Mayuki OS)
Post by: kimseoyeonc on July 27, 2015, 01:07:53 PM
I really like the fanfic home which has one of my favourite pairing!! hope you do more one shot!