AlwaysNotes:
Inspired by Love Flicker by Takemiya Jin.
(See the end of the work for notes)
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"I love you!!"
Shoulders squared and clenched fists against her sides, a brave Sato Masaki gushed her heart out.
Tanaka Reina looked at her with a startled look, "Huh?"
"I've always admired you!! Please go out with me!!" Maa-chan continued, ignoring her senpai's confusion. She was determined to let her feelings known. With summer around the corner, the seniors would be around less and less until finally they'd graduate and probably never be seen again. she didn't want to risk it. She figured that the sooner the better.
"Um..." Reina was trying to understand the situation, "you love-- huh?" she took a small step towards the fidgeting younger girl, "please calm down."
"A love confession right before you graduate and leave, huh?" Michishige Sayumi finally spoke up after being thoroughly ignored by her Kouhai, "How, sweetly naive." Sayumi looked amused at the display in front of her. Watching little girls squirm was an odd fascination for her. "Reina, you're not holding out for anyone in particular, are you?" She chuckled as an aura of michviouness sourrounded her, "Why not go out with her?"
Maa-chan jumped up in glee, "President!! Thank you!" even though she wasn't the president anymore.
Reina on the other hand looked at her with complete shock. "Sayu what are you...?" if anything she thought that Sayu would help her out, not dig her in deeper.
"How will you know if things will work out between you if you don't give it a try?" Sayu explained her reasoning calmly while ignoring Reina's pleading eyes that asked her to stop whatever she was up to.
Maa-chan jumped in without missing a beat, "That's a good point, President!!" Sayu smiled at the hyper girl and then looked at Reina.
"...So you'll accept, right?" her gaze locked on to Reina's and she could only stare back with a broken expression.
I took my time with you for granted... can we ever bridge the distance between our hearts?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eight years earlierA young Tanaka Reina walked throughout a minor's garden. She looked in awe at the sheer size of it. She and her father had just finished moving in. Her father was to take care of the garden. She wondered if he could do it alone. The garden was the biggest she had ever seen.
Meanwhile, behind some bushes, an equally young Michishige Sayumi gripped a stick tightly. Who was the unknown girl? call her paranoid, but her parents told her to always beware of strangers. She approached the girl and called out to her with a cautious glare on her face.
“Who are you?”
Reina jumped at the voice and turned around. She saw the girl with the stick in her hands and threw her hands up in surrender. She wasn’t a sketchy person!
“Um...” She quickly tried to explain herself, “My dad’s going to be in charge of the garden here...!” she blurted out and Sayu relaxed significantly. She had heard about the new gardener.
“You’re the new gardener’s daughter, huh?” she smiled and tossed her stick away. The girl wasn’t suspicious at all. “I’m Michishige Sayumi, second eldest daughter of the family. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Tanaka Reina!” She bowed deeply, “The pleasure is mine!” This girl was her boss, well, mostly. She had to act accordingly for her father's sake.
Sayumi stared at the girl bemused for a moment. She was bowing to her with a blush of determination on her cheeks, how cute.
“You’re cute.” She voiced out loud which surprised Reina, “Pardon?
Sayu gave her a small smile, “I said you’re cute.” She grabbed Reina by the hand suddenly and dragged her along, “I like you!!” She grinned, “Come with me I’ll show you around the house!”
“Wha--” Reina gasped as she was dragged by the surprisingly strong girl, “Um-- Miss?!” She spoke up to get the others attention.
“Don’t call me that. Call me Sayu.” Sayumi scowled her. She wanted a friend not a servant.
“Huh?!” Regardless of what Sayu said Reina was caught of guard, calling her boss on a nickname basis?!
That’s how, from the first day they met, Reina has been glued to Sayu’s side. Reina went along with anything that Sayu wanted. She had done whatever it took to stay there by her side, no matter how outlandish her requests got. Reina wanted to be with her forever. That’s why Sayu was already special to her by the time she realized it.
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“... So you’ll accept, right?”
“Yes...”
Reina smiled at Maa-chan, “Please be good to me, Sato-san.”
Maa-chan jumped up in glee with a squee, “I will! Please do the same for me!!” she clasped her hands together and looked at Reina dreamily. She could hardly believe that Reina had accepted. Well, Sayu had helped but she wasn’t going to question it.
Reina continued to smile, “I need to take care of something in the staff room. Would you mind if I excused myself?”
Maa-chan took on a guilty look as she apologized for holding her back. Reina dismissed it as okay and headed out. Once she was outside, she pressed her back against the door and looked down as tears slid down her cheeks and passed her clenched jaw. Sayu was special, precious and dear to her. That was never going to change. But it seemed like she didn’t mean the same to sayu.
“I’m an idiot... what was I expecting?”
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“Tanaka-sempai!!” As the days passed Maa-chan would head to the study room to meet up with Reina to head home together. “I’m sorry did you wait long?” She burst through the door panting slightly from running all the way there.
Reina brought a finger to her lips to shush the girl, “It’s fine I was studying.” She packed her books and headed out, “Did you have student council today?
“Yes! we had a meeting about end of year volunteering...” She glanced at Reina shyly, “But I couldn’t concentrate at all.”
“Huh?” Reina asked, confused as to why Maa-chan was acting strangely.
“Um...” Maa-chan gave an embarrassed smile, “It was because I missed you...” She grinned shyly.
Reina looked at her strangely. “Even though we met up today?” She didn’t think she quite understood.
The younger girl wasn’t discouraged though, “Of course!! I’d miss you even if I got to see you everyday.” She gave a grin but Reina continued to look at her strangely which caused her to deflame.
“Am I being too clingy?” She asked in a sudden gloom.
Reina was startled, “No, but...” she tried to get closer to the girl to calm her down a bit, “If we started spending all our time together, wouldn't you be even lonelier when we eventually parted ways?” she didn’t want the girl to be too upset when graduation came by.
Maa-chan looked surprised at her words, but then remembered Duu and how much she missed her. Especially now that Duu was acting distant. “... You might be right about that.” She nodded and gripped her shoulder strap. Reina could tell that she wasn’t sure about what she wanted to say. “Sempai, do you remember Duu?”
“Yes!” Reina smiled, she remembered her. Kudo Haruka, she believed. “The two of you did a lot of work for the student council together, right?”
The younger girl nodded, “Well she likes you too.” Reina was shocked but Maa-chan continued, looking more down than before. “She’s been supportive of our relationship...” her grip on her shoulder strap tightened. “But she’s such a nice person, she’s probably forcing herself to be a good friend....”
Reina looked at her in sympathy.
What a honest girl, she thought.
Sayu... She sighed at herself. Even at times like those all she could think about was Sayu. “I’m sorry.” she muttered. She didn’t like that she wasn’t completely there mentally for the younger girl at that moment.
“Sempai?” Maa-chan however, didn’t quite hear her.
“Nothing. Let’s go home now.” Reina smiled as best she could and Maa-chan didn’t question it further.
Do you miss me, Sayu?
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“Again?”
Reina looked up at sayu,“Yes.” She answered a bit surprised at Sayu’s tone. “I’m meeting her after school today.”
Sayumi and Reina were the only ones left in the classroom. Everyone else had already left. Reina was waiting for Maa-chan, who was at another student council meeting.
“You are?” Sayu asked in disbelief. “I know you’re going out, but don’t you get sick of seeing her every day?”
Sick of her? Sick of her? In all their years together Reina had never gotten sick of sayu. Reina wasn’t think about Maa-chan anymore. “If you love someone, don’t you always want to spend more time with them?” I want to be with her forever....
Sayu frowned at her a mild look of surprise in her eyes, “...You’re right.” she turned and walked away, leaving Reina alone in the classroom.
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“Tanaka-sempai!!”
“Oh, Sato-san.” Maa-chan had startled her but she smiled anyway.
Oh. As she had turned around to greet the younger girl, she caught a glimpse of Kudo.
That’s Sato-san’s Reina’s eyes widened slightly at the expression on Kudo’s face. She was smiling one moment but just as she was turning around her face fell into a pained expression. Reina believed she was about to cry.
“Sempai?” Maa-chan asked when she noticed that Reina wasn’t looking at her.
“Sato-san, did you see...” Reina stopped short and Maa-can wondered what was wrong. Apparently the younger girl didn’t notice the look on her own face. To Reina it was obvious that she was upset as well. And she recognized that expression... eyes cast down, mouth set in a frown, trying to hold back tears. That the same expression that Kudo had on moments before, and even more so the expression that Reina had the day before when Sayu walked out on her.
“Did something happen with Kudo-San?” she asked to make sure.
Maa-chan looked up at her surprised and Reina knew she was right.
So that’s what it was...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That day, after school, as Sayu went to her classroom to retrieve something that she forgot, she found Reina there.
“Don’t you have a date?” She asked. She was frowning as she placed her hands on her hips, “I thought you two went out everyday.” she was still clearing upset for being blown off the day before. Reina was sitting with her elbows on the desk, her chin on her intertwined hands.
“We broke up.”
“What?!” Sayu jumped up in shock.
“We’re not together anymore.” Reina clarified. “You knew the whole time, didn’t you?” She asked finally looking at Sayu face on.
“Knew what?” Sayu asked, suddenly seeming more composed.
“That Sato-san just admired me,” Reina said as she stood up from her chair, “That she was really in love with someone else.”
Sayu looked at her for a moment before sighing, “Yeah. I guess.” She closed her eyes and brought a hand up to her temple. She was caught. “Though she didn’t realize how she felt until this broke them apart.” She added softly.
“Wow.” Reina looked at Sayu with some awe, “I had no idea you were so attuned to people’s feelings.”
“Sato-san is easy to read, unlike a certain someone,” Sayu explained, “whenever Sato-san is about to do something, she always looks at Kudo-san first. and whenever she’s having fun, she always catches Kudo-san’s eye and they smile at each other, y’know? A great big smile, too. That how I figured it out.”
“You had me date her so she realized how she felt!!!” Reina couldn’t believe all the trouble Sayu had put her through! “You didn’t have to take such drastic measures!!”
“Yes. I did.” Sayu said matter of factly. “She had to figure out how she felt on her own or she never would have accepted it.” She deadpanned.
“Wha--...” Reina was speechless, Sayu’s logic only made her more furious, “Y-you could have at least explained what was going on to me!! Aren’t we friends?! Or do I not even mean that much to you?!”
“You’re right.” Sayu spoke up with a firm voice, “We’re not friends.” Reina visibly flinched. “That’s why I had to test you.” Sayu continued, “You always do whatever I ask you to!!” She shouted so suddenly that Reina flinched once more in surprise. Sayu had put her head down, “I know your father works for my family but I’ve told you I don’t want that to have anything to do with our relationship!”
Reina didn’t say anything. She had always thought they were friends. Her father’s job had nothing to do with it.
“So I thought that if I asked you to do something completely unreasonable you’d tell me how you really felt.” Sayu continued and as she did her head went down lower, “If we didn’t have a relationship of equals...” Her fists clenched at her sides, “If I didn’t think we could be honest with each other...” It seemed like she couldn’t hold on much longer, “How could I tell you that I loved you and know that you’d answer me honestly?!!” Sayu looked truly pained as she brought a hand up to her face, “I Wanted you to turn her down...” She finished sadly.
I wasn’t the only one in pain... Reina realized as she took in Sayu defeated form. “The only reason I said yes to her,” she began, “was that I didn’t care where I was if I couldn't be with you...” Sayu blushed at her words but glared at her, “St-stop sounding so desperate!” She shouted as she finally looked up at her, “It was a big shock for me too, you know.”
“And whose fault was that?” Reina resorted with a flat tone. “I haven’t minded doing whatever it look to stay by your side.” She continued, becoming bashful, “I doubt that will change in the future either.” Sayu could only listen as Reina spoke. “You’ve always had so much faith in yourself, Sayu. Don’t ever lose that.” Reina looked Sayu straight in the eye, “I’ve always loved you, and I always will...”
“R-really?” Sayu asked looking at Reina in awe. She brought her hand up to Reina’s cheek and Reina leaned into it and nodded. Her eyes closed in contentment.
Sayu smiled and brought their faces closer, “So, you feel the same way...” she whispered. Reina smiled and nodded again. Both leaned their foreheads together and smiled to themselves, completely content to hold each other close at the moment.
In the short time we were apart I realized just how impossible it is for us to be without each other... 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
There it is the second story to the series Love Flicker. I hope you enjoyed it. I decided to keep this as one part instead of two
I hope you don't mind.
Anyway one more story left and the paring is a secret
Stay tuned for that one! I'll have it up soon!