JPHiP Forum
AKB48 Fanfics => AKB48 Fanfics => Topic started by: Calyrica on August 21, 2012, 04:49:14 AM
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UPDATE: A complete index of my fics can be found on the About page of my Tumblr here (http://calyrica.tumblr.com/about)!
So... That this is my first post means that I'm new, obviously. But I won't bore you with my AKB48 conversion story, since that's not nearly as interesting as stories about our cute couples!
I'm working my way through all of your wonderful fanfics here, and I've managed to go through pages 6-10. XD But I couldn't wait any longer to share what I've come up with, and I promise that once I'm not in danger of necro-ing any super old threads, I'll comment on all your stories and tell you how wonderful they are! :heart:
I actually have three stories to start with, but according to your rules, one belongs in some "perv" forum that I don't have access to, and one is currently being proofread as I type. So expect that one soon!
As of now, I guess all of my one-shots belong to my "Of" series, which just means that I couldn't think of a title since they're just cute stories that could happen in the daily life of Atsumina~! :heart:
If you prefer to read on tumblr, http://calyrica.tumblr.com/post/29518123768/of-kisses-atsumina (http://calyrica.tumblr.com/post/29518123768/of-kisses-atsumina)
Of Kisses
Even if she were to be completely honest, Takahashi Minami really didn’t mind the “no dating” rule articulated in the contract she signed when she joined AKB48 at fourteen.
Many of the other girls balked at the condition, shook their heads, and turned the offer down. Being single was too much of a sacrifice for them to make, especially in the peak of their teenage hormonal years.
Minami had, in middle school, dated two boys from her class. The first, Takumi, only lasted about a week with her, and the second, Emiya, had lasted even less. She had definitively ended both short flings, leaving her free to look for someone she’d care about for longer than that.
Their hands were always sweaty and too warm when they’d reach for hers in hallways. They’d stutter, take too long to speak, not look her in the eyes, and when they kissed her, their tongues were like slimy snakes invading her mouth, giving her the desire to throw up and violently bite down and run away all at once.
So no, Minami definitely didn’t mind the dating ban.
But the other girls did. Even the ones who signed the contract and agreed to the terms still complained and whined about it, especially the older ones. Some of them would sneak out with boys a few times a month when they could, being careful not to get caught.
By the time she was 16, a few of the girls had already left because of the rule, and one day, after another had refused to give up her love life, Maeda Atsuko presented Minami with a question: “Do you hate the dating ban, too?”
They were in Atsuko’s room, just the two of them, sitting on her bed while playing with her dogs and chatting about nothing. Minami flatly answered, “No.”
“Really?” Atsuko asked in surprise. “You seem like you’d be popular. You’re funny and full of energy.”
Minami laughed and said, “Well, I am. But I don’t really care about that kind of stuff. I tried it a few times, and it wasn’t my thing.”
Shyly, Atsuko asked, “What do you mean by… ‘it’?”
Leaning back and looking at the ceiling, Minami flopped down on the bed, keeping her knees still bent upwards in preparation for a bout of recollecting memories she really didn’t care about. But then, she decided to keep her story short (unlike most of her “interesting” stories), and she summarized it in a few sentences:
“I’ve had two boyfriends. We kissed and stuff. I didn’t like it.”
The room was silent; neither of them knew what to say. Minami didn’t want to elaborate any further since nothing else was really important.
Finally, Atsuko whispered, “I’ve never even been kissed.”
Minami turned her head to look at her friend. True, Atsuko was always the quiet type and could be a little dark at times, but the statement still surprised her. She repeated Atsuko’s earlier question: “Really?”
“Mm,” Atsuko nodded, blushing and looking at her feet. “So I guess… I mean, I don’t really care about the dating ban that much, but I get curious sometimes when I see the girls all upset about it. It must be pretty good for them to care that much, huh?”
“I didn’t think so,” Minami shrugged, turning back to face the ceiling. “It’s kinda gross.”
“Well…” Atsuko hesitantly began, “then I guess I don’t really mind…”
Minami could hear the uncertainty in her friend’s voice when a crazy idea popped into her head: “You know, even with the rule in place, you can still kiss someone. That way, you’ll know what it’s like and what you’re missing and stuff.”
Atsuko looked over at Minami with a confused expression on her face. “I can?”
Minami gulped and said. “I-I-I-I guess… You… You can… Youcankissmeifyouwant. You know, so you’re not curious anymore.”
After another bout of silence, during which Minami was certain that she had majorly completely screwed up again, Atsuko choked back a snort, trying to stifle her giggles that eventually escaped through.
“Minami… Your face is bright red…” Atsuko managed between giggles.
Minami groaned and covered her face with her left arm, though she was relieved that Atsuko took the suggestion well… or at least ignored it.
“But…” Atsuko managed once her giggles faded. “You’d really do that for me?”
“Y-Yeah. You’re my best friend, right?” Minami asked, pulling her arm down, but certain she was still blushing.
Atsuko shyly grinned. “So… Um, what should I do?”
“Just sit there,” Minami answered, sitting up. “And close your eyes. I’ll do the rest.”
“Um, okay,” Atsuko whispered, tentatively closing her eyes. She sat completely still, like a porcelain doll.
Minami slowly reached out her right hand and cupped Atsuko’s cheek, surprised at how soft the skin under her fingers felt. After reminding herself of what she was actually supposed to be doing, she leaned forward and touched her lips to Atsuko’s. The feeling of their lips grazing against each other was different from what she was expecting. Atsuko’s lips were so soft and warm, and it was actually… nice.
But then she quickly pulled back, since it was just supposed to be a quick kiss to satisfy Atsuko’s curiosity, after all.
“Hm~” Atsuko hummed, her eyes slowly drifting open. “So that’s what a kiss feels like? After what you said, I was expecting—”
“That was different,” Minami quickly interrupted, looking at the empty space on the bed between them. “I-I don’t really know what to say.”
Another moment of silence fell over them, until Atsuko said, “Well, now that I know what it’s like… I guess I’m disappointed about the no dating rule now, too.”
“I-If you liked it, I guess when you want to kiss someone, you can just kiss me?” Minami hesitantly asked, slowly lifting her eyes to meet Atsuko’s.
Atsuko clapped her hands together before leaning forward and giving Minami a short peck on the lips as her answer, causing Minami to blush just like before.
But even so, she wanted to kiss Atsuko again.
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Oh, not to double post, but this one was just finished being proof-read. The stuff tacked onto the end reminds me that I've tossed around the idea of making an Atsumina visual novel and have a working interface for one, but haven't come up with any ideas that would be long enough to warrant one. XD
Warning~: Ecchi jokes ahead. XD
Of Ribbons
“Yellow?” Minami asked herself. She frowned. “Maybe green?”
Another frown, followed this time by a sigh. She then whined, “I don’t want just plain white or anything like that…”
It may seem like an odd predicament for the young woman to be in, but Takahashi Minami took the task of picking out her big hair ribbons very seriously. They were her trademark of individuality, and on her days off, she was in charge of picking one out from her filled drawer. And so, this routine often took a lot more time than was really necessary.
When she had woken up this morning, she had simply put on a white ribbon to match her shirt, which was also white, but with a yellow and green design. But just five minutes ago, she had received an unexpected text from her girlfriend saying that the filming for the drama she was in was going ahead of schedule. The last line, however, was what got her into this situation: The text continued, to ask if she wanted to watch or movie or something later that night.
Minami was pretty excited to force Atsuko to watch GANTZ again, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her girlfriend was dropping a hint by writing “or something”.
“Yellow with blue polka dots?” Minami asked herself, still trying to coordinate somewhat. She was wearing blue jean shorts, after all. “Ack. I look like I’m five.”
Not like she didn’t normally, but she already had her Coming of Age ceremony. Just because she was as short as a child didn’t mean she was one. So that ribbon was tossed back in the drawer alongside the fifty-odd others. She pouted and stared at her collection for another moment.
And then, she decided.
“Pink!” she victoriously exclaimed and continued to fish out a plain pink bow from the drawer. After fastening it securely to her high ponytail, she grinned and went to get out her GANTZ DVD.
~ ~ ~
Just as Minami expected, two hours later, a knock on her door echoed throughout her apartment. Then, the door slowly swung open.
“Minami~!” Atsuko greeted her girlfriend in a sing-song voice.
Minami smiled and bounced off the couch where she had been sitting and waiting. She allowed her girlfriend to tackle her in a (much too tight) hug. After she began gasping for breath, Atsuko quickly released her and apologized.
After a few coughs, Minami walked back to the couch and picked up the GANTZ DVD she had set down there, holding it up triumphantly. “Here! I already picked out a movie.”
“Hm…” Atsuko tilted her head to the side. “I guess we could watch that again if you really want to…”
Minami could tell that her girlfriend wasn’t much enthused about the idea, and she pouted, “But you texted me about wanting to watch a movie or something.”
“I was really hoping for the ‘or something’ I mentioned,” Atsuko grinned, taking slow steps towards Minami.
So her sneaking suspicion was true. And apparently Yuko was the perverted one?
But Minami was more than happy to let her girlfriend initiate the “or something” she had mentioned, and she allowed herself to be embraced a second time that evening, albeit much more gently than the tight hold before. She leaned forward on her tip-toes to reach Atsuko’s lips with her own as her hands snaked around the taller girl’s neck, her fingers tangled in short, dark hair. It had been at least a week since the last time they had spent time together, which was much too long for the both of them.
Atsuko’s arms pulled the short girl closer, her arms wrapping around Minami’s waist. As she opened her mouth and let her tongue slowly snake out, she pushed Minami backwards slowly towards the bedroom, their kiss becoming more and more heated as clothes dropped to the floor on the way. The bedroom door was left wide open, both girls thinking only of each other.
~ ~ ~
A few hours later, the pair was laying together in Minami’s bed, Atsuko’s face snuggled in the crook of Minami’s neck, a content smile on her face. She reached her hand over to caress her girlfriend’s face, then moved a long strand of Minami’s hair behind her ear that had come loose from the high ponytail she always wore. And then her smile transformed into a puzzled look as she raised herself up slightly, poking at Minami’s pink ribbon that still sat on top of her head, a bit lopsided by now.
“Minami…” she began, mentally face-palming.
Noticing the change in her girlfriend’s demeanor, Minami panicked. What had she done now? She knew she could be a bit dense and usually needed more than just a few hints to figure something out, but she figured that the evening had gone much better than that…
“You know…” Atsuko continued, a very serious expression replacing the puzzled look she had just moments earlier.
Minami gulped in nervous anticipation.
“You’re supposed to match your ribbon to the clothes people can see, not your lingerie.”
Minami’s eyes wandered to the lacy pink bra and panty set that was lying discarded in the doorway to her bedroom, then looked back at Atsuko, who was now smirking at her.
“Well…” Minami trailed off, hesitating a bit before admitting her reason, which caused her to blush furiously. “I wanted to wear something special for you!”
After smacking her girlfriend’s shoulder playfully, Atsuko leaned in for yet another kiss, slowly moving her lips against Minami’s until she pulled back, grinning again.
“As long as it’s just for me.”
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And because my proofreader is crazy… He decided to add all of this on to the end. I hope this makes you laugh as hard as I did! (He’s not an AKB48 fan or anything, but I feel like he got the characterization good anyway! XD) By the way, after I read what he added, I asked, “So, there weren’t any issues when you proofread it?” To which he replied, “Oh, I didn’t do that part yet.” -_-
Proofreader’s Omake:
“No. Too bad. I actually just came here to tell you that I have a boyfriend now. I’m dumping you forever. I just wanted to get your hopes up by f*cking you dry.”
“…”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”
You got the…
BAD ENDING.
Maybe you made a wrong choice. Go back and reflect upon your actions.
Loading save data #5…
…
…
Choose an option:
> Watch the GANTZ DVD
> “or something”
You chose to watch the GANTZ DVD.
After watching the movie, you were both touched by the scenes that transpired in the movie.
You were touched to the point where you allowed Atsuko to be your “hero” anytime.
She’s your hero forever. You end up spending your lives together in hot and passionate ***.
You got the…
GOOD ENDING.
Great job. Maybe you should shoot for the TRUE ENDING next?
Loading save data #4…
…
…
Choose an option:
> A sweet pink ribbon that matches something “else”…
> A cute blue ribbon that somehow fits great with your outfit!
You chose a cute blue ribbon that somehow fits great with your outfit!
After the events that transpired above…
“Why did you wear a blue ribbon? That doesn’t match with your bra at all!”
“It matches with my outfit though!”
“Well then… If we can’t change the ribbon, then I guess we’ll have to change the lingerie…”
“Wait! What do you think you’re doing!?”
“I’m stripping you of course!” Atsuko said with a devious grin on her face.
“Ahh! No!” Takamina yelled.
In the end, you ended up becoming submissive to Atsuko’s advances.
You got the…
MASOCHIST ENDING.
Day after day, you enjoy some interesting role-playing with your girlfriend. You can’t have enough. Maybe there’s a way to reverse this?
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Awwwhaha, the first one was hecka cute! I wished it could be longer~ :farofflook:
I never picture Minami being the one to ask for a kiss though, lol...Too many fics and pics of atsumina where It'd look like Atsuko tops :whistle:
As for the second os OMG, VISUAL NOVEL???????!!!!!! Hahah, that would be sooo damn epic. I've always wanted to write one too, but I can't handle bad ends let alone write one LOL, my Atsumina loving heart almost crashed at the BADEND OMAKE 'XDD it was entertaining though I'd have to say.
Definitely looking foward to reading more of your work, visual novel would be nice! :on asmo:
Edit: I'm following on tumblr lol
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i love the first one.. maybe a sequel?.. jaja minamo so innocent.. and acchan in the beggining was so innocent but then she transform in a perver person (thanx to yuko)... I think that you can write more chapter about it... :D
thanks for this atsumina fic... maybe can i request a kojiyuu fic?
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OMG I love this thank you. And now that I've added your tumblr page to a must-follow list, be rest assured that I'll visit it every day.
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So I was on your tumblr and just finished reading...ahem your Shoujiki os.....
FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
:on bleed:
I'll be expecting more from you...that was like the best thing i've ever read in my life lol.
:wigglypanda:<---------Das me just so happy and shiat lol :bow:
Update soon on second to last ':)
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Hehehe, nice! I only saw "Of Ribbons" on tumblr, but was delightedly surprised to find another one on here. :inlove: :heart:
Very cute! I'll be anticipating any updates :twothumbs
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Nice! I like Minami to be the one who decide to do things with Atsuko, it's different but good!!Well done! :thumbup :thumbup
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@anonymousdowner: I'm glad you liked Shoujiki :drool: I had a lot of fun writing that one. Maybe... too much fun... >_>
@Haruko: I will indeed write you a KojiYuu fic, but as my mind is full of Atsumina, I may have a hard time thinking up an idea to write about them. XD Do you have a prompt or anything you'd like to request?
As for the visual novel idea I threw out... Haaa, it's not quite something I can do quickly, and in fact, I'm kind of stuck looking for the pictures I need for the characters. You know how in VNs they have the expression shots when they talk? I didn't think such a thing existed, but I hoped that maybe I'd find some pictures that I could use...
And I see a lot of you think Takamina is OOC in the first one. XD I was kind of thinking that too as I wrote it, but then I remembered a picture I found on tumblr of Takamina pouncing on Acchan when they were really young and used that as my justification. XD
I will get to writing more soon~ :heart:
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PLEASE UPDATE!!!
LIKE YOUR WORK
MORE POWER
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Hahaha!!! It makes me remember the game Catherine xD
Ribbon matchrs with lingerie good choice hehe
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Like you stories :twothumbs :twothumbs
Of kissses is sooo sweet~ :wub: :wub:
of ribbons is great :thumbup :thumbup you're making it like playing video game XD XD
waiting for your another atsumina visual novel ff~ XD XD
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so sweet!!!
I hope the first one will have a sequel :D
Great work..
Update soon!
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I have a new offering for all of you! :heart:
This was written during my classes today. University started up again, so I had to keep my multitasking brain busy. The lectures today were quite interesting, so it's a shame I was forced to do this...
If you'd prefer to read on tumblr, http://calyrica.tumblr.com/post/30365648795/of-rehearsals (http://calyrica.tumblr.com/post/30365648795/of-rehearsals)
Of Rehearsals
To say that this was a rare situation was quite an understatement.
Team A's 6th Stage launch was just two days away, and although it was nearly midnight, the girls in the team were just starting to filter out, exhausted from the seemingly endless rehearsals that had started up once again after the night's performance. With having rehearsal all afternoon in addition, the fatigue they were all feeling pushed them to continue their hard work at a later time, and Maeda Atsuko was no exception. She grabbed a cold bottle of water from a mini fridge in the rehearsal room she had occupied with Nakaya Sayaka and Kuramochi Asuka for their unit song and held it up to her forehead.
"See you tomorrow, Acchan!" Asuka smiled, giving Atsuko a quick hug.
Sayaka playfully nudged Asuka's shoulder and teased, "Don't you mean later today?"
The three girls giggled weakly and said their goodbyes. Atsuko left last, turning off the lights and locking the door on her way out. The area backstage, with all of the dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms, was so dark and quiet compared to just a few minutes earlier.
Though... She could still hear a vague bass line from where a small patch of light shone at the end of the hallway. And she shook her head and laughed to herself, knowing exactly who would be in that practice room, and that said occupant had no idea nor care about how late it was.
While she wanted to make sure the girl made it home to sleep at a decent hour, she also respected the will and determination to focus on rehearsing, so she slowly opened the door just enough to clearly see the tiny form of her captain, Takahashi Minami, moving seemingly effortlessly in harmony with the music coming from the CD player behind her.
This was the closest thing Atsuko would get to watching the performance, anyway. Being in the same stage show meant that she couldn't watch any of the songs. She would be busy with costume changes or last minute run-throughs of problematic choreography or just trying to avoid the chaos that was backstage, and would really only see bits and pieces of a song she wished to have seen. So that was another reason why she was hesitant to interrupt even at such a late hour.
Although she had heard of the solo song Minami would be performing, because of her own busy schedule, she had yet to see or hear anything about it. The only thing she really know was the title, "Itoshisa no Accel", which sounded just as awesome and bad-ass as it appeared from her first impression through her narrow view in the doorway.
And then to Atsuko's surprise, Minami pulled a plastic sword out of a holster taped around her waist and began to expertly wield it, a look of pure concentration on her face as she spun around and swung the sword as if it were weightless. Atsuko's jaw dropped in admiration.
When Minami returned back to the center of the room to finish the final chorus, Atsuko could see signs of her girlfriend's hard work as her hair was coming loose from her high ponytail and sticking to the sides of her damp face, a few beads of sweat dripping down her neck to disappear under the material of her pink camisole. Atsuko couldn't help her eyes as they trailed back up the strap—Oh, straps plural, as the girl's white bra strap was also visible next to the camisole's. And Atsuko could feel a tightening in her stomach that she did her best to surpress, but the flush in her cheeks was just a bit harder to push away.
As the song ended, Minami picked herself up from her ending pose on the floor, breathing heavily and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. Her chest heaved and a grimace graced her face as she took a moment to collect herself before turning around to the CD player behind her to start the song again, but Atsuko took this moment to first knock on the door, then push it the entire way open.
"Oh, Atsuko?" Minami asked, frozen in place as she was bent over at the CD player.
Atsuko extended her hand holding her water bottle, offering it to the shorter girl, who quickly accepted it, rising back up to a standing position as she unscrewed the cap and gulped down a third of the bottle's contents. She then coughed, as her body wasn't entirely caught up with the idea of recovering after the intense rehearsal.
Hiding her sweet laugh behind her hand, Atsuko asked gently, "Minami, do you know what time it is?"
Minami scrunched her nose and attempted to answer with: "Time to run through the song again?"
"No!" Atsuko exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest in a childish fashion. "I knew you'd say that, though. Honestly, you need to pay more attention to things other than your work."
"You do, too," Minami frowned, handing the water bottle back. "Between your dramas and these rehearsals and everything else, I'm surprised you have time to sleep."
Atsuko sighed, shaking her head at her girlfriend's ability to chance the focus of the conversation so easily away from the person she had intended. Of course, that was just part of what made Minami such an amazing person: her extreme dedication and focus to the group over herself. "That's not the point. Anyway, the answer to my question is midnight."
"Oh," Minami nodded, then lowered her head and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I didn't realize how late it was."
The guilty expression was too adorable for Atsuko to ignore, and she opened her arms wide in preparation to tackle her girlfriend in a tight hug, which caused Minami to let out a high pitched squeal and take a few steps backwards."
"Atsuko! I'm all sweaty and gross!"
"So am I!" Atsuko argued back, a playful smile playing on her features as she began to take slow steps towards the other girl, who had put both hands up in front of her in protest. As she took step after step, she not-so-innocently demanded, "Stay over tonight, Minami."
"I need to take a shower!" Minami weakly protested.
"So do I," Atsuko once again argued back. And then a dark look shone in her eyes as she took in the sight in front of her. Another demand passed her lips: "Take a shower with me, Minami."
"Eh?!" Minami exclaimed, her eyes widening and her cheeks flushing. Though she had (after years of chasing and insisting) bathed with Atsuko before, things were just a little bit different when her girlfriend looked so attractive, as Atsuko was in the same disheveled state as herself. Her embarrassment caused her to stop her retreat, which gave Atsuko the opportunity to wrap her arms tightly around her girlfriend's neck, causing the shorter girl to flail her arms around and cough before she finally managed to choke out, "All right! Fine! But I want to get some sleep tonight."
Atsuko relaxed her death grip and lowered her arms to Minami's shoulders, burying her head in the shorter girl's neck. She kissed the salty skin below Minami's ear before purring, "I can't guarantee that."
Although exhausted, Minami sighed and did what she always did when Atsuko was involved.
She gave in.
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WAH! Atsumina! :D Such an awesome and adorable fic :) Thank you for taking the time to write this ^^ Takamina practicing itoshisa no accel would def be epic to watch since she puts her all into performing :D Thanks again! Hope to see more Atsumina fics!! :)
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I already read this on Tumblr right after you've posted it up, but since I saw on here too I read it again hahah!
Your work has not failed me yet, I'm always smiling after every fic and It's just so great.
Like I've commented before, I wish this would continue... Bath scene would benice'XD
I'm still bummed out about my lovely Acchan's graduation, but this cheered me up.
Thanks so much, I will again wait for more.
Good luck with those boring lectures lol.
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:ding:
I like your fics!
Keep it up!
Every atsumina~~ :heart:
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FINALLY! UPDATE!
THANKS FOR UPDATING!
PLEASE UPDATE OFTEN AND MORE FUNNY SCENES OF ATSUMINA!
THANK YOU.
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One of these days, I want to respond to all of your reader's comments, but... I always end up posting when it's super late at night and I'm too tired. :(
Anyway... People who are following me on Tumblr know that I have two chapters of an Atsumina story up that I haven't posted here. I wanted to wait until I continued it before sharing it, and now that I've written the third chapter, here it is!
I tweaked a few things in the first two chapters to reflect the re-shuffle and the like, and said re-shuffle actually helped me make chapter three more believable... Not like I think it's possible anyway, but it's fiction, so whatever.
There will be drama ahead, but not too much in these three chapters. Chapter four is where things will start going to crap, chapters five and six are where I'll break your heart, and after that, I have no idea what's going to happen because I can't think of an ending :sweatdrop:
Oh, I also realized that the title makes no sense since I changed a few things around when I wrote chapter three. So please just ignore that
Second to Last
Chapter One
Even though it was the middle of summer, the sun had not yet risen when Takahashi Minami sat up in bed. She let out what was half a sigh and half a yawn before pressing her lips together in a frustrated expression and looking at the ceiling.
Exhaustion was nothing new to any of the AKB48 members, and many had even collapsed from it at one time or another, but this was different.
This wasn’t hours of rehearsals under bright lights or a hot sun. This wasn’t day after day packed with photo shoots, television recordings, and handshake events. In fact, the night before, she was graciously allowed to return home to her small apartment in Tokyo before midnight. “Rare” wasn’t a strong enough word to describe such an opportunity.
Her cell phone alarm had been set for 5:30am, but it was only a few minutes before 5 when she turned her head to gaze at the figure next to her, still peacefully asleep. Maeda Atsuko was curled on her side, facing Minami, her breathing slow and deep, lips twisted in a bit of a lazy pout. Unlike Minami, it didn’t seem that Atsuko was going to wake up any time soon.
Minami tried to smile, but she had too much on her mind. And with Atsuko being asleep, there wasn’t anyone to see her smile, anyway. She instead reached down to stroke Atsuko’s tussed hair, brushing the short strands away from her peaceful face, not receiving even the slightest of movements or acknowledgements to the action.
With an over-exaggerated jump (because when is Minami not over-exaggerated?) she hopped off of the bed and slid into the slippers next to the bed. Without any light, she couldnt tell if they were hers or Atsuko’s, but they wore the same shoe size, so it didn’t really matter.
After making sure to turn off the not-yet-rung alarm, she quietly shuffled her way out of the bedroom, returning an hour later. This time, she did turn on the light, and she sat on the side of the bed that Atsuko was facing.
“Hey, Atsuko?” Minami softly asked, poking the sleeping girl’s nose.
Atsuko’s face scrunched up for a brief moment before relaxing back into a peaceful expression.
“Atsuko?”
Not even a hitch of breath or a flutter of the eyelashes responded to Minami’s questioning voice. But of course, she had known Atsuko for long enough and had woke her up enough times to know that simple and subtle gestures wouldn’t be enough. In fact, even if the alarm would have gone off at 5:30, it was likely that Atsuko would continue sleeping long past the ringtone’s end.
But Minami wasn’t in the mood this morning to be overly energetic in waking her girlfriend, so she settled for tightly gripping Atsuko’s shoulders and shaking them a bit roughly.
A low groan echoed throughout the room, followed by a soft, “Minami?”
“It’s almost six,” Minami stated, causing Atsuko’s eyes to open wide. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”
“Sorry. I overslept,” Atsuko apologetically winced.
Minami shook her head and reached down to hold Atsuko’s warm hand in hers. “I got up before the alarm, so it didn’t go off. You can sleep in a bit more, but I wanted to let you know that I’m leaving.”
Atsuko looked up at Minami’s tense profile and asked, “Are you nevous?”
“Just a little,” Minami forced out a bit too quickly to be honest. “It’s the same every year. You’re pretty lucky you don’t have to go through it anymore.”
“Yeah, I’m not jealous at all. I didn’t have to do it last year, either,” Atsuko agreed, finally letting go of Minami’s hand so that she could use both of her arms to push herself up enough to sit against the headboard.
Minami’s hands folded in her lap and she looked down at them, trying to keep her anxiety inside. And then, forcing a smile on her face, she quipped, “Well, my ranking hasn’t really changed each year, anyway. This year’ll just be the same as last year, so I’m not all that worried.” Before giving her girlfriend a chance to respond, she quickly followed up with, “You’ll show up later this afternoon to watch it, right?”
“Of course,” Atsuko nodded. “You think they’ll let me back afterwards to congratulate everyone?”
“I’ll make sure they do,” Minami responded. She then pulled her legs up off the floor and turned her body until she was kneeling on the bed next to her girlfriend. Leaning down slightly (something in which she took a momentary flash of pride, due to her height being somewhat lacking without this kind of advantage), she closed her eyes and placed a soft kiss on Atsuko’s lips before pulling back.
“Good luck,” Atsuko whispered.
Minami shook her head. “I’ll text you later to make sure you don’t sleep though it, okay?”
“I mean it,” Atsuko re-inforced her statement as Minami shuffled backwards off the bed. “I know you can’t do anything about it anymore, but still… Good luck.”
A deep breath and a nod was all the response Minami could give. Not wanting to miss her ride to the Budokan arena, she grabbed her cell phone off of the night stand and rushed out the door, checking her (empty) mailbox on the way.
Chapter Two
When Minami arrived at Budokan, a janitor working the night shift quickly let her in. The back halls of the arena were eerily empty, save for one other janitor at the far end of a hallway. She was the first person involved in the coming event to arrive at the venue, which was to be expected. It was still ten hours before the ceremony would begin. She found it was much easier to navigate the maze-like backstage when there weren’t hundreds of people shuffling around.
She soon arrived at a set of double doors, which she pushed open to allow herself to step onto the right side of the main stage. In just a few hours, the empty platform would be covered in various chairs, but no one had begun to set up yet.
After walking to the center of the stage, Minami sat down on, dangling her feet over the edge next to a small stairway leading from the arena floor to the stage. Even her view from here was empty. The normal theatre seats were fixed in place, but there was a vast empty space between them and the stage. Chairs would soon be set up there, too, in three large groups.
This would mark their fifth year holding these elections, wouldn’t it? She slouched a little, resting her head on her hands, which were supported by her elbows digging into her knees. She ranked fifth the first year, but she never managed to reach that rank or any higher rank since.
Atsuko had teased her about it, though. Just a few evenings ago, she had a few short hours free for dinner, so she went to her girlfriend’s apartment for dinner. With a bright smile, Atsuko had revealed her latest purchase, which was a stack of twenty copies of AKB48’s latest single.
“This makes twenty more votes for you,” Atsuko had stated. And it had only taken a few minutes to complete the short process.
Minami had responded to the support with a shake of her head and a, “Twenty votes isn’t gonna matter that much, you know.”
But Atsuko had just smiled wider and rose from her chair, walking over to her girlfriend and placing a hand on her cheek. “So? I wanted to do it. And…”
“And?” Minami had tilted her head to the side, pressing her cheek against the warm hand.
Licking her lips, Atsuko had responded, “I want something else.”
And when it came to Minami, Atsuko always got what she wanted.
But as warm as the memory was—and as warm as her cheeks flushed thinking about what Atsuko had wanted (and was given)—Minami knew Atsuko also wanted something that was most likely a bit out of reach. The twenty votes that were added to the large pool probably wouldn’t be enough to push her far enough up the rankings for that.
She closed her eyes for a very long time, thinking on the possible ways this day could play out. When she opened them again, she was surprised by a grinning face just a few centimeters from hers, and she shrieked, nearly falling off of the stage.
The culprit clapped her hands together a few times in glee before she ascended the rest of the short stairway to the center of the stage. Her toothy smile was nearly impossible not to recognize. Nor was the tall woman behind her, who swayed out of exhaustion as she slowly climbed the stairs, too.
“Yuko!” Minami gasped. “Don’t do that!”
Yuko just laughed again and plopped down next to Minami. “You looked like you were asleep. Acchan keeping you up late?” she teased.
“N-No!” Minami quickly responded, her cheeks growing red.
“Well, you certainly can sleep anywhere,” Yuko stated. “Just like this one over here. I was too nervous to even close my eyes all night, but she was snoring as soon as she fell on the bed!”
Yuko had gestured towards Haruna, who made an incoherent sound of protest, still too tired to make any noise that would have any sort of meaning.
And then, without waiting for Minami to make a response, Yuko continued, “Is Acchan coming to watch the big event?”
“Later,” Minami nodded.
“How many times did she vote for you?” Yuko grinned again.
Not wanting to make a big deal of it, Minami simply stated, “Twenty.”
“Well, even though I love her like crazy, I still wouldn’t vote for my Nyan-nyan even once!” Yuko declared. “Though… I guess it’s a little different, huh?”
Sometimes, they all forgot that Atsuko wasn’t in AKB48 anymore. She would sometimes come back for the bigger concerts and events, so they still saw her from time to time. It was only times like the small theatre shows or the shooting of AKBINGO when she was missed—and even when back when she had been in AKB48, there were times when she had been missing from those, too.
But the yearly senbatsu election made it much more definite. No one would be voting for Acchan, since she was no longer in AKB48.
Minami nodded.
“You know,” Yuko began with an oddly serious tone to her usually playful voice, “isn’t it about time you follow her?”
“Follow?” Minami blinked, but then after a few clueless moments, she realized what Yuko was implying. “You mean graduate?”
“I know how important AKB is to you,” Yuko stated. “But you’re twenty-two now. You wouldn’t have to follow all of the rules, and you’d be able to be with Acchan more.”
Shaking her head, Minami responded, “No. Acchan had the same idea, but I won’t. AKB is too important to me. And I still see her and… spend time with her, so it’s fine.”
Yuko jumped up from where she was sitting to wrap an arm around the nearly-sleeping-standing-up Haruna, before she grinned. “Just thought I’d suggest it, because I know you’d never think of it yourself! And it’d mean less competition on days like today.”
“If you’re talking competition, shouldn’t you be worried about your girlfriend, too?” Minami asked, turning around to face the other two.
Yuko poked Haruna’s stomach and slyly responded, “Oh, we have an agreement about that, don’t we, Nyan-nyan?”
Haruna sighed in response and shook her head in defeat. While she didn’t like seeming romantic with Yuko in public, she had stopped protesting, which really just added all the more reason to be publically “harassed”.
“An agreement?” Minami asked, her eyes wide. “Acchan and I never had anything like that…”
Haruna seemed to have woken up a bit, because she was able to say in a half-whine, “That’s because neither of you are perverts like Yuko.”
Minami’s face blushed a bright red again, because that statement wasn’t completely true, but she then busied herself with pulling her cell phone out of her pocket and checking her mail inbox again, which was unsurprisingly empty. However, what did surprise her was that it was nearing 10AM, which meant she really had fallen asleep while sitting on the stage.
“Hey, who all is here?” she asked the couple, interrupting Yuko, who was whispering to Haruna things which were most likely more than just inappropriate.
“Oh!” Yuko exclaimed. “Right. I actually was looking for you because our costumes were just wheeled into the first green room. None of the stylists are here yet, though. And I think I saw Mariko on her phone, probably getting ready to tweet about every little thing that happens today.”
Minami giggled. “She’ll be busy.”
Grinning in agreement, Yuko nodded before wiping the smile off of her face in an attempt to seem serious. Her sparkling eyes gave her true expression away, though. “So Great Short Commander Takamina, wanna go check out our green room?”
Minami pointed down to her shoes and insisted, “These heels add three centimeters! So I’m not the shortest one in AKB!”
“Last time you said that, a certain fresh lemon shot up to be taller than you, didn’t she?” Yuko teased.
“Ah, stop it!” Minami pouted, but she did get up from where she had been sitting, and followed Yuko and Haruna back to their green room.
Chapter Three
Minami had meant to text Atsuko before noon, but events just kept happening, and she never got the chance.
She had immediately changed into her dress upon arriving backstage, and after she was finished getting her hair and make-up done by the stylist, she was (also immediately) pounced upon by Mariko to take what seemed like a hundred photos to be put up on Twitter. And then, she was (also immediately) pulled over by a group of wide-eyed kenkyuusei so that they could fawn over her and ask her where their costumes were and where they were supposed to sit. The green room was quickly and without warning erupting into high-pitched teenage chaos.
So instead of texting Atsuko before noon, she instead received a text shortly after two, which she wouldn't even have noticed if not for a certain short squirrel who yelled across the room, "Oi, Takamina! I think your girlfriend is sexting you!"
Minami's eyes widened and she blushed furiously before stammering, "Wh-What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Yuko grinned, holding up the cell phone which had received the message high above her head as Minami pushed through the crowd of taller girls to reach for it.
"Nyan-Nyan, here!" Yuko exclaimed, carefully tossing the cell phone to Haruna.
"Eh?!" Haruna's eyes widened as she saw the cell phone come towards her, but she managed to catch it against her chest. She looked at it in confusion before asking, "Isn't this Takamina's?"
Minami quickly reached out to Haruna before Yuko had a chance to answer, and successfully claimed possession of her captured cell phone. After pressing a few buttons, the new message came into view. While Yuko was correct in that the sender was Atsuko, it was definitely not a text of an indecent nature:
Minami~!
I woke up just now and thought of you. <3
I'll be on my way to se you soon.
Good luck!
Atsuko
While the message didn't convey any sense of romanticism, Minami still couldn't hold back a small smile. Despite the chaos and her own nerves, she was able to calm down just a little thanks to her girlfriend. She quickly deposited her phone back into her purse, immediately being bombarded with more questions and worries from the other girls.
An hour later, everyone was finally dressed and properly informed of the specifics for the evening's event, and Minami clapped loudly to get everyone's attention. While her efforts weren't exactly successful, she was at least able to alert a few of the others to her cause, and after a few shouts of: "Oi! The Supreme Commander wants our attention!" from a few pranksters (namely Mariko and Mii-chan), all 250+ girls made a long oval in the hallway, their fingers interlocked in a huddle, with Minami in the center of the formation.
Minami looked up and down the line, seeing a few faces she had known for eight years, and many faces which she had only seen once or twice at events like these. Intermixed were all the girls of AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, JKT48, HKT48, SNH48, TPE48, and Nogizaka46, plus dozens of kenkyuusei for each of the groups, and each pair of eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her direction and encouragement.
Pressing her lips together in a serious expression, she began:
"Today is our fifth yearly senbatsu election. Today, we are all nervous and worried about our rank. Some of you will rise, and some of you will fall. Some of you have never been here before, and some of our friends from years before are no longer here. But what makes up AKB48 is everyone who is here and everyone who has been here. Whether you make it to the senbatsu, whether you make it to the undergirls, whether you make it to the theatre girls, or even if you don't rank at all, you are an important person here. You have all done your best in this past year, and I know you will continue to do so as we strive towards new goals. And for those of you who do not rank, it's not a reason for you to be discouraged. There are still a lot of things about each of you that people don't know..."
Isn't it about time you followed her?
"...and it is you who will take the place of those of us who will not be here in the future."
A few of the girls gave Minami a surprised expression as a moment of silence fell over the group, but she was unable to say any more. She had performed this role many times before, but this year seemed different.
Thankfully, as Team A Captain right below her, Mariko continued for her, but she was too lost in her thoughts and nervousness to listen.
~~~
Even though AKB48 was a group which wouldn't function without even the least important members, this yearly event was always stressful and nervewracking. The years passing didn't make it any easier, either. Although Minami had experienced this pressure four years in a row, with more and more publicity and responsibilty and responsibilty each year, it actually became worse each year, not better.
She knew that everyone agreed with her. Despite her speech before they all filed out to the floor and were seated, she knew that she didn't make so much as a crack in anyone's nerves. This was only made worse by all of the events that had transpired since the last election, which threw all of the previous rankings, what they knew and could mentally prepare themselves for, completely out the window.
Putting aside Atsuko's graduation, which had also undeniably affected the election in the previous year, there were still factors that would make the chain of results unpredictable. The huge reshuffle announced at Tokyo Dome shook everyone's confidence, switching around who was shining at the front of the teams, leading from the sides, or even fading away from their former places in the spotlight. With the reshuffle including the assignments overseas, it had been particularly harsh on the popularity of the girls transferred away from the main groups in Japan. But how much of an impact would that have in the end? Each of the girls already had a following from before.
And then there were smaller, yet still numerous, individual achievements and setbacks. A few scandals had rocked the groups since the previous election, and in contrast, Minami had made her solo debut. This would certainly shake the results even further.
Of course, preliminary results had been announced, so they had some basis to form expectations on, but these results could still widely change before arriving at the official announcement in just a few hours. In Minami's case, specifically, she was slated at fourth place, behind Oshima Yuko, Watanabe Mayu, and Kashiwagi Yuki, the top three from the year before.
As she was lost in her thoughts, the lights dimmed and the event began. She could clearly see the painted portrats of Atsuko and Yuko on the back wall of the stage, the previous first place rankers, and a large number of chairs lined up on the ste stage in front of them. But her eyes dwelled on the portrait of her girlfriend, knowing she was somewhere in the large audience behind her.
With that thought in mind, the hours slowly crawled by, as one after another, girls were called forward in accordance to their ranking to be given a plaque and allowed to give a speach of thanks and the will to rise higher. The seats around Minami grew more and more empty as the stage gained more and more occupants, until only ten spots were remaining. She didn't have to look around to know who was yet to be called that would take their positions in those remaning ten chairs.
And then, the names were announced.
At tenth, Kasai Tomomi.
At ninth, Itano Tomomi.
At eighth, Matsui Rena.
At seventh Kojima Haruna.
At sixth, Matsui Jurina.
It was as if time had stopped and sped up at the time moment. At each ranking, a different girl was revealed at that spot, and she expected to hear her own name instead. It was at those moments when time would speed up as she dreaded the announcement. Then, when her name was skipped over in favour of another's, time would stop as the recipient of the rank would take the solitary walk up the stairs to the stage to accept the place they were assigned. The speeches grew more personal; tears flowed more freely, and Minami's pride in each of her members rose, but she still found her hands involuntarily clenching into fists, her long fingernails digging into her palms, as she waited longer and longer to hear her name.
At fifth, Kashiwagi Yuki.
At fourth, Shinoda Mariko.
At third, Watanabe Mayu.
Which left Minami in a one-on-one battle with the previous year's winner, a duel she could never have predicted and one she couldn't quite say she wanted, either. Everyone had a selfish wish to be the center, sure, but as the leader, to take that away from someone who also deserved it made her feel a little sick. To her, everyone in the top ten before her had just as much of a right to be in her place, battling against Oshima Yuko. What could Yuko be thinking right now, as the Camptain and Ace of Team K went up against the Captain of all of them?
And what was Atsuko thinking? She, too, had been in this position three times before, knew the pressure and the self-doubts. During the elections before, when these top positions had been announced, Minami had been nervous for Atsuko's sake in addition to her own, but things were different with their positions and the times...
At second, Oshima Yuko.
Minami's hands shot to her face in shock, and it seemed as if the entire arena gasped along with her. Her fingers touched damp skin, which brought to her attention that she was crying. While that was admittedly pretty common, she hadn't even noticed the tears streaming down her face. How long had she been crying? Where they tears of joy, or...?
But she didn't have time to think, didn't have time even to breathe or blink. She had no hopes of collecting herself or calming down, because she heard a faint echo, seemingly from far away, rattle through her ears.
At first, Takahashi Minami.
---
Btw, I know Togasaki does the “From Team such and such with so many votes”, too, but notice these aren’t quotes, so I don’t have to worry about that. ;-)
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I wonder will Acchan come up on the stage
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T.T :inlove: I would love that to happen. But ... I see impossible.
Minami is my Oshimen and always will vote her, but for now I'll settle for keep or ranking her up a little.
T__T this fic would be a wonderful dream :wub: :wub:
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yeah!! minami first place.. hell yeah!! ILOVE YUKO she is my oshii but IF only is takamina who beat her Im glad for that :D
yeah!!
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You changed up the story a little bit lol. It's damn interesting though omg!
It's okay about the title though, although I am curious why that is the title in the first place following your original idea.
I have no idea what's going to happen next, but I am awaiting all that epic drama goodness you've warned in the upcoming chaps!
Thanks for the chapter, please update soon. Goodluck! :heart:
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I finally have a chance to reply to everyone now! :heart: I've finally finished catching up on reading everyone's fanfics, so I'll have time to comment on them, too!
Also, just want to give an update on the VN idea I was tossing around before. I have an idea of how I want to start it and the general idea for the storyline and what choices might occur, but not what I want to do for individual scenes. I also need to get my hands on some 720p video sources and hi-res pictures. But the first scene is mostly done. Random screenshot of the work environment (http://i46.tinypic.com/2hce346.png)
Second to Last chapter four will be this week for sure. I have it about 2/3 done. It's longer than I expected it to be. XD I'll also explain the title mess-up once I finish the story, but that also requires me to come up with what I want the ending to be... :banghead:
anonymousdowner: You have replied on everything so far and that's great. XD So from the beginning, let's see... Since you asked about one, I have been thinking of a sequel to Of Kisses, with the inspiration coming from the Heavy Rotation making-of, but it's still in the "idk what I want to do with it phase". As far as "bad ends" with my VN, a "bad end" would probably be like, "You just stay as friends," instead of something actually bad. XD Yeah, when I read that omake my proofreader added, my heart stopped a bit, too. :P I'm still so happy that you like Shoujiki so much. :drool: I also want to continue Of Rehearsals with a bath scene, but that would totally turn into smut and I feel weird writing a second smut fic so soon. :P
Haruko: I did come up with an idea for a Kojiyuu fic for you about a week ago, but I forgot what it was going to be. :-(
Tanchan: Thank you! Tumblr is really a neat place. :D
Rukaeru: I know, it's so hard to be in a good mood about Atsumina with Acchan graduating. :-( I read fanfics to cheer myself up about them, too!
midorisakura: Thanks! I think that Tumblr didn't put my posts up right away when people looked at the tags. Once I got my first "like" on a post, though, they seemed to show up. ;)
fausto: I like it, too! I think that younger Takamina would take charge, but as they got older, Acchan got too bold and she got intimidated, so she stopped :rofl:
Wmatsui22: Thank you! I plan on writing more! :D
kahem: Ah, I've heard so much about Catherine, but I haven't played it. XD Thanks for reading!~
ichikawa: Thank you! I'll keep writing. :heart:
miyaka: Ha, I'm considering a sequel to it that's inspired by the Heavy Rotation making-of, but we'll see. ;-)
arrow27: Takamina practicing Itoshisa no Accel would totaly be epic. :shocked
Minami-chan: I don't actually see it to be possible, either, but with all of the hard work and effort she puts into everything, she probably deserves it the most. :-(
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Of course I did, I love showing support for writers who have epicness in their writing skills.
How can I love your work, expect more awesomeness, but then not show any support? I know how it is as a fanfic author and have people appreciate your work, it's a really great feeling. So when I can, I'd almost always comment and share my opinion. Gotta show and spread the love lol.
In reply...Hmm, I don't think it's weird for anyone to write another smut all fast when the first one was such a wonderful success. I say you have talent and why not just show it off? lol it's up to you though since you feel that way then it can't be helped, but again I loved that work of yours and umm I'll always be cheering encore for more so yah haha.
On the other hand omg, that VN stuff is sooooooooossoooooo cooooollll!!!! I can not wait, it's exciting! You're a fic god if you finish that O__O :bow: :bow: :bow:
Thanks for your hard work, I'll be expecting the update! :peace:
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So I'm totally in my office on campus but instead of doing homework, I'm posting this, since I finished writing it this morning.
The lack of realism spirals out of control in this one. >_>
Also, why on earth can I write sex scenes fairly easily, but I struggle like crazy when people are just kissing? >_>
After this, I'm writing the sequel to "Of Kisses" before coming back to chapter 5.
Second to Last - Chapter Four
For a moment, Minami wondered foolishly if she had been drugged.
It was a foolish thought since it was obviously not true, but once she had stood up after her name had been called, her memory was unreliable. She remembered looking out at the crowd, plaque in her hand, but not a single word she spoke. She remembered sitting on the chair reserved for the top rank in the middle of the stage, but neither how she got there nor how she left. And she remembered being showered with hugs and congratulations as she walked backstage, but not who all surrounded her.
Though that last one could be a result of her blurry vision, unstoppable tears blocking her view.
As the news sunk in further and her shock began to fade, though this process was quite slow, the world around her grew clearer and she was made aware of what people were speaking to her and what responses she gave. She reached up to quickly wipe the tears from her eyes to find that the AKB member currently giving her congratulations was Mariko. The taller woman had both hands placed on Minami's shoulders, a proud smile spread across her face. She didn't cry, though her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears.
Mariko was saying something, her voice wavering and cracking slightly, but Minami interrupted her, her own voice hoarse and barely a whisper. "Where's Acchan?"
"What was that?" Mariko asked, leaning her head down.
Flashes of light filled Minami's vision, and a hoard of cameras were brought to her attention. It didn't surprise her, of course, but she was still coming out of her daze and hadn't taken the paparazzi into account yet. A larger camera was right next to her, filming the aftermath of what was so far the most unexpected election in AKB's history. Anything she said or did would be headlines on internet news sites in a matter of minutes, so she didn't want to speak loudly.
In Mariko's ear, she whispered, "I want to see Acchan."
Of course, due to the tear-filled chaos, it was hard to tell where any specific person was. However, the appearance of the graduated ace would certainly grab attention, so it was safe to assume she hadn't come backstage.
"I'll tell you if I see her," Mariko promised. And while it was true that Mariko was a bit of a prankster, she was also extremely responsible, and Minami knew she could trust this promise.
It felt like a mirror of years ago. When Atsuko had regained her place at first after losing to Yuko in a previous election, Minami had combed the halls backstage, looking for her girlfriend, then, too. This time, even though their positions were reversed, she was still the one searching for the person whose shoulder she wanted to cry on the most, whose embrace she wanted to be wrapped in the most... But she couldn't express any of those wishes. She could only ask weakly where Atsuko was.
Atsuko was much more free. Even before her graduation, she would be perfectly comfortable with hugging Minami no matter where they were, or reaching for her hand as they walked. She had even leaned in for a kiss a few times, though she was met with resistance on each occasion. But right now, even though Minami wanted to feel that same freedom in public expression of her friendship and love, when she'd see Atsuko, hopefully soon, she'd only allow herself to be pulled into the congratulatory embrace that everyone else gave, not comfortable with any further display. She was far too mindful of her surroundings, with its gossip mongers and cell phone cameras and people just waiting for an excuse to knock her to the ground, especially after seeing her rise so far up.
So even though she wanted to escape to Atsuko and was asking everyone where Atsuko was so that she could escape, she couldn't actually allow herself to.
After Mariko turned away to answer someone calling to her, Minami also shifted her attention, finding Yuko a few metres away. She firmly pressed her lips together in a determined expression and walked over to the woman she had stolen first place from.
"Ah! Takamina!" Yuko yelled, stretching her arm out so that her finger was pointing right at Minami. "You! There you are!"
Minami let out a weak laugh that was interrupted by a few falling tears as she swatted Yuko's arm away and pulled her faux-rival into a weepy hug. As soon as she felt her friend's arms wrap around her shoulders, it was as if the floodgates opened entirely, and her tears began to stream down her face once again. The coldness she was feeling against her own shoulder suggested to her that Yuko had also fallen victim to the emotional atmosphere.
"Yuko, I'm so sorry," Minami choked out between heavy sobs.
"You should be!" Yuko teased, pulling back so that Minami could see the playful glint in her eyes. "I thought we talked about this earlier!"
Minami attempted to play along, responding with, "As soon as I sat down out there, I totally forgot!"
It was a weak jab at her own failing character, but both women seemed satisfied with the comeback, and they hugged once more, allowing the ring of cameras that had formed around the two to take dozens of pictures of the top two ranks.
"You really deserved it, though," Yuko mumbled, a rare serious statement coming from her heart. "You really do work harder than everyone else. It's about time people noticed."
With that, the two were nearly blinded by the flashes from the multitude of cameras around them, and they both stumbled apart in a mess of weak tear-filled giggles. Minami then made her response, stating, "You deserve the top spot, too. Everyone here has worked hard, so I can't take it just because of that."
"Oh, stop being so humble!" Yuko scolded, slapping Minami's shoulder gently. "Just think of this as the next step of your world domination plan. Takahashi Japan!"
Minami shook her head at a furious speed, obviously not aiming for such a thing at all, but before she could formulate a full response, she was interrupted by Akimoto Sayaka tapping her shoulder to get her attention. At first, she thought the former Team K captain wanted to express her congratulations as well, but instead, she spoke in a low voice: "Mariko wanted to find you."
The statement could only imply one thing: Mariko had found Atsuko. Since all of the attention had been focused on herself and Yuko, it would have been easy for Atsuko to sneak backstage unnoticed. Whether that was planned or not, Minami had to admit that Mariko could be a bit of a genius sometimes. But now, she had to make her way over without attracting attention, and she wasn't nearly as crafty.
Thankfully, a diversion was provided for her, as an unsuspecting Haruna walked into Yuko's line of sight.
"Haru~nyan!" Yuko whined, running over to the taller girl and burying her face into the ample chest right in front of her face. "I'm sad! Comfort me!"
"Get off of me!" Haruna shrieked as cameras began snapping pictures of the two.
With everyone's attention firmly fixed on the pair giving a healthy dose of fan-service, Minami quickly distanced herself, following Sayaka away quietly. While there were members of all of the AKB sister groups lining the hallways in groups, once they left the main focus of the top rankings, there weren't any cameras around. Minami's own absence would soon be noticed, but she had already escaped down a few corridors and was far out of sight.
After a few moments, they came across Mariko, who was leaning against a closed door, seemingly on her phone. As as Minami got closer, she noticed that while Mariko's head was facing the small screen, her eyes were shifted towards the direction Sayaka was leading Minami from. The opposite side was a dead end, so Mariko was obviously guarding the room she was blocking, her cell phone being an illusionary diversion to not cause attention.
"They took the bait?" Mariko inquired, her eyes sparkling.
Sayaka grinned. "Poor Haruna. You definitely owe her for what Yuko's doing to her."
"Isn't that her reward?" Mariko shot back, causing the two women to giggle and Minami to stare in confusion. But rather than answering Minami's stare and thus revealing the details of the plan titled 'Operation Reunite the Captain and Her Ace—But Don't Let Anyone See the Sparks Fly', Mariko simply opened the door just wide enough for Minami to (be forced to) slip in and quickly shut the door behind. As the doors didn't lock, Mariko stayed outside the door on her phone.
Of course, being left in the dark about the details of what was going on, Minami didn't freely walk inside the room. Instead, Sayaka gracefully grabbed Minami by the waist and half-pushed, half-threw her through the doorway (which was quite easy considering the difference in size of the two women) before scurrying back to the main chaos to make sure none of the cameras had a reason to find their way down the corridors leading to the room she had just come from.
But as soon as Minami heard the door click shut behind her, she didn't think about the way she had been led to the room anymore. Because in front of her, Atsuko stood, a bright and loving smile gracing her pleasant features, and her wish had been realized. Without the cameras and the flashing lights and tearful screams of over two-hundred and fifty other girls deafening anyone within earshot, she was free to act as she wished, and she held tightly to Atsuko's waist, burying her head in her girlfriend's shoulder, her tears flowing freely again. She felt Atsuko rest her cheek against her head, and Atsuko's own tears began to fall onto Minami's hair. This only caused Minami to nestle in further to the familiar embrace, their bodies fitting together perfectly.
"Congratulations, Minami," Atsuko softly mumbled against Minami's hair.
That was all Minami needed to hear, and was what she had been needing to hear ever since her name had been announced. Keeping her arms wrapped around Atsuko's waist, she pulled her head back so that she could see her girlfriend's face glowing with pride. Atsuko reached a hand to gently brush Minami's tears away, and it lingered against Minami's cheek, causing the older girl to instinctively lean in to the warmth it provided.
"I'm not really convinced of it all," Minami admitted with half a laugh forcing its way out of her throat. "But thank you."
Atsuko shook her head before leaning down until her forehead was resting against Minami's. "Just let yourself be happy about it."
Minami's response was just to close her eyes and let out a low hum, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her girlfriend's specific statement, but instead allowing herself to be happy about the intoxicating proximity, which really was just a twist on what was asked of her, wasn't it? With Atsuko's soft breath caressing her face, one hand cupping her cheek, her other resting on her back pulling her close, she was surrounded by safety and warmth and she completely uncharacteristically forgot about everything that was taking place outside of the room.
Her eyes slowly opened to stare into Atsuko's dark gaze, her mind fogging over in an instant. She leaned upwards, pushing herself up on her toes, allowing Atsuko's hand to pull her along the short distance until instead of their foreheads touching, their lips grazed against each others'. Atsuko's hand moved back to tangle in Minami's long hair, keeping the other girl close as her lips parted, taking Minami's bottom lip between hers and running her tongue along the width. Minami gasped in response, her mouth opening in the process, and Atsuko continued to hold her dominance in the kiss, her tongue moving forward to gently caress Minami's own. Minami's grip on the back of Atsuko's loose-fitting dress tightened in concert with the quickening of her heartbeat and the tightening in her stomach. She responded to Atsuko's passionate embrace with all of her energy, but she was still unable to wrestle control away, and that was really what usually happened when they were in such intense situations.
If she didn't pull back soon, she knew things would get out of hand, but so much had happened in such a short time that she didn't break of the kiss like she knew she should. Completely lost in both the emotional and physical sensations coursing through her body, she didn't notice the frantic pounding on the door to the room.
She didn't notice the door click open.
She didn't notice flashes of light illuminating the room in a frenzy.
She didn't notice as the seeds were planted that could grow to destroy her dream.
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Thank you for this..
I find your fic one of the most unique stories here..
I usually lurk around to find some stories to read..
and your fic was one of the stories caught my attention..
thank you and keep updating.. :heart:
:kneelbow:
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eh? a fic.. for me :O.... onegaishimasu!!!!!!!!!!
jajaj i love all this fic but of course my faovrite part de kojiyuu part jajajaj I imagine that scene sounds so funny..
wait what.. nooooo the press gonna reveal atsumina relationship :O i hope is mariko who enter in the room -_-
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OMGAWD!!!
How come I missed this update?!!!! WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!! Did I miss this on tumblr too or what? O__O"
I barely saw your post during the debate in the general discussion thread and just had to come check, thank kami-sama I did!
The chapter started out joyously. Then as you have warned us earlier 'The ending scene' :shocked This is how all the heartache will begin isn't it?...
I don't even know how to feel right now, since I'm a mess for them and then it just ended so abruptly I'm still left swimming in my 'feel' for this chapter.
Thanks so much for this update! Again, I seriously appreciate the great work. Please, update soon :heart:
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I haven't play neither but I watched videos for the story ^^ Catherine is so WOW!!!
OMG!!! Takamina won the senbatsu!!!
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anonymousdowner: Okay, okay, how about this? I'll write another smut as soon as I get access to the perv forum. I don't have many more posts to go.
(I'd get another post closer if you'd update your fic so that I could comment on the awesomeness of the update since I'm really enjoying your fic as well.) And as for your response to Ch4 of Second to Last... Yes, you did miss it somehow even on Tumblr. XD But I'm glad you eventually made it back to read!
miayaka: I'm glad you think the story is unique! I don't think it's that crazy. XD
Haruko: I knew you'd like the Kojiyuu part! I had to stick them in the story somehow. And I hate to tell you... but Mariko's not the one entering the room. ;-)
kahem: I'm thinking of playing it after I finish Valkyria Chronicles, so then I'll see how "WOW" it is!
As I mentioned at my last update, I'm posting the sequel to Of Kisses, which was the first post in this thread. I'm really happy with how this turned out, so i hope you all enjoy it, too!
Of Kisses (and More)
(AKA Of Kisses - Part 2)
When Minami had originally offered to be Atsuko's kissing partner, she expected that it would end once the younger girl's curiosity had been satisfied that same afternoon.
But this expectation very quickly was shot down, as the next time she found herself giggling with Atsuko on her bed, her lips had been chastely claimed. With a blush on her cheeks, Atsuko had answered Minami's confused expression with a mischievous, "You said I could kiss you whenever I wanted to, right?"
It turned out that "whenever Atsuko wanted" was actually quite often, and that Atsuko's curiosity was seemingly endless. While Minami would never let it be known to anyone— certainly never to Atsuko herself— she secretly really liked kissing Atsuko, so she didn't make any effort to halt this new development within their friendship.
While this could also symbolize a relationship that would surpass the definitions of friendship, Minami didn't view it as such. Her offer originally came from her friendship, and certainly didn't mean l-l-l— ... anything other than that. She hadn't heard of a word from Atsuko implying anything otherwise, either. So even though it was a bit abnormal, they were really just best friends who kissed every once in awhile occasionally a lot. But that was okay, since it was only in private, and she was pretty sure no one so much as suspected such a trend was going on.
Which honestly was a bit miraculous, seeing how this went on for three years. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and months turned into years, Atsuko grew more and more bold with her surprise kisses. Her tongue began to sneak its way past Minami's lips and her hands began to wander, first over the material of Minami's clothes and eventually underneath. Minami often found herself in a quite odd mental state after such heavy make-out sessions, as even though she enjoyed the feeling of Atsuko's hands and mouth and body against her own, this situation she had unknowingly started was completely spiraling out of control.
But she put off taking control for a number of reasons. First of all, Atsuko seemed to be really happy when they spent their time together in such an intimate fashion. Her eyes would sparkle and grow aflame as she'd lean in for more and more, and Minami couldn't couldn't extinguish that fire. Second, and probably really the reason stopping her the most, was that she simply could not bring herself to talk about such an embarrassing topic. While most girls her age were fully fluent in the language of romance and sex, shouldn't couldn't even say the "s-word", much less talk about it or anything related to it. Even just asking Atsuko to please take her hand out of her shirt was going to send the short girl into a stuttering, blushing mess.
However, the third year brought on an event that rattled this balance in their friendship that was already slowly tipping to the side. This event featured a very giggly Atsuko chasing Minami around a dressing room with the intent to plant a big kiss on the other girl's lips. Of course, Minami was certainly not willing to entertain such a notion, no matter how happy and beautiful Atsuko looked at the moment, because they were in public with a camera filming them.
The setting was, of course, the filming for the Heavy Rotation music video. While admittedly, everyone was under this spell that caused all of the girls to kiss each other, to Minami's knowledge, the myriad of lip-locks were full of silly, innocent pecks, not under the danger of turning into something deep and passionate and entirely inappropriate for their location and audience. And therein lied the difference between Atsuko's chasing of her and everyone else's actions.
After an extremely short retreat, Atsuko managed to grab Minami's arm and pull her close enough to lean in and softly kiss her. Minami instantly pulled her head back out of fear, but Atsuko simply let go, giggling and bouncing off to her next target, leaving Minami frozen in place, absolutely bewildered. A few snickers came from the girls around her, and she quickly shook her head to recover and move on.
But she knew she'd have to force herself to come back to it.
The shooting ended at 1AM, but Minami knew that if she put off confronting Atsuko about the past three years leading up to today, she'd end up in the same position she always found herself in. So even though Atsuko was only a few metres away, Minami sent her friend a short text, asking her to meet at the theatre in an hour. It would take nearly that long simply to change into normal clothes and travel to Akihabara, but Atsuko caught Minami's gaze through he mirror in the dressing room and nodded.
An hour later, Minami dangled her legs off the end of the stage at the theatre, clutching her phone in both hands while waiting not-so-patiently. A ring of keys lay abandoned next to her on the stage, one key singled out, and she glanced at it nervously when she heard a door slam in the distance.
"Minami?" she heard a familiar voice whisper, breaking the silence of the empty venue. "Where are you?"
After letting out a relieved exhale, Minami yelled back, "I'm on the stage! Make sure you lock up behind you!"
Soon after, Atsuko stepped onto the side of the stage from a backstage entrance, and seeing Minami sitting on the edge, walked over to her. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide a yawn as she dropped her body to the ground to sit next to the shorter girl, leaning her head to rest on the familiar shoulder. Her hand subconsciously reached out, gently tossing Minami's cell phone aside and replacing it with her hand, which entwined with Minami's own.
"So you have something so important to talk about that we have to have this conversation in the middle of the night?" Atsuko softly whined.
Minami frowned, though her friend couldn't see the expression. "W-Well, it struck me, and I didn't want to forget..."
"If you would forget it tomorrow," Atsuko teased, "it must not be that important, hm~?"
"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Minami insisted, having been caught in Atsuko's trap of words. "It's more like... You know, I'm not good with serious conversations and stuff..."
"Says the Team A Captain who's always encouraging everyone..."
Minami closed her eyes and leaned her head to rest against Atsuko's. While she knew this conversation wasn't going to be easy, Atsuko was making it particularly hard on her. Her thumbs subconsciously traced circles on Atsuko's palm as she contemplated how to breach the conversation without Atsuko completely discouraging her along the way.
Luckily, Atsuko saved her from further humiliation by conceding. "Sorry. I'm just so exhausted, and even though you've had three years to bring it up, you had to choose right now— "
Minami's eyes shot open in surprise. "You already... H-How did you— "
"If it were anything else, you wouldn't drag me here at 2AM and stutter so much," Atsuko giggled, but her cheerful tone was soon covered by a yawn once again, which seemed to suck all of the energy out of her. When she continued after a moment in which Minami was still too surprised to speak, her voice was lacking the playfulness from before. "So what is it that you need to say?"
This finally gave Minami an opening, and although her heart was pounding, she managed to state, "You know, that offer three years ago... I-I didn't expect it to still..."
"I didn't, either," Atsuko agreed. "But I'm glad."
"'Glad'...?" Minami repeated.
Atsuko shifted her body slightly, causing Minami to lift her head. This freed Atsuko to look over at Minami's blushing face, which was apparent even with the dim lighting in the empty, unused theatre. She used her free hand to grip the back of the smaller girl's neck as leverage to pull their faces close enough to brush their lips together. A flush covered her own cheeks as she pulled back, and she responded to the question finally with, "Because I like kissing you."
They were so close to each other, and Minami found herself completely entranced by the woman in front of her, with the soft breathing caressing her cheeks and the dark gaze holding her own. It was hard to form a response, since her determination to hold the conversation she had hoped for was rapidly fading away.
"I like kissing you, too," Minami managed to blurt out, not really what she intended to say.
Atsuko tilted her head to the side as a wide smile spread across her features. "So what's the problem?"
"Well," Minami began tentatively, "we're friends, right?"
The smile on Atsuko's face faded at the question. "Of course."
"Friends don't... k-k..."
"They don't kiss?" Atsuko finished, gaining a wide-eyed nod from Minami. The pair both grew silent, but didn't pull away from each other. Sensing Minami was having a hard time deciding where to take the conversation from there, Atsuko opened her mouth to say, "Then we're not friends."
"What?" Minami asked, completely bewildered.
"Since friends don't normally kiss, then we're not friends," Atsuko summarized for the dense girl she was holding. "We're something else."
Again, Minami found herself repeating Atsuko's words slowly. "'Something else'...?"
She felt the hand that was tangled her hair behind her neck move to her shoulder and gently push her down to the stage floor. In her confusion, she didn't protest the movement, and instead looked up at the figure hovering over her. Her hands were freed, as Atsuko pulled her hand away from where it was previously grasped in order to support her weight. This allowed Minami to reach up and tuck Atsuko's long hair behind her ears, allowing her to see the the expression staring down at her.
Atsuko grinned widely. "Something more."
Minami didn't have a chance to question the statement, as her lips were roughly claimed by her something-more-than-a-friend. Her eyes fluttered shut and her hands reached up to clutch at the material of Atsuko's shirt, pulling the girl atop her closer until instead of hovering above her, Atsuko's body rested against hers in a tight embrace. Atsuko took Minami's bottom lip between her teeth and tugged on it before attempting to lift her head away, but the smaller girl chased the retreating lips with her own, lengthening the kiss with her own passion, one of her hands trailing up to tangle in Atsuko's hair in an attempt to keep the other girl in place.
But Atsuko still managed to pull back after a moment, placing short kisses against the corner of Minami's mouth while gazing down at the girl below her, whose eyes were still closed, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen. Her own lips trailed a path down Minami's neck and back up towards her ear, taking the sensitive earlobe between her lips and pulled on it gently before whispering, "Something that makes you mine."
And as dense as Minami may be, she certainly wasn't stupid. The words Atsuko spoke clicked together in her brain and she knew exactly what was being implied. Her eyes slowly opened and a strangled gasp left her mouth as she processed the emotions coursing through her from the possessive words spoken in her ear and the physical sensations burning her skin from the passionate kisses and touches caressing her body.
"S-So today..." Minami shakily attempted to route the conversation back to the reason behind their need to have such a private meeting.
Atsuko nestled her face in Minami's neck and let her lips linger on the soft skin there before she responded, her airy voice slightly muffled, "Everyone was all over each other, so had I had to show everyone that you're mine."
Minami couldn't help the cheesy grin that spread across her face at the confession. All of a sudden, this action that had caused such alarm earlier in the day no longer seemed to be a big deal. She felt her... well, her girlfriend, now, snuggle further into her side, and the late hour was brought to her attention.
"Mm, Atsuko," Minami slowly began, fatigue slurring her words a bit. "We should both go home and sleep."
A high-pitched groan of protest was stifled by Minami's neck before Atsuko responded with, "You're comfy. I'm gonna sleep here."
Minami blinked a few times in surprise, but didn't protest. Her own exhaustion was beginning to take over as well, and Atsuko's soft body provided a perfect blanket to snuggle with. She no longer even noticed the hardness of the cold stage floor beneath her as her eyes drifted shut and her breathing deepened into a sleepy rhythm.
When they were found early next morning by a punctual Togasaki, he simply draped a blanket over the pair and moved on with the day.
Edited to fix formatting issues that didn't carry over from Tumblr. :-(
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That was really sweet and kind of HOT.....
I think it's hot, am I weird..
Thank you for this update and I hope you make another part!
Update soon!
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They are so cute~
In Catherine is the character Catherine who is WOW!!!
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aww atsumina.. that was cute and hot.. and togasaki.. jejej :D love him too.. :D
yeah kojiyuu please!! :D... but then.. is not maritroll so.. T_T
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that was cute! XD
hope there will be part 3 for this XD
thanks for the update :thumbsup
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So Togasaki knows everything, if anyone of us were to meet him at the theater, that person should bombard him with questions :lol:. Part 3 please, I want to know the members' reactions when they saw their Captain/Ace sleeping together like that :twisted:
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Omg this is so good ;___;/ I'm trying to bring my heart back to life! LOL :heart: :heart:
I love AtsuMina so much and this just made me love it some more.
I can't wait for more of your work!
:heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
that was cute!
hope there will be part 3 for this
I agree with this ;)
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wow!
Atsumina!!!! :D
I like it!!!
Please more Atsumina ONE_SHOTS!!!
Please update your Second to Last..
I'm waiting..
Thanks..
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that was cute!
hope there will be part 3 for this
I agree with this ;)
Part 3 please
I hope there will be part 3, this is so sweet~ :heart:
Thank you for this update and I hope you make another part!
Oh, geez. XD I just can't win! I meant for the first part of Of Kisses to be a one-shot, then people bugged me for a sequel, and so I was like, "Oh, fine. Why not?" and I wrote one, hoping that would make everyone happy. And now you crazy people want more? :sweatdrop: I... I'll do my best! :heart: I think I'll finish up Second to Last first, though.
TakaminaBG: I don't think you're weird for thinking it was hot. XD As I was writing the fic during lectures, I was shielding my paper away from my classmates next to me because I was uncomfortable with it.
Sese: Wouldn't that be awesome? XD I, unfortunately, lost that excuse last year. :cry: So Takamina will never offer to kiss me.
Rukaeru: Oh, I'm so sorry you couldn't understand some of the words I chose! I sometimes forget that there are a lot of people reading who aren't native English speakers, so I kind of go crazy with the language. XD One one hand, it adds a lot of variety to the story (not reading the same words over and over), but it does make it harder for some people to understand. Feel free to ask me if you're confused on anything. :-)
kahem: Atsumina is always cute! :heart:
Haruko: Heh, yeah, Togasaki seems awesome, so I had to throw the last line in there. XD And nope, not Maritroll. I did say there was going to be drama, so that's the start of it. :P
Trickster: Thank you! Atsumina is always cute!~
Tanchan: I seriously bet Togasaki knows so much about everything. XD It'd be hilarious to see what secrets he could share...
Nyanoha: Bring that heart back to life! You want to be alive to read more fanfics, don't you? :w00t:
Wmatsui22: Thank you! I'll update Second to Last soon!
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Here's an update on Second to Last~!
I have decided that instead of doing homework or writing my lesson plans (well, I have most of that done, anyway), I will post part of Chapter 5. I've decided to split this chapter into 2 parts because I haven't even arrived at the main scene of chapter 5, yet it's already 2/3 as long as chapter 4 was! In fact, I made an outline of five things I want to get through in this chapter, and I've really only accomplished one in this part. :sweatdrop: So you guys get an early update. I wouldn't expect part 2 for another week, though.
Wow, there are a lot of pointlessly long sentences in this one.
Second to Last
Chapter 5 - Part 1
It has been theorized that there is only a finite amount of happiness in the world.
There are two main reasons why this can be believed to be true. First is that it's often the case that when one person gains happiness, it is at the expense of other people. This can be easily seen in events such as auditions and competitions, and of course any time people find comedy in others' misfortune. The second is that people go through cycles of bliss and misery; no one is happy for the entire duration of his or her life.
And in this moment, Minami found herself to be a textbook example of this theory.
When the door to the room she had been hiding in with Atsuko swung open, revealing a dozen reporters with cameras raised at eye level, she quickly stepped back from the passionate embrace she had been caught in. However, the bright flashes of light that were fading back into the normal brightness of the room informed her that her movement was too late. And thus, the great achievement she had been awarded not even an hour earlier had already been overshadowed by what could become the most extreme scandal among all of the AKB48 groups.
She quickly found herself pulled to the side, as Atsuko shielded her from the still-clicking cameras who had taken over the area around the doorway. Her first instinct was to reach for her cell phone, but it was stowed away in the locked green room she had been in earlier that afternoon. While she knew Atsuko had her phone with her, she dared not reach around in her girlfriend's pockets when her every move was being documented in such detail.
From between the legs of one of the photographers, she saw Mariko sitting on the floor. The tall girl's knees were bent upwards, and her hands were awkwardly supporting her weight from behind her, in a position that implied she had been roughly knocked to the floor while attempting to keep the paparazzi out of the room.
Minami discreetly raised her hand to her ear in a motion that she hoped Mariko would interpret as referring to her cell phone. She received a nod from the older girl as she shuffled to her feet and held said cell phone in front of her chest, indicating that the wordless message had been successfully received. Without gaining any notice from the reporters—they were far too busy with the secret couple in front of them—Mariko slipped out of sight, phone to her ear, leaving Atsuko and Minami to stall for time without further harming their reputations while waiting for damage control to arrive and diffuse the situation.
One of the reporters, who had been standing off to the side, held out a small tape recorder with shaking hands as he asked, his voice nasally and arrogant, "What would the rule-breaking general manager and fallen ace wish to say for themselves?"
At the question, Atsuko narrowed her eyes, and she began to speak in a cold tone, "Am I not allowed to congratulate—"
"We have nothing to say at this time," Minami interrupted, still hiding behind Atsuko as to not give more cause for bad press. "Our agencies will release official statements at a later time."
"But why should we wait when both of you are right here?" another reporter asked with a deep, booming voice, his question echoing in Minami's ears long after his voice had left his throat.
She knew that if she hesitated to speak, Atsuko would give a response. While the taller woman was normally quiet and hesitant, after her graduation, she had begun to bloom into a woman who took more of a role in deciding her own path in her life and career. This was mostly a response to no longer being tied down by the strict rules that she had been forced to follow as a member of AKB48. She could say whatever she wanted, go wherever she wanted, spend time with whomever she wanted, and after a day or two, it would be entirely forgotten, and she could continue to act in whatever drama or movie she was working on with next to no consequence. The few brief scandals that had been headlines since that fateful day in August just a year before were perfect examples of that.
But not only did Minami have to follow the rules of AKB48, she had to enforce them. She couldn't speak freely.
"We have no obligation to answer your questions," Minami flatly stated.
At this statement, rather than speaking one-at-a-time like before, three or four of the reporters shouted questions at once, their voices mixing with each other to become uninterpretable. Even so, it wasn't hard to guess what the questions probably were and know not to answer them.
Luckily, after a few more moments of this chaos, a commotion was raised outside the doorway. A few large men broke through the wall of cameras and surrounded the two women in the center of the room. Their size and stature blocked any further photos that would be worth anything to the press, and in this way, after placing firm hands on the girls' backs, they quickly maneuvered Atsuko and Minami out of the room.
"Takahashi-san, Maeda-san," one of them spoke in a low tone once they left earshot of the paparazzi behind them. "There's a car waiting outside for both of you."
Minami let out a relieved exhale and nodded, though she was still a bit nervous about the confrontation they were surely about to be driven to. It was late, but due to the election, Akimoto Yasushi was likely en route to the same vehicle as they were, to drive to his office and discuss the repercussions of what had occurred. But at least no further damage could be cause now that they were once again out of sight of the reporters.
They were led out a service exit most likely used by vendors who sold merchandise and refreshments during shows. A black van with tinted windows was parked in the large garage the exit led to, and one of the men leading the two rushed forward to slide open the backseat door for them to enter. After nodding in thanks, Minami followed Atsuko into the vehicle, taking a seat next to her girlfriend, and the door was rolled shut behind her. The front passenger seat was surprisingly empty, but from the driver's seat, Togasaki leaned over, nodding to them women in greeting, but did not lift a stern frown from his face.
"Before we leave, I need your phones," he stated.
"Mine's in the green room," Minami quickly answered, folding her hands together in her lap and looking down at them. When she had received her promotion to general manager not even a full year earlier, she had been told that she had been placed in a position above Togasaki. Yet here, this distribution of power had been reversed, which implied to her that her position had already been revoked—which was more than fair, she admitted to herself—but it still stung.
Atsuko's soft voice echoed through the interior of the van. "I can't discuss this with my manager?"
"We're already discussing this matter amongst the higher-ups," Togasaki responded patiently.
While Atsuko's tone had been respectful and her question valid, the response given to her caused a frown to form on her face. Even so, she reached into the pocket of her pants to pull out her cell phone, but rather than handing it to the man in front of her whom she once considered to be her superior, she held it in her hands and looked down at it.
Noticing Atsuko's hesitation, Minami quietly pleaded, "Atsuko, please."
Atsuko's mouth opened as if to form words of protest, but she instead decided against fighting this battle and gave up possession of her phone to Togasaki. He placed it safely in an inside pocket of his overcoat before turning the key in the ignition, starting the van with a low hum. He wordlessly drove the van away from Budokan, the solitary vehicle traveling its path, unfollowed.
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Thanks for the update!!! Really looking forward to the next chapter!!! Tough spot Takamina and Atsuko are in, especially Minami.
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Aww my atsumina T_T...
Hey!! dont touch our mariko-sama!! -_- little jerks
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Rule-breaking general manager and fallen ace, what a nice combo and a great match :lol:
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arrow27: Tough spot, indeed. :( I hope it never comes to this in real life.
Haruko: Those reporters are evil for knocking dpwn Maritroll. :angry:
Tanchan & Sese: I wanted to come up with an insult for the guy to use, but I love Acchan and Takamina too much, so that's the best I could do. XD
Okay, now we get to some mushy stuff. XD
I'm not entirely sure of how chapter 6 is going to work out, as far as what's going to happen, but I have a rough idea. But as far as chapter 7, which I've planned to be the end, I'm completely stuck. I want a semi-happy ending, but nothing unrealistic. Er, I mean more unrealistic than this fic is in general. So your feedback is most helpful and welcome! :heart:
Second to Last
Chapter 5 Part 2
After precisely 18 minutes of silent traveling, the van suddenly stopped at an unfamiliar location. Minami reached to her right to find the lever for the door, but was stopped by Togasaki, who activated the child lock. Neither of the backseat doors would open, even from the inside, unless he disabled it. He then stated, "Wait here."
Even though no reasons were provided, Minami obediently pulled her hand back from the door handle as Togasaki left the vehicle and disappeared into a hotel across the street. It was a rather run-down looking building with a mostly empty parking lot off to the side, the sign which was supposed to attract potential customers too faded to gain any attention from casual passer-byes. In other words: it was a perfect hiding spot to wait for things to blow over.
Minami shyly looked over at her girlfriend and softly said, "I'm sorry for getting you involved in something like this."
For the entire ride to the hotel, Atsuko had been staring straight ahead with a frown on her face. But at Minami's apology, she shifted her gaze to look at the tiny woman next to her in confusion. A few moments of silence passed where she searched Minami's eyes, finding only a genuine plea for forgiveness, before she opened her mouth to speak, her voice trembling and her mouth dry. "You're not angry at me?"
"Angry?" Minami repeated. "I wanted to see you. Why would I be angry at anyone other than myself?"
Atsuko had a response to the rhetorical question, but chose to instead refrain from speaking, as Togasaki entered the van again. He once again started the vehicle and drove around the block to a dimly lit alleyway, stopping at an unmarked door. The entire scene was eery and uncomfortable.
"You're on the second floor, room 248," Togasaki spoke without turning around. The door is unlocked, but I'm not giving you the key-card. Do not under any circumstances leave the room until I pick you up tomorrow morning."
After nodding in response, catching the older man's disapproving gaze in the rear-view mirror, the pair left the van and entered the hotel by the unmarked door, which led directly to the emergency stairwell. They march up the stairs was a strain due to the heels that Minami had insisted upon, but luckily, their room on the second floor was located right next to the stairwell's exit.
It was a western-styled room with a single bed in the center and a door off to the side leading to a small bathroom. The paint on the walls was chipping away slightly and the carpet was stained in a few places, showing the age of the building. Following Atsuko inside, Minami pulled the door closed behind her, hearing it lock automatically. If they were to leave the room, they would be unable to re-enter. They could not even go in search of a change of clothes for the night.
Atsuko took a seat on the edge of the bed, and after slipping her shoes off, Minami joined her, though they simply sat side-by-side, not touching. The one who broke the solemn silence was Atsuko, resuming the conversation from inside the van.
"You're too hard on yourself," Atsuko said. "Whenever something happens, you insist it's your fault. So many times, you've taken the fall for everyone. But this time... It's really not your fault, so please don't be angry at yourself."
Minami shook her head and grit her teeth, forming a stubborn expression.
"Please." Atsuko reached over to grasp Minami's hands in her own. "I hate seeing you beat yourself up like this."
"I should have known the reporters would find us," Minami stated bitterly. "What was I thinking? There's no way the first place winner could disappear like that..."
Hesitantly, Atsuko steered the line of reasoning to: "If you had been second instead..."
"We would've probably gotten away with it," Minami nodded, a half-smile briefly sparkling in her eyes at the thought, at how their personal celebration would have spiraled long into the night, ending up at one of their apartments (most likely hers).
"Then I'm really surprised that you're not angry at me," Atsuko stated, echoing her feelings from back in the van.
Minami pulled one of her hands free from Atsuko's grasp and circled her arm around the taller girl's shoulders, pulling her girlfriend closer in a reassuring gesture. Her shoulder instantly became a pillow for Atsuko's head, and her fingers ran through the glossy black strands at her fingertips. She couldn't see Atsuko's smile, but she heard the satisfied sigh next to her ear, and she closed her eyes to savor the short moment.
"It's not like you decided I won," Minami murmured softly.
At those words, Atsuko tightened her grip on the hand that was still holding hers. "Minami, don't you remember how many votes you have?"
"I don't remember much of anything," Minami admitted. "I figure I'll watch the footage later. Why?"
"When they announced it, everyone was so surprised. You and Yuko had almost the same amount of votes. In the end, twelve votes pushed you ahead of her," Atsuko explained, her voice weakening as she reached the end of her statements.
"Twelve," Minami repeated slowly as her fingers stopped moving in Atsuko's hair. The number was less than twenty, the amount of votes that Atsuko had cast for her.
Tears began to form in Atsuko's eyes, threatening to spill on her girlfriend's shoulder, as she attempted to ease the shock of the revelation she had just spoke. "You always work harder than everyone else, and you always help everyone else achieve their goals before even thinking about your own. I was so happy to have been able to help you attain something for yourself."
"And now I'm going to lose everything," Minami flatly responded. Her arm that had circled Atsuko's shoulders fell limp behind her.
"Minami," Atsuko hesitantly began, her voice barely above that of a whisper. "I've known you and loved you for years. I know how important AKB is to you. And now that you feel like you've lost it, you're hating yourself more than anything, thinking you have nothing else. But Minami... I know you have other things which make you happy."
Minami stubbornly refused to respond with words, instead shaking her head and narrowing her eyes at the floor.
The bed let out a tired creak as Atsuko stood, still clutching Minami's hand between hers. She then turned to face the scowling girl before kneeling on the ground in order to bring their eyes to nearly the same level, replacing the stained carpet with her own eyes as the focal point of Minami's glare. Witnessing Minami's gaze subconsciously soften, Atsuko knew that she hadn't completely lost this conversation to Minami's legendary dense hard-headedness.
"Tell me, Minami," Atsuko pleaded as she let go of Minami's hand, instead moving to caress the sides of her girlfriend's face with her palms. "What makes you happy?"
Minami's eyes were locked on Atsuko's, and she was drowning in the honest love she found. Completely captivated, losing her hold on her frustration and anger, she could think of nothing else besides the woman before her, and so she simply answered, with a cracking voice, "You."
The light was slowly returning to Minami's eyes, and so Atsuko pulled Minami's face towards her until their lips were almost touching. Before closing the gap, she spoke, "Then let yourself be happy."
When their lips finally brushed together, Atsuko found the barriers that Minami had put up were finally broken down. Arms circled around her waist and pulled her up from her kneeling position on the floor until she found herself sitting, straddling Minami's lap, her body crushed against the woman she loved. Her hands moved from Minami's cheeks to the back of her neck as her tongue snaked into Minami's waiting mouth, finding a passionate battle waiting for her, which she heatedly fought. When she tried to pull back after a moment, Minami chased her lips each time, attempting to bring her back into the kiss she had started.
Atsuko giggled when she was finally able to break free of the kiss, as Minami was still stretching her neck upwards, her eyes closed and lips slightly puckered and waiting. At the airy sound, Minami's eyes slowly opened and a blush crossed her cheeks (one that was unrelated to the flush that had previously coloured her face due to the headed kiss just moments before).
"Mou, Atsuko," Minami whined, but a teasing glare caused her to stop her complaints.
"I'm trying to be serious here," Atsuko pouted. "But you're getting all perverted. Ah... You're such a boy sometimes."
Minami's eyes widened in panic. Since Atsuko was such a good actress, she could never tell when she was being played. Well, that didn't really matter, she reasoned, since even when it's obvious, she always falls for it, anyway.
Another light giggle echoed in the room, breaking the joke. "Relax. I'm just playing around."
Atsuko leaned forward again, though this time her target was the crook of Minami's neck. The weight pushed them both back on the bed, and they laid that way for a few minutes, entangled together. But Atsuko broke the silence, her soft voice close to Minami's ear.
"I learned something when I decided to graduate," she said. "I loved acting. I loved singing. I loved being next to everyone, laughing and dancing and singing. But that wasn't enough to make me happy. I was pushing myself so hard that I didn't have time to be happy. This past year, I've done all of those things that I love, but I've done it all while having time to be with you, not as the person who dances next to you or who sings with you, but as the woman who loves you."
Not quite knowing what to say in response, Minami simply tightened her hold around Atsuko's waist.
But that was all right, since Atsuko wasn't done with her little speech, anyway. "So don't think that you've lost everything, because I'm right here, no matter what happens tomorrow."
This time when Minami was silent, at a loss for a response, Atsuko nipped roughly at Minami's neck, causing a yelp to escape the older girl's mouth.
"W-What was that for?" Minami exclaimed.
"You're so bad in these situations," Atsuko whined. "Not even saying, 'I love you' or anything..."
Minami rolled her eyes inwardly. "But you know that already."
Atsuko raised her head so that she hovered over Minami's face, a playful glint reflecting in her eyes. "Repeat after me: 'I love you, Atsuko.'"
"Come on, Atsuko. You already know—"
"Say it," Atsuko insisted in a dark voice, though her eyes betrayed her, still gleaming.
Regardless, Minami gulped before answering, "I-I love you, Atsuko."
Atsuko grinned and buried her face back in Minami's neck to muffle her squeal of glee. Her hold on Minami's neck was tight enough to choke the tiny girl, but it loosened after only a moment, she she responded likewise with, "I love you too, Minami."
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So sweet!!! I want to know what happens next!!!
Please update soon!!!!
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:panic: Don't know what to say.......This is so good...!!! :jphip:
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Completly like it!!!!
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awww atsumina so cute.. i love when atsuko is on top :D
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It's a really really great chapter :luvluv2:
This chapter is lovely, but maybe the next is heart-breaking because everything isn't solved :mon waterworks:
I love how you choose words and how you let characters interact with each other. One word: PERFECT :mon fyeah:
Keep up your good work and I can't wait for the next chapter :kneelbow:
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So sweet pls continue next chapter^^*
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this is a good story about atsumina.. :twothumbs
please continue.. ^.^
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So Sweet :wub:
Love this chapter :thumbsup
I hope nothing worse happen in next chapter :bleed eyes:
What will Aki-P do?
Waiting for your update^^
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Uh... Hi. Been awhile, hasn't it? Well, to make up for it, this is a full two pages longer than previous chapters? I could have broken it up into two parts like chapter five, but uh... I got lazy. Honestly, I had two days of exams in the class I write the most in, and since that class only meets twice a week, my writing time was quite limited.
@TakaminaBG: Glad you thought the Atsumina part was sweet! I was hoping for that. XD
@fausto: Ah, I'm just glad you like it. XD
@kahem: Thanks! :D
@Haruko: I like it when Atsuko's on top, too. She can be so playful!~
@hidden_player: That's very high praise, thank you! I think a lot about my word choices, so I'm glad you appreciate that! I hope this chapter doesn't break your heart!~
@Pdpond: Thanks! Here's the next chapter for you!~
@thebotole: Thank you! I've continued, as you can see!
@ichikawa: I'm glad you thought it was sweet! Of course, Aki-P has to resolve what's happened, so you'll see how it worked out!
So anyway. Last time I updated, I said that I didn't know what was going to happen in chapter seven. That's not exactly true anymore, but I don't know how to end the chapter. After a few pages, I'm gonna get stuck. XD But an idea struck me when I was almost done writing this chapter that I kind of really liked, so I incorporated it a bit. I was originally going to make Atsuko even more angry and defensive, which would tie in with her mentality about how she's grown since her graduation, but I decided to take a different route and didn't both changing anything leading up to it >_>. I hope you like it anyway, because...
In this chapter we reach the climax! Not that kind of climax, you pervs. You know what I mean. Geez.
Second to Last
Chapter 6
When Minami awoke in the morning, she was first comforted by the sight of her girlfriend snuggling into her side.
But although it was the same physical position that she had found herself in as the morning before, instead of being in her own bed in her own room, they were in the cheap hotel — which brought to her attention that she was still wearing the dress from the day before. It stuck to her body uncomfortably, the combination of her sweat and being crumpled under Atsuko's weight.
A knock on the door to their hotel room forced her to untangle herself and stumble over her forgotten shoes on the way to open it. After carefully examining the person on the other side of the door through the peephole, she pulled the door open to reveal Togasaki standing in the hallway. With her tired appearance, barefoot, hair sticking out in all directions, she felt insignificantly tiny as she looked up at the stern man who already was wearing a well-ironed suit. But when a smile cracked his solemn demeanor, she felt a bit of relief.
"Here," he stated, pushing two large paper bags into Minami's hands.
She struggled as she grabbed them, not from their weight, but because she could barely see over the top of the two.
"Thanks," she answered, her syllables slurring together.
Togasaki let out a low-pitched laugh. "You still seem like such a child sometimes, just like eight years ago. I've watched you — both of you — grow up, so I'm happy for you. But keep in mind that Akimoto's absolutely furious."
"As expected," Minami mumbled in response.
"So change into those. I'll be waiting in the van outside," Togasaki finished.
Minami attempted to bow politely in response, but nearly lost both bags in the process. She scowled playfully as Togasaki laughed his way to the stairwell.
Once back inside the hotel room with the door closed, Minami set the bags on the floor and pulled the contents out to rest at the foot of the bed. Two nearly identical dresses were placed next to each other, one slightly smaller than the other. The black and white dresses nearly brought tears to her eyes as she recollected the memories associated with them: Yume no Kawa, Atsuko's last appearance on Music Station...
Togasaki didn't have access to anything besides performance costumes, so he had grabbed Atsuko's final AKB uniform, and brought Minami's to match.
A few other assorted items were in the bag: a sealed toothbrush and hairbrush for each of them. She was extremely thankful that Togasaki had thought of these things, as they had been confined ever since the scandal had occurred. Without their phones, they had no idea of the damage caused, either. While Atsuko had reassured her the night before, she found her doubts coming back.
Minami shook her head to eliminate the thoughts from her mind for now. They didn't have time to waste on brooding, since their ride to Akimoto's office was waiting in the alleyway. So she quickly took her items into the bathroom and changed, careful to not wash off the previous night's make-up as she freshened up, since she had nothing to replace it with and she'd rather die than walk around without make-up on, a fact about herself that she had been made fun of for multiple times before. Sure, her mascara had run and her blush had smudged from all of the tears she had shed, but it served the purpose she needed it to better than the alternative.
She emerged from the bathroom in record time, a habit borne of lightning fast costume changes backstage. Atsuko was still sleeping, curled on her side, reaching for the warmth that had disappeared when Minami had left to answer the door. The tiny girl shuffled over to the bed, the stiff petticoat of her dress rustling with each step. When she sat on the bed, it sank slightly under her weight and the petticoat slightly hissed as it re-arranged itself, but the younger woman was not brought out of her slumber by neither the movement nor the sound.
Minami brushed a few strands of hair back from Atsuko's eyes that had fallen out of place in her sleep. With the obstacle out of the way, she was able to lean close to her girlfriend and place a soft kiss on the younger woman's slightly parted lips, causing a slight stir, but as Minami pulled back, Atsuko settled right back into her slumber.
"Come on, Atsuko," Minami gently whined, her face still close enough that her exhales caused Atsuko's hair to flutter slightly. Her hand, which had pushed Atsuko's hair aside, stayed at her girlfriend's face, her thumb stroking her soft cheek until the closed eyes in front of her slowly opened, glazed over due to being woken before she was ready to wake up. But as soon as Atsuko focused her gaze enough to recognize Minami sitting, well, half-lying on her stomach at this point, a smile broke across her face and the shine in her eyes was not longer from having just woken up, but from waking up to the woman she loved.
"Morning," Atsuko mumbled softly.
Minami couldn't help herself at the adorable sight in front of her. She leaned close once more to brush her lips against Atsuko's, this time feeling the younger girl respond lazily. Since they were short on time, the kiss didn't last very long, but it was enough to help reassure her that she was truly not alone. Atsuko was going to be at her side for the rest of the day, and hopefully for the rest of her life... Though she really hadn't thought that far ahead. It was more like she hoped Atsuko would be with her tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and if that sequence keeps going, it does turn into forever, but that was really—
"Minami, what time is it?"
Atsuko's soft voice stopped Minami's voice from spinning out of control, and the small girl looked over to the clock by the television before responding, "Just after eight. Togasaki's waiting downstairs. He brought a change of clothes for each of us. Yours is in the bathroom."
"Oh," Atsuko stated, her eyes widening. She quickly sat up, causing Minami to do the same. "He brought those dresses?"
"We have a lot of memories in these, don't we?" Minami agreed with the unspoken statement.
After nodding, Atsuko said, "I thought they'd always stay as just memories. I've graduated."
It was hard to express, but Atsuko meant that she had moved on from this part of her life. Yet by digging up this relic of the past, she was bringing to the surface everything that went along with it, only to bury it later again. In that sense, it wasn't just a dress she would be wearing, but an entire part of herself that she had grown out of, turning past memories into current happenings.
She knew that Minami, having not gone through such a progression of character, wouldn't quite understand this, so she didn't elaborate on her discomfort in wearing the dress. Instead, she simply gave her girlfriend a bittersweet smile before moving to the bathroom to quickly change, while Minami tucked her few things back in the paper bag. After a few minutes, she, too, emerged, fully dolled up in her dress, looking as immaculate as she had during her time as AKB48's ace. Not that she didn't look perfect as the mature actress that she had grown into, but it was... different.
Different, like the ride from the hotel to the offices in Akihabara. The travel the night before had been tense and uncomfortable, but this morning was much more relaxed. Putting her own frustrations aside, Atsuko reached for Minami's hand across the empty middle seat between them, running her thumb back and forth across the bent knuckles curled around her palm. It was a loving action of support, and it contributed to the relaxed atmosphere surrounding the two women.
If Togasaki noticed this change, he didn't react to it, simply driving them to their location. He parked in a dark, underground parking ramp to avoid the paparazzi surrounding the building and led them to the maintenance elevator to travel to the floor Akimoto Yasushi's office was on. His escorting stopped at the thick door of the office, and after he loudly knocked on the it, he silently bowed and walked away.
When Akimoto opened the door, his face was stuck in a stern frown, wrinkles creasing across his forehead and shadows hanging under his eyes. He was visibly furious, exhausted, and as a response, Minami and Atsuko took a step away from each other, putting symbolic distance between them in a futile hope it would ease the older man's frustration.
It did not.
"Takahashi-san, Maeda-san, we'll be going to the meeting room," he forced out between gritted teeth.
It was rare for him to address the girls by their family name as he had just done. Especially because he had mentored both of them for so many years, he generally used a more friendly way of referring to the both of them. But to be so distantly formal now was another expression of his anger, detaching the girls in front of him who had caused such a damaging scandal from the two girls who had grown under his care over the past eight years.
The meeting room wasn't meant for such small group discussions (or lectures, as this was most likely to be), as the large oval table had a dozen or more chairs surrounding it, but the arrangement made for a distanced situation, as Minami and Atsuko found themselves opposite the man who had begun and shaped their careers. He placed a small folder on the table, and then reached into his inside jacket pocket to retrieve both girls' cell phones before setting them on the table as well, although the distance placed between them made it impossible for the girls to reach them. It was a metaphor for the distribution of power among the occupants of the room, and the girls recognized this enough to not ask for said phones back.
The heavy silence was broken by Akimoto, as he stated in a flat, businesslike tone, "Both of you are smart enough that I don't need to tell you what's happened in the past twelve hours. Though that you even allowed yourselves to be put in such a situation gives me some doubts about what I can expect from you, so I do have the reports here in this folder."
He didn't push the folder towards the girls; nor did the girls request to see the contents. As a result, he placed the folder to the side, now bringing the two phones to the center of the discussion.
"These have been ringing constantly all night long, until their batteries finally ran down. Once we come to an agreement over an official statement and actions to be taken, you can respond to your worried friends."
"Shouldn't my manager be part of this?" Atsuko asked in an attempt to gain some control over the situation.
"I've been given permission to deal with the situation, since your agency is currently in discussions about the state of your contract," Akimoto responded, causing Atsuko's face to pale. "You have to admit that your record with scandals hasn't been the best since your graduation. Since both of the biggest ones involve my members, this type of meeting is the most efficient way of resolving this. And as for you, Takahashi-san, I've always thought of you as AKB, and I've never been disappointed in you before. I never thought I would find myself in the situation where I would be disappointed in you, but this is something that I cannot overlook."
Neither girl had anything to say to the statement, to he continued.
"Looking at the photos and reading what the tabloids have to say about the situation, I'm not sure we can spin this in any way that could reduce its impact. We can't explain this as a kiss between friends given the pictures. No one would be able to accept that. We also can't explain this as fan-service, as the room was reportedly empty before the photographers made their way inside. Who would you have been giving fan-service to?" he shook his head in frustration. "Has anything I've said been untrue?"
Weakly, with her stomach churning, Minami shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Atsuko do the same, though her normally peaceful face was distorted in a tight frown, her jaw clenched.
"This puts the group in a tough position," Akimoto signed, pulling his glasses off and setting them atop the folder to his side. He reached up with his hand and rubbed is drooping, tired eyes before continuing. "Since you just won the senbatsu election, there would be quite an uprising if I punish you too harshly. But I can't just let this slide, either. When I look back at the consequences I've imposed in the past, such as for Sashihara, not only were the scandals involved much less severe than yours, but I knew they would be forgotten after a time. I can't say the same about the situation here. This will most likely follow the both of you for the rest of your careers, regardless of what we decide upon today."
Discreetly, Atsuko reached for Minami's hand under the table. The action was unexpected, but before Minami could react, Atsuko stated in an uncharacteristically strong voice, "I don't care if my career falls apart here, but Minami was just finally rewarded for all of the unending effort she's given to you for the past eight years. I won't let anyone take that away from her."
"Unfortunately, that's not how the world works," Akimoto responded. "Your devotion is admirable, but it won't change anything—"
"Then I'll make it change everything," Atsuko cut in. "We'll tell them that I forced myself on her in an attempt to confess, and she'll publicly reject me, and I—"
"I can't do that."
Minami spoke for the first time in the meeting, her normally strong voice frail and scared. It almost seemed as if she and Atsuko had switched roles, but the reality was that their priorities in the situation were different, and their actions reflected that. Atsuko's desire to leave Minami's future unscathed gave her unwavering courage, but Minami's uncertainty about if her future could be salvaged caused her own inner strength to falter. However, there was a line which even the weakest part of her could not cross.
"I can't lie with it comes to Atsuko and me," Minami added, lowering her head.
Akimoto was leaning back in his chair, thinking. "But that could have worked. I wonder if there's anything close to that we could use..."
"Think about it, Minami," Atsuko pleaded. "In AKB, you're not allowed to have a relationship, anyway. You wouldn't have to answer by denying everything outright. Just citing that rule would be enough."
Minami shook her head. "And then they say, 'Takamina, what about after you graduate? You'll be free from the love-ban rule, so will you accept her confession then?' What am I supposed to answer to that?"
"That's the easiest question so far," Akimoto broke in. He seemed to have regained some of his energy that he had lost during the stressful night. "As the general manager, senbatsu regular, and now the winner of the election, you're far too busy with things happening in the present to think about graduating, much less happen after. Accepting her confession after graduation wouldn't ever cross your mind, anyway, which is true, since you accepted it before your graduation. Of course, you can't say that last part."
"We're all forgetting something here," Minami frowned. "Atsuko'll be taking all of the blame, when the whole thing was really my fault, anyway."
"With the situation as it is, someone taking the blame is unavoidable. As much as I think of the both of you as I would my own children, I'd prefer the blame not be put on Minami-chan for the sake of AKB as a group," Akimoto responded. In addition to having regained his energy, he began taking on more familiar speech. He even seemed to appear relieved at being able to do so, suggesting that he found the farce of acting in such a reprimanding fashion exhausting in itself. In this way, he truly seemed to be like a father who found that his children had made a damaging mistake; showing them the consequences of their actions was necessary, but it did not mean the he loved them any less.
But Minami still couldn't accept this situation. She shook her head in disagreement, but didn't have anything to say that wouldn’t just be repeating herself.
Knowing Minami's stubbornness, Akimoto stood up, reaching for the two phones and putting them back in his pocket. "I'm going to get some forms for us to sign. I know I can't convince you, but I hope you'll decide what to do before I get back so that we can move on and you can tell me all about how much you two love each other."
After Akimoto left the room, Atsuko turned to her girlfriend, her eyes sparkling. "I think he's happy for us. What do you think?"
"I think it's ridiculous that you'd sacrifice your career like this," Minami grumbled, leaning back in her chair. "It's not necessary. I can take responsibility for my own actions."
"Says the girl who puts AKB before everything else, even me," Atsuko responded, stifling a laugh. "I don't think you could last even a week if the consequences were laid out in front of you."
Minami had yet to let someone else take the blame for a mistake she had made, and often took the blame for mistakes she hadn't made. She really felt uncomfortable with the idea of someone else doing the same for her, even if that person was Atsuko.
"Please," Atsuko said, reaching her hand to Minami's cheek. Her fingers caressed the soft skin as her eyes locked on the wide eyes of her girlfriend. "I'm losing my contract, anyway. There's no point in you trying to protect me. Let me do this for you."
Minami closed her eyes and thought.
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Thanks for the update, amazing as always :D The conversation at the end made sense, if Takamina were to take blame she'd def have to be punished more severly since she is the role model for AKB. But its still sad to think Acchan might have to take the blame and they may have to lie! Can't wait to find out what happens next :D Hope your exams went well btw, :)
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Acchan is so nice for wanting to take the blame. But I don't want her career to be over T_T
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my god to much drama!
But i love it,hoho
I hope their fix their problem!
Atsumina!!
Thank you for the update!
Looking frwrd for more! :thumbsup
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Minami you don't lost anything!
Atsuko so kind~ :thumbup
Hope their fix this problem!
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Oh ! Don't worry atsumina 98% of akb48 fans accepted already that you two are married and can do whatever a normal couples do :)
But I have been curuios what would really be the reaction of people in future if
An akb member announce that she is lesbian and in love with a girl :smhid :?
Well akb rule relationship is ban but one sided love is aloud right :?
anyway pls update fast I want to know the out come :)
:twothumbs
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I like your solutions... yeah its awful for atsuko.. but we dont have another option... awww Acchan now you need to convince to minami.. :D
jejej a lot the last part of coursr akip is happy :D
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I think this chapter didn't break my heart because I had prepared for this :lol:
Don't know why but I think this chapter, these conversations and everything are cute (maybe I'm a weirdo :shy1:)
Like everyone said they don't have any choice rather than one of the two must take the blame, so poor Acchan!!! But I hope the consequences for her are not bad :)
Looking forward to the next chapter and thanks for your hard work :wub:
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I...I....I can't tell you how much I love you (not in that way okay :nervous). Imagine if this happened in real life XD, the reporters were gonna have a field day of it but we would be celebrating overnight :lol:, drinking prohibited of course :nervous
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Love the way it goes, of course Aki-pi is happy hehe :twothumbs Anyway, I can't wait for the update, see how the situation is handle and what Minami will gonna do/think about that. It means: UPDATE!! :nervous
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@arrow27: Thanks! The exams went fine, as I expected. :D I really try to keep the story realistic, as you noticed. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint!
@kahem: Don't worry!~ Acchan's happy to take the fall for Takamina. All that matters is :heart:!
@Chichay12: Drama is the best, isn't it? XD
@Pdpond: Acchan would really do anything for her Takamina!~ :heart:
@saeyukilover: I once read something about how fans in Japan look at our beloved pairings differently than non-Japanese fans. We all want to ship the girls together, but the Japanese fans see it more like, "I want to be with her!" instead! I think I read it on AKB48Wrapup. So I unfortunately doubt their main audience would be very supportive if a relationship was really announced. :cry: Wasn't the reaction to Acchan's wanting to marry Takamina blog post something like, "You know that's not possible, right?" or something? :cry:
@Haruko: And Takamina is so stubborn. XD Good luck, Acchan!
@hidden_player: I'm glad you think the conversations are cute! I think Atsumina is totally cute. XD
@Tanchan: I'm glad you love me? XD Oh, god, we'd have so much fun. And I'd totally be drinking, by the way, since I'm legal for that. XD But since I'm a lightweight, I'd get drunk like right away and pass out. :lol:
@fausto: Takamina has a lot of thinking to do, doesn't she? Well, you don't have to yell for it anymore, because I have updated! See?
Omg, I am finally, finally, finally done writing this piece of crap. Now I can relax and write fluffy one-shots. It's short because I didn't have much to say and I just wanted to be done and move on from this. XD
So as for the title, I've hinted before that I've changed the main plot of this a few times, and that resulted in the title no longer working out. "Second" was supposed to refer to Takamina getting second place at the senbatsu, but after her solo debut announcement, I just got so excited that I had to raise that. Then, the transition "Second to Last" represents the fall she thought she would experience as the result of the scandal. Obviously, that title no longer makes sense. So I came up with another meaning for the title and stuck it in here. It's pure cheesiness and I wanted to puke, so I hope you like it.
Second to Last
Chapter 7 (Final)
Eight years ago, Minami first met Atsuko.
They didn't speak for a few months, but Minami remembered the other girl of her own age clearly, stumbling her way through dance steps and second-guessing herself during all of the performances and rehearsals. Eventually, around the time of "Skirt, Hirari", the two were brought together by circumstance.
They were the last two in the dressing room, not because they were slow or late, but because the let everyone else go ahead of them to pick spots to stash their things and change. As a result, they were in a rush, so much so that by the time they got to the point of helping each other tie their ribbons in their shirt collars, something inevitably went wrong.
"Um, Takahashi-san," Atsuko shyly began. "Have you seen an extra ribbon?"
Minami turned to look at Atsuko, dressed impeccably in her white shirt and pink skirt, no wrinkles visible to the eye even though she had been rushed. Even her hair seemed to not have a strand out of place. Minami found herself beginning to feel a bit self-conscious about her own appearance, which was not nearly as tidy, even though she had to stand as center for the song. Her fingers tightened around the ribbon in her hand.
"Nope. Just mine. Did you leave it somewhere?"
"I don't think I did..." Atsuko trailed off, frowning. She looked around calmly, pawing through her purse even though she had already searched through it for the lost accessory.
Ever since the beginning of the group, the girls had been told to think of each other as rivals, feeling a will to improve and surpass each other. As Minami watched Atsuko look for the ribbon, it struck her that this was the perfect situation, one that her seniors would have used as an example of how to crush the competition. She could simply tie her ribbon around her own neck, shrug, and walk off to meet up with everyone else.
But as she looked at the other girl, someone her own age, someone as unsure in life as herself, she couldn't find it within her to take such an action. Besides, she reasoned, between the two of them, it was Atsuko who was much more suited to be the center, not her.
"Here, turn around," Minami stated.
"Did you find it?" Atsuko asked, her face brightening in a smile as she turned to face the tiny girl. She was surprised to see Minami's hands reach up to securely tie the ribbon on her short neatly. After a moment that Minami used to straighten it, Atsuko took a step back, fidgeting a bit. "Th-Thanks. I'll tie yours now."
"That was mine," Minami admitted.
"What?" Atsuko asked, her smile disappearing. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you didn't have yours?" Minami responded as a question, knowing it wasn't a good excuse at all. The embarrassed expression on her face reflected this failure.
Atsuko reached up to untie the ribbon, but Minami's hands stopped her. This caused the younger girl to exclaim in frustration, "But now you don't have one, and you're the center! All I am is a girl who can't sing and can't dance, but you can do those things! So you take your ribbon back, and I'll go tell Akimoto-sensei that I lost mine, and I'll go home, and everything'll be fine!"
"Nope!" Minami shot back. "If you give me that back, I won't wear it. Then we'll both get in trouble."
"Why?" Atsuko demanded.
"Because I'm stubborn!" Minami proudly answered. The two stared at each other for a moment before they couldn't keep up the argument and they both broke into a fit of giggles.
"You sure?" Atsuko asked, twisting her fingers in the hem of her skirt. "I don't want you to get in trouble, Takahashi-san."
The grin on Minami's face widened and she shook her head. "Call me Minami."
"Then... You have to call me Atsuko."
This declaration of friendship, borne from the need for Minami to take the blame for things which may not actually be her fault, was enough to make up for the loss of the ribbon, and although Minami did get a severe lecture later that night, it was far outweighed by this new bond that would grow and blossom into something more as the years would pass.
Which brought them here, eight years later, to a situation that can easily be described as a perfect reversal.
--
"Minami?"
The small girl blinked a few times, startled out of her reverie by her concerned girlfriend. She noticed after a moment that Atsuko's face was extremely close, indecently close considering that they were in an unlocked, public room. Akimoto would open the door any minute now, revealing them to the entire hallway of office workers in the process. Of course, doing so would negate the entire point of the meeting they were in. So Minami soon found herself on the floor, as her hasty attempt to get away from Atsuko backfired and her chair fell over, her with it.
To make matters worse, that was moment in which the door swung open. Akimoto stopped in the doorway, first looking down at the clumsy girl at his feet, and then over at the other girl still sitting professionally in her chair, stifling laughter behind her hand. Not quite knowing how to respond to the scene, he simply coughed, which caused a very embarrassed Minami to jump back to her feet before sinking back into the chair that she had previously been occupying.
After Akimoto sat down across from the girls again, he asked, "Can I assume by whatever that was which I walked in on that you two have agreed to the proposed solution?
Minami was silent at the question, her hands folded in her lap. She noticed Atsuko's pleading gaze directed towards her, but she still wasn't quite convinced of the idea. Her attempt to convince herself to accept the solution Atsuko had suggested—something extremely difficult for someone as stubborn as her—had been interrupted before she had been able to finish resigning herself to agree.
While she took the blame away from others, she never once expected anything in return. She didn't count and keep track of favors, because she didn't feel any were owed back to her. Yet she began to realize that maybe others didn't feel the same way. In taking the fall for Atsuko all of those years ago, it was possible that the younger girl had wanted to do something of the same, a wish that had grown as her feelings surely had. And to leave that need unfulfilled would be karmically cruel to both of them.
Swallowing a deep breath, she raised her eyes to meet those of the man who had given her all of the opportunities in her life. Through him, she had been able to sing, to dance, to act, to be someone whom she had only dreamed of being. And through him, she had met the woman whom she loved more than anything else in the world.
And she said, "Yes."
A relieved exhale escaped Atsuko's mouth at the statement, and Minami's eyes met hers. A smile was shared between the two, one that couldn't be described using simple words, but the love between the two of them was so apparent that even Akimoto began to chuckle to himself.
"Just don't be so obvious from now on, okay?" he asked slyly, causing both women to blush. "Anyway, if I could have you both sign this statement? I'll gather a collection of reporters for a press conference right away. Once this is released, you'll be free to go."
True to his words, after Minami and Atsuko signed the written statement, a multitude of phone calls were made, and they waited patiently in Akimoto's office until he returned from the press conference in the main lobby of the building. While waiting, both girls plugged their phones in to find a huge amount of texts and voice-mails waiting for them, all of them supportive from friends and family.
"Did you see the one from Yuko?" Atsuko giggled, resting her head on Minami's shoulder as she scrolled through pages of messages.
"Yup. Have to say that I agree—it's crazy that we got caught before her and Harunyan," Minami smiled. "I think I'm going to give her a lecture about how this isn't an excuse for her to expose their relationship, too."
"I think that with Yuko's personality, they'd be able to get away with a lot more than we can," Atsuko reminded, causing Minami to grumble something incoherent in response. After closing her phone, Atsuko closed her eyes. "We really are lucky to have such wonderful friends, aren't we?"
Minami gave a low hum in response, still typing her reply to Yuko's text. Once it was sent, Atsuko reached over to grasp the tiny girl's phone and folded it shut as well, linking their fingers together loosely in the process. Minami turned her head to look down at the content girl nestling into her shoulder, watching the long eyelashes flutter in front of her. A content expression formed on her face as well until she allowed her eyes to close.
"We really are," she agreed.
"And we're really lucky that we were able to resolve everything," Atsuko continued.
There was no point in bringing up the fact that Atsuko had lost something in the process, as it couldn't be changed at this point. Instead, Minami just agreed, saying, "We are. I almost had to give up the second to last thing I wanted to lose."
"Second to last?" Atsuko repeated. She lifted her head, causing Minami to open her eyes and look over at her girlfriend again. Atsuko's hand left the grasp of Minami's and reached up to play with the strands of hair at the side of Minami's face. "So what's the last thing you'd ever want to lose?"
The tiny girl blushed and averted her eyes for a moment, which in combination with the deep blush that colored her cheeks was enough of an answer. Atsuko giggled before leaning in to place a light kiss on the embarrassed girl's lips before resting her forehead against the other's, grinning widely.
"I love you, too," Atsuko murmured happily. She didn't care that she was no longer an actress anymore. All that mattered was that she was the woman whom Takahashi Minami loved.
As for Minami, she had learned through the ups and downs of the past 24 hours what truly was most important to her, what was held most dear in her heart. The safety and comfort of the past years had finally been weighed against the possibilities of the future, and to her surprise, she had found that most of her happiness lied where she didn't expect it: with a person instead of a profession.
And she couldn't wait to see where that happiness would lead her to.
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No matter how busy I am cramming for a project (3:50am at my place XD), I just can't ignore your update. Augh, I've been a silent reader of this in a long while and now I can't hide this feeling of gratitude over your wonderful fic. Ahhhhh.. Thank you!!! love love.
I was expecting that everything would be dramatic at the end, but it became fluffy and sweet which I really liked. I can really feel the love and with that history of how they met and started a good relationship makes sense and connection how the story had ended.. Ah I can't explain any further and clearer, I'm giggling here as well. :mon lovelaff: HAHAHAHA.
Hope to read more awesome fics from you heart heart heart lots of hearts for you <333333 lol.
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Hehe... sorry for never commenting this fic, Second to Last. I lurked on this one too, tbh. :}
So... in the end, Atsuko was put herself and her career at risk... for Minami? Wow! :shocked So envious of their love :wub:
Umm... actually, I got a little confused while reading this part. :nervous
There was no point in bringing up the fact that Atsuko had lost something in the process, as it couldn't be changed at this point. Instead, Minami just agreed, saying, "We are. I almost had to give up the second to last thing I wanted to lose."
"Second to last?" Atsuko repeated. She lifted her head, causing Minami to open her eyes and look over at her girlfriend again. Atsuko's hand left the grasp of Minami's and reached up to play with the strands of hair at the side of Minami's face. "So what's the last thing you'd ever want to lose?"
Sorry, my english is so terrible. I hope you don't mind explaining it to me? Ehe... :nervous
And, I'm looking forward for your another new fics. Thanks for the update, I love the ending. (http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/heart/t4518.gif) Your writing style is so amazing. (http://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/heart/t4525.gif)
Thank you!
Minami's telling Atsuko that if she made a list of all of the things important to her, that she didn't want to lose or give up, her career, what she almost lost, is second on the list. This makes Atsuko curious about what's first on the list, although she probably knows it and just wants to hear Minami say it. XD It's kind of like when someone says, "That's the last thing I want to happen!" Kind of. Does that make sense? :sweatdrop:
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awww i dont want that acchan lose her career T_T.. but my atsumina its more important
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Can I say I love you XD? I've been following this fanfic since the beginning and it's finally come to an end, I still want to read more of it. I like your writing style and the choice of words you used, not repetitive and the flow is very smooth. I like every moments that they had in the story. Not much kissing, not intimate acts, no ehem....*smut*. What many people fail to understand is that love can be expressed with simple gestures in the simplest form. Caring for and sharing with each other, being at each other's side, understanding without expressing in words, believing in each other, being forgiving toward each other, sacrificing without asking anything in return, all of those things, be it in times of happiness as well as sadness are what make it a long-lasting love.
The image of them sleeping next to each other, fingers intertwined is one of the most peaceful and beautiful sight, just like how they held hands walking around the SSA stage on that day, or when they simply stand next to each other during concerts, no words exchange but both are aware that they have each other by their side.
Sorry if this sounds to sappy and cheesy XD
P.S.: i'm waiting for your next fic, be it one short or long story I will still be looking forward to it
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A great ending for great fic. Everything is perfect, not this chapter but the whole fic as well :thumbup
I'm officially your fan :wub:
I hope to read more Atsumina fics from you :heart:
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Good endind, I wanna cry but I won't
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Your definitely right there!!! With yuko's personality they will get away with it :)
Atsumina your grand everyone will love u guys :heart:
:twothumbs
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Calyrica!!!!!!!!
:wigglypanda:
Of Kisses (and More)
(AKA Of Kisses - Part 2)
I actually read and reblogged this on tumblr when you updated, but because I was on tumblr I never got the chance to properly comment so here I am! I was so happy that you made a second OS to Of Kisses did you know?! Like, I loved~ :heart: it. You know I usually never read OSs because I know that if I ever come across a good author writing short amazing shots that make me feel all wiggly panda status that I wouldn't be able to sleep tossin' n turnin' all throughout the night. It just ain't enough for me, so, so~~I was damn happy when my eyes scanned part 2 :grin:
I started out with a small smile :yep:
then...
Story: Atsuko opened her mouth to say, "Then we're not friends."
Me: Kekeke nonono not friends at all~~~ :cathappy:
Story: "We're something else."
Me: Oh hellz yes keke did gettin' gewd~ :pimp:
Story: Her own lips trailed a path down Minami's neck and back up towards her ear, taking the sensitive earlobe between her lips and pulled on it gently before whispering, "Something that makes you mine."
Me: WHOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo~~!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:
Story:
When they were found early next morning by a punctual Togasaki, he simply draped a blanket over the pair and moved on with the day.
Edited to fix formatting issues that didn't carry over from Tumblr. :-(
Me: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ Where that smut at???!!!!!!!! :bleed eyes: LOLOLOLOL :rofl:
You see what I mean? I just can't handle shots :sweatdrop: ...Okay now onto 'Second to last chapter 5 - 1&2'
The opening statement about happiness is depressing :shocked , but it's true and that's reality. I'm hurt by this...and it kind of makes me happy that I can be? So, there can only be one explanation to this...I.must.be.some.kind.of.masochist. LOL XD Tis why I write and enjoy reading angst...it's like hmm..."Ohhh waah??? They caught Atsumina kissing???!!!! Whhhaaa???!! Minami's career could be over???!!!!!! ...Damnz~That's some crazy shizness, I luv it. (Only in the fics of course!!! It'd be terrible if her career be getting jeopardized, unless they were kissing for reals then all is good lololol) I like how Atsuko's character seemed as if she was not afraid to hide the truth. Your imagination is so...real, how u be doin dat?! I'll say it again, I luv it~. There was that scene where Atsumina were in that aged old room and conversing about if Minami had gotten second place and how she wasn't mad and all..It kind of made me all fuzzy inside ahah, they love each other a lot. I'm glad to see that they aren't fighting or anything dramatic like that (I think I'm damaged from all that angst I read :lol:) It's nice and sweet...(So this is how fluffy romance is?...Again, I luv it~)
Story: "Tell me, Minami," Atsuko pleaded as she let go of Minami's hand, instead moving to caress the sides of her girlfriend's face with her palms. "What makes you happy?"
Minami's eyes were locked on Atsuko's, and she was drowning in the honest love she found. Completely captivated, losing her hold on her frustration and anger, she could think of nothing else besides the woman before her, and so she simply answered, with a cracking voice, "You."
Me: *sniff* This is so beautiful...*wipes tears of joy*
Story: When their lips finally brushed together, Atsuko found the barriers that Minami had put up were finally broken down. Arms circled around her waist and pulled her up from her kneeling position on the floor until she found herself sitting, straddling Minami's lap, her body crushed against the woman she loved. Her hands moved from Minami's cheeks to the back of her neck as her tongue snaked into Minami's waiting mouth, finding a passionate battle waiting for her, which she heatedly fought. When she tried to pull back after a moment, Minami chased her lips each time, attempting to bring her back into the kiss she had started.
Me: Fuuuuu~~~ was not ready for a sexy scene!!! :bleed eyes: :cathappy:
Story: "Say it," Atsuko insisted in a dark voice, though her eyes betrayed her, still gleaming.
Me: You got it Acchan~ I love you Atsumina~ :heart: :nervous :thumbup
Onwards to chapter 6 :cow: You were very descriptive with Atsumina's morning, I think that's why I'm drawn to your style perfect grammar and all lol. @Togasaki bringing them their dresses...He is an awesome guy isn't he? Hehe, even in 'Of Kisses' he be shipping the duo here and there lol. Why was Aki-P furious for anyways? lol, it's his fault for shipping them so hard in the past that things turn out this way hahahaha. :D
Chapter 7 - Final???!!! ALREADY?! :angry: I better get some awesome hot giggidy good damn one shots after this hehe I'm sure I will. Well, this is actually a good thing. *Applauds** because some great authors never finish their addicting fics and I'm so very glad you've worked so hard to finish this fic :thumbsup I really loved how you set up this last chapter, it's perfect. If only you could see how my ooogly face was smiling with twinkling eyes this whole time :oops: It's not cheesy with your new incorporation of the title into the fic, I actually love cheesy and this...this was *OVER FLOODS WITH FEELS* I'll say it one final time (Just for this post of course) I love it, love this fic, love you~~ :heart: I'm back into Atsumina again after this masterpiece :wub:
You're seriously one amazing writer & like I said although I am late...I will always support you for all the smiles you've blessed me with from all your work^^ I'm looking forward to your future work and I hope homework will go easy on you hehe. Sorry, if this post is SPAM LOL.
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@keisthename: Ah! I'm glad you came out of hiding! I've enjoyed your fics so much, too! :heart: I can't give Atsumina a bad ending, so it came out cutesy and fluffy since that's what I do. XD Nothing wrong with causing you fits of giggles with that, though, right?
@O r i g a m i: You too? What's with people all of a sudden coming out of hiding with that chapter? :lol: Not like it's my best work or anything.
@Haruko: Atsumina is definitely more important! :heart:
@Tanchan: I am flattered if you say that you love me! I also really like the praise you give about how affection can be expressed with more than just smut. I really try to show that in my fics and draw a line between those I post here and those I post in the perv forum. I think this stems from that two of my three relationships have been purely non-physical in the past, so I understand that just cuddling and being close to another person is such an intense feeling... or something. :sweatdrop: I want to express that.
@hidden_player: And I officially thank you! More fics are coming!
@kahem: Awww, don't cry! It's a happy ending!
@saeyukilover: They already get away with so much. :lol:
@anonymousdowner: YOU! I don't even know what to say to your monster of a comment except "hgeawfihewa;oghewa;feawg :D :D :D :D :D". You hit all the parts in the stories and chapters that I meant to have stick out. AND NO THERE'S NO SMUT FOR OF KISSES PART 2 THEY DIDN'T HAVE SEX YOU PERVERT! XD Ahem. You crazy person. Come out of hiding more often!
I have a new one-shot! I hope you all like going back to before Acchan's graduation!~
Of Haircuts
When Atsuko heard the news about Minami's haircut, she was away, filming on location for a drama.
She had received a frantic text from Miichan, alerting her "wife" that something was most definitely wrong with the tiny woman Atsuko was "having an extra-marital affair with". To further stress this point, the toothy girl described in her text that "not only is the midget's ribbon gone, but so is the hair that it's supposed to tie up!"
Of course, the image this put in Atsuko's head of a completely bald Minami wasn't quite accurate, but the shiver that went down her spine chilled her thoroughly, even though the spring weather was warming up. This fear didn't let up throughout the entire day of shooting, and only amplified when the director informed her that since the filming was behind schedule, she'd have to stay on location to finish up the next day, as well. And even though she tried to rush through the next day's scenes, another actor showed up late in the morning, beginning a string of setbacks that she had no control over.
Which all meant that by the time she could finally visit her girlfriend, it had been 32 hours since the life-changing haircut.
Atsuko didn't even waste time knocking on the door of Minami's apartment. Instead, she unlocked the door with the spare key that had been entrusted to her, and without even muttering the polite, "Shitsurei shimasu," rushed into the entryway, frantically kicking off her shoes and bypassing the house slippers she kept lined up next to the coat-rack on the wall. Her purse was hastily dropped, her keys next to it rather than having taken the time to tuck them back into the inside pocket of the fancy bag.
"Oh? What is—" Minami poked her head out from her bedroom, a volume of manga in one hand. "Oh, Atsuko! You should have said something when you came in. I thought that—"
As Minami was rambling on, having been taken by surprise, Atsuko took in the sight of her tiny girlfriend. Thankfully, the small girl still seemed to have some hair on her head, something which brought momentary relief to the younger girl, although sadness and worry still showed in her eyes as her gaze traveled from the roots of the light strands down to the shoulder she wasn't used to being able to see. Crossing the distance between them in half as many steps as it should, Atsuko reached up to twirl the soft strands around her fingers, causing Minami's speech to stop in surprise.
"Your hair—" Atsuko choked on her words as she forced them out of her drying throat. "Miichan texted me that you cut it, but..."
Minami found herself consumed in a fit of giggles, knowing how much of a troublemaker their mutual friend could be. In fact, this entire visit had been most likely orchestrated by a vast amount of misinformation contained (or missing from) said text message. A lecture would have to follow at their next rehearsal or photo shoot or whatever they had next, but she'd worry about that later.
For now, she simply responded, "It wasn't some crazy decision I made or anything. My hair caught on fire when I was out shopping, and so I—"
A strangled sound made its way up Atsuko's throat, something between a gasp and a scream, and the taller girl instantly stepped back, pulling the manga volume out of the tiny hand grasping it, before spinning the girl around, carefully but quickly examining the soft skin of Minami's neck, looking to make sure there were no burns or otherwise marred spots marking her skin.
"H-Hey, I'm fine!" Minami insisted, swatting the prying hands away. "Don't you think I would have let you know otherwise?"
Atsuko pouted, dropping her hands to her sides reluctantly. "I was still worried. You didn't tell me anything."
"Well..." Minami tilted her head, trying to come up with an excuse while not meeting her girlfriend's disappointed stare. The truth was that due to this drastic change, she had been accosted left and right by members and staff, and she was just sick of talking about it. Besides... "You were supposed to get back last night, so I was going to tell you then?"
"And when I didn't, you didn't think to tell me about it?" Atsuko asked, her face falling further.
"No, that's not it, really..." Minami weakly responded. Then, after a moment, she realized. "Hey! You said you were worried, so why are you whining about me not texting you? You should have texted me!"
Atsuko gasped in surprise, the fake hurt expression completely leaving her face, replacing it with complete shock. "Did... When you cut your hair, did you cut your denseness and failing personality off, too?"
"Eh?" Minami widened her eyes at the question. "I didn't... What? That's not something I can just 'cut off'!"
As Atsuko realized she wasn't really getting anywhere, she changed her tactic. "Anyway, you made such a big change without telling me, and you're not upset at all!"
"Hm..." Minami thought for a moment, leaning against the bedroom door-frame. She began to subconsciously nudge the dropped manga volume with her foot as she thought aloud, "I've thought before about what shorter hair would be like, since y-you look so nice with it and stuff, but everyone knows me with the ribbon and all. But my head feels a lot lighter and it's easier to brush and stuff. I really like it right now."
Atsuko's hand reached up once again to the newly cut hair and ran her fingers down the strands until she reached the end, her hand resting against the base of Minami's neck, her thumb caressing back and forth. A soft blush crossed her face as she admitted, "I'll have to get used to it."
Minami giggled, "Me, too. I won't be able to wear all of my ribbons anymore."
At that statement, Atsuko froze, remembering something very important from a few days earlier. It wasn't very well-known, but quite a few of the tiny girl's ribbons were special gifts from her girlfriend. Since they were often apart, whenever Atsuko had to travel somewhere for a few days to shoot scenes for a drama or a movie or something else not AKB related, she would return with a ribbon as a souvenir. It even got to the point where instead of chocolate or flowers or other things that girls stereotypically liked to receive on anniversaries and Valentine's Day, Atsuko would buy Minami an extra-special ribbon.
And so, inside of the purse that had been forgotten in the entry way was a small wrapped box with a ribbon inside.
Continuing on, not noticing a pained expression crossing Atsuko's face, Minami said, "Maybe I'll make a collage with them or something. Wouldn't that be really nice over the bed? All of the different colors and sizes and..."
Blinking for a moment, Minami was brought out of her musings by realizing that Atsuko was no longer standing in front of her. She nearly tripped over the manga volume on the floor, but she left the doorway to find her girlfriend. Since her apartment wasn't too large, it only took a turn of her head to spot the younger girl crouching in the entryway, digging through her purse. Her lips were tightly pressed together in a determined expression as she finally found what she had been searching for.
It was a small box, wrapped in shiny pink paper, that Atsuko had brought back from her trip. In one swift motion, she straightened up to stand and marched over to the confused girl standing in the bedroom doorway. If it were anyone else, the stomps would have echoed throughout the hallway, but Atsuko seemed graceful in everything she did, and her sharp steps glided her body next to Minami's before she pushed the smaller girl further into the bedroom until the two were standing in front of the mirror that was used each morning in the "ritual of ribbon picking" as it was so often called by the teasing AKB members.
The shiny pink paper was hastily torn off, even though Atsuko had asked the shopkeeper sweetly if the carefully hand-picked present could be nicely wrapped for her dearest friend. After dropping the box's lid to the floor, Atsuko gently lifted the pink ribbon from the padded base of the box, the soft pastel hue complemented by white lace trim becoming visible to the intended recipient of the gift.
It was truly a beautiful accessory, but Minami wasn't given time to appreciate it, because Atsuko roughly spun her until they were face-to-face. A hand gathered her bangs together and pulled them atop her head before the ribbon was clipped around them, fastening it to the hair atop her head. A few stray strands fell down, but the intention of the hastily done hairstyle was clear: to show Minami that even though her hair was short, she could still wear the special gifts from her girlfriend.
When Minami looked back from her reflection in the mirror to Atsuko, she noticed for the first time that the younger girl's eyes were glassy with unshed tears, partially out of sorrow at the thought that the years of mementos of her love would be confined to a dresser drawer, but now also partially out of relief that the previous fear was no longer something she had to worry about. And so, Minami tentatively took a step closer to her girlfriend, pulling the waiting girl into her arms, her shoulder instantly becoming a resting place for Atsuko's soft cheek. A breathy sighed escaped the taller girl's mouth at the motion, the breath tickling Minami's neck. It was an unfamiliar sensation, as her hair was usually in the way. The gasp that left her body without her control caught Atsuko's attention, and she tightened her grasp.
"I should have thought about how sensitive your neck is," Atskuo giggled. "I could have some fun with this."
Minami's eyes widened in horror at the implication and she struggled in the embrace she had initiated. The hold on her didn't lessen for a few moments, but she was eventually released to stare into the playful eyes of her girlfriend.
"Relax," Atsuko continued giggling. "I wouldn't do something like that... in public, anyway. In fact, I have to be a lot more careful not to leave marks anymore—"
"You used to give me hickeys?!" Minami screeched.
Atsuko blinked a few times before tilting her head to the side innocently. "You mean you didn't know? I guess you really couldn't see them with all your hair in the way, but..."
At the revelation, Minami backed away a few steps to sit on the bed behind her. How many photo shoots had been close to compromised because of Atsuko's... well, her possessiveness, would it be? Not like she knew a lot about this stuff or anything...
A laugh interrupted her mind from spinning out of control, and her eyes shot up to see Atsuko trying to hide it behind her hands, an effort which was obviously unsuccessful. "You really will believe anything, won't you? I'm just kidding. Though someday, I'd love to see your reaction if I do..."
Minami shook her head frantically as a blush colored her cheeks. The fast movement caused the clasp of the ribbon that had been not-so-carefully clipped to the hair atop her head to loosen, and the ribbon was soon hanging down her forehead between her eyes. After nearly giving herself a headache trying to focus a cross-eyed gaze on it, she plucked it off of her bangs and looked down at it in her hands, admiring the detail of the trim and the softness of the material.
As she did so, Atsuko moved to site beside her, leaning her body against Minami's side as the small girl appreciated the gift. Atsuko's head rested against the shoulder she was so comfortable leaning against, waiting patiently. It wasn't really a wait she minded, as this closeness was something she treasured.
"If... If I would have made a collage of ribbons," Minami began, breaking the silence, "it's not like I'd have just put any of them up. I'd put this one up for sure."
Knowing Minami and the way she expressed her feelings, this statement was much deeper than it appeared to be. While she only mentioned the ribbon from today which was held in her hands, she was, without speaking, also including the fuzzy white ribbon Atsuko had bought last Christmas (of which Nyaachan had received a matching one, but unlike his owner, the small cat hated wearing ribbons), the striped blue ribbon Atsuko had bought near the ocean the summer before...
A smile slowly formed on Atsuko's face. "Good. They're all special, aren't they?"
Minami blushed at the realization that her girlfriend had seen through her words. In response, Atsuko playfully poked the flushed cheek closest to her, earning a surprised squeal from the tiny girl as she nearly jumped off of the bed, dropping the ribbon in the process. Atsuko's breathy giggles furthered this embarrassment, but she threw her arms around the older girl, knocking them both backwards on the bed. She ended up with her head nestling in the crook of Minami's neck, the ends of the newly-cut hair tickling her nose in such an uncomfortable fashion that she had to rise up, hovering over her blushing girlfriend.
"As long as you don't cut it any shorter," Atsuko warned in a dark voice.
Looking up with wide eyes, Minami nodded. Her reward for agreeing was to be completely crushed in a warm embrace as Atsuko's contagious grin spread to her own face as well. While the special ribbon Atsuko had given her laid forgotten on the bedroom floor, the cuddle she was receiving was a fantastic present, too, though she'd never tell that to the younger girl who was currently lying completely on top of her, eyes closed in happiness.
Despite everything, being interrogated by her friends the past few days, being the subject of all sorts of crazy rumors in the papers, she decided something in that moment.
Getting her hair caught on fire was so worth it.
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Love your last chapter of 2nd to last, and loved the entire fic in general!! Love all your fics!! :D Atsumina is soooo adorable :3 & the fic "of haircuts" was amazing as well! It was so sweet and funny! Minami's old haircut looked awesome but this one def suits her as well, & glad she can still put on ribbons :D thanks for alll your great fics and updates :)
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I love your ending to the second to the last!! It was a really amazing fic and I really loved. Although I don't alway comment, I read every AtsuMina fic here. :d
As for the one shot, it was really sweet and funny in one way.
Thank you for this update!
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Yeah you're back XD and still great work as usual. I'm still missing Takamina's old hairstyle, even though this new hair looks good on her and I have no complaint. I find it ironic how when she had her hair long, she almost never let it down, one of the rare times when she did it took my breathe away, and now when she has cut it short, she has to add extensions to make it long :nervous. I'm hoping she can grow her hair back quickly so that she doesn't have to add extensions anymore because I like seeing her real hair than extension; her old hair looked damn great when down I'm telling you. It's funny when she had the chance, she refused to do it and now when it's taken away from her she uses artificial means to have it :lol:
P.S.: I've never been in a relationship so I didn't have the chance to experience that feeling of just cuddling and being close to each other in a non-physical way myself but imagining Atsumina like that in your fic (exactly how I picture them when they're in private and also because I can't imagine Takamina being wild and such that some other authors make her out to be XD), plus all those moments in real life where they're always being next to each other ever since the beginning, comforting each other (mostly Takamina to Acchan), holding each other's hands, Acchan always leaning on Takamina's shoulder (Migikata XD), Takamina always being protective toward Acchan, them being understanding without the need for words and much more that I'm too lazy to list out, Atsumina fans know all about that anyway, it's like I'm feeling it myself in an imaginative way XD. I'm one of those people who believe love isn't about sex and sex isn't the most important thing or isn't necessary to prove your love. Yeah, hopefully one day I can experience that too. IT's the best feeling of being together, not that pervert stuff XD. I did read your smurf stuff and I must say that it's not in the in-your-face way of expressing it so I'm fine with that.
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Oops double post, may I ask the mod to delete it for me?
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aww atsumina so cute.. :D
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@anonymousdowner: YOU! I don't even know what to say to your monster of a comment except "hgeawfihewa;oghewa;feawg :D :D :D :D :D". You hit all the parts in the stories and chapters that I meant to have stick out. AND NO THERE'S NO SMUT FOR OF KISSES PART 2 THEY DIDN'T HAVE SEX YOU PERVERT! XD Ahem. You crazy person. Come out of hiding more often!
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, the 'Crazy person' here~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cathappy:
┬┴┬┴┤ʕ•ᴥ├┬┴┬┴ Just coming out of hiding to show you my appreciation for the 'Of Series' again :thumbup
@ The "THEY DIDN'T HAVE SEX YOU PERVERT!" part hehe all I can say is... "Right back at ya~~!" LOLOLOL :grin:
I wasn't seriously craving for any smuts actually (I accept it anytime tho XD) , just wanted to prove my point on how amazing you characterize AtsuMina. Ahah, in other words Calyrica-chan, I think you have a sexy imagination. :rofl:
To be honest, I am more a fan of 'Almost smuts' if that makes sense. Then with romance...there is simply nothing more expressive in love (To me at least) when every little heartfelt thing is kept pure and innocent. I agree with you though where the line is drawn between those we fan fiction authors write here and those that are labeled with this guy --> Le pervert: ಠ⌣ಠ or in my case sometimes this guy --> ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ :lol:
Okay, on to commenting like a normal reader should....
As usual this was another fluffy addition to your work and I enjoyed the awesome read. I laughed out loud when my eyes scanned over the part where Acchan had imagined Takamina bald kekeke. I don't personally think a haircut is a big deal however in Minami's case, the way Atsuko had reacted to it was just so kawaii :wub: && her pink ribbon gift dude...dats like...sOO~~! AWWWwwww~~ :heart: :heart: :heart: :yep: I usually only become damaged by angst, but they're just so cute with the lovely conversations and tiny gestures that I believe that my 'Feels~' meter crashed :) Another thing, Minami's hair grows fast though minus extensions! :shocked
Keep up the awesome work! Thank you for the good read, I smiled~ :)
EDIT: I've been wondering how your Visual Novel idea was coming along!
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I've red it yesterday on twitter :twothumbs I'm always fan of your fics about atsumina, it's cute and sexy at the time, just what I needed. thank you!! :thumbup
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because someone told me that you are back!
:on woohoo: as your co-shipper
THANK YOU! for this update!
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literally imagining takamina bald OH MY GOD!!! I'm going to die :imdead: laughing :mon lmao:......
:twothumbs
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Great OS as usual :twothumbs
When thinking about Takamina could be 'bold' make me :hiakhiakhiak:
Sometimes with your fics, I must read several times to understand all the meaning behind your chosen words, and for me, it's kind of satisfied (Yeah, yeah, I know I'm weird :banghead:)
So I can't wait to read from you soon and thanks for your hard work :k-thrilled:
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@arrow27: Thank you! I think Atsumina is pretty adorable, too!
@TakaminaBG: Thank you for reading all of them!~
@Tanchan: I really miss Takamina's old hair, too. I really liked the ribbon look! And her extensions don't look all that great in my opinion. I hope her hair grows out soon!
@Haruko: They really are so adorable!
@anonymousdowner: I do have a perverted and sexy imagination... But I try to suppress it for these fics! Really! The other day, a few of the guys in one of my IRC channels named me a "new bro" as I'm just as perverted as them. XD I'm still trying to decide if I should be flattered or offended. :lol: I feel like a haircut is a lot bigger of a deal for Minami than for a lot of people, for a few reasons. First is that's how she tries to stand out in a group of hundreds of girls. Second is that hairstyle adds a few centimeters to her height, and she's always so conscious of that. XD (Let's not talk about the VN idea for awhile...)
@fausto: Thank you! I try to balance cute with sexy in the fics a bit. I think "cute" fits them, but everyone here also likes "sexy". XD
@miayaka: I am!~ Thank you!
@saeyukilover: Yeah, wouldn't that be crazy? :rofl: Thank god that didn't happen!
@hidden_player: I keep forgetting to tell you that I completely agree with your signature image! 1st gen is definitely the best! Anyway, sorry you don't quite understand everything right away, but I'm really honored that you stick with it to completely get the meaning of what I want to say. :)
I have a bit of bad news to give you all. I have exhausted my prompts list I made back when I started writing. That means... I have no idea what to write now! So I would appreciate some ideas if you have anything you'd like to see me write! No AU requests, please.
Today's fanfiction one-shot is brought to you by the letters F, L, C, L, in that order. (No one will get my reference, I'm sure, and those who do will not understand why.)
Of Katsudon
As Atsuko pulled a large bowl out of the oven, she grinned before carefully placing it on the stovetop.
Minami wasn't back yet from her long day doing her general manager work, but Atsuko knew that her tiny girlfriend would be back soon. It was nearing eight at night, and since that evening's performance would be by Team K, Minami would have pretty much been kicked out of the theatre a half hour ago by the staff members who would have insisted that the girls of the team would be just fine, and for Heaven's sake, she'd been at the theatre since seven in the morning, so just go home already!
This would, of course, annoy Minami to no end, as she technically was their boss, but she'd pack up her things and head to the nearest metro station to take the subway back to her apartment, anyway. A text to Atsuko would usually follow this routine, as the older girl would express her frustration, insisting that the new teams needed her support.
Tonight, no next message would be needed, as Atsuko had dropped by Minami's apartment to surprise her girlfriend upon arriving home. To further put the tiny girl in a good mood after the stressful day she likely had, her loving girlfriend had prepared a luscious meal of katsudon.
It wasn't anything close to a secret that Minami's favorite food is katsudon, fried pork cutlets over rice. In every interview, when the subject of food came up, she insisted on mentioning it as many times as she could stick it into the conversation. When she'd go out for a meal with other members, staff, or even just when she was networking and making connections with other people in the entertainment industry, she'd insist on a place that served katsudon and eat more than twice her share of the filling dish.
And of course, she was indulged at every opportunity. Everyone knew that if they wanted to get on Minami's good side, the easiest method was to buy her katsudon. Even Hotto Motto cashed in on this, having her star in a commercial praising their katsudon and then giving her a year-long pass to get as much as katsudon as she'd like for free. The tiny girl had been all smiles and giggles and otherwise happy things for an entire week.
A famous phrase in America is: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Replacing "a man's" with "Minami's" would be entirely inaccurate.
But there was another reason why Atsuko had chosen to prepare her girlfriend's favorite meal. It was a well-known fact that during police dramas, when a suspect wasn't cooperating during interrogation, a bowl of katsudon would be provided for him or her. This was supposed to make the police seem more like a friendly figure and cause the suspect to divulge more information than what he or she would otherwise.
Of course, Atsuko was most certainly not a cop, and Minami would never dream of committing a crime, but Atsuko liked teasing the tiny girl nearly as much as Minami liked to eat her precious katsudon. In other words: a lot. And she had heard a little rumor from a mutual friend that provided her with the perfect ammunition to poke a bit at her girlfriend.
Right as Atsuko finished preparing everything, the apartment door opened, and Minami's tired declaration of "Tadaima!" echoed throughout the hallway.
"Okaeri~!" Atsuko cheerfully responded from the kitchen.
Minami's head snapped towards the direction of the voice, not expecting anyone to be waiting for her besides her cat. Even though she certainly recognized the voice as belonging to her girlfriend, it was enough of a surprise that she completely forgot about the spare key she had given the younger girl a long time ago.
"Oh! You should have told me you were going to stop over! I would have come home earlier to let you in... Well, you got inside, anyway..." Minami rambled as she kicked off her shoes and slid into the house slippers waiting for her.
"Yes, that's what keys are for, you know," Atsuko reminded the dense girl, who lowered her face sheepishly at the reminder. "Besides, we both know you wouldn't have left the theatre any earlier."
A weak laugh was Minami's response, as she really couldn't deny the statement. So she decided to move on, as she was hungry, having not eaten for nearly eight hours, and there were some leftovers in the fridge from the take-out she had ordered the night before—
But she was halted on her way to the refrigerator by a familiar smell permeating through the air. She turned to her girlfriend with a wide grin on her face. "You made me katsudon?"
The joy on Minami's face was infections, and at Atsuko's confirmation that yes, she did make katsudon, the tiny girl clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. This almost caused Atsuko to lose sight of her intended goal, as she responded to the child-like adorableness in front of her by enveloping the over-excited girl in a tight embrace, unable to resist showing a bit of affection before having fun in the main act.
As she released Minami, Atsuko leaned down to place a soft peck against the tiny girl's smiling lips. Both grins widened, and Minami had no suspicious that ATsuko was about to playfully torment her for the rest of the evening.
Just as planned.
"So how was everything today?" Atsuko asked extra sweetly.
"Everyone's working really hard," Minami responded proudly as she sat at the table, waiting for the meal she could spot on the stove. As Atsuko was standing in her way, she knew she had to wait until the younger girl decided that it was ready to serve.
"Tonight is a Team K show?" Atsuko asked.
"Yup," Minami nodded.
Atsuko noticed the tiny girl was fidgeting a bit, so she slowly grabbed a smaller bowl from the cupboard and filled it with steaming rice from the small rice cooker on the counter as she asked, "How is Yuko adjusting to becoming captain?"
"She worries too much about Haruna," Minami bluntly responded. "I mean, I get that she really cares about her, but she needs to worry more about her own team than someone in Team B."
With her back to Minami, Atsuko grinned mischievously. Here was the ammunition she had learned about, and her innocent girlfriend had voluntarily brought it up herself! With the small bowl of rice in her hand, she stated, "Well, Haruna's been in Team A since the beginning. Of course Yuko's worried."
"But that's not her job," Minami insisted. "Leave that to Ume-chan or even me to deal with."
"It's not really your job, either, is it?" Atsuko asked.
"Well, I guess, but I can't help but be concerned a bit, too," Minami admitted. The bowl of rice was placed in front of her, and she hastily grabbed her chopsticks to dig in. "Itadakima—"
"You've been rather attached to her lately," Atsuko frowned, leaning forward against the small table Minami was sitting at. The combination of the interruption and the agressive look in the younger girl's eyes caused Minami to freeze, not daring to even take a bite of the food in front of her.
"I-I haven't..." Minami stated weakly.
Smirking, Atsuko sweetly reminded, "Your food is going to get cold. I'll put the katsudon in another bowl for you, so go ahead and start in."
The quick change in topic confused the tiny girl, but she visibly relaxed, allowing herself to take a few bites of the rice as her girlfriend placed a large amount of pieces of katsudon in another bowl. By the time the dish containing her favorite food was set next to her on the table, she had completely let her guard down. Her eyes sparkled yet again, and she reached for the perfectly fried pork strips, but—
"So what's this whole thing with Haruna about?" Atsuko asked, pulling the bowl of katsudon a few centimeters away from her hungry girlfriend, smiling at the confused expression that crossed the older girl's face when her chopsticks hit the table instead of the meat that she had expected.
"Huh? What about her?" Minami asked cluelessly.
Atsuko moved the bowl again as she saw Minami's chopsticks head towards it. After they once again poked at the table instead of reaching their target inside the bowl, she decided to respond, "I've just heard some interesting things, you know. Like how on the radio, Yuko even said that she'd share her with you."
"Oh, that?" Minami asked, laughing weakly. She gave up on trying to obtain her precious katsudon and set her chopsticks on the table. "Everyone keeps going on about Haruna, so I decided to play along a bit, you know? How was I supposed to know that Yuko would offer to share? That squirrel is so obsessive and perverted... I don't think she actually could!"
Atsuko was not yet convinced. "Your katsudon is getting cold, Minami. And after all I went through to make it for you... Ah, you really must love Haruna more than me—"
"No!" Minami exclaimed, suddenly standing up.
"She's your ideal wife, and now you're actually chasing after her to make that a reality." Atsuko lowered her head as she spoke, choking on a (fake) sob. "There's no need to hide it from me any longer. I see how it is—"
"No! No! No!" Minami insisted. She knocked over her chair in her rush as she ran around the table to stand in front of her girlfriend who was (fakely) crying and still leaning against the table. She spun the younger girl around until they were facing each other, and then slammed her palms on the table, one on each side of the (fakely) shaking girl, trapping Atsuko between the table and her body. "You're wrong!"
"Am I?" Atsuko sniffled.
Minami nodded, hoping this crazy conversation could be resolved so that she could eat her damned katsudon.
"Well, I guess I must have been," Atsuko allowed herself to admit. Her fake tears instantly ceased their paths down her cheeks as the corners of her lips rotated up from her frown into a smile, and her eyes seemed to lighten rapidly. It was a quick enough change of emotion that Minami realized she had completely played into a joke her girlfriend had been orchestrating. To make this revelation worse, Atsuko declared. "Because there's no other reason why you'd have me in such a position unless you wanted to prove your love!"
Realizing at that statement how suggestive her dominant pose was, Minami quickly jumped backwards, bumping painfully against the counter behind her in the process. An embarrassed flush crossed her cheeks as she winced, but rather than letting herself dwell on it, her stomach growled in hunger, and so she straightened the knocked-over chair and sat upon it once again, reaching for her food before Atsuko could tease her by taking it away again.
As the game was pretty much over, Atsuko had no such intention any longer. Instead, she moved to sit across from her girlfriend, observing the frantic pace at which the tiny girl was consuming her good. It was cute and childlike, just like her love for the meal in front of her.
After a moment, Minami looked up. "You're not gonna have any?"
Atsuko shook her head. "I ate before I came over. Besides, I'm happy just seeing you scarf that down."
Despite that her girlfriend's tone was playful and admiring, Minami still slowed down her pace as she continued eating. This visible change caused Atsuko to laugh melodically as she gazed at her now once again embarrassed girlfriend who was trying to limit herself.
"I'm just teasing," she continued. "Especially about what I said earlier. I can definitely see that you love me, so I'm not worried at all. But that doesn't mean I'm not a little jealous."
In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Minami responded, "It's hard without you in AKB. I'm still getting used to turning around and not seeing you beside me. If that weren't hard enough, the original Team A has completely broken apart. Miichan and Tomochin have been in other teams for awhile, but then right after you graduate, Haruna gets assigned to Team B. I'll get used to it, but it's not easy."
After stating that, Minami decided she had said something realyl cool and needed to be rewarded for it. She rounded the table until she was standing next to Atsuko. She smiled brightly at the sitting girl, who stood up as well, preparing for a passionate kiss and embrace to close the conversation.
However, Minami then reached for the empty bow where she had been sitting and turned to the counter behind Atsuko to refill the dish. She piled the meat high in her bowl before prancing back to her seat to eat it up, completely oblivious to Atsuko's stare of disbelief.
"This is so good!" Minami exclaimed. "Seriously, you should surprise me like this more often!"
At that, Atsuko decided Minami hadn't quite won freedom from her game, and so she reached across the table to slide the bowl out of the range of the tiny girl's chopsticks. Her eyes sparkled as her mouth opened to begin again.
"You love your katsudon more than me, so why should I?"
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Omg, you don't know how much I love your fics! This one seriously made me lol!! Atsuko and minami are very in character since atsuko loves to tease and takamina loves Katsudon :P The whole Atsuko "game" was hilarious, poor minami couldn't get to her katsudon for awhile :P & the end where Minami says something "cool" and decides to be rewarded, she goes for the katsudon instead of Atsuko haha, totally a dense taka move :D don't blame Atsuko for starting up the game again after that :P You seriously write some of the best Atsumina fics :D ^^ Thanks for your update :D
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Atsuko loves food a lot and yet she gets jealous with it over Takamina :lol:. I always love your one shot and this one is no exception. Both of them are so much like how I imagine them to be. Dense Minami and jealous Acchan XD. Well I have an idea. Remember the report from one fan at the handshake event where Takamina said Acchan is planning to move to a new apartment soon? You can work something on that.
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jajajjaa love it!! atsuko you are a genius.. :D
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Atsuko is such a teaser, poor minami but she still enjoy it because of katsudon, hahahahaaa......
This what happen if you got someone weak spot :P
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"Of Katsudon" aaaahh so cute. Simple and beautiful.
Your fics never fail to make me giggle and I love the feeling lol :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
Looking forward for more works of yours :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
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Atsumina So cutie :deco:
Love all your fic :heart:
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Happy that you agree with my sign, but it's just my opinion :roll:
Back to this OS, owwwww, it's so cuteeeeee :shy1:
Sometimes I think my Atsuko is so cruel :hiakhiakhiak:
But in the end when Minami chose katsudon instead of Atsuko, I thought she deserved to be teased like that :mon blblbl:
About ideas, if I have some, I'll pm you :P
Thank you again for the great fic and I'll wait patiently for your next fics :wub:
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As usual... good!!! :twothumbs :panic: I've also red it on tumblr but then I can re-read it here and it's so good hehe :nervous Don't stop please!!!
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Just Joining
Keep up the good work and looking forward to the next chapter
Thank you for interesting OS fanfic :twothumbs :twothumbs :twothumbs
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Very nice!
Love it!!!!