I have been reading the fanfics posted here and while I've posted this fanfic on another site already, but thought to share it here too.
Please excuse the crude formatting, I'm not sure how to clear the issue. Issue cleared. Used a text editor and manually add code.
Nontheless, please enjoy.
Between friends, between Lovers by bloodofthescribe
Prologue: “Ah, when there’s no work it sure gets boring around here~” Atsuko said to her pillow as they stared at the ceiling while passing time by.
With a badly disguised giggle the pillow spoke up, “Acchan, you’re the last person I expected to hear those words from.”
“I’m not that lazy….am I?” she turned to face her pillow and propped herself up with her elbow flanking the pillow.
“To be honest, you can be pretty lazy.” The pillow Takahashi Minami, also known as the suberi queen, answered without hesitation. When she was greeted with a downcast look and a pout from the actress she couldn’t help but elaborate.
“Well, you can be lazy, but when you put your mind to it you really shine…” the captain half mumbled her embarrassing revelation.
Instead of her usual teasing the taller girl snuggled into her pillow. With crimson tinted cheeks her face was buried in the neck below her as she lay half atop the smaller girl. They were close friends so the captain wasn’t perturbed by the level of skin ship. The consistent breathing at her neck, however, was not something she was familiar with. A wry smile on her charming face she merely remained on the floor with eyes staring at the ceiling.
“You have no idea how strange that looks from this distance,” called the known pervert Oshima Yuko.
Both girls raised their heads in the direction of the chirpy voice. Atsuko giggled as Takamina formulated her answer with furrowed brows.
“I think it’s more of your mind being strange than how we look.” She flashed her trademark grin, one that was often seen on television shows like Mujack and Pon!
“Oh, well I never specified what looked strange. You interpreted that as how you both lay. Aren’t you the strange one, Takamina?” Yuko countered with her trademark grin which was present at any time the girl was in high spirits.
Touché, thought Atsuko as she stealthily peered at the captain from the corner of her eye. She wondered how the other girl would respond to Yuko’s teasing; after all, the teasing was nothing new so she should be able to handle the situation.
“Does it really look strange?” was the feeble reply from the captain as she wore a sheepish smile on her face. The taller girl peered at her carefully now, not fully understanding the reaction.
“Very strange,” if possible the comedic idol had an even bigger smile on her face.
“Is that so? Well as long as we don’t look like you and Haruna, its okay~” Takamina replied coolly with a grin matching the team K member’s. Not too far beside her, or rather, partially atop her Atsuko laughed with joy at the victory of her friend.
Like her reputation as a generally good sport Yuko joined the team A members in their laughter. There was no bad blood between them and teasing among the two was a fairly regular occurrence.
“Since you two aren’t really doing anything today, do you want to join us for supper later on?”
The two exchanged a questioning look. They never had any plans for the evening and hadn’t done much for the day. The conclusion was obvious.
“I guess we’ll join~” said Atsuko as she slowly lifted herself from the floor and off her pillow.
“Yeah, we’ll join in since there’s not much happening today.” Echoed the captain before turning to face the standing girl surprised at her sudden movement, “Where are you heading off to?”
“We might not have had much to practice today, but I’m going to take a shower.” Atsuko smirked at her captain, “Why did you ask… would you like to join me?”
Meanwhile Yuko observed the display in between sending a message to the members who were attending. Snickering all the while, she wonders how Takamina would untangle herself from this particular web. The team A captain may manage her way through a fair amount of conversations, but one person that she still struggle against was Atsuko.
I wonder if there’s a special reason for that…“No, I’m not joining you…” the smaller girl now stood before the actress and played with her t-shirt hem idly.
“Am I not good company?” the actress asked with an exaggerated pout and puppy eyes.
“What? Of course you are, we’re spending time together now, aren’t we?”
“Then let’s bath together, it’s no different from now you know~”
“It will be, we won’t be wearing anything!”
“You’ve seen me naked before so…”
“What, no I haven’t! You had a bikini on…”
“So if we both wear bikinis it would be okay?”
“…”
“See there’s nothing wrong about bathing together~”
“The problem isn’t due to bathing..” the suberi queen mumbled and finally let her gaze drift away from the face before her.
Oh, there are definitely many special reasons when it comes to these two! Yuko observed from the little exchange.
Well, as much as I’d like to stay for the rest of this Nyan Nyan waits on me and it’s not good to keep a lady waiting. Sneaking out of the dining area she left with the hopes that the two members would be able to settle their exchange in time for the gathering later on.
Seeing the gaze leave her own, Atsuko couldn’t help but feel empathetic and her tone softened, “Then what is it about?”
Hearing the gentle tone the captain immediately met the eyes of the taller girl. There were things which she reacted to despite herself. The other girl had an effect on her; that much proved to be true each time lengthy exchanges occurred. She chose her words carefully as having something so fundamental be misunderstood could seriously cause a rift between them.
“I don’t really know what the reason is.” She started with eyes meeting Atsuko’s once more. “It seems silly that I don’t but it’s not a feeling that can be easily described. One thing that I am sure of is that it really is embarrassing to think of bathing with others and more than that…” the little captain inhaled a calming breath and let it out slowly, “the thought of bathing with you is the hardest of all.”
Many thoughts ran through the mind of the actress. She wondered if it there was a problem with her in particular, it was a thought which hurt but there was such a possibility.
Sensing a sombre aura from the actress the captain continued, “Don’t take it personally, I don’t mean to imply that there’s anything wrong with you. I don’t mean that at all, really. It’s more like when you’re involved – there’s something wrong with me.”
Can it be that Takamina feels that way about me? Atsuko wondered in the quiet depths of her mind. In their years of knowing each other the possibility of romantic feelings between the two has always been brought up as a joke amongst the members. Both captain and face denied the possibility, it would be hard to convince others if they never understood what feelings they shared in the first place. So without a discussion on the topic a unanimous decision was reached and they would try to understand and support each other while making sense of feelings which were possibly romantic. Thinking of the unspoken resolution her answer to Takamina became clear.
“If there’s something wrong with you and it involves me then we’re going to figure it out together, aren’t we?” she told the smaller girl with a gentle smile.
Takamina understood the words and soft smile; it was one of those moments which only the two friends knew of. The moment shared between them stayed between them, “A smile that only Takamina can see” as Atsuko had called it. Being a person easily overcome with emotion she stepped forward and embraced the taller girl.
“Because it’s you and me, we’ll figure it out together, won’t we?” she said with a smile of her own.
The taller girl inched toward the smaller one and rested her head on the firm shoulder as she snuggled closer, no words were necessary.
***
Chapter 1:“No one has arrived yet” Haruna said from behind her pink Nintendo DS.
“Some people had work today; we’re actually early so let’s give them a bit of time.” Yuko reasoned. It was a reaction partially unlike the easily excitable girl but as her girlfriend was moody from losing at her game so their emotions were switched. To those who knew them, it was an almost comical sight.
“Sorry we’re late” called Takamina and Acchan who looked as if they ran from the train station complete with windblown hair.
“Were you guys running here or did something else happen?” Yuko asked with a laugh, “Well, whatever happened it’s good to see you guys arrive.”
“No one else has arrived, can you believe it?” Haruna added, still not looking up from her game. The other three members of the table found her words and actions hard to relate, they decided to overlook it.
“We tried to get here early” reasoned Takamina as Atsuko looked through the menu with almost studious eyes.
“So you didn’t bath together for long then?” Yuko said with a snicker, feeling in the mood to tease the captain and ace. Either she was extremely bored from waiting or her usual demeanour crept in. Before they could react, however, the remaining members entered in time for the comedian’s strange question.
“Woo, Acchan got to confi-” started Miichan before being cut-off by Tomochin.
“You finally did it, I knew Acchan would be first between them” the fashion queen said as she moved to sit beside Miichan.
She actually has seme tendencies, she thought with a snicker.
“I think you guys are forgetting to give Takamina credit here,” Yuko pointed at a strand of messy hair, “They may have bathed together, but what is this?”
“Oooh~” everyone besides the two in question let out an amazed cheer.
“Wha- Just hang on!” cried Takamina as she smoothed the strand of hair from Acchan’s head, “We didn’t bath together, we won’t bath together and that hair stood from the wind that caught us on the way here!” with a huff she grabbed a nearby menu and stared at it in hopes that the others would give her a break.
The group remained silent for a minute or so but stared at the captain disbelievingly. The little gesture of neatening the strand of hair was proof enough, or so their already imaginative minds thought.
“Takamina, I thought you agreed that we would bath together someday?” unexpected traitorous words sounded beside her. She turned in shock to Acchan who had a pleading look on her face. It was more than she could handle and with a good portion of their friends present, she panicked.
“I never said that!”
“Take a look at that face, are you really going to say deny everything?” Tomochin was unaware of what truly transpired, but it never stopped her from adding fuel to the fire that clearly burned between the two.
“I…” the small girl mumbled under her breath with eyes set to the floor. Slowly she peered up at the girl beside her, who still wore her pleading look. “…Fine.” She said quietly, so quiet that just the girl before her could truly understand the words. To the other members of the band it was pure speculation.
“You won’t forget your promise, right?” said the actress with a grand smile on her face as she snuggled against the arm of the smaller girl. Takamina never heard the mentions of her actions being worthy of being called a promise but remained quiet, her mind already whirling at the thought of agreeing to something so… unlike her proposed character.
“Excuse me to interrupt, but may I enquire if you are ready to order?” a young waitress approached them timidly. A monotone voice from Takamina spoke up first ordering a meal which included meat, followed by the rest of the members shortly after.
“Ah, the battery died…” said Haruna softly and promptly packed the gaming console away. It wasn’t long before Yuko snuggled close to the girl, having no competition from the console. The previous excitement of the table temporarily died down with two snuggling “couples” and another pair of mobile phone absorbed friends. Clearly the dynamics were off but as they were having fun no one chose to comment, no one until Mariko arrived, that is.
“First I get treated to the sight of those two all lovey, then you order without me and now the table has settled into some form of isolation.” She giggled at the surprised looks she received, “What would you people do without a voice of reason?”
“What are you doing here?” asked Yuko, not upset at the appearance of the other girl though rather surprised. “I thought you were still involved in the shoot of that magazine advertisement?”
“I was wondering about that too…” said the now sociable Haruna.
“We’re not acting all lovey” the captain explained only to have the ace snuggle even closer to her. “Acchan!” she called the girl’s name as if to stop her movements.
“Well, seems I didn’t miss out on too much then.” The short haired girl gestured to the waitress and placed her order. “So, how did these two become more attached in such a short time?”
The four shared a smile, much to the chagrin of the girl being snuggled by the ace. “Well, it seems that Takamina finally had the balls to accept Acchan’s offer to bath together!” they told the redhead excitedly. Everyone except the red faced girl laughed heartily, finding the word choice especially amusing. It was a normal occurrence though the ace seemed to participate in the teasing more and it got the captain wondering as to why she acted that way. Before she could protest the food had arrived and the comedic atmosphere left the table.
“So, since I was right about Acchan asking Takamina first, you owe me the amount we agreed on” said the curly haired girl to the redhead as her small lips turned into a victorious pout.
“I was hoping you forgot about that… there goes that hat I’ve had my eye on”
“Tomochin, I knew you would win~” Acchan flashed a victory sign to her friend with her free hand.
“You guys actually made a bet about us!?” the suberi queen said exasperated and dropped her head to rest on the table.
“Us?” they questioned and then broke into poorly concealed laughter.
With a groan the captain hoped the evening would end, she faced far more emotional surprises for one day and would probably face more as she actually agreed to bathing with the ace. Just what have I gotten myself into?
***
With her blog updated and puppies brushed at her side, Atsuko had completed her small tasks for the night. It hadn’t been a demanding day in terms of work but on an emotional level she certainly felt shaken. The shared decision between Takamina and herself, the promise to actually bath together and finally her growing urge to tease the captain whenever they gathered with friends all of it allowed her emotions to spiral. She only wondered how her friend felt right now, after all they hadn’t had much time to chat alone after the meal and even in between the other girl seemed detached and in thought.
I should probably send her a message of some sort; no sooner than the thought reached her mind she already reached for her mobile phone and started typing away.
To: Takamina \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
Takamina! You’re not sleeping yet, are you? (TwT)
About today, it was pretty.. well a lot happened~
You’re not upset are you? After all you did say we could bath together…
Acchan <3
Completely absorbed in the latest chapter of One Piece, Takamina lay in bed giggling at the scene. The familiar chime sounded and she carefully placed the open volume on the bed. There weren’t many people that would mail her this late at night so she concluded it to be Atsuko. Opening the flap of the phone she saw her hunch to be true.
Acchan must be feeling pretty bad about what happened earlier, well she was responsible for it getting a bit crazy but in the end I guess I can’t really blame her. She smiled as she started her reply to the message, knocking the One Piece volume off the bed as she did so, it went unnoticed as the girl lost herself in her typing.
To: Acchan \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
I couldn’t sleep yet so I’m still awake now. What were you doing up now?
About today, well let’s say that I haven’t been focussed on that much before (T_T)
I’m not upset, you should know this~
I guess I got embarrassed, you know how I feel about bathing with you… （。-＿-。）
Takamina <3
Salt pounced onto her lap excitedly and the ace scratched the puppy behind his ear lovingly. Her mobile phone chimed and she knew who it was without noting the custom tone. She felt relieved to read that her friend wasn’t upset with her, thought a part of her already knew that the suberi queen wasn’t petty about such matters. As her eyes scanned through the message she settled back into her pillows comfortably and sent the reply off.
To: Takamina \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
I’m so glad that you’re not upset. I would be sad if you were (TwT)
Salt is sitting on my lap right now, oh he says hi ~
Takamina is a fun person to tease so everyone enjoys it, so cute~ I do too~ (^_<)
You didn’t say why you felt embarrassed so I don’t know everything yet.
We’re going to find the answer together, aren’t we?
Acchan <3
Between the two girls the time taken to reply to messages definitely fit in the category of speedy replies. It wasn’t long before the chime sounded and the small girl read the message with a growing smile.
To: Acchan \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
I wouldn’t want to make you sad, so that will never happen!
Hello Salt ^w^ Oh, Hime is sitting next to me now, she says hello too~
It’s not fun when I get teased you know（￣へ￣）
Acchan can be such an S …
I don’t know how to explain why I feel the way I do either.
I guess all we can do is to figure it out together.
Takamina <3
Without her hair extensions inserted she played freely with her own hair as her music system played an early single of the band, ‘Baby Baby Baby’. The screen of her mobile phone lit up and she happily read it.
To: Takamina \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
Wah, Takamina is so sweet and dashing~
Seriously, it means a lot to me that you won’t make me sad <3
Hello Hime (^w^)
You have to laugh about being teased, you usually handle it very well…
Me, an S? Actually, between you and me I think I’d be more of an M … (ﾟﾍﾟ)
Maybe we should do something similar to bathing first?
Acchan <3
Hime jump-tackled the worn out ribbon in her hand, with a giggle at the actions of her cat she set it aside before the feline rolled off the bed due to excitement. Instinctively looking at her mobile phone it then chimed once more and she continued reading, her smile never leaving her face.
To: Acchan \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
It means a lot to me that it means a lot to you <3
Did that even make any sense? wwww
So you don’t get embarrassed when we get teased ?
I never would have expected Acchan to be an M ∑(O_O；)
I think I can see why though~（￣ー￣）
But I don’t know what we could do.
Bikini’s aren’t something that bother me so the pool isn’t an option.
Takamina <3
It was getting late and her eyes cramped slightly from the lack of sleep over the last few days. Still, she waited on her friend’s reply and together they would conclude their discussion before welcoming sleep.
To: Takamina \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
It makes perfect sense.
Actually sometimes I think you have
a lot of female fans because of your protecting nature.
Maybe you really are a guy and we don’t know it（･∀･）
But then I might fall for you too… （*´▽｀*）
You can tell if whether I’m an M or not? ∑(O_O；)
I’ve been wondering about it but does it weird
you out too see the members nude?
Acchan <3
Silently Hime slept at her feet and the captain observed the heart-warming sight realising that she too felt sleep taking over her body.
Guess Acchan and I will clear this matter before sleeping. She read the message three times before responding as even a humourous Acchan wouldn’t joke around this daringly often, she was surprised.
To: Acchan \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
I’m glad it makes sense to you but
now you surprise me with this message.
You are Maeda Atsuko, right?
I’m not a guy, really! (*￣m￣)
I can tell you’re an M but I won’t tell you
how I know~ (^_<)
I guess I don’t have a problem seeing the other members like that
Even though it’s still embarrassing…
Takamina <3
She giggled at the adamant denial ‘I’m not a guy’ in the message.
Every time Takamina denies it, the harder it is to believe her, especially since no one has seen her nude to begin with. To: Takamina \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
It probably surprises you that I think
there is still a possibility of
you being a guy. We don’t
have any proof after all (^_<)
Takamina is so mean, one day you can
tell me how you know I’m an M~
I have an idea how to solve this but
you will have to trust me, okay?
It’s getting late so I’m going to sleep.
Night night, Takamina (^-^)/
Acchan <3
She felt relieved that they had reached a conclusion to their current equation, well she ignored the fact that Atsuko still thought that she was a guy.
To: Acchan \(^-^)/
Subject: About today…
From: …
Fine fine, you’ll get your
“proof” someday.
Then you can stop calling me a guy (T_T)
Since we’re in this together I’ll trust you,
like I always do (^w^)
It’s time for me to sleep too so,
Night night, Acchan (^-^)/
Takamina <3
Having reached some form of conclusion the two friends welcomed the sandman and fell asleep. Just their promise remaining in mind and time available to them only answers awaited them.
Chapter 2:“Tacchan, it’s time for breakfast” the familiar voice of her mother woke her from sleep and the smell the much-loved pork cutlet bowl convinced her to remain awake. Rushing through her morning tasks she hoped to find breakfast warm when she reached the kitchen.
“Morning”, she muffled a yawn with her hand and then leaned to place a kiss on her mother’s cheek.
Her father seemed to have left early; it was such a pity that she had missed him as her presence at home wasn’t a prolonged occasion. Shrugging off the feelings of regret,
it’d be pointless to ruin my pork cutlet bowl this early in the day. No sooner after she said grace the bowl of food was empty and she was ready to head to the theatre. Even if though it was autumn and despite the time of day there was barely any light in the sky. The comfortable interior of the Don Quixote building welcomed her. It seemed that no one else had arrived. Being the captain she started her warm up and promptly started practising the dance routine for the new single.
The early stages of daybreak painted the sky with its glow and the face of AKB48 walked briskly towards the theatre.
I wonder if anyone else has arrived yet? As she entered the dance practice area the familiar sound of the new single echoing throughout the room. Recognising the small captain she ran forth to greet her friend despite the other girl being occupied with the dance routine.
“Takamina! You’re early…well, I’m early this morning, aren’t I?” the taller girl finished with a giggle.
The smaller girl stopped the music player and sat beside the other girl at the stage edge. “You are early this morning, I’d like to say I’m surprised, but in the end I will be honest. I’m happy to see you arrive early” she said honestly with a smile present on her features.
Atsuko found herself unable to generate a thought for a few seconds, the surprise of the captain being honest and affectionate in words was not an everyday event. This occurrence was warmly welcomed, however and she returned the smile. “Thank you, I… appreciate your honesty.”
The two friends smiled happily at each other with eyes meeting. It was something which was not uncommon between them but had an increasing frequency as of late. They felt more and more comfortable around each other over the passing years and in recent times this was becoming prevalent. Both eyes lost contact for a second and a slight nervous tension hung in the air. It seemed as if no one would break the developing aura.
“I remember in the mail last night, you said you had an idea, you know about bathing together…” the suberi queen attempted to start some form of conversation albeit an awkward one.
Takamina seems to be more open today, I mean we’ve both become open over the years, but today sets a new record. I wonder why? Still confused her mind lingered on the thought further before answering. “That’s right, it’s not perfect but I do have an idea. I can’t tell you anything since it would ruin the effect. I’m sorry, I know it’s hard to agree to an unknown situation, but you’ll have to trust me.”
To the captain her answer had not changed from the night before. She would continue to follow the ideas of her friend no matter what. “As I said last night, I trust you. I always will” her smile returned as she scratched her cheek from her boldness.
I feel like no matter what I say today, sharing my thoughts is important.“How about meeting at my house this Saturday around lunch time?” she leaned slightly and nudged her shoulders against those next to her own.
The smaller girl listened to the proposal and confirmed whether there were any plans for the upcoming weekend. Nothing particularly came to mind. “I’m not busy with anything this weekend, so that sounds good.”
It’s not like we haven’t had lunch together before, it doesn’t bother me, but I wonder what Atsuko has in mind after that. Maybe I should ask her a bit more about it. “There’s no hint as to what may happen, is there?” she waited but still no answer, “Are you sleeping?”
“No, I’m not” sounded the dreary, muffled reply against her shoulder.
It’s so obvious. Glancing at the half asleep face on her shoulder she giggled at the sight.
It’s easy to see why Atsuko is the face of AKB48, she’s cute even when half asleep. I wonder what she’s thinking about right now? The captain wondered of the possibilities, welcoming the peaceful silence and the warmth at her side.
“Takamina…”stirred a soft voice from the silence.
“Yes?”
“What are you thinking about right now?” the actress moved from her resting spot and faced the suberi queen, her vibrant alert state apparent. To further prove her waking state she tilted her head to punctuate her question.
There was a pause of silence before the answer was shared. The questioner couldn’t help but wonder why the pause but did not prod further. “I was thinking that… everyone in AKB48 has something they’re good at. Like you’re the face of AKB48, I guess my thoughts were something like that?” A nervous laugh escaped her lips at the slight confession. While it was somewhat uncomfortable, at least for her, she would still answer truthfully.
“Oh? We’ve spoken about the future before, but I never can understand why Takamina thinks I am suitable to be the face of AKB48. It’s harder to understand when it’s not my own thoughts.”
“It’s probably harder for the person to understand, oh well. What were you dreaming of?” Her face assumed its usual calm, assertive demeanour yet there was a genuine curiousity about the way the other girl thought. To her, Atsuko could be so complex that a manual would not be sufficient to fully grasp the facets of her personality and it was a part of the girl barely anyone saw.
That probably makes me very lucky, seeing the hidden sides of the face of AKB48.“I was dreaming of Ta.. i-” in her daze the actress caught herself before sharing something that could be misunderstood.
“Ta..i?”
“Taiyaki!” it was the first food type came to mind. She hoped the other girl would believe her tale. “I haven’t eaten it recently so…”
“That’s a lie” the smaller girl tilted her face slightly so that their eyes met.
“What are you talking about? I want to eat Taiyaki since it’s been so long since the last time I had it.” The eyes on her own let her realise the suspicion of her lie. She chose to play up the lie and wore her classic sad, pouting face. Takamina won’t say no to this.
“Ah…” And like she had predicted the captain overlooked the lie. More than ignoring the fabricated idea she took it further. “Since we only have practice today, we’ll get some Taiyaki afterwards, how about that?” I can’t see her face like that,
I have to always do my best to treat her well, always remember OKAM.Never would the pouting actress have thought that Takamina would not only fall for her lie yet also offer to have a date. They have been on dates before but Atsuko tended to initiate the idea more often. Actually between us I’m almost always offering to go out together.
Somehow, even though it’s her, it kind of feels like I’m being invited out by a guy. “Yay, I’d love to have Taiyaki!” she said with a smile on her face.
“Good. Let’s get dancing so that we can have that Taiyaki then.” The captain nudged the taller shoulder and made her way to the music player. They were early to arrive and probably would be the only members practising for the day. Besides the practice in itself, there wasn’t any pressing reason to be at the studio. In fact their time off was still in place albeit best used for work. The now familiar song echoed throughout the room and the front members made their way to their designated places. The routine had a sense of mystery with an underlying suggestive tone. Neither element was surprising to the members considering the collaboration between Yasushi Akimoto and Yoshimasa Inoue. It was an enjoyable song to sing and dance to and they both knew it would be a success once released.
“1… 2… 3… start!”
***
The usually energetic girl was considerably calmer as she snuggled against her girlfriend. She was comfortable on the soft carpet and content with observing the talents of Kojiharu at gaming until she recalled a question that had been on her mind for some time, “Nyan Nyan…”
“Hmm?” The auburn haired girl did not meet her eyes, but instead arched her eyebrow displaying that she was aware of being called out.
Yuko decided to warm up to the main question with a general enquiry. “What do you think about Takamina?”
“Takamina… what kind of question is this?”
“Since you’re in the same team, with Takamina as the captain and both in No Sleeves, I thought Nyan Nyan would have a good answer.”
“If you want to know Takamina better just spend more time around her.” She told the smaller girl in a monotone voice laden with underlying disapproval.
I should have just asked straight out, but a jealous Nyan Nyan is cute too~ With no real explanation to the auburn haired girl, the squirrel snuggled closer to her. Initially she felt her girlfriend tense up, but soon she calmed and Yuko knew that what she had done was appropriate. “Don’t worry Nyan Nyan, my eyes and hands are only for you!”
“Just that?”
“No, Nyan Nyan has my heart too.” She told her girlfriend with her trademark grin. In fact, that is the first thing you have.
Yuko can be so annoying yet loving, now that we are together I don’t know what to do without her. The PSP console shut off and she turned her attentions to her girlfriend. Thinking about her friend and captain for the sake of answering Yuko’s secret question, the taller girl couldn’t help but wonder of the real reasoning behind her girlfriend’s question. Nonetheless, she answered as best as she could.
“Takamina… is a capable as a leader, though her MC’s are rather loud and her jokes aren’t that funny.” Haruna tapped her cheek in thought, “She is a loyal person who will protect those who matter to her. If I had to use one word then, Chivalrous, even though she can be a bit rough around the edges.” Satisfied with her answer she leaned against the wall beside her girlfriend.
“Nyan Nyan , you’re a bit Sadistic like Mariko, aren’t you?” she teased.
“I answered truthfully, didn’t I?” the taller girl replied with a pout.
She’s so cute when upset, even when pretending to be. “Well, it was unexpectedly frank and since Nyan Nyan was being honest there isn’t much I can say about it.”
“That’s right”
Yuko noticed the anticipation that flowed from other girl, it seemed that she was now aware that the initial question had more content than it first displayed. “I asked what Nyan Nyan thought about Takamina, because there seems to be something happening between Acchan and our captain, don’t you think?” with poorly disguised excitement the squirrel wore a happy smile bordering on a lecherous state.
Haruna feigned disgust at the reaction before her. The couple understood each other so well that at this point that Yuko never took the reaction seriously and giggled in reply. “On that matter, I have noticed a different type of tension amongst them. It’s been there for a while now but more so recently. Yuko you’ve noticed a bit late actually.” She teased the smaller girl with a laugh.
“Me? There’s no way I would notice something that brilliant so late!” she said proudly, leaning forward with fist in the air.
“Okay, I knew that already… perverted squirrel” despite her words she snuggled closer to her squirrel and enjoyed the warmth.
“So besides confirming that there is something developing between them, why else did you raise the topic?”
“When Acchan tries to get Takamina’s attention and fails, isn’t it disappo- uh… awkward to watch?”
“I’m not sure if I feel sorrier for either of them. It seems like Atsuko is more open, but at the same time it looks like Takamina is holding back for her sake. It’s only awkward because we know the potential of their feelings and can’t really do much to help them.” She shrugged and turned to her grinning girlfriend in hopes that the question was sufficiently answered.
This topic is suits Yuko’s personality, who else would gladly oversee the possibilities of unfolding relationships. “We can’t do much to help them?” the entertainer echoed with a wistful tone.
“It is not so much about being unable to help them. Wouldn’t we just get in the way and possibly make things worse?”
“How about a little push every now and then, when they’re being
really silly, you know?”
With Yuko excited to ‘assist’ stopping her was not much of an option. Haruna refused to admit, though she was fairly certain that her girlfriend had already noticed, that she actually wanted join in helping their friends. “Since you are so happy about it then it should be okay”
“Yay, thank you Nyan Nyan!”
Choosing rather to smile than complain as a preoccupied Haruna delayed the excessively affectionate nature of her girlfriend. Not that she really minded, though with a few more levels to clear on her game she thought better to tackle those and then settle down to time with the happy girl.
***
The instant the stop button was pressed Atsuko let her tired, sweaty body slide down the wall until it reached a slumped position on the floor. Looking at her captain beneath her damp bangs she wondered how the other girl managed after the intense dancing session.
Takamina gets better with each performance and every time I am amazed at how well she adapts. The other girl paused to sip on her bottled water with a bold stance, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and with crossed legs she joined the tired girl on the floor.
With a grin Takamina enquired on the next destination. “You’re not too tired to have Taiyaki, are you? To be honest I am rather hungry right now so, knowing Acchan, you must be really hungry by now.” She giggled at the thought of her friend during occasions when food was nearby.
Perhaps it was her tired body and mind or the fact that the day her plan to help her friend feel more comfortable around her was approaching. Not truly comprehending which was responsible yet still feeling surprised by the question posed. “I’m still hungry, like I said earlier I’d like to have some Takami- … Taiyaki!”
What was I about to say back then? I hope that Takamina will be slow on this and not realise almost slipping her name. Repeating it in my mind, it almost seems like I was thinking of her like that. Me and Takamina, it can’t be like that right? With high tension she laughed aloud to help calm her racing thoughts, the painstaking wait for the reaction dwelling in her mind.
Takami, there’s no such thing as Takami, is there? Maybe in Chiba there are different foods after all. It almost sounds like my nickname, a food named after me would be too embarrassing. Acchan would buy it and then blog that she ate a food with my name! Somehow, the thought of it all… Acchan and I, is that what she implied earlier? Feeling troubled after wondering she decided against her possible misunderstanding, knowing well that Atsuko was the type of person who would be quite frank with her thoughts. “Sorry, I don’t think they have Takami, but let’s enjoy ourselves with some Taiyaki?”
From her now standing position she extended her hand as an offer to the taller girl. A gentle tug was all it took to assist her to stand. “Ready to go?”
Realising that her slip wasn’t noticed she smiled at her friend and with hands still clasped together they walked to the destination. Due to their rise in temperature from the vigourous routine the cool Autumn weather was gladly welcomed. The location of the theatre allowed the walk to be a brief one. The grey sky peeked from the skyscrapers, but with no strong rays shining from the sky being aware of the change in time presented quite a challenge. A familiar little store with a cute, personified Taiyaki logo in yellow and brown greeted them. Takamina recognised the signboard and led the Atsuko inside with a smile. Eating Taiyaki certainly made her happy, but being able to support Atsuko delivered a greater sense of happiness. It was something that was still complex to fully comprehend yet in her mind existed memorable instances.
“Where would you like to sit?” the captain leaned towards the taller girl inquiring in a soft voice.
Being an idol had its advantages, overbearing fans and paparazzi came with that positivity. Today was not a time for either element, so subconsciously they had both decided to be discreet in their actions. An unsaid mutual decision of isolated seating was made.
“Takamina, you’ve eaten here before, right?” she looked at the captain with menu in hand.
“Twice, no it was more than that… a few times.”
“Have any of the members been here before? No one else has mentioned it before, even though it’s so close to the theatre.” Atsuko ‘casually’ inquired whether other girl had brought anyone else to the store. Somehow, she felt excited knowing that it was yet another first for them to share. Being friends for so long, it was as if there were certain protective grounds surrounding them and should not be broken.
It shouldn’t matter if anyone else has been invited, should it? Now I’m a bit worried. “Yes and No…?” It was a complex thing to explain, rather the idea was simple but the concern the captain felt outweighed the words.
“Yes and no, that doesn’t make sense” her tone was plain yet inside she bristled at the thought of someone else being with Takamina.
What does ‘Yes and No’ mean anyways? Maybe it wasn’t a member at all. No, if it’s a member I can still tolerate it. I wish she would just be honest as she was earlier.“Well, it was by sudden chance that Jurina and I ate here…” she started carefully.
The actress in Acchan was activated or what was said didn’t mind her much, her blank expression was for now a mystery. The suberi queen took that as a sign to continue.
“After shooting AKBINGO there was some time before that shoot for Playboy so everyone in Team A relaxed backstage. I was reading One Piece; it was such a good scene too, when Jurina suddenly grabbed my arm and brought me here. She insisted that she would pay and that bothered me so I offered to pay instead. That seemed to upset her even more and it looked as if she were about to cry so I agreed to her paying.”
The smaller girl paused to yawn.
“In the end it turns out that she wanted to kill some time before Rena got here. She had a disappointed look on her face and Jurina ran to her leaving me alone with the bill. I don’t know what really happened between them, but I hope that they are okay now, haven’t seen them since then. That’s the only time I sort of ate here with anyone. I’m happy being able to invite you myself, not drag you off by surprise or anything like that.” she laughed, hoping to end the topic without any strained thoughts.
Initially the words seemed to lead up to Jurina and Takamina enjoying food together on their own and until the mention of Rena’s name did Atsuko actually feel relieved. Hearing that the smaller girl wanted to specifically invite her, it made her happy in a way she could not define. Sharing the familiar smile to her friend, one that only she was allowed to see, was enough to ease the anxiety that was previously present.
Takamina returned her smile and it would have continued for a while more, but the constant sound of muffled words bothered them. The waitress maintained her work demeanour and proceeded to take their order. The two friends chose to ignore the twitching eyebrow on the forehead of the lady before them and swiftly placed their order. Once the waitress was out of sight the captain whispered, “She must have been waiting for quite some time.” Rather than feeling embarrassed at being caught staring at Acchan she found the reaction of the waitress amusing and giggled.
“She seemed very upset. Let’s be sure to tip her well at least.” Contrary to her words she joined the other girl in the laughter.
“That’s not a bad idea.” The suberi queen leaned so that her back rested against the chair. “I’m actually quite hungry,” to accent her words she rubbed her stomach lightly and wore a pained look on her face.
“If you feel that way then how do I feel?” Acchan followed on from the words of her friend and rested her head on her arm while peering at her friend from the obscure pose.
“That’s not exactly a compliment to yourself, you know”
“It’s okay. I enjoy food and I am proud of it.” The actress flashed a victory sign from her now upright position.
This time they noticed the arrival of the waitress. The waitress seemed less annoyed than previously and delivered their order with a smile.
“She actually smiled!” they said in unison, giggled and then turned their attention to the food.
They had ordered different types of Taiyaki and usually when they did this, they split the meal between them allowing both to sample each type. Initially it was Atsuko’s idea, not much of a surprise to Takamina and so they proposed that to be a standard when ordering different meals.
Just as the captain was about to eat her portion with her fork, the actress called out to her. “Ah, Takamina you forgot to share my half. I want to try the Taiyaki you ordered too. Or… how about sharing that with me for now?” her eyes were directed at the fork that paused just a little bit before the mouth of the other girl.
“This?” the other girl repeated. She wasn’t against sharing food at all, but the expression on the face of the actress confused her. The girl in front of her stared at the slice and if the scene had to be a comic surely, drool would be dripping from her mouth and stars would be in the corner of her watery eyes. Clearly, this was not a comic, but the look was definitely something else. She found herself in the position to not refuse the plea and since the fork was already in her hand, she slowly directed the serving of Taiyaki to the anticipating mouth. The fork left clean and a smile was given in return.
“Thank you Takamina, that was delicious~” the face said still smiling.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it” she shrugged and traded the respective half portions between them. Finally she had the chance to try the Taiyaki she had ordered. Usually taiyaki would be eaten by hand but since they had shared it by cutting it in half, the small girl proceeded with the fork.
It tastes like sweet bean paste and Acchan? It was a flavour that was distinctly different from the taste of taiyaki and she could only conclude it to be the result of sharing her fork with the other girl.
Atsuko looked up from her serving and enquired, “How does it taste? It’s good, right? Taiyaki is the best~”
“It’s a different flavour from before. You might not like it.” The suberi queen mumbled, hoping that her confusion wasn’t noticeable.
“It tastes different? Can I try another piece, maybe I’ll like it~” the taller girl pleaded. “I’ll let you try what I ordered too so…”
She doesn’t get it, does she? Guess I’ll just have to...The taiyaki was sliced into a decent sized portion and carefully made a way to the mouth of the actress. Takamina waited on the reaction, if it meant she had to share her food once more she wasn’t sure how she would react.
“It does have a different taste but I like it. Takamina you have such bad judgement today, I like all foods. Okay, most foods but still!” Atsuko said with a smile and then a light giggle.
I wonder, this other flavour… it’s Takamina, isn’t it? The taller girl contemplated the battle of flavours and continued to eat her own serving. Recently her interactions with the other girl led her thoughts to wonder many things, of why she was treated so kindly to why she felt a sense of ease when with the captain. The thought of them bathing together, which was pure within itself let her feel anxious. Somehow, she could relate to the anxiety of her captain regarding bathing. The question was, whether or not that reason was the same for them or not. She intended to understand it all and hopefully it would be a start that would be uncovered the upcoming weekend.
Either Atsuko had eaten slower than usual or Takamina was really hungry. Popping the last slice into her mouth, she soon followed the smaller girl in completing the food.
“That was satisfying. Guess I won’t be eating supper tonight.” The little arms stretched out and rested on the table. Time had gone by and while it was hard to discern the exact moment the darkness that filled the streets were enough of an explanation. The waitress arrived and cleared the table and while the two hurried to the till to pay for their order. Since she had extended the offer of the date, it was only fair that she paid, reasoned the captain. Quickly she handed the money to the teller before Atsuko could add her share. A pouting Acchan stared at her and all the smaller girl could do was laugh.
“It’s not funny you know, I could have payed for my half.”
“Well, since I invited you…”
“What, are you going to walk me home as well?”
“Is that wrong?”
“Oh…” the actress went quiet. She had not expected this from the other girl, not at all. Not that she disliked the idea, but it certainly reinforced the sense of security that she felt when around the other girl.
She’s such a guy, really…“It’s okay” she said with a little smile, rather share reply than none at all. It would be weird if I were quiet for too long.
They started walking again and Atsuko walked faster until they fall in step. Grabbing the hand of the captain and smiling all the way. For convenience sake, the girls tried to live as close as possible to the theatre. When in a rush, the train would be the better option although walking was perfectly fine as an option. The blur of people surrounded them at the large crossings and in times like this the smaller girl held onto her hand with a comforting pressure. Once the crossings stopped being prevalent and the people less in numbers, they knew that the residential area which they resided was nearby. True to her words Takamina actually stopped outside Acchan’s house to see her off. Realising that this meant untangling their hands, the actress did just that and walked until the front of the house. She was greeted by a little wave. The captain made her way to leave but soon felt the familiar sense of Acchan approaching her. The other girl hugged her and she extended the same courtesy even though it was embarrassing.
“Thank you for today, I had a lot of fun.” The taller girl whispered in her ear, disentangled herself from the hug and waved from the entrance.
“I’m happy to hear that” the captain said with genuine happiness and waved her friend goodbye. At this point of the day she wouldn’t mind a long soak in the bath before reading the latest chapter of One Piece. Somehow, doing those simple things, felt more fun than ever before.
TBC
Topic: [AKB48] Between friends, Between Lovers [Takacchan/various pairings] Ch.4 UP! (Read 12432 times)