Aww, it makes me so happy how so many of you are demanding an update.
Well, how would it be Christmastime without a little wish-granting?
Because what do you know, I happen to have the next chapter right here and all ready for you all... Merry day-after-Christmas! The girls definitely seem to be getting what they want... and hopefully I'll make you feel a little enchanted too.
And maybe... just maybe... I'll actually get Loser to respond...
Chapter 28Miyabi was awakened the next morning by a bright light invading her sleep. Just after her eyes popped open to the blindness of the lights of her room, she noticed a girl jump onto the foot of the bed below her.
“Good morning, sleepyhead!” Saki said in a voice as bright as the lights, and she crawled up to give Miyabi a good morning kiss. She received it, but didn’t kiss back. Saki crawled back off of her to resume whatever she was doing, apparently just attributing her lack of enthusiasm to having just woken up.
“It’s reasons like this why I’m the Captain,” Saki rambled on, ferreting through her suitcase for appropriate attire for the day. “Even though you were in bed before I was, you’re the one sleeping in too! You haven’t forgotten we have a concert in a few hours, have you?”
“How could I have…” Miyabi grumbled, burying her face in her pillow. She didn’t need the reminder of last night and the girl’s late arrival. Plus, it wasn’t like she’d actually gotten any sleep.
Saki giggled. “That’s my Miya. I wouldn’t love ya the same without that brilliant yankii attitude you have sometimes…”
“You love me?” Miyabi asked in a suddenly quiet voice, turning her head to rest her cheek hard against her pillow as she stared over at the other girl.
Saki froze in her rummaging before looking slowly back at her. “Of course I do, silly. Haven’t I ever said that before?”
“No…” Miyabi responded, still looking at her. “You haven’t.” The girl had to go and do this
now? She felt her anger rising slightly, and did her best to suppress it.
“Oh…” Saki said, blushing, and returned to her bag. She seemed to only half-heartedly sort through it now though, and before long she turned back fully to Miyabi.
“What I said just then,” the girl explained. “I was just saying it as a figure of speech. You know, we always say we love things about our friends and such…”
Miyabi continued staring at her. That was true, except… they weren’t just friends. At least they shouldn’t be.
However, instead of leaving it at that, Saki climbed back onto the bed again and slipped under the covers, scooting close to Miyabi and making her feel slightly uncomfortable. Apparently the girl didn’t notice though.
“But…” she said. “You know I’m yours, don’t you? I know I’m… not the best at expressing my emotions…” She avoided Miyabi’s eyes as she said that. “But Miya,” she looked back up into her face. “You know you mean more than anything to me. All you’ve done for me… all we’ve shared… I’m, well, I’m glad to be with you.”
“Are you?” Miyabi asked in a whisper.
Saki nodded, reaching down to take Miyabi’s hand in both of her own. Miyabi didn’t resist. Whatever had happened last night, she really did love this girl so much that she felt like she could forgive anything. However, things still wouldn’t be the same…
Miyabi pulled away slightly, sitting up in the bed. Saki followed her after a moment. “You’re right,” Miyabi stated. Her Captain raised a questioning eyebrow. “We have to get ready for a concert.”
She slid out of the bed and shuffled to her suitcase, pulling some clothes out. She didn’t pay attention to what she took out, but it didn’t really matter. Once she got to the concert she’d be provided with the concert wardrobe as well as what to wear for the rest of the day between concerts and after the last one since they’d still be quite available to the public eye.
Avoiding turning back to the girl on the bed, she pulled off her shirt to begin changing. She didn’t hear any other sound while she went about it, but she still did so calmly under the apparent watchful eyes of her girlfriend. After all, it wasn’t like she had anything to hide from her Captain anymore.
“Miya,” Saki said when she finished, this time in a quietly serious tone much different from the loving one she used when last she spoke. “Are you mad at me for some reason? If so, I’d be grateful if you told me why.”
Miyabi, never being able to resist that tone in Saki’s voice even when she was just her Captain, turned slowly around to her, fully accoutered in a medium-sized pleated black and white striped skirt, tight white turtleneck and red knit vest. “I’m not mad at you,” she stated plainly. “And what are you doing?” She looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was already past nine, and they had to be in the lobby by nine-thirty sharp to gather and head to Nagoya Rainbow Hall to prepare for the day’s concerts. Before long Asako and whoever Saki’s manager was would be knocking on their door to make sure they were up and about. One of these days she’d really have to find out which of the managers was Saki’s.
Becoming exasperated at the girl’s slowness, she stepped toward the bed and lunged forward, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her out of it. Saki stumbled to her feet in front of her, surprised by the gesture.
“Now,” Miyabi said in a voice that brooked no nonsense. “Are you gonna get ready, or am I going to have to dress
you too?” She finished with a wicked grin.
Saki blushed and looked down. “You never cease to surprise me, Miya-chan…” she said softly.
“I know,” Miyabi said. “That’s why you love me, isn’t it?”
Saki looked up at her, her eyes shining. “Yes…” she responded. “It is.”
In the next moment Miyabi quickly reached around the smaller girl in front of her and squeezed her butt, making Saki jump. “Well?” she said. “Are you going to stand here pouring your heart out to me or are you going to get ready? My offer still stands.”
Saki blushed slightly again and turned quickly to her suitcase. “No…” she said, and Miyabi could sense the smile on her face as she spoke. “I think I’ll be fine.”
“Good!” Miyabi said, sitting down on the bed intending to watch even if she didn’t participate. The girl had watched her, after all. “I’m not used to dressing people other than myself, so it would have been a rather awkward experience.”
Saki turned to her once more, her hands still in her suitcase, and grinned mischievously. “Well…” she said. “I’ll just have to let you do it sometime then so it won’t be awkward any longer.” Satisfying herself with Miyabi’s wordlessly moving mouth in response to her own offer, she turned back to her suitcase, obviously in a good mood.
Miyabi closed her mouth and watched as the girl proceeded. Unlike Miyabi though, she didn’t stare at the wall the whole time as if the audience didn’t exist. Instead, she almost made a show of it with her glances back from time to time and the deliberate and teasing way she went about it.
Miyabi smiled as if she enjoyed it, and she had to admit to herself that she actually did, but inside she still didn’t at all feel the level of joy Saki seemed to radiate this morning. Why was the girl so happy after cheating on her the night before? At least
she’d had the decency to feel incredibly guilty about when she kissed Risako, even if she hadn’t told her girlfriend about it yet. However, in Saki’s case not only did she not seem likely to tell Miyabi about her own affair anytime soon, but the girl didn’t seem like she could be any happier.
She continued pondering on this after they were done in their room. They didn’t meet anyone else in the hall – apparently all the other girls had already gone down; it
was virtually nine-thirty now after all – and when entering the elevator on their way to join them in the lobby, Saki grasped her hand tightly. Since this would be the last time they had to themselves until whatever moments they could snatch in a dressing room during the concert, they used it as a last chance to be intimate. Once the elevator doors closed and it jerked to begin its trip downward, Saki stepped around in front of her and pulled her head down her own level. After leaning up to kiss her, they made out in the otherwise empty car, Miyabi into it just as much as her girlfriend this time because, if nothing else, they’d already had a wonderful morning together.
Their lips parted as the elevator neared the ground floor, but Saki still held her close, apparently not wanting to let her go quite yet. “Miya-chan…” she said, looking into her eyes. “I do love you.”
Miyabi smiled, and leaned down to kiss the girl’s nose in response. She wrinkled it and giggled, and as the elevator lurched to a stop fell back to Miyabi’s side, only holding her hand. As they walked out into the lobby, Miyabi loosened her grip in order to let the girl go before they met up with the rest, but Saki held on tightly. Miyabi glanced down at her, but she only looked straight ahead with a smile on her face as she walked on. Miyabi swallowed, and soon they reached the gathering.
The other girls and managers greeted them, and one or two, including Chinami, scolded them for being late. Most of them seemed to notice the two of them holding hands, but the managers apparently just thought it was a normal teenage girl thing to do and thought nothing more of it.
However, some of their Berryz comrades thought otherwise. Momoko in fact seemed to constantly stare at Miyabi with a faint smile from almost the moment they arrived. Looking down to see if Saki noticed anything, Miyabi realized the girl looked anywhere but at Momoko.
Trying to be sneaky, was she? Feeling her mood quickly come down after their session in the elevator, she squeezed the girl’s hand tighter, feeling almost violent. Saki only returned the gesture as if she thought Miyabi just wanted to hold onto her more tightly.
“Well, even if you’re late, at least you’re not as bad as Rii-chan,” Chinami said, frowning among Saki and Miyabi and the joined hands between them. “I never even saw her come back to our room last night. Maa-chan and Kuma-chan didn’t see her in theirs either.”
“She was back,” Miyabi said, leveling a heavy gaze at the still-smiling Momoko. “She came back at the same time I did.”
“Then she must have left again,” Chinami said. “Because she wasn’t there when we returned from karaoke or even when Momo and I went to bed.”
The girl’s words finally sunk into Miyabi’s brain, and she tore her eyes away from Momoko’s to look in puzzlement at Chinami. “What?” she asked.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting!” came a young voice from the direction of the lobby’s outside door, and they all turned to see Risako jogging up to them, her long light faux fur coat hanging open at her sides. She arrived very red-faced, but also smiling.
“Where have you been?” asked one of their staff, a young woman by the name of Haruka, closing in quickly on the beaming new arrival.
“An aunt of mine who lives in the city was at the concert yesterday and asked me to spend the night with them. I couldn’t pass up the chance to see my wonderful cousins.”
She turned to look at the rest of the girls as she spoke, and when her eyes came upon Miyabi’s own suspicious ones, Miyabi thought she caught a deeper flush in her pale features. “You need to tell us if you make different arrangements for the night!” Haruka scolded. “You’ve been around long enough to know that by now!”
Risako dipped her head a few times in apology, but the smile didn’t disappear from her face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll make sure to do that next time. It just came up so quickly I didn’t have the chance to tell anyone…”
Now the girl was pointedly avoiding Miyabi’s suspicious glare. Well wasn’t this just the perfect morning. It wasn’t just Saki;
everyone seemed like they couldn’t be happier! After Risako’s excuse some of the other managers as well as Berryz girls just laughed and rolled their eyes. They were all quite accustomed by now to the babying the baby of their group needed sometimes. Miyabi just sighed and glanced back toward Momoko. This time the girl was just talking animatedly to some of the staff members and ignoring Miyabi as if she was nothing special again.
As the managers quickly shuffled them toward their bus, Miyabi wanted to catch Risako for a word but couldn’t manage to pry herself away from her girlfriend. Not that it was such a bad thing, but it definitely didn’t lend itself to private conversation with anyone else. Saki just chatted with Chinami and Maasa along the way, Chinami seeming to ignore Miyabi on Saki’s other side while Maasa seemed to positively beam at nothing more than seeing the two of them so close. She was going to have to have another talk with her friend later. Hopefully she could manage it by the time they had to leave.
Risako for her part seemed to steer well clear of Miyabi, although that didn’t spare her the girl’s infernal smiles whenever Saki said something to her. The only looks she received though were sideways ones as if she was reveling in the fact that she had a secret that Miyabi couldn’t find out. Once in the bus, the racket and plain chaos that normally went on ceased any more thought of private talks altogether. Still, throughout the whole ride, Saki sat next to her with her hand tightly folded into her own. The ride could definitely have been much worse.
The afternoon concert was quite enjoyable again. Miyabi didn’t know how she did it, but by perhaps some power Saki had on her own as Captain she managed to steal no less than three moments during the nearly two-hour length of it to pull Miyabi into a dressing room. Breathless and exhilarated as she was by the performances, Miyabi had no ability to resist even if she wanted to.
Between concerts all the girls and all the tour staff had dinner together since it would be their last in Nagoya, and there was quite the celebration to be had with all that had gone on since they arrived. After this, since the school year was getting into full swing, it would be weeks before they were all together again.
The evening concert went very similar to the earlier one, except with less dressing room time and the traditional crying at the end since it marked the end of both their stay in the city as well as their tour. All except Miyabi of course; she never cried. Saki as usual could barely hold it together, which even brought a smile to Miyabi’s face at how emotional her girlfriend obviously was, even if she didn’t think she could always show it.
On their way back to the hotel, the topic of another party was broached but by now everyone was completely exhausted, and so nothing formal was planned. Since it
was their last night together for so long though, they let their hair hang down considerably until most of them literally couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer.
This resulted in Miyabi finally making it out of Maasa’s and Yurina’s room at nearly midnight to wobble sleepily back to her own, arm-in-arm with Saki. When they arrived though, Saki told her she should go see Risako once more.
She tried to make a point of always checking on the girl before retiring for the night, since she was after all the youngest, although she almost skipped it tonight seeing as Risako had seemed to be on cloud nine all day. Everyone raved about how these were also two of her best concerts in weeks, and marveled at how she seemed to her way out of depression again, with an accusing glance or two spared for Miyabi as well.
Miyabi on the other hand still regarded the girl with suspicion. She didn’t believe for a second she’d spent the night before with her “aunt”. But, then again, what business was it of hers what the girl did anymore? She was Saki’s now, for better or worse. Maybe this was a good chance to take a step back from Risako’s life. Strangely though, she felt like the idea caused a small bubble of emptiness to form within her.
Stumbling into her room after Saki’s parting, Miyabi flopped face-down on the bed, feeling like she could fall asleep right there. She was brought out of her descent into peaceful slumber though by a voice from the door.
“This has been a very tiring day, hasn’t it?”
Miyabi groaned, not wanting to move, but didn’t dare ignore the voice. She rolled over, pulling herself up into a somewhat seated position and hugging her knees to her chest. “Yes it has, Momo. Are you happy you came back from the dead now?”
“Oh yes,” the girl responded, running her fingers down the doorframe and looking at it as if it was made with exquisite craftsmanship. “I couldn’t love performing with everyone and for everyone any more. But then again,” she went on, as Miyabi yawned. “That’s not all that tired
you out, was it?’
“What are you talking about?” Miyabi asked in a sleepy voice.
“I saw you and Captain shut yourself in those dressing rooms. I know you were doing more in there than ‘retouching your makeup’.”
Miyabi stared at her. “What’s your point?”
“No point…” Momoko said, coming closer and sitting at the foot of the bed. “But I just hope you guys are being careful. If any of the staff put two and two together, you could be in very big trouble.”
“Well,” Miyabi said, her eyes narrowing. “That’s why we
are careful. So they
won’t put two and two together. And believe me, if they happen to discover it another way I’ll find out how.”
Momoko stared at her quietly, oddly not seeming hardly tired at all herself. “I just worry for you two, you know? And I wonder if it might not be best if you just came out clean and told everybody what’s going on since you’re so serious about each other.” She looked up at Miyabi questioningly. “You
are serious, right?”
“Yes,” Miyabi said in a low voice. “Very.”
“Well then, that’s wonderful!” Momoko crowed, clapping her hands together, as if the declaration was tremendously surprising. Then she reached up to pat Miyabi’s leg lightly. “It was just a thought. I hope you have enjoyable weeks back at school.” At the plain indication that she was going to leave, she rose up and headed for the door. Before she passed through though, she turned her head halfway back to say one more thing.
“Oh, and about your ways of finding things out… I may not know much about this magic of yours, but I don’t know if I’d blindly trust it. Surely it can’t always be perfect. Captain still isn’t too far removed from a horrible relationship, and so I wonder if she’s quite ready for another one that’s
obviously as deep as the one you two share. Be sure to give her my best regards, by the way.” Then, with a slight wave and a smile, she passed out and into the hall.
What was that about? Miyabi thought after she left. Well, the girl was definitely right that she didn’t know anything about magic! It had never let Miyabi down before, and she had no reason to think it would now. Still, for some reason, it left doubts in her mind that didn’t seem to be directed at anything she could decipher. Strangely enough as well, the girl’s last words didn’t seem to affect her overmuch either. Perhaps it was due to Saki’s declaration of love this morning… She felt herself flush thinking back to that, in both intense pleasant emotion as well as nervousness.
“Is Captain in hiding someplace?” she heard a voice from the door ask. Turning toward it, she saw Maasa’s sizable shadow filling the doorway. “I couldn’t think of any other reason for you to be blushing like that, Miya.” Then the girl took a couple quick steps and jumped onto the bed before finally coming to a rest next to her and flipping over on her back to stretch wide. Miyabi had to dodge out of the way of one of her fists. The girl definitely didn’t know the meaning of
space.
“She’s off tucking Rii-chan in for the night,” Miyabi said with a smirk. “It only takes the thought of her to make me blush anymore it seems…”
Maasa turned on her side to face her, propping her elbow on her bed to hold up her head in her palm. “Man, you’ve really got it bad, dontcha?”
Miyabi nodded, unable to keep from blushing again. She blamed it on her tiredness; she was just unable to control herself any longer! Speaking of… “Maa-chan,” she said, yawning. “It’s great talking to you, but I’m really tired. Do you think you could just let me get some sleep?” Instead of moving, Maasa just kept grinning at her like an idiot. “What?” Miyabi grumbled. “Do I have something on my face?”
“Nothing, nothing…” Maasa said briskly, looking off above them innocently. “So has anything happened the last day or so I should know about? Like… you know…” She poked Miyabi in the stomach.
“Hey…” Miyabi whined, rubbing her poked spot. “Well…” she began while still rubbing. She didn’t know if it was best to tell anyone, but she was almost aching trying to hold it in. Then, remembering Maasa had seemed to become one of her best friends whom she’d told virtually everything lately, she nodded, though still spoke hesitantly in her nervousness. Maasa still peered at her with one eyebrow raised. “She did say she loved me this morning…”
Maasa’s mouth fell open. “She did
what!” she exclaimed, and reached over to hug Miyabi tightly, who struggled in vain in an attempt to regain her breath. Finally the girl pulled away, though she now viewed her with what looked like tears in her eyes. Miyabi just tried the best she could to regain her lost oxygen.
“That’s incredible, girl!” she said, sniffing and wiping her eyes in a completely fake way as if she were quite moved by something. “My little Miya is growing up…”
“I’m not
that little…” Miyabi pouted. “I’m not even two months younger than you! Besides, what are you talking about anyway?”
Maasa just adopted that idiotic grin again in return. “Oh nothing, nothing…” she said in a very amused voice. Then she turned to the doorway. Miyabi followed her eyes to see a small girl standing within it.
“You’re not stealing my Miya away from me, are you?” Saki said, and Miyabi could literally hear her grin through her words.
“Oh of course not, Captain!” Maasa declared, jumping quickly out of the bed and holding her flattened hand to her forehead in a mock salute. Miyabi felt the bed bounce at the sudden departure of the girl’s weight, but even through the distraction she now only had eyes for her girlfriend.
Saki still wore her short, tight shorts, but her t-shirt now hung out at the sides almost covering it up, making it appear that was all she wore. The t-shirt even had skulls on it. That was the subject of quite some teasing by the rest of the girls since Captain never wore anything as freaky as that, instead usually just dressing herself in something simple and pretty. They were amazed she even
owned a shirt like that. Miyabi smiled. They didn’t know that it was really hers. The girl had asked to borrow it upon returning from the nightcap.
“I wouldn’t dare to do such a thing!” Maasa continued with elaborate flourishes. “She’s
alllll yours…” Then, with another big grin back at Miyabi, she skipped out of their room and into her own across from them, pulling their door shut behind her.
Saki moved out of the way while the freight train passed, and then quietly closed the door. Miyabi watched her as she smiled over at her and locked it, then crawled onto the bed and sidled up next to her, pulling the blankets up over them both even though they were still in their street clothes.
“Is Risako all right?” Miyabi asked, not really caring about the response but thinking it was polite to ask.
“She’s high as a kite,” Saki said with a broader smile. “I don’t know what happened to her, but her time with her family must have helped her sort out her issues somehow.”
Her time with her family… Miyabi thought.
Yeah right… “She probably won’t get any sleep in the state she’s in, and I know I’ll be roasted alive for delivering her back to her parents in that condition, but I think Momo and Chii-chan will at least keep her company quite well tonight. They were setting up for some game even as I was leaving. Kuma-chan I think is already asleep. That is, if she’s not woken up by someone,” she finished with a grin.
While she grinned, she also looked into Miyabi’s eyes as if she was trying to hint something with her words, but Miyabi couldn’t guess what it would be. Instead, she just stared back. The girl’s dark eyes were really the softest and most beautiful she’d ever seen. Why did she think Risako’s even compared? The younger girl was pretty enough of course, but it never seemed like much lay behind that outward charm.
Saki was a different story though. She was like a book that only told its story a page at a time, and Miyabi always hungered to turn to the next. Suddenly what she saw between her and Momoko last night didn’t seem to have much meaning at all.
She was the one the girl came back to at the end of the night, wasn’t she? And plus, it wasn’t like Miyabi didn’t have secrets of her own…
Saki scooted closer to her, to where she could feel the warmth emanating from her slim frame. “Since who knows when we’ll be able to be together like this again…” she began seductively as well as with a slight tinge of nervousness. She looked down at where she began picking at a button on Miyabi’s shirt. Despite the restrained fidgeting, confidence is what the girl exuded, and that caught Miyabi off-guard more than anything in its anomaly. “And… since you now know I love you…”
Miyabi could feel the girl’s heartbeat increasing swiftly, her own leaping to keep pace. Saki reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. It had been falling into her face while lying in the slightly awkward sideways position she held beside her. Miyabi felt herself blush at the gesture, excitement building as her fancies seemed to take over. This was real, wasn’t it? The girl,
her girlfriend, was really…
“I thought I’d like to give you something to remember me by…” Saki finished, and this time her nervousness turned into a full blush while she still picked idly at Miyabi’s button.
Miyabi though, now past the initial stage of disbelief, held the girl’s chin and raised it up so she could look again into her eyes. “I’d like the same,” she said quietly with a smile, and then leaned in to kiss her lips.
As they kissed tenderly, Miyabi felt the hand at her chest move down as it took care of each button in turn. When it was finished Saki moved closer to her, pressing against her and pulling her closer in need. The girl held her with one arm, and her other hand slid down Miyabi’s side. When it tentatively reached her waist, Miyabi felt her excitement rise – showing it in her kiss – and it continued on below her waist and around her thigh. That pushed Miyabi over the edge, and for the next good while she lost herself to the passion and want of her girlfriend… and of her love for her.
Much later, Miyabi lay exhausted in the dark room holding the sleeping older girl in her arms and stroking her matted hair tenderly. Her eyes closed, feeling completely relaxed, and a smile slowly crept its way across her face. Despite her girlfriend’s modest ambitions, Miyabi knew without a doubt that this was a night whose enchantment she’d remember not only until they met again, but for the rest of her life.
Topic: Berry Beautiful [Volume 2] (Read 113046 times)