Aloha! XDD Well I have a lot of random plot bunnies that have absolutely nothing to do with the serialised stories I am working on currently (aka AA or SotN). Often, I find it easier to write short stories. Probably because they give me a chance to develop a character, or a relationship, in greater detail. I like being able to delicately handle a situation.
So here be my fic dump, my collection of short stories. A bit long overdue, since I've written a whole variety of unrelated short stories already. I'll just post my latest one and dribble out the rest over time.
So, here we go!
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LayersThis isn't going to work.This she decided after the 256th time she jerked upright on her bed, staring in panic at the blinking numerals of her clock on the dresser by her bed.
Barely 30 minutes had passed since the first time she closed her eyes at an unprecedentedly early hour, since she had decided that the cause of her having drastically overslept earlier in the day must have been due to exhaustion, so she had resolved to retire to bed as early as her schedule allowed in an attempt to ensure that a repeat incident did not occur.
Unfortunately, her innate paranoia was causing her to react too sensitively to every single sound and shift around her, jolting her awake even before she had even succeeded in falling asleep, her subconscious mind too worried that she might have accidentally overslept again, and would then have to deal with...
Miki's glare of doom, Yossi's stern-but-concerned face, Reina's impatient expression, Eri's worried glance, Sayu's surprisingly penetrating gaze, Koharu's bounciness (okay maybe not that), Aika's earnest attention that made her feel inadequate as a role model for her kouhai, and Ai-chan's disappointed and disapproving look...Ai-chan doesn't tolerate tardiness. Risa winced at the memory of the disapproving expression from her best friend. While Ai did not say anything to her about it, her silence was somehow a lot weightier than the standard scolding that Yossi, as leader, had to deliver to her.
Silence was surprisingly a lot more eloquent than a whole chunk of words could be, and just that one disappointed look and the resulting silence from Ai-chan to her was enough to ruin her whole mood, in addition to the guilt she already felt for oversleeping and running late for rehearsals.
Risa was tried her best to expiate her feelings of guilt by working extra hard that day, and resolving never ever to be late again, so as not to be on the receiving end of the Look (TM). Of course, the latter resolution had to be carried through to the very next day as well, and so she had tried to sleep early in order to ensure that she woke up on time.
But evidently it was not working.
It was probably the bed, she decided. Hotel beds were not created equal. Something had to be preventing her from sleeping well and rising early. There
had to be a reason somewhere.
Risa spent another 15 minutes on a internal crusade as the many voices of reason within her mind tore at each other, trying to sort things out. It was little wonder why she tended to babble at times. With the chaos lurking inside her mind, it was surprising that she even managed to make any sense the rest of the time, much less when she lapsed into babble-reaction-queen mode.
Ai-chan always managed to translate the babbling though. It was just a random thought that popped out of nowhere into the battlefield of her mind, but it calmed the warring parties inside her. Ai-chan. Yes. Her best friend would know what to do. Cure the sleeplessness. Maybe she could sleep over with her! Yes, that would be an excellent idea.
Thus decided, Niigaki Risa, clad in teddy pajamas, ambled out of her hotel room and wandered over to the room where her best friend Ai-chan was currently residing in. Pausing outside the door, she pressed the buzzer and was rewarded with a "It's open!". Taking the invitation, Risa opened the door.
...only to see an equally surprised Ai on her own bed, holding a thick book and was apparently avidly reading until Risa's entry.
"Oh, Gaki-san! I thought Mittsi forgot something and came back for it. Did you see her?" A slight shake of Risa's head, and Ai absently closed her book after bookmarking where she stopped. Risa cursed again the luck of the draw, since Aika had ended up with Ai-chan after they drew lots to decide the rooming arrangements. Risa had ended up with Reina, who had conveniently forgotten to wake her this morning. Reina claimed that she had left the room way ahead of time and had not expected that Risa would oversleep quite that much....and Risa found it difficult to rebut that point.
Nevertheless. Ai-chan was looking at her expectantly, and Risa realised she had yet to say anything since stepping in uninvited. Sheepishly, Risa brushed her hair out of her face, blurting the first thing that came to mind.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
It was fleeting, but Ai's face colored slightly, her jaw clenching and her body stiffening, before she relaxed and went back to normal in a flash, blinking quite ordinarily in surprise at Risa, who was stumbling over her words trying to clarify her meaning.
"Um, well, I cannot sleep and I am scared that I cannot wake up in time for tomorrow and everyone would get upset and Mikitty would just try to eat me alive and it would be a bad influence for Mittsi and Yossi would be even more stressed as leader and I would inconvenience all the staff and..." Ai had gotten up during Risa's panicked imaginings, and shut the younger girl up by the simple expedient of a touch.
Yes, just a touch. One hand laid comfortingly on her shoulder, clear eyes looking steadily and soothingly straight at her, just the very presence, that calming aura around her best friend that managed to halt Risa's derailed babble-train. Ai was smiling at her, and that made everything better somehow.
"Of course you can. It'll be just like a sleepover and I'll make sure to wake you on time for rehearsal tomorrow." The words were rePosterioruring on their own, but what made it special was that her best friend was saying it. Risa beamed widely, radiating the simple joy that could be best described as "child-like". Not to say that she was childish, but she did revert occasionally to an innocence that was reminiscent of her younger days. It was a part of her, so it was a little difficult to stop even if she had wanted to.
"Yay~ Sleepover with Ai-chan~!" Risa cheered giddily and blasted past her best friend, flopping belly-first onto the bed that Ai had just gotten out of.
"Hey, you are taking up all the space!" Ai giggled as she pretended to take offense at how Risa was spreadeagled over her bed, but the mirth in her eyes betrayed her amusement. Risa grinned and pulled the older girl down onto the bed, the bedsprings bouncing from the impact.
"Time to sleep~" Ai raised an eyebrow at her exuberant friend. "Isn't it a bit early?"
"Early to bed, early to rise!" Risa recited the maxim confidently and nodded sagely to herself, before clinging on to Ai as if the other girl was a giant teddy bear. Ai twitched slightly, but did not break free from the position.
"Besides you shouldn't be reading in bed, it's bad for your eyesight!" Risa mock-chided Ai, who rolled her eyes, but did not protest. It was pointless to, at any rate.
"Then, good night Ai-chan!" Risa snuggled contentedly into her human pillow (aka Ai).
Ai paused for exactly the space of 5 heartbeats, before softly replying.
"Good night..."
To a Risa who was already fast on her way to dreamland. Ai smiled and shifted to get a better look at the slumbering Risa, an indulgent smile on her lips.
"Sweet dreams to you too." Turning away, she firmly shut her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind. Even if said object was practically latched onto her side. Ai let out a small sigh of frustration.
Sleep was not going to come easy for her tonight.
Next Morning...Risa woke slowly, but the fog over her mind was clearing rapidly, so when she did open her eyes, it only took her a few moments of disorientation before she figured out where she was.
Oh, I slept over with Ai-chan last night... Blinking the last of the sleepiness out of her eyes, Risa could not help but luxuriate in the warmth and comfort of Ai-chan's presence.
Ai was still sleeping, her head somehow having Laughing Out Loudled closer in her slumber, and was currently using Risa's outstretched left arm as a pillow. Her arms and legs were curled into her own body, almost defensively if one were to look at it critically, but Risa's right arm had been flung over Ai's waist and had pulled the older girl closer, so it looked like Ai was curled up in Risa's embrace.
It was a nice feeling just lying there like that, and Risa smiled as she continued her unconscious inspection of Ai-chan's sleeping form. She was mildly, okay, very surprised when she looked into Ai's sleeping face. No, it was not that it was extremely different or anything, not like Ai had mutated in her sleep or something equally shocking like that, but Ai-chan seemed more...
unguarded in her sleep.
Well, that was logical enough, theoretically. People should be more relaxed in their sleep, shouldn't they? No, Risa was simply caught off guard by the fact that there was any kind of a difference between the sleeping visage and the expression that Ai-chan usually wore when awake. The fact that there was a difference, subtle or not, was mildly disturbing. Did that mean Ai-chan never really let down her defenses even around them? Around
her? The thought was somehow unsettling.
Trying to shake the niggling feeling of doubt, Risa stared at Ai's sleeping face. Definitely relaxed, almost child-like, and innocent. Almost everyone looks innocent in their sleep, probably, but it really shone through on her Ai-chan, Risa decided. There was a vulnerability there too, something she hadn't really noticed before. It just never really caught her eye, if it had been present. But it was definitely there, now that she was really looking.
Combined with the traits she had noticed earlier, the vibe that she got from a sleeping Ai-chan was definitely different from what she got when her best friend was awake. The softness, the vulnerability in her best friend that she had never consciously taken note of, evoked a desire to protect the sleeping girl. To defend that vulnerability and make sure no one could hurt her. Contrasted with how Ai-chan was usually the steady constant when they were together, the one she counted on not to change and one she could rely on, it was a rather different dynamic altogether.
Her pensive thoughts were disturbed by a soft moan from slightly parted lips, as the sleeping girl in her arms stirred slightly, eyelids fluttering lightly. A small half-yawn crept out as Ai shifted in Risa's arms, her forehead furrowing slightly as she slowly started to wake up. Risa watched the process with a kind of curious fascination, still caught in that strangely introspective mood.
She did not have to wait long, since after the shifting and yawning, Ai opened her eyes slowly, as if letting them get used to the resumption of sight. Her eyes were slightly unfocused when they were fully opened, staring straight at Risa without quite registering the other girl's presence for a moment. Then Ai blinked owlishly at her, as if trying to reaffirm that she was really there, and Risa smiled gently, greeting her best friend.
"Good morning Ai-chan."
The first thing that Ai let slip was...
"Time?"
Risa blinked and quickly raised her head to check the clock. The glowing display showed that it was about 5am. Definitely way ahead of schedule.
"It's really early." Risa murmured back, her voice low, partially because Aika was also in the room sleeping on the other bed, but mostly because she did not feel like breaking the relaxed atmosphere by making loud sounds.
"Good." Ai suppressed another small yawn, uncurling her limbs from her body and rolling onto her stomach, arching her back and stretching like a cat. Risa tentatively flexed her numb left arm, trying to get the blood flowing back into the limb.
"Did you sleep well?" Ai asked politely, titling her head to face Risa. The younger girl felt a pang of disappointment, having noted that her Ai-chan had reverted to her usual expression, friendly but completely unreadable. But she buried the emotion (for now), and smiled back.
"Yeah it was great, we should do this more often, I do not think I've ever slept more soundly." Risa replied enthusiastically, her voice rising a few decibels at first, but she was careful to bring it back down to avoid waking the third occupant of the room.
"If you want to, it's fine by me." There it was again, that warm and friendly smile that somehow managed to hide everything despite apparently revealing everything. It had never bothered Risa before, but after seeing what she had earlier, it definitely did now.
"Is something wrong?" If there was something about Risa, it was that she was fairly easy to read once you got used to her. Ai was one of those who had practically mastered the art of interpreting Risa's every move.
"No, nothing really...just that Ai-chan looks really cute when she is sleeping~" Risa blurted the first thing she could think of that would be less troubling to mention.
Ai was never more grateful for the dim lighting than at that very moment, since it conveniently hid the flush on her cheeks. Had Risa been looking at her while she was sleeping? The thought was a pleasant one.
They made some more small talk for the next few minutes, before Ai decided to shoo Risa back to her own room so that they could get ready for rehearsal. Ai was a bit anal about punctuality, so she habitually started her daily routine really early, so as not to be rushed and to be able to arrive before everything started.
A softly-protesting Risa was shown the door (in a cute, mock-serious way), and Ai sternly reminded her not to go back to sleep and end up being late for rehearsal again. Risa pretended offense at such a possibility, before they both giggled and promised to see each other later.
The soft click of the door closing seemed unusually loud in the silence of the dimmed hallway, and Risa's cheerful expression fell a little as she pondered what she had seen earlier.
Ai-chan....seemed so near, yet so far to her at the same time. As her best friend, Risa felt like she knew something about Ai-chan, but that little glimpse earlier made her wonder if she really knew Ai-chan at all.
Sighing softly, Risa rested her forehead briefly against the recently-closed door of Ai's room.
"I wish you would let me in, .Ai-chan....when you are ready...."
I want to know who you really are...===========================================
Set in the MM Fanclub Tour this year.
Risa did mention that she slept over in Aichan's bed because she felt uneasy about oversleeping on the first day. So here is my expansion that I finally got down to writing. -shrug- I have a lot of ideas but no inspiration with which to set down the words into a coherent structure.
So tell me what you think!