Enters the abandoned thread and picks up a microphone. "Hello? Is anybody there?"So... how are ya folks? I'm here to deliver those four words that you've all been dreading to read.
Portraits is officially cancelled.Wait, come back!That was just an idiotic joke. Honest. Go ahead, send me hate messages. I deserve them for making such wonderful readers wait so long. I'm not worthy of all of you. You deserve better in a writer.
Well, I kind of sort of might have mentioned possibly making an update by the end of the month, so here you are. Below is a scene that was omitted from the end of Chapter 3 because I like where that chapter ended and this scene doesn't quite have the same feel as the rest of the chapter did. It doesn't fit at the start of Chapter 4, either, so it gets its own update. One could call it an interlude, as it does not advance the plot in any way. I'll talk some more in the ending notes, so for now, let's ease our way back into things with a little lighthearted playfulness. Please enjoy.
Oh, and it's been a while, so here's a disclaimer:
Though all characters contained herein are based on actual persons, monetary profit has been neither sought nor gained with the writing of this story. This story is purely fictional, and nothing within it should be used as source material for Wikipedia.
Waking the next morning, Minami was confused for a moment before remembering that she’d spent the night at Atsuko’s house. She turned to face Atsuko, realizing that at some point in the night, Atsuko had wrapped herself around her. Freeing a hand, Minami gently brushed aside the bangs blocking Atsuko’s face. In that moment her heart skipped a beat, as it occurred to her that waking up beside Atsuko and seeing Atsuko’s face glowing in the morning sun was something that she definitely wanted to continually experience.
“A-tsu-ko,” she whispered, poking Atsuko in the nose with each syllable. She watched with an amused smile as Atsuko wrinkled her nose before she awoke and stared at her wide-eyed.
“Minami… what are you doing here?” she asked sleepily.
Minami chuckled. “I spent the night here, remember?”
Atsuko shook her head. “No, I mean… you sleeping here, beside me; everything that was said last night; that wasn’t a dream?”
Resting a hand on Atsuko’s cheek, Minami smiled warmly before answering. “No, that wasn’t a dream.” She hesitated a moment, gathering her nerves as she looked into Atsuko’s eyes. She loved Atsuko, and Atsuko loved her. Minami had pondered this very fact for months, always concluding that this one fact, and only this fact, was most definitely undeniable. Now, Minami had the proof in her heart that being here beside Atsuko was something that could not feel more right.
She took in a sharp breath in an attempt to gather her nerves.
“Minami?”
Ever so slowly, Minami leaned forward, closing the gap between them. As she saw Atsuko’s eyes waver in disbelief, Minami closed her own and rested her lips on Atsuko’s. She pulled away a moment later with a sheepish smile, her face glowing red, her chest a little lighter. “Good morning, Atsuko.”
Recovering from her shock, an elated Atsuko returned the greeting in kind.
Portraits
An AKB48 Fan Fiction
Chapter 3.5 - Interlude
“Oomph!”
A thud followed by a corresponding groan sounded through the dressing room. Yuko stood over Sae, beaming down triumphantly. Only her face was visible, the rest of her comfortably ensconced in a sleeping bag.
“Oshima wins again!” she shouted gleefully, though none of the others present paid her any mind. The day was just beginning and the chosen members were slowly gathering at the sight where they would soon be filming their latest PV. Those present had other things on their minds to worry about, and at this point had grown accustom to ignoring the antics of the notorious Team K trio, even when not all members of said trio were present.
“What do you mean by ‘again’?” Sae questioned, groaning as she wriggled on the ground. She, too, was decked head to toe in a sleeping bag, struggling to stand. “I’ve won every match before that. Now step aside; I’m trying to get up.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Yuko muttered playfully, waddling a couple steps to the side before daring to take a small hop.
“What are you two idiots doing?” a newly arrived Miichan asked, standing a safe distance away from the two. She stared at them curiously, not quite sure what to make of the situation. As Yuko opened her mouth to explain Miichan held a hand up before her, silencing what was to come. “Wait; on second thought, don’t tell me. I’m just curious to know where you found sleeping bags.”
“The staff always has a few bags at these shoots, just in case,” Sae answered, finally making it to her sleeping bag covered feet. “Yuko just worked her charm and convinced one of the workers to give us a couple.”
“Wow, look at that glint in her eyes!” Yuko teased, nodding toward Miichan. She eagerly shuffled closer to the younger girl. “Sae-chan, I think she lied; I think she really is interested.” Yuko turned and cast Sae a stern look. “You lost, so give her your bag. You can be the referee.”
“What is it exactly that you claim I want to play?” Miichan asked, stepping back cautiously. If she had learned anything as a member of Team K it was to not jump headfirst into the Trio’s games.
Sae smiled mischievously as she stepped out of the bag. “Wriggle Wars.”
“Wriggle Wars?” Miichan repeated hesitantly while at the same time absentmindedly accepting the bag from Sae.
Yuko nodded. “Each participant dons a sleeping bag and then you try to knock each other down. Pin the other person down for three seconds to win.”
“This sounds dangerous…”
“Sure, but it’s fun! We play it all the time with Sayaka.”
Miichan glanced between the two eager women before her. She accepted the challenge with a sigh and a shake of her head, though admittedly she was a bit intrigued. “Alright, just this once, but then I really need to get my make-up done.”
“All set?” Sae asked a minute later, pulling the zipper of Miichan’s bag the final centimeters to her chin.
“Yes,” both Yuko and Miichan affirmed with nods.
“The contestants are Oshima Yuko and Minegishi Minami,” Sae announced in her best imitation of a sports official. “Ready…”
“Yuuchan?” A voice called, betraying a hint of worry. Haruna stood in the doorway with a perplexed expression. She had arrived to find a rather unusual (though not completely surprising) scene unfolding.
“Nyan Nyan!” Yuko shouted, turning to the doorway to greet Haruna with an eager smile.
“Set…”
Hearing Sae’s voice, Yuko was about to return her attention to her opponent when something behind Haruna caught her attention. There stood Atsuko and Minami, hand in hand, a sight that was not uncommon. Yet there was something different about them and Yuko was instantly lost in thought, watching with wonder as Atsuko cast Minami a brilliant smile.
“Go!”
WHAM “Yuuchan!” Haruna screamed as she watched Yuko get knocked back several feet, her head hitting the ground forcefully. She ran over to Yuko, taking her in her arms and gently brushing aside Yuko’s bangs from her eyes. “Yuko?” she whispered, her worry not subsiding as the cradled girl slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the light. “Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re holding me, pretty lady,” Yuko answered cheekily, though earning a relieved smile from Haruna. She looked over Haruna’s shoulder to see Sae and Miichan looking down at her both guiltily and mortified. “Minegishi wins,” she joked with a smile.
“Oh thank goodness,” Miichan declared with a sigh. “I thought for sure Kojiharu was going to have reason to kill me.”
“No, this is my fault,” Sae stated seriously. “Obviously I’m not a very good referee. I should have realized Yuko was no longer focused on the match.”
“Hey, yeah! What’s up with that, Yuko?”
She grinned proudly. “At first I turned to greet my beautiful Kojipa,” she admitted, earning a small blush and a roll of the eyes from Haruna. “But then the two behind her caught my attention. There’s something different about them.”
“Acchan and Takamina?” Haruna asked, helping to clarify the situation. Gently, she unzipped the bag to free Yuko. “They showed up together this morning; I heard them whispering in the hallway.”
“What’s so different?” Sae asked as she glanced over at the two in question. They stood close together, their ever present lovers’ aura keeping others from being too near. Atsuko was laughing at something Minami had said, the smaller girl grinning sheepishly with a light blush on her cheeks. “They seem the same to me.”
“Acchan’s smile,” Yuko said as she sat up, her voice almost a whisper. “It seemed real; truer than it has been for years.”
“Nyan Nyan,” Miichan started inquisitively, “you said they showed up together?”
Haruna nodded. “Yes, I saw them- ah!” she gasped, a smile suddenly brimming on her lips. “I’m quite sure I overheard Takamina asking Acchan about telling us something. I could be mistaken; she grew suspiciously silent as I walked by them.”
Miichan gave a curious tilt of the head, thinking silently for a moment before her eyes met with Haruna’s. Suddenly, each pointed a finger in the air, as if to say, “I’ve got it!”
“You don’t think-” they both suggested, quickly realizing that they were in agreement.
“Hey, I feel like having a little fun teasing the midget captain. Yuko, do you think you can handle a bit of acting?”
Yuko grinned eagerly, though a bit confused. “Sure.”
“Hey, Takamina!” Miichan called over her shoulder, stealing the summoned girl’s attention from Atsuko. “Get over here; the squirrel’s talking crazy. I think the bump to her head knocked a few screws loose.”
“What’s wrong?” Minami asked worriedly, focusing on Yuko as she arrived. Acchan followed behind her, just as upset.
“Like I said,” Miichan started, meeting Yuko’s eyes and giving a small wink. The confusion that had been reflected in Yuko’s eyes dissipated in a mischievous glint. “Yuko hit her head and now she’s talking nonsense.”
Minami frowned, her evident worry growing. “How are you feeling, Oshima-san?” she asked, kneeling before Yuko. “How hard did you hit your head? Miichan sacked you pretty good, huh?”
When Minami knelt down something had caught Yuko’s eye, and she sent a quick, mischievous glance to Haruna for just a second, so quickly that it went unnoticed by Minami.
“I’m sorry… Do I know you?” Yuko asked, looking up at Minami doubtfully. The others quickly turned away to hide their snickering.
“What?” Minami gasped. “What do you mean, ‘Do you know me?’ Of course you know me!”
“Do I really?” Yuko asked, continuing the act. Atsuko cast a curious glance at Miichan and Sae who, standing behind Minami, were doing a poor job hiding their amusement. Seeing her glance, Miichan raised a finger to her lips and gave a wink, allowing Atsuko to quickly catch on that this was all an act. Relieved to know that Yuko was not seriously injured, she shook her head amusedly at their antics.
“I’m Takamina, remember?” a panicked Minami replied. “Takahashi Minami. Takamina!”
Yuko shook her head defiantly. “No, you can’t be Takamina,” she answered, her voice lilting teasingly. Slowly, she lifted a hand to Minami’s collar, the younger girl quickly growing stiff at the touch. A dangerous smile graced Yuko’s lips and she glanced around at the others. When next she spoke, it was a slightly surprised Atsuko’s gaze that she held, not Minami’s. “You see, the Takamina I know wouldn’t have a hickey,” she stated, suddenly pulling Minami’s shirt collar aside to reveal the offending mark just above her collar bone.
As expected, Atsuko’s cheeks tinged pink as she dropped her gaze, a sure sign of her guilt.
“No way!” Miichan and Sae shouted as Yuko’s act was quickly disregarded.
“Y-you said you didn’t!” a now very embarrassed Minami exclaimed, immediately jumping up to confront Atsuko. “I don’t even remember you doing anything that could result with my having this!” she continued as she covered the offending mark with her hand.
Atsuko looked away feigning ignorance and then turned back a few seconds later with a loving smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”
“But… when? How?”
“You were right!” Haruna chirped suddenly, looking from Atsuko to Yuko. “Her smile is more genuine now.”
“Okay, you two: spill,” Miichan commanded, draping her arms across the couple’s shoulders as she stepped between them. “What haven’t you told us?”
Smiling excitedly, Atsuko answered, “It’s more a question of what my girlfriend finally told me yesterday.”
All present suddenly grew silent and wide-eyed in disbelief. As opposed to Sae and Yuko’s antics from before, it was the small group’s sudden silence that grabbed the attention of the other members gathered in the room.
“Wait…” Miichan smiled, a bit skeptical. “Girlfriend?”
“You mean…” Sae started, letting the statement hang unfinished.
There was a heavy silence before someone exclaimed, “Finally!” earning a round of laughter.
The rest of the present members had joined around them now and were eager for more. A chant of, “Kiss! Kiss!” soon started, accompanied by excited giggling as they noticed Minami’s growing agitation.
Knowing that Minami was likely uncomfortable in the others’ attention, Atsuko lovingly decided to shoo them away, yet just as she was about to do so she gave a slight gasp, surprised to feel Minami grasp her hand. She thought she heard Minami mumble grumpily under her breath, something along the lines of, “Might as well get this over with,” before, in a rare act of gallantry, Minami reached up and with a finger placed under Atsuko’s chin gently guided her head down and touched their lips together in a second-long public declaration of love and commitment.
Cheers suddenly erupted around them and Minami parted a bit sooner than Atsuko would have liked. She wasn’t too disappointed, however, for though Minami had ended the kiss so quickly, she still clasped Atsuko’s hand possessively. Atsuko glanced down at Minami, and though the shorter girl wouldn’t meet her gaze (or anyone else’s, for that matter), Atsuko could see that Minami’s face was the reddest she’d ever known it to be.
“Alright, all of you; that’s enough standing around!” Minami shouted, trying to mask her embarrassment with authority. “We’ll start filming soon, so you’d better be ready!”
Heeding her warning, the others soon dispersed, Miichan and Sae with them. Shaking her head, Minami returned her focus to Yuko and Haruna and a smirking, phone-equipped Mariko that, to her chagrin, hadn’t left with the rest of the crowd.
“I’m so happy for you,” Haruna admitted happily, gently smiling at Atsuko. “I’m sorry that it took her so long,” she added teasingly.
“Yeah, it’s about damn time,” Yuko chided. “Look how we had to find out, too!”
“We were going to tell you later today,” Atsuko said, still smiling brilliantly. Her smile hadn’t faded the whole morning. “This happened just last night, honest.”
“It didn’t take long for you to mark her,” Yuko joked, earning laughs from all but Minami.
“Look, if you wanted to know so badly, you could have just asked,” Minami grumbled as she and Atsuko offered Yuko their free hands to help her stand. “There was no need to turn it into some kind of show.”
“And yet you gave quite the finale,” Mariko teased, earning an approving laugh from Atsuko. She waved her phone with the picture she’d taken of the moment just out of Minami’s reach, the four present laughing at Minami’s expense as she tried to retrieve the phone.
After a few failed attempts, she gave up and turned her back to Mariko. “Fine; do what you want. Kojiharu, you should go with Yuko. Even if she doesn’t have amnesia, she still ought to have someone take a look at that bump.”
“All right! Alone time with Kojipa!” Yuko cheered, the bump on her head obviously doing little to dampen her spirit. Haruna stood and hugged the new couple with an almost parental pride before she and Yuko set off to find help, Yuko eagerly attaching herself to Haruna as per usual.
“I told you we wouldn’t need to say anything, but you worried about it anyway,” Atsuko said with a sigh as she watched the two disappear. Minami responded with a sheepish smile and was about to step away when Atsuko spoke again. “So…” she began as she draped her arms around Minami’s waist. When she felt the other girl take her hands, she bent down to whisper in her ear with a teasingly seductive tone. “May I have an encore?”
End
Portraits Chapter 3.5 - Interlude
A bit short, yes, but this is mainly serving as a means to prove that I haven't forgotten about all of you.
Now then:
-First, a shameless plug. Some of you may have noticed a new(er) pinned thread titled "
The AKB48 Fanfic Community Advice Thread." There's some great advice in there as well as a list of awesome links, so writers and readers alike, please be sure to give it a look. Thank you to all of you that pledged your support and made the thread possible.
-Chapter 4 is roughly 50% complete (28 pages in Word). I might be able to start updating within a few weeks, but I make no guarantees. Most of what I have written falls toward the end of the chapter, as odd as that might seem.
-If you're ever curious about the status of this story or have any questions you'd like to ask, feel free to send me a PM here or an "ask" on tumblr. I will sometimes post story status updates on tumblr, too.
It's been a while, so how about some thank yous:
@arrow27: Thanks for the love! But darn; you weren't supposed to remember that opening scene, haha. Due to Atsuko's graduation I've had to change some things around, but I was able to keep that scene in the story, so it will come... Thanks for bumping the thread, too. About the "journey": One of the things I'd wanted to achieve was to not have the readers simply watch the characters fall in love, but to actually fall in love along with them. I think I could have done a better job, but I do hope some of you have felt this way on the journey.
@Minami-chan: Thank you. And it was about time, wasn't it?
@Haruko: The perfect chapter? I'm glad you thought so. Hopefully future updates won't fail to appease your pervy mind, though I've stated before that this won't be a smut.
@Kid_Alpha: Thank you very much! I'm honored to have put you at such a loss for words, but I feel you give me too much credit. Hopefully the future updates will be worthy of your patience. Also, I noticed that you've got a bit of writer in ya. Congrats on the contest win.
@anonymousdowner: Did you actually stalk my other fics? I don't have many in this fandom. Thank you for your praises and patience. Just as this story does for you, your reviews always give me a smile.
@miayaka: Thank you for taking the time to review! Awesome? Amazing? Wow. I'm truly honored. Please continue looking forward to updates!
@kahem: Another energetic review, thank you!
@Tanchan: I think I messaged you about it before, but I love your words, "There will be storms ahead of them but love needs challenges to be strong." In reading what I have of Chapter 4 thus far, I might have been a bit inspired by those words. Thank you for not forgetting about this story.
@All those readers that don't leave reviews, including the ones that don't even hit the "Thank You" button: Thank you! You're all awesome, and I'm glad that you have followed this story thus far.
Whenever I need inspiration, I always come and read through everyone's reviews from the very beginning. When I've really hit a wall, I'll open an Atsumina picture in MS Paint and use your reviews to make lame promotional posters. (I say lame because my Paint skills suck. I cherish all of your reviews.)
Until the next time.
Topic: Portraits (Atsumina) Chapter 4 Part 2 (Read 56557 times)