Chapter 36: Watching Over You
Rika watched Yossie sitting idly in the empty bedroom, still clad in her Pucchi Moni outfit for the promotion of their new hit, Pitari shitari Christmas. The older thought of how cute the other looked in her dark yet intense pink earmuffs, and wondered how she would be able to even think, let alone talk to her…
Her secretive watching was discovered as she heard the voice she loved so much speak to her, though the owner of the voice didn’t look at Rika, say “I know you’re watching me…” and then as if knowing what Rika was going to ask, Yossie said, “I can see your reflection on the balcony door.”
Rika giggled nervously behind the door, having been watching Yossie through the crack of the door. She allowed herself in, and stood next to the still sitting girl. “How was the shooting of the video?”
“T’was nice, Maki, Kei, and I had fun,” Yossie smiled, looking up at Rika.
The head felt slightly uneasy about her response. What if Yossie thought differently from what Rika thought? She sat on the bed, nervously twiddling with her fingers. Yossie noticed the anxious behavior of the older, and tilted her head in bemusement, wanting an answer. Rika knew she had to bring it up, or it will continue eating away at her.
“Is something wrong, Rika-chan?” Rika felt flustered at the sudden question, not for the fact that the first head had addressed her by her name, for Rika allowed Yossie to call her that, but at how Yossie placed her hands on Rika’s lap, and how she looked up at Rika like a cute stray dog. Regardless of her cuteness, she knew she had to talk, for she didn’t want Yossie to worry over her anxious behavior.
“Hitomi-chan, do you love me?”
I will always be here…
Rika opened her eyes slowly, pulling herself out of the dream world.
“Don’t fret, we are almost there,” Yui reassured, patting the leader whose head had been resting on her shoulder. Rika lifted her head from her resting place and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She looked on her left to find that Erika was still sleeping, her head was against the van window. Viyuuden had just returned from recording the B-side to their new single; they recorded the main song what seemed like forever ago.
Soon, the van dropped off the members at the main apartment and then they all went their separate ways, Erika taking another car to the rest of her day off with her family, while Yui and Rika headed into the apartment. As they waltzed through the lobby, Yossie was seen speaking with her manager, in a formal outfit, most likely for her speech at the Wasuda University.
Then, she began walking towards the two Viyuuden members. As she passed by Rika, they gave casual greetings of “Good Morning,” but when she passed by Yui, she also gave her a morning greeting; however, her smile was thin, and her eyes were contemptuously glaring at the younger. Eventually, the Morning Musume leader left.
Yui looked off to the side, knowing how she could probably never get on good terms with that particular senpai of her’s. Once again, she recalled the phone conversation in her mind as she walked into her room.
“I might have something I want to talk to you about, Hitomi-san…”
With a pause, Yossie said, “Finally… But before we begin… I want to make sure of something…”
“Yes?”
“This is something I’ve always wanted to ask you. Just to make sure…”
“Go on.”
“Is it true that your curse is broken?”
Yui froze for a moment, but hesitantly said, “Yes. It has.”
“Yet you still stay with Ojou-sama?”
“You, of all people, should know her well. I… Just couldn’t leave her like that. I do not want to make her cry because of my decisions…” Yui said as she placed a hand on the glass balcony door with a sad look in her eyes.
“You pitied her?” the voice on the other line mused. “But there aren’t any ties between you anymore, right? You should have pushed Rika away, right? For her sake, at that time, and now.”
“…You aren’t surprised, are you… You knew? That I had been released from the curse…?”
“Haha, you don’t have to say something that makes me sound so cool, but yes, regrettably, an ‘instinct’ told me. But, so, that’s it, I think I do feel a little better now. That makes sense. So that’s why she’s always got you by her side, she doesn’t want anyone to find out, eh? She’s trying so hard to keep it secret that she’s miserable…”
“I do understand how you feel, how you hate me, it’s just—”
“I do hate you,” Yossie interrupted, “That’s right. I hate you very much.”
Yui could feel the tension of all the times the leader glared hatefully at her while smiling of animosity.
“Be grateful I’m telling you straight out like this. Now you can keep up the act of severe pessimism that you live by that much easier. How wonderful. I really hate you.”
Yui’s hand slid down the door slightly, as her head drooped down sorrowfully. “But… Hitomi-san… Ojou-sama doesn’t want to be abandoned… She doesn’t want to be treated badly…She isn’t keeping me at her side because she loves me…”
Yossie continued listening.
“The one person that she wants at her side, even now, is…”
Even though you haven’t realized it… I was always waiting…
“What a day…” Yossie said as she wiped her head. “The afternoon lecture, all those meetings…” she murmured as she waiting for the elevator to stop at the floor of her hotel room. As she waited impatiently, she looked at her wristwatch to find that it was very late in the night.
“Why can’t my meetings be later? I don’t see why I have to go back and forth between cities just to do meetings…” she sighed as she fiddled with the collar of her dress shirt. “Though I do like this outfit… Pretty nice and snazzy…” Yossie straightened out her jacket, “I look like a business woman… In which I practically am…” Yossie smiled awkwardly, gripping her briefcase of important papers, “I wonder if they too, have to go through so many meetings?”
Eventually, the elevator reached her floor and she traversed the flamboyant red and gold designs of the hallway. As she walked, she reached into her pockets for the room key, and used it to unlock her door.
However, as she turned the key, it seemed that someone had already went into her room, for there was no sound confirming that the lock had transitioned from closed to open. Was it her manager?
No, it was someone else.
“Welcome back,” the person said. Yossie noticed how the person’s back was facing her, but knew of her presence anyway, after all, Rika was watching the door’s reflection—and Yossie’s reflection, on the glass door of the hotel room.
“Haha, what brings you here?” Yossie chuckled as she set the briefcase next to the coffee stand, her eyes still eyeing the back of the demi-goddess.
“Do you have a problem with me being here?” Rika stood up, still looking at Yossie through her reflection.
“Not at all,” Yossie waved her hand dismissively. “I wish I came earlier though, speeches and meetings and such…”
“So… At the speech, meet anyone you thought you could sleep with?” Rika turned around, glaring at the younger.
“Eh? Of course not,” Yossie raised a brow at the older’s question.
“Is that so? I thought you would sleep with anyone who could seduce you…” Rika looked away.
“You’re being illogical, really,” Yossie said as she looked at Rika, almost sneering.
“But didn’t you sleep with that woman?”
“What do you mean with that woman?”
Rika turned to face Yossie again, nearly shouting, “Shibata, Ayumi!”
Yossie did not flinch at the volume of Rika’s voice, but her eyes did slightly widen.
“With a woman like her! How could you?!”
“This old story again…” Yossie sighed as she pinched the skin between her eyes, focusing her colored contacts, “I was supposed to already have received my punishment for that. You cut my hair.”
“Well said,” Rika clenched her fists, “You offered no resistance at all! You didn’t think what you did back then was ‘bad’ at all! You didn’t think so at the least! You wanted to leave me, didn’t you? So you slept with that woman! Hitomi, you love that woman more than m—”
“Don’t you remember? ‘I think of you more than any other… That is the definite truth’…You didn’t forget, did you?”
Rika calmed down a bit, remembering that time from what seemed so long ago… “I never said I forgot that.”
“…Have you always been on edge about that?” Yossie smiled—a scheming smile, rather.
“Why… Why would you put me to the test like that?!” Rika raised her voice again.
“I am not testing you at all. Don’t you understand?”
Rika’s baffled expression lead Yossie to say more.
“My sleeping with that woman was because you slept with Yui.”
Rika’s eyes widened and her eyebrows arched upwards at the ends closest to the center. “What the… Is it my fault?!” Rika yelled in reply. She was not supposed to be the one the blame points to. She was not supposed to be the villain. She was not supposed to be the one at fault.
Rika became frightened.
“Don’t get me wrong, Yui, I do love Rika. Back then, I love her, and even now, I still love her. I love her too much. To the point where I want to spoil her…”
“I’m not the bad guy!” Rika obscured her face with her hands, trying to stop the tears that tried to escape her eyes, “It’s my choice on how I treat the Orochi! It’s my freedom!”
Yossie glared at Rika like a parent whose child was lying to get out of the blame.
“… Until I wanted to crush her underfoot.”
The younger leader looked off to the side, “If you don’t understand, then let us stop talking about it. We’re only wasting our words repeating the same thing,” she sighed as she turned to leave. “It’s just another way of worsening your health. You should leave.”
But Rika would not have any of that. She sprinted over and grabbed Yossie’s head and turned it so that it would face her. Then, she raised her head so that her lips would meet the other’s lips.
Rika then pulled away, hoping the other’s reaction will not be negative. Yossie looked at Rika’s face, seeing the desperation of her Ojou-sama. Without hesitation, Yossie lowered her head to seek the lips of the other.
At first, the intimate contact was a mere waltz of tongues. As their senses grew hotter, Rika’s hands discarded of the suit jacket the other was wearing. Yossie then directed the both of them towards the bed, their tongues were growing needy and building to a crescendo. The temperature of the room heated up intensely with each growing second. In fact, there were no seconds.
It was as if time was frozen.
Yossie’s lips left the heat of Rika’s, and it traveled her body ever lower, coaxing moans from the older from kissing the spots that drove her crazy. In fact, with Yossie’s touch alone, it would always send Rika’s mind off into a realm of ecstasy.
“Hitomi-chan, do you love me?”
“Are you walking around, asking the Orochi that?” Yossie asked as she placed her hands on her own lap, still looking at Rika with innocent bemusement.
“I’m the one asking you only. Do you love me?”
Yossie stood up, fixing her skirt, and walked over to the balcony door. Rika watched ambiguously as she grabbed a handful of snow and started doing something to it that didn’t catch her eye since the younger’s back had been in the way. Then she turned around, both of her hands covering something, and walked over to the sitting Rika.
“Open your hands.”
Rika did so.
And Yossie’s hands hovered over Rika’s, and she dropped something very cold onto them, the snow probably. When the younger’s hands moved out of the way, Rika saw something beautiful in her hands.
It was snow alright. But this piece of snow was shaped into a beautiful cold rose.
Yossie held the back of Rika’s hands, and smiled, “I think of you more than any other, that is the definite truth,” and with that, she took one of Rika’s hands, leaving the snow rose in the other, and placed the free hand on Yossie’s heart. “You are always going to be right here.”
Rika immediately became flustered with her mind reeling at the speed of light. Noticing the change of atmosphere, Yossie leaned over and kissed the other—a simple peck on the lips, nothing more.
“I love you,” Yossie smiled—Not a smile with hints of animosity, nor of scheming, but a kind and serene smile. This particular smile was a smile that an angel could never mimic.
Yossie watched the Viyuuden leader slumber peacefully. With a smile, she leaned over and kissed the other naked woman on the forehead, before rising out of bed and walking quietly towards the bathroom. As she closed the door so silently as to not wake the other, she looked behind her at the mirror, eyeing the single wing tattoo on her back.
“Hmm… I wonder if she had the day off… Her manager would be angry… Nonetheless, I’m happy…”
I’ve always been here, waiting patiently…
Maki was sitting in solitude at the park, watching the endlessly creeping clouds glide across the sky. Her mind had also been wandering with the clouds, thinking of how the weather was really nice today. Her mind was soon rejected by the clouds as someone near her called her name.
“Maki?” the voice asked, wondering if the aforementioned person was spacing out or simply pondering.
“Sorry, I was thinking about things,” Maki stood up.
“Sorry to keep you waiting though,” Reina smiled awkwardly. It seemed as though she was indirectly asking for forgiveness of her time management.
Maki beamed at Reina’s shyness, and patted her on the head as a sign of her forgiveness. No words were needed. Then they both turned to walk.
“Actually… I’ve always been wondering… I haven’t seen Ai lately.”
“Hmm?”
“When I tried to get into her room, no one answered… And when I tried to call her, she didn’t pick up her phone…”
“Well, it’s her mini-vacation, right? She is probably spending those three or four days with her family or something…” Maki replied.
There was a silence.
“I’m sorry, I’m not a very good conversation starter,” Maki said with an apologetic look.
“Eh? No no, I should be the one to apologize…” Reina replied as she shook her head. “If Miki was here, we’d definitely have something to talk about… Her and her groping habits…”
“I see… Yeah… Miki’s good at that kind of thing. Good with people…”
“But you’re good with people too, right? I mean, you’re ‘cool’ and all…”
“You too? Haha, honestly speaking, I don’t find myself particularly special.”
“But you exceed at everything, everyone says you are kind and cool,” Reina said as she looked at Maki.
“Well… I only appear that way just so people could like me… In truth, I think I’m a pretty boring person… As opposed to Miki. Although she may have her flaws, I think she’s the kind that could attract people more naturally, you know? She doesn’t have to act a certain way to get people to like her. She’s the kind of person who would have many friends because of who she is…”
“Are you jealous of her?”
“Yeah,” Maki chuckled, “I am. I wish I could have that sort of power come naturally as well. I wish I could be like her…”
Well, this is certainly interesting… Miki wants to be more like Maki, and Maki wants to be more like Miki… How cute…Reina thought to herself.
“Well… You are who you are, and Miki is who she is. Nothing can change that.”
“Haha, I suppose so.”
Yeah…I can hardly tell… but little by little… Maybe the day she opens her door to me will come soon…But I wonder… If Ai’s out doing research, I hope she finds something about the curse… Speaking of the curse…
“Maki?” The aforementioned person turned to look at her, “What if… What if someone has been released from the curse? What would you think?”
Maki went silent for awhile, before finally saying, “I’m sorry, but I have to ask you not to make up scenarios of the curse. I don’t know how to explain it but… I guess it kind of pains me to hear something like that.”
“I see… Sorry…”
Has she found out anything yet? I really hope she does…
Ai…
Where are you…?
Right here…
She was broken. She was leaning against the wall. She sat with her legs pulled to her chest tightly. Her hair was slightly a mess.
There was nothing.
She was trapped in a windowless room.
She only had her pessimistic thoughts as a dreadful companion.
Her head lulled slightly, as her eyes were also half-lidded. Her eyes, too, was devoid of hope—devoid of light.
Amidst her suffering, there was only one word that came weakly from her lips.
“Risa…”
Waiting for you to come…
<3
Topic: Our Cursed Gift [Chapter 47: Our Final Promise][COMPLETE] (Read 170814 times)