A/N: A Touko & Yumi love story.

Rated M for adult themes.

OOC-ness to be expected and contains non-canon pairings.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters!

Please remember! This is a fictional story. Similarities with real persons or situations are purely coincidental and not intentional! This is just a product of my crazy imaginations.

Read at your own risk!

Have fun!

"Still into you"

Summary: Touko learned the hard way that people leave, even if they have promised a thousand times that they won't. She abjured to love, lost faith but like someone wise said - The greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in. Will she allow her broken heart to be mended?

Chapter 1

The Door

Touko was on her way to a nearby café where she usually met with her friends. Her cousin, Ogasawara Sachiko, and the other former roses wanted to discuss something. It was very surprising to Touko that all of them had agreed since it was a difficult task to gather everyone after they all had graduated from High School. Some of them were currently studying outside of Japan or were off to work.

Nevertheless, once a rose always a rose. Although it was difficult to maintain contact, or meet on a regular basis, the roses would always be one thing: A family.

Touko admitted that she had the most problems to stay in touch. Nijou Noriko, the former Rosa Gigantia, and her best friend were one with whom she at least was phoning somehow regularly. Sadly, Noriko had decided to follow her long-term girlfriend Toudo Shimako, and the both of them were now living and studying in America.

Shimako had abandoned her dream to become a nun and instead aimed now to become a musical actress. She had received a scholarship to a university in the States and Noriko hadn't thought long. The straight-forward girl had worked hard to avoid a long distance relationship with her girlfriend and had followed her immediately after herself had graduated from Lillian. She had managed to get to a nearby university and had found out that she was artistically talented with a knack for fashion. The last time, as Touko had talked to Noriko the latter sounded very satisfied with their lives. She couldn't help, but notice that she envied her best friend…

But not at the aspect of their careers.

Inwardly she shook her head, and instead directed her sad thoughts to her cousin Ogasawara Sachiko, as she continued her way from the subway to the café.

Touko had agreed with her parents that it wasn't necessary to study medicine when she didn't want to. She always wanted to be an actress, and had struggled with a decision in order to not disappoint her parents, but ultimately her cousin had convinced her by assuring that she would support the Matsudaira Hospital with all the Ogasawara power could come up to. True to her word, the hospital could not be better and Touko was more than happy.

Well, almost.

The youngest former Rosa Chinensis was now attending a famous acting school in Tokyo, and due to her talents, she was blossoming into a real desirable actress. Although she just finished her second year, she was adored by her Kouhais as well by her Senpais. Of course, she also struggled with jealousy and envy and sensitive as she was, it was affecting her. But she wasn't Matsudaira Touko for naught. After all, she was as skilled as she was talented, and since she had been a child there were always people, who tried to throw rocks her way. She had learned how to deal with such a long time ago, and if she couldn't she would just act as if she could. She didn't give up so easily and knew that she had friends like Sachiko, who she could rely on.

The heiress of the Ogasawara Mega Concern had a lot to do with balancing her personal life and work. A soft smile graced her lips, as she remembered how her cousin had confessed to her that she had been falling in love. Well, the fact that she had been in love was no surprise. It was more of a shock with whom she had fallen in love with. The person was indeed a Fukuzawa… But it was none other as the younger one. Fukuzawa Yuuki.

Why had that been so surprising? Touko had assumed that her cousin was attracted to women because of her hatred towards men. She and her friends also had believed Sachiko had been in love with her own petit soeur, Yumi. Each of them hadn't bet whom she would confess to, instead when she would. The fact that Yumi had her coming out (not that her friends hadn't already known) at her first year of college had been a clear indication for each of them that it would be only a matter of time before Sachiko and Yumi would become a couple. They hadn't expected it at all when Sachiko had made her relationship with Yuuki official.

All of the ex-Roses were in a same-sex relationship. They all had observed Yumi and Sachiko and silently had agreed that the positive effects the both of them had on each other had something to do with romantic love. No one had been able to believe that they had been this wrong.

Yumi had been not present as Sachiko made her announcement and had been certainly surprised when she had received phone calls from worried friends during the following next hours. Only Satou Sei had been ultimately able to ask directly whether she had ever been romantically involved with Sachiko or not.

The question had been a real shock to the former Rosa Chinensis, but she had assured that there had never been more than sisterly love.

Then why?

Touko could not suppress a small smile, as she thought of her former Onee-sama. It was not a happy smile, though. She had not seen her for a while and the fact that she also had gone to America, after the end of her first year of college in order to continue her studies, made it difficult. She could count on two hands and toes how many times they had actually spoken in the last two years.

Yumi just had disappeared and hadn't said a word to anyone. Of course, her family had known exactly about her whereabouts but had to promise to stay quiet. After one week, where Yumi's friends had been frequent guests of the Fukuzawa residence, Sachiko and Yuuki had a crisis until someone had appeared who finally informed them about Yumi's whereabouts. The fact that she just had gone to the States had been a relief but her reasons why she had left so suddenly was after 2 years of separation an unsolved mystery. After that, Yumi had apologised to her friends, but they hadn't gotten any kind of explanation.

Touko had been of course upset and they had fought. She already had forgiven her but she had felt betrayed. The trust that both of them had built up during their time as soeurs was shattered. Somehow they remained in contact, but Touko would be lying if she would say that she really knew what was going on in the life of Yumi. The conversations were always short and never really informative. Nevertheless, she was happy whenever Yumi found time to call even if it was a rare occasion. The bond was loose but somehow still linked.

But still she wondered about the reasons why Yumi suddenly had left. Touko believed that it might have something to do with Sachiko. Had she just tried to walk away in front of a broken heart?

Touko couldn't stop the soft sigh that escaped her lips.

A broken heart…

It was now one year ago since Touko's world collapsed. She had gone through a lot of pain in this time, and she had wanted nothing more, than that her Onee-sama had been there by her side. But something had stopped her to pour her heart to the slightly older girl.

In that case, it had been none other than Sachiko who had helped her to get back on her feet. Slowly, but piece by piece, Touko's world had reassembled. She could take a more positive look into the future, she worked hard and after a while, she wondered herself if it was not the time to open up a new chapter in her life.

Touko was now in front of the café. Still deep in thoughts, she looked at the doorknob.

Was it okay to just linger in memories?

Was it okay to just stand still?

When would she get a sign that it was time to let go?

Let it go…

Deep down in her heart she knew it was time.

The other had released her a while ago.

She had left Touko.

After three years, she had left.

Hosokawa Kanako had left her.

Hosokawa Kanako had released her.

But had she set her free?

"It is time" Touko murmured to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out slow and controlled. "It is time," she said again, this time with more confidence. She looked up straight; her eyes sparkled with new courage. She put her hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long
and so regretfully upon the closed door
that we do not see the one that has opened for us."

- Alexander Graham Bell -

A/N: Hey guys! I don't like long author's notes in the beginning, so I put them under every chapter when I have something to say.

That was the first chapter to "Still into you", my first story. It was first written in German, but I decided that I would better be able to improve my writing if I try it in the language that almost everyone is capable of reading.

I should say that English is not my first language! I also don't have a beta-reader! I just learned the English basics a few years ago in High School and really never had used it to speak or write since then. All I can promise is to proof-read and revise the story to the best of my abilities!

Please review!

xLaShay