"I don't need the words..."

A Strawberry Panic One-shot

By: Asakust

Nanto Yaya isn't the perfect best friend. Perfect is actually the farthest word to use to describe her. Though given that her kindness, protectiveness and loyalty to her one and only best friend, Konohana Hikari, it is what a lot of their peers would use to describe her best…

Now Yaya isn't perfect because she's human or any philosophical idea people old and new has used to describe our species to make themselves and others feel better over the years… No, not exactly. There was a simpler reason and- or detail that stained her massively labeled perfection.

And that was because Yaya held very deep feelings for Hikari… too deep in fact... for she was after all irrevocably in love with her best friend.

Thanks to that she had done something she'd most likely regret for the rest of her life…

That weekend night, when Hikari came home from her date with Amane, Yaya knew that it was now or never. It was probably one of the worst decisions she had made in her life. For one she chose to finally try and reveal her feelings to Hikari, only now that it was too late. But she knew that… and at the moment when the subject of her affections was so close to her…

She knew…

Oh how she knew… she had to do it.

She could clearly remember how she gazed upon Hikari's lips that night. Her fingers felt a touch of excitement and electricity as they lightly grazed her shoulders. How her face was nervously flushed in a beautiful shade of pink when they had their faces so uncomfortably close. Her voice sounded timid and very sweet as she called out to her a few times with a mixture of surprise, worry and shyness. How her body seemed to shake like jelly as she held her with a firm but light touch. The way her skin shivered with anticipation from the caress of her breath.

And before Hikari could piece the puzzle together…

Yaya kissed her. And it wasn't a simple kiss either…

The way Yaya's lips touched Hikari's made the blonde see stars. The warmth of her breath made her skin shiver with anticipation beyond what she could ever imagine. The piercing glow of her sun like amber eyes made Hikari's insides warm up with a passion she never thought possible. The electricity from where their skin met each other flowed though out her body fueling her desire for more. And the way Yaya's lips tasted on her own was sweet like that perfect and forbidden fruit, that no one should ever name, and made her hungry for more.

But something strong and inexplicable from deep inside her had stopped her from kissing Yaya back and accepting all that she was offering…

Hikari, all but instinctively pushed her away.

There was a soft banal thud as the raven haired girl made contact with the floor. The pain that Yaya felt on her being dulled by the intense feeling of regret that stabbed her heart like blunt knife and the guilt that twisted it, pulled it out then stabbed it again.

She looked from her hands, the same ones that strongly pushed her best friend away, to the girl who looked quite shocked and very devastated as she sat on floor eyes opened wide blankly staring at the floorboards. In that moment, Hikari's sapphire eyes were opened wide as she realized…

Yaya loved her…

She hastily tried to say something to console her best friend. Words like 'I'm sorry…' or something that would lead Yaya to explain and give her time to think of something better to say… anything at all!

Because she didn't want her best friend to remain hurt… and because Yaya, at least for now, still meant more than the reason she pushed her for…

But no words would form at her lips. Not a word. Not her name. Not a syllable. Not even a moan.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she watched Yaya just sit there on the floor not bothering to fix her rather embarrassing posture. The shock and disappointment that gripped her was still very evident on her face. Hikari bit her lip, realizing that she had just hurt her best friend. Of course it wouldn't be fair to say that it was her fault entirely… but right now it certainly felt like it.

She knew that she had to do something or say something… even though it was Yaya's mistake. Their friendship meant more than that! It should stand up to things worse than this. And if only for the reason that they were best friends, she deeply believed that they should be able to get through this problem.

Hikari opened her mouth to say something- finally, she believed that she could, but…

Then the oddest thing happened… Yaya slowly tilted her head up, her face soft with a smile. It was the sort of smile that was near impossible to decipher. And though after this incident she lost her confidence in interpreting Yaya's smiles, she felt it was the type that tried to hide what she truly felt.

When she looked up at her and she saw her face… Hikari felt like she wanted to die… right there… right then.

She looked normal. Her amber eyes gave off Yaya's whimsy glow. That soft kind smile that she had seen an uncounted number of times since they've met. Even the way she sat had completely erased the air of embarrassment and hurt that had been there just seconds ago. Yaya looked like the way she always carried herself since the day she had met her.

And that's why it hurt so much…

Yaya was hiding her feelings from Hikari… her love and her pain, and maybe even her jealousy, anger and her hate. Hikari knew that she deserved an explanation and apologies, but something told Hikari that the long moment of silence that her best friend had taken had been her apology and her smile was her resolution. What ever Yaya felt now was hidden behind a smiling mask, a face Hikari thought she knew.

She gathered herself from the floor, composed herself, smiled at Hikari and left the room… without a single word.

It tore Hikari's heart.

Weeks passed since that fateful weekend night and Hikari had noticed the change in Yaya's actions, not that it wasn't very obvious. The raven haired girl was suddenly serious about her studies, which was surprising only because her test scores suddenly jumped from mixed B's and C's to straight A's. She was a lot less loud, almost unheard and outside times spent in the saintly chorus. She did her best so that she attracted as little attention as possible... and even Tsubomi couldn't insult the smile out of her face.

Yaya didn't avoid Hikari, she just kept a reasonable distance. She believed that both of them needed some time to digest what had happened, accept that it happened, accept that it was irreversible, understand their positions and hope for some reconciliation. It was something that Yaya had forgotten to consider before decided she was ready to chance regretting what she did… she was only beginning to realize that it was impossible for them to return to just being best friends again.

She still never apologized or never explained herself. Yaya would just a smile and call her name followed by "-chan" at the end.

And it hurt Hikari more.

After month, Yaya seemed to have regained some of her old self. Her tendency to argue with Tsubomi had returned and has been steadily becoming as vigorous and lively as it had been before. The two seemed to be becoming close to each other too. Yaya would tease the young first year almost the way she had teased Hikari when they've become best friends.

Hikari could only watch as her heart felt the strong prick of jealousy's needle. After all what was she to do? Yaya had taken her chance with her… she rejected her… and now she kept her distance to heal and maybe to find a home for her heart with someone else.

She had that right… right? Hikari could only ever so painfully wonder.

Two months later, they barely spoke to each other. And what made it extremely difficult for both of them was that they lived in the same room, had the same classes and essentially was just suppose to be somewhere the other one had to be too. Everyone noticed their distance but no one dared to say anything about it. Mostly because everyone had long since seen through Yaya's heart and understood that she believed that she was doing what was best for the both of them.

By this time Hikari had grown accustomed to Yaya's indifference. She was also used to the fact that Yaya had to be there… in her room, her class, almost at her side ever damnable hour of her life in spica… and yet never quite there. Yaya had all the chances to do what she did months ago again, and again, and again until Hikari gave in and crumbled to her touch. And Hikari was sure that the next time Yaya did so she would not be able to push her away…

But Yaya never tried again and it was driving Hikari to the brink of insanity.

When fall was about to end and winter was about to begin… Hikari found herself reminded of something she had forgotten or to be more precise… who. Tomori Shion, Spica's student council president, had confronted her and asked her to try enticing Ootori Amane to the idea of the next Etoile.

Ootori Amane, Hikari's first love… she remembered. And couldn't help but bite her lower lip if for anything at all… embarrassment. She had forgotten about her. Well no not exactly forgotten… she was just so preoccupied with her troubled relationship with Yaya that the blue haired, princely, young lady she held her affections for simply didn't enter her mind at all. Not that either of them tried to remedy that.

She bowed deeply and apologetically to Shion, expressing her deepest and sincerest apologies to her. Hikari knew all to well that she dreamed and wish to see a Spican Etoile before she graduates. And Hikari couldn't blame her for it… but she regretfully cannot do so.

Shion looked at her, examining her features and replaying her words slowly in her head. Instinctively trying to find a logical loophole in her words… and she knew there were a few. But when Hikari looked up again, she knew that nothing she tried would convince her otherwise. She knew that look on her underclassman's face. She had seen the likes of it more than she'd ever like to. Shion knew… and though perhaps Hikari didn't, she was in love. And it wasn't Amane that her heart longed for. Even more odd was that she felt she knew what ails the younger girl.

Almost uncharacteristically, Shion smiled ever so delicately at Hikari and placed a hand on her shoulder then told her using a kind and suggestive voice… that it wasn't the end of the world.

Hikari tried not to look so surprised and confused at her words… but every fiber of her being betrayed her. She was always expressive of her feelings which made it very easy for Yaya to read her almost like an open book. In the last eight weeks she had been no different… but Yaya had chosen not to do anything about their relationship. It made Hikari worry and wonder…

But before she could ponder on it more… One Shion's left hand squeezed her shoulder lightly and her right gave her an almost painful pat before she leaned and whispered something in her ear that made Hikari gasp and cover her own mouth. Satisfied with her reaction, Shion slowly withdrew giving her underclassman back her sense of personal space. Though a bit disappointed that she couldn't possibly get Amane to run now… she took some satisfaction in knowing that someone's love might blossom soon. Blissfully unaware that the chances of them getting together had become terribly slim now… she walked away, jesting that Hikari and her partner should run for Etoile before she completely turned away.

The smile that Hikari was somehow able to fake disappeared as soon as Shion was out of her sight. She played her senior's words back in her head, over and over again.

Hikari deeply considered her words as the weeks passed. Yaya had become even more and more elusive as the days passed that she wondered if her supposed to be best friend had now found her repulsive. It ate at her as she question how Yaya now saw her. And on the day that they were going to watch the etoile elections, Hikari decided she couldn't stand her indifference to her anymore.

And as Yaya was about to walk out the door, talking to her in a way that felt very distant, she grabbed her wrist and asked if she hated her.

Yaya's response was all but expected. Hikari watched as she turned to face her again, her eyes blazing with the emotion she thought was impossible for Yaya. She was angry. She broke her hold, stalked towards her, gasped her shoulders and slowly half pushed half dragged her to the wall of their room.

She asked her wondering why she thought that, a strong venom in her voice held Hikari's being like a vice. She found herself looking at Yaya's lips, her rose pink lips… though there were signs that she had been chewing on them. Why, Hikari could only imagine now, but she found them kissable… desirable and just simply maddening to see and not touch.

Yaya spoke but Hikari didn't hear her. Her attention still locked on her lips, her throat fighting a tense urge to swallow and her tongue just aching to lick her own lips.

When Hikari didn't respond to her call, Yaya anger increased by a touch… she held her chin and forced her eyes attention to hers. She never noticed this before but she wondered… had Yaya's eyes always been so golden?

Yaya then used her other hand to hold her hand and placed it on her chest, between her more than ample bosoms… and asked with a strong commanding voice if she noticed what she wanted her to feel.

Hikari rocked her brain, trying to figure out what it was that Yaya wanted her to realize… Her soft breasts? The warmth of her chest? But the silence that embraced her was deadly… and it made Hikari's heart race into a panic… until- her gaze fell at the hand that Yaya had placed closer to her heart and that was when she noticed that Yaya's heart was beating faster and harder than hers. When she looked up again, the fury burned in Yaya's now teary eyes were gone… replaced a different kind of flame.

Taking her cue, Yaya told Hikari how wrong she was for thinking that she didn't want her. From her tongue rolled words that made Hikari's heart beat faster, harder and hotter. The passion that was tied within each and every syllable- trampled and killed all her misconceptions… and gave birth to a new acceptance that was... love and desire.

Yaya then moved closer, pining Hikari to the wall behind her with her own body. She trailed a half kiss on Hikari's left cheek marking the path that her lips took as she reached for the love's ear. Hikari felt like she was burning, even Yaya's sweat and tears felt hot. She then blew softly into Hikari's ear sending a pleased shudder through her spine before she kissed it, nibbled her ear lobe very lightly and slowly trailed her tongue on every reachable inch of her ear.

The hand the kept Hikari's on her chest had left it alone and was traveling south, towards Hikari's creamy thighs, daring and threatening her to do something before it was too late. Her other hand, had moved too but traveled a lesser distance, it traced and caressed her face with such sensually that it screamed the word "Desire" with a volume that even Hikari couldn't possibly deny.

The raven haired took a deep breath and sighed making sure to teasingly exhale into nape of Hikari's neck, a wide grin crept up her lips when she felt her body shiver on hers. She then pulled away, but just a tiny bit, and looked at her friend straight in the eyes. Her blue eyes were enraptured, lost in her own world… dreaming of Yaya's tempting hands and desires.

She inched her face ever so slowly towards Hikari's, she knew she had to stop- she just wanted her to understand that she wasn't staying away because she disliked her, but quite the opposite. They were so close, that their noses almost touch- and even then, they think they're touching in the most intimate of ways.

Then Yaya asked her something that completely opened her eyes.

She asked her to push her away…

She now realized what her best friend was, has and is doing for her… all out of love.

Her sapphire eyes widened by the tiniest of a fraction and a nearly unintelligent sound from her lips.

Yaya then asked her again, begged her even to push her away. Warning her… That if she took long that she wouldn't be able to stop. She, of course, was over exaggerating the truth. She could stop… but she wanted and she needed Hikari to want her to stop. Her voice echoed even into her own ears… she inwardly scowled at how pained and pleading her voice sounded, but she shrugged it off and believed that she had to say it that way. If only to make Hikari understand what she needed to do.

But Hikari's response wasn't what Yaya was expecting.

The blond girl suddenly wrapped her arms around her head and pulled her towards her, crushing her lips onto her own with a passion that only rivaled her own. Overwhelmed by surprise, Yaya couldn't respond… stunned and utterly dumbstruck by the more than pleasant surprise.

Hikari broke the kiss and knew, from the moment she felt Yaya stiffen to her kiss, that what she had done was never in the list of responses she had expected her to do. She stood on her tip toes leaning towards Yaya's ear and whispered those three powerful words.

As soon as those three words passed through Yaya's ear… she instantly lost consciousness of her legs and fell forward into Hikari's awaiting arms. She couldn't believe that those words had the power to turn her into jelly. Yaya never thought that the absolute bliss from hearing them uttered from Hikari's lips would strike her this way.

Hikari felt her shiver in her arms, tears soaking her left shoulder, breaths deep and uneven… and her body completely limp against hers. She didn't say anything and waited for Yaya to recompose herself.

She did, nearly five or ten minutes later. The raven haired pushed herself upright to give a small space between them to converse. Her moist amber eyes made contact with Hikari's sapphire blues. She called out her name, her voice quaking with uncertainty of herself.

But Hikari immediately silenced her.

Pursing her lips and tempting her with the sight of them forming for a kiss- as she softly cut her words off with a finger on her lips. And she told her that she didn't need to say anything, before she leaned towards her again and placed another passionate kiss on Yaya's tenderly trembling lips.

Yaya stiffened again, still slightly disbelieving the reality of the kiss they were sharing… but was soon washed away when Hikari's tears mixed with her and streamed down her face. Her arms raised and quickly wrapped themselves around her beloved's body wishing that they never have to ever let go.

The End

Disclaimer: I don't own Strawberry Panic… But don't you wish I did? X3

Author's notes: That was difficult. This one shot is a challenge to myself when I sort of came with a short random idea of a scene between Yaya and Hikari which included the lines "We don't need words." Which later became the original title before I changed it to "I don't need words." And as you can see I completely avoided dialogs… and I have to say that it was very difficult. It might need more revision… but I really wanted to post it already.

Thanks to "Lil-Donkey" for telling me of a messy sentence I had missed.

Shion is a bit out of character… if only for not forcing Hikari to go after Amane more.

Amane is only special mention and doesn't actually appear in this story… good riddance! X3

Yaya and Hikari are finally happy together… and I love myself for writing this. XD

Oh! Yes… I shall post the random scene in my drabble collection. Please check it out! It's hawt!

Please Review!!!