So I just calculated my possible GPA turnout with my current estimated grades (I can't be very far off with what I know at this point), since I'm on academic probation, and need to get a 2.25 GPA to keep from being suspended. And I was like 'no problem' because I've always passed school. Only I'm bad at college, and although I THOUGHT I could stay in college easily with certain grades that I raised, I just calculated my GPA with this iPod app. And the BEST I can hope for is a 1.7 GPA. So yeah. Can't find a job, and am now going to be kicked out of school RIGHT after being encouraged to change my major to psychology, which I love, by my amazingly supportive mom. So yeah, I'm completely and utterly absolutely useless. The only thing keeping me from going into depression was the idea I had that I was going to be able to stay in school.
At this point, it's not even borrowing trouble, and that's the scariest part. I've never felt so utterly miserable and hopeless in my life…
OH WELL.
On to the story. I added some Tsubomi/Yaya, for those who were disappointed last chapter!
oOOOo
Love Me Least
Five: Follow Me Down
oOOOo
"So follow me down (where to?)
Out of this town (with you.)
Girl you're moving way too slow.
So follow me down (which way?)
I'll show you around (okay.)
There's some place we gotta go…"
-3OH!3 feat. Neon Hitch
"Either quit sulking around or tell me what your stupid problem is, Yaya-baka!"
The ebony-haired girl huffed, and the petite pinkette beside her nearly growled in annoyance. From beside Yaya, Hikari bit her lip, watching the exchange with a fair amount of nervousness.
"Tsubomi-chan, maybe it's best to just leave it…," Hikari said softly, eyes flickering between the two girls. She, of course, was well aware of what Yaya's 'problem' was—one of the younger girls in the choir had developed a crush on Tsubomi, and naturally, Yaya's first instinct was to torture the poor girl by attaching herself to the pinkette throughout choir practice. Tsubomi, however, had sympathized with the girl and shoved Yaya away, scolding her, and spent the rest of the lesson beside the blushing newbie. The brunette hadn't taken kindly to the brush off, though, something that Tsubomi was having trouble comprehending. Yaya always teased her, and she always pushed her away—what made this time so different?
"Gomenasai, Hikari-senpai, but I can't just leave it when Yaya-senpai is acting like a complete baka for no reason!" Tsubomi replied, her tone growing steadily more annoyed as she shifted her focus from the blonde to the brunette. Yaya pouted.
Hikari sighed, shrinking down in her seat and prodding at her dinner with a fork—she was used to eating through pointless arguments, but those were always in jest, at least on Yaya's part. This was more serious, as Yaya had taken true offense to Tsubomi's rejection. "Tsubomi-chan, may I talk to you for a moment?" the blonde asked, already reaching across the table to grab the pinkette's hand.
Tsubomi's face flushed more out of instinct than anything else—her crush on Hikari had always been nothing more than a ruse, but skin-to-skin contact with any senpai was enough to set her off like a fire engine. Yaya huffed loudly, and Hikari had to fight back a giggle—it had to be a good sign, if Yaya was annoyed that she was touching Tsubomi, and not the other way around. Tsubomi shot a glare at the brunette. "Of course, Hikari-senpai!" she agreed, loudly, as if only to further spite the brunette, and Hikari bit her lip as the pinkette tugged her off to the side.
"Tsubomi-chan, do you really have to be so hard on Yaya-chan?" Hikari asked once they were out of earshot. "I think it's fairly obvious why she's so upset."
Tsubomi frowned in confusion. "What?" she asked, tilting her head. "It's obvious? What is it, then?"
Hikari let out an inaudible sigh. "Yaya-chan expresses her emotions through her actions more than anything, Tsubomi-chan," she said. "Your rejection probably hurt her more than she's willing to let on."
Tsubomi rolled her eyes and scoffed. "My 'rejection' never hurt her before," she mumbled, folding her arms tightly around her midriff. Then she straightened, turning her head to the right, tilting her chin up defiantly. "I think Yaya-senpai just finds it fun to play with my emotions."
"If she wanted to play with your emotions, I don't think she'd be doing it like this, Tsubomi-chan," Hikari corrected gently. "I think she's really upset."
"Why?" Tsubomi asked, amber eyes flashing in confusion. "I always shove her away, and she always just bounces back like one of those stupid carnival clowns. It's kind of annoying, actually," she added in a petulant undertone.
Hikari smiled gently. "I think it's more the context than the action," she replied. "Usually you shove her away because she's teasing you."
Tsubomi nodded. "And this time, I shoved her away because she was being cruel," she replied definitively. "If anything, she should be more understanding than usual!"
Hikari bit back a groan—she was really going to have to spell it out for the pinkette. Usually Tsubomi was a good bit more perceptive than her best friend. "I don't think Yaya-chan appreciated you spending the entire lesson with Arika-san," she said. "She wasn't trying to be malicious—you know that, Tsubomi-chan." Tsubomi pouted, and Hikari continued, "Think about it like this—when has Yaya ever had to share you with anyone?"
The pinkette bristled, and Hikari chided herself for her word choice. "I don't belong to anyone, especially that baka hentai!" she snapped, blushing to the tips of her ears. "What is she, a Neanderthal?"
Hikari sighed for what felt like the hundredth time. "Tsubomi-chan…" she began hesitantly, knowing what she was about to do was a risky move, "How do you think Yaya-chan felt when she kissed me and I pushed her away for Amane-senpai? How do you think she felt when she fell for me, only to realize that she couldn't have me at all, not even a little bit."
Tsubomi's jaw worked, and Hikari braced herself. "If this is the way you talk to her, I'd say she felt pretty crappy," the pinkette replied sharply, and Hikari was taken aback by her uncharacteristically harsh language. "You abandoned her, Hikari-senpai—even Nagisa-senpai came back to make sure Tamao-senpai was alright, but you abandoned Yaya-senpai. You forgave her, and then stopped spending time with her at all, leaving me to heal her when her heart broke because her best friend who should have been there was too busy winning the Etoile election with her schoolgirl crush!"
Hikari flinched—the words felt like a hammer repeatedly smashing against her ribcage, trying to her heart. She knew what she'd done, and she wasn't proud of it—she hadn't done the right thing, she'd done the easy thing, and she knew she'd have to face it sometime or another. "Exactly, Tsubomi-chan," she finally said quietly as she watched the small girl's chest heave up and down. "You saved Yaya-chan. So how do you expect her to react when you punish her by ignoring her to spend time with a girl who has feelings for you?"
Tsubomi stood there, glaring for a moment, before her shoulders sagged and she turned back to the table without another word to the bl0nde. Hikari felt as though she was going to cry, but swallowed back the tears as she slid into her seat opposite Yaya, leaning into Amane's side—her prince had materialized at some point during her and Tsubomi's conversation. Her heart was aching, but as she looked up and watched the pinkette slide into the seat beside Yaya and, with a furiously red face, lean against the brunette's shoulder, she knew the pain had been worth something.
Yaya seemed confused, but shifted just enough so that Tsubomi could comfortably fit into her side, and, after a moment, wrapped an arm around the pinkette's waist in a slightly possessive manner.
Chikaru was hardly paying any mind to the bickering presidents in the room with her, instead focusing on a design of a dress she'd created. But something Miyuki said caught her ear towards the end of the meeting.
"Shizuma wants me to invite the two of you to her family's cabin up in the mountains," the Miator president said as she began gathering her things. "She and Nagisa-san are inviting select friends for a winter retreat during the break. Tomori-san, if you could extend the invitation to Kiyashiki-san and Kenjou-san—I would just as soon have as little as possible to do with them."
Shion grumbled some sort of affirmative response, her violet gaze focused on the Le Rim president sitting off to her right. Chikaru met her gaze with an inquisitive look, and the Spican blushed lightly, shifting her eyes back to Miyuki.
"When will we need to be ready to leave, Miyuki-chan?" Chikaru asked, leaning forward and resting her chin on her intertwined fingers, her head tilted innocently. "Winter break begins next week, yes?"
Miyuki sighed at Chikaru's informality, but nodded. "Yes, Minamoto-san, Shizuma intends to leave this next Friday." She paused while gathering her things. "Shizuma's cabin is rather large, but it will be necessary for there to be two girls to a room, so make sure you are prepared for that."
"Mmm," Chikaru hummed, while Shion watched her with a curious expression. "I suppose Shizuma-san will be sharing a room with Nagisa-chan?"
Raising her slender fingers to massage her temples, Miyuki nodded laboriously. "Is there some point in particular you're getting at, Minamoto-san?" she asked. She couldn't seem to get away from Shizuma, even when the silver-haired goddess was nowhere in sight. Which she was more often than not, nowadays.
Chikaru smiled sympathetically. "Gomenasai, Miyuki-chan," she said, bowing slightly. "I was merely wondering if you would agree to share a room with me," she said, to the shock of both Miyuki and Shion, who was watching Chikaru with wide violet eyes, mouth gaping open, leaving her reminiscent of a fish. The Le Rim president tilted her head and smiled sweetly. "I simply assumed that since the members of the council know each other better than we know the others, it would make the most sense. Unless, of course, you would prefer to share a room with Kenjou-san? I'm fairly sure Kiyashiki-san will be sharing a room with Tamao-chan, and I'm not entirely sure you and Shion-chan can share a room for an extended period of time without injuring each other severely."
Shion, who'd finally seemed to decide on one emotion, (which was looking rather like indignation) opened her mouth to object, but was cut off by a rather stilted reply from Miyuki. "W-well, that seems to be in order," the Miator president said, flushing in embarrassment. She was completely unused to more informal situations with members of the council—besides Shizuma, that was, and they hardly spoke anymore.
Chikaru flashed a flustered Miyuki a bright smile, while Shion fumed in silence.
Miyuki called the meeting to a close only several minutes later, and left the room almost immediately after that, leaving Chikaru alone with the seething blonde. The brunette took her time gathering her things, and Shion was on her not a second after the door closed behind Miyuki.
"What was that?" the Spican spat, her voice just barely a growl. She was pressed up against Chikaru, her knuckles white around the table, but the Le Rim president simply exhaled and turned to face her with a smile.
"I was merely being proactive, Shion-chan," she replied, her left hand creeping down to the table to massage Shion's right—it was still clasped around the table in a death grip. "Surely you appreciate it?"
The Spican scoffed. "Since when are you on such friendly terms with Miyuki?" she asked, or growled, rather, but it came out more petulantly than she'd meant it to.
"I try to be on friendly terms with most people, Shion-chan," Chikaru replied with a serene smile, and even Shion, who'd known her for the better part of her life, couldn't tell whether she was serious or simply playing one of her games. And then small, pearly lips twitched into the shadow of a smile, and Shion sighed internally, chastising herself to constantly falling into these carefully placed traps. "Don't tell me you're threatened by Miyuki-chan," Chikaru mused, turning back to her book bag and placing her folders neatly inside before slinging it over her shoulder. "You'd do well to keep her from catching on, ne?"
The brunette turned to leave the room, but was pulled to a sudden, forceful halt by the tight grip Shion had on her wrist. "I'm not threatened, Chikaru," she muttered, so lowly that it was almost a growl. "But I'm tired of your stupid little games-"
In that instant, Chikaru whirled on the Spican, causing Shion to let go of her arm out of shock. "And I'm tired of yours, Shi-chan!" she cried, tears threatening to spill from wide brown eyes, her fists balled helplessly at her sides, nails digging into her palms in desperation. "Choose me or don't, kaichou, but don't leave me hanging by a thread!"
Shion stumbled backward, completely jaded by this new, exposed side of Chikaru, the one she'd only seen glimpses of up until now. Hints, flickers. "Ch-Chikaru, I'm not trying to hurt you-"
"But you are, Shion-chan." She was calmer now, collecting herself by the second. "You always are."
Shion was silent for a moment, staring down at the floor. "So…does that mean you have to share a room with Miyuki?" she finally asked. "Because she's got to be a horrible roommate, always nagging about everything-"
"Shion."
The blonde stopped mid-rant, raising hesitant eyes to meet Chikaru's.
The brunette smiled sadly, touching Shion's cheek. "You didn't make your choice, Shion-chan, so now, I'm making it for you," she said, eyes still red and watery, but her face set, her eyes flashing with determination through her kind smile. "We both knew it was never going to be me, anyway." She slipped from the room before a shell-shocked (and still somewhat jealous) Shion could grab her again.
"Have you heard about the trip to Hanazono and Aoi's love nest?" Momomi asked, tilting her head back so that Tamao's flushed face was fully in view.
The poet stuttered for a moment, her blush deepening even further than it had when the Spican had joined her in the lounge and flopped down right across her lap, honey-blonde hair splayed across the black and green of her Miator uniform. "D-do you have to call it that?" she finally spluttered.
Momomi replied with a catlike grin—she'd never admit it, but she'd come to miss the sweet, blushing poet she'd gotten used to for the past four years, before that damn redheaded bimbo had showed up and just fucked everything right up the ass. Kaname's words, of course. Besides, whether she was too easy of a target or not, it was always entertaining to watch the girl squirm. It made Momomi feel powerful, as if she didn't need Kaname.
She frowned slightly, shaking the thought from her head. Of course she needed Kaname—that's what this whole charade was for, after all, and who was Suzumi Tamao to replace one the greatest criminal mind of Spica?
No, it was just the power going to her head, was all.
Easy there, Honeybee, lest you pollinate the wrong flower.
Although, now that she thought about it, Kaname was much more like a weed than anything else. Or maybe a thistle. Or one of those poisonous plants that you eat because it looks like something else, maybe. Yes, that was it.
But Tamao was a flower. Not a rose. A pansy, maybe. Or perhaps…
Momomi glanced up at the girl who was now completely lost in whatever miserably dull book she'd acquired. She stared at her, watched her with scrutinizing eyes until the bluenette twitched, clearly having noticed Momomi's gaze. The Spican looked back down, facing the door opposite her.
A moon flower, perhaps. Functioning under something of a façade until the proper moment comes along. And then…
Suddenly realizing what she was doing, Momomi shook her head violently, startling the poet whose lap she was occupying. She sat up quite suddenly. "Anyway," she said matter-of-factly, glad that she didn't blush easily, "I don't intend to share a room with Kana-chan—god knows what we'd get up to."
Tamao raised one eyebrow, but shrugged. "So don't," she said.
"You know, your stick-up-the-ass president is sharing with Chikaru," Momomi added. This seemed to shake Tamao slightly—the bluenette had been counting on her president (and in some ways, her companion) to share a room with her. On cue, Momomi flipped her hair back over her shoulder and leaned into Tamao's personal space with a feral smirk. "Looks like you're stuck with me, deary," she cooed.
Tamao huffed and jerked her head away, if only to hide her blossoming blush. She hadn't even noticed when Momomi had thrown herself across her lap—well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. She'd noticed, but she hadn't felt the need to take any action. Was she really becoming so accustomed to one half of Astraea Hill's most cunning duo?
No—that was dangerous.
This was an arrangement of convenience, nothing more.
Never mind that Tamao hadn't even seen Nagisa in a week.
"Don't do anything weird," Tamao finally said, though her voice came out weaker than she'd intended.
"Hmmm," Momomi mused. "I'm not entirely sure I can guarantee that. You are my girlfriend, after all." The word 'girlfriend' rolled off the Spican's tongue like velvet, as intended, and Tamao flushed even further, snapping her book shut.
"I-" The bluenette's mouth opened and closed several times before snapping shut as she stood from the couch. Momomi gazed lazily up at her. "I'm leaving."
"Au reviore, ma petite!"
Tamao rolled her eyes and left the room, treading more heavily than was maybe necessary until she reached the hallway.
She wasn't sure she'd survive the trip, and even if she did, she was positive things were going to change. She just wasn't sure how.
I'm pretty sure I spelled 'reviore' wrong, sorry :P But you all know what I mean, yes?
I just want to thank all of my reviewers for the fantastic turnout in reviews with this chapter, they really are motivational, as one of the reasons I post on here is for your guys's enjoyment! So thank you all for the motivation!
Also, I don't know whether Etoile Elections took place before or after Christmas break, but I'm having them take place before, because it's convenient for me :P
Regretx993: Awesome :D She will eventually, once she comes to her senses :) Don't worry, I'm not going to pair Chikaru up with anyone else. What does NTR mean, though? I'm kind of clueless -.- It's actually kind of like Found and Lost, so you were close :3 Like, you fall for someone, and then they change into someone you hardly know :/
mttmercado: Thanks for the support :) I do need to do something with KanaMomo eventually, though, I just have to think of a way to do it, and whether Tamao or Momomi should realize their feelings first :/ It seems like everyone wants a bit of that :3 Well, I put some in here, so hopefully you liked it :3
xMaskedDestroyerx: At this point, I'm planning on making Tamao/Momomi into a pairing, but I think I understand what you mean—like, something has to happen for them to realize their feelings, right? Well, it IS Shion. I know girls like her, they just don't give in, no matter how good the argument is. It's just how they are :P But Shion won't be thick forever :P
xannaxmurderx: Thanks :) She does, doesn't she? :3
Huggler: Thank you! I do appreciate the long review, they're my favorite :3 Don't worry, I won't get KanaMomo back together, enough people seem to like the Tamao/Momomi pairing, and I didn't particularly want them back together in the first place. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't think of a storyline for them, but they're first in this chapter! :3 Well, thankfully, Shion doesn't really mean to hurt Chikaru—she's just a bit thick like that. I didn't mean for Shion's loyalty bit to come off like that D: It was more of a 'You're the only one' kind of thing, because really, Chikaru is the only one who has even that much of Shion, the only one who can shake her :P
Obsidian And Cobalt: That's what I'm thinking :3 I'm going to have them start to build a real relationship pretty soon now :3 I'm glad you're liking it! I'll update as frequently as I can :3
DrYuriMom: Wow, thanks! :3 I'm glad you enjoy those elements in my stories; I do try to spend a good amount of focus on characterization, and everything just feels off if I don't get it just right :P I suppose it's the perfectionist part of me—it does make it hard to write at times, though :/ That's interesting, because plot is definitely my weak point, as I'm sure many of my readers have noticed. It's why I can never stick with an original story :/ It's a shame, too, to get 50,000 words into a story and then have no ideas left :/ Well, since summer's coming, I'll be updating a lot more often :3 That is if my mom pressuring me to get a job doesn't kill me…I'm TRYING, I tell you D: Just nobody wants me T_T
Tuume: Thanks :3 I agree, although I wish I could take that advice, lol. I like them as a couple, too :3
Remember to review, por favor! :3