Heaven Sheds Blood, Hell Sheds Tears
Ryouseika Fujishima smiled to herself as she modelled the dress she
was wearing in front of the mirror. This day was going to be perfect.
Ryouseika had been looking forward to spending some time with all of
her friends today. Ever since she and Nazuna had become an item, her
time for her friends had been limited. She wasn’t ignoring them or
anything, but the others had become suspicious about the amount of
time Ryouseika and Nazuna spent together. Out of all of their friends
it was they who had the weakest links to each other, so it seemed to
be unusual for them to be so close.
Ryouseika smiled at that thought. She had been going out with Nazuna
for the past 3 months, and she had enjoyed every single second of it.
You see, about a year ago, Ryouseika had moved from Tokyo to Osaka
with her parents. These were some hard times for the navy-haired girl.
She had to leave all her close friends behind in Tokyo, and move to a
place where she knew no one. Despite that, when Ryouseika was
transferred to her new school, she ran into an old friend of hers that
she had known since kindergarten, Yurika. Yurika had also moved to
Osaka, when she was around 6, and Ryouseika was pleased to be able to
find her. Yurika then introduced two of her other close friends,
Natsuki Mitsurugi, and Nazuna Furutaka.
The moment she saw Nazuna, she knew that she was in love. There was
just something about her... Nazuna was so gorgeous, confident and out
going. Always sticking up for what she believed in and what she
thought was right. And although she would never admit it, Nazuna was
extremely caring.
Needless to say, Nazuna stole Ryouseika’s heart there and then. But
Ryouseika refused to say anything. She had told nobody about her
sexuality before, and for the moment, Ryouseika was perfectly
contented to watch Nazuna from afar.
However, about 8 months after their first meeting, Ryouseika was a
wreck. A couple of nights earlier, she had seen Nazuna kissing a guy.
Ryouseika knew that Nazuna was straight, and she didn’t hold that
against the cerise-haired girl. But seeing Nazuna kiss someone else
just made Ryouseika feel... betrayed. Nazuna had really done nothing
wrong; nevertheless Ryouseika didn’t see it that way. All she saw was
the woman she loved in the arms of a man.
And it tore her up inside.
After that day, Ryouseika did her best to avoid Nazuna. Seeing the
cerise-haired girl just made it hurt more. But Nazuna was not
oblivious to Ryouseika’s abrupt change in behaviour. For the next
three weeks, Ryouseika did nothing but avoid Nazuna. Even though they
were never really close, Nazuna couldn’t stand the rift that was
growing between them, and she frequently tried to talk things out with
the navy-haired girl. Ryouseika would often use some lame-ass excuse
to leave, before Nazuna could make her talk. And it drove Nazuna
crazy. For a while, Nazuna assumed that she may have said or done
something to upset Ryouseika, but she couldn’t think of anything that
may have offended her. Well after a week of indecision on what to do,
Nazuna decided to take the bull by the horns and make Ryouseika tell
her everything.
So Nazuna went over to her so-called friend’s house, and demanded
Ryouseika’s explanation. Ryouseika was equally frustrated at Nazuna’s
behaviour, and chose to silence her, with a kiss.
Nazuna didn’t know what to think at that point. Even though Ryouseika
was a girl...it...it felt good... Nazuna pulled back when realized
that she had been kissing Ryouseika for around a minute.
Ryouseika had tears in her eyes, and she just seemed so fragile.
Nazuna instantly wanted to hold her, to tell her not to be so sad, but
after what she just did...
Blushing frantically, Nazuna made her apologies and quickly left. It
was then that Ryouseika thought that she might have made a mistake.
She didn’t want to lose Nazuna, but through her current actions, she
may have done just that.
Ryouseika wanted to apologise for her actions, she realized that she
had no right to do that, but it wasn’t that easy. This time it was
Nazuna who was avoiding Ryouseika.
Nazuna wanted to forget about the whole thing...it scared her. Not so
much the kiss, but the fact that she enjoyed the kiss. She wasn’t like
that...
Anyway, a few days after they kissed, Ryouseika fell ill. Nazuna,
Yurika and Natsuki became very worried about her, as it seemed that
Ryouseika grew more poorly everyday. It was then that Nazuna felt like
she was about to lose Ryouseika, and the pain from that feeling led to
a single conclusion.
That she was in love with Ryouseika.
It seemed crazy, but there was no other explanation as to why Nazuna
couldn’t stop worrying about her, and why she couldn’t stop thinking
about their kiss...
Nazuna then chose to declare her love for Ryouseika, which she did,
and that was it. The two separate hearts became one.
Blushing at those memories, Ryouseika moved away from the mirror, and
walked out of her room. After quickly saying goodbye to her parents,
and leaving through the front door, Ryouseika giddily made her way to
Nazuna’s house.
**********
“Dammit where is she?”
Nazuna looked out of the window to her room, and gaze out expectantly,
hoping to see her girlfriend making her way over. No such luck. Nazuna
exhaled and lay down on her bed, staring off into the ceiling.
{It’s about three months since I first starting dating her, isn’t it?
Man it sure doesn’t seem that way. Feels like it’s only been three
weeks. But I guess that’s the kinda thing she does to me. I still
can’t believe I’m going out with a girl though, much less Ryouseika.
Out of all of us, she was the one I most expected to settle down with
some fancy doctor from Kyoto. But nah, she only has eyes for me...}
Nazuna blushed as a grin traced its way across her face.
{And that’s exactly the way it’s gonna stay.}
Nazuna quickly rose up as she heard a knock on her door. The
cerise-haired girl went downstairs, purposefully taking her time to
annoy Ryouseika. By the forth knock, Nazuna had reached the door, and
quickly opened it for her girlfriend.
Ryouseika had a wound up look on her face.
“How long does it take you to open a door?”
Nazuna smirked. “How far is your house from mine?”
Ryouseika planted a kiss on Nazuna’s cheek, and walked into her
girlfriend’s house, sitting down on the couch in the living room.
Nazuna sat next to her.
“I just wanted to ensure that I looked great for today. We don’t get a
chance to do this much do we?”
Nazuna put her arm around Ryouseika’s shoulder and nodded to her. She
was right. They hadn’t been out with Yurika and Natsuki for months.
But it was understandable; Ryouseika and Nazuna were pretty much
besotted with each other these days.
“Yeah. We spend a lot of time together. Maybe is just ‘cause I want
you all to myself huh?”
Ryouseika grinned. She had never known anyone who was as affectionate
or as passionate as Nazuna was. She would have felt embarrassed if she
acted the way Nazuna did. But that was all a part of her Nazuna’s
charm. The cerise-haired girl was unashamed of her desires.
“But I think they might be catching on Nazuna.”
The cerise-haired girl looked at her girlfriend questioningly.
“What do you mean?”
Ryouseika exhaled. “Come on, you are not that dense.”
“Alright, I know what you’re thinking about. But don’t be so crazy,
Yurika and Natsuki don’t know a thing.”
“You say that now, but they know that we’re closer then before. I
think we should just come out and tell them.”
Nazuna’s eyes widened. She and Ryouseika had talked about this before
and it still frightened her. Nazuna was not as willing as Ryouseika
was to come out.
“Ryouseika...I don’t think that I...” Nazuna trailed off when she the
look in Ryouseika’s eyes.
“Don’t tell me that you still want to keep our relationship a secret,
Nazuna.”
“Well...”
“Nazuna!” Ryouseika huffed. She didn’t really see a need to keep it a
secret anymore. Ryouseika Fujishima was in love, and she wanted the
whole world to know about it.
Nazuna laughed nervously. “Hey, hey, hey... I’m not saying that we
wont tell them, I’m just saying that needn’t tell them now, I mean...
we’ve only been seeing each other for a few months, and...well...”
Ryouseika pouted and looked away mock angrily.
“I think that you just don’t want to admit that you love me.”
Nazuna sweat dropped. “It’s not that, it’s just... we, well we need to
think things through first. You can’t just walk up and say, ‘Hey, me
and Nazuna are an item.’ We gotta plan it first. So it’ll be special,
Y’know?”
Ryouseika looked back at her girlfriend, her resolution quickly fading
away. “Well I suppose so. But we are going to tell them eventually
aren’t we?”
Nazuna smiled. “Yeah.”
The navy-haired girl snuggled up closer to her girlfriend, and Nazuna
wrapped her arms around her in the process. Ryouseika always felt so
comfortable in Nazuna’s arms. It was almost as if nobody could hurt
her if she was enveloped in her cerise-haired girlfriend’s embrace.
“Good. Because I love you Nazuna and I want everybody to know how
happy you make me.”
Nazuna smiled at that. All she ever really wanted nowadays was simply
nothing less than Ryouseika’s happiness.
“Ryouseika...” Nazuna lustfully grinned when an appealing idea
blossomed in her head.
“...We have about ten minutes before we have to leave so...”
Ryouseika smiled innocently. “So what do you suggest we do?”
Nazuna slyly pulled Ryouseika down, spreading her out even across the
couch, and ran her fingers through Ryouseika’s lush, dark blue hair.
“Well I was kinda hoping that I could have my way with you...”
Ryouseika giggled at Nazuna’s forthright nature, and submitted her
pouting lips to Nazuna’s...
**********
After the two managed to pull themselves away from each other, Nazuna
and Ryouseika made there way to the mall, where they were supposed to
meet Natsuki and Yurika. Subsequent to a seven-minute search, the
couple found their friends in front of a new bookstore that had just
opened up. Ryouseika and Yurika ran up to greet each other, whilst
Nazuna sat walked over to Natsuki.
“Hey stranger! Haven’t seen you in a while, where have you been hiding
huh?” Yurika said.
Ryouseika blushed. She would have been perfectly happy to proclaim the
relationship between her and Nazuna but...
“I uh...well I’ve been around. I haven’t been doing anything really
just...” Ryouseika trailed off.
Yurika winked and nudged Ryouseika in the chest with her elbow.
“Who is he Ryouseika?”
Ryouseika looked transparently confused by that remark.
“What are you talking about?”
Yurika grinned. “The guy that you’ve been seeing...”
The navy-haired girl was definitely taken aback by *that*.
“I haven’t been seeing any guy.”
{That’s only half the truth. I haven’t been seeing any man; I’m dating
Nazuna...}
Yurika put on a know-it-all smile and turned her back to Ryouseika.
“You’re a terrible liar Ryouseika. I can see right through you! Your
blush gives you away my friend!”
Ryouseika covered her face and stifled a giggle.
“Shut up Yurika, I am not dating any guy!”
Nazuna watched Yurika and Ryouseika as they were talking. Despite her
girlfriend’s straight lased nature, she was a warm, giddy young girl
under it all. But for some reason, only Yurika could bring it out of
her. It was fairly understandable. Ryouseika and Yurika had known each
other since they were kids, so Yurika would always know how to reach
her.
Natsuki tapped on Nazuna's shoulder and threw a questionable look in
Nazuna’s direction. Unlike Yurika, she was not so naïve. It wasn’t
just Ryouseika who made a disappearing act, it was both Ryouseika and
Nazuna.
“So how come you two have been off and about alone?”
Nazuna looked towards her friend. “Are you crazy?”
“Heh, heh, heh what’s wrong? Did I step on a nerve? You can’t fool me,
I know you Nazuna. You and Ryouseika are up to something...”
Nazuna sweat dropped and laughed nervously. Was it that obvious that
she and Ryouseika had grown closer these past couple of months?
“Nah, I don’t know what you’re talking about Natsuki, I just got to
know Ryouseika a little better as a friend, that’s all.”
Natsuki grinned, but did her best to hide it. “Friend, huh?”
“And what does that mean?”
Natsuki just smiled at Nazuna, and called over Yurika and Ryouseika.
The trio the walked into the bookstore, with Nazuna in tow, but the
cerise-haired girl was more then preoccupied with Natsuki’s statement
to her.
Nazuna’s eyes narrowed. {Does she know something?}
Before Nazuna could continue thinking along those lines, Yurika called
out to her from inside the shop.
“Come on Nazuna!”
“Uh... yeah, sure.”
While in the bookstore, Yurika and Ryouseika were chatting away and
looking at the romance section across the store. Natsuki and Nazuna
were checking out the new manga out. However Nazuna kept one eye
trained on Natsuki. *Did* she know something?
“Hey, Nazuna. What do you think about this?”
Natsuki held up a graphic novel, Nazuna nodded in approval.
“I took that out from a library once. Read it, I know you’ll like it.”
Natsuki smiled. “Thanks. I’ll buy it.”
Yurika and Ryouseika looked around for any good romance books that
they hadn’t seen before. No such luck. Yurika pouted. This was the one
place that she thought she’d find some new books.
Ryouseika threw a confused look at Yurika. “I thought that you said we
would find some new titles here. I don’t see anything that I haven’t
already chewed through already.”
Yurika continued to search for some new books before answering her.
“I thought so too. I guess I was wrong.” Yurika smiled slyly when she
added, “But then again, what do you need romance books for? You’ve got
your mystery guy haven’t you?”
Ryouseika exhaled at Yurika’s persistence. “I am NOT dating a guy!”
A voice called out from behind. “You’re seeing someone Ryouseika?”
It was at that point that the navy-haired girl officially lost her
temper.
“I said that I’m not seeing any… Kenji?”
Ryouseika turned around to the guy that had spoken to her, to find no
other than Natsuki’s brother, Kenji.
“Hi Kenji...” Ryouseika said, surprised to see him. Yurika just smiled
at the two of them, and walked off somewhere, to give them a chance to
be alone. It was common knowledge that Kenji had a mad crazy crush on
Ryouseika.
“Hey, Ryouseika. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to
go out with my sister and Nazuna.”
“Oh, Natsuki and Nazuna are just over there somewhere, checking out
the new manga. So what brings you here? I didn’t know that you read
romance books.”
Kenji sweat dropped. “I-I don’t, I just was looking at some new
history books for college and I saw you so I thought I’d just...come
over and say hi.”
“Oh great, well do you want to come along with the rest of us?”
Kenji threw a bashful smile at Ryouseika and nodded. It was always
like this with Ryouseika and Kenji. Everyone knew that Kenji really
liked her, but Ryouseika didn’t really seem to notice. For the most
part, she just saw Kenji as Natsuki’s shy and cute big brother.
However, Nazuna didn’t have such a soft perception of Kenji. To her,
Kenji was just a little vulture, ready to swoop down on Ryouseika’s
tasty carcass. Nazuna and Natsuki walked over to the romance section,
and found Kenji there, making polite conversation with Ryouseika.
In Nazuna’s eyes, polite conversation was just Kenji’s timid little
way of flirting. Natsuki and Nazuna just stood there for a while, not
interrupting what was going on between the two to see more.
Natsuki smirked. “Well if it isn’t bookworm?” Natsuki nudged at
Nazuna. “Heh, heh I bet he’s asking her to marry him!”
However, Nazuna was not so amused. She could not stand anyone,
*anyone*, making those kinds of looks at Ryouseika. As they were
talking, Ryouseika dropped a book, and she gently kneeled over to pick
it up. And Kenji’s gaze followed downwards...
Nazuna’s eyes flared. {Did he just check out her...?}
Nazuna then turned to Natsuki, who was obviously amused.
“Can’t you do something about this?”
“About what?”
“About your brother flirting like a two-year old with her.”
Natsuki looked sceptical. “Why, she’s not seeing anyone...”
“What do you mean she’s not-” Nazuna almost yelled that, until she
realized the implications of saying it... “Oh...um, yeah. She’s
not...”
Natsuki sneered at Nazuna. “Or maybe she is, I dunno...she could have
someone waiting in the wings...couldn’t she Nazuna?”
“I-I suppose so...”
“Heh heh. You need to take it easy Nazuna Furutaka. Hey Ryouseika,
bookworm! Over here!”
Kenji and Ryouseika turned around to see Natsuki and an unusually
quiet Nazuna call them over. The two walked over, and Natsuki shot an
amused grin at her brother.
“So bookworm, I thought you were going to the library to study.”
“I was, then I decided to pick up some books, and I ran into Ryouseika
and Yurika, who seems to have vanished...”
Ryouseika looked around for Yurika, shaking her head. “She’ll be back.
But hey guys, is it okay if Kenji comes along with us?”
“What? I thought this was supposed to be just the four of us?” Nazuna
said, startling Ryouseika.
Ryouseika looked oddly at Nazuna for a moment, but shook it off.
“Why not, the more the merrier, right?”
Nazuna didn’t look back at Ryouseika, but kept her eyes on the boy
next to her. Natsuki then laid an arm around Kenji’s head, and led him
off.
“Okay you can come with us bookworm. Just try not to embarrass me.”
Kenji exhaled at his sister. “Will you please stop calling me that?”
Natsuki laughed and walked over to the front counter, where she saw
Yurika. “Why? You don’t want me to humiliate you in front of Ryouseika
do ya, bookworm?”
Kenji immediately blushed and placed his hand over Natsuki’s mouth. He
quickly looked back to see if Ryouseika had heard anything. She
hadn’t. She was talking to Nazuna.
“Natsuki! I’m serious!” Natsuki pulled her brother’s hand off of her
mouth and gulped in air.
“Kenji, don’t be an idiot, I wont tell Ryouseika that you like her if
you don’t want me to. Now come on, Yurika looks like she’s about to
spend some money, and it’s the perfect time to get her to pay me
back.”
Ryouseika looked at Nazuna confusedly, as every once in a while Nazuna
threw death looks at Kenji. Luckily he and Natsuki were out of
earshot.
“What is with you Nazuna?” Ryouseika said questioningly.
“You like have that guy gazing all over you, don’t you?”
Ryouseika’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“Now look who’s being dense...”
“Huh?”
“Kenji has a crush on you.” Nazuna said bluntly.
Ryouseika looked somewhat surprised. She thought that Kenji was just a
bashful guy, not that he liked her. “...Kenji has a crush on me?
Really?”
Nazuna’s eyes rolled off sardonically. “Please, can you try and sound
more eager?”
“I am not, I just... never thought a college guy would be interested
in me that’s all... Kenji really has a crush on me?”
“Of course he does. I think you’re the only one who doesn’t know.
Don’t you notice those stupid little puppy dog eyes that he throws at
you?”
“Leave him alone, he’s cute.”
Nazuna frowned at that. “Humph. ‘Cute’ huh?”
“Yeah, he’s sweet in a shy kind of way, you just...wait a minute...
are you jealous?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m not the jealous type!” Nazuna spluttered.
Ryouseika just grinned at her girlfriend.
“You are! You’re jealous! My, my, my...”
Nazuna’s brow furrowed again. “I am not jealous of that geeky little
string bean.”
“You know, insulting him doesn’t prove to me that you’re not jealous,
it just shows to me how threatened you are by him.”
“I-I...”
“I think a little jealousy is adorable Nazuna, just don’t take it out
on Kenji. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Nazuna pouted, and crossed her arms. Fair enough, she didn’t hate
Kenji, but she still didn’t like the idea of him making moves on
Ryouseika.
“Fine, fine.”
“Now lets go. You have some manga that you would like to buy don’t
you?”
Nazuna sighed. “Yes.”
After that, Ryouseika, Yurika, Kenji, Nazuna and Natsuki bought any
books that they picked out and left the store. For the next five hours
the gang went from shop to shop, buying new things and chatting about
the day. Kenji, in his quest to make Ryouseika like him, made frequent
attempts to talk to Ryouseika alone. The navy-haired girl knew what
Kenji was trying to do, but feigned ignorance. Nazuna tried to keep
her jealousy in check, however much of a struggle it was, and to
reassure her, Ryouseika would secretly blow kisses to Nazuna. After a
long day of shopping and a meal at a restaurant, it had finally turned
dark outside, so the gang decided to call it a day. Kenji and Natsuki
took the bus home, Yurika took a cab since she lived quite a ways from
the mall, and Nazuna and Ryouseika walked home together.
Nazuna and Ryouseika walked home in relative silence. Although
Ryouseika was smiling, she could tell that Nazuna’s pride had been
bruised by having to share her girlfriend. Suddenly Ryouseika broke
the unusual silence between them.
“You do realize that if we told every one about us, that wouldn’t have
happened.”
Nazuna looked across at Ryouseika, a look of disbelief plastered on
her face.
“Are you telling me that it is my fault that he was all over you like
a wet T-shirt?”
“I never said that. Nazuna, do you believe that I could ever love
Kenji over you?” Ryouseika said seriously.
Nazuna stopped walking, and faced Ryouseika.
“No, but it doesn’t make it easy does it? How would you feel if some
guy from across the street started flirting with *me* in *your* face?
Would you enjoy that?”
“No, but I would rest easy in the belief that the girl I love would
stay faithful to me.”
Somewhere in Nazuna’s brain, that registered and hit home. Ryouseika
was right. They were in love. She had no reason to believe that
Ryouseika would do something like that. Nazuna said nothing, but
pulled her love into a tight embrace, gazing sweetly into Ryouseika’s
dark marble eyes.
“I’m sorry sweetie. I didn’t mean to,”
Ryouseika placed a sole finger on the cerise-haired girls lips to
silence her, and gently kissed Nazuna’s cheek.
“I know. And I understand. Just please try to trust me in the future
okay?”
Nazuna nodded, and was rewarded with a loving smile from the
navy-haired girl. The two then continued to walk home hand in hand.
Whilst going over today’s events in her head, she remembered that
little thing from before...
“Ryouseika, you know when you said this morning that Yurika and
Natsuki may already know about us?”
Ryouseika sighed and laid her head on Nazuna’s shoulder. “Yes...”
“Well, Natsuki said some things to me...”
**********
The next morning, Ryouseika awoke to the sweet chirping of the birds
near her window, and the thin beams of sunlight cutting through the
gaps in her curtains. The navy–haired girl yawned, pulling the bed
covers off. Like every morning, before she did anything, Ryouseika
picked up her framed picture of Nazuna and kissed it. It was the
closest thing she had to Nazuna in the mornings.
Afterwards she went into the bathroom, soaked in the tub for about an
hour, then dried and brushed her hair, and after twenty minutes of
indecisiveness, she’d picked out her outfit for today. Ryouseika
wasn’t a vain person, but she was never happy if she didn’t feel as if
she looked good. Anyway, after getting dressed, Ryouseika lay down on
the bed again and read a few magazines. She actually wanted to call
Nazuna, but it was about 9.00 in the morning and she knew that her
cerise-haired girlfriend was not a morning person. It would by midday
before Nazuna even had breakfast.
While Ryouseika was reading, a knock came at the door. Ryouseika
called for whomever it was to come in, and her mother, Yumiko entered.
Ryouseika smiled. “Morning mother.”
Yumiko smiled back and sat down on the edge of Ryouseika’s bed.
“Good morning Ryouseika. Can we talk?”
“Sure mother.”
Ryouseika leaned upright, and she folded her magazine away. Her mother
didn’t seem upset or worried about anything, but Ryouseika always
watched out for that statement.
Yumiko looked into her daughter’s eyes and started.
“Ryouseika, I have noticed a change in you these past few months.”
Ryouseika exhaled. Not this again. It seemed as if everyone was
keeping tabs on her lately.
“In what way?”
Yumiko smiled. “You are happier then before, I can see that. I was
just wondering if something special had caused it.”
The navy-haired girl blushed. She knew damn well what her mother meant
by that, not something but *someone*. But Nazuna was not ready to say
anything yet.
“Yeah. Okay mom, I’ll tell you this, there is someone that makes me
happy, unfortunately, that person doesn’t want announce our
relationship just yet. As soon as they’re ready to talk, I’ll tell you
everything mom...but just not now.”
Yumiko smiled even further. She was happy that someone was finally
making her daughter happy. She just hoped that the boy that captured
her heart was a decent one.
“I am glad for you Ryouseika. Now do you want some breakfast? You
better hurry before your father consumes everything on the plates.”
Ryouseika giggled at her mom’s crack at her dad, and followed her
downstairs to get something to eat.
**********
“My mother said something interesting to me this morning.”
Ryouseika said. She was at Nazuna’s house, because she planned to go
there this morning. The two were sitting on the couch in the living
room: Nazuna had her arm slung around Ryouseika’s shoulder, while the
navy-haired girl rested her head Nazuna’s shoulder.
“What was that?” Nazuna asked pleasantly. Nazuna had always liked
Ryouseika’s mom; she was charming and sweet.
“She said that she has noticed how much I have changed in the past
three months, that I have become happier.”
“And I’m the cause of it, right?”
Ryouseika smiled at Nazuna. “Uh huh.”
The navy-haired girl looked up at her Nazuna, and lightly rested her
hand under the cerise-haired girl’s chin, pausing for a second to look
into Nazuna’s eyes.
The twin jewels that acted as gateways to Nazuna’s soul were
hauntingly beautiful. They were coloured with the faintest shades of
Aquamarine, a shining glimmer of light always seeming to pass through
them. While Ryouseika marvelled at her eyes, Nazuna leaned in, and
whispered into her girlfriend’s ear.
“I know how to make you feel you better than that...”
Nazuna took Ryouseika’s blush as consent to devour her, and the
cerise-haired girl needed no further encouragement. Nazuna captured
Ryouseika’s lips in soft, tender kiss, and sighed as she felt her
girlfriend return that same passion. Ryouseika leaned back to pull
Nazuna down on top of her, while letting her hands travel up to the
cerise-haired girl’s soft cheeks. Right now desire was all they cared
about, and Nazuna demonstrated this rubbing her hips between the
tenderness of Ryouseika’s inner thighs. The navy-haired girl had no
time to react to this though, as Nazuna detached from their kiss and
hungrily made her way down to Ryouseika’s neck, gently kissing and
nibbling the creamy white flesh that lay there. Ryouseika moaned and
wailed a little, Nazuna’s ardour and lust had taken control. A grin
crossed Nazuna’s lips from hearing Ryouseika’s moans. She loved having
the ability to give pleasure to a woman as beautiful as Ryouseika was.
Nazuna then began to plant a trail of kisses down to Ryouseika’s
chest, when a rustling at the door instantly made the cerise-haired
girl lean upwards. Ryouseika whimpered playfully at the loss of
Nazuna’s ministrations, but became cross seeing that Nazuna had
totally stopped what she was doing. The navy-haired girl was prepared
to say something about that, but Nazuna’s father walked in before she
could. Hideo Furutaka simply smiled at the two of them sitting on the
couch, he obviously hadn’t heard or seen anything.
“Good afternoon Ryouseika.”
Ryouseika smiled at Nazuna’s father nervously. “G-good afternoon Mr
Furutaka. Nice to see you.”
Hideo smiled again, but his face turned serious as he looked at
Nazuna.
“Sweetie, are you running a fever?”
“Huh?”
Hideo pointed to her face. “Well it’s just that your cheeks are so
flushed, and your top shirt button is undone.”
Nazuna looked down at her shirt, and her father was right, it was
undone.
{How did that happen?}
“Uh...yeah dad I am feeling a little hot today.” Nazuna said.
Hideo nodded. “Well try not to let it get any worse. I’ll be upstairs
in my bedroom if you need me.”
Hideo walked up the stairs to his room, and Nazuna relaxed back on the
couch.
“Man, that was close.”
“Excuse me?” Ryouseika said irately. Nazuna looked across at her
girlfriend to see an angry expression written across her face.
“Well, we almost got caught...”
“‘Almost got caught’...Nazuna we were not robbing a bank, we were just
fooling around!”
Nazuna blinked. Was it that big a deal?
“Okay, what’s wrong Ryouseika?”
Ryouseika paused of a second, and slowly exhaled.
“I want to tell everyone about us. Now.”
Nazuna’s eyes widened. Tell everyone about her relationship with
Ryouseika? They had gone over this before, why now?
“Uh, but...Ryouseika, I thought we agreed to wait for the right time
before we told anyone.”
“*Now* is the right time. I am tired of having to hide my feelings. I
did enough of that when we were not dating.”
Nazuna lowered head, looking away from Ryouseika. She did want to tell
people, but this soon... Ryouseika could sense that her love was
fighting a battle. It wasn’t as if the navy-haired girl wasn’t scared
as well, but she still couldn’t stand keeping this a secret.
Ryouseika placed her hand on Nazuna’s, and moved a little closer to
her.
“Please Nazuna...” Ryouseika said soothingly.
The cerise-haired girl looked up at her girlfriend. Maybe this was the
right way forward. If their family and friends couldn’t accept their
relationship now, then they never will in the future.
Nazuna sighed, smiling at the navy-haired girl. “Okay.”
Ryouseika kissed Nazuna on the forehead, and Nazuna led her up to the
stairs to her father’s room. The cerise haired girl lightly knocked on
the door, and Hideo called out, giving them permission to come in.
Hideo stared at the two of them. He was working on the computer at the
time when he heard someone knock at the door. Obviously it was Nazuna
and Ryouseika, but the two looked worried, slightly apprehensive about
something.
“Something wrong girls?” Hideo asked.
Nazuna just shuffled on the spot. “Dad, Ryouseika and I have something
to tell you...”
“Fire away.”
Nazuna squirmed again, but this time Ryouseika held her hand, and gave
her a warm smile of encouragement. Hideo raised an eyebrow at that,
but said nothing, and Nazuna spoke first.
“Well, Ryouseika...Ryouseika and I...are...are a couple. I’ve been
dating her for the past 3 months. I’m in love with her, she’s in love
with me...we love each other...that’s my news.”
Nazuna and Ryouseika waited for his reaction. Needless to say, Hideo
was shocked. Very shocked. Nazuna then began to wonder if this really
was a mistake, her father wasn’t saying or doing anything except
sitting his pine wood chair, totally dumbfounded.
Just when Nazuna thought about leaving, Hideo cast the two of them a
smile. Nazuna and Ryouseika both looked confused, but Hideo stood up
and walked over to them.
“I think that’s great.” Hideo said happily.
Ryouseika was the first person to respond. “So, you don’t mind the
fact that I am in love with your daughter, sir?”
Hideo rested a palm on Ryouseika’s shoulder and shook his head.
“No. I don’t. I don’t hate you for loving my daughter; I like you for
making my daughter happy.”
Ryouseika blushed. “Thank you sir.”
Hideo turned to his daughter. “Nazuna.”
Nazuna’s head shot up, but before she knew it, she was wrapped in her
father’s embrace. Nazuna’s face became flushed with embarrassment when
Ryouseika smiled at the two of them.
“Uh, c’mon dad...” Nazuna said.
“Nazuna. You shouldn’t have been worried about my reaction. You’re my
child. I’ll love you no matter what choices you make in your life. You
must never doubt that. However...”
Nazuna looked up at her dad when he added,
“I do not appreciate you keeping something this big from me for so
long. Next time, I want you to trust in me okay?”
Nazuna smiled. “Yeah dad.”
Hideo looked back to Ryouseika. “And Ryouseika...”
“Yes sir?”
“You take good care of my little girl okay?”
Ryouseika giggled and nodded. “I will sir.”
Nazuna stepped out of her father’s embrace and waved a finger at him.
“DAD! I am not a little girl anymore!”
Hideo laughed at that. “You will always be my little girl Nazuna. Well
I’m sure the two of you want some time alone to talk about this
right?”
Ryouseika nodded. “We wouldn’t mind.”
“Okay, go ahead then. But try and get some rest Nazuna, we don’t want
that fever to get any worse now, do we?”
Nazuna and Ryouseika sweat dropped at that statement.
“Uh, dad? I don’t have a fever, it’s just...well me and Ryouseika were
kinda making out on the couch when you walked in on us...”
“Oh um...” Hideo coughed into his fist. “Well...that’s fine.”
**********
“You see...was that so hard?”
Ryouseika smirked. It was about 5.30, and Ryouseika decided to go back
home. The two of them were just in front of Nazuna’s house.
“Yeah, it was. The end result was a good one though. I didn’t think my
dad would take so well to that.”
Ryouseika sighed. “That’s one down. But we still have my parents and
our friends to tell Nazuna. Do you think they will accept this as well
as your father did?”
Nazuna drew Ryouseika into a gentle hug, and spoke softly to her.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that we’ll be here for each other. I
think we can make it through this Ryouseika. Anyway, I guess we should
tell them all tomorrow yeah? I’ll call Yurika and Natsuki and tell
them to meet us someplace alright?”
Ryouseika nodded and kissed Nazuna quickly. The navy-haired girl began
to walk away down the street, but turned back to yell out to her
girlfriend.
“Call me later, okay?”
Nazuna yelled back. “Yeah!”
**********
The next day, was a Monday. It was summer break so it didn’t matter
where they were. Nazuna had called Natsuki and Yurika, and told them
to meet her and Ryouseika that day. Ryouseika and Nazuna had planned
to tell their friends and then Ryouseika’s parents. Nazuna was more
confident now. She was sure that if her dad didn’t object, then others
wouldn’t. However Ryouseika was now the one who was nervous. She could
stand it if Nazuna’s father had a problem with them seeing each other,
but her own parents? Nazuna tried to assure Ryouseika that things
would work out, but now the navy-haired girl was not so sure.
In any case, Nazuna and Ryouseika went to the coffee shop on the
arcade that Nazuna had told Yurika and Natsuki to meet them at.
Sure enough, the two of them were there, and on time, so Ryouseika and
Nazuna just said their hellos and sat down on the outdoor table just
next to the coffee shop.
Natsuki and Yurika were gabbing about the holidays and the guys that
they thought were cute, until Yurika looked at Ryouseika and Nazuna.
The two of them seemed pre-occupied somehow.
And Yurika let her feelings be known. “What’s wrong with you two? You
haven’t said anything, which is weird because it was Nazuna who called
us here. Is something up?”
Nazuna fiddled with her hands, still a little nervous, but was more
confident when Ryouseika laid her hand on her knee under the table.
Ryouseika was the first person to speak.
“Nazuna and I, we have some news to tell you. Really important news.”
Yurika grinned deviously. “Is this about the guy you’re seeing?”
“Yurika, how many times do I have to tell you, I am not dating a guy,
so will you quit it?”
Yurika whistled to herself. “Okay Ryouseika, whatever you say...”
Natsuki took a sip of her coffee and raised a new question.
“Alright, so then what *did* you call us here for?”
Nazuna set her hand on the Ryouseika’s hand, the one that was on her
knee, and drew forth the courage to say this again.
“Ryouseika and I are dating...”
An extremely uncomfortable silence descended around the table, as
Yurika and Natsuki stared at Ryouseika and Nazuna. A few snickers from
Natsuki pierced the silence. Although Nazuna was happy that Natsuki
wasn’t screaming in terror, she felt insulted by that.
“You mind telling me what’s so funny?”
Natsuki sobered up enough to answer her.
“I’m sorry, it’s just... I thought something was going on between the
two of you. I mean you two disappear for ages, the both of you, and we
only see you together. On Saturday, when my brother the bookworm was
talking to Ryouseika, you were acting just plain jealous. Not to
mention the fact that I saw Ryouseika blow a kiss to you Nazuna. I’m
just pleased to find that I was right. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Ryouseika was happy, but confused. “You...you knew?”
“Yep!” Natsuki beamed.
“And you didn’t bother to say anything?” Nazuna questioned.
Natsuki looked at Nazuna and frowned at her.
“I did try. I don’t know if you noticed, but I was kinda hinting at it
with you Nazuna? And besides, what if I was wrong? I would have looked
like a damn fool!”
Ryouseika smiled happily. “You mean; you don’t mind that Nazuna and I
are a couple?”
“I’ll admit that this came as a shock, but if two of my closest
friends make each other happy, I say go for it!”
Nazuna breathed a sigh of relief. She was so glad that people were
taking this so well. Ryouseika looked over to Yurika.
“What about you Yurika?”
Yurika still hadn’t gotten over the initial shock of it all. Nazuna
and Ryouseika, an item?
“So...you two are lesbians?” Yurika asked uncertainly.
“Well, if you put it so bluntly, yeah we are.” Nazuna said.
Yurika looked directly at Ryouseika, almost as if she hadn’t heard
what Nazuna had said to her.
“You mean all that time I was teasing you about a...a guy, you
were...with Nazuna?”
Ryouseika took caution in answering that. “Yes, that’s right. Is there
a problem?”
Yurika looked around the table. Natsuki seemed okay with this. And
Nazuna always seemed more fond of girls then guys, but Ryouseika...
she had known Ryouseika since they were toddlers. The girl she had
spent whole nights on talking to on the phone about marriage and the
perfect guy. And now she’s saying that she’s a...
“N-no... No problem. It’s great...”
Natsuki piped up. “Well of course it’s great! Oh, but hey, this is bad
news for Kenji huh?”
Nazuna grinned and slung her arm around Ryouseika protectively.
“Yep! Sorry, but she’s mine!”
Yurika watched the other three as they started laughing. Why were they
so okay about this?
**********
Later on that day, Ryouseika and Nazuna made their way to Ryouseika’s
house, chatting about Natsuki and Yurika’s reaction. After they told
the two, things went on pretty well, but Yurika stayed quiet.
Ryouseika seemed be the only one who noticed the change in Yurika’s
behaviour, but Nazuna told her girlfriend that she was imagining it.
Now this was the time to tell Ryouseika’s parents. And they both
believed that it wouldn’t be easy. Ryouseika’s mom was a nice,
experienced woman. She had an open mind and was not afraid of change.
But Ryouseika’s father, Shunji, was a different story. He was a cold
hard conservative, and a supporter of the Hoshuto of the Japanese
parliament. He was haughty, kind of arrogant, and VERY protective of
his daughter. Naturally, Nazuna was a little intimidated by him. If he
couldn’t trust men around his daughter, how is he going to feel now
that she is in love with a woman?
Nazuna tried not to expect the worse. He might not be as shocked as
she expected him to be. Shunji wasn’t narrow-minded, just...
Ryouseika held on to Nazuna’s hand. It kept tensing and her gaze
seemed quite distant.
{Is she worried? I know that my father isn’t the easiest man to deal
with, but he’s not a pig. He’ll support us just like Nazuna’s dad.}
“Nazuna, are you okay?” Ryouseika asked concerned.
The cerise-haired girl shook her head, and lightly kissed Ryouseika on
the cheek. She didn’t want her navy-haired girlfriend to worry.
“Yeah. Lets go tell your parents.”
A little later, the couple arrived at Ryouseika’s house. The two went
inside and Ryouseika called for her parents. Nazuna went to the living
room, sat down on the couch and waited apprehensively for Ryouseika
and her parents. Soon enough, Ryouseika, Yumiko and Shunji entered the
room. Shunji sat down on the recliner chair and cracked open a paper,
whilst Yumiko stood up next to him. Ryouseika sat next to Nazuna. She
was sure that since Hideo, Natsuki and Yurika were okay with it, so to
would her parents.
Even though she did not show it, in her heart, Ryouseika was still
fearful of her parent’s reaction, especially her father’s.
“Mom, Daddy...I...we, need to talk to you.”
Shunji put down his paper and looked at his daughter.
“What’s wrong Kitten?”
“Well Daddy, Nazuna and I...we are a couple. We have been dating for
the past 3 months or so, and we just recently told Nazuna’s father and
our friends, and now...we are telling you. So...uh, that’s what I have
to say...”
Once again, an eerie silence fell on the scene, as Nazuna and
Ryouseika stared at two extremely shocked faces. After a five-minute
silence (which seemed like an hour) Yumiko walked to her daughter, and
crouched down to face Ryouseika at eye-level.
“You love Nazuna?”
Ryouseika calmly nodded. “Uh huh.”
“And she’s the one who has brought about this change in you?”
Ryouseika nodded again. “Yes.”
“But I thought that you were dating...a boy.” Yumiko said.
Ryouseika grimaced and waved a finger in front of Yumiko.
“No Mom, you assumed that I was seeing a boy. I never once said that
had feelings for a man.”
Yumiko sighed, and looked at Nazuna. “Does she make you happy?”
Nazuna nodded at that question, and held Ryouseika’s hand.
“Yes, she does Mrs Fujishima.”
Yumiko’s vague expression became a smile.
“Then I’ll support the two of you.”
Ryouseika looked contemplatively shocked. “Really Mom?”
“Yes. As long as you make each other happy, then I’m happy.”
Ryouseika jumped into her mother’s arms and breathed a sight of
relief.
“Oh thank you Mom! You don’t know how pleased you’ve made me!”
Ryouseika’s mother held onto her daughter tight, and smiled at Nazuna.
Nazuna smiled back in acceptance. But the good cheer was suddenly cut
short.
“I’m glad you find this so thrilling Yumiko.”
Three heads turned around and stared directly at Shunji. It was he who
made that icy comment, and it matched the dark look of repressed anger
on his face. Ryouseika looked confused.
“Daddy, you...you don’t approve?”
Shunji’s dark beads travelled from a stare at Ryouseika, to a stare at
Nazuna and back.
“There is nothing to approve of. The two of you are not in a
relationship.” He said, his voice stone hard.
“You don’t love *her* Ryouseika, you’ve had boyfriends before.”
By this time Ryouseika had moved out of her mother’s embrace and stood
in front of her father. This was exactly the thing Nazuna was
expecting from Shunji. But Ryouseika couldn’t believe it. She would
have thought that her father would be supportive.
“But Daddy, I never really cared about them, Nazuna is all I really
want...”
“You don’t know what you want Ryouseika, that’s the point.”
Ryouseika looked shocked, already tears were forming around her eyes.
“Can’t you see I’m in love?”
“How could you be in love with this sick little pervert?!” Shunji
roared, shocking everyone in the room.
It was at that point, that Nazuna stood up and completely lost her
temper, but Yumiko placed a hand in front of her to prevent anything
from getting started.
“For God’s sake Shunji, don’t be so damn rude. This isn’t some piece
of trash from across the street; this is our child’s girlfriend.”
Shunji looked at Yumiko, with a look on his face that screamed
bewilderment.
“You mean you actually support this?”
Yumiko threw back an equally bewildered face, from being asked such a
question.
“Why shouldn’t I? My baby-girl is finally settled in here in Osaka,
and it’s thanks to Nazuna. If they feel strongly enough about each
other to start a relationship, I don’t see the problem in that.”
“The problem, my dear Yumiko, is that your daughter is in love with a
girl. Not only that, but they charge in here and announce this without
any shame or disgrace!”
“That’s because I have nothing to be ashamed of!” Ryouseika yelled,
tears spilling out of her eyes. Nazuna was prepared to comfort her,
but it didn’t seem like the best time...
Shunji stood up, and looked coldly at Nazuna. The hatred in his eyes
was totally unhidden, and the cerise-haired girl shrunk from its
hostility.
“I would like you to leave so that I can speak to my daughter alone.”
Nazuna would have left there and then, but only if she knew that
Ryouseika would be all right. Ryouseika sensed this, and looked back,
nodding slowly to confirm that she would be okay. Yumiko also gave
Nazuna a look, which showed that it was best that she left. After
taking one last look at Ryouseika, Nazuna slowly walked out of the
living room, through the hall and out the door.
Whilst she got out of the house, Nazuna held a hand to her face.
{I knew this was a bad idea.}
**********
Later on that night, Nazuna was lying down on her bed, wide-awake and
reflecting on today’s events.
{Why did this have to happen? My dad was okay with it; Natsuki and
Yurika are okay about it, even Ryouseika’s mom took it well. So why
did her dad have to spoil things? Man, that guy is such a jerk...I
shouldn’t have left Ryouseika alone with him. I hope she’s okay...}
Just as the cerise-haired girl was thinking, the phone on her bedside
table rang. Tiredly, she leaned over and picked the receiver, placing
it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“It’s me Nazuna...”
Nazuna’s voice perked up in worry. “Ryouseika? Are you all right? What
happened?”
“He is really mad Nazuna. I tried explaining to him how much I love
you but he just wouldn’t listen. Even my mother had to help calm him
down. Why does he have to be so pig headed?”
“I don’t know...” Nazuna trailed off.
“Anyway, how are you? I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you.”
Nazuna smiled a little. “I’m fine sweetie.”
“I am sorry for what he said to you. I don’t think he meant it.”
Nazuna smirked. “Oh he meant it, I know that. But don’t worry, I’m
okay with it.”
Ryouseika paused for a second. “Do you think...things will get better
Nazuna?”
“...Sure they will. You just have to hope for the best. Maybe your dad
will see sense someday.”
“I hope so. I’ll see you tomorrow okay? I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Nazuna hung up. This was going to be harder then she expected it to
be. Nazuna then gasped in surprise as she saw her father’s silhouette
in the doorway.
“Dad?” Nazuna asked
“Things didn’t go too well when you told them, huh?”
Nazuna lowered her head. Something in the back of her mind told her
that this wasn’t her fault but she couldn’t help but feel guilty. If
only they had approached this better...
Hideo walked into Nazuna’s room and sat down on the bed.
“This is my fault dad, I could have handled this so much better.”
Hideo shook his head. “Do you think that they would have taken this
any better if told them differently?”
Nazuna looked up. “No, but it might have helped.”
“It wouldn’t have Nazuna. Sometimes, simple words just can’t reach
people. How badly did they take it?”
“Well, Ryouseika’s mom, Yumiko took it quite well, but her dad...man
that guy gets on my nerves.”
Hideo thought for a second. “So it was her father who was angry at you
and Ryouseika?”
“...Yes.”
“Did he do anything to you?”
Nazuna smirked again. “No, but he had a few choice words for me. If
this is how it’s going to be, telling people that I care for a girl
then I don’t think I wanna say anything.”
Hideo moved closer to Nazuna, and drew her up into warm hug. Nazuna
smiled as her dad held her. A lot of people called her a tomboy, but
in reality she was as fragile as a porcelain doll.
“Not all people are like that Nazuna. Someday people that think the
way Ryouseika’s father thinks, will see that there is nothing wrong
with being in love with someone of the same sex.”
“They’ll be like you, huh dad?”
Hideo smiled. “Nah, I’m not special. I’m just happy to see my little
girl happy.”
Nazuna pulled out of her dad’s hug and lay down. Hideo the gently
kissed her on the forehead, and ruffled her hair a bit.
“Get some rest sweetheart.”
“Night dad.”
Hideo nodded, and exited Nazuna’s room, turning of the lights.
*********
The next day, Nazuna was thinking of going over to Ryouseika’s house
to try and see her. The cerise-haired girl then objected to that idea
when Mr Fujishima came to mind. But then she did not need to. Nazuna
went to the park just a little ways from where Ryouseika’s house was,
and see saw Ryouseika herself sitting by on a bench. The young woman
had a melancholy expression on her face. Her father’s actions had
really hit Ryouseika where it hurt. But her sadness dissolved when she
heard a familiar voice call out to her.
“Ryouseika!”
The navy-haired girl’s head eagerly popped up as she heard her love’s
sweet voice again. Nazuna ran up to her, and Ryouseika stood upright
as Nazuna clung to her with a loving embrace.
“I missed you.”
Ryouseika smiled. “It’s only been a night silly.”
Nazuna sat down on the bench, lightly pulling Ryouseika down with her.
“So how are you sweetie? Really?”
Ryouseika’s smile fell and her eyes became distant.
“It was horrible. This morning was a nightmare too. We were just so
silent, and nobody was speaking to anybody. I had to get out of there
before I want insane, Nazuna.”
“Well, we can only hope that you’re dad will come to understand.”
Ryouseika’s eyes fell. “Daddy will never understand.” But her eyes
perked up when an interesting plan came to mind...
“But maybe...we could find a way to make him...”
Nazuna didn’t like the way Ryouseika said that.
“What do you mean?” Nazuna said cautiously.
“Well...what if...we...what if we had a little dinner to get to know
each other better?”
Nazuna turned to Ryouseika, her eyes taking a size that a thousand
years of corrective surgery couldn’t fix.
“Are you insane?”
“Come on Nazuna, I know if he got a better chance to meet you then his
views might change.”
Nazuna sighed. She got the feeling that this was going to be a lot
more complicated then she originally expected. Despite her the
navy-haired girl’s intelligence, Ryouseika could be particularly naïve
when she wanted to be.
{This is crazy, if I go there, Mr Fujishima will eat me alive. I have
to say no. No, no, no!}
Nazuna sighed. “Okay.”
{You idiot.}
**********
And so, Ryouseika arranged a dinner with herself, Yumiko, Shunji and
Nazuna. It goes without saying that both Yumiko and Nazuna had doubts
about Ryouseika’s plan but she was too confident about it to be
thwarted. When Ryouseika ask her father to be there, he instantly went
berserk, but after a few sharp words from Yumiko, he settled down. And
what ever Yumiko said affected him; because he gave his word that he
would be there.
At about 8.00, Nazuna made her way over to the Fujishima household.
When she knocked on the door Yumiko greeted her kindly, while
Ryouseika was upstairs. Nazuna guardedly entered their house, and
avoided the living room, where Shunji obviously was. Nazuna waited in
the kitchen, and eventually Ryouseika came downstairs. Normally she
would have greeted Nazuna affectionately, but she didn’t want to push
her luck while her father was around.
“Hi.”
Nazuna sweat dropped. “Uh...hi.”
Yumiko walked into the living room and saw Shunji slouched in his
recliner, with his arms folded and was assaulting the television with
an irate expression across his face.
“Shunji. Everything is ready.”
Shunji didn’t look at Yumiko, but kept his gaze on the TV.
“...Is that lesbian here?”
Yumiko sighed. “Yes, she’s here. Shunji, she has a name. And I don’t
want you doing anything to insult her. You hear me?”
The angry father just grumbled and stood up, making his way to the
dining room with Yumiko in tow. As entered they dining room, he caught
sight of Nazuna sitting across from Ryouseika. The two locked eyes for
a second. Shunji cast Nazuna a look of contempt, but Nazuna didn’t
retaliate, she just willed herself to be polite and turned the other
cheek.
“Hello, Mr Fujishima.” Nazuna said. It wasn’t angry, but it was sharp,
showing that she was not going to back down without a fight.
Shunji was about to snub her, but a warning look from Yumiko’s
direction forced him into responding to her.
“Hello.”
Shunji said that mockingly, but the other three chose to over look it
and sit down. Nazuna sat away from Ryouseika as not to offend Shunji,
but now she wished she’d had have done just to spite him. Yumiko left
the room of a second to go get the food. Nobody said anything until
she came back, and Yumiko set the food down and the four ate. Things
had remained relatively silent after that. An unnerving silence that
Nazuna unbearably suffered. The only sound that could be heard was the
scrape or grate of silverware connecting with dishware. Suddenly
Shunji broke the silence, causing stares from Ryouseika and Yumiko.
“Can someone pass me a glass of water?”
Ryouseika and Yumiko looked blankly at him but said nothing. Nazuna
then took the initiative and passed him a glass from the middle of the
table. This elicited a curious but threatening glance from Shunji
however, he did not say anything, just grunted a quick thank you.
Ryouseika then secretly smiled at Nazuna. It may not seem like much
but it was a daring move. Yumiko took this is a sign that the tension
around the table was defrosting, and tried to open things up.
“Would you like some more katsu-don Ryouseika?”
“Sure Mom.” Ryouseika smiled at her mother as she handed over the
bowl of food, and set it down, refreshing her plate.
However, Shunji saw this and smirked.
“Are you sure about that? Maybe you’ve turned vegetarian, everything
else about you seems to change.”
Everyone around the table looked at Shunji, and Yumiko sighed in
disappointment. She was actually beginning to think that this might go
well. Correct to Yumiko’s suspicions, Ryouseika didn’t take that lying
down.
“...My sexuality isn’t like picking a dish to eat Daddy. I can’t
control how I feel about Nazuna.”
Shunji didn’t look up, just continued to eat, and sneered.
“Oh spare me your new-age garbage.”
“Shunji, control your temper.” Yumiko said.
Once again, Shunji looked at his wife, astonished by her attitude
towards Ryouseika and Nazuna. “Your daughter is becoming a...one of
them? And you tell me to control myself?”
“Mr Fujishima...I,”
Even though Nazuna tried to keep an air of respectability, Shunji cut
her off before she could continue. “I was not talking to you.”
Ryouseika’s eyes flared when her father said that, even Nazuna was
trying to make an effort and then he went and threw it in her face
like that?
“Don’t you talk to my girlfriend that way!” Ryouseika yelled.
Shunji just shook his head in pity.
“Your girlfriend? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?”
“What is so ridiculous about my being in love?”
“You’re not in love Ryouseika, you’re confused.”
This time, Nazuna spoke again, and nobody noticed that fact that
Nazuna’s polite calmness was melting away.
“I wouldn’t doubt your daughter’s feelings for me sir.” Nazuna said,
with iciness in her tongue.
This time Kenji stopped eating, and cast a dark glare at Nazuna.
“Once again, I ask; was I talking to you?”
“No but I’m talking to you!” Nazuna stood up and slapped her hands on
the table in anger. She had damn well had enough of this.
“I wont sit back and listen to this!”
“Can we all just calm down?” Yumiko tried to smooth over the hostility
before anything kick started from it, but Shunji welcomed it.
“No, if this little girl has something to say let her say it!” He
commanded.
Nazuna would have yelled or cursed at him, but Ryouseika had a look in
her eye that voted against it. Even thought this guy had it coming to
him, she still hoped for a chance to get better acquainted. Nazuna
took a second compose herself, and spoke as calmly she could.
“Mr Fujishima, I love your daughter. I’m not trying to kill her; I’m
not trying to steal her; I’m in love with her. That’s it. What is so
hard to understand?”
Shunji now stood up to follow Nazuna’s actions, and he looked directly
at Nazuna, matching her
“Look you, I have been to one of the finest schools in Japan, and I
have been raised on the traditional, honourable ways. I know the
difference between right and wrong, and obviously you don’t.”
The cerise-haired girl looked totally confused. “Are you telling me
it’s wrong to love Ryouseika?”
“No, I’m telling you it’s wrong for *you* to love a woman, especially
when that woman happens to my only child!” Shunji yelled.
“She just cares for her Shunji.” Yumiko said.
Shunji settled his voice down but kept its hostility. “It’s sick.”
“It’s love.” Nazuna corrected.
“What you...feel for *my* daughter is not love, I know what love is
and that is not it! What you have is a twisted little infatuation!”
Nazuna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Jesus Christ, if your mind got any narrower it’d be a thimble! I am
not some sick little girl!”
“Are you calling me narrow-minded? Listen here you little lesbian,
there is nothing you can offer my daughter that any man cannot give! I
went to a top ranked school, and graduated with honours!”
Somewhere amidst Nazuna and Shunji’s argument, Ryouseika’s anger at
her father judged her actions.
“All the trophies on the face of Japan could not stop you from being
an asshole, Daddy.”
“Ryouseika...” Yumiko gasped.
Shunji just shook his head in understanding and pointed to Nazuna.
“How dare you? You see this? This is the kind of thing your daughter
picks up from her, you do realize that don’t you Yumiko?”
Whatever fibres that were holding back Ryouseika’s rage were snapped
there and then, as Ryouseika stood up and yelled at her father with
every part of her soul.
“That is it! I am sick and tired of your pompous, highbrow, honour the
family crap! Why is that whenever we have problems, I suddenly become
Mom’s daughter huh? Why is it that you so blind, you can’t see what is
best for me!”
“You don’t know what is best for you Ryouseika! When this little fling
is done and dusted, do you think that there will be any nice, decent
man for you to marry? No! Their will only idiosyncratic lesbians like
this girl!”
Ryouseika looked away and shook her head in frustration...
“You are still not listening to me. When will it sink into your thick
skull...that I don’t want anyone else... I WANT NAZUNA!”
Shunji didn’t respond; he just looked in-between Ryouseika and Nazuna.
The navy-haired girl cast her father a hateful glare, grabbed Nazuna
by the hand and led her to the front door. Nazuna just looked shocked.
“Ryouseika...”
The girl in question smiled timidly.
“I didn’t mean to scream at him the way I did, I just could not
control my anger Nazuna. Anyway I think you were right, this was a bad
idea. I will deal with this, you just go home.”
The cerise-haired girl frowned. “I can’t leave you alone with him when
he’s like that.”
Ryouseika smiled again, and gently kissed her love on the cheek.
“I’ll be fine. I know how to handle my father.”
“Are you sure?” Nazuna asked. Ryouseika smiled again and kissed her on
the second cheek.
“Yes.”
With that, Nazuna opened the door and reluctantly left. Ryouseika then
walked back into the kitchen to see Shunji sitting down, with Yumiko
standing next to him with a worried expression her face. The
navy-haired girl chose to ignore that and stick with the task at hand.
“Listen to me Daddy. I love you, and I don’t want to do anything to
offend or hurt you. But you cannot treat Nazuna like that.”
Shunji looked up at Ryouseika with a stone hard, emotionless face.
“That wont be a problem anymore.”
Ryouseika raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”
“Because you are never going to see that girl again.”
**********
It was 12.38. And had been quite a few hours since that big bust up
with Ryouseika’s father; Nazuna was lying on her bad, once again
waiting for a phone call from her girlfriend. Nazuna was worried about
her. That was the angriest she had ever she Ryouseika. She was
normally such a reserved person, but Shunji’s ignorance brought out a
hidden rage.
Nazuna just hoped that Ryouseika wasn’t in any trouble. The ring of
her phone once again disturbed Nazuna’s thoughts, and the
cerise-haired quickly picked it up.
“Hello? Ryouseika?”
Nazuna assumed it was Ryouseika on the other side of the line, but all
she could here was sniffling and sobbing.
“Ryouseika! Is it you? What did he say to you?”
After a delayed pause to gather herself, Ryouseika gently whispered
into the phone.
“Nazuna...”
{Ryouseika sounds so feeble.} “I’m here sweetie.”
“M-my...father said... he said that...”
“What did he say?” Nazuna asked eagerly.
“He...he said that...that we can’t see each other anymore!”
And just like that, Nazuna’s world came crashing down. “What?”
“He says that if I respect him, I’ll stay away from you.”
“Wait a minute, you can’t just follow his orders like that!”
“I’m... so sorry Nazuna...I love you so much but...”
“No, wait Ryouseika please! Don’t do this!”
“I am so sorry...”
And that was the last thing she heard as Ryouseika hung up. Nazuna
felt the tears well up in her eyes again... and she let them fall
freely as she cried into her pillow.
Just like that, Ryouseika was gone...
**********
“Hey! Open this damn door now!”
That night, Nazuna didn’t sleep a wink. She had tried to, but was too
consumed by tears to do so. Not only that, but she was worried about
Ryouseika. She knew that Ryouseika would have never broken up with her
like that if her father hadn’t done something to make her. And Nazuna
wasn’t going to take that lying down. The next morning, Nazuna charged
right back to that house to try and protest about it. She wasn’t
afraid of Shunji’s reaction anymore, all Nazuna cared about was
Ryouseika. And the cerise-haired girl was not moving an inch until she
saw her.
Nazuna was at the Fujishima house’s door, banging for all her worth.
She knew it was rude, especially at this time of the morning, but
right now, the way she was feeling, she couldn’t give a damn.
Nazuna banged the door for a third time. “Open the door!”
Nazuna stopped when she heard a rustle and a grumble behind the door,
and it sharply opened. It was Shunji himself, with an eternally
condescending look on his face.
Nazuna was not intimidated this time however.
“I wanna see Ryouseika.”
“Well you can’t. She is forbidden to see you.” Shunji said harshly.
“You don’t have any right to do this.”
Shunji’s face contorted into an angry confusion, as he stepped up to
her.
“I can do whatever I wish, she is my daughter.”
“And she’s also the woman I love!” Nazuna yelled.
Shunji lowered his voice and peered outside his door. “You idiot!
Quieten down before the neighbours hear you!”
For the first time since yesterday, Nazuna face formed a smile, and
she beamed an incredulous look at Ryouseika’s father.
“Heh, heh. What’s wrong? Don’t want the folks next door to hear about
you daughter’s true nature huh?”
“You evil little...” Shunji was stopped from saying anymore by a hand
resting on his shoulder. It was Yumiko.
“Shunji, calm down and go inside. I’ll handle this.”
Shunji looked back at Yumiko and nodded, going back inside the house,
but not before shooting Nazuna another hateful glance. Yumiko the
stepped out of his way and faced Nazuna.
“I’m sorry about my husband Nazuna. Are you alright?”
Nazuna didn’t really know herself. “I’m fine, how is Ryouseika doing?”
Yumiko sighed. “She’s been crying all night. I tried to bring her
something to eat but she just wont take it.”
“Can I see her? Please?”
“Nazuna...I...I think it *is* best if you stay away from Ryouseika.”
Nazuna couldn’t believe that she just heard that from Yumiko.
“You mean to tell me that you agree with him?”
Yumiko sighed again. “No, obviously I don’t. But Shunji wont change
his mind because you demand him to. It would be better for all of us
if you just let things settle down first.”
Nazuna was about to protest but something in her mind told her that
Yumiko was right. Charging over here and demanding to see Ryouseika
would not do any good if Shunji were this adamant about it.
“But Ryouseika...will she be okay?” Nazuna asked quietly.
“I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
The cerise-haired girl nodded, and turned away to leave, but turned
back to as she remembered something.
“Can you please tell Ryouseika that I love her for me?”
Yumiko smiled at Nazuna. “Sure.”
After saying her goodbyes, Nazuna then left. Unknown to Yumiko or
Nazuna, Ryouseika had been watching from her window, and had seen
everything. The navy-haired girl’s voice wrought into more sobs as she
saw the love of her life leave her...
**********
Later on, Nazuna needed someone to talk to (Since her dad was away) so
she went over to Natsuki’s house. Although Natsuki could be downright
mean when she wanted to be, she was very supportive when one of her
friends was in a lousy way.
As soon as Nazuna knocked on the door and Natsuki saw the downcast
look on her face, she was ushered in and led upstairs to Natsuki’s
bedroom.
Nazuna sat down on the chair next to Natsuki’s computer, and Natsuki
sat on her bed with a questioning look on her face.
“Nazuna, what’s wrong?”
“It’s...it’s Ryouseika’s dad. He says that she isn’t allowed to see me
anymore. He objects to our whole relationship...”
“I’m sorry Nazuna.” Natsuki said sympathetically.
“What am I gonna do? If it hurts this much now, how will it feel for
the rest of my life?”
Natsuki walked over to Nazuna and drew her into a friendly hug. She
couldn’t stand to she Nazuna like that. It was haunting in a way.
Nazuna was always the strongest of the group and now she looked so
feeble and poorly.
{That’s what love does to you, I guess.} Natsuki thought.
“Buck up Nazuna. Things always seem to have a way of working out for
the best. Ryouseika’s dad will see sense someday, I’m sure of it.”
Strangely enough neither one of them could really believe that...
**********
Ryouseika tossed in her bed. She tried to get some sleep even though
it was about 11.00 in the morning, but she couldn’t anyway. The
navy-haired girl growled out in frustration, standing up and walking
out her bedroom door. Slowly padding inside the bathroom, she
inspected herself in the mirror. She looked terrible. Ryouseika gasped
as a quick flash of Nazuna winking at her, invaded her mind.
No matter what happened, Ryouseika could not stop thinking about her.
A sigh escaped her throat as Ryouseika ran herself a bath. Fifty
minutes later, she emerged out of the bathroom, with a light cream
towel wrapped around her body and one wrapped around her hair.
She could hear her mother and her father downstairs talking about
something, but right now, she didn’t really care. The navy-haired girl
just walked into her room, put on some clothes and walked back
downstairs into the kitchen.
Yumiko and Shunji looked towards Ryouseika, more than noticing the
expressionless look on her face. After staring at each other for some
time, Yumiko took it upon herself to break the ice.
“Would you like some breakfast Ryouseika?”
Ryouseika didn’t immediately answer her, but looked at her dad for a
second.
“No.”
Yumiko sighed. “You should try and eat something, honey.”
Ryouseika stared at her father again, and turned her back on the two
of them.
“I’m going out for a while.” She said.
Shunji’s eyes flared as he watched Ryouseika leave.
“I hope you are not going to see that girl again.”
Ryouseika stopped as she placed her hand on the door, her grip
tightening around it. She was ready to scream at her father, or at
least swear at him, but she was far too tired from crying for so long.
“No, I am *not* seeing Nazuna. All thanks to you, I’ll never see her
again so, you don’t have to worry...Daddy.”
And to facilitate that, Ryouseika left, slamming the door behind her.
Ryouseika didn’t really have anything that she wanted to do, apart
from seeing Nazuna. Even though she wanted to be with her badly,
Ryouseika was an obedient young woman, and as much as she hated it,
the navy-haired girl had no choice but to do as her father said.
After five minutes of irresolution, Ryouseika began walking to the
high street. There was nothing she wanted to do there either, but it
was better then being cooped up in that house with her pig of a
father. While walking up to the high street, she saw Yurika across the
road. Finally happy to see a friendly face, Ryouseika called out to
her but Yurika did not respond. The navy-haired girl assumed that
Yurika didn’t hear her, so she ran over to her.
“Hey, Yurika!”
Yurika looked over at Ryouseika. She was actually trying to avoid her.
But Ryouseika didn’t seem to be able to pick up on that.
“What’s up Yurika?”
Yurika threw Ryouseika a disgusted look, and it made the navy-haired
girl shiver right down to her bones.
Ryouseika started to get cautious, placing a hand on Yurika’s
shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Yurika abhorrently jerked her shoulder away from Ryouseika’s hand,
completely startling the navy-haired girl.
“Don’t touch me!” Yurika yelled.
It was then that Ryouseika was most worried.
“What is wrong with you?” Ryouseika asked.
Yurika looked very confused when she was asked that, and she didn’t
let it go unnoticed.
“You’re what’s wrong with me!”
“I...don’t...understand. What did I do?”
Yurika looked at Ryouseika in disbelief again. “You, and Nazuna...
it’s sickening...the two of you...like that...”
Ryouseika felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. She knew that
Yurika wasn’t utterly comfortable with her relationship with Nazuna
but to react like this?
“Yurika...I...”
Yurika looked away from Ryouseika, and took a few steps back.
“Please...I-I can’t even bring myself to look at you right now...”
Tears returned to Ryouseika’s eyes. She really wanted Yurika’s support
right now. Why did things have to be this way?
“Yurika...I really need you right now...”
Yurika shivered. In her head that didn’t sound like a heartfelt
request, it felt...weird...
“I don’t think I can be your friend anymore Ryouseika...”
Yurika then harshly walked away from a stunned Ryouseika. Part of
Yurika regretted saying that, Ryouseika was a good friend and had
always been there for her when they were kids, but now...the other
half of her couldn’t shake that feeling of revulsion she got from
seeing her.
Ryouseika lowered her head and started crying again. Everything was
going wrong. For the first time, she thought that maybe Nazuna was
right. Announcing their relationship now, was a mistake.
**********
That night Nazuna was in her bed, trying in vain to get to sleep. But
she just kept tossing and turning. It also felt so...stuffy in there.
Nazuna stood up off the bed and cracked open a window. It made Nazuna
feel a little better but she still doubted if she would get any sleep.
Nazuna lay back down again. She then considered calling Ryouseika.
Even though it was late, there was a risk that Shunji could pick up
the phone and then she’d get Ryouseika in trouble. She didn’t want to
do that. Especially not after what Yumiko said. But staying away from
the navy-haired girl was ripping her apart. As luck would have it, the
phone then rang. Nazuna didn’t automatically assume that it was
Ryouseika, so her response was less then pleasant.
“...Hello...?”
“Nazuna?”
Nazuna’s voice suddenly brightened. “Ryouseika! How are you sweetie?”
She sighed. “I can assure you that I’ve been better. You?”
“I’m doing alright. But I haven’t seen you in a whole day...I’m
starting to forget what you look like.”
Ryouseika chuckled a little in spite of herself, but quickly became
serious again. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too. How are things at your house?”
“My father is the same as before. But...today...Yurika...”
“What happened with Yurika?” Nazuna asked.
“I ran into her today and...she said that she doesn’t want to speak to
me anymore...”
“What? Why did she say...?” Nazuna cut herself of when she realized
how weird Yurika had been acting lately. Telling Yurika about their
relationship must have freaked her out. “I see.”
Ryouseika sighed again. “Yeah...”
**********
The next day, Yumiko stirred in her bed. As soon as she woke up, she
got out of her bed put on a robe and left the room for Shunji to
sleep. This whole situation was hard on her. She didn’t know who to
side with. Ryouseika did seem genuinely happy with Nazuna, but Shunji
was just so persistent. Things couldn’t go on like this. What Yumiko
feared most was that Ryouseika might become even more dejected then
she was before. As Yumiko passed by Ryouseika’s door, she heard soft
crying. Worried by this, Yumiko knocked on the door.
“Ryouseika?”
Ryouseika gave no response, just kept on crying. Yumiko however was
too worried about her daughter to care about formalities, and went
into Ryouseika’s room. Ryouseika was across the room on the bed crying
obviously. She was curled up in a ball and was surrounded a by a pile
of screwed up tissues. Yumiko carefully walked over to her daughter
and sat down on the bed. She smiled at her, and gently stroked her
hair. Sometimes she forgot how grown-up Ryouseika had become.
Ryouseika rose with a startle to see her mom smiling at her. But even
though her face was smiling, her eyes told a different story.
Ryouseika for the most part just noticed that her mother had come in.
“Mom?”
Yumiko continued to stroke her daughter’s long mane of dark sapphire
hair.
“How are you feeling, honey?” Yumiko asked.
Ryouseika didn’t say anything, just pitched herself into Yumiko’s
arms, and sobbed openly.
“Mom...things are just so bad right now. When will it get better?
When? I need Nazuna mom, I *need* her...why can’t they understand?”
Yumiko held Ryouseika closer.
“...I understand Ryouseika.”
Ryouseika sobbed. “I don’t think that...you do...”
“Trust me...I know. I know...”
***********
Later on in the afternoon, Natsuki was walking over to Nazuna’s house.
She had been called in the morning by Nazuna, and was told to come
over to her house to pick up something. She didn’t know what it was
but her woman’s intuition told her that it had something to do with
Ryouseika.
Natsuki reach Nazuna’s place and knocked on the door. Hideo greeted
her, and he pleasantly smiled at her.
“Hello there, Natsuki.”
Natsuki blushed a little. Although she hadn’t told anyone, she always
had a little thing for Hideo. He was pretty young for a father, and
still had incredible good looks. In addition to that, he was always so
kind and considerate. It was hard for a woman not to like him.
“Hey, Mr Furutaka. Is Nazuna here? She asked me to meet her here.”
“Yep. Just come on in.”
Natsuki came in and walked upstairs, knocking on Nazuna’s door. Nazuna
called out for her to come in, so she pushed open the door and did so.
The young woman was surprised to see Nazuna tearing her wardrobe apart
looking for something to wear. Natsuki just grinned.
“Hey fashion queen, since when have you been a stickler for choice
when clothes were involved?”
Nazuna looked back at Natsuki and stuck her tongue out at her.
“I’m not that unfeminine y’know.”
“Yeah right. So what did you call me here for? And why are you in such
a perky mood? Yesterday you looked about ready to die.”
Nazuna smiled at Natsuki and put the outfit she had in her hands back
on a hanger. The cerise-haired girl walked next to Natsuki and pulled
out something from under her bedcovers.
She presented it to Natsuki. “I need you to give this to Ryouseika.”
Natsuki looked at the sheet of paper in Nazuna’s hand and questioned
her. “What’s this then huh?”
Nazuna snatched it back when she saw the grin on Natsuki’s face.
“It’s for Ryouseika’s eyes only!”
Natsuki smirked at Nazuna. “You know me Nazuna. I’ll be reading that
note faster then you can say ‘Ryouseika’ so you may as well tell me.”
“Fine. I’m gonna try and get Ryouseika to meet me for a date later on
tonight.”
“Are you crazy? Her dad will kill you two if he finds out!” Natsuki
said.
Nazuna waved a finger at Natsuki.
“But you see, he’s not gonna find out! He can’t be everywhere at once
y’know, and besides Natsuki, Ryouseika needs this. She sounded so
lousy over the phone last night.”
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. “Mr Fujishima lets you talk to her over the
phone?”
“Well of course not, she waits until Mrs Fujishima and the ogre are
asleep and then she calls me. Now, will you do it?”
Natsuki winked at Nazuna and grabbed the note from her hand.
“Anything to help out a friend. See ya.”
“Oh and Natsuki?”
Natsuki looked back. “Yeah?”
“Tell Yurika to watch her step around me.”
“Huh? Why? What did Yurika do?” Natsuki questioned.
“Ask *her* when you next see her.”
Natsuki nodded as she left Nazuna’s room.
**********
“She wants me to meet her!” Ryouseika said giddily.
Natsuki sat down on Ryouseika’s bed and spread out even. Ryouseika
seemed very excited about tonight. That surprised Natsuki because
Ryouseika was the type that always did what her parents told her.
“Uh, Ryouseika? Are you forgetting about what your dad said to you?”
Ryouseika kissed the note and laid it under her bed, to hide it.
“Oh hush, Daddy is just being pig-headed. Normally I would do what he
told me, but he’s just been too much of a jerk for me to care now.”
“Okay...”
Ryouseika walked over to the window and looked out of it anxiously,
breathing a sigh of joy and blushing a little.
“Oh Nazuna...I can’t wait to see you...”
Natsuki grinned. “You guys really are in love, aren’t you? I mean all
you ever do when you’re apart is think about each other.”
Ryouseika turned away from the window and huffed. “And what does that
mean?”
*********
That night, Ryouseika got ready in secret. She had spent most of the
day getting ready to go out. She had told Shunji and Yumiko that she
was going to a concert with some of her friends from her gamers club,
and for the most part Shunji believed her. Yumiko was a little
sceptical about that, and Ryouseika felt bad about lying to her
mother, especially since she was so sympathetic, but she had no
choice.
At about 9.30, Ryouseika was ready. She was wearing a dark blue,
satin, split leg Chinese dress, her favourite hoop earrings, a pair of
azure high heel shoes and a gold necklace that Nazuna had given her
two months ago.
The navy-haired girl walked out the downstairs and out the door
quickly. Neither one of her parents was home then, but they would be
soon and Ryouseika did not relish the idea of lying to them again.
Twenty minutes later, Nazuna was waiting in front of a cinema for
Ryouseika. The street had very few people on it, and the night was
pretty quiet. Nazuna liked it this way. In a weird way it felt
romantic. The cerise-haired girl looked at her watch. It was almost
ten, and the movie started then. Sighing she looked a back up to see
Ryouseika just a few metres away from her. Ryouseika stared at her
love as her love stared back. It had been just a couple of days since
they last saw each other, but in their hearts it had felt like an
eternity.
{Nazuna...}
{...Ryouseika.}
For a while, neither one of them said anything, they just gazed
lovingly at each other, until Ryouseika ran up and pulled Nazuna into
an affectionate hug.
Nazuna simply smiled, trying not to let those tears swallow her up.
She missed this so much. Just holding Ryouseika in her arms. Ryouseika
felt the same way as Nazuna did. She had always felt that while she
was in her girlfriend’s arms, nothing could hurt her. After staying
that way for a few minutes, Nazuna pulled back and looked at Ryouseika
with a wistful expression reflected in her eyes.
“Ryouseika I...”
The navy-haired girl could somehow sense what Nazuna was thinking, so
she silenced her with a tender kiss.
Ryouseika pulled back and smiled.
“Let’s not worry about that right now. Lets just concentrate on
enjoying ourselves okay?”
Nazuna nodded, taking note of the situation.
The two then paid for entrance and walked hand in hand inside. The
movie was a foreign subtitled French romance. Ryouseika was really
excited about it, and had talked on and on and on about the ratings it
should get during the trailers, but Nazuna wasn’t really bothered.
Even through the film itself, when Ryouseika (who spoke fluent French)
handed in story tips or made corrections in its loose translation,
Nazuna simply nodded along for her benefit, and feigned interest. All
Nazuna was really interested in was sitting right next to her. And
that was what she was going to devote her attention to.
After two and a half hours of that looong film, Ryouseika and Nazuna
headed out to a restaurant on the edge of town. It was quite a ways,
but the meal there was to die for.
Both Ryouseika and Nazuna enjoyed it, and it also gave them a chance
to talk things over. Although Ryouseika didn’t want to get into any of
that, it had to be said. The two agreed to see each other in secret
for a while until Shunji had a chance to settle down. A little while
later, Ryouseika and Nazuna walked back home, hand in hand. The two
had had a wonderful time together. It had actually been weeks since
they last went out on a date, and after all that happened, the
experience felt that much sweeter.
Before they split back up and headed home, the two went to the park,
*their* park, and sat down on the bench, just holding each other for a
while.
Ryouseika had her head rested on Nazuna’s shoulder. Abruptly she felt
a pair of slender fingers trace the outline of her jaw, the come to
rest under her chin. Nazuna simply drew Ryouseika’s lips up to her
own, and pressed them together, drinking in the sweet rapture of her
love’s kiss.
The navy-haired girl moaned something that was a cross between a groan
and a whimper, and in reciprocation, she ran her hands into the soft
tresses of Nazuna’s cerise hair. Ryouseika parted her lips slightly,
and Nazuna pushing her tongue past them, claiming entry into
Ryouseika’s mouth, swiftly answered that.
Ryouseika could only moan a lustful moan full of yearning. Although
she was in public, she had no qualms about making out with Nazuna
here.
Nazuna’s hand then rested down on Ryouseika’s knee, and it eventually
ran itself up her thigh, landing just below the waist of the
navy-haired girl’s dress.
Another whimper was released from Ryouseika, almost dizzy from
intensity of Nazuna’s passion she almost pulled Nazuna down on top of
her, until she heard her watch go off. Ryouseika didn’t stop kissing
Nazuna, just opened a single eye and observed her watch through the
locks of Nazuna’s hair.
{1.05? Dammit!}
Ryouseika placed a hand on the one that Nazuna placed on her thigh,
and gently disengaged from her kiss.
Ryouseika breathed heavily. “...I...I have to go...Nazuna...”
Nazuna was equally drained. “...What...why? What time is it?”
“1.05.”
Nazuna grinned and pulled Ryouseika closer to her.
“That’s plenty of time, just...let me...”
Nazuna gracefully stole Ryouseika’s lips again, and the navy-haired
girl couldn’t help let herself be taken, and Ryouseika slid down to
lie the bench. After a while, Ryouseika willed herself to retain
control, and softly pushed Nazuna up by the shoulders.
“Seriously...Nazuna, I was...supposed to be home by 12.30.”
The cerise-haired girl shifted upwards, and Ryouseika followed her
actions. This wasn’t fair. This would probably be the last chance that
Nazuna would get to have Ryouseika all to herself for a while.
“I don’t want you to go.” Nazuna said.
Ryouseika gently touched Nazuna’s cheek, rubbing with her thumb, and
smiled sweetly at the cerise-haired girl.
“I really enjoyed myself Nazuna. And after all that has happened I
guess, I can’t promise anything, but...we will find a way.”
Nazuna’s aquamarine eyes glimmered with hope at that.
“Really?”
Ryouseika giggled and playfully kissed Nazuna on the forehead,
standing up after doing so.
“Really. I’ll call you tomorrow okay?”
Nazuna nodded slowly. Ryouseika captured one last hug from her
girlfriend and quickly ran off to her house, before she got any
serious trouble. The cerise-haired girl just sighed and slumped back
down on the park bench.
Ten minutes later, Ryouseika reached her house, placed the key her
door, and went inside. Her father’s coat was on the hook, but her
mother’s wasn’t.
{She must still be out then. Oh well.}
“Ryouseika.”
Ryouseika was about to walk upstairs to get changed when she heard a
stern voice call out to her. It was her father’s obviously, and he was
in the living room.
Ryouseika slowly padded her way into the lounge, to see her father
sitting on his chair, watching the television blankly.
“Hey Daddy, sorry I’m late but I had so much fun that I lost track of
time and well, here I am.” Ryouseika said.
Shunji’s head turned around slowly and he stared at Ryouseika for a
while. The navy-haired girl suddenly felt nervous.
“Something wrong Daddy?”
Shunji sneered at Ryouseika and crossed his arms.
“You know, I’m curious. This ‘concert’ that you went to...who was
playing?”
Ryouseika giggled apprehensively and scratched the back of her head.
“Uh, j-just various bands and stuff...”
“Oh really. You wouldn’t have happened to have gone to a *movie* by
any chance...would you?”
Ryouseika’s eyes widened.
{How does he...?}
“What makes you say that?” Ryouseika asked.
Shunji snickered to himself. “You see, this is exactly what I was
talking about...you are already lying to me. I wonder who you get that
from huh?”
{My god, he does know...but how?}
Shunji gradually stood up and waved a piece of paper in his hand...
Ryouseika’s heart raced...
“How did you get that?”
Shunji scrunched up the paper and tossed it aside mockingly, stepping
in front of Ryouseika and glaring angrily at her.
“I came home and heard your phone ringing. I went in there and was
about to pick it up to tell whomever it was that you weren’t in.
Before I could however, I stepped on that.”
Shunji pointed over to Nazuna’s scrunched up note.
“And it said some quite remarkable things Ryouseika, it told you to
meet that girl at 9.50, right? Well isn’t that the same time this
‘concert’ of yours started?”
“Daddy, I can explain...”
“Save it.” Shunji cut her off. “I know exactly what you did. And yet
you still ask me why I can’t tolerate that girl don’t you? Not only
are you now lying to me, you disobeyed my wishes. Now under the
circumstances Ryouseika, what should I do?”
Ryouseika didn’t really know how to answer that. Her father loved
rhetorical questions. But at them moment she felt so worried. She had
had such a wonderful night with Nazuna and now...
“Look Daddy, I can’t justify my actions, it was wrong of me to lie to
you like that, but I don’t see why I have to stay away from Nazuna. I
love her, why can’t you see that?”
“Because you don’t love her Ryouseika, you are simply confused. And
that is not the issue. You lied to both your mother, and me, and she’s
the one who actually believes in that girl. So if you can’t stay away
from her by will, I’ll have to make you stay away from her.”
Ryouseika raised an eyebrow to that.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are grounded. You will not see or speak to that girl ever again
even if I have to move you back to Tokyo. Do you understand?”
After backing up a few steps in shock, Ryouseika ran out of the living
room and up the stairs, crying each step of the way. Shunji just sat
back down on his chair and sighed.
{I only want what’s best for you...}
**********
Three weeks after that day, things had become a living nightmare for
both Ryouseika and Nazuna. Ryouseika could see Nazuna no more, even if
she sneaked out, and she was forbidden from using the phone to call
her. Ryouseika’s separation from Nazuna had the same consequence that
Yumiko had predicted.
Ryouseika acted as if she was slipping away from the world. She barely
ate, refused to speak to Shunji or Yumiko, and did nothing but sit at
her window and look out gloomily. Even Shunji had noticed the change
in Ryouseika. She was growing frail, and had lost that brightness she
once carried. But he was still unyielding in his desire to keep Nazuna
away from her.
Nazuna was doing no better. Hideo and Natsuki did everything in their
power to try and reach Nazuna, but it wouldn’t work. She was missing
Ryouseika way too much.
Yes, things didn’t seem to be able get any better.
**********
“Yumiko, I’ve been thinking.”
Shunji laid down on his bed while Yumiko picked out clothes for her to
wear to work tomorrow. They were in their bedroom, and Ryouseika had
already gone to sleep.
“About what?” Yumiko said that with an underlying hostility. Day by
day she was growing less attracted to Shunji’s attitude.
“Well, I think Ryouseika’s had enough.”
Yumiko chose what she wanted and got under the covers with Shunji.
“I’m glad to see that you agree.” Yumiko said.
“Yes, but if I lift the grounding she’ll try and go back to her, I
know it.”
“Shunji, I don’t agree with what she did, and I don’t appreciate her
lying to us, but what is wrong with her trying to see Nazuna?”
“Can you tell me what’s right about that?”
Yumiko sighed. “I am growing tired of this Shunji.”
Shunji rustled under the covers and looked at Yumiko.
“It’s just a phase Yumiko. She’ll grow out of it. As soon as she finds
a decent man, she’ll forget all about that lesbian.”
Yumiko turned to her side, away from Shunji, clutching the covers a
little closer to her body.
“It isn’t that simple. Maybe you’ll learn this someday.”
Yumiko turned out the lights and mumbled a dreary ‘goodnight’. Shunji
just smiled and lay down even on the bed. He had a plan...
**********
The next day, Ryouseika stirred in her bed. Beams of light shot out
from the gaps in the curtains and were shining on her face. Ryouseika
leaned up irritably and looked her alarm clock. She looked over to her
framed picture of Nazuna on her desk. That was the closest she had to
the real thing. The navy-haired girl’s instinct was to start crying
again, but she was too tired. She was too tired from not seeing
Nazuna, too tired from being stifled in this stuffy cage, and too
tired from having to put up with her father’s self-righteous attitude.
Feeling a hungry churning in her stomach, Ryouseika was about to get
up to go to the kitchen and make something for herself. Then there was
a knock on her door. Ryouseika called them in.
“Good morning, Kitten.”
Ryouseika’s eyes narrowed, and she lay back down on her bed. It was
her father. Suddenly she just lost her appetite.
“Listen to me Ryouseika,” Shunji said calmly. “I have to tell you
something.”
“...I don’t want to speak to you.”
Shunji walked over to Ryouseika and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“I only want what’s best for you Kitten. I love you.”
Ryouseika frowned. “No you don’t.”
“Yes I do. I just want you to have the best.”
“I already had the best. You made me give that up. And now you are
keeping me in this stuffy house until I stop loving her.”
Shunji grimaced. “...Well I can fix that. Would you like me to lift
the grounding?”
Ryouseika’s eyes widened and she leaned up off of the bed, looking at
her father with the faintest glimmer of hope.
“You’ll do that?” Ryouseika grew cautious. “...Why?”
Shunji stood of the bed and walked over to the window. After coughing
into his fist he looked back at Ryouseika.
“Have dinner with the son of a friend of mine *once*, and I’ll allow
you to go out again.”
Ryouseika stared blankly at her father. She could not believe that he
just said that to her. The navy-haired haired girl frowned in
disapproval and lay back down on her bed.
“Forget it.”
Shunji blinked. He didn’t expect Ryouseika to say no.
“Come on Kitten. You need to get out, and this dinner will not be as
bad as you think it will. He’s a nice, respectable young man, and I
actually approve of this.”
The fist of the navy-haired girl tightened in dissatisfaction. Her
father either didn’t understand or was just plain thick.
{If he thinks that some guy that I’ve never even heard of can make me
forget about Nazuna he is sadly mistaken...oh but then again, I can’t
pass up this opportunity to finally get out of this house... I have to
see or speak to Nazuna; I can’t take it anymore...}
Ryouseika spoke out to her father for clearance. “Just once?”
Shunji nodded. “Just once.”
The navy-haired girl heaved a sigh. “...Alright.”
**********
Nazuna heard a knock on her door.
“Come in.”
Natsuki slowly opened the door to Nazuna’s room. Nazuna had been a
wreck since Ryouseika was grounded three weeks ago. In an effort to
try and cheer her up, Natsuki had visited Nazuna on a regular basis,
but whenever she did, she was always in that miserable mood. Not only
that, but she always had a picture of Ryouseika clutched at her chest.
And today was no different.
Nazuna was the same as always, lying on her bed, with Ryouseika’s
picture in to her chest.
Natsuki sighed and walked over to her close friend.
“How are you feeling today?”
Nazuna sat upright and looked back at Natsuki. “Okay I guess.”
“You should try and get out y’know Nazuna. To stretch your legs a
bit.”
The cerise-haired girl looked at the picture of Ryouseika and frowned
at Natsuki’s comment.
“Why? Ryouseika can’t, so why should I?”
Natsuki sat next to Nazuna and drew her up into a hug.
“Well, do you think she’d want you to isolate yourself like this?”
That had Nazuna beat. “...No.”
“Then come out with me! Tonight, It’ll be just you and me, and a first
class restaurant. My treat!”
Nazuna shyly smiled. Even though she felt terrible, Natsuki had a way
of pulling her out of it. She was lucky to have a friend like her.
“Okay.”
**********
That night, at about 8.00, Ryouseika had gone with the boy that she
was set up with, Akihiro Kusagana. To an expensive restaurant, called
kappo. Obviously this man had spared no expense to wine and dine
Ryouseika, but it had no effect on her.
Ryouseika had no desire what so ever to be here. She hadn’t gone to
any special effort to make herself look good for Akihiro. She felt a
little guilty about it though. Akihiro was really trying to win her
over, but the fact was that he didn’t have a chance.
Her father was right though; Akihiro was a nice guy. But... not what
she was looking for. She was in love with Nazuna, and only Nazuna.
“So, I said ‘British stock exchange’? More like British block
exchange! Ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Ryouseika looked across the well-endowed table to Akihiro. He just
cracked a joke. Not a particularly funny one either. For his sake she
played along.
“...Ha, ha, ha...yeah. Good one...”
Akihiko didn’t fall for that though. Ryouseika had been in a foul mood
the whole dinner. Somehow he got the feeling that she didn’t really
want to be here.
“Are you okay? You seem a little...”
“No, I am fine it’s just...you do realize that I am only here because
my father wishes me to be, right?”
Akihiko smiled and nodded. “I understand. I’ve been in the same
situation. Mr Fujishima probably wants you to go out with me to get
your attentions away from some other guy right?”
Ryouseika rolled her eyes. “Something like that.”
“Sorry about that. I also have someone that I’d rather be with. No
offence.”
For the first time in a while, Ryouseika smiled. “None taken. I’m in
the same boat. What’s her name?”
Akihiro smiled. “Naruko.”
Taking a sip of her glass of water, Ryouseika looked at him.
“She has a nice name. You must care a great deal about her.”
“Yes, I do. As must you about your special guy.”
“Uh-huh.”
As the night went on, Ryouseika got to know Akihiro a little better,
and chatted with him. Despite their more than apparent differences,
they had one thing in common. Obstinate fathers.
“Ryouseika, you should hear my father. ‘Akihiro! You must find a
respectful women who will honour and carry on the family name!’”
Ryouseika then laughed at Akihiro’s impression of his father.
“He sounds just like my dad. Wails on about the same two-faced ideals
of family pride and duty. God, he can be such a pain.”
Akihiko winked. “Between our two fathers, I bet we could make a
demon!”
The two laughed again. Looks like the night wouldn’t be as bad as she
thought it would be.
**********
“Natsuki, how can we afford to eat at a place like this?”
Nazuna and Natsuki walked up the carpeted walkway leading up to the
kappo restaurant. Natsuki had taken Nazuna here, and planned on eating
here, but the place just seemed so...upper class...
“Mum’s the word! I have many, many connections in many high places.”
Nazuna grinned. “Meaning you have a cousin who’s a waiter here, huh?”
Natsuki stuck her tongue out at Nazuna’s crack. “Head chef actually!”
Nazuna laughed at that, and a member of staff at the front door led
the two inside. Natsuki walked up to the front desk and confirmed her
reservations.
After this, a waiter led them to a table in a non-smokers area.
Natsuki and Nazuna sat down; ordered some drinks from the waiter and
started talking to each other.
“I still can’t believe you can afford this place.” Nazuna said,
Natsuki leaned into Nazuna’s face and covered her cheek with her hand.
She spoke in whispered tones.
“Can you keep a secret?”
Nazuna nodded, and Natsuki grinned at her.
“I can’t afford this place. You’ll have to help me hold the bathroom
window open when we skip out on the check...”
Nazuna’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“Heh, heh, heh! Take it easy Nazuna! Spit the Blood of Orochi outta
your mouth okay? I’m joking!”
Nazuna pouted. “Oh ha, ha. You’re a *real* comedian! So how can you
afford it?”
Natsuki winked. “Your dad gave me the money! Pretty cool, huh?”
“My dad gave you the money?”
“Uh huh.” Natsuki whispered to herself. “Looks and generosity...”
“What did you just say?”
Natsuki sweat dropped. “...Uh, nothing, nothing!”
Nazuna looked at Natsuki oddly for a second, but dismissed it. A
little while later the drinks came, and they ordered the meals that
they wanted.
Natsuki took a gulp of her drink and set it down when she felt nature
call. “Heh Nazuna, I need to go to the ladies room.”
Nazuna smiled nervously. “You’re not gonna run out and leave me with
the check are you?”
Natsuki winked at her friend as she stood up. “If your lucky!”
Natsuki then walked away. A sigh escaped Nazuna’s lips. She was
actually feeling better then before. Nazuna looked at her
surroundings. This was a fancy place to eat, but it was is also top
rated in most restaurant magazines. However most of the people there
seemed snotty. She couldn’t see anyone her age except for a couple a
few tables across from her own.
A strange twinge crossed Nazuna’s heart and she inspected it a little
closer...
“Who is...Ryouseika!” Nazuna yelled.
Part of her was jumping for joy, but another part of her was
questioning *why* Ryouseika was here, laughing and joking with some
guy. Then that side of Nazuna consumed the other, and the pieces of
the puzzle started to click into place...
A dark sense of betrayal enveloped the cerise-haired girl to think of
it. And it hit her so hard she felt like she had been punched in the
face. Nazuna was so hurt that she didn’t even sense herself get up and
stride over there...
Ryouseika and Akihiro hadn’t noticed anything, and continued to gab on
about their fathers. Akihiro was currently speaking about his dad.
“So then, my father walked up to me and said-”
“Who the hell are you?!” Nazuna filled in.
Akihiro was cut off as a shadow was cast over him. Ryouseika turned to
look at the one who had stopped Akihiro in his story, and felt her own
heart stop...
“Nazuna!”
Ryouseika stood up and clutched at her heart. They hadn’t seen each
other for over three weeks, but the desire in her heart had not
faulted. Her first instinct was to hug her or kiss her or something,
but noticed that Nazuna wasn’t at all happy to see her. There was a
furious expression of anger on her face, and deep in her eyes, was a
heartbreaking look of hurt. It was so strong that Ryouseika could feel
it burning in her own heart.
The navy-haired girl’s immediate desire was do something about that
pain she saw, but what caused it?
{Oh no!}
Ryouseika took a look at the situation. She was supposed to be
grounded, because of what happened three weeks ago, she was with a man
that Nazuna obviously had never seen before, and they were actually
starting to get along together...
{She must think that...}
Ryouseika’s suspicions were confirmed when Nazuna looked at her in
loathing. It frightened her to say the least...
“How could you Ryouseika?” Nazuna said quietly, but harshly.
“No, Nazuna...y-you don’t understand...” Ryouseika struggled to come
up with a way to explain this...
“All this time I’ve been worried about you. Hoping that you were okay
and hoping that we’d be able to see each other again...and *you* were
having intimate little luncheons with this guy!”
Ryouseika shook her head at that. It wasn’t true...
“No wait...Nazuna this isn’t what it looks like!”
“Oh god, that’s so original. All that garbage you fed me about
trusting you with Kenji, and your telling me that you could never love
someone else...was that just a lark?”
“NO!”
Ryouseika yelled. By this time, people from neighbouring tables had
started to watch this. And by this time Natsuki had come back from the
toilets...
“Save it. I love you so much...I did anything you asked me, gave you
my heart and my soul, and as soon as things get ruff, you just turn
your eyes to the nearest and easiest alternative?”
“Nazuna please...”
A tear slid down Nazuna’s cheek. “Go to hell Ryouseika...”
Nazuna turned around and ran straight for the front door, forgetting
everything else and concentrating only on getting out of there.
Natsuki ran after her, quickly tossing the wad of money that Hideo had
given her at the reception as she ran past it.
Ryouseika couldn’t get her head around this situation, things just
happened so fast. One minute she was talking to Akihiro, the next
Nazuna was there throwing accusations at her...
A baffled Akihiro stood up and looked at Ryouseika questioningly.
“Who was that?”
Ryouseika sighed as a few tears slid down her face from thinking about
it.
“My girlfriend.”
“...Your...girl...friend?”
Ryouseika’s eyes narrowed and she looked back at him. “That’s right,
Nazuna is my girlfriend. Is there a problem?”
Akihiko blushed. “Uh...no.”
**********
The next day, was an important one. But it didn’t start out easy.
Ryouseika felt consumed by guilt when she saw that look of anguish in
her Nazuna’s eyes. That look is was imprinted into Ryouseika’s mind.
Needless to say she got out of the punishment from her father but she
didn’t much care now. Nazuna was hurting and Ryouseika felt as though
she had caused it.
Ryouseika tried calling her at her house, near six times, but Hideo
always picked up the phone and told her that Nazuna wasn’t there.
Going over there in person was also out because she was still banned
from seeing Nazuna. So she had called over Natsuki to pass on a letter
to her.
So just hoped that this would clear the air.
A hard knock came at her door.
“Come in.”
Natsuki opened the door, and walked inside throwing harsh looks at
Ryouseika. The navy-haired girl was not shocked though. From what she
saw, it all must have looked bad.
“I didn’t cheat on her Natsuki.”
Natsuki had an incredulous look in her eyes. “Oh yeah right, now
you’re gonna tell me that you and that guy are just friends, right?”
“We aren’t friends either. My father said that I’d be able to get off
my punishment if I went out with the son of his friend. I’m not
interested him Natsuki you have to believe me! I just did this so I
could see Nazuna again!”
Natsuki searched her eyes. She wasn’t lying. Natsuki’s stare softened
a little, and she sat next to Ryouseika on the bed.
“You’re telling me the truth?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Natsuki beamed a small smile. “Okay. I believe you.”
Ryouseika shuffled on the bed, and her guilt made a roaring return.
“How...is she?”
“She’s really broken up about it. You better clear things up between
the two of you before it becomes unfixable.”
“That’s what this letter is for.” Ryouseika pulled out a letter from
the draw next to her bed and handed it to Natsuki.
“I need you to give it to Nazuna for me.”
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at Ryouseika.
“Do I look like a messenger service?” She asked sarcastically.
“I’ll repay the favour someday, can you just do this for me?”
Natsuki took the note and nodded, leaving Ryouseika alone to lament
over her love’s pain. She just hoped that that letter would make
things better somehow.
**********
Natsuki knocked on Nazuna’s door. After about three minutes, a
depressed Nazuna walked up and opened the door. Hideo was out for the
moment. Natsuki’s heart broke to see Nazuna like that. She couldn’t
stand to see a friend of hers in agony. Nazuna grumbled a quick ‘come
in’, and Natsuki made her way into the living room with her, sitting
down on the couch.
Nazuna quickly spoke. “Did you go over there?”
“Yeah.”
Nazuna lay back on the couch and looked at Natsuki closely.
“What did she have to say for herself?”
Natsuki sighed. “Nazuna, I don’t think Ryouseika’s cheating on you.”
“Excuse me? Did you see the same thing that I did?”
“Yeah, but did you give her a chance to explain?”
Nazuna fell silent. She actually didn’t. Natsuki just hugged her, and
handed Nazuna the letter that Ryouseika had entrusted to her. Nazuna
looked at it blankly, and then looked back up at Natsuki.
“Just read it Nazuna.”
With that, Natsuki waved goodbye and left. Nazuna debated reading
this. If it came from Ryouseika, it could just be more lies. But it
could elucidate things. Although her head was telling her to hate
Ryouseika for what she *obviously* did, her heart was hoping for a
rational explanation.
And in the end she listened to her heart. No matter what she did or
said, Nazuna could never stop loving Ryouseika. Nazuna opened the
letter and began unconsciously reading it to herself.
“My dearest, darling Nazuna. Please know how much I love you and that
I would never try to hurt you. You just saw that in the wrong way. You
see, my father came to me yesterday and told me that if I had dinner
with his friend’s son, Akihiro, he would lift the grounding that he
placed on me. I said no, but I realized that I just had to see you. It
was killing me to be apart from you. I had no choice but to say yes
Nazuna. Anyway, I went out with him, and at first, all I could think
about was you. Then we found out that we had something in common, our
fathers. He was just telling me that he was in the same situation that
I was, and that he had someone he already loved. Please understand the
situation Nazuna. I do not have any sort of romantic feelings for him.
You are the only one I could ever love and the only one I ever will
love. I only went out with him so that I could see you again. If I had
known that seeing that would have hurt you, I would never have done
it. Please find a way to forgive me. Love, Ryouseika.”
By this time, tears were staining Nazuna’s cheek. She wanted to
believe it, she really did, but...it just...
**********
On her way home, Natsuki cut through the high street to get to her
area. She wasn’t at all happy though. She couldn’t stand the way
things were going on between Nazuna and Ryouseika. She just wanted her
friends to be happy, but so much was standing in the way.
Natsuki continued to think about it, until accidentally bumped into a
familiar face. Natsuki almost tripped up, and was this close to
yelling a few unpleasant words at the one who couldn’t watch where
they were going, until she saw whom it was.
“Yurika?”
Yurika helped Natsuki balance and smiled. “Hi.”
Natsuki’s face contorted into anger. “Don’t ‘hi’ me. Where the hell
have been for the past three weeks. I haven’t seen you since Nazuna
and Ryouseika told us about their relationship.”
Yurika winced at that. She still felt funny about Nazuna and
Ryouseika’s newfound lesbianism.
“Doesn’t it...freak you out?” Yurika whispered.
Natsuki was confused. “Does what freak me out?”
“Ryouseika and Nazuna...being that way...”
“Why should it freak me out?”
Yurika looked at Natsuki as if that was the stupidest question ever
devised.
“Come on Natsuki, it’s weird...”
Natsuki still didn’t understand Yurika’s attitude, then her eyes
widened in realization.
“The fact that two girls love each other creeps you out right? Oh grow
up Yurika. Don’t be such a damn bigot.”
“Wait a minute-”
“No, you wait a minute!” Natsuki cut Yurika off sharply. “I don’t know
who the hell *you* think you are, but you can’t talk about my friends
like that! And if you were any kind of friend you’d support them, not
put them down.”
“I can’t help how I feel, Natsuki!” Yurika yelled.
Natsuki scowled at her and turned her back on Yurika.
“I understand that. But that doesn’t give you the right to treat them
like filth for it. You better mind your Ps and Qs Yurika. Keep going
on the way you are and you’ll lose some of the best friends you’ll
ever have.”
Subsequent to shooting Yurika another icy glance, Natsuki strolled
away from her in anger. And Yurika only stood there, astonished and a
little humiliated.
**********
Hideo walked up to the door of the Fujishima residence. Right now, he
was tired of sitting back on the sidelines and watching his daughter
get hurt. Hideo had no idea about what happened between Ryouseika and
Nazuna yesterday, so was perfectly contented to go up and try and
persuade Ryouseika’s father into letting then see each other.
Hideo knocked on the door, and eventually Yumiko came out.
“...Mr Furutaka?”
Hideo nodded. He had only met one of Ryouseika parents once, and that
was Yumiko. “Good morning. Nice to see you again Mrs Fujishima.”
“Nice to see you too. Do you have some business with me?”
“Well actually I was hoping to speak to both you and you husband. Is
Ryouseika home?”
Yumiko shook her head. “No, she said that was going out to get some
fresh air. Please come in.”
Hideo stepped in and was led to the living room by Yumiko. As usual,
Shunji was sitting on his recliner reading a newspaper. As the two
stepped in the room, he set the paper down on the arm of the chair and
looked questioningly at Hideo.
“May I help you?”
Yumiko introduced him. “Shunji, this is Hideo Furutaka. Nazuna’s
father.”
Shunji’s eyes darkened. Even Nazuna’s name set him off. However is
quarrel was not with her father, so he chose to at least be polite.
“Nice to meet you Mr Furutaka. Please sit down.”
Hideo sat down on the couch facing Shunji’s chair, and Yumiko sat next
to him.
“Okay. Now I would like to speak with you on the matter of our
daughters. I ask you, if it would be okay to let them see each other.”
Hideo said.
“Mr Furutaka, I have discussed this with your daughter, and I do not
approve of this relationship. My daughter has already disrespected me
and lied to me, and the root of this is her connection to *your*
daughter.”
“They wouldn’t do those things if you didn’t keep trying to force them
apart. If you could only see it through my eyes, you’d understand what
a mistake that was.”
Shunji glared at Hideo. “I do what is in Ryouseika’s best interest. I
would have thought that as a father, you would do the same.”
“Doing the best for my girl isn’t that same as trying to control her
life.”
“Are you implying that I am trying to control my daughter’s life? I
just want her to be in a relationship that will be productive in the
long run.”
Hideo couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“And that’s more important then Ryouseika’s happiness?”
“...” Shunji didn’t answer him.
Yumiko gave Hideo a look of understanding.
“He’s right Shunji.” Yumiko said.
Shunji sighed and closed his eyes slowly.
“I’ve made up my mind. Ryouseika is not going to see your daughter
again Mr Furutaka.”
“I think you should keep an open mind about this. Nazuna is a very
intelligent, capable young girl. As is Ryouseika. I don’t see why we
shouldn’t allow them to see each other. They are just two sweethearts
in love. Let them make each other happy.”
Shunji shook his head at Hideo’s statement. He thought that at least
her father would understand.
“What is there that your daughter can offer mine, huh?”
Hideo smiled sarcastically. “Love?”
“And I suppose a *man* cannot her offer that?”
“Maybe so, but Ryouseika is not in love with a man is she? No, she is
in love with Nazuna.”
Shunji then lost his temper. “I am not discussing this with you any
longer! I said that Ryouseika is not going to see Nazuna, and that is
it! My daughter will not associate herself with your little pervert!”
“Shunji...” Yumiko chided.
Hideo’s eyes widened and his fist clenched in his ire. He quickly
stood up, glaring at Shunji with anger struggling to be suppressed.
“Listen here Fujishima, I don’t give a flying flip who you are, you
damn well better watch your tongue. No one talks about my daughter
that way. Understand me?”
Shunji didn’t answer, just looked back at him and Yumiko. Hideo
breathed in for a second, and slowly let the irritation dissolve. This
was not what he came for.
“Look, don’t want to argue. I wanted to have a civilized conversation
about Nazuna and Ryouseika. Obviously that’s impossible. Well I’ll
leave, but I’m begging you, try to understand. Forcing your child into
loving someone that she doesn’t want to will only push her away. If
you fail to realize that, you’ll lose Ryouseika.”
Hideo looked over to Yumiko bowed politely.
“I’m sorry for the trouble Mrs Fujishima.”
Yumiko nodded. “No it’s okay. I’ll see you out.”
With that, Yumiko led Hideo back to the front door, and the young
father left after receiving a quick apology from Yumiko. Yumiko walked
back into the living room and stared at Shunji. She just could not
believe the way Shunji had been acting these past few weeks.
“That was so rude, Shunji.”
The father just sneered and looked away.
“...”
**********
Ryouseika was walking along in the park. The last time she came here
was after her date with Nazuna. She had had fond memories of that day.
Those memories were only stained by last night. She just hoped that
Nazuna would understand.
Ryouseika walked along the stone pebble path leading deeper into the
park, and as she turned a corner around a hedge, she saw Nazuna, her
Nazuna, sitting quietly on a park bench.
The navy-haired girl’s heart clenched again. Nazuna was here, but she
had a wistful expression on her face. Ryouseika didn’t know if that
was a good or a bad thing. Ryouseika didn’t immediately walk over to
her love; rather she stayed there and watched her.
Nazuna was always so devastatingly beautiful. The cool summer breeze
blowing her cerise-haired ponytail like that, and that deep look of
contemplative thought in her radiating aquamarine eyes only added to
that beauty.
It didn’t register. The idea of Nazuna being outside of her life just
didn’t...feel right.
She had to be back in her love’s arms.
Ryouseika slowly walked up to Nazuna, taking concern in her handling
of the situation. The last thing she wanted to do was push Nazuna
away. After a few more steps, Ryouseika stopped at the side on the
bench. Nazuna looked up as she felt a shadow descend on her.
It was Ryouseika.
The two just stared at each other for a second, dark marble eyes
gazing helplessly into aquamarine ones. The need and desperation in
Ryouseika’s eyes were perfectly clear to Nazuna. And a tiny portion of
that was reflected in her own eyes.
But the hurt from last night was there. Ryouseika could sense that.
She just wanted...wanted to make things better between them though.
Ryouseika could not take separation from Nazuna anymore.
Before Ryouseika could state her case, Nazuna ripped her eyes from
Ryouseika’s deep hidden pleas, and stood to walk away.
Desperate to prevent her love from leaving, Ryouseika seized Nazuna’s
hand, holding onto it unyieldingly.
The cerise-haired girl didn’t look back at Ryouseika, but spoke out to
her, willing herself not to be drawn in by her eyes again.
“Let me go.”
Ryouseika shook her head. “Not until you agree to talk to me.”
Nazuna did not respond, just continued to look away from Ryouseika.
The navy-haired girl sighed.
“Please Nazuna...”
That simple but sweet request broke Nazuna’s resolve, and she slowly
turned around to face Ryouseika. The navy-haired girl let a small
smile cross her lips, and weakened the grip she had on Nazuna’s hand,
but remained holding it.
“Did you read the letter?” Ryouseika asked.
Nazuna studied Ryouseika for a second, and then answered her.
“...Yes.”
“Well?”
“I still...don’t...”
Ryouseika’s heart fell. “You don’t believe me? Nazuna I am not lying!
I love you...”
Nazuna looked at Ryouseika again. She always had the ability to read
her, to peer into her soul. Deep in her heart, she really felt that
Ryouseika was telling the truth.
“It...It just hurts...that hurt me so much...”
Ryouseika moved closer to Nazuna, pulling the cerise-haired girl’s
hand up and placing on her chest, right above her own heart.
Nazuna’s aquamarine eyes widened as she felt Ryouseika’s heartbeat.
It was racing.
“I am so sorry that I hurt you. I never meant to, I swear to you
Nazuna. I just had to find a way to see you again, and that was the
only way. I-I should have done things differently. I should have found
a way to tell you beforehand, but I just wasn’t thinking. If there was
a way to go back in time and change it then I would. But I can’t.
Please don’t doubt the love that I feel for you. I’d move heaven and
earth for you Nazuna. I could never stop caring about you and I never
will...”
Ryouseika wiped the tear that slipped out of Nazuna’s eye, and gently
kissed her soft lips. The cerise-haired girl didn’t respond, just
stood there and allowed Ryouseika to kiss her.
After a few seconds, Ryouseika relinquished the kiss and stared
expectantly at Nazuna.
“I love you Nazuna.”
Nazuna stared blankly for a second, and eventually her expressionless
visage transformed into a smile.
“I love you too.”
Ryouseika laughed happily, and jumped into Nazuna’s arms. The two
stayed like that for a while, neither really willing to break the
embrace. However Nazuna leaned back enough to look at her love.
“There is no reason to celebrate with your father’s will to keep us
apart Ryouseika. We have to confront him. Is that okay sweetie?”
The navy-haired girl nodded. “Uh huh.”
**********
Shunji was reading his paper again setting back on his recliner. What
Nazuna’s father had said to Shunji was getting to him. Was Ryouseika
really this happy with this relationship? He still could not bring
himself to believe it. It wasn’t that he didn’t want his daughter to
be happy, but he could not see her happy with Nazuna.
While reading he heard a click at the door, and assumed that Ryouseika
was home. He would have got up to greet her, but before he could,
Yumiko, Ryouseika and Nazuna all walked into the living room and
stared at Shunji.
The minute he saw Ryouseika and Nazuna walk in hand in hand, he was
about to let his anger be known, but was halted by a steady glare from
Ryouseika herself.
“Before you say anything Daddy, Nazuna and I have something we need to
say. Now you know I love you and that I always will, but I will not
stop seeing Nazuna. I don’t care what you say or think, she is my
girlfriend and I will never stop caring for her.”
This time Nazuna spoke, her eyes remained steady and firm.
“I also mean you no disrespect either sir, but you will not keep
Ryouseika and me apart. We love each other. And if you still can’t
understand that then I feel sorry for you.”
Shunji stood up and was growing exasperated with arguing, but had to
make them see this in a realistic light.
“Listen to me Ryouseika. Nazuna can’t offer you anything. You’d be
better off in the arms of man. This isn’t what I want for you!”
Both Ryouseika and Nazuna were ready to argue at that, and were about
to, but Yumiko stepped between the three of them and glared at Shunji
angrily.
“I am tired of sitting on the sidelines and having to listen to your
crap Shunji.”
Shunji looked shocked. “But Yumiko...”
“Look Shunji, I have heard nothing but what you want for our daughter,
so let me tell you what *I* want. I want her to be happy. Nazuna makes
her happy. She may not have a great school diploma, or great deals of
money, but Nazuna actually cares about her! Ryouseika isn’t just a
trophy in the cabinet to her. She is the other half of her soul. Just
like you and I. It does not matter to me that Nazuna is a girl, and it
shouldn’t to you. All you should care about is whether or not Nazuna
is right for Ryouseika and we have already established that she is!
Open your eyes! If you keep acting this way, you are going to lose the
very same child that you claim to be protecting!”
Shunji reeled from Yumiko’s outburst. He never expected Yumiko to
react this way. Ryouseika smiled at her mother.
“Mom’s right Daddy. Things cannot go on like this.” Ryouseika said.
Shunji took a hard look at Nazuna. This girl *was* making his daughter
happy. He walked to the far wall, and leaned on it with one arm and
his head hung low, trying to gather his thoughts.
Ryouseika got a bit worried. “Daddy...?”
Shunji sighed in defeat and let his head rise.
“Does...does she really make you happy Ryouseika...?”
The navy-haired girl looked across at her love and smiled; tightening
the grip she had on Nazuna’s hand as she smiled back. “Yes.”
“Then...then you have my blessings.”
Ryouseika’s, Nazuna and Yumiko’s eyes all widened.
“Really Daddy?” Ryouseika asked.
Shunji turned around and faced his daughter, hugging her for a second
and then letting her go slowly. Shunji sighed again.
“Yes. If Nazuna is what you really want then...I won’t stand in your
way.” Shunji looked hard at Nazuna. “Take care of my child.”
Nazuna nodded, and Shunji then slowly walked out of the room. Yumiko
smiled at Nazuna and Ryouseika, and followed after him.
Ryouseika and Nazuna smiled at each other. They were finally together,
with nothing standing in the way.
**********
Three days later, Ryouseika, Nazuna and Natsuki went to the mall
again, just to spend some time together and reflect on the past
events. The three were sitting at a table in front of Natsuki’s
favourite coffee shop.
“So he just accepted it?” Natsuki asked.
Ryouseika nodded. “Uh huh. I guess what my mother said effected him,
because he allowed us to go out with each other. So here we are.”
“Well at least he saw sense in the end. Fathers can be damn annoying
can’t they? Why just yesterday I asked my dad for the money I need for
that 4-week trip to America I was telling you about and guess what? He
said no!”
Nazuna sweat dropped. “Is that...the same thing?”
“Oh it’s easy for you Nazuna, your dad is near perfect. He’s smart and
funny and kind, cute...”
“What did you say?” Nazuna asked. Natsuki blushed and scratched the
back of her head. “Nothing...lighten up!”
All three girls started laughing happily, but calmed down as someone
walked up to the table. It was Yurika, with an apologetic look on her
face. Nazuna and Natsuki looked at her warily.
“Room for one more?” Yurika asked.
Nobody but Ryouseika said anything. “Yeah.”
Yurika smiled briefly and sat down. Things were finally better.
Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction