A/N: This chapter's pairing is Amane x Hikari and the theme is #8 - a
long road. Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yet to Come
Thump, thump, thump. Starbright's hooves made a loud noise every
time they hit the worn ground of the racetrack. As it was early
morning, the cicadas had quieted but the birds had not begun singing.
The horse's steps were the only sound.
Well actually, Hikari thought, there was also Amane's heartbeat.
With her head on the older girl's shoulder, her ear was close enough to
Amane's chest to hear that heartbeat. It was more soothing to listen to
than Starbright's thumps.
Even after winning the Etoile election, Amane still got up every
morning to ride Starbright, and Hikari always joined her. Sometimes,
like today, Hikari rode with Amane, and other times, the blonde girl was
content just to watch.
Round and round they went. Only here they could do that.
Everywhere else there was a long road ahead of them. They would keep on
moving forward. Their lives would progress and not remain trapped in an
endless cycle. Making love had only been the first step, and becoming
the new Etoile pair had only been the second. If they wanted to
continue to progress, more steps were needed. The best was surely yet
to come, and it would come with each step they made as a pair.
Amane halted Starbright once they had returned to the beginning of
the racetrack. Amane then got off the horse and as she was helping
Hikari down, Shion, the Spica student council president, stepped onto
the track. "I thought I'd find you two here," the older blonde greeted.
On her lips was a slight smile, but her eyes clearly said that she was
rather annoyed.
"What do you need?" Amane asked as she led Starbright back toward
the stables. Hikari and Shion followed.
"You two haven't done anything since the election," Shion began
once they were inside the stables. Amane was placing the horse back
into its particular stable. "Etoile isn't just some figurehead
position. You actually have to do things," the student council
president continued, her hands on her hips.
"You wanted me to be Etoile because I was popular among the
students," Amane said, removing Starbright's equipment and putting it
away. "You should be happy with what you got."
Hikari giggled at that statement, but otherwise made no response.
Shion heard that giggle. "And what do you think of Amane's
unmotivated attitude?" she asked Hikari, turning to face the younger
blonde.
Hikari's face became red as a strawberry. She hated
confrontations, but she had to stand up for her woman. "Well, um, since
the election was only two weeks ago, we shouldn't be forced to do
anything too complicated yet."
"Huh-huh." Shion's lips thinned. "This is the same problem
Rokujou had," she mumbled. Then in a louder voice she said, "Don't
shame Spica with your slacking. You have some work to do, so be back at
the school in an hour." With all that said, she turned on her heel and
left the stables.
Amane reached for Hikari's hand. "Let's skip for today and head
to our special place," the older girl suggested, smiling broad smile.
Hikari returned Amane's smile and nodded eagerly. They then set
off for the place where the sun first shone upon their naked bodies. As
they walked, white lilies seemed to look toward them. The road didn't
seem so long now.
Back to Strawberries and Lilies Index - Back to Strawberry Panic Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction