Story: The Great Shizuma (chapter 3)

Authors: Chiharu-ronin

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Chapter 3

Title: L.O.V.E. Love

[Author's notes:

Is Kagome following in Chikaru's footsteps in becoming a therapist?

]

THE GREAT SHIZUMA

Chapter Three

L.O.V.E. Love

Tsubomi sat in World History class, chin in palm, fingertips caressing her right cheek. Her classmates were reading about World War II from the textbook. Each girl's voice registered as a cacophony of blahblahblah's in the pink-haired girl's ears. Tsubomi would normally be giving full attention to her work, but presently Japan's involvement in World War II hardly seemed important.

She could still feel Yaya's lips pressed into her cheek. It had been a quick kiss, but warm and wet nonetheless. Her senpai had withdrawn hastily, uncertainty flashing in her brown eyes. Tsubomi imagined she had been affecting the same expression. This was Yaya, after all. The high and mighty upperclassmen who detested underclassmen. "Noisy," she called them. "Obnoxious," she called them. So why did she kiss one? And what about Hikari? Tsubomi thought Yaya had the hots for her.

But then she's allowed to move on. If the girl I liked became Étoile with someone else, I'd be inclined to do the same thing. But why me? That was what really got her. Yaya was always picking on her. She called her brat, squirt, peewee, etcetera. Last time Tsubomi checked, those were not terms of endearment.

"Okuwaka-san…?"

Her sensi's voice yanked her back to reality. Everyone was staring at her. Tsubomi suspected this wasn't the first time the sensi had called her name. She jumped up, nearly knocking over her chair in her haste. She grabbed the book and realized that she may have been on the wrong page. She was too proud, however, to ask the teacher what page to read and just started right from the top.

"'Americans would call it the day to live on in infamy. On December 7 -'"

"You are on the wrong page, Okuwaka-san," the sensi interrupted. "We finished reading that fifteen minutes ago. Turn to page 83, and start from the second paragraph."

Tsubomi heard giggles, felt her face burn. She flipped ahead a few pages. A map of Japan graced the page opposite the one she was to read, with the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki boldened. Wow, I really fell behind, the young Spican thought. She read aloud about the Manhattan Project and sat down, smiling sheepishly.

"Thank you, Okuwaka-san. Please try to stay with us. Haruna-san…?"

The girl behind her stood and read about the dropping of the atomic bomb, a topic in history that never failed to give Tsubomi nightmares. But almost as soon as the reading started up again, the pink-haired second year found herself once again lost in thought.

What should I do? What should I say?

---

"Kagome-chan!"

Tsubomi saw the Lulim second year in the cathedral and ran up to meet her. The Spican usually saw Kagome as odd, didn't talk to her much, but she knew she could confide in her without criticism.

"Hi," Kagome whispered shyly, clutching Pashibaru, her precious stuffed bear, close to her chest.

Tsubomi suddenly felt very awkward. Kagome always had that effect on her. The way the Lulim underclassman avoided eye contact and barely spoke unnerved her. Weren't those symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome?

"Uhh, where were you headed?"

"Star Gazing Club with Kizuna-chan and Remon-chan."

The pink-haired Spican glanced briefly at the sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows.

Kagome smiled a little. "We don't literally watch the stars. It's a club dedicated to the research of astrology. Chikaru started it."

Tsubomi raised an eyebrow and nodded. Sounded interesting. Usually Lulim's clubs sounded stupid and pointless to her. Too bad Spica doesn't have a club like that. I'd join.

Wee Kagome's smile faded as she gazed at Pashibaru, then back at Tsubomi. "Pashibaru says that Tsubomi-chan is worried. What are you worried about?"

The Spican sighed, turned her amber eyes to the ceiling, wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. "Okay. Um, last night, I was in Yaya-senpai's room, and we were, uh, arguing. You know how we can be." In such a desperate moment even someone as mulish as Tsubomi could acknowledge the stupidity in hers and Yaya's disputes. "And I…I sorta told her she was cute…and, erm, she kissed me. On the cheek."

Kagome's expression didn't change. She simply nodded and asked, "What did you do?"

"After she kissed me?"

Another nod.

"I…I didn't know what to do! I just sat there, staring at her. Then I jumped up, she wished me good luck on tonight's concert, and I ran out."

"And now you don't know if you should talk to her."

"Hai." Tsubomi realized she was blushing. She put her palms to her warm cheeks.

"Pashibaru wants to know why Tsubomi-chan was in Yaya's room in the first place."

What a question! It left her speechless - a first for Tsubomi. She dropped her hands and stared curiously at Kagome.

"Did you drop by her room just to pick a fight with her?"

Truth be told, Tsubomi herself didn't know why she went there. Her homework was done, her room mate was out, and she just didn't feel like reading The Jungle. She was bored. But the realistic side of her snorted: Drop it, Tsubomi. You're only kidding yourself.

Kagome smiled, her emerald eyes swimming. "You like Yaya-oneesama. That is why you went?"

The Spican had no choice but to swallow her pride and own up. "Hai," she admitted. "I like Yaya-senpai. A lot." Her head felt so hot from blushing. "Don't let me burden you, though. You have Star Gazing and my call time for the concert is soon." She paused. "I…enjoyed talking with you, Kagome-chan."

"Likewise."

"Welp, see you around!" She turned and ran in the direction of the cathedral hall, where the choir rehearsed.

"Tsubomi-chan." The Lulim second year's soft voice reached her ears. She halted and whirled around, her topaz eyes wide and expectant.

Kagome was no longer smiling and her tone was serious. "You should talk to Yaya-oneesama."

Tsubomi nodded assent, changed direction, and ran off toward Strawberry Dorms.

---

Yaya sat alone in her room, which she resided by her lonesome in ever since Hikari was named Étoile and moved in with Amane. Her chest hurt. Her heart wasn't right. Her head felt too heavy to hold up. She rested it on her knees.

Had she been too brash yesterday? Maybe Tsubomi really didn't mean kawaii in a loving way. Of course, Yaya had been too hard-headed to listen to her. Last year, when she was fourteen, she made this mistake with Hikari and it nearly cost them their friendship. One year later, she was fifteen and making the same mistake with Tsubomi. She was quite certain that her kohai wouldn't forgive her as readily. Will I ever learn? Yaya thought. I should kiss Nagisa and Tamao while I'm at it. Then I'll have no friends.

Tears stung her eyes. She let them roll unchecked down her cheeks and drip from her chin. A perk to having the room to herself: she could just cry whenever she wanted to.

She heard a timid knock on the door. Probably Hikari. Yaya sat up, wiped away her tears. "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Tsubomi stepped in.

Yaya didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. Just like yesterday with the kiss. She came back. That means she doesn't hate me. That made things easier. Yaya offered up her signature wise-guy smirk and said, "What's up, pipsqueak?"

Normally Tsubomi would have indignantly puffed out her cheeks, snapped a sharp retort. But the better part of her told her to be a little more serious. "I could ask the same of you, Yaya-chan. You've been crying. What's wrong?"

Where to begin? Yaya had never been good at putting her feelings into words. She was more of a do-er, an action taker. Choosing her words carefully, she replied, "I…didn't think you'd come back. I was worried."

The fact that Yaya had been every bit as freaked out as Tsubomi was such a relief to the second grader that she chuckled. "Of course I came back. A kiss like that, who wouldn't come back?"

Yaya looked up. "So you liked it?"

"Mm-hmm."

"You seemed…scared."

"Not scared. More like surprised." Tsubomi had never been good at calming people down while they were crying, but sitting down on the bed and putting a hand on her shoulder seemed to do the trick for Yaya. Her tears stopped coming and she grinned.

"Yesterday was your first kiss, right?"

The second year scowled. "Hecky, naw! I've been kissed plenty of times!" Yaya raised an eyebrow. Tsubomi continued, "Let's see… That would be six times, not including the times with my room mate." Her room mate. The thought of kissing that dork made Tsubomi grimace.

Yaya inched closer to her kohai. "If you're so experienced, I'd think you'd play yesterday a bit more cool." She brought her hand to Tsubomi's burning face. "Could've you gotten out of here faster?"

"Th-this is no fair!" the pink-haired girl spluttered, pulling away. "How old were you when you were first kissed?"

"Twelve." Yaya hadn't missed a beat.

Beaten in yet another argument, Tsubomi glowered and crossed her arms over her chest.

Meanwhile, Yaya was recalling her cringe-worthy memory of her first kiss. It was the summer of her first year. She was at home, and it was with her older brother's friend (who was fourteen at the time). Her brother, upon hearing what his friend had done to his little sister, chased him down and beat him up. And to this day, she was known in her neighborhood for that incident. She could make Tsubomi's first kiss ten times better.

Yaya wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer. The second year stiffened, growing more nervous.

"It's okay if yesterday was your first," the fourth grader assured softly. "It doesn't matter to me."

She was coming closer still. Tsubomi could feel her breath on her cheek, the very same her senpai had kissed just the other day.

"I want to kiss you again."

Tsubomi turned to look at Yaya and at that very moment their mouths came together, and hard, the force of the kiss nearly knocking the younger girl onto her back. She steadied herself with her hand, her other hand coming to Yaya's face as the initial shock wore off. Her senpai broke off the kiss, but didn't stop there. After taking a second to breathe, she moved in for another kiss. Tsubomi was ready this time. She tilted her head so her nose wouldn't get bashed this time.

This kiss was considerably deeper and made Tsubomi feel light-headed. A weird zoomy feeling formed in her lower abdomen, causing her hands to falter. Again, the room grew unpleasantly hot. Sweat beaded her arms and chest under her sweater. Frustrated, Tsubomi pulled back, yanked the damn thing off over her head, and threw it down on the floor.

"Oh, um…" Yaya tapped her chin pensively. "I don't want to spoil the moment, but I have some bad news. I should tell you before I forget again."

Tsubomi's ocher eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Minako went into the infirmary this morning. She has the flu."

"The flu," she echoed dumbly.

"Hai. So that means our entire Alto I section is out. Therefore the solo falls on the primary Alto II."

The second year froze, understanding now where Yaya was going with this.

Her senpai smiled gently. "Don't worry, Tsubomi-chan. I know you can do it."

"No I can't! Are you crazy?" She jumped up off the bed and stood before Yaya, her body coiled tight like a spring. "I've never rehearsed that solo. I've never even seen that solo!"

Yaya opened a drawer and pulled out a battered leather-bound folder. "No better time to start learning than right now!" She pulled the sheet music out. "It's not that difficult, Tsubomi-chan. Well within your tonal range-"

"But not my dynamic range," Tsubomi interrupted, noting a measure in the solo where she would have to crescendo from piano to fortissimo in only three beats.

"Tone is more important than volume. If you can't exactly reach fortissimo, that's fine, just as long as you're singing a clear and perfect D."

The second year reluctantly accepted the music. She had no choice. She would have to sing that solo. It was a total of ten bars long, not too much movement. She could do this fine.

[End notes: This chapter was named after the Orange Juice song. I still love that song.]

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