The Love Letter Lovelies
by Glee-chan
18.
Shiho wandered up the street in a blank haze. She didn't know where she was going. Her Father's insults rang loud in her ear and her Mothers calm disapproval nauseated her. She had nothing now. She had no where to go. The box weighed down on her shoulder so heavy it was as if it was the personification of her problems. Like the burden that Christian carried on his back in Pilgrims Progress, Shiho felt she was wandering the wilderness outside the City of Destruction. And her feet hurt.
Just as she felt like dropping the box and sitting on the side of the road for a moment, her phone chimed. She half-hearted hoped it was her parents, calling to tell her to come back, that they overreacted, and that they loved her. But of course that wasn't the case. Maria was texting her.
"Where are you? School is about to start!"
Shiho looked at the message. She had forgotten about School. It seemed so trivial compared to her current problem. Shallowing, Shiho raised her arm and took a picture of herself standing next to a shop holding the box. With some difficulty she texted back "My parents found out." With that and the photo she sent it to Maria.
Maria didn't send a return message. Homeroom must of started. Depressed Shiho looked around her. Could she go to Sora's? The whole fight started when her parents saw them kiss. But Shiho didn't want to impose. Sora might feel obligated to take her in, but their relationship was new. What if she didn't like her as much as Shiho liked her? Feeling dejected, Shiho kept walking aimlessly.
Suddenly her phone rang. Shiho literally jumped when she heard it. She looked at the caller, but didn't recognize the number. Once again it wasn't her parents. Shiho answered in a nervous voice. "Hello?"
"Go to my house." Kaede's voice came through. As was her way, she cut through the pleasantries.
"What?"
"My house. It's the Ozawa Inn. Go there. We'll arrive shortly."
"But-" Shiho started to counter, but Kaede had hung up.
She blinked at her phone, then placed it into her pocket. Who was we? Kaede for sure wasn't going to drag the whole Love Letter Lovelies out of class, but someone else sounded like they were coming along. Then another thought came to her. Why had Kaede wanted her to go to the Inn? Perhaps it was because she was near the place, or since Kaede lived there it would be easier for them to discuss the situation. Regardless now she had a destination, so Shiho turned around and headed for the Inn.
She arrived before Kaede did, so she set the box down and sat on top of it, waiting in front of the door. She felt homeless. Well, she was homeless technically. However she didn't have long to ponder the thought of her living under a bridge as she saw Kaede and Yui running up the road. Of course the other person would be Yui, Shiho should have figured that out. Went they arrived, only Yui looked out of breath. Kaede was an athlete after all, but even with Yui's long strides she wasn't much of a physical person.
"Hey." Shiho looked sheepishly at them.
"Hello." Kaede breathed in. "Let me take your things."
Shiho stood up and Kaede picked up the box with a grunt. Then the two followed her inside the house section of the inn. She went down a hallway and soon all three of them were in her room. Like Makoto before, Shiho took in the oddity of Kaede's messy room, and the inn like quality of her house. Placing the box down on her heated table, Kaede went to her futon and sat down, inviting them to do the same.
"What happened?" Yui, still breathing heavy, was the first to break the silence.
Shiho explained everything; from Sora spending the night to the fight with her parents. She left nothing out. She even told them about her inner thoughts. How her heart was broken when her parents betrayed her and how utterly helpless she felt being homeless. The two listened to her without any interruption. Inwardly she was glad they were listening, but had no idea what they were going to do to help her.
"Oh Shiho-chan." Yui was on her knees and crawled over to her and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry."
"When I came out, my parents just shrugged it off." Kaede spoke softly. "I don't think they cared that much."
"But what am I going to do now?" Shiho sighed, still hugging Yui. "I have no money…"
"You're living here." Kaede said simply.
"What?" Shiho blinked. "Wha- No way. Is that why you told me to come here?"
Kaede nodded as if it was perfectly obvious that that was the plan all along. Shiho may have saw it if she were thinking straight earlier, but it still shocked her. "You want me to live here?"
"I live in an inn." Kaede reminded her. "The house part of the inn still has extra rooms so it won't be a problem."
"But… I can't pay you… and your parents… what would they think about a strange girl living here?"
Kaede shrugged. "They may request your help with the inn at some point, but I see no issue."
"You're being serious?" Shiho felt overwhelmed. "I can live here?"
"I'll ask Mom right now." Kaede stood up. "That is… if you want to live here."
Shiho rapidly nodded her head. "Where else am I gonna go, moron?"
"Then I'll ask. I'll be back." Kaede gave her Kaede-smile.
As Kaede left, Shiho hugged Yui again. Suddenly she didn't feel so bad anymore. Yui, still breathing heavy, embraced her back. Since she was so tall, it felt like she was a little kid again, being held by her Mother. The thought of her Mom made Shiho's heart pinch and she pushed it away. She had no parents anymore. They hated her.
"Is living here going to be okay, Shiho-chan?" Yui asked after a moment.
"Hmm?"
"Well… aren't you dating Kaede-chan's ex-girlfriend?"
Shiho slapped the top of her own head, forgetting that. This could be bad in terms of her relationship with Sora. She knew for a fact that while Sora cared for her there was a part of that girl's heart still hung up on Kaede. Living with Kaede would cause some issues. Could Sora be able to be around Kaede without falling for her again? Shiho knew she had no where else she could go, and it wasn't Kaede's fault that she just happened to be the ex of her current girlfriend. But with all of that, did this mean that she had to break up with Sora?
"I don't know Yui-chan." Shiho finally said. "One thing at a time, I guess."
After a few minutes Kaede returned. Both girls looked eagerly at her wondering what her Mother had said. Kaede took her time sitting back down on the futon before she explained.
"Mom says it's okay as long as you don't bring any strange boys around. I told her you're a lesbian."
Shiho blushed. "Thanks Kaede-chan. You're as blunt as usual."
"Was I not supposed to say that?" Kaede honestly looked like she had no clue why that was embarrassing. "Regardless. I told her about your parents. She said you can stay here as long as you want."
"T-Thanks Kaede-chan…" Shiho felt very humble. "I don't know what I can do to repay you."
Kaede thought about it. Suddenly Shiho got nervous. Apparently Kaede did have something in mind that she wanted in return. She hoped that it wasn't unreasonable. What if she asked her to break up with Sora. Could she do it? She might have to.
"Let me train you in Kendo."
Shiho coughed in surprise. "What?"
"I've been pondering this for a while. The school's Kendo Club is an insult. I really wanted to join but those members are appalling. So I thought I should make my own Kendo Club."
"Kaede-chan… will the school allow two Kendo Clubs?" Yui asked a legitimate question.
"I don't have the answer to that, but I want to attempt it." Kaede looked serious. "I still detest how that Captain attacked an unarmed girl. It's revolting."
Shiho thought about it. "Kaede-chan… I'll do my best to help you. It's the least I can do. And even if the school says no, I'll be your student. We can find train in the park on our own if you want."
Kaede beamed, well as much as she was able to. "This is really important to me, so I appreciate your support."
Yui blinked, took a deep breath, then blurted out. "Me too."
"I thought you said you couldn't stand violence." Shiho reminded her.
"I do… but the way Kaede-chan talks about it I want to try too. I want to help her dream come true."
"Thank you, Hino-san." Kaede bowed her head to her. "Mako-chan will join too, so that's three."
"Might as well force Maria into this." Yui grinned. "She'll be the only one out."
Kaede frowned. "I don't want to force anyone. I want this club to be fun."
"It will be." Shiho said, though in all honesty she felt forced into it.
"K-Kaede-chan…" Yui looked away. "This isn't my place to say but… but as Shiho-chan's friend I need to ask. Will you be okay with her continuing to date your ex-girlfriend?"
This took both Kaede and Shiho by surprise. Yui was being more bold than she normally was. Shiho felt embarrassed again, but looked to Kaede for an answer. It was a question she had been wondering about ever since Kaede said she could live in the inn.
"I disapprove of the relationship, but I already pledged my support of it." Kaede spoke calmly. "Just… just be careful. I would not advice bring her around here. That might be too much for her."
Shiho nodded earnestly. "Yeah. We care for each other, but I know she still is getting over you."
"And what about you with Mako-chan. She will be visiting quite often."
"I'm done with her." Shiho looked into Kaede's eyes so she knew it was true. "I shouldn't tell you this, but I'm falling for Sora-chan. Mako-chan is… she's pretty. I can't help but look at her sometimes, but that's as far as it goes. She isn't for me. She's all yours. I have my girl and you have yours."
Yui sighed. "Now I want a girlfriend."
"It'll happen, Yui-chan." Shiho smiled.
Kaede ignored that part of the conversation. "We should return to school. Shiho-chan. Do you feel comfortable enough to join us, or would like to take some time for yourself."
"If I stay here, I'll just think about what Dad said to me." Shiho stood up. "I need to be with my friends right now. I don't want to feel hideous."
So with that, the three of them returned back to Yumuto High School. They had missed the first three classes, and got scolded for it, but after that the day returned to being a normal school day. For Shiho, it was a waiting game for lunch. She just wanted to be with her friends, she didn't care about the lectures. When the break happened, all the Love Letter Lovelies went to the roof. Shiho ended up sharing portions of everyone's lunch since she didn't have one and didn't have any money to buy anything from the school store.
After the long re-explanation of her coming out party, and the "how awful" discussion the Lovelies had, Shiho felt better. Makoto and Maria both snuggled her and she felt loved again. The only bad thing was she had to have that same conversation with Sora all over again. She told the group that she dread it, but they all agreed it should be sooner rather than later.
So after school, Shiho texted Sora and told her that she was going to meet her at her house. It would be a long walk, going back and forth, but she couldn't talk about something so important in public. When she arrived at Sora's house, Sora was already there and changed out of her school uniform. She looked pleased to see Shiho until Shiho's grave face gave away that something was up.
Once in Sora's room Shiho explained the story, yet again. This time she added Kaede's invitation to the story. When it was all over, Shiho felt drained and out of breath. Like the others before her, Sora was hugging her, allowing herself to cry for Shiho. Shiho didn't want to cry herself, but found that it was harder to hold it in when Sora was crying. So for the first time since her father had slapped her, Shiho gave in.
After a good long cry Shiho felt a bit better. But now the meat of the conversation had come. Sora's reaction to Shiho living with Kaede. Would this be a problem?
"Living with Kae, huh?" Sora asked after a long while. "Shiho-tan, I won't lie. It's going to be difficult for me."
"I know…"
"Yeah. Kae has a big heart and it's great she asked you to stay with her. I'd invite you here but-"
"I know…" Shiho repeated. "Your folks probably wouldn't agree anyway, and even if they did… plus you live so far from my school… and we're a young couple."
Sora looked uncomfortable. "Shiho-tan, are we a couple?"
Shiho heart pinched. She hoped Sora wasn't breaking up with her. "I-I guess we officially aren't but… but… you know I like you."
"I like you too, but…" Sora looked pained. "What about Kae? There's no way I could come around your place anymore. I want to forget about her and just focus on you. I really do. But-"
"I understand." Shiho sniffed. "You can't be with me as long as I'm around Kaede-chan, right?"
"I didn't say that…" Sora sounded like she was in a panic. "I just said it'll be hard."
"Sora-chan. I'm going through a lot right now." Shiho whimpered. "I need to know if you can handle it. I can't be as strong as I was before."
Lowering her eyebrows Sora grabbed Shiho's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "I won't give up on you. I'll fight. I'll do my best." She paused then looked away. Shiho could literally see her cheeks turn pink. "N-Now let me cheer you up."
"Sora-chan, you don't have to. Just hearing you say that you're staying with me is enough."
Sora pulled off her shirt, ignoring her. "There, I can kiss you now." And with that the two were entangled in a long passionate kiss.
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