Mai-HiME Fan Fiction ❯ Tea Leaves, Coffee Beans, and a Touch of Mint. ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A soft moan escaped her, the slow conducting of the two hands playing over her bringing it to crescendo. The dance of one hand followed an enticing step, sliding across her belly and following a line up her chest, skirting around her throat and up one cheek. So gently does it caress her face, and run through her hair, coming to rest on the nape of her neck. She's drawn down, and the crisp scent of wild mint greets her along the way, the coolness she breathes in sharp contrast to the heat of their bodies, to the warmth of the mouth she finds with her own. The feeling of silky smooth lips sliding and pressing onto hers, their sweet taste, the ardor that flames with their meeting... she can only think that she wants more, without end. She feels those fingers continue their teasing path as if reading her mind, moving off her neck and slipping seductively down her shoulder blade. Feather-light caresses flow down her spine, and a shiver follows it in unbearable anticipation...

Haruka's eyes snapped open. The dim ceiling above the bed came into focus and she calmly regulated her breathing, which had become quick and impassioned. She was vaguely cognizant of being surprised at herself- when did she ever find time to give thought to something so... personal? Despite herself, then, she curiously tried to probe what memory remained, but the effort was like trying to grasp smoke with her hands; by now only the basest of sensory impression, the most fleeting sensations, remained. She ran her tongue over her lips ,feeling, or perhaps not feeling, a fading phantom presence upon them. Such a strange dream, really; she was sure it was unlike any she could remember before. Such soft touches, that pale supple flesh under her, those delicate hands... That... was definitely not about someone like Reito.Probably didn't mean anything. After all, who could say where dreams derived their inspiration? She did her best to try and stop thinking about it, and slowly the memories slipped away as dreams are wont. Except... every breath she took continued to just barely tickle her throat with the memory of that cool scent. It was odd that seemed to linger longest, far after all else had faded.

Haruka brought her hands up to rub her eyes in that tried and true method of bringing to bear the reality of a new day, but it took her a moment to realize that only one arm obeyed. She twisted her head around to face Yukino lying there across her arm, her hair splayed out--much as Yukino's hair could do--across her shoulder. After turning, she was also struck by the scent of mint once again, more strongly, and realized that it seemed to be coming from her partner's hair. Where did she get that shampoo? The idle thought percolated through her mind before drawing a blush down to her toes as she inadvertently drew a connection between her dream, the scent, and Yukino laying there. She buried the unintended relation and once again banished all thoughts of things she didn't think she ought to be thinking about. She turned back to watch Yukino, somehow feeling more relaxed because of it. She saw Yukino's hand resting lightly on her collarbone.

Haruka slid her hand over to Yukino's on sudden impulse, tracing the edge of one unpainted, plainly cut fingernail with a fingertip. She laid her hand over her partners, and for a moment marvels first at how smooth Yukino's hands are, and then at how well her hand cups over the girl's. Something about those thoughts broke some of that relaxation she was working on. Feeling remarkably self-conscious for someone alone with her thoughts, she tried turning her mind to more pressing matters. Or would have, had she any pressing matters to concern herself with. The only concern she could even bring to mind was whether she ought to get up now. Laying there hardly seemed productive, no matter that they didn't actually have anything to do. While she considered on this, she soon found her attention oddly drawn to Yukino's breathing. In, and out; in, and out each of the girl's light exhales ruffled Haruka's loose pajama collar, and Haruka found herself content with this state of things for the moment.

"Good morning, Haruka-chan."

Haruka nearly leapt out from her skin at Yukino's soft greeting, accompanied by the lightest vibrations from the girl's throat against her arm. Yukino smiled, eyes still closed, as she felt Haruka's shoulder twitch under her cheek. Yukino thought that she should perhaps move. The thought not only crossed her mind, but struck her as a remarkably good idea. So she remained laying in Haruka's arms. I'm on vacation, I shouldn't have to think if I don't want to.

"Good morning, Yukino." Haruka replied, once her pulse had slowed.

"We're leaving today, then, right?" Yukino spoke the first thought that came to mind, holding the irrational hope that she might receive a "no" in response. A hope quickly denied.

"Mm-hmmm. Time to get back to our academy." Haruka noticed that she still had Yukino's hand cupped under her own and quickly removed it. Nothing to be embarrassed about, of course, it's not like Imeant anything improper with the gesture. Yukino read that as an implicit signal signal and rose, turning and directing a wistful smile at Haruka, now stretching her stiff arm.

"I suppose that we should prepare then." She said. Or, I could turn all the way around, Haruka-chan, and jump onto you. I could slowly lower my lips to your ear, watch a look of surprise grow in your beautiful eyes as I whisper, “I lo--”

"That's right, got to get up and about... eh, are you a little stiff, Yukino?" Yukino blinked, and froze, realizing that she had been moving, turning about, drawing her leg up to spring over in accord with her imagination's choreography. Mortified, she shook her head quickly in answer and turned away to hide her face, swinging her legs to the edge of the bed and starting to slide off. A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Hey, I know that I've asked you this a lot lately," Haruka began without preamble, "But you know that if there was anything at all wrong, you do know that you can tell me, right? I'll do whatever I can to help, no matter what, Yukino." There were no promises of swift retribution to any potential harassers, no reminders that she needed to be focused or ready for this, that, or another thing. Nothing more than an honest plea that managed to sound louder than any of her piercing yells ever had.

"No... nothing." She had intended to just deny that anything was wrong at all, "Nothing I'm ready to talk about right now, that is, Haruka-chan." She had been prepared for Haruka to be cross because she was sure at this point that there was obviously something wrong, but she had been caught off guard by the briefest hints of injury in Haruka's eyes. "That's because... er, what's bothering me, it's... I will talk to you about it. I will definitely, but for now I want to think about it more on my own." Yukino knew that she was rambling a little, but in the back of her mind she was relieved. With this, she had made a sort of promise. Exactly as she said, she wanted just a little more time to think for herself, but then she would act. She had wondered what was wrong with now, what might change later, but further rumination gave her the answer. Collectively, these last few days had given her some faint, almost unbelieving optimism--Shizuru's words about Haruka, which had at first seemed ignorant wishful thinking, began to seem truer. The problem now, though, also came from Shizuru's words and actions. Yukino appreciated the good intentions that kept this scheme different from the others, but she couldn't escape the knowledge that the place they were at, the room, the city, all had come about from another machination of the crafty President. The idea of anything coming to fruition between her and Haruka in this place, a place Haruka had spent being deceived, cajoled, and otherwise led around did not sit well with her. Thank you, Shizuru-san, but you did say at the outset the end was in my hands alone.

"Yukino, are you sure, there's no reason to try and go it alone--" Haruka had started to argue.

"Please, Haruka-chan," came Yukino's soft reply, silencing Haruka. At least . Butwhy the wait, Yukino?

“Fine, but at least try to be a little more lively, or else I might change my mind and get it out of you any way."

Oh, and how would you do that, Haruka-chan? Yukino wondered, and the thoughts she came up with helped to put a little smile on her face. That must be Haruka's way of saying, "cheer up", and I guess it works.

"Thanks, Haruka-chan, let's focus on today.” Yukino looked her up and down, frowning slightly. “Ah, to start, why don't you go and take your shower while I straighten up our belongings? Because,Haruka-chan... are you all right? Now that I look closely, you seem a little flushed and off balance..." Haruka's confident, encouraging smile caught, and turned sickly-looking on her face.

"Ah, ha, ha-ha, Yukino. N..no, not at all, maybe the air conditioning went out last night, with this Bubuzuke Hippie-hotel and all, heh. No strange dreams for me." She stood quickly, very quickly, cheeks flaming.

"But I'll be right out to give you a hand, Yukino. No rush." Haruka added belatedly as she walked to the bathroom..

Yukino smiled and nodded. However, as Haruka turned to close the door the last she saw of her sweet little partner was a falter to her smile. If Yukino didn't look exactly "sad", there was still a somber, worried turn to her lips that made Haruka want so much to burst back into the room. However, she knew that the moment she did the expression would be gone, replaced once again with a smile to keep her from worrying. Loosing a frustrated sigh, she reached in and turned the water knob savagely, running the water as hot as she could stand. She stood for a moment just enjoying that, letting the water wash over her, then grabbed the soap and lathered up, all the while striving to fathom what in the world could be weighing on her friend's mind. Yukino had seemed so content the previous day, and so beautifully serene this morning. Underneath her irritation at the situation she'd been thrown into, Haruka had begun to hope that perhaps Yukino had gotten a reprieve from her stress with their unexpected break time. But if that were the case, could her backsliding be connected with their imminent return to the academy? Is school really that bad for her right now, final exams or the executive work or the like? She stood for a time, the liquid heat cleansing her body, her mind floating through possibilities that felt only as substantial as the vapor swirling about her.

No, none of that could be it. Yukino's too solid to let that bother her. Yukino was always exemplary as a student and as Executive Adjutant, never seeming troubled before. Especially now, though Yukino did have those final exams creeping up, they had been gliding by easily as far as council work was concerned.Really, the only time she could recall Yukino so jittery and out of sorts... was during that time. She felt a chill despite the nearly scalding water coursing over her. There had been more than enough to occupy Yukino's attention then.

"Could there really be something now to... to..." To compare with that?

A light tapping sent ripples through the stream of her thoughts, but did little more than remind her that she should be doing more than thinking now. She reached for the shampoo, worried mind creating progressively grimmer scenarios around her friend. The soft knocking reached her ear once more. She paused now, wondering what it was, then looked askance at the wall. Leave it to Fujino to reserve a room where I'm going to be knocked out by a flying shower attachment, she thought darkly, but the noise came again, louder, and she knew it wasn't the plumbing. Is that the door? Why doesn't Yukino answer it? A few seconds later, the knock came again; definitely a door knock. Haruka growled and jumped from the shower. She strode into the room proper, wrapping a towel about herself as she stepped from the steamy bathroom.

"Yukino, why..." The question died on her lips, its recipient nowhere in the room. Brows furrowed in confusion and some amount of worry, she walked to the door and peered through the peephole. Wha-what's she doing out there? Haruka opened the door and Yukino stumbled back in.

"I guess maybe I shouldn't have turned in the room key yet." She said sheepishly, "But then, we're already checked out now, won't need to do it on our way down."

"So, they let you check out... in your pajamas... with no luggage, and come back up to the room?"

"This is a nice hotel; the staff is very accommodating." Yukino answered, relieved that Haruka had directed her attention towards the the staff and away from her own little bungle. She'd just been looking around for something, anything else to do, and had seen the key lying on the table... perhaps she had been feeling just a little scrambled at that moment.

Haruka thought it was more likely that the staff didn't want to do anything else to aggravate them, but kept that to herself.

"Oh, Haruka-chan, you're dripping all over the floor! And I think I accidentally packed up all of your clothes already." Haruka looked and saw their packed bags and the room tided, the only clothes now visible Yukino's spare uniform laid out on the bed and the pajamas her partner still wore.

"I'll get them out, you go back in and finish up." Yukino told her. Haruka smiled, bemused with her flustered friend, and some of her worries evaporated. Her gloomy worries of a minute earlier seemed silly when watching Yukino now; her friend might have something on her mind, but how much trouble could it be if she could still find time to worry about being embarrassed or getting the carpet wet? In any case, her suggestion sounded as good an idea as standing here dripping, so she went to do as Yukino said. Simultaneously, Yukino keyed in on a very pleasant discovery, though were Haruka to turn around for any reason she probably would have wondered about the wide-eyed ogling that Yukino was managing to get done. But she didn't, and soon wood and deep red paint obscured the mesmerizing view, allowing Yukino to shake off her trance-like state. She noticed her lungs nagging her and breathed again, blushing. It wasn't as though that were the most she'd ever seen of Haruka. Since their childhood they had shared a bath many of times, but... Yukino wasn't taking a bath, and was not thinking the thoughts of a bathing person, and that seemed to make a profound difference. Oh, this is what startedall this!. It just seemed the most natural thing in the world for her eyes to always be drawn to her loved one. Wait, this did start when Shizuru noticed, but I haven't been... oddly enough, she realized that despite everything that had been happening, the beginnings of trip had served to neatly suppress those more errant thoughts.

Her conversing with Shizuru, both the nice and not so nice ones, working to evade Haruka's concern, and all time she spent trying to discern why she had allowed herself to be put in this situation had been very much distracting. Ruefully, Yukino admitted to herself that this stress had probably helper her more than just a midge. These mishaps had forced her to stay on her toes and pay attention to her surroundings, and consequently she had observed some interesting aspects of Haruka that she would never have turned her eye to, stuck thinking of Haruka as more or less an alternately tragic and wondrous fantasy. But now... Shizuru had withdrawn her mischievous talons, there hadn't been any more mishaps, and Haruka had managed to go through more than a day--an eternity as far as Haruka was concerned--without so much as a grumble under her breath about the “Bubuzuke woman”... at least not with any real malice. Really now, it probably wouldn't hurt anything to daydream for a while. Wouldn't hurt, not much, probably just about as much as Haruka was wearing right now... Yukino allowed her imagination to run away with her, just a little bit.

"Why don't you go join me in the shower then?" Yukino bolted upright, stifling a cry. She hadn't heard her partner's approach. Her next breath caught fast in her throat as Haruka's words filtered through the surprise.

"Ha... wha-what was that, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asked disjointedly, looking at Haruka with glasses askew. Haruka blinked, stopping in the act of rubbing a towel lightly over her damp hair.

"I said, 'why don't you go jump in the shower then?' It's already a quarter of nine, and our train leaves at twenty-five after."

"Oh! I mean, of course, Haruka-chan. I'll be just a moment." She scurried to the bathroom as quickly as she could without running outright, flushing furiously at her mishearing. Haruka lifted an eyebrow, wondering what thoughts she might have interrupted. She was mostly glad, though, sure that Yukino could not have blushing so cutely over something at all depressing. Nodding in satisfaction at her conclusion, she turned her mind towards trying to figure out why she might think Yukino's blushing was so cute.Another knock at the door kept her from dwelling overlong on that, though. It turned out to be a staff maid, come to clean up the room for the next occupants.

"We need just a few more minutes, my partner here was premature in checkout." Haruka explained, "She's still in the shower, in fact, we couldn't leave right now if we wanted too." The woman was aging and matronly, a head shorter than Haruka, but far more imposing figure than that stature usually warranted. She looked like, had she been so inclined, she could have been forceful enough to cause trouble for Haruka. Today, though, she had a youthful gleam in her eye, set off rakishly by an eyebrow arching in amusement above it.

"Oh ho? Just how long would you like me to wait? Really, couldn't you just save us both some time and go in there with her now?"

"Eh!? What do you... " Realization dawned as she recalled the circumstances of their reservation. "Oh, no! It's-"

"Now don't you get all shy with me, young lady. Nothing wrong with a couple of young girls getting some time to themselves. But, while I dohope you've had a nice, memorable time that you can treasure 'til you're old as me, but the fact is that I'm already old, and a touch impatient, so could you maybe save any more until you get back home? The room check out, it was recorded, and I have a schedule to keep." While Haruka stood speechless trying to form her tongue around some response, the maid chuckled and left her.

"Really! An employee shouldn't just come out and say things like that to their guests.” Haruka gasped out, “What I might do with Yukino is none of her business anyway!" Haruka paused for a moment in her anger, thinking about what she had just said, "Er, that is, I mean, what we might, what Yukino, ahem, to say, er.... the nerve of her!" Forestalling too much more brooding on the encounter was her partner's emergence from her shower. Yukino stared at Haruka grumbling to herself, oblivious to her presence, before venturing,

"Er, Haruka-chan?" Haruka snapped her head around.

"Ah, Yukino!"

"Is everything alright?"

"Well... yes. A cleaning woman came by, and... and.... she said we need to get out of here quickly because we're checked out, so let's get out of here."

"All... right, Haruka-chan," Yukino replied slowly, "I"ll hurry up and get dressed."

"Okay, but I'm going to wait out in the hall. If a certain maid thinks to stop by early, a certain maid is going to learn about what you do and don't say to your guests." If she didn't have enough to go on already, this was enough to make Yukino think that the maid had not just stopped by to leave a friendly notification. She wondered what might have happened, to rile Haruka up so much. Though, really, accomplishing that wasn't toodifficult. Minutes later, after Yukino had dressed and given the room one last sweep for forgotten possessions, she joined her partner with pack in hand and they set off down the hall. Finally feeling safe in the elevator, Haruka gave a breath of relief that quickly changed to a choking cough when a familiar voice called after them.

"Bye-bye, lovebirds! Maybe I'll see you for your anniversary?" Through closing doors the pair glimpsed the staff maid walk into view. One wave and a large, outrageously exaggerated wink, and she was gone. Yukino raised a hand to her mouth, not needing a mirror to know that she was doing her best impression of a steamed beet, but seeing the same when she cast a glance over to Haruka was surprising. What does she have to be embarrassed about, she's not angry?They caught one another's eye, and the sight was enough to make them both crack into smiles and chuckles. Yukino felt she had extra reason for her mirth. Just a few short days ago, as she had seen first hand when they had arrived, Haruka would have been livid after such a remark. Might she actually be loosening up, taking more of life in and trying less to shove it around to suit her? Yukino didn't know, she just knew that Haruka smiled for a few seconds, before she took on a grumpy mask again.

"So indecent. Even if that room had been used for its proper purpose, that would have been indecent."

"I don't know, Haruka-chan, I'm sure she meant well."

"Mm." Was Haruka's unconvinced response, but Yukino noticed that she let a smile break out for another few seconds, about the time it took for the elevator to stop.

It opened into the lobby and any traces of amusement faded as Haruka walked through. She went quickly, without sparing even a passing glance to the concierge. Yukino felt bad, though. Nothing had reallybeen his fault, so she stopped for a polite bow as if to say, "thank you and sorry aobut all this" and hurried after Haruka with a cheerful wave. Peeking back as she left, Yukino did not know if she had ever seen a person with such stark relief in his face as he did while watching his esteemed guests depart.

Their travel home was so mundane as to be almost unusual. They made their train in a timely manner, and found themselves in a crowded train compartment, the traveling much busier here in the middle of the week than in the morning of their initial departure. They both wondered about how their absence might have effected the academy, Haruka infinitely more prepared to assume the worst. The talked about the reconstruction that was finally about to get started, and about classes, and about the University and the entrance exams Haruka recently took. Yukino hoped that she did well, remembering fondly how feverishly Haruka had worked and studied for them. At last, they watched the island they called home coming into view with anticipation, more than Yukino would ever have thought she'd feel before leaving it. They disembarked and couldn't help but stand and bask in the relative calm of their little city. They set off walking into the town, relishing the ease of movement, and Haruka was soon able to hail a taxi.

"To the academy." Haruka instructed.

"No problem."

The already short trip was abridged further as they neared the academy, ending before they reached the schools inner sanctum.

"Just drop us of at the curb here, by the gate, no need to go up the drive." Haruka directed brusquely, flinty eyes on the welcoming committee that had just come into view on the sidewalk.

"No problem." The driver said in monotone, entirely unimpressed with this one fare amidst the day's worth. He just made sure to get his money, and drove away.

"Look, Yukino, we won't have to wait for the President, or go track her down." Yukino hid a groan of consternation. She had strongly hoped to avoid meeting back up with Shizuru quite yet. Much as she did want to have a discussion with the President over what did and did not constitute "helping", she wasn't mentally prepared to parry the inevitable probing and questioning that would go hand in hand with the discussion. Haruka walked with deliberate unhurriedness to the smiling-- or at least half-smiling-- pair waving at them.

“Miss President." She said evenly. .

"Suzushiro-san." Shizuru returned.

"Kuga-san." Yukino supplied next, relieved at the civility with which this had started out.

"Kikukawa-san." Natsuki nodded.

"Did you two have a nice time?" Shizuru inquired cordially, and Yukino winced inwardly at the entirely too innocent expression on her face. Haruka gaped at her, but only for a moment.

"Hmph. Yes, yes we did," She began with a certain aloofness, "Yukino and I are far too resourceful to be thrown off by mistakes from... other departments. No matter how bumbling, shortsighted, and foolish those mistakes may have been." That aloofness turned out rather short-lived, to the surprise of no one, and those last words tended towards an escalation to a more habitual decibel level for Haruka. "Still, not everybody is likely to be so adoptive, we should probably reexamine who gets put in charge of matters like this."

"I think you mean adaptive, Haruka-chan." Yukino added when Haruka had finished.

"Whatever, Yukino." Haruka whispered quietly over to her partner.

"I am glad that such able persons were selected, if that was the case." Shizuru answered demurely, unfazed, "And I agree, Suzushiro-san. There were obviously some issues in planning for this assignment," No sidewalk passion after all, Natsuki. Ah, and I was almost looking forward to it. "And I take full responsibility."

"That's right!" Haruka half-shouted, "It's time for... ah... to be uncovered, and..." She trailed off, her sentence broken and falling piecemeal from a slack jaw.

"I am not one who enjoys seeing mistakes made, particularly not her own. To that end, I do wish tomorrow's discourse to be fulfilling and efficient, correcting the problems brought forth with minimal fuss." Haruka stared at the President, then swiftly composed herself.

"Ah, of course, Miss President."

"I also have one small request with regards to that.” Shizuru continued smoothly, “I only became aware of your difficulties in later contact--I apologize that you had to go through that--and I would like to receive a clearer picture of what was involved. To do so, then, if it is not too much trouble, might I borrow Kikukawa-san for a short while?" Shizuru was the absolute picture of humility and innocence. Yukino, recognizing that this was taking her somewhere she was not quite ready to go, spoke up.

"I would be more than happy to, Fujino-san."

"How nice. I'm sure that you're longing to get home and back settled, but this won't take long." Shizuru smiled.

"Pardon, Fujino-san." Yukino started again, "That is, I would be more than happy too, ordinarily, but might I make another suggestion?"

"Oh?"

"I, ah feel it would be more my duty to... reorganize our agenda for resuming council business, yes, especially as Haruka-chan requested that nobody cover in our absence. I have so many things I could be doing to prepare for tomorrow already." Yukino warmed to her half-truth, "Haruka-chan," she turned to her partner, "Don't you think that if you took this opportunity to discuss with her instead, the President and the Executive Director could get much more accomplished than just a secretary?" Haruka's eyes brightened.

"Why yes, Yukino, that sounds like a fine idea. Unless you have any objections, President Fujino?"

Shizuru took a moment for a light appraising glance towards Yukino. Interesting, Kikukawa-san, and not altogether bad. But why would you do such a thing? You're certainly not getting shy on me now, yes? Shizuru thought on various ways she could avoid having the better part of her evening occupied by Suzushiro, but ultimately discounted them. If you want this so very much, you can have it.

"None, Suzushiro-san. I don't know why I did not think of this myself." Shizuru looked sidelong at Natsuki. With the proper company, I can find any evening enjoyable ...

"I guess I can walk Kikukawa-san back to your dorm room then, no need for me to get in your way. Can I get your bag?" Natsuki stepped towards Haruka and held out her hand. Haruka started, then nodded an unsure thanks, surprised at the normally unapproachable girl's helpfulness. The suitcase exchanged hands, and Natsuki tried to avoid the small pout Shizuru pointed in her direction. Just because you didn't get out of your evening with Suzushiro doesn't mean I'm sticking around for it. Natsuki did hope that Shizuru wouldn't be holding this against her though.The President and Director moved along the path, followed a minute later by the other two.

"Thank you, Kuga-san."

"No problem, Yukino." Natsuki dropped back into her less formal mannerisms. Though she had only done this to avoid spending more time with somebody that grated on her nerves, curiosity got the better of her as they started towards the dormitories.

"So, did you really have an okay time? I mean, after Shizuru stopped--"

"Yes, Kuga-san, we really did." A simple smile from Yukino did much to ease Natsuki's concern.

"That's good. I know it was probably a pain in the ass, but I just wanted to let you know that Shizuru.... I mean, she really didn't mean any harm by..." Natsuki remembered that Shizuru had had a reason for being a "pain in the ass", and that she probably shouldn't say too much about it, but still wanted to defend her girlfriend somehow. Yukino solved that issue with a display of forgivingness, or at least forgetfulness, that Natsuki wasn't sure she'd have felt in reversed situations.

"I know. She did stop when I asked her to, no hard feelings there. I, ah, take it she shared the real meaning behind this then?"

"Yeah, she was being pretty obvious about it. Didn't take me long to get it out of her, I know how to work Shizuru." Natsuki said nonchalantly, "Er, I did notice when she called that you didn't sound so good..."

"You were there? Hmm. No, likely I didn't. I'm doing much better now, though, after we enjoyed a few days together without any more little surprises."

"Does that mean... 'mission accomplished'" Natsuki asked, knowing Yukino wouldn't let on as much unless asked pointedly.

"Not quite, Kuga-san." Yukino averted her gaze downward. She built half a smile and continued, "I'm still working on that part. But... I think that it's no longer as impossible as I once did."

"Seriously, with Suzushiro?" Natsuki said, genuinely surprised. If the girl was right, there went the biggest flaw in this scenario that Natsuki could think of. She shrugged off her surprise, not wanting to hurt Yukino's confidence. "Eh, I guess she can't be any more hard-headed than I was before." They walked a few more moments in silence.

"Well, maybe she can..." They started simultaneously, then laughed. They were just approaching Yukino and Haruka's room.

"Even so, I do love my Haruka-chan." Yukino continued, surprising herself at how easily she was able to form those words now, especially to someone else. Natsuki regarded her with a careful eye.

"Good luck, Yukino." She said at last, and Yukino smiled.. Shizuru might have a way with words, but it was nice to talk to somebody without having to wonder, just a little bit, about their sincerity every time she turned around. Yukino thanked her for her help before unlocking the door and taking the cases inside. She closed it with a thankful wave, and turned to face home with a contented sigh. She started unpacking and gathering their used clothing for the laundry and hanging what they hadn't worn. Finishing in what seemed no time at all, she cast about for other activities. She hooked up her laptop and checked for any personal messages, surfed around and tried to interest herself in the workings of the world, but in the end she just kicked off her shoes and lay in her own bed, savoring the familiarity. Haruka would probably be home soon.

***********************************

Outside of the room two heads popped out from over the top of the stairwell, looking down at Yukino's door and the retreating Natsuki with the widest Cheshire grins manageable by the mortal mouths of high school girls.

"Chie..."

"I know, Aoi..."

"You think that'senough to go by? 'Real reason', 'with Suzushiro', 'I do love my Haruka-chan?'"

"Maybe, maybe not. Put together with what we do know, and it starts to form together pretty well."

"This is so sweet! Yukino-chan, we're rooting for you!"

"We sure are, we sure are, and from the looks of things, she could still use that support."

"Right, she said there was no 'mission accomplished' yet, and we sure wouldn't want to ruin that by letting anybody know about this just yet. Gossip is one thing, but..." Aoi directed a "look" towards her partner in crime.

"Aoi, I'm injured, do you really think my humble self so heartless as to ruin budding love for the sake of mere gossip? I am wounded by such thoughts; sorely wounded, indeed!" She placed a hand over her heart. Aoi relaxed, despite her extravagance and theatrics she knew when Chie was being sincere.

"And besides," Chie continued, her gallant insulted knight expression flowing seamlessly into a more familiar smirk, "I want pictures, good ones. With tongue. But I get the feeling we're going to need to set up a photo studio. Come, fail lady, we have work to do!"

***********************************

Haruka eyed with dismay the deep, vibrant orange bleeding into the sky out on the horizon. She felt guilty about having taken so long with Fujino while Yukino was back there all alone, but she just didn't get too many opportunities to have the famously slippery Bubuzuke Woman all to herself with no time restrictions or, "Now, now, Haruka-chan" from the the slightly more sensible, but still far too relaxed, vice president. It had been pleasant, yes it had. Haruka had enjoyed laying out some of the more outrageous foul-ups that Fujino had made in organization and what problems they had caused, and might have enjoyed it more, but for the fact that she had felt just a little silly when she was doing so. Those mix-ups just didn't seem nearly as important now as they had a few days ago. The annoyances with the room and some few other things were just that, annoyances; in addition, the way Yukino had seemed to at least temporarily benefit from some time off was more than enough to balance out the trip's original purpose falling through, at least in her opinion. Nonetheless, she had put on a grim, stony front for Fujino's pleasure, and they had hammered out the basics of transferring responsibility for planning off-island council ventures to the Executive Team. Now she rushed home to get to Yukino, already resigned to the fact that it was probably too late for Yukino to need help with anything, but still hurrying. She arrived with a growing smile and opened the door to the familiar sights of home. Sighing, she tapped a pair of fingers to her temple.

"Goodness, how much can that girl sleep?" Haruka considered the more or less hectic weekend they had just endured, that Yukino had been ill right before, and decided that she couldn't fault her friend. She did pull the glasses off of her before she could roll over and bend the frames again. Yukino looked as though she had dozed off while just laying on the still-made bed, fully clothed and all. She toyed with ways that she might try to make Yukino more comfortable, but most seemed more likely to wake her, and most likely she would do so at the most... questionable time, the way things had been lately. At loss now, Haruka considered a plan of action to replace the one that had fallen asleep. It was short consideration, after she spied the bathroom door. Showering was, after all, probably the one thing that she missed most when she had to work around the clock for any reason, so taking a few extras to make up time when she had the opportunity was welcome.

As she walked in, she spied a small bottle sitting on a shelf. Taking it up, she read the simple label of Mint across the bottle in ornate, flowing script. Belatedly, Haruka now remembered that line of similarly labeled scented shampoos; Chocolate, Orange, and Cedar sprang to mind. She remembered Yukino looking through them with some interest while they were out, but hadn't noticed her purchase any. Haruka removed the cap and took a light whiff, and very quickly noticed that it seemed to make her to think of a bit more than a simple hair care product. She shook her head and recapped the bottle, picking up hers instead.

This time, as opposed to the morning, her shower was what showers were meant to be, a chance to forget about worldly concerns in a timeless enjoyment. She was surprised to see that Yukino had roused when she got out, though only enough to undress and burrow under the covers. Burrow pretty well, actually, she almost looked like she were cold. Haruka frowned, hoping she didn't have a fever, but a light touch of the back of her fingers to Yukino's cheek was enough to dispel that worry. At least she looked more comfortable now.

"We'll talk tomorrow." She said, more to herself than because she thought Yukino might hear. She felt a touch of annoyance at having lost a chance while she was showering, but tried to console herself. She'd finally be able to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering Yukino so much on the morrow. She resolved to show Yukino that she had no reason to have to hid anything. Like as not she'd find out when she woke that a building had fallen over in her absence and she would be expected to rebuild it, so she endeavoured to sleep.At least I'm used to that by now. Might have more important things to do tomorrow, though, she eyed the lump in the blankets across the room, wouldn't that be a shame, have to tell Fujino to handle her own problems? It was funny, though, as she lay down to sleep. Though she could have sworn that she was entirely comfortable a moment before, the room now felt oddly chilled, and oppressively silent. Something was missing... but she did her best to shrug it off and drifted into a decent slumber.