Tenderness Sidestory 2 END

Negima! fanfic. Ayaka carried her secret for years despite her loneliness. Will the one she loves ever notice... or remember?
(Asuna/Ayaka, Konoka/Setsuna) Tenderness is a series of six stories divided over likely seven parts due to size. Sequel/side story to Tenderness 4.

Read Tenderness Sidestory 2: Green And Blue Like Me And You

Disclaimer: Mahou Sensei Negima etc belongs to Ken Akamatsu and possibly a few others, certainly not myself though if someone would feel like giving the series to me I would not object. ^_^

A slight warning: Like with previous parts, please have patience with any and all OOC behaviour. Set during Tenderness 4. Ayaka/Asuna.





Tenderness Sidestory:
Green and Blue like Me and You
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By Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson






She could still remember with such vivid clarity the moment they met.

Or to say that they met, well, the other girl was introduced to the class and had probably not even noticed Ayaka, though Ayaka, even as small as they had both been then, had certainly noticed her. The red hair, the odd-coloured eyes that were filled with pain and loneliness, the refusal to speak... even as an adult Ayaka couldn’t with any accuracy say what it was that had pulled her towards the other girl.

Perhaps it was just the loneliness. Ayaka knew loneliness, even then, even though she was thought to be so perfect... perhaps she was, at school, a perfect student, a role model for others even when little, but at home it was a different story. At home Ayaka was the child that was not the much-desired son, the child that did not earn the attention of her parents on grounds of that very great and basic flaw, and instead grew up with servants and endless expectations of those that were never there. The mansion she called home without knowing what home felt like was always full of people, yet Ayaka was always alone.

It was something like that at school, too... she knew she was there because it was a prestigious school, and it was a convenient way to dispose of an unwanted child, enrolling them in such a place. In school she was admired well enough, made plenty of friends, certainly, but... no-one came all that close. And Ayaka continued to be alone.

Seeing something she could relate to in green and blue eyes Ayaka had reacted, somehow knowing the only way to reach the tiny redheaded child without a single word having passed between them: she picked a fight. And they had been continuously fighting with one another ever since.

There was beauty in those fights, in stirring such passion in another person as what she saw in those eyes when they fought. When they fought, all of Asuna’s attention was focused on Ayaka, not the heiress, not the student, not anything at all but Ayaka... and in those moments Ayaka did not feel alone.

For a long time it was that image that Ayaka saw when she thought of the other girl: the image of the passionately angry child with round cheeks and ill-hidden pain in her eyes. The very child that had been there for Ayaka’s own most painful time, and returned the favour of salvation.

The day that changed, the day that Ayaka took a step back and realized that they were both growing up and that Asuna was not a little child anymore but a rather nice-looking young girl, that was the day Ayaka’s unfortunate heart set out on a path that led away from their fighting friendship and towards far more painful territories.

That day Ayaka began ever so slowly to fall in love.

They still fought, frequently, loudly and quite physically at times, and Ayaka craved it, craved the intensity, the passion, and the absolute attention that Asuna gave her in those fights. She could not even admit it to herself for a long time, but she lived for seeing the passion burn towards her in Asuna’s eyes, and she would settle for whatever way she could get it.

By the time that Ayaka was old enough and understood enough to be able to tell that she had fallen in love with her childhood friend, she was also old enough to realize that it was not a mutual thing. Oh, she had no doubt that Asuna cared a great deal for her, but... only as a friend.

Ayaka’s eyes followed Asuna’s every movement, using whatever excuse she could find, constantly fighting for that was the only way they had to communicate, the only way she had to be near the other girl. How she envied Asuna’s other friends, Konoka in particular, who could laugh and joke and just... be with Asuna. How she wished she had that too.

Negi came along, and Ayaka adored him, finding in the little boy something that filled out that empty space inside where her little brother had been supposed to be, and truly Ayaka would have done anything for him. Her fighting with Asuna over him however was just a smokescreen, a convenient way for someone who used any potential possibility to pick a fight in order to have the nearness to the other girl that she so craved. She did go overboard from time to time, edging into the obsessively ridiculous, but this reaction was mostly due to the fact that Ayaka’s heart was always hurting.

For a while there had been a slight comfort to be found with Chizuru. The two of them were friends, well aware that they could be nothing more and where Ayaka’s heart truly lay, and indeed they never dated or anything such, only... there was some experimentation, some closeness, some touches, fondling, a bit of flirting... They never crossed any particularly important lines, but for a while, there had just been comfort.

Ayaka ended everything one day, ashamed of her own behaviour, when she thought she had detected something like the beginnings of something serious on Chizuru’s part, leaving their friendship somewhat strained for a short while. They salvaged things though and Chizuru moved on to someone who really loved her, and, to Ayaka’s great relief, opted to remain Ayaka’s friend. Their youthful exploration became a secret, rarely thought of memory that served to make their bond as friends all the more strong in the end.

And they grew up, all of them. Baby brother Negi moved back to his family in Wales, and while that was hard it was something Ayaka endured. It was much harder for Asuna, but it was not Ayaka’s arms that held Asuna as she wept when missing Negi, nor was it Ayaka that was relocated to live with Asuna to make her loneliness go away. No, Ayaka was made to watch all of this from a distance.

And watch Ayaka did. Asuna grew up beautiful, stunning even, the image of her haunting Ayaka’s mind day and night to the point of insanity. Yet Ayaka said nothing to Asuna. It was easy to tell that Asuna just was not grown enough for that conversation, and even once she would be there would be no guarantees that she did not turn away from Ayaka completely upon finding out about Ayaka’s emotions.

So came the dreaded graduation day, and the breaking of Ayaka’s heart.

Knowing that Asuna had no plans for her future after graduating Mahora, and knowing full well that she herself could not bear to be without her, Ayaka was going to approach Asuna with an offer to hire the other woman herself. She had worked out the details in a way that she thought Asuna might be persuaded to accept, but of course... she never got the chance to ask.

Asuna was moving to Kyoto to stay with Konoka and Setsuna, not that far away but far enough to slip out of Ayaka’s daily life, leaving Ayaka more alone than ever.

Setsuna and Konoka’s marriage was Ayaka’s last chance to come clean before Asuna disappeared from her life, if only Ayaka could find the courage to do something about it. If not, well, if not then the wedding celebrations would be her chance to spend as much time with Asuna as possible before she had to go back home alone.

They worked a lot together on the preparations, Ayaka and Asuna, something that Ayaka had volunteered to do for the couple getting married not just for her need to be with Asuna, but also from an honest wish to help friends out. Ayaka might not ever have been as close to Konoka and Setsuna as Asuna was, but she had still rooted for the couple over the years, specifically for the shy Setsuna to be able to confess her love to Konoka.

During the preparations and the wedding itself, Ayaka was shocked to realize that they did not fight nor particularly argue. Asuna spent her time in Ayaka’s presence anyway, in fact she even asked Ayaka to dance at the wedding reception. They did cause a minor scene with their surprising incompatibility when dancing, but it mattered little to Ayaka. Asuna had asked her to dance, that was all she cared about.

They had a good time that night, talking, dancing and... drinking. Even though she had spent most part of the day by Asuna’s side it still came as quite a shock to Ayaka when she, along with Evangeline and the others, discovered just how drunk Asuna really had gotten. She felt rather guilty for the fact that she was enjoying her friend’s predicament, as Asuna curiously got clingy and physically affectionate with Ayaka in her drunken state. She felt the knowing and sympathizing gazes from the rest of the group and blushed deeply, yet Ayaka could not and would not push Asuna away, not even for a moment.

Finally she couldn’t be responsible for keeping Asuna awake for much longer, and enlisted the aid of Chachamaru in getting Asuna with her to the hotel room the two of them had been assigned. The robotic girl’s aid was perhaps not strictly needed since Asuna was not about to fall on her face, but it did make it much easier to get Asuna to the room and strip her down to sleeping attire with Evangeline’s strong and efficient servant’s help. Thanking Chachamaru and securing Asuna in her bed Ayaka had then tended herself and crawled into the unoccupied one, surrendering to sleep.

She had not been asleep for long when a movement in her bed woke her up. Disoriented Ayaka was about to turn around to see what was going on when a warm body wrapped itself to her back. “Asuna? What...?”

“C’n I sleep w’you, Aya?” The sleep-slurred voice grumbled into Ayaka’s neck while the rest of Asuna had already made herself comfortable, tucked into the taller woman, and gone absolutely limp. As Ayaka opened her mouth to give some sort of stuttered reply she heard the sound of soft snoring coming from the face that had burrowed into Ayaka’s hair right at the nape of her neck.

Ayaka smiled, feeling giddy and elated with this unexpected gift, and folded her arms over the ones wrapped around her middle. She fully intended to stay awake to enjoy having the one she loved so close, not miss a single moment of Asuna’s soft snoring and the warmth of her body against Ayaka’s own, but before she knew it her eyes had closed, and a moment later Ayaka fell asleep, floating in that warm, happy place where she felt loved.

Much later that night Ayaka’s sweet dreams turned heated.

She was in the arms of a passionate, naked and hungry Asuna, whose hands were busy removing Ayaka’s last remaining item of clothing while lips and tongue was devouring her. They rocked wantonly against one another, Ayaka’s arms willingly reaching up to let Asuna pull the nightgown off...

It wasn’t until the nightgown hooked over Ayaka’s face for just a moment that Ayaka fully woke up and realized she was not dreaming. The shock that replaced the silky fabric would have made Ayaka speak, perhaps to protest, or perhaps to question, but once the nightgown was gone Asuna’s hands were free to join in other activities, and as Asuna’s hands found their mark all trace of thought was instantly erased from Ayaka’s mind. All she could do was to arch towards the ceiling and scream her lover’s name for all the world to know.

---

The morning that followed was a cruel one in many ways. It began much too early after the eventful night Ayaka had just experienced, and with her redheaded goddess tearing herself from Ayaka’s tender and restful embrace to run to the bathroom where she proceeded to be sick. Very sick in fact, and Ayaka spent the rest of the morning nursing a barely coherent Asuna through repeated trips to the bathroom and general hangover-induced delirium, until at last she could enlist Negi’s help for her beloved.

The next time Asuna awoke her eyes had cleared and her strength returned, however she had only vague recollections of what had been going on that morning. As Ayaka gently explained what an unpleasant morning Asuna had endured, something cold reached in and grabbed hold of Ayaka’s brittle heart.

“Asuna...” Ayaka began quietly, carefully, almost dizzy with apprehension. “Do you remember last night?”

The redhead blinked at her and tilted her head, apparently thinking hard. “Of course I do... hmm... party, dancing, snacks... we met up with Paru and the others...” She frowned for a moment before giving Ayaka a sheepish smile. “I think I called Eva-chan cute? Don’t really remember anything after that.”

Ayaka grabbed for the wall as her legs suddenly gave out on her and her surroundings grew dark, her body hovering on the edge of fainting. Asuna did not remember!

“Whoa!” Asuna grabbed her friend and got her to sit down on the edge of the bed. “You’re not too spry this morning yourself, I see.” She quickly ran off to fetch a wet towel. “There.”

After studying the pale Ayaka closely for a long moment Asuna leaned closer with an astonished look on her face and pulled at Ayaka’s collar.

“Hey, what’s this? Hickeys?” Ayaka’s eyes grew wide as Asuna grinned widely at her. “Don’t tell me some local guy caught the very selective eye of our old class rep!” The redhead nudged the horrified blonde in the arm. “So who is he, the guy that managed to get up close and personal with the Yukihiro Ayaka?”

And so an already broken heart... shattered.

---

How could things have gone so wrong?

Granted, she had known Asuna had been drunk that night, but it wasn’t as if Ayaka had invited her into bed or, at least as far as she knew, initiated things between them. If she had managed but a moment more of clarity when she woke up, it never would have happened in the first place, not before she knew where they stood.

Ha, how ironic... and what a bitter pill to swallow it was. Indeed Ayaka now knew exactly where she stood with Asuna. It was one thing that the redhead had forgotten the night they shared, painful yes, heartbreaking yes, but still she could have tried to explain and with luck jarred some trace of memory from the oblivious woman. But the fact that Asuna had taken one look at her own handiwork from the night and oh so easily, with a carefree laugh and a joke, assumed that Ayaka had been with some man... there had been no hesitation, no hint of jealousy or even a trace of discomfort, clearly showing Ayaka how little she and the night they had shared meant to Asuna, whether Asuna remembered or not.

Had Ayaka just been... convenient, nothing more and nothing less?

Ayaka had thought she felt passion and love from Asuna, was the truth that it had all only been an illusion built on fever and hormones? Asuna’s eyes had been open, focused on her, and she had said Ayaka’s name, but... Ayaka had proclaimed her love for the redhead between moans and kisses, over and over, only in retrospect realizing that she never got an answer back. How foolish of her.

Ayaka locked herself in the hotel bathroom, claiming sickness from a hangover, to get away from green-blue eyes as she broke down. Asuna, once Ayaka had refused to let her in a few times, left the room to get help, and to Ayaka’s relief returned with Evangeline.

Evangeline apparently needed no explanation to grasp the situation, and had in fairly short order sent the reluctant Asuna off to have lunch, giving Ayaka some privacy to collect herself and get out of the bathroom. Evangeline said nothing, not to Ayaka and not to anyone else, just looked at Ayaka with serious eyes and let everyone else think the taller blonde was recovering from too much partying the previous day. There were several other girls that had been nursing bad hangovers that morning until Negi provided some relief, so no-one gave Ayaka’s excuse a second thought.

The days that followed of Ayaka’s stay in Kyoto she came to realize that she was not angry with Asuna. She was angry with herself, and of course hurting more than she thought herself still capable of. Ayaka left Kyoto with an uneasy strangeness having crept into the interactions between herself and Asuna, but at least Ayaka thought she had managed not to deal any more great blows to the remains of their friendship.

The redhead had hugged her tight enough to bruise before Ayaka was supposed to go, hiding the tears in her eyes from view. Ayaka, in one last fleeting moment of weakness, had hugged Asuna back and held her like a lover, fingers and face brushing red tresses but once, briefly, before stepping back from a confused-looking and blushing Asuna.

When the doors closed behind her Ayaka would not come to return to Kyoto for nearly two years.

They still kept in touch, frequently, with phone conversations, letters and pictures. Their bond was, after all, one that could not be broken, and Ayaka had no desire to cut her ties to Asuna in the first place. It was just that seeing the redhead was still too painful, and her oft-used excuse when turning down Asuna’s invitation to come visit was for most part true; Ayaka’s work for Yukihiro Industries kept her busy. The other woman was not to know how much of Ayaka’s hectic schedule was of her own design, of course.

There was also the fact that during their first year apart Ayaka had other concerns, as she came out to her family with not too positive results. Only the fact that Ayaka was the sole heir to the Yukihiro empire prevented them from washing their hands with her completely, and as things were any communications on their part were strictly business-related. Ayaka made a few token attempts at bridging the gap now and again, but for most part she was just relieved.

During the second year things had calmed down somewhat and the heir to the Yukihiro Industries was seen at social events in female company, something which surprised none of her friends... save Asuna. This year Asuna had campaigned for quite some time in order to get Ayaka to come visit her in time for Asuna’s birthday. In the end, Ayaka relented, missing Asuna too much to resist.

She arrived in Kyoto with a few days to spare to the birthday itself, and was almost knocked over by the happy and bouncing redhead that was waiting for her arrival. That welcoming hug alone told Ayaka all she needed to know about the state of her own heart; the rightness, the joy, the intense sense of belonging that for a moment swept away the loneliness in her... there was no use avoiding Asuna, clearly the time spent away had in no way helped Ayaka get over her, and all it did was make them both suffer, missing one another.

Ayaka hugged back, fighting tears, and wondered idly if Asuna had grown stronger still when the redhead lifted Ayaka and spun her around, still securely clutched in Asuna’s arms. They clung to each other somewhat longer than seemed quite appropriate, even between close friends, and once they let go of one another to make their way towards the car that waited for them, Ayaka managed only a few steps before Asuna had caught her in another hug and glued herself to Ayaka’s side.

“What are you doing, goofy?” Ayaka laughed in delight, a slight blush touching her cheeks.

“What do you think, stupid?” Asuna groused to cover her embarrassment and looked away, not lightening her grip in the slightest. “I’ve missed you and this time I’m not letting go.”

Ayaka could not resist and ruffled Asuna’s hair affectionately, which made the shorter woman look up with some surprise. A momentary lapse in self-control had Ayaka run her fingertips down Asuna’s cheek in a light but lingering caress that sparked an unexpected reaction in both of them.

Staring deeply into eyes gone wide Ayaka was too preoccupied to notice that they were both leaning in towards one another, lips slightly parted and waiting. Oh those eyes. Closer still, the heat from Asuna’s breathing ghosting across Ayaka’s face, and...

A slight jostle, followed by the driver calling out an excuse for his bumpy driving, effectively sending both women back to reality and away from one another.

Asuna blushed scarlet, keeping her eyes fixed on the hands she had quickly pulled back and clasped in her lap. Ayaka on the other hand coughed to cover her embarrassment and located herself as close to the opposite car window as possible, posture ramrod straight and eyes fixed on but not seeing the scenery slide by outside. Her cheeks were dusted with pink which she was internally struggling to control, along with the self-loathing and confusion.

It took no more than a few heartbeats and Ayaka was shocked to feel Asuna slide closer again and seek out one of Ayaka’s hands to entwine in her own warm one. She said nothing, but there was a sweetly bashful smile touching her lips, and Ayaka could not help but smile in return, suddenly feeling a tendril of hope finding its way into her heart after all this time.

The rest of the drive passed by quickly and in perfect silence, with the focus of Ayaka’s entire world coming down to a warm hand in her own. Once they arrived at their destination Asuna hoisted Ayaka’s luggage onto one arm, unintentionally impressing the blonde with her strength, and with a good hold on Ayaka’s hand with the other she dragged her long-awaited visitor across the estate to the small building in which Asuna lived.

While being dragged behind the energetic redhead Ayaka noticed all the greetings and calls that rang out to Asuna as she passed people by. Apparently the past not-quite two years had been enough to gain Asuna popularity and rank in her new home, for which Ayaka felt proud and somewhat relieved. Ayaka also noted a few young women crossing their path that blushed and giggled as they received return greetings from Asuna, even if Asuna seemed oblivious as ever. Ayaka glared evilly in the direction of these shameless ones, earning a few startled looks in response. How long until Asuna would fall prey to the allure of some Kyoto-born maiden who could work her charms on the naïve redhead in Ayaka’s absence? The thought made Ayaka grind her teeth and scowl.

Then finally they arrived at Asuna’s home, and Ayaka was led inside and given the grand tour... so to speak. It was a comfortable home though decorated simply, with a large combined living room and dining room on the ground floor, along with a kitchen and hallway, a staircase to the second level where bedroom, bathroom and a supposed office where Asuna kept her weapons and work-related things. Peeking into the kitchen as Asuna tried to hurry past it unseen Ayaka was stunned.

There was paper notes stuck to everything. A closer look revealed that the writing on the notes most likely belonged to Konoka, and they all had instructions like DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COOK! and THIS IS HOW TO OPERATE THE MICROWAVE. Another look around revealed a large fire extinguisher, a sprinkler system, no less than three fire alarms and one large first aid kit. Ayaka blinked.

“Impossible... Asuna, you can’t still be a complete hazard in the kitchen, can you?”

“Oh shut up.” Asuna blushed and pouted. “Konoka is just exaggerating things after I had a little... accident in here.” Then, spoken very quietly and quickly in hopes of Ayaka not hearing what she said. “It’snotlikeIburntdownthekitchenonpurpose.”

On impulse Ayaka moved over to the refrigerator and took a look inside it. Much as she thought, inside were neat little rows of frozen plastic food boxes, with tiny labels stating what they contained and how long Asuna was to put each item in the microwave before eating, these also all in Konoka’s handwriting.

“They, uh, try to make sure I eat properly... without burning the place down.” Asuna scratched her head and looked both sheepish and embarrassed. “Don’t worry though, I’m not cooking while you’re here, and tonight we’re eating at Setsuna and Konoka’s place.”

Taking pity on Asuna Ayaka decided to change the subject, and asked where she should put her luggage. Asuna brightened considerably and dashed over to heft the suitcases again, leading the way upstairs with a grin. “You’ll get the bedroom and I’ll roll out the spare futon down in the living room...”

---

They had a nice evening, chatting away amiably until it was time to head on over to Setsuna and Konoka’s home, at which point Ayaka was given a warm welcome from more friends not seen in a while, and the four of them stayed up talking until it was quite late at night. The next day Ayaka woke up early enough to be able to catch a sparring session between Asuna and Setsuna, shocking herself a little with the strength of her own reaction to the sight of her sweating and grinning Asuna in a small tank top. Konoka joined her as the warrior women’s small audience and cheering section, and the brown-haired woman’s knowing looks and smirk made Ayaka blush brightly.

The rest of the day was thankfully spent in a way less prone to elevate Ayaka’s blood pressure, as Asuna guided her around Kyoto to all the nice places where tourists did not usually go. In thanks as the evening approached Ayaka treated Asuna to a dinner at a very classy restaurant, wishing secretly that she had been able to do so as a date instead as a friendly treat.

They got a table by a window, ordered their food, and in between appetizer and main course talked about many a shared childhood memory. Their reputation at Mahora came up, and so the conversation swayed into the many times the two of them had ended up fighting the various other students, police officers or random other inhabitants of Mahora.

“...and then you clocked her for calling me names!” Ayaka laughed at the memory. “Almost no-one seemed to get that we were really friends despite the constant bickering.”

Asuna smiled, a sweet smile that had Ayaka’s heart suddenly beat faster, and she reached out to take one of Ayaka’s hands in her own. “Others couldn’t understand how we were fighting best friends.” The smile was accompanied by a look so adoring that Ayaka’s mouth went dry. “That the two of us were special.”

“An unbreakable bond.” Ayaka whispered, weakly squeezing Asuna’s hand before loosing herself into Asuna’s eyes.

They just gazed at one another for a long moment, then to their surprise the waiter, a slender and somewhat effeminate young man, came in and with an apologetic mien brought candles which he lit for them and a small vase holding a red rose.

While they were still blinking in surprise the main course was brought in, complete with tiny containers of heart-shaped butter and pink confetti strewn around the oversized plates. The waiter beamed at them, bowed, and without a word disappeared, leaving Ayaka blushing darkly and Asuna staring at her with wide confused eyes.

“W-what...?”

“He thinks we are on a date.” Ayaka whispered to the bewildered Asuna, whom promptly blushed as deeply as her companion.

The rest of the dinner went by somewhat stiffly and with a great deal of embarrassment, especially since they noticed the waiter looking at them encouragingly from time to time, but they did their best to pretend like it was nothing. When the two of them made ready to leave Ayaka made sure to leave the beaming man a healthy tip, thanking him internally for his attempt to help as it was the closest she was likely ever to come to actually get to take the woman she had loved for most part of her life out on something romantic.

By the time they got back to Asuna’s home, the cooling spring air had helped them past the awkwardness, and back to pleasant conversations and reminiscing. They lounged out on Asuna’s large living room couch, giggling like school girls over some remembered thing or some piece of gossip shared, until Asuna walked over to the kitchen to get them some snacks and drinks.

“Want some wine, Ayaka? I got some for the party, but we can have some a little early.”

“No.” Ayaka’s voice got strange, making Asuna turn to look at her. “No, thank you.” The expression that fleeted past on the blonde’s features was pained, and with a sense of alarm Asuna just grabbed the first two bottles of soda she found and hurried back.

“Sorry, I appreciate it, but...” Ayaka apologized, feeling a bit self-conscious and avoiding Asuna’s eyes. “I, err, don’t drink anymore.”

Studying her friend closely, concerned, Asuna opened a bottle and handed to Ayaka. She felt there was something more to be said on the subject but wasn’t sure how to go about asking. Finally she settled for being direct, knowing she wasn’t the best at subtlety anyway. “Did something happen, Ayaka?”

The curt little sound that escaped Ayaka’s lips had very little in common with a laugh, and suddenly Asuna felt afraid for her friend. For a moment it seemed as if Ayaka was not going to answer, then, with her eyes fastened to a spot in the ceiling, Ayaka gave a brief explanation.

“I was with someone once who was... under the influence of alcohol, we both were... and the next day that person had forgotten everything.” Ayaka took a deep swallow of the soda she had been given, not noticing the taste. “I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t touch a drop since, and I haven’t.” She gave Asuna a brief look before turning her gaze back up towards the ceiling. “Nothing terribly big or eventful, as you can see.”

Asuna’s jaw clenched and unclenched as if she was trying to speak, but she remained silent for a long moment. It was clear to see that there were a lot of things she wanted to say, or perhaps more correctly wanted to ask, but she didn’t find the words. When she finally did find her voice again it was a quiet but honest statement. “That is a big thing, Ayaka... a very big thing.”

Ayaka just shrugged, abandoning her soda bottle to just lean back in the couch and try to relax. Movement at her side alerted her that Asuna was inching closer and closer.

“Was it... I mean,” Asuna asked with some difficulty as she got a bit closer. “I’ve seen you in the papers with this redhead at some parties, was she the one that...?”

“Who?” Ayaka blurted, surprised and terribly distracted as Asuna suddenly lay down with her head resting on Ayaka’s stomach. In her distraction she gave a slightly more honest answer than she entirely would have liked. “I have no idea who that might have been, I get my dates for events like that through an escort service, just to keep the money hungry old perverts away from me.” Blushing slightly as she realized how her admission could be construed, she added “I mean, a respectable one, nothing... seedy.”

The woman resting on Ayaka’s midsection nodded slightly and looked thoughtful. “So... you’re not seeing anyone right now then?”

There was another small thrill of hope at the strange glance Asuna gave Ayaka after she had asked the question, causing a grin to take over Ayaka’s face. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.” She poked Asuna in the side, making her squirm. “What about you?”

The offending hand was caught just as a small laugh escaped Asuna. “Me? No... No, even if anyone was interested I doubt they’d dare face my very protective ‘sisters’ to get their approval.” The lopsided little grin on Asuna’s lips revealed that she wasn’t at all unhappy with Konoka and Setsuna’s protectiveness of her, even if she found it terribly amusing.

Ayaka on the other hand felt a pang of relief and sent a thought of gratitude to the women in question, even if she logically knew it was just a matter of time before Asuna found someone.

“So... judging by your choice of escorts I’d say you prefer redheads, true?” Ayaka nearly choked until she saw the mischievous look from her friend. “Because in that case I might just be able to scrounge up a date for you.”

Chuckling Ayaka decided to play along. “Oh? I don’t know... I do have a soft spot for redheads, but...” Here Ayaka made a point out of playing with Asuna’s hair with her free hand. “I am pretty picky. I can’t be seen with just anyone, you know.”

“Hmph!” Asuna let go of Ayaka’s hand to pull her top tight against her athletic frame while putting the other arm behind her head in an exaggeratedly cheesy pose, batting her lashes. “You think you could say no to all this?”

Ayaka’s laughter rang clear and light, the previous melancholy mood vaporizing in the face of Asuna’s goofy playfulness. “Oh no, I can’t resist, I can’t resist!” Taking advantage of Asuna’s pose to trap one of her arms behind her back Ayaka quickly bent forward a little and attacked the exposed midriff without mercy. Asuna shrieked into the couch, trying to squirm away.

“Noooo! Stop it, moron!” Asuna found that she was rather firmly trapped.

“Oh but I can’t resist!” Unfortunately for Ayaka, Asuna was much, much stronger than she, and soon the redhead had managed to turn around enough to give back as good as she got, the two of them squealing and laughing like little children until they were both out of breath. Somehow Asuna had managed to wind up lying next to Ayaka, the two of them squeezing in together on one side and blithely ignoring the fact that the other half of the couch was perfectly empty.

The next thing Ayaka knew she woke up from a ray of morning sunlight finding its way in through a window and over to the couch were she and Asuna still lay, the redhead peacefully sleeping with her head on Ayaka’s shoulder, drooling slightly into the neckband of Ayaka’s shirt while keeping a firm grip on the blonde with both arms and legs. Although there was a pang in Ayaka’s heart she could also not help but be utterly charmed by the sight.

Carefully she placed a soft kiss on the top of Asuna’s head before gently shaking her shoulder. “Hey... Asuna... time to wake up, birthday girl.”

Asuna grunted and buried her face into Ayaka. “..fie mo’minits...”

Ayaka, suddenly very wide-eyed and alert, cleared her throat. “Those aren’t pillows, Asuna. Come on, get up.” No reaction from her friend. “If you get up I’ll make you breakfast, how about that?”

“B’fast?” Slurred from within Ayaka’s shirt, then, like being shot out of a cannon, Asuna bounded to a sitting position, blinking owlishly at Ayaka. “Breakfast?”

Not waiting for an answer Asuna sped off towards the bathroom, leaving Ayaka to pull her clothes back into order and her racing heart to calm down. “Asuna? Happy birthday!” She called after the disappearing girl. A grinning head and a hand doing a V-sign popped back from behind the corner for a moment, and then Asuna was gone again, making Ayaka chuckle softly as she set out to get herself ready for the day.

---

Asuna’s birthday party wasn’t a big one, but the people there easily filled up most of the space of her small home and made it a lively party. It also contained all the most powerful people in the Kyoto area, though Ayaka doubted Asuna thought of it quite that way, otherwise the birthday girl would have been terribly self-conscious and nervous.

Old friends called on and off during the day, Negi included, to wish Asuna a happy birthday and all of them succeeding in putting a happy smile on her face. Gifts were given, candles lit and cake eaten, and generally people had a good time. Ayaka, since coming down from a quick clothes-change in a burgundy dress that made Asuna gape in a most satisfactory way, was blatantly being flirted with by several guests, much to Asuna’s consternation. Ayaka was graceful about it, but it was with quite a bit of relief that she saw the party wind down and many of the guests begin to leave.

On her way into the kitchen with a few plates and glasses Asuna stopped for a moment, regaining her balance as the plates on top of her pile threatened to escape. It wasn’t her intention to eavesdrop on the conversation going on just around the corner.

“...drink anything?” That was Konoka, cheerful as ever.

“Yes, not since you got married, actually.” Ayaka sighed and made a strangely half-purring sound, as if maybe she was stretching. “God I’m tired though... it will be nice with a long, hot bath after this.”

Konoka answered something and the two of them shared a little laugh, but Asuna’s attention was already on other things. Shakily she headed over to a corner table to set the dishes down before she dropped them, her mind swirling with the snippet of conversation that she had overheard.

Not a drop since Konoka and Setsuna’s wedding? But that meant that whoever it was that had hurt Ayaka, he or she... well, knowing what she now did of Ayaka, Asuna felt somewhat sure that the person in question was most likely a ‘she’... had to have been present at the hotel.

Asuna desperately wanted to find out who that person had been, oh, if only she could get her hands on that woman, whoever she was, Asuna would make her pay for hurting her Ayaka!

Of course, there was also that small part of Asuna that felt apprehensive about learning the identity of the woman whom had captured the blonde’s interest. After all, Ayaka was not someone who would settle for just anybody, so whoever that woman was she was bound to be really beautiful, maybe witty and charming and... all those things Asuna was not. And that really truly hurt.

Frowning Asuna leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. There was just something about her own reactions to all things Ayaka lately that seemed strange, and Asuna felt it was past time she found out exactly why.

Yes, having been parted for nearly two years had been an eye-opener to how important Ayaka was, and how Asuna craved her presence in her life. She had missed the tall blonde like crazy, and it had hurt deeply that they could not seem to meet for so long. That pain was not something she felt with other old friends, yes, not even Negi though she loved her ‘baby brother’ dearly... but Asuna had always known that her and Ayaka’s bond was different, hadn’t she?

That accidental pretend-date had made Asuna very happy, even if it had been awkward and embarrassing... and sleeping and waking in Ayaka’s arms was such a glorious thing, she had been more reluctant to get up from that embrace than Asuna could remember being in years. Just being close to Ayaka was strangely intoxicating, and Asuna felt like she couldn’t get close enough. Part of her wanted to grab onto Ayaka with all that she had and never let go again.

That... wasn’t quite normal, was it? Not for friends.

What then was left, except... Asuna’s eyes widened. Could it be? Was that what it meant?

“There you are, birthday girl.” Ayaka leaned down to catch Asuna’s eyes, smiling that especially sweet smile that Asuna knew was reserved just for her. “Would you like to dance?”

Heart pounding somewhere in the vicinity of her throat, Asuna nodded mutely, letting Ayaka lead her by the hand down to the more open area beside the couch.

“I’ll lead.” Ayaka leaned in to whisper playfully into Asuna’s ear, not knowing that the shorter woman would have such a strong reaction. Asuna gasped and shivered when Ayaka’s hot breath caressed her ear, and without consciously intending to, stepped in close and put her arm around Ayaka.

Wide-eyed and blushing slightly, Ayaka complied, putting her arms around Asuna in the far more intimate dance that Asuna had initiated. Dimly Ayaka realized that the song that had been playing changed to something slow and romantic, and looking up she spotted Setsuna and Konoka discreetly waving and doing a thumbs up – the latter from Konoka – as they tiptoed out of the room.

Feeling a wave of gratitude for their unspoken blessing Ayaka promised herself to thank them properly later, but for right that moment she just pulled Asuna close, arms wrapped around her, and swayed to the music.

A song or two later Ayaka only meant to touch Asuna’s hair, to breathe in that scent that was so uniquely Asuna’s... but Asuna turned towards her and even as close as they were their eyes met.

The first kiss was sweet and tentative. The second kiss was filled with wonder and longing, gently deepening and hinting of more. The third kiss on to infinity were passionate, hungry, needy... they tumbled over the side of the couch as legs gave out and resumed the activity there, for an untold length of time.

When after a long time they parted for more than just a hazy and much-needed breath, they lay entwined, looking deeply into each other’s eyes and Ayaka’s hands caressing Asuna’s face. Something suddenly clamped down on Asuna’s heart, hard, as she saw the tears in Ayaka’s eyes.

“Asuna, I love you.” Ayaka’s voice shook as she spoke, and the sound sent a jolt through Asuna’s soul.

She had heard those words before.

The truth came rolling in before her mind’s eye. That morning, that morning when she had seen hickeys on Ayaka’s neck and joked about it to hide how much the idea had upset and sickened her that some stranger had come that close to the blonde. She had tried to remember who could have put them there, but for all of the previous day that Asuna could remember, the two of them had essentially been together and Asuna had fended off any inappropriate admirers.

All of the day that she could remember.

The next day the other person had forgotten everything, Ayaka had said. Asuna’s memories of the entire evening was hazy to say the least, chunks of it missing still. And... they had shared a hotel room... Asuna closed her eyes as the realization set in. Oh my god.

Ayaka looked absolutely terrified, Asuna had been silent for too long. Quickly Asuna reached out to put her hands tenderly on Ayaka’s face.

“I love you too, Ayaka.” She breathed, the tears in Ayaka’s eyes also present in Asuna’s voice. “I am sorry I made you wait so long to hear it, but I truly do love you.” A deep breath. “And I am so, so sorry that I did not remember.”

Tears spilled over and down Ayaka’s cheeks as she sat absolutely still, not quite yet sure she dared believe her ears. She had to make sure. “Y-you... remember?”

“That depends...” Shyly Asuna glanced at Ayaka in a peculiar way. “Were you, erm, wearing a nightgown... that I...” Awkwardly she gestured the motion of pulling something over Ayaka’s head.

“You do remember!” Ayaka breathed, sniffling softly as she reached out to touch Asuna’s face.

“Just small pieces.” Asuna explained, embarrassed. “Fragments from dreams, which is what I thought was all they were, and that I didn’t really put together in the right context until just now.”

Softly, with a voice and expression that was almost frightened. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Ayaka sobbed. “Say it again. Say it again and I would forgive anything.”

The tears spilled from Asuna’s eyes as well, but she smiled at the blonde in front of her. “I love you. I love you Ayaka, I really do.”

Then Ayaka fell into her arms, helplessly weeping into Asuna’s shoulder. Asuna held her tight, whispering words of comfort and affection, swearing internally that she wouldn’t let herself make the mistake of letting Ayaka go again, no matter how far apart they might have to be. She would make things up to Ayaka and make her happy. Nothing in the world felt so right as having the blonde in her arms, and Asuna wouldn’t give that up. She would find a way.

---

It took less than three weeks after Asuna’s birthday and her and Ayaka’s heartfelt declarations until Ayaka could take it no more, and bought herself a nice apartment in Kyoto so that she could be near her new lover. As nice and as state of the art as that apartment was, Ayaka would not come to spend much time there, as for most of her time in Kyoto she simply lived with Asuna. Ayaka’s business schedule was reworked some, to not be quite as hectic as before, and most importantly, for any and all social events that required Ayaka’s attendance, there was a new redhead always attached to her arm.

A redhead with one green and one blue eye, and in time, a small gold band with a sparkling diamond on her finger.