(Tsubomi/Yaya)
Edit: Because I got Tsubomi's name wrong when I wrote this story - Tsubame (which would then mean Swallow, hence the bird connection) - it now has a name that isn't quite what I wanted it to be (Tsubomi on the other hand means flower bud). Still, I'll leave it as it is for now.
Read Birdsong
Disclaimer: All things Strawberry Panic belong to people other than I, and I for one am very grateful to them for this adorable series that I simply love. Set after the end of the series.
BIRDSONG
---------------------------------------
by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson
Two months had passed since the great upheaval that had been the Astrea Hill’s Etoile election, and one young Spica student briefly reflected on said period of time with somewhat mixed emotions. Her friend and age-mate Chiyo had been equal parts right and wrong when she on the day of the election itself had expressed her belief that despite what happened that day and regardless of who ended up chosen, the select group of friends would continue with their secret night-time tea-parties.
Chiyo was right because despite events the tea parties did indeed continue, and they were still held mostly in the dorm room assigned to Tamao and Nagisa, with the occasional relocation to the dorm room assigned to Tsubomi’s own Spica seniors Hikari and Yaya. Chiyo was also wrong because although the meetings continued as before, the younger half of the newly minted Etoile couple was never present for them.
Tsubomi felt torn about her gentle though not entirely thoughtful senpai’s absence, on one hand Tsubomi felt relief that Hikari no longer tried to find time to spend with her old friends outside of class and choir, and on the other it bothered her greatly. The relief was because the situation between them, between herself, Hikari, Yaya and Amane, was so awkward and strained, and because Tsubomi did not wish for Yaya to hurt needlessly. On the other hand Tsubomi watched as Yaya suffered the loss of her most beloved one and felt angry that Hikari thought so little of the friendship the black-haired girl had given her that not even a moment could be spared for Yaya. It was a confusing situation all around.
In all honesty Tsubomi could not blame Hikari for her absence, nor for wanting to spend all her time with the one she loved, Tsubomi knew she would want to do the same in Hikari’s place. She also knew that Hikari was not a strong person, and so avoiding Yaya and herself was probably the only thing she could bear to do while the pain was still so new.
Tsubomi just wished that the one she loved did not have to suffer so much in exchange for Hikari’s newfound happiness. Despondently the pink-haired girl kicked at some invisible pebble and bit her lip. Not that Yaya would ever know how Tsubomi really felt if Tsubomi could in any way help it... no, Tsubomi was well aware that the attractive and passionate raven-haired star of the school choir would never see her that way. Not Tsubomi, too tall and too grown to manage underclassman-cute, and too awkward and forward to even be considered by someone who had been taken in by the dainty and feminine Hikari. Tsubomi knew she wasn’t pretty enough by far for someone like Yaya to notice, she had always known that.
She had settled for being the favourite sparring-partner, grabbing her opportunity to be near the one she secretly yearned for by pretending to be yet another girl smitten by Hikari’s charms. Tsubomi and Yaya argued and mock-fought over everything and anything, and if Yaya saw Tsubomi as some annoying brat that was fun to mess around with that was fine with Tsubomi. At least it seemed that since Tsubomi, with her own form of tough love, had done her best to drag Yaya out of the depression that clung to her, the older girl found teasing and playing with Tsubomi to be a good way to keep her thoughts away from painful things. For Yaya Tsubomi was more than willing to take the indignity that being her senior’s plaything occasionally brought.
She had tried to get her emotions under an even tighter control, to squash anything beyond friendship, for quite some time. Oh had Tsubomi ever... but it never really worked. Sometimes all it took was a look at Yaya in passing, and Tsubomi’s heart would hurt so badly that Tsubomi would stumble, unable to bear it. Yaya would laugh and call her clumsy, sometimes going so far as put a hand or an arm on Tsubomi, intensifying the pain and the longing all that much more. Tsubomi was terrified that she would loose control one day when that happened, and say or do something which would make it all too clear to her black-haired friend.
When that happened Tsubomi felt sure Yaya would do to her what Hikari was doing to Yaya now and avoid her entirely. Just thinking that Yaya would become no more than a polite nod in passing as she took her place in choir practice brought tears to Tsubomi’s eyes. Furiously rubbing at her eyes before anyone might see her, Tsubomi felt her tiny kernel of anger towards Hikari grow stronger. If Tsubomi hurt this badly just thinking that Yaya might no longer spend any time around her, how must not Yaya feel now that Hikari spent no time at all with her? Even though the two were still officially roommates everyone knew that Yaya did not even see Hikari at the dorm, since unofficially the new Etoile couple had taken up a joint residence in Amane’s room.
Crossing her arms and glaring into the air Tsubomi’s thoughts strayed back to that subject. Yes, Yaya and Hikari were now roommates on paper only, very few of Hikari’s belongings were still there and Yaya for all intents and purposes lived alone. The same could be said for Miator’s Tamao, although Tsubomi had no idea how they managed it she had it on good authority – namely Chiyo – that while Shizuma had remained in the dorms Nagisa had lived with her, and now that the silver-haired former Etoile had graduated the school, she had nonetheless managed to acquire housing impossibly close to the dorms, allowing Nagisa to sneak away from the school during nights and weekends.
The difference between Nagisa and Hikaru was that although Nagisa was also preoccupied with her new lover, she still made some time for her friends on occasion. There were still enough of Nagisa’s belongings in the room to pass muster should Sister Hamasaka get suspicious and inspect it, and at least a few times Nagisa had opted to stay at the dorms, as Tsubomi herself had seen since she was present for the tea parties on those occasions.
Tsubomi sighed. No, she really shouldn’t blame Hikari for being true to her heart. After all, if Tsubomi had through some divine intervention gotten Yaya’s love she too would ignore everything else in order to spend every moment she could with her girlfriend, for however long she would be allowed to.
Growling slightly with the frustrations of being young, head over heels in love and fully aware that this love would never be anything other than unrequited, Tsubomi scowled some more and made faces at her surroundings.
The sudden materialization of a pair of surprisingly strong arms wrapping tightly around her and a familiar voice burring intimately into her ear made Tsubomi experience something that had her very grateful that she was too young to have to worry about having a heart attack.
“What’s with that face, little flower?” Yaya purred into an ear from so small a distance that she was almost brushing her lips across the rapidly reddening shell. “Oh I know, you were missing me, weren’t you?” The teasing words blew hot air into Tsubomi’s sensitive ear, making the younger girl bite back a groan as she tried very hard not to swoon.
“What, no protests? I always knew you had the hots for me, pet.” Yaya continued gleefully, tightening her hold on Tsubomi while the younger girl was too flustered to push her away. “Who can blame you though, I mean, I am pretty irresistible aren’t I?”
Pulling away suddenly from the blushing girl Yaya twirled dramatically until she could lean against the banister, one hand on her hip and the other flicking back her long dark hair while adopting as superior and self-satisfied a mien as possible. “Sexy, beautiful, smart... yup, simply irresistible. No wonder you can’t bear to be without me.”
While stunned at first Tsubomi still caught the playful and expectant twinkle in dark eyes as Yaya smirked her way at the end of her mini-performance and realized that Yaya actually wanted her to react as she usually did, by flailing her arms and throwing insults at the older girl until utter embarrassment made her peter out into violently blushing nothingness. This once, just this once, Tsubomi wasn’t going to fall for it.
“Yeah yeah, you’re irresistible and I just can’t resist all the awesomeness that is you.” Tsubomi rolled her eyes at her somewhat surprised senior. “Any minute now I’ll be overtaken by an urge to write cheesy poetry about you and swoon when you walk by.” Tsubomi turned and started making her way down the stairs. “Come on, you don’t want to be late for choir practice again, do you?”
She didn’t make it far before she was stopped, once again by a pair of warm arms from behind, only this time they enveloped Tsubomi in an actual hug. A soft giggle and then the sultry voice was back tickling Tsubomi’s ear.
“You’re a brat, you know that?” Despite the words the voice was anything but displeased. “But you’re my brat.”
Tsubomi barely had the time to gasp at the words when they were followed up by the sensation of warm, full lips pressed near her ear. The contact was brief but managed nicely to short-circuit the younger girl’s mind to the point she was completely immobile. Yaya on the other hand dashed with a delighted giggle down the stairs, leaving Tsubomi frozen in place as her mind had temporarily shut down with that kiss.
Dazed as she was it took Tsubomi a long moment to realize what else had occurred during that brief but world-changing moment, and her head snapped around to glare over the railing at the dark-haired girl that was happily making her way towards the exit. “HEY! That is my umbrella!”
Yaya turned around to give Tsubomi the brightest grin the younger girl had ever seen the other wear since making her acquaintance, and Tsubomi’s heart tugged painfully at the sight. “Yeah? Tell you what, if you can catch up to me I’ll share it with you, little bird.” Yaya teased with a hand on her hip. “I suggest you run if you don’t want to get wet today... Tsu-bo- mi!”
As Tsubomi raced down the stairs to chase after the tall figure prancing down the hall she could not keep the smile from her lips. Yaya was making sure to go slowly enough that Tsubomi would catch up before she reached the doors, and she was smiling all the way. When had Tsubomi seen the dark-haired girl really smile like that last? No matter what expression she wore Yaya’s eyes always seemed to be crying since whatever had really happened between her and Hikari that night, yet now those same brown eyes were laughing.
Warm.
And looking at Tsubomi.
Not to mention that Yaya clearly wanted to share an umbrella to the church. ‘So it is love-umbrella, huh?’ Tsubomi thought, a blush covering her cheeks as she caught up to the taller girl at last. Walking hand in hand sharing an umbrella like all the other couples that ventured outside on Astrea Hill that day, a romantic kind of stroll that was always popular among the girls of the Ichigo-sha. Maybe... maybe...
Maybe Tsubomi, tall and un-cute Tsubomi, had more of a chance with the person she had found herself head-over-heels in love with than she thought? Maybe, just maybe, it had been long enough for Yaya to consider moving on?
Maybe this was Tsubomi’s chance at happiness.
With a bright smile Tsubomi accepted the hand offered her and stepped up beside her senior, delighting in the slightly stunned look and brief blush that was Yaya’s reaction to it, and then, with a small snap as the umbrella opened, the two of them stepped out into the rain.
Together.
