"Wa-ka-ba!" came the shout from behind, and before she even had the chance to cringe in fear, eighty-nine pounds of girl slammed onto her back, knocking her halfway out the window. Wakaba teetered on the windowsill, desperately trying not to fall. A moment later, hands clamped around her calves and tipped the balance back inside.
Gasping with relief, Wakaba glanced at Tatsuya. "Thank you." He nodded, a slight smile curling his lips.
Now to deal with the other. Wakaba tried to extricate herself from the arms which encircled her, but the girl only shifted her grip. Hey! She was copping a feel! That was going too far. Wakaba turned around in the girl's embrace and scowled. "Yuki! Stop it!"
Yuki grinned. "But you're my truest love!"
Wakaba blushed. "Stop saying that!"
Crestfallen, Yuki released Wakaba and stepped back. "But . . . isn't that what you always did to that girl? The crossdresser?"
Wakaba cocked her head.
Yuki frowned. "What was her name again?"
"I don't remember." Wakaba looked to Tatsuya, who only shrugged.
"Anyway, it's not important," Yuki giggled. "We've got to go, Wakaba!"
Wakaba grabbed Tatsuya's wrist and looked at his watch. "Oh, you're right!" She dropped his hand and bounded down the stairs to the courtyard.
She bounced along the walkway, Tatsuya and Yuki trailing behind her like ducklings. As they drew near the fencing hall, Wakaba turned on her heel and grinned at Tatsuya. "I guess I'll see you later."
The boy smiled. "I'm glad you're enjoying fencing."
Yuki entwined her arm with Wakaba's. "Even if you are such a beginner. Stick with me. I'll give you special lessons after club."
"I don't need special lessons. I'll learn from Juri-sempai same as everyone else."
Yuki sniffed. "You don't love me anymore!"
Wakaba half-smiled in fear. "Yuki-chan, please stop that."
The girls suited up in the locker room. Wakaba tried to change clothes when Yuki was distracted. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the way the girl looked at her. Not that there was anything wrong with Yuki being . . . like that. If she was indeed . . . like that. Wakaba sighed. She should be flattered. But she just didn't feel the same way. At least not about Yuki. She vaguely remembered having a crush on a girl . . . but she couldn't quite remember what that girl had even looked like. She didn't think it had been that long ago, but it seemed like forever, almost like it had never happened.
Wakaba felt bad for Yuki, in the same way she felt bad for Tatsuya. Both of them seemed to be fond of her, but she just couldn't quite manage to feel attracted to either of them. She'd even come to realize that what she had thought was true love for Saionji had never been anything more than obsession. And besides, Saionji had Touga. She giggled.
Yuki leaned over her, draping her arms around Wakaba's neck and brushing her cheek against Wakaba's. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing! Really!"
"Share! Share!"
"No!"
"Tsugi!" The sharp voice reached them from the hall. They looked up and realized they were alone.
"Aa! We'd better get in line!" Wakaba and Yuki scampered off to join their classmates.
"Tsugi!" Juri called, as a dejected looking boy walked away. A girl stepped forward, only to find her foil clattering to the floor seconds later.
Instead of calling "Tsugi!" Juri removed her mask to glare at Wakaba and Yuki. "Late again?" The entire class turned their gaze upon the two girls. "Perhaps we should schedule practice at a more convenient time for you." Her tone of voice froze the marrow in Wakaba's bones. "Shinohara, you're next."
"But . . . but . . ."
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
Her face burning and her stomach twisting, Wakaba put on her protective mask and stepped forward. She raised her foil, and Juri huffed. "Your stance is all wrong." The club president stalked over and grasped Wakaba's hips firmly. Wakaba trembled in fear as Juri kicked the Wakaba's feet into place, then forcefully positioned her hips, shoulders, and arms. "Like that." Juri stepped away. "Try to remember for next time." She returned to her place and raised her foil. A moment later, Juri and Wakaba lunged, and Wakaba felt the tip of Juri's foil tap her chest.
Juri shook her head. "Tsugi!"
Wakaba tried to blend into the wall as Shiori stepped forward. Shiori was just as much of an amateur as Wakaba, but Wakaba noticed there was nothing rough about the way Juri nudged her into a better stance. She leaned over to Yuki. "I wonder if . . ."
Yuki grinned. "Duh!"
After practice, Wakaba observed Shiori, surrounded by a half dozen of the boys in the club, lapping up every drop of their attention. Then she looked at Juri, who was staring at Shiori and her admirers. Juri's stoic mask fell away for just an instant, and Wakaba noticed the pain in her eyes. She felt her heart warm a little toward her sempai.
After showering, Yuki poked Wakaba in the arm. "Hey, you wanna come over to my place and study? I bought three boxes of strawberry Pocky this morning."
"No, I . . . did you say strawberry Pocky?" Wakaba grinned. "Yum!" Then she shook her head. She wasn't in the mood to spend the evening with Yuki. "No, that's okay. I've got stuff to do."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Super secret stuff."
"Super secret stuff you can't tell your best friend and truest love in the whole world?"
Wakaba winked and shook one finger in Yuki's face. "Exactly."
Yuki sniffed. "You don't love me anymore!"
"Yuki . . ." Wakaba sighed.
"Oh well. I'll see you tomorrow!" Yuki grinned and bounded away.
Wakaba left in the opposite direction, with no particular place in mind. Ahead of her on the walkway, near the fountain, she saw Juri. Sempai walked slowly, her head lowered and her shoulders slumped. Wakaba felt that twinge in her heart again. Without even thinking about it, she broke into a run, cried "Ju-ri-sem-pai!" and leapt onto Juri's back.
Before Wakaba entirely realized what had happened, she was splashing down in the fountain. She slowly drew herself to her feet, her sodden clothes clinging to her.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Juri hissed.
Wakaba sniffed. "I just . . . you looked so sad . . . I just wanted to cheer you up."
Amazingly, Juri's gaze softened. She actually smiled. Wakaba was sure it was the first time she'd ever seen Juri smile. "I thought you were attacking me."
Wringing her skirt, Wakaba shook her head. "No! I would never do that! No one in their right mind would ever try to hurt you!"
Juri raised her eyebrows and gazed at Wakaba for a moment with an expression Wakaba couldn't quite identify. Then she sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shinohara . . . Wakaba." She turned and walked away quickly.
Wakaba, still standing in the fountain, stared after her for a moment, feeling the warmth of a blush caressing her cheeks.
Wakaba leapt onto Juri's back, and Juri flipped her over her shoulder onto a bed. Juri pounced on Wakaba, suddenly wearing black silk instead of her Student Council uniform. She kissed Wakaba as her hands slid under the girl's shirt. Juri licked Wakaba's throat and stroked one palm down her belly, fingers burrowing under her skirt . . .
Wakaba startled awake and stared at the dark ceiling, still feeling the warm pulsing in her thighs. She swallowed hard. She'd never even had dreams like that about Saionji. Daydreams and fantasies during boring classes, yes. But not real wake-you-up-gasping dreams.
She slipped her fingers beneath her pajamas and found that she was quite wet. She shuddered, wondering how she would make it through fencing club tomorrow.
Wakaba watched Juri adjusting Shiori's stance. She wasn't rough, but she wasn't exactly tender either. Today Juri treated Shiori with her almost legendary detachment, exactly as she did all the other students.
When Wakaba's turn came, she took her position, trying hard to remember how Juri had shown her yesterday, trying harder not to shake. She was grateful that the mask hid her face, so Juri wouldn't see her blushing.
Juri shook her head. "Almost but not quite." She approached. Wakaba's heart pounded as Juri very gently grasped her hips and twisted them slightly. She felt Juri's toe against her instep, nudging her foot into place. Then Juri's hands slipped up to Wakaba's shoulders and shifted them a little. Finally Juri clasped both of Wakaba's wrists and repositioned her arms. Wakaba could feel Juri's breasts brush against her back as she did this. She hoped Sempai couldn't hear how hard she was breathing, then she realized the Juri's breathing wasn't exactly normal either.
Juri walked away and raised her foil. It ended exactly as it had yesterday, except that this time, Juri said, "That was better." She paused, then looked away. "Tsugi!"
Wakaba filtered back to the periphery of the crowd. Yuki stared at her, mouth agape. Finally Wakaba faced her. "What?"
Yuki sniffed. "I've . . . I've lost you. I can see it."
Wakaba sighed. "Yuki. You never had me."
Yuki wailed. Wakaba cringed as every head in the fencing hall turned their way. Wakaba bowed and stammered, "Gomen nasai!" then ran for the door.
Wakaba sat in her dorm room, sipping tea and gazing at her array of different flavors of Pocky, Meiji chocolate bars, and imported Pixie Sticks, trying to decide which was the best for curing major embarrassment. A knock came at the door. She quickly shoved all of the snacks off the edge of the table into a bag, which she tied closed and slid under the bed. Then she opened the door a crack. "Juri-sempai!" Wakaba's eyes widened and her heartbeat raced.
"Do you have time?"
Wakaba bowed. "I'm really ultra sorry about the disruption today."
"The fencing hall is not the place for a lover's quarrel."
"But it wasn't . . . Yuki's not my . . ."
Juri raised an eyebrow. "She's not?"
Wakaba shook her head.
After a pause, Juri took a slow breath. "May I come in?"
Wakaba stood back and allowed Juri to enter. Wakaba closed the door, and they faced each other for several moments. Wakaba shuffled her feet, the scuffing of her socks on the carpet the only sound. She could feel Juri looking at her, and Wakaba knew she was blushing again. She slowly raised her gaze to meet Juri's deep green eyes. "Anou, Juri-sempai . . ."
Juri strode toward the door. "Forgive me. I must go."
"Juri-sempai!" Wakaba caught her on the arm, then quickly released her. "Gomen!"
They stared at one another again, then Juri left without a word.
Wakaba ran after her, leapt into the air, and landed on Juri's back. This time Juri did not throw her off. Instead she turned around and carried Wakaba back to her room.
Juri closed and locked the door, then backed up to the bed and let Wakaba slide off. She sat beside the girl and locked gazes with her. "What do you think you were doing?" she whispered.
"I didn't want you to leave."
"What does it mean if I stay?"
Wakaba reached for Juri's face, then hesitated. She drew her hand back to her own chest and lowered her gaze. "I know I'm ordinary, not one of the special people like you. But still I . . ."
"Whatever you are, you are not ordinary."
Wakaba looked up to see that Juri was smiling. Juri brushed her fingers along Wakaba's face, leaned a little closer, then paused, as if to see how Wakaba would react. Wakaba closed the distance, touching her lips to Juri's. Juri's strong arms slipped around Wakaba and pulled her onto her lap. They kissed again, this time deeply. Juri reached up to undo the tie of Wakaba's ponytail, and brown hair cascaded around her shoulders.
"Do you like it down?"
Wakaba angled her head several different directions, testing the way her hair felt against her neck. "It's weird. But do you like it?"
"You're cute with it up. But like this . . . you're beautiful."
"Eep!" Wakaba shivered.
"So what now?" Juri's voice was low and husky.
"Um . . . you want some Pocky?"
Juri blinked. "Pocky?" Then she laughed.
"Ta-tsu-ya!"
Before he even had the chance to cringe, Yuki landed on his back. Her arms circled his shoulders like unbreakable steel bands, and her breath was hot on the back of his neck.
"Why me?"
"Because I can't do it to Wakaba anymore," Yuki stated flatly.
Tatsuya whimpered.