More than just friends

It's TsubaHono time. :D English isn't my native language so It can be that you'll find some mistakes. As always I don't own Love Live School Idol Project. And I would be very happy about your feedback. 3

Kira Tsubasa had been so busy lately that she hadn't had much time to consider much else. She was singing more than she had ever thought she would be allowed to, and her life felt full. Though she was reserved, she found herself often walking with a spring in her step, and quickly had to remind herself that she was definitely not that type of girl. She continued to work hard and went to bed each night exhausted.

Still, it was getting harder for her to fall asleep at night.

She couldn't place her finger on why, but every night she felt some kind of yawning pit in her heart. Each night it got just that much larger, and that much less tolerable. Most nights she was able to quickly dismiss the feeling, sure that it was simply fatigue. After all, she had accomplished her goals, hadn't she?

It had been three months since the last time she had spoken with Kousoka Honoka. When A-RISE and Muse had gotten busier with their successes, Honoka and Tsubasa had still kept in contact. At the beginning they kept in contact through email, text, and calling each other at night. This distant form of contact eventually withered as both their energy decreased, and the contact was unable to keep them satisfied.

Tsubasa was too tired after a long concert to even make it to her bed, and she collapsed on one of the couches that decorated the spacious social room of her suite.

As with the aching she felt at night, she knew something was missing. Her heart had made itself finally understood, and the night before, while wrestling with sleep, she had sent a text: on impulse more than logic. She hadn't even looked at her personal phone since then, afraid that the rash action would never yield the results she wanted. She was certain that the recipient of the message would be too busy too notice the message; let alone do anything about it.

The message had been simple: 'I really want to see you.' The person it had been sent to was a girl with ginger hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could dispel the worst darkness; indeed, it had already done so for the lonely girl, on multiple occasions.

A ring at the door the door startled Tsubasa, but did nothing to dispel her discontent. She slowly stood and made her way over to the door, and on her way the doorbell rang out once more. She peered through the peephole, to see who security would have rang through without informing her and paused at the tiny window.

Outside, miniscule through the peephole's illusory vision, stood a girl with yellow ribbons in her ginger hair. A large coat lay folded around across her left arm, which she held to her side, while her right disappeared from sight, supposedly on the doorbell. Though she couldn't make them out with such small details, Tsubasa knew that those eyes were blue; because she had looked into them regularly for a long time.

The only thing separating Tsubasa from the person she had been longing to see was a simple wooden door and her own inability to deal with the wealth of emotions that suddenly overcame her.

The doorbell rang once again, and this time the girl on the other side of the door shifted impatiently. Moving without thought, the brown-haired girl quickly unlocked the bolt, deadlock, and manual lock, before shoving open the door and standing in stunned disbelief to see Kousoka Honoka actually standing before her.

Honoka had grown slightly since the last time the two idols had seen each other, standing slightly taller and with an ever so slightly better figure. When she thought about it, Tsubasa realized that it wasn't that she had changed from the last time that she had seen her, but from the memory of the early days that Tsubasa clung to so desperately.

But that smile, oh that smile, remained the same. Even after the silence that stood between the two of them, it didn't change, and the radiating energy hadn't changed; not one bit from the image that the brunette held to so tightly.

The brunette stood, allowing the silence to drag on, not saying anything, simply allowing the other girl to soak in her presence. Eventually the still slightly taller girl recovered her wits and threw her arms around her rival, and though the feel of the body wrapped in her arms was different the emotions the embrace conveyed had only beome richer, deeper; somehow having just an edge of desperation that the brunette realized was mirrored in her own.

Laughing to fight off the tears and anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her, Tsubasa invited Honoka in, and the two parted as they entered the apartment.

"You know, this is the first time I've seen your new apartment." The newcomer announced, looking around approvingly at the simple, yet well-made, decorations.

At the sound of the other's voice, Tsubasa had to pause once more, feeling a wave of conflicting, yet harmonious emotions sweep through her. The moment passed quickly and she nodded in agreement. "I haven't seen yours either." She observed quietly.

"Hmm… I guess you haven't." Hokonka responded as Tsubasa guided her to one of the couches in the larger main room. She suddenly chuckled; a sound that sent ripples of emotions that passed too quickly to name, but left Tsubasa feeling weak. "I've been meaning to come over and visit you for forever, but somehow, I always found an excuse not to." The smile on her face deepened as she turned to Tsubasa. "You're text was just the thing I was waiting for to come see how you were doing in person."

With those words, Honoka took a seat on the couch and Tsubasa felt her strength fade from her legs. She collapsed, burying her face into Honoka's lap and only then realized that that the other girl was wearing a short skirt and long socks, as she felt an amount of soft skin against her cheeks. A slight sound of surprise left the ginger's mouth as the taller girl laid her head across her lap. Tsubasa felt gentle fingers slide into her hair and not a small amount of the pain she'd been carrying was dragged away with each pass those wondrous fingers made.

To her enjoyment and surprise, the brunette realized that there were no tears building in her eyes, and her heart was fuller than it had been for much longer than she could remember. She realized, kneeling there, that there could be no sadness during this reunion. It was something that she had needed more than the air she breathed, or the songs that she sang. Even as those thoughts crossed her mind, she felt the cold tendrils of fear brush ever so slightly against her heart. A realization had been made upon feeling Honoka's light touch; one that could not be forgotten. Tsubasa was in love with Honoka, deeply, powerfully, and undeniably. The fear that she felt was the idea, just the very briefest of thoughts, really, that the ginger haired girl might not love her the same way. She knew however, that even if the feelings were not mutual, their friendship was strong enough to survive a confession, even one not shared.

These thoughts flashed quickly and before she could think deeper and perhaps talk herself out of the idea, she felt the words escape her lips. "Honoka, I love you." She lifted her head off of the blue-eyed beauty's lap, but did not raise her gaze.

In response, the fingers of one of the hands that had been tangled in her hair traced their way over one of her ears, across her cheekbones, lightly caressing the corner of her lips, before coming to a halt, cupping her chin. Those compassionate, heated fingers lifted the brunette's gaze until swirling green met shimmering blue. The brightest smile Tsubasa had ever seen graced the red lips beneath those blue orbs: and something in the curve of those lips made a blush rise to her face and her skin tingle.

"Silly," came the response. "I've been waiting so long for you to say that." The words were those to a siren song, and Tsubasa swam towards them, not caring if they carry a saving grace, or a damning sin. She felt her own lips pull into a smile that might even have rivaled that of the ginger's, and a new and separate feeling of fulfillment made its way into her heart.

The two laughed together and embraced tightly, unable to contain their giddiness at their shared emotions. They laughed hard enough that when they pulled apart and the brunette moved to sit down closely to Honoka, they both reached out to brush mirthful tears from each other's eyes. Before they knew what was happening, those hands, first lifted with innocent intent, moved to frame the other's face and pull towards a deep kiss.

Tsubasa had read books and mangas, and watched various different types of shows and movies that featured a first kiss. She had also spoken with a select few people about how the sacred event went down, and from what she understood, first kisses were usually soft, gentle, nervous, and shy.

This kiss was none of those four things.

Their lips found each other with a hunger that defied expectation and rationality Pent up feelings released as their hands wandered away from the other's head to find other places to explore. It didn't take long for mouths to open and tongues to go to explore never before felt sensations: neither was sure who started this, but it hardly mattered. Heat built up like an inferno and they separated, not yet ready to vent this particular form of heat.

Tsubasa knew her eyes were extremely wide, but found it hard to imagine that they could possibly any larger than those of the girl with whom she had just shared her first kiss. Those blue eyes, usually so composed and filled with light; they shimmered darkly liquid with molten desire. Tsubasa felt herself swallow involuntarily at the emotions that the intense gaze brought unbidden, but not unwelcome, to the surface.

Honoka lowered her face, but did not break eye contact with Tsubasa, who suddenly felt very concerned for various reasons that seemed to vanish into a void of need as soon as she thought of them. The green-eyed girl swallowed again, this time in preparation, rather than fright. Tsubasa took one of Honoka's hands in her own and lead Honoka towards the bedroom.

It was much later that night, or perhaps very early the next morning when the two lay together. They had not rested, but each felt more restored, more whole, than they had ever felt before. Honoka sighed as she looked at the clock next to the bed and she felt the girl who lay behind her tighten her arms around her waist in response, which raised an involuntary giggle from the blue-eyed girl.

"What's wrong?" Tsubasa asked, the air around Honoka's ear swirling in response to the almost whispered words.

"I was just thinking that in order to make it to work in time, I'd have to leave within an hour." She responded, sighing again.

"Hmm… I would need to start getting ready soon too." Murmured Tsubasa, nuzzling the top of her head against Honoka's back.

This raised another giggle from Honoka, and she twisted around in the other's grasp to exchange a light kiss. The two lay silent for a moment, looking into each others eyes. "I don't think you'll be going to work today, actually." The blue-eyed girl stated suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Tsubasa replied incredulously. She wasn't opposed to the idea, but the two of them were by job description in the eyes of the public, and any absence was sure to bring rumors and speculation.

"I don't think I will either." Honoka answered seriously. "Of course the two of us missing work on the same day is bound to spawn rumors." She laid a kiss on Tsubasa's bare shoulder. "Some of which might even be accurate." She continued with a giggle. "And then, after a few days of vacation for the two of us, we go ahead and announce our new relationship." Honoka smiled brightly. "It's not like it's unheard of for two idols to be in a relationship. It's just taken us a little bit longer to get than I would have liked."

Pondering the idea, Tsubasa had to admit she was rather taken with the idea. It would allow the two of them to have some more time together in the short term, and in the long term, after the rumors and slander died down some, it would probably mean that the two of them would be able to work together more closely someday.

With those ideas in mind, Tsubasa was sold, and she nodded her head in agreement. "You're the one who's going to have to tell everything to Muse ans A-RISE." She firmly informed her partner.

At that idea, Honoka sighed, "I guess I should take responsibility for the idea." With those words, she stuck out her tongue in distaste.

Tsubasa was quick to seize the opportunity, as it were, and Honoka was only barely able to make the requisite calls in time.