Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of characters used. All are licensed to their respective owners. I am not making any money through authorship of this fic.

Hearts on the mend.

Yaya and Tsubomi didn't want to talk about losses. They didn't want to think about the mutual love, lost because she loved someone else… so they just argued playfully instead.

"I won't just settle for you, you know," Yaya said after a while.

"Good because I'm not settling for you either," Tsubomi easily replied.

"Settle? For me you'd have to show up with chocolate, flowers and possibly some kind of baked goods."

The younger girl put on a mocked annoyed face and tried not to over analyze the statement.

'Does that mean she likes my baking?," she thought… but in typical Tsubomi fashion she rationalized by telling herself the thought didn't count because she didn't really mean it like that. 'Stupid Yaya-sempai, who cares what you like anyway,' she added in her head.

…While unconsciously making a mental note that read; 'flowers, chocolate and baked goods.'

Since Yaya then had a questioning look on her face, Tsubomi decided she needed to actually say something outwardly before the older girl threw a pillow or something at her.

"Geez stop looking at me like that, I was just thinking that with your skills in the art of self-organisation I'd probably have to show up with a personal assistant as well."

"You should really have more respect for your sempai."

"You should really act more like one…"

"Hey, just because I don't go around trying to fix the crooked ribbon on your uniform doesn't mean that I'm not a good sempai!"

"Crooked what?," Tsubomi asked as she looked down thoughtfully at what she was wearing around her neck.

"Nevermind...," Yaya replied as she tried not to stare at the suddenly cute sight before her.

'Ok, Tsubomi is being cute,' Yaya thought. 'Wait, what did I just think? Am I too cold? Maybe I should put something else on... oh yeah great, just dress in front of the girl, I'm sure Tsubomi would appreciate that… wait wait… maybe I'm not cold. Am I dehydrated?'

As Yaya went through many more similar statements in her head in order to figure out what exactly was 'wrong' with her, she had no idea the younger girl was trying to do the exact same thing.

"Of course I won't mind it… after all, it's only one of your random statements," Tsubomi said aloud.

While in her head however she was busily thinking… 'Why the heck am I minding every little thing she says? Is there water around here? I could possibly be dehydrated…'

"Hey! Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying?," Yaya demanded to know when her words had returned to her.

"Respect your sempai I said! If you want you can just pick out the important words and phrases such as 'respect' and 'sempai' and 'Yaya is going to throw a pillow at you if you don't stop making that annoyed face at her'.'

"What annoyed face? I'm not making any sort of…"

Yaya then threw over a worrying smirk at the younger girl… which was quickly followed by the literal throwing of a pillow that had apparently come from no where.

"Hey! What the…," Tsubomi managed to get out after she made the initial 'oomph' sound that those being bombarded by pillows usually made.

"Well you weren't," Yaya said smugly. "But you are now."

Tsubomi's eyes narrowed as she clung onto the pillow that had just belted her across the head.

'Must not engage in pillow fight,' she repeatedly thought in her head like some sort of mantra.

'Engaging in pillow fights always comes with all sorts of undue romantic connotations…'

"Hey, are you ok over there?," Yaya asked, crawling over slowly, her tone still dripping with smug amusement.

"I didn't hit you too hard did I? I wouldn't want to scramble all the brains in that pretty little first year head of yours."

When Yaya was close enough, Tsubomi's pillow filled hand extended out in order to deliver a blow to the head of her stunned sempai.

"Oww!"

"Please note that, that was in no way an invitation to start some sort of a fight with pillows," Tsubomi said with her arms folded across her chest. "I just hit you so you'd be quiet."

"You didn't have to hit me so hard you know!," Yaya replied with her eyes closed.

The girl was now lying flat on her back with her head touching Tsubomi's knees.

"Weak in body as well as mind," Tsubomi said as she looked down at the older girl. "Why am I not surprised?… and come on I only hit you with a pillow. The same one you hit me with remember!"

Despite Tsubomi's tone, when Yaya opened her eyes all she saw was concern in the ones of the younger girl leaning directly over her.

Of course that concern quickly turned into flustered annoyance as neither of them were quite ready to share in the intensity of such 'staring into each other's eyes' situations.

Flying apart as quickly as they had come together, the girls returned to their previous sitting positions.

Although this time around, though neither would admit it come hell or high water, they were sitting just that little bit closer together… with just the tinge of a light blush colouring their cheeks.

--

"So what happens now?," Yaya asked again being the one to break the silence that had settled between them.

"Right now, in this very moment I don't know," Tsubomi answered. "But later there could possibly be some tea and baked goods."

The older girl gave a small smile at that.

"Even with Hikari?," she asked. Then, faltering slightly but steeling her eyes with resolve, added: "Even with Hikari… and Amane?"

Tsubomi sighed and nodded, offering a small smile to Yaya. Then in a seemingly thoughtless but so obviously thoughtful move, she crawled over and took the girl's hand, cradling it in her own.

"Yaya-sempai, you really should remember that just because some people decide to get married, well pretty much get married anyway, that they're still never going to forget their families. Part of love's greatness lies in the fact that it can be shared by the people who matter most to you."

Yaya nodded as Tsubomi lay her head comfortably on her shoulder.

"That's quite profound Tsubomi," Yaya said as she let her misty eyes convey her thanks.

"Yes well, I'm deep like that."

"I suppose you just came up with all of that for me?"

"No, I believe in that statement for me too. For us."

"For what?"

"I said for me too. Geez listen."

"Yes but what did you say after that?,"

"Nothing! Don't just go adding things to my sentences… you're always so inconsiderate. Just for that, when we all have tea tonight I'm going to eat half your share."

"You're welcome to it."

"What?"

"I said no way! You get your own share and that's it."

--

Just then a knock at the door interrupted the constantly changing moods between the two.

Unfortunately, though somewhat expected… the knock came a little bit after the person had already opened the door and walked in.

Chiyo-chan was good with her priorities like that…

"Tsubomi-chan, Yaya-senpai," the girl said cheerfully. "I just came to tell you that the tea… umm ok you're having a moment and I should just leave… sorry!"

With that, Chiyo left and ran in the direction of her 'safe-haven'.

Yaya and Tsubomi looked at each other, and at their current positioning before coming to a quick conclusion.

"Umm she… should we chase?," Yaya asked in a rather monosyllabic fashion.

"Yes, chase is good," Tsubomi replied.

"Chiyo! Come back!," they both yelled as they scrambled to run out the door.

--

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please stop chasing me!," Chiyo said, throwing the reply over her shoulder.

Upon reaching her safe-haven, Chiyo (un?)expectedly ran into something… luckily it was soft and easily broke her fall.

"Wow, this really isn't my day," Tamao said as she rubbed her head before helping Chiyo up. "Are you ok?," she asked the girl.

"Tamao-senpai, yes I am but…"

"Chiyo!"

"B-but Yaya-sempai and Tsubomi are chasing me because I saw them comfortably holding each other earlier on and…"

"Chiyo just stop talking!," Tsubomi ordered as the two puffing girls reached the door of Nagisa and Tamao's room.

"… and I really really really didn't mean to see that they were just so cute, caught in their intimate embrace and…"

Yaya couldn't do much talking herself as she was too busy wincing.

'What did I ever do to this girl that she must punish me so?,' Yaya asked in her head.

Tsubomi on the other hand, continued her verbal attack, or rather attempted defense.

"Chiyo! How the heck did we all go from 'moment', to 'comfortably holding' and right on through to 'intimate embrace,' in just three sentences?!"

Chiyo just continually shook her head.

"No, no!," she said. "It wasn't all of us that went like that… just you and Yaya-senpai! With the holding hands and the heads leaning on shoulders and the snuggling..."

"Ok, well I'm just going to kill you now," Tsubomi said in a scarily calm tone.

"Wait, wait, wait there was no snuggling!," Yaya said, finally finding her voice.

Tamao who was quietly watching the situation managed to let out a small laugh.

As down as she was feeling earlier on, the sight of her friends acting the same way that she had always been used to, restored her faith. She then knew that though some things had changed, the best things would always stay the same if they all let them.

Giving a slight smile and a raised eyebrow in the general direction of Yaya and Tsubomi while wrapping a protective arm around Chiyo, Tamao offered the two Spica girls a teasing statement.

"Well I'm not sure what's been going on with you two, while some of us have been busy taking part in important school traditions, and I'm certainly not sure that you went as far as 'intimate embraces' and 'snuggling' … but… I am pretty sure Chiyo was right with the holding hands."

"Tamao-senpai!," Tsubomi whined, now annoyed that her prey was protected by the older girl's arm.

"How can you say that Tamao?," Yaya demanded to know. "You weren't even there!"

"No I wasn't," Tamao said with a smirk and sparkle in her eye. "But I'm here right now and what I'm seeing is pretty clear…"

Chiyo-chan, now convinced that any more words out of her mouth would probably result in certain death by Tsubomi, didn't risk opening her mouth and instead just pointed.

The Spica girls followed the direction of Chiyo's finger and were both met by what was for them, an unexpected sight.

"Tsubomi you fool! Why are you still holding my hand?!," Yaya asked as she blushed.

"What? You're the one that's holding onto mine!!"

As they continued their argument, Tamao and Chiyo went ahead and entered the room, leaving the door open just in case any nearby Spica students decided to drop in.

"Tamao-senpai… they're still holding hands," Chiyo said as she craned her neck to see out the door.

Tamao merely nodded and gave a sad smile.

"If they're lucky, they won't ever have to let go," she said softly.

Chiyo nodded sadly at her senpai.

"If you ever need to… you can always hold my hand Tamao-senpai," Chiyo offered. "I'll be there for you if you should ever need me.

"Actually I was about to offer something along the same lines Tamao," a voice at the door said, its owner allowing herself to blush slightly. "Although my offer would have undoubtedly been less sweet and much more sternly sincere," she added. "Anyway I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Ha!, See how does it feel now you Miator students! See what happens when people assume you're having a moment! For shame!," Tsubomi yelled from behind the new person. "And it was your student council president as well!"

Chiyo, while positioned slightly in front of the new person felt a burst of courage and said…

"Well our situation is probably a little different Tsubomi-chan. Tamao-senpai and I weren't actually doing anything…"

Miyuki raised her eyebrows at the now tomato-red Spica students… who apparently had forgotten how to let go of each other's hands.

"Uh… c-congratulations?," the older girl offered as she tried not to grin in an unbecoming manner.

"Miyuki-sama, would you like to come in? The door can be left open though… the hand-holding Spica students will probably come in later for snuggling."

"We'll come in now thank you," Yaya said.

"Yes, you're welcome to Yaya," Tamao replied. "But please, snuggle later, our student council president is here."

"Well she only came to snuggle with you Tamao sempai," Tsubomi mumbled. Unfortuantely for her, and all the others in the room, she needed some guidance in the art of learning how to have a 'library voice.'

… As could be seen by the blushing face of Miyuki and also by Yaya wearing a sheepish look on her face while subtly placing herself slightly in between Miator's student council president and Tsubomi.

Miyuki cleared her throat and tried to regain some sort of a hold on the situation.

"Yaya, I know that you're not directly under my jurisdiction… but please try to control your girlfriend whilst in my presence."

"Yes of course I'll try to control my girlfriend Miyuki-sama… I mean… wait something went wrong there…"

All heads then turned to Tsubomi as they expected the girl to let loose some sort of angry statement… or possibly just resort to violence.

But for some odd reason all they got was…

"Oh my God I want to date an idiot…"

"Huh?!," the other girls collectively asked before breaking out into laughter.

"Hey… why are you all laughing?," Tsubomi demanded to know. "Did I just… did I…"

"Say that aloud?," Chiyo offered. "Oh yes, yes you did."

"Funny that… well done Tsubomi," Miyuki said with a grin.

"Funny? That was a hilarious confession! Tsubomi-chan deserves double helpings of tea and biscuits tonight! And Miyuki-sama is welcome too of course."

"Yes well," a blushing Yaya said whilst finding something interesting to look at on the floor. "Just remember what I said earlier Tsubomi… flowers, chocolate and baked goods…"

--

AN: Thanks for reading my first shot at a Strawberry Panic fic! I originally penned this to be a one shot but since there seems to be a little more left to be written, more will come if there's interest! XD