A/N: This chapter's rating has been changed from T to M.

Chapter 13: "California"

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Terry." Sawako scuffed her foot against the sidewalk after getting her girlfriend to stop. "You haven't even mentioned any relationship to your parents and now you're just going to stroll into your mom's home and introduce me as your girlfriend." Her burgundy eyes were filled with worry as she looked up into Terry's face.

A smile lit on Terry's face. "I doubt there'll be a problem when I introduce you to mom," she told the bespectacled woman. "After years of raising me, she's grown less conservative."

Sawako grimly looked away and masked her anxiety by pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It might have been better for me to have gone along with Yui and the others," she murmured. The night before, Terry had informed Sawako that she was going to take her along to lunch at her mother's home. While they'd be away, the Houkago girls wouldn't be stranded at her home. This time around, Justine had volunteered to take a day off and bring the girls to the hotspots in California. Typically, Miles would have been up to the task, but he was needed at the company office since Terry was taking a day off.

Terry sighed and took hold of Sawako's hand. With her emerald eyes filled with kindness, she said, "I know you're worried and you have every reason to feel that way." She jerked her head at the modest two-story home behind her. "There's a reason why I chose to bring you along with me and introduce you to my mom instead of my dad. Mom's less likely to get angry and criticize me for my sexual preference."

"And your dad?" Sawako inquired.

Terry frowned. "I can't really say. He's been with that woman for so long now that I half expect some of that bad attitude of hers to have rubbed off on him." She shrugged her shoulders wearily upon talking about her father and stepmother. "Besides, he's not likely to defend me when she decides to bite my head off." Her green eyes hardened from anger. "He's suddenly concerned about keeping his family together."

Feeling sorry for her girlfriend, Sawako gently gripped Terry's arm and leaned up on her tiptoes to peck the other woman's cheek. "I'll let you do all the talking then," she told her with a smile. "I can't help but wonder how you're going to break the news to your mom though."

Terry grimaced. "Not just to her," she replied. "My stepdad and my stepsister will be there as well." She took a deep breath and tightened her hold around Sawako's hand. "Let's get going then." She led the way up the path and paused at the front door. Hesitantly, she rang the doorbell and waited as she heard footsteps from within.

A tall man opened the door. He had wavy salt and pepper hair that fell to the top of his shoulders and a trimmed full beard and mustache. To many people, he looked like a remnant of the hippie movement although he had the look of a modernized hippie. Kind blue eyes peeked out from the folds of skin around his eyes. He stood as tall as Terry, but while the latter was tall and lithe, he was tall and stocky. "Hello Terry," he greeted with warmth. He held out his arms and embraced his stepdaughter. "And this is your friend from Japan." He smiled at Sawako and firmly shook hands with her.

"Richard, this is Sawako," Terry introduced her friend to her stepfather. She figured she could handle introducing Sawako as her girlfriend after lunch.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Richard said before releasing Sawako's hand. "Terry called us yesterday and said that she'd be bringing a friend along. She didn't mention how beautiful you are though." His eyes twinkled when Sawako blushed as a reaction to his compliment.

"Compliments always flow freely from his mouth when he's talking to the ladies," a woman dryly said from the kitchen.

Sawako had to force herself to keep her jaw in place when she finally saw Terry's mother. It was clear that her mother's genes ran stronger in her girlfriend. Terry's mother had the same auburn hair, emerald green eyes and sharp-angled face. She stood only an inch taller than Sawako's height of five feet and six inches, but she moved so gracefully that Sawako half-expected the older woman to have been a former dancer. Despite the presence of age lines on her face, she looked youthful especially when she was smiling as she was doing now.

Richard chuckled and quickly kissed his wife's brow to reassure her. "You're still the lady of my life, Jane," he told her before moving aside to let her embrace her daughter.

Smiling beautifully, the older redheaded woman enveloped her tall daughter in a warm embrace. "I've missed you, Terry." She tilted her face up to let Terry kiss her cheek.

"Hi Mom," Terry greeted as she returned the hug. She pulled away and led her to Sawako. "This is Sawako. She's a good friend of mine in Japan. She's been taking care of me." She watched as her mother warmly hugged Sawako as well.

"Any friend of my daughter who takes care of her is a friend of mine." She stepped away and offered her hand to Sawako. "I'm Jane Quinn," she introduced herself. She gestured for everyone to follow her into the dining room. "I've cooked all of Terry's favorite food!" she said with pride.

Terry subtly elbowed her stepfather. "Did she really do the cooking?" she murmured.

Richard winked at her. "She did."

Terry smirked. "With a lot of your help apparently," she guessed, her emerald eyes lighting up in amusement. She and Sawako sat next to each other on one side of the table while Richard and Jane sat on the other side. "I thought Khloe was going to be here," she remarked as her mother and Richard passed out the food. Her mom had told her the night before that her stepsister who was a sophomore in university was going to join them for lunch.

"She's going to be a little late," Richard replied. "She had a make-up class today so she'll come right over as soon as it's done." He gave himself a generous serving of hearty Italian sausage soup before taking it upon himself to fork over a hefty portion of steak on Terry and Sawako's plates. He caught the wide-eyed look on Sawako's face and smiled. "You must know that Terry's a carnivore," he said.

Sawako smiled. "I know," she replied. "Every time she requests for me to cook something for her, it always has to be a meat dish."

"How can you get enough energy for the day without eating any meat?" Terry asked in a mutter as she sliced her steak into neat pieces.

Jane laughed the focused her attention on Sawako. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of her. She's said a lot of good things about you."

"All good things?" Sawako asked, looking a little bit worried.

"Of course!" Jane assured the young woman. "Terry said that you were her first friend in Japan and that you and your former students have been keeping her company whenever she has free time."

"I'm flattered," Sawako said, feeling slightly embarrassed from the praise she was getting. She could only hope that Terry's mother would still feel the same way when her daughter would give her the news. When was Terry going to tell her mother anyway? It was making her anxious.

Just then, a young woman with shoulder-length black hair skidded into the dining room. Blue eyes surveyed her surroundings as she dropped her backpack onto the floor. The first thing she did was walk over to Richard and give him a kiss. Next, she hugged Jane then finally grinned widely at Terry. "Hey Terry! It's been a while!" She skipped over to her stepsister's side of the table and hugged her as well. When her eyes settled on Sawako, she raised her eyebrows questioningly which prompted Terry to introduce them.

"Khloe this is Sawako," Terry began, watching as the two women shook hands with each other and exchanged smiles. "Sawako, this is my stepsister Khloe." She gestured for the college student to take a seat next to her. "So how's college going for you?" she asked as Khloe hurriedly served herself food.

"Hectic," Khloe simply replied. She wolfed down half of her steak then gulped down a glass of water. "It's great that I'm taking up Graphic Design since it's always been my dream and all, but the workload is just crazy!"

Terry laughed and exchanged a knowing look with Sawako. "I know what you mean."

Khloe abruptly focused her attention on her stepsister's friend. "So what do you do, Sawako?"

"I'm a high school teacher, but currently I'm working to attain my master's degree in Educational Psychology," Sawako readily explained.

"She's usually either a homeroom teacher or a music teacher," Terry added. "She also handles two of the music-related clubs of the students."

"So you're a musician as well, huh?" Richard rubbed his bearded chin in thought. "And a music teacher too to boot!" He grinned and flashed a thumbs-up sign. "I'm starting to like this friend of yours, Terry," he told his stepdaughter.

The former famous musician laughed. "You like anyone who's into music like you are, Richard," she teasingly accused him. "Why do you think we get along so well?"

"That's certainly true," Richard readily agreed, his eyes crinkling with hidden laughter. "So what instrument do you play then?" he asked. "Or should I say instruments, am I right?" he amended.

"Piano and guitar," Sawako replied.

"She sings too," Terry informed her family.

"Very talented indeed!" Richard linked his fingers together and leaned his chin atop them. "You'd be a great addition to the staff of my school!"

Jane smiled widely. "That would be great! With you, Terry and Sawako here in your school, you'll have students from all over the country coming to hone their skills in music!"

Terry frowned. "The school doesn't even exist."

"Yet," Jane pointed out, giving her daughter a look. "Now Terry-"

"Mom!" Terry let out in an exasperated voice. "Why do we have to talk about this now of all times! I recall telling you that I don't want to hear and discuss this topic ever again!"

"But dear, it's a more suitable profession for you," Jane explained in the usual motherly way mothers would speak to their stubborn and naïve children. "You're an extremely talented musician and I'm glad you've given up running around in that band of yours. Now you have the time to use your talent appropriately."

"Oh no… here we go again…" Khloe muttered as she moved away from the table and motioned for Sawako to do the same.

Sawako ignored the warning and chose to stay in place by her girlfriend's side. She could feel waves of anger roll off from Terry's body even if it was easy to see the furious look on her face. She figured that her girlfriend had a temper, but she had never seen Terry totally lose control of it. Now may be the first time for her to experience it, but she was hoping she would be able to stop it from happening.

"Is that it you see in me?" Terry demanded, her emerald green eyes flashing dangerously. "Is it just the music you see that's good in me?"

"It's your best point," Jane replied. She didn't look fazed by the situation although to careful observers, they would notice the slight crinkle of worry lining Jane's forehead.

"My… best… point," Terry said with terrifying enunciation. "And when I was utilizing my so-called best point by playing in a band, you looked down your nose at my decision."

Jane sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "A young woman of your stature and talent is more suited to a career that's…" she frowned as she tried to come up with the right words to use. "… more feminine, simple and not flashy."

"Why the hell do you have to be so damned conservative?" Terry shouted, the dam within her finally breaking. "I'm person that has her own will and freedom! I'm not some puppet for you to manipulate!"

The same emerald green eyes this time flashed angrily as well. Jane Quinn did not like the tone of voice her daughter was using with her. "I am your mother and I know what's best-"

"You don't know a thing that's best for me!" Terry interrupted with a shout. "I've let you and dad make a mess of your lives!" She glared bitterly at her mother and ignored the shocked looks on Richard and Khloe's faces. "Heck, I even allowed the two of you to make a mess of my life! I chose to do something productive rather than let the two of you rule me and make things worse." She met her mother's eyes evenly with her own, daring her to deny the things she just said. "I dove into music to forget and when that part of my life passed, I decided to pursue another passion, which you don't approve of as well." She threw her hands up in the air. "Make up your mind and put it in that head of yours that whatever I do is for my own happiness! It doesn't have to be for yours!" She paused to take a breath and continue her angry tirade when she felt a hand press against her thigh. She looked into the worried face of Sawako and easily read what she was trying to tell her. She sighed and faced her mother once more, noticing that there were tears in Jane's eyes. It was only now that she completely lost her temper with her mother and she knew that she hurt her with the things she said. She didn't regret it though. Everything that came out of her mouth was the truth.

"Jane…" Richard walked back to the table and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Terry is certainly old enough to choose what to do with her life." He swallowed a gulp down his throat when his wife shot him a hurt look. She obviously expected her second husband to back her up. "She has committed mistakes," he said, obviously aware of the escapades his stepdaughter and her band mates got into. "But her success greatly outweighs those mistakes. Even though they have disbanded, she's still a well-known and respected musician and she's doing wonders with her software development company." He gently tightened his hold on Jane's shoulder. "Even though I'm not her real father, that's something I'd be very proud of."

"Meaning, you should be proud of her for who she is," Khloe pointed out, falling silent quickly when her stepmother glared at her. "Hey, I'm just trying to help out here!"

"Khloe, let me handle this," Richard said warily, hoping to calm things down. "Dinner was going so well… I hoped that we could have a normal family dinner." He looked first at Khloe and then at Sawako. "It was unnecessary to expose… the thorny side of this household." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "The music school is a grand idea really," he informed everyone. "I intend to make it a reality as soon as I'm able to. It would make things easier if Terry would join the teaching staff, but it's her decision to make. I respect her decision… all her decisions." He looked pointedly at his wife. "I believe I've said my part as the good father or stepfather in particular."

"I still think that a career in a music school would better suit you," Jane told her daughter who merely gave her a steely look. "You're so buried in your work and it's not becoming for someone of your talent, education and status."

"It may not be becoming for you mom," Terry said, quickly getting worn out from the conversation. "But it suits me just fine. I'm happy with what I'm doing now," she told her. "Richard's music school is a good opportunity, but I just don't see myself in that kind of career and environment especially at this part of my life." She drummed her fingers against the table, letting the activity and the feel of Sawako's hand on her thigh calm her down. "I'm proud to be your daughter," she said with utmost sincerity. "I just want you to be proud of me… of the things I've chosen to do in my life."

Jane frowned and shook her head. "I… still can't come to a decision about this," she gestured at them collectively. "For now, let's put this behind us. It's unseemly for us to quarrel in front of our guest." She gave a cold apologetic smile at Sawako then got to her feet. "I'm going to clean up the table."

"I'll help out," Khloe volunteered and helped her stepmother gather the plates and utensils on the table. "I'll load everything into the dishwasher, Jane," she said as she led the way into the kitchen.

Richard ruefully shook his head and motioned for Terry and Sawako to follow him into the living room. "I'm sorry, Terry," he immediately apologized when all of them were seated. "I've been trying to loosen her grip on you, but it's been difficult."

Terry shrugged. "Some mothers are just really like that," she remarked. "I just happen to be a certain kid who happened to have that kind of mother." She turned to Sawako and gave her a shaky smile. "Sorry Sawako… I didn't mean for this to happen."

Sawako shook her head and took Terry's hand into her own. "It's okay Terry," she reassured her. "Things like this happen and I won't deny that similar situations have happened in my own household." She gave the same rueful smile at her companions.

"Not intending to poke at the embers here, but I do have a question of my own," Richard told his stepdaughter. "We've been informed enough about your ongoing education in Japan and the things you do in your spare time."

"Yes?" Terry asked, prompting her stepfather to get to the point.

Smiling slyly, he asked, "Any chance of a development in your love life while you were in Japan?"

Terry stared at her second father for a good few seconds before she felt her face turn crimson from heat.

"Aha! I knew it!" Richard exclaimed loudly.

"Knew what?" Khloe asked, coming over from the kitchen to join in the conversation.

"Your stepsister apparently has broken her personal record of being single!" Richard announced happily. "What? It's been four years since you were last in a relationship? Seriously, this is good news!" He grinned happily at her.

Khloe laughed and slapped Terry's back. "I'll be ecstatic for the both of us then!" She jumped up and down while hooting up a storm, which only made Terry blush into a deeper shade of red. Meanwhile, the father and daughter pair hardly noticed that Sawako had gone dead silent.

"So Sawako," Richard suddenly said. "Would you be able to tell us about Terry's love life? It's always been a difficult task for us to get her to open up to us about her love life."

Terry cleared her throat as her eyes quickly flicked over to look at Sawako. She couldn't hide their relationship any longer since they just touched on the topic of her love life. "Ummm… Richard…" she began nervously. "When you said that you'd respect all the decisions I would make, you meant it right?"

Richard frowned. "Of course I did! Did you think I was lying?"

"No!" Terry hurriedly exclaimed. "I didn't mean to come off that way!"

"Don't tell me you're dating some Japanese Goth boy," Jane disdainfully said though there was a somewhat forced smile on her face. "The last few boys you dated…" she frowned at the memory. "… they were… boys." Like her husband and stepdaughter earlier, she also failed to notice Sawako flinching at what she said. "Well? Out with it, Terry. I think I have some semblance of a right to know who my daughter is dating."

Terry didn't know how else to explain so she merely gestured at the woman seated next to her.

Richard looked thoroughly confused. "Do we have to get Sawako to tell us?" He was about to repeat his question because Terry didn't answer when Khloe let out an audible gasp.

"Really?" Khloe exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. "This is so totally unexpected!" She stared at Terry in shock for a few moments then grinned wildly at her. "Although, I must say your picking ability has vastly improved!"

"Terry…" Jane ominously looked at her seated daughter. "Are you dating… Sawako?"

Instead of rising to defend herself and her girlfriend, Terry wearily nodded her head and submitted herself to what she expected to be a long and blistering lecture. She didn't have enough energy to come up with another angry tirade to give to her mother.

A few hours later…

Justine led the tired but extremely content Houkago girls into Terry's home. She had planned a day of touring them around the famous and popular spots within the area, but she ended up changing the plan when she saw that her younger tourists were distracted by the shops on Rodeo Drive. Seeing that all of them wanted to shop, she drove them to a shopping outlet situated in the desert and helped them select things for themselves and for their friends and families back home in Japan. They spent so much time at the outlet that they ended up stopping for dinner on the way home. Justine had generously offered to treat them out for that certain meal. It was past eight in the evening when they finally arrived back at Terry's home.

"Okay girls! Let's unload all your shopping bags and bring them into the house!" Justine pulled open the backdoor of her Audi Q5 SUV and passed out shopping bags to the Japanese girls. "We could just reschedule sightseeing to another day."

Yui grinned up at the model. "You'll still be our tourist guide, right?"

Justine couldn't help but grin back. She found out earlier that Yui's grins were infectious. "I'd love to, but I'll have to find a way to work around my hectic schedule."

"Good thing you took us to that outlet in the desert, Justine-san!" Azusa told the older woman. "Just looking at all those shops in Rodeo Drive made me dizzy!"

Ritsu laughed. "Same here! Some of the prices of the stuff in those shops almost made me pass out!" She glanced at the ever-smiling Mugi. "Although Mugi-chan probably could have afforded to shop at Rodeo Drive," she wistfully said. "The outlet prices were better suited for me."

"I won't disagree with that," Mio put in as she struggled with her share of heavy shopping bags. "But seriously Ritsu! You and Yui went straight for the music shop and the food court!" she accused her two friends.

"Hey! We still did a lot of shopping at other stores!" Ritsu said in defense of herself and Yui.

"Although most of what they shopped was for them," Mugi mused, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "I can make a good guess that they've depleted the money they brought with them so much that there's hardly enough to shop again and bring home souvenirs for their family."

Yui and Ritsu looked at each other sheepishly. Mugi was right about their current financial situation. "We'll figure something out!" Yui said with cheerful optimism as she skipped to the front door. They all trudged into Terry's home and settled all their bags on the floor.

"Anybody home?" Justine called.

"In the study!" Terry called from the said room.

"Terry-san and Sawa-chan are home?" Mio asked no one in particular. "I thought they'd be out somewhere."

Justine shrugged. "Maybe they decided to stay in tonight," she guessed. "They did have lunch at her mom's home." They all trooped into the study of Terry and saw that she was working on her laptop.

"How'd today go?" Terry asked without looking up from her computer.

Justine frowned. She noticed right away that something was off with her friend. Her friend's shoulders drooped as if something heavy weighed her down. She could also hear the weariness in her voice when she talked. "It went pretty well. We cut the sightseeing short and went to the shopping outlet instead."

"It was great, Terry-san!" Yui gushed. "We bought so many things!"

Terry didn't bother concealing how she currently felt and let out a long sigh. "Wish I could say the same for me," she muttered, swiveling her chair around so that she could look at her audience.

"Bad lunch date with the other family?" Justine guessed easily.

Terry nodded her head in confirmation. "Quite bad," she replied, smiling ruefully.

"Where's Sawa-chan?" Ritsu wondered.

The redhead got out from her seat and led the way into the living room. She then gestured outside through the large glass doors. In the lamp-lit backyard's far end, there squatted a familiar brunette, dejectedly facing the fenced-in corner. "I've been trying to get her to come inside since we got home," she murmured, pressing a hand against her aching head.

"The introduction didn't go too well, huh?" Justine mused, feeling sorry for her friend.

"It went well at first when I introduced her as a friend," Terry explained. "Things started going downhill when mom started lecturing me about the usual topic again."

Mugi asked, "What topic?"

Justine looked at Terry for permission before explaining to the college girls. "Well, you probably know that Terry has two families since her parents found new partners and remarried. Both families…" Justine scratched the back of her neck and decided to just be as forward as possible. "Let's just say that they've been a source of problems for Terry here."

"How so?" Mio tugged Ritsu to sit on the couch with her.

"To put things simply, the biggest problem in Terry's dad's new family is the wife," Justine explained. "She absolutely despises Terry and makes it a point to make her life miserable."

Azusa frowned. "That's awful! Is Terry-san's dad doing anything about it?" Justine didn't answer, but she could see the answer in Terry's eyes. "Oh… What about the family of your mom then?"

Justine took a breath before continuing her explanation. "Well, Terry's mom hasn't been exactly happy with the life choices she's made."

"Her being a musician?" Mio asked, shivering at the thought of her own parents disapproving of her love for music. Could she ever let it go just to appease them? She didn't think she could do it and she doubted that such a strong-minded woman like Terry would do the same.

"Yes and more," Justine replied, perching on the arm of the couch. "Aunt Jane was really big into the arts. She was a ballerina in her youth and she was glad that Terry here was interested in the arts even though it was the musical kind. She encouraged Terry to learn and become passionate about music, but eventually she started to disapprove of the things Terry did." She and Terry looked at each other and exchanged shrugs. "Like getting involved in a band and getting into all sorts of trouble," she told them.

"But you disbanded years ago!" Ritsu pointed out. "Shouldn't she be happy now that Terry-san stopped?"

Justine smiled bitterly. "Aunt Jane simply had to find another thing to dislike. This time around, it's Terry's business. I'm not sure if she mentioned it to you, but her stepfather plans to put up a music school. Aunt Jane tends to be too persistent whenever she suggests to Terry that she give up her business and help out in the school."

Mugi nodded her head in understanding. "I could perfectly understand why you're upset, Terry-san," she remarked, tapping her chin in thought. "It's definitely vexing if your parents keep trying to control your life." She shook her head. "If I were in your shoes, I'd probably be throwing tantrums especially if I was being made to give up one of my passions."

Yui pressed her face against the cold glass of the sliding door. "Shouldn't we get Sawa-chan inside? It's cold out there." She looked worriedly at their teacher then back at her friends inside the house.

Terry furrowed her eyebrows. "I'd try, but I haven't been successful in all my attempts. She just ignores me."

"Did Aunt Jane blow up when you told her that Sawako was your girlfriend?" Justine asked, walking over to stand next to Yui and gaze at the dejected Japanese woman.

Terry rubbed her eyes. "She didn't blow up per se," she mumbled. "Although I swear, you could literally feel the whole room grow so cold. Mom just stared at Sawako for a long time then said that she's just a pretty face before she walked out."

"No wonder Sawa-chan is depressed," Azusa said, feeling a little bit mournful.

"She's always been concerned about how people view her," Mio explained to Justine. "Having someone tell her that she's just a pretty face hit her really hard."

"It hit her thrice as hard because it's her girlfriend's mom who said it," Ritsu added.

Justine looked at her manicured fingernails and came to a decision. "You girls go cook these two some dinner," she ordered, looking over at Terry and correctly guessing that her friend and Sawako haven't eaten yet. "Let me have a try with Sawako."

"Will you be able to help her?" Yui asked curiously.

Justine smiled. "I'm more experienced when it comes to these kinds of situations," she said soberly, raising a knowing eyebrow at her redheaded friend. "You go finish whatever work you have to do. I'll talk to Sawako and try to get her to come back inside before she catches a cold."

Terry gave her friend a relieved look before going back into her study.

Making sure that everyone was preoccupied with their tasks, Justine then slid the door open and stepped out into the backyard. It was chilly outside and she was rather appalled that Sawako managed to stay out for so long. She carefully made her way to the foreign woman. Instead of talking to her, she leaned against the fence then slid down its length to sit on the grass next to the still squatting Sawako. She sat there waiting patiently for several minutes until Sawako finally spoke.

"It always comes down to looks," she whispered.

Justine closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wooden fence. "That's usually the case with people who are just too blind to really see the worth of a person," she calmly explained. "One gets accustomed to it."

Sawako twisted her head to look at the model. "Are you accustomed to it then?"

Justine grimaced. "No I'm not, but I've gotten pretty good at shutting them out."

"Justine…" Sawako paused and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Were you ever… you know… introduced to your girlfriend's parents?"

"More than a few times," Justine easily replied. "Most were bad encounters while another girl's parents faked being nice because their daughter was dating a rich model who happened to have the right connections." Justine sighed at the bad memories that played in her head. "It's mostly the reason why I don't really date anymore." She gave the Japanese woman a bitter smile. "I'm more into the friends with benefits type of relationship or the more usual one-night stand."

Sawako couldn't help but feel confused. How could this beautiful woman before her dislike commitment? She had heard from Terry so many times how her friend's careless method of dealing with relationships had gotten her into trouble often. She could certainly just settle down with just one woman and be content with a committed relationship.

"In any case, you shouldn't let yourself be bothered by Aunt Jane's reaction," Justine said. "She reacted badly too when Terry told her that I was a lesbian." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "She came around eventually. She'll do the same when she sees that you've done so much good to Terry ever since the two of you got together."

"But still!" Sawako protested.

The raven-haired model raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do you think Terry puts importance in getting her parents' approval?" She shook her head. "You witnessed firsthand that Terry doesn't care much about what her parents think about her. She does what she wants with her life. Knowing her, she's hardly bothered that her mom doesn't exactly approve of you." She locked eyes with Sawako. "Terry's bothered more by how you're taking this badly." Justine gestured at Sawako. "She doesn't want you to be affected."

"She doesn't?" Sawako asked, surprised. She was actually thinking that Terry was concerned about the disapproval of her mom.

Justine chuckled. "I told you," she repeated. "Terry doesn't care what other people, including her own family, say about her and what she does with her life. She's very free-spirited and quite dense when it comes to criticisms aimed at her." She pushed herself up to her feet and dusted off the blades of grass that stuck to her jeans. "From the time I've known her, those traits of hers have mostly done her good. The latter trait did a lot of good even for us especially when we were still together as a band."

"People criticized your music?"

"Our music, our lifestyle and everything else you could think of," Justine said with a laugh. "We were still young back then so we didn't do too well whenever we got hit with criticisms. Terry on the other hand took everything with a straight face and just shrugged her shoulders every time someone criticized us." Justine smiled as she fondly thought of the past. "With Terry taking everything in stride, things weren't as difficult."

"All of you love her, huh?" Since she first met the band mates of her girlfriend, she could literally feel the overwhelming love they had for Terry. After hearing Justine's part, it just made her heart swell more with pride and love.

"More than most people would see," Justine replied, offering her hand to Sawako. She helped the older woman up to her feet. "She gets enough love from her friends," she said, then jerked her head at the house. "What she really needs is a different kind of love and I'm sure you know where that's supposed to come from."

Sawako blushed.

"Come on. The girls should be about done making dinner for you and Terry." The raven-haired woman took Sawako by the arm and towed her back into the house.

"Sawa-chan!" Yui popped her head out of the kitchen and waved at their beloved teacher. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Yui! Get back in here! We're not yet finished!" Ritsu ordered.

Justine shook her head in amusement and went to sit on a nearby armchair. "Why don't you go fetch Terry for dinner?" She gestured at the closed study door. "I'm sure she's expecting you."

Sawako wordlessly walked to the closed door. She raised her fist to knock, hesitated for a moment then knocked a couple of times.

"Come in!" Terry called from within.

Pushing the door open, Sawako quietly stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Immediately her burgundy eyes locked with those gentle emerald green orbs.

Terry got out of her chair and stretched the kinks out of her lower back. "Feeling better?" she asked.

Sawako nodded. "Justine talked some sense into me," she replied, lowering her eyes and feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I'm sorry… I was acting like a child."

"Don't apologize, Sawako," Terry told her, threading her fingers through her tussled auburn hair. "I was the one who insisted on bringing you with me anyway. It could have been avoided. I should have known better that my mom would react that way." She shook her head and walked towards her girlfriend. "I could have spared you from such a horrible experience."

Shaking her head, Sawako walked into Terry's embrace and burrowed her head into the taller woman's chest. "It would have probably been the same if I introduced you to my parents," she said. "I should just keep you to myself."

Terry chuckled and pressed her nose against the top of Sawako's head. "I'd do the same." She leaned back a little and urged her girlfriend to look up into her face. "I don't care what other people say about us. As long as you're with me-"

Sawako pressed a finger against her girlfriend's lips, silencing her. "I know," she softly said. Smiling, she twined her arms around Terry's neck, leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against hers. "I love you, Terry," she murmured breathlessly as she allowed Terry to deepen the kiss. Moments later, she felt her lover grip her waist and lift her up. She felt them twirl around then was gently settled on the edge of Terry's desk. She tilted her head back to deepen the kiss and let her fingers gently twine into Terry's hair.

"Terry-san! Sawa-chan! Dinner is ready!" The door swung open and several gasps were heard.

Sawako reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and leaned around Terry to glare at her former students and a very amused Justine. She was pretty sure that Justine had purposely kept it to herself that they might be doing something adult-rated in the study. "Can't we have some privacy?" she complained, releasing her hold on the suddenly skittish Terry.

Yui had a huge Cheshire cat grin on her face as she surveyed the situation in the small room. "How can you have privacy when there's so many of us staying in Terry-san's home?" she asked teasingly. She glanced at Azusa who was holding a hand over her mouth. "You practically can't get any privacy in any of the rooms here and because of that, I haven't had any opportunities to get Azu-nyan alone!"

"Yui-senpai!" Azusa shouted, turning crimson with embarrassment.

Yui shrugged. "What? I was being honest! It's hard enough to get you to return my affection!"

Mugi was also smiling. "We didn't mean to interrupt your time together," she said politely. "It's just that your dinner will go cold."

Ritsu added, "Besides, Justine-san said we should just come in and get you to the dining room."

Terry sighed and ran her fingers through her hair to give it some order. "And you didn't realize that Justine just wanted to have fun at our expense."

"Hey, what can I do? It's fun to see you get embarrassed!" Justine flapped a hand at her scowling friend and walked back to the comforts of the armchair she previously occupied. "Now hurry up and get your butts to the dining room and make Mio over there sit down before she faints!" She smiled as Ritsu grabbed hold of her furiously blushing best friend and made her sit on the couch.

Mugi gestured for the two lovers to follow her outside and into the dining room. "We did our best cooking up dinner for the two of you."

"It's the least we could do since you're letting us stay here for free," Yui chirped as she skipped to the kitchen to fetch the dishes they prepared. "And it's to cheer you up after having a rough day!"

Terry shook her head as she followed the college students. "I've already gained a few pounds since you girls raided my home and started cooking meals for me," she mused, catching hold of Sawako's hand and squeezing it. "Not that I don't like it," she assured them with a grin.

"It's because of this arrangement that I can't get you alone," Sawako complained, glaring at her sheepish students. "Oh well," she sighed and gave her lover a suggestive look. "I can at least think of one place where we can have some privacy."

Terry raised her eyebrows as they sat at the table. "And where is that?"

Sawako fluttered her lashes. "Your bedroom."

"Oh no…" Terry threw her hands up in the air. "You can't honestly expect us to do anything in there!" she said. "Sure it's my bedroom, but that doesn't mean people won't hear what's going on inside!"

Sawako grinned triumphantly. "So you are expecting me to do something?"

Face heating up, Terry did her best to glare at her girlfriend and was glad when Mugi, Yui and Azusa set the laden dishes on the table before them. "I'll be sure to tell you when I'm ready for that something," she grumbled.

Yui nudged Mugi. "How do two girls make love anyway?" she asked.

Azusa's face once again bloomed into a deep crimson color. "Y-Y-Yui-senpai! Y-You shouldn't ask things like that!"

Yui smiled and gave her kohai a sultry wink. "I'll have to find out one way or the other." She grinned when Azusa's jaw dropped open in shock then looked over at the thoughtful Mugi. "So Mugi-chan, would you happen to know how girls make love to each other?"

Mugi tapped her chin in thought. "I have a general idea, but it might be better to ask someone more experienced." She jerked her head at Justine who waved in reply. "Or you could always look it up on the internet," she suggested, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I could certainly discuss how the deed is done," Justine remarked from her seat. "From the looks of it, Terry hardly has any idea how to do it. I'd rather get her ready enough so that she doesn't Sawako once the time comes." She winked at her friend. "Shall I explain then?"

"Yes please!" Yui happily replied.

"Yui!" Mio shouted from the living room. "There is no way you're going to make Justine-san explain that!"

"But I need some tips!" Yui complained.

"You won't need those tips for a long time Yui-senpai!" Azusa retorted, pressing her hands against her heated cheeks.

Ritsu scratched her head. "Maybe I should listen in too when Justine-san gives that special lecture of hers," she mused, flinching in pain when her best friend smacked the back of her head with her fist. "What?" she cried out. "It might be interesting!" she defended.

"And who would you use those tips on?" Mio retorted, glaring at her friend.

Ritsu shrugged her shoulders. "It might be useful in the future," she carefully said, giving her best friend a meaningful look. She knew that she was going a bit overboard with all the hints she's been giving, but she couldn't help it. The drummer was starting to get frustrated because she was surrounded by couples if you consider Yui and Azusa's relationship as official.

Mio's face flushed into a deep red color and immediately turned away. It was hard to ignore all the subtle hints her best friend was dropping on her. She was in denial that her best friend could be harboring feelings for her. It was just… strange. How could Ritsu have feelings for her? They've best friends for so many years.

"If you want that special lecture, you'll have to schedule it for another day," Justine said, cutting off Mio's turbulent thoughts. The model was on her feet and checking the time on her watch. "I should get going. I have work early tomorrow morning." She saw Terry's questioning look and smiled. "Photo shoot," she clarified. "Oh before I forget!" Justine grabbed her purse and shuffled through its contents. She pulled out seven calling card-sized invitations. "A friend of mine is having a launch party for her clothing line. I figured you girls would like to come along." She handed the invitations to Terry for safekeeping. "You have to present that to get in."

"We'll come," Terry decided. She raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Anything interesting that's supposed to happen there?" she asked.

Justine shrugged. "Not really. There's going to be a ramp show that will feature my friend's clothing line."

"And if there's a ramp show, there are also going to be pretty models and other high-class women in attendance," Terry remarked in a dry voice.

Sawako elbowed her girlfriend. "Terry, don't do that."

Justine chuckled. "It's alright, Sawako. Terry always says that anyway," she explained. "Dress up nicely for the event okay?" She waved goodbye to her friends then left the house.

Terry sighed in pure content as she allowed Yui to take her empty plate to the sink. "Thanks for dinner, girls," she told them with a grateful smile. "Just put those dishes in the dishwasher and it'll do all the work." She covered a yawn with her hand. "I'm rather tired so I'll be heading upstairs to my room. If you girls plan to stay up late-"

"As they've been doing each night since arriving here," Sawako interrupted in a mutter.

Terry smiled. "Just try to keep it down a bit." She returned the girls' bids of goodnight before heading up to the second floor of her home. She tiredly hauled off her shirt and dragged her feet to her closet. She was wearing a pair of cotton pants and was in the process of putting on one of her sleeveless night shirts when Sawako came in. "What?" she demanded, seeing the hungry look on her girlfriend's face.

Sawako sighed and plopped down onto Terry's king-sized bed. "I was just hoping that you wouldn't put on your shirt yet." She winked at her blushing girlfriend who hurriedly put on her shirt.

"Those hormones of yours are running high," Terry muttered, moving into her bathroom to brush her teeth.

"I can't help it," Sawako replied, laying back on the clean sheets and staring up into the ceiling. "We've been stuck on first base since we started dating." She had nothing against kissing Terry though. It was enjoyable and Terry was a great kisser. It was getting to the point that she craved more than just the touch of their lips. Sawako knew that it was for the best that she take things slow with Terry rather than scare her off. Still, she had to somehow ease Terry into being more comfortable with the intimacy expected in a relationship. "It's getting a little boring having to keep kissing," she mused.

"Kissing can lead to more serious things," Terry replied, wiping her face with a towel before heading towards her bed.

Sawako rolled over and held herself up with her arms. Her hazel eyes locked with Terry's emerald green eyes, effectively freezing her in place. "Why are you so reluctant to take a step further?" she asked. Her eyes never left those emerald orbs until Terry looked away and heavily sat down on the edge of her bed facing away from Sawako. "Terry…"

"I have no guts alright!" Terry muttered, shaking head. She was glad Sawako couldn't see her face, which was red with embarrassment and shame. "I'm scared of having sex and I'm scared of disappointing you." The former musician pressed a hand against her head. "I'm just damned inexperienced when it comes to this."

Sawako gazed at her girlfriend, got on all fours and crawled over to her. She raised herself up, draped her arms over Terry's shoulder and pressed her supple body into that warm and solid back. She momentarily felt Terry stiffen from the contact. "I know you said that your first time was very unmemorable, but I didn't realize that it's made you this reluctant to the deed."

Terry shuddered as she suddenly felt conscious of Sawako's softness pressing into her back. "I'm sorry, Sawako. I know I've been making you wait." She reached up and set her hand on one of Sawako's arms that was twined around her neck.

"Why would you ever think that you'd disappoint me?" Sawako gently asked.

Terry frowned. "I told you, I'm inexperienced."

"That doesn't matter-"

"Sawako!" Terry interrupted. She struggled to calm herself, but her tightly clenched fist atop her lap was shaking. "The only experience I have from that first time I had sex was to lie back, let my clothes get taken off and spread my legs!"

The bespectacled woman was shocked. It was no wonder Terry's view of sex was so… low and meaningless. "He did nothing?" Sawako demanded in an angry whisper. "He did absolutely nothing to make you feel good?" She was starting to tremble in anger. Just thinking about what her girlfriend went through was making her livid with rage.

Terry shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Sawako," she softly told her. "It was years ago and it was a meaningless encounter." She was going to suggest that they go to bed when she was suddenly thrown onto her back. Wide-eyed she stared up into Sawako's looming face. Her girlfriend had pinned her onto her bed. She gazed into those hazel eyes filled with yearning and lust. "S-Sawako… y-you…" she fumbled for words. "…w-we don't have to do this."

Instead of replying, Sawako ever so slowly leaned down and gently pressed her lips against Terry's. Her knees straddled Terry's waist, but she knew that her girlfriend could easily throw her off if she wished to. She slowly eased her lips off and reached up with her fingers to gently caress Terry's heated lips. As she gazed down at the confused look on the redhead's face, Sawako allowed herself a small smile before leaning down again to claim another kiss. When Terry's hands hesitantly glided up her sides, Sawako shuddered and let her lips wander down her girlfriend's jaw before settling on the pulsing point on that slender neck. She lipped and suckled at the sensitive areas of Terry's neck then let her hands settle atop her lover's questing hands. Murmuring encouraging sounds to Terry, she guided those hands to the hem of her shirt and urged them to touch and explore the flesh beneath. Sawako bit back a moan as hesitant fingertips burned a trail from her waist to the sensitive skin beneath her breasts.

"Sawako…" Terry whispered, her throat tight.

Slipping her glasses off, Sawako put them atop the bedside table then leaned in to place her lips close to Terry's ear. "Take it off…" she murmured heatedly. She held still, waiting for Terry to make up her mind. It was a difficult struggle for Sawako. She wanted to just take over and lavish her girlfriend, but she knew this was the best way to ease Terry's discomfort. Yes! Sawako bit her lower lip as Terry slowly lifted her shirt up. She took over the task and tossed her shirt onto the floor, leaving her in just her black skinny jeans and a lacy black strapless bra.

Terry gulped at the sight before her. Her hands were shaking and she wasn't sure if they were sweaty due to her frayed nerves. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help but trace the contours of Sawako's creamy and silky skin with her eyes. Her hands itched to do the same, but for the moment they were frozen at Sawako's waist. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting the urge to hyperventilate.

"It's alright…" Sawako softly told her in a soothing voice. She took hold of Terry's hands and settled them on her firm and well-shaped bottom. "Don't be… afraid," she lipped the base of Terry's throat.

"B-But I don't know-" Terry stammered, unsure of what she was supposed to at this moment.

"It's okay… you'll do fine," Sawako insisted, resting her hands against Terry's firm stomach. She waited as patiently as she could for Terry to make her move. It took a good minute or so before she felt Terry's fingers experimentally press into her bottom. She threw her hair back over her shoulder and shut her eyes to savor electric feelings coursing through her body. At this particular stage, her muddled mind wasn't sure if they were nearing second base or even third base since Terry was technically touching her beneath her waist. Her back arched involuntarily when Terry's hand glided along the sensitive spot on the small of her back.

"S-Sorry…" Terry stammered, ripping her hands away as if she did something wrong. "I didn't mean to-"

Sawako gave her girlfriend a smoldering look and grabbed Terry's hands. "Move to the front," she suggested. She watched as Terry's eyes widened and her face turn into a deeper crimson color.

Swallowing hard, Terry shakily reached up with her hands, but instead of going for Sawako's chest as suggested she fumbled at the bra clasp at the back. If she was going to push through with this, she might as well see and feel everything… right? Her trembling fingers managed to get one hook off when her bedroom door slammed open.

"Terry-san! We were wondering if you could give us some directions to the nearest pharmacy! Mio just got her period!" Yui announced, bouncing into the room and abruptly stopping in her tracks. Her honey brown eyes widened as her mind registered what was transpiring on the bed.

Mio also took that moment to march inside and scold her friend's brashness. "Yui! You don't just announce to anyone that I have my period!" she cried out. "And you're not supposed to storm into other people's rooms-" Her hands shakily reached up to cover her gaping mouth. "S-S-S-Sorry!" she shouted, this time covering her eyes.

Yui slowly grinned despite the ominous glare Sawako was giving them. "Oops," she said. "Maybe I should have just peeked instead and learned a few things."

"Yui!" Mio grabbed her friend's arm and towed her out of the room. "W-We'll figure out how to get to the nearest pharmacy!" With that, she quickly shut the door and left Sawako and Terry alone once more.

Sawako sighed and felt disappointed. Just by the stiffness of Terry's body beneath her, she knew that Yui and Mio had ruined the mood. She would have to try again another time. Reaching behind her, she re-hooked the clasp of her bra. The brunette looked down into Terry's face and gently tried to smooth away the lines that had formed on her lover's forehead. "You did really well for a start," she softly told her. "Next time, we'll move on to the more complex lessons."

Terry gulped and opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn't because Sawako picked that moment to kiss her. Slowly, she lifted her arms, wrapped them around Sawako and pulled her closer. Things didn't turn out that badly for first try or should she say second try. She could still remember her heart slamming against her chest. It wasn't the painful kind. It felt more like… yearning. Terry felt Sawako sigh into their kiss and readily came to a decision.

She was going to push her fear into the deepest recesses of her mind. Had she always been in denial since their relationship started to get more intimate? Acceptance was like a bitter pill difficult to swallow. After what had happened, everything was just laid out in front of her. It was so plain for her eyes to see…. she wanted Sawako.