Say the Words

Chapter Four: Minor Technicalities

A/N: So it didn't take them too long to get together, mainly because I'm not great at writing big, dramatic, subtextual epics, but don't worry! There shall be a plot! And more chapters! xD

So now, Shion and Chikaru are (unofficially) together, but no one else knows other than Miyuki- meaning that Kizuna, Remon, and the rest don't know either. Uh oh. ALSO! More Yaya/Tsubomi, because they're like, so adorable together, like totally! And I'm kind of semi-obsessed with them for the moment, so yeah. More of that.

Chikaru woke up the next morning, blinking the slight sunlight filtering in through the curtains out of her eyes. She'd just had the best sleep she'd had in a long time, and the reason for that currently had her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, spooning Chikaru from behind. Shion's warm, rhythmic breathing against her ear was almost enough to put Chikaru back to sleep, but a quick glance at the alarm clock showed that they were already running late.

"Shi-chan," Chikaru began gently, poking the sleeping Shion's cheek.

Shion grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Not on my bed, Kaname," and buried her head deeper into Chikaru's hair. Chikaru giggled and kissed the tip of Shion's nose- the blonde scrunched up her face from the sensation and tightened her hold on the Lilim president.

"Shi-chan, you're going to be late," Chikaru said softly, brushing a stray blonde hair out of Shion's face. She felt a bit guilty when the Spican literally leapt out of bed, but Shion would have been devastated if her perfect attendance record had been broken. Chikaru leaned back against the headboard and watched Shion scramble about for her clothes.

Shion paused momentarily, looking back at the relaxed Chikaru. "Aren't you going to be late too?" she asked, running a brush through her hair.

Chikaru shook her head. "Classes at Lilim don't start for another hour, Shi-chan," she said, sitting up on her knees and hugging the already tense Shion from behind as the Spican sat on the bed to tie her hair back. Shion nodded distractedly- her mind was obviously elsewhere as she slipped into the bathroom to put on her uniform.

Shion was still wearing that same confused, slightly frowning expression when she emerged less than five minutes later, looking just as prim and together as ever, and sat back down next to Chikaru, who was looking at her with a blissful smile. "So I've been thinking," she began, opening her arms to allow the still-sleepy Lilim girl to rest against her chest. Her face flushed bright red when she felt Chikaru's dainty fingers reach up to touch the base of her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked, running a hand through Chikaru's dark hair.

"Nothing," Chikaru replied with her ever-present smile. "I like feeling the vibrations of your voice," she explained a minute later.

Shion's blush darkened, but she cleared her throat and tried again. "I've been thinking," she repeated, obviously hesitant, "that since we both kinda…love each other, it would make sense if we were…you know…dating? Like, you could be my girlfriend…" Shion trailed off, trying to avoid looking down at Chikaru, who was trying to meet her gaze.

"Shi-chan is so cute when she gets flustered," Chikaru said, sitting up slightly and pressing her lips to Shion's warm cheek. "And that would make sense, wouldn't it?"

Shion nodded, and, feeling much more confident, turned on the bed to face Chikaru. "Does this mean you'll be my girlfriend?" she asked, rubbing Chikaru's fingers with her own, gazing hopefully up at her best friend.

"Only if you'll be mine," Chikaru replied, and Shion grinned as the Lilim girl leaned in to press a brief but deep kiss to her lips. "But you have to get to class, love."

Shion scowled. "I know," she said, and gave Chikaru one last kiss before exiting Chikaru's room in a haste to make it to first hour on time.

Chikaru watched her go, and fell back on her bed as the door swung closed, smiling up at the ceiling.

PGBR

"So, we're all clear on the plan?"

Affirmative noises were heard from all around the room, except from Nagisa, who had her arms folded over her chest and was pouting shamelessly, and Tsubomi, who was busy arguing with a smirking Yaya, who was currently holding her hostage in a tight embrace.

"Why does it have to be Shizuma again?" Nagisa half-asked, half-whined. "I'm sure there are plenty of other gorgeous, single, lesbian girls at an all-girls' school filled with hormonal teenage girls."

Shizuma smirked and bent down to kiss Nagisa's neck. "Because," she began cockily, "no one's as gorgeous as me."

Kizuna rolled her eyes and cleared her throat so she could continue. "Anyway," she said loudly, "Chikaru-oneesama and Shion-senpai have made things easier for us- they're already sitting together, so all that's left is for Etoile-sama to go over and start flirting with Chikaru. If we know Shion-senpai at all, she won't stand there and let it happen for long."

Shizuma gave an exaggerated salute and stood, heading towards Chikaru and Shion as Kizuna and Remon watched in silence- they had indeed opted to leave Kagome back at the dorm, away from the possibly explosive situation. "I feel like we're mixing two very dangerous chemicals," Remon muttered, but upon seeing the excited smile on Kizuna's face, couldn't bring herself to care.

Nagisa was still pouting, and, oblivious to the situation, Yaya still had her arms wrapped tightly around a struggling, bright red Tsubomi. "Why don't you just admit it, hmm?" Yaya asked, grinning devilishly as Tsubomi huffed.

"Admit what?"

"That you like me," Yaya intoned, pressing her lips wetly to Tsubomi's cheek.

"Eww!" Tsubomi shrieked, wiping Yaya's kiss off her cheek. "I don't like you like that!" she insisted, but her words sounded more petulant than angry, and her blush had deepened dramatically.

Yaya was about to make an undoubtedly perverted comment, when a loud slam from a few tables away knocked the words right out of her, and the struggle right out of Tsubomi, who unwillingly toppled right into Yaya's lap as the older girl sat down. She tried to move away, but Yaya's arms held her in place, and even Nagisa had been shocked out of her self-misery.

All eyes focused on the table that Shizuma had swept over to a minute before, where the Etoile was currently smirking up at an infuriated Shion.

PGBR

Shion's hands clenched into fists on top of the table, her jaw twitching, her eyes narrowed at the girl who had dared to prance over to the table she was sharing with her girlfriend and start flirting with Chikaru like she had the right. Shion had sat there and let it happen as long as she possibly could, but when Shizuma had reached across the table to brush a hair out of Chikaru's face, she couldn't stay quiet any longer. Finally, she spoke through gritted teeth, glaring down at Shizuma with all the ice in the world. "If you want to cheat on Nagisa-chan, fine," she growled, "that's none of my business. But do not cheat on her with my girlfriend."

"Shi-chan," Chikaru said quietly, gently touching the Spican's rigid arm.

Shion took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes before opening them again, staring down at Shizuma with all the contempt in the world. She leaned closer to the not-so-smug Etoile until they were only inches away. "Stay away from Chikaru," she said, her voice hard. "I don't want to see you touch her ever again. I was willing to let it slide the first few times that you flirted with her, knowing how I felt, but you've gone too far, Etoile-sama. " Lowering her voice even further so that even Chikaru couldn't hear her, she met Shizuma's light, olive-green gaze with her own intense violet. "I almost lost her because of my own stupidity, and I am not going to lose her because of yours. Do you understand?"

After a moment of tense, thick silence, Shizuma managed to pull her face back together into a mild smirk. "Of course, Shi-chan," she said with a wink as she stood up. "Good to know you finally grew a pair."

PGBR

Back at their table, the other girls, especially Kizuna and Remon, were watching in wide-eyed shock. The two Lilim girls exchanged nervous glances as Shizuma stood and Shion sat back down with an expression of triumph mixed with concern, looking to a shaken Chikaru. "Oops," Kizuna said quietly as Shizuma approached them with one eyebrow raised.

"Ladies," she said, taking her place beside Nagisa, "I thought we were trying to help them get together. Now obviously, one of two things happened- your plan either worked better than any of us had anticipated, or your oneesama and Shion-san were already together."

"Minor technicalities." Kizuna shrugged off-handedly while Remon shrunk back in her seat.

Across the table, Tsubomi was visibly shaken by the spectacle that had just taken place- she hadn't had a chance to see the president of Spica truly angry before, being a first year, and was clinging to Yaya in a way that would make her cringe if she could see herself. For her part, Yaya was smiling- an honest, happy smile- for the first time since Hikari shoved her away that night so long ago, her arms wrapped around the usually arrogant, loud-mouthed 'brat' she'd become so fond of.

PGBR

Shion was still fuming even as she and Chikaru walked out of the lunchroom. Chikaru was being very careful to maintain constant contact with her girlfriend, but Shion still kept shooting glares over her shoulder, towards the silver-haired Etoile. "The nerve," she growled as Chikaru led them over to a bench just beneath a cherry blossom tree.

Chikaru moved closer to Shion and rested her head on her shoulder, wrapping Shion's limp arm around herself. "It's just the way she is, Shi-chan," she said, enjoying the feeling of Shion's head resting against hers.

The Spican sighed and lifted her head to kiss Chikaru's hair before settling herself back against her girlfriend and tightening her arm around her waist. "I know it is," she said resignedly, "but that doesn't give her the right-"

"It doesn't," Chikaru agreed, "but what does it matter, Shi-chan? I'm yours, not hers, and I'll never belong to anyone else." She sat up and kissed Shion on the lips to prove her statement. "You can't let her get to you like that, love."

"And that's why I love you," Shion said, pulling Chikaru back with a hint of a smile and lowering her lips to Chikaru's. The kiss began brief- just a brush of the lips- before escalating into something more, Chikaru's arms around Shion's shoulders and Shion's arms pressing Chikaru against her. Chikaru's fingers found their way into the long blonde locks, clutching at Shion's hair as the Spican lowered her down into a lying down position on the bench.

Reluctantly, Chikaru pushed Shion off, giggling at the disappointed expression on the blonde's face. "We're in public, Shion-chan," she said, kissing Shion's nose. "While I have no problem with public displays of affection, we wouldn't want to get too caught up, ne?"

Shion grumbled, but sat up far enough to give Chikaru room to do the same. Her arm instantly found its way around Chikaru's waist again, however, when she caught Shizuma exiting the cafeteria with a pouting Nagisa. "She better stay away from you," Shion growled.

Chikaru giggled and cupped Shion's cheek in her right hand, turning the girl's attention to her before gingerly leaning forward and capturing her lips in a reassuring kiss.

PGBR

In the nearby distance, Yaya made a face at the obvious love radiating between the two presidents. "Even Toumori-sama," she said, shaking her head. "What's with people and their lovey-dovey moments?"

Tsubomi huffed beside her. "Yaya-sempai doesn't understand romance," she declared with a flick of her pink hair. Yaya looked down at the younger girl, raising an eyebrow. "Toumori-sama is so romantic, defending their love like that," Tsubomi continued, her hands pressed over her chest, a dreamy expression painted on her face. A few yards away, Hikari appeared to be doing the same, warranting a pained, slightly constipated expression from Amane. Yaya smirked.

Serves her right, she thought cockily. Steal my Hikari, will you? Now you'll have to deal with that for the next few months. Her attention was quickly diverted away from her best friend, however, by a sigh from the pinkette standing beside her. Tsubomi was looking at the couple with a mixture of respect and longing, and Yaya suddenly felt the urge to growl in protest. Her eyes widened as she snapped out of it- what the hell was wrong with her? "Toumori-sama's got a stick permanently lodged up her ass," Yaya muttered before she could stop herself, somehow provoked by the way Tsubomi was gazing at Shion, who had just picked up a flower and threaded it through Chikaru's dark locks.

Tsubomi turned to her with a semi-shocked frown. "What does Yaya-sempai have against Toumori-sama?" she asked Hikari, who had just spotted them and had dragged Amane with her as she ran to greet her two friends.

Hikari frowned, confused. "Yaya-chan doesn't have a problem with Toumori-sama," she said in a hesitant voice, glancing up at Yaya, who was, in turn, glaring at the Spican president. "Unless…" In an unusual show of comprehension, a bright smile graced Hikari's lips and she turned to Tsubomi. "Does you like Toumori-sama, Tsubomi-chan?" she asked, her eyes focused on her best friend, who tensed minutely at her question.

"Well she's passionate, hard-working, and pretty," Tsubomi said, obviously not overly interested in Shion. Out of the corner of her eye, Hikari caught Yaya's jaw tightening.

In all the time that Hikari had known Yaya, the outgoing Spican only ever showed outward jealousy towards anyone once, when Hikari came back from her date with Amane. Even then, they had been subtle, and strangely similar to the emotion Yaya was showing now. Hikari's smile widened- she'd known Tsubomi was in love with Yaya since day one, and knew that Yaya definitely enjoyed being around the pinkette, but it seemed that Yaya's feelings were finally moving on to someone who could return them.

"Whatever," Yaya was saying with an eye roll as Hikari tuned back into the conversation. Her best friend looked truly annoyed now, her arms folded over her chest. Tsubomi was obviously mistaking it for Yaya's playful teasing, and continued to go on about the romantic Spican president, oblivious to Yaya's discomfort.

At that moment, two things happened- Shion spotted Hikari and Amane, causing the latter to flinch as she got up, dragging Chikaru behind her as she approached her favorite choice for the Etoile election. The second, more surprising (and barely more subtle) thing was when Tsubomi felt herself being pulled against something very soft by a pair of strong arms as Shion and Chikaru approached. She flushed bright red and whipped her head around to scold Yaya, but her words caught in her throat at the look on Yaya's face. Her jaw was tight, and her posture was rigid- the older girl was obviously on the offensive- but her eyes… Yaya's eyes were flashing with a mixture of what looked suspiciously like jealousy and something else…something more hollow, something that Tsubomi used to see whenever Yaya would see Amane and Hikari together.

Geez, she's not really threatened by Toumori-sama of all people, is she?

Still, Tsubomi didn't pull away. Her cheeks were flushed and her arms were folded over her chest, but she stayed where she was, allowing Yaya to have whatever kind of territorial display she was giving. Tsubomi's heart was beating uncomfortably in her chest, like it was about to explode out of her, like in that American movie with the aliens. She'd had a crush on Yaya for the longest time, but had resigned herself to the fact that she was nothing more than an impertinent kohai to the older girl. Now, for the first time, it seemed like she had a chance, and she'd be damned if she lost it. Usually the unnecessary PDA would have annoyed her to no end, but after having lost Hikari like that, Tsubomi could understand Yaya's reluctance to let go.

Baka, Yaya-sempai, she thought to herself, leaning into Yaya's arms as Shion cornered Amane, the blue-haired girl looking to Chikaru for help.

PGBR

"Shion-chan," Chikaru began, placing a hand on Shion's forearm as the Spican bombarded Amane with questions. Shion turned to her for a moment, and Chikaru took her chance, stepping well into Shion's personal space, draping an arm over the Spican's neck and lightly massaging it with her hand. "How about we leave this for tomorrow? I'm feeling neglected…" She feigned a pout, and Shion's eyes widened, flustered.

"Oh, don't be, love," she said, stepping away from Amane, who didn't waste any time running off, and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist. "What do you want me to do?"

Chikaru's face broke out into a surprisingly evil grin for the Lilim president and grabbed Shion's arms, leading her towards the Strawberry Dorms. "You'll see…," she said, giggling as Shion's cheeks flushed bright red.