And here goes part 3.

So sad to see only a few people know NMB48. Oh well, the story shall be here for future fans! Preparing for the future is the only way to beat the game.

Awaiting your flames dear Kragorin…^^

Before we get to business, some more pics to spread the love…

Now then…

Tropical Valentine

A NMB48 Maa-chun & Saya-nee Fan Fic

~ Part 3 ~

~

Sayaka tightened her jaw as she turned the door knob to the room she shared with Mayu. She had succeeded in avoiding the other girl enough the whole day. She had also somehow not messed up again and Sayaka found herself wondering how people used work as a sort of distraction to their problems. Well, she guessed it was plausible since their problems weren’t following them to work, like hers. Thank the gods Maa-chun didn’t attempt to talk to her during the stage breaks. Not like Sayaka made herself an easy target to approach. She knew she was hurting Maa-chun but Sayaka was not ready for that talk. She didn’t think she will ever be ready. With a sigh, she pushed the door ever so slowly and snuck her way inside. Just as carefully, she closed it up. It was around twenty minutes passed eleven and Sayaka had spent the evening discussing the plans for the next day with their manager. Tomorrow would be their last day in this country before they moved onto the next. Sayaka had never been so glad to be in a meeting because it meant she wouldn’t have to face Maa-chun alone in their room.

The feeling of peaceful comfort was washed away from her like dust by rain when the dark room was suddenly bathed in blinding light. ‘No! It couldn’t be.’ But even as she turned, begging her eyes to deceive her, Sayaka found two pairs of intense orbs staring right back at her. Maa-chun was in her pyjamas by the study desk with her hand on the lamp switch and her legs crossed. She looked all kinds of intimidating and Sayaka swallowed nervously. She had been caught and there was no excuse for a timely escape. Her eyes drifted to the door behind her…Unless…She could do it. It was not even a step away. All she had to do was raise her hand and…

She was interrupted in mid-scheme.

“Don’t even think about it!”

That was Mayu’s commanding voice. Sayaka lowered her eyes in resignation and walked so very slowly over to the bed as if she could waste enough minutes on the journey for the other girls to forget about her. Too much wishful thinking.

“We have to talk.”

Nope, there was no way of this.

“..About?”

She tried to buy time by playing possum. Maa-chun didn’t fall for that though. She never fell for anything. It was actually one of the many reasons Sayaka…

“Things can’t go on like this.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mess up again and I will not again. So, everything is okay…”

Sayaka had yet to meet Maa-chun’s eyes but at the last sentence, her voice died out towards the end and her head went even lower, if that was possible because she damn well knew nothing was okay.

“What about us?”

Sayaka’s head snapped up at those words and her eyes fell right into the deep well that was Mayu’s brown ones. The two simply stared at one another for a breathless moment, none daring to even blink. Seeing that her friend wasn’t going to say anything anytime soon, Maa-chun went on…

“Just because you managed to pay attention to your work doesn’t take the problem away. And what about us, are we going to be like this from now on? Will I always have to go looking only for you to run away every time I want to talk?”

Maa-chun paused to steady her voice that had started to rise upon seeing that Sayaka had once again lowered her head. In a softer voice she went on.

“Look Sayaka-chan, I am sorry. I am sorry for this morning too.”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It was me that…”

She was ignored again.

“I should have acted differently but I am not the only one in the wrong here. You know my tempers and especially in the mornings so you can imagine how I felt to being forced awake and finding you…”

“I-I know and I am sorry.”

Sayaka shut her eyes tightly as if to block out all the shame she felt. Tears began to form in her eyes when she opened them to fall on her knees in front of Mayu.

“I am so sorry Maa-chun. Please forgive me. I swear that it will never happen again. Please forget it even ever happened.”

Sayaka fell forward and started crying earnestly all the while chanting ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘Please forgive me’. Their friendship was over. Maa-chun was disgusted by her now, she had to be. How will they get on from now on? Will Sayaka ever be able to hold hands again with her friend? Will they ever go to the movies together again without either of them thinking there was a ulterior motive? Will Maa-chun ever see her without scrutiny in her eyes? Were they even still friends?

Sayaka was broken out of her self-loathing with a touch upon her shoulder. She lifted her face to come face to face with her friend. Her breath caught and her cries got snuffed out like a candle light when Maa-chun brought up her free hand and started to wipe away her tears with a thumb. The look of utmost gentleness was all she could see on Mayu’s face and despite it all, Sayaka could not help the lurch her heart gave at the beauty of her friend. She blinked to focus when she saw her friend getting ready to speak to her. She was so stupid. Maa-chun was not the kind of girl to dismiss her friends just like that. She should know better!

“What are you sorry for Sayaka-chan?”

Mayu said the words so softly Sayaka could have missed them had she not been only inches away. She furrowed her brows at her friend as if she had just talked in some other language she did not understand. Was she playing with her? Was this some kind of tricky question? She answered the question any way.

“I-I am sorry for everything; Sorry for viola-kissing you like that, and in your sleep. I am sorry for causing problems for everyone because of being distracted. I am sorry for feeling this way?”

She spit the last sentence out as if she was disgusted by them.

“A few retakes during practice are always called for so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Mayu put both her hands on either of Sayaka’s cheeks. She stared intently into Sayaka’s eyes as if willing for the next words to be imprinted directly into her brain.

“As for the kiss…I am not mad at you or anything neither do I hate you nor will I ever hate you Sayaka. It was just a kiss, well, to me it was just a kiss, so I don’t see any reason to be so dramatic about it. You could have picked a better time for it though. I mean I was out of it and all I could think of was a need for air. Seriously, I thought you were trying to choke me or something…”

They both laughed a little at that. Sayaka was starting to feel a little better as she still sat there with her face in Mayu’s warm hands.

“I think though that you should save your kisses for someone you like and only after you have confessed to them otherwise, you will find yourself in the same situation again and it might not be so pretty?”

She squeezed Sayaka’s cheeks in to made a weird face which she snickered at before she continued. Sayaka was speechless and could do nothing but listen.

“As for your feelings, you should never be sorry for feeling the way you do. You like Lady Gaga, right? What exactly is it you like about her if you don’t listen to what she says with her music? You should never be sorry for what you feel or who you are. You-“

“I love you.”

Silence

Maa-chun blinked. Sayaka blinked stupidly back as if she could not believe she had just said that! The words escaped right out of her mouth without her consent. She began to panic inside thinking that she had just crossed that line. Another press of her cheeks brought her attention back to her friend and her apologies died on her tongue when she saw the smile on Maa-chun’s face.

“You idiot…Is such a corny speech all I needed to get you to say it?”

“Huh…?”

“Idiot…”

“Wha…You knew?!”

Maa-chun smiled sheepishly at Sayaka’s incredulous look.

“Well, yes…kinda, today actually.”

Sayaka closed her eyes in defeat.

“It was that stupid kiss, wasn’t it?”

“Nope! Though I am beating myself up for not connecting the dots then. It was during the practice break when I talked with Nana.”

“What does Nana have to do with anything?”

“Apparently she got word, well actually there has been a rumour going around that you have a crush on someone.”

“What?! When did this happen? I haven’t heard anything!”

“Neither have I. But word is out you are into somebody though no one knew who. Well if Nana doesn’t spill, then no one knows still.”

“That Nana! I have to remember to have a word with her.”

“So…”

“So”

“You fancy me, huh?”

“I-I do.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I wish to. I know you wish for me to say something too.”

“You are a girl of many words. I am sure you will think of something.”

“Give me some time?”

“Take all the time you need. It has been almost two years; I can manage a few more.”

“Two years…”

“Two years and three months.”

The two looked at one another in silence. Then they broke out in soft laughter. Sayaka couldn’t believe how easy this conversation was turning out to be. Maa-chun on the other hand was the opposite. She was a hurricane of feelings inside but she opted for not dwelling on them just yet.

“So, what’s it like? Being in love I mean?”

“Heh…It’s like I am on an experimental drug called Maa-chun.”

“Huh?”

“You are changed to me. The Maa-chun I see now is like the Maa-chun before but bathed in a sea of awesomeness. Everything about you is on levels above the most awesome thing I have ever known.”

“I-Is that so…And what’s with the slang?”

Maa-chun let go of Sayaka’s face and stood up to get away. She was embarrassed. Sayaka was not done with her just yet though.

“Every part of you I look at is like a human magnet. I find myself drawn to it as if…” She paused when Maa-chun turned her back to her and started for the bed. Sayaka still on her knees was eye level with Maa-chun pyjama-clad butt. She swallowed. Really, how could anyone resist that…

“You lovely squishy butt, those well-toned legs that support it, that milky white skin…”

“Okay stop, I get the pic-…wha-?!”

Maa-chun was surprised when she was suddenly tackled from behind and forced onto her back with Sayaka’s hands holding hers down on the bed. The two pairs of chocolate-brown met. Sayaka’s were much darker and the reason was obvious to Maa-chun who swallowed nervously.

“Erm…Sayaka-chan?”

It was in the cutting silence in which Maa-chun was at a loss of what her friend was thinking of doing when she heard the whispers. She looked to the source of the murmurs and a second later, there was a series of thuds followed by a few cries of pain as a mass of bodies caved in from behind their door.

“I told you not to push.” A voice said in hushes even though it was useless to tone it down by now.

“I am sorry but I couldn’t hear anything..Eep!” Another answered, just as quietly, only to freeze upon raising their eyes and finding Maa-chun’s burning gaze on them.

There was never a scene more awkward than the current. The mountain of faces all turned and froze at the spectacle of Sayaka dominating Maa-chun on their bed. Maa-chun’s top had two button undone and through the commotion, the shirt was askew giving off an indecent picture. Sayaka still had her attention on Maa-chun as if she wasn’t even aware of the appearance of the sudden crowd. On the other hand, Milky half lay on both Rii-chan and Mirumiru who were trying to hold onto Kanakichi that was laying on top of the two senpais in the room next door; Nana and Ai-nyan.

A Vein popped onto Maa-chun’s forehead.

“What in the Devil’s home do you think you lot are doing?”

She said the words in such a low even tone that even Sayaka was snapped out of her stupor. She jumped so far away she almost crashed into the chair and table. Thinking that Maa-chun was referring to her, she closed her eyes and raised her hands before her head in protection as she begged for mercy over and over. However when she didn’t hear anything, she slowly, consciously, opened one eye to spy on her friend. Her arms relaxed back to her sides when she saw that she wasn’t even spared any attention. She instead followed her friend’s gaze to find the small mountain in their door way.

‘I guess I didn’t lock it…’ She thought miserably, yet she was glad on the inside. They had saved her from…Sayaka didn’t even know from what but knew she had been saved. She started to walk over to the girls to return the favour before they were treated to some of Maa-chun’s real tempers. Her friend looked ready to blow over and that would not be very pretty. When she started to walk forward however, the girls got up so quickly and to their feet that she was impressed to a stop.

“We are very sorry.”

The two youngest girls disappeared out of the door and to their own room. The sounds of the door being shut and then locked could be heard in the hallway.

“Sorry for interrupting Saya-nee. We were just-“

Milky didn’t get to finish as Rii-chan took a hold of her arm and whisked her away to their own room.

“Wait guys, this is…”

Sayaka began, wanting to set their friends straight having caught on to what they had been thinking she and Maa-chun were about to do. Well, in her case they weren’t wrong but that was not the point…She didn’t get to finish though because she was interrupted by Nana.

“We were just worried about you guys. Though I guess there was nothing to be worried about, huh? Well, have fun you two.”

All was left in their presence was air. Sayaka shook her head as she turned to look at her friend. Maa-chun had an accusing glare waiting for her though and Sayaka quickly turned away and walked over to close the door.

“And do make sure you lock it this time!”

Maa-chun said before she got up and headed for the bath room. Sayaka sighed miserably as she made her way back to the bed and fell on it back first. She put a hand over her eyes as she worked her thoughts. Something had to give. If she continued on like this…What was she about to do just moments before? It wasn’t anything good that was for sure. But what to do? Anything of the sort was out of the question. It wasn’t like Maa-chun was her girlfriend or anything. If she did that to her, wouldn’t that be like rape or something? No, that would never happen. Sayaka turned to her side and started to think of ways to handle this problem before it went way out of control. After some minutes to her thoughts, she heard the bathroom door open then close after a moment.

“You should get ready for bed. It’s getting late.”

Maa-chun said as she pulled the covers back to get into the covers. She sighed at the fresh feel of them. Maa-chun found that she liked these sheets and a simple blanket combination. It was probably due to the quality of them and not because it wasn’t a futon but Maa-chun preferred these sheets over the futons. They were very airy and gave you a feeling of pure relaxation when you got under them. She sighed in exhilaration. Her relaxing moment was interrupted.

“I think we should change rooms when we get to the next Hotel.”

Sayaka hadn’t moved even as Maa-chun had gotten comfortable under the covers. She turned to regard her friend.

“What? Why?!”

Sayaka sat up right and did a mid-turn to face her friend.

“I don’t…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“What do you mean hurt me? You would never…”

Maa-chun was cut off by an outburst from Sayaka.

“You don’t know that! Just think back moments ago! Do you even know what I was planning to do? I-I can’t…I don’t think I can control myself anymore around you.”

Sayaka turned away as if to hide her shame from her friend.

“If-If that’s what you really want then…”

“It’s you I want!”

Maa-chun was taken aback by the tone.

“I can’t even stand a day without you. I want to be with you, talk with you, laugh at your jokes, eat meals together…sit on verandas decades from now sewing together on one cloth.”

“Sayaka…”

It was all Maa-chun could say.

“But I can’t. We have our work, we have our priorities and you…you don’t feel the same way so me looking at you with these eyes; It’s not right.” She covered her face with her hands before continuing. “You must think me strange!”

Her eyes had started to tear again. That was all Maa-chun could take. Steeling herself, she scooted close enough to Sayaka to touch her shoulder. Sayaka rose to sit up then turned towards her friend but kept her face down.

“Hey”

Maa-chun gently took hold of Sayaka’s face under her chin and raised it so they could see eye to eye. Sayaka’s face was yet another wet mess. As if in replay, the scene before returned as Maa-chun once again dubbed the tears away with her thumb. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Sayaka was her best friend before anything. It was her duty to be there for her.

‘It’s just a kiss’ Maa-chun reasoned. ‘If it will make her happy, I can spare a kiss.’ She started to lean forward. ‘And I don’t want to lose you either, you stupid off’.

“Ma-Mayu…”

And the gap between the two was no more.

.

…

……To Be Continued?