Unlike typical Natsume she wasted no time in approaching me on the train with Suzuki. I was sitting next to Fuuko holding her hand and whispering in her hear while she was trying to read.
"Yuni, I had a lot of fun last night. Thanks," she said and all three of us looked at her, "What we've been friends for ever it's only natural I start using her first name at some point."
"Right ok," Suzuki responded, sounding less then convinced by the weak logic, "You better be careful though. Taki-San strikes me as the jealous type. Shouldn't be so informal with her girl without permission."
"Fuuko, doesn't grant me permission. She trusts me to do what I want and respect her in the process. It's one of the things I love about her," I responded, and Suzuki again looked like she was unsure she should be part of this conversation.
"Sorry, um I was kidding Asahina. I didn't know you guys were really together."
"We're not rushing to tell everyone, but we aren't going to hide it or let people shame us either."
"K, you do you girl."
"Did you get her to give her what you wanted last night even after she said no?" Fuuko asked and I coughed.
"Fuuko!" I responded
"We had a good talk. She made some interesting points. I'm going to think about somethings," Natsume responded skipping over the question entirely.
"Well then glad she went miss. Uhm, anyways. Good for you." Fuuko stammered and I chuckled.
"Nice one babe," I teased and then we all went back to our normal morning routine.
We arrived at school and Natsume tugged on my arm, "I want to tell Yuki that I'm gay and we're dating. Is that ok."
I looked at her, speechless. The shock had to be written all over my face which gave her the wrong idea, "Right stupid you think me and Yuki are in love that's a bad idea. I could tell Suzuki instead."
"No telling Yuki is fine, but you'll have to tell her about Fuuko too. I was just surprised. Last time you told her and then blamed me when I got upset at you for not talking to me about it first."
"I see. We had a lot of issues, didn't we? Is that why you don't want to try again?" Natsume asked me.
"No. To be blunt it's because you love Yuki and I love Fuuko. I'm not saying I feel nothing for you, but it seems crazy to complicate things like this."
"If the Osaka trip you told me about really happens, will you still come to support me?"
"You realize I had to sleep with Fuuko to make that happen?"
"Aren't you guys already sleeping together?"
"Huh. you got me there. So, you called me Yuni. Do you want me to call you Nanase-Chan?"
"Nanase, is probably best."
"Ok Nappii."
"No, only my family uses that. Not even Yuki would be so bold."
"Exactly. Have a good day Natsume," I responded, and her face sank with my words. I'm sure she would argue that I was being unfair, but I was tired of carrying around so much hurt. Every chance I gave her only added to the pain.
"Will you be waiting after practice?"
"Sure, we'll be in the storeroom stargazing just text when your done and we can all meet up."
She didn't seem pleased about it, but she agreed and we parted ways. She didn't try to talk to me the rest of the day. I thought maybe she had finally given up, but we were laying in the storeroom when a text popped up form Natsume, "Practice is done. I told Yuki, um everything. She wants to talk, could the four of us grab dinner tonight?"
"What everything exactly?" I responded immediately without thinking.
"You, me, Fuuko, and the future I'm trying to overcome."
"You never change Natsume. Fine we'll get food and go to the Karaoke bar. This is the last chance though Natsume," I responded I was angry at her then I had ever been. She had given me hope by asking me first but then discarded that hope just as fast by revealing something so personal. People might start to talk, and these were not the kind of rumors I was prepared to deal with. Malicious whispers of me being crazy and those who did believe wanting me to tell them the future. I wanted none of that. We grabbed our food and walked to the Karaoke bar in silence. As soon as the soundproof door shut Yuki started the conversation.
"What exactly did you tell Natsume to make her think she should share you?" She demanded. She was pointing her finger, her whole body was shaking, and I could say the anger and hurt warring on her face.
"Nothing, in fact I told her she shouldn't be with me. I told her she should be with her true love, but she's as stubborn as the girl of her dreams. Since neither one of them are willing to admit their feelings, they'll probably break a lot of hearts including each other's before they die," I responded I considered just laying it all out for her, but I wanted to give Natsume a chance to intervein if she didn't want her to know everything.
"So, your saying Natsume loves more than one girl?"
"Not sure. You'd have to ask her. I'm only sure about how she feels about you," I said and both Natsume's and Yuki's faces contorted into a look of utter disbelief. I had given her a chance to take over the narrative she had left it be.
"We never said anything about you talking about your theory," Natsume finally said a hint of anger and overwhelming accusation in her tone.
"Yes, well, it's not a theory and we never discussed any of this did we."
She had a look on her face that said she just now realized what I had meant and what she had done, "Fair, continue, I'll stay out of it."
"What does she mean Natsume? She knows how you feel about me," Yuki responded. She was looking intently at Natsume like she was trying to gleam the truth hidden there.
"She thinks were in love. She hasn't told me why so don't ask me, but she insists that we were together, but I was in love with you always leaving her alone and during that time she slowly fell for Fuuko."
"Is it true? Do you really love me?" Yuki asked a sparkle of hope making her whole appearance gleam like sunrise.
"Don't worry Yuki it's just her theory..." Natsume started, but I cut her off. I had to, Natsume would hate herself when she realized what she was doing.
"Natsume, stop!" I yelled and everyone in the room looked at me, "I'm sorry. You bringing her here has changed stuff to much. Your relationship can't be what it was last time. Look at her face. Does that look like disgust or apprehension. No, it's hope mixed with the loss at what you had started to say. You and Yuki have no path forward if you insist on being stubborn here."
"Don't talk to Natsume like that. She can say whatever she wants. There will always be a path forward for us. I just want Nanase-Chan to be happy." Yuki responded all her barely contained emotions now boiling over into every word. Natsume looked on in shock.
"Yuki, I love you. I always have. Yuni I'm sorry I was so unfair to you, but you were always there for me. Hell, your even there for me now. How could I not love you too?"
"It's not the same though. Love born of gratitude and love born of affection can never compete. It's fine though I have Fuuko and she is amazing."
"So, we're really over?"
"Would you really want to share yourself? You barely have time for a date. You want to cut that in half. Yuki was terrible to me I have no interest in hanging out with her. Stay in touch Natsume-San," I replied tugged on Fuuko and we left. Don't know what happened after that, but the next day at school Yuki was even more clingy than normal and they both were glowing.