113 Chapter Two: No Matter What, I'll Protect Her

Walking along the side of the road, Chiyo seemed to be in a pleasantly good mood. Humming happily, she was practically skipping instead of taking normal steps. "Would you cut that out already?" Michi complained as she walked next to the gal. The two of them were on their way back from the party they had just had.

"You should join me, Mi-chan," Chiyo said. "I'm not really in the mood for skipping after you got all mad at me…" Michi muttered. Hearing that, Chiyo stopped, getting serious. "Mi-chan," she began. "I just want you to get along with everybody. But, sometimes, you're really way too stubborn. Like, I think you'd beat a mule in a stubbornness contest." "I'm not that bad!" Michi exclaimed. Chiyo shrugged. "Even so, it wouldn't hurt if you'd just roll with things a little more instead of taking every chance to pick a fight with Haru-chi." "I can't help it. Her existence provokes me," Michi muttered.

Chiyo sighed as they resumed walking. "Just so ya know, you're talkin' about my best friend." "Some best friend," Michi scoffed. "It seems like you spend more time with me than her these days." "That's because I want to spend my time with you," Chiyo said easily, giving a smile to the girl next to her. "Don't say it like that. It sounds weird," Michi said, causing Chiyo to laugh.

"Hey, speakin' of spending time together-" "No," Michi said immediately. "Aw, why not?" Chiyo said, sounding almost heartbroken. "I don't want to hang around you all the time like this. The only reason it keeps happening is because you twist my arm until I say yes," Michi complained. "…" Chiyo only stared in response. "W-What?" Michi said, nervous. "Twist your arm?" Chiyo said doubtfully. "You asked me out to a cafe a couple weeks ago girl." "I-I just felt like it, okay?!" Michi shouted. "Guess I didn't realize I could twist you into inviting me places," Chiyo teased. "S-Shut up!" Michi yelled, now completely flustered.

In reality, Chiyo didn't really have to do much anymore. Most of the time she could simply ask and, while always appearing reluctant, Michi would say yes. As had just been mentioned, their relationship had even reached the point of Michi being the one to ask Chiyo to go places. It was yet another change that Michi wouldn't accept consciously.

"So anyways-"

"No."

"Pleeeease?"

"Not happening."

"What if I give ya another smooch?"

"That makes me want to even less!"

All the way until they reached the point where they parted, their banter continued. At first, Chiyo had seriously been trying, but her efforts had soon devolved into just messing with Michi to get reactions out of her. When it was finally time for them to say goodbye though, Chiyo stopped.

"Chiyo?" Michi said, confused by the gal's sudden freeze. "I want you to come over," Chiyo said quietly. It wasn't a question so much as it was an expression of desire. "What, right now?" Michi asked. Chiyo shook her head. "How about Tuesday?" Michi knew she was free, but of course, she hesitated to say yes right away. However…

"...Alright. I'll see you Tuesday," Michi said, eventually giving her consent. "Later." "See ya!" Chiyo said, waving enthusiastically. As Michi walked away, she cursed at herself a bit for yet again bending to the gal's whims so easily. "Why does this keep happening?" she wondered. It seemed like every time Chiyo asked, she was destined to give the okay. "I just hope she never asks for anything weird."

Michi continued to become lost in thought, but it wasn't long before she became completely distracted. Having only gone a short distance, she wasn't that far from where she had left Chiyo behind, but she had assumed that the gal had gone her own way. So, naturally, when Michi suddenly felt an impact on her back and head, she wondered what was going on.

"Um… Chiyo?" Michi asked tentatively. She was pretty sure it was her. The height seemed right, considering the breasts pressing against her head, and the smell gathering around her certainly seemed familiar. But then, before even getting a verbal response, Michi felt arms wrap around her waist.

"W-What do you think you're doing in public?!" Michi shrieked. "So it would be okay if we were in a private place?" Chiyo asked quietly. Michi was baffled. She had no idea what was going on. "O-O-Of course it wouldn't be okay!" Michi managed to say. "Just get off!" "Can't." "Why not?!" Michi yelled. "I'm not done recharging. I need to store up Mi-chan energy so I can make it to Tuesday," Chiyo explained. "That's only two days from now! You'll be fine!" Michi shouted. "Nope. Since we won't see each other at school this week, two days feels like forever," Chiyo whispered.

Then, Michi thought she heard a sniff. "Are you smelling me?!" "Mhm," Chiyo said, not even trying to hide it. "D-Don't do that you creep!" Michi said, nearly going into a panic. It wasn't unusual to have physical contact with Chiyo, but the way she was doing it felt different than any other time. Adding in her apparent desire to also smell Michi, it left the girl at a complete loss for what to do. She had never experienced anything like this.

"You smell nice," Chiyo said. "T-Thanks, but that doesn't make you sniffing me in the first place any better," Michi said. "S-So could you stop already?" She was starting to get very embarrassed. By all accounts, here was a very attractive gyaru, who had her arms wrapped around another girl, in the street and was smelling her. If someone walked by and saw that, there'd really be no explanation that would make sense without also ruining the two girls' images.

Finally, Chiyo let go. "Alright, that should be good." "That was too weird, even for you…" Michi groaned. She could handle Chiyo's oddities to a certain extent now, but attacks like that were too much. "Don't do that ever again." "What, hug you?" Chiyo asked innocently. "SMELL ME YOU IDIOT!" Michi yelled loudly. "Well if you insist," Chiyo said, walking toward her. "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANNNNT!!!"

Having had her fill of teasing and cuddling Michi, Chiyo was on her way. She had left behind a very flustered Michi, which made her all the happier. "I really got to her today," she thought happily. Although, even she had to admit the smelling bit might have been going too far. "She was right. That was way too weird," Chiyo thought, deciding to listen to Michi and not do that again. "But she seriously did smell good. What was that? Coconut or something?" she wondered.

Chiyo tried to guess what the product was that Michi used on her hair, but there was no way for her to know if she was right, so she gave up quickly. Instead, she focused on having Michi at her house on Tuesday. It wasn't the first time Michi would be there, but to Chiyo, every time the girl came over felt like a special experience. "Ugh, it's only Sunday night and I'm already this excited," Chiyo thought. "How am I gonna make it two whole days?"

*****

During the time until that Tuesday, Michi found herself struggling with something. Having agreed so easily to yet another one of Chiyo's requests, the issue of Michi and her own changes had been pushed ever more to the forefront of her mind. She could acknowledge that she had gone from hating Chiyo to being her friend, but even doing that much was difficult.

Being as stubborn as she was, even just admitting that much to herself had been a challenge, but trying to say Chiyo wasn't her friend had felt even more ridiculous, so she had accepted it. However, that appeared to open the door to many more problems for her. A fair amount of them could be staved off through sheer stubbornness, but there were a few that were more open ended.

For instance, how much had Michi changed because of Chiyo? She wanted to say none, but that seemed unlikely. If she hadn't changed at all, she never would've been able to consider Chiyo a friend, even with the gal's nonstop pestering. But beyond that, how much was different from before, and what exactly?

If Michi tried putting that aside, she was confronted with another question. If she could accept Chiyo, a person she had once hated, then what about her fighting with Kanako? The main cause of their conflict was Michi feeling like Kanako had chosen Haruna over her. Michi couldn't stand Haruna, but if she had been able to accept Chiyo, then could she find common ground with Haruna? Or, if that wasn't possible, could she at least not argue with her all the time and be able to regain Kanako as a friend?

It was impossible for her to know. In order to gain that information, one of two things had to happen. Either she had to figure it out herself (which had failed thus far), or figure out how Chiyo had changed her. The problem with the second option was that the answer was even more vague. It wasn't as if Chiyo did something specific to get Michi to like her. All she did was chip away, little by little, at the cold exterior she was always greeted with.

Could Michi replicate an approach like that? Most likely not. That left trying to figure it out on her own, but all that had led to was more fighting with Kanako. Admittedly, Michi knew she kept going out of her way to pick fights with Haruna (like on Sunday), but she just couldn't help it. Just the sight of her made Michi mad. To her, Haruna was the girl that took Kanako from her, becoming what she once was, the best friend. Having that spot stolen from her was something she felt like could never be forgiven, so she always wanted to get her shots in when she could.

The problem with that was Kanako was on Haruna's side most of the time. If Michi attacked her, it was basically the same as attacking the girl she wanted to be friends with again. Ideally, she would just try to hold a normal conversation with either one of them, but it always seemed like whenever Michi tried, it always turned into an argument. Whether it was Haruna's existence or Kanako's perspective on certain issues, a simple conversation seemed to always go from talking to yelling, causing Michi to drift even further from her hope of fixing her friendship with Kanako.

"Why can't we just get along like we used to?" she wondered. A part of her knew it wasn't solely because of Haruna, but was the rest of the reason Michi herself? If that was true, then that meant she would have to change something. But, being so averse to change, that was unlikely. Not unless she changed without realizing it, much like she had with Chiyo.

She was stuck. Without being willing to make the effort necessary, Michi could progress no further in her hope of being friends with Kanako again. As long as she denied Haruna and continued to cause more arguments, Michi would be stuck in the awkward state she had managed to achieve with Kanako. "...That's… really not great…" she thought. Having been so close before, how they were now felt so far from that time.

"Is it really up to me though?" Michi wondered. "Do I have to be the one to change? It's not like it's really my fault. If we're going to be friends again, shouldn't Kanako try to get back to how things were before Endo-san?" To Michi, most of the fault lay with Kanako. She had been the one to befriend the person that had caused her so many problems. She was the one that pushed Michi away. She was the one who didn't seem to understand. "Why should I have to do anything?"

Once again, Michi found a way to push her problems onto someone else. It wasn't as if she couldn't accept responsibility. Rather, it was more a case of her being unable to believe she was the one responsible in this instance. In times where she had obviously been the cause, Michi could admit it, but to her, this was not one of those times. She felt that it should be up to Kanako, and to a degree, that's how it had played out. Michi had made minimal efforts to be friendly with Kanako again, and it was the other girl who had instead tried approaching Michi.

Thinking about it that way, Michi began to feel a little guilty. Regardless of how she felt about the responsibility of the situation, it was true that friendships require both parties to put in effort. If Kanako was the only one trying, then there wasn't really much point.

Sitting in her apartment, Michi sighed. "Why is this so complicated?" she said to the empty space. Of course, it wasn't that complicated at all, but Michi had made it so. Her stubbornness, her dislike of change, and her refusal to admit fault had all played a role in bringing her to where she was now. Until she was able to sort out all of those issues, she would continue to not only fail at understanding, but also to make any real progress.

Although, perhaps to a certain extent, progress could be made no matter what a person did. After all, Michi had hardly done anything, and yet Chiyo was practically her best friend now. That seemed to be an accurate descriptor… and yet, something about it felt off. Like she had done several times already since it had happened, Michi thought back to that moment at the bonfire.

In a completely unexpected turn of events for her, she had felt her heart leap. It had thudded so hard against her chest that it had been impossible to ignore. Objectively, it was easy to say what that meant, but to Michi, that just couldn't be so.

Girls didn't fall in love with other girls. That was one of the things Michi believed steadfastly. It wasn't out of religious following or some sort of parental influence. It was just simply what she had chosen to think. To Michi, a girl loving another girl just didn't make sense. If someone asked her to explain how it didn't make sense though, she would probably fail to give a good explanation.

It was something that she just thought was wrong. Bizarre. Gross, even. There was no way she could accept it. So, when it came to her own heart, how did she explain it to herself? The answer was to use anything she could think of. Surely she had seen something else that had made her react like that. Or perhaps Chiyo had simply surprised her. Maybe it was just some medical thing, and she needed to see a doctor. It had to be one of those, or something like that, because there was no way Michi's heart had tried to tell her the obvious.

Thinking of Chiyo reminded her of Tuesday. Admittedly, she was somewhat looking forward to it. A little. A tiny bit, really. "I wonder what we'll do," she thought idly. "Knowing Chiyo, it'll probably be something weird." She smiled at the thought. Trying to imagine what Chiyo might come up with almost made Michi a little giddy. "I mean, it's not like I'm looking forward to it," she thought, trying to justify her reactions. "I'm sure she'll be just as annoying as always… but… it might be fun too…"

*****

To Michi's surprise, Chiyo was waiting at Michi's door when Tuesday afternoon came around. "Huh? Why're you here?" she asked. "I came to pick ya up!" Chiyo said proudly. "Why do you sound so proud of that…?" Michi wondered aloud. "You know I could've just gotten a ride to your house." "Maybe I was just sooo excited to see your face that I came all the way here," Chiyo half-joked. "Yeah, whatever," Michi said, brushing her off. "I guess we'll walk together then."

Grabbing her things, Michi and Chiyo began to head out. "You look nice Mi-chan," Chiyo said. "Did ya dress up just for me?" "N-No, of course not!" Michi said. "I just felt like wearing this, that's all!" In contrast to her usual, lackluster appearance, Michi had put in a bit more effort, wearing a deep purple, long-sleeve shirt that cut down a bit into her (nonexistent) chest, and a matte white skirt that came down just past her knees. Underneath, she wore a pair of black tights, and on top, a simple, brown jacket.

"Maybe you should look at yourself in the mirror instead of looking at me," Michi said. "What? But this outfit's cute," Chiyo said innocently. "It reveals too much!" Michi shot back. Compared to Michi's conservative look, Chiyo's choice of clothing certainly seemed more risque. She wore a white top that hugged her figure tightly and showed quite a bit of her breasts. Her bottom wasn't any less revealing, being a pleated, flashy red miniskirt that barely covered all of her behind. Her hair, makeup and accessories were the same as usual, along with her fluffy white, loose socks.

"Aren't you cold like that?" Michi asked, a little concerned. "Nah, I'm used to it," Chiyo said with a shrug. "That's not something you should get used to…" Michi muttered. "It's like, the price of being stylish," Chiyo said with a proud look. "I'd rather you pay the price for modesty…" Michi said even more quietly. Really, she did like Chiyo's outfit. No matter how much skin it showed off, it still looked good on the gal. However, the thing Michi didn't like was the looks it would invite, especially from guys. "Does she not understand how much people will be staring?" she wondered.

The more Michi thought about it, the more irked she got. "Hang on," she said. They had only gotten to the bottom of the stairs of Michi's apartment building. Turning around, Michi ran upstairs and into her place before coming back out with an article of clothing. "Put this on," she said forecefully. In her hand was a sort of dull white cardigan. "Why? Do ya think it'll look better?" Chiyo asked. "That's not the point!" Michi exclaimed. "Hmm?" Chiyo let out. "What is the point then?" "I-It's not important!" Michi yelled. "I won't put this on unless you tell me," Chiyo said in a bit of a sing-song tone.

"I just don't want a bunch of guys leering at you while we're walking okay?!" Michi shouted. Stunned, Chiyo only stared at Michi, until finally she silently slipped on the clothing. "Okay…" she said, sounding surprisingly shy and blushing a bit. "Although, it is a little tight…" "Shut up you big-breasted bimbo!" Michi yelled.

With Chiyo's exposing looks somewhat remedied, the two girls made their way to Chiyo's house. Honestly, compared to others, her place was smaller than most, being only big enough for two people to live in comfortably. With a decent-sized front yard, the brown house almost looked too small for its property. However, despite its size, the interior was one Michi found she really liked. It wasn't anything fancy, with the inside being somewhat woodsy and various shades of brown as well, but it all felt very cozy.

"Here we are," Chiyo said as she opened the door. "T-Thanks for having me…" Michi offered politely. As they walked through the door, Chiyo called out. "Big sis, I'm home!" "Come to the living room, Chi," her sister called back. A little confused, both Chiyo and Michi went that way, which was only a short left turn from the door.

Sitting in various spots on the furniture were three individuals. The first was Chitose, Chiyo's big sister. With her short, navy blue hair and laid-back personality, she gave off a cool aura. She was also thinner than Chiyo, but was taller too.

The second individual was an older gentleman, a serious look plastered on his face. His hair was black and short, looking well-kept, and his eyebrows were thick and furrowed, as if that was his natural expression. For clothing, he wore a suit, the only thing standing out being the dark red tie he had on.

Next to him was a woman, looking to be around the same age as the man. Her brown hair was tied back in a bun, and her outfit was simple, wearing a green, one-piece dress that was kept to her body with a brown belt around her waist.

Entering the room, Chiyo froze. "Papa…? Mama…?" she uttered. When she had left, the only person who had been at her house was Chitose. Now it was like a family reunion. That feeling was even further reinforced considering this was the first time Chiyo had seen her parents in quite some time. "W-What are you doing here?"

"We just came to check on you two. Can't a parent do that?" her mother said gently. "More like interrogate and judge," Chitose said uncharacteristically harshly. It was clear she was in a very bad mood, which was a rare sight.

"Don't say it like that. We haven't seen either of you for a while now. We were beginning to worry," her father said sternly. "Well as you can see, we're fine, so you can go home now," Chitose said in just as hard a tone. "Chitose…" her mother said. Then, looking over toward Chiyo, she noticed the other girl standing behind her.

"Oh?" she said. "Who's that?" Seeing that her mother had seen Michi, Chiyo looked a little reluctant. "T-This is… " she began to say, but before she could go on, Michi stepped in front of her. "My name is Michi Fukuhara. It's a pleasure to meet you." Finishing with a bow, both Wakabayashi parents looked surprised. "What a polite girl," the mother said. "Much different than those other girls," the father added.

"Chiyo has been taking good care of me," Michi said in an effort to show thanks for the hospitality. However, hearing that, both parents frowned. "So it's like that huh?" Chiyo's father muttered bitterly. "Honestly, the boys were bad enough…" her mother added. "N-No!" Chiyo cried. "It's not like that! She's just my friend!" "She seems awfully friendly with you to be just that," Chiyo's father said sternly. "She didn't even use an honorific with your name."

Chiyo flinched. "I-I've told you…" she said. "I don't want people calling me anything other than my name." "But your friends used to call you Chiyo-chan all the time," her mother said. "It should be fine if your friend here calls you that." "Mom!" Chitose exclaimed. "I know what happened in the past was hard for you, but that was years ago. You can't just keep insisting on people not using honorifics with your name. At least make sure your friends call you properly," her mother said.

"Your first name should be reserved for people like family," her father said. "Having your friends call you Chiyo-chan just provides a distinction." "Please stop saying that…" Chiyo said weakly. "There's nothing wrong with people calling you Chiyo-chan, dear," her mother said. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Chiyo snapped, silencing the room.

Internally, she was freaking out. Memories of the past were being dredged to the surface with each time her parents said "Chiyo-chan." The girls that had manipulated and mocked her. The ones that attacked her. With each time she heard her name with a -chan, she was forced to remember all of those awful days and nights.

"...I'm going to my room," Chiyo said before anyone else could speak. Moving quickly, she turned toward her room, grabbed Michi's hand and dragged her along, slamming the door behind her. After another moment of silence, Chitose glared at her parents. "Way to go," she said darkly. "Don't you agree Chitose? She needs to learn-" her mother began to say, but Chitose cut her off. "Just leave already." she said, standing up to walk away from them.

*****

In Chiyo's room, there were a lot of bright colors. Pinks and reds decorated the space, and plenty of pictures hung from the walls. Clothes of all sorts were strewn about, with several of them being hung up on hangers as future outfits, and at her desk, instead of school supplies, there was a slew of makeup. It truly was the room of a gyaru. However, going against the bright environment, a dark cloud had formed inside.

After having pulled Michi in and slamming the door, Chiyo silently moved over to her bed before slumping down onto the floor in front of it. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face. Watching quietly, Michi eventually spoke. "Are… you okay, Chiyo?" she asked. Seeing how she had reacted to what her parents had been saying, and knowing her past, Michi was definitely concerned. It took a lot to genuinely upset Chiyo. With the state she was in, a big blow had obviously been dealt.

"...They've always been like that, y'know?" Chiyo said, lifting her face up to look at Michi. "At least, ever since I left Tokyo." Taking a couple of steps toward her, Michi moved to sit down next to Chiyo. "They always wanted the prim and proper daughter. Instead they got me," Chiyo said, adding a dry laugh. "What about your sister?" Michi asked, but Chiyo shook her head. "My big sis may not look traditionally proper, but my parents could never take issue with it. She always showed results that prevented them from ever saying anything. I mean, she managed to come out here alone, attend college and take care of me. Like, I have no idea how she does it."

"But," Chiyo went on. "I guess when Papa and Mama got a second kid, they wanted more. At first, I was pretty simple. I listened to my parents and did as I was told. But eventually… I just got bored. I think I had always been kinda weird, so I guess it made sense that I'd veer off at some point. Too bad I didn't know how bad it'd be though…"

"Didn't you tell me your parents knew about your, um…" Michi said, struggling to say it. "The sex?" Chiyo said, finishing her sentence. "Yeah…" Michi said. "That's how I ended up here in the first place. I'm sure the reason they're here now is because of me too," Chiyo said. "Because of you?" Michi repeated. Chiyo nodded. "Pretty sure they still see me as their slut of a daughter who slept her way through Tokyo and then Iwanai."

Michi had nothing to say to that. The fact was, that had been true at one point. However… "But," Michi said. "You're not… doing that anymore, right?" "Nope," Chiyo said easily. "You asked me not to, so I stopped." "I never really asked…" Michi mumbled.

It was quiet for a moment before Michi spoke again. "Hey, Chiyo?" "Hm?" "Do you… hate your parents?" For Michi, who was also at odds with her parents, it made her wonder if this was an issue she could relate to with Chiyo. "...I wouldn't say I hate them," Chiyo said after thinking about it. "I understand why they act like they do. I guess the real problem is they can only see the past me. Not how I've changed."

There it was again. Change. On the surface, Chiyo didn't seem much different from when Michi had first met her. And yet, if she went deeper, she knew that so much was different now. Was that because of her? It almost felt narcissistic to think so. Not being able to think of an alternative though made Michi wonder.

Suddenly, she felt Chiyo's head land on her shoulder. "C-Chiyo?" she sputtered. "Can we just… stay like this for awhile? I'm totally exhausted," Chiyo asked quietly. Her tone was a far cry from her usual one. It was almost as if she was pleading. "D-Do whatever you want…" Michi muttered, although truthfully, she found she didn't mind the sensation.

It wasn't much longer until Michi heard Chiyo's steady breathing. Glancing over, she saw the gal had fallen asleep. "Honestly…" Michi mumbled as she stared at her. At first, she was irritated to be used as a pillow. She gave a bit of a glare at Chiyo, but after a second or two, Michi's expression softened. She kept looking at Chiyo's sleeping face, finding herself staring more and more at each individual feature.

Her big, brown eyes, highlighted perfectly by the makeup Chiyo had put on. Her nose, small and perfectly fitted to her face. Her cheeks, a faint blush on them, looking perfectly soft. Her ears, curved nicely and complemented well by the hoop earrings she wore. Her lips, just barely parted and a gentle shade of red.

The longer Michi stared, the more she took in. Inside her chest, she could feel her heartbeat picking up speed. "How can you do this?" she wondered. "How can you be… so vulnerable with me?" Michi shifted in a way that allowed Chiyo to remain asleep while getting her off her shoulder. Instead of moving away though, she moved closer. "Why do you trust me so much…?" she thought, her face getting ever-closer to Chiyo's. "Why… are you so…"

Closer and closer she got, Michi's heart kept pounding in her chest. Her face was only about an inch from Chiyo's now, the gal still fast asleep. Michi could feel her breath going ragged, and her mind going blank. "What if… I…" she thought, but before she could go any further-

"I told you to leave already!"

A voice shouted from the hallway. "Chitose, we just want to talk with you!" her father said. It sounded as if they were beginning to make their way through the house, coming nearer to Chiyo's room. "What's going on?" Michi wondered, but only for a moment. Then, she realized just how close she was to Chiyo. Eyes going wide, Michi bolted away from the gal, a hand clamped over her mouth. "W-W-What the hell was I trying to do?!" she shrieked internally.

Michi had no idea. All she knew was that the longer she had stared at Chiyo, the more blank her mind had went. "It's like she gives off mind-controlling pheromones…" Michi thought. "Maybe that's why I always agree so easily when she asks me to do things." She wanted to take some time to think about what had just happened, but the incoming fight completely prevented it.

"We really did come here to check on you guys!" the mother said. "You told me you had been in Saporro!" Chitose shouted back. "It's a couple hours drive to get here! Do you realize how out of the way Iwanai is?!" "It's near enough in this case! I just wanted to see my daughters!" the mother cried.

"There they go again…" a sleepy voice said. Looking over, Michi saw Chiyo waking up. "Huh? Why're ya over there Mi-chan?" "N-No reason…" Michi said nervously before moving back over next to Chiyo. "Well, this is nothin' new," Chiyo said, referring to the fight happening. "Usually I just hear my big sis on the phone, but the last time we saw our parents in person, it kinda went like this." "I didn't think Chitose could get so mad," Michi commented. "This is really like, the only time," Chiyo said.

"You just wanted to see us?" Chitose repeated darkly. "Bullshit. I know exactly why you're here." Neither parent said anything. "Nothing to say?" Chitose spat. "Fine. I'll tell you then. You're here to see if your youngest daughter is still actin' like a whore on the streets, right?" "Chitose!" her father said strongly. "Tell me I'm wrong!" Chitose shouted. "That's all ya really care about, ain't it?!" "We are concerned about that, but it's not like we don't care about her well-being in general. She's our daughter, just like you," her mother said.

"You care?" Chitose repeated in disbelief. "YOU CARE?!" "Chitose-" "Bullshit you care!" Chitose shouted, cutting off her father. "You two threw Chi away like she was a piece of garbage! You couldn't take care of her yourselves after what happened, so you shipped her up here so you didn't have to deal with your own damn shame! And now you're gonna stand here and tell me ya care? I'm the only own in this whole damn family who actually gives a damn about Chi's actual life!"

Sitting in her room, Chiyo was silent. The usually energetic, bubbly gal didn't say a word. Next to her was still Michi… who was now trembling with rage. "Chiyo, aren't you going to defend yourself?" Michi asked. "What's there to defend?" Chiyo said weakly. "It's basically true. They shipped me up here because of all the stuff that happened in Tokyo, and then whenever they come here, they just assume I'm still sleeping around. Then I get a whole lecture on it." "But you're different now!" Michi exclaimed. "Shouldn't you tell them that?" "They probably wouldn't believe me..." Chiyo said, defeated.

Michi was in disbelief. She was used to dealing with her own parents and their ridiculous notions, but to witness another person's parents was something else entirely. Adding in how bothered Michi kept finding herself getting whenever people spoke poorly about Chiyo, and she was ready to take on anyone, parents or not.

Before she knew it, she was standing up. "Mi-chan?" Chiyo said, confused. "I'm… gonna talk to them," Michi said after a moment of hesitation. "Don't!" Chiyo cried, grabbing Michi's arm. "You shouldn't get in the middle of this!" "Yeah, well, I'm going to," Michi said resolutely. "Why?!" Chiyo asked. "Because I hate hearing people assume the worst about you, okay?!" Michi shouted back.

Hearing that, Chiyo's hand slipped off Michi's arm. Seeing that she wouldn't be stopped any longer, Michi walked over to the door and opened it. To her surprise, she saw Chitose only a couple of feet away, and in front of her, the parental Wakabayashis.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Michi said without warning. Noticing someone else had entered the conversation, all heads turned. "Mi-chan?" Chitose said, confused by why Michi was suddenly getting involved. "Excuse me?" the father said as the mother just stared.

"You came here expecting Chiyo to still be sleeping around, didn't you?" Michi said, launching right into the thick of it. "Young lady, this doesn't concern you. This is a family matter," the father said, offering a glare. "Like hell it doesn't concern me!" Michi yelled back. "I care about Chiyo, so hearing that you treated her so terribly really pisses me off!" "As I said, this is a family matter. Your opinion or feelings don't matter here," the father said, beginning to lose his temper.

"You stopped being family the moment you sent her away," Michi said with force. "She doesn't need people like you." "Oh? And who does she need?" the mother said, now speaking up. In response, Michi closed her eyes. She knew what she was going to say next was well beyond the bounds of how she defined her relationship with Chiyo. And yet, the words persisted in her mind. She had to say them. Opening her eyes again, Michi spoke.

"She needs me, because I'm her family."

Michi had known Chiyo for nearly a year. Was that enough time to compare to the bonds of a family by blood? Not at all. However, in this situation, Michi believed she was justified. What she knew about the Wakabayashi parents, and what she had seen so far, told her that she probably knew more about the current Chiyo than they did. Really, it seemed to be just like Chitose had said: they didn't really care about Chiyo. They only cared about trying to deal with her mistakes. If that was really the case, then Michi knew she was right. She was more family to Chiyo than her parents had been at all recently.

"Well look at that," Chitose said quietly, almost in awe of Michi. Behind her, her father fumed and her mother seemed to be reaching her breaking point. "I won't let you come here and torture her with your stupid assumptions or your dumb beliefs," Michi continued. "And any time you try, I'll be here. Because, no matter what, I'll protect her."

She wanted to know more about Chiyo. She had a burning desire to understand the gal she had once hated. And now, Michi desperately wanted to protect her. Chiyo had been through enough. She didn't need lectures, she needed someone to stand by her. So if she needed someone, then Michi decided she'd be that person.

It was selfish. Incredibly selfish. Michi didn't even know if Chiyo wanted that. But, she just couldn't turn a blind eye to the gal and her problems. Something inside Michi made her want that to the point that she was completely willing to be selfish if that was what it took.

"You heard her," Chitose said defiantly, a smug look on her face. "She's family. You're not. So get out of my house already." With nothing left to say that would be consider mildly appropriate or coherent, the two parents moved to leave. Just before they went out the door, the mother turned around. "I hope we can discuss things more calmly next time," she said. "Next time don't show up uninvited," Chitose shot back. With that, the parental Wakabayashis were gone.

Turning around, Chitose smirked at Michi. "Look at you, being a badass," she said. "T-That's not what I was trying to do..." Michi said, feeling a little embarrassed now. "Aw c'mere!" Chitose said, suddenly pulling Michi under her arm. "Ah, hey!" Michi protested. "Listen," Chitose said, looking serious. "Thanks for what ya said. Seriously. Knowin' that Chi's got someone in her corner like you makes me feel a whole lot better." "S-Sure…" Michi mumbled, feeling even more embarrassed now.

"And hey, since you're family n' all," Chitose said, now smirking again. "Why don't'cha start callin' me Chitose-nee-chan?" "No way!" Michi said immediately. "C'mon, just once! Say it!" Chitose said playfully. "Just let go of me!" Michi cried. "Not until ya say ittt," Chitose said. "Ugh, fine!" Michi said, giving in. "C-Chi…" "Hmm? I can't hear you?" Chitose teased. "C-Chi… e… an…" Michi mumbled. "A little louder please," Chitose requested. Under her arm, Michi shook. "mmmrgh…"

"CHITOSE-NEE-CHAN!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Happy?!" "Yep. Thanks a lot, lil' sis," Chitose teased. "Please tell me this isn't going to be a regular thing now…" Michi sighed. "Nah. I've only got one little sister, and that's good enough. Although, if ya wanna call me Chitose-nee-chan all the time, I wouldn't say no." "I won't!" Michi shouted.

*****

Hearing all of this play out in her room, Chiyo remained on the floor as she listened. Her head was back to being buried in her knees.

"No matter what, I'll protect her."

Those words echoed in Chiyo's mind. While she had been listening, as soon as Michi had said that, nothing else anybody said had really registered. "She'll protect me?" Chiyo repeated to herself. "That's not fair, Mi-chan…"

"Just how much more… are you gonna make me fall in love with you?"

End of Chapter Two.