Adrian Tymes
23rd December 2004, 08:20 AM
I'm not entirely certain about this one - but I may
just be chanelling the characters at the end too much.
Among other things, I don't know if a certain pair of
scenes qualifies this for a Lemon tag or if it's just
Lime.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: azucute.txt
-- Desc: azucute.txt
The Path of Cute
draft version
---
"Excuse me, but do any of you have a cat I could borrow?"
Kaorin thought at first that Osaka had said it, as did Osaka. Of the
trio gathered in the school hall discussing their recent trip to
Chiyo's summer home, only Yomi immediately saw the approaching
questioner, Sakaki.
"My parents are going away for the weekend," Sakaki explained, "so I
thought I could borrow one and return it before they get back."
"So you wouldn't set off your mother's allergies?" Yomi guessed. "It
wouldn't work. It's not a cat itself, but proteins that come off a
cat that she's allergic to. The proteins would still be around for a
while after the cat left."
"Ah." Sakaki's lidded gaze dropped to the floor. "Sorry to bother
you." She turned around and shuffled away.
Kaorin watched her personal inspiration walk away disappointed. "Miss
Sakaki?" She grabbed Yomi. "What's wrong with Miss Sakaki?!?"
"Ahh, you didn't know?" Osaka drawled. "Strange. Ya obsess over her
and ya don't know what she obsesses over?"
Kaorin released Yomi to clasp her hands as if in joyous prayer. "I do
not obsess over the very cool Miss Sakaki, although she'd be worth it
if I did." Sparkles shone in Kaorin's eyes, until she blinked them
away. "Wait, HER obsessions? She doesn't have any."
"Sure she does. Kagura saw her try to pet ah cat over an' over again
even though it kept bitin' her. An' I reckon she'd lay down her life
for Chiyo-chan."
"What do those have in com-"
Had Osaka been aware of her own frequently vacant look, she might have
recognized it on Kaorin. As it was, Osaka simply replied, "Ah don't
know. Hey, Yomi, what's 'com'? Is that as in 'dot com'?"
"Chiyo-chan and cats...so if I...and she's all alone this weekend..."
She grinned so fiendishly that Yomi and Osaka both took a step back,
then Kaorin set off down the hall. On the way, she came across Chiyo,
whom she scrutinized without breaking her smile.
Thanks to the Yukarimobile, Chiyo had become a bit hardened against
fear, but she was still shaking a bit when she walked up to Osaka and
Yomi. "U-umm, wh-why was Kaorin looking at me l-like that?"
"Oh, don't worry, Chiyo-chan. She's just glad you ain't a catgirl."
Chiyo was sufficiently used to the effects of Osaka's hidden thoughts
that she automatically assumed her comment to be the product of
another daydream.
"VERY glad," Yomi added.
A shared daydream, obviously.
---
Ironically, a catgirl Chiyo was dancing in Sakaki's daydream when her
doorbell rang. For a moment, she thought it must be the neighbor's,
for who would come by to see her? The doorbell rang again as if to
dispel that notion, so she opened the door, froze, and blushed.
Kaorin stood there, but not the Kaorin that Sakaki sometimes vaguely
registered as a friend. This Kaorin was dressed to kill: waist and
breast hiding pink dress, short ponytails bow-tied by lacy ribbons, an
oversized pink bowtie in front further hiding her chest, a set of fake
cat ears with support band buried in her hair, and a big smile that
hid any trace of the nervousness that shook Kaorin to the core.
Sakaki's merest glance could send Kaorin into a tongue-tied stupor,
but the apparent fact that Sakaki liked what she saw blew away most of
Kaorin's conscious thoughts and left only the automaton of movements
she had rehearsed twenty times the previous night, and another five
that morning, for Sakaki's sake. She curtsied briefly, hands tugging
up her skirt just so, and said, "May I come in?"
"...c-cute..."
Kaorin stepped through the door, sliding off her shoes while not
breaking eye contact with her prey. "I thought you might like some
company, being all alone with your parents away. But if you're
lonely, and I'm lonely, we can be lonely together and then we won't be
lonely." She had thought it sounded hokey in practice, but the part
of her mind that could appreciate that was yelling and screaming
random commands. It took all her willpower to clamp down on it and do
what she believed was what Sakaki wanted, namely calmly stepping
forward and gently hugging Sakaki.
The taller, stronger girl, an icon of strength and physical prowess to
all who knew her, was having trouble standing just then.
It was at that point that Kaorin's nerve finally failed. She froze in
place, unable even to continue her routine. As a safety measure, she
turned her head to the side, closed her eyes, and gently leaned into
Sakaki's chest. While she luxuriated in feeling and smelling Sakaki's
presence, Kaorin was at least no longer being overwhelmed by the sight
of her goddess. Carefully, she began registering what her ears were
telling her: Sakaki's heart was in overdrive.
Before Kaorin could grow too concerned, Sakaki returned the smaller
girl's hug. "K-Kaorin...chan...you are welcome to stay as long as you
like."
"D...do you mean it, Miss Sakaki?"
Sakaki gently stroked the back of Kaorin's head. "Yes, Kaorin-chan."
Kaorin looked up, sincere happiness beaming into Sakaki's still
somewhat surprised eyes. "Please, call me Kaori, Miss Sakaki."
"Kaori." She smiled. "Miss Kaori."
Kaorin giggled. Her eyes closed fast enough that Sakaki could see a
tear of joy squeezed out onto one of the lashes.
Sakaki woozily sat down in a nearby chair before her legs could give
out altogether. "Fine, then. Miss Kaori." She lightly stroked
Kaorin's hair. "When did you get so...c-cute..."
"I did it for you, Miss Sakaki!"
Later, once Sakaki was old enough to drink, she would use her memories
of that exact moment as the level of happiness that a worthy mind
altering substance should produce. Nothing she would try came close.
---
"Kaorin."
The addressed student sat up straight, embarrassed to have been caught
casting sidelong glances at Sakaki in the cafeteria, while having a
pleasant daydream about a werewolf named Sakaki hungrily devouring a
piece of meat named Kaorin.
Kaorin gestured to her empty table. "Umm, sure, have a seat." She
paid half attention to the student sitting opposite her, hoping she
could ignore this newcomer and get back her daydream, when she noticed
two eyes boring into her, the tanned skin around them seeming like an
ominous shadow.
"You have been avoiding us." Kagura *clack*ed her food-laden tray
onto the table for emphasis, spilling the top centimeter of her drink
in the process but not caring.
"Huh? Kagura? I, well, ah, I'm not in your class any more so I-"
"Chiyo-chan misses you."
"Er, well, I have new friends now and-"
"Even Osaka's noticed."
"Sorry. It's just that-"
"Sakaki's in love with you."
"That's nice, but I yababuhuhguh...?" Kaorin's face was a rictus of
surprise.
Kagura nodded to herself. "That's what I thought. You're avoiding us
because of her."
Slowly, sadly, Kaorin nodded, winding up looking at the table.
"Kaorin!" Kagura thumped the table with her fist. "If you really do
care about her then hang out with us!"
"I...I can't..."
"Give me one good reason why not!"
"Because...I'm not as cute in a school uniform."
Kagura froze, a number of possible lectures dying on the seeming
non-sequiter.
---
Towards the end of lunch, Chiyo sat down next to Kaorin before Kaorin
noticed the prodigy's presence. Chiyo alone might have remained
unnoticed for a while, but Osaka's brandishing a tape measure near the
two of them and writing things down on a clipboard was more obvious.
"Ah dunno, Chiyo-chan. Ah don' think she's makin' much progress."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Chiyo replied. "That's too bad."
Kaorin continued to stare dreamily at Sakaki, but idly snagged Osaka's
implement between two fingers on her right hand. "What are you
doing?"
"Measurin' ya."
"And why are you measuring me?"
"'Cause Kagura said you were tryin' to be just like Chiyo-chan, an' we
were wonderin' how that's comin' along." Osaka tugged her tape
measure free and continued her task.
"Just like Chiyo, huh?" Kaorin smiled at Chiyo, who quickly edged
away from Kaorin.
"Y-you know, you're r-really scary when you smile like that."
The corner of Kaorin's eye gleamed. "Heh, heh. I guess I am. Thank
you, Chiyo-chan. I'll never show this smile to Miss Sakaki."
"All done!" Osaka called before Chiyo could grow even more nervous.
She glanced over her clipboard with a nod, then held it up and called
to her table, "Okay, I got Kaorin's measurements!"
Unfortunately, everyone else in the cafeteria heard her announcement.
She was soon mobbed by most of the males and a few of the females, who
snatched her writings and pored over them. "Wow!" "Ooh!" "Huh, is
that all?" "No way! Her breasts are that BIG?"
No one noticed Sakaki abruptly stand up and leave, or the tears she
wept through her afternoon classes.
---
Sakaki's eyes were still puffy from crying when Kaorin came by after
school.
All Kaorin knew was that Sakaki's parents were away again, so she had
changed into her dress of the day, put on her best smile, and gone
straight over to Sakaki's as soon as she could get free. "Hey, Miss
Sa-" Her smile almost faltered when she saw Sakaki's eyes. "Miss
Sakaki! What's wrong?"
"Miss Kaori," Sakaki hoarsely squeaked. "Tell me it isn't true."
"What isn't true?"
"You've been getting...big."
Kaorin gulped. Her smile faded. "I..."
"Please! I have to know!"
Once again, Kaorin's gaze was directed downwards. "It's true," she
whispered. "I've been trying to hide it, but I've been growing.
I'm...sorry."
A fresh tear rolled down Sakaki's left cheek.
"I can't help it." Kaorin quivered slightly. "My body...I tell it to
stop, but it won't. I don't know what to do." She looked up. "I
don't know how to stop it. I'm scared, Miss Sakaki."
Kaorin's pleading eyes tripped a signal in Sakaki's mind. Her tear
ducts shut off and her cheek blood valves dilated. "Miss Kaori. I
don't know what to do either. I..."
Neither one was quite certain who moved, but Sakaki abruptly found
herself cradling Kaorin to her chest for several long minutes, until
her stomach growled.
Kaorin's sobs turned to giggles. "Silly me! I'm absorbed in
self-pity while you're getting hungry!"
"Miss Kaori..."
Kaorin wiggled out of Sakaki's embrace, a smile on her face. "We can
worry about me later. You'll think better on a full stomach."
"I...didn't have much of an appetite at lunch. Not after Kagura and
Tomo started prodding me about you, and especially after...Osaka..."
"Just stay right there! I'll fix you something to eat!" With that,
Kaorin dashed off to the kitchen. One glance at the ingredients in
the refrigerator gave her an idea for a recipe; four minutes later
saw her simmering a meat and vegetable concoction in a pan, humming a
song about cooking she had learned from Chiyo.
Sakaki stood in the kitchen doorway, watching in disbelief. She was
hungry, and Kaorin's meal smelled good, but something more about the
display called to Sakaki. Something beyond cute.
Just as Kaorin set the pan aside to cool before serving its contents
up, Sakaki finally entered the kitchen. "Miss Kaori..."
"Ah-ah!" Kaorin held up her spatula like a cautionary finger. "I'm
not saying what it is until you've had some. It's a surprise!"
"On your jaw...you have..." Sakaki leaned over and licked off a stray
drop of sauce that had landed and dried just below the left corner of
Kaorin's lips. Her tongue lingered there, then almost of its own
accord drifted upwards.
Surprise did not allow Kaorin to drop her spatula for five rapid
heartbeats.
---
Two hours later, Sakaki and Kaorin lay gasping for breath. All of
Kaorin's clothes except her socks and the ribbons in her hair lay
stacked neatly nearby, while Sakaki's clothes were strewn about the
floor like a still life photograph of a hurricane.
Kaorin mulled over what had just happened. Her memories were a bit
of a blur, but she clearly remembered her own body reacting to
Sakaki's tongue and fingers, as if wherever Sakaki happened to touch
became Kaorin's most erogenous zone for the duration of the touch.
She had tried to return the favor, but Sakaki pinned her to the floor
effortlessly, which display of strength aroused Kaorin even more.
Sakaki mulled over what had just happened. She had pleasured Kaorin a
lot, and gotten at least one orgasm herself just as a sympathetic
reaction to Kaorins'. Kaorin had tried to pleasure Sakaki directly
at one point, but Sakaki used her superior strength to pin Kaorin
down. She hungered for the girl, somehow cute even with her growing
breasts, and Kaorin's continued ineffectual struggles - so weak that
Kaorin must have been putting them on as a show for Sakaki's sake -
had only stoked that hunger.
A sniff of cooling food reminded her what else she was hungry for.
Slowly, unsteady, she stood up. "Do not attempt to move, Miss Kaori.
I'll serve our dinner."
A combination of soreness and residual pleasure was sapping Kaorin's
will to move even before she heard Sakaki's request. But a partner
who would service her like that then immediately see to practical
needs was, in her opinion, just so cool.
---
It came as no surprise to their friends when Kaorin and Sakaki went to
the same university, and declared their intention to live in the same
apartment. Their grades and entrance examination scores were
certainly good enough: depending on whether the two deemed a subject
to be "cool" or to be "cute", either Sakaki or Kaorin would focus on
mastering the topic at hand well enough to explain it to the other,
who would pay rapt attention. Their friends had seen this strategy
first hand when Kaorin came - late, due to her astronomy club
activities - to their study sessions, but were a bit confused by
their mapping strategy. This was the topic of discussion a week
before graduation.
Yomi had written the topics Kaorin and Sakaki had studied in two rows
on a sheet of paper. She neatly clicked her pencil into place between
the two to serve as a dividing line. "I'm sure of it. Look at
Sakaki's topics on top. They're all math and hard sciences. Kaorin's
topics on the bottom are all social sciences and arts. There you go:
'cool' and 'cute'."
"Yeah, sure," Tomo scoffed, quickly indicating one entry in
particular. "If that's it, what's economics doing on Sakaki's side?"
Yomi looked where Tomo was pointing, and dropped her head into her
arms. "I give up," she sighed.
Tomo patted Yomi's head. "I'm right as always. But don't worry about
it. What's cool OR cute about economics?"
Osaka looked at the paper. "Ah wonder on which side the study of
pigtails would fall?"
Chiyo edged slightly away from Osaka.
Kagura snickered. "Sakaki's, of course. Who do you think 'studies'
Kaorin?"
---
The two saw each other every chance they had during the break, and
were even more inseparable once university classes began. Although no
declaration of major was required at their university until the end of
the first year, Kaorin's heart was set on becoming an idol, and her
first set of course choices reflected it: Theater, Film and Media,
English, and Chemistry to take care of the science requirement. She
refused to even consider dropping out to get a head start on her
career, since Sakaki needed to study for her future veterinary career.
One night a couple months later, Sakaki came back from class to find
Kaorin curled up in a ball, crying. Mayaa was trying to nuzzle
Kaorin, but getting no response; one look at Sakaki and she knew he
was asking for help. Instinctively, she reached towards her mate and
softly asked, "What's wrong?"
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Kaorin shrieked as she yanked her body away from
Sakaki's voice.
"K...Kaori?" Fears that Kaorin might be rejecting her sprung
instantly to mind, but not quickly enough to drown out rationality.
"Miss Kaori, what is the matter?"
"Th...there was a lab accident," Kaorin sobbed. "Some acid got on my
face, a-and..."
Sakaki frowned. "Let me see."
"No! I'm no longer cute and-"
"LET ME SEE!" Sakaki grabbed her friend by the shoulders and whirled
her around, effortlessly warding off Kaorin's attempts to cover the
red pit of half-melted flesh in her left cheek.
"No! Please, don't look! I'm sorry, Miss Sakaki-"
"Smile."
Confusion shut off Kaorin's tears instantly. "Huh?"
"Can you still smile?"
"U-umm...yes, I think so."
"Show me."
Sakaki's eyes were fixed on the disfigurement, but Kaorin thought they
were locked on her own eyes. Slowly, she gulped down her fears and
forced the corners of her lips to curl up.
Sakaki let out a breath. "The damage is repairable."
Still smiling a forced smile, Kaorin wondered, "What do you mean? I'm
ugly now..."
"...but that need not be permanent," Sakaki interrupted. "Kaorin.
Miss Kaori. I swore on my life that I would help you be cute, so long
as that remained your goal. Is it?"
"Huh?"
"Do you still wish to be cute?"
"Do you really think it's possible?"
"Of course. It will be difficult, but if we work together I'm sure we
can undo this setback."
Wonder and awe rekindled in Kaorin's heart, as her smile became
unforced and spread so much it hurt her new scar but she did not care.
"Miss Sakaki! You're the best!"
A slight blush dusted Sakaki's otherwise serious visage as her own
heart responded to what she saw. "P-perhaps the damage was not that
severe after all."
---
One quick run to the cosmetics store and an hour of trial and error
later, Sakaki smiled into a mirror on the desk in front of her and
looked at her cheek from as many angles as possible while trying not
to disturb Mayaa, who was pawing an empty thumb-sized bottle. "Wow!
Miss Sakaki, you're amazing! I can't even see it any more!"
Sakaki leaned against a bedpost, her exhausted arms holding each
other. "I hope the application did not hurt too much."
"It stings a bit, but I can ignore it. I just have to remember not to
rub it any harder than this, right?" Kaorin picked up Mayaa's tail
and gently swiped it against the damaged region, causing no change.
"Mm-hmm. And try not to get it wet. We'll need some extra time to
reapply it after you shower in the morning, so we should adjust our
schedules accordingly. I'll start looking for a brand that won't come
off tomorrow, after I visit the administration."
"Oh? You're not in trouble, are you?"
"No. I'm going to register my minor: surgery."
Kaorin turned her smile on Sakaki. "Nice choice!"
"Specifically, cosmetic surgery."
Kaorin blinked. "...for me? Just because of this?"
"I was leaning towards it anyway, just in case something like this
happened."
"Miss Sakaki, you don't have to dedicate your career to helping me."
"I already have. My career is part of my life. Of course you won't
be my only patient. I'll be helping many other people and animals.
But as long as that is what I do for a living, I can help you as
well."
"Miss Sakaki..."
"I've already made up my mind. Please don't try to talk me out of
it."
Kaorin's smile returned. "You're so cool! I'm so glad you're my
friend!"
Sakaki's smile, although but a shadow of Kaorin's, was visible enough
for her audience of two. "And I give thanks every day that you are
mine, Miss Kaori."
---
Several months later, Kaorin woke to Mayaa's warning growl. She
looked up to find her friend hunched over their computer, frowning as
she tried to carefully maneuver the mouse while Mayaa arched his back
and hissed at the computer screen. "What are you doing?"
"Hmm? AH! N-nothing!" Sakaki quickly tried to minimize the window,
but not before Kaorin got a glimpse of what lay inside.
"AH! Th...that's my face! But hideous!"
"Kaorin...Miss Kaori, please forget what you just saw."
"I can't! Ick! Why do you have such a thing on our computer?"
"I was...it's a surgery simulator. I was practicing what I wish to do
to you."
"NO WAY!" Kaorin was out of bed and backed up against the wall in a
shot. "Stay calm, Kaorin. This has to be a nightmare or something.
Any minute the aliens will be here and gloat over replacing Miss
Sakaki..."
Sakaki looked away, not hiding her shame. "It's no dream, I'm afraid.
But what you saw is not what I wish of you."
"What? But you just said..."
"I was practicing, and failing miserably. My instructors said it will
take years before I am able to correct accidents like yours. It seems
they may be right."
Kaorin let go of the wall. "You mean, you don't want me to be ugly?"
Sakaki's eyes grew wide. She looked at Kaorin for any trace of
humor or malice, but saw only curiosity. "Of course not!"
"Oh." Kaorin stepped over to the computer, laid her hand on Sakaki's,
and de-minimized the window. "Oh, I see! You just went a bit too far
with this stroke, and..." She snickered.
"What?"
She pointed to the face on the screen with her free hand. "This, now
that I look at it again. Isn't it?"
Sakaki blinked. "Miss Kaori..."
Kaorin grabbed the tip of the nose on the screen and dragged it below
the chin. "Bleah!"
Sakaki blanched, then looked close. Then giggled. "You're right, it
is...kind of..."
"Woo woo woo woo," Kaorin called, pulling points of her virtual face's
eyebrows improbably high on each "woo".
Sakaki would later be glad they had no morning classes that day, for
they spent so much time giggling and making silly edits that they did
not get around to applying Kaorin's makeup for the day until noon.
---
It was only a month later that Kaorin and Sakaki snuck into the campus
hospital at night. Quietly slipping past security, they entered a
surgical supply room and got to work. Fifteen minutes later, they
left just before a guard came in the opposite door. Ninja doctor and
ninja patient exited the hospital unobserved.
Only when they were away from the hospital did Kaorin squeal, "Gimme
the mirror! I wanna see! I wanna see!"
Sakaki looked around, saw no one, and handed her friend a hand
mirror, illuminating her cheek with a flashlight. Sure enough, the
scar was no longer visible.
"You did it, Miss Sakaki!" Kaorin hugged Sakaki with all her
strength.
"WE did it, Miss Kaori." There was no doubt in Sakaki's mind that it
had been a team effort. While Kaorin had been more playful than
practical with the surgery practice itself, the power of her
inspiration was not to be understated. More importantly, it had been
Kaorin who checked out the security and found a way to get what they
would need without being discovered. Any official eye seeing Sakaki
operate on Kaorin without a license would have caused Sakaki to be
thrown out of the university at best, and possibly jailed. And then
there was Kaorin's bravery of enduring surgery without anesthetic,
since they knew of no way to obtain said substance without getting
caught, although Kaorin's intimate familiarity with the proposed
procedure - having watched Sakaki practice it virtually many times -
had probably helped.
"You know who's going to be really disappointed?"
Sakaki blinked, her introspection interrupted. "Who?"
"The cosmetics store owner. We sure spent a lot there, huh?"
Since Kaorin's hug had shifted to free one of Sakaki's arms, the
taller girl ruffled Kaorin's hair as she smiled slightly. "That we
did, Miss Kaori." Financing it had been starting to worry Sakaki, and
it was perhaps the money more than anything that had prompted tonight
as the specific night: one more day, and they might have run out of
money before their next student aid check arrived. It would have been
worth it, at least in the short term, but she still preferred not to
endanger their future.
---
Later, upon an evening dreary, while Sakaki pondered weak and weary
over many a quaint and curious volume of intricate medical lore,
Kaorin nodded, nearly napping. Suddenly there came a tapping, as of
someone gently rapping, rapping at their front door.
"Okay," Kaorin sighed, oblivious to the feline taking a nap on her
head. "You were right. Playing 'Taps Az Raps' for a doorbell was a
bad idea."
Sakaki flipped a page in her book, too engrossed to hear.
Kaorin hauled herself up, put her smile on, and opened the door.
"Hihihi," she greeted with practiced false yet convincing cheer, the
kind she could maintain indefinitely when her heart was not into it -
which was most of the time she was being cute for anyone but Sakaki.
At the door was a bespectacled gentleman, dark hair just beginning to
silver, in a suit. "Ah. Miss Aida, is it?"
"Yes. Do I know you?"
"No, but from what Sakaki has told me about 'Miss Kaori', I feel I
know you." The man adjusted his glasses. "Hmm. Yes. I can see what
inspires such devotion."
Kaorin blushed politely. "Thank you." Turning around, she called,
"Miss Sakaki! It's for you!"
As Sakaki looked up, the man replied, "Actually, I'm here for both of
you. I have a little proposition."
"I'm sorry," Sakaki replied on autopilot, "we aren't that type
of...oh!"
The sight of Sakaki, sitting among a mess of books, would be one of
those random memories Kaorin would carry with her for the rest of her
life.
"Professor Mihama," Sakaki continued. She was still uncertain if the
man was a relative of Chiyo's. "My apologies. I did not recognize
you at first."
"Quite alright," the professor replied. "Let's get to the point,
shall we? As you know, our hospital's financial situation has been a
bit tight lately, capped off when SOMEBODY broke in not too long ago."
Sakaki and Kaorin were fairly certain the authorities still had no
clue about their involvement. Still, they both blanched at his
comment. Even Mayaa hopped off to resume his nap in a more hidden
part of the room.
"So we're doing a fundraiser to make up the difference. One of the
ideas that's been tossed around is a fashion show. I have a friend in
the industry who's got some designs he's willing to premiere for us,
and there's one in particular that requires a model good at looking
cool and another one good at looking cute. I immediately thought of
you two."
"Fashion models? Us?" Kaorin asked, surprise and disbelief expressed
in equal portions in her face and voice.
"Don't get me wrong. This would just be a one-time event, and just
for this one design. You'd get to keep the clothes, and there'd be a
small paycheck on top of that."
Sakaki's brow furrowed. Ever since the night at the hospital, their
financial situation had stabilized, but it was still tighter than she
preferred.
The man saw her frown. "No one's forcing you to say yes. If you'd
rather not, I'll go ask someone else."
"Please, Miss Sakaki?" Kaorin clasped her hands. "It's just for one
night, and maybe I could get noticed by some movie director, or maybe
a music producer!"
Sakaki nodded. "If this is what you want, Miss Kaori."
"I do! Thank you, Miss Sakaki!"
Even after more than a year of exposure to it, Sakaki was still glad
to be sitting down when Kaorin's smile shone on her.
---
The night of the show, one makeup artist would remark that she had the
easiest job ever. Sakaki and Kaorin shooed her away, instead
adjusting each others' suits - which turned out to be grey, fairly
standard womens' three-piece suits with a fedora - and fussing over
one another right up until the call.
"There," Sakaki finally sighed as she adjusted a last button on
Kaorin's suit.
"Hmmm," Kaorin pouted.
"You'll do fine. Don't worry."
"It's not me I'm worried about. You're smiling."
Sakaki blinked.
Kaorin smiled. "Remember, you're suppose to act cool."
"Oh, I see." Sakaki's smile disappeared. "Better?"
"Mm-hmm!" Kaorin nodded.
"Miss Kaori, if it means anything to you, then I shall reserve my
smiles only for you."
Thus was Kaorin's heart soaring as she walked through the curtain
onto the makeshift runway. Making no effort to hide her happiness,
she pranced and pirouetted in her rumpled business suit, fedora tilted
back and a lace-fringed umbrella over her shoulder, looking every bit
the want-to-be Junior Miss.
"What a display, ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer cheered. "Next
up...umm, sorry, there appears to have been a mixup. Our apologies,
but the next model will be wearing the same thing."
Discontented murmurs spread through the audience. Then Sakaki passed
through the curtain, and silence fell like an anvil.
In stark contrast to Kaorin's cute act, Sakaki plodded straight ahead,
looming over everything. Her suit was pressed and neat, her fedora
was perfectly parallel to the ground, her left arm disappeared into
the right side of her suit as if ready to pull out a gun or a sword,
and her right arm hung loosely, her pinky finger braced behind her
other fingers so one would have to look close to see that it had not
been cut off. She menacingly locked eyes with each audience member in
turn as she stood behind Kaorin, who continued to strut and dance as
if nothing was the matter then bowed.
"I...incredible! Cool AND cute, in the same outfit! Let's hear it
for our models, Miss Kaori and Miss Sakaki!"
Knowing how much the applause pleased Kaorin, Sakaki had a tough time
not smiling until they were safely backstage again. Which was why,
just as Kaorin was silently congratulating herself on having the
courage to perform in front of Sakaki without wigging out, it only
took one glance at Sakaki still posing coolly to get Kaorin to faint
on the spot.
---
The fashion show had, indeed, been watched by those looking for
talent. Although the offers were not as good as Kaorin had imagined -
a minor play here, an movie extra with one line there - they were
still a beginning. The pay was good enough that Sakaki's financial
worries soon started to lift. Which was why Kaorin was brooding.
"Damn."
Sakaki looked up from her books. "Is something wrong?"
"I can't do it."
"Do what?"
"I can't..." Kaorin tried not to look at Sakaki, but gave in to
temptation. Warmth instantly flooded her soul, dispelling the dark
miasma that had gripped her heart. "I'm having trouble feeling like I
do right now."
"When you're on the set," Sakaki concluded. "I've noticed."
"You've been watching me?" Kaorin boggled. "But...I thought you were
busy. Classes."
"I managed to catch a quick peek yesterday. Class got out early, so I
stopped by the studio you were filming at on my way home. Your
performance was lacking. One of your fellow cast members said this
has been a pattern for you."
Kaorin tried to look away from Sakaki, but no matter where she looked,
she could still feel Sakaki's accusing gaze boring into her heart.
"I'm sorry."
Sakaki had been trying to express concern, and so was confused when
she heard a stifled sob in Kaorin's voice. "Miss Kaori. You need to
be happy to be cute."
"I know. And...well, it's just...when you're not with me, there's
nothing to be happy about. The world's just so...blah...compared to
you."
"That is what I thought might be the problem. I have been looking
for a solution, and I may have found it."
"Really?" Kaorin carefully did not let her hopes rise too much, but
she felt them spark inside her regardless.
"You are depressed. I can...obtain...some antidepressants, if they
would help you."
"You'd do that? For me?"
"I have pledged to help you, Miss Kaori," Sakaki neutrally replied,
"and I intend to keep that promise."
Kaorin knew, in the bottom of her heart, that the supply would not be
legally obtained. But her wisp of conscience drowned under the hope
that this would help her pay off Sakaki's debts, and more importantly
that this would also help her be cuter for Miss Sakaki.
---
"Have to think. Have to think!"
It was Kaorin's turn to come home and find Sakaki in an emotional
mess. She had never seen Sakaki so flustered. Even Mayaa was unable
to get Sakaki's attention, despite his piteous meows that it was time
to be fed. "What's wrong, Miss Sakaki?"
"AAH! Kaorin! Ah...umm, p-please let me be."
Kaorin shrugged. "Okay, Miss Sakaki." She turned to leave.
"Please don't see me like this," Sakaki quietly pleaded.
"Like what?" Kaorin stopped in the doorway, her back still turned.
Silence, then a "Damn. DAMN!" followed by Sakaki sobbing.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Kaorin turned around again and
walked up to Sakaki, who was curled up at her desk. As she gently
hugged her partner, Kaorin idly glanced across her desk. The books
were all neatly packed away; the only item present was a leaflet about
new, tighter security procedures for the pharmaceuticals supply.
One unpleasant thought came to mind. Kaorin tried to banish it with
other explanations, other possibilities, but the alternatives she
thought up all quickly dissipated in puffs of flawed logic. "No more
pills?"
Sakaki gasped, trying to look up at Kaorin. "You KNEW? B-but..."
While Sakaki was still stronger, Kaorin's position let her leverage
Sakaki into leaning forwards on her desk, to let Kaorin try to massage
Sakaki's tension away. "I kinda guessed. But that's okay, Miss
Sakaki. I'll make do."
"It wasn't just you. I was taking tranquilizers."
"Miss Sakaki? Why?"
"For you. I had...difficulty, restraining my emotions, especially
around you. But I've known the effect I've had on you. I wanted...if
by being cool I could make you happy, and make you cute again...I
would give anything to make you happy, Miss Kaori."
"Miss Sakaki!" Kaorin's massage slowed, but did not quite stop. "You
didn't have to..."
"No. But I wanted to. I've been such a fool, Miss Kaori. I should
have known this would happen."
"That's alright. We'll find some other way. But first..." Kaorin's
massage crept from Sakaki's back to Sakaki's breasts, as her smile
turned sly. "I think you need to get your mind off of it. Maybe let
all those emotions out."
It was the anniversary of when they first made love, and their roles
would be exactly reversed. Dinner would even come immediately after,
if only because of Mayaa's insistence.
---
Helping Sakaki through her crash as the drugs wore off, helped Kaorin
through her own crash. But the real world would not be held off
forever, and soon she found herself struggling to smile on camera
again. Until, one day, she imagined the unblinking eye of the camera
was actually Sakaki's level, almost eternally critical visage. She
played to the camera...
"Kaorin."
....even heard Sakaki's voice...
"Miss Kaori!"
....and could even imagine Sakaki picking her up and hauling her off
the set and this was not her imagination. "Miss Sakaki?"
"Sorry to interrupt your rehearsal, but I have a solution. Please
come with me."
"Oh, that's okay. We were done for the day anyway," she cheerfully
reassured her companion. "What's up?"
"I have found a solution to our problem."
"Really? You're using it yourself right now, right? It looks like
it's working!"
"Indeed."
"So, what is it?"
"You'll see."
Kaorin wanted to bug Sakaki, but knew that would produce no results.
Instead, she quietly followed the taller girl into the hospital, up
the stairs, and into an office to meet a man she had only seen once
before. "Professor Mihama?"
"Ah. Miss Kaori. Yes, I should have known that's who she meant."
"What's going on?"
"I've invented a neural implant device to help stabilize emotions," he
explained. "It's embedded in the brain, and allows its user to edit
their own emotions like a computer program. I need volunteers to test
it."
"Huh? Oh! You mean I'd just type in a command and I'd be happy?"
"In theory, yes. In practice...well, that's what we're testing. Your
partner suggested that she and a friend were having emotional
problems, and could perhaps benefit from the device."
Kaorin cocked her head, spying a small scar under Sakaki's left ear.
"It's helping Miss Sakaki right now, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sakaki confirmed.
"I allowed Sakaki to try it because she's been fully briefed on it,
but I'm not so sure I should give one to you." The professor frowned.
"This is not a toy. It's meant to help with serious mental-"
Kaorin rattled off the names of the antidepressants Sakaki had given
her.
"...you've been taking ALL of those?!?"
"I used to," Kaorin replied. "But there were some problems, and,
well..."
"Say no more. Yours is certainly the type of situation my invention
is meant to help. But I should warn you..."
"If Miss Sakaki thinks it's something I should try, then I'll try it.
Where do I sign?"
---
Later, the two would later refer to themselves prior to that day as
Before, as in Miss Sakaki Before as different from Miss Sakaki. They
only switched off the implants when they were together, and every so
often adjusted each other's programming to better match what they had
come to define as "cool" or "cute". They managed to enjoy years of
fame that way: Kaorin as an idol full of heart, and Sakaki as a
thoroughly rational scientist.
But as time went on, their definitions came to be just "Sakaki" or
"Kaorin", respectively, regardless of what anyone else thought.
Sakaki allowed herself the occasional emotional outburst in public,
while Kaorin allowed herself flashes of anger or sadness on stage.
Their fame subsided, and they knew they needed to change once again.
What to change to was another question. They had been sitting for
hours at the computer, trying to encode was they had truly felt even
Before, wires leading from the computer to headsets positioned to
transmit the new program to their implants. So far, only two lines of
code graced the screen:
void KAORIN() {WHEN (WITH (SAKAKI)) { $HAPPINESS = MAXIMUM; }}
void SAKAKI() {WHEN (WITH (KAORIN)) { $HAPPINESS = MAXIMUM; }}
"I...don't know," Kaorin admitted, idly stroking Mayaa, who was draped
over Sakaki's breasts. "It just seems like there should be more."
"You're right." Sakaki quietly read the lines for the thousandth
time. "It's perfect, yet lacking."
Kaorin chuckled, her finger dangling above the button to compile and
load the program. "We're thinking too much. Let's just try it and
see what's missing."
Sakaki sat up. "No, wait-"
Unfortunately, her motion caused Mayaa to leap away, and bounce off
Kaorin's hand. Their eyes glazed over as the controls were uploaded.
Afterwards, neither could bear to leave the other, even for a moment.
They were both so overwhelmed by the other's presence that neither
could get up to eat or drink, to say nothing of changing the program,
and so died in each other's arms.
Out of respect for the dead, the words "cool" and "cute" were
specifically omitted from the coroner's report.
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just be chanelling the characters at the end too much.
Among other things, I don't know if a certain pair of
scenes qualifies this for a Lemon tag or if it's just
Lime.
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: azucute.txt
-- Desc: azucute.txt
The Path of Cute
draft version
---
"Excuse me, but do any of you have a cat I could borrow?"
Kaorin thought at first that Osaka had said it, as did Osaka. Of the
trio gathered in the school hall discussing their recent trip to
Chiyo's summer home, only Yomi immediately saw the approaching
questioner, Sakaki.
"My parents are going away for the weekend," Sakaki explained, "so I
thought I could borrow one and return it before they get back."
"So you wouldn't set off your mother's allergies?" Yomi guessed. "It
wouldn't work. It's not a cat itself, but proteins that come off a
cat that she's allergic to. The proteins would still be around for a
while after the cat left."
"Ah." Sakaki's lidded gaze dropped to the floor. "Sorry to bother
you." She turned around and shuffled away.
Kaorin watched her personal inspiration walk away disappointed. "Miss
Sakaki?" She grabbed Yomi. "What's wrong with Miss Sakaki?!?"
"Ahh, you didn't know?" Osaka drawled. "Strange. Ya obsess over her
and ya don't know what she obsesses over?"
Kaorin released Yomi to clasp her hands as if in joyous prayer. "I do
not obsess over the very cool Miss Sakaki, although she'd be worth it
if I did." Sparkles shone in Kaorin's eyes, until she blinked them
away. "Wait, HER obsessions? She doesn't have any."
"Sure she does. Kagura saw her try to pet ah cat over an' over again
even though it kept bitin' her. An' I reckon she'd lay down her life
for Chiyo-chan."
"What do those have in com-"
Had Osaka been aware of her own frequently vacant look, she might have
recognized it on Kaorin. As it was, Osaka simply replied, "Ah don't
know. Hey, Yomi, what's 'com'? Is that as in 'dot com'?"
"Chiyo-chan and cats...so if I...and she's all alone this weekend..."
She grinned so fiendishly that Yomi and Osaka both took a step back,
then Kaorin set off down the hall. On the way, she came across Chiyo,
whom she scrutinized without breaking her smile.
Thanks to the Yukarimobile, Chiyo had become a bit hardened against
fear, but she was still shaking a bit when she walked up to Osaka and
Yomi. "U-umm, wh-why was Kaorin looking at me l-like that?"
"Oh, don't worry, Chiyo-chan. She's just glad you ain't a catgirl."
Chiyo was sufficiently used to the effects of Osaka's hidden thoughts
that she automatically assumed her comment to be the product of
another daydream.
"VERY glad," Yomi added.
A shared daydream, obviously.
---
Ironically, a catgirl Chiyo was dancing in Sakaki's daydream when her
doorbell rang. For a moment, she thought it must be the neighbor's,
for who would come by to see her? The doorbell rang again as if to
dispel that notion, so she opened the door, froze, and blushed.
Kaorin stood there, but not the Kaorin that Sakaki sometimes vaguely
registered as a friend. This Kaorin was dressed to kill: waist and
breast hiding pink dress, short ponytails bow-tied by lacy ribbons, an
oversized pink bowtie in front further hiding her chest, a set of fake
cat ears with support band buried in her hair, and a big smile that
hid any trace of the nervousness that shook Kaorin to the core.
Sakaki's merest glance could send Kaorin into a tongue-tied stupor,
but the apparent fact that Sakaki liked what she saw blew away most of
Kaorin's conscious thoughts and left only the automaton of movements
she had rehearsed twenty times the previous night, and another five
that morning, for Sakaki's sake. She curtsied briefly, hands tugging
up her skirt just so, and said, "May I come in?"
"...c-cute..."
Kaorin stepped through the door, sliding off her shoes while not
breaking eye contact with her prey. "I thought you might like some
company, being all alone with your parents away. But if you're
lonely, and I'm lonely, we can be lonely together and then we won't be
lonely." She had thought it sounded hokey in practice, but the part
of her mind that could appreciate that was yelling and screaming
random commands. It took all her willpower to clamp down on it and do
what she believed was what Sakaki wanted, namely calmly stepping
forward and gently hugging Sakaki.
The taller, stronger girl, an icon of strength and physical prowess to
all who knew her, was having trouble standing just then.
It was at that point that Kaorin's nerve finally failed. She froze in
place, unable even to continue her routine. As a safety measure, she
turned her head to the side, closed her eyes, and gently leaned into
Sakaki's chest. While she luxuriated in feeling and smelling Sakaki's
presence, Kaorin was at least no longer being overwhelmed by the sight
of her goddess. Carefully, she began registering what her ears were
telling her: Sakaki's heart was in overdrive.
Before Kaorin could grow too concerned, Sakaki returned the smaller
girl's hug. "K-Kaorin...chan...you are welcome to stay as long as you
like."
"D...do you mean it, Miss Sakaki?"
Sakaki gently stroked the back of Kaorin's head. "Yes, Kaorin-chan."
Kaorin looked up, sincere happiness beaming into Sakaki's still
somewhat surprised eyes. "Please, call me Kaori, Miss Sakaki."
"Kaori." She smiled. "Miss Kaori."
Kaorin giggled. Her eyes closed fast enough that Sakaki could see a
tear of joy squeezed out onto one of the lashes.
Sakaki woozily sat down in a nearby chair before her legs could give
out altogether. "Fine, then. Miss Kaori." She lightly stroked
Kaorin's hair. "When did you get so...c-cute..."
"I did it for you, Miss Sakaki!"
Later, once Sakaki was old enough to drink, she would use her memories
of that exact moment as the level of happiness that a worthy mind
altering substance should produce. Nothing she would try came close.
---
"Kaorin."
The addressed student sat up straight, embarrassed to have been caught
casting sidelong glances at Sakaki in the cafeteria, while having a
pleasant daydream about a werewolf named Sakaki hungrily devouring a
piece of meat named Kaorin.
Kaorin gestured to her empty table. "Umm, sure, have a seat." She
paid half attention to the student sitting opposite her, hoping she
could ignore this newcomer and get back her daydream, when she noticed
two eyes boring into her, the tanned skin around them seeming like an
ominous shadow.
"You have been avoiding us." Kagura *clack*ed her food-laden tray
onto the table for emphasis, spilling the top centimeter of her drink
in the process but not caring.
"Huh? Kagura? I, well, ah, I'm not in your class any more so I-"
"Chiyo-chan misses you."
"Er, well, I have new friends now and-"
"Even Osaka's noticed."
"Sorry. It's just that-"
"Sakaki's in love with you."
"That's nice, but I yababuhuhguh...?" Kaorin's face was a rictus of
surprise.
Kagura nodded to herself. "That's what I thought. You're avoiding us
because of her."
Slowly, sadly, Kaorin nodded, winding up looking at the table.
"Kaorin!" Kagura thumped the table with her fist. "If you really do
care about her then hang out with us!"
"I...I can't..."
"Give me one good reason why not!"
"Because...I'm not as cute in a school uniform."
Kagura froze, a number of possible lectures dying on the seeming
non-sequiter.
---
Towards the end of lunch, Chiyo sat down next to Kaorin before Kaorin
noticed the prodigy's presence. Chiyo alone might have remained
unnoticed for a while, but Osaka's brandishing a tape measure near the
two of them and writing things down on a clipboard was more obvious.
"Ah dunno, Chiyo-chan. Ah don' think she's makin' much progress."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Chiyo replied. "That's too bad."
Kaorin continued to stare dreamily at Sakaki, but idly snagged Osaka's
implement between two fingers on her right hand. "What are you
doing?"
"Measurin' ya."
"And why are you measuring me?"
"'Cause Kagura said you were tryin' to be just like Chiyo-chan, an' we
were wonderin' how that's comin' along." Osaka tugged her tape
measure free and continued her task.
"Just like Chiyo, huh?" Kaorin smiled at Chiyo, who quickly edged
away from Kaorin.
"Y-you know, you're r-really scary when you smile like that."
The corner of Kaorin's eye gleamed. "Heh, heh. I guess I am. Thank
you, Chiyo-chan. I'll never show this smile to Miss Sakaki."
"All done!" Osaka called before Chiyo could grow even more nervous.
She glanced over her clipboard with a nod, then held it up and called
to her table, "Okay, I got Kaorin's measurements!"
Unfortunately, everyone else in the cafeteria heard her announcement.
She was soon mobbed by most of the males and a few of the females, who
snatched her writings and pored over them. "Wow!" "Ooh!" "Huh, is
that all?" "No way! Her breasts are that BIG?"
No one noticed Sakaki abruptly stand up and leave, or the tears she
wept through her afternoon classes.
---
Sakaki's eyes were still puffy from crying when Kaorin came by after
school.
All Kaorin knew was that Sakaki's parents were away again, so she had
changed into her dress of the day, put on her best smile, and gone
straight over to Sakaki's as soon as she could get free. "Hey, Miss
Sa-" Her smile almost faltered when she saw Sakaki's eyes. "Miss
Sakaki! What's wrong?"
"Miss Kaori," Sakaki hoarsely squeaked. "Tell me it isn't true."
"What isn't true?"
"You've been getting...big."
Kaorin gulped. Her smile faded. "I..."
"Please! I have to know!"
Once again, Kaorin's gaze was directed downwards. "It's true," she
whispered. "I've been trying to hide it, but I've been growing.
I'm...sorry."
A fresh tear rolled down Sakaki's left cheek.
"I can't help it." Kaorin quivered slightly. "My body...I tell it to
stop, but it won't. I don't know what to do." She looked up. "I
don't know how to stop it. I'm scared, Miss Sakaki."
Kaorin's pleading eyes tripped a signal in Sakaki's mind. Her tear
ducts shut off and her cheek blood valves dilated. "Miss Kaori. I
don't know what to do either. I..."
Neither one was quite certain who moved, but Sakaki abruptly found
herself cradling Kaorin to her chest for several long minutes, until
her stomach growled.
Kaorin's sobs turned to giggles. "Silly me! I'm absorbed in
self-pity while you're getting hungry!"
"Miss Kaori..."
Kaorin wiggled out of Sakaki's embrace, a smile on her face. "We can
worry about me later. You'll think better on a full stomach."
"I...didn't have much of an appetite at lunch. Not after Kagura and
Tomo started prodding me about you, and especially after...Osaka..."
"Just stay right there! I'll fix you something to eat!" With that,
Kaorin dashed off to the kitchen. One glance at the ingredients in
the refrigerator gave her an idea for a recipe; four minutes later
saw her simmering a meat and vegetable concoction in a pan, humming a
song about cooking she had learned from Chiyo.
Sakaki stood in the kitchen doorway, watching in disbelief. She was
hungry, and Kaorin's meal smelled good, but something more about the
display called to Sakaki. Something beyond cute.
Just as Kaorin set the pan aside to cool before serving its contents
up, Sakaki finally entered the kitchen. "Miss Kaori..."
"Ah-ah!" Kaorin held up her spatula like a cautionary finger. "I'm
not saying what it is until you've had some. It's a surprise!"
"On your jaw...you have..." Sakaki leaned over and licked off a stray
drop of sauce that had landed and dried just below the left corner of
Kaorin's lips. Her tongue lingered there, then almost of its own
accord drifted upwards.
Surprise did not allow Kaorin to drop her spatula for five rapid
heartbeats.
---
Two hours later, Sakaki and Kaorin lay gasping for breath. All of
Kaorin's clothes except her socks and the ribbons in her hair lay
stacked neatly nearby, while Sakaki's clothes were strewn about the
floor like a still life photograph of a hurricane.
Kaorin mulled over what had just happened. Her memories were a bit
of a blur, but she clearly remembered her own body reacting to
Sakaki's tongue and fingers, as if wherever Sakaki happened to touch
became Kaorin's most erogenous zone for the duration of the touch.
She had tried to return the favor, but Sakaki pinned her to the floor
effortlessly, which display of strength aroused Kaorin even more.
Sakaki mulled over what had just happened. She had pleasured Kaorin a
lot, and gotten at least one orgasm herself just as a sympathetic
reaction to Kaorins'. Kaorin had tried to pleasure Sakaki directly
at one point, but Sakaki used her superior strength to pin Kaorin
down. She hungered for the girl, somehow cute even with her growing
breasts, and Kaorin's continued ineffectual struggles - so weak that
Kaorin must have been putting them on as a show for Sakaki's sake -
had only stoked that hunger.
A sniff of cooling food reminded her what else she was hungry for.
Slowly, unsteady, she stood up. "Do not attempt to move, Miss Kaori.
I'll serve our dinner."
A combination of soreness and residual pleasure was sapping Kaorin's
will to move even before she heard Sakaki's request. But a partner
who would service her like that then immediately see to practical
needs was, in her opinion, just so cool.
---
It came as no surprise to their friends when Kaorin and Sakaki went to
the same university, and declared their intention to live in the same
apartment. Their grades and entrance examination scores were
certainly good enough: depending on whether the two deemed a subject
to be "cool" or to be "cute", either Sakaki or Kaorin would focus on
mastering the topic at hand well enough to explain it to the other,
who would pay rapt attention. Their friends had seen this strategy
first hand when Kaorin came - late, due to her astronomy club
activities - to their study sessions, but were a bit confused by
their mapping strategy. This was the topic of discussion a week
before graduation.
Yomi had written the topics Kaorin and Sakaki had studied in two rows
on a sheet of paper. She neatly clicked her pencil into place between
the two to serve as a dividing line. "I'm sure of it. Look at
Sakaki's topics on top. They're all math and hard sciences. Kaorin's
topics on the bottom are all social sciences and arts. There you go:
'cool' and 'cute'."
"Yeah, sure," Tomo scoffed, quickly indicating one entry in
particular. "If that's it, what's economics doing on Sakaki's side?"
Yomi looked where Tomo was pointing, and dropped her head into her
arms. "I give up," she sighed.
Tomo patted Yomi's head. "I'm right as always. But don't worry about
it. What's cool OR cute about economics?"
Osaka looked at the paper. "Ah wonder on which side the study of
pigtails would fall?"
Chiyo edged slightly away from Osaka.
Kagura snickered. "Sakaki's, of course. Who do you think 'studies'
Kaorin?"
---
The two saw each other every chance they had during the break, and
were even more inseparable once university classes began. Although no
declaration of major was required at their university until the end of
the first year, Kaorin's heart was set on becoming an idol, and her
first set of course choices reflected it: Theater, Film and Media,
English, and Chemistry to take care of the science requirement. She
refused to even consider dropping out to get a head start on her
career, since Sakaki needed to study for her future veterinary career.
One night a couple months later, Sakaki came back from class to find
Kaorin curled up in a ball, crying. Mayaa was trying to nuzzle
Kaorin, but getting no response; one look at Sakaki and she knew he
was asking for help. Instinctively, she reached towards her mate and
softly asked, "What's wrong?"
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Kaorin shrieked as she yanked her body away from
Sakaki's voice.
"K...Kaori?" Fears that Kaorin might be rejecting her sprung
instantly to mind, but not quickly enough to drown out rationality.
"Miss Kaori, what is the matter?"
"Th...there was a lab accident," Kaorin sobbed. "Some acid got on my
face, a-and..."
Sakaki frowned. "Let me see."
"No! I'm no longer cute and-"
"LET ME SEE!" Sakaki grabbed her friend by the shoulders and whirled
her around, effortlessly warding off Kaorin's attempts to cover the
red pit of half-melted flesh in her left cheek.
"No! Please, don't look! I'm sorry, Miss Sakaki-"
"Smile."
Confusion shut off Kaorin's tears instantly. "Huh?"
"Can you still smile?"
"U-umm...yes, I think so."
"Show me."
Sakaki's eyes were fixed on the disfigurement, but Kaorin thought they
were locked on her own eyes. Slowly, she gulped down her fears and
forced the corners of her lips to curl up.
Sakaki let out a breath. "The damage is repairable."
Still smiling a forced smile, Kaorin wondered, "What do you mean? I'm
ugly now..."
"...but that need not be permanent," Sakaki interrupted. "Kaorin.
Miss Kaori. I swore on my life that I would help you be cute, so long
as that remained your goal. Is it?"
"Huh?"
"Do you still wish to be cute?"
"Do you really think it's possible?"
"Of course. It will be difficult, but if we work together I'm sure we
can undo this setback."
Wonder and awe rekindled in Kaorin's heart, as her smile became
unforced and spread so much it hurt her new scar but she did not care.
"Miss Sakaki! You're the best!"
A slight blush dusted Sakaki's otherwise serious visage as her own
heart responded to what she saw. "P-perhaps the damage was not that
severe after all."
---
One quick run to the cosmetics store and an hour of trial and error
later, Sakaki smiled into a mirror on the desk in front of her and
looked at her cheek from as many angles as possible while trying not
to disturb Mayaa, who was pawing an empty thumb-sized bottle. "Wow!
Miss Sakaki, you're amazing! I can't even see it any more!"
Sakaki leaned against a bedpost, her exhausted arms holding each
other. "I hope the application did not hurt too much."
"It stings a bit, but I can ignore it. I just have to remember not to
rub it any harder than this, right?" Kaorin picked up Mayaa's tail
and gently swiped it against the damaged region, causing no change.
"Mm-hmm. And try not to get it wet. We'll need some extra time to
reapply it after you shower in the morning, so we should adjust our
schedules accordingly. I'll start looking for a brand that won't come
off tomorrow, after I visit the administration."
"Oh? You're not in trouble, are you?"
"No. I'm going to register my minor: surgery."
Kaorin turned her smile on Sakaki. "Nice choice!"
"Specifically, cosmetic surgery."
Kaorin blinked. "...for me? Just because of this?"
"I was leaning towards it anyway, just in case something like this
happened."
"Miss Sakaki, you don't have to dedicate your career to helping me."
"I already have. My career is part of my life. Of course you won't
be my only patient. I'll be helping many other people and animals.
But as long as that is what I do for a living, I can help you as
well."
"Miss Sakaki..."
"I've already made up my mind. Please don't try to talk me out of
it."
Kaorin's smile returned. "You're so cool! I'm so glad you're my
friend!"
Sakaki's smile, although but a shadow of Kaorin's, was visible enough
for her audience of two. "And I give thanks every day that you are
mine, Miss Kaori."
---
Several months later, Kaorin woke to Mayaa's warning growl. She
looked up to find her friend hunched over their computer, frowning as
she tried to carefully maneuver the mouse while Mayaa arched his back
and hissed at the computer screen. "What are you doing?"
"Hmm? AH! N-nothing!" Sakaki quickly tried to minimize the window,
but not before Kaorin got a glimpse of what lay inside.
"AH! Th...that's my face! But hideous!"
"Kaorin...Miss Kaori, please forget what you just saw."
"I can't! Ick! Why do you have such a thing on our computer?"
"I was...it's a surgery simulator. I was practicing what I wish to do
to you."
"NO WAY!" Kaorin was out of bed and backed up against the wall in a
shot. "Stay calm, Kaorin. This has to be a nightmare or something.
Any minute the aliens will be here and gloat over replacing Miss
Sakaki..."
Sakaki looked away, not hiding her shame. "It's no dream, I'm afraid.
But what you saw is not what I wish of you."
"What? But you just said..."
"I was practicing, and failing miserably. My instructors said it will
take years before I am able to correct accidents like yours. It seems
they may be right."
Kaorin let go of the wall. "You mean, you don't want me to be ugly?"
Sakaki's eyes grew wide. She looked at Kaorin for any trace of
humor or malice, but saw only curiosity. "Of course not!"
"Oh." Kaorin stepped over to the computer, laid her hand on Sakaki's,
and de-minimized the window. "Oh, I see! You just went a bit too far
with this stroke, and..." She snickered.
"What?"
She pointed to the face on the screen with her free hand. "This, now
that I look at it again. Isn't it?"
Sakaki blinked. "Miss Kaori..."
Kaorin grabbed the tip of the nose on the screen and dragged it below
the chin. "Bleah!"
Sakaki blanched, then looked close. Then giggled. "You're right, it
is...kind of..."
"Woo woo woo woo," Kaorin called, pulling points of her virtual face's
eyebrows improbably high on each "woo".
Sakaki would later be glad they had no morning classes that day, for
they spent so much time giggling and making silly edits that they did
not get around to applying Kaorin's makeup for the day until noon.
---
It was only a month later that Kaorin and Sakaki snuck into the campus
hospital at night. Quietly slipping past security, they entered a
surgical supply room and got to work. Fifteen minutes later, they
left just before a guard came in the opposite door. Ninja doctor and
ninja patient exited the hospital unobserved.
Only when they were away from the hospital did Kaorin squeal, "Gimme
the mirror! I wanna see! I wanna see!"
Sakaki looked around, saw no one, and handed her friend a hand
mirror, illuminating her cheek with a flashlight. Sure enough, the
scar was no longer visible.
"You did it, Miss Sakaki!" Kaorin hugged Sakaki with all her
strength.
"WE did it, Miss Kaori." There was no doubt in Sakaki's mind that it
had been a team effort. While Kaorin had been more playful than
practical with the surgery practice itself, the power of her
inspiration was not to be understated. More importantly, it had been
Kaorin who checked out the security and found a way to get what they
would need without being discovered. Any official eye seeing Sakaki
operate on Kaorin without a license would have caused Sakaki to be
thrown out of the university at best, and possibly jailed. And then
there was Kaorin's bravery of enduring surgery without anesthetic,
since they knew of no way to obtain said substance without getting
caught, although Kaorin's intimate familiarity with the proposed
procedure - having watched Sakaki practice it virtually many times -
had probably helped.
"You know who's going to be really disappointed?"
Sakaki blinked, her introspection interrupted. "Who?"
"The cosmetics store owner. We sure spent a lot there, huh?"
Since Kaorin's hug had shifted to free one of Sakaki's arms, the
taller girl ruffled Kaorin's hair as she smiled slightly. "That we
did, Miss Kaori." Financing it had been starting to worry Sakaki, and
it was perhaps the money more than anything that had prompted tonight
as the specific night: one more day, and they might have run out of
money before their next student aid check arrived. It would have been
worth it, at least in the short term, but she still preferred not to
endanger their future.
---
Later, upon an evening dreary, while Sakaki pondered weak and weary
over many a quaint and curious volume of intricate medical lore,
Kaorin nodded, nearly napping. Suddenly there came a tapping, as of
someone gently rapping, rapping at their front door.
"Okay," Kaorin sighed, oblivious to the feline taking a nap on her
head. "You were right. Playing 'Taps Az Raps' for a doorbell was a
bad idea."
Sakaki flipped a page in her book, too engrossed to hear.
Kaorin hauled herself up, put her smile on, and opened the door.
"Hihihi," she greeted with practiced false yet convincing cheer, the
kind she could maintain indefinitely when her heart was not into it -
which was most of the time she was being cute for anyone but Sakaki.
At the door was a bespectacled gentleman, dark hair just beginning to
silver, in a suit. "Ah. Miss Aida, is it?"
"Yes. Do I know you?"
"No, but from what Sakaki has told me about 'Miss Kaori', I feel I
know you." The man adjusted his glasses. "Hmm. Yes. I can see what
inspires such devotion."
Kaorin blushed politely. "Thank you." Turning around, she called,
"Miss Sakaki! It's for you!"
As Sakaki looked up, the man replied, "Actually, I'm here for both of
you. I have a little proposition."
"I'm sorry," Sakaki replied on autopilot, "we aren't that type
of...oh!"
The sight of Sakaki, sitting among a mess of books, would be one of
those random memories Kaorin would carry with her for the rest of her
life.
"Professor Mihama," Sakaki continued. She was still uncertain if the
man was a relative of Chiyo's. "My apologies. I did not recognize
you at first."
"Quite alright," the professor replied. "Let's get to the point,
shall we? As you know, our hospital's financial situation has been a
bit tight lately, capped off when SOMEBODY broke in not too long ago."
Sakaki and Kaorin were fairly certain the authorities still had no
clue about their involvement. Still, they both blanched at his
comment. Even Mayaa hopped off to resume his nap in a more hidden
part of the room.
"So we're doing a fundraiser to make up the difference. One of the
ideas that's been tossed around is a fashion show. I have a friend in
the industry who's got some designs he's willing to premiere for us,
and there's one in particular that requires a model good at looking
cool and another one good at looking cute. I immediately thought of
you two."
"Fashion models? Us?" Kaorin asked, surprise and disbelief expressed
in equal portions in her face and voice.
"Don't get me wrong. This would just be a one-time event, and just
for this one design. You'd get to keep the clothes, and there'd be a
small paycheck on top of that."
Sakaki's brow furrowed. Ever since the night at the hospital, their
financial situation had stabilized, but it was still tighter than she
preferred.
The man saw her frown. "No one's forcing you to say yes. If you'd
rather not, I'll go ask someone else."
"Please, Miss Sakaki?" Kaorin clasped her hands. "It's just for one
night, and maybe I could get noticed by some movie director, or maybe
a music producer!"
Sakaki nodded. "If this is what you want, Miss Kaori."
"I do! Thank you, Miss Sakaki!"
Even after more than a year of exposure to it, Sakaki was still glad
to be sitting down when Kaorin's smile shone on her.
---
The night of the show, one makeup artist would remark that she had the
easiest job ever. Sakaki and Kaorin shooed her away, instead
adjusting each others' suits - which turned out to be grey, fairly
standard womens' three-piece suits with a fedora - and fussing over
one another right up until the call.
"There," Sakaki finally sighed as she adjusted a last button on
Kaorin's suit.
"Hmmm," Kaorin pouted.
"You'll do fine. Don't worry."
"It's not me I'm worried about. You're smiling."
Sakaki blinked.
Kaorin smiled. "Remember, you're suppose to act cool."
"Oh, I see." Sakaki's smile disappeared. "Better?"
"Mm-hmm!" Kaorin nodded.
"Miss Kaori, if it means anything to you, then I shall reserve my
smiles only for you."
Thus was Kaorin's heart soaring as she walked through the curtain
onto the makeshift runway. Making no effort to hide her happiness,
she pranced and pirouetted in her rumpled business suit, fedora tilted
back and a lace-fringed umbrella over her shoulder, looking every bit
the want-to-be Junior Miss.
"What a display, ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer cheered. "Next
up...umm, sorry, there appears to have been a mixup. Our apologies,
but the next model will be wearing the same thing."
Discontented murmurs spread through the audience. Then Sakaki passed
through the curtain, and silence fell like an anvil.
In stark contrast to Kaorin's cute act, Sakaki plodded straight ahead,
looming over everything. Her suit was pressed and neat, her fedora
was perfectly parallel to the ground, her left arm disappeared into
the right side of her suit as if ready to pull out a gun or a sword,
and her right arm hung loosely, her pinky finger braced behind her
other fingers so one would have to look close to see that it had not
been cut off. She menacingly locked eyes with each audience member in
turn as she stood behind Kaorin, who continued to strut and dance as
if nothing was the matter then bowed.
"I...incredible! Cool AND cute, in the same outfit! Let's hear it
for our models, Miss Kaori and Miss Sakaki!"
Knowing how much the applause pleased Kaorin, Sakaki had a tough time
not smiling until they were safely backstage again. Which was why,
just as Kaorin was silently congratulating herself on having the
courage to perform in front of Sakaki without wigging out, it only
took one glance at Sakaki still posing coolly to get Kaorin to faint
on the spot.
---
The fashion show had, indeed, been watched by those looking for
talent. Although the offers were not as good as Kaorin had imagined -
a minor play here, an movie extra with one line there - they were
still a beginning. The pay was good enough that Sakaki's financial
worries soon started to lift. Which was why Kaorin was brooding.
"Damn."
Sakaki looked up from her books. "Is something wrong?"
"I can't do it."
"Do what?"
"I can't..." Kaorin tried not to look at Sakaki, but gave in to
temptation. Warmth instantly flooded her soul, dispelling the dark
miasma that had gripped her heart. "I'm having trouble feeling like I
do right now."
"When you're on the set," Sakaki concluded. "I've noticed."
"You've been watching me?" Kaorin boggled. "But...I thought you were
busy. Classes."
"I managed to catch a quick peek yesterday. Class got out early, so I
stopped by the studio you were filming at on my way home. Your
performance was lacking. One of your fellow cast members said this
has been a pattern for you."
Kaorin tried to look away from Sakaki, but no matter where she looked,
she could still feel Sakaki's accusing gaze boring into her heart.
"I'm sorry."
Sakaki had been trying to express concern, and so was confused when
she heard a stifled sob in Kaorin's voice. "Miss Kaori. You need to
be happy to be cute."
"I know. And...well, it's just...when you're not with me, there's
nothing to be happy about. The world's just so...blah...compared to
you."
"That is what I thought might be the problem. I have been looking
for a solution, and I may have found it."
"Really?" Kaorin carefully did not let her hopes rise too much, but
she felt them spark inside her regardless.
"You are depressed. I can...obtain...some antidepressants, if they
would help you."
"You'd do that? For me?"
"I have pledged to help you, Miss Kaori," Sakaki neutrally replied,
"and I intend to keep that promise."
Kaorin knew, in the bottom of her heart, that the supply would not be
legally obtained. But her wisp of conscience drowned under the hope
that this would help her pay off Sakaki's debts, and more importantly
that this would also help her be cuter for Miss Sakaki.
---
"Have to think. Have to think!"
It was Kaorin's turn to come home and find Sakaki in an emotional
mess. She had never seen Sakaki so flustered. Even Mayaa was unable
to get Sakaki's attention, despite his piteous meows that it was time
to be fed. "What's wrong, Miss Sakaki?"
"AAH! Kaorin! Ah...umm, p-please let me be."
Kaorin shrugged. "Okay, Miss Sakaki." She turned to leave.
"Please don't see me like this," Sakaki quietly pleaded.
"Like what?" Kaorin stopped in the doorway, her back still turned.
Silence, then a "Damn. DAMN!" followed by Sakaki sobbing.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Kaorin turned around again and
walked up to Sakaki, who was curled up at her desk. As she gently
hugged her partner, Kaorin idly glanced across her desk. The books
were all neatly packed away; the only item present was a leaflet about
new, tighter security procedures for the pharmaceuticals supply.
One unpleasant thought came to mind. Kaorin tried to banish it with
other explanations, other possibilities, but the alternatives she
thought up all quickly dissipated in puffs of flawed logic. "No more
pills?"
Sakaki gasped, trying to look up at Kaorin. "You KNEW? B-but..."
While Sakaki was still stronger, Kaorin's position let her leverage
Sakaki into leaning forwards on her desk, to let Kaorin try to massage
Sakaki's tension away. "I kinda guessed. But that's okay, Miss
Sakaki. I'll make do."
"It wasn't just you. I was taking tranquilizers."
"Miss Sakaki? Why?"
"For you. I had...difficulty, restraining my emotions, especially
around you. But I've known the effect I've had on you. I wanted...if
by being cool I could make you happy, and make you cute again...I
would give anything to make you happy, Miss Kaori."
"Miss Sakaki!" Kaorin's massage slowed, but did not quite stop. "You
didn't have to..."
"No. But I wanted to. I've been such a fool, Miss Kaori. I should
have known this would happen."
"That's alright. We'll find some other way. But first..." Kaorin's
massage crept from Sakaki's back to Sakaki's breasts, as her smile
turned sly. "I think you need to get your mind off of it. Maybe let
all those emotions out."
It was the anniversary of when they first made love, and their roles
would be exactly reversed. Dinner would even come immediately after,
if only because of Mayaa's insistence.
---
Helping Sakaki through her crash as the drugs wore off, helped Kaorin
through her own crash. But the real world would not be held off
forever, and soon she found herself struggling to smile on camera
again. Until, one day, she imagined the unblinking eye of the camera
was actually Sakaki's level, almost eternally critical visage. She
played to the camera...
"Kaorin."
....even heard Sakaki's voice...
"Miss Kaori!"
....and could even imagine Sakaki picking her up and hauling her off
the set and this was not her imagination. "Miss Sakaki?"
"Sorry to interrupt your rehearsal, but I have a solution. Please
come with me."
"Oh, that's okay. We were done for the day anyway," she cheerfully
reassured her companion. "What's up?"
"I have found a solution to our problem."
"Really? You're using it yourself right now, right? It looks like
it's working!"
"Indeed."
"So, what is it?"
"You'll see."
Kaorin wanted to bug Sakaki, but knew that would produce no results.
Instead, she quietly followed the taller girl into the hospital, up
the stairs, and into an office to meet a man she had only seen once
before. "Professor Mihama?"
"Ah. Miss Kaori. Yes, I should have known that's who she meant."
"What's going on?"
"I've invented a neural implant device to help stabilize emotions," he
explained. "It's embedded in the brain, and allows its user to edit
their own emotions like a computer program. I need volunteers to test
it."
"Huh? Oh! You mean I'd just type in a command and I'd be happy?"
"In theory, yes. In practice...well, that's what we're testing. Your
partner suggested that she and a friend were having emotional
problems, and could perhaps benefit from the device."
Kaorin cocked her head, spying a small scar under Sakaki's left ear.
"It's helping Miss Sakaki right now, isn't it?"
"Yes," Sakaki confirmed.
"I allowed Sakaki to try it because she's been fully briefed on it,
but I'm not so sure I should give one to you." The professor frowned.
"This is not a toy. It's meant to help with serious mental-"
Kaorin rattled off the names of the antidepressants Sakaki had given
her.
"...you've been taking ALL of those?!?"
"I used to," Kaorin replied. "But there were some problems, and,
well..."
"Say no more. Yours is certainly the type of situation my invention
is meant to help. But I should warn you..."
"If Miss Sakaki thinks it's something I should try, then I'll try it.
Where do I sign?"
---
Later, the two would later refer to themselves prior to that day as
Before, as in Miss Sakaki Before as different from Miss Sakaki. They
only switched off the implants when they were together, and every so
often adjusted each other's programming to better match what they had
come to define as "cool" or "cute". They managed to enjoy years of
fame that way: Kaorin as an idol full of heart, and Sakaki as a
thoroughly rational scientist.
But as time went on, their definitions came to be just "Sakaki" or
"Kaorin", respectively, regardless of what anyone else thought.
Sakaki allowed herself the occasional emotional outburst in public,
while Kaorin allowed herself flashes of anger or sadness on stage.
Their fame subsided, and they knew they needed to change once again.
What to change to was another question. They had been sitting for
hours at the computer, trying to encode was they had truly felt even
Before, wires leading from the computer to headsets positioned to
transmit the new program to their implants. So far, only two lines of
code graced the screen:
void KAORIN() {WHEN (WITH (SAKAKI)) { $HAPPINESS = MAXIMUM; }}
void SAKAKI() {WHEN (WITH (KAORIN)) { $HAPPINESS = MAXIMUM; }}
"I...don't know," Kaorin admitted, idly stroking Mayaa, who was draped
over Sakaki's breasts. "It just seems like there should be more."
"You're right." Sakaki quietly read the lines for the thousandth
time. "It's perfect, yet lacking."
Kaorin chuckled, her finger dangling above the button to compile and
load the program. "We're thinking too much. Let's just try it and
see what's missing."
Sakaki sat up. "No, wait-"
Unfortunately, her motion caused Mayaa to leap away, and bounce off
Kaorin's hand. Their eyes glazed over as the controls were uploaded.
Afterwards, neither could bear to leave the other, even for a moment.
They were both so overwhelmed by the other's presence that neither
could get up to eat or drink, to say nothing of changing the program,
and so died in each other's arms.
Out of respect for the dead, the words "cool" and "cute" were
specifically omitted from the coroner's report.
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