A Blooming Love

'Dammit! Why did that old lady need to appear as soon as I left the building!?'

Vivian was speeding her way through town, her legs moving faster than normal.

'Why didn't I save enough for a bike?!'

Turning a corner, Vivian nearly ran into people. To her surprise, her old gang went wide eyed as she frantically disappeared behind them.

'Come on, come on!'

Her mind kept returning to the game. The look in Symphony's eyes, the way her voice trembled.

-

"Hey, uh... Sym. You okay? What happened to logging out?"

"He's close. H-he's near my house. I saw him!"

-

Vivian and Symphony then made plans to meet up, though Vivian still worried about Symphony making it. She also knew nothing about her, completely unable to figure out who to contact when she finally made it to the large shopping center.

Continuing to speed up, Vivian pulled out her phone.

'She said it'd take her ten minutes to get there... I'll need fifteen. Shit. She should've stayed inside. Maybe her family could've done something.'

Vivian's mind began to wander, a cold grip covering her heart. It was her first time feeling fear for another person's safety. She bit her lip, feeling blood coat her tongue as she pushed herself even harder.

When the building finally came into view, her eyes brightened as she made her last mad dash. Evading people was easy for her, though she found herself quickly bumping into someone every now and then.

'The fountain... the fountain... there!'

Vivian saw the meeting place she had quickly told Symphony. There were already about a dozen people or so, each grouped together pretty tightly.

Vivian looked around, her eyes stopping when she saw someone she hadn't expexted. Long black hair spilled out of a familiar hoodie. She had her back to Vivian, so she crept closer until a man began to draw near. He had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. Vivian reflexively stopped, her eyes dropping to the floor.

'Heh. So she's already dating him then. Good for her... wait, Sym. Where is she?'

As Vivian began to turn around, she heard a voice filled with fear. A voice she hadn't expected to hear call out.

"You're not her! Don't fuck with me you bastard! I know that she's coming!"

Vivian spun around, her eyes falling on Yui. She was standing now, a whole mess of people watching her. The man was red in the face as he grinded his teeth.

Being quick, Vivian dashed forward as he raised his hand. Making it in time, she felt his hand slam into her face. Shockingly, she was sent flying into the crowd. Vivian coughed as she tried to take air into her lungs, barely able to get back to her feet. The crowd was watching in horror as the man wound up his hand again. Before he could swing, however, Vivian ran up to him and kicked the side of his knee.

"Fuck! You bitch!"

Vivian quickly grabbed Yui's hand, quickly noticing how hard she was trembling.

'Damn. No wonder she didn't run.'

Leading Yui, Vivian sped their way through the building. They made it to the exit without being stopped, though Yui tripped a few times.

After a while, Vivian took a deep breath as the door to her apartment closed behind the two of them. She looked down at her trembling friend, her heart pained.

"Yui-"

Yui latched onto Vivian, her face buried between her breasts. She sobbed heavily, her body unable to cope as she slid to her knees. Both girls sat in the floor, Vivian stroking Yui's hair.

"You know, I've never heard you shout before. It was strange and surprising. I'm glad... sniff I'm glad I was nearby."

Vivian felt tears slide down her cheeks as she hugged Yui close to her chest.

"You idiot. Why didn't you run?! Even scared, you should've been able to back away!"

Yui could feel Vivian tremble now, her face lifting as she realized that Vivian had begun to cry. She stared, mesmerized, as Vivian began to feel a strange ringing in her ears.

"Viv, your back. Let me see."

Vivian blinked quickly, the commanding tone making her quiet down. She pulled her shirt over her head, turning around as she popped the clasp of her bra. She could hear an audible gasp.

"V-Viv... are you okay? Can you move or breath irregularly?"

Vivian got to her feet, grabbing a hand mirror as she went into the bathroom. Her back to the mirror, she eyes the hand mirror reflecting the other. She saw a large black bruise on her back, outlined in red.

"How did he even send me flying? I don't think I've even been hit that hard in Relian... aside from that asshole."

Yui walked into bathroom, pulling Vivian back out and towards her bed. She had an ice pack in her hands that she pressed against Vivian's skin. She squeaked as she trued to evade it.

"Dummy. Lay down on your stomach. I'm not hurt, so let me treat you."

Vivian complied, tilting her face towards Yui as she squirmed under the cold ice.

"So, can you tell me what happened?"

Yui knelt down, her face close to Vivian's.

"Justice..."

Vivian raised an eyebrow.

"Someone pissed you off or something? You want to bring them to justice?"

Yui smiled lightly, her previous bout of fear finally fading.

"Don't be dumb. It's me, Symphony."

Vivian stared blankly, suddenly popping up with her bare breasts in Yui's face.

"Wait, what?! I fell in love with the same person twice?!"

Her hand instantly went over her mouth as she turned away. She mumbled under her hand.

"F-forget that."

Yui was bright red as she tilted her head.

"Why would I forget something that makes my heart speed up so much? I uh... I told you I liked someone, didn't I? That was... that was Justice."

"But your family?"

"They can get over it."

Yui couldn't put her eyes on Vivian anymore, her face incredibly bright.

"H-hide yourself!"

Vivian looked down, turning bright as well.

"Umm... I don't mind, really. But, you're so red I'll listen."

Vivian laid back down, her hand reaching towards Yui.

"So he was?"

"The stalker, though I don't know who he is."

Yui noticed Vivian's hand, grabbing it between hers. She brought it to her lips, kissing it softly.

"Honestly, this makes me really happy. Knowing Justice was someone I really cared about."

"Says the monotone girl that barely speaks up."

"Hush. I just... I was taught to keep my emotions in check. Right now, that's stupidly hard to do. I just want to be beside you and... and..."

Her face became redder.

"And?"

Vivian lifted herself slightly, leaning her forehead against Yui's.

"I want you to make me feel safe!"

Yui wrapped her arms around Vivian, her lips suddenly pressed against Vivian's neck. She trembled against her, sighing softly as she backed away.

"I don't know why, but you've always made me feel pretty safe. Even in Relian, you make it easier to relax and have fun. So Viv, can I... can I stay here for a couple days?"

Vivian hid her hand in her face, nodding slowly.

"I kinda planned on inviting you to, when I thought you were just Sym. I wanted to keep you away from him as much as possible, but this is much better. So Yui, can I expect the loving treatment of my best friend for this bruise?"

Yui shook her head.

"C-can it be more?"

--

Thank you,

JScott and croix!