Skip A Beat (Completed)

Chapter 5

"Hey Harumin... I think I'll be a bit... late", Yuzu said in between pants.

"Yuzucchi! Where are you?"

"I'm just… leaving… my house!"

"Wait, are you sprinting to the train station?! The doctor said-"

"Never mind that! Just tell Mei and the teachers for me, okay?"

'Damn it'. Yuzu growled in frustration as she finished downing a full bottle of water after taking some of her medicine. The breathing technique that she has learned over the years didn't seem to do much to steady the aggressive pounding in her chest. Come to think of it, she'd noticed that her medication has become less effective in calming her 'episodes'. Her vision was hazy and she felt dizzy. The moving train and the scenery in the window moving past her in a flash wasn't exactly helping. She leaned her elbow against the window and covered her eyes with her hand in an effort to contain herself. 'I don't even care anymore…'

She knew that she wasn't supposed to run so soon after her latest fainting spell but there was no way she could miss the excursion trip. She had been looking forward to it despite the recent events after Christmas eve. They've barely spoken since Mei was, understandably, keeping her distance from Yuzu after the rejection. Instead, she kept herself busy with planning the trip to Kyoto.

"Hey, are you okay?", a silver haired girl approached her. She handed her a water bottle, "You don't look so good".

Usually Yuzu would brush off a stranger's concern politely but her eyes were so sincere and earnest that the blonde found herself thinking, 'Why not?'. "Thanks", she accepted the bottle with a smile.

The short girl smiled back and took a seat next to Yuzu. "I'm Sara!", she introduced herself cheerfully. Sara started to scratch the back of her head meekly, "Actually, I'm on an excursion trip with my class but I got distracted by Yuzubocchi and missed my train…"

Yuzu found herself chuckling. "Me too. I'm also supposed to go on a trip with my class but I woke up late so here I am. Guess we're in the same boat"

During the train ride she noticed that the pain in her chest had subsided more and more as she continued to talk to the cheerful girl. Yuzu found out that they had many things in common such as being the same age, being a fan of Yuzubocchi and being in love with a girl. Of course, they became fast friends. At first Yuzu was surprised that the other girl was so open about her 'fated person' being a girl but found herself admiring her optimism.

When they arrived in Kyoto they spent the rest of the day sightseeing. Yuzu already called Harumi beforehand, telling her that she would meet her at the hotel later. The two highschool girls visited temples, shrines and other historic sites before they decided to take a break. It was actually quite fun and Yuzu was surprised at the positive turn of events after her day started off so adversely.

"Hey, Yuzu. Is there something bothering you?"

The blonde was surprised at Sara's perceptiveness. She did have a lot on her mind at the moment but she had been doing her best to push those thoughts away. Yuzu sighed, 'Is it that obvious?'. "Remember how I told you I have a crush on another girl?"

Sara nodded.

"...She's my step sister". Sara continued to listen carefully. "What's worse is that we fought… no, actually I rejected her", the silver haired girl visibly flinched. "On christmas eve", Yuzu added.