2026-03-13: ... and Yua Gets Gold
- Log: ... and Yua Gets Gold
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Aoba - Penthouse
- OOC Date: 2026-03-13
- IC Date: Mon, Oct 08 2012 (backdated)
- Summary: Yua and Miho debrief about their summit with Tomoki, after he leaves, and affirm their own bonds together. Miho celebrates Yua's strengths, and Yua shares how much she relies on Miho's, too. The topic of Yua's impending death and Tomoki's potential role is heavier... but Miho is able to help them accept it as a way for Yua's heart to find peace, while she's working on a better solution.
- Content warning: Sexual references
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
When Yua got back from shopping, Tomoki had already left for the evening. Yua didn't ask a lot of questions about their conversation, as everything was being secured; she just asked whether Miho felt reassured.
She's changed from her leotard to her nightgown, after a quick wash; Miho and Yua sleep relatively early, after all, to facilitate waking up at five am. Once the sheet -- and, fine, one blanket -- are all nice and pulled up, and the light's dimmed... she's not quite able to sleep so quickly, though.
First, she has to speak up, all coiled around Miho, all tucked in against her. "Hey, hey, Mimi... I appreciate it, you know? Letting me go first... even though I'm no good at social dancing."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho had her shower earlier, before Yua came back. In point of fact she did feel reassured, after some time with Tomoki. There's still the matter of considering their schedule, but...
Tonight, she is glad to be thinking of Yua. She's not likely to sleep quickly, either. She appreciates the blankets, and her very fancy pajamas, of a material just as nice as Yua's nightgown.
Miho has an arm around Yua, and listens when she speaks. "Hm?" she starts, and then smiles. She sighs lightly. "...I'm glad," she says. "The outcome was less important to me than being sure that you and I understood each other. ...Not that I don't appreciate how things turned out..."
"Your honesty suits you. Do not worry about being unadept at 'social' dancing. ...You're good as you are."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Silk, of course, and not even a silky blend.
"We do," Yua assures Miho, in turn, tilting her head forward to 'thonk' her forehead lightly against Miho's. (She has to tilt her head up on the pillow to do that, and Miho no doubt has to tilt down, but they make it work.) "I know you were anxious about liking him... it's really okay, Mimi. Just tell me if he does anything else suspicious, okay? I'll give him a big talking-to, I will!! But..." She lets out a breath, in a light, fond sigh. "... I know you want to work on him, even if he does some stuff that isn't always great. And I don't get the feeling he's the kind of man who just ignores his talking-tos... so I think it can become okay if he does."
She giggles, nuzzling her face against Miho's. "I was happy he wasn't sassy about me being honest... but I'm mostly happy that you love it, Mimi!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Thonk. ...Miho's more than willing to tilt a little to be able to look at Yua properly. She smiles, briefly. They do understand each other...
"I was," she says. "And... I will. I believe you! You certainly will." She looks down at Yua, running her thumb over Yua's upper arm. "He did tell me he felt bad about that one... That he'd be more careful of my wants in the future. And he is mostly good at figuring out what I want; it's just matters where he runs into assumptions..."
"I was pleased with that, too," she says, and laughs softly with the giggle. "He said... you surprised him, but he already knew better than to dismiss 'cute' women. And you know, I do. In my life, there is so much uncertainty..."
"But you are who you are, regardless."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Mmmhm!" Yua hums, happily, and Miho is more than close enough to see the degrees by which her warm smile widens as she feels Miho's thumb against her biceps. (Not nearly as defined as Miho's, even under her present reduced-exercise recovery regime, but absolutely still present; her legs might be her real powerhouses, but dancers still need their arms, you know?) "That's good, Mimi!"
She can pontificate more on those wishes later; right now, the thing that's foremost on Yua's mind is validating Miho having them at all. But it's certainly sufficient to say that it's not so bad if she scratches a different itch with another man, isn't it...?
Well...
Well, Yua will make it sufficient! She doesn't want to see Miho that stressed again!!
"It's still a lot for me to get used to," she doesn't hide those feelings from Miho, anyway, "but I'm trying really hard, Mimi! I know we've gotta, and... he seems like he gets it, for a nonke," a straight man, one who isn't 'sonoke', possessed of 'that feeling' -- being 'that way'. It would be strange to hear him describe himself that way, but it's not nearly as strange to hear Yua describe him that way... still, it's not a perogative term, like many of the ones which flow in the other direction. (He'd more likely say he was iseiaisha, or hetero; 'straight' is in parlance, too, but a man as switched-on as he is would understand that it's a little too associated with being futsu, normal, a huge faux pas to insist one is in the queer scene. ... plus, in Japan, 'straight' can be kind of exclusive against trans people...)
"So... we could do worse, I think? But I don't mean that in a negative way," she adds, quickly. "I was really mean to him, and he didn't lash out at me in return at all... once I'd calmed down some, I appreciated that more, too."
She pauses, and giggles, out of nowhere. "But he's a giant, Mimi!" He's six foot four, she means, to her five feet nothin'. "I stood up to him when he walked in, but I felt like I needed a ladder! You're really hot being bigger than me, but he was just super intimidating...! Next time I chew him out, you'd better pick me up so I can get on his eye level, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Arms are important!
Miho wouldn't want those feelings hidden. "It is for me, too," Miho admits. "It's... strange." She pauses. "I think he does. Though I wonder..."
They could do worse. "I understand," she says. "I noticed that--he's a very calm man in general. It takes a lot to get a rise out of him. Maybe it's because he's used to interacting with all sorts of different ideas..."
Miho laughs back, and this is a heartier laugh than before. "He is," she says. "And I'm glad you like it... But for me, it's novel. There's not many men around here even taller than I am."
A beat, "I will," she assures Yua. "If he wrongs me, he'll have to deal with Tall Yua."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"What do you wonder, Mimi?" Yua coaxes her feelings out of her, gently, running her fingers up Miho's arm, too.
"He does seem really worldly," Yua says, thoughtfully. "I was kinda worried, after I blurted out everything, if I might have scared him away from you because I'm so much... but it doesn't seem like it's like that, right? Though... I guess, if I did, he wouldn't have been the right guy for you anyway!" Yua supposes, smiling. "Since you'd be unhappy if you had to talk around me with a man, right?"
Yua smiles, nuzzling against Miho, again. "... I really appreciate that about you, Mimi."
And then -- she giggles! "Hey! Now someone can pin you to the wall, like, for real, not standing on a crate!" Wait, so has Yua -- never mind that. "It's fun, right? Just remember to talk about it first!" Yua grins, as she adds: "And if that talking goes bad, I'll sit on your shoulders, and I'll be the tallest! Tall Yua! Yeah!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"I wonder why he's fine with being second," she says. "He says it's complicated, and he has to figure out how to express how he feels. ...And then, well..." They didn't finish that conversation. She smiles at Yua though. "You're not too much," she says. "That's just right. ...Insofar as I need to have a man at all... he has to be someone who could work with you. Because I would be unhappy otherwise."
Miho squeezes Yua's bicep. "I'm glad."
Then she laughs. "He can," she says. "...We will. You had a good idea, there, talking when we're... calm."
Pause. "I'd almost like to see that even if it doesn't go badly..."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Maybe... it's because you're just that great!" Yua turns it over in her head, thoughtfully. "He might feel like he doesn't have a shot at being number one with a woman like you, so he's just happy to be here... or maybe it's because his parents never made him number one, either. Haa, but if I think about that one, I feel too sad... and a little nervous." She sighs. "He's certainly not supplanting me, so there's not much we can do... right?"
He certainly can't have the gold medal! That's Yua's!!! That's Yua's medal.
"I have lots of good ideas!" Yua chirps, smiling again. "I want you to feel good, Mimi... and that means knowing what's good to Mimi!"
She tilts her head up, a little, to smooch Miho on the cheek. "When your arm gets better, carry me, Mimi!" She insists, warmly. "I like getting picked up by Mimi... I want to do it a whole lot!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Maybe," Miho allows, because she is exactly a big enough deal to consider that it's possible. She's an Olympian! ...But she is not so arrogant as to conclude that's definitely the answer.
"No, he won't be supplanting you," Miho agrees. "I believe that he means it. I'll just feel better when I understand why."
But Yua does have many good ideas... "Mm. Yes... I appreciate that. Even when you're not directly with me, you're taking care of me..."
That insistence gets a warm smile from Miho. "I will," she says. "And I am feeling much better. It may not be long, now."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is the biggest deal. She's a rich, hot, clever, faithful Olympian! That's five big-deal qualifiers! And Yua can come up with more!!!
Hearing her agree like it's the most natural thing in the world, though, does reassure Yua... who had, in fact, been feeling bad for him for a second there. "He was slower to tell us his deal," Yua points out. "Not that he wasn't willing to, or anything... but when I asked how it felt, he kind of brushed that off. So I think maybe he's the kind of guy who needs some more time to talk about that stuff in a lot of detail... but if you keep being curious, I'm sure you'll get an answer eventually!"
Yua pauses. "But, like, give him breaks in between asking. Don't like, ask every day. If you ask every day, you'll just scare him, I think..."
She has to make these things explicit! Both of them feel better when instructions are explicit.
"I want to take care of Mimi, too," Yua insists, her hand slipping up to tangle in Miho's short hair. (Her own, of course, is long enough to spill out over the pillows and the bed. She should really braid it before she sleeps to avoid tangles, but then Miho couldn't experience all the joy of her hair...) "You're always taking care of me, Mimi... but I'm happy when there's stuff I can do, too."
Yua sighs, happily, gazing into Miho's eyes with her one. "Mimi... I bet you're looking forward to that, right? You've been really patient... you need to prove you're the strongest again! Right?" She adds, giggling again.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Yua could come up with more. Miho doesn't ask.
"Men are even less used to talking about their feelings than I am," Miho decides. "...Him in particular, maybe, if I'm not being general. But you're right."
"If I don't push too hard... but I do keep wondering... He'll probably tell me."
Miho appreciates things being clear. It's very good.
And Yua tangles her hair in Miho's green hair; Miho smiles at Yua's blue, and she does experience that joy. "There's much you can do," she says. "Just as you're doing now. Just as you did today."
"I am," Miho agrees. "...And I do. I'm..." She considers. "Not as strong as i would like. I wish to keep improving. And I can do that once I'm healed."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"If you need tips... you can ask me?" Yua suggests, a little unsure of herself. "It's a weird situation, but... you're in the position where Mimi's supposed to be the emotionally smart one, even though you've never been good at expressing them, right? But... I think it'll be okay, Mimi," she adds. "If he wanted a bubbly woman, he wouldn't have been so big on you! If he expects you to be an expert in private anyway, that'll just be another talking-to!"
(It's important to Yua, of course, that Miho knows she's good at having emotions, even if she's not so good at expressing them. Miho has a lot of emotions!)
But Yua smiles, when Miho assures her that she can do a lot. "Good," she purrs, in turn. "I want to make sure... Mimi will be okay." Even when she's gone...
And when she hears that Miho isn't as strong as she'd like, Yua curls into her, a little closer, nuzzling her face into her neck. "Improve against me, Mimi," she invites her. "I miss you standing up over me, strong and sure... surrendering to you fulfils me. I hope you miss that, too..." ... even though she's been courting a man, lately.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"I will," Miho says. "It's unusual, but if you don't mind... I'll rely on you." She nods. "He's not hopeless at it... but neither am I. We're both just the sort of person who acts more than speaks."
Yua thinks it'd be okay. "...True," she says. "And he can't have my favorite woman. You're not interested." She smiles.
But...
But--"Yua..." She starts, and then, "...You're very strong yourself."
She can't quite broach that one. But instead, Miho brings her hand up to the nape of Yua's neck, strokes at her hairline. "...I will," she says. "Of course, I won't be fighting you..."
"But I'm at my strongest when you're with me. When you can see me."
"I do miss it. It is... intoxicating. Special."
"And you make me feel that I can challenge anything."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Mm, mm, good! And that's not bad, either," Yua insists, smiling, to Miho. "I love seeing Mimi act to fix something... but sometimes words are best, too!"
She giggles, again, clearly quite delighted at being called Miho's favourite woman. "Yup," she agrees, with a bright smile. "I'm yours, Mimi! Only yours! No boys allowed in our bedroom!! ... buuuut, he can have one, too." She's a generous domestic goddess...
"I'm going to stay strong for Mimi," Yua promises. "As long as I can!" It's scary, facing it head-on.
But... Miho can feel her shiver, as she strokes at her neck. "The strongest," she agrees, her voice a touch hushed. "I can really give myself over to you... completely. And I'm whole, Mimi... trusting you that much... it makes me feel safe, when I'm in your hands. Because you really could challenge anything..."
She sighs, against Miho's neck, in turn. "I really hope I didn't upset you... thinking of it like, when I'm gone. I know you are the strongest, just... just, I'm not always, Mimi. That stuff... it's in my head a lot... since I told ane-ue some of what was happening to me, I realised it was something I could... feel like I was doing to be doing something. Mm, it's not that I think we won't reach our better world... I really believe in you, Mimi! But... but I think, 'what if', and... and I felt a little less jealous when I thought that I could be making sure he'd be good, just in case something happened."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Sometimes they are. You showed me that today."
Miho laughs softly with Yua, her giggle never failing to put her in a good mood, it feels right now. "Yes," she says. "Just mine. ...And to him, you're very generous... I think that's a good solution. I wouldn't want to change our room."
'Ours'.
"It's a precious gift," Miho says. "Your 'self'. Never think I don't treasure you. You can always rely on me. ...And I will challenge everything for you."
But...
"...I understand," she says quietly. "You didn't upset me, but... it is painful to consider."
"..."
She sighs. "...If I fail," she says, "I promise, I will still do my best to live on. ...And I will always remember. I will never give up on returning you to me, in 'that world' or the next."
"But I don't intend to fail," she says, resolve burning in her eyes. "If it helps you to make contingency plans... I don't feel that that's a lack of faith, but a need for peace. But I do not intend to fail you."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"But it was Mimi acting to get him to meet me that let me speak them," Yua reminds Miho, fondly. "See? We're strongest together!"
Her smile widens, hearing Miho affirm she's hers. "I'd been harsh on him," she admits, "so I guess I wanted to show him I wasn't just totally unreasonable... and show you that I wasn't totally determined to lock him out. I think it will be good if we can do some things together. Not all the things," she adds, quickly, "but if we're going to be friends... we should be a little more comfy! So... I don't mind making dinner for one more, sometimes."
And Yua's expression softens, with a soft gasp, hearing Miho treasure her. "Memimiii," she lilts, softly. "I love you..."
She nuzzles herself in, against Miho, hearing her pain. "It's okay," she says, softly. "It's the same for me. I really don't want to leave you and Hiroki, Mimi... I don't want to die," a strained plea, against the cruelties of this world.
"But... even though it's scary to think about... I do feel a little better, knowing you'd keep going. I don't want to take you with me to that place... I want to go with you to yours! So, I think... if he could give you strength in that situation... I want him around, you know? I want my Mimi to be okay..."
Yua lifts her head, so she can look into those burning eyes of Miho's. "Then... I won't feel too bad trying to be more at peace, okay? But... I'm sure I won't need to do all these things, in the end. I can tell, just by the look in your eyes... you'll move Heaven and Earth, Mimi. I know nothing will stop you... and that settles my heart ten times more!"
She tilts her face towards Miho, then, her own eye closing. "But... I was too too brave, today... I talked about it way too much. Right now... I'm here, okay? Can I feel a little of that strength...?"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"We are."
"I appreciate it," Miho says. "It was... in my body, the anxiety. So letting my body get it out again helped." She pauses. "Definitely not all the things," she agrees, knowing just what Yua means in primary--but she does smile. "I'd like you to be friends. That... would put my heart more at ease, with having to do this."
"I love you, too." Memimi!!
But Yua feels the same... "Yes," she says, that strained plea plucking at her heart. "...Thank you," she says. "That's a gift. I'll remember it as such. But I promise... if that happens, I won't forget. Never."
She smiles back, but it's small, compared to the burning of her eyes. "Yes, I will." She's relieved to hear Yua say these things. "Do what you must. And so will I. And together... we'll get wehre we want to be."
Too brave...
Miho laughs softly. "Always," she says. "I was hoping you would want to..."
A murmur, "Let me share with you that 'strength.'"