A/N: I know that you all hate me, but here is some more lovely SachiYumi fluff. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters are the intellectual property of Konno Oyuki. This humble writer gets no profit from this story other than the sadistic glee of messing with their heads.

Soeur Idols

Chapter 5: Today, Being an Idol is Exhausting

Yumi's turn in the studio went pretty well. She felt confident in how her voice sounded, and even hit notes that she struggled with in rehearsal. She was about to leave the recording both when she heard Suguru's voice on the intercom, "Yumi-chan, please wait a moment. I would like to record you singing your parts on Ai no Mystery and Soeur Power." There was a pause, and then the intercom sounded again, "Yumi-chan, I'm sorry, I changed my mind on Ai no Mystery. Can you please sing the whole thing?"

To say Yumi was taken aback was an understatement, "Um, Suguru-Producer-san, I have only practiced my part on that song. I don't feel confident about the rest."

"You can do it, Yumi," Sachiko's voice broke in. "I hear you singing the whole song when you aren't thinking about it."

Youko keyed the mic, "You will be great, Yumi-chan. We've all heard you singing our parts while you are thinking of something else."

Yumi sputtered, "Who all is in the engineer room? I thought that it was just Suguru-san!" She was embarrassed, but it was nice to hear her Oneesama's voice. Her face was red from embarrassment and, if she was completely honest, some excitement that Sachiko was listening to her.

"Okay, Yumi-chan, prepare yourself. We start playback on Ai no Mystery in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." Suguru pressed the button that started the background music.

There was a 20 second intro before she needed to start singing. Yumi regained her focus and began strong as it was the part that she was assigned and had practiced. The next part was Youko's. She didn't feel like she had it down as well as the first part. She sailed through Rei, Sei, and Eriko's lines respectively, and came to the chorus. She began to just sing her part in the blend when the music stopped.

"Yumi," Sachiko began. "Please sing the melody, just like you did on the second song that you sang during the audition. Oneesama, what was that song that she sang?"

In unison, Yumi and Youko answered, "Shabondama." The surprise made all three women giggle. Suguru smiled, but maintained his composure.

The music started again in the build-up to the chorus. This time, Yumi found the melody and sang it. When the song ended, she took a cleansing breath and exhaled, 'I did it,' she thought. Just as she was going to ask if she needed to sing it again, Ai no Mystery began to play over the intercom. Yumi was shocked, her voice; she could tell it was her voice. It sounded so different.

Suguru exulted, "Bravo, Yumi-chan, you nailed it! Youko-chan, we have our B-side!"

Sachiko burst into the recording booth, and snatched Yumi into her arms, "You were so amazing, Yumi. I don't even think that Naru-sama could have done it better!"

"Shall we find out?" A new voice asked. In through the door, walked Akagi Naru. The Lilies had christened her "The Song Bird" because of her voice. She was now 28 and visibly pregnant. A nervous-looking man followed behind, causing Yumi to assume that he was her husband.

Youko anxiously tried to intervene, but Suguru held up his hand. "I invited Naru-chan to meet the girl that can finally sing her parts as well as she did. Naru-chan, this is Fukuzawa Yumi. Yumi, this is First Generation member, Akagi Naru." The Song Bird walked forward, hand extended.

Reluctantly, disengaging from Sachiko, Yumi shook the older woman's hand and felt the warm spirit surrounding her. Yumi's eyes widened in surprise, "Akagi-sama, it is an honor to meet you."

"Likewise, Fukuzawa-san," the mother-to-be answered. "I read that you did not really listen to us before you passed the audition. With that in mind, the fact that you have adapted so quickly is quite impressive, Fukuzawa-san."

Yumi blushed, "You can just call me Yumi, Akagi-sama. I can't believe that you would take notice of someone like me."

"You are a remarkable singer, Yumi-chan. I heard that on Music Station. I am glad that you are not arrogant in your ability. Humility adds power to your emotions, and your emotions fuel your singing." To Suguru, Naru asked, "Please play the whole take that Yumi-chan just did."

Suguru complied, and Naru's smile, which had initially faded into a thoughtful state returned with blazing intensity by the end of the song. "I would call it draw, for now," Naru said with a slight smirk. "I daresay that you have the talent to surpass me one day. I would like you to come sing with me at my next live. This little one is waiting for their debut." She gently caressed her stomach. "So the next live will be the last one before I become a mother."

"It would be my honor, Akagi-sama," replied Yumi. "My only concern would be the timing because I am not sure what kind of promotional schedule Suguru-san has set up for our new single."

The older woman held up a hand, "First, please call me Naru, Yumi-chan. Second, I've already worked out the details with Creepy Producer-kun. Your schedule will be hell, especially since you are not used to the grind yet." She smiled. "You will get used to it. We all did. I remember Youko-chan crying in the middle of the crazy schedule that Suguru arranged for her first single. Sei-chan and Eriko-chan were zombies. Now, it is second nature for them. It will be for you as well."

At this point, Sachiko recovered, "My apologies Naru-sama, my petite soeur was singing so well that I couldn't help myself. Unfortunately, we are running late, and I am worried that we will not have our promotional prep work done in time" The raven-haired lyricist took a breath, "It has been too long. You look even more beautiful than ever, by the way."

"Thank you, Sa-chan," Naru replied. "You have grown up lovely as well. It's been what; four years since I've seen you last? You are 18 now right? Your petite soeur is so cute that I want to steal her." Noticing the ice creeping into the blue eyes of the Bouton and the way that Yumi's eyes never left Sachiko, she mused, 'It's like that, is it? They have a mutual crush. I wonder if they realize it. It's way too cute.' "You see, Sa-chan, Yumi-chan is going to do a duet with me at my last live before I go on maternity leave. I cannot feel satisfied with just hearing our new vocal center sing. I want to sing with her!"

Sachiko visibly relaxed, and Suguru, ever one to add a dig, chuckled, "You can have your Yumi-chan back when Naru-chan is done with her. She might even learn a few things from your senpai that will make you happy." He was rewarded with embarrassed blushes on the soeurs' faces. The others in the room burst out laughing.

A few hours after Naru and her husband left (Yumi never did hear his name spoken), the Yamayurikai convened to the same conference room where they were assigned to their new soeurs. Suguru was all business, hooking up the projector to his laptop, while Alice handed out thick packets that made the older members groan.

Looking through the papers, the normally calm Eriko exclaimed, "Holy shit! Suguru, are you serious about this schedule? Six events a day for three weeks? We've never done more than three!"

Yumi, Yoshino, and Shimako looked confused. They had no idea of what a promotion schedule normally entailed, so they were not as upset as Sei and Eriko, the former groaning, "It's not often that I agree with Deko-chin, but you are out of your goddamned mind if you are thinking that we can have our standard of performances with this."

Even Youko who normally pushed the group hard agreed, "Suguru-san, do you honestly think that the rookies' voices could handle that much strain? The elders can handle it. For a debut single, this is insane."

"Now, now ladies let's not be so hasty," Suguru said quickly with his hands raised in appeal. "You will not be singing live at every event. Some of the events will be interview with the PV (promotional video) playing in lieu of a performance. Additionally, we will be following a divide and conquer strategy for some of the promotion. For example, during the week prior to the release, the Chinesis family will be in Yokohama for a meet and greet as well as doing radio interviews. The Gigantea family will be in Kyoto, and the Foetida family will be in Hiroshima. We will have live performances, yes, but they will be limited because we were aware that you would have vocal stress concerns."

Yumi took a nervous breath, and said, "This looks like the schedule that Morning Musume had for "Furari Ginza/Jiyuu na Kuni Dakara."

Eight pairs of eyes widened. Sei was the first to put it together, "You sneaky bastard, you really do want to be Tsunku!"

Suguru looked wounded, "No, I don't want to be Tsunku. I am hurt that you think that my ambition is that limited." A cocky smile spread across his handsome face, "I want to do what he does better than he could ever do it. I have better talent in this group than he does in any of his groups. Yumi-chan is a better vocal center than Oda Sakura or Miyamoto Karin*. Shimako-chan is a better dancer than anyone Hello! Project has, and we have the best lyricist in J-Pop. We will continue to put distance between us and AKB48, Hello! Project, or anyone else that thinks that they can challenge us!" He chuckled evilly.

The reaction to Suguru's rant was as different as each of the young women's personalities. Yoshino's eyes went wide. Eriko looked annoyed. Rei and Shimako were troubled. Sei looked bored. Youko's face registered surprise, while Yumi looked frightened. The only one that did not look concerned was Sachiko because she already knew Suguru's ambition.

"Getting back to the matter at hand," Youko moved to get the meeting on track so that they could continue rehearsal. "This is still an excessively elaborate schedule. Suguru-san has put us in a tough spot. We have a lot to do and a short time in which to do it. Let's get to work."

Yumi, feeling no small amount of anxiety about the schedule, stood in place until she felt a gentle hand grasp hers. Sachiko brushed a stray lock of hair out of the younger woman's eyes. "It will be okay. Suguru-san has assured me that you, Yoshino, and Shimako will not travel without me, Rei, or Sei-sama by your side. I will not leave you alone. You are my soeur to protect, and I will do so with all my strength. It's strange that you should become so precious to me in the short time that I have known you. Thank you for making me remember the joy of singing and having someone by your side."

The younger woman blushed and began to splutter a response when Sei cleared her throat, "Wow, is it ever getting hot in here, You-chan? Those two really do go off into their own little world at moment's notice don't they?" Yumi flushed a brighter red while the rest of the group giggled.

Sachiko was not amused; her blue eyes freezing colder that Rukia Kuchiki's bankai "Are you jealous, Sei-sama? At least I spend time getting to know my petite soeur. When was the last time you spent any one-on-one time with Shimako-chan? You are never more than five meters away from my Oneesama. Before you start making snide remarks about how my soeur and I interact, maybe you should look at your own."

"Sachiko, that is neither productive nor necessary," Youko interrupted. "And Sei, please stop picking at my petite soeur. After four years, you should know that she doesn't appreciate your sense of humor." Seeing that both parties looked sufficiently abashed, the Leader continued, "What lays ahead for us is lot of hard work. We will spend the next two hours running the whole set list choreography for the first live, then let's order a pizza and relax for the rest of the evening."

This suggestion met with mixed reactions, the Oneesamas groaning while the Rookies were looking forward to both the prospect of pizza and an evening off. What followed was one of the best run-throughs that Youko had experienced since before her Oneesama graduated. Everyone hit their spots precisely on time. The smiles were bright and everyone felt a sense that something magical was about to happen.

Later that evening, Yumi had her ear buds in, listening to the original Ai no Mystery. She marveled at how seamless the blend was after each of Akagi Naru's solo sections. It felt instinctual between the members at the time. It was tighter than anything that she had ever heard from any of the AKS groups or even her beloved Morning Musume's Furusato. She knew that the bar was higher than she believed that she could achieve. Sighing heavily, she muttered not for the first time, "What have I gotten myself into? Can I ever reach this level?"

Just as depression was about to set in; Yumi felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a kind of gentleness in her Oneesama's jewel-like eyes that she had never seen before. Sachiko smiled affectionately at the younger girl, "You know, when I first joined the Yamayurikai, I felt lost. I was expected to be the lead dancer as well as ghostwriting the lyrics for our songs. The shoes that I had to fill were every bit as big as you or Shimako-chan have to fill. The Oneesama that I had to replace was Sakai Yuri. She had been the lead dancer since our debut. Shimako-chan is a more talented dancer, but there was a power in Yuri-sama's dancing that I still cannot achieve. I was getting depressed until my Oneesama told me what I am about to tell you. What she said is that I did not choose you to be the next Yuri-sama, or in your case, the next Naru-sama, I chose you to be by my side. If you can do that and perform your best each time, then I will be happy and proud that I chose you because you are great in your own way."

Tears began to well up in Yumi's eyes and impulsively, she threw her arms around Sachiko's neck and buried her face in the older girl's chest. "I get so worried that I don't belong here. I have vivid dreams that you all will tell me that it was all a practical joke and that I am not really in the group. I cry every time I have one of those dreams. And it's mostly because I don't want to be separated from you, Oneesama."

At first, Sachiko was startled both by her soeur's words and by the feeling growing in her heart. She wrapped her own arms around Yumi and drew her into a fervent hug, "I would die first. I meant what I said this afternoon. Yumi, you have become so dear to me that I don't want to imagine my life without you by my side. I want us to be friends even after we graduate from the Yamayurikai."

Overcome by emotions, Yumi removed her face from Sachiko's chest and started move her face closer, focusing on the older girl's lips. She caught herself just before she kissed her Oneesama. 'Oh my God, did I really try to do that? She must think that I am weird.'

She steeled herself for a rebuke from Sachiko that never came. Instead, there was a mix of confusion, excitement, and disappointment present in the blue eyes that Yumi loved looking at so much. When Sachiko was silent, Yumi released the breath that she didn't know that she was holding.

Both girls swallowed audibly, not sure how to proceed from there. That both were hoping for more was evident, but both were scared to make a move that would forever change their relationship. Finally, nerves won out and they began to giggle. However, in the back of their minds, they knew that this was not the end; something was going to happen and soon. They decided to call it a night and went to their respective beds, each wishing to be in the other's bed, but neither were brave enough to take that step.

To be continued…

A.N.: Sorry this has taken so long. I am finally not homeless. No home equals no updates. Hopefully now that that stress has ended the Muse will come back to me. Please enjoy and forgive the drought. Peace!

*Miyamoto Karin is a vocal center of Juice=Juice, another Hello! Project group.