Uncertainty -Completely Rewritten-

Chapter 15

Open pool days were always some of the best days.

Sage looked damn good in a two-piece swimsuit.

"Sage... where do you find the things you wear?" Uo asked.

"Why?" Sage asked.

"You never fail to bring a very retro look to every event" Sage chuckled.

"I suppose... this was a rare find. Something that's never been worn before. It was purchased in the 80s and sat in a box for years" Sage said. "I got it really cheap, the original owner didn't need it... since she died," Sage said.

"What!?" Uo asked.

"Kidding, she was just too old for it!" Sage added.

They were having a good time, same for Tohru. However, Tohru still wore her old swimsuit from middle school.

Sage never paid it much mind. She looked cute, so why should it matter?

But Uo always got sad. It wasn't that Uo thought it was embarrassing or anything of the sort, it was just that Uo thought it was sad to see how Tohru was limited through financial difficulty.

So, Uo decided to go shopping with everyone. As a gift, everyone would pitch in to pay for Tohru's new swimsuit.

Everyone; this included Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure.

Shigure was all for pitching into the cost of a swimsuit. Yuki and Kyo were physically dragged along to help.

While looking over the selection, Sage couldn't decide what might look better on Tohru.

"She's super cute so a one-piece would really suit her, but on the other hand, with her long hair she'd look really good in a bikini," Sage said.

"You put a lot of thought into this" Hana said.

"I would solve the De Vinci Code if it was for Tohru," Sage said while she hugged the brunette girl. Physical affection was something Sage had gotten better with.

Uo was trying to get Kyo and Yuki's opinion but they were turned staring in the opposite direction. Sage chuckled and bounded over, crouching on the ground next to Yuki.

"You wouldn't happen to be embarrassed, would you?" Sage asked. Yuki's face went bright red.

"Come on you two, pick a color at least" Uo urged.

"Blue" Yuki said.

"Orange" was what Kyo said. Sage couldn't help but laugh.

"First of all, blues and greens are Sage's colors," Uo said. "Orange is-"

"Garish for idiots and their idiotic hair," Yuki said. Sage was trying not to laugh too loudly.

"Pink. The answer is pink. P-I-N-K. Tohru looks good in any color but she looks best in pink. It suits her" Hana said before taking Sage's hand and dragging her over to help Tohru pick out a swimsuit she liked.

They went out for Soba after picking one out. Tohru seemed very happy to have received the gift.

"You all seem very close. Like you've been friends for a long time. Did you meet in elementary school?" Yuki asked.

"Hm, Sage and I did," Tohru said. "But we met Uo and Hana in middle school" Tohru corrected.

"Hana, you joined our school in what? Eighth grade?" Uo asked.

"Yes. I had to transfer in after some... events that took place in my old school" Sage nodded along.

"You were still part of the gang when we met, right Uo?" Tohru asked.

"That's right"

"You always used to run around with a mask on" Tohru remembered.

"Don't forget the long skirts and thin eyebrows" Uo said.

"The mask may be gone, but those last two things are still true," Sage said.

"Oh yeah. You're right" Uo laughed and Sage smiled.

"But Sage took a long time to warm up to Uo and Hana," Tohru said. Sage nodded.

"Well, Uo had a bit of a chip on her shoulder back then" Sage reminded.

So, Uo recapped how she met Tohru.

Sage loved the story, she listened with a soft smile on her face.

Sage remembered the day she came by the Honda household after a pretty devastating fight with her mother.

She saw Uo sitting at the table and ignored her.

Kyoko had patched her up and let her cook with Tohru in the kitchen.

"Sage, you should meet Uo-chan! You'd really like her!" Tohru said.

"I'll pass" was Sage's response.

Tohru didn't push it.

---

Sage, Hana, and Uo all hugged Tohru tightly.

"Simply put, I love her," Uo said.

"Us too," Hana and Sage said.

"That's nice," Yuki said softly.

A bunch of middle school delinquents jumped out of nowhere asking for Uo.

"Hey, those noodles were really good, weren't they?" Uo asked.

"Yes, I agree," Hana said. They all got up and left. The middle schoolers followed them out.

Sage rolled her eyes and looked at Uo who shrugged.

Sage turned to Hana and the two nodded. Something they had perfected, whenever they needed someone to get away from them.

Sage glared sharply and with the help of Hana's waves, the girls froze in place. Sage chuckled and without looking away, Sage gave Hana a high-five.

Uo finally took care of things with some real wisdom. Sage always liked when Uo took matters into her own hands, it was always so cool.

"Be happy I'm only shaming you, little girl. If you just want to strut your stuff, there are lots of other ways to do it. So stop trying to stir up trouble like this, before it gets out of hand. If it's just a scolding that you need, then come see me any time."

The group kept going, the middle-schoolers didn't try to stop them after that... but Sage had a feeling Uo might have gained a few young fans...

Sage sighed, walking home with Yuki and the others.

---

Sage had been avoiding meeting Uotani and Hanajima. It was nearing the end of eighth grade. Sage was heading to Tohru's. Her nose was bleeding.

She walked in not expecting to see Uotani and Hanajima.

"Sage?" Kyoko went to the blonde. "Again?" She asked. Sage nodded.

She wasn't deaf, she could hear Uotani whispering to Tohru.

"Does she get into fights?" Uo asked.

"No, she doesn't have a great house life though," Tohru said.

"So... her parents-"

"Her mom..." Tohru said.

"She seems very troubled," Hana said.

Sage shot a sharp glare their way.

"Sorry Sage," Tohru said. Sage immediately softened up.

"She's..." Uotani couldn't find the words.

"One of us" Hanajima decided.

"Yeah," Uotani said. "We've decided,".

"We'll become friends with Sage" Hana smiled softly.

So, when Sage tried to leave the Honda residence, she found she strangely couldn't move. Hanajima and Uotani took the moment to introduce themselves and Tohru urged the anti-social blonde to make friends with the two.

And here they were.