Another SR one-shot. This will be a "what-if" scenario taking place in the culture festival in the middle of the play. Something changed when the "kissing scene" was about to take place that affected the whole outcome.

Read. Enjoy. Review.

Culture Festival: Kiss Impossible! (Alternate ending)

by silenthero

"It's just pretend, okay, Harima." Yakumo assured him.

Hey hey hey! What do you think you're doing!? Story or no story this is too much! Harima inwardly screamed.

"I'll hide it with my hat," she leaned unto him while pulling down her wide brimmed hat. Harima gasped, his shaded eyes filled with anxiety.

They then heard ropes being pulled and they glanced up. There, at the top of the stage, was Akira, harnessed by a rappel around her body, going down at them at surprising speed. Halfway down though, she suddenly stopped and she hung suspended in the air, her arms and legs spread out.

"Crap."

Crap, indeed.

"This isn't what supposed to happen." Akira added. Fortunately, she was out of view of the audience so only Yakumo and Harima noticed her helplessly dangling from the ceiling.

"Akira? What are you doing?" Yakumo whispered. Harima seemed to be asking the same question using facial expressions.

"Uhh, just keep doing what you're doing. I'll be fine." Akira replied, still stone faced about her ridiculous stunt going wrong.

Yakumo, never really understanding what Akira usually do, went back to face the pale Harima on the bed. "It's just pretend, okay, Harima?" She repeated. "I'll hide it so we won't even do it."

Harima gulped what was left in his mouth, fully trusting his fate to his trustworthy assistant. He calmed himself from going "get-the-hell-out-and-damn-the-consequences" mode. He'd come so far now for him to quit. The audience didn't even notice how wrong and horrible the play had drifted to.

The "witch" leaned again towards the "princess", pulling down her wide hat to cover the impending scent that they were avoiding. Yakumo was now close to Harima's face that both could feel the warm air coming from their breathing.

After what seemed to be an eternity, they heard a loud roar of applause and hooting coming from the audience. The ploy worked. The audience thought they were doing it with how the two were positioned. But never do they realize the hat was hiding what they'd paid to see. The two weren't really doing it as their saving grace was hiding it.

Relief in intoxicating amount flooded the two impromptu actors. Harima and Yakumo found themselves smiling, really assured that it didn't came to what the people were expecting. It may looked like they kissed but it wasn't technically written in stone and so it didn't happen.

At last! It's over! You did it, Imouto-san! Harima screamed in the confines of his mind.

Up high on the ceiling, Akira, fidgeting with the strap wrapped around her body, heard a rope snap and give way. She then rappelled down again towards the stage below. Yakumo was about to raise her head when she felt something drop on her neck, pushing her down. The sudden forward motion was enough to completely cross the few inches of no-man's land.

She locked lips with Harima.

Akira stopped to her supposedly intended spot, looking directly at what the audience was largely missing out, given the hat was doing its good job concealing it. The audience, on the other hand, suddenly became quiet, seeing a scene that was totally out of place.

A girl rappelled down to the stage and, what?

There was stillness in the theatre that the proverbial cricket should be singing right now. Some hung their mouths while others scratched their collective heads in confusion. However, the audience didn't realized what they were looking now was what they'd actually paid for.

The rest of the cast were apparently mimicking the bewildered audience. Looking at their director in the stage, no one dared to utter a word in fear of something weirder would follow.

The ones on stage were feeling completely different. The two locked in a kiss had their eyes wide open. No sunglasses in this cruel word could hide Harima's stricken eyes from Yakumo. Strangely, no one shoved the other in instinct nor reacted in a same vehement manner. There was a split second that their eyes mellowed, surrendering their fate to whatever Higher Being who looked upon them and made all this permissible.

The being above them, though, woke up from the shock. To correct her blunder somehow, Akira wrapped her arms around Yakumo and hoisted the rappel line, pulling them both out of the stage and kiss, leaving Harima behind. He got up from the bed, dazed and confused, and in the process, looking completely convincing he just woke up from a thousand fitful cycles.

Like a bubble bursting, the audience as well as the cast's frozen forms broke.

"What just happened?"

"I think the witch has been kidnapped."

"What plot twist upon plot twist! Most excellent!"

"Well, at least the princess is awake. Just look at her, him – whatever.

The blonde orator woke up when a book fell from out of nowhere in front of her in a thud. Noticing a note saying it's the new script, she picked it up and started reading her lines. "At last, the beautiful princess awoke from a hundred years of slumber. Surprised no one was at her side, the princess resolved to find out who's the brave hero who broke the seal of love. Will she found out whom? Time will only tell. The end."

The audience exploded in applause with how it was executed and how it ended really well.

"Bravo! That was absolutely inspiring!" Tougo exclaimed while clapping continuously. "The greatest play and intriguing cliff-hanger I've seen in my life!" He was now in an empty row, with his "partner" and the drowsy Lara had already left him for continually embarrassing or ruining their sleep.

Akira, still clutching Yakumo, rappelled down, bringing both of them to the ground. The curtain call was passed over and Yakumo was most relieved that she wasn't included because of her abrupt departure and entrance to a play she wasn't part of in the first place. The feeling didn't last long as she saw Eri walking towards her.

"Hey." Eri called her. Her eyes were piercing that Yakumo recoiled from her glare. "Just because you're Tenma's little sister and we all know you, do you think you can get away from doing anything you want?" Eri said an edge over her voice.

"No, I'm sorry." Yakumo meekly apologized. "I – I was only... trying... trying to help." Eri continued her stare as Yakumo's expression turned to fear.

Akira, sensing the growing hostilities sparking, stood between them. "Now, now, there. Both of you just take it easy." She then reassuringly touched their shoulders. "The kiss didn't even land. I saw it. It was hidden by the hat so it doesn't count." Yakumo resisted the urge to look surprised at Akira covering up for her. Eri might notice the lie and further aggravate the situation.

"Whiskers can go screw himself up for all I care, Akira." Eri dismissed her. "That's not what this is about."

"In any event, you both did a great job covering for Mikoto." Akira calmly replied. "Okay, girls, so let's just drop this for now."

Eri turned around. "It's fine with me. But this is about her being too disrespectful. I just think she needs to have someone remind her to stay in her place every now and again." She walked away, leaving them behind.

"You don't understand." Yakumo whispered.

"Closing ceremonies might get a little tense, huh?" Akira joked to lighten the mood. "Sucks to be you." Yakumo didn't seem to get her idea of a joke at her expense. Akira then leaned to her. "Oh, about Harima's kiss, how did it feel?"

"Uhm, I don't really want to talk about that now." Yakumo pleaded, raising her hands in surrender. Akira just smiled and walked away.

Yakumo spend the closing ceremonies apologizing to the rest of the cast of the play, given the faculty MC for the closing was a boring one to stick to. But instead of being scolded, all of them praised her performance, saying it turned out more grand than the original, intended script. This might have made her smile but Eri was still around when they said it, still looking mightily pissed. Yakumo just downplayed her role and reflected the praise to them for their very good improvisation when things flung out to the unfortunate proverbial fan. They called it quits but Eri was unmoved by her attempt and remained in her gloomy world of being snatched of the limelight.

Her "kiss" didn't go over their heads as she hoped as they interrogated her like crazy to speak out. She simply said that it looked like what it was: just a kiss and nothing more. This finally prompted Eri to walk away from them. Yakumo was sure there were thunder clouds hovering above her head when she left.

After that, she started looking for the other half of the kissing end, Harima. She thought about it, with him being more unfortunate since he didn't do anything except for screwing the play. He might also be angry with her: kissing her instead of Eri. Others thought Eri and Harima were dating and who was she to rob him of their kiss? Couldn't she just hide from the bed and wait for it to unfold without her intervention? Why did she even interfere in the first place? She also thought on how Harima gravely looked when she was about to kiss him. Any boy would stake their life to gain that kind of privilege but Harima seemed to be adverse to the idea. It was also the same with Eri but still, it was saddening to think Harima was so repulsed of her.

A sudden thought then hit her. She was reminded that she should give her feedback from the comic he showed her earlier. Thinking this would be a good reason to meet him, she then went to find him.

Several minutes passed and Yakumo still couldn't find him. It was as if he spirited away after the play. Her mind reading abilities didn't help any as Harima's mind was blocked from her. She couldn't blame the man, though, as she, too, was thinking of leaving. But those actions only left things more complicated and messy so she stuck around. Harima, not thinking too much about what others think of him, might not.

Did he just leave? Yakumo wondered.

All of a sudden, the gymnasium went dark and someone announced in the PA that a band was barging their way to the stage for the closing ceremonies, forcing the dull faculty teacher out. Next thing she knew, students were dancing with the upbeat song of the band. Various streams of laser lights shot out from every direction, making the gymnasium into a concert ground.

Yakumo drifted in the edges of the gym, hoping to stumble upon a glooming Harima. She remembered back then in the athletic meet Harima separated himself from the class looking gloomy despite he's the one who led them to victory. No one tried to talk or congratulate him. One reason for that might be his awkward hairstyle. Yakumo wasn't bothered at it in the slightest and she might have approached him except she saw Eri walked towards him. Not wanting to ruin their moment, she just watched them from a far, dancing in the warm glow of the bonfire.

Linking this line of thinking from her earlier ruminations made her depressed. Her stride slowed and she bowed her head in deep thought. She then heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Yakumo!" She then raised her head.

"Hey, Sis." She greeted Tenma weakly. Realizing Tenma wasn't present when she apologized backstage, she continued. "About the play, sorry." Combined her current melancholic state, her apology became more heartfelt.

"Don't worry about it! I'm cool with it." Tenma replied with her ever cheery voice. Her tone slightly changed when she spoke again. "You might want to say something to Eri though, okay?" She stared at the lone blonde staring at the crowd and Yakumo followed her gaze. Eri seemed to be deeply hurt from the incident more than Yakumo expected. "She'll forget the whole thing if you apologize."

Encouraged by her sister, Yakumo went to Eri and apologized to her. When Eri turned around, there was no fire in her eyes anymore.

"Oh, that's okay." Eri said, her voice no longer carrying an edge. "I mean, what's done is done. I'm totally over it so you don't have to worry about it." She lifted up her gaze and continued, "I have to admit, I owe you. Since I've thought about it, I don't have a hat like you to hide it so I would have pretty gone through the kissing scene with Whiskers." Yakumo still didn't have the heart to tell her the truth that she did went through it. Akira might have said that for her compensation for the screw up in her part.

"So you wanna dance?" Eri asked her, much to her surprise. Sensing this would ease the tension, Yakumo agreed.

While they're dancing, Eri asked her if Harima and she were dating. She wasn't really expecting her to ask such questions but given the circumstances, she told her the truth. They weren't dating and the only reason why they meet up was because Harima needed help in a project. What project she didn't specify since Harima warned her not to tell anyone of his comics. Eri was contented with her answer and didn't ask anymore.

With grievances aside, Yakumo complimented her dancing. She really does move fluidly compared to the one she saw during the athletic meet. It was clunky to say the least. But with firsthand experience of dancing with her, it changed. Eri then rose up the beat and they danced even faster. Yakumo tried her very best to follow her every move. Once the music stopped, they were face-to-face, with her bowing to Eri's kneeling position. Everyone seemed ecstatic of the show they performed and Eri complimented her for her dancing skills. Yakumo felt relieved like she just tossed a ton of rusty metal off her shoulders. Though there was a still unresolved issue with Harima, she just decided to enjoy the moment.

Most of the students and visitors went out of the gymnasium, leaving only the cast of the play to clean up. Yakumo chose to stay since she was now a part of it. They grouped up at centre to talk about their plan of action. Yakumo went to them but saw them putting a cross down from the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, it was Harima who was tied in a crucified fashion on the cross. So that's why she can't find him. Harima was crucified in the ceiling all this time. They unstrapped him, releasing him from his mortal bonds.

"As so you know, Harima, this is your punishment for nearly ruining the play. Although it turned fine, justice must be served." Akira announced at them all. Harima just touched the places where the straps were tight. "But given you've exhausted our cast for creating on-the-spot costumes, you will be cleaning this gymnasium – all by yourself." She sentenced him like she'd given him a death sentence. Harima grimaced from the brutal punishment but he knew when he was beaten. He wanted to retort that Akira also screwed up but it wouldn't go that way if he wasn't in the bed the first place.

Yakumo was spared since she helped along to fix the situation and "for that traumatic experience the poor girl went through" in Eri's exact words. They left him in his sentence without another word as Harima continued to sulk to himself. Yakumo, though, repeatedly turned back her gaze at him when they walked away.

After an intermediate time, Yakumo, no longer in a witch costume, went back to the gymnasium to check up on Harima. She still has to give him her feedback and the comics he left at her earlier that day. Opening the door, she found out the gym was now mostly clean with Harima resting. She suspected he was bone tired from cleaning all this mess and so she mustered the courage to help him out.

Harima turned around and saw her approaching. He held up a hand to greet her. "Oh, hey."

"Hello there, Harima." She greeted back. Suddenly, an awkward vibe descended upon her. Remembering that they just kissed each other earlier, Yakumo began to blush.

"I've watched you danced earlier." Harima started talking. It seems he was immune to this awkwardness. "I have a good view from up there and you were great."

Yakumo blushed even more for his compliment. "I just followed her tempo. It's nothing, really."

"I never really got to dance earlier because, well, you know." Harima weakly smiled. He then raised a hand to her, his other hand scratching his head. "So if it's okay with you, can I ask you to dance?"

Yakumo was stunned by Harima's sudden change of demeanour. She wondered why wasn't he wondering why was she here. Did he expect her to come back?

"Oh, I'm sorry." Harima quickly said, noticing her shocked reaction. "If it's not, it's okay." Yakumo was taken aback.

"No, it's okay. It's fine." She reached towards his outstretched hand and held to it. Harima then led her to a stereo conveniently placed on the stage. Yakumo was utterly confused. She couldn't wrap her mind about what's happening. With Harima suddenly inviting her to dance and a stereo placed on the stage. It looked like it was deliberately planned out.

Harima pushed a button on the stereo and a slow song started to play. Both held their hands and they swayed to the tune. With several seconds dancing with him, Yakumo noticed Harima was also good at dancing just like Eri.

"You know, Harima." Yakumo began to speak. "You can dance really well."

"Yeah?" Harima smiled. "After that athletic meet, I started to practice a little dancing. Thought it might be handy someday. That explains the stereo here."

After a few seconds, Harima asked. "By the way, may I ask you a question?" Yakumo nodded. "You're the one who prepared the cake yesterday, didn't you?"

Yakumo looked surprised, bowing her reddening face. "H-how did you know that?" she stuttered.

"Well, your sister told me earlier." Harima smiled at her. "You know, from up there and being alone here, I had time to think about things." Yakumo's heart started to beat faster. She wondered what was happening to her. She hasn't felt this way before since, ever.

"To realize I was motivated to create that 120-page comic in one sitting was not because of Tenma but because of you. I never noticed how hard it was for you when I said I was motivated by your sister when it was actually you who made it. I haven't even thanked you for that. Sorry, if I'm being talkative now."

Yakumo's mind was in an uproar. Her heart was thundering in her ears and she was sure Harima could also hear it. Harima must have dropped his head or experienced another comparative injury. He must have eaten something so strange it changed his brain chemistry. Maybe someone switched places with him and was now acting like him in his place. Or maybe because it was that...

That...

"I thought you hated me after... you know." He paused awkwardly and continued. "But seeing you return here, I know you weren't bothered too much about it and that really speak volumes to me." Harima elicited a faint laugh. "To think someone like you to kiss a guy like me and still be okay with it? I would never believe it until it happened to me." Yakumo's eyes started to well up with this revelation. She thought the same too, that Harima might be angry at her. Now she felt dumb she was sad earlier when she was searching for him when all this time he was on the top of the gymnasium looking longingly at them.

She quickly closed the gap between them in a hug, her head leaning to his chest. She suddenly didn't care if this would mean more than just a hug. Harima was taken aback but he just wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay." She whispered and smiled. She raised her head to look at him and there, above his head, something was floating.

Cute. Yakumo.

With this proof that he had fallen for her and she, in return, had fallen for him, she bowed her face to his chest again. She was starting to cry, she knew, but it suddenly became insignificant to what was happening right now.

She might have told Eri she was not dating Harima but she did tell her the truth. They weren't dating, as of that moment.

"So how's the comic? Is it good, Yakumo?"

Surprised that finally, finally, he called her by her name and not just her pet name, she wiped a tear from her eye and smiled even brighter. "More than you can imagine."

They continued to dance in the empty gymnasium, oblivious to the things around them, as if the whole world had gone dark and a lone spotlight was shining down on them.

Weird. How a simple accidental kiss triggered something really unexpected and unbelievable. But she couldn't complain, though. She would gladly do it again, but with the right reasons this time.

Well, that's it!

Sorry if the final act looks totally out of character! I have to end it that way since I'm an Onigiri fan.

Don't forget to review if you liked the story. Peace.