Takes place about four years after GX, and assumes they were together during that season.
Tsubasa wasn't sure why her father had invited her for a private dinner at home. Their relationship was always very formal, and if he had something to tell her, he didn't need to go through such a needless ritual. She sat across the table from him, hands folded in her lap, silent until he spoke first.
"Tsubasa," he said, dipping his spoon into the bowl of miso soup. "Have you been well?"
"Is there a need for such formality here?" She gave him a hard stare, not out of anger, but to pressure him into being direct with her.
He gave a heavy sigh, placed his hands flat on the table, and looked at her. "It's about your grandfather."
"I've arranged to visit him later this week, if that's your concern." Fudou Kazanari was in the hospital, on his suspected deathbed. Family members both close and distant were swarming his hospital room, hoping to make it into his will in case it hadn't been finalized. It was only a matter of time before those same people would try to appeal to her, as the next head of the family.
"I have no doubt you plan to see him, but…Tsubasa, I'm sure there's some questions he's going to ask you, and I'm not sure you have acceptable answers." He picked up the bowl of rice and put his chopsticks into the mound, but left them still as if he had no appetite.
"What Grandfather has to ask me is of my concern." However she knew he was right. There were certain responsibilities he would address that were on her mind, but she had no interest in discussing with him.
"Listen, I have no doubt in your ability to lead the family. I don't question your choices up until but your grandfather is different."
"Just be direct with me, Father." Their relationship had been improving, but lately there had been a rift between them that she placed. She held certain secrets from him that were only getting larger and harder to hide.
"Marriage, Tsubasa." He folded his hands in front of him. "I can't blame you for not being married at your age, but the others are talking about you being 23 and never having had a suitor."
Tsubasa brought the soup bowl to her lips and sipped it slowly, buying herself time to answer. This was what was driving that rift between them, and she dreaded the day he would bring it up. In hindsight she knew she should have prepared an answer, but it had been easier to put it off and forget.
She must have taken too long, because Yatsuhiro spoke again. "I know it's not my business, but they're speaking of an arranged marriage. I suggest you at least find a man just in the meantime, to appease your grandfather."
As head, she was expected to marry a man and birth at least one heir to succeed her while still in her prime. The problem she avoided was that as things stood now, that was impossible.
"I already have someone in mind." Her partner had been pressuring her to tell him, under the circumstances. "We've been discussing marriage." It was a small lie; they had spoken about moving in together as a permanent arrangement, but the word "marriage" was never directly said.
"Hmm." He looked surprised, but not angry. "I haven't heard anything of this."
"Maria," she said, though she wasn't sure if she was loud enough for him to hear her.
"What about your friend Maria?" His face was unreadable.
She swallowed hard and, although she couldn't look him in the eye, raised her voice to an audible level. "I have been thinking about taking Maria as my wife."
Yatsuhiro sighed loudly and leaned back in his seat, tilting his head upwards so she couldn't see. Eventually, he said, "They're not going to accept this. She can't give you an heir, and she's a Westerner, no less."
"I'm going to be the family head, it's my decision." She steeled her glare, focusing on the flower fixture between them.
He looked back at her with a sympathetic expression. "I'm not mad, I'm happy if you're happy. But your grandfather-"
"Is going to die soon, and can't influence me anymore," she finished for him.
"Tsubasa, think about your mother." She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the tears that were threatening to surface. This was the expected result, but it was different thinking about it than experiencing it. "For her to have you...it was a great sacrifice for the sake of the family."
"Mother and I aren't the same person." She was grateful to be born, but that didn't obligate her to also carry the child of someone she didn't love. Maria did want a family, and when the time came they already decided on adoption.
"How will you get married? Same-sex marriage is outlawed."
"We can enter a domestic partnership in the Kanto region, or we can have an official wedding overseas." This wasn't something they had talked about yet, but she had done the research in her own time.
"This is your responsibility as a Kazanari, Maria will have to understand." His voice was getting firm at her rebellion.
She wasn't in the mood to argue. What she wanted was a situation where her life wasn't dictated by an outdated tradition. At the very least, she would settle for a couple hours' worth of catharsis spent in Maria's arms.
As head of the family, she made a formal decision to end the conversation. Standing and pushing her chair in, she calmly said, "We're done talking."
"Wait." Despite his protest, she continued towards the door, only hearing a quiet, "Tsubasa..."
Although Tsubasa knew Maria's schedule, she still texted her asking if she was available. She asked to spend the night at her place, away from her family. If Yatsuhiro was going to share her secret, she would rather her not see them all until everyone knew and she could address them all at once.
She'd tried to hold a proper conversation over dinner with Maria, but with the conversation with Yatsuhiro weighing on her mind, she found herself mostly listening. Maria asked her if something was wrong, as she didn't have much of an appetite either, but Tsubasa denied it.
They laid in Maria's couch afterwards, the TV left on a game show Maria enjoyed, though her focus was on her phone. She was curled into Tsubasa's side, who was staring at the screen but not actually watching. Anything could have been on, and it wouldn't have pulled her out of her head.
"Tsubaasaaa." She was suddenly aware of a hand waving in front of her face.
"Maria?" She was still leaning against her, looking up at her with concern.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Maria reached up to brush the bangs out of Tsubasa's face.
"It's nothing." Part of her desperately hoped that if she ignored the problem until Fudou's death, it would simply go away. Another part knew the problem would persist, but she ignored that too.
Maria pouted for a quick second, before she pushed herself higher to kiss her cheek, then pushed up a little further to breathe against her ear. "Then maybe," she said in a breathy voice, slipping her fingers under Tsubasa's shirt to brush against her stomach, "I can take your mind off nothing?"
Without meaning to let it escape, Tsubasa released a heavy sigh. Maria hardened her expression, giving Tsubasa what Kirika and Shirabe had dubbed the "mom stare." "Tsubasa, what's wrong?"
"I don't think we can be together anymore." She turned away so she wouldn't have to see Maria's hurt face. "It's my family."
"What happened?" Her voice was serious, but not as steady or confident as it usually was.
"They expect me to have an heir." It didn't have to be said that Maria couldn't do that for her.
"And?" She paused. "That's it?"
"If my family doesn't approve there's nothing I can do."
"But…this isn't your family's decision, this is about us." She sounded hurt as predicted, but confusion edged into her voice. "Nothing else has stopped us before, why should this?"
"My family didn't know before." If only she hadn't taken the cowardly route and told them sooner, before she had planned on being her partner for the rest of her life.
"I don't understand." Tsubasa felt Maria's fingers on her chin, trying to turn her head towards her, but she twitched away. "This is our decision. If you want to marry me, why would this stop you?"
"It's different for you, you're…." She wasn't sure if it was her being an orphan, or a Westerner, but their situations were different.
"I'm what? Someone who believes in thinking for yourself?" Tsubasa turned to face her at that angry tone, but regretted it when she saw the pain on her face. She wanted to turn away, but her gaze was held in place by her intense eyes.
"You're someone who is expecting me to abandon my family, Maria." They had never been particularly critical of each other, but she was toeing a line with this.
"When did I demand you abandon them?" She raised her voice a little, and Tsubasa suspected she was on the verge of crying. "You're letting them decide your life for you. You're the head of the Kazanaris soon, I thought nobody has the authority to control you."
"It's not control, it's respect." For the second time today, she had to hold back tears.
Maria closed her eyes, and when she opened them, her face had softened and returned to unfiltered pain. "I don't understand."
Tsubasa felt the first tear slide down her cheek. "This is just how it has to be."
"Then, you can break up with me directly." She pulled away from her and sat upright. "If you want to end this, Tsubasa, tell me right now."
"I…." She couldn't do it, the words were stuck in her throat like she could physically choke on them. Her family was important, but Maria had become just as important to her over the past several years. "I need some time to think about this."
Maria reached out towards her knee, but withdrew her hand before it connected. "You can stay the night here if you'd like, if you don't want to return home."
"I'll sleep out here." Even more now than before she wanted to fall asleep next to her, and wake up in the same position. But if she had to cut ties with the person she was closest with, she couldn't torture herself by drawing it out.
"Then…I'll go to my room and let you think. Good night, Tsubasa." She recognized when Maria was forcing herself to sound collected, and now she was fronting very forcibly.
"Good night." It took much control to not watch her leave, and she stretched out across the full length of the couch. She turned the TV off to eliminate that distraction, and settled into her thoughts.
There shouldn't have been any hesitation. Her father disapproved, and she knew the rest of the family would too, and they considered it a requirement that she carry the biological heir of both her and her suitor. But if she were being honest with herself, Maria made her happier than her distant family.
It was an internal war between her duty to herself and duty to her family. Her whole life was spent honoring her family, but before she had found herself as more than a tool, she wasn't sure she could consider herself happy. Maria gave her something that not even Kanade was able at their young age. Maria gave her enough that the teenage romance that almost destroyed her wasn't such a painful memory.
Although it was too early to sleep, she knew it was going to be a long, sleepless night. Her mind wouldn't quiet itself enough for her to fall asleep, and she wanted to decide on a course of action as quickly as possible. It was after four that she passed out from sheer mental exhaustion.
In the morning, Tsubasa wasn't sure if she had the right answer, or if she was about to do something regretful. She woke up rather early considering the late night she had, the result of a life of early rising. Tired and not entirely sure of herself, she left the couch and headed towards Maria's bedroom.
It was early enough that Maria might have still been asleep, so she turned the knob and opened the door as silently as possible, praying it wouldn't creak. She saw Maria sitting on the edge of the bed, unbuttoning her pajama top, pants abandoned on the floor.
"Tsubasa?" Maria didn't look upset or embarrassed, but Tsubasa heard her cover herself with the sheet when she turned away respectfully. "How are you feeling?"
"Can we talk?" She wasn't going to dawdle with small talk beforehand. Maria deserved the answer sooner rather than later, and she wanted to minimize the time she would have to second-guess herself.
"Come in." Maria patted the spot on the mattress next to her, inviting Tsubasa to sit. She redid the buttons on her top, keeping the blanket over her bare thighs.
Tsubasa sat quietly for some time, eventually forcing out the words, "I know what I have to do."
Maria also sat in silence, and Tsubasa caught a glimpse of fear on her face before she turned away. "What's that?"
"I…think you were right. I am the head of the family, but I don't think that means I have to disobey all of their expectations." When Tsubasa didn't get a response, she continued. "I love you, and…I want your help in modernizing the Kazanaris and abolishing the family head system."
After another pause, Maria turned to her with a glimmer of hope visible. "Tsubasa?"
"I think my responsibility to my family is to ensure they no longer have to sacrifice their happiness." She placed her hand over the top of Maria's. "And that can start with us."
Maria threw herself onto Tsubasa, almost knocking her over when she pulled her into a tight hug. "You dummy," she said with a sigh. "I was so afraid."
"I'm sorry I scared you." Tsubasa stroked her back to comfort her, holding her in closer and pressing her face into her hair. Those few hours that she thought they would have to be apart were hell, and she wanted to take all of her in.
After some sniffling, Maria released her and sat up right, holding Tsubasa's hand in both of hers. "Then, Tsubasa," she pressed her lips to her first knuckle and spoke like she'd been rehearsing, "will you make miso soup for me every day?"
Tsubasa sat in puzzlement for several seconds before it clicked and she realized what Maria was saying. Partially to make sure she understood, and partially to tease her, she told her, "I don't believe I've ever made you miso soup."
"I- I mean…will you share my grave when we're older?" Maria looked a cross between earnest and worried, and Tsubasa couldn't help but laugh. "What's so funny?"
"If you want to marry me, Maria," she kissed the tip of her nose, "then you can ask me directly." She didn't think anybody their age in this year would use such an outdated indirect proposal, but it was sweet that she tried something that the older generations considered traditional.
Maria's eyes widened in surprise, and then she pouted. "How was I supposed to know that's what you would want?"
Tsubasa chuckled again, leaning in for a proper kiss, savoring the taste of her lips that she thought she would lose forever. Maria's tongue came between them first, and she accepted it, meeting it with her own. They stayed like that, mouths working against the others', until Maria broke it off first after a soft moan.
"Tsubasa Kazanari." She stared deeply into her eyes as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Will you marry me?"
Although she was expecting it, Tsubasa couldn't help but smile when she heard her say it. "I'd be happy to." She moved in for another kiss, but Maria stopped her with a finger to her lips.
"Have you decided where to hold it? A legal ceremony overseas, or domestic partnership here?" Maria gave a knowing smile that drove embarrassment into Tsubasa.
"How did you…." She had done that research online, when she was alone.
"I had to use your phone and it showed up in the recent search history." Her grin turned sly. "So it didn't seem like it would be risky to ask you to marry me."
Tsubasa felt a blush to rival Maria's rise forward. Having that indulgent fantasy revealed made her feel vulnerable, and being laid out like that in front of Maria was a little shameful. At the same time, there was a relief that she wasn't judging her, and a security in having no secrets from her.
Maria took Tsubasa by the collar to pull her into a forceful kiss, which she happily returned. Before she could wrap her arms around her, Maria shifted to stand in front of Tsubasa, who was still sitting on the edge of the bed. Pushing her down to the mattress by the shoulders and straddling her.
"Maria?" She received another firm kiss instead of an answer, and Maria's hand traveled down her side to slip under the waistband of her sweatpants. Her breath hitched and she gasped into Maria's mouth in anticipation.
"You owe me for scaring me last night." Her other hand stroked Tsubasa's cheek, and she ran her thumb along her mouth.
Accepting her punishment, Tsubasa rushed to fumble with the buttons on Maria's shirt. "Then allow me to make up for it."