Disclaimer: I do not own Maria+Holic.
A/N: Sorry, if the characters are a bit OOC, but they kinda have to be...for their own sakes...
By the way, the first 10 chapters of this series can be found on One Manga...!!!
"I love you, Kiri Nanami." She had finally confessed her feelings.
Kanako Miyamae stated those three words without any hesitation, without any sign of fear in her eyes. She was giving it her all this time; she wasn't going to back down. Kanako truly meant what she had said. Yet, Kiri Nanami continued to stare back at her with that emotionless gaze seemingly plastered onto her bespectacled face. A heavy silence befell the two girls. A light breeze blew by as they stood together, alone, in the forest trail leading towards the front gates of the school. Not a word was said between them.
Kanako gulped. She had a pretty good idea of how Kiri's response would go, and if it did play out as she predicated, it wouldn't lead to a happy ending for her.
Then finally, having decided to break the silence, Kiri tapped the rim of her glasses to keep them from sliding downwards. "...You're joking, right?" she responded bluntly. The air around them seemed to drop by several degrees.
Kanako shook her head, trying to hold back the overwhelming sadness that was beginning to swell up inside of her. "No...I'm not. I mean it, Kiri-san. I...I love you with all of my heart...I've been, uh, interested in you for a while...to tell the truth..."
"Really?" Kiri raised an eyebrow.
Kanako nodded.
Kiri let out a tiny scoff, and Kanako suddenly began to lose heart in her endeavors. "Are you still clinging onto the small, yet completely false, hope that when I claimed to be your girlfriend back then...you think that I actually meant that? Do you believe that I really have any desire to be with you?" she asked.
"Uh...uh..." Kanako could feel her head practically spinning in circles as she attempted to come up with a reasonable answer.
"Do you really think that two girls can date? Do you, Kanako Miyamae? Do you expect me to become a lesbian just to please you? Is that what you want?"
"...N-No...well...maybe...I...I suppose...?" Kanako replied, her explanations falling to shambles even as she spoke, "I...I just...I...I think you're a great person and everything...and...and I like you alot...and I...oh god...what the hell am I doing? This is...this is so stupid...I'm so stupid...dammit..."
Blushing bright red, Kanako buried her face in her hands, "Oh my god, look at me...stammering on and on like an idiot...heh...just...just forget I even said anything, okay? I...I totally embarrassed myself in front of you... and I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry for wasting your time like this..." A single tear slipped out from between Kanako's fingers, and hit the ground with a tiny plop. Kiri remained still, as if she was nothing more than a stone statue.
Although it did not show on her face, a thousand thoughts were playing in Kiri's head all at once. She considered every option, every detail, every choice that could play out the rest of her life from here on out...and she knew what she wanted to do. After all, as it so happened, she was the same as Kanako.
Spinning around on her heel, Kanako was about to walk away, completely ashamed with herself, when Kiri did something that completely altered the downward spiral of destruction that this situation had been heading. Reaching out, she clenched tightly onto the taller girl's arm, holding her in place. Kanako still hesitated to turn to face the other girl. Kiri bit her lower lip, afraid of what was about to come out of her mouth. Finally, she took in a deep breath, and said calmly:
"Listen, Kanako Miyamae...I believe I reacted incorrectly to your statement of love...I said all the wrong things, when I really meant the opposite...and I actually kinda like you too...so, the truth is...if you would be very willing to forgive my harsh words...I...I wouldn't mind giving this relationship thing a try, I suppose..."
Gasping, Kanako turned to look Kiri directly in the eyes, and she asked in disbelief, "...You...you mean it? You want to...be my girlfriend...? Really? We'll get to cuddle, and kiss, and hug, and have sex and everything?!!"
For the first time, Kiri blushed a vivid crimson. "Y-Yes," she nodded frivolously, "I...I want to be your lover, Kanako...for real...I really do..."
A wide smile of absolute joy broke out on Kanako's face. She didn't even suffer one of her usual nosebleeds this time, despite the intensifying cuteness of Kiri blushing. 'OH, MOTHER IN HEAVEN...I'VE FINALLY GOTTEN MYSELF A CUTE GIRLFRIEND!!! FOR REAL THIS TIME!!!! THERE IS TRUE JUSTICE IN THIS DARK, CRUEL WORLD OF OURS, AFTER ALL!!! OH, PRAISE THE LORD!!!!'
"Kanako...kiss me..." Kiri whispered, her hormones suddenly raging now.
Kanako thought for a moment. "...OKAY!!!"
Letting out a happy squeal, Kanako pulled Kiri into a tight, loving embrace and kissed her passionately on the lips. Their tongues lashed about as they struggled for dominance. It was her first lesbian kiss, and it was the greatest thing she had ever experienced, at least until sex anyway. A trail of saliva began to roll down Kanako's chin as Kiri's tongue entered her mouth. Kiri quickly removed her glasses and shoved them deep into her chest pocket now that the kissing session had so quickly intensified into full-blown making out. Kanako Miyamae and Kiri Nanami had become a couple.
Unbeknownst to either of the two girls, however, Mariya Shidou had been watching the entire thing from afar. Smirking to himself, he brushed a few strands of his long blond hair out of his face and leaned up against one of the large, shady oak trees as he said aloud, "Heh...I didn't expect things to play out like that. I was just about ready to intervene and attempt to FORCE them to hook up..."
Stepping out of the shadows, Matsurika Shinoji dully remarked, "First you dress as a girl...then you cosplay...and now you like to involve yourself with other peoples' love lives. You are a rather sad human being, you know that...?"
"I'll kill you later, maid...!" Mariya snarled with a wide, cheery smile on his face.