Do you ever find yourself questioning the reality that is before you? Like a mirage, but not so vivid. As if the moment the second you are in right now is just a dream and at any moment you will be shaken awake and it was just a happy little day dream?
That is how Kagami felt as she blinked several times, staring intensely at the blue haired girl before her, as she slowly rose off the ground and away from the shattered photo case, she had a hard time believing that the girl before her was her beloved classmate.
"K-Konata" Kagami felt her lips whimpering under the strain of her own sadness as she struggled to hold back the tears, but despite how much she wanted to reach out and cling to the girl before her, she held stern and kept her emotions in. As she tried to clear her throat to prepare to speak, she had a large knot in her, one that was very hard to swallow down. "Where were you? I had to deliver these silly pastries to your office, why weren't you here to accept them!"
The smaller girl's eye widened in surprise, this was NOT the reaction she had been expecting from a friend she'd not seen in a long time, but her smile relaxed as she replied "It's nice to see you too, I'm very happy my Tsundere hasn't changed one bit, still missing me I see?" She almost purred.
Kagami's face scowled as it lit up with a red hot flash. "I didn't come here to see YOU! Stupid, I was simply here to drop off Tsukasa's pasties and WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CALLING ME THAT!" She steamed.
All Konata could do was chuckle at the purpled haired girls response. "See! See!" She exclaimed as she pointed her finger. "I knew you missed me! I knew it!"
Kagami sighed as she pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Yes, fine, I did." She let a smile creep across her cheek. "How could I no- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LEG?" Kagami's eyes stretched wide open, she was slightly more shocked she didn't notice it right away, Konata was propping her self up with a walking stick as her left leg sat somewhat unnaturally and limp.
"No, no. It's fine! Nothing's happened" Konata said with a mock smile and worried brow. "I just took a little tumble, my shields were down and there wasn't any health packs, so sadly I've sustained minus fifty agility, perma damage." Konata jokingly hanged her head in defeat as Kagami smiled just a bit, it was nice to hear Konata rambling about video game facts again, but.
"I'm going to try my hardest to weave through your bile of nonsense, and going to assume you are trying to say your leg is not repairable." Kagami arched a brow.
"Yeah, afraid so, I keep banging the damned thing, so it's never going to heal right." She tapped her leg with the stick and gave a crude smile.
After that neither of them spoke, simply enjoying the air between them? Kagami thought, but no, the truth was that, something was off about Konata, she seemed, strange in some way, off was the best way to put it, Kagami thoughts continued to whirl until a crack was heard beneath her shoe, as she looked down she saw the photo frame she had accidently broken.
"Huh?" Kagami puzzled as she looked at her feet as she suddenly recalled breaking the frame.
"OH! GOD, I'm so sorry, I came in here and I got a phone call, I panicked and…" She continued to fret as she lifted the pieces up off the ground, being careful not to cut herself or drop any shards. As she kept apologising and barrelling on, she did not see the smaller girl hobble over and place a comforting hand on her.
"It's fine, it's just a picture, surprisingly, and I can take more of those." She joked.
Kagami lifted the photo of Konata and the man out of the frame and starred at it intently, before turning the photo towards Konata and regretting her next line of questioning.
"So? Who's this? Your boyfriend?"
"Nope, fiancé actually." As soon as Konata had finished those words Kagami felt her entire world sink beneath her feet, she'd been holding onto the thought of Konata for so long, she never considered she could get a BOYFRIEND, let alone a fiancé.
"So? Where did you meet the lucky fella?" Each line of questioning felt like a punch to the stomach for Kagami, why was she doing this to herself? She didn't want to know, she just wanted to head for the door and be gone.
"Um, at University actually, he was a big help with classes, projects and really one of my only friends while I was there." If only Kagami wasn't caught up in her own anger and frustration towards herself, she'd see the girl she longed for tremble under the weight of her own words.
"Well, I hope you two are really happy together." She could not of lied to herself more as she placed the photo down and turned to her smaller friend. "But I've got to jet, Tsukasa is probably wondering where I am and,… she wanted me to pick some stuff up."
"HEY!" Konata quickly held onto the sleeve of her taller friend before she had the chance to leave. "Lets not, um, you know, not be silent for another several years, let's exchange each others numbers and maybe meet up for a drink or something, my… hubby." She could not grind her teeth more as she forced those words out. "Is out of town for business, so perhaps we could do some catching up."
Kagami paused as she forced the tears to stay in place behind each of her eyeballs and loudly proclaimed. "ALRIGHT! I'd love that."
The two then proceeded to exchange numbers and embraced each other for a long overdue hug, Kagami made her way out of the building as she stayed in the moment of that short embrace, before it was shattered by a text from that little blue haired devil.
"Hey! What about, drinks this week? Maybe, Just give me a date and I'll be there."
Kagami's face lit up as she smashed the keypad with her fingers. "Sure, how about this Monday? Meet you outside the old school? I get off around 11:00 in evening, if that's okay?"
"That's perfect." And with that Kagami slid her phone back in her pocket and quickly looked around before she did a series of twirls of joy and slammed herself right into her own car with a mighty thud. As she clambered for the door she quickly climbed inside and smiled, she couldn't wait until Monday, but little did she know that Monday had a surprise in store for her.