Chapter 9
Nanako awoke the next morning, a overcast and chilly Sunday, at a rather early hour. The sun had barely begun it resurfacing from beyond the horizon, leaving the bedroom she awoke in dark (if the clouds didn't see to that already). Straining a long, drawn-out stretch of a sigh, she suddenly heard movement to her right.
She quickly turned to the sound's source only to find herself feeling rather foolish: it was Sawako, of course. "Oh yeah, that's right," she told herself, giving the right side of her head a light hit of silly me, "I stayed the night at her place." Kuroi watched Sawako sleep for a few silent moments, her eyes eventually running up and down the length the shape her bare body made though the sheet.
Sliding herself over to the left side of the bed (slowly, as to not wake her partner), Nanako retrieved her phone from a pant pocket and checked the time. It was 7:24. "Still pretty early for a weekend… I know! I make breakfast for the both of us!" Slipping herself out from beneath the covers and putting on her clothes from yesterday, Kuroi crept as quietly as she could out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into Sawako's kitchen.
By the time she had entered the room, she knew what she wanted to serve: miso soup, rice porridge, and poached eggs (because… why not?) Kuroi was pleased to find that her girlfriend's cabinets, pantries, and fridge were all well stocked, making her search of ingredients easy.
Nanako fell into her work easily, taking on both making the soup and porridge at the same time. Being the easier to make, the soup was finished first and immediately Kuroi commenced with the eggs. In her busy state, she failed to notice the person sneaking up behind her, only becoming aware when their arms suddenly reached from behind her and wrapped around her waist.
Kuroi gave an initial shriek, but after recognizing the touch and feel of the arms, followed shortly after by the body that pressed against her back, she quickly felt foolish for being so scared. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," Nanako told Sawako, "especially when they are dealing with hot items."
Sawako giggled as her hold of Kuroi's waste tightened slightly. "Then let's hope no one is sneaking up on me," she said back, "because I'm holding one hot item right now."
"Jesus, that's such a bad joke," Nanako said to herself.
"You know," Sawako continued, "acting like my wife isn't going to change my mind any quicker."
In truth, that thought had never even crossed Kuroi's mind. "What, so I can't just decide to make breakfast on a whim anymore?" Nanako asked back. "Maybe I don't want to be married to you."
Sawako shot back a faux gasp of shock. "How dare you!" she joked as she brought her lips to make contact with Kuroi's neck. "I'm gonna check my e-mail, ok?" Nanako nodded back and Yamanaka relinquished her grip and walked off into the other room.
Kuroi smiled as she returned to her work. "This would be nice," she mused to herself. "The two of us, like this, everyday… forever…" That last thought lingered peacefully in Nanako's head as she set the table, making a visually pleasing presentation of all the food she had cooked, and sat down to await her breakfast companion. Knowing she was just in the other room, Nanako assumed Sawako wouldn't be but a few more minutes.
So she waited.
And waited.
…
And waited…
But once seven minutes passed, Nanako began to worry. "Sawako?" she called across the room, into the open doorway, "you done in there or not?" When there came no response, she rose from her chair and headed toward the next room. She took no more than two steps before her nose was graced with a smell she had not been personally acquainted with for a long, long time.
"What is that smell?" she asked herself as she struggled to peg the answer. "I know I've smelled it before… Wait… It's smoke!" Her immediate thought was that the house was on fire. Running into the next room revealed that hypothesis to be wrong, but what she did find seemed much worse: her girlfriend, pacing the room, furiously smoking a cigarette, something she claimed to have quit over five years ago.
Nanako was almost at a loss for words. "S- Sawako? Wha… What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed at the near top of her lungs. "I thought you quit!"
"I did," she quickly replied, all the while taking more rapid smokes, quickly filling the air of the room in a cloud.
"Then where the hell did those come from?" Kuroi then interrogated.
Sawako suddenly halted her pacing to look Nanako in the eye. "… Ok, so I haven't been completely clean… Besides, I only do it when I'm really nervous… like now."
"Nervous?" Nanako echoed with worry in her voice. "Worried about what?"
Yamanaka aimed a finger at her computer, situated atop a table near a corner of the room. The monitor was opened up to an email. Kuroi approached the screen and began to read the message. It was short but nonetheless precise.
Dear Sawako,
Your mother and I have only recently learned of you and Nanako Kuroi.
We want you to return home tomorrow so that we may discuss this.
Signed,
Takao & Jun Yamanaka
Nanako was unsure how to react to this: as fearful as Sawako or pleased to hear that Sawako was actually hearing from her parents. After all, it had been several years since Sawako became "wild" and lost contact with her mother and father. Perhaps the fact they sent this message was a sign of that they wanted to mending their broken bond.
Kuroi turned back around to see that Sawako had slumped herself backwards into a loveseat, her panic-stricken eyes aimed toward the ceiling, perhaps wishing it would fall on top of her at any second. "I don't understand," Nanako said as she approached Sawako, "aren't you happy that your parents are talking to y-"
In a blink of an eye, Sawako shot back to her feet and grabbed Nanako by both shoulders, her fingers entering a death grip. "Have you forgotten?" she yelled at Kuroi. "If they banished me from the family just because I became 'wild,' what do you think they're going to do to me now that they found out about you? About us?"
"… Why are you so worried, Sawako? You're not a kid anymore, you know? You don't have to listen to them anymore."
"I know, I know. It's just… My parents sort of… terrify me."
"Terrify?" Kuroi echoed.
"When I became wild, they didn't just kick me out of the house. Father declared that I was 'a disappointment to the entire Yamanaka family' and that I was shaming my entire lineage…" Sawako paused to heave a nervous breath. "I never told you about my parents before… My father is a war veteran from World War II."
"Jesus," Kuroi whispered in stun. A mental image of Sawako's father popped into her head at that moment: she imagined a frightening "G.I Joe-like" character, dressed in robe, the cloth stretched to the point of near breaking from the massive muscles it housed. The image for her mother, however, she was not able to produce, but Kuroi imagined she was none too pleasing to be in company with.
"He use to tell me all these scary stories about the war," Sawako continued, her gaze lowering to Nanako's feet. "After the war was over, he made a vow to atone for his sins and never kill again. That's when he devoted his life to our family's shrine.
My dad is about as religions as one can possibly be, and because of that, I was raised to be what he saw as a 'perfect little girl.' So, needless to say, when I began to change who I was to gain the attention of my childhood crush… he became angered at me.
I pretended not to care when they kicked me out of their home… but I was actually heartbroken." Yamanaka finally lifted her eyes back to Kuroi's. "How could he do that? Kick their only daughter out of their home for something as stupid as that?"
All these things about Sawako were things that Kuroi had not known until this very moment. She understood why Sawako would keep such things a secret (being such unpleasant memories) but Nanako was both happy and saddened by the revealing of Sawako's past.
"Well…" Nanako finally answered, "maybe you can ask them today?"
"Wha- Ask them?" Sawako echoed.
"The email asked that you see them 'tomorrow.' It was sent yesterday. We can both go and straighten this whole thing out together," Kuroi explained, putting a smile to her face.
"I… I guess…" Yamanaka replied, "… but isn't it a little risky for you to come? I mean, it just might make things worse."
Nanako reassured her friend by reaching her arms around her waist. "I won't let you do this alone."
"… Thank you, Nanako."
"Now then, let's have our breakfast, ok?"
Yamanaka smiled. "Sure."
-o0o-
After their breakfast and first stopping off at Nanako's apartment to change into clean clothes, the couple began to undertake what would be a long drive to Sawako's hometown. With Sawako at the helm of her car, she drove through the congested freeway with Nanako in the accompanying passenger seat. Throughout the entire ride, the two spoke very little, silently conveying their nervousness.
They arrived in Yamanaka's town at around noon (making a total drive time nearing a staggering three and a half hours.) In contrast to the town Nanako grew up in, this town was much larger and sported an urban-like setting in its center. It was there in a parking complex that Sawako parked her car.
The couple walked side by side along the sidewalk. Sawako's eyes could not help but wander, to take in the sights around her. They were currently strolling through the shopping district, where many passersby were out and about, making their various purposes. "Bringing back memories?" Nanako asked her.
"Yeah," she replied, her tone still conveying nervousness. "I use to hang out a lot with friends here. You know, what I was allowed out…"
"… So how much farther is your house?"
"Not much farther. It built on a hill on the edge of this district, near the park. You'll know we're there when you see trees."
Not a few more minutes of walking and a turn around a corner brought before them the sight of the aforementioned trees. A tall hill seemed to rise in an out-of-place manner from the urban setting. A steep stone stairwell cut a path through the trees and up to the hill's peak, its beginning adorned with a sign that read "Yamanaka."
The couple stood in silence before the stairs, each of them waiting for the other to take the first step up. Nanako suddenly grabbed Sawako's left hand with her right. "Let's go."
With a nod in response, both women began their trek upward. As they began, Nanako looked into the branches above to see a pair of ominous black crows looking down on the couple. Even for Kuroi, who chose not to believe in such superstitious things, she saw that as a bad omen. Many steps brought them to the sight of the shrine itself. It was built in traditional ancient Japanese style and was quite large in scale, a flat stone courtyard placed in front of it.
As they approached the front door, Sawako's eyes began to drift to her left and her walking came to a sudden stop. "Sawako?" asked Nanako as she came to a stop herself.
"Over there," she responded, aiming her gaze to a spot in the courtyard. "That was where I met that boy when I was a kid, the boy that made me become wild." She regarded the spot like a long lost memory.
"Oh yeah, what was his name again? Itachi?"
"Ichigo," Yamanaka corrected. "… I wonder if it all worth it? To pursue him at such a great length? After all, it led me to be disowned by my own family-"
"But if you didn't," Nanako continued, returning her hand into Sawako's, "you would have never become the woman I fell in love with."
"… True…"
Just then, just as the two were about to enter through the front door of the building, there came from behind them the sound of fast approaching footsteps. Turning around, the girls were met with the sight of a young woman (probably eighteen years old) running toward them. She had long, deep lavender hair that reached down to her elbows. She was dressed in the traditional red and white attire of shrine maidens. In her right hand was clutched a straw broom.
The girl spoke in a quite (but nonetheless authoritative) voice. "Excuse me," she said, "but you cannot enter here without the consent of the Yamanaka family."
Nanako turned to Sawako and asked "Do you know her?"
She shook her head in reply. "No, I don't. Um, did my dad hire you to take care of the shrine?"
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Your dad…? Wait, are you saying that your Takao Yamanaka's daughter?" Sawako nodded. "That's strange. I don't remember Mr. Yamanaka ever talking about a daughter. I always assumed they never had children."
"Well, he and I aren't exactly on speaking terms… Um, who are you again?"
"Oh, excuse me," the girl quickly apologized with a bow, "I meant no disrespect. My name is Honoka Sakurai. I've been working at this shrine for only the past year. Um, what is your name?"
"Sawako Yamanaka. This here," she said, gesturing to Nanako, "is Nanako Kuroi. We're both here to see Takao. Let me guess: he's in the 'Meeting Room," correct?"
"Y- Yeah," the girl replied, as if shocked to hear her guess correctly on the first try. "I guess you really are his daughter… Well, yes, he has been there all day. He told me this morning that he was expecting visitors but he refused to say who. I guess you're them…
Well, I suppose you know where he is better than I do, so go on ahead in… I hope whatever happens turns out ok."
"Yeah… me too," Sawako said back. Giving Nanako once more glance, they approached the door together. The sliding door opened into a narrow hallway, its floor made of immaculate hardwood and the walls made from wood framing and thin paper. The hallway seemed lined with sliding doors, each of them perhaps leading into another room.
Nanako followed Sawako closely as she walked the corridor to its end, where it then branched to the left and right. Taking the left, the two pass three more sets of doors before that passageway ended, leaving one final door in front of them.
"This is it," Yamanaka whispered. "This is where they'll be, waiting…"
"Don't worry yourself," Nanako assured her girlfriend. "Just remember: you make your own choices now."
Sawako heaved one last tense breath before reaching forward and sliding the door open to the right.
The room was bare, a ten foot by twenty foot space of hardwood floor and paper walls. At the end of the room opposite the door sat, atop of two cushions, two individuals: one male and one female, both clearly elderly. Without warning, the man's surprisingly deep and almost threatening voice echoed across the room and into the couple's ears.
"Sit down," he commanded.
At a five foot distance in front of the man and woman were two more cushions. Slowly did Sawako and Nanako enter and, one reaching the pillows, bent down to sit (Sawako sitting in front of her father and Nanako sitting in front of the mother.) At this distance, Nanako could finally get a good view of her girlfriend's parents.
As it turned out, her "G.I Joe" caricature was not too far off. The man who sat before her was a man in his early eighties but, despite his age, looked perhaps fifteen years younger. Housed under dark blue dogi-like attire was a frame that housed huge muscles, muscles he no doubt obtained from the war. His white hair was still cut in square, military fashion, his skin tanned dark, and his square face and jaw, with every wrinkle in it and the look in his eyes, told many stories.
The woman who sat to his right, however, told a completely different story. The woman who sat before Nanako was an almost polar opposite to her husband. Though dressed similarly, her body looked to be no more than bones with skin attached; a frail, light skinned woman who looked as if a light breeze would kill her. The long jet black hair atop her head was tied into a huge bun, two hair sticks impaled through it that kept it in place.
For the first few minutes, not a single person spoke. Instead, the eyes of Takao shifted from her daughter, to Nanako, and back to her daughter in a seemingly never-ending loop. The eyes of Jun, however, remained fixed on Nanako, sending a heated rage in her direction.
After an eternity of time, Takao was the first to speak. "Sawako," he began in a neutral tone, "not a few weeks ago, we were planning on forgiving you of your past transgressions against our family."
"Transgressions?" both Nanako and Sawako thought.
"Youth," Takao continued, "is known to cause individuals to do many things, things that, perhaps, in our right mind, we would never even think of doing. When you first began to change, your mother and I were very disappointed in you, Sawako. We saw what you did as subversion against all the Yamanakas have stood for over the years: morality, purity, and reverence to God.
But now that we look back on this, we see now that, like many youths, you were merely a victim to its power. It was for that reason that we had planned to forgive you and welcome you back into our family…"
"Then what the hell is stopping you?" Kuroi screamed in her head, suppressing her urge to speak up herself.
"But then we learned of this... of her," Takao said, taking a quick but fierce glance at Nanako, a glance that sent ice into her veins. "This is unacceptable. After we heard of all you accomplished after your university days, after hearing that you've become a respectable teacher, we were pleased. But this sends all hope we had of you crashing down! To think our own daughter has become… a dyke."
The word ripped though the two's body like razorblades tossed through the winds of a hurricane. Both girl's faces were now livid in fear, Sawako being the more so.
"What you are doing, Sawako, is a sin. To lay with another woman is unacceptable, deplorable, and far beyond that which God views tolerable in His eyes!" Takao then turned to Jun and gave her a nod, a nod which signified his allowing her to speak.
That bastard. What the hell was he pretending to act civil for? First he says Sawako was redeemable and then says she's not? And what the fuck was his deal, calling us "dykes!"
Jun's voice, continuing her polarity to her husband, was as weak and fragile as her body. Nonetheless, her words were just as venomous. "Your father is right," she said to Sawako. "With this revelation, you continue to bring shame upon your family." She suddenly shot her tiny toward Nanako. "What is your name, girl?" she spat at the now quaking blonde.
"N- Nanako," she stuttered in reply. "Nanako Kuroi."
That was the only civility she received from either parent. Giving one last look at Kuroi, Jun returned her glare back to Sawako. "Your father and I have both come to a decision regarding this."
"Sawako…," continued Takao. "Your mother and I have decided to retract our decision to allow you back into the family. Our decision is final."
Oh no… Sawako, I'm so sorry. Nanako looked to her lover's eyes to see that tears were now beginning to fall from them. I should have never convinced you to come here. I should have told you not to come and to just continue living as we were. It wasn't worth coming here to prove a point to them. I see now that there's no convincing them-
But that didn't stop Sawako from trying.
"… So what was the point of this?" Sawako suddenly asked her parents, choosing to speak for the first time. Her tone was surprisingly calm. Whiping the water from her face, she then asked, "What was the point of coming here then?"
"What are you talking about?" her father spat.
"If nothing was going to change," she responded, her voice beginning to rise in volume and tone, "I would have not gone at all! I could have just stayed home with Nanako!
So, what was the point of all this, father? Was this some attempt to make me feel guilty? To make me regret falling in love with another woman? Was that your plan?"
"Sawako," answered Takao, "you are sentencing yourself to Hell from your choice!"
"THEN SO BE IT!" Sawako screamed as she shot to her feet. Grabbing Nanako by her right wrist, she lifted her from her seat and, shooting the same arms around her waist, Yamanaka pulled Kuroi against her body and held her tight.
"W- What is the meaning of this?" Jun blurted.
"Nanako and I… Nanako and I love each other," Sawako declared. "I don't care if the family accepts me anymore! As long as I have Nanako by my side, I need nothing else… In fact…
Hey, Nanako."
The blonde slowly turned to look Sawako in her eyes. "Y- Yes?" she asked nervously back.
"Remember that thing you asked me yesterday?... Wanna ask me again?"
No way. This- This can't be true. She wants me to propose again, in front of her parents?
"I know it's in your pocket still. Go ahead, ask me."
It? She means the ring! Oh Jesus, I don't know if I can do it. Her parents are right there!... No, I have to do this. I have to show Sawko's mother and father just how in love we are! I just wonder if I can ask again…
With nervousness that would have caused most to faint at this moment, Nanako slowly began bending down onto one knee. Takao and Jun shot to their feet, fearing what was going to occur next. Trembling hands retrieved the ring from her pocket and, rising it up to Sawako, Kuroi opened the box and presented to her the diamond ring within.
Saying the next five words was infinity more hard then the first time. "Sawako… Will you marry me?"
Her reply was instantaneous. "Yes! Yes, Nanako, I will marry you!"
Elation surged over Nanako like a tidal wave. Sawako had finally said what she wanted her to say: Yes. Nanako jumped to her feet and quickly wrapped her arms around Sawako and she buried her now tearing eyes into her left shoulder and sobbing tears of joy.
"Sawako!" Takao yelled. "What in God's name do you think you're-"
"Shut up, dad!" Sawako shot back. "Nanako and I are going to get married whether you approve or not! If you have any sympathy or compassion left in you, you'd at the least wish us luck… but that would be asking the impossible, wouldn't it?" When there came no words from the both of them, Sawako knew their meeting was over.
"Come on, Nanako. We're leaving." And with that, with an arm of Nanako's still on her girlfriend's waist, they left the Yamanaka home.
When the two reached the center of the courtyard outside and as they continued forward toward the stairwell, Yamanaka finally spoke. "Listen, Kuroi, I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that. I just needed to prove to my parents that I didn't care what they said anymore. I wanted to show them that-"
Her explanation was cut short when Kuroi, spinning herself in front of Sawako, pressed herself against her body and thrusted her tongue into her lover's mouth. Sawako was quick to return the favor but was nonetheless taken back by this sudden affection. The two continued to kiss and caress the length of their bodies, leaving an on looking shrine maiden to gawk in awe at their blatant love.
When their lips finally broke contact, the expression on Nanako's face was one of pure elation. "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "We're going to be married, Sawako! I've never been happier!"
Sawako smiled back, happy to see her partner so joyful, but the grin quickly went away. "Nanako," she said, her voice taking a decidedly solemn tone, "about marriage… I'm really sorry to say this, but… It's illegal for us to get married in-"
"Yeah, I already know."
"… You do?"
"But don't worry. I've got a way around this." Reaching into a pocket in her coat, Nanako retrieved two pairs of airplane tickets: one had an orange border, connotating international travel, and the other had a green border, representing travel within the country of Japan.
"What the-? What is this?" Sawako asked.
Kuroi gave a playful grin. "We are going to get married, but it won't be in Japan," she explained.
"… Where the hell are you taking me?"
"Canada."
"Canada?" Sawako echoed. "as in 'that-country-above-the-United-States' Canada?"
"The same. Canada allows foreign same-sex couples to marry there! Both these tickets are round-trip, but our trip to Canada is only for one day. Well need to head back to Japan by the next day."
"O- Ok… So, what's the other tickets for?"
"Our honeymoon in Okinawa."
Okina- Where did you get the money to-?… Mugi, right?"
"And help from some of my students as well. One of my students, Miyuki Takara, paid for the plane tickets while Mugi was gracious enough to pay for our accommodations on our honeymoon. Oh, also, she set up a meeting with someone in Canada to help us translate and get through the marriage ceremony. We planned it all for next week, seeing as that week we both have school vacations-
Sawako? You ok?"
The look on Sawako's face at that particular moment was a strange mixture of deadpan, disbelief, and shock. She broke her grip of Kuroi's waist to take a few stunned steps backward. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait, this can't be happening," she rationalized aloud. "This- This is just too easy. Things never happen this smoothly. Ever! Am- Am I dreaming or something?"
Nanako reassured her future wife by approaching her and resumed her hug. "You're not dreaming," Kuroi said. "Everything from here on out will be perfect. I promise."
As dubious as that statement was, Sawako smiled, knowing that this was a promise Nanako would keep.
-o0o-
For six days the now engaged couple were forced to wait until their trip out of Japan could begin. On that sixth day, both teachers revealed to their respective students the good news of a successful proposal. It goes without saying that they were all ecstatic. In addition, they were told not to tell anyone of the wedding or the honeymoon until after they got back.
So, naturally, when the newlyweds returned after the week's vacation, the entire student body and staff of both school knew.
However, that turned out to be a better turn of events. While Sawako and Nanako were away, the school boards of each school talked both amongst themselves (and with each other) about how they would deal with the revelation of openly lesbian teachers working at their schools. Naturally, at first, there was stiff opposition, but as the days went by, such opposition lessened until, eventually, a unanimous decision between all members was made.
Both teachers were allowed to keep their jobs, a decision that some would later peg as a turning point for gay rights in the nation of Japan.
-o0o-
One year later…
With the synchronized striking of one final pose, the cheerleading dance performance of the ten Ryoo High students, done to the song "Motteke! Sailor Fuku came to a stunning conclusion. After a brief instance of silence, the audience exploded into a standing ovation, the applause reaching a near deafening level. Breaking their stance, the ten gave the audience a unison bow before the curtains fell in front of them.
Once out of the view, the girls instantly huddled around each other and excitedly gave each other congratulations and complemented their flawless performance. As this event went on, from a distance away, two now famous teachers (or infamous, depending on your views) watched on from backstage at the display of youth before them.
"I have to admit," said Sawako Yamanaka to her wife, who sat to her left, "when those girls get together, everyone, including that blue haired slacker, can really get things done."
Nanako smiled. "Thanks," she said back. "I would be taking credit at this point, but this was all their doing. I'm really impressed that they were able to coordinate something like this…
It kind of makes me sad that this year a good number of them will be graduating: Izumi, the Hiiragi sisters, and Takara, just to name a few… Damn, I'll miss them, especially after what did for me. For us." Kuroi slid her right hand over and grabbed Sawako's hand.
At that moment, Konata's voice rose over the excited chatter of the other. "Hey guys, look over there!" she announced. "It's Yamanaka-san! Let's go and say 'Hi!'"
Before the couple knew it, they suddenly had ten cheerleaders running over to them, greeting Sawako with enthusiastic "Hellos," "Hi," and one "How do you do?" (take a guess as to who said that.)
"Uh… Hi," she replied nervously to all of them. "I really liked your performance, everyone. You were all fantastic!"
A grin came from a certain blue haired girl. "I bet you just liked the costumes, huh?" Konata joked.
"Izumi, just take the freakin' complement. Why does everything have to be a joke with you?"
"Well, didn't seeing a bunch of girls in outfits dancing turn you o-"
WHAM!
Nanako's knuckles crowned the otaku's head with enough force to send her chin crashing to the floor. "Christ, Izumi," the teacher sighed. "It's been a freakin year and you're still making those jokes? Give it a rest already, please."
"Fine, fine," Konata groaned as she gingerly rubbed her new skin abrasion. Then, taking a quick around, the otaku asked aloud "Where did Hiyori go?"
"Over there," Kagami replied, pointing to the girl in question standing apart from the group. She was currently in the midst of furious sketching, her gleaning eyes making rapid back-and-forths from her sketchpad to the married couple.
"Well, I guess when inspiration hits," Patricia Martin mused, "you gotta go for it."
"And I thought I had weird students," Yamanaka whispered to Kuroi in an aside, to which she giggled.
"Kuroi-sensei," said Tsukasa, "you said you wanted to say something important to us earlier today?"
"… Oh yeah, I did. Well, I planned to tell just the four of you… But I might as well say it now, seeing as gossip spreads in this school faster than the Black Death. Well, the news is this: I'm finally moving into Sawako's place!"
"Really?" Izumi blurted out. "So now, it's like its official!"
"Well," Sawako chimed in, "it just didn't make sense to me: being married but living under different roofs. This way's just much easier for the both of us."
"Not to mention," Izumi chimed once more, "do can to a lot more fu-"
"Not another word!" Yamanaka threatened. "… Hey, Houkago Tea Time's the next band up. You can all meet them backstage before they go on."
"Yes!" the wounded otaku cheered. "Everyone come on. You got to see them!" and as a group, the girls rushed into further backstage to seek out the band.
As the two teachers watched them head off, Sawako shifted on her feet. "Something up, Sawako?" Nanako asked her.
"Well," she replied slowly, "seeing all these kids, all alive with youth, it kind of makes me think."
"About what?"
She paused. "Well… maybe we should have one?"
"A student?"
"No… a child… Nanako? Nanako, are you ok?"
Kuroi had collapsed to the floor in a shock-endued coma. Her wife quickly bent over and tapped her on her left cheek until she eventually awoke. "No," Kuroi replied weakly, "I don't think so. I already deal with enough kids as it is. I'm not ready to live with one just yet."
Sawako smiled. "That's ok," she said back. "I can wait for an eternity as well."
Author's Notes: Just to get this out of the way, Honoka Sakurai is from the anime "Suzuka." She was a shrine maiden in that show as well. Just a tiny cameo for kicks.
Well, I never thought I'd make a sequel, but I'm extremely pleased at how this turned out. It was just as fun to write as the first. I'm not sure if I'll make more Lucky Star/K-On crossovers in the future, but rest assured, if I do, it will envolve the girls. Oh, the possibilities for pairings...
At any rate, I hope you've enjoyed this second installment. Your reviews are most appreciated. Thank you and happy reading to all!
