Welcome to the Epilogue. Yes, yes. Nothing much to say here. This is the part that shows what happened after a story ends. Yes, yes. I have nothing else to say. Oh, there's quite a time jump here...hope you don't mind. I thought we should hurry up and let Tamao and Nagisa graduate. So this takes place almost a year after the trip.
Disclaimer: I don't own Strawberry Panic, or...I dunno, Tsubomi would own Walt Disney.
A/N: Big shout-out to one of my favorite SP authors, yurianimeotaku, who provides wonderful feedback and ideas. I'm. And to Useful Oxymoron, the only reason why I'm writing SP fanfics. Or else I'd be stuck writing crappy Yu-Gi-Oh fan fics .
Epilogue
Kaname Kenjou was in a dilemma. A very big dilemma. It was getting to the point where she didn't know what she could do anymore, she didn't have quite enough experience to be able to solve her problem. After the trip to Nagisa's summer home, her and Momomi had been spending so much more time together. It was almost as though they were a full-fledged couple. And that's where the problem came from.
It was a partly-cloudy Monday morning, with the sun going into with drawl every fifteen minutes or so. Signs of budding rain were obviously apparent. Kaname slipped on her black leather jacket and boots, and trugged off through many puddles of rain toward Shion's residence. She needed professional help.
When she finally got up to the door, Chikaru answered it. "Oh, Kaname. Come on in."
A few minutes later, Kaname found herself being stared down by Chikaru and Shion, who were supposedly living with each other for the time being. "So," Shion started, crossing her arms and legs and closing her eyes. "What brings you to this neck of the woods, Kaname-san?"
Kaname sighed, narrowing her eyes at them. They were really going to make sure she told her the whole story. "Well..." she started, closing her eyes and sighing. "It's about me and Momomi."
"Naturally," Chikaru said, nodding her approval of the situation. "And what about you and Momomi? Did you two have a fight or something?"
"Far from it. I wish it were as simple as that," Kaname said bitterly, looking away from them. Shion and Chikaru shared a look, they were obviously trying to figure out what was going on between Momomi and Kaname.
"So what's going on?" Shion asked.
Kaname bit her lip and sighed, as though trying to get the words out was causing her a great hardship...and it was. "Well, Momomi wants her and I to get married."
Shion and Chikaru grinned at each other. "Oh, that's amazing!" Chikaru said happily, clapping her hands together. "I'm sure you two will be great together!"
"Well..." Kaname started painfully, gazing up at the two. "The problem is...that I can't handle that sort of thing."
"Oh?" Chikaru said questioningly, looking highly interested. "Is that so? And why not?"
Kaname sighed heavily and leaned into the two, as though she were afraid someone would listen in to the conversation. "Don't pull that crap with me. You two are my best friends, you two...I hate to say it, but you know me better than anyone, you know me better than I know myself. You're smart, you figure it out."
Shion and Chikaru shared another look, thinking and connecting with each other, as Kaname had seen them do many times before. They blinked at each other, and then looked back to Kaname, obviously coming up with a conclusion.
"You're...hm...you're not ready for a long-term relationship, are you? You're afraid of being tied down, you want to be free and lead your own life, as your own person, without anyone getting in your way. Is that right?"
Kaname grudgingly nodded. "She knows. She knows I've been pushing her away since we talked about it, and that I've been a bit...timid...about it..."
"Perhaps," Shion started, and Kaname looked up at her. "Perhaps you two need a bit more time to work this out. After all, Momomi will be continuing school, won't she? It won't make any sense to get married right when Momomi starts her second year of college, and...this conflict you seem to be having with Hikari..."
"What about her?" Kaname spat, looking away. Lately, Hikari had been showing up a bit too much in her life. And she didn't like it one bit, it irritated her so much. She'd randomly see her with Amane in the store, walking with Amane down the street...always with that stupid girl.
Shion sighed and stood up, going over to close the window, since it was starting to get a bit cold. "It's always 'Hikari this' or 'Amane that'...Honestly, Kaname. You have to get over those two."
"I can't if they keep appearing in my life! Shion-san...they're everywhere! It's like...every time I turn a corner...I expect to see Hikari just...standing there..." Kaname said fiercely, lowering her tone. Shion rolled her eyes at Chikaru, who shrugged.
"That sounded highly paranoid, Kaname-san," Chikaru said cheerfully. "In any case, you should at least try to spark up your attitude. Remember, we're all meeting up again for Nagisa and Tamao's graduation ceremony in March."
Kaname gritted her teeth at the thought. Of course...the nitwit's graduation. She had totally forgotten. "Why do I have to go? It's not my graduation."
"We all got together for you and Momomi's graduation, remember?" Chikaru asked, smiling. "I think we should do the same for these girls. They've gone through a lot of hardships, especially Tamao-san, and they need to be supported."
Kaname sighed. "Chikaru-san, a bunch of us graduated at the same time. It was me, you, Amane and Momomi. I mean, we've been out of school for a year now, Shion for two years..."
"I know. But you should be respectfully, nonetheless," Chikaru said firmly. "And we're getting off the subject. About you and Momomi...well...there's nothing else that we can really say, besides the fact that you have to trust each other, and that should be the only thing that matters. Even if you two don't get married, even if you just remain intimate lovers, you can still trust and count on each other and love each other, right?"
"You know, if I didn't need help with this, I would have thought that what you just said was sickening," Kaname said, narrowing her eyes. But she was grateful for the little help that they were able to provide. She stood up and started toward the door. "Well...in any case...thanks for helping me."
"Anytime. And you and Momomi should come by more often. We could use a bit of company sometimes," Chikaru said cheerfully, smiling.
"We could?" Shion asked indifferently, receiving a light push of the arm. Kaname shook her head and opened the door.
"I might not be coming back anytime soon. I think I can take care of this situation on my own..." she said, and with a short wave, she exited the house and traveled back to where she and Momomi were staying. Of course, Momomi was there, leaning her back against the couch in the living room and playing Halo 3. She smirked and sat next to her, taking her into a soft embrace.
"Playing first-person shooters again, Momomi?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in curiosity. Perhaps it was the many hours of playing Halo that strived Momomi to be the scheming, evil girl that she was. Her cute face and a sweet-as-honey voice couldn't fool Kaname...or anyone else...anymore. But that was what she liked in Momomi, the fact that she proved the theory "looks can be deceiving".
Momomi paused the game and looked over at her lover, smiling. "Sometimes you need to take a break from summer work and kick back, relax and play some video games." They both laughed a bit, and silence fell among them. They looked at each other awkwardly, then Kaname stood and began pacing the room.
"Momomi," she started, sounding a bit intimidated for some reason. Momomi watched her, tilting her head in slight curiosity.
"What?"
"About...well, you know...the whole talk about m...ma..."
"Marriage?" Momomi said, looking amused. It sure looked like it was taking a lot to say the things she needed to say.
"Y-yes," Kaname said, looking away from her. "I was...well...thinking about it...and I think...I might be a bit...uncomfortable."
"No, really? I didn't even notice," Momomi said sarcastically, placing her hands over Kaname's now fiddling ones. "What is it about marriage do you think is so intimidating?"
Kaname and Momomi looked at each other, for a long while. Kaname felt as though they were speaking to each other telepathically, trying to understand each other. Kaname tried to send her thoughts to Momomi's brain.
I can't really tell you in words...it's completely unfathomable at the moment. You wouldn't understand...I need my freedom, I can't have my life tied down...Then again...I love you more than anything or anyone, and I want to be with you more than we are now...
"I don't know," she answered. It was lame, but it was true. She really didn't know what was so scary about marriage. She saw it all the time on television, the happy couples sitting around at the dinner table, talking to their children, taking them to camp or soccer practice...all of that seemed like a nice life to live. But not for Kaname. She knew perfectly well that they would either adopt or live alone, just the two of them. But really...would that change anything? They were living alone now as it was, and they acted so much like a married couple already people asked them about it. What would marriage do to their relationship? Nothing.
Momomi, however, seemed to think different. It was a huge thing to her. So why should she take that away from her? Because of her own feelings, that's what. It sickened Kaname down to the last bone in her body. She watched Momomi's expression turn from a look of curiosity to a slight melancholic look, and she nodded silently.
This isn't turning out well, Kaname thought as she watched Momomi turn back to the game with a slight dim-ness of light in her eyes. She sighed and left, venturing off to her and Momomi's room to sit and think to herself a bit more. Momomi wasn't happy with her at the moment, she just knew it. And it was all her fault.
From this moment on...I'm stepping on egg shells. A freaking river of them, and whether they'll end after a few steps or at the end of the river will decide on whether I stop being a coward, or suck up my pride.
With that thought in her mind, Kaname turned on her iPod and leaned back on her and Momomi's bed, engulfing her mind, body and spirit into the music.
Many months later...
"Is everyone here?" Hikari's voice called through a large group of people. It was March, and the 6th year students had just graduated from their time at Astrea Hill. Nagisa was partly sad about it, she would miss her old school days, even though she had only been there for two years. Tamao was just as sad, she wouldn't be able to see Nagisa every day anymore. But they both supposed that it was time to put their childish days behind them, and they had to become focused on being adults.
Everyone was celebrating afterwords, and an amazing amount of people were there. Kaname and Momomi were forced to come by Yaya...who was forced to come by Tsubomi...who was forced to come by Hikari. Kaname took deep displeasure in seeing Hikari again, she seemed a bit more pompous these days. It was as though she ran things there, being Etoile. And even though Amane had already graduated, her appearance at her old school won back her old fame. And so, naturally, the two were as popular as singers in a rock band. But their mind wasn't set on popularity at the moment, because many things were going on at once. It took a great deal of effort to name off all of the people who were present, and Hikari had the great honor of doing so.
"Let's see...eeto...Miyuki, Kaname-san, Momomi-san, Shizuma-sama, Nagisa-chan, Tamao-chan, Yaya-chan, Tsubomi-chan, Kagome-chan, Chiyo-chan, Kizuna-chan, Remon-chan, Chikaru-san, Shion-san, Amane..." Hikari was naming off the people on her fingers. She counted a total of sixteen girls, including herself.
"So that's everyone, I guess," Hikari said to no one in particular, and she looked around and smiled at Amane, who was talking to the head Sister of St. Spica. She caught her eye and smiled back. "Alright, everyone! Get ready for a group picture!"
Hikari noticed that this was a fatal mistake the moment she it left her mouth. All of the girls practically swarmed and trampled over each other, trying to get situated. Well, besides Kaname and Momomi, who were standing in a corner and watching the chaos unfold. After a few minutes, however, Hikari was able to get everyone under control.
"Alright. Shorter people to the front, taller to the back...no, Chiyo-chan, you can't be in the front or you'll be blocked!...Yaya-chan, you can't be in the front, move to the back!...oh brother," Hikari said under her breath, slapping her hand to her forehead and looking agitated. "Sometimes I hate being Etoile..." She watched as everyone sorted themselves according to their height, and stood back to examine the effect.
"Alright, good work everyone! Erm...Sister, do you mind taking a picture? Thank you..." Hikari said, and she forced herself into the group of girls, near the front, while Amane went to go stand with the older students.
"Everyone ready for the picture?!" the Sister asked, and a chorus of "Hai!" followed her. "Alright! San...ni...ichi..."
"Strike a pose!" Kizuna suddenly called, and the girls each went into their own poses. After the picture was done and developed, everyone was given a copy and they were pouring over them.
"Kaname-san, standing there like a statue isn't a pose," Kizuna said, and the people around her giggled.
"Of course it is, I'm posing as a statue," Kaname said, smiling. "And if you don't want your face to permanently represent a statue, I suggest you shut your big fat mouth."
A series of "Oooh's" and "Burn!'s" sounded in the room(mostly from Yaya and the older students), and Kizuna fell silent. Momomi rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, do you have to be so mean? She's only a fourth year."
Kaname blinked at her, tilting her head like an innocent five-year-old. Momomi rolled her eyes again and grabbed her arm.
"Come on, I want food." As Kaname was being dragged off, the Lulim Transformation Club was scheming again. Chikaru, Remon, Kizuna, Kagome and Chiyo were all huddled in a corner and speaking in low voices.
"So, what do you think about our plan for the Graduation party? It's amazing, right?" Kizuna asked, and instinctively grabbed Remon around the waist. "Me and Remon were talking about it all week."
"You two sure have a knack for things," Chikaru said, smiling widely at her apprentices. "And what do Kagome and Chiyo have to say about this?"
Kagome and Chiyo looked at each other, smiled at each other cheerfully, and nodded.
"Oshibaru thinks it's a great idea, and so do I," Kagome said softly, looking to Chiyo. "What about Chiyo-sama?"
"Agreed!" Chiyo said, giggling and smoothing back her hair, which had grown a bit longer since she started growing it out. Everyone had to admit...Chiyo was starting to blossom into a beautiful teenager. She was no longer shy or timid...well she was, but to an extent. Being with Kagome made her real personality awaken. Besides, she liked the fact that Kagome called her "Chiyo-sama." It was just too cute.
On the other side of the room, Kaname was at the piano playing "How to Save a Life" by The Fray, with Momomi sitting next to her and singing. Some people were watching them, others were too busy talking to notice. Yaya was pushing Tsubomi's hands with her own, trying to push her against a wall. Tsubomi was just too damn stubborn and resistant to just take it.
"Hey, everyone! We're migrating to the front gate and meeting at Chikaru and Shion's! Let's hit the road, okay?!" Amane suddenly called after half an hour. She had been getting furtive glances from the Sister, and it told Amane that she thought they were being too rowdy...and Amane had to admit...they were pretty rowdy. "Yaya-chan, give Tsubomi-chan a break and stop sitting on her, odds are you'll squish her."
"Are you calling me fat?" Yaya asked incredulously, not getting up from her perch. Tsubomi's disdainful growl could be heard under her squashed face.
"Yes...maybe I am," Amane said simply. They glared at each other, seemingly staring each other down. Then their faces broke into wide smirks and Yaya finally got off of Tsubomi.
"Honestly, if you weren't enjoying it that much, you should have told me sooner,Tsu-chan," Yaya said, giving herself a mental note to make a huge emphasis on Tsubomi's pet name. Tsubomi growled at her.
"For yourinformation..." Tsubomi started, "my face was being crushed into the ground. I can't really talk through the floor."
Yaya and Tsubomi had their usual, bickering argument over nothing. It just proved that they were more of a couple than they ever thought possible. Their friends found it amusing, their parents found it annoying. But they didn't really care.
As the group exited the graduation ceremony, Nagisa and Tamao hung back. They both stood, side by side, looking at the site of the three schools. They looked at each other intensely. They knew, deep down in their guts, that they would never return. They would have to leave their high school memories behind.
"We'll be okay," Nagisa said, placing a hand on Tamao's shoulder. She could tell that her best friend was becoming melancholic, as she had been on the day of the Etoile elections. She wasn't smiling, and it was as though her very life was being drained out of her.
Tamao looked at her. A sudden wave of emotion flew through Nagisa's body. It was as though she were channeling all of Tamao's bitterness, emptiness and sadness. She frowned at her.
"It's not going to be the same," Tamao said softly, almost like a feeble whisper. "We won't be able to see each other as much anymore..."
"I know," Nagisa sad sadly, looking at the ground. Then she looked back up and attempted a smile. "But we'll still see each other around. We'll plan to see each other, and..."
"Don't be stupid," Tamao said, and Nagisa was taken aback by her sudden change in personality. She had never seen Tamao this way. "It's only been two years since we met...but it seems so much longer. It seems like we'll never get that time back. It's just...gone."
"Tamao-chan," Nagisa said firmly. "Don't think that way! We still have our memories, all the fun times we had..."
"Like the time we had to clean the whole church?" Tamao said, almost smiling. Nagisa scratched the back of her head.
"Well...maybe not that. But we had such fun in summer school, remember? And we saw Amane off during all of her competitions, and watching the tennis match between Kaname and Amane, and watching Kaname's ass get kicked."
Tamao shrugged. "It was fun in it's own way."
"And," Nagisa added, "you helped me through that horrible French exam. We had a lot of good times, see? We had some down times, too, but that's always something we can learn from."
"Why do you always have to be so riechous and carefree? You make me feel like a bad person," Tamao said, and Nagisa laughed, wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulders, and led her off to the group. They appeared in front of Shizuma, who heard the whole conversation.
"How are my fellow Dorks?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood, and they both laughed and gave her a thumbs-up.
"We were just thinking about stuff," Nagisa said, and Tamao nodded.
"Oh, thinking about stuff. Very descriptive, you two." Shizuma wrapped her arms around the both of them, and ignored their protests as she crushed them both close to her as they walked away from Astrea Hill.
I can finally say...that the fan fic is done. DONE, do you hear me?! xD Thank you for being a loyal reader, I really appreciate you for sticking with me to the end.