After a moment that seemed to be too short, they broke off for air.
"What," Tsunade said between gasps of air, "the hell was that."
"That," said Reborn, slightly amused and shocked himself, "was a kiss. It was also my plan."
"Well that was one hell of a plan, and it seems to have worked," said Tsunade, her enhanced senses slowly returning, "I can't feel her presence anymore, which means that she has moved out of the building."
Reborn chuckled and Tsunade could feel his warm breath on her lips. "You know that it takes at least a minute to walk out of the factory, right?"
That means we've been kissing for—Tsunade's realization was cut off when she heard snickers behind them. They spun around to face a very amused Keiko and Kureko, who could barely contain their laughter.
"It seems like you both have finally come to terms with your mutual feelings," said Kureko before bursting into laughter.
"Yay! Tsunade and Reborn are finally together!" exclaimed Keiko.
Reborn and Tsunade sprang apart and began trying to explain.
"There was a stalker—"
"That Reborn met at a bar—"
"Yeah! A-and she kept following us—"
"She was creepily persistent—"
"We had to get rid of her—"
"So Reborn thought of this crazy plan—"
"I admit, it was a bit far-fetched, but the idea was for the stalker to see that I have a girlfriend—"
"Which he does not—"
"—and leave me alone."
"And that's how this whole thing happened."
"So you see," said Reborn, calming down, "I think you both misunderstood. It was just—"
At that moment the store clerk came out of the backroom and smiled at Reborn. "Ah, Chaos-san," he said, completely oblivious of the situation, "Here's the necklace you bought for the lady." The clerk gave the box to Tsunade who stared at it in disbelief. "It took me a while to find a box. Thank you for your purchase." He then walked away, unaware of the damage he caused.
There was a moment of silence, then Reborn buried his face in his hands and Keiko and Kureko broke down in laughter. Tsunade tried to say something, but Reborn laid a hand on her shoulder and sighed.
"There's no use trying to stop them when they're pumped up like this," said Reborn wearily, "We'll just have to bear with it."
They stared at Kureko and Keiko for a little while.
"You know, your plan…was a pretty good one," said Tsunade distractedly.
Reborn looked at her with a startled expression, and Tsunade flushed dark red when she realized the meaning behind her words. "I-I mean," she stammered, embarrassed, "I-it—the plan in general, I mean—worked well in the end."
Reborn couldn't help but blush too, "Yeah…it did work out pretty well," he muttered.
"Thanks for the necklace," said Tsunade awkwardly.
"You're welcome," said Reborn, "Thanks for going along with my plan."
"It was no problem."
They stood there awkwardly for a little while, then Reborn cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to ask where we're going next." He went over to where Keiko and Kureko seemed to finally be calming down.
Something's changed between us, thought Tsunade, watching Reborn try to reason with the couple, I'm just not sure if it's for the better or for the worst. She looked out the store entrance. The only thing I don't understand is why that girl gave up so easily, she thought, confused, her aura had a strong streak of stubbornness, so seeing a simple kiss shouldn't be enough to make her give up.
"Come on, Tsunade!" shouted Keiko, "We decided to continue on shopping instead of bringing you and Reborn to the nearest wedding planner!"
Tsunade cringed slightly at how loud Keiko was and covered her mouth, unable to stop a small smile from spreading on her face, Friends, she thought, I never thought I would really have any, but it's moments like these that I'm happy my fate brought me here, though I had to go through many hardships. Is it possible that with these people, that I can have…a normal life? She shook her head. No, that's not possible, Tsunade thought sadly, I'm in way too deep. Living a normal life would mean throwing away everything I've known, everything that I ever stood for, everything my family ever stood for, everything I have ever done. But, she looked at Reborn and her eyes softened, is that a price really too steep to pay?
"Tsunade!" said Keiko, growing impatient.
Tsunade shoved her thoughts into the back of her mind to deal with later and hurried to where Kureko and Keiko were mercilessly teasing a very frazzled Reborn. As they walked away, Tsunade couldn't help but look over her shoulder one last time. What did happen to that girl? she wondered.
…
Emiko spun around at the sound of the door opening. "Aika-chan!" she exclaimed cheerfully, "You're back!"
Emiko's smile faded as Aika silently walked in and sat down. "Aika-chan?" she repeated, confused, "Are you ok?" Emiko looked around. "And where's that man from earlier?"
Aika sighed and leaned back. "He won't come," she said flatly.
"What?!" shouted Emiko, shocked, "But, that's not possible! You always get who you want."
Aika smiled sadly and shook her head, "No," she said absently, "I don't."
Emiko continued to badger Aika with questions, but Aika's mind was already wandering. It was obvious that they weren't a couple, she thought, you could tell by the way they talked and acted around each other. There were a few mutual feelings between the two, but I thought a small bond like that would be easy to break. But when they kissed, thought Aika, remembering the moment clearly, when they kissed, it seemed as if…as if they were complete with each other. I can't explain it, but…it was as if they were fated to be with each other. At that moment, I knew I didn't have a chance.
Emiko was still talking when Aika abruptly stood up. "Ah? Aika-chan?" she said, "Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving."
"Huh?!"
Aika looked down at Emiko with an expression Emiko had never seen on her face before. "I'm done with finding different people to make me happy for one day," said Aika firmly, "I want to find someone that can make me happy for the rest of my life."
With that said, Aika turned around and left, leaving a speechless Emiko behind.
…
Never, thought Aika, in a million years, have I thought I would walk out of a bar without a guy.
She leaned against the wall and sighed. But watching Reborn and that brunette fit together like two perfect puzzle pieces made me really question what I was doing, she thought, looking up at the sky, they were really made for each other, and I was willing to break that for something that would only last a day. I don't want to have happiness that comes and goes anymore. I want to be eternally happy.
Aika pushed herself off the wall, a new determination firing up in her eyes. That's right, I'll fix up my life the way it was supposed to be and find happiness my own way.
She walked off, changing her own fate and unknowingly accelerating the fates of two enemies in forbidden love.