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Depression
Chapter Three
Moon Kitty 2005
February 12th, 2006
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Tsubasa sighed as she rose from the bed, the covers falling from her upper body. Reaching over her shoulder to unplait her braid, she slid off her bed, immediately regretting the decision the moment her feet came in contact with the cold floor.
Another boring day at school, Tsubasa complained mentally as she shrugged into her uniform. And another day of having to put up with fake smiles and inane chatter.
A knock resounded on her door and a soft feminine voice uttered, "Tsubasa, breakfast."
"Okay," she called back, voice slightly muffled by the fabric of her shirt. She exhaled sharply as a slender hand connected with her cold brass doorknob. Another morning full of Kazuma. You can do it. As she emerged from her room, she brushed shoulders with him, causing a blush to spread across her cheeks and his books to fall to the ground.
Oh, yeah... she thought as she bent to assist him, pointedly avoiding his eyes. ... Today is going to be a great day.
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"Oh, I'm so tired!" Yukino cried as she wiped imaginary sweat from her brow, leaning on Soichiro for support. Everyone sweatdropped, knowing full well that Yukino could have aced the math quiz in her sleep.
"Hey, Kazuma!" Soichiro called, waving the boy over to where the others ate.
Tsubasa tensed visibly, chopsticks raised halfway to her mouth. Beginning to pack her things, she stood quickly and excused herself, hurrying to an empty class for the remainder of lunch. Imagine everyone's surprise when instead of coming to join them, Kazuma took off after Tsubasa, a determined look on his face.
"About damn time," Yukino and Soichiro chorused, bemused expressions on their faces.
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Shutting the door silently behind her, she heaved a small sigh and placed her bento on a desk, crossing her arms. A few moments of silence surrounded her before she jumped in surprise as the door flew open.
A pair of hands grabbed the back of her shoulders and turned her around, pinning her to the wall. Tsubasa found herself staring into the furious blue eyes of her stepbrother.
Uh-oh...
She put a small smile on her face and looked up at him nervously. "Oh, hi, Kazuma. What are-"
"Two weeks!" he shouted hoarsely. "Two whole weeks and we haven't even had a decent conversation!"
Recovering from her initial shock, she yelled back, "Why do you care?"
"Because you're my stepsister! And... I... I love you."
A bit of shock enveloped her before she brushed off his hurried confession, growling and turning her head, her nose in the air haughtily. "I don't care what you say! If you really loved me, then you would be willing to be with me no matter what other people said! Instead, you sided with them!"
He looked incredulous. "You actually think I listen or care about what those people think?"
"You... you were acting weird around me. I thought it was because you didn't love me back. I began avoiding you because I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
Kazuma chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm actually glad that you avoided me, Tsubasa."
She wore a confused and slightly hurt expression. "Wha-"
He reached out, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Tsubasa, you helped me make my decision. I don't ever want to be separated from you. After high school, we'll get married."
Tsubasa's shocked gasp echoed through the small room and slowly, after a moment of silence, her slender arms wrapped around his neck. "Is that why you were so nervous whenever we were in the same room?"
He nodded. "I just got angry when you avoided me today. I had planned to propose since I made up my mind a week ago. You... you do accept, don't you?" He suddenly looked anxious.
"Of course!" she squealed.
A look of pure happiness covered his face a split second before his lips caressed hers in a passionate kiss.
In the moment that his lips covered hers, she forgot how to breathe, think, and speak all at once. A tingling began in the pit of her stomach and she kissed him back desperately, eager for more. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his nose in her neck.
Tsubasa smiled and thought to herself that she had no intention of avoiding Kazuma ever again.
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Authoress Notes
Can't really say it's one of my favorites, but I had to split it up into chapters so I could establish the time frame. Anyways, I just wanted to get this one down on the computer and out of my notebook. Thanks.