When it's over, is it really over?

That's a line from a song I've already used for a yuritastic fanfic, and I used it to tweet that the final chapter of Lonely No More was up. And the answer, of course, is…no way. There's kind of still some issues that were left unresolved, after all…

Lonely No More
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: None of the stuff that isn't owned by me is owned by me.

*January 7*

"You know, you really should answer her," Suzuka said.

"Why? That's in the past."

"Arisa…this isn't you. I'm thrilled that you want to be with me—really, I am. Truth be told, you weren't all that far off when you guessed what I wished for at Tanabata…but it wasn't Kokuro-san that I wished to be with. But don't turn this into a bad breakup when it wasn't one."

"…Okay." Arisa answered the ringing phone. "Hey, Suki-tan."

"Hey yourself, Ari-chan. I was wondering when you'd start taking my calls again."

"Yes, well, my girlfriend thinks I should, so…"

Suki laughed. "Are you trying to be as big an ass to me as possible to drive me away? Because you know I love you too much to let that happen."

"You'll get over me eventually. I mean…you sort of had even when we were still a couple."

"Don't be like that. I…I'm sorry. Okay, fine, you have every right to be like that. I screwed up."

"I don't think you did. Your first love isn't always going to be 'the one'. Katsura-chan's good for you."

"I won't deny that. But that doesn't excuse what I did to you. And…I do still love you, but you're probably right that we can no longer be together as a couple. But that doesn't mean that we have to just disappear from each other's lives. I…I really don't want that to happen."

Arisa sighed. "I'll be right over."

"What? No, no, you don't have to do that. You said you took my call because Suzu-chan wanted you to, so obviously she's with you. I couldn't impose…"

"We went out for close to a year. You think I can't tell when you're crying, even over the phone?"

"Damn you, Arisa. You always saw right through me."

CCX: I think I set this up poorly…I don't really want the next scene to be that one, but by starting out with a scene that's clearly after they've left school and putting both canon characters into it, I've backed myself into a corner. I guess there is still one side plot lacking canon characters that I can cut away to…

"Izei? I have a question, and I want you to be honest with me," Miki said. "When we're…making love, do you mentally age me up? Physically, I mean…just enough to, you know, match my actual age."

"Miki-chan…you know I couldn't do that. Loving you means loving you just the way you are."

"Izei…"

"…Well, okay, maybe a little, but it's not like I can tell my mind's eye one thing when my other senses are clearly telling me another."

"…Would you care? You never really answered me."

"Huh? You mean if you looked like a little girl for your entire life? Well, it would definitely be weird. At the very least, it would be hard to explain it to other people. And I definitely would like it if you grew, so I can't say that I wouldn't care, no more than you can say that you don't care. But if you're asking if some taller, curvier girl will be able to steal away my affections in university if you still haven't filled out by then, then no, I'm not that shallow. I love you, Miki." Izei kissed her deeply and passionately.

"…You had to emphasize taller and curvier, didn't you?" Miki asked after breaking the kiss, almost a minute later.

"Well, it's not like I could've said 'prettier', because no one will ever be as beautiful to me as you."

"You lying sack of shit. Please, continue." She grinned.

"I'm not just stroking your ego. You're usually the cynic, so certainly you must have wondered about our relationship. The whole 'childhood friend' romance isn't really all that common outside of fiction, right?"

"The Westermarck effect. But that's more about people who were raised together at a young age. We didn't even meet each other until the start of school, and we weren't all that close at first."

"Bingo. By the time we really started spending much time together outside of school—aside from birthday parties where it's really just the whole class, you know—I already had a crush on you. The prettiest girl in class 4-C."

Miki blushed. "Th-that far back, huh?"

"I told you, you actually looked your age still when I first fell for you. But then you stopped growing, and it became awkward. …I really am glad that we met Suzuka-chan and she set me straight. Perverted though you may be at times, I'm much happier now that you're my girlfriend than I was when you were just my best friend whom I had a secret crush on."

Miki kissed Izei. "You know I just say those things to tease you, right? Well, okay, yes, I am also a horny teenager, but be serious. You're dating a girl who appears to be 10 years old. You're going to get teased quite a bit. And being that girl, I have every right to do the lion's share of that teasing."

"And I have every right to take advantage of the fact that you're every bit as ticklish as a little girl, too," he retorted, and soon had her on the bed in a fit of hysterics. Of course, things had changed, and so instead of remaining halfway pushed up to expose her stomach, Miki's shirt was soon off completely, followed by her bra and Izei's shirt.

A knock on the bedroom door interrupted them. "Keep it down, will you? One, I'm trying to do my homework, and two, Papa's probably going to be home from work soon and even though he allows you to date now that you're in high school, I doubt he'd be happy to find out that you lost your virginity before hitting your growth spurt."

"Sakura-chan! I'll have you know that I'm still a virgin!"

"Oh. Sorry. I just assumed…"

"That's the one line that we're not going to cross until she starts looking like an adult. Or until we're married, whichever comes first," Izei said.

"You-you're not seriously thinking of…"

"Marriage? No, of course not. Much too soon to be thinking about that. But if, down the line, we were to get married and you still looked like you were maybe at most 12, then I'm sorry, I still wouldn't let that get in the way of consummating the marriage. Because by then you'd probably be in your early to mid-twenties and I'd have to resign myself to the fact that it's never going to happen."

CCX: Side note: Word's grammar check suggested either "be thinks", "be is thinking", or "be was thinking" for that last paragraph. However, in this note, it wanted to change "be is thinking" to "he is thinking". WORD! *shakes fist*

Miki frowned. "I resigned myself to that a long time ago."

"Don't. You even said you're starting to grow a little. I have faith. One of these days, you're going to turn heads, and everyone's going to wonder where you came from, and I'll look like a genius for wrapping you up before they could have a chance."

Miki and Sakura both laughed. "All about you, isn't it, Izu-kun?" Sakura asked.

"No, it's all about Miki-chan. But why shouldn't I brag about my insight? Although, it shouldn't really take too much to figure it out nowadays."

"And why is that?" Miki asked. Izei just nodded in Sakura's direction. "Just because we're sisters doesn't mean I'm going to look like her someday."

"Maybe not, but seeing her makes me believe that you'll grow eventually."

"I keep wondering about that myself," Sakura said. "How did I get so tall and curvy at such a young age, when my older sister is still short and flat? …Although I suppose I'm not really all that tall; it just seems that way in comparison with oneechan."

"Because the world hates me and this is all one big cosmic joke," Miki said dryly.

"Well, no matter how tall I get, you'll always be my big sister. And I'll still look up to you even when I can rest my boobs on your head."

Miki couldn't help but crack a smile. "I don't think you'll get that tall. Even Makimaro-san's barely tall enough to do that, and she's part-American, I think."

"Who?"

"One of Suzuka-chan's friends. …Actually, she's dating Suzuka-chan's best friend."

"You say that like it's something weird."

"…Yeah, I guess just saying 'best friend' wouldn't necessarily preclude it from being a boy, would it? Since Izei and I were best friends before we became boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Ah. But that's not the case here, then, is it?"

"Nope. I never really saw the appeal in homosexuality, but I don't have a problem with it. And if I were to be attracted to a girl, Bannings-san's girlfriend would definitely be a good choice."

"Part-American…oh, yeah. That tall blonde girl that I've seen a few times but doesn't go to our school?"

"So you have noticed her," Miki rounded on Izei.

"Like you said, it's hard not to. She's quite tall, and very striking. But there's a difference between noticing someone and, well, noticing them."

"…Yeah, well, she's another one who matured early. She doesn't go to our school because she still goes to the junior high that Suzuka-san attended. She's two years younger than us."

"…Huh. Yeah, I see what you mean. Even tossing out your appearance as an anomaly, she doesn't appear two years younger than our class." He turned to Sakura again. "On the other hand, her being one year older than you would seem totally believable to anyone who didn't know either of your actual ages."

"Hi."

"That's all you can say?"

Arisa kissed Suki. "Is that better?"

"Yeah. God, Arisa, I've missed you so much."

"It's only been a week!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a teenager. We're not exactly known for being emotionally stable or making rational decisions."

"So acid-tongued. Watch it, or I might start falling in love with you again."

"Just as planned."

A moment of silence, and then Arisa rushed to embrace Suki and kissed her again. "I've missed you too."

"You're not happy with your new girlfriend?"

"Oh, no, I'm quite happy with Suzuka. But it's very different. She's, well, every bit the firecracker you are in bed—as you already know, since we had a threesome—but outside of that, she's a sweet girl, whereas you're just as fiery in the streets as you are in the sheets. Also she lacks your…'endowments.'"

"Most girls do. Just in the time I've known her, though, she's gotten quite a bit shapelier."

"True. I feel like I'm getting left behind."

"Well, I'm not the best person to compare to."

"…I was actually referring to the five of us. My old group of friends… Nanoha-chan, Fate-chan, and Hayate-chan were all already pretty well developed by the time they left. Though none of them are as tall as you, Fate-chan could easily compete with you where curves are concerned."

"I really wish I could meet your friends. And not just because they're apparently real live magical girls, although that is certainly very interesting."

"You did meet Nanoha-chan, remember?"

"Right. Yeah, and you let her know that she didn't have to hide her magic from me."

"What did you think of her?"

"Well, I didn't really get to meet her that well."

"…That's not what I meant."

"…Oh. Oh, right, you were in love with her."

"Everyone was. Suzuka even said that everyone loved Nanoha-chan somewhat, and I didn't even know that she was a lesbian—bisexual, sorry—until just before Nanoha-chan left. I guess she's kind of like you in that regard."

"I don't think I'm…"

"Please. You have your own fanclub of first-year girls. Most guys would be too intimidated to ask you out. You're gorgeous, Suki-tan."

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but…yeah. But from what you've told me, Takamachi-san didn't win people over with her looks. Though she was pretty cute."

"Yeah. Nanoha has a way with people. But…I think you do, too."

"…I'm actually a sweet girl, too, you know. Hanna-chan called me out on that, before Katsu-tan managed to confess. Said I was 'killing her with kindness', by being so sweet to her and thereby making it that much more painful to be unable to confess, fearing that I wouldn't return her love."

"How's that going for you, by the way? You and Katsura-san."

"Pretty well, I guess. But it's tough because she and Hanna-chan are so close, and even though Hanna-chan tries to give us our space, Katsu-tan tends to gravitate back towards her."

"We need to find Watagami-chan a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, I suppose, but she doesn't…"

"Yeah, she seems pretty insistent on that. Then again, she and Katsu-tan used to engage in perverted antics together, so it's a possibility."

"Just because Katsura-san and you go both ways doesn't mean everyone will."

"You left your current girlfriend out."

"Because I'm still not convinced that she's not just a pure lesbian who's still in denial about not being attracted to men."

"She did seem quite comfortable with the other ladies, didn't she? After all, she sent a message to me on the dance floor without even trying to."

"That I'm willing to blame on you. You could turn a straight girl gay. In Katsura-san's case, you may have already done so."

"I look at the dynamic between her and Hanna-san and I refuse to believe that there weren't already some underlying lesbian tendencies."

"You see lesbian undertones? All I see is two girls who are so close they might as well be twins."

"You're right; that is also an equally valid interpretation and I'm looking at everything through shipping goggles."

"That's your prerogative. Like you said, you're a foolish teenage girl in love."

"Have I mentioned how big a mistake I made? Because it feels like it's been way too long since I've been with a real woman."

"Tiny-tits not doing it for you? Because I don't think I'll be much help in that department."

"It's not the shape that's the problem. It's the experience. I adore Katsu-tan and am more than willing to be patient with her budding sexuality, but I'm only 14. I'm not a master. And right now…I'd rather be with my teacher."

CCX: Really almost had her say "13"—was thinking that perhaps her birthday was coming up soon. But again, I didn't want her to be one of the youngest in her class. I took a look at the traditionally defined star signs to see which one fit her best, and I think…she was probably already almost 14 when we last referred to her as "13", at the dance in late May, because Gemini looks like a good fit. I don't know what that does for her compatibility with Arisa, because Arisa is a canon character and therefore I can't make up a birthday for her (and don't know her real one), but there is…just about nothing mentioned one way or the other regarding her compatibility with a Capricorn like Katsura, making me think that it's just average—not good, but not bad.

"Aaah…ugh. This is why I wanted to just shut you out," Arisa said. "I didn't trust myself not to do this."

"Don't resist it. Just follow your heart."

"My heart says that I should let you be with Katsura-san."

"Ignore your heart. It's stupid."

"Suki…"

"Forget about Katsu-tan. What does your heart tell you about me?" she asked, then moved Arisa's hands to her bared breast and added, "What does my heart tell you about us?"

"Suki…you know I still love you. But…"

"No buts." (CCX: Was going to put in an "except this one", but then I remembered that the dialogue is allegedly translated from Japanese.)

*Next morning*

"So now apparently we're friends with benefits," Arisa said.

"Really? You're not back to being a couple?"

"I don't know. I think…I think I'm back to being her mistress." Arisa smiled, trying not to laugh. Suzuka and Arisa headed their separate ways of to class.

"Does anyone know where Chura-san is?" Suzuka asked.

"Probably was walking his new girlfriend to school and got hung up," replied one of the other boys, Nitodaki Hao.

"Oh? Chura-san has a new girlfriend who doesn't go to this school?"

"Yeah, she's a bit younger, so she's still in junior high. They met at your New Year's party, so I figured she was an old friend of yours."

Suzuka was confused, as she hadn't invited anyone from junior high to her party other than Suki and Tatsuke. Of course, Katsura and Hanna showed up, but they were swiftly dealt with…

…But there was a third gatecrasher, wasn't there? The policeman's daughter. Suzuka decided that as class rep, she'd have to talk to Chura about this. Just then he came racing in, bowing to the teacher and apologizing for being late, though conveniently failing to give an explanation for his tardiness. Suzuka chatted him up between classes.

"So, I hear you found a new girlfriend at my party last week, someone who still goes to my junior high?" Chura nodded. "I should tell you that I can count the number of attendees from there on one hand. Two second-years whom I invited, who are currently dating each other, and three first-year gatecrashers."

"Mai-chan told me she was a third-year." (CCX: Again, I have to add letters that aren't there to fit with the way Japanese works.)

"Well, then, she'd be coming here in just a couple of months. Surely she wouldn't be willing to lie when she'd be found out so swiftly, would she?"

"…Why do you care?"

"Well, like I said, gatecrasher. But also, it's my job as class rep to look out for my classmates, and getting in a relationship with a girl three years your junior might not be the best idea."

"Good point. Wasn't that why the police ended up at your party?"

"That was a misunderstanding because Ichirei-san looks so much younger than she is. And it was that incident that allowed the gatecrashers to get in in the first place. The officer who came to investigate was Corporal Aoba. Does that name ring any bells?"

"…That would explain why she doesn't let me meet her at her house when walking her to school. She was never supposed to be at that party…and she really doesn't want her father to find out she was there."

"From what I hear, she stowed away in his police car to get in."

"I'm definitely going to have to confront her about this."

"So, Mai-chan, I hear you're a very naughty girl."

"What?! I'm a good girl, Shun!" (CCX: Chura's first name is "Shu"; "Shun" is a shortened version of "Shu-kun".)

"You snuck into that party. Also, you're not a third-year."

"…So I guess it's over, huh?"

"Not at all. I happen to like bad girls," Chura replied, kissing her. "C'mon, let's go."

CCX: That…did not even start to address the major issue that was still left hanging, although Arisa and Suki's breakup certainly was a potential issue as well. So no, I don't think Lonely No More is going to be ending soon. Until next time, this is Cyberchao X, signing off.