Lonely No More
by Cyberchao X
Chapter 39
A/N and Disclaimer: Well, I guess you could say that I have an endgame now. After finishing the previous chapter, I started working on an epilogue, set just after the "present" sections of Last Christmas. I've found that my unwillingness to contradict canon has often gotten in the way of my fanfiction writing, so this really was a perfect set-up for me. Obviously the two non-magical friends of the main characters had to be having their own, more mundane tribulations like normal high schoolers, so why not tell that story? All characters that are from the original canon are not mine, while all of those from my canon, obviously, are.
"So, you think you can just come in here and take my daughter to a school dance?" The jovial attitude on Mr. Ichirei's face easily betrayed the fact that he was not as angry as he had been when he'd given the speech he was paraphrasing. "Welcome, Izei-kun. Miki-chan should be ready any second now."
Miki couldn't help but notice the change in her father's demeanor toward her boyfriend and commented on it. "Well, I think he's starting to see me as part of the family."
"F-Family?" Miki turned red. "It's a little early to be thinking that way…oh, he'd better not be trying to hook me to the first non-pedophile that sees me as a viable wife!"
"Uh, I think it's more the fact that he knows that I know the family secret. The one that even your sister doesn't know?"
"You told him that I told you?!"
"It seemed like the right thing to do. He's the one it really concerns…oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I mean, yes, he was the one who was actually suicidal, but…he was an adult. You were a kid, who had just lost one parent and was suddenly in danger of losing the other."
"Yeah. Let's not talk about it, okay? Tonight's supposed to be a happy night. I don't need you to be my shrink; I already have one of those."
"…You've been seeing a shrink?"
"…Yeah. After my little meltdown during spring break, I tracked down the psychologist who treated my dad after that incident. Sakura-chan and I went to a different psychologist in the same practice who specialized in treating children, but once my father told her what had happened between us, she had wanted to speak with me as well. I was uncooperative then. Now I'm ready to talk. I don't know why it's coming out after all these years. …I mentioned that I told you my secret. She seemed to think that this was a good thing—one, because I shouldn't bottle things up, and two, because I found someone willing to look past…you know."
"Does your family know?"
"No. I've been paying out of my own money—she's giving me a reduced rate because technically she's actually retired now and is simply treating a patient with which she has a prior history at her own home."
"So that's why you had to 'track her down'." Miki nodded. "Well, enough depressing talk. Time for everyone to see that you don't need a big rack to be beautiful."
"You're so sweet, Izei."
"Whoa. Is this like a prom or something? Am I underdressed?"
"You're fine, Dylan-san. You just happen to be dating a rich girl."
"Ah. So that's why you insisted that you'd take care of our ride. I don't feel so bad about not being able to do it myself anymore."
"Hm?"
"You didn't know? Driver's licenses are obtained at an earlier age in the U.S. than they are here. It varies from state to state, but even the state that makes you wait longest allows you to take the test at 17. I looked into whether or not I'd be able to drive here, though, and it turns out Japan never…ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and is therefore not obligated to recognize foreign licenses as valid."
"Is being able to drive yourself that much fun?"
"Kind of. But more importantly, it's convenient."
"…Wait, you're already 17? When was your birthday?"
Dylan smiled. "It was before I came here. The school year starts in the autumn in the U.S.—back home, I'd be almost finished with my junior year right now."
"…Do you miss your home?"
"There are things about it that I miss. But I'm enjoying Japan."
"Anything in particular?"
"That I miss, or that I like?"
"Either, I guess."
"Well…right now I'm thinking that I'd prefer the Americans' more casual attitude towards kissing," he grinned. "If that's not a problem."
"Not at all." Suzuka blushed. She'd actually been hoping Dylan would kiss her since they'd started dating. "Thanks for being considerate of our views."
"Are we absolutely sure that the one you're dating is only 13?" Rakashi asked.
"Hey. Eyes on your own date, or we'll see how well you dance with your ankles slashed by my heels."
"So angry. It doesn't suit you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just…" Rakashi wasn't quite sure how to respond without insulting her somehow, "you're so…elegant, and…"
"Delicate-looking?"
"I wasn't going to say that…"
"Why not? You seem to be contradicting yourself. Are you saying you don't think I look like a beautiful and delicate flower?"
"I, um…please don't hurt me."
"I'm not even sure if you're worth hurting."
"What was I supposed to say?"
"A simple 'yes' would've done the trick rather well," Hanna suggested. "Girls like that type of thing. Well, I guess some don't, but Katsura isn't one of them. She relishes her delicate feminine image."
"…She doesn't really seem so delicate to me."
"Hence why she enjoys appearing as innocent as she does. It keeps people from seeing the real her." Rakashi didn't know how to respond to this. "I should've fought a little harder for white."
"Huh? You mean the dress? I think she looks just fine in blue. Actually, more than just fine…" Rakashi followed after Katsura.
Hanna shrugged. "Well, I guess I got his mind back on Katsu-chan…somehow."
"He's got a bit of a weakness for pretty girls. Doesn't even mind rejection too much as long as he gets to watch them walk away."
"Huh—oh. Yeah, that much she can provide."
"I'm a little surprised by your choice, though. It accentuates…certain features, that it normally seems like you try to downplay."
"…You noticed? That I normally try to downplay them, I mean, not that they're accentuated now. It's kind of hard to miss that, right?" Touga nodded. "Used to be even more severe, but I've been growing a bit so they don't look quite as ridiculous."
"I'll try to keep my eyes on yours. Though I regret to inform you that for me to not have to look down too much, you may have to keep your shoes on all night."
"I'll manage. You're a real gentleman, Touga-san."
"Well, it doesn't take much to appear gentlemanly next to Rakkun, but thank you all the same."
"You certainly are uncompromising, aren't you, Suki-tan?"
"This was a compromise," Suki replied. "I wanted to dress her in red, but she and Hanna-chan vetoed that plan."
"Well, I'm not complaining. Your little kitten looks wonderful."
"…What would you have suggested?"
"Hmm?" Arisa asked.
"You obviously seem to think something's still 'off' about my choice for Katsu-tan."
"Well, you know as well as I do that she likes to put on a front of innocence and purity. Wouldn't white, or something close to it, be more appropriate to that?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's just so hard for me to see her as innocent now."
"So did you take pictures of the other two, too, or is it just your precious?"
"Nah, I've got some."
"I love your dress," Miki said. "It's so hard finding something that looks good for someone my size—usually I have to shop in the children's section."
"You must not be looking in the right stores," Mayu replied. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced, though my being here wouldn't have been possible without you. I'm Aoba Mayu."
Miki looked confused. "Ichirei Miki. Though it sounds like you already know that somehow."
"And I'm Kumaya Izei. So, yeah, how exactly is my girlfriend responsible for you being here?"
"Well, you certainly played a role too, Kumaya-san. Shun and I met at Tsukimura-san's New Year's party, but…I wasn't exactly an invited guest."
Izei and Miki both grew nervous. "You're referring to that 'incident' we ended up causing…"
"My friends were looking for a way to get in anyway. My father being called in merely provided an opportunity to do so."
"Your father?"
"The officer who responded to the call. And, yes, he knows that I'm dating a high schooler…though he thinks I'm dating a first-year, not a second-year."
"Ah, Miki-chan! You look great!" Suzuka interjected, quickly trying to divert the conversation away from New Year's.
"As usual, I feel like I'm out of the loop. What just happened?" Mayu asked.
"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say that you're not the one who's out of the loop; she is. There are…certain rumors about the class rep floating around. Would the full story of why you and your friends were at that party reveal anything about the validity of those rumors?"
"I…not exactly? I wasn't actually present for the resolution of that particular romantic entanglement, so all of my knowledge is second-hand, but…" Just in case, she whispered, having realized that this apparently wasn't meant to be common knowledge, "I think Tsukimura-san might have been the reason that Bannings-san let Himiya-san have Sempai."
"…That statement was so vague I don't even know where to begin."
"Well, you met Himiya-san a couple of months ago; she's the one who had the reason for wanting to be at the party. And Makimaro-sempai you probably met at the party itself."
"The name doesn't sound familiar."
"It's kind of hard to miss her. She's very tall, very shapely, and blonde."
"Oh. Yeah, I think I saw her, though we didn't actually meet. And all of the principles in this story are…"
"Female, yes. As far as I know, Bannings-san is the only pure lesbian among them; the others like both."
"Well, I'm sure a lot of people would be relieved to learn that. Half the female population of the school would be furious to learn that iincho isn't even interested in guys."
"Now where did you hear that?"
"Ah, no, I said it's a good thing that that's not the case, because all of the girls fawning over Keith-san would be driven into a rage."
"Right," Kanna said. "Suzu-chan's quite adamant about that fact."
"So then the rumors about her going both ways are true?"
"Pretend you don't know that." Chu nodded.
"Okay, seriously, what am I missing? How am I the only one this small who can't find something decent-looking to wear?"
"One, you look just fine, and two, what you're missing is Suki-tan. She manages to find clothes that fit her own decidedly un-Japanese proportions; it only makes sense she could find something for anyone." (CCX: If she really does have magical shopping powers, I want some of that; any pants I find that are small enough for my tiny waist are inevitably too short for my long legs. Also I feel the need to remind everyone again that I'm male, because from the mouth of a female that complaint would totally be a stealth brag.) "Looking magnificent, Himiya-chan."
"You're looking pretty nice yourself, Tsukimura-san."
"You've got to tell me where you found that dress," Miki cut in. "It's not often you can find something grown-up looking for someone with such petite proportions—though you're not quite as petite as I am."
Katsura started to blush. "Tsukimura-san…"
"Please ignore Miki-chan. She seems to feel that looking like she's about five years younger than she actually is gives her free rein to act completely inappropriately."
"Geez, Suzuka-chan, I was just checking."
"Well, don't. She's…going through something," Hanna said.
"Watagami-chan?"
"Just…leave it."
"…weren't her breasts a lot smaller the last time I saw her?" Miki asked.
"So, how does this compare to the dances at your school in Kentucky?" Suzuka asked.
"Not much is different. A little more reserved, I suppose, but not noticeably so."
"It does seem a little less wild than it did last year."
"Really now."
"Okay, maybe not. But girls like that are somewhat of an exception. Although…I suppose I got a tad provocative last year myself."
"I can't exactly picture that."
"You just want to see for yourself, don't you?" Suzuka teased.
"Well, who wouldn't, when you tease like that."
Suzuka laughed. "True. I was kind of planning on it, but…" She facepalmed. "Kanna-chan…"
"What do I do now?!" Katsura hissed.
"Just go with the flow," Hanna replied.
"No, don't do that," Suzuka countered. (CCX: I know; this looks like my convention for thoughts. If it actually were, the quotation marks themselves would also be italicized.) "Kanna-chan, what are you doing?"
"Starting things up. Don't worry, no one will notice…though I'm not really sure what you're worried about."
"You."
"Hey, I know when someone isn't receptive."
Suzuka thought about this. The situation was exactly the same as the one the previous year in which Suki had discovered her true sexuality. But Suzuka already knew that Suki was bi at the time, so she hadn't had to sense anything. And right now…she wasn't sensing anything. "Sorry about that, Himiya-chan."
"Don't worry about it. Rakashi-san certainly enjoyed it."
"Probably would've been better to watch if it was your 'special girl'. But that wasn't really your aim, was it?"
"Mm…you mean it was just to show off what could be coming your way?"
"Is it?"
"Yes," she purred, and began grinding up against him.
CCX: It was so tempting to say "rubbing" up against him, because we've already used two feline "said bookisms" for Katsura's dialogue in this section. But it just didn't feel accurate enough.
"So yeah, there wasn't really anything missing from that dance, except for the things that I don't mind being missing," Dylan said.
"Like?"
"Well, nobody sneaking off to have sex and ending up graduating a year later than expected because they needed a maternity leave."
"Did that happen often at your old school?"
"I wouldn't say often. Though perhaps I'm just a little sensitive because some close personal friends were among those who did that. Well…Jake's still a friend, anyway. Cassie…I don't really want to talk about Cassie."
"A girl that you liked, too?"
"[Not like that, no.]" Dylan switched to English. "[No, we were friends when we were younger—she was kind of a tomboy, hung out with the boys more than she hung out with the other girls. Still does, but for different reasons—namely, she's gained a reputation for being the easiest lay in the school. She was my year, originally, but then she started ballooning up during freshman year. Refused to say who the father was throughout the pregnancy, but once that baby was born in the summer, we figured out that it was probably conceived around the time of the homecoming dance, which put the suspicion on my best friend, Jake Smith. Cassie confirmed it. She swore that she only kept it a secret because she didn't want him to feel obligated to stay with her and the baby. Stupid, isn't it? Most of the time it's the girl who wants the baby's daddy to be around, and the guy who doesn't want any part of it.]" He paused. "[Things have been a bit strained between them since then. Of course, as per gender double standards, Cassie's the one who's getting completely ostracized, um…] 'ostracized', [while Jake's status as a father is rarely even mentioned; usually whenever he says something relating to his kid, everyone's response is, 'Oh, yeah, I forgot you were a father.' Unfortunately—and I say this strictly out of compassion, not because I actually still think she's an okay person—the only avenue that's been left to Cassie is to keep sleeping around. Which, to her 'credit', she's been doing quite nicely. As I hear it, Jake Jr.'s going to have a half-sibling sometime around November or December. Seeing as how Cassie would only be a junior by that point, anyway, I figure at the rate she's going she might be able to pop a third one out by graduation.]"
CCX: There's actually a correction in there that I caught before finishing the chapter. Originally I said that Jake Jr. was born "at the end of the school year", but unless they had their homecoming dance pretty much right at the start of the school year, that would make him a preemie—and I'm not putting one of those in my story, even though it would be somewhat justified as mothers near either extreme of the reproductive years (under 18 or over 35) are at increased risk, and studies suggest that marital status could also be a factor. (In theory, this sounds silly, but I'm willing to accept that the added stability of having the child's father around could help the mother. The team that concluded that pregnancies where the parents have a common-law marriage have less favorable outcomes than those who have "traditional" marriages, however, was probably just seeing what they wanted to see.) The more you know!
"So, used to be a friend, but your opinion of her has soured. She named the kid after his father and didn't think that someone would figure it out?"
"Well, like I said, she's not too bright…but actually, she didn't tell anyone the name until after she'd confirmed his father's identity. And technically he's not actually a 'Junior'; the name on his birth certificate is Jacob Freeman, although after Jake found out that he was the father and insisted on being part of his son's life it's now 'Smith-Freeman'."
"So it sounds like everything worked out okay somehow."
"Then I obviously wasn't doing a good job telling the story. While they at least put up with each other because they both care about the baby, Jake and Cassie aren't on good terms with each other at all."
CCX: What was the point of all that? It just kind of sprung from what should've been a brief comment, and likely will have no real effect on anything to follow it. Well, at least my inexplicable error in math (I'm not supposed to do that) gave me a chance to speak out for a cause that I support. (The March of Dimes does great work to help prevent premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality. I'm not going to tell you to support them, because that would probably violate the Terms of Service, but even with the comment about my math error giving me the platform I'm just worried that someone would misinterpret me "speaking out" as being a pro-life parable. I'd rather leave my views on abortion out of this; initially this A/N stretched on a lot longer as I did expound upon this point, but I decided that that was exactly what I was trying to avoid.)
"Hey. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Not yet," Arisa replied, "we were just getting back, too."
"Did you enjoy your date?"
"I don't know if you can really call it a 'date'," Suki said. "Just a girls' night out between a pair of friends with benefits."
"So, no getting lucky?" Arisa asked.
"Dylan's a nice guy. He was even a bit nervous about kissing me because of the way that's viewed as a much bigger deal here than in America, but I told him it was okay."
"And what about certain…other elements?" Suki asked.
"Your little kitty was certainly very sexy, but I just wasn't feeling it from her."
"That's what I thought…"
"Is something wrong between you two? She did seem quite into her date."
"No…when we're together, everything's fine. She's still completely enthralled with me. But…regardless of whatever spell I have over her, it's pretty clear that she's essentially straight."
"…I thought something felt 'off'. Seriously?"
"I think so. Maybe it's best if we do break it off."
"…You'll get through this, Suki. You've got a lot of options out there; it's one of the advantages of being bisexual."
"So, then, you're finally sure that you are?" Arisa asked.
"I was always sure. Well, okay, occasionally all of your claims to the contrary gave me some doubts, but, yeah. I really like Dylan-san a lot—as a person, too, not just because of how attractive he is."
"So then why are you here with us?"
"Well, I don't want to gossip, but I don't think he wants to have sex with anyone anytime soon. Or at least not full-fledged intercourse."
"Oh, come on, you can't tell us that much and not expect us to be curious."
"Apparently his best friend back in Kentucky already has a son, almost a year old," she thought about this for a moment, "no, sorry, almost two years old. The mother used to be a friend of Dylan's as well, but she's kind of an outcast now and her only way of getting any acceptance at all is to keep sleeping with people; apparently she's pregnant with some other guy's baby now, and also she's probably not going to graduate high school until six years after entering it."
"Well that takes some stupidity, too, doesn't it?" Suki asked.
"American high schools run four years, not three."
"Right. Forgot about that. So, what, an additional year each time she has a baby?"
"Yeah, something like that. She got pregnant early in their first year, so it was born in between the first and second, and I guess she's in her second year now even though Dylan-san and his friend are in their third."
"He…was in his third? So then he's…"
"Older than us, yes. He'd be graduating high school in just over a year if he'd stayed in America."
"…Maybe he'll stick it out until our graduation anyway. You never know…"
"…I didn't ask him. But, yeah, I thought about that, too."
"What?" Suki asked. "Why are you two so sad all of a sudden?"
"If he'd normally be graduating high school next June…then he'd still be able to do that if he only stayed here for one year."
"Isn't that, I don't know, normal for foreign exchange students?"
"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make it any less depressing."
"…Maybe he'll only be gone for a couple of months, then. A person doesn't just go on a foreign exchange program for a lark, do they? He might go to university here…"
"…There, that's the optimist we know and love."
"I'm…not…"
"Shouldn't have said anything?"
"Shouldn't have said anything."
"Just how accepting are your parents?" Rakashi asked.
"Fairly accepting, but I think what we're going to do would probably cross that line. I'll sneak you in."
"You're insane," Hanna said.
"You know full well that if they knew I was bringing a boy in, they'd insist on having someone watching him at all times, except maybe if he had to use the bathroom and they'd only allow that if they could keep an eye on everyone else."
"Who's 'everyone'?"
"You, me, Natsu-chan…"
"Wait, what?"
"Wait, what?"
Katsura didn't respond right away, as Touga's parents turned around at Hanna's outburst. (CCX: Well, someone's got to be taking them home.) "Oh, I wouldn't expect Rakashi-san to go after Natsu-chan. He's clearly displayed a preference for pubescent girls, and Natsu-chan isn't. At least I'm pretty sure she's not. I guess she might be starting to reach that age…forget I said any of that."
"It's forgotten. But how are you going to get to her house, anyway? My parents wouldn't just drop you off there."
"Your parents don't know where my home is. I've taken the liberty of giving them the wrong address, reducing the distance I have to walk to a point that's manageable, but not suspiciously small. I'm more worried about explaining my absence to my parents."
"It's taken care of. I sent a text to them from your phone telling them that you were going out afterwards with Ushio-san and Naruda-san—don't worry, I made sure to make it sound convincingly like it was you writing the text—and both of them are in on the plan and have told their parents that it'll be the three of you when it'll really just be those two. The only part I haven't worked out is getting you back home, since spontaneous overnight plans didn't quite seem plausible."
"I don't know whether to commend you on coming up with something that good or be furious at you for leaving that gaping flaw," Hanna said. "Like Touga-san said, Rakashi-san's house is nowhere near yours."
"I've got a potential solution, but I don't think you want to hear it."
"Does it involve Sempai and her friends bailing us out?"
"Yes."
"Then no, I don't." They arrived at Katsura's house. "Also, what about the fact that I'm supposed to be sleeping in the same room as you? I can't exactly give you two your privacy…"
"No, you're right. You can't."
"…Please tell me your plan for the night did not involve a threesome."
"Don't worry, Hanna, I wouldn't force that upon you. And really, I have no right to ask you to do this, but…you're going to have to bite the bullet and be in the same room."
"You truly are insane."
Katsura kissed her on the cheek. "But that's why you love me, right?"
"You really shouldn't say such ambiguous statements. People might get the wrong idea about our relationship."
Katsura was, however, nothing if not lucky. Or, from another point of view, she was extremely unlucky. Because when Suki started getting sad again, Arisa and Suzuka decided that the best way to cheer her up would be for the three of them to head to Katsura's house. Furthermore, they arrived right after Rakashi texted Katsura to get to sneaking him in, and so Katsura made a point of greeting her guests and then introducing them to her parents, making sure that the door never actually closed completely; Hanna took care of sneaking Rakashi in. "So I guess this changes the plan."
"Well, on the plus side, more people means more noise is to be expected. But still not too much, because—" she stopped.
"It's okay; you can say it. I'm not naïve, Han-chan."
"Natsu-chan?"
"'Because Katsura's parents don't know the true nature of her relationship with Suki-sempai.' That how you were going to finish that sentence?"
"You…know?"
"Of course. Mom and Dad probably would, too, if they actually watched those two interacting with one another; it's kind of blatantly obvious."
"Oh? I've never seen her with her girlfriend. Are they really all over each other all the time?"
"They try to avoid it when they know I'm around, but…they definitely have trouble resisting one another."
Arisa and Suzuka were still talking to Katsura's parents, who for some reason had their concerns about their daughter associating with kids so much older than her even though they were fully aware of where Katsura had gone that night. They somewhat deflected the issue when this hypocrisy was pointed out to them.
"Perhaps the problem is that a 15-year-old boy is roughly on the same maturity level as a 13-year-old girl, if not lower…well, about even in Katsura's case, anyway. But I'll vouch for these two. Suzuka-san is a class rep, you know."
Hanna's word seemed to assuage the Himiyas, who considered her to be a good influence on their daughter. "We're on first-name basis now?" Suzuka asked.
"If you want, I'll switch back. But I wasn't lying when I said I'd vouch for your character. Bannings-san…well, I wouldn't say anything bad about her, anyway."
"How kind of you," Arisa snarked back.
"Well, I guess it's fine…I don't know, it feels weird."
"Then Tsukimura-san it is."
By this point, Suki and Katsura had already returned to the latter's room. "Oh, hi, nee-chan, oneesama. I guess I should leave the three of you alone, huh?"
"The three of us?"
"Your attempts to hide your bisexuality from your little sister evidently failed," Rakashi said. "So this is your girlfriend? I can see what you were attracted to."
"I-It wasn't like that! …Well okay it kind of was, but there's a lot more than that. N-not that you'd ever be able to see that far."
"Did something happen between you two?"
"Nah, I knew what I was dealing with going into this relationship. Rakashi-kun's a bit shallow, but he was fairly well-behaved tonight so I can't be too hard on him."
"Aw, I was kind of looking forward to that part!"
"Not like that, perv." "That you'll still be getting." "But after our initial meet-up, you managed to keep your eyes on your own date, which couldn't have been easy with Hanna-chan's melons hanging around."
"That's because there was a more delicious piece of fruit in my grasp. I hope you don't mind me getting a little frisky with your girlfriend, Suki-san?"
"I don't, but I hardly feel we're on first-name basis."
"Well, then, I need to know your family name."
"…Oh. Makimaro."
"Thank you, Makimaro-san. And thank you, Katsura-chan, for changing as soon as you got home."
"Y-you're welcome…though I didn't expect it to be my skirt that was so quick to come back off."
"Well then you obviously weren't paying attention. Didn't I say the fruit I wanted was in my grasp all night long?"
"You certainly do work quickly."
"I didn't really expect this many people. And there'd be less clothing here if I were dreaming."
"Don't be so sure; dreams can be mysterious like that," Arisa said. "But it's a necessary evil, because we're supposed to be your cover story."
"Well, I'd be game for some additional participants, anyway," Suki said.
"That doesn't surprise me in the least," Arisa said, "but you know full well that I'm going to have to pass."
"Even with a ratio this lopsided?"
"Four to one's still not quite lopsided enough. Five to one, I'd consider, but I doubt Watagami-chan wants in on this, either."
"You guess correctly."
"Well, then, it looks like it'll just be a threesome."
"You don't want in, Suzuka?" Arisa asked.
Suzuka kissed her in response. "Not without you."
"And here I thought that was supposed to be at least somewhat of a secret." Everyone turned in surprise. "At least, Shinamori-chan sure seemed adamant about keeping Shun quiet on the matter. Also, you really should lock the door when you're about to get it on, though I understand having to wait for the other girls to get in."
"Aoba-chan what are you doing here" The inflection in Katsura's voice was quick and without punctuation.
"Don't you remember? You're having a 'slumber party', which really only served to explain Hanna-chan's absence to her brothers."
"Uh-huh. And exactly why does this mean that you have to be here?"
"Because my father is a policeman and therefore wouldn't lie about that sort of thing."
"We aren't trying to deceive any parents!"
"Except for the part where you've got a boy in your room. And the part where you're a bisexual," Reina said. (CCX: Hi, forgotten member of the fanclub! I'd go to another plotline, but the only het couple that hasn't legitimately parted for the night is the one right here!)
"Geez," Katsura said, putting her skirt back on. "I'm sorry, Rakashi-san, but this just isn't going to work out. I'll find you a ride home.
"Don't worry about it. His parents are already on their way. You've been 'made' from the very beginning."
"…Oneesama?"
"Sorry, Katsu-tan. Hanna-chan told me what you were up to, and I just couldn't let you do this, even if it meant getting you grounded. But look on the bright side: the good, concerned friends who felt it better to tell your parents the truth rather than letting you proceed with something so mind-blowingly stupid are still allowed to visit you while you're grounded, so it's not like you'll be stuck all alone."
"That's…"
"Really not a huge punishment? Yes, well, even after your grounding ends, you're not allowed to date anymore until you start high school. Because what you were going to do was truly irresponsible. Consider the fact that your friends will have to come to you instead of you going to them for the next couple of weeks to be just an associated inconvenience."
"…Yes, mother."
"…So I guess they didn't actually hear what Sasukari-chan said," Suzuka whispered.
"I guess not. So, Suki, you still have visitation rights, but now she's not allowed to date boys for almost two years…did you plan this?"
"That's utterly ridiculous. Han-chan was the one who came forward first, and the punishment was entirely conceived by Katsu-chan's parents. Even I'm not that good."
"And that's why I'm with Suzuka instead of you," Arisa teased. "She actually is that good."
Suki stuck her tongue out at Arisa, who responded by grabbing it with her own tongue. "Break it up, you two," Suzuka said, pushing them apart and quite intentionally groping both girls' breasts in the process.
CCX: Whoa. What a marathon chapter. Never—not here, not in Dream (even when it had legitimately long chapters combined with lengthy A/Ns, not that those chapters ever got published), not anywhere—have I seen a single-chapter document read "Page 16". And that's even after an author's note a little more than halfway through got cut down in size because I was getting too preachy. Speaking of which, my apologies if this chapter wasn't of the highest quality; I've been feeling kind of crappy today, and while I don't think I'm doped up on cold medication, I have been making a lot more spelling errors than usual (actually, I've been doing far worse—misusing apostrophes), not to mention that math error (goddamnit that is not something I should ever be doing, ever), so it's quite possible that I've been a bit loopy. Either way, this chapter never seemed to want to end, and just when I thought it was about to hit that sex scene, it turns comedic again and the lemon never happen. (That grammatical error was intentional, though, a totally out-of-place Phoenix Wright reference.) Until next time, this is CCX, signing off.
Also, if not for my recent decision to delete The Dark Side of Prodigy, I think this chapter would've put my total output for all fanfics combined over 500,000 words. As it is, that'll probably either happen the next time I put a chapter of something up-though whether that chapter will be Lonely No More 40 or The Scarlet Devil 2: Scarlet Devil Rhapsody 13 is anyone's guess.