Chapter 12: A day out
Here with chapter 12! I'm on a roll. My beta brought something very important to light that I admit I forgot about. Riderinhood2, thanks for bringing it to my attention, you know what I mean! I intend to correct it in the next few chapters hopefully. Thanks for the kind reviews on the last chapter everyone! Between the master of flygon (Flygon Master), the hidden momo(stealthmomo), and the second Duwee Davis, that got me really energized to keep working quickly! A minute before I saw them, I was just wandering the internet, not really doing anything. My e-mail popped up that I had reviews for chapter 11. I read them, and now am about to work on chapter 13! I love reviews... Have mercy on me with these late updates, my beta is thinking on something like 5 different projects + real life stuff. Now, chapter 12! Enjoy!
Konata's room
As the group approached Konata's door, they heard a struggle from inside.
"Miyuki! I wanna hear!" They heard Konata yelling.
"I'm sorry Konata-san, I promised!" Miyuki timidly shouted back. Tony walked up to the door, going first himself as he had a sneaking suspicion of what was to come.
"FREEDOM!" They heard Konata shout triumphantly as she threw the door open, catching Tony square in the face.
"... Ow." Tony said, a cut where the door had hit.
"Kan-chan! Are you okay?" Tsukasa asked while Kagami chided her Otaku.
"Konata! Be more careful!" Kagami shouted, kneeling to see if her friend was okay.
"Oops, my bad." Konata grinned sheepishly while scratching the back of her head.
"Not really, you didn't know I was right there." Tony commented, rubbing the cut on his cheek.
"Well, let's go to the living room where you can sit down! We got Konata, we don't HAVE to be in her room!" Kagami suggested as she and Tsukasa attempted, and failed, to help Tony up. He weighed a ton.
"Mehahaha..." Tony laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Me alone in a room with you four... I think that alone would give Mr. Izumi authority to kill me." Tony laughed before adding, "Isn't that right?" He asked the man, cocking his head.
"Damn right. Don't worry, I would kill any boy who tried that. So nothing personal." Sojiro commented, smiling to let them know he was exaggerating, if only a bit.
"If you ever want help with that, I'm right next door." Tony smiled back.
"I appreciate that. Come on into the living room." Sojiro beckoned. Tony picked himself off the floor and followed.
"I'll make some tea." Miyuki said as she made her way to the kitchen.
"No, don't trouble yourself Miyuki!" Tony shouted, having sit down on a couch.
"It's my fault you got hurt, if I had kept a better grip on Konata, she wouldn't have hit you." Miyuki protested.
Hmmm... "It's not your fault! Besides... I'm allergic to tea." Tony lied.
"Oh... Okay." Miyuki said as she sat back down, still feeling guilty.
"It's not that big a deal you guys, it's just a cut. Now, if Konata had accidentally run me through with a giant sword, THEN I wouldn't stop you from making a fuss. But, then it would still be an accident..." Tony said, talking himself around in circles. He was starting to confuse himself. He hated it when he did that.
"I'll leave you five alone..." Sojiro said, though everyone knew he would be waiting around a corner.
"Well, the least we can do is stay here." Kagami commented, hating that she felt she had to. She still felt uncomfortable around Tony.
"No way. You guys go have fun! Besides, I have some... work I need to catch up on anyway." Tony said.
"What kind of work?"
"Classified."
"Crap, I had hoped you'd stopped that." Kagami facepalmed.
"Nope, sorry." Tony smirked.
"Before we leave, I do have one thing to ask." Konata said, her catgrin appearing. Kagami had a bad feeling she knew exactly what Konata was about to ask.
"Yes?" Tony raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"How'd the wedding go?" Konata cheered victory on the inside. Tony looked over to Kagami for an instant, then switched his gaze back to Konata.
"If that's all, then I'll answer. Then I'll take my leave and you can all go about your day." Tony said.
"Yeah, yeah?" Konata coaxed.
"Kagami... left Misao at the alter. Misao was kinda depressed for a little while, but," Here his eyes flickered to Tsukasa, who didn't seem to notice, " a friend of hers cheered her up. She's fine now. Besides," He looked Kagami directly in the eye while saying this, "They weren't meant to be together anyhow."
Kagami suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Somehow, with that one statement, the awkwardness had vanished. I'm glad he's okay... She thought to herself.
"How did Kagami look in a dress?" Konata asked, an easily discernible tone of perversion in her voice. Kagami blushed, having been pulled from her thoughts. Tony merely gave a thumbs up. He got up to leave and made it to the door when he heard Konata from the couch call, "Hey Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Next time, can I be the Maid of Honor?" Konata asked, persisting with the joke.
"Hehe, see ya." Tony called back, thinking to himself, No Konata. Next time, you'll be the bride. And he left.
"Well, let's get going!" Konata cheered, striking a pose as she got up.
Looks like it will be just the four of us! Kagami excitedly thought. "Yeah!"
Walking down the street
"Doo wa diddy diddy dum diddy doo..." Konata sang.
"What are you doing now?" Kagami asked.
"Nothing, nothing, so Kagamin, your and Tsukasa's birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Konata smiled.
"Not for about two months, why?" Kagami reminded.
"Yeah, I know July 7th! I was just making sure I got it right!" Konata shouted, throwing her arms in the air.
"Yeah actually... I'm surprised you remember." Kagami said through raised eyebrows.
*Sniffle* "That was mean Kagamin..." Konata sniffed in sorrow. Kagami jumped a little.
"I'm sorry Konata! It's just you don't remember a whole lot, you know? I didn't mean anything bad by it, it's just-" Kagami was cut off by the familiar sound of giggling. She suddenly realized she had been tricked again.
"Kagami, you're so cute when you get like this..." Konata said between giggles, having dropped the act completely. "Besides, didn't I tell you I remember all the really important stuff?"
*Sigh* "Why do you do that to me Konata?" Kagami asked, exasperated.
"Like I said, you just get so moe!" Konata catgrinned as she latched onto Kagami, attracting the attention of random passerbys and shoppers. Kagami blushed hard.
"Ko-Konata, get off! People are staring!" Kagami shouted, her arms inside Konata's seemingly inhumanly strong hug. Kagami was stuck accepting this hug until Konata was done or someone helped her. She looked at a giggling Miyuki and distracted Tsukasa and knew no help would come.
"Oh~, so if we were in private, I could hug you as much as I wanted?" Konata asked, looking into Kagami's face as her grin grew visibly.
"Tha-that's not what I meant!" Kagami shouted again, her blush deepening. She could tell Konata could easily keep her in this embrace forever. As she thought about it, she was scared to see that the emotion welling up wasn't one of anger or fury. It was a mix of happiness and... something she couldn't explain. Something she had never felt before. She couldn't describe it.
"Well, say what you mean!" Konata cheered, obviously having fun.
"I mean GET OFF OF ME!" Kagami yelled, her ever-reddening face almost sweating.
"If you insist Kagamin~." Konata cooed as she released Kagami's restraint. Kagami waited for Konata to turn back around before she started panting lightly.
What the hell is going on? Normally I would be furious, but not this time. I've got to get a hold of myself... I wish there was some way to relax, but my heart is beating really fast! Kagami thought, scared of whatever illness she might have contracted based on her quickened heart. She then noticed it wasn't concern for herself, but more that she might spread it to Konata, who's heart couldn't be that strong considering how frail the small girl was. Not to mention the fact that she had just gotten over a bad illness recently. But she is rather resilient... What am I thinking?... I just noticed I have no clue where we're going... "Hey Konata, where are we going?" Kagami asked after she had regained her composure.
"I dunno, where ARE we going?" Konata shrugged.
"You mean you don't know?" Kagami yelled.
"Well you don't either..." Konata commented.
"But I'm not leading, you are!" Kagami shouted.
"No I'm not, you're just following." Konata grinned.
"Whatever. Where are we?" Kagami asked rhetorically as she looked around. They were about in the center of a street of stores and supermarkets. "Hey, let's go shopping guys!" Kagami suggested excitedly.
"Oh, soon as I mention your birthday, you want us to go shopping for your gift, is that it Kagamin?" Konata asked, seeing her opportunity to embarrass Kagami yet again.
"No, that's not what I meant! I just meant that while we were here..." Kagami trailed off.
"I know, I know, I was just kidding." Konata continued her grin.
*Sigh* "Well, where do you guys want to go?" Kagami asked.
"It doesn't matter much to me Onee-chan, wherever you want!" Tsukasa said cheerfully.
"It would appear I've become irrelevant again..." Miyuki commented, more to herself then anyone.
"Hmmmm... How about you Konata?" Kagami asked her friend.
"Why not go to Gamers?" Konata suggested.
"Sure, let's!" Kagami cheered, raising a fist into the air. She looked to Konata to see her friend had pulled out her DS and was now playing while she walked. Kagami facepalmed. "Don't walk while playing games!"
"But the fate of all Archanea rests on this battle! I can't stop now!" Konata shouted, not taking her eyes off of her game. She suddenly felt her head hit resistance as she hit a pole. "OW!"
"I told you." Kagami scolded, knuckling Konata on her head.
*Giggle* Miyuki laughed to herself.
"Miyuki?" Kagami asked, her tone finishing her sentence as to why Miyuki was laughing.
"Nothing, I'm just little envious." Miyuki commented.
"Huh?"
"Konata-san trusts Kagami-san a great much."
"Wha?" Kagami was confused.
"That you'll protect her." Miyuki eyesmiled.
Is this girl a saint? Kagami thought.
"You're even walking in front of Konata-san while she's paying attention to her games." Miyuki observed. Kagami suddenly realized that she had sped up since Konata's accident and was now about a foot in front of the Otaku. The top half of her face melted into blue lines as she realized Miyuki was right.
"Tha-that's not right!" Kagami shouted as Konata brought her attention away from her games, latching onto Kagami.
"Yeah! She is! YATA~ NO~ KAGAMI~!" Konata laughed.
"What was that?" Kagami asked in a threatening tone, pushing the Otaku off, a vein appearing in her head. That was a clever pun though...
"Well, in this party, I'm the protagonist, a brave, brave warrior!"
"Huh?"
"Miyuki is the cleric!" Konata shouted, pointing at the moe queen.
"The... wha?" Said moe queen was clueless.
"Tsukasa is the clumsy mage!" Konata pointed to the airheaded twin.
"What?" Tsukasa shouted, having been brought into the conversation quite suddenly.
"And~, Kagami is the ferocious female barbarian!" Konata finished, grinning ear-to-ear.
"What the hell is that?" Kagami shouted in fury.
"That's why you're leading the way." Konata grinned, poking Kagami in the nose.
"Then should I act like a barbarian and beat you to a pulp?" Kagami asked, her vein throbbing. The building Gamers was housed in came into view.
"Look! The castle of Medeus!" Konata shouted, pointing to the building.
"You're not making sense!" Kagami shouted. As they entered, they saw a familiar face.
"Hey Izumi." Kuroi called, smiling and waving.
"LOOK! Gharnef!" Konata pointed.
"Not at school and still picking a fight?" Kuroi smirked, a vein similar to Kagami's appearing. "Well, I'm just here to find the new version of my favorite game. They did change the name to World of W*rcraft though instead of just continuing to 4. I'll see ya later Izumi!" Kuroi shouted, disappearing around the corner.
"We got ignored..." Miyuki commented, referring to herself and Tsukasa.
"Let's go!" Konata shouted, running off to see if she could find the collectors edition of said game. She had the regular, she had gotten it in February when it released, but now she wanted to one-up her teacher and get the collectors edition. The rest followed her.
"Wait up Konata! We can't keep up!" Kagami shouted, Tsukasa and Miyuki hot on her trail. As Konata stopped, they caught up.
"Hello again Izumi." Kuroi smiled, having been in the adjacent aisle.
"It's Elice , the princess we've come to rescue!" Konata shouted, pointing to her teacher.
"... Which is it?..." The teacher asked, confused.
"GO! PYROBLAST!" Konata started 'casting', beckoning for Tsukasa to join her.
"R-right!" Tsukasa said, starting to 'cast' as well.
"The heck?" Kuroi sweatdropped. It is kinda nostalgic... "Glad you're so excited. The results of the test you took yesterday came in."
"Oh?" Konata asked with dread.
"Yeah." Kuroi chimed, leaning in and telling Konata, Tsukasa and Miyuki their grades individually so none of them could hear the other. Both Konata and Tsukasa deadpanned. "See ya!" Kuroi called, paying for her game and leaving.
"My test was a disaster." Konata commented after her teacher left.
"Mine too!" Tsukasa panicked.
"Isn't that usual?" Kagami asked.
"It's okay, I can use Aum to resurrect myself and try again." Konata smiled.
"Somehow your country seems at peace." Kagami commented. "Learn from Miyuki."
"That's..." Miyuki started, but trailed off.
"Well what did you get Miyuki?" Konata asked.
"I..." Miyuki stuttered.
"Tell us Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa agreed.
"A-... A hundred points..." Miyuki stuttered again. Konata shot a determined a look to Tsukasa, who looked back to Konata with a similar look.
"Let's do it!" Tsukasa shouted.
"Yeah!" Konata shouted in reply.
"PYROBLAST!" They both shouted in unison as they both started casting again.
"WHA?" Miyuki exclaimed. Kagami facepalmed.
"Aren't you getting a little too excited?" Kagami sighed.
"Not at all! I didn't even have Heroism!" Konata shouted, raising both hands in the air. She quickly calmed down as she was looking for the game.
"You're mixing the classes..." Kagami sighed again.
"And how do you know that?" Konata smiled as she turned to look at Kagami.
"Well I- um... I got a trial, I figured I might as well play for a few minutes..." Kagami scratched the side of her head.
"You don't get Heroism until level 60 Kagamin~." Konata chimed in victory as Kagami blushed.
"Onee-chan, didn't you stay up for a few days playing on your computer a month or two ago?" Tsukasa asked.
Busted by Tsukasa... Kagami thought to herself.
"Oh-ho-ho~, so Kagami became a Warcraft Addict!" Konata cheered happily.
"That's not something to cheer for!" Kagami shouted as Konata picked out the game and went to the counter.
*Gasp* "Miss, are you going to buy that?" Meito Anizawa exclaimed. "You know, we're the one of the only stores in Japan that sells that!" He informed.
"Yep, sure am!" Konata cheered, actually having enough money this time.
FINALLY! SHE'S GOING TO BUY SOMETHING~! "That'll be 4000 yen please." The clerk rang up the game, barely keeping his excitement under control.
"Here you go..." Konata handed over the money.
"Thank you, have a nice day!" Meito called as the girls went to leave. As Konata walked passed the Galge game section, she noticed a guy with glasses and short black hair in a school uniform picking out all sorts of different games with a short black haired pony-tailed girl in a purple sleeveless kimono that looked custom made with a pink scarf like thing around her and she appeared to be floating in midair.
Huh... That's cool... Konata thought to herself, I should ask them to come work at the café, they're really good cosplayers. The second they were out, the entire staff ran and clung to the clerk, all shouting,
"SHE BOUGHT SOMETHING! IT'S GOING TO SELL OUT!" And the like.
Konata and company kept walking down the street, though Konata had stopped her singing, they looked around. Across the street, in broad daylight, there was a woman getting robbed.
"Give me your money!" The robber yelled at the poor woman.
"Please! Take my purse, just don't hurt me!" The woman shouted, holding out her purse. The robber snatched the purse and started off. Tsukasa remembered what Tony had said, and started dialing his number, already seeing Kagami dialing the police. Just before she finished the call, the would-be robber was knocked to the ground, unconscious. A familiar looking man was standing over him. They all rushed over to see him as he handed the purse back to the woman, said woman thanking him profusely before running off.
"To-Tony? What are you doing here?" Kagami shouted once across the street. Miyuki seemed to be the only one who noticed the different clothes. Not only that, but they seemed like normal clothes. The man looked surprised at them.
"Oh? You know my brother?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, so you're the Green Beret?" Kagami snickered. The man seemed less pleased by this. The lilac-haired girl suddenly felt she might have said too much.
"And how, exactly, do you know that?" The man asked, suddenly on edge.
"To-To-" Kagami started to stutter. Something about this man was unsettling. Disconcerting. Downright scary.
"He told us! He's our friend!" Tsukasa finished for her sister, seemingly unfazed by the man's spooky aura. The man seemed to lighten up considerably at this.
"Oh! Well that's an entirely different story! I'm glad to see he finally has some friends, I didn't really help him in that department." The brother scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Ah. So what's your name?" Kagami asked.
"Masutā Otokonoko. The last name is a little embarrassing..." Masutā scratched his head harder.
"Hmmmm... I didn't even think about the meaning of your's and Tony's names... Wow, really?" Kagami deadpanned as she realized exactly what they suggested.
"I know, right?" Masutā laughed. "Our parents were pretty confident in us."
"Apparently with good reason..." Konata commented.
"Yeah, I suppose..." The man smiled. "What, have you seen my brother fight?" He asked.
"No, but I saw him knock a man out without any effort." Kagami recalled.
"Yeah, and he ran faster that I could pedal before! Not even by a little, he took off!" Konata shouted, thrusting her arm out for added emphasis.
"Is that so?" He chuckled. "Well, I was just on my way to pay him a visit. See how things are going now in Saitama, you know? I got all the way out here and then realized I have no clue where he lives."
"He never told you? Why wouldn't he tell you when he heard you were coming?" Kagami asked, confused at the illogical situation.
"He doesn't know I'm coming and besides, I haven't spoken to him since before he moved here. Say, would you happen to know where he lives?" The man inquired.
"Yeah, he lives next door to me!" Konata shouted. She beckoned him to follow as she started to lead him to Tony's house.
"Oh, his 'girl next door'?" Masutā laughed.
"Gah! No, not at all! We're just friends!" Konata shouted, slightly angry.
"Mehehe, of course, my little brother could never approach a girl with feelings after what happened last time..." The man trailed off.
"What happened last time?" Tsukasa asked, concern for her friend welling inside. Kagami felt a tornado start in her stomach, suddenly VERY afraid of what might have happened. Or that she might have staved her friend off of love forever.
"If he wanted you to know, he would tell you. Ask him if you're so curious, but expect something like 'Classified Information'." Masutā sighed, clearly exhausted with his brother's habit.
"Yeah, he's got us with that several hundred times. Did you teach him that?" Kagami asked.
"Nah, I taught him to be secretive, but he took it to a whole new level. He'll barely tell you the time of day without classifying it." Masutā laughed.
"I know, right?" Kagami laughed with him.
"So, did he ever use Hachiman?" Masutā asked, a look of concern crossing his face as he realized these would be the people to ask.
"What? What's that?" Kagami asked in reply, not knowing why the God of War's name held significance.
"I guess not... You may figure out later." Masutā trailed off.
"Okaaaaay..."
"Destination reached!" Konata chimed.
"Thanks a lot for the help girls. Maybe I'll see you around?" Masutā smiled.
"Sure, are you moving in?" Konata asked.
"Nah, I'm just visiting. I'm pretty much checking my little brother's progress, he likes for me to drop in at random times." Masutā chuckled. "I still can't believe he still trains. I suppose he does have his reasons. He's probably in there training right now."
"Oh really?" Konata got a shine in her eyes, curious to see what this boy's training was like if he could outrun her bike without tiring. "Think he would mind if we came in and saw?"
"Well~ I dunno." Masutā smiled. "You suppose we should go ask?" He winked.
"Yeah!" Konata shouted. She definitely liked this man better then Tony at first.
"You're not even going to ask our opinion?" Kagami facepalmed.
"I'm sorry, what would you like to do... ?" Masutā trailed off.
"Kagami Hiiragi." Kagami informed.
"Ah. What would you like to do Hiiragi-san?" He asked.
"Come on Kagamin, you can't tell me that you don't want to see this!" Konata grinned, getting close to Kagami.
"Whoa! You're too close!" Kagami shouted, blushing slightly as she backed up. Masutā smiled.
"Well~?" Konata chimed.
"... Fine, I'll go see. Tsukasa, Miyuki?" Kagami turned to her twin and friend.
"Let's go see him!" Tsukasa cheered.
"It would be dishonest if I said I wasn't curious myself from what I've heard." Miyuki said, having never actually seen any feats of strength performed by the absent friend.
"Then let's go!" Masutā shouted, opening the door. The group walked in.
"HAAAA~" The heard from inside the house. They all ran to the door of the room they heard it from. Masutā opened the door and walked in.
"Yo bro, whatcha know? Wanna give these girls a show?" Masutā greeted his brother. The girls peeked in. The room itself was very recently renovated, turned into a large training room.
I hope he got permission to do this... Kagami thought to herself. What they saw next made Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki blushed and turn away. Konata, however, seemed unfazed at the kneeling boy. He was panting heavily as he sweated, completely topless. The only visible clothing he had was shorts.
"Yo bro? You really haven't changed have you... Girls? Are Kagami and the others here?" Tony asked between huffs of breath.
"Yeah, glad to see you finally made some friends. They seem nice. They just wanted to see what your training was like." Masutā smiled.
"Wasn't it you who told me not to let others see my training?" Tony inquired.
"Yeah, but why not? Those were different circumstances." The older brother stated.
"I dunno..." Tony sighed. "I'm already pretty tired."
"Come on! Or do you want me to make you some Yerba Mate? That'll perk you up..." Masutā smirked.
"Oh good LORD no! That stuff is WAY too bitter! Fine!" Tony huffed as he pushed himself up. It was only now that Kagami and the others felt they could look. They turned to see, but were suddenly scared and realized why Konata hadn't looked away. She had seen something the others hadn't. What had attracted their attention wasn't the muscles their friend possessed, massive though they were, but something different.
"Whoa..." The three let out as they beheld their friend. His entire body, front and back, was all riddled with long and deep looking scars. While the three were paralyzed from this sudden development, Masutā walked near his brother and pointed to Konata and Kagami.
"Those two are hot for each other, aren't they?" He whispered, easily too low for the girls to hear.
"Yep, sure are, but they don't know it yet. Sad for me though, I like the lilac haired one." Tony sighed.
"Long or short?"
"Long."
"Damn, tough luck bro."
"I know."
"Well, shouldn't keep them waiting, eh?" Masutā smiled. "Show them what you've got Otōto ."
*Sigh* "If you insist..." Tony sighed.
"Alright! Little bro's gonna show you girls something!" Masutā shouted to the spectators at the entrance as he walked to the entrance. Tony walked over the the closet and pulled out some wooden dummies. He set five up around him in a circle. "Hey, you ever forge yourself another sword?" The brother asked.
"Yeah, wanna see?" Tony said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Use it!" Masutā shouted.
"Sure!" Tony cheered as he ran towards the closet and pulled out a sheath with a sword in it. The hilt was ornately adorned, a black hilt with gemstones throughout. A large ruby decorated the bottom of the hilt. He proceeded back to the center of the room again. "Here goes..." he mumbled as he drew his sword. The blade itself was jet black.
"Hmmmm, Is that obsidian? That's some rare stuff Ototo..." Masutā commented.
"Well, It's incredibly sharp and doesn't dull. It's also been reinforced on the inside by a diamond core." Tony stated with pride.
"Ah, but how did you-"
"Get on with it!" Konata shouted.
"Hehe, fine." Tony snickered. He crouched down, sword drawn and poised to attack. He jumped and struck the first target with speed that surprised the girls. They had trouble following him with his sudden speed.
Holy crap! He was this fast the whole time? They all thought together, amazed. Masutā merely smiled as Tony moved to the next target, the first having been reduced to nothing but small wood chips.
"Well, someone's been training hard." Masutā shouted. In that time, the second dummy was reduced to a few small chunks of wood. "Come here, Otōto ." Tony walked over to his brother.
"What's up?" Tony asked.
"Let me see your blade." Masutā held his hands out. Tony relinquished his sword without hesitation. The older brother inspected the blade. "Very nice. Able to cut through wood cleanly and not a hint of degradation. You did a good job forging it." Tony looked truly honored at the praise.
"Tha.. Thanks." Tony stuttered. This was the first time anyone other then Masutā and Tsukasa had seen him lose his composure.
"Hehe, Otōto . You take my praise too heavily." The brother laughed.
"Ye-Yes Ani-sama..." Tony stuttered again, becoming incredibly formal. Masutā merely laughed again.
"Here." Masutā returned his brother's blade. He's regressed back to his training days. I wonder why this happens whenever I pay him a compliment?
"Thanks." Tony muttered, re-sheathing his sword. It was then that his friends came out of their stupor.
"To-Tony... How the HELL did you do that?" Kagami shouted, eyes plastered to the remains of the first dummy.
I RACED THIS GUY? Konata shouted in her head. She was now afraid because she didn't know how strong this boy actually was. He had done that while he was tired! What stumped her was that at the speed he was just at, he should have easily been able to beat her backwards. So why didn't he if he was showing off? Curious...
"Your training is coming along nicely." Masutā commented.
"Thank you Ani-sama..." Tony remained looking away from his brother.
What's up? I've never seen him acting like this... Usually he's super confident and knows exactly what to say. Now, though... he's really scared and humble... What a change... Kagami thought. The change in her friend was scary.
"I'll let you continue your training Otōto." Masutā smiled. "But I'm a little hungry, you got any food? It's been a couple of days." He added.
"Couple of days since what?" Kagami asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Since I ate." Masutā informed.
"Onee-chan? How long can someone survive without food?" Tsukasa asked, having thought such a feat was impossible.
"I... dunno... Miyuki?" Kagami asked, half expecting Tony to interject with his own explanation. He didn't.
"Well, it depends on a number of factors, beginning with your initial nutrition. There's also the variable of water, with enough water someone can go without food for weeks, even a month! And then there's the will to survive if you are caught in a situation without food. One can survive on one's own will for days if it's strong enough. All in all, one can go for a very long time with little or no food." Miwiki explained.
"Um... You can have something from the fridge if you want Ani-sama. That goes for the rest of you..." Tony said. He suddenly lighted up a bit. "Maybe Tsukasa could cook you something? From what I heard, she's really good."
"Yeah, it's the best food you'll ever taste!" Kagami said passionately.
"Thanks Kan-chan! Thanks Onee-chan!" Tsukasa shouted, happy for the praise.
"Kan...chan..." Masutā gave a blank look, blinking a few times before he started to laugh profusely. "Pfwahahahaha ! That's hilarious! It's truly wonderful that you have friends now Otōto." Tsukasa's ribbon drooped as she thought the laughing was targeted at her with the intention to ridicule her. Tony looked up.
"Hey, don't laugh at her! I happen to like the name!" Tony shouted in defense, looking his brother straight in the eyes.
"Easy there. It wasn't my intention for it to be taken offensively." The older brother sweatdropped, trying to vindicate himself.
"..." Tony remained glaring at him.
"Kan-chan, it's okay, don't worry. I'm fine!" Tsukasa shouted, trying to sooth her friend without having to sing in front of her sister and other friends. For some reason, singing in front of random strangers who may or may not join her was far easier then singing in front of her friends.
"... Alright then." Tony relaxed. Then, he was perplexed. He had just stared down his brother. Made him sweat! He didn't understand how, and felt lucky not to incur punishment. "So, go get something to eat, I'll be out in a few." Tony said casually.
He's returned to normal. Such hold these new friends have over him... "Thanks Otōto." Masutā smiled. He and the girls walked out and quickly found the kitchen. When Tsukasa headed for the refrigerator, Konata got up to stop her.
"Hey, don't worry about it Tsukasa. You cooked for us twice, once yesterday and today. I'll handle it this time." Konata smiled as she sat Tsukasa down.
"Okay... Thanks Kona-chan!" Tsukasa thanked appreciatively.
Konata's belly rumbled loudly while she asked "So, what's everyone want?" while she looked in the refrigerator.
"It doesn't matter to me Kona-chan." Tsukasa said.
"Yeah, make whatever you want, I'm sure it'll be delicious!" Kagami cheered.
"How about curry?" Konata suggested, seeing the makings around the kitchen.
"Sure!" Masutā said. Konata started on her cooking.
"So..." Kagami started, but trailed off slightly.
"You can call me what you want. Masutā if you wish." Masutā told her.
"Alright... Masutā, we've heard a few things about you and from what happened in that room, it would seem you're incredibly strong to make Tony shrink like that." Kagami said.
"Very observant. I am pretty strong." Masutā raised an eyebrow to Kagami. He could see what his brother saw in her, he could already tell she was smart. Not to mention pretty.
"So tell me, I'm curious. Which of you is stronger?" Kagami asked.
"You mean if me and Otōto fought at full strength, who would win?" Masutā reworded.
"Yeah, pretty much." Kagami nodded. Masutā chuckled.
"He'd kick my ass." He said simply.
"What? But then why would he be that scared and seem so small before?" Kagami asked confused.
"Simply because for the longest time, I was practically God. If there was something he couldn't do, I could. Something he didn't see, I could. I could do anything to him, and he's maintained that mentality in part. I've even told him that he was incredibly strong, probably more so than me." Masutā scratched the back of his head.
"He didn't believe you?"
"If Susanoo came and told you that you were more powerful than he, would you believe him?" Masutā responded.
"I suppose not..." Kagami realized exactly what the man was saying.
"Every time I told him of his growth, he shrank like he did just now. Oddly enough, it usually takes him hours of time alone before he can regard me normally again. This time it took minutes..." The man trailed off. He added in his thoughts, As soon as he thought I insulted... Tsukasa I think, he snapped right out of it. Not only that, but he stared me down. That's never happened before.
"Done!" Konata chimed, bringing four plates over, two balanced on the Otaku's arms. Tsukasa looked past her to see another on the counter.
"Is that for Kan-chan?" Tsukasa asked.
"Yeah. I was gonna bring it to him, but I can only carry four dishes at once..." Konata seemed almost disappointed in her inability to serve all at once.
"I'll bring it to him, I think he's still in that room!" Tsukasa shouted, getting up and grabbing the dish.
"You don't have to Tsuka-" Konata was interrupted by a large growl from her stomach. She winced slightly.
"It's no problem!" Tsukasa shouted again, as she was already walking down the hall.
"She volunteered for that pretty quickly..." Masutā observed.
"Yeah she did..." Kagami agreed.
POV: Tsukasa
Tsukasa was walking down the hall, headed for the room her friend was in. As she neared the door, she heard mumbling from inside. She slowed to a crawling pace. She peaked inside to see Tony doing push-ups, faced away from her. It was then she realized that he was only using his thumb, index finger and middle finger on his right hand, his other hand behind his back. Now she could hear him.
"I have to be able to protect them... I have to be able to help them... I can't let harm befall them..." Tony grunted as he increased his session. He closed his eyes in effort and lifted himself up, still on three fingers, and balanced himself. Then, he continued his exercise, completely vertical at this point. "I... Can't... Let..." He started until he opened his eyes. He saw his spectator. "TSUKASA!" He shouted in surprise as he lost his balance and crashed to his back. The fall knocked the breath from his lungs.
"Kan-chan!" Tsukasa shouted, putting the food down on the ground before running to her fallen friend. "Are you okay?"
"Tsukasa... How long were you standing there?" Tony asked, feeling lucky his face was already flushed red from the incredible exertion.
"A few minutes... Are you alright?" Tsukasa asked again.
"Yeah... yeah. What are you doing here, I thought you were eating with everyone else." Tony asked as Tsukasa helped him up. There seemed to be considerable less weight now.
"I was bringing you your food since you hadn't come out yet. You've been in here for half an hour!" Tsukasa exclaimed. In her experience, 'a few' generally didn't mean 30 minutes.
"Oh, was I? Thanks Tsukasa, I should be stopping now anyway..." Tony said as he walked to the closet and pull out a towel. He dried his face and reached back into the closet, seemingly struggling with something. *Sigh* "I'll just get on some regular clothes..." He mumbled as he pulled out an undershirt. Every muscle of his body ached. If he didn't know better, he'd say all his bones were broken from what he could tell. He returned to Tsukasa, who had turned away while he dried and put a shirt on, attempting to be distracted by any little thing she could find. "It's okay Tsukasa, I'm decent." Tony smiled.
"Okay Kan-chan." Tsukasa smiled as she turned around. "Let's go!" She cheered.
"Yeah!" Tony cheered in reply as he started to walk out. As they were walking, he suddenly felt his foot burning. "..." He looked down to see his foot seeped in curry. ".. Ow." He muttered, more at the loss of food then the small amount of pain. Now that pain has been mentioned, he suddenly realized that this was boiling curry that suddenly hurt like hell. "Ow!" Tony shouted, bringing his foot from the food.
"You alright?" Tsukasa asked.
"Hehe, yeah. You worry a lot Tsukasa, you know that?" Tony smiled through the pain. "What really hurts is that I lost my food..." He looked sorrowfully at the plate.
"We-well, uh.. A hehe..." Tsukasa sweated a bit at the mention of her worry. "I'm sure Kona-chan made more than enough!"
"I hope so, I'm hungry." Tony said as he picked up the ruined meal. "Shall we?"
"Okay, let's go!" Tsukasa cheered again. They both walked down the hall to see the group had already finished their meal.
"What were YOU two doing?" Konata catgrinned. "Tony looks absolutely flushed..."
"W-We weren't doing anything! I was just finishing up my training for today..." Tony stuttered. Odd. I never stutter...
"Oh really?" Konata's grin widened at his hurried explanation.
"Yeah... Um..." Tony started racking his brain to try and think of a way out of this situation. Duh... He smacked himself internally for not having thought of it before. "Hey Konata, did you make any more? I was walking and... sorta accidentally stepped on my food." Tony scratched the back of his head.
"Oh really? Is that REALLY how it got ruined?" Konata grinned.
"... Yeah." Tony deadpanned at how she continued to pursue the subject. He raised his food, still half covered with curry as proof.
"Ah, alright. Sorry, I only made enough for the five of us..." Konata explained.
"Bah. Alrighty, never mind then."
"Kan-chan..." Tsukasa looked at him.
"Yes?" He replied.
"Here, you can have some of mine!" She held her plate out to him.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not really hungry." Tony responded, holding a hand up in rejection.
"Well... I'm not hungry at all!" Tsukasa insisted. However, she was betrayed by a REALLY loud grumble emanating from her stomach. She blushed a bit and panicked slightly.
"It seems obvious who's lying here. Thanks again, but I'm really not that hungry." Tony smiled. "Eat, eat. I'll not have hunger in my house."
"Okay..." Tsukasa sat down and started to eat.
Masutā looked to Tony with a raised eyebrow, as if to say You realize it's easy to tell you're lying yourself, right?
Tony shot a look back that seemed to say, Well, she's hungry. I won't be the one to deny her food. I can live at least a day without eating easy, you know that. As long as they don't pick up on it.
"If you insist." Masutā said aloud, relishing in the confused looks the girls gave. He loved how he and his brother could communicate in looks. It was pretty convenient.
"What?" Kagami asked.
"Nothing." Masutā smirked.
"So when is everyone's birthday?" Tony asked, wanting to know who he would be buying for first. He also wanted a completely different topic.
"Mine is May 20th, so it's coming up soon! I'm gonna be 19!" Konata cheered.
"My birthday is October 25th. I'm afraid it's a while away..." Miyuki sighed as she eyesmiled.
"Ours is July 7th." Kagami said, referring to herself and Tsukasa.
"Crap... May 20th is really soon..." Tony pondered how he would get any sort of money.
"It's alright if you can't afford a present, I've only known you for... how long's it been?" Konata asked.
"Hmmmm... A week at most, I can tell you that much." Tony tried to recall.
"And a good portion of that I was kind of a jerk to you." Konata scratched the back of her head.
"Eh, Hakuna Matata. I understand why you were." Tony shrugged.
"How?" Konata asked.
"So... I need to come up with a way to get money..." Tony mumbled to himself, ignoring Konata's inquiries completely.
"Don't worry about my birthday Tony, it's fine." Konata excused.
"You sure?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, it's pay back for my behavior." Konata explained, easily surprising Kagami with her maturity.
Well that was unexpected... Kagami thought to herself.
"Thanks Konata. I promise to make it up to you." Tony smiled.
"No problem! If you REALLY wanna pay me back, you could always..." Konata leaned in and started to whisper in his ear. Tony laughed.
"Should I?" He asked Konata in a whisper.
"Totally, her reaction will be priceless!" Konata giggled.
"Alright..." He switched back to a normal voice when he asked, "Hey Kagami, would you be opposed to sending yourself as a gift to Konata wearing nothing but a ribbon?" Tony asked, as if completely oblivious as to why such a statement would cause any sort of reaction. But boy did it.
"WH-WH-WHAT? Wh-Wh-What the hell kind of a question is THAT? Of course I am!" Kagami blushed almost as hard as she had at Konata's house the night previous to last night as she pictured exactly what Tony was saying. Then her previous thought kicked in about when she had last blushed so hard and she blushed more. She was about to yell at Tony and Konata but found her words stuck in her throat. What the hell? I can't even speak... Why don't I feel disgusted by these thoughts? This is scary, what's happening? Kagami questioned herself in a panic. She didn't want to admit it, but the thought of Tony's suggestion actually made her more embarrassed then anything. Her embarrassment was the only negative emotion to scale once she involuntarily pictured what Konata would probably do should Kagami actually go through with such a gift. In some distant land, she heard talking amongst people. They seemed familiar as she could make out one of them yelling something about turning around. Things got much more real when she felt a small finger poke her left breast. "KYA! WHAT THE HELL?" She yelled. As she came to, she looked around in embarrassment that almost had her in tears until she noticed that everyone except Konata had turned around and put fingers in their ears. She looked at Konata.
"Don't worry Kagamin, no one else saw or heard you." Konata winked. Kagami melted slightly at her Otaku's cuteness, completely forgetting her fury. "You just looked like you were going to explode." She giggled.
"Thanks... I think I almost did..." Kagami huffed a humorless laugh. Who knows what would have happened if Konata hadn't woken me up from all that... This was the second time she had lost herself in thoughts similar to these. Konata, meanwhile, was tapping everyone on the shoulder to tell them they could come back to reality.
"You okay Kagami?" Tony asked as he turned around.
"Yeah. Just... thinking..." Kagami muttered. Tony looked to his brother with a raised eyebrow, practically telling him that this would confirm the latter's conclusion.
"What about Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked.
"Don't worry about it." Kagami dismissed.
"Well, I know you girls were enjoying your day, so you can go back out and do whatever. Thanks for your help and cooking. It was delicious." Masutā thanked appreciatively.
"No problem, glad to do it." Konata smiled.
"Kan-chan, are you sure you're okay?" Tsukasa asked worriedly. Tony laughed.
"Tsukasa, you really worry a lot. I'm fine, thanks." Tony smiled.
"What happened?" Kagami asked.
"Kan-chan fell down and got the breath knocked out of him." Tsukasa explained. Masutā raised an eyebrow to Tony.
"Think nothing of it..." Tony said. "Please, I don't want to keep you from the adventures of the day." Tony smirked before saying, "Can't have Archanea falling, can we now?"
"Wait... How.. did.. you.." Konata started to ask.
"Muffin button." Tony said. Masutā looked at his brother.
Didn't he already make that joke? He thought.
"... Meh, we should probably get going." Konata said as she got up. That's a little creepy...
"Hehe. See you four later." Tony laughed slightly.
"You wanna come with?" Konata asked. From what she could tell, he might have last time anyway...
"No thanks, I think I'll see what's on T.V. Perhaps the plot will help out." Tony smirked.
"Alright, you guys ready to go?" Konata asked her friends.
"Yep, how about you guys?" Kagami asked her sister and Miyuki. Tsukasa glanced to Tony.
"Tsukasa, I only fell a foot or two. I'm fine, I swear." Tony chuckled.
"Well... I'm ready when you guys are." Tsukasa said.
"I'm ready." Miyuki said.
"Alright, we'll see you later Tony!" Konata shouted as they were walking out the door.
"I think you got the wrong sister Otōto." Masutā smirked.
"What do you mean?" Tony said in confusion.
"Nothing." Masutā smirked wider.
"... I'm going to watch T.V..." Tony muttered.
"I'll come witcha Otōto." Masutā walked along side his brother and sat on a couch as Tony turned the television on to something he had on Tivo. He heard about the show and was about half way through it already. A young girl with salmon hair appeared.
"Hiya Luckies! I'm here at FNN to report a new tournament that's being held in Saitama! A World Martial Arts Tournament! It will be held at a cost of ¥ 10,000 per ticket or free if you're family of someone who's fighting! Entry into the tournament is free, but the competition is going to be fierce! It will be held in one month to allow time for people to travel. The winner will receive money based on attendance! I'll be the referee! Good luck and I hope to see you there! We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, Gokusen!" She shouted before the show came back on. Tony turned the program off.
"Thank you Akira." He smirked.
"I've got a weird feeling about this Otōto." Masutā warned.
"You think?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, it's up to you. I think you would easily win. I just have a weird feeling." Masutā said.
"Well, I guess I'll compete. I could use the money to help pay for a few things. Including the birthday presents." Tony smirked.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll throw my hat in." Masutā smirked.
"Please don't. It would give the people a decent show, but still. I could REALLY use this money." Tony tried to discourage his brother.
"Hehe, alrighty. You've convinced me, I'll sit it out. By the way, this is a recorded program, the tournament might already be over..." Masutā chuckled.
"It's from... 27 days ago... The tournament is in 3 days!" Tony shouted in excitement.
"Hehe, you better train." Masutā joked sarcastically.
"Right... This is getting long." Tony sighed.
"Yeah, let's end already, we've been here longer than the sleepover..." Masutā commented.
"Alright. That's the end... Take it away Akira."
Luckier Channel
"Luckier~! Channel~!" Akira shouted. "Hiya Luckies! I'm Akira Kogami, your navigator~!"
"And I'm Minoru Shiraishi, the assistant! Akira-sama, you were in this chapter weren't you?"
"Way to point out the obvious." Akira said. For the first time in chapters, her happiness had been an act.
"Wha-what's wrong Akira-sama? Aren't you happy that you got another role?"
"Yeah, I guess... But my damn 'darling' mother took all of the pay except for a couple hundred yen..." Akira complained.
"Dang, I'm sorry Akira-sama. But didn't one of the fans send you, like, a million yen?" Minoru asked.
"Yeah, but the director and my mother found out, so I only got a little bit. By the way, thanks for that HolyRiot. It's the thought that counts." Akira smiled, though her mood melancholic.
"Maybe the writer can come through and do something..." Minoru trailed off.
*Sigh* "Yeah, maybe. Hear that Ac? I need some help." Akira asked.
Hmmmm. I'll do my best.
*Music Tone*
"Well, that's all the time we have for today! I hope to see you in the next chapter! Bye Nii~!"
"..."
"Well, let's hope ol' Ac can do something, eh?"
"Yeah, I bet they'll come through!"
"Let's hope... I need money."
*End*
Aftersection
Alright, so I think I've settled the 4th wall bit. I bet the reason that I only ever saw that blatant destruction was because I was very young at the time. I went back to watch a couple old shows and I saw some blows to the wall that flew over my head when I was a little kid. So I think if you guys don't mind, I'll put in a few blatant ones and some subtle ones. Blatant for the ones like I used to be and subtle for the ones who will pick up on it like I can now. Hope to see you in Chapter 13!