Chapter 42: Brought Together, Torn Apart
BWAHAHAHA! Everyone is commenting on the identity of one Tsuki Senninriki. From scold to snark, everyone thinks they know who she is. And you might! Like Alpha, for example! Tsuki's character was too obvious? You could tell who she was by the billions of context clues. But let me ask all of you a question first. Had none of you ever thought that this was perhaps by design? After all, I think I can make a character and have them shrouded in mystery, just look at Tony's first twenty three chapters. Tell me, did you know his story before the hospital? No, Tsuki's mystery lies elsewhere. You'll see soon. Made it obvious? 'Course, I made it obvious that Tadao was going to reject Kagami as a Yuri as well... *Snicker snicker* I have a feeling I'm gonna need some protection from a few people after this chapter. *Begins the fortifications* Anyway, on to more specific replies. RU7, is that what that is? Punch bag? Odd, he never really punched me successfully... I think I'll swallow my pride and ask him. Riku, thank you for the compliment, but as for Tsuki, refer to the above :P Ah Flygon, do I reread reviews? Ha! I do it several times every chapter! Rereading them gets me pumped to keep writing! I always pay special attention to the ones that tell me where I did something wrong and look to see if it needed fixing and, if it did, was it fixed. So to answer your question, I could probably recite some of the reviews by heart. Holyriot, I did, in fact, put a Hancock reference in there. And I do surprise. But you already knew that. :D Sqweebs XD Your review made me laugh. Sorry for not responding for very long to ya last time, but I might have let something slip about certain events that may or may not happen in the time that is coming soon. Are you very much satisfied with the length of your response this time? I've done my very best to elongate my reply and perhaps colored it a kind of magenta to the end that it might be the very longest of its kind. Apocalyptos, yours is the kind of review I mentioned early that I pay special attention to. Believe it or not, I've been told my fights aren't detailed enough! I must inform you that there are fights coming and they will be long. However, I'll try to put some extra fluff in when I get the option. Deal? Konami Izumi, es posible que en algo con Tsuki, pero nunca se sabe, ahora que haces? Alpha, thank you for your advice, though it may have been a bit misgiven this time. I've practically already responded to your review. However, if you see another time where you think I could use advice, please don't hesitate to give it to me. Universal Lizard, I've already put an Avengers reference. "They have an army." "I have a god." However, I do have another planned. Not in this chapter, but I know when it's coming. Chaos, you turned the tables on me! Usually it's I who snark people, not the other way around! That idea for the arena is certainly an interesting one. I'm very glad you like my story! Anyway, to end this long~, long~ author's note, please keep reviewing! Like I always say, you all have no idea how much it helps!
The Next Morning
POV Tony
Tony woke up grumbling. Honestly, he didn't feel like doing anything. He looked at the clock to see it was still very early, only five in the morning. He sighed, a little depressed again from his predicament with Tsukasa. He also felt incredibly lethargic from the amount of spells he had been working recently and the extremely early time. He briefly considered getting up and doing something until such a time that socializing was appropriate.
You know what? Screw it. Tony thought. He got himself comfy in his bed and decided to stop worrying for now. Easier said than done... Tony sighed.
POV Konata
Konata woke up and yawned. She smelled food and her stomach growled. She threw her covers off and got out of bed. She made care not to step on the futon so she didn't step on her guest, but Tsuki was no where to be found. Konata hummed and left the room. She walked into the kitchen to see her friend, still in costume, but with the addition of an apron. She was expertly flipping rice with one hand and whisking Miso Soup with the other. She looked back at Konata.
"Hey there Konata. I'm sure you're hungry after last night's little tussle." Tsuki smiled.
"How... Are you perfect or something?" Konata asked. Tsuki giggled.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"You fight amazingly, and now you are officially cooking two food items without even looking. What are you? You seem too... perfect to me." Konata said.
"You complaining?" Tsuki asked. Konata shrugged.
"I dunno, it just seems odd to me." Konata said. Tsuki giggled again.
"Well, my Dad was perfect and my Mom was perfect. Guess that makes me double perfect!" Tsuki cocked her head with a smile. In doing so, she accidentally tilted the pan she was holding, causing some of the rice to spill. She gasped and returned attention to her cooking, not making another mistake.
"I guess your Aunt taught you to cook too, huh?" Konata asked as she sat at the table. Tsuki giggled yet again.
"A little. I mostly taught myself from days of cooking myself." She said. "My Dad is a horrible cook." Tsuki finished up her cooking and dished out each into portions. Konata thought about what she knew about the girl. With the time travel, she was sure she knew who Tsuki was. Konata giggled. With the latest development of Manten, a time traveler, she wouldn't discount the possibility that Tsuki was one such person. She looked almost exactly like Tsukasa, so Konata would see if maybe... just maybe she was talking to her own future niece. Konata giggled at the notion.
"I'm surprised your Mom didn't teach you. She sounds like she would be a good cook." Konata smiled as Tsuki brought the food over and put the food on the table. The mood tangibly dropped.
"Um..." Tsuki mumbled. For the first time since Konata met the girl, the smile faded from her lips. "Mom isn't..." She looked almost depressed. Konata understood, but Tsuki continued before Konata could interrupt. "She's... gone." Tsuki said. Konata was suddenly mortified.
"I'm sorry Tsuki. I didn't know." Konata apologized. She felt very, very afraid. If Tsuki was who Konata thought she was, she could very well be talking about Konata's favorite airhead. "H-" She started, but suddenly realized what she was about ask, feeling like she had just wandered into a minefield.
"It's okay. You can say it. I probably won't get mad." Tsuki said. There was a moment of silence. "I know you want to ask." Tsuki said.
"Yeah, but something like this is personal. I don't want to intrude on something like this after only knowing you for a day. Do you want go to a different topic?" Konata asked. Tsuki nodded, but made no move to switch topics. So Konata felt it would fall to her to think of a more enjoyable topic. As such, she was still curious about her friend's origin. Konata decided to see if she could get Tsuki's mother's name out of her. "Hey, quick question." Konata said.
"Quick answer." Tsuki responded.
"Your Aunt, the one that taught you to fight?" Konata said.
"Yeah?" Tsuki asked.
"Does she have blue hair? Like mine?" Konata asked, gesturing to the hair on her head.
"Like your hair?" Tsuki asked.
"Yeah, something like Cobalt Blue." Konata said. Tsuki hummed, put her index finger to her lip and looked up with a squint again.
"I think so... Might have been purple, though! I love purple." Tsuki said almost energetically.
How can she be so close to her Aunt but not know her hair color? "Hm..." Konata hummed. "Can I ask another question?" Konata asked.
"You just did." Tsuki said.
"..." Konata was paused by this. She thought as they ate. "Can I ask you two questions?" She asked.
"That was the second question." Tsuki replied. Konata whined a bit and sighed. She thought a little more.
"Can I ask you four questions?" Konata said. Tsuki looked confused and put a hand to her ear.
"What was that?" She asked.
"Can I ask you a fourth question?" Konata clarified.
"That WAS the fourth question." Tsuki smiled.
"Who was your Mom?" Konata asked, impatiently admitting defeat.
"The woman who gave birth to me." Tsuki answered as the continued to eat. Konata sighed in exasperation. Little more words were spoken as the food was devoured rather quickly.
"That wasn't nearly enough, is there more?" Konata asked. Tsuki smiled and nodded.
"I made a lot. I figured it would take a lot after using all that energy. I know I'm still starving." Tsuki said. She picked up the dishes and walked back to the food.
"I mean what was your Mom's name?" Konata clarified her earlier question. Tsuki sighed.
"I..." She thought. "I honestly can't tell you. I don't like to think about the bad things..." Tsuki commented. Konata felt her melancholy, but decided she wouldn't back down quite yet.
"You don't remember at all?" Konata asked. Tsuki sighed.
"Something that started with a T. Possibly a K. Maybe it's T.K! Ah, the original Digimon..." Tsuki sighed nostalgically. She then remember what she had been talking about and her happy demeanor faded. "That's all I care to think about right now." She said.
"Well do you look like she did?" Konata asked. Tsuki chuckled as she refilled the dishes and set them out again. They too were soon gone.
"My parents always used to argue about that. Mom said I looked like Dad and Dad said I looked like Mom. They'd never come together on that..." Tsuki giggled as she reminisced.
"Is there any chance I could maybe meet your father?" Konata asked with a hint of curiosity. If Tsuki was from the future, Konata would like to see how Future Tony was holding up.
"Um... I dunno..." Tsuki said.
"Why not?" Konata asked. Tsuki thought. "Your Aunt sounds like someone I would get along with pretty well." Konata smiled.
"Hmmmm..." Tsuki thought for a little while, putting her finger to her bottom lip and looking up. "Well, they live kind of far away..." Tsuki mumbled.
"We can take a train." Konata said. Tsuki shook her head.
"You can't get there by train." She said.
"We'll fly." Konata said.
"Can't. No airport." Tsuki said.
"We'll drive." Konata said, having wanted to keep it as a last resort so that she wouldn't have to spend so long in a car again.
"Is there room in a car for all of us?" Tsuki asked.
"If we all squeeze in tight. Besides, I'm not sure if Tsukasa or Kagami would come. They're kind of mad at us right now..." Konata scratched the back of her head ruefully.
"Who are they?" Tsuki asked, cocking her head to the side quizzically. Konata sighed.
I really don't know if she's from the future or not. She hasn't flat out told us, but why else would she come to this town without any provisions. This town specifically. And she looks so much like Tsukasa. Konata thought to herself. "Kan-kan and my girlfriends respectively." She explained to the girl. Tsuki gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"You're Yuri?" She almost shouted. Konata's eyes widened as she jumped up and covered Tsuki's mouth.
"Not so loud, Dad doesn't know!" Konata said. She had felt so uncommonly comfortable around Tsuki, she had just let her deepest secret slip.
"Mmam ho coot!" Tsuki said, her voice muffled by Konata's hands. The Otaku looked at the girl and removed her hands reluctantly.
"What?" Konata asked hesitantly.
"That's so cute!" Tsuki squealed. "A brother and sister dating two sisters!" Tsuki looked like she was going to explode. "It's so cute I'm gonna die!" She giggled.
"Shush!" Konata said desperately. There was a honk outside the house. Konata looked over along with Tsuki.
"Who do you think it is?" Tsuki asked.
"If he had a car, I'd say probably Kan-kan looking for food." Konata chuckled as she got up. She walked over to the door and opened it. She raised an eyebrow.
POV Kagami
Kagami looked at the clock. It wasn't exactly early, but it wasn't really late. She sighed. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. The realization that potentially losing Konata would mean that she was gone forever, that Kagami would never again see her cute little grin or her large, emerald eyes... Kagami shuddered. The thought had haunted her and kept her tossing and turning throughout the night. The thought had invaded her dreams in the little sleep she had gotten and turned them into nightmares. She pushed herself up lethargically.
She's probably going to be up by now. Kagami thought. She wondered if it was too soon for her to apologize. Konata was surely going to be angry with her. She would have to face it again though, no matter how tired she was or how hard she knew she might get slapped for how hard she pushed Konata the previous day. She got dressed and walked out of her room to smell breakfast. Maybe Tsukasa's out! Great, then we could talk more. Kagami thought. She hoped she could help her twin come to a decision, whatever it may be. She walked into the kitchen to see Miki cooking, a completed bowl of rice and a dish of broiled fish on the table. Her ears twitched and she turned suddenly, looking hopeful. When she saw it was Kagami, she looked almost disappointed, but she covered the emotion quickly. "'Morning Mom." Kagami said.
"Good morning Kagami. Would you like some breakfast?" Miki asked.
"Why is there a plate made already?" Kagami asked. Miki sighed.
"I made some for Tsukasa. I hoped she would come out to eat, or at least take it in her room to eat. She hasn't even come out of her room and her door is locked." Miki said.
"Don't you have a key to the house? You could unlock her door?" Kagami asked.
"That wouldn't help at all though. This is the kind of thing that she has to think about alone for a bit. If I forced her to talk, she'd only get angrier with us and that wouldn't accomplish anything." Miki answered.
"I guess you're right..." Kagami said. There was a moment where nothing was spoken.
"So would you like breakfast?" Miki asked, finishing another meal.
"Hmm." Kagami thought. "No thank you Mom. I don't have much of an appetite right now." Kagami said. Miki looked over her shoulder at her daughter and, after studying her face for a moment, came to a conclusion.
"Tsukasa wasn't the only one who had a fight, was she?" Miki asked. Kagami sighed.
"Kind of, yeah. I was actually planning on apologizing to her today. I was on my way out, but I smelled breakfast and thought maybe Tsukasa was up." Kagami said. Miki sighed.
"No she isn't, but I can give you a ride if you want one. We just have to stop for gas on the way, Matsuri came back after we all went to bed." Miki said.
"Alright, thanks." Kagami smiled as Miki turned the kitchen appliances off.
"Ready to go?" Miki asked.
"Yeah." Kagami nodded. The two walked out to the car and got in. "Dad already at work?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah, he left about ten minutes before you woke up." Miki said as she began driving. "So, tell me everything." Miki said. Kagami sighed.
"Honestly, I was kind of being stupid. Tsukasa was crying, Tony had left and Konata was still there. She had been talking to Tony and I was just looking for her to confirm that Tony was a jerk for what he did. I never really asked her about his side of it or anything." Kagami said. "I really messed up again." Kagami smacked her forehead. "Geez..." Kagami rested her head on her hand and looked out the window.
"I'm sure she'll understand." Miki said as they pulled into the gas station. She rolled down the window. "Two thousand, please." She said, handing the money to the person who walked up.
"I've never been to this station before." Kagami said. "It's not the same one that Dad, Matsuri and Inori go to." She commented.
"Well, it's kind of my little secret." Miki smiled to her daughter. "Not only is the gas usually some of the cheapest here, they pump it, check the air in the tires, clean the glass, check the oil-" Miki was interrupted.
"How's the ashtray?" An attendant asked.
"It's empty, thank you." Miki smiled out the window. The attendant bowed almost informally. Kagami raised an eyebrow, but Miki continued before she could question anything. "If the ashtray has anything in it, they take it, empty it, and put air freshener in it." Miki said.
"That's really cool." Kagami smiled. "I guess you come here often?" Kagami said, more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, I always come here. It's the only place I go to in town." Miki said. "How did you know?" Miki asked.
"The guy washing the back window's bow wasn't very formal, was it? It could pass if he were lazy I guess, but service like this pretty much says that they aren't lazy." Kagami said.
"Very clever deduction." Miki smiled. "I'm a bit of a regular here. The only reason he bowed as low as he did was because it's policy and he'd get in trouble if he didn't." Miki said. A different man walked up to the window. He seemed to smile a bit wider when he saw who was driving.
"Are you going left as usual?" He asked.
"I'm actually going right this time." Miki smiled.
"Alright then." The man bowed. Kagami looked over.
"Hey, why did you tell him where we're going?" Kagami asked.
"Watch." Miki gestured to the man. He walked out on the sidewalk and looked both ways. He stepped off into the street to the left and waved at Miki. The mother smiled and drove out of the station, waving to him as they left. "The last thing is that they stop traffic so that you can leave." Miki explained. Kagami chuckled.
"That's pretty cool. I never noticed that they did all of that." Kagami said.
"I've heard that it used to be extremely commonplace, but it started to shrink in the 70's. Some people are just so greedy for money now..." Miki sighed in sorrow. Kagami found she couldn't really think of another topic of conversation, so she concentrated on what she would say to Konata. She knew she might get slapped or have to do something for Konata. She had every right to be angry with Kagami and the Tsundere would take whatever Konata would give to her. Lost in thought, the rest of the trip passed uneventfully and quickly to Kagami. Once they got there, it took Miki a couple tries to rouse Kagami from her dreamlike stupor. Finally, Kagami shook her head and looked around. "Trying to think of what to say to Konata?" Miki asked, a knowing smile of her face. Kagami started and blushed.
"Yeah... I don't think I need to bother asking how you know, you seem to be able to tell what I'm thinking very easily." Kagami smiled.
"It's all about love." Miki winked. Kagami sighed a smile and opened the door.
"Thanks for driving me Mom." She said.
"It's no trouble Kagami. Good luck getting Konata to forgive you." Miki smiled.
"Thanks." Kagami smiled as she closed the door. She turned, sighed, and walked up to the door. She raised her hand, but paused and put it down. She breathed heavily. She raised her hand again and paused once again. She put her hand down again and sighed. A beep interrupted her concentration and caused Kagami to turn around in surprise. Miki made a gesture that said "Go make up." with a smirk on her face while she drove away. Don't look so smug... Kagami couldn't help but think, but she also couldn't help but feel grateful. She might have stood there for hours before she worked up the courage to call Konata out. She turned and saw Konata had opened the door, an eyebrow raised, whether in surprise or something else was unknown to Kagami.
"Kagami?" Konata asked.
"K-Kona..." Kagami muttered. She sighed. "I..."
"What is it Kagami?" Konata asked, her inquisitive glare burrowing into Kagami's head. Kagami took a deep breath and braced herself for the rebuke she was sure to receive from the girl she loved.
"I'm sorry Kona! I was an idiot, I just wanted someone to agree with me, and when you didn't, I got mad at you! But I was wrong and you were right, I shouldn't have made you choose sides like that, and I'm so so so so sor-" Kagami was cut off as her breath was knocked out of her. She looked down to see Konata had headbutted her in the stomach, embracing the larger girl in a powerful hug. She could feel her stomach getting wet. Kagami was very surprised. " But... How can you forgive me so easily? I thought you would be furious with me!" Kagami said.
"I was never angry with you Kagamin, there's nothing to forgive..." Konata cried into her girlfriend's stomach. "I was sad because you had left me." Konata said. "I'm so happy that you found your way here to me." She continued, still muffled by Kagami's shirt. "I love you Kagamin, you were just protecting Tsukasa. It's who you are. It's who I fell in love with, an integral part of your character." Konata sniffed and looked into Kagami's eyes. "I wouldn't have you any other way." Konata smiled sweetly and cocked her head like a puppy listening to its master. Kagami felt tears in her eyes. She hugged her girlfriend with the same ferocity the smaller girl had hugged her and kissed the girl on the forehead.
"I love you too..." Her throat caught up. She sighed contently and felt right again. She hadn't even noticed, but she felt off the entire time she had been on bad terms with Konata. It was as if the weight of the world was suddenly off her shoulders.
"You made up!" Tsuki shouted. Kagami looked up at the girl, understandably confused.
"Who are you and why do you look like my sister?" The Tsundere asked.
"I look like who?" Tsuki cocked her head to the side, a confused look on her face.
"My sister. You look like her." Kagami said. Suddenly, her phone started to ring. She looked at it. "As a matter of fact, that's her." Kagami smiled. Konata let Kagami out of the hug so the Tsundere could retreat to privacy. Kagami mouthed a thank you to Konata and walked away a few steps, hoping she could cheer Tsukasa up some how. "Hey Tsukasa, what's up?" Kagami asked sweetly.
"Onee-chan, do you know where Tony is?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami started a bit at hearing her call him by his given nickname, but recovered shortly.
"No, have you tried calling him?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah, but it goes right to voicemail, I think his phone is off." Tsukasa said.
"Alright, hang on." Kagami said and muted her phone. She turned to Konata. "Hey, do you know where Tony is?" She asked her girlfriend. Konata put a finger to her lip as she thought, looking up.
"No, if he isn't in his house then I don't know." Konata said. "I'll try calling him!" Konata turned to return to her house, but Kagami stopped her.
"His phone is off." She simply said. Kagami put the phone back to her ear and unmuted it while Konata slumped over in defeat.
"Sorry Tsukasa, I don't know. Want me to check his house?" Kagami asked.
"Please." Tsukasa simply said. Kagami muted the phone again.
"Kona, I'm sorry but could you check if he's home? I think he's less likely to get mad at you for just bursting in."
"Sure thing!" Konata ran over and entered her brother's house. Kagami turned to Tsuki.
"So what's your name?" She asked.
"Senninriki. Tsuki Senninriki. Yours?" Tsuki asked.
"Hiiragi. Kagami Hiiragi." Kagami replied. "When did you meet Kona, Senninriki?" Kagami asked. Tsuki giggled.
"You can call me Tsuki. I feel that our relationship is at this point good enough to warrant as much." Tsuki smiled.
"Alright, then I'm Kagami." Kagami smiled.
"Then you are." Tsuki said in sort of a deadpan manner. There was a moment of impasse where neither said anything, neither getting past the fact that there was really nothing to say. The blunt manner in which the line had been delivered caught Kagami off guard. She didn't recover until Konata came out.
"Nope, he's not here!" Konata waved. "I didn't find his phone and Masutā said he was gone before he woke up!" Konata said as she walked up. Kagami sighed and unmuted her phone.
"Sorry, he's not home either, he left before Masutā woke up." Kagami said.
"If you see him, tell him I want to talk to him." Tsukasa said quietly. Kagami almost sighed in frustration, the tone of Tsukasa's voice did a very good job of hiding her intentions.
"Will do Tsukasa. How are you doing?" She asked. Tsukasa sighed.
"I don't know." Tsukasa replied. "I'll see you Onee-chan." She said.
"See you later." Kagami said, frustrated that her twin ended the conversation so quickly. They ended the call and sighed. "Hey Kona, can I borrow your bike? I wanna go home and talk to Tsukasa. Maybe I can cheer her up better if I do it in person." Kagami said. Konata nodded.
"Of course." She said. She smiled and knelt. "Anything for the princess!" She spread her arm in a gesture that indicated Kagami as if she were on a pedestal. Kagami's face flushed.
"Stupid..." Kagami mumbled as she scurried off to find her girlfriend's bike.
"Bye Kagamin~!" Konata shouted, having entered her house. Kagami turned and smiled, waving.
"See ya Kona!" She waved. Konata disappeared inside and Tsuki followed, turning around.
"Later Kagami." She said.
"Bye Tsuki." Kagami said. Tsuki closed the door. "What an intriguing person..." She commented to herself. From inside, she heard a muffled, sing-song voice.
"I heard that~!" Tsuki shouted. Kagami smiled in embarrassment and took off towards home. She twisted the bike to her left and barely missed an obstacle.
What the hell was that? She turned around and looked. Why is there a giant crater in the road and how have I not noticed that before? She yelled in her head. After a moment, however, she calmed down and decided to push the thought away. It was soon replaced with wondering where Tony was and why his phone would be off if he was indeed hoping for a call from Tsukasa. Maybe he wasn't.
POV Tony
Tony turned again and sighed. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since he woke up the first time an hour ago. Tsukasa had been running around in his mind too much. He reached over onto his stand and picked up the white stone he had gotten from the airhead. He reached into his pocket, having been too lazy the previous night to change out of them and pulled out the red stone. He held them close, causing them both to shine brightly.
Like they were meant for each other... Damn it! I can't start my day without Tsukasa! Her smile! Her voice! Her voice is like a beautiful song... And her song makes me soar high into the sky! He shouted in his head. He sighed. I need to clear my head.It's pretty far away, but if I ran all day...Tony thought. With a great force of will, he pushed himself up and stretched. He looked to see it was actually still only six in the morning. He smiled. Man, I haven't gone since...Tony thought back to his days as a kid with his only female friend. He pushed the memories from his head and thought how long it may take to get there. Damn. He felt extremely let down. I WOULD have to run all day... I haven't got the time to go there right now AND get back... He cursed in his head. What else can I do without Tsukasa... Tony wondered. A bit of concentration practice wouldn't hurt.He thought. He walked out to find himself up before his brother. He had a thought and pulled out his phone. I'm not going to get distracted from my training today. He decided as he turned it off. He crept past his brother and entered the kitchen. He figured his brother probably stayed up late the previous night getting various things together.
Tony walked up to the stove and gathered a few ingredients, cooking a small meal. He took his meal over to his table and ate, having to tense his muscles each time as the food seemed to hate his stomach. He sighed. Healthy, but horrible as always. He thought. Imagine what Tsukasa would have made... Tony's mouth watered. He blinked and shook his head.I'm not thinking about her today. He decided. Having finished his horrible meal, he grabbed some dengen and filled a bag with it. He sneaked out and thought for a moment before noticing it. … Okay. Random crater in the road. Just gonna... ignore that.... He mentally reached out and began siphoning a trace amount of energy. Slowly, very slowly, he took a step forward. He took another step. Slowly. As he began to walk away, he noticed he was still siphoning from the same area. Damn... Tony thought. He made the conscious decision to move the siphon with him. He continued moving at a very slow pace, being able to keep the energy coming as he was moving. He thought about smiling, but the action itself would disrupt his concentration. He would have hours to practice though.
POV Kagami
Kagami pedaled home on her love's bike. She was extremely happy that she had been forgiven so easily. She felt she could do anything, she hoped her ecstasy would carry over to her twin. Maybe Konata's little skit about "Twin Telepathy" would come in handy? Kagami giggled at the notion. She replayed the events of those ten minutes in the theater of her mind, remembering how adorable Konata looked as she looked up into Kagami's eyes, her beautiful green eyes, her...
Where am I? Kagami looked around. She looked at her phone to see it had been ten minutes more than she thought it had been. She looked around to get her bearings and turned around. I really need to not tune out like that... Even for my Kona... Kagami thought lovingly. She cut the thought off before she was distracted by it again. She turned around and pedaled back to her own home. Rather uneventfully, she kept her mind on her cycling so that she wouldn't get distracted by Konata once again. She arrived home about five minutes later without any problem. She parked the bike and dismounted, stumbling a bit since her legs were tired from riding at the speed she had rode at. She steadied herself easily enough and walked into the house, looking around once she was in.
"Welcome home Kagami." Miki greeted her. She looked into the living to see that, unsurprisingly, neither Tsukasa nor Matsuri were out. Tsukasa was obvious because of her situation, but Matsuri was being just plain lazy. Inori, however, was up.
"Hey Mom." Kagami smiled to her mother.
"How did it go with Konata?" Miki asked, but her tone of voice told Kagami that she knew already. Inori perked up.
"Ah, so you've gone to see Konata? I thought you might still be sleeping." Inori teased.
"Hey, I'm not lazy like some people who will remain sleeping." Kagami crossed her arms.
"What happened with her?" Inori asked with a smile.
"She forgave me, even went so far as to say there was nothing to forgive." Kagami smiled, her soreness at the teasing already forgotten. "It made me so happy..." She sighed as she sat down for a moment next to her mother.
"I thought you'd spend more time with her." Miki said.
"Yeah, get her and Kan-chan's side of it." Inori added.
"I was going to, but Tsukasa called me asking for Tony. I wanted to come back and see if I could cheer her up since I knew she was awake." Kagami said.
"Makes sense. Probably would have helped if you knew why the conflict was even started. Get both sides, you know?" Inori said.
"I suppose. Either way, has Tsukasa eaten?" Kagami asked.
"No, I told her that her breakfast was ready, but she never responded so I assumed she was still asleep." Miki said. Kagami smiled.
"Good, I can use that as an excuse to go in." Kagami got up. She walked over and picked up the plate.
"Do you really need an excuse?" Inori asked.
"I don't know why I feel like I do, but that's what I feel." Kagami said as she walked past the door and into the hallway.
"If you say so..." Inori commented before returning her attention to the television. Kagami walked down the hallway and knocked on her twin's door.
"Tsukasa? I brought your breakfast, you hungry?" She asked. There was a time when no response came, enough of one that Kagami briefly wondered if her twin hadn't gone back to sleep. She began to turn away, no longer expecting an answer, but was halted by the sound of her sister's voice.
"... Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked uncertainly from the inside of the room. Kagami turned back to the door quickly as the lock clicked. The door cracked open. Inside, Tsukasa was peaking out through the crack of the door with only one eye visible, avoiding eye contact. Her cheeks were puffed and very red.
"Hey, can I come in?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa seemed to debate it for a moment and, giving no verbal answer, backed away from the door. Kagami took it as a gesture of assent and pushed her way in. She looked around and saw that it was still relatively dark in her sister's room compared to the rest of the house, but that was simply because her lights were still off. Tsukasa had yet to change from her pajamas and showed no sign of doing so. One thing Kagami noticed was that there was a new stuffed animal on her bed. It was a rather large and fluffy looking dog that was looked like it had seen better days. Kagami walked into the room and sat of the bed, sneaking glances at the dog. It looked damp. She's been crying with it... Wait, isn't that the dog she had at the festival? She must have gotten it back after the car wreck. Tony must have gotten it for her... Kagami realized.
"Tony got it for me at the festival." Tsukasa said abruptly. Kagami started and realized she had been staring at the animal. She was also surprised again by what Tsukasa had called Tony. She opened her mouth to begin a question after the fact, but closed it as she thought better. She wanted to choose her words wisely here. After a few moments considering her possible choices, she decided on an approach. It wasn't tactful, but she thought it would be the most likely way to get her answer.
"So, it's Tony now?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa sighed. "What's going on with you two now?" Kagami asked.
"I... don't know..." Tsukasa sighed.
"What did you want to talk about with him?" Kagami asked. She didn't like prying into her sister's business, but she wanted to make sure her sister wasn't making a mistake. Tony may have been an insensitive asshole, but Kagami knew that he still loved Tsukasa.
"I... was thinking maybe we should just... stop." Tsukasa said. Kagami's eyes widened. "You know...?" Tsukasa asked uncertainly. Kagami certainly picked up on her tone.
"You don't really want that, do you?" She said, more of a statement of facts than a question. "Hell, you can hardly bring yourself to say it." Kagami pointed out. "He's not going to stop worrying about you, ya know." Kagami said. Tsukasa, for the first time that day, looked Kagami in her eyes.
"How do you know?" She asked cautiously. This gave Kagami pause. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew outside the fact that she knew Tony loved Tsukasa. At least, she was sure he did...
"Well..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa looked disappointed and sat down on her bed, breaking eye contact with Kagami. The older twin sighed in frustration in her mind. There came a knock at the door.
"Hey Imoto, you awake?" Matsuri asked.
"Onee-san?" Tsukasa asked. Matsuri, without a care for politeness, opened the door.
"How are you?" Matsuri asked softly.
"I... I'm okay." Tsukasa said.
"Good." Matsuri said. In that word, her tone very clearly took a turn for the stern. "Then do you realize you're about to blow it with a great guy?" She asked with a very serious tone. Tsukasa started at the sudden assault.
"Bu-But Onee-san, he was hooking up right in front of me!" Tsukasa looked back fiercely at her older sister. Matsuri sighed and shook her head.
"No he wasn't. I don't know how, but he let me see what happened. I think he may have been trying to make the other girl happy because she was a fan. Even then, he's allowed to have female friends." Matsuri said.
"I know what I saw!" Tsukasa shouted. Kagami didn't like her twin's tone because she also knew her older sister. If this continued to escalate, there would soon be shouting over each other and maybe even a fight. Quite surprisingly, Matsuri didn't explode like Kagami expected. Rather, she seemed to calm down a little from the ferocity she had entered with.
"Imoto... He loves you for you. He truly does. Do you know how rare that is?" Matsuri asked. She didn't wait for an answer as she went back on the offensive and walked over to Tsukasa. "Do you know how unbelievably selfish it is to throw that away over something like this? True love comes once in a generation, but we've somehow hit it lucky. You and him along with Imoto and Konatan." Here, Matsuri crouched down so that she sat on her legs. She was now eye level with Tsukasa. She put her hand on her youngest sister's shoulder. "You've found the guy you've dreamed of Imoto. I just want you to be happy, to make sure you're not making any rash decisions. Please... don't throw this once in a lifetime thing away because of what I'm sure is a misunderstanding. For those who love you, please..." Matsuri felt tears burning her eyes and slipping out. She brought Tsukasa into a close hug. "Please try?" She asked. Tsukasa, moved to tears herself, hugged Matsuri back. "He cares too much about you to simply stop on command anyway." Matsuri smiled.
"I... I think I will... Soon as I can see him again." Tsukasa decided. "Maybe tomorrow at the tournament?" She asked.
"It's a deal." Matsuri broke the hug and wiped her eyes. "Thanks Imoto." She said.
"Thank you Onee-san." Tsukasa smiled for the first time since the previous day. Kagami was sitting in awe of the scene. Matsuri had been able to reach her twin in a way Kagami hadn't been able to. It made her both a little frustrated, but also incredibly relieved that her sister was well on her way back to happiness. Suddenly, Tsukasa seemed to panic. She burst from her room with such speed, neither Kagami nor Matsuri could ask where she was going before she was gone.
"Hello Tsu-" Miki began, but Tsukasa was long inside the kitchen before she completed her greeting.
"Where is it?" Tsukasa shouted desperately. Kagami and Matsuri walked out and looked into the kitchen.
"Where's what Imoto?" Matsuri asked.
"I had a bag! Do you know where it is?" Tsukasa asked in terror.
"Over here." Kagami walked in the living room and grabbed the bag. She had tossed it aside when she went after Matsuri. After all, the contents weren't the type that would be damaged from such a light toss. Tsukasa ran over and snatched the bag from her sister. She opened it and looked inside, letting out a sigh of relief. Then she realized how rude she had been.
"I'm sorry Onee-chan, I didn't mean to be so..." Tsukasa trailed off.
"It's alright Tsukasa. Is that for Tony?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah... I think I'm gonna work on it today..." Tsukasa smiled. "I hope you don't mind!" She added quickly. Kagami smiled.
"I don't, I'm just glad that you're happy again." Kagami said.
"Thanks Onee-chan." Tsukasa smiled.
"It's no problem. I forgot to do something anyway." Kagami said.
"Alright..." Tsukasa looked back at the contents of the bag. She scurried away into the living room and sat down. Miki turned to Kagami and Matsuri.
"I don't know what you two said to her, but thank you. I think you really did make her happy again." Miki said to her daughters.
"Then my job here is done." Kagami smiled.
"Glad I could help Imoto." Matsuri smiled.
"So what was it you forgot Kagami?" Miki asked.
"I wanted to get Tony's side of the whole thing, and Kona has it. I'm sure. I forgot because Tsukasa called and I wanted to come back and... well, you know." Kagami said.
"Would you like another ride?" Miki smiled.
"Thanks, but I borrowed Kona's bike to get here and I have to give it back anyway." Kagami said.
"Alright. Let me know how it goes." Miki smiled.
"Will do!" Kagami shouted as she dashed to the door. She gave one more glance to her twin, who was hot at work on her project. She smiled to see her sister so happy once again before she left the house. She dashed over and got on the bike once again. She began cycling. The time she would spend riding to her love's house would be spent thinking of a way to get to Tony so she could explain that Tsukasa was probably willing to resolve the fight. If only he had his phone on...
POV Konata
Konata went back to her living room and sat down. By now, her father was walking down the hallway and yawning. Luckily, he had missed the little spectacle at the door. Konata sighed in relief. Her secret was still safe.
"Hey Pops." Tsuki walked in and waved. Sojiro was surprised by the sudden name, but took it in stride.
"Hello there..." Sojiro trailed off.
"Tsuki." Tsuki informed since the man had yet to hear her name.
"Ah, you look like someone my daughter knows." Sojiro said.
"I get that a lot." Tsuki said.
"So, how long are you staying with us Tsuki?" Sojiro asked.
"Probably until at least after the tournament. If that's okay." She added.
"You're welcome to stay here as long as Konata wants." Sojiro said. "So what was that beep?" He asked.
"Kagami visited, but I don't know what the beep was. I guess it was her mother or whoever drove her here." Konata guessed.
"Ah. She didn't stay long I guess?" Sojiro asked.
"No, I wished she had though." Konata sighed without a second thought. She jumped and gasped, covering her mouth quickly at her slip up.
"Yeah, she's your best friend, right?" Sojiro smiled, looking around in the kitchen, his nose twitching. "I smell food, where is it?" He asked.
"Tsuki made breakfast, but we might have eaten it all." Konata giggled, trying her best to recover from her slip up. She felt very lucky. Sojiro had neither seen her with Kagami nor had he made anything out of what she had said.
"Wow, you two were hungry, it looks like she made a lot..." Sojiro said as he saw all of the dirty dishes.
"Yeah, little bit..." Konata rubbed the back of her head. "I can cook you up some more though!" Konata said. Without waiting for a response, she walked up to the stove and began making more rice with Miso Soup.
"Thanks Konata." Sojiro smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He chuckled. Konata smiled.
"Ditto Dad." She replied. She began doing what Tsuki had done earlier, not being able to speak anymore since her cooking was now taking all her concentration. She figured Tsuki must have inherited the cooking goddess trait from her mother if she was who Konata thought she was. She found it extremely difficult to keep up both things at the same time without making a mistake. The idea that Tsukasa could do it without so much as breaking a sweat was mind boggling to her. She finished without taking a long time since it was only a single serving and dished it out to her father. She gave him the plate while he walked into the living room to eat while he watched T.V.
"Thanks Konata." He smiled as he began eating with fervor, as if he didn't get to eat for three days prior. It wasn't so much that he was hungry, more like the food was delicious and he wanted to eat as much of it as possible. Unfortunately, since he held this pace the entire time, the food was gone as quickly as it was cooked, if not quicker.
"Geez Dad, and you tell me I'LL get a stomach ache!" Konata scolded her father after he had finished.
"Sorry Konata, but your food is just so good!" Sojiro scratched the back of his head ruefully.
"You should taste Tsukasa's cooking, it tastes like it was meant only for the gods!" Konata said.
"I'll have to try it sometime." Sojiro chuckled.
"Yeah, soon as she and Kan-kan get back together, I'm sure she'll cook something for us!" The Otaku replied.
"She and him have a fight or something?" Sojiro asked.
"Yeah." Konata replied.
"What about?" Sojiro asked.
"Well, he-" Konata started, but was cut off by a knock at the door. She walked over and opened the door. "Kagam-EE!" She squealed in surprise as Kagami almost tackled her to the ground with her hug.
"Konata, you okay?" Sojiro asked from the living room. Konata scrambled as Kagami removed herself from the Otaku, crossing her arms and huffing in frustration at her little loli lover.
"I'm good!" Konata shouted, smoothing out the wrinkles her near fall had given her. "Kagami just came back!" She said.
"Ah, tell her to come in!" Sojiro shouted.
"I hate that we hide this." Kagami whispered to Konata.
"Only for a little while more..." Konata said.
"Yeah, Obon starts in several days." Kagami whispered.
"I might not get to tell him the first day, the tournament is still going to be going on then, remember?" Konata responded. Kagami groaned a little.
"Come on..." She sighed. Nothing more on the subject could be said as the two reached the living room.
"So Kagami, what brings you here again?" Sojiro asked.
"Oh, I forgot I wanted to hear what Tony's side of the whole argument was about. I never-"
"Kagami, are you losing weight?" Sojiro suddenly asked, interrupting the girl. She jumped a bit and blushed, unconsciously covering her stomach with her arms. Konata bent over so that she was face to stomach with the Tsundere.
"Wh-what?" She asked.
"Wow Kagamin, you are! And not in a bad way either!" Konata said enthusiastically. Coming from Konata, it sounded a lot less perverted than it had coming from the father Otaku.
"Really? Awesome!" She cheered. "Wait a minute... How do you know-"
"Later." Konata interrupted, waving her arm. "But girl, you're droppin' it like crazy! It must be from all the walking and cycling you've been doing recently!" Konata regained her cheerful disposition. Kagami smiled at the compliment as she thought.
"Yeah, I guess you're right!" She said. "Thanks a lot, I hadn't noticed!" She thanked. I think I deserve a treat when I get home! She thought hungrily. Of course, it could just be the fact that she hadn't eaten anything that day as well. Konata certainly noticed.
"Kagamin, wanna have some breakfast?" She asked. Much like before, she didn't wait for an answer as she walked to the kitchen and turned the stove on.
"It's a little late for breakfast, isn't it Kona?" Kagami asked with a smile. "It's already around noon!"
"But everything is already ready!" Konata protested. "Dad, if you wanna come in here, I can tell ya about what those two were fighting about while I cook for Kagami! Same to you, ya little Tsundere." Konata called teasingly. Kagami had a retort that she knew would cause Konata to blush and stutter, but she refrained herself from saying it since she knew Konata didn't want her father to know about them yet. Instead, she merely followed Sojiro into the kitchen to listen to her girlfriend's story.
"So what did happen?" Kagami asked.
"Well..." Konata started, getting the necessary ingredients ready and started. She decided to cook slower than she had earlier so she wouldn't have to concentrate as hard. First, she relayed that basis of what had happened to her father before giving Tony's story. By the time she was finished, she had finished the breakfast and given it to Kagami. The girl, without forgetting to say her thanks, began eating. "Kan-kan doesn't think he was doing anything wrong by talking to Tereya. To him, he was just making a friend like he would with JC or anyone else. Her being a pretty girl had nothing to do with the whole ordeal. And if so, I guarantee he wasn't trying to flirt with her, he was just being nice." Konata said.
""Nice" isn't naming a technique after a girl you just met when you haven't done the same for your girlfriend." Kagami said. Here, Konata couldn't help but chuckle.
"Do you know why he did that?" She asked.
"No, why? 'Cause it sure sounds like he was flirting when you think of him doing something like that..." Kagami commented.
"He did that because the move wasn't perfect." Konata said. Kagami was quickly silenced by this revelation. Her mouth, however, still hung agape.
"Wait, what?" Sojiro asked for her.
"That's right. The technique he used wasn't as powerful, nor as beautiful, as he thought he could eventually make it. Thus, he refused to name it Tsukasa." Konata said. Kagami found her voice again.
"Why didn't he say so in the first place?" She asked.
"Because he didn't think he should have to say that. Keep in mind, he thinks he's right, why would he have to explain himself?" Konata asked.
"I guess that makes sense..." Kagami sighed. "I wonder where he is. You'd think his phone would be on if he's wanting to talk with Tsukasa." Kagami said.
"Yeah, you would think..." Konata sighed. "So now that you know his side, what do you think?" She asked. Kagami put a finger to her lip as she thought.
"... I still think he's an idiot. He could have avoided this whole conflict, but to prove his point he decided to charge headfirst into it. But I do kind of understand why he did it. And his logic behind naming the attack Tereya is kind of sweet. But in a way, isn't he basically saying that Tereya is inferior to Tsukasa?" Kagami asked.
"Perhaps she is in Tony's mind. I can't imagine he'd think that far into it though." Konata said. "So what do you wanna do Kagamin?" Konata asked.
"I was kinda hoping we could do something, but I'd forgotten about your friend." Kagami sighed.
"I think I'm gonna go back to sleep. My headache from yesterday is coming back." Tsuki said.
"Really? You sure?" Konata asked. She was obviously quite excited, though she did her best to hide it. Tsuki noticed easily, however, and felt happy.
"Yeah. Go have fun." Tsuki bade as she got up and left for the room she had slept in. A few moments went by.
"Kona?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah?" Konata responded.
"Why was she dressed as Miku Hatsune?" Kagami asked.
"She didn't have any other clothes..." Konata chuckled.
"Oh..." Kagami mumbled.
POV Tony
Tony ran at almost his full speed outside full on Sage Mode, gathering energy from all around him as he ran. He had worked at it for the past six hours, slowly increasing his pace, then slowly increasing the amount of energy he was taking in, rinsing, then repeating. His mind was free enough to allow him a smile, but he was in pain. He wasn't tired in the sense that he was running out of energy, but his legs and joints in general hurt from the constant pounding running at such a fast speed would be expected to make. Like he was at the moment, he didn't have the mental capacity to include a spell that would rid him of his pain, so he would be required to endure it until he decided to cease his training. His energy had long since hit its peak. To continue, he had begun putting all of the excess energy into the ring on his right finger until, now, he had quite a sizable amount of energy stored in it. He decided to slow his pace considerably, also releasing his grip on the environment. He sighed in mental exhaustion and looked around. Surprisingly, who would he see but Tereya and her friend? Their backs were turned to him and there was a group of guys around them, presumably friends since they were laughing. Tony smiled and began walking over. As he got closer, he began hearing the laughter. Now that he heard it better instead of just seeing it, it was obviously not the kind of laugh one laughs when somebody says something funny. Rather, it sounded like a laugh at someone. He also distinguished that there were no female voices laughing. He sneaked up behind Tereya and addressed the group.
"Hey, what are we laughing at?" Tony asked with a hollow chuckle, appearing on Tereya's left. She jumped and wiped her eyes.
"I was just talking to this thing." The apparent leader of the guys pointed at Tereya. Tony grew annoyed.
"Excuse me? This "thing" has a name." Tony said.
"Yeah, quit picking on Teri-chan!" Her friend supported him.
"And who are you? Her boyfriend?" He asked, eliciting a few chuckles. Tony crossed his arms.
"And what if I was?" Tony demanded. Tereya blushed, but the boys laughed harder.
"Obviously you haven't seen her arm or you wouldn't suggest something like that!" He said through his laughter. Tony raised his eyebrow and glanced at Tereya. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs and her left arm curved around her back to grab her right arm, though Tony still couldn't see it. Her friend had her hand on the girl's shoulder and was speaking comforting words to her. Tony noticed the tear running down her cheek. He turned back to the boys.
"Whatever you're talking about, it doesn't matter. Tereya is a very nice, very pretty girl." Tony said.
"Please!" The leader laughed. "I wanna cut her arm open and watch all the nasty ooze that comes out!" He shouted. Tony's nostrils flared. He stepped between the boy and Tereya.
"You wanna cut someone open?" He asked. "Then come and see what makes me." He said.
"Look Ryū, I don't wanna put you in the hospital, 'ca-"
"Wait, you know who I am, but you're still mouthing off?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, you're a good actor and I like your work. Your fight with Shin was awesome, but that's all it is." The leader said. Tony chuckled humorlessly.
"You think I'm acting in that?" He asked.
"Of course." The leader said. Tony smirked.
"Do you know what I think I'm gonna do then? Just for the hell of it." He asked.
"Tell me." The boy said.
"I'm gonna take this right foot." Tony pointed to his right foot. "And I'm gonna wop you on that side of your face." Tony pointed to his left, the boy's right side. "And do you know what?" He asked rhetorically. "There's not a damn thing you're gonna be able to do about it." Tony declared. The boy chuckled.
"Really?" He asked.
"Really." Tony nodded. In one fluid motion, Tony brought her right foot to his left, then up, and kicked the boy off his feet, all in the matter of a second. The boy landed on the ground. Tereya and her friend gasped. The boy pushed himself a little up and looked up at Tony. Tony turned a bit and whispered behind his back so that only Tereya and her friend could hear him. "Cover your ears." The two followed instructions.
"Kick this guy's ass!" He said to his friends as if he were talking to children. The boys stepped forward.
"Faas ru maar!" Tony shouted to his right. The boys to his right began to quake in terror. Tony threw a roundhouse kick against one of the guys in the middle, sending him into those to Tony's left. The terror that Tony's voice caused faded, but was mostly replaced by the incredible kick he had done. One of the boys threw a punch, which Tony jumped, spun, and rolled down the guy's arm. He landed and kicked the guy in his back, sending him into the pile of guys from his former left side. The others spun around, surprised by Tony's agility. He sighed. "Come on guys. If you're gonna attack me, at least make me use my arms." He said. "But I wouldn't suggest attacking me." He said gravely. The boys all looked at each other. One of them tentatively took a step forward. "Iiss slen nus!" Tony shouted. All of the boys were suddenly frozen in ice, though not to the point where they would be injured. Tony was almost amazed to see his energy as high as it was, his shouts had been rather complicated spells. He quickly shook it off and looked at Tereya. She had her right arm behind her back and was crying. Tony's nostrils flared in anger at the boy on the ground in front of her.
"He's right..." She muttered. Tony walked up and grabbed her by both her shoulders, startling her greatly. Tony literally almost had to keep her from leaving the ground. She looked up in his eyes.
"No he isn't. He needs to destroy your self esteem, to be mean and make you cry." Tony looked at the fallen boy. "Because this "big tough guy" knows he's empty inside." Tony let go of Tereya. He pointed to all the places he specified. "No balls, no brains, no heart, no pride." He said. "And not smart enough to know why." Tony almost spat on the guy. He turned back to Tereya. "You're pretty, no matter what people say." Tony said. Tereya smiled, blushed, and wiped her eyes with her left arm.
"Thanks..." She said. She sighed. "I... guess you'll want to see my arm then... right?" She asked, not looking Tony in the eye. He could see this was tough for her.
"Nah." He shook his head. "I'll see when you're comfortable with showing me. You don't quite seem there right now." Tony smiled. Tereya's eyes widened as she looked up into his.
"Tony, you certainly are one of kind..." She commented.
"Finest kind." Tony posed overdramatically. Tereya shook her head quickly.
"So how are you and Tsukasa?" She asked. Tony sighed.
"We kind of hit a rough patch." He said. Tereya seemed to have shrunk again.
"You... You want to talk about it?" She asked. Tony sighed.
"I probably shouldn't." He scratched his head. He felt something on his ankle. He looked down to see the boy he had kicked as grabbing it. He turned to Tereya. "Excuse me please." He turned back and crouched down. He took the boy by his shirt and picked him up until he was several inches from Tony's face. "Look. If I ever see you or any of your little friends picking on her again, I'm gonna punch your little nuts in." Tony said. The boy knew Tony wasn't bluffing. "Understand?" The boy nodded and let go. Tony smirked and stood back up.
"Come on and tell us!" Tereya's friend shouted obnoxiously, smacking Tony on the back. The attack caught Tony off guard and a force smacked the girl in her face, almost sending her off her feet. Tony spun and grabbed the energy around the girl, stopping her midair.
"You can't do that!" He said. "I'm sorry, my reflexes still get the better of me sometimes." Tony helped her up. She rubbed her jaw.
"That hurt... If you didn't want to tell us, you could just say..." She said, in more of an annoyed voice than anything.
"Sorry, but it really was an accident. Besides, we got in a fight about something really stupid." Tony crossed his arms.
"You should go out with Teri-chan then!" The girl quickly reclaimed her exuberance. Tereya blushed heavily. Tony did a bit. He sighed.
"Look." Tony took a deep breath. He turned to Tereya. "You're an extraordinarily attractive woman, but-"
"Stop." Tereya said weakly. "B-Back up there..." Tony quieted down. "G-Go over that first part again... Up to the "but" part." Tereya said. Tony sighed.
"You're an extraordinarily attractive woman." Tony repeated. Tereya seemed to gain a minute amount of confidence from this.
"Thank you." Tereya smiled. "As for the second part, I think I know what "but" means." She sighed. She took a deep breath. "I've gotta go, but let me leave you with two very important thoughts." She said shakily. Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?" He smiled.
"First, the feeling is very, very mutual..." She said, looking like she was going to have a heart attack at any moment. Tony smiled.
"I'm an attractive woman? Thank you." Tony said. Tereya jumped and looked very embarrassed. She looked like she was about to lose what little resolve she had and not say the second thing.
"Mou! You know what she meant, can't you see this is difficult for her to say?" Her friend shouted. Tereya redoubled her efforts.
"And second... The offer is open if things don't work out with Tsukasa." Tereya said. Her friend looked surprised that this was what she said. Before she could respond, Tereya turned and walked away. Her friend followed her.
"Wow, that was really forward, especially for you Teri-chan." Her friend said. Tereya looked like she was going to pass out. Tony watched her walk away as the guys around him thawed. He decided to continue his practice. He began taking in energy again and took off. As he ran, Manten's words again rang in his head.
All I know about that is that you supposedly broke up with one girl to get with another.
Tony shook his head. Tereya was nice, but Tsukasa was the girl he undoubtedly loved. No matter how odd Tsukasa had been, she was still his true love. Manten was messing with his head, right? Right?
Luckier Channel
"Luckier~! Channel~!" Akira shouted. "Hiya Luckies! I'm your navigator, Akira Kogami~!"
"And I'm the assistant, Minoru Shiraishi!"
"Minoru, what's gonna happen?" Akira asked.
"Don't you know?" Minoru asked.
"May~be." Akira chimed. "This is getting to be a monthly updated story..."
"Isn't that what Ac wanted to avoid?" Minoru asked.
"Yeah, but the computers of the house have pretty much been taken up recently, so the story has been shoved to the side against the author's will." Akira sighed. "The goal was to keep updates under a month at a time." Akira said.
"Not much we can do though, huh?" Minoru sighed.
"Nope. I suppose Ac could throw around God mode a bit more, but that takes years off their life." Akira giggled.
*Music Tone*
"Oh, I guess that's all the time we have for today. I'll see you all next time! Bye nii~!"
"..."
"Minoru, I'm having lunch after the show today, wanna come with?"
"Re-really? You're inviting me?"
"Sure! Why not, you're a good guy!"
"Well... Thanks I guess!"
"... I guess?"
"I mean thank you."
"Damn right you do..."
*End*
Aftersection
I wanted to keep these updates under a month, but I'm not sure that's going to happen any more . Sqweebs, I remember what you said though! I have absolutely no intention of letting this story fade away until it has reached a conclusion that I see fit. And if it reaches one before what I have planned, maybe I'll upload the folder of ideas so you all can see what I DID have planned. As of right now, the end is no where in sight. Hopefully I don't get worse and worse! A big thank you to Flygon Master for reading this before hand and giving me his opinion. You honestly have no idea how much you help me. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review!