Chapter 47: A Visit from Her
Gigarot, but... but... I don't recall referencing Sqweebs in the last chapter! I referenced Flygon a couple times. It is possible I referenced him without realizing it, or I DO just not remember. That's possible too. I have a really bad habit of doing that... Sqweebs, the complete surprise was my complete intention! I wanted to kind of smack people in the face with that. Lizard, he kind of had to do it in a hurry, so he didn't do it nearly as efficiently as he could have... Ah Kitsune, I've talked with you at length about these things, please continue to let me know anything you have to tell me, be as honest as possible! I have to hear everything if I'm to improve! I've even taken some of the advice you've offered and applied it to this chapter, to an extent. LSPK, I'm sorry to waste your time, but I thank you for your time. Beatles, I may just try and Matsori story. Who knows? It might work! Mastodonic, I enjoyed your review (do try and keep the length if you end up reviewing more, if at all possible). I did try to take your advice as well as Kitsune's! Like I said, if people don't tell me, then there's no real way to improve! I do hope I improved a little in this chapter, let me know!
POV Konata
Konata was in a world of dreams. She could still feel it on her forehead. She put her hand to it, but couldn't quite remember what it had been at the moment. Everything was dark. She had had another dream, one that had made her indescribably happy, but at the moment she couldn't recall it. All she knew was she felt much, much better about herself. This was her second lucid dream where she wasn't in control of it, however. All she could wonder was where she was, and what was in store for her.
"Welcome, mortal." A VERY deep, VERY slow voice said. The dream morphed a little bit, becoming infinitesimally lighter. She could make out a form, what looked like a man, but much more... demonic. He had red hair and wore a leopard skin. On his shoulders, he wore a large bag that curved around the back of his neck, one side he held closed. The voice and form frightened Konata so much, she took a stance on nothing but instinct. The voice laughed. "Do you expect me to cower before the mighty power of Izumi? You are nothing to me. Less than that. Had I desired your head, it would be delivered on a pike." The voice laughed.
"Who... who are you?" Konata asked.
"I am the Ancient One, Fujin." Fujin said.
"God of the Wind? That Fujin?" Konata asked.
"The same. Now, perhaps you will cease your pitiful attempt to threaten me." Fujin said. "Time does strange things to those who use it as a form of currency." He said. Konata paused for a beat, then knelt reverently. Fujin laughed a slow, deep laugh. "Rise, mortal." Konata looked up and stood back up.
"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.
"Once every while, there comes an ordinary mortal who is gifted. You are one such mortal. Mastery over martial prowess beyond your years. These are the mortals I enjoy dealing with. To that end, I am going to make you an offer. You must pass a test of your fighting ability. Should you do so, we will negotiate a contract in which I shall grant you my boon."
"Kind of like XXXholic!" Konata smiled. Fujin seemed amused by this.
"If that is the comparison you wish to make, then make it." Fujin said.
"So wait... Contract? Do I have something you want?" Konata asked. Fujin gave a mocking laugh.
"You? What could you possible have? Other than, perhaps, your soul?" Fujin laughed in a derogatory tone. "The contract is little more than something to give this dull existence some semblance of interest."
"Dull?" Konata asked. "I guess after a few millennia it would be pretty boring, huh?"
"I predated the creation of the Earth. Controlling the winds of the Earth only remains interesting for so long." Fujin said.
"So what do I have do?" Konata asked.
"Simply defeat the current holder of my blessing in battle while he uses it. Should you do so, then you will have proven greater battle mastery than the previous owner." Fujin said.
"So what if I don't want it?" Konata asked. Fujin seemed amused.
"If not you, then another. I need only wait for another gifted mortal to come along. All things in time." Fujin said.
"Do I have time to think about this?" Konata asked. Once again, Fujin laughed condescendingly.
"You assume that the pace of the game revolves around your actions. Can you even fathom how preposterous that sounds to a being like me?" Fujin asked. Konata sighed.
"Fine, I'll do it." She said, tired of constantly being insulted. She understood where he was coming from, but still.
"I will assume you wish for your weapons." Fujin said.
"Of course." Konata said. Her knives appeared in her hands. "Quick question though."
"Yes?" Fujin asked slowly.
"If I fight this person, and I accidentally kill him, this being a dream and all, will they actually die? Or will they just wake up?" Konata asked.
"Hm hm hm." Fujin seemed amused. "Does that matter to you, young one?"
"Yes it does." Konata said.
"Hm hm hm... Then they will not die." Fujin said.
"Good. I'll give it a try then." Konata said, now knowing she could use more force than she would ordinarily.
"Very well. I shall let you begin then." Fujin said. A man wearing medium green armor and well kept blond hair who held a spear at his side appeared. He brought his spear in front and planted it in the ground.
"YaaaAAH!" He yelled as a light enveloped him as he threw his arms to the side with his spear in one hand. A large tornado that was as large at the bottom as it was at the top surrounded him. It moved back to reveal the man in a full suit of green armor, a pair of wings on his back. Green and yellow light from the ground rose on either side of him as if he were charging and attack. Konata emptied her mind completely and focused on nothing but the fight. Suddenly, the man rushed forward and thrust his spear. Konata brought the flat of her blade down on it and brought her other knife's flat edge down on the man's armored shoulder on instinct. She instantly noticed the man was slower than both Tony and Haschel. The man seemed to use the blow from Konata to front flip and bring his spear down. Konata used the raised knife she had used to hit the man's shoulder to deflect the spear. Using the momentum from the deflect, she brought her other blade flat to strike the man across her cheek. He was sent away, but spun in the direction Konata had struck him and rushed forth again.
He attacks from the right... Konata observed. She deflected the attack again and struck him across the other cheek with most of her strength. He was sent a large distance away. He seemed to regroup for a moment and rushed back. He stabbed down, but Konata redirected it down into the ground and sent the dull edge of the blade and cracked the man's neck. He was sent to the ground. The light returned and he was replaced with a void. There was a dull green light on the ground.
"You did better than I expected. I had expected you to survive his attacks until his energy ran out, not actually win." Fujin said.
"Okay, I won. What's going to happen now?" Konata asked.
"Now? Now, we negotiate. Take up the gem he left behind." Fujin said. Konata approached the dull light. She bent down and picked it up. It looked like a jade green marble. "That, is my blessing. Now, what will you give for it?" Fujin asked. Konata thought.
Give up? I can't think of anything... Konata thought. Fujin seemed annoyed.
"Decide quickly, there is one attempting to wake you. Her presence irritates me." He said.
"Who?" Konata asked.
"The one you call Kagami." Fujin said. Konata got an idea.
"You can have everything as long as I don't think it has anything to do with Kagami." Konata said. Fujin seemed impressed.
"Very well. The contract is set then." He said.
"So how do I use this power?" Konata asked.
"Simply call upon it. I shall be watching, so I will know by the phrase you use." Fujin said. There was a beat. "I feel nothing. What have I gained from the contract?" He asked. Konata smiled.
"Nothing. Everything has to do with Kagami to me." She said, though she was afraid. She had just tricked one of the oldest Gods to exist, probably one of the more powerful at that. The God took literal minutes to think of what had just happened. When Konata felt his next emotion, it surprised her. He seemed incredibly amused by her trick.
"Hm! So the mortal has brains behind her brawn! And guts! To play such a trick on a being such as I. A being that, if so inclined, could cause your own insignificant thoughts to crush the peanut sized mass of gray matter floating within your skull." Fujin laughed. "Ah, you have amused me greatly mortal! For that, I shall grant you my boon." Fujin said.
"So, will I have powers like Kan-kan?" Konata asked. The God was amused once again, but didn't seem to see it fit to answer.
"I shall return you to the waking world. Use my blessing wisely, mortal." Fujin said. With that, the room went pitch black again.
"Kona, wake up!" Kagami shouted, now clearly annoyed as Konata's eyes cracked open. When she saw Kagami, her jaw dropped.
POV Tsukasa
Tsukasa and Kagami walked through the grocery store a ten minutes walk from their house. Kagami was really just following Tsukasa. She had no idea what they were there for. Tsukasa was scampering all around the store, sometimes remembering ingredients that she had previously forgotten and revisiting isles.
"Tsukasa, for the last time, what are we here for?" Kagami asked, getting tired. Tsukasa turned around, shopping basket held behind her back, and leaned forward a little bit.
"Okay, come here!" She said. Kagami came over and leaned forward. Tsukasa whispered in her ear for a moment. Kagami smiled and nodded. Then she giggled. Then, she had an amazing idea.
Plan Underbelly Mark 2. She thought. "You should have told me! I have the perfect idea!" Kagami said excitedly.
"What is it?" Tsukasa asked.
"I-!... Don't have it. It's at Kona's house." Kagami said, suddenly very apprehensive. "With what's happened recently, that may not be that good a place to go..."
"He's not a barbarian, Onee-chan. Do you think he'll attack you?" Tsukasa asked.
"I dunno, he's acted really out of character. Maybe... You never know, right?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa sighed and smiled sympathetically.
"Well, I'm sure that you'll be fine, but I have an idea." She pulled out her phone. "Kan-kun?" She asked. "Where are you?" She seemed to listen for a moment. "Ice cream? That's... random." She said. "Well, Onee-chan needs your help. We need something from Kona-chan's house, but Onee-chan is a little scared about going there. You think you could help?" Tsukasa asked "Yeah, Kona-chan is here! She's safe, yeah." . She smiled. "Thanks Kan-kun!" She closed her eyes to think of something she wanted to say. "Wait!" She said in a rush. "...Bring me some ice cream." She said a little too seriously. Her facade broke quickly. "Thanks~! Bye-nii~!" She chimed before hanging up. "Okay, he's going to meet us at his house. We've got everything we need, so we can go ahead and head over." Tsukasa said.
"Awesome!" Kagami smiled. They paid for their things and began walking to Tony's house. "Man, isn't it crazy?" Kagami asked.
"Isn't what crazy?" Tsukasa asked.
"After tomorrow, it isn't going to be meeting him at his house for you. It's going to be meeting at your house." Kagami said.
"I know, it's crazy..." Tsukasa smiled.
"So wait... Does Mom and Dad know you're moving? I don't remember you telling them..." Kagami said. Tsukasa looked up, a finger to her mouth and a pensive look on her face.
"Um... I... don't think so..." She mumbled.
"I thought that part went a little too smoothly..." Kagami said. "You DO realize you need to tell them before tomorrow, right? AND get their blessing at that. This might not happen."
"Well... if it does, then Kona-chan can live in my old room! And you guys can live together too!" Tsukasa said. Kagami paused.
"I... hadn't thought about that..." Kagami said. "But Kona could just live in my room too. You and Tony can't do that at our house! Or really in general." Kagami scratched the back of her head.
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Tsukasa sighed. "I still can't believe Kona-chan's Dad rejected her..." Tsukasa sighed.
"I know... You have a really good idea here though, Tsukasa. This should cheer her up really well." Kagami smiled.
"Thanks." Tsukasa smiled as they walked. They continued their walk in relative silence, starting several conversations, but feeling almost like there was nearly nothing to talk about. There hadn't been much that had gone on for either of the two that the other hadn't been privy to, after all. Every now and again, they would need to switch the hand that was holding their respective load of groceries, or the bag would begin cutting into their fingers. As they got close, the fact that Kagami was constantly being reminded of the items in her bag gave her something to ask.
"Hey Tsukasa." Kagami began.
"Yes Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked.
"When we get started on these, can I help you?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa giggled warmly.
"No. I'M going to be helping YOU!" Tsukasa said.
"Wait, what? But I've never made..." Kagami started.
"Onee-chan, I know you can do it! You're doing it for Kona-chan, and when you cook for Kona-chan, it's going to be delicious!" Tsukasa said.
"How did you know?" Kagami asked with a smile.
"Because it's so simple! You cook for love!" Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled.
"I didn't learn that until just recently." She said.
"But you still learned it! That's why your pancakes were really, really good, right? You put love into them?" Tsukasa asked.
"Yeah... Mom taught me that all you need is love." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa cocked her head to the side with a closed-eyed smile.
"All you need is love?" She asked, as if only to get Kagami to repeat herself.
"All you need is love, love!" Kagami repeated. Tsukasa nodded.
"Love is all you need!" Tsukasa said.
"So, if it's all about love, how come everything you make is so amazing?" Kagami asked.
"Because I love cooking so much, AND I love the people I cook for. It's one of the times I'm happiest." Tsukasa smiled. They arrived at their destination. Tsukasa knocked on the door. "Kan-kun~!" She called. The door opened up to reveal Tony with Yutaka and Tsuki in the background eating ice cream. Tony smiled.
"Well hello there pretty ladies. What brings you here?" Tony asked. Tsukasa giggled.
"You know why we're here. Onee-chan needs your help to get something from Kona-chan's house." Tsukasa said.
"Yep! Here's your ice cream Tsu-chan." Tony smiled as he handed Tsukasa a cone of ice cream.
"Yay~!" She grabbed it and joined Tsuki and Yutaka in eating it fervently.
"Hey Kagami, mind if I ask you something about her?" Tony asked.
"About Tsukasa? Of course, what's up?" Kagami asked.
"Well, while I was out..." Tony started.
POV Tony
Tony walked along with Yutaka and Tsuki, at the entrance to the mall.
"Are you two ready?" Yutaka asked.
"I suppose. After that call from Tsukasa, I kind of have to get ice cream now..." Tony chuckled. "Still, I'm not sure if I can..." He mumbled. Tsuki sighed.
"Pretend I'm Tsukasa." She said. Tony looked at her as if to question her sanity. "Well I look enough like her, don't I?" Tsuki asked.
"Voice, eyes, height, breast size. I can't call you Tsukasa, there are too many differences. I may as well pretend you're Tsukiyomi." Tony said. Tsuki's expression changed a bit, but returned to it's normal self quickly enough.
"Breast size? Have you been looking at my breasts~?" Tsuki said teasingly.
"Yeah. I'm a guy. I look at breasts, this is all I have! Breasts intrigue me." Tony said.
"Well, at least you admit it, unlike most guys." Tsuki shrugged. "But then call me Tsu-chan if it comes to that! You call Tsukasa that, don't you? Well both our names start with Tsu, so it's no problem, right?" Tsuki asked. Tony sighed.
"I'll try." He said. "Hang on, what if people recognize us? We are part of a tournament that has a LOT of viewers." Tony said.
"Muo! Then use some trickety-trick with magic to disguise us and let's get going! I want ice cream!" Tsuki shouted.
"Not so loud! Geez. Fine." Tony gave it a thought that he didn't want them to be recognized and left it at that, having felt his energy taxed a bit. "Let's go." He said. He grabbed Yutaka's left hand while Tsuki grabbed her right hand. They entered the mall and Yutaka began to skip, merrily reciting "The Village Festival". She drove it home by occasionally forgetting a few lyrics and starting over, making the cutest pouting face as she tried to remember the lyrics she had supposedly forgotten. She gained more than a few looks from people who thought she was absolutely adorable. Tony and Tsuki began speaking to each other about things like expenses of the house, how they would make this month's rent, where their food money would come from and the sort. Eventually, they passed an ice cream vendor.
"Look Mommy! Ice cream!" Yutaka shouted and let go of Tony's hand to point out the vendor.
"I see, now let's keep going." Tsuki said.
"Mommy, can we get ice cream~?" Yutaka asked, pouting at Tsuki.
"Sorry honey, but we don't have enough money to buy ice cream." Tsuki said. Yutaka did a great job of looking heartbroken. She suddenly looked like she had an idea and turned to Tony.
"Daddy, can we get ice cream~?" She asked, pouting just as she had at Tsuki. It was so heart-wrenchingly adorable, Tony almost forgot the plan.
"I'm sorry honey, we just don't have the money." Tony said gently, ruffling Yutaka's hair. Yutaka's eyes began to well up full of tears. She looked the ice cream vendor, who looked strangely like the manager of the cosplay cafe and the television announcer for the World Martial Arts tournament, straight in the eyes.
"But..." She muttered and looked at Tsuki. "But..." She muttered and looked at Tony. "Ice cream..." She mumbled, returning to looking the vendor in the eyes.
"Come on honey..." Tsuki began pulling her away. Yutaka used her still free hand to wave at the man.
"Bye bye ice cream!" She waved as a tear dropped down her cheek, making her very best puppy-dog eyes.
"Wait!" The man shouted. Tony and Tsuki stopped, a smile on each face. They replaced each quickly and turned around. "If it will bring a smile to this girl's face, you can have some for free today." The man smiled.
"Thanks, but it isn't that necessary." Tony held a hand up as if to put a barrier between him and the ice cream.
"Nonsense! Come on over, pick out any flavor you like!" The man gestured the three over. Tony looked at Tsuki, who nodded back while Yutaka just looked happy to be alive right now. She grabbed Tony's hand again and began pulling the two over.
"Please~! Please~!" Yutaka begged. The two smiled and walked over, a grateful smile on each face. Tony looked down and saw Vanilla Soda flavor. They each got a cone of ice cream.
"Now what do you say to the nice man?" Tony asked Yutaka.
"THANK YOU~!" She shouted, happily.
"Thank you so much." Tony said gratefully along with a similar thanks from Tsuki. The three made escape onto a nearby elevator. "You two ready?" Tony asked.
"For what?" Tsuki asked.
"I've never tried this before, so hopefully we won't all morph together or something." Tony chuckled. He stabbed at the seal of energy on the wall of his training room and the three apparated home. Both Tsuki and Yutaka began to sway. Tony took their ice cream cones from them as they ran out of the room, seeking the nearest rest room. He sighed and found a way to hold all three ice cream cones in one hand. He took out his phone and pressed a number on his speed dial.
"Yo?" The other line picked up.
"Hey Aniki, could you do me a favor?" Tony asked as he walked into the kitchen to find the dirty pan from the oden and the large pot of dengen. He propped the phone between his shoulder and ear so that he could take some out and eat it.
"What's up Otōto?" Masutā asked.
"Could you put Miyuki on the line? I have something about Tsukasa I want to ask her." Tony said.
"Yeah, sure!" Masutā said as he handed the phone off. Tony waited for a moment.
"Hello?" Miyuki asked.
"Hey Miyuki." Tony said.
"Hello Kanpeki-san." Miyuki greeted. "What can I help you with?"
"Well... Me and Tsukasa are talking about her moving in... I have a quick question. Is there anything about Tsukasa that you think I should know? The whole mega emotions kind of blind sided me before. Had I known about it, I may have been able to prepare accordingly. I just want to know if there's anything else like that I should look out for." Tony said. Miyuki hummed, seemingly delighted with the question.
"Ahhh, I know exactly what you're talking about. There is an entire aspect of Tsukasa's life that you know nothing about. However, I don't feel at liberty to tell you about it. It is something you should watch out for, but I think you would be better asking Kagami about it. You see, if she thinks you should know about it, then far be it from me to argue, but if she doesn't, I don't want to have been the girl to let the proverbial cat out of the bag." Miyuki said. Tony sighed.
"So you're not going to tell me?" Tony asked.
"I'm afraid not. In this case, all I can say is Classified Information." Miyuki said.
"..." Tony paused a beat. "Wow, was it that annoying when I did it?" Tony asked.
"I'm afraid so." Miyuki said.
"Damn, no wonder Kagami yelled at me." Tony said. "Well at least I have something to get back at you with." Tony said.
"Oh?" Miyuki asked.
"There's an entire aspect of Masutā's life I'm pretty sure you know nothing about as well." Tony smirked.
"...Very well then Kanpeki-san. I shall ask Masutā about it at my next opportunity." Miyuki said.
"I'm sure you will." Tony chuckled. "Luckily, Kagami and Tsukasa are coming over as we speak." Tony said.
"Then you will have the chance to ask her about Tsukasa." Miyuki said.
"That's right." Tony said.
"Then I await hearing her decision." Miyuki said.
"As do I." Tony said.
"Farewell Kanpeki-san." Miyuki bade as she hung up.
"..." Tony paused a beat. "Farewell?" He asked. Tsuki and Yutaka ran back into the room and silently grabbed their ice cream.
"Don't ever do that again!" Tsuki shouted as the two ran out. There was a knock at the door.
"Kan-kun~!" Tsukasa chimed.
Present
"So? What is Miyuki talking about? She isn't messing with me, is she?" Tony asked. Kagami smiled.
"No, she isn't. Miyuki was right. There is an entire aspect of Tsukasa that you would have never even thought about." Kagami said.
"Well... I asked Tsukasa about it on our date, but she never really gave me good answer." Tony said. Kagami nodded.
"Sounds about right. You see, this kind of thing is really personal and could be extremely embarrassing. Even for someone as close to her as you are. It can be seen as weird and so she keeps it under wraps for the most part." Kagami explained.
"Do you think you could tell me? I mean, I really want to know all about Tsukasa!" Tony said.
"That's the thing. I'm not sure if even I should tell you. I'm kind of wondering about it right now. Like I said, this is personal. It's not my place to just go around, telling people's secrets." Kagami said. Tony groaned in his head.
"Kagami. Please. I have to know. I love her, and I want to make sure I don't react inappropriately like I did with her super emotions." Tony said.
"Well, that wasn't altogether your fault either, but still. I understand that you want some heads up. Alright." Kagami sighed. "Look, I'm only telling you this because I know you'll be around for a long time, and I think you deserve to know what you're going to be spending the rest of your life with." Kagami said.
"Yes? Yes?" Tony prompted her onward.
"Well... You know how some kids, when they're really little, will make up stories and histories for inanimate objects?" Kagami asked. Tony thought.
"Um... A little help?" He looked confused.
"Well, like how a child would make up a story about a toy car they had, just use their imagination like that?" Kagami said.
"Ahhh." Tony nodded. "Yeah?"
"Er... Tsukasa still does those kinds of things... Sometimes with the most random of things. So watch out for that." Kagami said.
"Wait, you mean to tell me I'll need to be actively watching out for that kind of thing?" Tony asked.
"Oh yeah. Ohohooooo, yeah." Kagami laughed a little. "Moving in may just bring you two even closer than you are now. If you get to a point where she trusts you with this kind of thing, you may find that she does it quite a bit." Kagami said.
"So... Is there any particular reason she does it?" Tony asked. Kagami sighed.
"She stopped about the normal time a kid stops, maybe a bit later because she's... Tsukasa. But after the... incident... with Itzuwari, she started doing it again, making up stories in her head behind things to how they got now. I think she did it to see happy endings where she had none. For a while, it genuinely worried me, but it helped her cope with the loss of her best friend, so I let it go. These days, however, I think it's just become more of a habit than anything. Something her mind just does, you know?" Kagami said. Tony nodded, letting out a breath.
"Okay... Alright." He nodded to himself. "So that wasn't so bad, I should be able to handle that. Anything else you think I should know?" Tony asked
"Gods help you if it should happen while she's on her period." Kagami said. Tony gulped.
"Understood." Tony nodded.
"Well, I hope you do. Prepare for this, because it's going to be difficult when it comes. You're not gonna know what to say or what to do." Kagami said.
"What DO I do?" Tony asked.
"There is no cookie cutter way to respond to something like this. It all depends on the story she makes up. If it's a sad one, you've gotta be there for her. If it's a happy one, be happy for whatever it is she's happy for! It's... weird." Kagami chuckled.
"I'll do my best!" Tony said.
"I suppose, then, assuming all goes well, I'll be trusting you fully with Tsukasa." Kagami said. "Just remember, you make her cry, I'll find some way to hurt you. And I mean hurt. If I have to sell my soul to the underworld, I'll hurt you." Kagami said.
"I'm counting on it. And I'll be trusting you with Konata." Tony said. "You should be very careful about how you handle my sister. I don't think it'll be nearly as hard for me to hurt you as it will be for you to hurt me." Tony said.
"Trusting me with Kona?" Kagami asked.
"Well, where else is she going to live? She can't very well go home, after all, and I won't have room for her here once Tsukasa moves in. She's gonna have to move in with you." Tony said. Kagami smiled.
"I like the idea of that. Are you going to help her move too?" Kagami asked.
"If I have time, of course." Tony said.
"Speaking of her situation, I need to ask you a favor." Kagami said.
"Scared about going into the Izumi house, huh?" Tony asked. Kagami nodded.
"I'm just crazy, right? He wouldn't REALLY attack me, right? I mean, he isn't a barbarian, right?" Kagami asked.
"He attacked his daughter." Tony said. Kagami was silent for a moment in shock.
"... Whoa..." She muttered.
"Kan-kun~!" Tsukasa came into the room and hugged him. "Thank you for my ice cream~!" She chimed.
"No problem!" Tony chuckled.
"Even my favorite flavor~! How did you know?" Tsukasa asked.
"You mentioned you liked Vanilla Soda back in the Cosplay Cafe. See, I listen!" Tony smiled. Tsukasa hummed happily.
"You two work anything out yet?" Tsukasa asked.
"Not yet. I needed to ask her something before." Tony said.
"What was it?" Tsukasa asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Tony teased.
"Kan-kun~!" Tsukasa whined.
"Tsu-chan~! Come on back, we have more questions!" Tsuki shouted from the other room.
"Coming Tsu-chan~!" Tsukasa chimed. "They're asking for relationship advice! From me!" Tsukasa whispered excitedly.
"Well go give it to them!" Tony said.
"You should come too! Then we could both give advice!" Tsukasa said.
"Are you insane? When it comes to relationship stuff, I'm not listening to what I say anymore. I'm listening to what you and the others say." Tony said. "I'm a love idiot." Tony chuckled. "That's like asking Stephenie Meyers how to write..." Tony said.
"Come on~!" Tsukasa said.
"Maybe later." Tony said.
"Tsu-chan~!" Tsuki chimed.
"Coming!" Tsukasa gave a disappointed look to Tony, which almost made him break. Then he remembered that he would be embarrassing himself terribly and strengthened his resolve. She left for the other room.
"So, anything else before we get down to business?" Tony asked.
"Well, she also-..." Kagami paused herself. She got a wicked grin. "No. Nothing really."
"Kagami...?" Tony said cautiously.
"I gotta leave SOME mystery for you, don't I~?" Kagami asked, giggling.
"Come on!" Tony said desperately.
"No way, Jose." Kagami said, obviously enjoying her power over Tony. Tony sighed.
"Alright, whatever. Shall we go get whatever it is you want to get from Kon-kon's house?" Tony asked. Kagami thought, then shook her head.
"I'd kind of like to do this myself if possible." She said.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"I want to talk with him, and try peacefully getting it. If the both of us go in, he may just think all I'm there for is to get her stuff." Kagami said.
"That isn't the only reason you're going?" Tony asked.
"No. I want to try and talk some sense into him. Maybe he'll listen, you know?" Kagami asked.
"I think that might be a mistake." Tony said.
"I want to try though." Kagami said. "Something tells me maybe I can get through to him." Tony paused a moment and sighed.
"Fine. Look, I have an idea about how to keep you safe if you go over there. Come here." Tony gestured. Kagami followed him as he led them into the training room. There, he gestured to the seal on the wall. "This, was an idea of Konata's. It's a seal that allows me to travel to it at will. I used it today, and it worked. My idea is what if I put it on you? I may be able to use it to keep an eye on the situation. If you get panicked, I'll teleport to you and get a Big Damn Hero moment. If not, all will have gone well and I should be able to simply remove the seal like I did the enchantment on the knife." Tony said.
"Wait, that isn't going to be dangerous for me, will it? It's not going to give me, like, a permanent tattoo of that on me, will it?" Kagami asked, pointing to the seal.
"Probably not." Tony shrugged. Kagami raised her eyebrow.
"Probably, huh?" She asked. "So, that's a gamble. Could you just put it on my clothes?" She asked.
"For all I know, it teleports me in the general vicinity of the seal. Meaning it could teleport me into your clothes." Tony said. Kagami sweatdropped. "I don't think you or Kon-kon would want that." Tony said. Kagami put her arms in a large X, blushing fiercely.
"NO! Not no way, not no how! Nah-uh! Negatory! Nope!" She shouted. Tony chuckled.
"Don't sugarcoat it Kagami, give it to me straight." He said.
"What, that idea doesn't repulse you at all?" Kagami asked.
"Repulse is a strong word. Besides, remember I had a crush on you before. You're not exactly an unattractive girl!" Tony laughed. Kagami looked surprised at his answer.
"You still wouldn't... would you?" Kagami asked.
"Look, would I have told you of the possibility when you suggested it if I wanted it to happen? I don't want to see you naked any more than you want me to!" Tony said. Kagami couldn't help but feel a little insulted. "Especially in front of Sojiro." Tony said. To this, Kagami could agree.
"Still, not the best way to phrase that kind of stuff to your girlfriend's sister." Kagami said.
"Come on Kagami, you know me! When I fell in love with Tsukasa, I lost all interest in women!" Tony said. Kagami raised her eyebrow a little more, causing Tony to think about what he said. "Er... You know what I mean." Tony sighed.
"Yeah. I do. Well then, where are you putting this thing? I don't want it to be very visible, in case it IS permanent." Kagami said.
"You realize what you're asking. For me to put it where you're covered, that place has to be uncovered. What skin are you going to show?" Tony asked. Kagami blushed again.
"This is still not okay stuff to say to your girlfriend's sister." Kagami said sternly. Tony scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, I'm still learning." He said.
"If you put it inside my clothes, wouldn't you appear inside them as well?" Kagami asked.
"It's complicated. I appear near it, but in such a distance that I'll end up just outside of them. Of course, I could put it on your leg or something. I mean, only Kon-kon will probably be in a position to get a really good look at it then." Tony said. Kagami's blush deepened as she zoned out for a moment for the sole purpose of imagining the circumstance that would require Konata to see her leg. After a few moments of indulging herself in the fantasy, she shook it off.
"I suppose. Do you have to feel my leg?" Kagami asked. Tony nodded. Kagami sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. Don't linger though." She said. Tony knelt and grabbed her left leg lightly. He reworded his spell in his mind.
"Kan-kun, what are you doing?" Tsukasa asked, having sidled them. Tony didn't miss a beat, and stopped his spell short so he could answer.
"I was putting a spell on Kagami so I can come to her aid if Sojiro attacks her." He said. Tsukasa blinked and looked at Kagami. Kagami nodded. Tsukasa looked back at Tony, who looked to be concentrating again. She smiled.
"Okay Kan-kun, I trust you." She said. Tony smiled and stood back up. While he was talking to Tsukasa, he had gotten a much better idea than putting his seal on Kagami.
"I'm so happy." He smiled to her. "Could you do me a favor Tsukasa?" Tony asked.
"Of course!" Tsukasa said cheerfully.
"Can Kagami borrow your necklace? It's enchantment would be exactly what we need here." Tony said. Tsukasa looked at her necklace. She thought for a moment.
"Yeah, I guess." She smiled. She reached behind her head an unclasped it. She brought it around and put it on Kagami, who looked at it.
"Wow... I never did really look at this. This is worth quite a lot of money, isn't it Tony?" Kagami asked. Tony chuckled.
"Just a little. The look on Tsukasa's face when I gave it to her was well worth it." Tony smiled. Kagami nodded.
"Alright, are you ready Tony?" Kagami asked. Tony nodded. Through the enchantment of the necklace, he would be alerted to any immediate danger to Kagami and it would summon him if he let it.
"Ready." Tony said.
"Okay, I'm gonna go. Be sure to keep a watch on me." Kagami said uncertainly.
"Got it." He said. Kagami walked out.
"Kan-kun, why her leg?" Tsukasa asked. Tony sighed, thinking it would be simpler and much less suspicious to explain the reason he was feeling Kagami's leg rather than say that he hadn't ended up needing to in the first place.
"Well, it's simple..." Tony started to explain in a way he was sure Tsukasa would understand.
POV Kagami
Kagami left the house and walked over to Sojiro's house. She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. She began creeping as stealthily as she could. As she passed the door to the living room, however, she was discovered.
"Get out of my house you... thing!" Sojiro shouted at her.
"Look, I'm not here to pick a fight with you Mr. Izumi. I just want to talk and pick something up of Kona's." Kagami held her hands up near the sides of her face.
"I have nothing to say to the likes of you! You turned my daughter against me!" Sojiro shouted once more. Kagami had opened her mouth to explain what she was picking up, having thought he'd ask, but was stunned a moment, incredibly insulted.
"You did that yourself." Kagami said.
"You won't take her from me!" Sojiro yelled at near the top of his lungs. Kagami kept on a cool front.
"Your anger and idiotic views have already done that. I love Konata, and she loves me. Why can't you see that?" Kagami asked.
"Because it isn't love!" Sojiro shouted.
"I get it, you think it's just a phase." Kagami rolled her eyes.
"No, you don't get it! You THINK you get it, which is different from actually getting it, get it?" Sojiro asked as if he were lecturing a toddler.
"I don't know why I bothered trying to reason with you." Kagami turned to Konata's room. "You don't care about Kona at all." She said spitefully.
"YOU LITTLE BI-" Sojiro began to lose it and threw himself at her. Kagami felt helpless as he closed in. Suddenly, Sojiro froze and was sent back into the wall by energy and Tony appeared. He walked up and took Sojiro's wrist, forcefully dragging him out of the room.
"Go on Kagami." Tony said. Kagami smiled and nodded. She walked down the hall until she saw Konata's door. She opened it and walked in. She looked around and saw Konata's Manga shelf. She also saw her book bag.
If Kona's gonna actually live with us, maybe I should get a few of her things... Kagami thought. She grabbed the bag and began putting various manga into it in an orderly fashion. Konata may be better at most games than she was, but she had an edge in Tetris. Konata, she knew, would have thrown all she could in haphazardly. She may have gotten some, but Kagami could get a much greater amount. After filling the bag half way, Kagami looked around. Now... If I were Kona, where would I hide them... She wondered. She began searching around. Suddenly, it hit her. She smiled and walked out of the room. She took a turn and walked in to the room Konata had her training supplies. She looked around and saw a cupboard that was probably a good half the room. She went over and pulled the doors open to find what she had been looking for. She began filling the bag the rest of the way when Tony walked in.
"Hey Kagami, you find what you were looking for?" Tony asked.
"Haven't looked yet. I was thinking that, if Kona's gonna be living with me, she might want some of her things. I'm just grabbing some of her favorite figurines that she saves in here for eternal preservation. Since no one comes in here often, I figured it'd be the best place to keep them." Kagami said.
"Good idea. But you'll only get a few of them that way." Tony said.
"Got a better idea?" Kagami asked.
"Magic?" Tony asked. Kagami paused.
Duh. She sighed internally. "So how are you doing that?" She asked.
"I'm gonna teleport myself with the cupboard and it's contents." Tony said.
"Gotcha." Kagami sighed and unpacked the figurines back into the cabinet. She began to leave the room. "By the way, where's Sojiro?" Kagami asked. Tony smiled.
"Oh, I just let him know exactly what happens if he interferes." Tony said.
"He didn't threaten to call the police?" Kagami asked.
"Of course he did. But he knows the police couldn't really do anything. Being overpowered in a verse of normal people has advantages, ya know." He said.
"Might wanna be careful what you say Tony. Remember, last time you got cocky, Hachiman himself came down and kicked your ass." Kagami smirked, looking quite amused. Tony chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, true... But Hachiman is exhausted. Whatever he did to tank that last attack is something he's not used to doing. Whatever it was, he did it panicked and in a hurry, it probably took a lot more energy than it should have because he didn't think he'd have to do it." Tony said.
"Tony." Kagami said.
"Yes?" Tony asked.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kagami said.
"Err... I didn't fight those ninja by myself. Hachiman was helping me." Tony said.
"Oooh... I thought you had a bit too much power in that fight." Kagami said. "Still, don't get too overconfident. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Kagami asked with an amused look.
"The Shadow knows." Tony said matter of factly. Kagami giggled and nodded knowingly.
"I'm gonna go get that thing." Kagami said.
"Alrighty, don't let me keep you." Tony said. Kagami smiled and nodded again. She left the room and returned to Konata's room. She looked in the closet to see what she was looking for in the first place hanging. She smiled and took it out, and put it in the bag.
I've got room for a few video games. Kagami thought with a smile. She walked out to the living room. Sojiro looked at her, glaring all of his hatred for tearing his daughter from him. Kagami returned one with twice the ferocity.
"I'll get you." Sojiro said.
"I hope you try." Kagami growled. "If you ever hurt my baby again, I'll kill you." She said with a deathly serious voice. It was with that look, Sojiro could see a woman truly capable of killing. Sojiro looked into her eyes for a moment, a little awed by the sight of a girl getting so protective over his daughter. Kagami used the stunned moment to begin loading some of Konata's favorite video games into the bag. Once the bag was full, she looked back at the man with disgust to see he hadn't moved. He hadn't even looked away from where Kagami had been a moment ago. Kagami sighed and walked back to the training room to see Tony. He was examining the cabinet. "So, any luck?" Kagami asked.
"I can't teleport this today. I wouldn't trust my energy levels. That rescue earlier may have looked awesome, but it still took a bit of energy." Tony said.
"Then why make it do all the fancy stuff?" Kagami asked.
"That was my first successful enchantment. I was even worse with my magic back then. It's mostly cosmetic, from the distance Sojiro was, energy obscured your image and passed to reveal me. It looks pretty cool." Tony said.
"Well, we've got all day tomorrow." Kagami said.
"Yeah. Besides, we have to get room in Tsukasa's room before I can even put this anywhere." Tony said.
"True enough. Well, I got it. Let's go." The two began to leave the house. Kagami walked out, but Tony gave a last glare at Sojiro.
"You know, it's Oban. I got the chance to talk with my mother. I hope Konata can too. Then her mother can apologize for your atrocious behavior." He said.
"But..." Sojiro muttered, still in a daze.
"Damn it man! She's your daughter!" Tony yelled at him before walking out of the house. And Sojiro was left alone. "So Kagami, what IS your plan anyway? Why did you need this thing so badly?" Tony asked. Kagami smiled.
"Well, Tsukasa had most of this plan soon as she heard about Kona. This..." She waved the bag around, rustling the contents inside. "Was a touch I added myself." She smiled.
"What is it?" Tony asked. Kagami paused and opened the bag. She pulled the thing out. Tony looked at it for a moment and smiled.
"Oh. Wow. You're...?" Tony asked. Kagami smiled and nodded.
"Mmmmhmmmm." She said.
"Kon-kon is gonna LOVE that! She is going.. She's gonna flip!" Tony said. "Awesome, that's the only word. Awesome." Tony smiled. They continued and got into Tony's house.
"Tsukasa~, we have to be getting home! Kona could be awake by now!" Kagami said.
"Time of the essence?" Tony asked. Kagami nodded. He rushed to the kitchen for a moment. Kagami turned to Tsukasa.
"Tsukasa, thanks for letting me use your necklace. It helped a lot." Kagami said as she took the necklace off and handed it back to Tsukasa.
"It's no problem Onee-chan." Tsukasa took the necklace back and put it on. She looked down at it and smiled before returning her gaze to her sister. "So, shall we go?"
"Yeah, let's." Kagami and Tsukasa headed for the door.
"Hang on!" Tony shouted as he ran back in. He was chewing something. He swallowed and made a face. "If time is really that important, I can see about teleporting you guys home!" Tony said.
"That would be awesome!" Kagami cheered.
"On it!" Tony grabbed Kagami and Tsukasa by the arm and turned on the spot, concentrating on Tsukasa's room. As the by-this-time familiar sensation took over, Tsukasa and Kagami felt their stomach quake. Luckily, through quite an effort, they managed to keep their lunch as they arrived in their house. They touched down in Tsukasa's room, though they were standing on her futon. The bag that Tsukasa held had split open and the contents had fallen onto her bed.
"Tony... Why are we on Tsukasa's bed?" Kagami said with a scarily serious voice.
"It's the part of Tsukasa's room I remember the best." Tony said. Tsukasa's face exploded.
"It isn't what it sounds like!" She shouted as she began pushing Kagami out of the room. "Thanks Kan-kun!" She hurriedly said. Tony looked around.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked himself. He sighed and put his hand on the wall next to Tsukasa's television. He reworded his spell and the seal placed itself on the wall. Well that'll make it easier to move things... Tony smiled. He took energy from his ring and apparated home.
Tsukasa pushed Kagami through the house, just as far away from her room and Tony as she could before Kagami could question it. As they passed through the living room, they saw their mother watching television, though Tadao was nowhere to be seen.
"Mom, did Kona wake up?" Kagami asked as Tsukasa stopped pushing her.
"No, I haven't heard anything." Miki said.
"Then where's Dad?" Kagami asked.
"Your father had to go to work." Miki smiled.
"Ah. Well, okay then." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa and her entered the kitchen, the former sighing in relief that the latter had seemingly forgotten about what Tony had said.
"So what did he mean, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Or not.
"Um-! What do you mean?" Tsukasa asked.
"Tony. About remembering your bed the most." Kagami said.
"It's where we watched Lion King 2. I had a nightmare, Dad came in, Kan-kun did something and Dad got a little scared." Tsukasa explained.
"Nightmare? So you fell asleep... Probably leaned on Tony... No wonder he remembers it. The love of his life was leaning on him before you two knew you loved each other." Kagami smiled.
"Yeah, that must be it! That's why he remembers it..." Tsukasa smiled.
"Alright, so shall we get started?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah!" Tsukasa cheered as she got out the pots and pans. "I'm right here Onee-chan. If you need any help, I'll be right here." Tsukasa put the pots and pans on the stove and backed away.
"Okay... Thanks Tsukasa." Kagami smiled to her sister. She took up a small pot. "With love for Kona!" She cheered.
After a little while
"Tsukasa... Are we done? Is that it?" Kagami huffed, looking at her creation.
"It looks great! You did really well Onee-chan!" Tsukasa praised her sister. She had only had to intervene a few times and been called a few other times, but Kagami had done a good amount of the work herself.
"Awesome! Then it's time for the icing on the cake! Er... So to speak." Kagami said.
"Alright, I'll put on the finishing touches! Go get dressed!" Tsukasa said as Kagami walked over to the table. She picked up the bag she had gotten from Konata's house and left the kitchen. She began walking towards her room, but remembered that Konata was there. While she didn't have as many objections to changing in front of Konata as she did a few months ago, she didn't want to spoil the surprise. So, she decided Tsukasa wouldn't mind her changing in her room. She walked in.
POV Konata
Konata's eyes cracked open.
"Kona, wake up already!" Kagami yelled, shaking Konata with her knee and doing her best to maintain her balance.
"I'm up! I'm up..." Konata said, rubbing her eyes and yawning cutely. Having a clear view of Kagami, her jaw dropped. She was holding a plate with one of her favorite snacks on it.
"Choco coronets for you, Master?" The lilac haired Miku Hatsune offered, the plate of choco coronets held in both hands like an offering. Kagami's gaze was averted slightly and a light blush was on her face. The two stayed that way for a moment. Konata fell backwards, a small tendril of blood trickling from her nose.
"Ka...Ka..." She muttered and twitched. Kagami got a sly smile on her face.
Plan Underbelly Mark 2: Success! She thought excitedly. "Ma-Master?" Kagami asked in a pretend panic. "Are you okay, Master? This is my fault isn't it? I'm so sorry to wake you!" Kagami started to cry falsely. Konata perked right back up.
I see why Kan-kan has that fetish... She thought. It's so amazing to hear that from the girl you love... Konata smiled. "It's alright Kagamin, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to react like that, you just surprised me! You look positively stunning in that outfit!" Konata explained quickly. Kagami's crying began sounding off again. Her eyes opened up to cracks and her eyes darted to Konata. Konata could easily see the toothed smirk she had on her face now.
"Gotcha." She said. Konata paused a beat.
"Why did you do that to me Kagamin? Betrayal by the Tsundere!" Konata complained loudly. Then her head actually computed that Kagami had warm choco coronets simply awaiting Konata, and all was forgiven. She looked at it and picked one up. "Kagamin, did you go out and buy me choco coronets?" Konata asked in wonder.
"You could say that." Kagami smiled as Konata took a bite. She turned it around and licked the chocolate as it dripped out. She looked at it for a moment as she ate what she had bitten.
"No way. This is much better than what I usually get at the store..." Konata seemed to ponder something.
"Yes~?" Kagami asked.
"Tsukasa? Did Tsukasa make these? For me?" Konata asked, taking another bite and taking more of the chocolate.
"No~." Kagami chimed, ecstatic with her cooking being mistaken for Tsukasa's.
"...Your Mom?" Konata asked.
"Getting colder~!" Kagami chimed.
"..." Konata looked at it, eating a bit more. "Inori?" She asked.
"Me!" Kagami said. "I made them myself!" Kagami said proudly. Konata looked back at the coronet, then to Kagami, then back to the coronet. She placed it back on the plate.
"No thanks. Wouldn't Gyopy-chan be more suited to eat these?" Konata asked.
"Oh, come on! I worked really hard on these! And I put a lot of love into these!" Kagami shouted. "You even said they were better than what you usually buy!"
"I know!" Konata seemed to cease her restraint, and practically tackled Kagami to get the coronets. She got the one she had been eating before and held two others, one in each hand. Kagami had to do several of the basic ballet moves just to keep the rest of the coronets on the tray she held.
"Kona!" Kagami shouted. Konata turned at looked at her, her eyes closed in delight and three coronets divided between her hands and her mouth.
"Hm~?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Kagami blushed a bit.
"... Thank me properly before you just dig in." She muttered.
"Hhank hou!" Konata said in a muffled voice, her mouth still holding a coronet.
"And don't talk with your mouth full!" Kagami scolded. Konata simply sat there and hummed contently, eating her coronets. Tsukasa poked her head in.
"Onee-chan, did she like them?" She asked. Kagami smiled.
"Come see for yourself!" Kagami chimed. Tsukasa stepped into the room fully to see Konata on her second coronet. As she neared, a light shone from her pocket, a similar light shining from behind Konata.
"Wha-!" Tsukasa exclaimed. Konata looked back. She swallowed and replaced the coronets on the tray. She grabbed at the light as Tsukasa stepped away. The light dimmed to show a jade marble.
"Damn it, you too?" Kagami asked.
"Looks like it..." Konata mumbled.
"So who gave it to you? I know Amaterasu gave Tsukasa hers, so who gave you yours?" Kagami asked.
"Fujin." Konata said.
"Wow, really?" Kagami asked.
"Yeah... We made a contract for his power..." Konata said.
"A contract? What did you lose?" Kagami asked.
"Just my soul!" Konata said cheerfully and continued eating one of the coronets dismissively. Kagami deadpanned.
"YOUR SOUL?" She shouted with the force the moon crashing into the earth. Konata didn't miss a beat.
"Yep! Nothing important or anything! He initially wanted to take my manga, but I told him that just wasn't going to happen!" Konata said.
"Wait, so you literally gave up your soul for your manga. I knew it would happen eventually. You realize that means him and I have a problem. Your soul belongs to me! And me only!" Kagami shouted. "You hear that Fujin!" She said, hugging Konata. "See this? Mine! All of it!" She claimed.
"I'm just kidding Kagamin, I didn't give him my soul. Don't worry about what he got, it's nothing!" Konata waved her hand dismissively.
"It better not be anything! Nothing is worth your soul Kona, not even the power of a God." Kagami lectured.
"Just like a miko..." Konata muttered through the rest of her coronet. Kagami sighed.
"Whatever." Kagami said.
"I'll leave you two alone..." Tsukasa said softly and back quickly out of the room.
"So Kona, you seem happy. Not that I'm complaining, but you came in a mess..." Kagami said.
"Ah... Fujin's dream wasn't the only dream I had..." Konata smiled as she reminisced.
The Theater of Konata's Mind
Konata awoke in a field. It was a field of tall grass that came up to her waist. She looked around, but couldn't make out anything else. No trees. No civilization. No signs of any other life. It was strangely peaceful, and Konata felt an ease she hadn't felt in a while. She felt as if there was nothing on Earth that could hurt her, and that everything in the world would be alright. She knew the feeling, but not where it was coming from. Until...
"My baby..." A harmonious voice whispered behind her. Konata heard it and was paused for a beat. She knew who it was, but couldn't believe her ears immediately. She turned slowly to face her.
"Mama..." Konata mumbled as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Yes... It's me Sunshine." Kanata smiled. She opened her arms widely.
"Mama!" Konata began sprinting with all her strength. Wind picked up behind her, her feet moved so quickly. It was as if the wind itself was accepting her into the embrace of Kanata. She dived at her mother in a hug. Kanata, with surprising strength, caught her and stayed on her feet, though Konata's momentum spun the two around. "I love you Mama!" Konata shouted. "I love you!" She shouted. Kanata hummed with joy.
"I love you too Sunshine." Kanata said.
"I don't know if you're real or not, but I wanted to say that before this dream ended. Mama, are you really here? What's going on?" Konata asked.
"I'm here Sunshine. This isn't a regular dream, either. It's the judges, they-" Kanata began.
"It's okay Mama, I don't care how you're here... I trust you." Konata tightened her hug. Kanata began stroking her daughter's hair. "How long can we stay like this?"
"Don't worry Sunshine, you'll stay asleep for as long as you want. This is the only time we'll get to talk like this, so please don't hold back." Kanata smiled. Konata sniffled. "Is there anything you would like to ask?" Konata brought her head from Kanata's stomach and looked up, suspended tears in her eyes.
"Mama... Why does Dad hate me?" Konata asked. Kanata's eyes widened in almost disbelief, her mouth slightly agape. She was heartbroken to hear such a question from her daughter.
"Sunshine, he doesn't hate you. Not by any means. As hard as it may be for you to believe, your father loves you very much, and he wants you to be happy." Kanata smiled softly to her daughter. Konata looked confused.
"Then... Why? Why would he do something like this to me?" She asked. "Why can't he see that I love Kagami?" Konata shouted, desperately hoping her mother could give some form of insight into her father's behavior. Kanata sighed rather sadly.
"He goes about loving you the wrong way, at least in this regard. I'll admit it, I'm partially to blame for it. You see Sunshine, I had always thought, when we had a child, that you'd grow up to be a successful woman. I had this vision of you being a successful woman with a successful job and a successful family..." Kanata said.
"So you... You don't approve of me and Kagami dating?" Konata asked fearfully. Kanata could feel her daughter beginning to loosen her grasp. Kanata sighed again, feeling even more heartbroken by her daughter's lack of trust.
"Does that mean you don't see your relationship as being successful?" Kanata asked. Konata looked as if she had been struck.
"Of course I do! I love her with all my heart! How could even suggest otherwise?" Konata asked fiercely. Kanata's facade broke as she began giggling. "What?" Konata asked.
"See Sunshine? You really do love her. Of course you'll be successful and I do approve of your dating. You'll always be my Sunshine, no matter what you do. You've become far more successful in finding a family than I ever could have dreamed you would." Kanata smiled softly.
"So... You don't think I'm just some Yuri freak?" Konata asked. Kanata looked pensive for a moment, as if making a decision about something. She sighed.
"Of course not. As it happens..." She averted her gaze, a small blush playing on to her cheeks. That piqued Konata's curiosity.
"Hm?" She hummed inquisitively.
"As it happens, you're not the only one who's... experimented with this sort of relationship..." Kanata muttered. Konata's mouth fell open.
"No... You? Really?" Konata said in utter disbelief.
"Mhm..." Kanata's blush deepened.
"I say Mama, first you had my curiosity, but NOW you have my attention!" Konata said, amazed and awed. "With who? Who?" She urged, squeezing her mother around the stomach at the end of each sentence. Kanata looked indecisive for a moment. She then leaned down and whispered in Konata's ear. There was a moment when neither moved afterwards. "No-ho-ho way." Konata said.
"Mhm." Kanata nodded, embarrassed for her deepest secret to be known. She shook it off enough that she could speak normally. "But that's how I know you're serious about this relationship! I've been there and we were a lot different than you and Kagami! We were more just seeing that was what made us happy and it didn't truly do it. So, we mutually agreed to keep it a secret and not experiment anymore." Kanata said. Konata stayed frozen for a moment more.
"Does Dad know?" She asked calmly.
"Are you insane? Do you know how crazy he'd go if he found out something like that?" Kanata giggled.
"I guess I see your point..." Konata sighed. Suddenly, she felt weird. Very weird. As if there was a ripple through the dream. Konata felt as if she wasn't there, but somewhere else, yet she was still looking at her mother. She looked up at her mother to see her equally as affected, and doubly as fearful. "Mama, what's going on?" Konata asked.
"Sunshine, it looks like we don't have as much time as I thought." Kanata said quickly.
"Mama?" Konata asked.
"I love you Sunshine, don't you ever forget it!" Kanata said, kissing Konata on the forehead.
"I love you too Mama." Konata said just as the dream went pitch black. She could still feel Kanata's kiss on her forehead. She moved a hand to the spot, but by the time it reached its destination, she couldn't remember what the feeling was.
"Welcome, mortal."
"So, you were visited by your mother..." Kagami smiled. She giggled a bit.
"What's so funny Kagamin?" Konata asked. Kagami shook her head.
"It's nothing, I'm just so happy for you." She smiled. Kagami hugged Konata. "Kona. I want you to live here." Kagami said.
"Huh?" Konata asked.
"I want you to move in. Tsukasa's trying to move in with Tony, I want you to come live in Tsukasa's old room if she does move out." Kagami said. Konata took a moment to let what she just heard sink in.
"Kagamin... Thank you." She leaned into Kagami.
"It's my pleasure, Kona." Kagami put her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"I love you Kagami." Konata said.
"I love you too, Konata." Kagami said.
"Don't we have to ask your parents though?" Konata asked.
"... Yeah, I guess." Kagami sighed. Konata was about to move to get up, but she felt resistance. "Not yet, Kona. I wanna snuggle more." Kagami tightened her hug and nuzzled her head into Konata's shoulder. Konata hummed with tranquil joy. They stayed there a moment, waiting for Kagami to get her Kona fix. After a few moments, Kagami nodded against Konata's cheek. "Alright. Let's go." Kagami said.
"Sure thing." Konata smiled. The two got up and walked out of the room.
"This is a VERY serious commitment, Tsukasa. I hope you understand that." Tadao said very seriously.
"I understand, Dad." Tsukasa said. Konata and Kagami stopped and listened.
"Moving in is a lot more than I think you're thinking of." Miki said.
"What will you do if he asks for... That?" Tadao asked.
"We're sleeping in different rooms. He knows that... That... isn't going to happen." Tsukasa said resolutely.
"You're sure you want to do this?" Tadao asked.
"With all my heart." Tsukasa answered.
"And if he does ask?" Miki asked again.
"I'll calmly reject him." Tsukasa said.
"And if he's... forceful?" Tadao asked.
"He wouldn't. I know he wouldn't. Do you hear yourselves?" Tsukasa asked.
"Hey, don't take that attitude with your father!" Miki said.
"I'm sorry." Tsukasa bowed her head. "You saw his apology. Do you think he'd try something like that?" Tsukasa asked.
"..." Her parents took a moment to think about the situation. They looked at Tsukasa with silent reflection, thinking of everything they knew of the boy, and every time they had seen the two interact. They closed their eyes in contemplation. They opened their eyes and looked at her, long and hard. VERY long and hard. Finally, Miki smiled.
"I approve." She said. Tadao looked at his wife for a moment, then closed his eyes and smiled, chuckling a little.
"I'll help." Tadao pushed up off his knees from his seat and stood. "When did you intend on this happening?" He asked.
"I was kind of hoping tomorrow..." Tsukasa mumbled.
"I'm off tomorrow." Tadao smiled. Tsukasa smiled.
"Um..." Tsukasa said.
"Hm?" Tadao hummed.
"Kan-kun... was going to use magic to make it really quick..." Tsukasa said.
"Ah, magic again." Tadao sighed. "I was looking forward to helping my daughter move for the first time." Tadao said.
"You still could." Kagami said. Tadao and Miki turned their attention to her and Konata, seemingly noticing them for the first time since they entered the room.
"What?" Tadao asked.
"Since Tsukasa is moving out, I was thinking maybe Kona could move in to her room? You see, she can't very well go home again, and so I... kind of invited her to stay here..." Kagami said.
"You invited without our consent?" Tadao asked seriously. Kagami looked like a small child getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"... I'm sorry..." Kagami muttered. Tadao sighed and shrugged.
"The invitation is extended. Do you accept Konata?" Tadao asked. Konata blinked.
"Huh?" She asked, being suddenly addressed without any warning.
"I asked you if you want to live with us?" Tadao asked. Konata smiled.
"Yeah! I'd love to." Konata answered.
"Alright then, it's decided. Konata, you'll move in after Tsukasa has moved out. We can help if Tony can't for some reason." Tadao said. "Obviously, we can't move all of it in one day, but we can move the essentials."
"Hey Dad, I thought you were at work?" Kagami asked.
"I was, but when Tsukasa called me about twenty minutes ago and told me she needed to ask us something, I came home." Tadao said.
"When did you call him?" Kagami asked her twin.
"When I started eating... It's what made Yu-chan and Tsu-chan think about asking for advice..." Tsukasa smiled sheepishly.
"Ah, alright. I was confused." Kagami smiled.
"So then I'm moving in tomorrow?" Konata asked, hugging Kagami around the waist. Kagami smiled down to her little loli girlfriend.
"Tomorrow!" Kagami cheered.
"Tomorrow!" The rest of the company cheered.
POV Sojiro
Sojiro laid in his bed. He had replayed the events of the evening a hundred times in his head. He always stuck on that one part. Kagami's glare.
I hope you try. If you ever hurt my baby again, I'll kill you.
She does seem to care for Konata... But Kanata wanted Konata to be loved... And to have a secure future. She wanted a successful family and job and everything, not a yuri girl! She'll see that there's a reason I made this decision... She'll see... Sojiro reasoned with himself before drifting off to sleep.
He awoke in a field of wilted grass. The sky was an eerie red. He looked around, but could see no civilization, no life, no trees. The ground itself seemed dead. The hostile environment set Sojiro on an edge he hadn't felt in a very long time. He looked around, and felt an extremely uncomfortable glare. He turned completely around to see a short woman.
"Ka.. Kanata!" Sojiro shouted. He began running to his wife, wind blowing against him. "Kana-" He was interrupted as a sharp pain cut across his cheek, sending him to the ground.
Luckier Channel
"Luckier~! Channel~!" Akira shouted. "Hiya Luckies! I'm your navigator, Akira Kogami~!" Akira chimed.
"And I'm the assistant, Minoru Shiraishi."
"See! You got a part, you got a part!" Akira said excitedly.
"I saw, I was there." Minoru smiled. "Thank you very much." He bowed. Akira blushed and looked away.
"It was nothing." Akira mumbled.
"No, it was something. Thank you so much." Minoru smiled.
"Seriously, it's no big deal!" Akira insisted.
"You're blushing Akira." Minoru pointed out. She jumped and gasped.
"I am not!" She shouted.
"Whatever you say Akira!" Minoru laughed.
*Music Tone*
"Well, I guess that's all the time we have for today! I'll see you all next time! Bye nii~!" Akira maintained her disposition through her red face.
"..."
"Akira, where are you going?"
"I gotta see a man about a dog."
"Hang on, maybe I wanna come!"
*End*
Aftersection
So, this took longer than I intended, of course. Eight hours of school a day, nine hours of work a day, it doesn't leave much time to work on this. I'll get this over quickly, I'll see you all in the next chapter!