The Rabbit and The Puppy

by Mama Mitsu

As the group of girls has a pleasant conversation about smells and "cooking", an offhanded comment is made about Tsukasa's prospects as a wife. However, when Kagami agrees a little too... vehemently, what does she mean? Could this be the start of something new?

10. Chapter 10: Onee-chan, The Runner

Chapter 10: Onee-chan, The Runner

Hey everyone! Sorry, I meant to have this out sooner, but my laptop crapped out on me. I've been trying to use someone else's, but half of the keys on their keyboard don't work. So when I ran into a letter that didn't work, I'd have to copy and paste that letter from another part of the story. It's been... difficult... But I finally got it done! So this chapter may have the occasional missing letter where I forgot a letter didn't work, or a missing exclamation mark. Please bear with me here...

Redlerred, like a humonculi, I'm gonna kill you as many times as it takes! And my lawyer is still in high school at the moment, since she's more focused on her growing affections for her sister. And sorry, I would have had it out sooner, but I got caught up in planning the timeline of this story.

Yuri-sage, glad you're enjoying this! It's a lot of fun to write!

Crazyjman, I guess there were a lot of funnier ways to do it, but I liked it. Hiyori's part was likely my favorite part to write. I have to admit, I laughed as well. It was one of those very few times when I wrote something and just went 'Yes!'. Those moments are rare, but I love them. And don't worry about being too critical! That's how I get better at writing.

Prospector, manly pride is what I aim to destroy! And thanks for the compliment about Miyuki! I'm always really nervous about writing her.

Redline, thanks, I try!

NoMutant, Onee-chan the Lock is a reference to the last line in the chapter before the after section. As for if it's illegal to draw two people in a... ahem... compromising position with their consent... I dunno. Since they're real in that verse (And in our hearts! But that's less important...), I don't really know the legality of drawing real people without their consent. I just assumed if they didn't want it to happen, it would be illegal. I think Minami's mom had a small part in the anime (Like, a few lines at most) and I think she was also in the OVA. She has more of a part in the manga, but I think it's still a very small part. Thanks for the awesome review!

KawaiiTrick, YAY! Another soul for the master... I'm glad I could convert you to Kagami x Tsukasa! This has quickly become one of my favorite ships in any fandom.

Speaking of which, what would one call Kagami x Tsukasa? Like Konami is Konata x Kagami. Would it be Kagasa? It's Dominant first, right? Meh, Yurincest or Hiiragincest works just as well for me.

Jolly, don't you love it when you forget about a story and go back and there are new chapters already done? And I kind of half to go slow, since the pairing is twins and I like to try and be at least semi-realistic. But hey! I know a story that took 242,426 words to get the FIRST couple together!

...

Ahem. It's come to my attention that that was not a good example. Well, here's your next fix anyway.

In any case, I'm glad you guys are still enjoying it! That was my favorite chapter, and this one caused me a bit of trouble. See, I found myself at a crossroads. There's a point where I could get things moving in a direction that they'll eventually go, but there's reasons I couldn't do that. So it's either adapt to it, or put it off for a while more. I dunno. I guess I'll see what I type.

---

In the Morning

"Mmm..." Kagami hummed in her sleep. She felt like she was being watched by something annoying. Her eyes cracked open to see Konata on her hands and knees, watching her with that stupid cat grin on her face.

"Good morning, you siscon." Konata giggled.

"Is that any way to greet someone in the morning?" Kagami groaned. Then, it began to click what had been said to her. "What? The hell are you calling me so early in the morning?" Kagami asked.

"What, can I call you that late at night?" Konata asked, her grin getting bigger.

"No! And where do you even GET that idea?" Kagami asked. Konata giggled and pointed down. Kagami followed her friend's finger down to her futon. Oh. Oh damn.

"Mm..." Tsukasa hummed happily, seemingly attempting to burrow into her sister's chest. Kagami blushed.

"So when did this happen, Ka~ga~min~?" Konata asked.

"I-It's because of that damn story you told last night!" Kagami shouted through her blush.

"Mmm... Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked sleepily, barely waking up and hardly lifting her head from Kagami's arm. Kagami, upon beginning to address her sister, took a much sweeter tone.

"Tsukasa, I think it's time to get up." Kagami said with a loving tone.

"Mm... Five more minutes..." Tsukasa let her head drop back on Kagami's arm. The tsundere blushed.

"Kagamin, it's actually pretty early if you want to go back to sleep." Konata said. Oddly enough though, her voice wasn't a teasing one. It was like she genuinely wanted to help Kagami here. "Whenever I go to sleep at that early of a time, I always get up early these days so I can cook breakfast." Konata said. Kagami looked over at the clock. They had around another hour before they would have to get up and prepare for school.

"Mm... cooking..." Tsukasa mumbled in her sleep. Kagami smiled.

"Thanks Konata." Kagami said. "Do you mind?" She asked. Konata shook her head.

"Nah, everyone else is still asleep too." Konata giggled as she looked around. "Look at the two love birds over there." Konata pointed at the other two people who shared a futon. Kagami smiled at first, but then blushed worse.

"I'm going back to sleep." She said as she covered her and Tsukasa's head. What the hell? Why were Yutaka and Minami in the EXACT same position as her and Tsukasa? The two were a couple, not sisters! Shouldn't they be in some kind of a more... intimate position? Not that there were really any more intimate positions than that that Kagami could think of... Wait, crap, does that mean she's in an intimate position with Tsukasa? She looked down to see Tsukasa hugging her meekly, just as Yutaka was. Kagami blushed even worse still. She shook her head. She was WAY overthinking this, wasn't she? Yeah, she had to be.

"Kagamin, you okay?" Konata asked curiously. "Was it something I said?" Konata wondered idly. She got up and wandered off, probably to cook. Konata sounded rather sad that Kagami had begun ignoring her, and it made Kagami feel bad, but she really didn't want Konata to connect that she was sleeping with Tsukasa the same way Minami was sleeping with Yutaka. She would totally get the wrong idea. Right?

"Onee-chan..." Tsukasa mumbled in her sleep. She seemed to be having a good dream. Kagami pecked her little sister on the forehead and laid back down on the pillow. She nodded off to sleep with a smile on her face, happy to be next to her happy little sister and finding place on the shelf for these still more confusing feelings.

---

In The Otaku's Kitchen

Konata walked into her kitchen and looked around. She would need to make enough of whatever she was going to make for everyone in the other room. She hummed as she thought. She had a lot of eggs since they had been on sale recently, maybe she should make a ton of tamagoyaki? She grabbed some rice and her eggs. Now that she was by herself in her kitchen, she had some time to think. It was relatively obvious to her that Miyuki was crushing pretty hard on Tsukasa, but Kagami was super protective over Tsukasa, even more so than normal. With the hundred if not thousands of Tsunderes that Konata had previously conquered, she was still impressed with how protective Kagami was over her sister. Tsundere big sisters were relatively common, and comically over-protective, but Kagami somehow left them behind.

Of course, Miyuki was no easy opponent. The meganneko was one of the smarter people Konata knew, even in the world of 2D, and Konata couldn't imagine she would hold out too long now that Minami and Yutaka were taken care of. Soon, Konata was sure that Miyuki would start going after Tsukasa with full force. How would Kagami react, the Otaku wondered. After all, Miyuki had some nice prospects and HUGE... tracts of land. She would easily be able to take care of Tsukasa and Kagami would know that. However, Tsunderes are rather reluctant to give their younger sister to anyone at all, if her games were of any indication. And they usually were. Romance was totally what Konata knew.

Speaking of that... Kagami brought up an interesting point. What DID Konata think? Was she going to try and get a girl now that Yutaka's love affairs were settled? God knows she could. Of course, that would mean cheating on her waifus, and Konata simply wasn't that kind of a person. While she felt fine flirting with people, she wasn't so sure about going into a committed relationship with someone. She DID know how to please girls, because of course she did. She heard the door open behind her, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hey Dad." Konata said without looking behind her. "Took you a little while to come out this time." Konata said, knowing it was him seeing as how the man often woke up to the smell of her cooking.

"Well, I came out, but I remembered you were having your slumber party, so I went to get some clothes on." Sojiro said.

"Thanks. We don't need anyone seeing that." Konata giggled. "So, can I ask a favor?" Konata asked.

"Sure thing, Konata! Anything!" Sojiro said.

"Next time I have a slumber party, don't listen in. It's kind of creepy." Konata chuckled.

"Wah-! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Sojiro said in protest.

"There was blood in the hallway, do you know how long that took to get up?" Konata scolded her father. He sighed.

"Sorry about that... It was mainly during the King Game!" Sojiro said.

"Well yeah, what else would you want to listen to?" Konata asked with a smile.

"Not much else." Sojiro said. "I barely got out in time for Yutaka when she ran down the hallway.

"Ah, then you heard about Yu-chan and Minami?" Konata asked.

"Yeah! I'm excited to welcome my new step-daughter!" Sojiro said excitedly.

"Well, would that be step-niece, since Yu-chan is your niece?" Konata asked.

"Either way, I'm happy!" Sojiro said. "Minami is a nice girl! She'll take good care of little Yu-chan!" Sojiro said. "Plus, she's going into medicine, right? She definitely has my blessing!" Sojiro said. Konata smiled as she finished up the eggs and rice.

"Alright, time for everyone else to get up." Konata said. She left the kitchen. Sojiro walked over to the rolls of egg and picked one up, stuffing it in his face.

"Mm~! Just like Kanata used to make!" Sojiro smiled.

---

Back in the Living Room

Konata walked in to see Kagami already stirring, along with Minami and Miyuki.

"Alright, everyone, time to eat!" Konata said. Kagami hummed awake and looked around.

"Thanks for letting me go back to sleep, Konata." Kagami said.

"Heh, no problem Kagamin." Konata said. "Breakfast is ready!" Konata said as everyone else began waking up at their own pace.

"Tsukasa~. Time to wake up~." Kagami chimed.

"Mm... Five more minutes..." Tsukasa mumbled.

"You already had sixty more minutes, Tsukasa, we have to get up to eat." Kagami said. "Konata made food." Kagami said.

"Mm..." Tsukasa's eyes fluttered open. "I'm hungry..." She mumbled. Kagami giggled at her little sister.

"Well, it's something Konata made, so it should be pretty awesome." Kagami said.

"Careful Kagamin, saying stuff like that just might trigger a flag!" Konata giggled.

"What? Even I can give a compliment when it's deserved." Kagami said as Konata brought some of the food out. She put it on the large table that had been moved to the side of the room the previous night and casually lifted the entire thing, walking and putting it in the middle of the floor, which everyone quickly cleared out of.

"Hey... Kagami?" Hiyori mumbled to the new object of her fear.

"Yo." Kagami said.

"What... did you do with those drawings... last night...?" Hiyori was extremely scared to ask, but she simply must know.

"Why do you want to know?" Kagami asked. In truth, she had very carefully organized them in chronological order and put them in the bag that she had got to go to school with. She had made sure to put them in one of her textbooks to make sure they wouldn't get too bent up or wrinkled. Of course, she couldn't TELL Hiyori any of that. "I burned them." Kagami said.

"You WHAT?" Hiyori asked. "When?" Hiyori asked as all of the hope drained from her face.

"They WERE pretty hot, I'm sure." Konata giggled.

"So Hiyori." Kagami addressed the author. Said mangaka jumped.

"Hm...?" She asked.

"Did you draw any more?" Kagami asked. Hiyori's eyes narrowed. Kagami's tone was much too curious and not nearly as... murderous as it sounded the previous day.

"... Are you gonna burn them if I show?" Hiyori asked. Kagami smirked.

"Depends." She said. Hiyori sighed the sigh of the doomed as she brought her book out. By now, there was no point in resisting.

"There's one more." Hiyori said. She flipped through her book to a new picture. She showed it off, shivering a bit in fear.

"Hm?" Kagami looked at it. It was a picture of her and Tsukasa sleeping together. Nothing explicit, just the two in the same futon sharing an embrace. Kagami grabbed the picture by the corner and moved it to get a better look. She hadn't looked TOO much at the pictures from yesterday, but man this one was so... lifelike. It was crazy. "Yoink." Kagami said as she ripped the page from the book.

"Ah!" Hiyori cried. Kagami took out her purse and dug through it for a moment.

"It was this much for a picture, right?" Kagami asked, holding out money. Hiyori blinked.

"Um... Yeah..." Hiyori said as she accepted the money. "So... You DON'T want to chop off my limbs, rip out my intestines, and ride me like some sort of meat toboggan?"

"M-Meat toboggan? What? I've literally never thought anything like that." Kagami said. Here, she turned to Konata. "Where do you find these people?" She asked. Konata shrugged.

"She came in the cafe and drew some awesome stuff. She was also in Yu-chan's class." Konata shrugged.

"What?" Hiyori asked. "Even you didn't get my reference Konata-senpai?" Hiyori asked.

"No, sorry." Konata waved her hand dismissively.

"If you're asking if I want to kill you for that picture, no. Something like this is... nice." Kagami held the picture up. "Isn't this cool, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked.

"It really is, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said cheerfully.

"Just don't draw weird things without permission, huh?" Kagami asked Hiyori. "Or I will come for you." Kagami said seriously. Hiyori shivered.

"No p-problem..." Hiyori said.

"So Commander, what would happen if someone commissioned pictures like that?" Patricia asked.

"Commander...?" Tsukasa asked.

"Oh?" Kagami asked. "Is there someone here with enough guts to commission something like that?" Kagami asked. Konata raised her hand.

"Me~!" She chimed.

"Oh, come on Konata. You of ALL people know how strong I can get." Kagami said.

"And you know that I can take a beating!" Konata smiled.

"Unfortunately." Kagami glared at her. Konata giggled. "Is everyone finished?" Kagami asked. "Well, let's all get ready for school then. After all, we need to get changed." Kagami said.

"Anyone want to leave to get changed?" Konata asked.

"We all change together with other girls while we're at school anyway, so why should we be self-conscious about it here?" Patty asked.

"Onee-chan, I'm gonna get changed, so you can leave if you want." Tsukasa offered a bit sadly. Kagami blushed and shook her head.

"No, it's okay." Kagami said. "Konata, I'm uncomfortable with changing here." Kagami said.

"Why Kagamin? We're all girls here." Konata said.

"It isn't everyone else, it's you. You're gonna ogle everyone, aren't you?" Kagami asked.

"Duh. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen you naked before or anything." Konata giggled. Kagami gave her a sour look.

"Guess I can't really argue with that." Kagami sighed.

"What, because I'm a lesbian, you're going to treat me differently now Kagami?" Konata asked, tilting her head inquisitively. Kagami blushed.

"... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that... But wait, it's not that, I'm treating you different because you're YOU!" Kagami said. "I know Hiyori is a lesbian but I don't want her to leave!" Kagami said.

"So you want Hiyori to stay even though she'll probably use this as more material?" Konata asked. Kagami was silent for a moment.

"... Hiyori, get out." Kagami said. The aforementioned Meganneko jumped.

"Wah! How did I get drawn into this?" She asked.

"Come on Kagamin~, I ogle you guys all the time, so what's different about it this time?" Konata asked. Kagami sighed.

"Alright, if no one else has a problem with it, then I'll shut up." Kagami said.

"Well, if she wants to see the person she likes, I can't exactly stand in her way." Miyuki said.

"I agree." Minami said, as she held Yutaka's hand.

"I don't want Onee-chan to go!" Yutaka said.

"I'm not gonna draw anything!" Hiyori shouted.

"I think we should all stay together." Patricia said.

"I... don't think Kona-chan should have to leave if no one else does..." Tsukasa mumbled. Kagami huffed and shrugged.

"Well, alright." Kagami said. True to her word, she gave no more word on the subject as she began to undress. She and everyone else began getting changed, though Kagami made it a point to not ogle every girl in the room unlike SOME people. "We all ready to go?" Kagami asked. With a declaration of assent, everyone left the house and began walking to the train station. On the way, each of them broke into smaller groups to have a conversation. Kagami noticed Miyuki quickly began talking to Tsukasa. "Hey Konata." Kagami said.

"Kagamin?" Konata asked.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" Kagami asked.

"Yeah, sure. What can I do?" Konata asked, glad to be in on a trick.

"When we get on the subway, if there are three seats in a row and Tsukasa sits in the middle, will you take one of the seats quickly?" Kagami asked, intending to take the other. She knew Miyuki would take it if she got the chance.

"Hm? Why?" Konata asked with a smile.

"We-well, I don't want any weird people sitting next to her or anything. What if someone tries to feel her up or something?" Kagami asked.

"Miyuki could sit next to her?" Konata suggested, wondering how the Tsundere would react.

"No!" Kagami said way quicker than she meant to.

"Why not?" Konata chimed. Crap, it's like the little brat knew how Kagami would react...

"Well... If I were concerned about Tsukasa getting groped, wouldn't Miyuki be at just as much, if not more of a risk?" Kagami asked. Konata giggled at the response.

"I suppose. And you want me to sit there because I'm a martial artist and I'll just beat up anybody who tries anything?" Konata asked. Kagami stared at her for a moment.

"... No, it's because no sane man on the planet would want to grope something that isn't there." Kagami said in a tone flatter than Konata's chest.

"Gah! That was cold, Kagamin." Konata complained.

"I wish it was colder, since it's SO FREAKING HOT!" Kagami complained.

"Don't worry Kagamin, we'll be at the station and in a train in no time." Konata said.

"Can I count on you?" Kagami asked. She knew that, if worse came to worse, she could ask Patricia. The girl would misunderstand, but if that would get her help, Kagami could live with it.

"Yeah, sure Kagamin." Konata chuckled.

"Good. Thank you." Kagami said appreciatively.

"No problem." Konata said as they all arrived. They all descended the stairs and boarded the subway. Lo and behold, there were a few seats available. Tsukasa sat in one and Kagami quickly took the seat beside her. Konata, true to her word, sat next to Tsukasa, leaving the rest to fight over what seats remained. Miyuki sighed and took the seat next to Konata. She reminisced about what she spoke to Tsukasa about.

---

From the Top!

"Yuki-chan!" Tsukasa said, catching Miyuki's attention as they walked to the station.

"Hm? Yes Tsukasa?" Miyuki asked.

"Are we still going shopping after school today?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki smiled.

"I would be absolutely thrilled to go shopping with you, Tsukasa." Miyuki said. "Did you have an idea as to what you wanted to get Kagami-san?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa hummed. She put a finger to her lip.

"... I don't know..." She mumbled. "Maybe I can ask Kona-chan! I think she would know a lot better than I do!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki giggled.

"Konata-san does pay a lot of attention to Kagami-san." Miyuki said. She hummed. "Tsukasa, would you mind if I asked you something?" Miyuki asked.

"Hm? Sure, anything!" Tsukasa said excitedly. "But if you don't know it... How would I?" Tsukasa asked, a little more confused now.

"Oh, it's more your opinion on something." Miyuki said. She shifted a tad nervously. However, she thought to herself about how Minami mustered the courage to confess and told herself that she could at least do this much. "What do you think about girls liking other girls?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa smiled.

"I say to like whoever you wanna like!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. "Oh right, you like someone..." Tsukasa mumbled, more to herself to Miyuki. "Yuki-chan, do you like a girl?" Tsukasa asked. Miyuki looked a tad surprised by Tsukasa piecing that much together.

"Why, yes. Yes I do." Miyuki said. However, her embarrassment was getting to her and she knew this was likely as close as she could come to confessing.

"Who is it? I wanna know!" Tsukasa said. "Can I help? I wanna help!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki giggled lightly.

"I do hope you'll help when the time comes. However, I can't tell you right now." Miyuki said. Tsukasa pouted.

"I guess I understand..." She said. "But let me know if I can help!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki's eyes smiled at the girl.

"I'll most certainly let you know." Miyuki said. They got to the station, unfortunately cutting the conversation short. Of course, it saved Miyuki from any questions about the person she liked FROM the person she liked, but said person didn't seem to be pushing the issue. Was she that nice or just that uninterested? Miyuki shook her head. Of course she was that nice. She was Tsukasa. She recovered from her daze to see they were on the subway train and that Tsukasa sat with Kagami and Konata at her sides. Miyuki cursed her tendency to space out and begrudgingly took the seat next to Konata while Minami sat next to her. Miyuki smiled, but was surprised that Minami took the last seat. Until Yutaka sat in her lap. "Surprisingly forward of you, Mi-chan." Miyuki smiled. Minami blushed.

"Well... There was only one seat left..." Minami mumbled.

"And Minami-chan is so~ comfortable!" Yukata chimed cheerfully as she laid back on Minami. Miyuki was surprised again.

"You two progressed rather far in one night... Could you two have possibly..." Miyuki began teasingly. The couple blushed rather badly.

"We... didn't..." Minami mumbled.

"We didn't do anything..." Yutaka mumbled. Miyuki giggled.

"I know. The two of you were sleeping rather cutely, though." Miyuki smiled. Minami nodded.

"Yutaka is a comfortable body pillow." Minami said, causing Yutaka to once again blush. Miyuki giggled as she continued to converse with the new couple. Next to her, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Kagami held their own conversation.

"Hey Tsukasa, I'm gonna go home with Konata today if that's okay." Kagami said. "Are you going to be okay going home on your own?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded happily.

"Actually, I have plans after school today!" Tsukasa said.

"Oh really?" Kagami asked, though she was more curious rather than happy.

"Kona-chan, could you..." Tsukasa mumbling into Konata's ear.

"Hm? ... Mhm... Mhm..." Konata listened to what Tsukasa told her. "Sorry Tsukasa, but I have plans with Kagamin." Konata said. Tsukasa's bow drooped.

"Oh. Okay..." Tsukasa mumbled a bit sadly.

"What is it Tsukasa? Me and Konata can hang out later, I'm sure I can help!" Kagami said. Tsukasa shook her head.

"No, it's something I have to do." Tsukasa said.

"..." Kagami looked heartbroken. Tsukasa looked down. I guess... she doesn't really need me like she used to... Kagami thought to herself. "Okay then..." Kagami said. "Well, have fun..." Kagami said. Tsukasa nodded. She wanted to come clean, but she knew that it would be even better once she revealed she had a gift for her big sister!

"We will..." Tsukasa said. Kagami felt sad enough that she didn't even feel like asking who all was going with her. She had likely just asked Konata to go with her and then didn't want Kagami to go. Wow, that feeling sucked.

"Cheer up Kagamin, it isn't like we didn't have plans that didn't include Tsukasa." Konata said.

"... I guess..." Kagami mumbled. It's not like I specifically excluded her or anything... Kagami thought to herself. "Are we almost there?" Kagami asked. As if by Kagami's will, the train arrived at the stop they all needed to get off on. "Cool." Kagami said as she stood, along with all others who had sat down. They all began to walk out of the train. In her depression, Kagami missed the chance to monopolize Tsukasa as Miyuki walked over to the young sister and began talking once more. Kagami sighed.

"Hey Kagamin." Konata said.

"Hm?" Kagami asked.

"Don't worry so much about it, alright?" Konata said. Kagami looked at her.

"Worry about what...?" She asked cautiously.

"I know you're worrying about Tsukasa." Konata said. "Don't." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"I can't really argue. I've just... There's never been something that Tsukasa has specifically avoided including me in." Kagami said. "What was it?" Kagami asked.

"Sorry Kagamin, I can't tell you that." Konata said. "If I did, I would feel really bad since it's a secret and all." Konata said. Kagami growled.

"Konata, you suck." Kagami said.

"You really want me to suck, don't you Kagamin?" Konata giggled.

"Shut up." Kagami said. "Why would she not want me to come with her?" Kagami asked sadly.

"See what you're doing there? You're worrying. Stop that." Konata said. Kagami stared at Konata.

"... I'm surprised you're not teasing me about this." Kagami said. Konata shrugged.

"Not that good a time, I guessed." Konata said. Kagami stared at her for a few moments before smiling.

"Thank you." Kagami said. The rest of their trip was spent in relative silence. They arrived at school.

"Don't forget Kagami, after school we're doing some training." Konata smiled.

"Yep." Kagami nodded.

"Just... Could you do one thing for me?" Konata asked.

"Yeah Konata. Anything." Kagami said. Here, Konata walked in front of her and put her hands on Kagami's shoulders.

"..." She spent a moment in collected silence. "Don't die on me." She said.

"What the hell are you going to do to me!?" Kagami asked as they arrived at the three other girl's classroom. Huh. She hadn't even noticed the group split so the younger girls could go to their class. "Whatever. I'll see you all later." Kagami said.

"Bye Onee-chan!" Tsukasa chimed.

"Bye Kagami-san." Miyuki said.

"Bye Kagamin~!" Konata waved.

"See ya." Kagami held her hand up and walked to her classroom. She arrived and sighed. She walked in.

"Hiiragi~!" Misao shouted as she ran over.

"Why wouldn't she want me there..." Kagami asked herself, ignoring the verbally abundant girl currently trying to cling to her.

"Huh? Hiiragi?" Misao asked as she tried to catch the Tsundere's attention.

"Was it something I said...?" Kagami asked as she sat down and tried to figure out what she might have done to Tsukasa.

"... It's no fun if Hiiragi isn't into it..." Misao mumbled as she walked back over to her seat and sat.

---

Lunch Time!

"Hey, I'm here to eat." Kagami said in a nearly monotone voice. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her class at all as she went over the past few days in tiring detail. She couldn't think of anything she might have done to upset her sister. In fact, the last few days were likely the happiest days she had ever had.

"Hi Onee-chan!" Tsukasa smiled.

"Welcome Kagami-san." Miyuki said.

"Kagamin~!" Konata threw her arms up in the air. Kagami walked over to the table and put on a happy face. Even if Tsukasa, for whatever reason, didn't want her with her this afternoon, she wouldn't let it ruin the time she spent with her now.

"So what are we talking about? I know I'm a little late." Kagami said as she had walked rather than run, as per usual.

"Which side of a chococoronet is the head." Konata said, holding up a half eaten pastry. This was the first time Kagami actually really looked at Konata since she had entered the classroom, as her attention had been on her sister. There was a large ring of chocolate around the Otaku's mouth.

"Oh, we're back to that?" Kagami asked.

"I think it's the fat end." Konata said.

"We're really doing this again, huh?" Kagami asked.

"But isn't it easier to eat it from the thin end?" Tsukasa asked.

"Did you two switch sides?" Kagami asked.

"But when you're eating it, you can push the chocolate down into the coronet and have a super chocolatey last bite, right?" Konata asked.

"However, if you were to tear off the thin end and dip it in the chocolate, the whole thing with have chocolate." Miyuki said.

"You're missing the point! It's all about the massive amounts of chocolate at the end!" Konata said. "You understand, don't you Kagamin? Wouldn't you want more chocolate in the last bite than in any so you can go out on a high note?" Konata asked. Kagami shrugged.

"I guess, but wouldn't it be messy like that?" Kagami asked.

"Gah! You can't be worried about something like that! It's all about the chocolate at the end! Nothing else matters!" Konata defended her idea. "See, Kagamin agrees with me completely!" Konata said.

"I didn't say that." Kagami said.

"Yuki-chan agrees with me!" Tsukasa said, getting abnormally fired up.

"Um... I didn't..." A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Miyuki's head.

"We'll have to have a duel to settle this!" Konata shouted.

"Don't just ignore people!" Kagami shouted.

"Swords at dawn." Konata said. There was a flash as a lump swelled on her head. "Ow... Kagamin~." Konata whined.

"Don't just declare duels with other people. They're illegal." Kagami said.

"What~? It's not illegal!" Konata said.

"Miyuki." Kagami pointed to their meganekko friend. She blinked a time or two and thought.

"Hm... I believe it IS illegal..." Miyuki said.

"It was made illegal in 1889." Kagami said.

"Oh, that's interesting! I'll have to remember that." Miyuki said.

"Wow Kagamin, you knew something Miwiki didn't even know!" Konata said.

"It's how one learns." Miyuki smiled.

"And don't just change other people's names." Kagami said.

"I changed your name and you haven't complained Kagamin. Or do you mean 'You can only change my name... baka!' or something like that?" Konata chimed.

"You added an N to my name. You changed the entire end of Miyuki's name." Kagami said. Konata crossed her arms.

"Still no blush..." She mumbled to herself.

"Don't look so disappointed. Maybe one of your other stupid comments will work." Kagami smirked at the smaller girl.

"I got a million of 'em!" Konata said with a cheesy grin.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Kagami said. The bell rang for lunch to end. "Alright, I'm heading back. See you guys after school." Kagami said.

"See ya after school Kagamin~." Konata waved. Kagami waved her hand as she left.

"Bye Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said as Kagami walked out of the room and back to her class.

---

After School

"Hiiragi!" Misao shouted as she ran over to the door this time, blocking the escape of the twin. Kagami sighed.

"What is it Misao?" She asked. "You're holding up the rest of the class." Kagami said.

"You've been ignoring me the last few days and I wanna know why!" Misao crossed her arms.

"I'm not ignoring you specifically or anything..." Kagami said, though now that she thought about it, she hadn't really been hanging out with Misao and Ayano recently. She had been more concerned with Tsukasa lately.

"But you've been hanging out with the runt a lot more often these days! And the last few days, I haven't seen you outside of class at all!" Misao shouted in protest.

"You saw me a few days ago." Kagami said. "You yourself left and ended up taking a nap in my bed." Kagami said.

"Well... Still!" Misao protested as she faced her time-honored rival. Logic.

"Which, by the way, why would you leave for school from my house without waking me up?" Kagami asked. "If it was that important for us to hang out, wouldn't you want to wake me up so we could walk to school together?" Kagami asked.

"Together..." Misao mumbled. "But wouldn't your internal alarm clock wake you up?" Misao asked.

"Will you two finish this later?" Sakuraba asked. "I've got places to be and drinks to drink." Misao sighed.

"Hiiragi... Please just don't ignore us, alright?" Misao asked. "I miss you, you know?" Misao said. Kagami smiled.

"We'll hang out soon, alright Misao? I have plans this evening, but we'll definitely hang out soon." Kagami said.

"Promise?" Misao asked.

"Promise." Kagami nodded. Misao sighed and shrugged.

"Alright, have fun I guess." She said. With that settled, Kagami left the room. Ayano approached Misao from behind. "It feel like we're losing her, Minegishi!" Misao protested.

"I know, but she's never broken a promise before. She has other friends as well, and a little sister, so let's just be patient." Ayano said.

"I guess..." Misao sighed.

"Come, let's go shopping!" Ayano said cheerfully.

"I don't have any money though..." Misao said.

"Neither do I~!" Ayano cheered as she dragged Misao from the room.

---

Down the Hall

Kagami rushed down the hall towards her sister's class. Once she arrived, however, the only one there to greet her was one Konata Izumi.

"Hey Kagamin, what took you so long?" Konata asked. "Miyuki and Tsukasa already left." Konata said.

"Seriously? Damn it... Wait, Miyuki's going with her!?" Kagami shouted. Crap! She would undoubtedly make good use of this time!

"Yeah. Is that a problem?" Konata asked. Kagami realized that Konata was still out of the loop with Kagami's concerns, and decided that she should stay there.

"No, I just hadn't given who was going much thought." Kagami crossed her arms.

"Hm~..." Konata hummed.

"Oh god, what's with the humming again?" Kagami asked.

"You're lying about something." Konata said. Kagami jumped, but managed to keep a cool expression.

"What are you talking about?" Kagami asked.

"When you lie... your twin tails grow." Konata said.

"The hell? It's hair, of course it grows!" Kagami said.

"Then you admit that you're lying!" Konata pointed accusingly.

"What? How did it become that?" Kagami asked.

"..." Konata fell silent as she studied Kagami. Kagami was kind of put off by her staring. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't humming. She was just staring at her.

"... Would you stop staring? It's creepy." Kagami said. Konata smiled.

"Sure thing Kagami. I guess we'd better get going and get to work on your training, huh?" Konata asked. Kagami's eyes narrowed as she watched the Otaku. It wasn't like her to just drop a subject she knew irritated Kagami.

"... Yeah. Let's get going." Kagami sighed. She began walking.

"Kagamin, not that way! My house is this way!" Konata said.

"Wait, you mean we're going to walk?" Kagami asked.

"No, we're gonna run!" Konata said.

"That'll take all day! That's at least a two and a half hour walk!" Kagami shouted.

"That's why we're gonna run! I bet we can cut down that time by half at least!" Konata said entirely too cheerfully.

"No you idiot, that's not the point! That's way too far!" Kagami said.

"Geez Kagamin, if you can't handle fourteen kilometers..." Konata sighed as if to give up.

"How can you say that like it's no big deal?" Kagami asked.

"Because it really isn't." Konata said.

"Can't we just save the training for when we get to your house?" Kagami asked.

"This is a warm up." Konata said.

". . ." Kagami was stunned to silence. "... A warm up." She repeated.

"Uh-huh!" Konata cheerfully nodded. Kagami sighed. There was no getting out of it now.

"You're a moron. Let's just go." Kagami said as she began stretching.

"Actually Kagamin, you don't need to stretch if you're running." Konata said.

"The hell do you mean I don't need to stretch? Isn't that what you do before exercising?" Kagami asked.

"Well, if you're doing martial arts or playing sports, then it might help, but you're just hurting yourself before you run. If you need your full range of motion, stretch to get that, but you're just doing the same movements again and again when you run." Konata explained.

"How do you even know that?" Kagami asked.

"I'm a martial artist. Of course I would know that." Konata said. Kagami growled.

"Acting like you're important... Let's just get going." Kagami said. Konata smiled.

"Alright, let's go!" Konata shouted as she began running. Kagami gave one last sigh before giving chase.

---

With the Other Twin

"Are you sure it was okay to just leave without seeing Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked for the umpteenth time. She had likely asked a hundred times on the subway there alone, but Miyuki could understand. Tsukasa wasn't the sneaky sort of type. It had taken them about an hour to get there, as they had gotten to the train just after it left. Miyuki nodded.

"I'm sure she'll understand once we get her something. If we had waited for her, she would have undoubtedly asked about our plans and maybe would have followed us." Miyuki smiled.

"I dunno if Onee-chan would go that far..." Tsukasa giggled at her friend.

"Even if not, Konata-san would likely have insisted, saying it would be interesting." Miyuki said.

"I can see that." Tsukasa giggled again. "But I told Kona-chan about what we were doing, so she knows!" Tsukasa said.

"She might like Kagami-san's reaction to finding out though." Miyuki said. Tsukasa seemed to wonder about that for a moment. "And you're sure the shop near your house will have something she likes?" Miyuki asked, interrupting the airhead's thoughts.

"Well... I dunno, but they're having a big sale on everything, so if I'm gonna be able to afford anything, it's gonna be there!" Tsukasa said. Miyuki smiled to see the target of her affections so happy. Tsukasa, however, sighed. "I really wish we could have invited Onee-chan though... I've never had to not include her in something." Tsukasa said. Miyuki smiled sympathetically.

"Well if she had come, it would have ruined the surprise, correct?" Miyuki smiled. "Don't worry. It'll be worth it." Miyuki said. She always cares so much about others... Kagami-san especially... That's it! I have to confess. First though, I should seek Kagami-san's blessing. If she were to tell me it was okay, then I know I could do my best! Miyuki smiled as she practically made a fist in excitement. While she wasn't ordinarily that riled up, just the thought of Kagami and Konata helping her and Tsukasa the same way the two had decided to help Minami and Yutaka... It was just so exciting! If she could get those two on her side, there's no way she wouldn't be able to get Tsukasa's heart!

"I guess you're right..." Tsukasa sighed as the store came into view. "Ah! There it is!" Tsukasa pointed. She began running to the store. Miyuki giggled as she followed the girl. The two of them entered the store. "Hi~!" Tsukasa waved to the clerk, whom she apparently knew.

"Ah, picking up groceries for dinner again?" The man asked. "Where's your sister, she usually comes with you, right?" He asked. Tsukasa shook her head.

"No, I'm here to get her a gift! But I only ever come here for groceries, so do you guys have a section with gifts for awesome big sisters?" Tsukasa asked. The gentleman behind the counter, true to his title, smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, we've got a gift section and also clothing! It's on sale, but it IS still kind of expensive..." The clerk said. Tsukasa nodded to herself.

"Even if it takes all of my money, I'm gonna get something awesome for Onee-chan!" She cheered, as if to pump herself up. Miyuki smiled.

"I'll help however I can." She said. Thus, the two set to work to find something within Tsukasa's price range.

---

After Miles of Running...

Kagami gasped for breath as she fell to her knees. Konata smiled as she watched Kagami wheeze.

"Kona...ta... That was... crazy..." Kagami said as she barely supported herself. Konata hummed happily.

"Well, you're not dead yet." Konata said.

"A warm up... What the hell is that bull...?" Kagami complained, though more to herself than anything.

"Let's rest up a bit Kagamin. Exercising while you're this tired isn't going to do anything." Konata said. Kagami glared at her.

"Don't you dare... underestimate me..." She pushed herself to her feet. "I'm doing this so I can protect Tsukasa... If it's only this much... You're going too easy!" Kagami shouted, pointing accusingly at Konata. Konata hummed with a smile.

"Oh really? You want to keep going?" Konata asked. Kagami nodded.

"Of course!" She said.

"The next thing is gonna be a whole lot harder. Are you sure?" Konata asked.

"Bring it on!" Kagami shouted. "What move are you going to teach me first? Yamazuki? The Trembler?" Kagami asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Konata asked.

"Maybe Seikuken..." Kagami moved her hands around ominously. Konata giggled a bit.

"Nothing like that." Konata said. "If you're gonna learn techniques, your body has to be strong enough to take it." Konata said.

"What? Then I'm not learning anything?" Kagami asked.

"Well, no techniques. You're not ready for those yet." Konata said. "You have to strengthen your body first." Konata said.

"I don't want to hear that from a shrimp like you." Kagami said. Konata hummed.

"Come here." Konata said. Kagami looked confused and walked over to her. "Pick me up." Konata raised her hands up like a child.

"What are you, five?" Kagami asked.

"Just do it." Konata said. Kagami put her hands under Konata's arms and lifted.

"Wha-!" Kagami gasped as she barely lifted Konata off the ground. She set Konata back down. "Wha-What?" Kagami asked.

"I'm a super martial artist! Behind this plush and cute exterior lays a ton of muscle!" Konata said. She reached around Kagami and lifted, seemingly doing so without effort.

"Whoa..." Kagami said.

"You still think I don't know what I'm talking about?" Konata asked.

"What the hell is your body even made of?" Kagami asked.

"Different stuff than yours. See, there are three types of muscle. Red, white and pink!" Konata said.

"Right, red muscle is for stamina and white is for explosive power." Kagami said.

"Right. See, if what I remember about you is true, you probably have a ton of white muscle." Konata said.

"So pink muscle is..." Kagami said.

"Something in between. Think, like it doesn't really mind being red or white. It can switch." Konata said.

"Okay." Kagami said. "What does that have to do with anything?" Kagami asked.

"Well, a little known fact is that if you switch what kind of muscle your pink muscle is being, it still retains some of that power. So switching from red to white leaves it with some of it's old stamina!" Konata said.

"... That sounds made up. Is that made up?" Kagami asked.

"It's not made up!" Konata protested. "My master made a super special training regiment that converts all of your red and white muscle into pink muscle. The most trainable muscle!" Konata said.

"... Now I know you're making this up." Kagami said.

"Results don't lie, Kagamin." Konata said.

"Well alright, where do we start?" Kagami asked.

"You know that shop that's close to your house?" Konata asked.

"Yeah, that one with the sale going on?" Kagami asked.

"Yep. I want you to run there." Konata said. A moment of silence passed.

"... Wait, if this is all just running, can't I do that on my own?" Kagami asked. Konata smiled. "Didn't you say this was going to be harder? That's half the distance that we just ran." Kagami said, though her legs were still wobbly. To do another half of that...

"You have to let me finish! It gets harder." Konata said.

"What, are you going to run there with me this time too?" Kagami asked.

"Oh dear, no." Konata said. "You're going to be dragging me." Konata said as she walked away. Kagami stood there for a moment.

"Wait, dra-dragging you?" Kagami asked as Konata revealed Kagami's training tool. "..."

"Tada~!" Konata showed her incredibly sophisticated tool off.

"... A tire." Kagami said. "That's a tire." Kagami said.

"Good job Kagamin! You get a gold star!" Konata said.

"... What's the tire for?" Kagami asked.

"For me to sit on." Konata said.

"... While you wait?" Kagami asked.

"While you pull me." Konata said. Kagami stared at the tire.

"... Konata, that thing's got to weigh at least five kilos." Kagami said.

"Ten." Konata corrected.

"..." Kagami looked at it. "... What the hell. How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Kagami asked.

"If you couldn't do it, I wouldn't suggest it." Konata said. "You wanted to get stronger." Konata said. Kagami sighed.

"I was hoping for something a little more... realistic." Kagami said. She sighed. "Well, if it worked for you..." Kagami said as she put the rope around her waist. "Get on and let's get this over with." Kagami said, though it was really becoming a bluff at this point. There was no way she could reasonably drag this thing seven kilometers with that run she had just went through. Maybe not even before it. She was really beginning to regret saying she could handle something like this before, but she couldn't go back on her word. She'd never hear the end of it.

"Hey, with that attitude, you're not gonna grow." Konata said.

"Then you must have had this attitude your entire life." Kagami said.

"So cruel Kagamin~..." Konata giggled as she sat on the tire. Kagami started out trying to walk, but the tire and Konata's weight dragged her down considerably. "I wanna get there today Kagamin!" Konata said. Kagami growled and began running as best as she could, dragging the tire behind her. It wasn't long before she had to stop, hands on her knees, breathing heavily again.

"Damn it Konata... This is... insane..." Kagami mumbled.

"You know Kagami, there's a reason I wanted to go to that particular store." Konata said.

"Oh? And what... is that...?" Kagami asked.

"Tsukasa's there." Konata said.

"And...?" Kagami asked.

"Well, I have it on good authority that she's buying a gift~." Konata said. Kagami perked up.

"A... gift?" Kagami asked.

"For a special~ someone~." Konata said. Kagami turned and stared at her.

"... Don't toy with me, Konata." Kagami said, her exhaustion all but forgotten.

"She asked me to come with her and help, but she didn't want you to come. Don't you think she's hiding something?" Konata asked.

"..." Kagami could feel power rising from inside.

"So, Tsukasa's buying a gift for someone super special that she's hiding." Konata said. Kagami brought her foot down on the ground with strength and pushed off.

"TSUKASA~!" Kagami shouted her battle cry as she ran, Konata having to grip the tire tightly to not be thrown off.

---

Their Destination...

Tsukasa sighed. The two of them had combed over every inch of the store, some of it multiple times. She had seen some good stuff, and then she had seen some REALLY good stuff. However, a lot of it was out of her price range. She had seen a really nice necklace that she thought would just look beautiful on Kagami, but she didn't have anywhere near that kind of money.

"Did you find anything, Tsukasa?" Miyuki asked. Tsukasa sighed again.

"I found a lot of stuff, but nothing I can afford..." She said.

"My offer is still open." Miyuki said. Tsukasa shook her head.

"I want it to be with my money..." Tsukasa said. Miyuki hummed.

"How about this." She said. Tsukasa looked over at her. "What if I loan you the money for whatever it is you want to get her. Then, it'll be your money, and you can pay me back whenever you can." Miyuki said. Tsukasa's face lit up.

"That's a great idea! You really don't mind?" She asked as if Miyuki hadn't just offered to give her the money for free. Miyuki giggled.

"I don't mind at all. Just let me know what it is you want, and I'll loan you that amount of money." Miyuki said. Tsukasa seemed excited.

"This is great... But wait..." She began thinking. If Miyuki was loaning her the money, she would feel way too bad about asking for enough for that necklace. No, she would want something smaller, and something she would be able to pay back easier. That in mind, she remembered seeing another gift that wasn't a whole lot more than she had. She didn't want to cheap out on a gift for Kagami of all people, but the situation was really beyond her control here. "Can we get Onee-chan this then?" She asked as she brought Miyuki to the item. Miyuki smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely. I'm sure she'll love it." Miyuki said. It was rather expensive for what it was, but it seemed to be quite well made, so it would last for a very long time. They brought it to the front where the clerk, though he had made a valiant effort to help them, had had to return when others needed him.

"Ah, so did you decide on this?" He asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"Yeah! I'm gonna give it to her next time I see her!" She said cheerfully.

"That great, I'm sure she'll love it." He said. Miyuki gave Tsukasa the money and Tsukasa, making sure to count it to keep a mental note of how much Miyuki had given her, gave the money to the clerk. He smiled and rang the item up before putting it in a bag and giving it to the air head.

"Thank you very much for your help!" Tsukasa smiled. He bowed.

"Thank you for coming. It was my pleasure." He said. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Konata. She walked in.

"Kona-chan, you came!" Tsukasa smiled. Miyuki sighed at the interruption to her time with Tsukasa.

"Tsukasa." Konata said with a deathly seriousness. Tsukasa almost took a step backward.

"K-Kona-chan?" She asked.

"I have bad news." Konata said.

"Wait, you were hanging out with Onee-chan... What happened? Is she okay?" Tsukasa shouted in worry.

"I think I might have killed her." Konata said. Tsukasa stayed frozen for a moment.

"Oh. Kona-chan, don't scare me like that, even as a joke, you know?" She asked as the three left the store, gift in hand. They all came out to see Kagami, laying limp on the tire.

"Konata... you... idiot..." She breathed.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa rushed over to her sister. "Kona-chan, what happened?" Tsukasa asked.

"I'm training her body up! She ran all the way here from my house with me on the tire!" Konata said.

"That's insane!" Tsukasa said.

"It works!" Konata said.

"Tsukasa..." Kagami groaned.

"Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said.

"Konata... that idiot... told me everything..." She mumbled.

"Kona-chan, you didn't!" She said.

"Well~... Kinda." Konata said.

"Konata... told me.. you were sneaking around... buying gifts for some special someone..." Kagami struggled out.

"Is that what Kona-chan told you?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami looked up at her.

"Isn't that.. what you're doing?" She asked. Miyuki giggled.

"Well, she isn't wrong." She smiled. Suddenly things felt... wrong. Things seemed to be off. And then, before Miyuki could identify it, it was gone.

"..." Kagami, her normal tolerance and ability to hold back gone with her exhaustion, let loose a deafening glare that Miyuki could feel in her bones. After a split instant, however, she realized what she was doing and stopped.

"Onee-chan, I'll tell you everything..." Tsukasa said before standing. "If you stand up!" Tsukasa said. Konata giggled.

"Nice try, Tsukasa, but I tried to get her to get up too. Told her I'd even buy her a jumbo sized pocky if she did, but she just can't." Konata shrugged. "I guess it really was too much-"

"How many times..." Kagami gritted her teeth. "Do I have to tell you... Don't underestimate me, DAMN IT!" Kagami shouted as she planted her fist in the ground next to her and, her muscles straining, pushed herself to her feet. Her knees grew close to buckling, but she ultimately remained standing. Konata whistled.

"I swear Kagamin, the only thing stronger on you than your muscles is your will. That looked rough, even from over here." Konata said.

"Alright Tsukasa... Let's hear it." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled and held out her bag.

"Here! I got this for you!" Tsukasa said cheerfully, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side as if she were a puppy. Kagami blinked a time or two. She pointed to herself.

"For... me...?" Kagami asked as her face grew red. "Your special someone... was me...?" Kagami asked. Her heart began beating faster. She began sweating.

"You're my favorite big sister, Onee-chan! I love you!" She said with a huge smile. Kagami's breath caught as her knees shook in an entirely different way from exhaustion. What the hell was this feeling? This was nothing like a sibling's love.

Twin's love... Twin's love... Twin's love... Kagami found herself repeating to herself for some reason. She grabbed the bag. "Th-Thank you Tsukasa... I love you too..." She said. She opened the bag and looked down at her present. She reached in and took her prize. They were a pair of ribbons that were yellow to match Tsukasa's. She ran one through her fingers, feeling the material. It certainly felt expensive.

"That way we can match, Onee-chan! I hope you like them!" Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled and replaced them in the box they had come in.

"I love them. The only reason I'm not wearing them, like, right now, is because I'm all sweaty and dirty and I don't want them to get dirty. Thank you so much Tsukasa." Kagami smiled. "I promise I'll wear them a lot!" Kagami said.

"I'm so glad Onee-chan!" Tsukasa said as she hugged Kagami.

"W-Wah, I'm dirty Tsukasa, I don't want to get you all sweaty!" Kagami said.

"I don't care Onee-chan. We can take a bath when we get home." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled and returned her sister's hug.

"Yeah. Let's just take a bath when we get home." Kagami said.

"Oh, Onee-chan, can I have some money? I wanna go get the stuff for Ama-Ama Dangos as a reward for you working so hard!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. Kagami nodded as she reluctantly broke the hug and got her purse out, handing it to Tsukasa. Tsukasa looked at the purse. "Do you know how much is in here?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"Of course." Kagami smiled. Tsukasa hummed.

"I'm gonna get some other stuff for dinner too if that's alright." Tsukasa said. Kagami giggled.

"So I can't figure out what's in the Dango by how much you spend?" Kagami asked.

"Ahehehe..." Tsukasa scratched the back of her head.

"I'm surprised you thought of something like that, Tsukasa." Konata chuckled. Miyuki, however, was focused on something else.

Hm. So she's okay with taking money from Kagami-san, but not from me? I suppose there are some barriers I'll never overcome... Miyuki sighed.

"Hey, Tsukasa." Konata stopped the airhead. Tsukasa looked back at Konata.

"Hm? Kona-chan?" She asked. Konata dropped her voice so that only Tsukasa could hear her.

"That was pretty expensive, wasn't it?" Konata asked. Tsukasa giggled nervously and scratched the back of her head.

"Ahehe... Yeah, it was..." She mumbled.

"Do you need money?" Konata asked.

"Ah, I can't take your money, Kona-chan, but thanks for the offer." Tsukasa put her hands up.

"I didn't offer to give you MY money." Konata's mouth turned reminiscent of a cat's. Tsukasa's head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean?" Tsukasa asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted a part time job that would really help me out? The pay isn't that bad, it's about a thousand yen an hour." Konata said. Tsukasa hummed.

"I guess so..." She said. If I take this job... I'll have enough to pay back Yuki-chan AND buy Onee-chan that necklace! Tsukasa thought to herself. "Yeah, that would be awesome, Kona-chan! Do you have one?" She asked. Konata nodded.

"Yep. Leave it to me, you can start tomorrow if you want." Konata said. Tsukasa hummed.

"I think I can do that... Just let me know where it is!" Tsukasa said. Konata hummed happily.

"I definitely will." She said.

"What are you two talking about?" Kagami asked.

"Nothing~! So what are you gonna do while you wait Kagamin?" Konata asked as Tsukasa skipped back into the store, humming happily. Her moral support now gone, Kagami collapsed back onto the tire.

"I'm gonna rest here..." She said, though her exhaustion made it come out as more of a whisper.

"Kagamin, I'm gonna need my tire back. That way, the next time we train, we can use it again." Konata said.

"How are you gonna get it back to your house?" Kagami asked.

"Same way you got it here. This is beginner stuff for me." Konata said.

"I'm sure it is." Kagami said. "You can wait until I'm done." Kagami said. Konata chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess I can." She said as she sat on the tire as well.

"May I ask a question?" Miyuki asked.

"What's up?" Kagami asked.

"Why this sudden interest in physical fitness? I know you've always been strong, but why the need to become stronger?" Miyuki asked. Kagami struggled to push herself up to her elbows.

"Because I want to be able to protect Tsukasa. From anything." Kagami said. "Konata's helping me because she's an inappropriately good martial artist." Kagami said.

"Inappropriately in what way, Kagamin~?" Konata chimed.

"In a good way, not in THAT way Konata." Kagami said. "I'm praising you, so don't make it all pervy." She said.

"Well I know how to please girls." Konata said. Kagami glared at her.

"... Of course you do." She said. "Does that answer your question Miyuki?" Kagami asked, turning her attention back to the Meganekko. Miyuki hummed.

"What, exactly, are you protecting her from?" Miyuki asked. "Is there anything specifically you're worried about?" Miyuki asked.

"Not particularly." Kagami said. "But she's really meek and super nice and really naive. Those are all awesome qualities to her that make her an amazing person, but they're really bad if she meets a bad person." Kagami said. "Some guy on a train who wants a feel, a foreigner who scares her-"

"I took care of that one." Konata raised her hand for a moment, but she was ultimately ignored.

"-a bully at school, some delinquent who thinks he can get his grubby little hands on her!" Kagami said.

"It seems like you want to protect her from the world." Miyuki said. Kagami huffed. The tone Miyuki took was different. It certainly wasn't one that Kagami liked. It was almost... like she were talking to someone a lot younger than she was.

"Yes. I do. She's my sister and my best friend. If anyone or anything thinks they can mess with her, I'm gonna put them in a world of hurt." Kagami said seriously. Kagami could feel her blood begin heating up from just having this conversation. She stood and drew herself to her full height. "No matter what they are." Kagami said. Miyuki blinked a few times before smiling.

"Good. I'm glad to know she's in such protective hands." She said with a smile. Kagami narrowed her eyes. That was definitely not the response she expected. "I believe I'll go home now. Tell Tsukasa I had a wonderful time today please." Miyuki bowed formally before walking toward the train station. Kagami and Konata watched her leave.

"... Okay, was it just me or was there some crazy tension there?" Konata asked. Kagami blinked a few times herself before she realized just how... threatening she had just been.

"Was there...?" Kagami began shivering. Why? Why was this such a big deal? Why was she getting so fired up about this? Even if Miyuki DID like Tsukasa, why the hell did Kagami care so much? She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean." Kagami said.

"Your twin tails are growing." Konata said. Again, she didn't say it in a teasing way, or with a smile. It was more matter-of-factly. Kagami sighed.

"I'm done resting. You can take your stupid tire if you want." Kagami said. Konata hummed.

"Alright. I'll talk to ya later, Kagamin!" Konata waved as she put the rope loop around her own waist. "Hm, it doesn't seem to want to stay up around me. Kagamin, are you that much bigger than me?" Konata giggled.

"LEAVE!" Kagami shouted as she tried to chase the little brat, but said brat took off. Coupled with her throbbing leg muscles, she gave up rather quickly at any hope of catching the Otaku. Tsukasa walked out of the store with some bags. Kagami stopped breathing heavily and stood, putting a show up for her sister, though she was still panting through her nose.

"I'm ready Onee-chan~!" Tsukasa chimed as she came out of the store. Kagami smiled as she and her sister began walking home.

"Awesome, what did you pick up?" Kagami asked.

"Well, we were low on rice, so I picked some up, and the eggs were on sale, so I picked up a couple dozen. And then the things for the Dangos." Tsukasa said.

"So neither rice nor eggs go into the Dangos or you wouldn't have separated them on the list..." Kagami mumbled to herself.

"O-Onee-chan, you can't do that! I didn't say anything like that!" Tsukasa protested.

"Oh, so it DOES include those things?" Kagami smiled to her sister. Tsukasa pouted.

"Onee-chan's a big meanie!" She said in an even more childish tone than normal. Kagami laughed.

"Don't worry Tsukasa, even if I figured out what it was, there's no way I'd be able to make them. That's just beyond my abilities." Kagami said. Tsukasa made no comment, but continued to pout. Kagami smiled.

"... I have to keep my Dangos a secret, you know?" She said. Kagami nodded.

"I know. It's your ultimate weapon." Kagami said. "The absolute pinnacle of cooking sweets." Kagami said. There was a euphoria she usually only felt when trying a sweet that she had never tried before. The only one that could do it every time was the Ama-Ama Dango that Tsukasa would only make on special occasions.

"It's a good thing we're so close home Onee-chan, you look exhausted." Tsukasa said. Kagami chuckled and nodded.

"I AM exhausted, it comes as a package." She said. "Seriously, that idiot." Kagami sighed. "There's no way any normal person could run that much." Kagami said.

"You ran that much, Onee-chan." Tsukasa said.

"Yeah, but-" I was doing it for you. She finished in her head. Somehow, the words themselves were insanely embarrassing. She shook her head. "It was a special occasion that I could run that much." Kagami decided on. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking in what was effectively a minuscule percent of what she had run earlier, the two arrived home.

"Well, don't push yourself. I dunno why you wanted to do it, but I was kind of worried when I saw you like that." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"No need to worry. It'll take a lot more than that to kill your big sister." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled.

"We're home!" She announced.

"Welcome home you two." Miki said from the living room. "You're just in time to watch a movie." She said. Kagami sighed. While she would absolutely love to spend some more time with her family, Tsukasa especially, she really DID need a bath.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I need to take a bath." Kagami said.

"I'll say, I can smell you from here." Matsuri said from her space at the table.

"Shut up! At least I'm trying to better myself!" Kagami shouted.

Oh yeah? And how's that?" Matsuri asked.

"I'm getting martial arts training from Konata, THAT'S how!" Kagami said.

"Great, so you can finally hack off some of that chub you've been putting on recently." Matsuri said.

"WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP SAYING THAT?" Kagami shouted.

"Maybe because it's true?" Matsuri asked.

"I swear Matsuri, you had better hope Konata's training kills me." Kagami said.

"Kinda do..." Matsuri chuckled. Kagami threw her hands up in frustration and stomped down the hall. Matsuri suddenly felt something weird. It was a stare she was quite used to, but it had only ever come from Kagami. She looked over at the source to see... Tsukasa. Tsukasa was... glaring at her? How was Tsukasa glaring at her? Tsukasa didn't glare at people! She was Tsukasa, for god's sake! She didn't glare at people!

"Onee-san, that's not a nice thing to say to Onee-chan." Tsukasa glared at her. Matsuri was certainly put off by it. She had never seen her youngest sister glare at someone before.

"Oh... Uh, sorry... Did I go too far?" Matsuri asked.

"Way too far." Tsukasa said as she stood from the table and left.

"Where are you going, Tsukasa?" Inori asked.

"To take a bath." Tsukasa said. Miki looked over at her second oldest daughter and blinked.

"I believe that's the first time I've seen Tsukasa that mad." She said. Matsuri sighed and got up as well, walking to the kitchen. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm gonna make something..." She sighed as she left. Miki shrugged.

"Well, alright." She said. Those left continued with the movie, albeit one person shorter than when they had started.

---

In the Bath

Kagami finally finished scrubbing, but it had been a long and arduous task. Her muscles ached and she was so tired. To be honest, while she had probably needed to get cleaned, she also probably shouldn't have a bath. Even though she wanted to soak, she didn't trust herself to NOT pass out from relaxing. But she REALLY wanted to soak in the tub now that she was clean.

"... Onee-chan?" Kagami heard. She jumped and looked over at the door to see Tsukasa looking in. Kagami blushed and covered herself on reflex.

"Ts-Tsukasa!" Kagami said, clearly startled.

"I figured if you were that tired, you might fall asleep in the tub if you took a bath..." Tsukasa said. "And I need a bath too, so I hope you don't mind..." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled and looked at the wall in case her sister was naked when she entered.

"I don't mind at all! Come on in, Tsukasa." Kagami said. Tsukasa smiled and walked in. Kagami glanced over at her. Yep. She was naked. Tsukasa was very, very naked. Why was that so weird? It would be weirder if she WASN'T naked, but Kagami felt like she was seeing something she shouldn't be.

"Onee-chan, could you wash my back?" Tsukasa asked as she sat on the stool.

Tsukasa, don't you know that's a clear yuri flag? Kagami wondered. Suddenly, it dawned on her what she thought. She wanted to slam her head into a wall or a floor or something hard to erase any memory she had of that thought. GOD DAMN IT KONATA! Kagami screamed in her head.

"...Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. "... I get it... You don't have to if you don't want to..." Tsukasa said sadly. Kagami shook her head to get out of her stupidity trance.

"No! Don't worry, it isn't something like that, I would love to wash your back." Kagami said through her blush. "I was just thinking something stupid, so don't worry about it." Kagami smiled as she began washing her sister. Tsukasa smiled and hummed happily. Kagami couldn't help but notice how soft Tsukasa's skin was. Like, she knew her skin was soft, but holy crap. This was amazing.

"Ahehe, Onee-chan, that tickles!" Tsukasa giggled, calling Kagami back to attention. She hadn't realized it, but she had been poking and feeling Tsukasa's shoulders. She blushed horribly.

"Um-! Just was thinking about giving you a massage while we were here..." Kagami made something up.

"I think I want to give you a massage, Onee-chan. I'm sure you're a lot more tense than I am with how much you were working today. I'm really proud of you, Onee-chan..." Tsukasa, now clean, got up and sat Kagami down on the stool. She put her hands on Kagami's shoulders and began massaging as much as she could. Kagami had given her massages before and she tried her best to emulate her twin's movements, but she couldn't remember them all that well. However, for her very first massage, she certainly was succeeding.

"Ah, Tsukasa... That feels awesome..." Kagami relaxed in her little sister's grasp.

"I'm glad, Onee-chan." Tsukasa tried her best to continue. Kagami couldn't help but let a small moan slip.

"This is just what I needed, you don't even know~..." Kagami practically laid back on her sister.

"I was right Onee-chan, you really ARE tense..." Tsukasa giggled a bit.

"Tsukasa~..." Kagami closed her eyes, barely even staying conscious at this point. "This is getting dangerous... I'm gonna fall asleep like this..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa giggled.

"Do you still wanna take a bath or do you want me to keep giving you a massage in your room so you can go to sleep?" Tsukasa asked.

"Oh~ decisions..." Kagami mumbled. She sighed. "I think I wanna go to my room, if that's okay..." Kagami said. God, how was Tsukasa so good at this? Tsukasa smiled as her hands rested on Kagami's shoulders. Even just her touch relaxed Kagami. Sitting on this uncomfortable stool, she felt she could sleep right now.

"That's fine, Onee-chan. Do you want me to come too?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami nodded.

"That would be awesome." Kagami said. Tsukasa giggled a bit and let go of her sister so that she could get dressed. Kagami began to stand, but her body had clearly hit it's limit long ago. As she began to collapse, Tsukasa put her arms under Kagami's and began supporting her. "Sorry Tsukasa... I think I overdid it today..." Kagami said. Tsukasa giggled lightly.

"It's okay Onee-chan. I understand." She said as she maneuvered until she had an arm around Kagami and the Tsundere could walk while being supported by Tsukasa. Kagami's head leaned on Tsukasa's shoulder and some of Tsukasa's hair got in Kagami's face.

Her hair smells nice... Kagami idly thought. I'll have to get some more of whatever shampoo I used... Kagami thought, forgetting she hadn't had the chance to wash her sister's hair before Tsukasa sat her down for a massage. They two walked over and began drying off, though Kagami required some help from Tsukasa. The airhead helped her older twin get dressed, much to her embarrassment, and the two opened the door to the bathroom. Matsuri stood there, her arms folded and adamantly looking at the wall.

"Thought you would never get out..." Matsuri grumbled.

"If you're here to pick a fight, don't bother. I'm way too pooped to deal with you." Kagami mumbled. Matsuri looked frustrated.

"I'm not here to pick a fight! I just... wanted to say... I'm sorry." Matsuri said as she held out a plate with various fruits dipped in chocolate. "I know you guys made them, but... This was my portion. I'm giving it to you as an apology, so I don't wanna hear anything about how mean I am!" Matsuri shouted. Kagami smiled at the plate.

"Thanks Matsuri, I forgive you... I don't really need the chocolate though, I ate my portion already." Kagami said.

"No, I insist. I was an asshole and I went too far, so you can have it! Besides, it looks like you had it really rough today. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, like if you need something... ya know?" Matsuri asked. Kagami smiled warmly at her sister.

"I'll be sure to do that. Right now though, I need that plate of sweets in my room if you don't mind." Kagami said.

"Not at all, Imoto!" Matsuri said as she walked in front of the two twins and into Kagami's room. She set the plate down on Kagami's work desk and smiled to her younger sister.

"Thanks, Matsuri." Kagami said.

"Any time, Imoto." Matsuri said. "I'll be in the living room if you need me." Matsuri said.

"Okay, I'm probably not gonna be awake much longer, so good night." Kagami said.

"Good night, Imoto." Matsuri said as she left the room. Kagami sat down on her bed, her eyes already almost closed. Tsukasa smiled.

"I'm sorry for making you take care of me like this Tsukasa..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa smiled.

"It's no problem Onee-chan. You always take care of me, so it's only right that I take care of you once in a while." Tsukasa smiled. "Besides, it's good practice for when I'm the big sister next!" Tsukasa smiled. Kagami chuckled.

"So when did you wanna do that, Tsukasa?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa hummed as she resumed her massage, much to Kagami's approval.

"I dunno... Maybe this Sunday so that we can have the whole day? I wanna make the most of it!" Tsukasa said. "And everyone else is paying for it, so we can have an amazing day together!"

"That would be pretty awesome." Kagami said. The two stayed in silence for a moment as Tsukasa continued to work and Kagami ate one of the chocolate delights. This was perfect. There was no way this could be any more perfect. Tsukasa and sweets. Life was good. She heard a phone vibrate and her massage stopped.

"... Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked.

"What's up, Tsukasa?" Kagami opened her eyes, not even remembering closing them.

"Kona-chan offered me a part-time job today. Just an after school thing, you know?" Tsukasa asked.

"Really? Do you want to take it?" Kagami asked.

"I was really thinking about it. It isn't bad money, you know?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed. She knew her sister didn't have a lot of money and she certainly deserved to have some. It was weird though, the thought of Tsukasa working just seemed... wrong. "Can I?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami looked around at her sister.

"Are you asking my permission?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa nodded.

"May I?" She asked. Kagami smiled.

"If you want to." Kagami said. "What is it?" She asked.

"Um..." Tsukasa mumbled. "I'll tell you later!" Tsukasa said.

"That makes me nervous... She's not making you do anything weird, is she?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa shook her head.

"Nope! Nothing really weird or anything. I just wanted to make sure it was okay." Tsukasa said. Kagami smiled.

"Well, when do you start?" Kagami asked.

"Tomorrow!" Tsukasa said cheerfully.

"Wow, that's such short notice." Kagami said. "When did she ask?" Kagami asked.

"Today, when she was whispering to me." Tsukasa said.

"Holy crap, that's REALLY short notice. I'm surprised you were able to do that. How much are you getting paid?" Kagami said.

"A thousand yen an hour!" Tsukasa said.

"Ah. Typical student pay, it's really not bad." Kagami said. "Well, have fun." Kagami said. Truthfully, she couldn't help but be a little glad that Tsukasa had somewhere to be now. Since Kagami was going to be busy with her training after school every day, she was worried that Miyuki would take advantage and try to get close to Tsukasa. Here, Tsukasa began her massage again. Kagami moaned a little. "Tsukasa, you're amazing..." She mumbled.

"Thanks, Onee-chan!" Tsukasa smiled. Kagami ate another sweet. She could totally fall asleep right now. She wanted to fight it though, because this was precious time with Tsukasa she wouldn't likely get until next Sunday, when she would be the younger sister. With her training with Konata, and now Tsukasa's part-time job, the chances for her to hang out with her sister were going to be sparse. She would basically get to see her before school and during lunch. "Do you wanna lay down, Onee-chan?" Tsukasa asked. Kagami hummed tiredly. Tsukasa, taking that as a yes, pushed a little bit and laid her down on her bed. Kagami, having hit her limit, gave no resistance as Tsukasa worked on her. Kagami laid on her bed, her eyes closed, and she could feel her consciousness fading quickly.

"I love you Tsukasa..." Kagami mumbled. Tsukasa giggled.

"I love you too Onee-chan." Tsukasa said. With that, she felt her sister get a lot more relaxed, and she knew that Kagami was asleep. Tsukasa giggled and looked over at the plate with the snacks. There was only one left. Tsukasa walked over and picked it up, eating it herself so it wouldn't go to waste. She yawned and walked over to Kagami's bed. She knew exactly what she wanted to do. These last few days had been awesome, as Tsukasa was used to only sleeping with Kagami when she had a bad dream. However, she had been able to sleep with her sister for the last few days. And now, she was about to again. She laid down next to Kagami and sighed happily. Like she knew her sister would, Kagami's arm naturally shifted until it was around Tsukasa. The air head smiled and burrowed into her sister's chest. She pulled the blanket around them and fell asleep easily.

---

After Section

Hey! We're back, and with an extra long chapter! Surprisingly in this one, there were no bloopers. However, there is a fun fact!

All of the distances and times it took to get places (From the school to Konata's house, from Konata's house to Kagami's house) See, I do exhaustive research on the most mundane of things and don't even think about things I should. So I found out, in case anyone wanted to know, the address of each.

Saitama Prefectural Kasukabe High School (Kyouei Koukou High School, also the inspiration of Ryoo High)
5539 Kasukabe
Saitama Prefecture 344-0061

Address of Kagami's House
〒340-0217 埼玉県久喜市鷲宮１丁目６−１
Couldn't get it translated, as I don't speak Japanese and don't know anyone who does. However, you can still put that in Google Maps.

Address of Konata's House (Officially recognized as such by the Japanese Government)
3 Chome-14-18 Kita, Satte-shi, Saitama-ken 340-0111, Japan
3 Chome-14-18 Kita
Satte-shi, Saitama-ken 340-0111

Those are the addresses I could come up with. The Hiiragi house is actually very near Washinomiya Shrine, the shrine they attend, and so that's actually their address. Konata's house is officially named the Izumi household with Konata, Sojiro and Yutaka as the inhabitants in honor of the anime. Ryoo High was difficult to find, I went to Saitama on the map and combed over the whole prefecture until I found it. So it really is fourteen kilometers, and a two and a half hour walk. It's half that distance between Konata and Kagami's house. And yet I only just recently learned when the interim between school years is for Japanese students. You'd think that'd be something I would have looked up before... ya know... STARTING a story. Meh. Whatever. Anyway, I thought that was interesting. Well, have a good one everyone! See you in the next chapter!

---

OMAKE

"No, it's totally true!" Konata said. Kagami looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

"No way, I could totally do it." Kagami said, crossing her arms.

"Bet you ya can't~!" Konata chimed. Kagami huffed.

"Don't underestimate me!" I'll do it!" She shouted. Konata gave the smile of a cat and retrieved an egg. She held it up to the tree.

"Alright, you have to put your arms around the tree and break the egg. You can't get that much strength with your arms around the tree." Konata said. Kagami growled.

"Fine, I'll do it!" She said as she put her arms around the tree and grabbed the egg. Konata giggled. She pulled something that Kagami couldn't see out. Suddenly, Kagami felt something cold on her wrists. "Wha-?" She asked.

"Kagamin, you're so gullible sometimes." She said. Kagami tried to remove her hands from the tree, but she was unable to as they hit a restraint.

"Konata, I swear if you just handcuffed me to this tree-" Kagami growled.

"I totally handcuffed you to this tree." Konata said.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Kagami asked.

"Because you would resist too much otherwise." Konata giggled perversely.

"Oh my god, when I get out of this... DON'T TOUCH ME!" Kagami shouted.

"I haven't even done anything yet, Kagamin!" Konata said as she approached the rabid Tsundere. "And~... There!" Konata said.

"Don't touch my head! What the hell did you do?" Kagami asked as she swung her head around as much as she could.

"Onee-chan~!" Tsukasa chimed. Oh no. Oh no no no... Kagami looked over to her little sister desperately to see her cheeks were puffed out. GOD DAMN IT KONATA! "Onee-chan... What are you..." Tsukasa tried not to giggle, and failed spectacularly.

"Tsukasa, what did Konata do to me?" Kagami asked. Tsukasa stifled her giggling for a moment.

"She... put... She put on..." She couldn't stop giggling long enough to say it. Instead, she took her phone and began to snap a picture. The moment the flash went off, Kagami yelped as her rear hurt. Tsukasa blushed a bit and turned the phone around so Kagami could see herself. She was handcuffed to a tree and Konata had just spanked her. And she had a pair of bunny ears on. "Onee-chan... You're so cute~!" Tsukasa blushed and ran away. Konata giggled as she began scampering away.

"KO~NA~TA~!" Kagami screamed as Konata ran for her life, donning a pair of fox ears as she left.