Stuff 9

Chapter 9: No Holding Back

Kagura opened her front door to reveal a very excited Chihiro. Clutched in her hand was a single, white envelope. Having received a very similar letter earlier that day, Kagura instantly knew what it was, and judging by the wide grin and anxious bouncing, it was easy to tell what contents of the letter said.

"You got in!" Kagura said excitedly, more as statement than an actual question.

"I did!" Chihiro practically shouted.

As she made her way into the house, Kagura threw her arms her, bringing Chihiro into a tight hug. There was a small muffled squeal in her shoulder, and when she pulled away, Chihiro followed up with a peck on lips. With a small smile, Kagura took Chihiro by the hand and led her up to her room.

As Kagura closed her bedroom door behind her, she couldn't help but marvel at just how radiant the other girl was. Her dream of getting into one of her top choice colleges had just come true, and Kagura couldn't help be a little jealous. While she had been accepted to a local college, it wasn't a top rated university. If it hadn't been for a scholarship from swimming, she likely wouldn't have been accepted at all. Chihiro, on the other hand, had worked extremely hard to achieve her goal, and now, Kagura was being sorely reminded of how poorly she had done on her placement exams.

There was still one very important question that had yet to be answered. Having agreed to keep the final result a surprise, something that should be shared in person rather than over the phone, neither of the girls had told each other which college they had been accepted too.

"So, did you get into your top pick?" Kagura asked.

With an enthusiastic nod, Chihiro held out her envelope for Kagura to take. "It wasn't my number one, but it was the runner up." Chihiro paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to Kyushu University!"

"Wow, Kyushu, huh?" Kagura asked, reading over the acceptance letter for confirmation.

"What about you?"

Kagura chuckled nervously. Her answer felt so mundane and simple that she didn't feel as nearly as excited as she had earlier.

"I'm gonna go to Saitama University," she said quietly.

"Awesome! Wasn't that one of the ones you were hoping to get into?"

It wasn't so much of a choice as it was one of only a few options available, but Kagura certainly wasn't going to point that out. Instead, she gave an enthusiastic nod in hopes of covering up her discomfort.

"I'm so proud of you," Chirhiro said.

"But, Kyushu, wow. That's really far-"

Kagura was cut off as Chihiro quickly closed what little distance there was between them, and wrapped her arms around Kagura's waist, it caught her off guard. The smaller girl quickly reached up, and pulled Kagura into a deep kiss. The entire action seemed rushed and forced, as if Chihiro was trying to draw Kagura's attention away from something, and she certainly couldn't blame her either.

Kyushu was quite a ways away from Saitama. She hadn't given much thought to it earlier, and in all honesty she had expected Chihiro the get accepted to a closer a university, but now, she would be moving across the country. What this meant for their relationship, Kagura wasn't sure, but she knew that trying to stay together over a long distance wasn't an appealing plan.

Breaking away from the kiss, Kagura gave Chihiro a gentle push back. Almost immediately, Chihiro averted her gaze to the floor. Something was definitely up.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Kagura asked wearily.

Chihiro shifted her weight from foot to foot, and let out a small sigh. "It's, just...well, we're going to be so far apart..." she trailed off, taking a few steps back and sitting down onto Kagura's bed.

A sudden realization hit Kagura. Their relationship was about to make a drastic change, and from the looks of it, Chihiro was afraid that Kagura was likely going to end it. Taking a seat next Chihiro, Kagura took ahold of her hand.

"It's cool, we can work it out," Kagura said encouragingly.

With a slight smile, she squeezed Chihiro's hand for emphasis. Even with her misgivings about being together over such a long distance, Kagura was still willing to give it a shot. They had already been together for a whole year now, and she felt that she not only owed it to Chihiro to make an effort, but to herself as well. This had been her first romantic relationship, and although there were a few things she wasn't always happy with, she still greatly enjoyed the time she spent with Chihiro.

"You've always been so good to me," Chihiro said. Her demeanor had instantly changed. It was no longer the happy excitement from earlier. Now, it was replaced by something much more distant and detached. "That's why this is going to be so much harder."

"Huh?"

There was a small pause as Chihiro took a deep breath. "I don't think it would be fair to either of us to keep this going," she said quietly.

Kagura was taken aback. It was obvious as to where this was going, but she still couldn't believe it. "Wait, what're you sayin'?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm saying that we're both going in two completely different directions. After college I want to travel the world, and go to places like Paris, New York, and London," Chihiro began. She fidgeted nervously with her hands, looking to be at a slight loss for words. When she spoke again, it was barely a whisper. "And it looks to me like you're planning on staying around here."

With a frown, Kagura simply nodded in reply. It was a completely valid point. That still didn't make this any easier, though.

"So, why not end it on a good note? Kind of a, fun while it lasted deal," Chihiro said.

Kagura had no words, and when she remained silent, Chihiro continued on.

"You'll always have a special place in my heart, Kagura, but I think this'll be the best for both of us."

As much as it seemed that she was applying to both of their interests, Kagura couldn't help but feel that Chihiro was humoring her. She had been ecstatic earlier, and Kagura couldn't blame her either, but at this point it sounded as if Chihiro was implying that Kagura was holding her back from her dreams. Whether or not it was true, Kagura wasn't entirely sure, but she couldn't help but feel upset by the abruptness of how this had all been dropped on her.

"So that's it, then," Kagura said, unable to hide the bitter edge in her voice. "We're done? Just like that?"

If Chihiro was at all offset by the edge in Kagura's tone, she didn't show it. Instead, she nodded and gave Kagura a sympathetic look, further fueling her bitterness. For how much Chihiro seemed to be happy with their relationship, this was all hitting home as a huge surprise.

With a heavy sigh, Kagura stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't quite sure what to say next. Part of her wanted to tell Chihiro to show herself the door, yet the other, more rational part, wanted to leave it on a good note as well. While she may have been upset, she couldn't deny that Chihiro was being surprisingly rational about it all, and she had a sudden realization that an easy out had just now fallen in her lap.

"Well, I should probably get going," Chihiro said, as she slowly stood up.

"Oh, uh yea, I'll walk ya out," Kagura said.

With a small smile, Chihiro made her way out of the room. Kagura followed behind slowly as she made her way down the stairs and towards the front door. As she watched the small girl in front of her, she realized that she would forever have a special place in her memories. Not only had they shared many first time experiences together, but she had discovered herself, and through Chihiro, Kagura had learned a great deal about what it was she truly wanted in life.

When Chihiro reached the door and began to put on her shoes, Kagura couldn't help but throw her arms her in a tight hug. The gesture caught Chihiro by surprise.

"Thanks...for everything," Kagura said quietly.

There was a moment of silence as Chihiro returned the hug. When the two pulled away, it was Kagura's turn to be surprised as she saw Chihiro's eyes watering around the edges. Again, Chihiro smiled, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I'm going to miss you," she began with a slight shudder. "You're an amazing person, Kagura, and I appreciate all that you've done for me. I know you'll make whoever you end up with next very happy."

With her final words, Chihiro gave a quick bow, rounded on her heel, and began to quickly walk away. For a long while, Kagura stood in her doorway and watched her retreating form disappear down the road. Her last words had brought a smile to her face.

XxXxXxXxX

The moment Minamo walked out of her class room, her attention was drawn to sound of crying. It was an easily recognizable voice, and she picked up pace towards the room next door. There, standing in the door way, was Yukari looking utterly confused as she watched Kagura try to cover up a stream of tears pouring down her face.

"What's going on?" Minamo asked

Yukari turned around with a look of bewilderment, but upon seeing Minamo, that look was quickly replaced with one of relief. Clapping a hand on Minamo's back, Yukari smirked. "All yours now," she said as she made her exit from the room.

No sooner had Yukari left, did Minamo rush to Kagura's side. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern.

It took a moment for Kagura to regain her composure. Wiping away the tears, she took a deep, trembling breath. "It's just that...I'm gonna miss all the good times I had here," she spluttered out.

Minamo couldn't help but smile. The last three years had been the best, and most fun, of her teaching career, and it had mostly been due to Kagura and her friends. Seeing them leave was certainly difficult, but Minamo was also happy to see them successfully graduate, and take the next step onwards to college.

Placing a hand on Kagura's shoulder, Minamo gave her a light squeeze. "I'm going to miss the good times too," she said quietly.

There was a long pause as the two stood side by side in the class room, looking over all the empty desks. A heavy weight of finality fell over Minamo. It was then that she realized that she would be saying goodbye to someone who had come to mean a great deal to her. She would no longer see her typical cheery smile every day in class, and their casual conversations after swim practice, which she'd come enjoy so much, were now officially over. It took all her willpower to maintain her cool.

When Kagura turned to Minamo with watering eyes, Minamo was surprised when the girl threw her arms around her, giving her a hard squeeze. Muffled sobbing was now echoing throughout the empty room. Minamo brought her arms around Kagura, returning the embrace, and lightly rubbed her back. She could feel her own eyes beginning tear as well, and took a deep breath to hold them at bay.

Sounds of muffled words spluttered into her shoulder, and Minamo struggled to make them out. With a gentle push back, she tried her best to give Kagura a reassuring smile. "You'll need to say that again," she said quietly.

"I- I'll miss you most, coach," Kagura said.

That was it, Minamo couldn't hold back any more. Pulling Kagura back in to a tight embrace, she felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. It was official. Kagura was leaving, and there was nothing she could do about it. She would be off to college, where she'd move on with her life and be happy.

For a while longer, Minamo held onto Kagura tightly. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, yet it felt like an eternity. As much as she didn't want to let go, she knew she had too. Taking a step back, she wiped her eyes, and put on a forced smile.

There was something else that was off about the whole situation, something Minamo couldn't quite put her finger on. It took her a few moments to realize that it wasn't something that was off, but rather the lack of someone who was usualy by Kagura's side at the end of the day. Being in the same class, Chihiro and Kagura typically left side by side. But today, of all days, the other girl was abscent from her usual spot. As much as she didn't wan't to bring it up, Minamo's curiosity managed to get the better of her.

"Where's Chihiro?" she asked, inwardly cringing at how out of place and random the question must have appeared.

Casting her gaze to the ground, Kagura lightly shook her head back and forth. "She broke up with me last week," she said quietly.

Minamo's eyes shot wide open. A whole week!? How did I miss that? That was the last thing she had expected the hear. Chihiro had appeared to be completely devoted to Kagura. Minamo had expected the girl to hang on to Kagura for as long as she could, and in all actuallity had been expecting Kagura to be the one doing the dumping.

"Are you ok?" Minamo asked hesitantly.

"Yea, I'll be alright," Kagura began, donning a small smile. "Was prolly for the best anyways. She was gonna go far away for college, and wanted to travel and stuff. I think we both figured it wouldn't work out."

"I see," Minamo said, still completely surprised at how casual Kagura seemed to be taking something she figured would be much more emotionally straining.

There was another small moment of silence as Kagura bit her lower lip and began fidgeting with her hands, a slight nervous tick that Minamo had picked up on years ago. Something was on her mind. There was something she else wanted to say; Minamo could see it in her eyes.

Come on, say something. Please, say what I hope you want to say, Minamo mentally pleaded.

She knew she lacked the courage to bring it up herself. As much as she desperately wanted too, doing so on school grounds seemed inappropriate, and the idea of someone walking in was terrifying enough to keep her quiet.

Kagura opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a new voice at the door.

"Hey, Kagura, you're coming with us right?" asked Yomi.

The duo turned to see the rest of the girls walking up behind her, and Tomo barging through the door.

"Yea, we're goin' to Chiyo's place to celebrate bustin' outa this joint," she said boisterously.

There was a small moment as Kagura looked between the girls and Minamo. All Minamo wanted was for Kagura to stay a little longer, to tell the others that she would catch up later, to stay with her, but she could already see the answer. Kagura had pulled her eyes from Minamo and was already slowly heading towards the door.

"Yea, yea, I'm comin'," she began, before turning to Minamo with a smile. "Thanks for everything, coach. We'll for sure have to hang out some time," she finished quietly.

"Ok," was all Minamo was able to say.

With a heavy sigh, she bid farewell to the others, and watched as they excitedly made their way down the halls. Long after the girls had disappeared from view, Minamo still stood in the doorway of the classroom. Upset didn't even begin to describe how Minamo felt. She had just watched the one person who had ever shown a real interest in her, a person she too greatly cared for, walk away, and she didn't even try to stop her.

Eventually Minamo decided to pack up and head home. All the while she mentally berated herself for being a coward and weak. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to have such an internal scolding, but this was the worst it had ever been.

As she entered her apartment, she haphazardly threw her bag on the floor, and went straight for the bottle of wine on top of her fridge. Every movement was short, and abrasive. Thumping the bottle on the counter top, slamming the drawers open and closed, and nearly throwing the bottle opener back in its place.

Her phone buzzed several times in her pocket, but she ignored it. The turmoil which raged inside her head was so intense she could barely focus on the world around her. Flopping down on the couch, she took a sip of wine and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Coward!

Weakling!

Liar!

Those three words had been on a constant repeat, as if her conscience was a broken record. Staring at the glass of wine in her hand, she swirled the red liquid around. She was to angry to even drink. As much as she wanted to drown it all in alcohol and pass out, she felt she needed to stay sober and ride out her frustration, seeing it almost as a proper punishment for not being truly honest with herself.

Again her phone went off, and again, she ignored it. Whoever it was, Minamo didn't care. She continued to sit on the couch, staring blankly at the barely touched glass in her hand. The sun had long ago set, and now Minamo sat in a dark apartment.

A sudden series of heavy thumps on her door caused her to jump with a start. Her first thought was Yukari, likely wanting to come by and drink, but when she heard an all too familiar voice calling her name on the other side of the door, a heavy feeling of dread washed over her. There was a small chance that if she remained quiet and still, they'd assume she wasn't home and leave, but with another series of harsh knocking, followed by an even louder yelling of her name, she knew she had to answer the door.

"As if the night couldn't get any worse," she grumbled as she pulled herself from the couch.

Slowly but surely, she ambled to the door and hesitantly turned the handle. Before it was even halfway open, a small woman began to force her way in through opening.

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" the woman practically shouted.

"Mom -"

"I don't want your excuses. You owe me one very good explanation as to why you didn't show up to your date tonight," Minamo's mother said as she barged her way in through the house, flipping the light switch as she did so. "Why is it so dark in here? Why haven't you been answering your phone? Have you been...drinking!?"

Minamo brought a palm to her face. She had completely forgotten about the date that had been set up for her tonight. Not that she cared about missing it, but showing up would have been far less hassle than dealing with her angry mother.

"Mom, why are you here?" she asked with a dejected sigh. She was in no mood to be putting up with any of this. And to be quite honest, she just didn't care anymore.

"I should ask you that very same question!" her mother replied vehemently. "You made a fool out of me. I worked very hard to set up that date for you. The least you could do is show up."

"Oh, so I made a fool of YOU?"

"Don't you take that tone with me," her mother began angrily. "These immature stunts of yours are getting tiresome."

"Why do you insist on butting into my love life, mom? Maybe I find THAT to be tiresome," Minamo replied, a slight mocking tone on her voice.

Her mother's eyes widened. Minamo had never been this argumentative with her before, and it felt nice to be giving her a piece of her mind. Now she was glad to be sober. Drunk Minamo would have easily rolled over and capitulated, but now, her mind was clear and sharp, and with the added anger, she was looking for an outlet.

"Well someone has to take an interest in your love life, because you certainly won't," her mother hissed. She was beyond yelling now. "It's embarrassing that I have to explain to my friends that my twenty seven year old daughter is still single."

That last line stung. If Minamo had just been able to take charge of her own life, rather than live in fear, most of these problems wouldn't even exist. Granted, there would likely have been other problems instead, but having it pointed out that she has had an almost nonexistent love life while in her late twenties, was painful to say the least. But instead of making her sad and bringing her down, it was as if her mother had thrown gasoline on her fire of anger.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find dates for you?" her mother continued on, oblivious to her daughter's seething glare. "And all you do is blow them off, and treat them as some big joke. I honestly can't understand why you screw up such promising opportunities."

"Maybe because I'm not interested in any of them!" Minamo spat out.

"Well that's just preposterous, all of them were extremely successful-"

"I'm gay, mom! Does that answer your question?"

The words had just flown out on their own accord, but Minamo was too worked up to care anymore.

Her mother simply rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense, Minamo. You shouldn't joke like that. See, this is the sort of immaturity I'm talking abou-"

"I'm not joking!" Of all the responses she had expected to get, being completely dismissed was not on the list. "Do you want me to spell it out for you? I. Am. In. Love. With. A. Woman."

Actually saying it out loud had a strange feeling to it. Her heart was racing, and she felt a massive lump in her throat, but at the same time, she felt an enormous sense of relief. Not only had she just come out to the one person in her life she feared most, but for the first time since high school, she had admitted that she was in love. An image of Kagura instantly came to mind, and if it wasn't for her angry mother staring her down, Minamo would've smiled.

It took her mother a moment to realize that Minamo wasn't joking, and a deathly silence descended over the room. She felt her mother's narrowed eyes bore into her. The anger in them was palpable, but Minamo maintained her stance. It was far too late to back down now.

"You take that back," the woman growled.

A shiver ran down Minamo's back. This was the response she had expected to get. For years she had lived in fear of that look, and that hard, icy voice. There was a side of her mother she knew existed, but had never truly seen. But one thing she knew for certain, was that she never wanted it directed towards her, and now, she braced herself for the oncoming onslaught. Unsure of how to respond, Minamo remained silent.

"My only daughter will NOT be some filthy degenerate," Minamo's mother continued in a low voice. "You WILL marry. You WILL maintain a respectable image for the Kurosawa name, and if I have to arrange it, I WILL."

There was no yelling or raise of voice, just a constant, even, tone of pure anger. Still, Minamo did her best to remain stoic. Crossing her arms over her chest, she envisioned she was squaring off against an opponent for a competition.

"No," she said in a cool, and detached tone.

"Wha- How dare you defy m-"

"No, mom," Minamo repeated, again in a calm voice.

She watched her mother's face contort into a strange mix of confusion and rage as she raised a hand. For a fraction of second, Minamo thought her mother would strike her, but when the hand slowly fell back to its place at her mother's side and clenched into a fist, she let out a small sigh of relief. Minamo had never been this defiant and firm with her before, and it was clear the woman hadn't the slightest clue how to handle it.

"Just, let me be free to love who I want," Minamo said quietly.

An accusatory finger was instantly shoved in her face. "I will never support such depravity," her mother began, a small vein popping out on her forehead, "and until you decide to fix yourself, you are NOT welcome in this family."

Before Minamo could reply, her mother barged passed her, and made for the door. Without another word, she threw the door open, and promptly slammed it behind her with enough force to cause Minamo to jump. And just like that, the apartment was now eerily silent.

Letting out a long, drawn out breath, Minamo ran her fingers through her hair as the full gravity of the situation hit her. Her head began to spin, and she found herself pacing throughout the apartment as she tried to comprehend what had just happened in such a short period of time. With a shaky hand, she picked up her glass of wine and downed it in one go.

The thought of drinking was all the more appealing now, and with that thought, Yukari came to mind. Minamo knew she would be genuinely proud of what had just happened, and as quickly as the idea had come, her hand was now fishing her phone from her pocket. Flipping it open, she began to quickly scroll down towards Yuakri's contact, and hit dial.

For a moment, she was worried her friend wouldn't pick up, and just as it sounded as if it was clicking over to voicemail, she heard a dejected voice finally speak up on the other end.

"Sup," Yukari said in a flat tone.

"Ohmygodyou'llneverbelivewhatIjustdid!" Minamo blurted out. So caught up in the moment of telling her mother off, she could barely contain herself. She continued on at breakneck speeds with little regard for the fact that her friend likely couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yukari finally interrupted. "Calm your tits. You did who in the what, now?"

Taking a moment to compose herself, Minamo once again explained what had just happened. Careful not to leave out any details, she was surprised by how Yukari was completely silent. She could only imagine the look on her friends face. Once she was done, a low whistle came through the other end of the line.

"Hot damn, is this really Minamo Kurosawa? Because whoever I'm talkin' to now actually HAS a back bone."

Minamo couldn't help but smile. Always being a bit of a pushover was something Yukari routinely hassled her about, often referring to her as, 'spineless.'

"No really, that was fuckin' awesome! Man, I wish I coulda seen the look on your mom's face."

An involuntary shiver ran down Minamo's spine as she recalled that hard, icy glare. Looking back, she was surprised she had managed to stick up for herself.

"I still can't believe I actually did it," Minamo replied.

"Yea, no shit. Neither can I! Hey, so I appreciate you callin' me first and all, but isn't there someone else you should be callin'? You know, someone who ain't your student anymore. "

"No, I don't know if-"

"The fuck do you mean, no?"

"Didn't she just break up? I don't know, isn't that kind of weird?"

"Wait...what...? Were you dropped on your head as baby or somethin'?"

"I just don't..." Minamo trailed off midsentence. Everything was coming at her so fast she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Years of keeping her feelings suppressed, fears of rejection and ridicule, all just couldn't disappear in a matter of minutes. "I don't know if I can," she said quietly.

"No, you listen, and you listen good. I'm gonna hang up now. Take a few minutes to un-fuck that lame ass train of thought, then call her," Yukari said with an almost bitter edge to her voice.

"O-Ok," Minamo said shakily, as she heard the audible click of the other end of the line shutting off.

Staring at her phone for a few long moments, Minamo eventually started scrolling through her contacts. Her thumb shakily hovered over the call button. Taking a deep breath, and holding it, she pressed dial.

XxXxXxXxX

After frantically shoving her phone in her pocket, Kagura turned to the rest of the girls with wide eyes.

"I gotta go," she said hastily.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Who were ya talkin' too?"

Taking a deep breath, Kagura bit her lower lip in excitement. She had just received a very uncharacteristic call from Minamo. Normally, her calls very short and to the point, and often times professional. This time, on the other hand, she had been all over the place with long drawn out pauses and stuttering, and there were even a few places where Kagura wasn't quite sure what Minamo was even trying to say.

She was able to vaguely grasp something about an argument with her mother, being honest with who she was, and realizing what she truly wanted, but there had been one thing she had heard loud and clear. 'Could you please come over?" Now, Kagura was grabbing her things and trying to make for a hasty exit.

"That was Ms. Kurosawa. She wants me to come over," Kagura said.

Smiles and looks of excitement passed through the group.

"Hell yea!" Tomo exclaimed. "Go- make- some- ma-gic," she said, thrusting her hips between each word.

Most of the group just groaned and brought their palms to their faces, but it was Osaka who fixed her with a stern look, and shook her head slowly back and forth.

"Oh what now? You're just jealous of all the action we're always gettin'," Tomo said, with a slight smirk directed towards Osaka.

"Any of y'all shaggin' Vin Diesel?" She asked in a surprisingly serious tone, earning blank stares from the group.

"No...?" Tomo finally said, clearly confused.

"Then I ain't jealous," Osaka said smugly.

There was a slight pause as Tomo slowly reached out and put a hand in Osaka's shoulder. "I know I've said this before, but I'm gonna say it again. You're a friggin' weirdo."

"I know," Osaka said with a smile.

"Hey guys, um... I really should get goin'," Kagura said, bouncing on one foot while struggling to put her second shoe on.

"You're still here?" Tomo practically shouted. "What the hell for? Get outta here!"

After several more wishes of good luck, Kagura was out the door. As soon as she cleared the front gate, she took off full tilt towards the train station.

The usually short ride to her neighborhood felt painfully long. All she could think about was Minamo, and the nervousness in her voice on the phone. A part of her was worried that something was wrong, but another, much louder part of her mind, was jumping for joy at being called to come over.

There would be no backing out this time. Kagura had been scolding herself for not saying anything earlier today. She had desperately wanted to stay with Minamo and tell her how she truly felt. Instead, she had chickened out, afraid of once again being rejected as before.

But this time, she had high hopes of success. She was no longer a student, and Minamo had been the one to contact her. A broad smile made its way across her face as she bolted from the station towards Minamo's apartment, her excitement pushing the burning in her legs to the side.

Not gonna wuss out this time, she told herself confidently, as she flew through the complex door.

Too amped up to wait for the elevator, Kagura made for the stairs. A few flights weren't going to slow her down. Making her way through the hall, she slowed down, huffing to catch her breath. When she finally reached her destination, she took a moment to collect herself.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight, and knocked several times on the door. What felt like an eternity passed until the door slowly creaked open. Minamo stood in the entry way, a pensive look on her face.

"Th-thanks for -"

She was cut off as Kagura closed the distance, her lips crashing against Minamo's. The two stumbled backwards into the apartment as Kagura voraciously kissed Minamo. For a moment, Kagura had thought she was being too aggressive, but the lack of protest from Minamo spurred her on.

Hands fumbled across bodies, lips clumsily tangled together, and Kagura quickly realized that the reason Minamo wasn't protesting was likely due to her apparent state of shock. Reluctantly pulling back, Kagura winced slightly when she looked into Minamo's wide eyes.

"Sorry, I-"

This time it was Kagura's turn to be cut off. Minamo slid a hand up to the back of Kagura's head and slowly pulled her into a much deeper kiss. It was far different than their first. The last two years of tension had finally been unleashed.

While Kagura had come in hard and fast, Minamo was taking a much more delicate approach. It was as if she was savoring every second of her connection with Kagura. Their tongues found one another, fell into a rhythm, only to have to fall of it, then pick it back up again. They went on kissing. Each time Kagura thought they were done, Minamo pulled her in tighter and kissed her more passionately.

Her hands gently slid over Kagura's body. When she felt a hand slide softly under her shirt across her bare stomach and around to the small of her back, she felt herself shudder in Minamo's arms. Every touch was intoxicating. The woman could have asked her do anything, and she would have done it without question.

When Minamo finally separated, Kagura couldn't help but let out a small whimper in protest. But when Minamo pulled her in to a tight hug, and squeezed, she felt a wide smile pull across her face. Warm breath tickled her neck, as Minamo lightly nuzzled along her jaw line.

For a long while the two held each other. Kagura lightly ran her hands along Minamo's back, mimicking the slow caress she felt on her own back. Wanting more, Kagura pressed into Minamo, lightly pushing the woman backwards. She once again tightly pressed her lips to Minamo's, Kagura's hands finding their place on her hips as she guided her towards the bed. As Minamo sat down, Kagura straddled her, wrapping a hand around the back of Minamo's head, pulling her into a deeper kiss.

Just as she was about to push Minamo to lay down, the woman placed a hand on Kagura's chest and slowly pulled away from the kiss . "Kagura..." she paused, seemingly out of breath. "This, is all a little overwhelming," she said quietly, a look of embarassment on her face. "It's not that I don't want too," she hastily added. "It's just...today has been a lot for me to take in."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Kagura chuckled, a sheepish look on her face, as she felt her face heat up in equal embarassment. She hadn't planned on taking it as far as she had, she just couldn't help but get caught up in the moment.

"Sorry, I got kinda carried away there," Kagura said.

"No, no, it's not that at all," Minamo said, a slight blush beginng to creep up her cheeks. "It's everything that lead up to this."

"What happened?" Kagura asked quietly.

With a deep breath, Minamo filled Kagura in about her day. She began with the end of the school day, and how she had desperately wanted to tell Kagura how she felt right then and there, but hadn't been able to work up the nerve to do so, reminding Kagura of her own moment of insecurity. When Minamo continued on, and described the argument between her and her mother, Kagura finally understood why she had kept her private life a secret for so long. She was instantly grateful for how understanding her parents had been, and was genuinely sad at just how down trodden Minamo apeared to be after recalling what her mother had said to her.

As Minamo's tale of the day came to an end, a small smile pulled at the corners Kagura's mouth. Despite having what sounded like a very intimidating mother, Minamo had still found the courage to confront her. This was the woman Kagura had fallen in love with. The strong, confident woman who was kind to everyone she met and had been an inspiration to so many.

"That took some serious guts to stand up to your mom like that. See, I always told ya you were super awesome," Kagura said, donning her usual wide grin, and bouncing lightly in Minamo's lap.

"Thanks," Minamo said quietly.

Leaning in, Kagura gave Minamo a small peck on the lips. "Wanna watch a movie, then? You know, just relax?"

A small smile began to make it's way across Minamo's face. It steadily grew wider and wider, as she brought a hand up to cup Kagura's cheek. "Go pick the movie. I'll call in a pizza."

-End

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I'd like to throw out a big thank you to all of those who continuosly supported this fic. You guys are rad and were a huge motivation to keep this thing going. Also, a special thanks to my awesome beta reader, who not only suggested I wrtie this in the first place, but stuck with me throughout the very long process of getting this thing finished.