145 Chapter Eleven: Reaffirmation

"I can't believe she did that… I can't believe she did that! I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT!"

Over and over again, that phrase ran through Kanako's mind. Really, it shouldn't have been much of a shock that Katsumi had gone as far as she had. In fact, Kanako had just been thinking just yesterday about how far Katsumi might push the boundaries. And yet, she couldn't stop her shock, dismay, and honestly, disgust about the whole situation.

It had started with a sudden closeness with an old friend. Then insults to Kanako's girlfriend. Then blackmail. And now… "...a kiss…" Kanako muttered, the words feeling like poison as they crossed her tongue. Even if that kiss wasn't on the lips, it didn't change the fact that lips had met an intimate part of Kanako's body. Katsumi had crossed a line, and there was no way Kanako could see her standing behind it ever again.

At the moment, it was hard for Kanako to remember the last time she was this angry. Was it when Haruna swore a ton at her and she slapped Haruna for it? Or maybe when Akio got her hopes up so high, only to mercilessly destroy them? Or what about when Haruna and Kanako's friendship had ended all those years ago?

No matter which one she thought of, none of them seemed to compare. Kanako and Haruna had been able to make up and eventually reach an even better relationship, and as for Akio… He did play a role in Kanako's current happiness, so while she was sure she'd hate him forever for what he did, it wasn't a complete hate. But Katsumi…

Could Kanako hate another person? Honestly, she didn't think so. If she hadn't hated Haruna after everything she had done. and she didn't entirely hate Akio either, then it would stand to reason that Katsumi would get the same treatment. Besides that, Kanako didn't really want to have such dark feelings residing in her heart. She didn't want them, and yet… she couldn't help but notice a very small seed had taken root.

This was beyond mean. This was beyond lies. This was beyond sheer aggression. What Katsumi had done was an offense to one of Kanako's core beliefs. This wasn't a simple fight or manipulation. This was just outright offensive.

Practically marching down the road, Kanako was taking each step with so much force that it seemed like small craters might form. Her face was twisted in a harsh scowl, and the few people that saw her as she went couldn't help but take a step back, out of fear just a wrong look might put them in danger.

Soon enough, Kanako reached where her house was, but she didn't go there. Instead, she went next door, continuing her march up the sidewalk until she arrived at the front door. With several hard, short knocks, she waited for someone to answer. After a minute or so, someone came, and Kanako heard the clicks of the door knob as the door itself swung open.

"Huh? Kana-Gah!" Haruna said as she caught sight of her girlfriend. Her abrupt reaction was due to seeing Kanako's face, causing Haruna to throw her hands up in a defensive position for a moment. However, that was all short-lived, because as soon as Kanako saw Haruna, her expression immediately shifted from fury to that of a wet dog.

"Haruna…" Kanako cried, tears welling up. Then without warning, she leapt into Haruna's arms. "Ah, whoa!" the girl exclaimed, catching Kanako. Luckily she had good footing, so the two of them didn't fall over, but Haruna was still left wondering what was going on.

"Kanako, what's wrong?" she asked quietly. Having taken a second to recover, Haruna now had her arms fully wrapped around Kanako, gently and slowly rubbing the back of the girl's head. "You're shaking…" Not only that, but Haruna could feel Kanako crying into her chest. It was light, but it was enough to be noticeable.

Finally, Kanako looked up. Her eyes were wet, and her cheeks were damp. "Haruna…" she said weakly. It was as if the moment alone of meeting with her had made Kanako able to let go of all of her anger. Unfortunately, that had to be replaced with something, and the next emotion up had been sadness. It was so strong that Kanako felt like she was hardly able to think about anything else other than how sad her day had made her, and how much she was grateful that Haruna was holding onto her.

"...You wanna go to my room?" Haruna suggested, knowing they couldn't just stay in the entryway. Kanako's only response was a slight nod, so Haruna pulled away from her a little so she could take Kanako's hand and lead her along. "She really seems broken up about something," Haruna thought. "Wait, wasn't that stupid date today? Don't tell me Ikehara-san did something to her…"

If that was the case, then Haruna was going to have a major bone to pick with Katsumi. However, she wanted to hold off on any snap conclusions until she got the full story from Kanako. So, once they were inside Haruna's room, she shut the door and they both sat on the floor. "Oh, did you want tea?" Haruna offered, but Kanako just shook her head. "Alright… so, um… what happened?"

Kanako was quiet, and her lack of a response made Haruna worry even more. "Did… Ikehara-san do something?" she asked tentatively. Lightly, Kanako nodded, then finally spoke. "W-We met up for her date, and she made me compliment her… and h-hold her hand…" Haruna didn't like hearing that, but she didn't think it was the worst thing ever. "Was that it?" she asked.

Kanako looked away. "No…" she said, barely audible. "We went to a couple of places, and then we went to a playground area… I didn't remember, but Kat-chan… Ikehara-san reminded me that we used to play there. S-She supposedly has a fear of slides, and ended up forcing me into a position where I had to go up with her…" Kanako paused, giving Haruna the impression that she was bracing herself to say something.

"W-We slid down together, but she trapped me with her arms, and… s-she… k-kissed my neck…"

To be honest, Haruna had never considered herself to be all that territorial. She had things that were hers, but she wasn't like a dog who guarded their prized possessions or anything. However… in this one moment, Haruna's territorial instincts flared intensively.

"What… the hell?" she uttered, her voice ice-cold. "She… kissed you?" Looking over, Kanako could see Haruna's expression, and it scared her a little. "O-On the neck, Haruna!" she said quickly. "It wasn't on the lips! S-So, don't make such a scary face…" Of course, Haruna couldn't see herself, but she assumed based on Kanako's reaction that it wasn't good. "Ah… sorry…"

"I just… hearing that just makes me wanna punch her," Haruna said. "I understand," Kanako said. "It actually makes me a little happy that you'd get that worked up over me, b-but please don't resort to violence." "At this point, I don't know if I can hold myself back," Haruna said quietly.

Suddenly, Kanako grabbed Haruna by her shirt and pulled her down, putting them in a position where Haruna was on top of her. "K-Kanako?!" Haruna exclaimed, caught off-guard by the sudden movement. "If it bothers you that much," Kanako said. "Then fix it."

Taking one hand off Haruna, Kanako pointed to the spot where Katsumi had kissed her. "Don't take it out on her," she said softly. "I want those feelings. I want them to overwrite everything Ikehara-san did today." "Still…" Haruna said. "Kissing the same spot is a little weird…" "Please Haruna?" Kanako begged. She stared up at her with slightly watery, desperate eyes.

"That look…" Haruna whispered as she leaned down. "...is so not fair…" Then, she placed her lips on the exact spot that Kanako had pointed to. But, unlike Katsumi's kiss, to Kanako, Haruna's felt so soft and warm. She also only expected a brief moment, but instead, Haruna kept going. She left multiple kisses in the same spot, then went up Kanako's neck, pecking her along the way. She reached the girl's jaw, then her cheek, until finally she reached Kanako's lips, bringing them together in a gentle embrace.

When Haruna pulled away, she could see Kanako's flushed face, and both of them were breathing a little heavier. "If you want me to overwrite her," Haruna spoke, quietly but with force. "Then I'll make it so I'm the only one you'll ever think about."

It appeared that Katsumi's actions were having the opposite effect that she had intended, because Haruna was now feeling the desire to keep Kanako to herself more strongly than ever before.

"I'm not sure if I was holding back," Haruna continued. "But I want you to only think of me. To only feel me. To be the one that fills your heart and mind. I wanna monopolize you, and let no one else near you, because I don't even want there to be a chance someone could take you from me."

"You're mine, Kanako. And I'm yours, right?"

Kanako was surprised to hear Haruna saying all of that, but at the same time, she understood. "She's probably been holding all of this back because I've been insisting things would be fine when dealing with Ikehara-san…"

Gently, Kanako reached up and wrapped her arms around Haruna, who still hung above her. "Yes…" she breathed. "Of course you're mine too." With a light touch, Kanako pulled Haruna down to her, bringing them into an embrace on the floor. "I'm sorry, Haruna," she said. "I should've never let Ikehara-san get so close." Hearing that, Haruna rose up just enough to see Kanako's face. "Then I guess you'll have to make it up to me." "How?" Kanako asked. Haruna smiled. "How about a kiss?"

"Just one?"

"As many as I want, then?"

"U-Um… just be gentle, okay?"

Haruna brought her face down to Kanako, their lips meeting once more as their eyes fluttered shut. After a couple of seconds, they parted, and both of them smiled at each other as they met for more kisses.

*****

"Hey, I have a question," Haruna said. At the moment, they were both back to sitting on the floor next to each other. After their kissing session, they had decided to stop there (mostly for fear of going further and then getting caught), so Kanako had gone to make tea and brought it back for them. Haruna had wanted to make the point that that was backwards, but she also knew Kanako made better tea, so she just let Kanako do it.

Sitting there with cups in hand, Haruna had thought of something. "Earlier, I noticed you started calling Ikehara-san by her last name. Why?" "Ah…" Kanako let out. "I-I decided that I need to start putting distance between me and her, so I thought switching to her last name was a good start." "I see," Haruna said with a nod. "It makes me happy to hear that." "S-Sorry…" Kanako said, feeling guilty for taking so long to make such a change.

"You don't have to keep apologizing to me," Haruna said. "Just make sure Ikehara-san stays away from you. Me and Chiyo will help too." "Okay," Kanako said. Then she leaned her head on the girl's shoulder, and Haruna leaned down to put her head on Kanako's. "She's mine," she thought. "Mine and no one else's."

*****

That Monday at school started out heated, to say the least. While Haruna had agreed not to get physical with Katsumi, that didn't mean she was just going to stand by. "I swear, when I see that girl, I'm gonna let her have it," she thought as she headed to school. Haruna did her best to keep that to herself though, not knowing how Kanako would react to knowing her plan.

As soon as Haruna saw the redhead, she made a line straight for her. "Ikehara-san," she said coldly. "I need to talk to you." Seeing that, Kanako immediately got worried and rushed over. "H-Haruna, you don't need to say anything to her. Let's just go, okay?" However, it was too late, as Katsumi had turned around.

"And what could you possibly have to tell me, Endo-san?" Katsumi replied back in just as cold a tone. "Unless it's to say that you're giving me Kana-chan, in which case I'll gladly accept." "Even in your dreams, that would never happen," Haruna said. "In fact, I'm here to tell you the opposite." Then Haruna got in close. "Stay. Away. From. Kanako."

"Oh yeah? And what happens if I don't?"

"Then I'll beat your ass."

"H-Haruna!" Kanako exclaimed. "I told you, no violence!" "Sorry, it just sorta slipped out," Haruna said. "But I also mean it." Looking between the two of them, Katsumi sighed. "Look, I don't have the energy for this right now, so could we just stop for today?" "...eh?" Kanako let out. Katsumi caught that and smiled at her. "It's not really your fault Kana-chan. Well, actually, I guess it kinda is, but… I don't really feel like explaining, and I certainly don't feel like going back and forth with this brute here, so I'm just going to go to class."

Then Katsumi walked away, leaving both Haruna and Kanako baffled. "What just happened?" Haruna wondered aloud. "No sny comments? No insults? No clinging to you? Is that really Ikehara-san?" "M-Maybe she finally accepted that she can't have me?" Kanako suggested, but Haruna shook her head. "That girl? No way. Honestly, seeing her act so uncaring makes me nervous. It feels less like she accepted something and more like she's planning something else." "But it's not like it could get any worse than blackmail, right?" Kanako said, getting a sigh out of Haruna. "Kanako, that's the line they always say in movies right before things get worse…" "Oops…"

Kanako almost looked regretful, so Haruna just gave her a pat on the head. "Then again, jinxes aren't supposed to be real, so it's probably fine." "Yeah…" Kanako said, though now she was a little worried. Admittedly, it was odd to see Katsumi not being on the attack. Kanako hoped maybe she had learned something from their "date," but there was always the possibility that what Katsumi had learned wasn't what Kanako had meant at all.

*****

"She really hasn't talked to you, like, at all today?" Chiyo said, surprised. Sitting on the roof together were Haruna, Kanako and Chiyo, along with an oddly silent Michi. Considering everything that had happened between them in the last year or so, Kanako kept finding herself looking over at the girl in anticipation of her saying something. And yet, Michi continued to remain silent. All she did was eat her lunch in peace, although Kanako did feel like she was sitting closer to Chiyo than usual.

However, that wasn't her main focus. At the moment, the three girls were discussing Katsumi's peculiar behavior for the day. As if picking up from where she had left off in the morning, Katsumi had hardly spoken to Kanako or even gotten near her. Ordinarily, that would've been a good thing, but Katsumi's (albeit short) track record had them all feeling like things might get worse.

"Y'know, now that you mention it, she's been totally quiet all day," Chiyo added. "It's actually a lil' creepy." "Don't call people creepy," Michi chimed in. "And eat. Your food's going to get cold if you only talk." "Aw, are ya lookin' out for me Mi-chan?" Chiyo teased. "I-I just don't want the food I made to go to waste!" Michi said back quickly. "When it's your turn, you can waste all the food you want!"

"...H-Hang on," Kanako said, her primary focus getting completely derailed. "Did you… make Chiyo lunch, Mi-chan?" In response, Michi went wide-eyed, apparently not realizing that others were paying attention to what she was saying. "I-It wasn't just for her!" she exclaimed. "I already make my own lunch, a-and Chiyo kept pestering me in the mornings about making one for her too, but that's a lot of extra work, so we agreed to go back and forth and today was my turn!"

It seemed the longer she spoke, the faster the words came out of Michi's mouth. "Wait, the morning?" Kanako repeated, catching that detail. "Why do you see each other in the mornings?" "I-It doesn't matter!" Michi yelled. "I'm done!" Abruptly getting up, Michi grabbed her things to go with her as she stomped away. As she did, Chiyo had a small smile on her lips. "Gettin' all worked up like that is totally adorbs," she said, only loud enough for herself to hear.

"Well you two seem to be getting along well," Haruna commented. "I don't remember you mentioning seeing Fukuhara-san in the morning." "It's not every day. Only a couple times a week," Chiyo said. "But I love those times…" "You even got her to cook for you," Kanako said. "...Seductress," Haruna commented. "Hey, don't make it sound like what I'm doing is bad!" Chiyo cried. "It's an even split! We cook for each other!"

"Anyways!" Chiyo went on, clearing her throat. "That's enough about me. Weren't we like, trying to figure out why Ikehara-san is acting strange?" "Right…" Haruna said. "But I really don't know…" "Me neither…" Kanako added. "And she didn't say anything since your fake date?" Chiyo asked. Kanako shook her head. "Today was the first time I'd spoken to her since yesterday." "I guess that isn't really that long though…" Chiyo said. "Ugh! I just know she's planning something!"

"Haru-chi, we gotta keep her away from your girl!" Hearing that, Haruna laughed. "I was actually going to ask you for your help with that," she said. "Kana-chan Protection Squad!" Chiyo declared. "D-Don't call it that! S-So embarrassing…" Kanako whimpered.

*****

It was surprising to even Katsumi herself, but she was mad at Kanako. After the girl had left Katsumi behind, Katsumi had started to think about the day. Overall, she had mixed feelings about it. Of course, perhaps that was only natural when the date only came about due to blackmail, but Katsumi had been convinced that if she just showed her good points, that would make Kanako forget about that.

However, all that had resulted were a lot of reminders. Katsumi had needed to use her blackmail material again just to get Kanako to compliment her, and even after she deleted it, she still got compared to Haruna. The fact she had gone as far as to get rid of her leverage should've gotten her some positive points, but Katsumi felt like it didn't help at all.

Even so, it wasn't as if it was all bad. She had gotten to spend the day with Kanako, hold her hand, and wear some clothes for her. Things hadn't gone exactly as Katsumi had hoped, but the date hadn't been a complete failure either… that is, until the end of it came around.

Really, that was where Katsumi's anger stemmed. Sure, she had tricked Kanako into getting on the slide with her, but to Katsumi, that was just a bit of fun. She had done that plenty of times when she was younger and played with Kanako, so why should now be any different? Although, it wasn't like it had been a total lie either. Katsumi did have a fear about slides, but they had to be bigger than one you'd find on a typical playground. Kanako didn't know that though, so Katsumi had used that to her advantage.

Feeling that the mood had been right, Katsumi had tried to push things a little further, but to her surprise, Kanako practically exploded when Katsumi did what she did. "She didn't have to get so mad about it," Katsumi thought, annoyed. At the time, she had simply taken note of Kanako's anger and considered it as part of Kanako becoming more aware of her. But, the more she thought about it, the more upset she got. "It was just a little kiss," Katsumi thought. "Is it really so wrong that I want her to feel what I feel for her?"

While Katsumi wanted to solely focus on Kanako, there was a part of her that understood it was, in fact, wrong. Katsumi wanted Kanako, but she didn't want it to be through something like cheating. If Katsumi started dating Kanako while Kanako was still in a relationship with Haruna, their relationship would be tainted forever. "If she would just break up with her, it'd be fine," Katsumi thought bitterly.

It was because of that desire for a break-up that Katsumi, perhaps subconsciously, had upped her efforts. If she ever hoped for Kanako to really notice her and consider her, Katsumi had to do more than just sit close to her and push Haruna away a bit. And yet, having tried to go further, all Katsumi had gotten for her efforts was a scolding. "Can't she at least think about how I feel?"

Thinking like that through the night had led Katsumi to the resulting morning. Truthfully, she didn't want to be mad at Kanako, but love is a fickle emotion. A part of her heart just couldn't help but feel hurt. But, as soon as Katsumi saw Kanako, it suddenly became a lot harder to stay mad at her. "Then again, it's not like staying mad will change anything…" Katsumi told herself. Knowing that and actually doing something about it however, were two separate things, which was why Katsumi had ended up avoiding Kanako for the first half of the day.

As she ate lunch alone, Katsumi decided that she'd try to put it behind her. "If I'm gonna chase a love, I have to be the bigger person!" she told herself. "Kana-chan's reaction really kinda hurt, but that's okay! Persistence is what matters here!" Katsumi gave herself a couple fist pumps, earning her a few weird glances from some of her classmates nearby in the classroom.

So when everybody returned from lunch, Katsumi waited at her desk until she spotted Kanako. Immediately, she got up and rushed to the door. But, instead of getting to the girl, Katsumi was met by both Haruna and Chiyo sticking their arms up in front of Kanako, preventing Katsumi from getting any closer. Seeing that, Katsumi smirked. "What's this?" she said. "You're getting so worried about me taking Kana-chan that you're working together to make a barricade?"

"Just trying to keep the pests away."

"So shoo."

Haruna and Chiyo both gave their responses as they kept Katsumi at a distance. They hoped that she'd get the message, but she just continued to stand where she was. "Kana-chan," she said sweetly. "These girls are being mean to me. Can you tell them to move, please?" "...Sorry, Ikehara-san," Kanako said. Hearing her last name come from Kanako, Katsumi's eyes went wide a little. Luckily, the surprise was enough to allow Haruna, Chiyo and Kanako to slip by.

"Ikehara-san?" Katsumi repeated in her head. "Why is she calling me that now? It can't seriously be because of what happened yesterday, can it?" She turned around, watching for a moment as Kanako made her way to her seat before chasing after the girl.

"H-Hey, Kana-" Katsumi began to say, but Haruna stood directly in her way. "The teacher is about to be back," she stated. "Who cares?" Katsumi said sharply. "Move. I'm trying to talk to Kana-chan." "Did the thought ever occur to you that maybe she doesn't want to talk to you?" Haruna fired back. "That's ridiculous. First of all, there are a lot of people that love talking to me," Katsumi said. "Second, why wouldn't Kana-chan wanna talk to me? I'm sure it's better than talking to someone as stupid as you."

"Ikehara-san."

Haruna was about to yell something back, but before she could, Kanako spoke. With an almost cold tone, she went on. "Please go sit down." "Um… if that's what you want, Kana-chan," Katsumi said, confused by her behavior. A few seconds after sitting down, the teacher came back and class resumed.

*****

As it turned out, what happened just after lunch was going to be more of a regular thing than Katsumi realized. For the rest of Monday, and then for the majority of Tuesday, either Haruna or Chiyo made sure to be completely in the way. Before, they had said things to Katsumi, but Katsumi had just ignored them or moved around them. Now though, that was practically impossible, as both Haruna and Chiyo were making a strong effort to do all they could to keep Katsumi away from Kanako.

Making it worse was the fact that any time Katsumi tried to ask Kanako about it, the girl simply said it's for the best and continued to keep her distance. "It's starting to get to the point that I'd have to hide out somewhere and ambush Kana-chan if I want to talk to her…" Katsumi thought toward the end of the school day. "Although I get the feeling that if I did that, I'd never get another chance to talk to her again."

Thanks to facing a full day plus of being denied, Katsumi was beginning to reach her limit. Without really realizing it, she had already thrown out a lot of her usual tactics, essentially being brought down to her base desire of just wanting to talk to Kanako. "If we could just talk, I think it would make things better," Katsumi thought.

With that one desire driving her, Katsumi tried to approach Kanako one more time as the final bell rang. "Kana-chan," she managed to say before Haruna swooped in. "Don't you ever learn?" Haruna said harshly. "She doesn't want to talk to you." "Kana-chan," Katsumi tried again, ignoring Haruna. "Kana-chan." Finally, Kanako looked up, beginning to feel a little bad for not responding.

"Please just let me talk to you," Katsumi asked. Hearing her say that (and the way she said it) made Kanako feel really guilty. "But if I listen to what she has to say…" Kanako thought. She didn't believe her will was so weak as to be shaken by anything Katsumi had to say, especially after what Katsumi had done, but there was still that bit of worry for Kanako. After all, Katsumi had been a friend at one point. It wasn't so easy for Kanako to cut off someone like that.

"Kanako, don't even bother," Haruna said. "She'll probably just make another move on you." "Oh, this is ridiculous!" Katsumi suddenly exclaimed. Then, faster than Haruna could move, Katsumi went around and grabbed Kanako's wrist. "Come with me!"

Katsumi pulled Kanako out of her seat and dashed out of the classroom, Haruna in quick pursuit. Unfortunately, with a bad ankle, Haruna could only keep up for so long. Teachers still monitoring the halls helped slow Katsumi down, but in the end, enough running and turns allowed Katsumi to get away with Kanako in tow.

It almost felt like a moment of bliss for Katsumi, but she was roughly brought back to reality when Kanako tore her arm away from Katsumi. "That's enough Ikehara-san!" she shouted. The two of them stopped in a hall toward the back of the building, and because school had just gotten out, there were still a decent amount of students around. Kanako's shout had drawn their attention, but with her anger building, the girl was beginning to not care about that.

"Stop calling me that," Katsumi said quietly. "Huh?" Kanako let out. "C-Calling you what?" In response, Katsumi walked back to Kanako in several steps. "Stop calling me Ikehara-san. Call me Kat-chan, like you usually do," she said weakly. "Ah…" Kanako said, understanding. "...I-I'm sorry. I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I need to create some distance between us."

"Why?"

Kanako paused, staring at Katsumi with a little surprise. "Do you really not understand, Ikehara-san?" Kanako asked. "All I know is that you keep pushing me away," Katsumi answered. "If it's because of the kiss-" "It's not just that," Kanako said, cutting her off. "Ikehara-san, I can't just keep… letting you do what you want. I'm in love with Haruna, and the things you keep doing keep trying to put our relationship in trouble. The blackmail, the clingy-ness, the… f-forwardness of your actions… It all has to stop."

"I will never love you the way you want. So please, while it may sound cruel… Give up on your feelings for me."

A part of Katsumi, the more rational part, wasn't surprised by this at all. But, the good (and bad) thing about love is that it can be overwhelming, and in this instance, she felt completely taken aback by Kanako's absolute rejection. The feelings of her heart overrode everything else.

"B-But you can't be certain of that, right? You never know, I could-"

"Kat-chan," Kanako said, cutting her off again. "I won't. From now until forever, I plan on spending my life with the girl I love, and that's Haruna, not you."

End of Chapter Eleven.

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