Alright, everyone here it is, the final chapter. I was considering on continuing this, but seeing as how I'm getting shipped out for seven months at the end February, this will be the end. Thank you to everyone who stuck with this from the beginning and to all of those who left reviews, your support meant a lot to me. A special thanks to Drak Nolsa for all of the invaluable insight since day one. I learned a lot while writing this and had a great time as well. I will definitely continue to write more in the future. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 6: I'd love too

With her school bag in hand, and a light bounce in her step, Misao walked the familiar path to Kagami's house. This was it; she was going to make something happen. As far as she could tell, she had set up everything as best as it could possibly be, and she couldn't think of a better time to take her shot.

What she wasn't so sure about was how to actually make it happen. How should she make her move? There was a chance in the locker room earlier that day, but in a moment of excitement about an evening alone together, she had completely missed it. Before, it seemed that things had just kind of naturally fallen into place, and she figured forcing it might not be the best thing to do. Looks like the best plan, is to not actually have a plan. Just wait for somethin to happen.

Rounding the final corner to her destination, she nearly collided with a pair girls who were walking hand in hand. A familiar startled squeak rang out, and with the flash of a yellow bow, Misao couldn't help but smile. "Sup, guys. Where are you two headin off to?" she asked, as she greeted Miyuki and Tsukasa.

"Good evening Kusakabe San. We were just on our way to my house to watch a movie and have a nice dinner," Miyuki politely answered with a slight bow.

"Sounds pretty awesome," Misao replied.

Tsukasa nodded with a wide smile. "Yup, and this way, you and Onee-chan will have the house to yourselves. Our parents are out for the evening, and both Inori and Matsuri have work," she said hastily, barely managing to contain her excitement.

"Thanks?" Misao raised a suspicious eyebrow. This was certainly unexpected. Not that she was going to complain, but if she didn't know any better, she'd swear Tsukasa was up to something. The girl was pretty easy to read, and that happy little smirk she was wearing was dead giveaway.

"Of course!" Tsukasa chirped merrily. "Oh, and good luck," she added, as she and Miyuki continued on their way.

"Have a pleasant evening," Miyuki said over her shoulder.

"Yea, you too," Misao replied. Yea, they're definitely up to somethin, she thought, while watching the two disappear around the corner.

Walking up to the house, she took a deep breath before ringing the door bell. Just relax, don't forget to breath, and go with the flow. With a push on the door bell, she anxiously waited for several minutes and was soon rewarded by the door opening. "Hey, hey," Misao greeted catching sight of Kagami. Although she wanted to let things fall into place, she also didn't want to miss an opportunity, and decided that she may as well make an attempt at a compliment. "I know I told ya this earlier and all, but again, you look really petty," she said, putting on her usual wide grin.

Kagami looked away bashfully while attempting to hide a smile. "Thanks. Come on in...and you look nice too," she said quietly, stepping aside so Misao could enter. Calm down. No need to get so worked up, Kagami told herself, trying to keep a lid on her nerves.

Score! Misao mentally cheered, as she entered the house and removed her shoes.

The two stood in the entry way, and an odd moment of silence overtook them. Both knew exactly what they wanted to say, but neither of which knew how to go about bringing it up. For once, Misao found her usual aura confidence had deserted her. She couldn't ever remember a time she was this worried about failure. Although she knew her chances were good, there was still a small sense of doubt that was making itself all too prominent in the forefront of her mind.

On the other end, Kagami was almost a nervous wreck on the inside. This was all entirely new territory for her, and the fact of the matter was, she was just plain embarrassed by the feelings she had towards her friend. Even though Tsukasa and Miyuki had reassured her that everything would work out, and had even given her some pointers on how to possibly bring it up, the logical part of her brain, that was supposed to be telling her to relax, was having a hard time doing its job. Remembering that she should be a good host, she was finally able to come to her senses and spoke up, breaking the silence. "So, can I get you something to drink?" she asked nervously.

"I could totally go for a drink," Misao said with a heavy sigh of relief. "What d'ya have?"

Once in the kitchen, Kagami opened the refrigerator, offering an assortment of various drinks. Misao opted for a soda, and guzzled half the can in one go. "So, we've got the place to our selves huh?" she asked, after catching her breath .

"Oh, uh, yea, yea. Everyone's out for the night," Kagami stuttered out while shifting her weight. Now what do I say? What do I do?

It was obvious to Misao that Kagami was pretty jumpy, and she decided it might be best to bring things to a more comfortable level. As much as it pained her to bring it up, she figured it was probably best to get it over with. "So, should we get started?" she asked, hefting her school bad.

Oh yea, studying. Ok that's easy enough. Taking a more relaxed posture, Kagami grabbed her bag from the kitchen table and led the way up her room. "How much have you done so far?"

Misao scratched the back of her neck, and put on a cheesy smile. "None," she said sheepishly. When she received a slight scolding look from Kagami, she continued. "What? I've been busy...with...well...you know...fun things..." she trailed off.

With a heavy sigh, Kagami shook her head while bringing her palm to her face. "It's ok. We're obviously not going to able to finish it all tonight, but let's try and get a decent amount done. Let's start with math."

This time it was Misao's turn let out the heavy sigh. "Math is totally lame though."

"Sooner we get it done, sooner you don't have to worry about it," Kagami replied sternly. Quit being so harsh! Her features then softened slightly. "It won't be that bad. I'll help you out, I promise," she said in a softer tone.

With a slight pout, Misao relented. "Alright, alright. Let's get it over with."

The two girls took their seats at the small table in the middle of Kagami's room, pulled out their books, and started their work. As time went by, the earlier tension between the two passed, and they fell into a comfortable routine. Wanting to impress Kagami, Misao tried her hardest to focus. She'd managed to last a considerable amount of time, and by her standards, had completed a fair amount of homework. Unfortunately, as the work became increasingly difficult, her patience just couldn't last any longer, and she soon found herself starting to fidget and gnaw on her pencil.

Picking up on Misao's agitation, Kagami spoke up. "Need help?"

"Yea," Misao groaned, thumping her head down on the table.

Sliding over to sit next to Misao, Kagami chuckled at her friend's exaggerated depressed state. "Oh come on, it's not that bad. Here, let me explain."

While Kagami was doing a decent job of explaining how to solve the problem, Misao couldn't stay focused. She only had one thing on her mind, and it definitely wasn't math homework. Instead of paying attention, she decided to close the gap between them, scooting over so the two were shoulder to shoulder.

Kagami froze mid sentence. Looking over to the other girl, her face a light shade of pink, she said, "I-Is this making any sense yet?"

"Nope," Misao stated casually.

Under the impression that she had been explaining the problem in a very clear fashion, Kagami was surprised to hear otherwise. She had been sincerely hoping she could help Misao understand the assignment. "Well what is that you don't quite understand?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

Misao looked down at the papers on the table, then back to Kagami, back at the papers, and finally back to Kagami again. "All of it."

Through narrowed eyes, Kagami glared at Misao. "You could have spoken up a little earlier," she said dryly.

"Yea I could have, but it was nice sittin next to ya and just listenin," Misao said innocently, leaning into Kagami.

"Should I keep going then?" Kagami asked quietly.

"Or we could do somethin else. Ya know, somethin a little more fun?"

Kagami went rigid, a bright blush beginning to work its way up her face while her mind tried grasp at what it was that Misao might be suggesting. Swallowing hard, she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice as she asked, "Such as?"

Tapping a finger on her bottom lip, Misao furrowed her brow in concentration. Then, her face lit up with excitement as she spotted a DvD on TV stand. "Awe no way! You got that new action movie? Oh we should totally watch it!"

Thrown off by the suggestion, Kagami was only able to nod in reply. Misao jumped up and quickly made her way over to the TV set. Kagami was about to protest, knowing that they should be studying rather than watching a movie, but she just couldn't bring herself to rain on Misao's parade. The sight of her hyper active friend frantically pulling out the DvD was just too cute, and she decided it best to just go along.

Once everything was in place, Misao dashed over to the door and hit the light switch, leaving only the glow of the TV to light the room. "Best way to watch a good movie," she said as she and Kagami took a seat on the floor at the bedside.

Taking the remote, Kagami hit the play button. As the movie began to start, she reached behind her and pulled down a couple of pillows for them to lean against. The two quickly relaxed and settled into their spots, resting against the bed for support. Although the movie was far from romantic, Kagami couldn't help but feel like they were now on a date together. With a quick glance over to Misao, she smiled to herself at how happy she looked. Her earlier discussion with her sister came to mind, and she decided she may as well muster up the courage and take advantage of the current situation. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Kagami scooted over ever so slightly, bringing herself closer with Misao.

The small movement didn't go unnoticed by Misao, and she had to fight hard to keep her excitement in check. Wanting to make the most of the moment, she started thinking of ways to make a move. First I gotta get closer to her. Wonder if I could find a way to get my arm around her too, or maybe just hold her hand. Hhhmmmm, gotta do somethin. She knew the first step would be easy, but the second one would need a little planning. An open window next to the TV caught her attention, and she quickly came up with an idea that she hoped would work. "Hey, uh, would you wanna maybe grab a blanket or somethin? It's gettin kinda chilly."

"Oh, sure. I was actually thinking the same thing." Turning around, Kagami reached up to her bed, pulled off the comforter, and began to spread it over their legs. With Kagami's sudden distraction, Misao seized her opportunity and sided up to her. "How's that?" Kagami asked, her face turning a light shade of pink as she noticed Misao had closed the distance between them.

"Way better," Misao replied. When Kagami turned her attention back to the movie, Misao reached over and, as casually as she could manage, placed her hand on top Kagami's. She watched out of the corner of her eye, waiting for a reaction. The small smile that made its wasy across Kagami's face as she looked down at their hands was reassuring enough, and Misao took it a step further by interlocking their fingers.

As simple as the gesture was, Kagami felt like her breathing was having a hard time deciding if it wanted to relax or speed up. She was excited by the display of affection, even more so by the fact that Misao had initiated it, but decided to try her best to relax. Remembering their trip to magical land, she recalled how they had been in a similar situation and what Misao had said to her that night. 'I'll always take care you.' Those words had a truly comforting effect. As cliche as she thought it was, Kagami had always wanted a knight in shining armor. When she looked over to Misao, who was currently enthralled by a ridiculous amount of explosions on screen, Kagami saw that very figure. Letting out small sigh of content, she rested her head onto Misao's shoulder.

When the movie came to an end, and the credits started to roll, neither of the girls wanted to move. Eventually, Kagami picked up the remote with her free hand and hit the power button, switching off the TV. The room plunged into darkness, only slightly cut by the glow from the city lights shining through the window. Not entirely sure what to do, Kagami cuddled up as close to Misao as she could, nuzzling into her shoulder and interlocked their arms.

Alright, gotta do somethin, gotta do somethin, Misao told herself repeatedly. She knew what she wanted to do, but couldn't exactly think of how to go about doing it. With their current position, she'd need to get Kagami's attention somehow first. Not exactly one to be subtle, Misao decided to take her typical approach to most anything, the direct approach. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over and placed a small kiss on top of Kagani's head.

With wide eyes, Kagami looked up. She was about to say something but was cut off as Misao leaned in and quickly pressed her lips to hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, just a quick peck, but it was more than enough. Kagami brought her finger tips to her mouth, the feeling of Misao's lips pressed to hers still lingering, and felt her face heat up with a massive blush. My first kiss. That was my first kiss! She looked to Misao, who was now anxiously chewing on her lip while awaiting a response, and gave her wide smile.

"So..." Misao began, but this time it was her turn to be cut off as Kagami closed in with a kiss of her own. She felt Kagami's arms wrap around her neck pulling her in even closer. Only in her wildest dreams had Misao ever imagined this would happen, yet here she was. Unable to control her happiness any longer, a small laugh escaped from between their tightly pressed lips.

"Hey what's so funny?" Kagami asked, breaking away but still keeping her arms around Misao's neck.

"Oh, uh..." Misao was a little lost for words, she honestly couldn't find a way to describe how truly happy and excited she was. "This is just totally awesome," she said, instantly wishing she had been able to come up with something at least a little more romantic.

Kagami laughed in reply, finding the simplicity of Misao's answer rather cute. "Yea, I guess I could agree with you there."

"Really?" Misao asked, bouncing lightly under Kagami's arms.

"Well yea, I really - mmffff -" Once again, Kagami was interrupted by a pair of lips crashing against hers. She found herself practically pushed to the ground as Misao bore into her with a series of what she could only describe as rapid fire kisses. This was definitely something she could get used to.

"This mean you wanna be my girlfriend?" Misao asked, taking a break from her kissing spree.

"I'd love too," Kagami replied with large smile.

Misao leapt to her feat and pumped a fist into the air. "Woohoo!" she hollered as she started doing a rather goofy little dance.

"Don't get to excited there," Kagami said jokingly, while at the same time trying to stifle her laughter.

"What!? This is TOTALLY the time for the happy dance!" Misao cheered. "Can't wait to tell Shortie McShort Shorts all about this."

Kagami stared at Misao in slight confusion, until the coin finally dropped. She shot up to her feet, hit by a sudden rush of panic. She wasn't quite ready to go break the news to the one person she knew would tease her to no end. "Whoa, hold on a sec. Why does she need to know right away?"

"Because she'll be totally stoked that's why. She's only, like, the most epic wing man ever, so I gotta fill her in," Misao said, bouncing with even more excitement.

"Wing man?" Kagami asked, now completely baffled.

With a vigorous nod and a massive smile, Misao began telling the story of how Konata had been helping her out. As the details of the past few weeks came in to focus, Kagami's jaw dropped. Had she been paying any attention, she might have noticed, but she had to give Konata credit, the small girl was definitely sneaky. She then realized that if Konata had gone through all that effort, just to potentially set them up, then she'd no doubt be full of support for them. Sure there would be some teasing, but Kagami figured if she'd been able to put with Konata's shenanigans for as long as she had already, then she could easily handle a little more.

"Alright, alright, you can tell her. I guess I should thank her at some point too," Kagami relented.

"Awesome!" Misao threw her arms around Kagami and squeezed her into a tight hug, practically forcing the air from her lungs.

"Misao...I...can't...breath," Kagami choked out.

"What? Oh my bad," Misao said sheepishly, and instantly loosened her grip. She then leaned in placed a light kiss on Kagami's forehead. "That better?"

"Yea," Kagami said with a wide smile, sinking further into Misao's arms, and nuzzeling into the crook of her neck with a sigh of content. "A lot better."