Hey, all! Yet another take on what happens when Izumi and Meroko finally get back together. But this one has quite the twist to it. Oh, yes. (cackles maniacally)

Warning: There's a teensy bit of violence. And there are a couple brief mentions of sex. (But none of the actual deed, I swear.)

The first thing Meroko did after Mitsuki's last concert as Fullmoon was something she'd wanted to do for a long time.

She didn't jump on him. She didn't hug him. She didn't try to kiss him. She didn't cry. She didn't get embarrassed. She didn't declare her undying love for him.

The first thing Meroko did was fly up to Izumi and punch him right in the face.

As Izumi reeled back, yelling and clutching his profusely bleeding nose, Meroko burst out laughing.

"Oh—yes! That was—" Meroko gasped for air in between giggles. "That was just so—so—fulfilling! Wow! Man, did that ever feel good!"

"What the hell, Meroko?!" Izumi shot her quite a potent death glare. "You freaking punched me!"

"Yes, I did!" Meroko nodded, beaming. "Pretty hard, huh?" She looked at her hand and winced. "Ow. That even hurt me a bit…"

"What was that for?!"

Meroko laughed, wiping away some tears that had leaked out of her eyes. "Look, Izumi, I'm sorry, but you totally deserved that. I've wanted to do that for so long it's not even funny."

Now Izumi appeared almost more confused than angry. "What did I do?"

"What did you do?" A flash of anger went across Meroko's face, and she floated up to him with narrowed eyes, jabbing him in the chest with a finger. "Oh, let's see. You kissed me and then dumped me on a new partner. You showed up and kept flirting with me when I told you to leave me alone. You kept trying to make me jealous. And worst of all, on that day when you broke up with me, you didn't come after me!"

Izumi blinked. "Wait. What?"

Meroko groaned and tore at her hair in exasperation. "Don't you know anything, Izumi? Have you not read any romance novels? The hero is supposed to come after the heroine and say that he realized that he's a jerk and an idiot! And then the heroine cries her eyes out, and they crawl into some random apartment and collapse on the bed and have sex, and then everyone lives happily ever after!"

If Izumi had been confused before, he now looked positively flabbergasted. "Did you say sex?"

"You didn't even apologize!" Meroko screamed, flying in circles. "Would one measly apology have been so hard? How freaking hard is it to say 'I'm sorry' and deal with the fact that you're an idiot?!"

"Meroko—"

"Do you have any idea how many nights I was sitting awake crying, all because you went and stomped all over my heart?"

"Meroko—"

"I felt like complete crap, Izumi!"

"Meroko—"

"I mean, really, how hard would it have been to just—"

"MEROKO!"

Meroko stopped, her face flushed with anger, tears in her eyes. "H-Huh?"

Izumi sighed, wiping some blood from his face. "You really do have a short temper, Meroko."

"…"

"I'm sorry."

Meroko's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry about what I did," Izumi said gently. "I'm sorry for lying to you, I'm sorry for pushing myself on you, I'm sorry for trying to make you jealous, and I'm sorry for not apologizing. I was a jerk and an idiot."

He paused, then added wryly, "And I'm really sorry you're such a good puncher. Damn, Meroko, that hurt."

Meroko blinked.

And then she practically tackled Izumi, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him as tightly as she could. "Oh, Izumi!" she squealed. "You do care!"

Izumi laughed. "Of course, Meroko."

"I love you, Izumi! I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you—!"

"Alright, alright, I get the idea."

Meroko pulled back, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "Izumi…" she whispered, voice radiating with happiness.

Izumi smiled. "I love you too, Meroko."

He floated a little closer. "So tell me something."

"Yes?"

"In your description of what happens in a romance novel, you mentioned the hero coming after the heroine, realizing what he'd done, and then the heroine crying her eyes out…"

Izumi raised an eyebrow suggestively. "What was that next part?"

Meroko went bright red, and Izumi smirked.

And this is where your imagination takes over.

Where the inspiration for this came from: I've written Izumi and Meroko getting back together a few times, and it's always pretty sugar-fluffy. But then I realized that Izumi never really apologized during the series, and that even though Meroko loved him with every bone in her body, she probably wasn't happy about that.

Aw, don't give me that look. You know you loved seeing Izumi get punched. :D