Disclaimer: I don't own HYD or any of its characters. I just wish I did.


""Poof""

""Poof""

""Poof""

The room filled with smoke and Makino Tsukushi erupted in a coughing fit. "CRAP." She screamed and stomped as she reached for her failed chemistry assignment.

"God, Sempai. We're going to fail at this rate." Sakurako said as she continued to file her nails by the open window.

"You could help me." Was all that Makino could mumble as she started to clean up the mess that the chemicals had made.

""Honk""

""Honk""

Sakurako looked out the window and saw the recognizable Mercedes drive up under the lab. "Rui's here to pick you up."

Makino jumped at the announcement and looked at her watch. "Ah," She screamed throwing their supplies into her locker. "Can you finish cleaning up? I'm late for work." She threw her lab coat into the locker before she grabbed her things and ran out the door.

Sakurako, who hadn't moved yet, pointed to one of the young men that were in the lab room. "You," she pointed with her nail file, "yes, you come here and clean this up." She watched as a frazzled Makino ran through an obstacle course of pedestrians before she jumped into the awaiting vehicle. "I'm sure getting someone to clean it up is as good as cleaning it up myself." She said to no one in particular.

The young man jumped as she got down from the window sill and walked over to him. As syrupy as she could she wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her nose against his jaw line. "Thank you so much." She whispered into his ear. "I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

The young man started to sputter incoherently as he blushed under her embrace.

"Ahem." All eyes fell on the door when they heard someone clearing their throat. Sakurako looked up and smiled mischievously. "Well, I guess we won't get to find out…" She kissed him softly on the cheek. "…since my boyfriend's here."

She giggled lightly as she grabbed her things and walked seductively to the door. "Hi baby."

"Why is it that every time I turn around you seem to be all over some guy?" He asked smoothly, not really bothered by the incident, just curious.

"I don't know." She replied as they started to walk away from the lab. "Just force of habit I guess." She grabbed his arm and placed her head affectionately on his shoulder as she walked. "Anyway Kazuya, it's not like you get jealous, do you?"

"No not really, but one day I might."


The music playing on the radio was more to fill in the silence than for listening enjoyment. Rui sat behind the steering wheel absentmindedly humming to the song that was playing when the sound of a few "sorry-s" and a few "excuse me-s" woke him from his reverie in time to see Makino hop into the car.

"How's your day going?" Rui asked his passenger as he took off towards the dango shop.

"Well, I'm failing chemistry, not that Sakurako is helping, if it wasn't for you I'd be late for work, and I don't know where I left my cell phone and Doumyouji's supposed to call me tonight." She straightened her uniform and noticed that she must have gotten it caught on one of the people she bumped into because the skirt had gotten torn. "All in all just a regular day."

Rui smiled at the awkwardly amusing young lady beside him and tried hard not to laugh too loud. "Well, we can get you a tutor for chemistry, it's my pleasure to drive you around, I don't have anything else to do anyway, and…" he paused long enough to hand her the thin razor phone she had been looking for, "you left this here this morning when I picked you up for school."

"Ah," she half yelled in happiness looking at her lost friend. "Thank you Hanazawa Rui." She checked to see if she had missed any calls or if she had any text messages, but she didn't.

"I'm sure he'll call you later; probably while you're sleeping." He interrupted her pity party and smiled at the thought of Tsukushi waking up in the middle of the night yelling at Tsukasa for being so inconsiderate, but secretly thanking him for remembering about her.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Most likely."


The dango shop was uncharacteristically busy this night and both Makino and Yuuki lay across the display case.

"I'm surprised we didn't sell out." Yuuki came to her senses first.

Makino pulled all her strength to get up off the case to lock the doors. "Yeah, and we weren't even running a special." She started to put the chairs on the tables as Yuuki started to clean the glass. "I don't think I'll make it home I'm so tired."

"You!" Yuuki said as if it were a shock. "I still have to go home and study for my math mid-term."

Makino rubbed her face as she walked to the back room to get the broom and pan. "Homework? What's that?" She asked laughing slightly as she swept. "Did I tell you I'm failing chemistry?"

"No way."

"Yeah." She placed her chin on the end to the handle. "My mother said that I should be good at chemistry because it runs in the family. What does that even mean?" She almost dropped the stick from her hand flailing.

"Maybe you have a chemist in your family." Yuuki offered.

"Maybe you're a witch." The dango shop owner stood behind Yuuki and both girls jumped at the sound of her voice. "It's not all that uncommon, I mean, witches would be natural chemists." She paused and watched over to the mirror-like window, staring off into the night. "My last lover's mother was a witch and she did everything in her power to keep us apart."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around lately." Makino said absentmindedly.

"Yes, well she succeeded, because she turned him into a toad."

Both girls looked aghast at the admission. "Eh?!?"

Without another word she shrugged and walked back to the office.

"She's very interesting." Yuuki said trying to hide her confusion.

Makino didn't try as hard. "At least she pays well."


It was almost eleven when Tsukushi finally dragged herself into the hovel she called an apartment. She turned on the lights only to be greeted by more darkness. She flipped the switch a few more times before she exasperatedly kicked off her shoes and threw her bag on the floor. She hadn't taken two steps before she fell forward over a couple bags in the entryway.

"Owww." She whined rubbing her leg.

The noise had awoken the other members of the household and it wasn't long before Mama Makino had come to the door with a candle her husband behind her with a bat.

"Mama, it's just me." Tsukushi sighed seeing the man of the house practically cowering behind his wife. "What happened to the lights?"

"The same thing that happened last month, I gave your father the money to pay the bill and he gambled it away." Mama Makino also sighed and lowered her head as if in shame.

"It was a sure thing. I don't know how he broke his leg before he finished," was Papa Makino's defense.

"Anyway," Makino stumbled toward the kitchen area to get some ice for her wound. "What's with the bags?"

"Your grandmother. Her doctor called me today and told me that she's really ill and that I need to go visit her, if nothing else to pay my last respects." Tsukushi could see that her mother's usually tired expression had been traded in for one of remorse and anguish. "He also said that she requested to see you."

Tsukushi pointed at herself, shocked at the request. "But she's never met me. How does she even know about me?"

Mama Makino picked up the candle and started back towards the bedroom. "My mother has her ways." She stopped before blowing out the little light. "Get some rest, sweetheart, we leave at 5."


"BAKA!" She moved the receiver from her ear as she heard the yells on the other end. "You said you would call me earlier. I'm in a meeting now."

"I'm sorry." She was so tired she couldn't even fight him. She sat with her head against the railing on the cold staircase that led to her apartment. "Call me when you're done for the day. I'm not going to school for a few days, my mother is dragging me to Nagoya to visit her mother."

"Ok I'll call you later." She could hear him talking to someone in French before he came back on the line. "I'm sorry, Makino, but I got this French jerk trying to strong arm me on this contract. I promise I'll call you tonight." With that he ended the call leaving Makino on the lonely staircase, cold and miserable.