Unified Love

Synopsis: A letter written by Ushio was meant for Haine and Haine only. But how can a single letter go through so many hearts? See how this note of fate opens everyone's feelings and naturally brings them together with who they were destined to be with. Nobody leaves without a happy ending.

The love bonds? Well, let's just say that their all connected, directly or indirectly. Listing them out would take a while…hehe…scratches head and hopes excuse would hide away the laziness

A/N:

The manga by Arina Tanemura is very much past this, obviously, after you read. I decided to keep 'Shizumasa' still fairly distant from Haine, Maora to keep that Mailman issue a secret still, and other stuff not past Volume 3. (Except for Maora's true feelings, maybe.) I'm not gonna bother putting in the real Shizumasa-sama either. (Please don't kill me if you like Shizumasa, but I like Takanari better.)

One more thing to say: Not much spoilers…or so I think.

And another thing...the beginning SUCKS!!! I know that, and you probably know that, if you're gonna read. So yeah...plz be patient with me and ignore that frustration to continue. The other chapters are better. This one's just to pass the stall in the action. You dig? (FYI, this was the bolded A/N for those who are wondering still.)

Disclaimer: Why do we have to do this? You know I don't own Shinshi Doumei Cross. Tanemura does.

"We may see differently…hear differently;

But the one sense that we all have in common…is the sense of our hearts…"

-By someone very special to me.

Chapter 1: The Mix-Up

Drooling from a long moment of daydreaming, Haine wiped her chin, continuing to lean on her broom. She brushed her braids to her back and stood up straight, gazing at the setting sun.

"Already?" she said to herself, blowing a strand of hair off her face. Even after a while of being the fake platnium with her beloved Shizumasa-sama, she still couldn't believe that she was this close to him. Just a little more effort from her and she might be able to open up his heart.

There was barely anyone left on campus. She had felt a bit lonely cleaning up by herself afterschool. Not even Mailman-san stopped by to see her. Haine sighed and went to put back her broom and maid uniform.

When she got out after changing, she spotted Ushio waiting on a nearby bench. Ushio, seeing Haine, stood up and gave one of her rare smiles that were only reserved for her. Feeling special and overwhelmed with happiness, Haine blushed scarlet and collided Ushio in her arms.

"YAY! USHIO! USHIO! YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAME TO SEE ME TODAY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU, USHIO!"

And as always, Ushio felt that hard thump of her heart whenever Haine touched her. Regaining her train of thought, she replied as usual, "Of course…"

But there seemed to be something else that she wanted to say to Haine. After waiting for her to finish up her embrace, Ushio stood back to look at Haine in the face. Haine, looking back with glittering eyes and a grin as big as a watermelon, noticed the hesitation in her best friend's usually composed eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Ushio?" Haine asked in concern.

"H-haine…" Ushio began, "There's something I've been wanting to give you…" Haine patiently waited as Ushio fumbled to take out a piece of paper sealed with a gold and red ribbon. For Ushio to mess up like this probably meant that the note was pretty important. Haine took the note and held it in both of her hands, examining the neatness of the wrapping. Her name wasn't on there as she had expected though.

"Please read it when you get home today," Ushio ordered.

Confused and curious, Haine nodded, bringing her eyes back up to Ushio, about to say her thanks when she found her instantly gone.

Where did she go?

Haine looked side to side and seeing nothing but open space, shouted out her name, "USHIO?!? USHIO?!? Where are you?"

Ushio couldn't have run that fast. Unless…And then she gasped.

Maybe that was a ghost pretending to be Ushio who gave me this letter. That explains Ushio's timidness and why she was trembling…hmm...but that can't be true…can it?

Haine continued to debate back and forth with herself and then slapped her face in disgust. She was always the out-of-the-box thinkers.

GAH! Her brain shouted, Are you going mad? You're going to be late for dinner if you don't go home now, Haine.

She nodded to herself and kept on her mental conversation with her conscience as she walked home; clutching the unnamed letter that Ushio had gave her.

Breathing heavily behind a building apparently, Ushio did run that fast. She peeked out from its corner, watching Haine make expressions readable as letters on a parchment.

So I'm a ghost? Ushio thought. You're the strangest friend ever, you know that, Haine?

Ushio chuckled and then placed her back on the side of the building, letting out a big, anxious breath.

'Friend' huh...That's all I am…

True. As close as Ushio was to Haine, their thoughts of each other were different as black and white. Haine was never a friend in Ushio's mind…never.

For the letter she had just given Haine was a confession. A confession that explained Haine was the one. The only one for her. The only one she's willingly to make happy and the only one she needs to be happy.

But she wasn't sure if that's how Haine felt. Or could ever feel for her. Haine nowadays kept talking about Shizumasa-sama, Shizumasa-sama, Shizumasa-sama. And it sickened her to death how Haine hadn't noticed that she let all these men get on her just so Haine could step in and pay attention to her more. She couldn't hold it in any longer. The pain was unbearable now. And this was the only way.

Love me or no?

And it was all up to Haine now.

Maguri was walking around the neighborhood out of bordem that evening―thinking of Shizun…and also, to his amazement…his childhood friend, Maora.

All because of that new platnium he sneered Haine's nickname. It's all because of her that Shizun doesn't pay much attention to me…even though he doesn't much anyway. And that Maora, always getting me when I am trying to stop them from their pitiful chemistry. Such a pain in the neck.

He found a stick lying on the pavement and picked it up, scratching it along the fence beside him. With his eyes closed and his mp3 blasting in his ears, he hadn't noticed a figure running into him.

At the sudden shock, he was knocked back, eyes opened wide now, ready for the impact of the ground. But before he could blink again, the figure grabbed his arm and pulled him back up. He saw a red ribbon sprinkled in gold fall to the ground instead.

"Ah, is that you Maguri?" the familiar voice spoke out.

Maguri got to his feet, brushed himself, and slightly blushed, seeing the figure's identity. "Well, speak of the devil. What are you doing here…Maora?"

Maora gave him his well-known, teethy grin while cradling Okorimakuri-kun.

"I decided to go visit Haine, right now," He winked and added, "Okorimakuri-kun and I are bored to death with nothing interesting going on at our place." He bent down and picked up the dropped ribbon, tying it back onto his bangs.

"Everything always has to be about Haine huh?" Maguri mumbled, turning around so Maora couldn't see his cheeks heating with red. "Haine, Haine, Haine. I'm sick of hearing her name all the time. She's not even that amazing."

Why am I red? Maguri wondered during the moment of silence. And especially in front of him? Maguri rubbed his temples for composition. He turned his eyes unnoticably behind him to take in the skimpy halter top and shorts Maora wore.

Maora, in change of personality, looked down at his feet and asked, "Are you jealous that she's with Shizun?"

The truth was, Maora cared much about his childhood friend. No. Loved his childhood friend. Loved him and cross-dressed to make their relationship seem possible. Loved him so much that he made himself decide to love Haine instead. Yes, it wasn't true love. The true love inside him belonged to Maguri. And that was no lie. But Maora knew that Maguri could never feel the same way as him. But there was something else too. Intertwined with what he felt, Maora also felt a small hate for Maguri…a hate he didn't understand why he hated.

But the answer was so easy that it seemed even the intellectual Maora couldn't get it.

"Perfect answer, Captain Obvious," Maguri replied sarcastically, still facing the fence.

Was it really perfect?

"I just wish to be rid of this feeling…" he admitted.

Maora went red in turn, looking up with hands on his chest, tears looming out from his eyes.

Dangit, why should a guy cry? Maora thought, trying hard to rub the moisture off his lids. Even if Maguri doesn't feel the same way I feel, I still want to try.

And he did, suggesting, "Then don't be jealous. Stop looking at Shizun and, and…"

"And what, Maora?!?!" Maguri cried furiously, finally tunring around to face him.

And look at me, Maora wanted to say. The first time in which he confessed to Maguri was very, very painful already, cause baka-Maguri didn't even take it seriously and Maora didn't want to risk his own heart any further.

Seeing the sad look on his face, Maguri raked his hands through his hair and sighed, changing his tone of voice, "You know what…just forget it, ok? You should go visit Haine now before the sun goes away." He spun his stick in his hands and brushed it mercilessly on the fence, breaking it. He plugged his earphones back into place and went.

"Maguri…" Maora lingered on his name, seeing him stroll off on the sidewalk.

"Oh yeah," Maguri stopped for a second, glancing at Maora again, "Be careful on your way back. You'd past as a better looking girl than most, so perverts are bound to getcha. Have fun." He waved his hand without looking back at him and continued on his way.

Maora, as worried/mad as he was about Maguri, suppressed that and forced himself off…to Haine.

Haine had breathlessly reached home at last. But before she could take off her shoes and settle down, Ryokka-san had ran up to her shooting questions like, "Haine-chan, are you hungry? Haine-chan, would you like me to run a bath for you? Hanie-chan, are you tired? Do you want a massage?"

And as always, Haine politely refused all the relaxing suggestions and said that she wanted to change out of her Student Council uniform first.

Understanding her privacy, Ryokka-san contently watched her ascend the stairs into her adequately large room. And finally relieved of making Ryokka-san not worry too much about her, Haine took out the note that Ushio had given her. She spent a moment admiring the beautiful glittering ribbon, but before long, Ryokka-san called up to her again.

"Haine-chan! Your cute friend Maora is here!" she singsonged to the top of her lungs.

Mao-chan? What is he doing here at a time like this? Haine wondered, opening the door to go fetch him. She noticed she didn't need to do that because Maora was already waving Okorimakuri-kun in front of her. Haine could have sworn she saw daisies and stars dancing around him.

"Konnichiwa, Haine-chan!!" Maora exclaimed with a wide grin.

"Hello, Mao-chan," Haine replied just as cheerfully, "What are you doing here? The sun's almost down, you know."

"I just wanted to play with you a little bit," Maora answered with a cute face. "Is it a bad time?" He tried to look innocent.

"No, no, not at all," Haine said quickly, bringing Maora into her room. Though she had homework, it was possible for her to do it later tonight. She placed the still unopened letter down on her bed and looked up at Maora. "So, what do you want to do?"

Maora sat next to Haine and absently put Okorimakuri-kun down next to the letter. The color of the letter and the always angry pet could be confused as a single object without the ribbon distinguishing the letter. Maora glimsped around the room thoughtfully with an index finger on his lips.

"Hmm…wanna play manopoly?" he suggested, pointing at Haine's opened closet of messy clothes. The board game was located just on top of all the mess.

Haine laughed sheepishly and got up to get the board game. As they were playing, Maora's ribbon fell out of his hair again.

"Darn this ribbon," muttered Maora, deciding to temporarily tie it on the steaming yet sleeping Okorimakuri-kun. But the ribbon just camouflaged them even further.

And so, Haine and Maora played around with childish games for another hour or two that by the time they finished; the moon was already up and Haine's room decorated with nightly shadows.

"Whoo, time flys by fast doesn't it…" Maora commented, getting up to stretch. "Sorry for bothering your time Haine…maybe I can help with your homework or something." Maora cocked his head at the many books on Haine's desk.

Being a good friend, Haine waved her hand and head in refusal and said "More than my grades you should be getting home safely, Mao-chan." And touched by her kindness, they gave each other a friendly hug and said their goodbyes.

And without thinking, Maora went to get Okorimakuri-kun, but hadn't noticed that he got Haine's letter instead.

Downstairs, Maora waved goodbye to Ryokka-san and Haine and left.

Walking home, Maora sighed and unfocused his eyes. Thank you for giving me company today, Haine…Maora thanked mentally, I temporarily forgot of him…always temporarily…

He walked home, palms on Haine's unopened letter.

-End of Chapter-

A/N: You see? You see? That beginning with Ushio and Haine was written totally weird...in my opinion. But as you now know, the plot is as you see it. Read onward for better quality.

I hope you guys liked it. I'll work on it harder so the happy ending could be made for everyone!!! Even the readers!!! Please review!!