AUTHOR'S NOTE

First School Rumble fanfic. Doesn't belong to me, etc. etc. See Jin Kobayashi or whomever owns the anime rights and all that. I haven't read the manga yet, though will soon. Loved the anime, but damn is the ending frustrating (I understand the manga is the same if not worse). Had to write something... This takes place late 2nd term. It could *sort of* fit anywhere around there, though yes I know it doesn't *exactly* fit anywhere.

I have an idea for a bigger fic, but figured I'd start with a one-shot... reviews welcome, even if I suck. :) Oh and sorry, I don't actually know anybody who's watched School Rumble, so no beta here.

"You and Yakumo will be so happy together!"

The world went silent, but for the ever-increasing roar of her words echoing through his mind. There were a dozen little Tenma's dancing around his head, singing it in chorus. His face twisted as his heart fell through his stomach and kept right on going. No!

How could such a smart... well... thoughtful... uh... breathing, conscious person be so oblivious? How could she not understand that he was in love with *her*, not her little sister!? How many different ways could he possibly tell her? And how many different ways could his confession go misunderstood? Why couldn't he just get it right already! How could he fail her so many times? How long could this possibly go on? It was getting ridiculous!

Some day she would just have to know that he loved her more than that cardboard-cutout, good-for-nothing, great-at-everything, blander than unsalted crackers and twice as stiff Karasuma ever could.

"It's... it's not like that, sis," Yakumo told Tenma, her face turning bright red as she tried to wave her sister off.

Harima's eyes shifted to Tenma's sister's face. He'd done it again. Put her in a weird spot. She could just tell her sister the truth, and it would probably be nothing... aside from his own shame at the woman he loved knowing he was nothing but a third-rate comic book writer. What a joke, published or not. He should have just stayed on the fishing boat. Or maybe just drowned saving that other fisherman. That would have been easier, and everybody would have been better off for it. Maybe the captain would still take him back on board.

"Oh, Yakumo," Tenma said. She beamed up at the taller girl. "Don't worry about it! It's all good. Big sister approves!" She gave a big thumbs up, her grin comically wide. Her little pigtails bounced up and down happily the way they always did, like a dog's tail.

"But sis..."

As Tenma carried on about keeping it respectable or something, Yakumo's face turned even redder, if that was possible. She looked kind of cute like that. Actually, truth be told, she looked kind of cute all of the time. Life would be so much easier, even he had to admit after all this, if he only had eyes for anyone but Tenma.

He shut his eyes tight.

Wait.

"Uh, sis, our tea will get cold, and I'm sure Harima needs to get going..."

Harima had never been accused of being quick. But now that he thought about it... she really was cute. Pretty, even. Beautiful, really, he considered as a series of scenes of their times together flashed through his mind. And she was smart, too, doing *way* better at school than he was. A fantastic cook. And talented in other ways... she could probably draw better than him if she tried, and she certainly inked better. The editor was always complimenting the pages she'd worked on. And beyond all that, she obviously cared about him, keeping his horrible secret for so long, and at no small cost to herself.

Could she... could *he*... could they? Was it possible?

"Uh... Harima?"

What if this was fate? Could his rescuing Tenma... falling for her... coming to her school. Actually going to school. Hanging out with her and her friends. Writing his comic, and then Yakumo discovering it and becoming his assistant. What if all of that, all of those feelings that had driven everything he'd done, everything that had happened for the past year had been to bring him to her? Were his feelings ultimately misplaced? Or, at least... obsolete?

"Harima?"

Tenma couldn't see past Karasuma anyway. It was hopeless. It always had been, since she didn't even want to try. Even a dumbass like Harima could see that. After all, it was more or less the way he was about her. Except unlike her, he was totally undeserving. A useless delinquent. Or a comic book writer. Which was worse, again? Either way spelled loser to most people. His aunt certainly thought so, and was pretty open about it. Tenma was much nicer, but ultimately...

"Harima!"

Yakumo had never judged him. She was always so nice. But she was nice to everybody, wasn't she? Except... it had never really occurred to him before, but he was really the only guy she seemed to hang around very much. She always seemed to run away from the other guys. And they were always chasing after her, too, especially Hanai. Was he really the only guy she spent time with? She never complained about it, no matter how late or how long he asked her to work with him on his manuscripts. He'd never have been published without her help, both with the pages and her input on the stories themselves. She always knew just what the problem was.

"Hello? Are you OK?"

Maybe it was time for his comic to take a new turn. The plot was growing stale anyways, he knew it, and the publisher sure as hell knew it. If he didn't pick it up, he was done for anyways. His villain, Karasuma, despite being defeated every chapter, always came back. Stronger. Harima would take him on again, and again... and though he won the battle, the war would never end. Somehow, Karasuma always kidnapped Tenma again. It would be depressing, if it wasn't so boring.

"Are... are you asleep standing up?"

New blood. That was exactly what the story needed. A new heroine. A new... love interest? He could only draw from experience. Embellished, a little bit, sure, but things he'd seen and felt. Anything beyond escaped him completely, he could never get it right on the page. Was he ready for a new storyline like that?

"Should I call 119?"

Maybe he wasn't. Maybe he was way off. Maybe Yakumo didn't even really like him. Maybe she felt bad for him. That was probably it. She knew how bad he had it for Tenma. She read all his comics, even the rough cuts when the story was little more than his raw emotions spread across the page. Of course she knew. And she also knew her sister well enough to know she'd never look past Karasuma long enough to notice his lingering gaze. So of course she would pity him. She was a nice person, after all, and he was a completely non-threatening ex-delinquent who had nobody else to turn to.

"You're scaring me..."

No, this was just what he always did! He was thinking himself into inaction. And then he would take the wrong action at the worst possible moment! Not again! As new as this line of thought might have been to him, it felt too right. It made too much sense. Everyone thought him and Yakumo were an item already - why not just give it a try? He had to try. When he thought about it - thought about her - it had to be worth it. It was going to be worth it!

"I think he had a stroke!"

But he'd been so resolute about Tenma, too. Had gone on for months in the background of her world without ever making it to the front lines. Could he do that again? Could he start over? Could he stand it if Yakumo rejected him as well? What if he was just hopelessly unlovable?

"It's going to be OK..."

But what if he wasn't! What if this was just the kick in the butt he needed to see what he should have known all along? To be with the woman who'd made the only project he'd ever cared about successful, who had bore the great burden of that project's secret, who had taken him into her home when he had nowhere to stay, cooked his meals, and ultimately... possibly... loved him? Could what she might do to him really be any worse than what he'd already been through? He could take it. He could take anything. If there was even the slightest chance his new-found feelings could bring about one of her hard-won smiles, it would absolutely be worth it!

"Wait!" Harima shouted.

"Oh! Don't -"

"I have something to say," he said, grabbing her hand instinctively. His teeth grit tightly. "So just let me say it. You've helped me out so much over the past few months. Everything you've done for me... well, I..." His other hand balled into a fist as he struggled with the words.

"You shouldn't -"

"I have to!" he exclaimed, resolute. Nothing could stop him now. He wouldn't let anything get in his way again! "Spending so much time together - I should have said something a long time ago. I... I think I do love you! We should be together!"

"Harima..."

His eyes opened to see the beautiful, blushing look of surprise he just knew would be on her face, and looked deeply into her.. dark eyes? Weren't Yakumo's eyes more reddish-brown? Wait.

"I," Mikoto whispered, blushing. "I was just, you know, helping you out since you had nowhere to stay over break. It... wasn't anything, really... and really, you spent more of it with Eri than me..."

Harima shot upright. When had he lain down? What the hell was going on!

"Whoa, you shouldn't move too much, kid," a male voice said from beside him. A man in a white uniform sat beside his bed. "I should check your blood pressure. You've been out for more than 20 minutes, or so your girlfriend estimated. And you're white as a ghost..."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Mikoto shouted. She cringed and blushed vibrantly. "Uh... yeah," she agreed otherwise with his sentiment and gently put Harima's hand back in his own lap. "You should, uh... just stay calm. You're probably delirious. We'll be at the hospital soon. Good thing I stopped by Tenma's house..."

Harima silently shut his mouth and laid back down, staring up at the ambulance roof.

Not... not again... why...? Why did this always happen to him?

Sigh. I really didn't plan to go the "Schoorum" direction in the end. But then, I just... had to, you know? It seemed so natural. I'm sorry...