Some Hearts
-just need things of their own

"Kiyokazu, this is for your own good. You understand, right?"

The wind whooshed in his ears as he stared at the tall figure in front of him. The sun burned his eyes, but he trained his eyes to keep looking at his mother. He shook his head vehemently at the question as confusion floated in his mind.

"Kiyokazu, listen carefully."

His eyes gleamed with tears that threatened to fall, but he tried his best to concentrate on what his mother was saying. Although the sun was high up in the sky, the cold wind bit at his reddened cheeks and made him repress a shiver that slid across his spine.

"I'm coming back for you later…Kiyokazu, I'm coming back for you. Just...just wait for me, okay? Yomogi-san will take good care of you…"

But even as he heard those reassuring words, he didn't trust it. There was something in those words that stirred something in him, something that knew the lies that were embedded in the words. But he looked at his mother's face, nodded, and gave her a smile, just for good measure.

He hoped that his smile would hurt her and make her cry, because her words stung so much more.

And then, seventeen years later, a girl with ridiculously long hair appeared in his life.

His life was already hectic; he didn't need a bother, especially at a time when the yakuza was trying to take down Yomogi Kindergarten in the form of one Okiura. Sayaka-san was already stressed beyond relief and he wanted to help her as much as possible, even if it meant sacrificing his college education to do so.

He moved around the bustling group of children at his feet to go into the office, but paused as he saw Sayaka-san grasping the phone with a pale, tired face as she nodded and placed the receiver on the base with spider-thin fingers.

"Is it another child?" Kiyokazu asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah...Rikako-chan's mother just called to tell me that she's not coming back." Sayaka sighed and closed her eyes, leaning on the office desk and rubbing her temple.

Damn Okiura. Damn him, damn the yakuza, damn the world and its materialistic ways.

"How will we pay off the debt?" he heard Sayaka mutter to herself. "And Kobato-chan's already become involved in this mess because of me..."

His thoughts shifted to the other girl that was playing with the children. Why was she here? Why was she trying so hard for something that was crumbling away at the seams? Although he told himself to think positively about this, he couldn't deny the fact that Yomogi Kindergarten was beyond redemption.

He closed his eyes and uttered a string of incoherent curses as he sauntered over to grab his bag from his desk. "Sayaka-san, I'll be leaving now."

"Ah, it's already that time?"

"Hai. Then-"

"Fujimoto-kun." Sayaka called. He paused mid-step and turned to look at her. "You don't need to work so hard. Please, just think about college-"

"Sayaka-san," Kiyokazu stated, his voice calm, "we already talked about this. It's okay. I'm fine with this. Think of it as me repaying you for all those good memories you and your father gave me."

"But Fujimoto-kun-"

Kiyokazu smiled, not bothering to listen to what had become a pattern. "Then I'm off."

He hurriedly left the kindergarten, his smile dropping as soon as his foot hit the concrete of the street and off the sand of the kindergarten.

"If only..." he began, but trailed off after a moment's silence.

If only he knew how the bastard was going to sweep her off her feet; if only he knew exactly how much Sayaka-san would suffer later on in her life. He cursed his powerlessness and turned at the familiar corner as he saw Kinomoto.

"Yo," he called. He watched with slight amusement as Kinomoto removed the Ushagi head costume from his head, scowling at him. There was a thin line of perspiration that lined his forehead and a small grin that stretched Touya's face with pleasant lines.

"Finally," Kinomoto stated, his smile morphing into a smirk. "Took a while, didn't you?" Kinomoto petulantly crossed his arm across his chest and wiggled his eyebrows. "Got yourself a girlfriend or something to pass the time?"

Kiyokazu just looked at him with an exasperated, yet knowing look on his face. "When are you going to drop that? I'm telling you, that girl isn't my girlfriend!"

"Hmph," Kinomoto huffed. Kiyokazu was slightly glad that he let the subject drop, and shot him a playful glare as he stepped into the locker room to change into the rabbit mascot costume. He grabbed the basket with cough drops tied to balloons from the counter of the pharmacy as he slightly adjusted the costume to fit more comfortably. He sighed as the sun hit his eyes through the eyeholes.

"God damn it," he muttered to himself in the muffled heat and haven of the rabbit costume. A smiling Kobato floated in his mind as he gave out the cough drops to the eager children crowding him. "Get out of my head, you stupid girl."

Kobato singing at the Hanami. Crying because a yakuza that had hurt her was suffering from appendicitis. Smiling because of the bazaar. Crying while singing in front of the children. Flinching while grabbing the cigarette that Okiura left. Yelling at him when he burned his fingers from taking said-cigarette.

'Fuck,' he cursed mentally. 'I'm working, not playing around.'

Kiyokazu felt his body move in autopilot as he crouched down to give candy to a small child that was crying because of a scraped knee. The child looked at him with wide, watery eyes, then flashed him a bright smile before running to his mother.

He felt something clench inside his chest at the sight of the child and his mother, but he ignored it in favor of the prospect of going home early that night. The takoyaki store he usually worked in at night was closed for the day, as the owner was on a family trip with his wife.

"Thanks for the hard work!"

Kinomoto and Kiyokazu both sighed in relief as they got out of the restricting, humid costume in the air-conditioned locker room of the pharmacy.

"You look pretty out of it today, Fujimoto. What's up?" Kinomoto asked leisurely, grabbing the clothes-hanger from his locker rack. He expertly put the rabbit costume on the hanger before placing it back in the locker as he turned to look at him.

"It's nothing." Kiyokazu replied, doing the same in the opposite direction.

"Aw, come on, work-buddy!" Touya wailed petulantly as he sat down on the small bench that lined the center of the room. "I've been working with you for how long? I know how you act by now, you know." He rolled his eyes for emphasis and shrugged his shoulders at the same time. "Now tell me."

Kiyokazu sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" he asked-a pitiful attempt for a last stand, but it wouldn't stand well with him otherwise.

"Now tell me."

"This girl―"

"Finally, something interesting! I swear, I thought you were asexual or something-"

"―that I know keeps on popping up in my head. ...And are you calling me hormone-less? That's you, not me-"

Touya immediately started to blush, and sputtered out, "I'll have you know, I have a lover and have been with him since high school."

"Oh, sure." Kiyokazu stated, his frown quirking up into a small smirk. "I'll believe that when I see it with my own two eyes."

"I'm serious!" Touya sputtered indignantly. "And at least I have someone. You don't. At least, you don't yet."

Kiyokazu frowned. He had a point. "I told you my problem, so now I'm going home." Kiyokazu hurriedly put the thin jacket on and grabbed his bag.

"Wait, wait, wait." Touya grabbed his bag and stopped him from leaving. "You still didn't tell me who she is."

"You don't need to know, that's why."

"Ah, so cold. I'll see her someday, I guess." He loosened his grip on Fujimoto's bag and grinned. "Good luck!"

Kiyokazu turned his head and gave him a small grin as he walked out of the room. "Thanks."

"And don't forget to bring her here sometime!"

Kiyokazu groaned and walked out of the pharmacy and turned towards the street his apartment, mumbling curses directed at Kinomoto until someone bumped into him.

"Ah, it's Fujimoto-san!"

"What're you doing, running around like that?" he asked, watching Kobato raise herself back up from the ground as she had fell from the impact.

"Ah, I'm just coming back from Yomogi Kindergarten! Toshihiko-kun was waiting for his mother, so I just waited with him!" Kobato replied, a smile on her face. Her pale-pink dress fluttered softly in the wind with her long, ash-orange hair. "And you, Fujimoto-san?"

"Back from work," he replied. He stared at the girl in front of him. "Aren't you going in?" He nodded at the small, somewhat-old building that stood right next of them. The color of the sunset that she was bathed in made her look almost surreal, Kiyokazu surmised to himself. He paused. What had he just thought?

"Ah, hai!" she said loudly, hurrying to the entrance before pausing abruptly. "See you tomorrow, Fujimoto-san!" Kobato bowed politely before scurrying up the stairs.

He heard the loud thumps of her footsteps and the 'bam' that resounded as she closed her door. Smiling to himself, he calmly entered the building and went into his own apartment room, glancing at his neighbor's door before grabbing the keys for his own room.

"You're late by three minutes." Kiyokazu stated monotonously, staring at the panting girl in front of him. He straightened his back from the slightly hunched posture he had while cleaning the front of the kindergarten.

"I-I'm sorry, Fujimoto-san!" Kobato said while taking deep, irregular breaths. "I woke up late again and-"

He gave her a spare broom that had been lying on the outer-wall of the kindergarten. "Here. We're cleaning."

Kobato smiled. "Hai!"

He smiled a bit to himself as he watched her stumble on her own feet before resuming his own cleaning.

"Kobato-chan!" a high pitched voice yelled, running over to Kobato and hugging her leg. "Hi!"

"Hi, Hana-chan!" Kobato replied, smiling widely and crouching to look at Hanako at eye-level. "How are you today?"

"I'm good, Kobato-chan!" Hana replied, smiling. "I missed you!"

"I did too!"

Kiyokazu looked at the two of them. "Oi, you're still supposed to be cleaning."

Kobato looked at him with a hint of annoyance while Hana just giggled at the two adults in front of her. "Fujimoto-san, but I will clean! Just not now!"

Kiyokazu raised a tentative eyebrow at Kobato before sighing. "You're supposed to be a helper, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, but..."

Kiyokazu sighed. "Play with the kids for a while, then. I'm almost done, anyway..." He watched with slight amusement as Kobato dragged Hana into the kindergarten as she gave him a wide smile. If only he was almost done. He mentally smacked himself as he hurried around to finish cleaning the playground.

"The things I do..." he muttered to himself as he placed the brooms back into the small closet and dusted his clothes free of dirt. But he couldn't shake off the small smile on his face as he thought of Kobato's large smile regarding the smallest things.

"Fujimoto-sensei! Fujimoto-sensei! Play the organ for us!" Hikaru yelled as soon as he slid open the door to the play room.

"Eh...sure." He sauntered over to the organ at the corner of the room while the students cheered before fumbling around on the mats to get comfortable. He spotted Kobato clapping with a tomato-red Toshihiko at the back of the room and felt his lips tug into an unconscious smile.

He stretched his fingers lightly and tested out a key on the organ, even though he knew the organ was perpetually off by three notes. The room immediately quieted down as he played a short tune he had heard as a child.

His ears quirked slightly when he heard a voice humming along to the melody of the organ. The humming slowly grew louder and began to actually sing, incorporating lyrics that were far different from what he had memorized from the nursery songbook. It was her voice, he knew, so he did nothing to interfere and played the refrain once more for her to sing along with. Kiyokazu opened one eye to check if she was crying like before, and closed it again when he saw that she had a light smile on her face.

The song ended with a roar of applause and the children crying out for more, along with Kiyokazu and Kobato bowing before the children in a jokingly polite manner.

Kobato turned to face him, smiling widely. "Fujimoto-san, wasn't that fun?"

Fujimoto gave her a small grin as a reply, and returned to the corner with the organ to put everything back in place.

"Sayaka-san!" he yelled, loud enough to be heard in the office.

"Coming!" Sayaka replied, her footsteps becoming louder as she entered the room.

He tuned out the sound of the children and slowly walked over to a stool near the window.

"Fujimoto-san?"

"Mm?" Kiyokazu stated after a while, immersed in various thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Kobato asked, tilting her head slightly. Today, her dress was a pale sky-blue, complete with a cloth headband of the same color.

Kiyokazu looked at her. "I'm fine," he said. "Just fine."

Kobato shook her head. "You don't look fine, Fujimoto-san!"

Kiyokazu suppressed a grin that almost made way onto his face. How did she always worry for everyone? How was it that she cared so much about everyone she knew?

"I'm fine. Really," he added as an afterthought.

Kobato looked at the wooden floor, dejected. "If you say so, Fujimoto-san..."

Although he felt a pang of guilt as he watched her, he didn't really want to explain to her. Moreover, she needed to realize that there were some things better left alone.

He looked at the clock above the doors and sighed. "I'll be leaving, then. Work."

Sayaka gave him a small nod, a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry," she told him as he hurriedly grabbed his coat and bag. "I only wish-"

"Wishing won't do anything, Sayaka-san," he replied. He flinched at his harsh tone, and gave her a wavering smile as an apology that he knew she saw. "I'll be going now. Good luck."

"Fujimoto-kun-"

He left.

The atmosphere between Sayaka-san and himself was hard to bear. It was so formal and full of useless apologies for the other person, leaving them both feeling helpless and strangled. Sayaka-san was a wonderful person, he knew, but he found it hard to be in her presence continuously—he needed to breathe.

He sighed. It seemed to have become a habit, he surmised to himself in resignation. He wanted out of this lifestyle. This mess of jobs, his lack of education towards what he really wanted to become, the bills that he barely paid off every month even with Chitose-san's measly rent.

He closed his eyes and leaned against a wall, looking at the people that walked on the street .

"I'm a coward," he told himself. "Stop trying to run away from reality."

But it was so hard, and he just wanted to breathe, but why was it so hard?

A warm smile entered his thoughts. Kiyokazu forced down the stupid grin that almost took over his face. Stupid girl. Always, always, popping up in his mind.

He would tell her exactly what he thought. She kept on appearing in his thoughts that everything else became incorrigible. Maybe if he told her, maybe if she knew what exactly she was doing to him, maybe he'd feel better.

Because—because, he only needed to breathe, and she was like a cool, encompassing breeze that opened his very soul. He couldn't imagine how he had survived before he had met her-just barely, he surmised, because this suffocating feeling had been there for so long-but he couldn't now.

He heard footsteps coming towards him. He barely realized that he had been leaning on the wall of Tirol's Confectionaries for quite a while now, but thankfully, his shift didn't start for at least forty minutes. He turned his head to see who it was.

It was her. In all her ash-orange haired glory, and that small bonnet-like hat on her head.

"F-Fujimoto-san," Kobato huffed, breathing harshly as she attempted to regain her breaths. "Y-You left t-this..." she said weakly, holding out a baseball cap he hadn't remembered to put in his bag.

"Oi," he said, looking at her. He mentally hit himself. He sounded like such an ungrateful brute that it was absolutely laughable.

"E-Eh? What is it, Fujimoto-san?" she asked, still struggling to get her breathing to normal.

Kiyokazu took a deep breath.

"I'm in love with you."

Goodness gracious. I cannot believe how much this story wouldn't leave me alone.

Fujibato forever! Haha, just kidding. I'm open to all and every pairing, but after seeing that chapter where he's embracing her and he's all flustered...well.

Please read and review!