Author's Note: Okay, here's another Affections story! For this one, Nick has a sort of falling out with his parents, and Hazuki offers Nick a chance to stay with her. I believe the rest will speak for itself. Note that this story is based on a real-life situation. My own mother does this sometimes, too...

"Fudoui" – "Disagreement"

"I can't believe you would do something like that!!"

"I told you, mom, I DIDN'T TAKE IT!!"

"Then who did?!"

Those were some of the exclamations coming from the Kelly residence as Hazuki Fujiwara walked past. The noise piqued her natural curiosity.

"What's going on over there?" Hazuki wondered.

Suddenly, the shouting got louder, so much so that it nearly scared Hazuki off.

"You're the only one who would take it!!"

"Will you listen to me, mom?! I DID NOT TAKE IT!!"

That was it for me. I couldn't take this anymore! Before mom could get a word in edgewise, I stormed out of the house.

"I can't believe she would accuse me of something like that! She's got to be OUT OF HER MIND!!" I rambled, only to accidentally bump into Hazuki.

"Oh, hey, Hazuki-chan," I stated, immediately hiding my anger from my friend.

"What happened in there, Kellysi-chan?" Hazuki asked. My smile quickly faded.

"So you heard, huh?" I explained. "For some reason, okaa-sama thinks I stole one of her rings. But she knows I would never do something like that!! After a while, I just couldn't take it anymore. I needed to get away from her..."

"Do you want to stay with me?"

The question came out quickly. I was surprised at the fact that shy little Hazuki was being so forward.

"Is... is that okay with you, Hazuki-chan?"

"Of course it is! My parents don't mind visitors, and I know Momo-chan's out of town for the week..."

"Yeah, I heard Mary was in Kyoto. I guess I just need some time away from mother..."

Hazuki's smiled brightened. "Then, you're welcome to stay with me if you want!"

"Thanks, Hazuki-chan."

With that, we were off.

"Say, Hazuki-chan? Have you ever had any disagreements with your parents?" I asked.

"Not really. The only thing I disagree about is the clothes they pick out for me..." Hazuki explained.

"I wonder what it is with parents and clothes sometimes..." was my reply.

"I don't think I've ever seen your mom so angry before..." Hazuki noted.

"Usually, she's a sweet person, but when she gets angry, you'd better stand clear," I explained.

Hazuki suddenly wondered something. "I haven't seen your father around..."

"That's... that's part of the reason why mom's been so uppity lately..." I replied. "Dad's been getting into a lot of trouble recently, and I don't know how much more of it mom can take. Ever since, Mom's been on edge almost all day, to the point where even the smallest of things can make her snap."

"Oh, I see..."

"Mom must have misplaced one of her rings, and she thought I took it from her. That was when we had our little argument, and now... well, you know the rest."

"It must have been pretty rough for you..."

"Yeah. And I usually go to Momoko when things are getting troublesome. I can't confide in her when she's all the way in Kyoto..."

"You can confide in me if you want."

This surprised me. "When did you get so bold, Hazuki-chan?"

Hazuki giggled. "I guess I have you and the others to thank for that."

My expression turned serious for a second. "But seriously, thanks, Hazuki-chan. It's good to know someone here believes me."

"It's nothing, Kellysi-chan. I'm sure you would have done the same thing for me."

The next leg of the trip was silent for a few seconds, as neither one of us could think of anything to say.

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Is Baaya doing all right?"

Hazuki nodded. "He's fine. He's actually recovering quite fast."

"If only I'd gotten there faster..." I was referring to an incident a few weeks ago, when a mysterious shadow had attacked Hazuki's mansion, injuring Baaya, her housekeeper. Thankfully, me and the others were able to stop the shadow before anything else had happened.

"It wasn't your fault, Kellysi-chan. We didn't even know it was around until it attacked."

"I guess you're right."

As we approached Hazuki's mansion, something sprung up in front of us. I quickly drew my wand, though Hazuki looked like she was about to start freaking out like she usually did whenever she saw a ghost.

And for good reason, too: the figure in front of us was transparent and looked spooky. You'll notice that the key word is "looked"...

I walked up to the bush where the image was coming from, holding Hazuki's hand tightly so she wouldn't run away screaming. I noticed that there was a projector in the bushes that was relaying the ghostly image before us. On its side was a note: Property of SOS Trio. Even in high school, they can't help but act like fools...

"It's okay, Hazuki-chan. It's just a projector," I explained, holding up said projector. "The SOS Trio was trying to scare us again."

With that, Hazuki calmed down considerably.

"What I don't understand is why the SOS Trio would go to so much trouble..." I wondered.

Once that issue was settled, I let go of Hazuki's hand.

"Still... thanks for believing in me, Hazuki-chan," I stated to her.

"It's no problem, Kellysi-chan. Anything for a friend."

Before I could react, Hazuki placed her hands on my shoulders and leaned in to give me a soft kiss.

"Now, let's go inside, Kellysi-chan! I've got these dumplings that you've just got to try!"

I smiled. Guess things had worked out after all...