"Does that mean you're a..." Yukimura let his voice trail away. His brain refused to accept whatever Rika was telling him.

"I don't know. All I know is that I want to make Chiharu-chan smile. I never want to see her sad or cry" Rika replied.

They were seated on a stone bench in the park. Both held cans of soda in their hands. Yukimura glanced over at Rika who was seated elegantly with her legs together. He sighed.

"Who else knows about this?" Yukimura asked wearily,

"No one, except you"

"Why me?"

"I don't know" Rika's tone turned wistful. "I haven't even told Akaya yet. I thought you were the only person who wouldn't freak out on me and go crazy"

"I'm trying not to. How long have you..."

"Ever since we were kids" Rika replied quietly.

"So you've been thinking of kissing her, hugging her and-" "First it was innocent. I would feel that her hugs were extra warmer and her smiles extra cute. Then I realised I liked and I tried to suppress it. I came to accept it and tried dating other people. I dated a boy from my class for a bit and realised I didn't like it when he hugged me or even kissed me"

"And therefore you came to the realisation that what you were feeling was real" Yukimura finished.

"It's been a year. I went to her when my parents got divorced and stayed at her home with Akaya. Then I kissed her in her sleep a month ago"

"You kissed her?"

"While she was sleeping. I couldn't help myself. She never found out. Since then its been eating me up on the inside. I had to tell someone about this" Rika replied.

Yukimura glanced over at her. She looked almost ashamed of whatever she was feeling. It was true that there were gay men and woman in Japan but he had never met one who actually had feelings for another girl. Yukimura knew from Yanagi that many boys at school liked Rika but because of her brother, never approached her.

"What if I tell Akaya, Rika-chan?" Yukimura asked.

"I was going to tell him soon. He'll probably freak out but he won't be angry for long. He's my brother" Rika replied.

"You do know that Sanada likes you" Yukimura commented.

"I...didn't know that" Rika finally replied.

"What if you go out with him? Maybe you can find someone to move on with. He's liked you since last year. You could try and give him a chance" Yukimura suggested.

"I don't know, Yukimura-san. What if it doesn't work out?"

"You can try. He won't do anything you don't like. He's a man of honour and discipline" Yukimura replied.

"But...alright fine" Rika agreed.

"Excellent".

The next week at school, Rika found Sanada waiting for her at her shoe locker. The girls around her whispered when Rika went up to him.

"Good morning, Sanada-san" Rika greeted with a soft smile.

"Good morning. I'm sure you know why I'm here" Sanada replied.

"Yes, Yukimura-san told me during the weekend. Sanada-san, what he told me was I'm sure sincerely said by you. I would like to give you a chance since you are a man of honour"

"Then after tennis practice would you like to go for coffee?" Sanada asked.

"Of course" Rika replied.

Sanada nodded and then left briskly. Rika ignored the whispers around her and headed to her class.

After school...

"You don't have to wait for me, Rika-chan. We can always reschedule it for tomorrow" Sanada said.

"It's not a problem, Sanada-san. I usually do wait for Akaya after school. I'll just work on my composition for music class" Rika replied.

Sanada nodded and then headed to the club room. He was met by Yukimura's knowing smile and Yanagi reading an upside down book.

"Seems like you finally mustered up the courage, eh Gen?" Yukimura teased.

"It was because of your encouragement" Sanada replied with a small smile.

"It doesn't seem like she has feelings for you yet, Genichirou. She might if your date goes well" Yanagi said.

"Don't scare him, Renji. Genichirou, just be kind and nice to her. Conversation might be a little difficult but she enjoys origami and classical music. She doesn't have much tennis knowledge like the rest of us but give her a chance" Yukimura said.

"I'll try by best. It depends on her if she gives me a chance" Sanada said.

Rika sat on a stone bench at the front of the school. Her brother had already gone to eat ice cream with his senpais and she was waiting for Sanada. Yukimura emerged from the back of the school and smiled when he found her waiting.

"Rika-chan"

She looked up as Yukimura walked towards her.

"Hello, Yukimura-san" Rika said quietly.

"How are you feeling? Are you going on the date with Sanada?" Yukimura asked.

"I'm still wondering if I'm doing the right thing. One on hand, I feel like I'm betraying Chiharu-chan. On the other hand, I feel like I should move on" Rika replied.

"One date isn't going to change anything. You have the power to change how you feel" Yukimura said.

"I'll try my best" Rika replied.

"Good luck. Sanada should be here any minute now so I'll make myself scarce" Yukimura patted her head before going out of the school gates.

She bit her lip nervously. A hand came on her shoulder and she turned. Sanada stood there frowning but then his facial expression softened when she looked up him. He took her hand and then began leading her out of the school gates. She let him lead her and then let go of his hand. He looked down at her in confusion and then blushed when she placed a hand on his arm.

"We'll be going to Rosé Cafe. They have nice sweets" Sanada said.

"I like sweets. Especially the strawberry ones. I never give them to Akaya because he goes crazy when he eats sugar" Rika said.

Sanada smiled as she began talking about here friends and family. She had always been shy in front of him but he was glad to see her opening up and giving him a chance. They got to the cafe and Sanada bought her a piece of strawberry shortcake. She grinned and began began eating it up while he drank up his green tea. She offered him a bite of the cake but he shook his head, explaining that he didn't like sweets.

Overall, Sanada thought the date was a success. She had been friendly to him and given him a chance. She had smiled before leaning up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I had a nice time, Sanada-san. I would love it if we did something like this again" She said.

Sanada nodded and then said his goodbyes. As he left, Rika entered her house and closed the door securely behind her. She headed upstairs to do her homework and then smiled. She had had more fun than she had let on. She had given Sanada her answer. The ball was now in his court.

I didn't expect to get two reviews for the first chapter. A big thank you to Rainswalker and Millenium Snow. Thank you to everyone who favorited and put this story on their alerts list. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Onyxinlife