A quick little warning for this chapter, panic attack. Kari has an explicit panic attack for pretty much the last half of the chapter. If it bothers you too much to read, message me and I'll tell you anything you missed. On another note, I do not have any sort of anxiety disorders and even though I did research, I could still have horrible messed up in describing this. If I did, message me what I messed up/how to fix it and I may or may not fix it. It depends on...well...spoilers.

Kari's first class of the day was a quiet, boring lecture in one of the larger halls. Many of the students showed up half asleep, clutching oversized coffee cups and spent most of the class time napping instead of taking notes. Not that the professor cared much, even if he had been able to keep a class of that size in order. He held the opinion that if they wanted to spend thousands of dollars to sleep through their education, then that was their business.

So when Kari saw her phone on the desk next to her notebook light up with an incoming text, she didn't hesitate to tap on the screen. The phone opened up an old chat thread between her, Kuro and Kazuma that had a new text from Kazuma. Kari frowned at the phone and dropped her pencil to pull the device closer.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Hey, wanna meet up later after last class today?-/i

Another text appeared as she read.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Maybe grab dinner at that place you two like?-/i

Kari reread the texts and checked the sender again, thinking she might have misread something. But it was all just as she read it the first time. She thumbed out of the chat thread and opened up the private thread with Kuro.

iTo: Kuro

-Something's wrong.-/i

She typed out and sent. Kuro's reply was quick.

iFrom: Kuro

-Shouldn't he be in class?-

To: Kuro

-Exactly. Something must be wrong.-

-From: Kuro-

-Yeah.-/i

A new text from Kazuma appeared before Kari could finish replying to Kuro. She tapped the alert to take her back to the three way chat.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Oh and Yusuke and a friend will be coming too.-/i

Kari stared at the phone. iWhat did bthat/b mean,/i she wondered. She was glad she had already taken taken her medication because if not, her anxiety would be shooting through the roof right now.

i-From: Kuro-

-A friend?! What friend?-

-Who does he know that we don't know too? Why would he just say 'a friend'?-

-Why not 'name, a friend from where ever'?-

-What the hell?!-/i

Kuro's text spam in the private thread summed up Kari's thoughts quite nicely, she thought. Kazuma and the twins were too close to not know the names of each others' friends, at least in passing. There were a few people they had seen Kazuma with from their Sarayashiki days that Kuro and Kari had never been introduced to. The twins had tried asking around about them and where Kazuma and Yusuke disappeared to all the time but had been forced to back off when they realized they were driving Kazuma away. His friendship had meant - still meant - more to them than knowing his secrets. But now, there was this mysterious friend all of a sudden.

i-To: Kuro-

-Maybe he's finally introducing us to Yukina?-/i

Kari decided to attempt the optimistic route even though her gut feeling told her this person defintely wasn't Kazuma's mysterious girlfriend of two years.

i-From: Kuro-

-It'd be about damned time but I get the feeling it's not.-

-Ask him about her. See what he says.-

-To: Kuro-

-kk-/i

She tapped the back button as she settled back in her seat, propping her feet up on the empty seat in front of her.

i-To: Mulberry Man-

-'A friend' huh? Wouldn't be the famous Yukina~ would it?-/i

She could practically see Kazuma fidgeting where ever he was and scratching the back of his neck as he tried to figure out what lie to tell them.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Yukina? No. She's busy.-/i

Yukina always was whenever Kuro and Kari extended hang out invitations to her or expressed interest in finally meeting the girl. If the twins hadn't seen photos of her and Kazuma together, they would have started to doubt her existance by now.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-No, just a friend. I think you two will like him.-

-From: Kuro-

-Okay, what's going on here?-/i

Kari sighed at her phone. Trust Kuro to grow impatient. It took a bit for Kazuma to reply and she had no doubt that if this were a verbal conversation he'd be a stuttering mess right now. Yusuke was probably there with him too, arguing with him over how to cover the lie. It had been a common sight a few years ago, before Yusuke had disappeared for three years.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Nothing's going on. We just want to hang out.-

-Shuichi's an old friend. He's visiting us and we thought he could tag along.-

-We thought it'd be fun.-/i

Kuro's next text come through on the private thread.

i-From: Kuro-

-An old friend huh? Thinking what I'm thinking?-

-To: Kuro-

-The short one or the redhead?-

-From: Kuro-

-Isn't the redhead's name Kurama? So the short one probably.-/i

Kazuma seemed to finally lose his patience, judging by his next text.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-You guys gonna come or not?-/i

Or Yusuke could have stolen his phone. Kari didn't doubt that he was standing over Kazuma's shoulder, reading the conversation and had gotten tired of waiting for the twins to respond. He was never far from trouble.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-Or maybe we could come over to your place when you get home?-/i

Kazuma must have managed to get his phone back.

i-From: Kuro-

-No, we'll get dinner. Don't feel like having to cook for you bottomless pits tonight.-/i

Kari snorted, drawing displeased looks from the classmates around her who were actually paying attention to the professor. More than likely Kari would have ended up cooking, but she wasn't going to argue the point when it didn't matter.

i-From: Mulberry Man-

-So you're coming?-

-To: Kuro and Mulberry Man-

-Yeah. I've nothing to do after class. Studying can wait.-

-From: Kuro-

-Same here. And I haven't seen the asshole in too long. He's in need of a good punch.-

-From: Mulberry Man-

-I'll tell him you said that lol-

-See you two later-

-From: Kuro

-Later-

-To: Kuro and Mulberry Man-

-Can't wait :)-/i

Kari dropped her phone on her desk, assuming the conversation was over, and picked up her pencil. She attempted to make sense of the notes on the board and where the professor was in his lecture but she had missed too much. She would have to read the chapter on her own later and maybe beg notes from one of her coherent classmates. When her phone lit up from another message from Kuro, Kari decided to just shove her pencil back in her purse and give up on getting any notes taken that day.

i-From: Kuro-

-I'm not being paranoid, that was weird right?-

-To: Kuro-

-Very. He's def supposed to be in class right now and he NEVER texts during class.-

-Do you really think this Shuichi is one of them?-

-From: Kuro-

-Oh yeah. Who else would qualify as an old friend that we didn't already know the name of?-

-To: Kuro-

-Yeah, you're right.-

-But why would he suddenly want us to meet one of them after he's spent years actively avoiding introducing us to them?-

-From: Kuro-

-I have no idea.-

-But it can't really be that big of a deal so don't worry about it too much, okay?-/i

Kari couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at that last one. Along with a slight eyeroll. That was classic big sister Kuro right there, trying to down play the situtation so Kari didn't spend all day working herself up.

,i-From: Kuro-

-You gonna be okay? Do you want me to come hang out with you for a bit after class?-

-To: Kuro-

-No, I'm fine.-/i

It was a lie but Kuro would never find out that Kari was thinking about her emergency pill pack in her purse and figuring out when she would have to take another dose for it to kick into effect in time for dinner that night.

i-To: Kuro-

-I'm sure this whole thing is nothing. We'll let him play it out and act like nothing's wrong.-

-From: Kuro-

-Yeah.-

-gotta go, see you tonight.-/i

Kari cursed her trembling hands as she pulled the restaraunt's door open to let herself in. Her anxiety had started again not long into her last class but she had waited to take her medication until class let out. It didn't do much for her jittery hands and racing heart though since the ten minute walk wasn't long enough to let it kick in.

She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she scanned the dining room for Kazuma. The restaraunt he had suggested was a little hole in the wall American style diner just outside campus. It was popular with the students, especially among those living on campus, and was crowded with the usual dinner time rush by the time Kari arrived. She found him a moment later, in the back of the diner where he'd said he would be, easily recognizable by his bad dye job over the tops of the other customers' heads.

"Hey, guys," she greeted the three at the table. Kazuma took the bookbag she handed him, shoving it into the corner of the bench between him and the wall.

"Hey, Kari," Kazuma returned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dragging her into a side hug when she slipped into the empty seat on the bench next to him. She relaxed into the comfortable embrace, glad for any familiarity that might help her stay calm in an unfamiliar situation.

There was a simultaneous "Yo" and "Good Evening" from the other two accupants at the table. It was the polite greeting from the red headed stranger next to Yusuke that drew her attention.

He was a bit of a surprise since she was sure that Kuro had told her earlier that his name was Kurama, not Shuichi. Though perhaps, Kari couldn't quite call him a stranger since she'd seen him with Kazuma and Yusuke several times. This was the first time she'd seen him so up close though. She was taken aback at how pretty he was and how natural his hair looked. All these years she had assumed a red that vibrant had to be a dyed.

Kazuma coughed, noticing Kari staring at the odd man out.

iOr was it the other way around and she was the odd woman out,i she wondered?

"Kari, this is Minamino Shuichi." He waved a hand over the table, indicating each one as he introduced them. "Shuichi this is Nishimura Hikari."

She smiled sweetly at Shuichi even though she was sure they had just used a fake name for him.

"It's nice to finally meet you Nishimura-san." Shuichi smiled, reaching over the table to shake Kari's hand. Her breathe caught in her throat at the contact and not in the good way. "Kuwabara and Yusuke have told me a lot about you and your sister over the years."

"Oh really?" She forced herself to laugh knowing how fake it sounded. She wasn't sure if was from her own disbelief at the comment or the sudden rush of anxiety making her voice waver.

Next to her, Kazuma tensed. His arm slid off her shoulders when she reached across the table for one of the extra glasses of soda sitting there.

"This mine?" she asked, already pulling the clear drink towards her. She needed something to keep her hands occupied and clutching the damp glass was perfect. From the corner of her eye she caught Yusuke glance up at her before looking over to Kazuma and then to Shuichi.

"Yeah," Kazuma muttered, watching her. "You okay, Kari?"

No, no she really wasn't okay. Everything about this situation was setting her on edge, making her more and more nervous by the second. Oh how she wished Kuro wasn't going to be late. Her twin wasn't as easily upset like she was. Normally, she would be honest with Kazuma and Yusuke about her moods, but she knew that they would call off whatever was going on here if they knew how flustered she was becoming.

So she took a deep breath and plastered on a smile that could even fool her twin. "Yeah, I'm fine," she reassured him.

"Okay." He continued to watch her anyway.

Shuichi cleared his throat, breaking the awkward tension. "Yes, they talk about you a lot. Though I assure it it's all good, Nishimura-san," Shuichi chuckled, folding his hands on the table in front of him. "Well, almost. They've never seemed to have much good to say about...Kuroko is it?"

"Yeah," Kari confirmed after taking a sip of what turned out to be Sprite. "Though she'll want you to refer to her by our family name so you can call me Hikari to avoid confusion."

"Oh c'mon, you two," Yusuke laughed. He nudged Shuichi in the ribs with his elbow, earning him a swat and a glare from the redhead. It didn't effect him though. "Why are you so formal? Just call each other Kari and Shuichi."

Kari felt her smile falter. She didn't know this man and he made her uncomfortable being in the same vicinity. It was bad enough that Yusuke and Kazuma had apparently told him about her but she did not want him calling her by her nickname.

"Hikari, if you please, Minamino-san," she reiterated, her polite smile returning.

Yusuke's laugh trailed off. He watched her closely, much like Kazuma was still doing, frowning heavily. She ignored him and instead turned her attention to the menu on the table, idly sipping her Sprite as she decided what she wanted.

The table fell into another akward silence and from the corner of her eye she could see the three men having a silent conversation that involved a lot of eyebrow wriggling between Yusuke and Kazuma. The sight might have made her laugh if she had felt emotionally stable enough for it. Kazuma leaned back in the booth with a groan, having lost the argument. He rubbed his face before turning toward Kari. She put her elbow on the table and rested her head in her palm, watching him.

"So, uh," he coughed and glanced at Yusuke, who nodded at him. Kari raised an eyebrow at him when he looked back to her and fidgeted with the straw in his cup. "So, uhm."

"You said that already," she teased, trying to break the tension that was building at the table.

"What?" he croaked, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Nothing, I was just teasing," she shook her head, glancing at the other two at the table. Yusuke gave Kazuma a hard look and gestured at him to get it over with.

"Yeah, well, I uhm-"

"Hi, are you guys ready to order?"

He was saved from...whatever he was hestitating about by the waitress finally arriving.

Yusuke slammed a hand on the table, startling everyone but Shuichi. He glared at the waitress and probably would have rudely told her to go away if Shuichi hadn't placed a hand on Yusuke's arm and shook his head.

"Uhm?" The waitress looked around the table, aware that she had interupted something and not sure how to back out.

"We're still waiting on someone," Shuichi told her.

"Oh, okay. So I'll come back then," she replied, already turning to walk away.

"Yes, that would be fine,"

And the waitress fled, most likely back to the kitchen to complain to the other servers about the terrible table in the corner. Not that Kari would blame her. Yusuke and Kazuma were glaring at each other so hard she was surprised they didn't spontaneously combust.

"Kuwabara said Nishimura-san was going to be late but she didn't know when she would be arriving?" Shuichi asked Kari, ignoring the two silently arguing once again between them.

"Uhh…" She glanced at her two friends.

Yusuke threw his arms up, giving into Kazuma.

"Fine, whatever," he grumbled, sitting back. "Go on then," he waved a hand at her before crossing his arms over his chest. "Where is the little hellion?"

"She doesn't know when she'll be here," Kari said. "She's got lab last thing today and she thought she'd be able to get through it pretty quickly and get out. But her partner is an idiot," Kazuma and Shuichi made symathetic noises, "and he fucked something up, so it's taking longer than she expected."

"Aw, man," Kazuma groaned. "That is exactly why I hate having lab partners."

"I got lucky with my partner last semester," Kari shared. "She was a chem major and she made everything so easy."

"Yes, they can be…" Shuichi trailed off as he searched for the right word. "troublesome. What do you study at the university, Hikari-san?"

"Japanese Literature with a minor in creative writing," Kari rattled off quickly. She took a sip of her soda before continuing. "I'd have thought you'd know that though, since these two apparently told you all about me."

He glanced at her, eyes narrowing slightly and she caught her breathe again. There was something in his eyes, something that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"I suppose it never came up," he said, affecting a non-chalant tone.

"Hmm," she hummed, trying to get her breathing under control. "I guess it wouldn't."

Kazuma laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah I mean, why would he need to know what you major in?"

Kari's gaze snapped to him at the off handed comment. She knew what she iwanted/i to say and she knew that she ishouldn't/i say it, but the anxiety that just wouldn't go away was starting to cloud her thoughts and she couldn't think of what she ishould/i say.

And the wrong comment slipped out.

"I don't know, Kazuma, why would he need to know anything about us?" she grumbled, wrapping her arms around her stomach to try to hide that her whole body was trembling now.

"Eh?" He looked around the table, not quite sure what this sudden turn in conversation was about.

"I guess I just don't understand the situation," she continued as if he'd never spoken, her voice steadily rising in pitch until it cracked on the last syllable.

Shuichi leaned forward, frowning. "Hikari-san, are you well?" he asked.

The comment went unnoticed though when Yusuke grinned smugly at her.

"And what situation is that?"

Kari looked him in the eye and drew a deep breath to steady her voice.

"If he's such a good friend that you've told him all about Kuro and I, why haven't you told us about him?" she hissed. "And don't think that I don't recognize him. We've seen you with him and others often enough, though I could have swore his name was Kurama instead of Shuichi."

For moment everyone was stunned into silence, staring at Kari with varying expressions after her little outburst. And then the table exploded with noise as everyone started talking at once.

"I KNEW IT!"

"That's not-"

"I TOLD YOU KUWABARA!"

"Yusuke keep your voice down."

"Kari, you don't-"

She let them argue with one another and curled in on herself, pressing her forhead to the cool surface of the table. Instinctively she tried to control her breathing to keep herself from hyperventilating and slow her racing heart.

i"In for seven, out for eleven, in for seven, out for eleven,"/i she mentally recited to herself, careful to count slowly and not rush.

She started to lose her grasp of what was going on around her; everyone sounded the same, her vision blurred, she lost track of who was where. She had descended into full blown panic attack, the likes of which she hadn't had in years.

"I knew they knew more than you thought they did."

"Shut up Urameshi!"

"Hikari-san, what's wrong?"

"You're ruining everything Urameshi!"

"I told you that we should have told them everything years ago!"

"We had a plan!"

"Yusuke, Kuwabara, please, something's wrong. Calm down."

Something's wrong. Kari's panicking mind latched on to the words and wouldn't let go. Something's wrong. Something. Is. Wrong. She couldn't get her breathing under control. Her pill hadn't kicked in yet. Why wasn't it working?

Something's wrong.

Her shaking hands fumbled with the purse in her lap, searching for her phone within it's seemingly endless depths. She need to know what time it was. Maybe it hadn't been as long as she thought it had.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she flinched away from the touch.

The arguing over her head sounded...different. Loud still, but less angry.

She could have cried when her hand finally found the smooth plastic of her phone's protective case. Just in time to have the purse snatched from her. It took her a few tries to wake the device up and it was only thanks to muscle memory that she was able to unlock the thing.

Someone was touching her again, dragging her away from the table and turning her around. She pulled away from whoever it was, slapping at hands that continued to reach for her. She might have snapped incoherently at them, but she wasn't completely sure.

A pill was held in front of her.

She pushed it away, shaking her head. Another pill was not what she needed.

The phone buzzed in her hand. Kari instinctively checked it.

She could barely make out Kuro's smiling face looked back at her.

iOh thank god,/i she thought. Kuro would be able to calm her down. She knew exactly what to do in the case of one of Kari's panic attacks.

"'Ro?" Kari croaked, only managing to get the last syllable out.

Kuro didn't respond so Kari called her name again, stronger this time, in case her sister hadn't heard her the first time.

More silence.

Except not really.

There was a loud rustling sound coming from the phone, like clothe rubbing against clothe.

"Kuro?" Kari hollered into the phone.

Kuro's odd phone call broke Kari out of her panic attack in a way that most distractions couldn't do. She suddenly had something to focus her concern on, instead of the downward spiral she had devolved into a moment ago.

"Kuro, what's going on?" she asked again, stepping out of the booth.

At first she thought the scream had come from herself, because the hand was on her shoulder, iagain/i. But then she realized it was coming from the speaker on her phone and it iclicked/i.

iKuro/i was the one screaming.

Posting a bit early because I just finished editing and then I realized that I would have to put all the darned italics in by hand. AUGH /flips table/

Thanks for reading guys! I really appreciate all the favs, follows and reviews! I always welcome some constructive criticism or even just the quick 'loved it!' comments. Oh, and you should all come bug me on tumblr destinyswindow sometimes I post little updates about where I am in writing/what I'm writing about and if you ask nicely I may even answer spoilery questions. Or you can poke me until I write if you think I've been slacking off.