Same triggers as before.

Nitori ran her fingers through her wig. It was soft and thick, much like her own. She had decided to wear the wig until her hair grew long enough to be in a bob cut. She and Rin sat at a table in a diner, sipping milkshakes. "What are we going to do after this?" Nitori finally sat her milkshake down to ask.

Rin sat his hamburger down. He had small pieces around his mouth. "Shopping. You need some more clothes, right? I just can't keep "borrowing" those dresses from Gou; so I'll buy you some dresses. You'll have to get dresses and skirts, because pants will reveal your…uh…parts. Plus, you look cute in dresses." He made Nitori blush.

"O-oh thank you." It bothered her that Rin would have to buy so many outfits for her. "Is it okay? You know, that you're buying all of this for me."

Rin nodded and smiled. "Of course it's fine! If a friend needs clothes and is need, I'll buy the clothes for them. Plus, I just got my paycheck from work, so I have some money left over from paying the fees for school." Rin explained. "And you look cute in dresses."

Nitori felt her face burning. She prayed it wasn't showing. "Thank you, Rin. It means a lot to me, really." She couldn't explain just how much it meant to her and how much she cherished having such a great friend. Normally, she would have expected someone just to laugh at her when she told them she wanted to be a girl and needed girls' clothing.

Rin wiped his mouth. "I have a question."

"Go for it." Nitori placed her napkin in her lap.

"When are you going to tell the captain? He needs to know so he can make you comfortable." Rin said. He knew Nitori wasn't thinking about telling him, but he needed to do so soon; they had a tournament coming up.

Nitori shrugged. "I guess at practice tomorrow. I have a few days before it, so I can make time for it. Plus, he's our neighbor too, so I can just walk over and tell him the situation." She explained. "Maybe he won't make me swim. Or he'll let me wear a girl's uniform, or I could wear a shirt." She bit her lip, nervous. "But, what if he kicks me off the team?" Her voice shook.

Rin sighed and gripped her hand tightly. "Ai, it'll be okay. Mikoshiba's very understanding. He'll do anything to make you happy. A bigger question is, when are you going to tell your parents?"

The girl's eyes widened. "O-oh. I forgot about them." She looked down at the table and smiled. "Maybe they'll understand, like you." She looked at her reflection, eyes shining. "I look so much like a girl as it is. Maybe the transition will go well."

Rin grinned and stood up. "Come on, the store's far away, and it's getting dark." He helped her up, paid, and walked Nitori out the door.

Nitori couldn't help to blush at Rin's gentleman like attitude toward her.

Walking down the street, Nitori gasped as the street lights flickered on. The sun was setting, and Nitori was starting to get cold. She shivered and rubbed her arms, not letting it go unnoticed by Rin. "Are you cold?" He looked down at her. He held her hand tightly. "Do you want my jacket?"

Nitori shook her head, the unfamiliar wig fibers being thrown around. "No. I'm fine." She shivered again. Rin rolled his eyes and took his brown jacket off. He placed it around her shoulders and wrapped her in it.

"Better?"

Nitori nodded, now warm. "Thank you. How far away are we?" She looked around.

"Not that far." Rin said, noticing that Nitori was starting to slow down. Eventually, she stopped in her tracks. "Come on, Ai." He groaned and tugged Nitori on.

Looking around at her, Rin saw that Nitori looked horrified. "R-rin. It's them." She whispered, voice shaking. "I can't let them see me…" Nitori pointed to a group of boys – the same boys who had tormented Nitori earlier in the week.

Rin exhaled sharply. "It's okay. Get behind me." She did as told. "Look down, don't say anything." He ordered.

As they walked past the boys, they started to cat-call Nitori. "Hey babe, wanna come back to my place?" One of them – the one who started the fight – called out towards her.

Nitori kept her face hidden, trying to keep them from recognizing her. "You're that boy from the cafeteria!" Her heart sunk, but relaxed when she realized they were talking about Rin. "How'd you get a babe like her?" One of them tried to grab Nitori's arm, but Rin slapped his arm hard.

"Because I treat girls like humans and not like property. Go back to the trash where you belong." Rin hissed, furious. He took Nitori's hand and they both started to walk away. The boys stood there in shock, no knowing who the girl was or expecting Rin's reaction.

"Sorry about that." Rin apologized, placing his arm around Nitori. "All men are pigs, what can I say?" He laughed.

Nitori shook her head. "N-no! There are some nice guys…" She paused and hesitated, knowing that Rin was joking. "But thanks. How can girls put up with crap like that? It's sickening." She huffed and looked around at all the stores. "Are we there yet?" She whined.

Rin groaned and pointed to a large building. There were a lot of girls from neighboring high schools there, so Nitori was convinced she could pass. Maybe they would complement her! When they walked inside, the smell of perfume and the loud voices of girls assaulted them. Rin approached a cashier and asked her a question. "Where can I get some dresses?" He noticed the lady was staring at him. "For my girlfriend." He pointed to Nitori, who blushed.

"What bra size are you, honey?" The lady asked her. Nitori's face turned even redder. "It's okay; I need to know so I can get you the right dresses."

Nitori squirmed lightly. "Um…an A. I guess. I can't fit into a regular bra." She tugged on her training bra lightly. She quietly blessed Gou for giving Nitori her old bra.

The lady giggled and led her to a rack. "Here. These look like they'll fit you well; and they'd look cute on you!" She left them. "And don't let your boyfriend be a pervert, okay?" Both of their faces turned red.

Rin nodded. "I'm not." He turned towards Nitori. "I guess they're not too open towards guys, are they?" Nitori rolled her eyes and grabbed a pink dress.

"It's because it's a girl store. Aimed at girls." She sassed. She laughed when Rin tried to grab her and tickle her, but she jumped into the changing room quickly.

"Hey, Ai. I'm gonna give you some more dresses to change into, so be prepared. You have to let me see them when you're done trying them on." Rin stuck his hand over the door and gave her three more dresses.

Nitori was fascinated with all of the dresses. They were precious, and fit her perfectly. She was having trouble keeping the wig straight; it kept tangling up and crooked. She came out, and Rin gasped at her beauty. "You look…amazing." He gaped at her. His eyes were wide and sparkling. "Do a little twirl, please."

Nitori put her hands on her chest and spun twice. A few girls around them looked at her, told her how cute she looked, and also stayed to watch her spin again in her new dresses.

Several dresses and several spins later, Nitori was down to the last dress. It was black with white ruffles. It went a little above her knees and it was puffy. It had a white bow on the back. Nitori fixed her troubling wig again. It was having a hard time staying straight and untangled. She didn't pay much attention to it.

The girls and Rin cooed at her. "You look adorable, Ai." Rin stood up with the rest of the dresses. "I've already paid for these. And that one too."

Nitori laughed. "You should know better than to buy something before I try it on." She smiled.

"Wait. Twirl." Rin said, stopping her. Nitori sighed.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Nitori rolled her eyes, and to the amusement to Rin and the other girls, she spun. She spun more than usual, giggling and closing her eyes. The others were cheering for her, but suddenly they stopped. Nitori paused and looked them all. Rin's eyes were wide and scared. He was pale. He was whispering something to Nitori, but she couldn't understand what he was saying over the gasps over the girls. When she went to pull the wig hairs around her shoulders, she couldn't find anything.

Her heart dropped at seeing the wig lying next to her feet. It had fallen off. Her short hair stuck out, revealing her sex. She couldn't talk; she was terrified.

The cashier they had earlier approached Nitori. "Get out."

"What?" Rin stood up, grabbing Nitori's arm. "We're customers."

The lady snarled at him, "I told you, no perverts." She hissed.

Nitori was staring in shock and fear. The girls started laughing or yelling at her. "S-stop." Nitori whispered under her breath. "I'm a girl." She mumbled.

The cashier grabbed her by the ear and Rin by the arm. Rin had bent down and stuffed the wig into his bag. "You're not allowed to come back in here you perverts! You're sick; a boy wearing a dress!" She yelled at them, pushing them out the door.

Nitori collapsed on the steps and started to cry loudly. "Why?! Why can't I be a girl?" She screamed loudly, Rin trying to comfort her. "Everyone will know. They'll all know I want to be a girl." She trembled in fear. "W-what if the boys at school find out?" She grabbed Rin's shirt tightly. "I can't let them know." Her eyes were wide with worry.

Rin grabbed her hands. "It's okay. I'll talk to those boys. If anyone says anything, I'll tell them you lost a bet and had to wear a dress." He hushed her. He pulled her closer.

"I'm sick of hiding who I am…" Nitori rested her head on his shoulder.

The red-head asked her, "If you're okay with it, do you want to tell the captain later? When you're calm?"

Nitori sat up and sniffed, wiping his eyes. "If you're with me. I don't want him to get mad at me."

Rin laughed. "He won't. He's very understanding and nice, so there's no way he'd get mad at you."

The girl stood up and brushed herself off. "Let's go back." She stumbled a little, so Rin helped her stand and walk back to the dorm.

Nitori tried to fight back her tears of humiliation as they walked past a few of the girls from the shop.

Mikoshiba groaned and got up from his bed to answer the door. Someone had been pounding on the door hard and wasn't taking "go away" for an answer. He opened the door and was greeted to Rin and Nitori. "Matsuoka, Nitori? What are you two doing here? It's Friday; you two should be out doing something fun." He looked at Nitori, who had Rin's arm wrapped around her. He widened his eyes as he saw the dress she wore. "Why are you wearing a dress?"

Nitori broke down again and cried into Rin's shirt. "That's what we need to talk to you about. It's about Nitori."

Mikoshiba didn't know what he was talking about, but he let both of them enter and sit. Nitori sat at his desk chair while Rin stood. Mikoshiba sat on his bed. "What's this about?"

Rin grabbed Nitori's hand. "Nitori…well…I'll let you explain it." Rin didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Nitori sat up straight in her chair. "Captain, I've wanted to tell you something. I told Rin, but I was too scared to tell you." She squirmed, golden eyes staring her down.

"What do you need to tell me?" He asked. "It'll be okay."

She wiped her eyes and began to explain the situation. She tried to stay composed, but to her amazement, she did so. Mikoshiba listened to her, arms crossed. He didn't smile or say anything. Rin was afraid he'd kick her off the team.

"So. Let me get this straight. You want to be a girl?" He asked.

Nitori nodded. "Simply, yes." She was shaking. "Please don't kick me off the team." She begged.

Mikoshiba laughed and stood up. "Why would I do that? Because you're getting comfortable with your gender? That's stupid." He ruffled her hair. "I can't get you a girls' swimsuit, but you can wear a tank top if it'll make you feel better."

The girl sighed in relief. "Thank you so much." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh no." Rin hugged her tight. "No waterworks tonight, missy."

Mikoshiba put his hands on their heads. "Not on my watch!"

Nitori hugged their arms and couldn't help but cry. She cried loudly, smiling. "I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Mikoshiba asked.

She started to cry again. "My friends…they're just so…understanding and loving. Thank you both so much!" She bowed her head. The two laughed at her. They helped her up and hugged her once again.

"We'll try to make you as comfortable as possible." Rin said, squeezing her arm.

"Because you're our precious girl, and we'd do anything for you!" Mikoshiba laughed, holding both of them tight.

"Thank you so much! It means so much to me, really!" She said, smiling wide. She was grateful she had such understand and wonderful friends.