Note: This fanfiction is based on Nakamura Shungiku's Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. It's meant to take place after the most recent chapter up to date (Chapter 11, I think). It's my first fanfic, so I apologize if it's a bit choppy/ awkward.

...

It really did bother him. Takano stepped out of the lift and made his way towards his apartment door. As he fished his keys out of the pocket of his jacket, Mino's words came to mind. "The two were once what you'd call boyfriend and girlfriend."

'Well, it shouldn't be a surprise. It's no news that Onodera had a girlfriend in the past…' Takano was pulled from his thoughts as he looked to his left at the door of Ritsu's apartment. He knocked on his neighbor's door, even though he knew he would not receive an answer. He had heard that Ritsu and Sakuragi left together and intended to go out for dinner. Sudden unease and twinges of jealousy crept up within him. 'Onodera…what are you going to do?' With that thought on his mind, Takano turned to his own apartment and let himself in.

...

"EH! Umm…Sakuragi-san, you…you can't be serious?"

"And why wouldn't I be serious, Ritsu? After all, we did get along pretty well back then didn't we? I remember how you would wait for me after work to go out to dinner much like we're doing now." Sakuragi-san was looking at Ritsu with such sincerity that he almost felt bad for not being able to return her feelings.

"Umm, Sakuragi-san…"

"Didn't I tell you before, Ritsu? Call me Tomoko."

"Er…Tomoko…san…umm." A flashback of rejecting An-chan's confession suddenly came to Ritsu's mind. He hated turning people down, especially when it was possible they would cry. "It's because you keep being half-assedly nice to her that she cannot give up." Takano's words played through his mind. 'I have to say it clearly—let her know that I…have feelings for someone else.'

"Well you see..." began Ritsu. 'Why is this so damn hard?' he thought, 'I'm never going to put myself in a situation like this again! I won't go out if I have too!' He wasn't serious, of course, but berating himself and thinking in such a manner made him feel better.

"I like…", Ritsu tried again, but faltered when he saw the look of anticipation and tenderness on Sakuragi's face. 'I have to tell her now, or...' he thought.

"Sakura-er, Tomoko-san, I'm...flattered, but-"

Suddenly, Sakuragi-san burst out laughing while pointing at a very flustered and shocked Onodera. "HAHAHA…Oh Ritsu. I mean it—you REALLY are the same as you were back then. Of course I'm not serious about us getting back together."

"EHHHH?" Ritsu uttered for the millionth time. After picking his jaw off the floor, Ritsu asked, "Wait. So you weren't serious?"

"Of course not! I'd be insane if I did want to get back together with you!"

"Thanks for that. Really," replied Ritsu. He had forgotten that Sakuragi-san did often like to joke around and constantly teased him, similar to the way a sibling would tease another.

"Oh—don't take it the wrong way! I just mean that…well, y'know, you always kept to yourself, even when we were dating. You never talked about your past and the times you talked about your future were just as infrequent. It was as if you were off in your own tiny universe, indifferent to nearly every thing else except your work…It constantly made me feel uneasy… like there was no possibility for growth in our relationship…"

His ex's explanation made Ritsu feel like crap. 'Was I really that self-absorbed and uninterested?' he thought to himself.

Noticing the sudden change in her ex's facial expression, Sakuragi-san said, "Don't worry about it. Being with you wasn't bad at all. It just obviously didn't work out."

"I'm sorry, Sakuragi-san."

"It's Tomoko."

"Ah! Tomoko-san…"

Ritsu was beginning to drift off into his own little world, taking in all that Sakuragi-san had just told him. Sakuragi became aware that Ritsu was becoming quiet and that there was the possibility the current situation would become awkward.

"You're doing it again, Onodera-kun. Drifting off into that little world of yours…Nee~ remember that one night in September? Right after we went out to celebrate with Saeki-san?"

Ritsu turned beet red. Of course he remembered. It was the one and only night, he and Sakuragi-san had slept together. Well, almost slept together. Suddenly, a flashback came to Ritsu's mind—stumbling in his old apartment (she had insisted she come over), the awkward fumbling of trying to meet each other's lips (she was an aggressive kisser), and the even more awkward situation of stripping off each other's clothes (she initiated the undressing). That night it had taken Ritsu a while to get an erection and when he finally achieved in making his member stiff, it quickly became limp as soon as he entered her. Needless to say, the rest of that night was awkward with Sakuragi-san trying to comfort him for not being able to finish (if it could even be considered a start.)

Sakuragi-san laughed once again at Ritsu's blushing face and decided she had her fill of teasing him. Changing the subject, she asked, "Say, Ritsu, where do you live now?"

…

Ritsu groaned. This morning he was carrying a pile of manuscripts; this evening he was basically carrying his drunken old flame. At least the elevator wasn't broken this time. After the second round of beers at the restaurant, Sakuragi had four more and the result was Ritsu having to calm her down as she ranted about how much she hated her job in relation to how much she loved it. Sakuragi's nearly belligerent ramblings were reminiscent of Saeki-san's drunken rantings—the two women were very close friends, after all. When it was time to go home, Sakuragi-san insisted on seeing Ritsu's apartment with such persistence that he couldn't say no.

"So thish ish where you live, huh Ritsuuu? A nice, clean, and shnazzy apartment complex…"

"Um, it's not really all that…I think…"

"What're chu talkin' 'bout? Iz a nice, quiet place…No bothershome neighbors makin' a racket when you're tryin' to work or lingering in the halllll *hic* when you're late for work…"

Without meaning to, Ritsu looked towards Takano's door. A lack of noise from inside indicated that Takano was either out or doing some kind of quiet activity.

"I'm pretty sure I've got bothersome neighbors here as well, Sakuragi-san."

"Ugh…Ritsu, I feel siiiick. I'm gonna. * hic * Puke."

"EH? Ah, hold on a sec, let me open my door and then you can use the bathroom to puke to your heart's content."

Ritsu began fumbling with his keys, trying to find the one to his apartment while supporting Sakuragi, since it seemed she had lost nearly all her will-power to continue standing.

"I'll open the door faster if you'll please stand up straight, Sakuragi-san!"

"Mmmmm…thaz okay. We can just shleep here…Lemme sleep here!"

As Sakuragi put all her weight on Ritsu, wanting to resign herself to slumber, both lost their balance and ended up on the floor, with Ritsu pinned underneath his drunk colleague's body. Just then the elevator doors opened.

"Next time you should let me know some time in advance."

"It's not my fault it was short-notice, Masamune."

It was Takano and Yokozawa who had come out of the elevator.

Seeing Ritsu sprawled on the floor in the hallway with his new coworker was quite a bit of a shock for Takano. He froze for about a few seconds, but without losing his appearance of composure, he walked to his apartment door and opened it, without a glance in Onodera's direction.

Yokozawa, equally shocked yet not prone to hiding it, asked in a particularly nasty manner, "What are you doing, Onodera?"

"Let him be, Yokozawa." And with only those words, Takano let Yokozawa inside his apartment, leaving a perplexed Ritsu outside in the hallway with his drunk coworker on his lap.