Okay, hello. :D haha. This part is longer than the last and I've been slaving over two notebooks trying to work out a plot, and I think it's safe to say we're gonna have ourselves a winner. Sit tight and badger me if I don't post on time, because I need to be taught to do things when I say I'm going to. That said, please enjoy your chapter :) Thank you for your reviews! Those made me really happy :D

I led Himeko back to the office and from there we hit the dojo, the cafeteria, the performing arts center, all of which were pretty uninteresting to me considering my focus was firmly set on the girl's presence. But I took her to all those places because I thought maybe she'd be interested in knowing where they were. Maybe she wasn't as selfish as I was. I looked over at her and she seemed happy enough, and when she noticed my stare she gave me a wink. She was still holding my hand, even after the people in the hallways gawked and whispered nasty things about her. It was like she didn't hear any of them, and I was happy about that because the last thing I wanted was for her to have hurt feelings. We were still stopped inside the PAC when she spoke.

"What do you do for fun here, Chikane-chan?" Himeko asked, positioning herself in front of me. "Are you a dancer? I think you'd be particularly elegant gliding across a stage, don't you?" I chuckled and she squeezed my hand tighter. "What's so funny, mm? Dancing not your specialty?"

"Not quite," I told her, spinning her into me. "This is about as much as I know how to do."

"And I spin out like this, ne?"

"Yeah, I think so? Or it could be the other way. See, this is why I don't dance." We both laughed and Himeko spun away from me correctly and got quiet when she spun back into my arms. "There are other places I want to take you, Himeko."

I led her through the music room quickly, avoiding all talk of instruments. I mean, how embarrassing would it be for Himeko to find out, the second
we see each other again, that I learned to play because I was heartbroken over her? Embarrassing enough to keep it to myself. Besides, it wasn't the room I wanted her to see anyway. I was taking a chance on what she liked now, and for all I knew it could be horses and the 4-H club, and not photography anymore like I hoped. But really? It was so important to her then and it was all I had to go on.

I knocked on the door to the dark room and got no response from the inside. People that usually worked in there flipped out the second they heard a sound and screamed for the other person to not open the door. Sometimes I like to knock in my free time. But at this particular moment, no one seemed to be occupying the space. I turned to Himeko and flashed her a smile.

"I hope you're still into this stuff." I turned the handle and let her go in before me. I hurried inside after her, careful to not let the light in, and shut the door back. The golden haired girl gasped in absolute surprise and carefully made her way around the tables, gently touching the edges of hanging pictures to get a better look at them. Surprisingly, the photography club never tried to recruit me so I didn't want to touch anything for fear of screwing it up. Himeko looked like she knew exactly what she was doing.

"So you like it?" I smiled as she whirled back around to me.

"I like that after all this time, you remembered my love for photography."

"It'd be hard to forget something like that, Himeko, especially with the hundreds of pictures of us flooding my room at home." We shared a laugh and she walked back over to me. "You can join the club if you want? The sign up sheet is around here somewhere… They hide it in here because they don't really like new members. It's sad, really. When they catch someone signing up for the club, they usually bombard that person with camera questions and optical lens zooms or something similar to that." I shrugged with a light laugh. "I honestly have no idea what they're talking about. Mega-pixels? Is that something?"

Himeko let out her airy giggle and squeezed my forearm. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is, Chikane." She let her fingers graze the inside of my arm before gliding over to some cabinets, clearly looking for the sign up sheet. "Aha! Here we go… Kurusugawa. God, that's a long last name, ne? Too many u's."

"We can't all have such a luxury as Himemiya." I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Himeko Himemiya." She tapped the pen to her lips and sent a flirtatious glance my way. "Hmm, that has a nice repetitive sound to it. What do you say, Chikane-chan? Would you like to marry me to relieve me of my vowel burdens?"

I opened my mouth to respond when a frantic pounding came upon the door. I stepped out of the way and said it was okay to come in. Azai Hajime burst through without a second thought and kicked the door shut with her foot. She fiddled with the lens on her large camera and paid no attention to Himeko and I. I glanced over at the blonde and she smirked at me, clearly amused by Azai's oblivious state.

Suddenly, the strange girl removed the camera's strap from around her neck and left the whole thing on the table. She turned to Himeko and narrowed her green eyes.

"What are you doing in here. You should be in class. Is this your classroom? I've never seen you here before. I doubt this is where you're supposed to be right now."

"Hey now," I started, giving Azai a poke on the shoulder. "I'm just showing her around, Hajime. No need to get so sassy."

"Sassy? Excuse me, I don't know who you think you are but in this room I am in charge and if I don't-" The green haired girl turned face me and her demeanor went from sassy to horrified in an instant. "Oh, Miya-sama! I mean, Miss Himemiya, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were giving this girl a tour… Please, stay as long as you like. I won't bother you." She gave an apologetic look towards Himeko and excused herself quickly.

Himeko raised an eyebrow. I shrugged and could only look embarrassed. She smiled and stepped closer to me.

"Maybe she'll tell her friends you're in here and they won't bother us, Miss Himemiya." She drew a finger along my lips delicately. "Could have some perks, mm?"

My heart began to thump against my chest so badly I'm sure Himeko could have confused it for her own. She leaned in close and my eyelids fell involuntarily. Her cheek grazed against mine as she brushed away a few strands of my hair from my ear.

"We can take some pictures of our own." She gave the space beneath my ear a soft kiss and pulled back. "Would you want to do that with me, Chikane-chan?"

"Honestly?" My hands went up to hold the pillow soft sides of her face. "I would want to do anything with you, Himeko." She giggled.

"Really?" I nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." She put her hands atop of mine and gently removed them, keeping hold of them just the same. "Were there other places you wanted to show me?"

"Just one place. But I think we sort of used up our free time with all these other adventures."

Himeko pouted. "Does that mean you have to leave me?"

"I, unfortunately, have a lot of duties to fulfill here both during and after school. So, yeah, I do have to leave you. But if you go to your photography club, we could meet up after in the courtyard? I can give you a ride home. Or are you staying at one of the dorms?"

"I'm right back where I used to be, Chikane. That same old house down the street from you. Unless you've moved since then?" I shook my head no. "Well good. At least I'll know where to find you. Not that it sounds like you're ever home…"

I laughed weakly. "I really hate it. But does that sound good to you?"

"Anytime I can get with you is good. Believe me." I squeezed her beautiful hands and in a burst of happiness, leaned forward to kiss that smooth forehead of hers. Warmth rushed to the site, and it made me smile when I realized Himeko must have been blushing beneath my lips. When I pulled away her eyes were shut, and as she came out of her trance, they fluttered open to reveal the lavender gems I had missed for so long. I wondered what she thought of all this. Of us falling into this strange comfort after not seeing the other for a whole decade. Of us holding hands and kissing the other like old pros. It was strange, and I wasn't complaining, because I loved it, but that still didn't change anything.

I hadn't seen Himeko for ten years. There was all this life outside the two of us now. My heart suddenly hurt so bad thinking about it. I wanted to cry again. I quickly drew her into a tight hug and felt comfort in her hands kneading my back. For a second she was closer to me than anyone else, and that was enough. She sighed against me and I could feel the breath leave her throat as her whole body hummed. Then all was quiet.

Being at tennis practice wasn't the same today. I felt completely alleviated of all frustration, even though none of my questions had been answered. I was in a state of confusion, I guess, and most likely shock, so playing the old ball game wasn't working out so good.

"What are you doing, Himemiya?" My opponent, Souma Oogami barked from his side of the court. "It's like I'm playing by myself!"

"I'm sorry, Oogami, but I'm just not really here today."

"That's obvious. I already beat you three times. Normally I don't even stand a chance against you and your hand gets all bloodied up and stuff for being such a show off." I glared at him seriously for a second before we both started laughing. He put down his racket and hopped over the net to my side and put a hand on my shoulder. "Something's bugging you, Chikane, and it's more than just the Tea Society or the student council."

"It's not the Tea Society, Souma," I snorted. "They're called Tea Ceremonies. But you're right."

"Well since we're not doing a hell of a lot of playing here we should talk about it. I mean, I like being able to say that I beat you, but not if you're off in zombie land thinking about God knows what. I'll never become a legend that way."

"You're an idiot." He shrugged and flashed a smile. "Let's go inside. It'll be easier for me to meet my friend afterwards that way." Oogami's jaw dropped in alarm and he quickly grabbed me by both shoulders.

"A friend? What is this? You don't have friends, Himemiya. You hardly like me and I'm supposedly your best." I gave him a pointed look but it couldn't be denied. "Who is this person? Oh man, I'm excited now!" He sprinted quickly back over the net to grab his racket, and stumbled over it again before running ahead of me. "Come on, Himemiya! I want to meet this friend of yours!"

I rolled my eyes but took off after him, paying no mind to my mother's words in the back of my head saying, "A proper young woman never runs."

I beat him inside, somehow, and plopped down in on the bench inside our school's lobby. He wheezed as he collapsed next to me, confused as to how he lost the race, but encouraged me to talk about my problems.

But the thing was, I didn't want to talk to Oogami about Himeko. I thought I wanted to talk about it and I thought maybe getting it out would do some good, but for some reason it felt like speaking her name to anyone would taint her preciousness. I felt compelled to think up a lie before Souma could tell that I was thinking up some story to tell him. He had a sharp sense for stories, probably because he told so many of his own.

"My mother is hosting a ball for me soon, for my 18th birthday." That was true, and the thought of going to it actually did bother me quite a bit. "She's going to have a bunch of suits there all dolled up and looking to date me. I want to just build a model of myself made out of money so they get what they want and I don't have to deal with it."

"Am I invited?"

"Of course you are. You're the only person that takes the money mongers off the trail. I'm pretty sure the whole school is invited, if not the whole town."

"Hmm. Well it won't be that bad, Himemiya. You'll have me and I'm sure after a few grand entrances and toasts you'll be able to sneak into the kitchen with me and eat the desserts early." He nudged me and I smiled, happy to have a friend like him for all these years of debutanting and such. Even if he didn't fill the hole in my heart, he was still my best friend and I knew how much he loved me. I wish sometimes that it could have been enough to have a friend like him, but I never tried to fool myself into thinking it was. I think Souma knew that too. "So where is your friend?"

I felt immediate dread sink into me when he asked. If he was sitting there with me he'd not only see Himeko but probably ask to hang out with us or do something else stupid like usual, so I couldn't have him there.

My eyes met his in an absolute panic and I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "She hates men. Absolutely hates them. You can't be here."

"Wait, what?" Souma began to laugh and I just shook my head at him, maintaining the stare.

"Dead serious. She had a traumatic man related experience when she was younger and she can't be faced with them directly. So, sorry Souma, you're gonna have to get on out of here before she comes."

"Are you just pulling my leg, Himemiya? You're afraid this girl will fall in love with my big brown eyes and amazing hair, aren't you? I can understand your concern, but I assure you it's unfounded. You know my heart belongs to Azumi."

Ah yes, Azumi. How could one forget Azumi? She was a beacon of grace and beauty with her voluminous, flowing white hair. She looked like a living angel, from the way she walked, always so carefully and light, as though the ground beneath her could give way any moment, to her delicate way of speaking so softly it was sometimes difficult to hear her. But when she laughed it was like bells calling to God and it uplifted all spirits around her. Azumi was quite the force to be reckoned with.

Souma had never spoken to her in his life. For the most popular boy in school with the highest GPA and test scores, he was not all that good when it came to girls. They flocked to him and he became too nervous to speak, which gave him the reputation of being the strong, silent type, but Azumi had never once even looked in his direction. That is why when he said his heart belonged to her I snorted and let out a good laugh. He frowned and stood up.

"Fine, Himemiya. I'm leaving." He pointed his finger at me. "But don't think just because your new friend is afraid of men that I'll be avoiding you or something. I mean, I'll try to keep my distance as to not scare her and I guess we'll have to start out slow, maybe with a few quick meetings like they do with dogs…" I stopped listening to him as soon as I saw Azai turn the corner, fiddling with her camera as usual. I got up quickly and pushed him out the door to the school while he was still lecturing me about something, and ran back inside to sit on the bench, practicing looking elegant. Those who followed Azai all bowed and stumbled over each other, greeting me with their big eyes and wide smiles all barely giggling out their, "Hello Miya-sama!"'s. I nodded and gave them my best princess smirk and continued waiting for Himeko. When I saw her my heart nearly stopped.

She was looking down and holding the new camera the club had assigned her. Her legs seemed to be gliding across the wooden floor as she paid no attention to the world around her. Her face scrunched up in confusion and she mouthed, "What?" a few times to herself, obviously unfamiliar with the new settings and buttons the thing had. Her silky hair swayed behind her in a rhythm similar to ocean waves. I was completely mesmerized by her every sweet step and my heart filled with warmth to see her so immersed in something she cared for with so much passion. Her eyes flicked up for a minute, I'm sure to keep her from bumping into the wall, and back down again before having noticed me sitting in front of her. With a swift toss over her shoulder, Himeko's camera found itself swinging against her back, and I found her running over to me with a humongous grin plastered to her face. I stood quickly and held out my arms, allowing her to launch herself into them.

"I love photography club, Chikane-chan!" She exclaimed in our embrace, engulfing me with her love. She scrambled to get down and reached around for her camera. Watching her spin around like an animal chasing its tail caused me to laugh and she did, too. "Look at this, though!" She managed to catch the thing and turn it on, and flicked through pictures of flowers and trees and some of her fellow photographers posing. "This camera lets you edit the pictures right on it, even though I'm not sure how…"

"These are fantastic, Himeko!" I declared, earning an even bigger smile from her.

"You really think so? Hajime said they were nothing special..."

"She's crazy. I would hang pictures like this up in my house, I promise you, they're that good. I'm sure other people would want to as well." Himeko pulled me in for another hug and sighed happily.

"It was so wonderful being there, Chikane-chan. They showed me how to develop pictures and take ones from different angles to make them look better. Everyone was really nice, except for Hajime of course but I think she probably just has a crush on you or something." She chuckled against me and I laughed weakly in return. Himeko pulled away and looked at me hard. "You don't like her, do you?"

"I've never really spoken to her aside from today." That seemed to please something inside her, so she fell back into smiling at me.

"Do you want to come to my house and have dinner, Chikane? I'm sure my parents would love to see you again."

My stomach jumped at the thought of re-meeting Himeko's parents. Sure, they loved me when I was seven, but what if time had changed them? What if they weren't impressed with teen princesses living in fancy mansions and driving limousines? I said yes anyway, though, somehow, and off Himeko and I went, in said limousine, to her old house.

"We're going to have to stop at my house first, I think," I told her. "My mother will want to know where I'm going, and she doesn't usually take a phone call as a proper announcement of one's plans. She's kind of insufferable."

"That's okay, Chikane, I don't mind seeing your mother again. It'll be exciting for me to get to be in your house after all this time. I'm looking forward to it."

Yeah, you might want to rethink that, Himeko, I thought, glancing at the bow in her hair.