Hey everyone! I'm back! Sorry for not updating. I'm computer fried! L Anyways, this is chapter four so please enjoy.

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At their usual coffee shop, Mikoto and Eri were sitting at a table talking about the latest gossip and other girl stuff with Imodori and Harima sitting with them. The young men looked less than interested in being there, but of course the girls paid no attention to their behavior.

"Hey, why don't we all go shopping on Sunday? I heard that awesome clothing store is going to have a sale that day," suggested Eri.

"Good idea. Oh, we should ask Tenma to come with us," said Mikoto. "She seemed pretty down lately. I don't want her to be alone that day."

"Oh, she won't be alone," said Imodori. Everyone stopped to look at him.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Mikoto. Imodori smirk and leaned closer into the center, eager to share this bit of gossip.

"Well, little Tenma Tsukamoto has a date on Sunday," he said. The other three teens jumped with surprise.

"You're kidding?!" the girls shouted. "With who?!"

"Heh, with Nara," said Imodori with certainty. The girls' jaws dropped. This was such a shocker! Tenma had a date with a boy! They weren't being mean by thinking that. It's just that, Tenma would have told them if something this big happened to her. But she just seemed gloomier.

"And how do you know this?" asked Eri to see if his sources were reliable.

"Because Nara came up to me for advice. Of course I gave him a few pointers," answered Imodori with pride. Harima's narrowed behind his black shades. He kicked Imodori hard from under the table. Imodori yelped and grabbed hold of his shin. Eri looked over at Harima who was just sipping his coffee. She decided to let it go since there was something more important at hand: Tenma.

"Amazing. So Tenma has a date on Sunday? I wonder why she didn't tell us?" wondered Mikoto.

"Don't know. Maybe she was just being shy about it. But I am curious now. We better talk to her," said Eri. Mikoto nodded her head in agreement. Harima, on the other hand, knew he had to talk to someone else about this incident.

:: Next Day ::

Asou was coming up the steps of the school. He was feeling exhausted. Last night he had to work overtime at the restaurant. Fortunately, it kept his mind off of Tenma. But now that he was at school, everything came flooding back. Even though today was a half-day, he still didn't want to be here. Asou let out a huge sigh as he stood at his locker. He took off his sneakers and began to put on his indoor shoes. Just then, he heard something slam against the lockers. He turned to see Harima leaning near him.

"Hey Harima," greeted Asou.

"What's this I hear about the twerp Nara and Tenma going out?" asked Harima in his famous stern tone. Asou's eyes widen. So, Harima knew about it too.

"Ten-, Tsukamoto can make her own choices. Just because you like a girl, doesn't mean she has to go out with you," defended Asou. Harima snorted.

"Don't give me that. I gave up my feelings for her because I figured you'd make her happier than I ever could. And you just let her go so easily? I thought you were a man." Asou narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, well I thought she liked me back, but she decided to go out with another guy. So what can I do? I can't force her to go out with me," said Asou. Harima snorted.

"Guess you don't have it in you. First you have to figure out the important questions: does she really like you and why did she agree to a date with another guy? Figure it out," he said. And with that, Harima took off. Asou was lost in thought. On one hand, Harima had a point. The other, was Tenma Tsukamoto worth all this turmoil? Asou had a lot to think over.

As first period came to an end, Tenma decided to clear her mind a bit. She went inside the girls' restroom to wash her face. As she splashed the cool water on to her face, she realized how far deep she actually gotten herself in with her agreement to go out with Nara. She just had to hope that she could keep this from her friends a little while longer. After she dried her face with her handkerchief, Tenma was being stared at by the three faces of her friends. Tenma stepped back a little.

"H-Hey, girls. What's up?" asked Tenma uneasily.

"Okay Tenma, spill," said Mikoto. Tenma gulped and smiled nervously.

"What are you talking about Mikoto?" asked Tenma.

"Oh, stop it. We want to know if it's true about you and Nara," said Eri. Tenma almost felt her heart stop. How did her friends find out? Did Nara tell them? Looking at her friends determined faces, Tenma knew there was no escape from this. She let out a sigh and decided to confess.

"Okay, okay. Nara asked me out . . .and I said yes." Somehow, her friends didn't feel that she was really excited about it.

"No offense, but this is a shocker," said Eri. "I mean, you and Nara? You didn't seem all that interested in him. Especially last year during our trip to the beach."

"What changed?" asked Akira. Tenma looked down and mumbled something.

"What was that?" asked Mikoto.

"He asked me out. A guy finally asked me out. Sure, he wasn't the guy that held my heart, but he saw me as a girl. And also, I saw something in him."

"And, what was it?" asked Eri.

"I saw my old self in him. The way he had a hopeful yet nervous look in his eyes. I know how hard it was for me to confess to Karasuma, so I know it must have taken a lot of courage for Nara to ask me out. I couldn't turn him down and have him feel the way I did when I got rejected. I couldn't do that to him," explained Tenma. Her friends looked at each other and back to her.

"But Tenma, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you'll end up leading him on," said Mikoto.

"I already said yes. And who knows, I might actually start to like him back," said Tenma. However, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than her friends.

After school, things still didn't feel right for Tenma. Tomorrow will be her date with Nara. She let a big sigh as she began to put her outdoor shoes on. She always thought that her first date would have made her happy. But since accepting, she had been more down than ever. Tenma knew why but didn't want to accept it.

"Tsukamoto!" someone called out. Tenma turned and saw Nara running up to her. She felt her breath hitch in her throat but smiled at him.

"Nara-kun, what's up?" she asked. Nara was too oblivious to notice her forced smile.

"Oh, not much. I'm just really excited for tomorrow," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Ha ha. Yeah, totally. I can't wait," she said. Tenma felt a knot in her stomach.

"Listen, I was wondering if you want to see the movie Nights of the Zombie. I heard it was a good movie," he suggested. Tenma wasn't really a horror movie person. But she just smiled on through.

"Sure. I don't mind. Let's go see it," she said. Nara nodded.

"Okay. Than we can got to that new hot dog stand. I think the hot dogs are tasty. So, we'll meet in uptown at one. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," said Tenma. Nara said his good-byes and skipped off away, leaving Tenma with a bucket of regret. A movie and going to get something to eat? That doesn't sound like much fun. At least when Asou took me out-. Suddenly, felt her body go numb. Asou! The reason for her heartbreak. She felt horrible for going out with someone else while she still held feelings for him.

"Tenma?" she heard behind her. She felt her heart skip a beat. She knew that voice! She slowly turned around to come face to face with Hiroyoshi Asou, the boy who made her ache. She hoped that he did not see her and Nara together.

"H-Hello, Asou-kun," she said softly. Asou looked at her.

"Tenma," he answered. She looks so small, he thought. "So, you and Nara are really going out, huh?" Tenma felt like running away, but her feet wouldn't budge.

"Um, yeah. He asked me out, so I said yes," she murmured looking down at her feet. Asou felt a sting in his chest when he heard that from her.

"Oh. So . . .do you like him?" It was hard for Asou to ask that.

"Uh, no . . .yes . . . I don't know. I mean, it complicated," said Tenma. Asou needed to know her exact answer. He placed his hands on her shoulders to will her to look at him.

"Tenma, do you really want to be with him?" he asked. When Tenma looked into his eyes, she saw a longing that she never saw in him. It was as if his eyes were trying to tell her something. Tenma felt the need to be embraced by him. Just then, she remembered what he had said to his classmates. Despair filled her and quickly stepped back.

"I . . . I have to go!" Tenma quickly turned around and took off. Asou was left looking at her fleeting form. He was even more confused. Just for a moment, he saw something in Tenma's eyes. Something in them seemed to be begging for him. Now, Asou couldn't shake this off. He knew Suga was right. He had to do something soon.

:: Next Day ::

Tenma was walking along the sidewalk in a slow manner. For some reason, the movie theatre seemed a lot farther than before. She stopped at a crosswalk. The next block up was the location in which she was going to have her date. Tenma had the urge to turn around and run away. To run towards a certain café where her sister worked or a certain Chinese restaurant where . . . She knew that there was no way out of this. When the light turned green, Tenma took a deep breath and walked on forward. It was only going to be for a few hours. She could do this. And soon enough, she had reached the movie theatre.

"Tsukamoto!" Tenma saw Nara waving at her. She saw that he was wearing blue jeans, a red shirt, and a loose jacket. Tenma looked down at her attire. She was wearing a violet skirt and a yellow sweater. She felt that it was appropriate. Tenma walked up to Nara.

"Tsukamoto, you made it. You look really cute," he said.

"Um, thank you, Nara-kun," she said. Nara smiled even more.

"So, shall we get going?" Tenma looked at the post of the movie they would be watching. It illustrated a zombie man crawling out of his grave. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah. Let's go," she said. Nara nodded and led her into the theatre.

For the next two hours, Tenma sat through the movie. She cringed every time the zombie caught his victim and ate the body. There were some parts in which she felt she was going to vomit. Nara seemed like he didn't have a care in the world. He was too fascinated in the film to notice Tenma's discomfort. However, half-way through the movie, Nara tried to take a hold of Tenma's hand. Tenma, however, pretended to sneeze in it. That made Nara rethink his move.

After the movie, the two left the theatre and walked two blocks. There, Nara led Tenma to a hot dog stand. They waited in line for twenty minutes before they were able to get to the counter. During that time, Nara was telling Tenma the parts of the movie that he found interesting. Tenma just nodded her head and forced out smiles. When they got their hot dogs, Tenma looked at it and then at Nara who was happily eating his.

This feels strange. I'm not really enjoying myself, yet, Nara-kun looks like he's having a good time, she thought. Tenma took a bite of her hot dog but instead of tasting the delicious frank and bun, she tasted a bitter metallic feeling in her mouth.

After an hour or so of looking through a nearby music store, Tenma decided that it was time to say farewell. She looked at Nara and smiled lightly.

"Well, thanks for the good time, Nara-kun," said Tenma.

"Oh, you're leaving?" asked a surprised Nara.

"Yeah. I need to check up with Yakumo today. She's working at the café," she said. It wasn't a lie. She need to see her sister. Tenma hoped that being with her will put her at ease.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school," said Nara with disappointment on his face.

"Uh-huh. And thanks again, Nara-kun," said Tenma. She turned around and went on her way. When she knew it was safe, Tenma let out a sigh of relief. It was so hard to keep up face. She had to get away. She walked to a bus stop and waited for the bus. When it arrived, she boarded and waited patiently to get to the coffee shop. After twenty minutes, she got off at her stop and into the café. She scanned the area and found no sign of her sister. Tenma walked up to owner.

"Excuse me. Is Yakumo still here?" she asked. The manager shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. She got off only an hour ago," he said. Tenma sighed in disappointment.

"Well, thanks anyway," she said. Tenma left the eatery and decided to head on home. She needed some peace of mind. How could her life be so messed up now? What went wrong? Tenma knew the answer. It had to do with the tall, athletic, handsome boy that had been haunting her thoughts. But, she just couldn't face him. Not after what he'd said about her to his classmates. But, then why was he so desperate to talk to her recently? Nothing makes sense anymore. Without realizing it, she found herself in the front of her house. Tenma opened the door to her house to find it dark inside.

"Yakumo, I'm home," she called out. She received no answer. Tenma was now curious to the whereabouts of her younger sister. Where was she when she needed comfort? She walked into the kitchen and turned on the lights. On the table was a plate full of curry. Beside it was it note. Tenma picked up the note and read it.

Dear Nee-san,

I went over to Sara's to study. I might be back late. I left this plate of shrimp curry for you. Heat it up if you get hungry.

-Yakumo

Tenma placed the note back down and stared at the plate. Even though she knew her stomach was empty, she didn't really have an appetite. She walked out of the kitchen and into the next room. She noticed the door to the outside was open. Something drew Tenma to the portico. As she stepped out, she saw Iori sleeping in the center. She picked up the black cat, which gave an annoyed meow, and placed him on her lap. Tenma leaned against the post and looked up at the endless number of stars.

Yakumo, at this time, was just entering through the front door. She said she was going over to Sara's but she really was over at Harima's, helping him with his manuscript. She wondered if her sister had come home yet. She called out for her sister but received no answer. Yakumo came to wonder if her sister was still out. She looked at her watch and saw that it was seven past ten. Yakumo became worried. She walked into the kitchen and noticed that the light was on. Yakumo remembered that she turned all of the lights off. Investigating further through the house, Yakumo spotted her sister outside. She was about to call out to her when she noticed Tenma looking a little gloomy.

"Oh, Iori. Do you think I can find a guy that will make me truly happy?" asked Tenma while petting the purring cat. Yakumo heard her sister's words and felt helpless to help her.

"Oh, Nee-san." Yakumo could only wish for her sister's happiness. But, she knew that she wasn't the one to give it to her.

So what did you all think? I know I'm taking awhile but hey, I'm trying. So anyways, please review.