A/N: This chapter was supposed to be a fast update because I wrote most of it simultaneously with the previous one. Unfortunately keeping Soujiroh in character proved tricky (hopefully I succeeded crosses fingers) so this took a little longer than I expected. At any rate, here it is now. Enjoy!
Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far—I appreciate the comments and I'm glad people are enjoying the story so far. :)

Disclaimer: Hana Yori Dango? Mine? I think not.

That Kind of Girl

Part IV : Learning to Grow

"Hey Soujiroh," Akira said, walking into the tea room. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

Soujiroh closed his eyes and wondered if this had been a mistake. If he couldn't even figure out himself, how could Akira possibly help?"

Akira looked at him with some degree of concern. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know…" Soujiroh muttered.

To his amazement, Akira suddenly grinned and pointed at him. "Ah! It's Yuki-chan, isn't it?"

Soujiroh sat bolt upright and stared, "Well…that is…but…eh?"

Akira sat down with a self-satisfied expression on his face. "Yuki called Tsukushi, who called me and told me to call Yuki and talk to her myself because I know you better than she does."

Once Soujiroh had unraveled Akira's grammar, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hug Akira or punch him. "Well…?" he asked.

Akira was enjoying his moment. "Well? She didn't really tell me anything that you probably don't already know. So what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

Akira looked at him keenly. "Soujiroh, you have never followed a girl home on your bike before. Nor have you told them to call you Soujiroh."

Soujiroh bowed his head.

"Are you playing games? Is this some new ploy to attract girlfriends?" Akira frowned at him. "I didn't think you would do this to Yuki…you've said before she's not your type."

"No!" Soujiroh was more emphatic than he meant to be. "That's not what I'm doing." He was at a loss to explain what it was that he was doing, though.

Akira's eyes widened. "Do you actually…like her?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Soujiroh's head flopped back down to his chest. "I don't…know."

"Wait…wait…" Akira was looking more and more excited. "Soujiroh? For real? Your playboy days are over?"

"You forget I'm engaged," Soujiroh said dryly. "I shouldn't be spending time with other women."

Akira waved away his objections. "Your engagement is no more real than Tsukasa's engagement to Shigeru-san. He was the heir of a major company and he got out of his engagement. You'll certainly be able to get out of yours. Soujiroh, do you want to spend time with Yuki-chan?"

Soujiroh couldn't stop his head from nodding. "Yes."

Akira chuckled. "Then spend time with her."

"But…everyone will misinterpret…"

"So? Let them. You'll be enjoying yourself, right? You haven't seemed very happy the past few times I've seen you." Akira punched his knee. "Go hang out with her! Have a good time! Who cares what other people think?"

Soujiroh knew that he really wanted to follow Akira's advice. But he just couldn't bring himself to admit that. He decided to avoid the issue and return to his original question. "What did Yuki say about me to Tsukushi?"

"Ask her yourself." Akira got up and headed for the door. "See ya."

"Wait! Akira!" But Akira didn't turn around and Soujiroh was left muttering to himself about friends who dropped confusing hints and didn't explain themselves.

o-o-o

That night, Soujiroh had a dream about Sara. It was their last meeting, but not the painful revelation of her affection or her fiancé. Rather it was the part of the conversation…

"About Yuki-chan."

"Eh?"

"She's a very wonderful girl, huh? It appears she really likes you a lot, Jiroh. It'd be hard to find someone who would care about you so genuinely. I think you should cherish her."

In his dream, Soujiroh heard the words just as Sara had said them over a year ago and then somehow there was an image of him riding on his bike with a girl behind him but the girl definitely wasn't Sara…

Soujiroh woke with a start. Even his dreams were conspiring against him. Why couldn't someone in the universe tell him to forget her and move on with his life, like his friends?

Maybe she's part of the life you should be moving on to, a sly voice whispered in rebuttal.

o-o-o

Soujiroh stopped walking around his room and realize he'd spent the past fifteen minutes walking in circles, stewing over Yuki. He needed to get out and do something. Unfortunately he couldn't think of anything he really wanted to do besides seeing Yuki. And yet it would be an awkward and confusing meeting. He didn't want to see her at all, really. Ever again. He could avoid her for the rest of his life, right?

"Enough," he finally said to himself. He couldn't avoid her. The ache in his gut wouldn't let him. He would go to the dango shop. It would be a good place to start. He could spend some time with her while she worked and then they could do something. If she wasn't interested or it was terribly awkward, he could just buy something and leave.

"Coward," the inner voice hissed in his ear.

"Whatever," Soujiroh muttered, grabbing his keys.

The bell rang as Soujiroh entered the shop.

He heard Yuki's voice in the back shout "I'll be right there. Please wait, thank you!"

Soujiroh quickly surveyed the shop. Perhaps some things in his world hadn't changed. There were still the same sweets on the counter, the same bamboo plant in the corner, the same bench where he and Akira had eaten many sweets and discussed the exasperating but ever-entertaining antics of their best friends.

Yuki came bustling out from the back room. "Sorry for the wait, how can I…oh." She immediately blushed and looked down at the counter.

Soujiroh stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away. He could handle this kind of scene with any other girl…why did she have to be so difficult?

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," Yuki managed. Then looking around, she whispered, "Nishikado…I mean, um, Soujiroh-san. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood and…"

Soujiroh had never been so nervous about asking out a girl in his life. This was Yuki, for crying out loud. She was a girl; he'd dealt with them before. All he had to do was open his mouth and say it.

"Yuki-chan?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you'd want to go out somewhere with me after you're done working."

Yuki looked utterly astonished. "Eh?"

"Or not…" Soujiroh sighed, turning away from the counter.

"No, no!" Yuki's hand grabbed his sleeve. "I'd love to go somewhere. I'm done in an hour, can you wait that long?"

"Yes. I'll wait here if you don't mind."

Yuki smiled happily and shook her head. As she went into the back of the store, Soujiroh sat down in the shop's chair, amazed at how giddy he felt. What was he, five years old?

It was at least an hour until five but the time passed quickly to Soujiroh. Yuki brought him a complimentary sweet and he munched away, watching her work through half-closed eyes. She was not a beautiful girl and yet his eyes wouldn't leave her as she walked around the shop, wiping counters and arranging sweets. Whenever she caught him watching her, she blushed and smiled and Soujiroh felt himself smiling in response. He wondered why he hadn't come back to the shop sooner.

As the clock chimed five, Yuki walked out from behind the counter in her street clothes and stood in front of Soujiroh, face beaming.

"Where are we going?"

"Oh, some favorite place of mine."

Yuki frowned as she left the shop and saw only Soujiroh's bike in the street.

"How are we getting there?" she inquired, peering at Soujiroh's face.

"Well…you know, I, um, brought an extra helmet today," Soujiroh said casually. He carefully avoided looking at Yuki. "I was wondering if you wanted to ride with me."

There was an extended pause. Finally Soujiroh risked a glance at Yuki and saw her eyes brimming with something that looked suspiciously like tears.

"What's this? Are you crying?" he asked incredulously. "Geez…"

"No. That's not it," Yuki said, firmly. But her bowed head and blinking eyes belied her statement. After a moment, she raised her head and looked at Soujiroh, wiping her eyes. "I am not crying."

Watching her, Soujiroh felt a laugh bubble up inside of him. Then he saw Yuki's mouth twitch and both of them burst out laughing like little kids.

"Do you cry whenever a guy asks you to go somewhere with him?" he teased, as he picked up the helmets from his bike.

"Only when I'm afraid I could fall off his bike and he wouldn't notice," she countered.

Soujiroh laughed and put his extra helmet on her head. "If you don't stop crying, you won't get any more motorcycle rides with me. I only take girls who smile." He tightened the chin strap and patted the top of the helmet. "Got it?"

"Yeah." Yuki's smile couldn't be contained by the helmet on her head.

Soujiroh knew that his uncontrollable grin was foolish enough to match Yuki's as he got on his bike and felt her get on behind him, head pressed against his back and arms around his waist.

Compared to his last ride "with" Yuki, this one was unbelievably short. Soujiroh could have sworn that every light in Tokyo was green, so that they got to the ocean view in no time at all. He parked the bike and they began walking on the hill above the sand. They were mostly quiet, occasionally talking about their friends, or the views from the beach. It was only as they were walking back, nearing his bike, that Yuki brought up what they had both been avoiding.

"It feels strange to have you visit me and go somewhere," Yuki began. "I was always the one calling you. You were always the popular Nishikado of the F4 and I was just…Yuki. Tsukushi's friend."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" The polite question was out of Soujiroh's mouth before he could stop it and he now dreaded the answer.

"Oh, no!" Yuki grabbed his arm and shook him slightly. "I'm so glad you came by. It's wonderful to be here with you, Soujiroh." She smiled as she said his name. "It's just…" Her face grew more serious and thoughtful.

"What's wrong, Yuki?"

"I appreciate you coming to visit and the ride and…everything. Everything, Soujiroh. This memory will always be precious to me. But I can't help feeling a little sad because I know it won't last. No matter how I feel, you'll go on with your life…you'll get married and have kids and take over the family business and we'll be apart, just like with all our other friends."

Soujiroh was unable to speak, the same melancholy coursing through his heart. Suddenly a life where he couldn't see Yuki whenever he wanted, a life where he wasn't free to be with her alone seemed terribly lonely. In fact, he realized that lately he had been envisioning a future that included seeing a lot of Yuki indefinitely…and most certainly did not included getting married to someone else.

"Soujiroh…"

"Yes?"

Yuki had put on her brave face and faced the ocean. "What is she like, your fiancé?"

Soujiroh put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. Not looking at Yuki, he replied, "I don't really know her very well. I've only seen her a few times. She's pretty, I guess. She's very quiet though, and reserved. Does exactly what everyone tells her to do. We'll get along, I suppose, but I don't think we'll ever make each other happy."

Yuki nodded slowly. "Perhaps you just need some time to get to know her. I was very shy once too. It was hard for me to open up to people. She is probably just afraid of you because she doesn't know you."

Soujiroh could hear the emotion in Yuki's voice. He didn't need it spelled out for him. She liked him…well, maybe she did. But she didn't want to impose on him again and so she was lying. Lying for his sake.

There was no way that a casual guy like him could deserve that degree of loyalty and kindness.

"Yuki…" Soujiroh sighed. "Remember the day I beat up Nakatsuka?"

"Of course." She laughed a little. "I don't think I could ever forget it."

"I remember calling you my favorite girl then," Soujiroh said. Grabbing her hand, he pulled it in front of him and held it tight. "You know, it's still true."