Aki: I was reading Pandora Hearts (a great manga by Jun Mochizuki) and there were these two characters (named Break and Sharon) who reminded me very much of Yahiro and Megumi. Break's character description went off like this, "...polite on the surface but actually rude. An arrogant and strange person who loves to tease others." That sounded very much like Yahiro that I ended up laughing over it for a few minutes. I could imagine Yahiro being loyal to Megumi like how Break is to Sharon IF they become a real couple~ Anyway, here's chapter 6.

.maybe definitely.

.chapter 6.

It wouldn't budge.

No matter how hard she pushed and pulled the small eraser-button on her eraser board to make the words 'Break up with Yahiro' vanish, it wouldn't budge at all.

It would not budge even a little; unfortunately, it was stuck. So, the unwanted words were left visible upon the eraser board.

Megumi sighed in frustration as she stared helplessly at the bold words that occupied the board. It had been hours ago since she had found the said thing in a paper bag that was placed upon the door of the SA greenhouse. Right now, in the middle of the night, she sat in one of the fluffy carpets on her room, trying her best to unstuck the button and have the eraser board erase the words.

She wished to make the words gone not because it bothered her (well, it bothered her a lot), but because she was worried how the rest of the SA would react if they read it. When she told them that she had already found her beloved belonging, Megumi was fortunate enough that letting them see the back part of the board satisfied them already; although Jun, Akira, and Hikari asked her whether it was really the one she lost because of the forced smile and the nervousness placidly stuck on her face after finding the eraser board. On the other hand, Kei gave her a momentary suspicious look, Ryuu worriedly glance at her, and Tadashi shrugged his shoulders before congratulating her.

She should have been happy upon finding Yahiro's first gift to her; well, she was kind of happy. But the words written on her board had given her very unsettling feelings.

Who could have done it? Who would have wanted her to break up with Yahiro?

Megumi's frown deepened as her eyes narrowed at the written words.

Break up with Yahiro? For goodness sake, she was not even on a real relationship with that brat.

The brunette heaved out another sigh while trying to push the small eraser-button, but to no avail. To make matters worse, the pen that was specially made to write on the eraser board was missing. She had thought of using the pen to scribble over the board just to unable everyone from seeing it.

Maybe she just had to buy a new eraser board and used its pen to to shade over the 'Break up with Yahiro'.

Deciding that it was the only way she could hide the message from the SA members, Megumi placed the board inside a drawer and tucked herself into bed. Tomorrow, she would go and find an eraser board.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Cork boards, drawing boards, white boards... Shouldn't be the eraser board be grouped with these items?

Megumi looked over at the other side of the shelf to see if there was any eraser board available at the school supplies shop that she had just entered. The moment their class had ended (not that there were any real classes going on in SA), Megumi had immediately left the greenhouse with her eraser board hidden in the depths of her school bag. She could have had ordered somebody among their servants to buy the stuff for her, but she feared that her getting another eraser board would reach her brother's knowledge. She did not want to make more lies if ever Jun asked her why she had asked for another board.

Looking from left to right, from one shelf to another, Megumi searched for an eraser board. Finally seeing the part where the boards where placed, Megumi brightened and begun to reach for one. As she was doing so, someone else tried to reach for an eraser board but immediately halted for some reasons.

"You?"

Realizing that the question was directed at her, Megumi's attention turned to the guy who was standing beside her and she, too, stopped from grabbing an eraser board. Her eyebrows creased in confusion as she stared back at the black haired lad who was looking at her with a mildly surprised look. His pretty stoic face was awfully familiar, but she couldn't quite remember where or when she had seen that face.

"What?" The lad raised an eyebrow. "Didn't recognize me?"

That voice! Megumi hastily reached for her magic slate and scribbled, 'Prince-kun?!'

"Tch." It seemed like Dieu's singer was back into his moody self as he averted his gaze back to the shelves. Were it not for his voice, Megumi would have completely failed to realize that it was none other than their composer. Compared to how he usually had his hair brushed up (like on Dieu's posters and music videos, and like the first time she saw him in person), Prince's hair at that moment was left down, his rather long bangs framing his face; it was a completely different look compared to the usual.

'You're going to buy an eraser board?' After Megumi showed these words at him, Prince's face immediately reddened.

"NO!" He took a step back and he looked from one side to another as if hastily searching for something. Well, he was indeed planning to buy an eraser board. After seeing how Megumi lessened the strain on her throat by completely saving it for the purpose of singing, Prince also wanted to try and use writing to communicate. He planned on buying an eraser board just so he wouldn't be compared to Megumi who was using a magic slate to 'talk' (he did not have any idea that she also used an eraser board). However, this girl did not need to know any of that. "I was just... I was just going to buy..." He kept looking around and immediately grabbed the nearest item just so to make an excuse. "I'm here to buy an ink stamp!"

Megumi sweat dropped; he was obviously lying. Grabbing an eraser board for herself, and another one for Prince, the brunette smiled at the lad and handed him one of the boards before she begun heading to the cashier with Prince scowling behind her. He convinced himself that it was because of Megumi's stubbornness (no, she wasn't really being stubborn) that he was going to buy this eraser board, and not because he really wanted to use it as a means of communication. Well, since Megumi had seen him buy that stuff, he decided that he would not really use the eraser board; he did not wish to appear like a copy-cat.

"And you," Prince begun with a grumpy tone, "why are you buying an eraser board?" Didn't Yahiro already buy her a magic slate the other day? And speaking of that guy… "And where is Yahiro?" Prince asked as he looked around, trying to see if the pink haired lad was somewhere around.

Megumi stiffened at his questions. What was she supposed to answer to those questions? She couldn't possibly tell him the truth about her eraser board. And Yahiro… she did not really wish to see him at any moment soon because there was the big chance that he might find out about the message on her board (which was the reason why she immediately left school on fear that Yahiro might come barging on the greenhouse unannounced, like he usually did). Not that it would matter that much to him… Well, she knew that Yahiro was nosy enough to try and find out who wrote that message to her; however, she did not want to trouble him about something as trivial as this.

Not really wanting to lie to a person she idolized, Megumi just decided to change the topic. 'I've already written the lyrics for the song.' Megumi forced a smile and wrote again. ' I have it in my bag on the package counter.'

Prince looked at her for a while; it was very obvious that she was hiding something. Fortunately for Megumi, the singer of Dieu decided not to pry on her matters.

"Show it to me after we pay for these."

x.x.x.x.x.x

"Is that so? Okay, I understand." With that, Yahiro ended the call and pressed the red button on his cell phone. Placing back the phone on the pocket of his pants, the young heir of the Saiga continued his stroll. He had decided to spend the rest of the day walking around the town thinking that it could probably help him think a bit clearer. For this afternoon, Yahiro was trying to solve the mystery behind Megumi's eraser board. It was rather suspicious, how the eraser board had been found on the Hakusen grounds when it was supposedly lost within Kokusen. Sakura had been very sure that it was still with her when she had rode their car to school (she had double-checked it).

To make matters more puzzling, the Saiga Information Department (aka SID), the group which was supposedly be able to know ANYTHING and EVRYTHING, has still not found the identity of the person who took the eraser board from Sakura's bag, and then who returned it to SA's greenhouse. Truly, very suspicious.

He and Sakura had been surprised when Jun had called to inform them that the eraser board was already found. Sakura had been happy to help Jun, but Yahiro had only ended up becoming more wary. It was because of this suspicion that Yahiro ordered the people from the SID to do their best and find out the 'culprit.' He was convinced that the person behind the loss of Megumi's eraser board and its sudden emergence was planning something more.

The young lad continued his slow stride as he glanced at the deli café on his right side, wondering briefly if it would be better to think over these stuffs while having a hot drink. Deciding that he was not on the mood of staying still on one place, Yahiro passed the café and turned to the other street. He was thinking of going to Hakusen since there were more chances that he would figure out something THERE rather than what he was doing here on the middle of the town. He knew that fact very well, however, Yahiro did not really want to see the brunette. He really did not wish to spend more time with her because he was sure that being with her would only give him those weird feelings.

Those weird feelings that made him feel warm inside.

Narrowing his eyes, Yahiro looked on his right side as he passed by the park where Megumi had confessed her feelings to him. If she had those real feelings for him, was it right for them to keep on their fake relationship…? Wasn't he hurting her by acclaiming that she was his girlfriend, when in all honesty, she wasn't?

Maybe it would be better for the two of them if this lie---

His thoughts were cut off when his phone begun to vibrate. Reaching for it and looking at its LCD, Yahiro rose an eyebrow upon seeing Prince's name. "Yes?" He answered the caller's greeting with a fake smile although the person on the other line couldn't see it. He held the phone on his right one and continued walking towards the crossing lane. "Why would the great black Prince be calling me?"

x.x.x.x.x.x

To say that Megumi was flabbergasted would have been an understatement. Why on heaven's name was Prince suddenly calling to Yahiro??

"Stop it with the sarcastic remarks, Yahiro." Prince replied in a deadpanned voice, completely oblivious of the blue aura surrounding Megumi. The two of them were currently standing in front of the fountain near the shop where they bought the eraser boards. On her left hand was the paper bag that contained her new eraser board and her magic slate, while on the other hand was another bag that had her old eraser board (as well as the unwanted message). Megumi had just handed Prince the notebook where she had written the lyrics and she had thought that she and Prince would be sitting on some café or something so they could discuss the lyrics together. To her utmost surprise, Prince had suddenly announced that he was calling Yahiro. Before she could even stop him, the black haired lad had already started talking with the annoying brat (his hands were quite quick).

"Anyway, where are you right now?" Prince's voice snapped Megumi back to reality. She, too, wondered where her false boyfriend was. She watched Prince as his face scrunched up on whatever Yahiro said on the other line. "Ugh, stop wasting time by teasing me. You're not doing anything important now, right?"

x.x.x.x.x.x

Yahiro stopped on his tracks as he reached the crossing lane, not because the traffic light signaled 'stop,' but because of who was on the other side of the lane. From where he stood, he could see the black haired lad that he was talking to on the phone. And beside him, was none other than the brunette who had been bugging his thoughts.

"Yahiro? Are you still there?" Prince's irked voice sounded from Yahiro's phone. Megumi was spending the afternoon with Prince? A young girl who had a very pleasant voice, and a popular lad who composed very great songs; wouldn't those two be a good match?

Somewhere from her right side, Megumi noticed a familiar figure. Turning her head, she spotted Yahiro standing across the road, looking at her directly. The brunette felt shivers ran on her spines. Just when she did not wish to see him…

"Sorry, Prince---" Yahiro finally replied and directed his usual smirk towards Megumi. Though the brunette did not clearly see the smirk plastered on his face, Yahiro's presence was more than enough to make Megumi twitch. What was that brat doing there? "---but I'm pretty busy right now."

"Busy with what?" Prince doubted that what the pink haired lad was saying was the truth. Hearing what Prince said, Megumi averted her gaze to her companion before looking back at Yahiro. Busy? He was right there on the other side of the road—Wait, was he lying to Prince…?

Yahiro simply huffed as a reply before smiling synthetically. With that, he ended the call and turned his back to Megumi.

"What the---" Prince grumbled after Yahiro hung up on him. He was glaring on the phone before noticing how Megumi was worriedly looking at the other side of the road. Following her gaze, Prince was just in time to spot a pink haired lad heading away from them. Gazing back at Megumi, Dieu's singer smirked.

"Why not just go and chase him?" It was more of an order than a suggestion, actually. Megumi stared at Prince with a confused look before nodding with a gentle, thankful smile. In a second, Megumi was already running towards the direction that Yahiro took.

Watching as the brunette soon disappeared in the crowd, Prince exasperatingly sighed. If they were in a lover's quarrel, they could have just said so.

x.x.x.x.x.x

Just a week ago, it had been her who was doing her best to escape from Yahiro. Right now, it seemed that they had switched places; this time, she was the one trying to run after him. Why Yahiro was doing this, she wanted to find out.

Sure, she said herself that she planned to see Yahiro anytime soon because of the written message on her eraser board. However, her curiosity and worry got the better of her. Besides, when someone was obviously running away from you, you could not help but try your best and catch that someone.

Yahiro took a peek behind him and narrowed his eyes as he could still spot a certain brown haired girl somewhere behind him. Why on earth was she following him? Noticing as how Megumi was already slowing her pace out of tiredness, Yahiro sadistically smiled and picked up on his pace.

Let's see how long that brunette could follow him.

But before he could even take a step or two after that thought, something hard hit his head.

Surprised and annoyed at the unexpected attack, Yahiro stopped on his tracks and turned around only to see that Megumi had just thrown one of her paper bags towards him. "You dare---!"

His words were cut by the horrified look on Megumi's face. What? Following Megumi's gaze which were directed on the ground where her paper bag landed, Yahiro found out that the thing that hit his head was none other than the eraser board that he gave to Megumi.

Taking a step towards it, Yahiro felt something tightened on his chest as the words written on Megumi's board became clearly visible to him. Before Megumi could even stop him, Yahiro had already leaned and picked the eraser board, a serious expression hovering on his face.

" 'Break up with Yahiro.' "

Megumi did not move from her spot, the flabbergast on her face clearly visible. He just found out.

Yahiro remained staring at the eraser board; the handwriting used to write the message did not belong to Megumi nor to anyone close to him. Whoever wrote this was probably the same person who took the eraser board yesterday. As he tried to erase the message, Yahiro learned that the eraser button did not bulge from where it was. Heh, did the culprit want to have these words left evident?

He averted his eyes towards Megumi. Seeing how nervous she was softened his glare.

"No one else had seen this?"

She shook her head as a reply to his question. "I didn't want anyone to see this…" Megumi answered in a meek voice, casting her eyes downwards. Noticing the other eraser board on the paper bag still held on Megumi's hand, Yahiro reached for it and begun opening it.

Megumi watched as Yahiro took the special drawing pen from her new possession and used it to shade over the words.

Someone was wishing that he and Megumi break apart? Whoever did this, Yahiro was going to find out for himself.

.tsuzuku.

Aki: So, have any guesses on who's the culprit? I made sketch of Tarou and Prince; link on my profile, if anyone is interested… Review…?