"...!!" For lack of words that would ever describe or articulate her sudden want, she only flushed a bright red, and clasped both arms around herself, both hands clinging to her shoulder. Eyes wide with surprised embarrassment, she bit down hard on the inside of her lip to suppress a shriek, and then very coldly,"Get out. Now."

Ren bit back a retort at the order, and retreated with haste. When he slammed the door shut, his face was red, and his heart was thundering. Something about that guy in there made him nervous... made him feel... weird.

He peeled off the door with the blush still on his face as he returned to writing. His heart palpitated and his mind whirled nervously.

What the hell is wrong-

.x.

She settled back into the tub, the shower forgotten as she massaged her scalp soothingly and laughed nervously, quietly to herself.

No worries, he saw nothing.

Nothing at all! ...Now, for that shower...

.x.

-with me?

There was something about that boy there that irked him, something that just made him too nervous.He felt too weird, and the image of Shiroe in there nearly fully undressed just sent images flying through his mind. He turned even redder and shoved them away. He was a boy, a boy, a boy. Shiroe was a boy, a guy. not a-a...a girl. Why then did he just-

-click.

He glanced up at the sound of the door opening. Then glanced down almost as quickly as Shiroe came stepping out of the shower in her track clothes; the sleeveless pale blue shirt that was weird and loose, and the shorts, that were really short, just to prevent friction and movement restriction. He still had the towel draped over his hair, the pale coloured towel made her bronzed hair seem bold and dark. Although he would rather die than admit it, Shiroe was one serious bishounen. Hao was alluring, a beauty in his way, but this school-boy had more of a... feminine appeal than him. Ren swallowed back a blush, and narrowly risked choking.

"I didn't know we had to do journaling," now he had both hands on the table, and his form was curved over in the left side of his vision range. He had had his head somewhat lower, scrutinizing at the report no doubt. The towel draped on his hair was brushing against Ren's cheek, he shifted away quickly, nervously. "Errgh, I hate homework, nevermind." Shiroe straightened, and threw the towel over her chair, stretched, and turned.

"You coming?"

"Where?"

"Running."

"...No."

.x.

The feeling of the wind rushing past through her hair felt good, she sighed as she stopped half-way and breathed in deep as she stretched her thin arms toward the sky. Waving them in a circle, she finally let them drop to her sides. With a sudden halting breath, she turned her attention to the sand pit at the far end. She bent her knees, tensing them before she sprang forward, racing as fast as a deer could bound, she dashed, and then once her foot crossed the wooden line, she launched herself across-

"Shiroe."

"Huh-AGHCK-!" she glanced to the side, and landed face-first and flat on the sand half-way through her jump.

Saburou was grinning at her from her left. "Yo," he said smoothly as his cousin plucked herself from the sand, and dusted it out of her hair, eyes and everywhere else, face scrunching as she spat out a mouthful of the very fine gravel. "Accepted into Track eh?"

"Yeah, urgh, sand tastes..eww," she said, distractedly,"I was trained for cross-country anyway... Pft, now why did you come?"

"Well, I always walk around these parts," Shiroe could not tell if he was lying or not,"and anyway, I would like to tell you that there is a Language Proficiency Test tomorrow for our level. Be sure to study."

"WHAT?! B-but!"

"Goodness, it's ten already! Ja, sayonara!"

"M-matte!! What the hell are you saying about the test? Waait!" wailing, she ran after her cousin, who by some means managed to vanish from view within the next five minutes.

But not before Shiroe spotted that smug smirk-like smile on his face as he turned back half-way.

"DARN YOU!"

.x.

"Shiroe."

"Go 'way."

"It's 6.30am you loser. Wake up."

"No wan'na," she turned over, and pulled the pillow tight over her head, squeezing her eyes shut,"I don't want to go for the Test."

"Wake up," Ren snapped, "You're irritating me."

"Go 'way."

"I'll get detention if I can't get you to wake up for school on time!"

"Get d'tention. Sch'l starts at 7.20 anyway... I c'nted, it'll take me 6 min'ates to sprin' 'ere, now go 'way," she mumbled, and pulled her blanket up to her chin drowsily."'night."

Impatient, and having been warned to make sure to keep Shiroe away from being late or risk detention, Ren yanked the blanket off her, along with the window, then threw the windows open. Sunlight streamed in rays, like bright arrows, illuminating the room with light.

"ow"

"Get. Up. Now."

She sat up, one eye half-closed in sleep with her hair tousled and in her eyes as she blinked and descended the stairs in her loose sleeping shirt and shorts, one hand rubbing her eye and the other holding her raised forearm. "Going," she offered drowsily, and she wheeled off to one side unsteadily with a still half-spinning head, and after retrieving her clothes, stumbled to the bathroom, her head nearly colliding into the door as she opened it, she pitched in like a ship on rough water.

The door slammed.

"I'm going!"

"... The water heater!" There was a screech of cold water assailing the occupant,"ARGH!"

Normally, he would have rolled his eyes, maybe say something sarcastic, but this time, he couldn't take it, the irony, the silliness...

He laughed, mirthful laughter escaping from him.

"Shutup! This is not funny!" came the hostile cry, and the student hid his amusement behind a cough, and regained his regular expression.


Sorry about the time lapse between this and the last chapter. And the quality too come to think of it. I never expected life to hit a rough patch and that I'd have to flounder really long in. Well anyway, I'm back.

-Riviea