Themes (so far…):

Kumiko ~ Take It or Leave It - Cage the Elephant

Hazuki ~ Gonna Get Over You - Sara Bareilles

Shuichi ~ Miss Missing You - Fall Out Boy

~ Chapter 9 ~

"When are you going to tell her about your feelings, Oumae-san?"

The question rang in Kumiko's ears as if he had shouted them. She was sure he had, because surely she had never heard his voice so loudly.

Along with the ringing in her ears, the red-head's face was burning as if he had slapped her as well. Had he slapped her too? No. That wasn't possible, she was still facing away from him.

"Oumae-san?"

Kumiko jumped and squared her shoulders, finally processing the question fully - and registering the heat on her face as being due to unrelenting embarrassment at the realization.

"Um..!" She spluttered, unable to form a coherent response to the sudden question. She cleared her throat and turned her head a fraction towards the professor, "I…have no idea what you mean."

Taki-sensei merely hummed as if pondering her answer as he turned away, "Alright, then."

Kumiko turned slightly to watch the dark-haired man walking away from her, blush still in place. She watched as he stopped slightly and turned to her with his signature smile - her endless annoyance, "I'll see you in class next week, Oumae-san."

With that, Taki-sensei left Kumiko to her own thoughts on her own walk back to her dorm.


"So of course, after he said that to me I had no choice but to shove my half-eaten corn dog in…his.." Hazuki's story of her encounter with an especially dedicated fan of the rival football team at a recent game trailed off as she looked up at her friend.

"Kumikooo," the brunette whined, causing the spaced out red-head to jump slightly. "You're not even listening to my super great story," Hazuki said with a pout.

Kumiko sighed slightly as she smiled apologetically at her best friend, "I'm sorry, Hazuki. I'm just a little distracted, I guess."

"No kidding," Hazuki said with a laugh as her pout vanished and made way for a genuine smile. Sensing that it was time for some Super Friend Support, as she liked to call it (albeit only to herself), the brunette leaned forward in her seat, which she had spun around so that she could lean on the back of it. "Sooo," she pressed, knowing it would take quite a lot of prodding to get any information out of her friend, Good thing I'm the best at being nosy!

"So - what?"

With an overdramatic sigh, Hazuki spun around in her chair, flinging her appendages out, adding even more unnecessary dramatics (though the brunette would adamantly disagree, "Dramatics are always necessary!").

"So, what's got you so distracted lately?"

Kumiko flushed slightly and looked away awkwardly, which only made Hazuki even more curious, This is gonna be a good one, I can feel it, the brunette thought with a sly grin.

"It's nothing, really," the red-head said, shifting in her place on her bed across from her friend. "I've just been stressed because of - uh - school…and stuff."

Hazuki looked on as her friend tried to come up with a valid excuse, she was quiet for a moment, her face looking thoughtful as she considered what Kumiko had said. Then, her pensive demeanor was replaced with mirth as she began laughing. The red-head looked up with furrowed brows as Hazuki continued to laugh, doubling over until she had fallen off her chair and was clutching her stomach on the ground, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Uh..Hazuki?"

The brunette held up a finger at her friend's inquiry and stopped laughing long enough to mutter a quick, "One second, please," before she continued on with her bout of laughter.

Kumiko rolled her eyes and waited until her friend calmed down, which took a bit longer than she felt was necessary. After a few more mirthful-ridden moments, Hazuki's laughter began to come to its end as she climbed her way back onto her chair with a contented sigh, sitting correctly this time.

"Okay, I'm done now."

Looking at Hazuki with the driest look she could muster, Kumiko raised a brow as she waited for her friend to elaborate. Sensing her friend's impatience, Hazuki smirked playfully, "You don't care enough about school to be distracted by it, Ku-mi-ko."

The red-head thought about that for a second and decided that her friend was right, Could have thought of a better excuse than that, idiot, Kumiko thought to herself with an inward groan.

"Okay, okay, you got me," Kumiko sighed. "It's not because of school, but I really don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

Hazuki nodded for a second with pursed lips, but then surprised Kumiko once again by stating, "Nope, still not good enough. Try again."

No getting out of this one, I guess…

Kumiko didn't hold back her groan this time as she flopped back onto her bed and covered her face with her arm, "It's this person, alright?"

At this, Hazuki's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. She jumped up as quickly as she could and hopped onto Kumiko's bed, causing the red-head to let out a surprised squeal.

"I can't believe this!" Hazuki exclaimed, grabbing one of Kumiko's pillows and hugging it to her chest, "Kumiko has a crush!"

Groaning once again, the red-head stood and took Hazuki's previous spot on her computer chair, "I do not have a…"

Oh, what's the point?

"Okay, maybe I do have a…" Kumiko hesitated, not looking forward to how Hazuki would react once she actually said the word.

"You do have a…?"

Kumiko was glad she was facing away from her friend so that she couldn't see the grimace that graced her features in that moment. However, she knew she couldn't avoid the inevitable forever; after all, Hazuki had successfully cornered the red-head with nowhere to run.

Well, actually, the door is right there…

Shaking her head, Kumiko braced herself as she muttered the words, "A crush…"

She wasn't even too sure Hazuki heard the admittance because the second the words left her mouth, the brunette had let out the shrillest, loudest squeal Kumiko had ever heard (and that was saying something, for she and Hazuki had been friends for a very long time).

"You have a crush!"

Hazuki hugged her friend as tightly as she could as she cooed over her in delight. She just couldn't believe that her best friend - her little Kumiko - had finally caught the Love Bug! About time, I thought she'd become one of those lonely cat ladies…

Then Hazuki realized something. Pulling away from her friend - who was very grateful for the ability to breathe again - the brunette held onto Kumiko's shoulder as she looked at her with serious eyes, "Who is it?"

The guilty look that crossed over Kumiko's eyes did nothing to ease Hazuki's sudden anxiety, "That's, uh…" she rubbed the back of her head, eyes darting to the side as she avoided her friend's prying gaze. "You…don't really need to know that, do you?"

Those words felt like a slap in the face to the brunette, in fact, she visibly flinched at them. Pulling away from Kumiko, Hazuki turned away and tried to contain herself. She knew this day would come, had seen it play out so many times in her head, and yet the throbbing ache in her chest still screamed at her as she came to the realization that her deepest fear was becoming a reality.

"Hazuki?"

Holding back the tears that threatened to fall at any second, Hazuki plastered a smile on her face, yet she didn't dare turn around just yet. "You don't have to say anything, Kumiko. I get it."

Confusion and fear laced Kumiko's voice as she called out to her friend once more, but Hazuki couldn't bring herself to try and ease her concerns. Mustering up all her strength, the brunette forced herself to turn and face her friend. The shock and concern on Kumiko's face pained Hazuki more than she thought was possible, but no matter how much it hurt her to see her friend like that, it couldn't drown out the heartache that had found its home in her heart so long ago. The ache that had sat and festered for longer than she cared to admit. The ache that had threatened to take her over and make her do, say, and think things that she would never have if it weren't for the dark feeling in her heart.

All this time, she had done a pretty great job of ignoring the darkness festering inside of her. She had ignored it and refused to acknowledge its presence unless she was in the safety of her own seclusion; only then would she allow the darkness of her heart rear its ugly head. Even then, however, she would not let it completely take her over.

That was then. Now, Hazuki was sure she'd have a much harder time suppressing her dark feelings, since the possibility she had been fearing had finally become a reality.

Kumiko liked Shuichi. She knew that was it, why else would she refuse to tell Hazuki who it was? Even though the brunette had never actually admitted to her friend that she had feelings for Kumiko's childhood friend, she was sure it was quite obvious. In fact, every time Shuichi showed up, Kumiko made some lame excuse to leave Hazuki and the boy alone together - or, at least, that's what she had thought at the time. Looking back, the brunette figured it was possible that Kumiko had left because she couldn't stand being with the boy she liked and the friend who liked him.

Oh, Kumiko, Hazuki thought, trying even harder to hold back her tears. Always so considerate of my feelings, even when I'm sure it hurts her, too…

"Don't worry, Kumiko," Hazuki said, smiling as best she could at her best friend. "I understand."

Before Kumiko could say anything, Hazuki hastily made her exit, knowing that she couldn't hold back her tears for much longer - especially not while Kumiko looked at her with eyes so full of innocence and anxiety.

She could hear the red-head calling after her, but she didn't dare turn back. As she made her way down the hallway, each step growing faster and more sporadic, Hazuki willed herself to keep the darkness from spilling over. Her eyes grew blurry as she began to run, causing her to run into someone leaving their dorm. She muttered an apology as best she could, but only a sob left her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth and she looked up to see Kousaka Reina with an odd look on her face.

She heard Kumiko's voice from a few feet behind her, but it only caused her to begin running once again, for now that the tears had begun to fall, she knew that they wouldn't stop for a long, long time.


"Hazuki!"

Kumiko called after her friend once again to no avail as the brunette ran past a confused Reina until she was out of sight. The red-head wanted to go running after her, every cell in her body was shouting at her to move her feet and find out why Hazuki was so upset. However, she decided against it. She knew Hazuki more than anyone, and she knew when the girl needed to be alone - this was one of those times.

Sighing, Kumiko tore her eyes away from the place she had last seen her friend and instead looked at the girl that was now approaching her with slight worry in her otherwise calm eyes.

"What happened to your roommate?"

With a shake of her head, Kumiko looked down, "I have no idea, actually."

A soft "hn" was all Reina responded with, leaving the two in a sudden, awkward silence. With Hazuki's sudden outburst, Kumiko hadn't even had time to feel tense when she first saw Reina leave her room. Now, however, with no distraction, she felt nothing but tense.

"So-"

"Do-"

The two girls shifted awkwardly as they spoke at the same time, Kumiko motioned for Reina to speak first, knowing she would probably make the situation worse if she were to say anything.

Reina cleared her throat softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kumiko blinked in surprise, expecting Reina to say pretty much anything but that. "Um, I, uh.."

Sensing Kumiko's apprehension, Reina added, "If you're not comfortable with that, though-"

"No!" Kumiko blurted out, then blushed and scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile, "I-I mean, it's okay. There's just not much to talk about, really."

Reina nodded, though Kumiko felt like she wanted to say something. Nevertheless, the dark-haired woman turned to head back down the hall.

Watching her walk away, Kumiko couldn't help but feel disheartened. There I go again, ruining the moment.

"U-Um!"

Kumiko covered her mouth, unsure how or why the sound had escaped. She watched as Reina turned, raising an eyebrow in silent question. The red-head stared for a moment, both taking in the beauty before her (as always) and trying to think of an excuse for her sudden outburst.

"Um," she repeated, looking down at her fumbling hands. "Thanks."

She peeked up at Reina and noted the slight confusion on her features (she also noted that she looked ridiculously cute when she was confused). "For offering to talk, and stuff, I mean," she clarified. "Thank you."

Reina's features smoothed out into a small smile, causing Kumiko's heart to beat faster than normal and her breathing to become uneven. "You're welcome, Kumiko."

With that, she made her way back to her room and Kumiko was left feeling even more stressed and confused than she did earlier that day - which she didn't even know was possible.

Following Reina's lead, Kumiko headed back to her room and sprawled out on her bed, face down.

Kumiko knew she wasn't the smartest, nor the most observant when it came to other people and their emotions; but she was sure that she was surrounded by the most confusing people in the world.

First Shuichi, with his annoying knight-in-shining-armor complex, causing her endless frustration and anger. Then there was Taki-sensei, who gave a new definition to the word "infuriating" and always seemed to know just how to get under her skin, as if it was a honed talent that he had been working on for years. Those two were usual annoyances, though; Kumiko was at least used to them. Now, Hazuki had to join the mix, too?

Usually, her friend was pretty open about her feelings when it came to the red-head, but lately Kumiko had noticed a silent struggle occurring within the brunette. She hadn't approached the girl about it, figuring that she just needed to work things out a bit herself before she said anything to Kumiko. However, her recent episode worried the red-head immensely and had her wondering if she should have confronted the girl about it earlier; and the fact that it seemed to have something to do with Kumiko made her even more worried. Had she done something to hurt her friend without realizing it? Was Hazuki offended because she wouldn't tell her who she had feelings for? Kumiko froze. What if she had figured out who Kumiko liked and didn't agree with it? The two had never really had any conversations about their opinions on things such as homosexuality before, but Kumiko had always figured that Hazuki wouldn't mind it; she was such a kind person, after all. She couldn't possibly be so disgusted and disappointed in Kumiko for being in love with another girl that she would react so harshly, could she? Kumiko swallowed hard, hoping that she was wrong in that train of thought.

However, such train of thought brought her to the very core of her frustrations and confusion: Kousaka Reina. Kumiko swore that the girl must be majoring in Misleading Your Admirer with a minor in Being Ridiculously Hot, because, boy, was she great at those very things. One second, things were perfect, so perfect that Kumiko thought that there was a small possibility that Reina could start to return her feelings, or at least become her friend. Then, out of nowhere, like a switch being flipped, she would become distant and act as if she wanted nothing to do with the red-head. Worst of all, Kumiko always felt guilty for some reason, as if she had done something wrong in order to make Reina act so cold towards her. But that doesn't make any sense, does it? I haven't done anything!

Right?

Groaning, Kumiko flipped onto her back and glared at the ceiling. All this thinking was getting her nowhere, it just made her more frustrated at the world and led to no conclusions.

Well, that's not exactly true, Kumiko thought with bitter mirth. I have reached one conclusion:

Girls are confusing as hell.


A/N:

Man, it hurt my heart so much to write Hazuki in this chapter. She's always been one of my favorite characters because of how positive and caring she is all the time, even when she's hurting herself. Don't worry though, she'll be okay in the end; she just needs some time...and she also needs to not jump to conclusions...

Hope you guys liked this one! The songs above are ones that make me think about the situations the characters are going through in this story. I'm in the process of making a Spotify playlist with songs that remind me of this story, I'll post a link to it once it's done!

Special Thanks to Reviewers: Psykoakuma, AwkwardlyKuuQueenie2222, ixamxnoxone, Asuna, RawrrImADinosaurFearMe, GPineapple, The Flying Lion, ustolemynameagain

Also, to a certain Guest who is wondering if the story will get an eventual M rating (wink wink), probably not...Only because my little heart might actually burst if I tried writing anything like that (also my face would catch fire from all the blushing). BUT there miiiight be a little implied somethin somethin at some point...Guess you'll have to wait and see! :3