. Don't Leave .

The following hours went past like a flash. Before anyone knew it, it was already Saturday morning. Students and even teachers who either participating or supporting their team were already up and getting ready to proceed to the beach. It was a weekend morning like no other. For once, the students and teachers were actually eager to get up early in the morning.

As Ren slowly made his way to the living room, he grumbled a couple of profanities pertaining his life. He pushed open the large wooden doors that led to the living room, and found his father's tattooed back facing him. The old man snickered upon his entrance. "Glad to see you're up already," he remarked. "Jeanne is waiting for you outside with her Father. The both of you will be driven to the beach. ...The tournament is at the beach, right?"

Ren ignored the question; he was more bothered about something else. "Driven? You mean she brought her chauffeur along?"

"She comes from a well-to-do family," En responded. "Now don't bother too much about that; you have to hurry now. You cannot give the Lasso's a bad impression of the Tao's."

Ren inadvertently gulped before stepping out of the house, through another pair of large doors. He began to walk down the path towards the main road, where the girl Jeanne and her father was waiting for him. Ren examined the two; Jeanne had long wavy silver hair, and was dressed in some long formal dress, which was probably tailored in another country. The blond man - whom Ren had assumed was her father, Marco Lasso - was wearing a similar-looking suit. The both of them were standing right beside a tacky white limousine.

Figures.

Jeanne and her father took a bow the moment Ren reached them, and Ren did the same.

"Good afternoon," Marco spoke with an accent Ren didn't recognize. "I am Marco Lasser, father of this little angel, Jeanne. We are most pleased to meet you."

"I'm elated to meet you too, sir," Ren lied, trying to appear and sound as calm as possible. "I am Ren, of the Tao's."

Marco nodded. "I do hope you will take superb care of my daughter today. She may be a little shy at first, but don't hesitate to talk to her, nevertheless. She's my precious, so I do wish for you to bring her back to me safely in one piece."

Ren shifted his gaze to the girl next to Marco, and had only just realized that she was much shorter than Ren himself. That made the teen happy, at the least. The girl had on an innocent, child-like smile, with her cheeks flushed. Marco called her "little angel". However, that still didn't prove that Ren's interpretation of Jeanne being a demon was false. Only the great kami knew what evil lay hidden under that smile.

Jeanne took another bow, and Ren bowed as well, as he forced a friendly (at least he thought it was) smile to greet her.

"Like I said, she is my precious," Marco suddenly added. "So I hope you will keep her safe."

Well, Ren hoped the man would stop; he was beginning to think that Marco was a little creepy. He couldn't be more wrong. "...Unless, Tao Ren," the man continued, his voice now much lower and sinister than before. "..I will be very disappointed in you..."

That was enough to send shivers running down Ren's spine. The way Marco had stressed on his full name sounded cold and harsh. Somehow, Ren couldn't wait to get to the beach now.

Smiling, Marco invited Ren into the limousine, followed by Jeanne. Sitting in the driver's seat was a tall man, also in a suit, who didn't bother to pay any attention to the both of them. He must get paid well. Ren and Jeanne couldn't help feeling awkward as they realized that the both of them were sitting right next to each other. Jeanne turned to the window and waved to her father before the engine got started. Soon, they were already on their way to the beach. Ren spotted Marco making his way to his house; their fathers were probably going to have some kind of weird, yet serious, family talk.

Everyone in the vehicle remained silent; it wasn't like they had the intention to speak in the first place. Ren couldn't help turning to his wristwatch every few moments; it was still early, but he just couldn't wait to get there, to be free, to breathe in the fresh air which he had for so long took for granted. He didn't like sitting in this cramped limousine - it made him feel uncomfortable, and trapped, as if he was in a bird in a cage.

"Luchist," a soft child-like voice began. It took a while for Ren to realize that it belonged to Jeanne. That was the first time he heard her voice. "Please drive a little faster."

The chauffeur said nothing, but almost immediately, Ren felt the vehicle pick up speed. He sighed. He was secretly thankful to Jeanne, although of course he wasn't going to say that out loud.

The journey continued just like that, in silence.

x-X-x-X-x

The beach was already packed with students from Funbari Hill High School and Shinra Academy. Well, most of them were from Shinra Academy; nearly the whole school was there. How could anyone miss a chance to see their favourite hero in action? With the whole of Shinra's volleyball team already getting ready for the match, they could do little to avoid the squealing fangirls who were cheering Hao's name. And the tournament hadn't even started yet.

On the other hand, Ren's fangirls only sulked in silence as they watched their prince charming sitting right next to a girl. A girl they didn't know. Heck, she wasn't even from their school, and neither was she from Funbari Hill High. She was simply smiling at everything, oblivious to Ren's twitching tongari.

Yoh was with Anna and Horo, though they were paying more attention to each other than they were to him. Yoh was already beginning to regret ever hooking them up, for he wasn't quite used to being alone and ignored all the time. If only Hao could forfeit his match and join him by his side.. But Yoh knew he was being selfish.

After the long wait, the referee from Funbari Hill High whistled and pointed to the court. The players understood and took their positions. The referee stood in the center, one hand holding on to a volleyball, and the other on his whistle. He stayed in that position for a few seconds before he finally blew the whistle and threw the ball in the air. He swiftly avoided the players who surrounded the ball quickly, and managed to catch a glimpse of one of the players slamming the ball to the other side. The player was from Funbari Hill High.

The crowd cheered as the ball flew over the net, and a player from Shinra jumped and slammed the ball with twice as much force, sending it flying out of the court. The cheers from their supporters got louder, and the crowd practically got wilder, too. A goal in less than fifteen seconds!

The player who scored smirked and playfully winked at the audience, causing the girls to giggle and the guys to roll their eyes. Then the game continued.

It was the other team's turn to serve the ball. The captain threw the ball high in the sky, and, wrapping his hands together and extending his arms, deliberately passed the ball to the other team.

Hao came into the picture. He extended his arms to bounce the ball back into the sky, before jumping and slamming it, sending it flying out of the court once more. The crowd raised their arms and cheered even louder. Another goal!

Barely two minutes had passed when Hao scored once again. Already, he was creating rivals from the other team, but he didn't seem to mind. Yoh was just about to cheer for Hao, but figured that that would only cause Hao to lose focus on the tournament, so he kept his mouth shut. Even if most of the girls in the audience were doing it. Somehow Yoh felt that if he cheered, Hao would be affected. In a negative way.

Shinra Academy might be in the lead with only a mere point, but with Hao in the team, everyone was sure Shinra would emerge as the winner. And nothing could prove their predictions wrong.

x-X-x-X-x

After the tournament, the team and supporters from Funbari Hill High walked back, disappointed. But what did they expect? They were against one of the best school teams in Tokyo. And this was just one school.

As a form of celebration, the students and staff from Shinra Academy decided to spend the rest of the day partying at the beach. Picnics, swimming, and more volleyball games. Some even rented bicycles or kites. By the time the sun was down, everyone was beginning to feel hungry, and were already starting up a barbecue. It had only been the first match of the national games, and yet they were having a huge celebration of their victory.

Yoh kicked the sand, ignoring the fact that his shoes were getting uncomfortably sandy in the process. He let the tide wash in and soak his feet. He stared at the horizon in melancholy. Anna and Horo had gone to goodness-knew-where, Ren was busy with his new 'friend', and Hao never once walked away from his team and the other jocks (not to mention, his fans). Usually, Yoh wouldn't mind, because Hao had other friends, too, but frankly speaking, Yoh wished Hao would at least spend some time with him. Even if all they ever did was talk. That was all Yoh really wanted - to spend time with Hao.

Of course, the author of this fic has decided that obvious miracles should happen. And so when Yoh was just about to give up and head home, he turned, only to meet the eyes of his one and only - Asakura Hao.

Hao gave the younger a small smile; there was no doubt that the brunette was exhausted. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked. "By watching me play, I mean."

Something about Hao made Yoh feel embarrassed, and as soon as he realized what it was, he blushed deeply; Hao was shirtless. Well, most of the guys were, since it had been such a warm day. But to see Hao shirtless... Yoh only managed to nod sheepishly; it was going to take him a hell lot of effort to speak to Hao in such a situation.

Hao tilted his head playfully to the side, as if considering something. "Would you like to come to my house? It's not far from here."

Yoh's jaw dropped. "Y-you live around here?"

Hao shrugged. "I can just take a bus from here. It is pretty close. Come on." Without further hesitation, Hao grabbed Yoh's wrist and dragged him to the nearest bus stop, ignoring the odd comments and stares he was getting from the people around him. Yoh could do little to stop Hao as well; besides, he had always wanted to know where Hao lived.

The teens boarded the bus, and after a ride of about ten minutes, they alighted the vehicle. They still had to walk a long way until they reached their destination. By examining his surroundings, Yoh realized that they were at the outskirts of Tokyo. He had never been there before, but he could still tell, thanks to the wide range of not-so-popular stores there – cheap bars, factories, and even teahouses that could have been in business for centuries. The streets were dark, despite the large number of lampposts in the area, and gave off a creepy atmosphere. Yoh was scared, but Hao didn't seem to mind at all. Perhaps this was normal.

The two made a left, walked some more, until they finally reached a number of flats. Flats were buildings that consisted of one-floor apartments, and were very popular with those who could not afford an actual house. They took a lift to the fifth floor of one of the flats, walked down the eerily long corridor, and came to a door that read '25' on it. Hao took out his keys - Yoh had only just realized that Hao was still shirtless - and opened the door. He stepped inside, followed by Yoh, and closed the door behind them.

Yoh took a look around. It was a little bigger than the average apartment, and it was only decorated with simple furniture and designed in a simple manner. It was spacious, nevertheless, and, unlike Yoh's house, there was some zen-like atmosphere everywhere.

Hao turned to Yoh and shrugged shamefully. "It's not a fancy place, but.. make yourself at home." Hao's welcoming smile made Yoh smile as well.

"I think I like it here," said Yoh, stepping further into the house. He caught a cluster of hina dolls on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

"Do you mind waiting for me while I go take a quick shower and cook up a meal for us?" Hao spat quickly.

That left Yoh staring at him, his mouth agape, unsure of what to say. Despite that, Hao still ushered Yoh to the couch and gave him instructions to switch on the television, before dashing to the washroom. While Hao was busy, Yoh scanned the room once more; admittedly, he was curious, and wanted to walk around and examine the apartment, but he didn't feel comfortable at the thought of that, so he laid back on the couch and waited for Hao in silence.

Once Hao was dressed, he quickly fished out the necessary utensils from the drawers and got started on cooking. In less than a minute, Yoh could already smell the blissful fragrance of a chef's cooking from the kitchen, and his stomach began to make noises that probably sounded like a sick groaning man to him. Yoh mentally scolded himself for being so piggish, but he couldn't help it; he hadn't eaten anything decent that day.

As he waited patiently for the food, Yoh could hear his friend humming a simple tune to himself behind the sizzling sound of the frying pans.

No more than twenty minutes later, Hao walked out of the kitchen with two lacquered bowls of rice in each hand. He placed them on the coffee table - tossing the hina dolls aside - and walked back to the kitchen. He came out moments later, holding a tray that was full of dishes such as fried eel, omelette and tempura. Alongside them were two glasses of warm red tea.

Hao placed the tray carefully on the table and knelt on the floor, and Yoh did the same. Hao smiled as he passed a pair of thin metal chopsticks to the latter. "I'm sorry I can't make anything fancy," he began. "But I can't just leave you starving." Yoh couldn't help but laugh.

The two then clasped their hands together and chanted in unison, "I gratefully partake."

Hao urged his friend to tuck in first, which made Yoh uncomfortable since his mother had always given him lectures about letting the older ones eat first. But since Hao insisted on it, Yoh finally prepared his chopsticks and popped a strip of eel into his mouth. It was quite a sensation when he took the first bite. In fact, every time he chewed, his mouth would only be filled with the savoury juice of the fleshy eel. Yoh didn't even dare to compare Hao's cooking with his mother's; this was heavenly! His greediness getting the better of him, Yoh extended his arm and took several more strips of eel for himself.

Hao smiled. At least his cooking wasn't bad.

For the rest of dinner, Hao had only small portions of food while he watched in amusement as Yoh stuffed himself.

Once they were done, Yoh helped Hao clean the dishes. They then went back to the living room, where the both of them knelt on the floor once again, having with them only a glass of their leftover tea each. Hao took a sip from his tea - it was already lukewarm by then - when he caught sight of the mess he made with the hina dolls. He grabbed them and arranged them neatly on the table, as if they were some antique treasures.

"Those look precious to you," Yoh commented, watching Hao's hands.

Hao nodded. "They're a gift from my mother," he said, and explained about how his mother had always shared with him the stories of her childhood days. Apparently, in her time, hina dolls and thread balls were popular toys, and every parent would struggle and worked really hard just to earn the money to buy such toys for their own children. Then, seeing as how she no longer had any use for the hina dolls from her time as a child, she gave them to Hao as a gift. That was when he was just a kid.

The two teens continued to talk for a while more, until Yoh threw a glance at the clock and gasped. "I-it's late!" he shrieked, as he quickly got to his feet and bowed, just to be polite. "I'm sorry," he added. "But my mother would kill me if I don't get back any sooner!" Yoh had only just turned to the door when Hao got to his feet as well.

Before the younger could make another step, he felt his wrist being yanked tightly by a much bigger and stronger hand. He remained in his spot, unable to move, and could barely just make out the words his friend was whispering.

"Don't.. leave..."

~ x-Y-z-X-y-Z-x ~

Derp ending is derp. 8D

Gah.. I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner, for making this chapter so pointless it makes you want to kill yourself, for the awful ending, for the lack of Yoh-ness, for everything. D8 I am extremely exhausted right now but figured it wouldn't be nice to just.. not update my fic. Besides, after being pestered by three readers, I decided it's time I start writing something anyway. xD

Uhm, uhh... Happy belated Valentine's Day! ...Or something.. A friend just confessed to me and I'm not sure of how to react, so I guess that explains my odd behaviour (am I acting weird?). I'm so sorry... Too many things are happening too fast and I'm beginning to get sick of it all, though I try my best not to show it. *sighs*

xx

R.O.N. — Yes, "wtf Ren" indeed. 8'D I HOPE YOU LOVE HIM HURDURR.

TotalAmuto — Now that I think about it, I don't know how many chapters it will be until Yoh's father comes in the story. o.o Are you sure you want to wait that long? Will you stop reading once he makes his appearance? D:

RoseblossomWarrior — xD Oh, it just had to be Jeanne. I'm sorry. Don't kill her. I mean, kill her. If you want to. She's not important, anyway. *coughsplattercough* OH, BTW. You'll get to know what Ren will do. Soon. SOON. I think you'll love it. I hope you'll love it. *cowers*

cluckyduck78 — I was so astonished to read that PM of yours. And apparently I am too lazy to reply you via PM as well. xD Thank you so much! I hope this update made you happy~ Thanks again! *huggles*

xx

By the way, this chapter is dedicated to SK-fan7. Welcome back~

Thank goodness tomorrow's the weekend. Time to sleep all day and all night and never wake up ever again. *collapses in exhaustion*

- A

P.S. Sorry for any mistakes.