It's been a while since I last updated. How far back, you ask? Around 3 months... don't kill me please (-_o)

So here it is, your Chapter 10! Hope you're all ready for what's next! :D

Len zoomed out in the window, his chin resting on the back of his hand as usual. The walk back from the grocery was a quiet one, especially after Kazuki had left. He was the last one of their friends that they had dropped off. After that, it was just him and Kahoko. For a girl with fiery red hair, she did lack the guts to say something just as lively tonight. She stayed quiet walking beside him until they reached the corner of their street. He handed her the groceries and she bowed to show her gratitude. She smiled and turned around, saying goodnight before running away.

She ran away.

Len saw his reflection bounce off the tinted glass of his car. He saw blue hair, golden eyes, pale skin. Nothing out of the ordinary. He looked normal. He talked normal. He dressed normal. Nothing to be scared of. He was just like most boys his age who spent most of their time locked up in their room instead of soaking up the sun's rays. Why would she run away like that? Was she scared of his pale skin? Was she terrified of his golden eyes? Was his blue hair not to her liking?

Did she hate him?

He reassessed himself and sighed heavily. He closed his eyes, a steady beat of white light from the lampposts shining through his eyelids. Flashes of the silent walk weaved through his already worn-out head. He opened his mouth once or twice in an attempt to start a conversation but nothing his head made up seemed good enough. Her eyes were still wide as they usually were but they lacked something. She looked around, sighed every now and then, and he caught her looking at him once just before he looked back. She didn't say anything; he didn't say anything. The last thing he said to her was that he could manage and that wasn't said in his friendliest tone, either.

Even he would hate himself for being so rude. He groaned and pleaded the guilt to leave his head. This shouldn't be that much of a deal. He should be thinking of more important things right now like the fair and the gala.

The gala. He hasn't practiced for two days now. This silly engagement was getting in the way of it all. No matter, he comforted himself, Len Tsukimori will always be able to see things through. If he was what he's been proving that he was to his father, then he'd be able to practice both lover charades and his pieces for the gala at the same time.

It would cost him a huge amount of rest but (as he's told her) he could manage.

[-o-o-o-o-o-o-]

"Who does she think she is?" Mai stomped across her vintage Bordeaux bedroom. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at an armchair right across her cousin, a dashing blonde man standing just beside the old grandfather's clock. Mai couldn't contain her anger, much less her envy of what a commoner like Kahoko could possibly have that she didn't. "He's engaged to me. Why is he out there walking her home?"

Aoi Kaji walked towards the veranda and enjoyed the view. A golden moon shining brightly down the premises the Tsugawas owned. The trees danced with the vines and the fireflies. A soft ripple ran down the lake beside a black car. He sighed and turned around to find Mai with her eyes shut tightly. She was concentrating. That, or she was really irritated by the fact that Len Tsukimori is now indeed going out with Kahoko Hino.

Finally, Aoi thought to himself. It was funny how it only seemed like yesterday that Len was denying care for Kahoko in front of him. Maybe he wasn't as hard as he looks. Len was the most charming but the least cunning in the group. He didn't think that this day would come; the day that he'd finally admit that he is indebted to the redheaded female. Maybe he underestimated his wit.

"What are you thinking of, Mai?" He asked the agitated female sitting on the daybed. She didn't take just even a second out of her thoughts to acknowledge him. She was definitely scheming. Aoi smiled gently and grabbed his briefcase. "My ride's here. I'll leave you alone to your own thoughts," he excused himself a little too early as he was followed by a gasp escaping the female's lips. He slowly released his briefcase and crossed his arms, smirking. It looks like she's hit eureka.

"Do you actually think they're really going out?" Mai started, slowly rising up from her seat, analyzing every scene in her head. "Just last night, Len mentioned that they've been dating for almost a year now but I haven't seen them together just until then." Her eyes were growing wider and wider as she approached a grander realization. Aoi ached to leave. She was suffering a desperate case of denial.

Her eyes hinted a gleam of mischievousness, something that she takes pride in portraying with grace. She strode towards her cousin, a smile curling up her face. "My dear cousin," she smirked as she tugged his grey coat, "could you do me a favor?" Aoi gently took his cousins hands and laid them away from his coat. "If you wish to disturb the peace in someone else's life, then I would wish to stay out of your plans."

"Oh c'mon, Aoi! All you have to do is ask her a few questions. That wouldn't harm anyone now, would it?" Mai begged with her eyes but her insides were fluttering with excitement. Aoi hesitated to look and sighed, seeing as though he didn't have any choice. He forced on a smile and opened his arms. "What's a few questions going to do anyway, right?" he said, answering the question he imposed on his mind.

Mai clapped her hands and rushed to her study desk. Grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper, she started writing down a few questions to help them get started on her plan. "You don't have to ask her directly though. You could always just indirectly make it known," she said, folding the piece of paper and placing it inside Aoi's chest pocket, tapping it for luck. "Off you go now, dear cousin. Your ride's waiting for you downstairs."

"Getting rid of me that quickly?" Aoi took his bag and bowed before his spoiled relative before exiting the room.

"Au revoir!" he heard her say as she closed the white doors.

[-o-o-o-o-o-o-]

Regret. That was the word that he was looking for as he waited for Ryou to talk on the other line. He looked at the clock. It was half past ten. The oaf must've slept early today, he thought, doubting whether he made that assumption based on his observation or based on fear. Three more rings and that's it. I'm just going to accept the fact that there's no help for me out th-

"Hello?"

Shit.

"Hello?"

"Hello… U-Uh… Tsuchiara-san?"

"Who's this?"

Have I dialed the wrong number?

"H-Hai. This is Tsukimori."

"Tsukimori..?"

Wrong number it is then. Lucky me.

"Sorry, must've dialed the wrong number. Goodbye," he uttered quickly as he was prepared to place the receiver back on the hook. Thank goodness he wasn't able to dial Tsuchiara's number. Fate. But wait… Was that… Laughter? Len placed the receiver back on his ear to confirm the faint sound that he heard. He silently wished for the sound that he heard to be the dial tone.

"Hello?"

"Oi, Tsukimori. I was just kidding. What's up?"

Darn this, Len thought as he plumped himself on the sofa and placed a hand over his aching temples. The gravity of the situation was pulling his stress level way up. But then again, he only had himself to blame. Of all the numbers to call, he just had to choose Tsuchiara's. He could've called Azuma. He could've called Kazuki. Shimizu would've been the best choice. But no, he had to dial Tsuchiara's number. Now he had to pay the price for his stupidity.

"About Kahoko…" he started, sitting up and regaining his posture. Bloody hell. What a mess this room had turned into. He picked up the notebooks and stacked them in one end of the sofa before sighing. He looked around the room to see what he should fix up next. "Well we…" This was just hard for him to say. His attention was now glued to the blankets that he'd forgotten to fold before leaving this morning. Honestly, how can a nearly grown man forget to fold his sheets? It's such a ghastly sight to see.

"Listen," Tsuchiura coughed before continuing. "Are you calling me to talk about how you displayed complete ass-ery earlier?"

Well that certainly got Len's attention back to the conversation. Again, of all people, why'd he have to call the oaf? "Because if that's the case," Ryou continued, "Manami called in earlier saying that Kahoko was thinking about the same thing."

How the hell would he know? Len thought. If he thought Ryoutaro Tsuchiura had a lot to manage, things like soccer and his studies, then he thought wrong. At the end of the day, Manami still gets his attention. "Kahoko said she couldn't see right through you and that today you're one thing, and then the next minute you just change," Ryou continued as he heard no response from the other line. "Is this something that you do often, Tsukimori? Change your way of interacting with other people depending on your mood?" Now his tone was getting a little bit more serious. If Len didn't know any better, it would seem like Tsuchiura was giving him a lecture.

"Don't try to act like you know me, Tsuchiura-san," he replied, his voice getting fidgety with anxiousness. His heart was currently beating up his throat and his head just started spinning. He had to sit this one down. Backing down slowly, Len threw himself on the messy bed and closed his eyes. "It's just that I stiffen up whenever I see people. You know I'm not used to mingling with other people in public places."

"You can't be serious. Is that why you suddenly decided not to talk to Kahoko like the human being that she is?" he asks. Len rolled over to the right and kept the phone close to his ear. Why the hell was he feeling terrible about this? "It's not that. It's that… Things are just getting far more complicated than they should be," he spat out.

"Define 'complicated'," Ryou asked. Len opened his eyes and met face to face with the wall. How was he to define complicated to Tsuchiura? What was complicated? Was it him and his issues? Was it how he dealt with his issues? Was it that he had this gut-wrenching feeling that he was going to have to marry Tsugawa? Was it that he's actually falling for Kahoko?

Was it that he couldn't seem to get past the inevitable, like having to give up sooner or later to one of which?

His eyes suddenly darted towards the scattered score notes on the floor. He completely forgot (again) that he had to practice. No matter how much he knew the song, it'll never be enough until he actually perfects it. Again, music takes over his life. Things like this shouldn't worry him. What he should worry about is his future. Violin. How he's going to stand up against the world independent, armed with his talent and incorrigible wit. "I'm sorry, Tsuchiura-san," he sat up and positioned his finger to turn the phone off, "but I have something else that I have to take care of."

"What?! You call me at this time in the evening to hang up on me this soon in the conversation?" the green-haired lad seemed like he wasn't accustomed to having Len leave out of conversations whenever he pleased. Len groaned and fixed his collar. "Surely you have better things to do as well, Tsuchiura-san. I think it'll be best if we work har-"

"I don't really care if you have something else better to do," Ryou said in a tone that was half-playful and half-condescending, "but you and I both know that you called in because of one thing and one thing only." Len remained silent, as if he was no longer listening. He stared at the floor and picked up one sheet after another, placing them in order as Ryou went on. "If you have no intention of reciprocating Kahoko's feelings," he placed the phone down, "you better tell her right now. I don't mind you playing around with everyone's thoughts but you leave the poor girl's heart alone."

He knew he felt it too. He knew she had something going on.

"Tsukimori?"

But he has always masked it with her niceness. She was always just nice.

"Tsukimori?"

This is stupid.

"Tsukimori?"

I'm stupid.

"Tsukimori? Hello?"

Len pressed the release button on the receiver and held his head. He couldn't practice tonight. Not with this ache, not with this pain. Not under these circumstances.

What will Len do next, though? Stay tuned and find out in Chapter 11!

Giving out a review won't take that long. Just tell me what you honestly thought about this. Give a fellow fan a review, neh? :3