ACT 3: Conflict

Part 1: The Return

The cold air of fall forces me to wear my blazer earlier than I intended, and it's still cold, despite a sweater underneath. God damn this cold October. Yuki had to leave today to do some work in the club, and they gave me a day off so she could focus. I can't blame her, though. Ever since we've spent that night together, she's been distracted by me. Maybe too distracted.

I rub my hands together as I enter the warmth of the dormitories, and say hi to the others in the common room. I've been making other friends apart from Yuki, after all. I decide to see what needs doing in my room when I find out someone's moved right across the hall from me. A hallmate, this late in the school year? I wonder who?

I knock on my hallmate's door and it opens, revealing a boy with mousy hair. Wait, he's—

"Hello, Hisao Nakai, your new hallmate," he says, extending his hand for a handshake.

I take it, shocked at seeing him.

"But… you… then the roof… and we found… then… doctors…" I stammer, and Hisao seems to understand.

"Oh, you mean you expected me to be gone longer? Well, apparently, they had new means of healing broken bones. Prototype, but it seems functional. Heck, I think you got it yourself, right?" he says. That's true, I did heal way faster than normal. But I didn't know what they did.

"Damn, technology sure is fast today," I mutter. Hisao nods in agreement, and I leave him alone to give him time to fix his stuff. Before I close my door, however, he asks a question out of the blue.

"How do you feel about Yamaku's female population, or rather, females in general?"

"I'm dating one," I respond, completely nonchalantly. Hisao sighs in relief, and gives me a thumbs up before returning to his room. I stare at his door, thinking about his question. Why the heck would he be concerned about my attitude towards girls? Then again, I remember the nurse telling us about that Setou fellow yelling 'FEMINISTS' while being escorted out the school. I shake my head at the weird turn of events and turn in for the night.

I wake up to find myself on my floor. Somehow I rolled off the bed last night and didn't even wake up. I need to take note of that sometime. I take a look at the clock on my bedside table and find out that it's still five in the morning. Too early for breakfast, and too late for sleeping again. I sigh and peer out the door to find Hisao wearing a soccer uniform from what appears to be his old school.

"Isn't it a bit too early to play soccer?" I ask.

"Nah, can't play soccer, I'm… a bit too unfit for that," he says, stretching a bit. "I'm out for a run, doctor's, well… nurse's order."

"Early morning jog, huh?" I ponder at this for a moment before coming up with a genius thought. "Care if I join in?"

"The nurse didn't really say anything, so yeah, sure, why not," he says.

Damn, why did I even think of this? I can't run. But a few minutes later, I find myself in my P.E. uniform, heading out to the track behind the school building. Hisao looks lively indeed for someone who just got into an accident.

"You don't have any problems with your heart, do you?" he asks.

"No, mine's the eyes. They're going blind. Why'd you ask?"

"Good, at least Emi's going to have to watch over just one person, if she's still my partner," he says. Wait, who's Emi? What does he mean by partner? What did I just sign up for?

We arrive at the track to hear a regular clacking sound. I squint through my glasses and see the fastest person on no legs herself. So she's Emi, huh?

"OHMYGOD, Hisao?" she yells, bounding full speed at us. Suddenly, my life flashes in front of me. Oddly, this didn't happen when I was about to get hit by that car.

"Hey, Emi," says Hisao, sidestepping her before she crashes into him. She manages to slow down a few meters behind us, at least.

"You're back!" says Emi, jumping onto Hisao for a hug. Well, not really jumping, she's taking care not to hit him too hard. Maybe something about the heart, indeed.

I take a breather of the damp morning air when I hear another set of footsteps coming our way. A very pale girl with silver hair comes into view. She looks almost… elvish, so to speak, with her silver hair and red eyes.

"Oh, Emi? Who's this?" she asks.

"It's my original partner, Hisao," says Emi.

"Ah, so you're that Hisao I've heard Emi talk about," says the snow white girl. "I'm Rika. Rika Katayama, from class 2-2. I think we've both got nearly the same problem. Heart?"

"Yeah," says Hisao, sounding a bit nervous. He looks unwilling to disclose his disability. Maybe he just didn't have enough time to really fit in.

I leave the three of them to go on a few laps of my own. I find myself invigorated by this simple act, and by the time I reached half of my lap, I realize I'm too weak for this. I just hate running. Or jogging. Or moving any faster than walking. Sure, you can make me walk for a mile or so, but jog? Run? No way, Jose.

"Hey, guys, I don't think I'll make it," I say as they pass me for another lap of theirs. For people with weak hearts, they have an insanely strong will. I wave off and head to the bleachers for a breather.

"Well, getting beaten in jogging by people with cardiac problems. Very impressive," says a voice I clearly know and love.

"Oh, hello my dear," I say. Apparently, Yuki's been sitting on the bleachers, watching me the whole time. She hides a small giggle as I collapse next to her, dead tired.

"Sorry I've been busy all the time," she says.

"It's okay, you wouldn't have been able to work had I been there," I say, laughing. I sit back on the bleachers while Yuki takes out a small thermos bottle from her bag. Coffee, at this time of day? She truly knows her man. I gladly take a cup while she prepares hers.

"How'd you know I was here?" I ask.

"The power of LOVE," she says, shrugging. I guess she asked around the dorm, then.

We walk back to the dorms and she waits outside for me while I shower and change into my school uniform. She takes her position on my arm again and we walk to the classroom, being the first two to arrive.

"Well, this is a nice Friday," I comment, preparing my usual school gear on my desk.

"No one's this early, you know. Just you, and me, because I wanted to surprise you today," she says, smiling.

That smile should be illegal for 'Increased chance of causing a cardiac arrest'.

"Well, you did surprise me, so I guess you're successful at that."

She just smiles more and we both continue idle chat until the students fill in the classroom. The day proceeds as usual until the last period in the afternoon, Takasu's Math class.

"All right everyone, I'll leave you these exercises for now. Ryuuji, can I have a word with you, outside?" he says.

I gulp and look at Yuki. She merely shrugs and tells me to go and follow Takasu. I wonder if we've been caught doing this and that. I walk out the classroom, following Takasu.

"I hear you've been real friendly with Yuki lately," he says.

Oh crap.

"Don't worry, I don't have anything about your… nightly exercises. Just don't get caught. But on a serious note… do you have any problems with her?" he says, turning serious.

"No, not really sir," I say. It's true, I don't have any problems with Yuki.

"Well, at least you've accepted everything about her. You did, right?" he asks.

"I don't think you'd last with her if you don't," I say.

"Just… call me or the nurse when trouble brews. Because, you know, ataxia is a harsh disease to have," he says, giving me his number on a piece of paper. He pats my back, gives me a smile, and we both go back to class.

Yuki smiles when she sees me, and I smile back. We both continue to work on Takasu's problems until the school bell rings at the end of class. Arriving at the clubroom, it's still as bleak as ever with only Hanako working on our fall issue of the school paper.

"How's it going, Hanako?" I ask, placing my bag at my desk.

"I-it's going fine," she says, hiding behind the monitor. She's still very shy, despite having worked with us for some time now.

I fire up my PC to work out my pictures while Yuki goes through yet another pile of articles. Despite only having three writers, the Newspaper Club still manages to crank out enough quarterly to be a chore to sort through. Thankfully, my duties are all around the photography and editing department, seeing as I'm the club's personal photographer and the only person who knows how to work out photos. As well as the owner of the PC used to edit said photos.

It being a Friday, everyone's a bit more relaxed than usual and all is peaceful in the clubroom. Well, at least it was until Natsume and Naomi arrived. Or more like broke through the doorway.

"Let's go to the Shanghai," declares Natsume, adjusting her glasses and sweeping her multicolored glare through the room.

"Fine by me," I respond. "But what about the articles?" I ask, gesturing over to Yuki.

"What about them?" asks Naomi. Sometimes, I feel like she and Natsume are just one being, the way they complete each other's thoughts. "We've got half a month to finish them, anyway. And you guys need a break!" she continues.

"U-um, if it's fine by you, Lilly and I have something to do today," asks Hanako timidly, barely audible over the ruckus that is Naomi. Natsume's her silent counterpart.

"It's fine, it's fine. Though you'll skip out on the tea," says Naomi, grinning.

And with that, our day's work in the club is finished and the Newspaper Club, sans Hanako, treks down the hill to the Shangai, where we spend our time thawing out using the tea as warmth.

"Geez, it's cold," comments Naomi.

"You don't say," says Natsume, giving Naomi a poke on the head.

Yuki and I follow the bickering couple to a booth, where the two of us sit across from the Natsume and Naomi. A waitress appears soon, and takes our order. It seems Yuuko doesn't work here during weekdays, probably because she's busy being Yamaku's librarian.

"So," begins Natsume, "I heard you two have been getting… close to each other?"

"Well, yeah," replies Yuki. "I guess?"

"You guess?" I say, raising an eyebrow. Yuki shrugs and just smiles.

"Aw, don't be so tight, it's okay for us," says Naomi. "You have our blessings."

"Uh… thanks?" Yuki and I reply, not really knowing what to do. Come to think of it, this is the first time these two talked to us about our relationship despite it being a few months ago since we've hooked up.

"Just be careful, Ryuuji," says Natsume. "Yeah, you do anything to hurt Yuki and you'll have to deal with us," continues Naomi.

"I'll be careful, okay? I'll take care of her, I promise!" I say, crossing my heart. Yuki stifles a giggle at my gesture.

"Oh yes, he's been a good husband for some time now," she says.

I nearly choke on my tea at this comment. Yuki merely flashes me her divine virgin smile.

"Really now," says Naomi. "I presume you're using protection?" finishes Natsume, sipping her tea in a very matter of fact way.

"Why does everyone say that?" I ask, annoyed. "We haven't done anything yet!"

"How boring," says Naomi. "Yeah, I bet WE'VE done more than you," says Natsume, a bit out of character for her.

Yuki looks at me with a look that says 'Keep quiet about what happened during September!'. I decide to do just that and sip my tea. Our little club tea time passes by without any other major questions and I sigh in relief as we both reach out dorms.

Natsume and Naomi head on inside, while Yuki and I stay outside for our usual farewells.

"Don't you tell them what happened during that zoo trip, mkay?" she says, tapping my lips.

"Hey, the chocolate ice cream was your idea," I say, giving her a good night kiss.

We both head on up to our own dorms where I find Hisao coming back from an evening run. I decide to go share with him my precious contraband, though I must be careful of heart attacks.

"Hey man, lemme show you something," I say, reaching into my bookshelf.

This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Post A/N:

Let's just believe that in the KS universe (which is probably set in 2007, or 2012, but more 2007 since that's the year the project started), they've managed to find a way to mend bones quickly, though it's still experimental and not widespread. Yeah.

That's because I found out AFTER writing this that broken bones take as much as three YEARS to heal. Or maybe because my friend broke his neck instead of some other part. I don't know. But yeah, this is fiction, after all. AUTHOR TROPE CARD: SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF!

This is the last time, I promise. I wanted to bring back Hisao, anyway.

-M.Q.A. (skittleslol)