No Author Note up hear in this chapter. It's all at the bottom. So read the late chapter an enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Gina and Kyo laughed as they followed the narrow trail in the large forest. Sunako was on another "writing high", as she called it, and they decided to give her some space.

"You know," Gina said as strolled ahead of Kyo, "I truly believe that this was meant to be."

Kyo looked at her back. "What was meant to be?" he asked, confused.

"This summer!" Gina clarified with a shout of happiness. "Us meeting on that random day, having the same interest; I've never had a friend like you before, Kyo."

Gina stopped to give him a smile and she spun around in the light that fell through the trees.

Kyo chuckled at her. "You sure are hyper today," he commented.

Gina giggled. "Just happy is all. I'm so used to spending summers reading as my sister pretended to watch over me. Like I need a baby sitter." she added the last part as an afterthought.

"I'm glad to have excited you life." Kyo said dryly, but not upset in anyway.

"You've done more that excite, Kyo," Gina stopped and stared at her, a small smiled playing on her face as she tried to find a way to explain. "You've given me a whole new life. A summer I can go back to school proud of."

Kyo could only stare at her. He didn't know he had affected her in such a way. She was just…

"You made this summer better for me, too, Gina." He told her honestly.

Gina gave a small laugh. "I don't mean to sound creepy, but I hope you come back next summer. I'd miss you too much."

Kyo walked to where she was standing and continued on. "I'm going to come back," he said, and he turned to wait for her to catch up.

Gina looked at the boy waiting for her. The way the light dancing in the trees shined in his hair and lit up his dark blue eyes. Yes, she wanted him to come back next summer, if only to entertain her.

"So, have you read The Book of the Dead and Unseen yet?" Kyo asked when she caught up and they continued walking together.

"I'm only beginning," She smiled. The Book of the Dead and Unseen was an old book from Sunako's collection. It had very interesting information on murders and clues that helped solve them. As well as the ones that were never solved.

"The twenty-forth case is my favorite," Kyo commented. "It's unsolved, of course; very gripping."

Gina grinned in anticipation. "I can't wait!"

Suddenly, something in the tree caught her eye. She paused again to look up. It was a black thing caught in the tree. Gina asked Kyo what it was when he wondered what she was looking at.

"I don't know," he responded when he found the black thing. "I think I can get it though," he said as he walked towards the tree.

"You sure?" Gina asked, no longer caring about the thing as she saw Kyo pulled himself onto a low branch.

"Yeah, Yuki taught me how to climb; he's the best." Kyo grunted as he pulled himself up to another.

"Fine, but be careful please."

Her fingers slowed as she finished the paragraph. The next natural thing for her characters to do was kiss, but she'd never thought about it before. She had no experience with kissing. She never felt the passion behind and kiss, and defiantly didn't know how to put it in writing.

Kyo was right. Her characters never had to deal with kissing because they never had anyone to kiss. Why now? Why were her characters growing close to each other without her permission? With those questions popping up in her mind, her only answer was that it was natural. But why did it seem natural? And why did her character always go for someone they hated naturally?

Kyo couldn't be right about…both things, could he? She wasn't thinking about him, so why did it seem like she was? Why was the guy always stubborn but courageous? Why was the girl always alone but strong?

Her characters weren't trying to tell her something, were they?

They couldn't be. They didn't know anything she didn't let them know. So if it wasn't Naomi and Taka, then who was it? The only answer was her, but that didn't make any sense either. Why would she hide the answer to her questions in a story when she could answer it herself?

Kyohei…he wasn't there, in her stories, because that would mean that she thought about him. And she didn't think about him unless she was made to. Besides, she had no reason to think about him. Or how he was doing. Or if he thought about her.

Or if he could cook yet.

Yes, she had no reason so wonder about anything concerning him, so she wouldn't. She would push him out of her mind just as she pushed him out of her life when they were younger.

Yet he always found a way back, didn't he. The big worm. That's what he was. He wormed his way into her life the first time, and then she'd broken free. Then he'd wiggled his wormy way back in after the wedding. She left a hole for him to come and go, but made it small to discourage the actual visiting part. And now he was worming his way into her thoughts and stories.

The stupid, big worm. He didn't deserve her time or thoughts.

So, then why was he still in them?

"Crap," she muttered, leaning her head against her desk.

Suna returned slurping on her soda and she sat the other two on the counter for Mike and Andrew. Diana was taking the day off to visit with her grandmother, so the other boy was covering for her. Suna didn't like him much, but she dealt with him well enough. Mike wasn't fond of him either, which made Suna giggle at the things they had in common.

"Thanks, Gina," Mike smiled as he grabbed a straw. "Andrew, soda!" he called to the other boy who was organizing the Cds again. He nodded but gave no sign of joining them.

"Oh, well," Mike rolled his eyes.

Suna smiled at him. "Yeah, bummer," she said sarcastically.

Taking a sip of his soda, Mike's eyes widened. "Suna, this is really good. What was the combination?"

Suna blushed a little. "It's a secret of mine. I wondered if you would like it."

"It's really good," he said again. "I'm going to miss it when you're gone."

Suna looked at him with bright violet eyes. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, you make for great entertainment." Mike went on, taking another long slurp.

Suna looked down and away to hid the full blush that Mike had caused. He said that she was entertaining.

"The mall is closing in an hour. The mall is closing in the hour. Thank you, shoppers."

Suna chocked on her drink. "An hour?" she asked very alarmed. "I was supposed to be on my way home now. Oh, Kyohei's going to kill me!" she muttered to herself as she started to gather her things.

"Suna, Suna, calm down," Mike said, holding out a hand. "Call Kyohei and tell him I'll give you a ride."

Suna was stunned. "Really?" she squeaked, excited at the idea of him actually giving her a ride home.

"Yeah, sure. There isn't much we can do about it now." he shrugged.

Suna hid her blush as she dialed Kyohei's home phone number. He answer, a bit frantic she would say, after the first ring.

"Kyohei, please calm down. I'm sorry!" she said in hopes that he would be less panicked.

"Suna, where are you." he demanded in his best adult, you-have-to-listen-to-me tone.

"I'm at the mall with Mike," she winced at the tone. "I lost track of time., but he said he'd drive me home. Please don't be so mad."

"Mike? He said he'd drive you home?" Kyohei questioned, wondering what to do. "Can I trust him."

Suna nodded. "Yeah. Totally."

"And you know the way?"

"Kyohei, I've been taking the bus while you're busy. Yes, I know the way." she said in a bored tone. How dare he doubt her.

A little hesitantly, Kyohei agreed, telling her that she had to be home when Mike got off. She was not to make a sudden stop or go anywhere with him.

"I will, promise." Suna smiled. This could be the best mistake of her life. She turned back to Mike with the same silly smile.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything's fine. Thanks for offering." She giggled.

"Don't worry about it," Mike smiled at her. "I just didn't want you walking around at night alone. A pretty girl like you would get hurt."

Suna nearly fainted. Pretty. Mike just called her pretty. Today, she decided, was the best day of her life. Even her wedding day, which Mike would be in, couldn't top that moment. Ah, everything was going according to her life plan. Oh, the children will be beautiful.

She stayed out of the way as they closed up, and tried to keep the giddiness to herself as he led her to his old car.

"It's kind of a tight fit; you'll have to put some stuff in the backseat." he said as he unlocked the doors.

"That's all right," Suna smiled. Of course it was all right. "I'm just happy for the ride. You're really helping me out, Mike."

Mike looked at her and swiftly turned away. Suna mentally panicked. Why would he do that? Was there something in her teeth? Well, she couldn't very well check, so she'd just keep her mouth shut.

Keeping her mouth shut made for a very quiet ride. She would only whisper the directions when she needed to, hoping that if she didn't open her mouth too wide, he wouldn't see whatever it was that was stuck in her teeth.

Slowly, the car rolled to a stop in front of Kyohei's place.

"So this is where he lives? Nice," Mike commented.

Suna smiled to herself, afraid to smile in his direction, an said, "Yeah, it's really nice. Maybe you could see it sometime."

Mike stiffened in his seat. This time Suna was sure that it wasn't something in her teeth.

"What?" she asked.

Mike sighed regretfully. "Suna, I really don't want to hurt you, but I think I have to set you straight. You shouldn't like me."

Suna was taken back. Was he telling her to hate him? "But why? I think you're very nice."

"No," Mike shook his head. "I mean, like me like that."

Suna gasped. So he'd caught on. "Why not? I mean--"

"Look, Suna, I'm almost three years older than you. While that doesn't mean anything in the long run, it's a bit creepy when you're young."

She stayed quiet, unsure of what to say, but sure that if there was something to say, the tears would fall. "Oh" was all she could get out.

"I honestly didn't mean to hurt you, Suna. I like you a lot, but just not like that." Mike said, hurt and concern in his green eyes.

"Oh, I know," Suna said with as much force and determination as she could muster. "Please don't worry; don't think anything of it. Thank you for the ride, but I need to get in."

"Sunako," he whispered as she left, shutting the door gently.

Mike waited for her to get to her door and open it before he took off. As soon as she heard his car rattle down the street, she broke down. Her held back tears flowed as she bent down in front of the door. The sniffling and hip-ups caught Kyohei's attention all the way in the kitchen.

Wondering what could have the strong-willed Sunako Oda so shaken up, he bent down to investigate. "Suna, what is it?" he asked with all the concern of a father, though he didn't realize it.

"Nothing." she whimpered.

Kyohei nudged her. "Come on, something has gotten you upset. What is it?"

Suddenly Suna jumped up, shaking Kyohei from her. "I said nothing was wrong! God, can't you just leave me alone! You're not my father, don't pretend to be! You have no idea what I'm going through, so stop trying! God, you're unbelievable!" she shouted as she ran up the stairs to her guest room where she threw herself on the bed and cried some more.

Kyohei was shocked by her sudden outburst. He wasn't expecting her to blow up like that. Well, he guessed he should have. This was the daughter of the woman who thought that if she pretended to be a boy, her ex-boyfriend, who wasn't actually her ex-boyfriend, would still be friends with her. The two brought extreme to a whole new level.

Ranmaru was being unusually quiet upstairs, which would have concerned Noi if her husband wasn't being even more intense than usually. Said man was staring at the wall with deep frustration etched into his face.

"Care to share your thoughts?" she asked hopefully. Sometimes, she still felt like the schoolgirl who didn't really deserve to know his most inner thoughts. Noi constantly had to remind herself that her life long dream had actually come true and that she was, in fact, his wife.

"The plan," he answered in short, with a slight growl. Noi gave him a confused look. "What if it doesn't work? Or what if they really don't belong together? We're leaving too much up to them, I believe."

Noi smiled. So he did care as much about this as she and Ranmaru. He'd always said that they belonged together, but never did anything about it. "I would doubt it," she smiled, "I have faith, that even though we're almost forty,--" she had to ground the word out "--they can still be happy with each other."

Takenaga looked at his beautiful wife. Even after all this time, she still amazed him. This was the life he'd always hoped for; the wife he'd always hoped for. He was incredibly fortunate, he knew. This was the kind of life others dreamed of, and he lived it gratefully.

"Now, Ranmaru has been awfully quiet up there, so will you go and check on what he's doing?" She smiled. Takenaga rolled his blue eyes and sat up from his chair. As he did so, the phone rang and Noi went to pick it up.

Takenaga was on the first step of the staircase when he heard his wife gasp and the phone drop. Instantly, he turned back and rushed to her. Tears of panic were gathering in her eyes as she shook.

"Honey?" he said as he took her in her arms.

"That was Sunako," she whispered breathlessly, "There's been an accident. Kyohei's in the hospital."

Dun, dun, dun. Well, I'm so sorry for the late update. First, I went camping (fun!), then I was house sitting (annoying!), and then I'm going out of the state for this weekend, leaving tomorrow (Thursday). You're wondering why I didn't update in between those activities.

It's summer and I didn't feel like writing.

Well, writing this story, I should say. Every time I started, I got distracted. But I figured it would be mean to leave you for another weekend. And sorry for any mistakes in this chapter.

Questions:

That last line could be confusing. Since Noi refers to her children by their full names, I just want to clarify and it's the adult Sunako that called and the fourteen-year-old twin that had the accident.

In chapter 8, it was the teenager that Sunako was talking to in the beginning. The one who made a comment about the love interest.

Also in chapter 8, Sunako mentions the guy that changed her life.

"You were fourteen? I never knew that."

Sunako nodded. "Yeah," she readily explain, "There was this…guy. He thought me that it didn't really matter. Looks, personality. You should never have to change yourself to please some one."

Kyo nodded. "Nice guy,"

Sunako sighed, pushing her plate away. "Some thought so,"

I screwed up the age, because she was actually thirteen when she learned this. And who was the guy that taught her that looks didn't really matter. It was the guy that started the whole story buy calling her ugly. Also know as Mr. Ugly. Which is why she pushes her plate away when Kyo calls him a nice guy.

When Sunako said, "You're a boy, you wouldn't understand," in chapter nine, she was talking about the certain items in her collection that would only make…interesting items to girls. I don't know what they are because she hasn't shown me (apparently, I'm not up to Horror-snuff, if you ask her.).

I'm kidding.

Oh, and doing the math. They graduated at 17, plus the seven years for Noi and Takenaga to get married (I blame him. Though I am female and prone to blaming the guy…), making them 24. Plus the 14 years for the twins making them all 38. Not terribly old, so yeah.

Now, for the lovely reviews/ readers! I would like to thank every single one of you, and one day I'll get around to it. But for now, I have this:

I love you all. 13 reviews and 180 hits to chapter 9. My mom is off my back (even supporting me with this a little.). You guys are all amazing.

Kami No Koukyo

Lala's World

Seirai-chan

XDelat-Ha-chanx

Bluementrit

Firelyachemy

Roma.tomato

XxAlexNightxx

-israelita-

ReaRurounifan, Nihongoneko, and Loanlystar all left some awesome long reviews. And FaWoCoh went back and reviewed for other chapters.

I will go back and thank you all personally, probably by the end of next week, but this is just a little shout out to say thanks to each of you.

Thank you readers, and thank you reviews! Have a nice weekend.