X

Kenji thought it to be in the Mizutani household's best interest to leave early the next morning, even under the knowledge that last night's snow had probably turned the National Highway into a very, very long and dangerous skating rink. He had made sure to set his alarm clock at five in the morning, planning to sneak out – hopefully unnoticed – by the residents. Luckily, the guest room was in the first floor, and the members of the Mizutani Family all slept like rocks. So after leaving a note on the dining table saying a brief thanks and an explanation as to why he had to leave early, Kenji made his way to his car and pulled out of the driveway slowly.

As he had expected, the road had frozen over, and Kenji found himself barely managing to come to a good stop on several red lights along the way. The fact that his mind was still full of Shizuku and her childhood, of bunny rabbits and goldfish and divorce settlements and other things was not helping. Throughout the drive all the way to his home, he kept on rewinding back the events of last night in his head, remembering Shizuku's crying face, of how she had calmed down almost instantly after that, of how she, for once, opened up a sliver of her past with him without him having to ask about it.

In reality, he didn't know if it was because she was feeling a bit vulnerable that time, or if it was because she was really trying to open up to him more, but it made something perfectly clear for him; Shizuku had a love-hate relationship with her mother. Come to think of it, he supposed that was the only relationship one could have with such a woman. Kenji thought her to be too cold to be a mother, and too independent to be a wife, though he could only assume she was a competent lawyer. A bit hard to read, easy to trust. Kenji knew that Shizuku trusted her with Takaya, but the sister in her was tearing at her logic.

Or maybe the lonely little girl was the one tearing at her?

By the time Kenji finally reached home, thanking his lucky stars that he didn't get into an unwanted accident along the way, it was already quarter to six, and he did not even know how he was going to finish – let alone begin – his paper that was due at nine today. He was not too optimistic about it, but he thought of asking his professor if he could submit it tomorrow, though he doubted he was going to get a good grade for it. Lately, he hadn't been caring much about grades. Ever since Shizuku had waltzed back into his life, his priorities had suddenly been turned upside-down. And what was so shocking about it was that he honestly didn't give a fuck.

He deposited his coat and muffler on the coat rack by the living room entrance and tiredly made his way to the stairs, thinking that it would be wise to shower up before getting ready for his morning classes. He didn't know where the fatigue was coming from. He swore he had slept at least a good six or so hours at Shizuku's house before coming here. He could blame it on the lumpy futon. Or the lack of a better pillow. Or maybe it was because he knew that Shizuku's room was directly above the guest room, and he had heard her walking around in the middle of the night before he finally fell asleep.

He frowned as he loosened his collar. He had more things to worry about right now. A good excuse for having not finished his paper. He had to come up with a good enough excuse…

He was very much surprised to see Iyo sitting on the foot of the stairs in her pajamas, a blanket thrown over her shoulders, her feet donned in fluffy slippers. She was looking up at him with very, very reproachful eyes.

Kenji suddenly remembered that his sister had just found out that he was courting Shizuku. And not only that, but he had admitted that he was, in fact, in love with her.

Kenji crossed his arms over his chest and willed himself to stare back at Iyo. "What?" he asked, hoping – though he doubted he was succeeding – that he sounded intimidating.

Iyo was not buying it. "Iyo never knew. Why did you not tell Iyo?"

First and foremost, Kenji did not feel like he had an obligation to tell her anything regarding his affairs when it came to women. Second, he did not think that she and Shizuku were that close for it to even matter to her.

But the way his sister was looking up at him, sincerely offended, he could not help but sigh and look away. "I didn't know how to say it. It's only been recently since I've been able to admit it even to myself, more so someone else."

Iyo bit her lower lip, and she finally lowered her eyes to her lap. "Uhm…" she said coherently.

Kenji scratched his forehead wearily. This was probably the first time he had ever felt this awkward in front of his sister, not because he felt like he had done her a great wrong, but because he hadn't been aware that she would be so affected by this. He gestured at her, intended to change the subject. "What are you doing here? It's cold. And it's too early. You don't have morning classes today, right?"

Iyo started to fidget uncomfortably. "The chi… the chicken…"

Kenji's eyebrow rose involuntarily. "Nagoya?"

"Uhm… Iyo did what brother asked and fed it some cabbage. And the chicken followed Iyo to her room. And now the chicken has taken residence on Iyo's bed."

Kenji stared at her for a good three seconds. This was probably one of the reasons why he hated having conversations with this girl. "You let a chicken take over your bed?" he asked flatly.

Iyo blushed furiously. "I-it was staring at Iyo with its beady eyes!" she said loudly, as if that explained everything.

Kenji shook his head and stepped aside, walking around Iyo and up the stairs. He did not have the time for this. "Chase him out and bring him back to the sunroom. He won't bite."

Iyo ran after him desperately. "B-but…! It is frightening Iyo!"

Kenji didn't want to hear it. He needed to get ready. He needed a shower. He needed it now. He slammed the door of his room on Iyo's face and did not waste any time in hopping into the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower. By the time he had gotten dressed, dried out his hair, checked his e-mails and stuffed all his things into his bag, it was already seven-fifteen. He thought of getting a quick breakfast and was surprised to find Yamaguchi Chiemi sitting on the kitchen counter with a mug of most probably warm tea in her hand.

"Hey, mom," he greeted as he dumped his bag on top of the counter and busied himself with the coffee maker. "You're up early."

"Kenji, welcome home," was his mother's reply, leaning her elbow on the counter and watching him intently. "I'm surprised you're back this early. I was expecting a very hot, steamy night at Shizuku-chan's place that – "

"It wasn't like that," he snapped, feeling all the blood gush to his face. His mother knew how to push his buttons, and it seemed like topics about Shizuku were her latest weapons in tormenting him.

Chiemi nodded in understanding. "Well, her father was there after all."

Kenji snapped his teeth together to prevent himself from saying anything. That was hardly the case for Shizuku. He set his coffee cup under the coffee maker and pressed the switch. "Her parents have decided on a divorce, and her mother won custody over her younger brother, since he's still a minor."

He could only wince at how one sentence could sum up what was happening to Shizuku right now. He could have elaborated further, if he had the time.

His mother did not look too surprised. "I heard from Iyo about the divorce, and I kind of figured out that that must be the reason why Shizuku-chan has been staying with us lately. I guess the mother side would always win when it comes to minors."

An image of Mizutani Takashi's face flashed before his mind's eye and he instantly remembered the conversation they had the night before.

"Yoshino-san had always been the better parent. It's only normal for her to win custody over Takaya."

Kenji shook his head at the memory.

"How is Shizuku-chan taking this?" Chiemi asked, concerned.

"Surprisingly well," he answered as he watched the black liquid pour into his mug, filling the kitchen with the aroma of fresh coffee. "It's as if she'd been anticipating it, really. Takaya – her brother – he doesn't want to go. Or at least that's how I thought he felt. When I got to their place yesterday, the kid had been waiting out in the snow. He didn't want to come inside when he found out his mother was there."

Chiemi nodded in understanding. "It's always the children who take separations the hardest." She lowered her mug on the counter and watched Kenji as he took a sip of his coffee. "I don't know Shizuku-chan well enough to give her advice, so the only thing I can say is that you stay by her side. Shizuku-chan doesn't look like the kind of girl who would show her weakness to anyone, but I'm sure she would appreciate it to have someone around for moral support."

Kenji looked over to his mother, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He frowned. "You don't have to tell me that." Then after a while, he added, "Though I wonder if I'd be able to help her at all."

Chiemi rolled her eyes at him. "Just like your father. You worry about the silliest of things."

Kenji nearly choked into his coffee cup. It was so much like his mother to dismiss things as 'silly'. "Well, excuse me for being like dad."

Chiemi laughed quietly, hopping down from her seat, pulling her robe closer around her shoulder. "Are we expecting Shizuku-chan later tonight? Or will she be staying home with her dad?"

Kenji paused, thought for a second, then realized that while he and Takashi had talked about Shizuku's living arrangements, the conversation didn't end with anything concrete. "I don't know. I'll call her later and ask, though personally, I think she and her dad have finally patched things up between them, so I don't think there would be any other reason for her to stay here. Given Takaya would be leaving by Winter Break, it would be better for her to stay with her family."

Chiemi didn't say anything for a moment, but instead watched Kenji with unreadable eyes. After that pause, she smiled and proceeded to place her mug in the sink, rinsing it out with hot water before giving Kenji a light peck on the cheek. "Our home is always open for her, dear. Anyway, you should get going. Be careful on your way to school. Your father left for the hospital early and he called to say there was an accident in the national highway, so you should probably take the long route to Uni."

Kenji nodded, only half-concerned about what his mother was saying. After all, he was sure that his GPS was going to reroute him away from heavy traffic. He downed his coffee and placed his mug in the sink, washed his hands. "Well, I'm off."

Chiemi continued watching him that it was starting to make him uncomfortable.

Kenji frowned at her. "What is it?"

Chiemi grinned. "Ah, nothing. I just thought that you looked… different."

Kenji blinked, then scratched at his head. "Is it my hair? I just got out of the shower, and I was in a hurry in blow-drying it."

Another pause from Chiemi. After a while, she smiled. "That must be it."

And their conversation ended at that.

It wasn't until he was in the car on his way to University did it really start to bother him. Mabo and Tomio had said the same thing; that he had changed. He was a smart guy. He knew the reason why they were all telling him that he was different. Shizuku's return had shaken him. After she had moved to Tokyo two years ago, she had fallen off his radar, and although there had been times when she had crossed his mind, he had never really done anything about it.

And then she came home with so many things going on for her that he was having a terrible time at catching up. The divorce. The settlement. Her dropping out of Law School at Todai to pursue a degree in business at a local University.

He wondered if he was trying to change his pace in order to keep up with her. He wondered why he was trying too hard to do so. Then again, he wondered about a lot of things concerning that girl. He was starting to question what he really wanted to do with himself. His indecisiveness was showing in his report card. His teachers, friends and family were starting to notice things were… off… about him. All because of a girl.

He cursed under his breath. This was not something Yamaguchi Kenji usually bothered about.

Of course, the wakeup call had to happen that day, right after first period.

His Chemistry professor's name was Mr. Hayashi Yutaka. He was a kind gentleman in his early fifties with a neat head of dark hair with streaks of grey here and there. He wore those horn-rimmed glasses that were always perched on the tip of his nose, and right now, he was looking at Kenji over those glasses with slightly exasperated eyes.

"This isn't like you, Yamaguchi-kun," had been the man's preamble once Kenji had sat himself on a chair facing Professor Hayashi in his office. The man had been slightly taken aback when Kenji had blandly told him that he did not have a paper to submit to him under personal reasons that he could not actually explain.

Kenji clenched and unclenched his hands on his lap. He had hoped that Professor Hayashi would give him a break. He guessed that straight A students couldn't easily get off the hook by simply saying 'I'm sorry'.

Professor Hayashi was now browsing through a thick folder of what seemed to contain records of his students. He was reading through a chart of what Kenji could only assume to be his grades.

"Your grades have been nothing less of outstanding all throughout your first year, as well as your first semester this year. I'm beginning to worry because it isn't like you to miss out on a paper. Your other professors are concerned about you as well, and given your father is a good friend and a long-time colleague of mine, I brought it upon myself to ask you personally – as a family friend, of course – if there is something bothering you, Yamaguchi-kun," Professor Hayashi said as his eyes continued to examine that chart in front of him.

Kenji looked down at his hands and willed them to stop moving. He shrugged. "I'm sorry to have made you worry. I made a mistake, and I promise it won't happen again. I just had a lot in my mind lately." This was not a lie, as Kenji hated lying to his professors, especially to professors who knew his parents.

Professor Hayashi took a deep breath, closed the file and pushed it to the side. He placed his hands in front of him on the desk and crossed his fingers together, his thumbs rubbing against each other. He gave Kenji a long once-over before asking something that made Kenji sit up straight. "You do like this course, do you not, Yamaguchi-kun? Medicine, I mean."

Kenji frowned. This was the first time someone had ever asked him this question. He had never really put too much thought into it, because deep down, he had always thought that the subject didn't concern have anything to do with 'liking' it. Their family owned a hospital. He was the eldest. It was only natural to want to become a doctor and continue with the family business. He nodded anyway, not wanting to take too much time with this talk with his professor. "Yes, sir. I do."

Professor Hayashi smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I don't want to make you think that just because you missed a paper doesn't mean I'm questioning your dedication in your studies. Because I know you, and I know that you've always wanted this. I just thought that maybe, you found something you liked better than… all this." He gestured with both his hands behind him, where his diploma was hanging on the wall along with a few family pictures and other certificates from his past works.

Kenji gave the older man a wary look. Something he liked better than Medicine? His thoughts drifted towards the red zone where he had an imprint of Shizuku's crying face, of the image of the back of her head as she looked out the window of her room. He shook himself back to reality. "I like my course, sir."

"Are you sure? You haven't decided to shift majors? Because lately, while you've always shown a great strength in the natural sciences, and given you've submitted in your yearly career application form with it saying you've been leaning greatly towards becoming a surgeon, your grades in your Psychology subjects have been sky-rocketing. I was wondering if perhaps, you've had a change of heart in your major, and if this is taking its toll on your studies."

This had Kenji's jaw dropping open. He recovered quickly. Psychology? No. The thought never even crossed his mind. He did not think he was articulate enough, nor possessed enough organizational skills nor empathy to be a psychologist. The idea of it intrigued him, though. He leaned forward on his chair. "Is it common? I mean, is changing courses in the middle of a year normal for students like me?"

Kenji's sudden interest in the subject surprised Professor Hayashi. "Youth are very fickle-minded, Yamaguchi-kun. There are those among you who have a sudden change of heart triggered by the simplest of things." He leaned back on his chair, fixing his glasses. "Our job as professors is to silently guide you, because your decisions will always be what pave your future. In your case, your future is pretty much set in stone, and your father will probably murder the both of us if you suddenly decide to switch paths."

The fire in Kenji died down almost immediately. This and that were completely different things. Changing a goal from surgeon to psychiatrist was different from changing from Law to Economics. He was putting too much thought into this. But could he blame himself? He was in love with the woman. They were talking about the future of the woman he knew he would give anything for!

Kenji couldn't believe he just thought that. His face reddened instantly and he moved to stand. "If you'll still accept it, I'll submit the paper tomorrow, sir. I have a class in fifteen."

Professor Hayashi raised his eyebrows. "Ah, about that. Professor Kokufu was in an accident in the national highway early this morning. Haven't you seen the news about it?"

Kenji paused, stared at his professor in horror. He could not believe that Professor Hayashi was saying this like it was nothing.

The man caught his expression. "Ah, don't worry. He didn't even have a single scratch on him. It was a normal slip accident. There weren't other people involved, but he had to go to the hospital just in case. You know how they are here."

Kenji let out a sigh of relief. Professor Kokufu was also a family friend and his father's occasional tennis buddy. "I'm glad to hear that. But then that means I'm free for the day. I'll get to work on the paper and submit it to you as soon as I finish it, sir."

Professor Hayashi nodded as he leaned back against his chair once more. "I'd appreciate that. I don't want to make it look like I'm taking favorites so you know I'm going to slice off points for tardiness, yes?"

Kenji grinned sheepishly. "I know, sir." And he left the office, feeling slightly relieved that at least he wasn't going to get a big, fat F for one of his major subjects.

He was actually thinking of hitting the library, since he only had morning classes on Thursdays. He didn't have anything better to do, either. And so bundling up again in his coat and muffler, he made to leave for the library. He was extra careful not to slip at snow-covered pavements and skirted frozen puddles as he went.

He was very much disappointed when he ran into Tomioka Ryuuji at the foot of the steps leading up to the campus library. He was clad in a black down jacket, a beanie over his head, pacing up and down the steps like some hamster high on something.

"Yo, Yamaken! Fancy meeting you here!" said Tomio as he stopped whatever it was he was doing and made a bee-line for Kenji.

No, Kenji did not think there was anything fancy at meeting anyone at the library. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Tomio shrugged as he followed after Kenji up the stairs and into the warmth and safety of the library building. "Ah, nothing. You know. Just hanging around and stuff."

"You're hanging around in the cold?" Kenji asked him suspiciously. Well, it was a given that in the trio, Tomio had always been the calmer one. In fact, if he weren't with Mabo or George, he could actually pass as someone Kenji could call 'normal'. Of course, there was nothing normal with what he was doing right now.

Tomio grinned at him, smoothly changing the subject. "Aren't you supposed to be in class? Oh, wait. Don't tell me you're skipping?"

"The teacher got into an accident. I have the rest of the day free." He didn't even know why he was explaining to him why he was there. It was not as if it was any of his business. He found an empty table near the science section and deposited his things on a chair. It annoyed him that Tomio started to take his coat and hat off as well.

"Ah, I saw that on the news. Some of the dudes in class were talking about it, too. Glad he isn't hurt or anything."

Kenji hung his coat behind his chair and stared Tomio straight in the eye. "I wanted some time alone to write a paper that was due today. Is there any reason why you're insisting on keeping me company now?"

Tomio laughed at him after a very, very significant pause. "Do I need to have an excuse to hang out with my buddy?"

Kenji was starting to really, really get suspicious. "Look, just tell me what's bothering you so that I can start avoiding you."

Tomio liked that. He smiled. "Nothing's bothering me, dude."

"Then that must mean you're after something. What do you want?"

That finally got Tomio. The cocky expression left his fact and he was suddenly shrinking into himself. "Ah… well… you see..."

Kenji should have known better than to ask. He turned away from him and hurriedly stalked away towards the direction of the shelves. It was only after a few moments – right after finding himself surrounded by books about animals – did he realize that this was one of the reasons why he got lost too often.

Luckily, Tomio had followed him. "Hey, you asked me about what I needed then walk off. What gives, Yamaken?"

"I need a chemistry book," Kenji muttered, looking around him, his heart sinking.

"You're in the biology section," Tomio pointed out humorlessly.

Kenji, not at all willing to admit that he was lost, grabbed the nearest book he could get. "I knew that. I'm gonna get it once I get this book about – " He stared down at the book in his hand. It was a book about goldfish. Wow... " – about fish… " he trailed off, surprised to find out that he half meant it.

Tomio stared at the book, then back at him. "You don't like pets. And I don't think you've ever shown interest in getting goldfish. Ever."

"That's none of your business. I wanted this." Kenji looked around him, trying to find a sign or an arrow that could lead him back to his table, or towards the Chemistry section.

"I need to ask you something," Tomio said seriously, and he used an arm to block Kenji, preventing him from running away from him again.

Kenji looked down at the arm in his way, then scowled at Tomio. The guy wasn't usually this aggressive towards him, not even with Mabo or George around, so he could only assume that he was really serious.

Kenji leaned on one leg, tucking the goldfish book under an arm. "What is it? If it's about Shizuku, I'll beat the crap out of you."

Tomio knew him long enough to know how empty his threats really were, but for some reason the guy looked uncomfortable. Kenji tried to run a few things through his mind, the possible reasons that could make Tomio squirm. Nothing came into mind. Now he was starting to worry.

"Uh, look, you and I've known each other since we were in middle school, right? We're, like, buddies, right?"

Talks that started with reminders of the history of one's friendship never ended well. Kenji waited for him to continue, his eyes narrowing at the guy.

Tomio scratched the back of his head, his face coloring a bit. "I was wondering… you know… what you'd think if I… er… "

Kenji raised an eyebrow.

Tomio swallowed hard, took a deep breath, then blurted out words that Kenji never thought any human male in this world would ever, ever say even if their life depended on it.

"I think I like your sister," Tomio said in a huff.

And Kenji was left being sucked into a void that he never even knew existed in him. It was like one of those scenes from an old mystery movie when they finally reveal who murdered the doctor, or something like that. It was like the villain was there the whole time, right under their noses, but no one really knew it was him until it was too late.

Kenji stared at Tomio for the longest possible time, unaware that his jaw had dropped open from shock. For sure, this revelation was something that didn't even cross his mind. Tomio was a year above Iyo in the Criminal Justice Department in Uni. Kenji had been relieved that someone was going to watch over his good-for-nothing little sister, because Iyo was clumsy at making new friends, and Tomio had always come close to being one of those friends, or so Kenji had thought. He had always seen Tomio in the corner of his eye, patting Iyo on the head whenever she was being a pain in everyone else's asses. Or calling in to check if she had done her homework. Or coming over to make sure Iyo was not late for morning classes.

Or… or…

The realization finally sank in. And Kenji suddenly felt faint.

Tomio liked Iyo.

Tomio, who Kenji had gotten to know over a school brawl and an anime-disguised-as-porn DVD, was telling him right this very moment, that he fancied his sister.

And Kenji did the only thing he thought was appropriate for this kind of confrontation.

He burst out laughing. Loud. Very loud. Tomio instantly grabbed him around the neck in a chokehold.

"Stop laughing! We're in the library!" Tomio hissed in his ear.

Kenji shoved him away, holding his stomach as he continued to laugh, if a bit quietly this time. He gestured at Tomio with the goldfish book. "Man, are you crazy? You come to me to tell me that you like my sister? Seriously?"

The guy shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. It was a habit he had when he was thinking of things to say when the teacher called for him to answer a question in front of the class. Or at least that was back in high school. "You know I won't be joking about this kind of thing."

Okay, so he was serious. The next question that popped in Kenji's head was, 'why'?

Kenji leaned back against the shelf and shook his head wearily at him. "Does she even know you exist? Iyo's a strange girl. You've known for almost as long as you've known me. She lives in her own world where she would only give good-looking dudes a time of day."

Tomio blushed violently at the mention of that, but didn't say anything.

Kenji continued. "She used to like Haru! And Yuuzan, for that matter! She likes pretty boys! Are you a pretty boy, Tomio?"

He didn't know it was physically possible for Tomio to redden even more, but he did. "No, I'm not a pretty boy," he said sourly, his shoulders slumping. "And, no, I don't think she's ever looked at me that way. Ever. But well… well…" He was starting to lose conviction already.

Kenji crossed his arms over his chest. "She's selfish, self-absorbed and narcissistic. You want a girl like that?"

Tomio didn't seem to like that. He frowned. "She's a good girl, dude. She's honest, passionate and interesting."

Kenji's eyebrows rose. It was either Tomio was talking about a different person altogether. Either that, or Tomio was really, truly in love with her. "So the reason why you're here is because you wanted to ask for my permission?"

Tomio started to struggle for words. In the end, he nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean, we're buddies. And you know I don't want our friendship ruined just because of a girl. Well, not that Iyo's just a girl…"

Kenji watched his friend struggle even more. He knew this guy from way back. It had been one of the strangest ways of meeting the friends you would be spending your high school with. And although Kenji hadn't admitted it to Tomio out loud, he had always known how strongly Tomio felt about his friends. This was one of those instances.

Kenji shrugged. He knew that people don't just choose who they fell in love with.

Sasayan did not ask to fall in love with Natsume. Tomio did not ask to fall in love with Iyo. Shizuku did not choose to fall in love with Haru.

And Kenji… Kenji did not choose to fall in love with Shizuku.

"Have you told her?" Kenji asked civilly, because he couldn't think of anything else to ask.

But judging from Tomio's reaction, Kenji already knew the answer even before Tomio could say, "Nah. I don't even know how to say it."

Kenji bit his lower lip, unable to come up with something – anything – proper to say. He supposed Tomio had been expecting him to say, "Don't you dare come after my sister," or something of the like. In reality, it did surprise Kenji, how calm he was taking this. Never in his life did he even think that one of his friends would end up liking his sister.

Kenji patted Tomio's shoulder with his free hand before walking past him, hopefully towards the right direction towards his table. "Well, if you really prefer that brat, then by all means, go for it."

Tomio ran after him, a bit excited. "Really? You're not mad or anything?"

Kenji stopped in his tracks, looked over his shoulder. The way Tomio shrank once more into himself, Kenji could only assume he had a very nasty expression on his face. "She may be over-bearing, but she is my sister. And if you do anything to make her cry, you're going to answer to me."

Another threat. This time, it wasn't empty. And Tomio knew that.

"I'll take care of her," he said.

Kenji smirked. "Yeah, after you get her to notice you first. And from how things have been going so far, looks like you have to try extra hard."

Tomio laughed softly. Kenji nearly shivered at the way his expression changed from nervous to sickeningly-smitten. "It means a lot to me, though. You telling me it's all good and stuff."

Kenji cocked his head to the side, unimpressed. "Who said my permission would come free?"

Tomio stared at him in disbelief. "What, you gonna milk me for money for this?"

Kenji grinned, waving the goldfish book lazily in front of him. "Not exactly."

And Kenji could not blame Tomio for the confused expression on his face. It was the same expression his mother gave him when she came home from a tea party at a friend's house that afternoon when she found him in the first floor sunroom with a manual in his hand, right beside him a large corner tank already complete with sand, water and a small pirate ship.

"Hey there, honey. What do you have there?" Chiemi asked as she leaned against the doorframe, looking very curious.

Kenji looked over to her quickly before returning his eyes back onto the manual. "Oh, hi. I've done setting it up. Just making sure I didn't forget anything else before anything else."

Chiemi laughed. "What, you got yourself some fish?"

"I got them for Shizuku," Kenji said absently, flipping onto the next page of the book.

"Shizuku already has a pet, though."

Kenji looked up from the book again. Trust his mother to burst his bubble by pointing out the fact, especially when he was trying to be romantic. "She wants goldfish, mom. She said so herself."

Chiemi touched a hand to her cheek. "Oh, that's so sweet. So does that mean Shizuku-chan's coming home here today? Have you talked to her yet?"

Kenji closed the manual and placed it on the table where the tank was placed. He shook his head. "I don't want to intrude on her and her family. Not after everything yesterday. But, you know. Just in case she does come home here…"

"You seem to be missing the fish, though," Chiemi pointed out.

"Tomio's bringing them over in a bit."

Chiemi looked surprised. "Ryuuji-kun? The son of Tomioka Trading? He's a year ahead of Iyo in their course, right?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. Will he be having dinner with us then? You seldom bring friends over."

Kenji thought for a moment, then asked, "Is Iyo going to be here tonight?"

Chiemi shook her head. "I remember her telling me about a study group tonight, so she won't be home until late. Why?"

"Then Tomio isn't staying for dinner."

Chiemi looked a bit bewildered, but wisely didn't ask any more. "Well, all right. But if Shizuku-chan's coming home tonight, I'd rather you pick her up from her place while it's still early. The weather report said that there's a fifty percent chance of snow tonight, and you know how Shizuku-chan hates the cold."

Kenji's head shot up at the mention of snow. He looked at the wall clock above the door. It was almost four in the afternoon. His eyes traveled towards the window. It was already dark outside, and he could see low-hanging clouds that did promise snow. He nibbled on his lower lip, looked back at the tank. "Maybe I should call her."

Chiemi laughed. "And here I thought you didn't want to intrude on her and her family."

Kenji felt his face grow warm as he plucked his phone from his back pocket. "There's nothing wrong with checking up on her," he said defensively.

"Whatever you say, dear. Tell her we're having her favorite seafood curry tonight," said Chiemi before waving at her as she left the room.

Kenji dialed her number and waited for Shizuku to pick up. It rang twice, thrice before she answered.

"Hello?"

"Ah," Kenji said dumbly, overwhelmed at how just hearing her voice for the first time that day made him feel stupidly happy. "Hi there."

"Yama – K-Kenji," she stuttered, and it was like Kenji could practically see her blushing as she sounded like she had shifted her phone from one hand to another. "You left early this morning. I didn't even realize you'd gone."

"I left a note."

"I saw. You should have woken me up. I could have prepared breakfast for you."

Kenji suddenly felt like he had missed out on something special. He shook himself from the thought of Shizuku's cooking. "I'd like that someday. Taste your cooking, I mean."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line before Shizuku said, "I could cook for you sometime. Takaya says he likes my niku-jaga. Do you like niku-jaga, Kenji?"

This was probably the weirdest phone conversation he's had to date, but what confused him more was the warm feeling it was causing him to have in the pit of his stomach. "I'll probably have to set aside the carrots in them, but I like niku-jaga, yeah."

Another pause, then, "You don't like carrots?"

Kenji ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "I prefer not to eat them."

She laughed quietly. "I'll keep that in mind, then."

Kenji smiled as he looked over the tank devoid of fish. He walked over to it and flipped the switch. The lights flickered on and the air pumps came to life, sending little bubbles out of the small pirate ship in the middle of the aquarium. "Say, how's Takaya and your dad?"

"Ah, they're fine. Takaya's still at school. My dad actually just left to meet him there to talk to his homeroom teacher about his transcripts for the transfer."

Kenji blinked, stood up straighter. "Are you alone right now?"

"Yes. I was baking some cookies." Another long pause, then she added, "Would you like some cookies?"

She didn't even have to ask. Kenji was already grabbing his coat. "I'm on my way."

"Wait, now?"

"We're having seafood curry tonight. Join us for dinner. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Dress warm. It's freezing outside." He already hung up as Shizuku was protesting on the other end of the line.

Sasayan would have been proud of him. He was starting to get the hang of this 'being aggressive' thing. He was done mulling it around and giving Shizuku a chance to refuse him. He had promised Shizuku that he was not going to make promises, which was a contradiction all in itself, but what the hey.

He threw on his coat after slipping his phone back in his pocket and was out the door in a span of two heartbeats. He nearly bumped into Tomio on his way down to the driveway. He had a big brown paper bag of something in his hand.

"Yo, Yamaken! I got the fishies. Did you know these guys eat each others' poop? It's the grossest – hey! Where are you going?" Tomio shouted as Kenji sailed past him without even saying anything.

Kenji nodded at him. "The tank's in the sunroom. I've set everything up. Just dump them inside. My mom knows you're coming over." And without waiting for a reply, he was in his car and pulling out of the driveway with Tomio shaking a fist at him as he drove away.

His phone rang almost instantly. It was Tomio.

"What?" he snapped as he activated his hands-free.

"Where are you going, man?" Tomio's voice crackled through the speaker of his phone.

"I'm off to get cookies," Kenji said vaguely, turning a right on the next light.

"Cookies? But… aww, whatever. Hey, is Iyo home?"

"No. She's out for a study group or something."

"Aww, man! That sucks." There was a moment of silence, then, "Hey, you think your mom'd let me peek inside Iyo's room? I promise I won't touch anything."

Kenji felt an angry vein pop on his forehead. "No. Don't even bother trying. There's a chicken in her room that would peck you to death if you even dare try to enter without permission, you pervert." And he hung up the phone.

He didn't have time for this. He was about to go pick Shizuku up, taste her cookies and bring her home to have dinner with his family, and then brag about his first attempt at a present for her.

It was nearly ruined by the image of Tomio prowling inside Iyo's underwear drawer.

He shivered.

Stupid, stupid Tomio.

A/N: It's been forever since my last update. Don't worry. I'm alive. And because Yuugiri is Yuugiri, I just had to add another pairing. TomioxIyo is crack. BUT, if you look closely in the final chapter on TNKK, you'd see little snippets of them that made me kind of want to see them together. Go. Look it up! And of course, the two of them actually following the same career of becoming police officers in the future was also a reason why I made it this way.

Anyway, everyone is falling in love. And that kind of makes me happy. Teehee! Till next update!