People, first and foremost,

I AM TERRIBLY AND REALLY SORRY.

I have been on an unsuspecting hiatus due to a sickness, exams and military activity. And from now on I won't be posting as frequently as before because I want to write more detailed and longer chapters.

So as a gift, here's an extra long chapter as the ending to Yamato's arc.

Enjoy

Chapter 11: The smell of rain.

Yamato did not talk to Mio after the incident. Neither did she. They became so apathetic towards each other that when they passed by each other, not even an eyelid was batted.

This worried Hikigaya a lot. Eventhough the two acted apathetic towards each other in public, he knew that they were hurt inside. Many a time he had caught Mio with bloodshot, puffy eyes, sniffing quietly to herself and avoiding contact with anyone else.

Yamato on the other hand willfully kept his strong facade. Placid and calm, he hid his emotions from the scrutinizing eyes of society. Hikigaya knew that he could not afford such a slip up to be revealed. But once or twice he did see Yamato act oddly dazed in his work, dropping his books or pencils suddenly.

Both were at a vulnerable point in their lives. But Hikigaya could not do anything. As much as he wanted to, he knew that the problem was somewhat the same that he himself once faced yet right now. But it would only be hypocrisy to advise Yamato about broken relationships when he himself was already happy in one.

And not for the first time Hikigaya hated that he was himself.

'From now onward, I will be your new teacher. I am in your care,' said the new teacher.

Takeo Nakamura. 29 years old and still single, noted Yamato. He was handsome, and most of the girls in class swooned at his presence. Yamato could barely care less.

'Firstly, I'd like to know the class representative and the vice-class representative. The two of you please stand up,' said Takeo.

Yamato stood up uncaringly, and Mio tried to ignore him while she stood up(which she failed). She risked a glance and their eyes met for only a moment before breaking off. But in those few milliseconds Yamato could see all the emotions that she kept pent up inside herself. He sighed and turned his attention back to the new teacher.

'Well, would you please introduce yourselves and what is your ambition for the class?'

'Umm... I-I'm Mio Miura. I'm the class rep and I hope to lead the class to the best of my abilities,' she cried out, embarrassed.

'Good, good,' said Takeo. 'And the vice-class rep?'

'Yamato Yagami. My duty is to make sure that these little wankers don't get too lost in their delusions and at least set a standard for the class.' he said plainly. No contempt, no anger, no remorse in his voice. Takeo looked at him in an odd way, uncertain whether or not to reprimand Yamato in public or maintain his image as a cool, laid back teacher.

Yamato stared at him with his piercing eyes.

'Well, Yamato-kun. You seem like an intelligent boy, and I've heard many of your, ah, "sedative" crusades.' Takeo said casually, but Yamato already knew the hint of sarcasm hidden behind those words. You can't fool me, he thought.

'What is your take on a successful person, Yamato?' asked Takeo.

'A successful person is a person who can achieve what he or she wishes,' Yamato answered.

'And what if you never achieve anything in your life, eventually dying?'

'If I die then that's it. You can't regret anything when you're dead,' Yamato cooly replied. He noticed one of Takeo's eyebrows shoot up in annoyance.

'Well, I guess you missed my point. But it probably doesn't matter since you must've slept through most of life's lessons,' Takeo said sarcastically. The class burst into raucous laughter.

Yamato clenched his fists in a rare showcase of public display of emotion. He kept a calm look on his face but his eyes were murderous. He wanted to say something, something to rebut Takeo's lame statement. But he knew his words would only be drowned out by the sea of laughter.

So he sighed and quietly sat back down on his chair. He looked straight ahead, ignoring the jeers, the crumpled paper balls thrown at him and most importantly, the smug smile that decorated Takeo's face.

Not yet, he told himself. There's nothing to prove to idiots.

Mio looked at him worriedly. He was being publicly humiliated for no reason except to enforce Takeo's standing as a teacher and Yamato as a student. Even she could tell that Takeo-sensei was only trying to cover from the shame of being rebuked by Yamato's sharp words.

Finally the laughter died down and class resumed as normal. Yet Yamato stared straight ahead, apathetic to the sniggles and whisperings of the class. Even as the class progressed, Takeo kept dropping sarcastic hints towards Yamato. And every time he did there would be a chorus of snorting, sniggling and short laughter. Yamato ignored this all.

He didn't care.

The day went by in a blur, and for once Yamato didn't sleep at all in only stared forward, uncaring towards what his classmates were doing to him, whether it be throwing paper balls, paper planes, sticking notes, or deliberately hitting his table while passing by him.

He didn't care.

After classes had ended, Yamato decided that he didn't want to attend the Service Club meeting today. He needed some alone time. He chose to walk the school grounds for no apparent reason. He never said a word, and never cared about other people whispering behind his back.

There were some fools that tried to trip him as he walked, but one good piercing stare sent some packing and others to valiantly put up a brave front. He didn't have time for these idiots.

He didn't care.

He came to the back of the academic block, which was quite a secluded area. There, he ran into a group of boys and girls loitering.

Delinquents, he thought.

One of the boys came up to him and Yamato recognized him as the person he had argued with some time ago. It was Hikigaya-sensei who broke them up before things turned ugly.

'Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Yamato Yagami. I heard you were all high and mighty until very recently,' he said.

Yamato kept his mouth shut. There was nothing he needed to say to this monkey of an idiot. The boy sniggled at his lack of a reaction.

'Awww, has the widdle doggy gone boo-boo?' His delinquent friends laughed along at his lame joke.

Yamato just stared at him coldly, piercingly, murderously. The eyes of a psychopath, he had remembered someone say. Magnetic, intriguing, deadly.

The boy faltered in his stance and Yamato unwittingly let a smirk decorate his face. The boy regained his composure and felt angered, seeing the smirk. He shoved Yamato to the clearing nearer to his friends.

Yamato observed his situation. There was no clean way out, he concluded. He had to face this head on. So be it, he resolved. He smirked once more, receiving another flash of annoyance from the boy.

'I don't need lame jokes nor a bunch of monkeys to simply tell a message. And there's nothing that I need to prove to fools and bastards like you.' Yamato said coldly.

Suddenly the boy ran up to him and punched him straight across the face.

'Why you fucking bastard!'

Yamato staggered back, where another delinquent held him in an armlock. The boy continued to punch him as he stood there, unable to respond.

'You. Think. You're. So. Good?' he said with each punch. Yamato could taste the iron in his mouth. Was that blood? Even a few teeth felt loose in his mouth and he felt his saliva mixing with blood.

When the boy stopped punching him, Yamato looked up at the boy with murderous eyes once more.

'Your mom hits harder than you on the bed. You wimp,' he said as he spat at the boy with his blood-mixed saliva, hitting him square on the face. Yamato din't care about controlling his words anymore. These bastards don't deserve any sort of control.

The delinquent behind him shoved him towards the boy and another punch sent Yamato reeling, and he fell on his knees. Yamato was on all fours, coughing and hacking out blood. But he simply laughed, crying out;

'Your sister taught you well. You're hitting me just like a her. Like a pussy,'

All the delinquents converged on Yamato, kicking him mercilessly on the abdomen and back. He could only cower and protect his head with his hands, leaving the rest of his body open to the assault of torture and pain.

Nobody loves you, he said in his mind.

They only love to hate you. A leg came up to meet his chest.

You have no one. Another met his hands that were protecting his face, jarring him.

Only yourself. The delinquents spat on him as he grovelled in pain. They turned him over on his back and he lay there, numb from the wounds and black from the bruises.

'This is for your fucking attitude,' said someone he did not know. All he knew was the feeling of a foot coming down hard on his chest, and he heard something crack.

So give them kindness, for they want nothing less.

Yamato staggered into the hallway of his house and fell heavily on the floor, clutching his abdomen. A rib must have been fractured, if not broken, he thought.

It hurt to simply breathe, to simply live. It was as if nothing in this world wanted him to live anymore. That all he was worth for was death, that he had no more a place in this world anymore.

He had lived through both ends of society, and both were ugly. Physically, mentally, it made no difference.

And all Yamato found out was that he had no place in society. Only the scapegoat, the fool, the jester, the exempted.

He cried out in pain as he torturously got back up on his feet.

No, I will not fall here, he gritted his teeth.

He clawed his way back up his feet and down the hall. His footsteps were heavy and his vision blurred by the second. He left bloodstains on the wall and more dripped a trail behind him.

No one came to him after the delinquents left. He watched the sun set as his body lay on the ground, dirty, bloody and torn. Broken on the outside, not on the inside.

This isn't some anime or drama where someone would eventually find you and help you, he remembered telling himself. Ironically, deep down he wished and he hoped that some form of hope would come. Maybe it was because he was human all along, and that he did need help.

But no one came. Not even the sound of footsteps were heard. Only silence. Brooding, dark silence.

And that was how Yamato expected it to be.

Therefore, he lay there on the ground, until he had the energy to get up on his feet and limp painfully back home in the darkness. Fortunately, no one saw him. He was part of the darkness now, part of the silence.

He had held back his pain, held back his tears. No one wants to see them. Nobody cares. Then he ended back at his home, forlorn and empty. Ironically fitting, he joked to himself.

An empty house for a lonely boy.

He stripped himself of his ruined uniform. Using various furniture for support, he painfully made his way into the bathroom. There, he turned on the hot water shower.

Yamato cried out in pain as the water came into contact with his open wounds and raw skin. His knees buckled but he had to stay firm. He needed to wash his wounds. Wash everything away.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry so badly but blood got caught in his throat and he only ended up coughing and hacking out blood. That made his chest hurt even more. He held onto the wall, afraid of falling and fainting.

Underneath the shower he ran his tongue over his teeth. Not broken, fortunately. Then he realized something. He realized it was this very tongue that made people hate him. The tongue that everyone wanted to cut off, given chance.

So he decided. He decided that he was a monster. Evil, unbent, unforgiving, calculative and cruel. But he couldn't be one in the eyes of society, for they will surely kill him if they knew his true potential.

Let them underestimate me, he resolved. Let them think they're above me until it is too late. Until I have power, which I will then devour them. But before that,

He'll tie his tongue,

Push his fangs down,

Keep his claws,

And trim his fur.

Because no one likes an evil person. All they want is kindness, and nothing less.

He'd better get to a hospital.

Before the elevator door was completely open, Hikigaya had already squeezed himself through it and rushed through the hallway, trying to find where Yamato was warded in.

Damn him, he thought. It was odd that Yamato didn't attend the Service Club meeting, but even more so when he didn't show up for school the next day. Hikigaya thought that Yamato only needed to let off some steam, finding a way to relieve himself.

But Yamato had to be Yamato.

Only just now had Hikigaya received news of his hospitalization. He rushed out of class to see him immediately, not caring of the consequences that were held for him later on.

Hikigaya kept running, praying that he wasn't too late.

Finally arriving at the door of the ward. He took a moment to catch his breath. Then he slammed the door open, shouting;

'Yamato-kun!'

'Say aaaah~' told Nami, holding out a spoonful of medicine, which Yamato obediently was being fed.

'Good boy!' she congratulated. Yamato clapped along with her.

'Now, maybe the good boy wants a reward,' she said, slowly stroking his chest with a finger.

'Yamato-kun, what is the meaning of this?' asked Mio, who had suddenly appeared behind Hikigaya, holding a canned drink.

'Hi, Mio-chan!' cried out Nami. She was wearing a sexy nurse uniform(or costume, you choose), with the buttons opened to reveal her cleavage(or lack of it) and she held on to Yamato like it was some kind of late night adult movie.

'Nami was just giving me medicine,' said Yamato.

'And how long has this been going on?' sarcastically remarked Hikigaya.

'Since he was admitted!' said Nami bubbly. 'By coincidence I found him in this ward, and boy was it scary. The doctors had him bandaged and sewn all over the place, and kept telling him that he needed to be hospitalized for at least two weeks. So I took pity on him and have been taking care of him ever since.'

Mio gripped the tin can she was holding until it crumpled. Yamato just sighed at her reaction.

'Relax, Mio. She only came here to take care of me.'

'That's not the problem, Yamato-kun,' said Hikigaya. Why is it that he always has to act like nothing's happened?

'You mean my hospitalization?' I was beaten up by some delinquents yesterday,' he explained casually.

'WHAT?!' they exclaimed. Nami hugged Yamato worriedly. Mio crushed her tin can.

'Why didn't you tell us?' said Hikigaya.

'Because there was no one.' Yamato answered. 'I lay until dark, yet no one came. So I got up, walked home, took a bath and sent myself to the hospital. A few things happened and voila, here I am now.'

Mio held herself from crying. His story didn't sound worrying or heartrending, but she knew everything he hid behind those words. Only Yamato could make people hate him even when he was in a pitiful condition. Does he want people to hate him? Is he that afraid of caring for another? How could she let Yamato be like this? Even after been beaten up, he could still act so calm and collected.

Hikigaya instead turned to leave. 'After you're discharged, come find me. I want to take you out on a vacation. I owe you at least that much,' he said. He'd rather not talk to Yamato now, as it was his fault he wanted Yamato to confront Mio. And the consequences were terrible.

Is this my fault? He thought.

He didn't know. All he did know was that another person he cared about was hurt. Again.

Yamato on the other hand was facing another situation. He was observing Mio and Nami have a stareout, and he couldn't care less who came out the victor.

Nami stood up and pointed a finger at Mio, declaring;

'From now on I hereby declare war upon you!'

'What?' said Mio.

'War! The victor will have Yamato-kun's undying love!' said Nami. Mio's poor tin can was now nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

'I did not agree to this,' said Yamato. Nami took her place once more next to Yamato, putting her hands around his neck.

Mio felt like crying, but she felt more annoyed than sad.

'Didn't you already confess to him on live TV?' she blurted out. Nami nodded eagerly.

'But he didn't-'

'I know what you mean,' interjected Nami. 'He didn't come to my concert. He wasn't there backstage when it ended. And he ever contacted me afterwards. Did I feel heartbroken? Yes. Did I cry? Yes.' said Nami, who had let go of Yamato and was now blankly playing with her fingers.

'But I wouldn't let a single failure stop me. Nor a thousand. I asked myself again and again after that night, but I always came up with the same answer. I love Yamato-kun, there's no other two ways about it. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's just how it is. How I feel.' she explained.

Mio swallowed hard. She clenched her fists and cast aside her doubts. Taking a deep breathe, she pointed a finger at Nami and answered her declaration;

'I accept your declaration! Be prepared to lose as I won't be holding back any punches!'

Then she ran out of the ward.

'Neither will I!' shouted back Nami, but Mio was already gone. She was running. Running and crying.

And she was laughing. Because she had learnt the most ironic lesson in life.

That things come to you when you least expect it.

Two weeks passed and Yamato had finally been discharged from the hospital. Nami had waved her off as he left the front entrance.

'If you ever get hurt, I'll always treat you again!' she had cried out. That was days ago.

And now he was packing his bags and preparing for the "holiday" with Hikigaya-sensei. He knew it wasn't necessarily a vacation. More like a distraction from the real purpose.

But he did not want to ruin any plans for now. Besides, he had promised kindness to the world.

Kindness, and nothing less.

'Hikigaya-kun, would you care to set the umbrella up properly?' said Yukino Yukinoshita. She was wearing a yellow summer dress with matching hat to protect her from the heat as she watched Hikigaya struggle with the beach umbrella.

Once he finally did, she laid out a mat underneath and proceeded to sit underneath the shade. Hikigaya just sighed and went into the water frolicking around nonchalantly.

'Ooi, Yukinoshita-san, why don't you come in the water?' cried out Hikigaya. She simply gave him a cold glare. After what had happened a few weeks ago, she wasn't inclined to entertain Hikigaya. Eventhough she didn't admit it, it was embarrassing for her. And she would rather die than admit than admit that she wanted to kiss Hikigaya more.

'Hikigaya-sensei! Yukinoshita-san!' called out Mio as headed towards them. Clad in a pink bikini, Hikigaya thought he would die from blood loss lest he caught the stare of Yukino, which had turned into a laser beam directed at him. When Mio moved, so did her breasts and he thought it would only be a moment before they popped out or pulled the knot loose.

She joined Hikigaya in the water, splashing about whilst Yukino looked on.

They're having so much fun, she thought.

After an annoying ten minutes, she decided to join them in the water, where Hikigaya surprised her from behind by splashing water at her.

Embarrassed and annoyed, she splashed water back at him. Hikigaya responded with a bigger splash and an all out war broke out between them.

'Hey, don't leave me out!' huffed Mio. She splashed a load of water at the two of them. Surprisingly, Hikigaya swam off.

Crap, my eyes are naturally drawn to her chest. I've spent too much time around her, thought Hikigaya. This must be the third law of phytits. That's Bewbton for you.

After mentally cleansing himself, he swam back to shore. The other two had already gotten out of the water. It was only then when Yamato appeared.

Clad in tights and a hoodie sweater, he walked casually towards them.

'Yo, guys,'he greeted.

'You're late,' said Yukino, who was tired from all the splashing. Her stamina was still at an unacceptable level, eventhough she was already an adult. Hikigaya too was nonchalantly relaxing underneath the umbrella, yet keeping an eye on Yamato.

'Sorry, I'm late,' said Yamato. 'I'll be going for a swim now, so you guys just sit and relax here.' Before Mio could say anything, he unzipped his hoodie and lo behold, she gasped. This was the first time she fully saw Yamato's upper body in the flesh. It was lean with well developed muscles which made her blush. As he stretched she couldn't help but stare at his nicely shaped chest and abdomen.

But there was an ugly side to it. Scars could be seen across his abdomen and back. A diagonal slit ran down the lower left side of his chest, where the rib had broken. It revealed the amount of pain and torture he had been through, yet he acted as though he didn't mind and waded into the sea, swimming strongly into the waves.

He's quite a good swimmer, thought Mio as his strokes took him further and further into the water.

She sighed to herself. After accepting Nami's declaration of war, she did not spend much time with Yamato afterwards as he was still hospitalized and she didn't have the courage to confront him just yet. And now the only reason Nami didn't tag along for this holiday was that she was being "fair" to her.

At least it's something, thought Mio, annoyed.

When Yamato got out of the water, god damn, it was like that anime with those hot male swimmers(which she suspected was gay). Even the way the water droplets that fell off his hair caught the light and somehow intensified his sexiness.

'Hey,' he said, snapping Mio back into reality. 'You OK?'

'Y-yeah! I'm fine! Really!' she snapped. He swept back his hair and Mio's heart did a backflip while her face flushed to a deep red.

'Oi, Yamao-kun, I think that's enough of your antics,' piped in Hikigaya. Yamato looked at him and smiled serenely.

That was when Hikigaya realized that something was wrong.

Yamato was not a person who gave serene smiles. In fact, he was unsure if Yamato even did give smiles. It was more of a smirk than a smile. And what was with his attitude? Why was Yamato acting oddly kind? Where was his snide remarks and brutal jokes? Where was that signature smirk? Where was the real Yamato?

'Oh, let me help you with that,' offered Yamato as they packed up their stuff before heading back to the chalet.

'I didn't know you were capable of being useful, Yamato-kun,' said Yukino. Yamato smiled again.

'I'm sorry about that, Yukinoshita-san. I'll be sure to be more useful to you in the future,' he said.

'And I did not know you were even capable of saying sorry,' she added. Yamato just smiled once more and kept silent. Barely a response? Thought Yukino.

She tapped Hikigaya on the shoulder, and he nodded back in response.

Something was wrong with Yamato.

'Yamato-kun, we need to talk,' said Hikigaya. They were in their chalet's living room, and it was getting late, the sun starting to set.

'And what would you like to talk about Hikigaya-sensei?' said Yamato in an upbeat tone. Hikigaya saw right through it. Or so he thought.

'Quit it with your antics,' he said. He wasn't he kind to beat around the bush, and so was Yamato.

'What antics?' Yamato asked innocently.

'Don't play the fool now, Yamao-kun,' cut in Yukino. She stared piercingly at him, but oddly, she could not see through him like she usually did. Yamato still kept a serene smile on his face eventhough she knew everything about it was cleverly calculated.

'I don't know if you're doing this out of spite or vengeance, but I don't think you should be going around thinking you're always right,' said Hikigaya.

'I never was,' said Yamato quietly.

'Then what are you doing now?'

'Kindness,'

'What?'

'Kindness. Nothing less. That's what you want, right? That's what everyone wants. Nothing less than kindness. So I'll give it to them. Kindness, that is.' he said, his tongue twisting his words in a way that it sounded both sincere and false at the same time.

'Bullshit, Yamato, all you're doing is lying to yourself!' retorted Hikigaya. Yamato lost his smile.

'Then I suppose I'll just murder, poison and torture these people who stand in my way. Because that's what I'd do if I was honest to myself. Who knows, with my level of capabilities, I don't think it's absurd that I can get away with it. And with that maybe a new serial killer will be born. But most likely they'll say it's all unrelated cases, because they're so dumb and I'm so smart.' said Yamato with an eerily calm tone.

And the thought disgusted Hikigaya.

'Yamato-kun, what in the world aree you thinking?' said Yukino, shocked.

'Me? I'm just being true to myself, that's all,' he retorted with a tone of pure surprise, like finding out your favourite show was canceled, or finding out that a restaurant you frequent was closing down.

'That is truly horrifying,' she said. Yamato smiled.

'You see, that is why I'm giving the world kindness instead,'

'But that's not what I meant!' cried out Hikigaya, distressed.

'Then? I just gave you a glimpse of what I really am inside. A monster. Evil. Cruel. Unforgiving.' Yamato said coldly. 'But I know now, that nobody wants me if I were to be my true self. They will only hate me. So there's no point in telling them. They'll only kill me if I do.'

'That's not true!' shouted Mio.

'I was beaten up for saying only a few words. What makes you think they'll stop from killing if they knew how much I could truly do? And I know right now that when I am at my darkest time there is no one there. Only me. Always me.'

'Yamato-kun,' started Mio.

'SHUT UP!' he snapped.

'Who was it that picked me up when I got beaten up? Nobody! Who was there when my family argued? Nobody! No one wants to save me. No one's willing to stand by me no matter what. Even you, Hikigaya-sensei, can't stand the sight of me right now.'

'No, that's not-' said Hikigaya.

'Then what is? All this time, I thought you were someone who could really understand me. Someone that could save me. Someone that could accept me,' Yamato said, almost pitifully.

'There's no way I could.'

'I know. I know it so well. But I guess I can only give you kindness, because you don't want the real me, do you?' he said with a tone that could be upbeat or just insane.

Hikigaya was at a loss for words. Even Yukino did not know what to say. Yamato was truly an enigma. One that became more complicated as you unraveled him.

Mio whimpered where she stood. She couldn't recognize this Yamato. But she knew that this was Yamato. The true Yamato.

'Mio, did you know why I pulled away that night? It was because I couldn't do it. I couldn't find love in my heart. And I couldn't find the courage to lie to you. And I'm sorry.'

Mio barely caught herself. She clenched her fists, trying to withhold her emotions. Yukino put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her.

But what happened next, couldn't be explained by any of them.

They saw Yamato crying. Tears, hot and wet, ran down his cheeks freely. His bright, piercing eyes had turned bloodshot and puffy. He was sobbing quietly, desperately trying to wipe off the tears with his sleeve, but more kept replacing them, and he only managed to get his face stained with tear smudges. He bit his lips in an attempt to stifle his sobs, but it was no use. He had lost it. He had no one. Only himself.

This was a far cry from the Yamato they knew. In fact, it would be downright insulting to say that this person was Yamato. A pathetic excuse of a human being like this could never be Yamato.

But it was definitely Yamato.

He kept muttering to himself, 'I'll walk my own way, I'll make my own choices,' and Hikigaya couldn't find the courage to say anything. All the words came stuck in his throat. He never wanted this. To see Yamato like this. To see him so hurt.

A normal person would think that his emotions were bottled up for too long and needed some way to release itself. And they weren't exactly wrong. But it was more of a lifelong expectation finally come true. Yamato always expected to be alone at the end of the day.

And now he's right.

Hikigaya could not bring himself to accept Yamato that way. It was true what Yamato said about himself. He was a monster. But it wasn't his fault in whole. He didn't want to become a monster. He had to be one. And eventhough Hikigaya knew it now, but he still could not understand.

'Yamato-kun' he managed to say weakly. Through his sobs and tears, Yamato only said;

'Could you please-'

"Leave me alone."

Hikigaya threw himself on the bed, frustrated at himself. Yukino gently sat next to him, silent as well.

Why could he not accept Yamato? Was he that evil? Was he that much of a monster?

Even he felt like crying right now. If it wasn't for Yukino's timely hand on his shoulder, he thought he would.

'Hikigaya-kun, I think for now, it's best to forget about Yamato just for tonight. We cannot fix him. But that doesn't mean he's broken.' she said softly. She pulled Hikigaya up and rested his head on her shoulder, caressing him gently.

'I don't know what to do, Yukinoshita-san,' he said quietly, his voice heavy with emotion.

'Shh. There's nothing we can do. And being sad, stressed and crying won't help at all. We'll deal with this tomorrow. For now, we can only respect Yamato-kun's wish. To leave him alone.'

Hikigaya wanted to cry. Badly. But Yukino's gentle caressing calmed him down enough to stop him from acting rashly. What would I do without her? He thought as he nuzzled himself into her quietly.

'Hikigaya-kun, promise me one thing,' she said suddenly.

'What is it?'

'Please, please don't be like Yamato-kun. I know this sounds cruel and unfair for him, but I don't ever want to see you hurt so bad. I love you too much to let you be that way,'

'How will you stop me?'

'Because I'll be there for you. At your darkest moment. I will save you. And I know Yamato-kun has no one. I feel sorry for him, but what can I do? He chose his own path. A path filled with holes, bombs, spikes, and everything that can hurt you. Everything meant to tell you to turn back. Everything to tell you that you are weak. That is the path Yamato walks. Because the other paths are not for him,he cannot walk them. If he did the people on it would push him off it. So he takes this path. A hard one, but at least one where he can do it without obstruction from others. And I know he is not weak. I've heard the rumours, that he could've been our son, and he would've a great son if he did.'

'Yukinoshita-san, I promise with everything I have that I will try my best to help Yamato, to understand him. And I promise that I won't go where you do not want me to, and end up like Yamato. Because I love you.' said Hikigaya.

Yukino smiled, hugging him and letting him sleep in her arms.

And that's when the rain fell.

The next morning, Mio walked into the living room, finding a pile of blankets in the middle. Pulling a few apart, she found that Yamato was sleeping underneath.

It was quite something to see Yamato sleeping. The way he curled up slightly on his side. The soft sound of him breathing and the gentle look on his face as he slept.

Mio couldn't help but stroke a finger across his face.

He squirmed and murmured "stop" softly. Mio had to suppress a squeal.

Holy crap, she thought as her heart raced. How could he sound so sexy and cute at the same time, much less in his sleep? She dared another stroke, this time across his lips. They were smooth, yet somewhat twisted at the edges from all the smirking he did.

But god damn, it was hot all right.

Woah ho ho ho, she stopped herself. She slapped herself a few times to stop from thinking anything lewd. That was when Yamato woke up.

He squirmed and stretched as he got up. He sat up and caught sit of Mio when he opened his eyes.

'Morning,' he yawned.

Mio had to suppress another squeal.

'M-morning, Yamato-kun,' she replied.

'You okay?' he asked.

'Yeah, you?' she answered. He averted his eyes and yawned, pretending to be sleepy. This set her off. If anything she hated the most, it was pretenders. So she crawled into the blankets and seated herself next to him.

'Tell me everything,' she said firmly.

'That's-'

'Please,' she insisted. She lay a hand on his chest, looking up at sighed and began his story.

'Last night I went to the beach. I did what I suppose normal people would do. I screamed into the night. I kicked at the waves and threw sand into the sea. I did everything I thought would calm me down. But I didn't feel any better. I started crying again, pathetic as it sounds, and I was on my knees, banging my fists into the sand and waves. Then it started to rain. At that time, I knew it pointless even to cry. I couldn't tell apart my tears from the raindrops. The sea got more violent and I knew it was pointless for me to stay at the seaside anymore. So I walked back to the chalet in the wind, clutching myself uselessly against the cold. I sat in the veranda, shivering and asking myself the same question again and again. That's when I realized something,' he stopped for a moment., looking at Mio.

'Mio-chan, do you what the rain smells like?' he asked. She thought about it. She did know what the rain somewhat smelled like, but she couldn't explain it, so she shook her head.

'I thought so. Most people couldn't tell me anyway,' he said. There was a faraway look in his eyes, but it comforted her, because she knew that the old Yamato was back.

'Honestly, even I can't tell you exactly what the rain smells like. But I can tell you what it means. We only smell the rain when we choose to. Most of us shut the windows when it rains, most of us run when it hits our heads. We're always too busy doing something or running on to care. Ergo, we're too preoccupied having fun with someone else to even care what the rain smells like. But for me, I guess I'll keep the windows slightly open from now on. It smells like the earth and atmosphere mixing together, pleasantly filling your nose with it's fresh scent. It's a wonder that no one actually appreciates it. But like I said, we're too busy having fun with someone else to even care. That's what I realized. That being alone might not be so bad. It has it's privileges. It has it's comforts. And who else is going to enjoy the smell of rain if not me?' he said.

Mio clutched his shirt. She knew now, that there was no way to deny it anymore. Not after going through everything.

She still loved him.

And she'll tell him. Even if he doesn't accept it. Even if she knew it was pointless.

'Yamato-kun, no matter what it is, no matter what you say, I just have to tell you. I don't want answer, much less an excuse. Just listen.'

He nodded.

'I love you, No matter what.'

'I know.'