First off, apologies to all my fans for the unexpected hiatus. This is a not my favourite chapter, but let's see how it turns out. I have once again tried to draw Hibari back to his original character so if he seems confusing, please forgive me, but I have edited as much as I can so that it fits. So, let me know what you think? Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters in this fan fiction. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.

Haru was sad again and Yamamoto watched that fake smile play on her lips, his blood boiling. He had been so close to finally having her, but he knew that now, deep in his heart of hearts, she was lost to him. She would never be his. The only respectful thing left to do would be to bow out of it with his pride intact. The only problem was what it would do to her for him to remove the one beam of support holding her up.

Well, he wouldn't leave, he would just re-establish their friendship as best as they could since clearly a relationship deeper than that was practically impossible. Rising from his chair, he went into the kitchen and leaned on the counter beside her as she worked. She said nothing for a long moment and he watched her trying to get his words just right.

How did you break the heart of the girl you loved the most? He wasn't even sure she would be heartbroken at all. He didn't seem to have enough of a hold on her for that...

Still, it was the hardest thing in the world he had to do. The next words he would speak were the most important ones in determining whether they parted amicably or not. He could end up losing her completely, and that he was not about to do.

Haru put down her knife while he was still lost in thought and turned to face him. She had talked for a long time with Kyoko concerning her current state of affairs and both girls had agreed that it was in everyone's best interests that she leave Yamamoto. Hibari still had a hold on her and Yamamoto just barely got whatever emotion she had left. It wasn't fair to him and she was sure that if she could explain it right, she could salvage at least a bit of friendship from him. She wasn't sure she could do without his support. He had been around so long that she couldn't remember a time when he wasn't there cheering her up and giving her hope.

"Takeshi-kun, I... I think we need to talk about a few things," she started and leaned against the counter beside him. He smirked and shut his eyes.

"My guess is that it involves the words 'I'm sorry,' 'not working,' and 'Hibari.' Am I right?" he asked with an easy smile. She looked down at her hands. It was never any use hiding things from him. When it came to her. Yamamoto Takeshi knew her inside and out. He knew precisely which buttons to push when and why. If he had wanted to, he could have made her fall in love with him, but he had been very careful all this time to let her do the falling on her own.

She raised her face to meet his and she saw the pained look in his eyes although the smile on his face was sincere enough. Perhaps he was smiling at the cruel irony of fate? She wanted nothing more than to take that away, but would he let her?

"I thought as much," he said and wrapped his arms around her. "I tried and failed. I suppose that ends our relationship then," he said. Those words were the hardest he had ever said to anyone. He felt the pain inside him grow with the passing seconds and was determined not to let her see it. This was his burden to bear.

She sobbed and clutched his shirt. She didn't want this embrace to end. She didn't want him to go. He smiled realising this and tightened his hold substantially.

"I won't be leaving you know. I'm just accepting the fact that I'll not have the same place in your heart that he does. That's it, isn't it?" he said smoothing her hair over her head. He too missed the long locks sometimes, but he had understood why she did it. What he couldn't understand though, was what had made Haru change her mind again about Hibari. What had happened? He asked her this after a long silence and he felt her tense.

Haru paused not knowing what to say or where to begin. There was no way to answer his question without hurting him to some degree. He would have to hear about her abrupt decision to go to his office and kiss him and... no. She wouldn't let him know that part. It would kill him if he knew and she would not have that on her already bothered conscience.

"I... I went to see Kusakabe-san," she said carefully deciding it was a safe place to begin. He listened as she went on to explain how she had gone to Hibari's office to find out if there was any truth to Kusakabe's claim.

"He... He told me why he left and told me he loves me then I left his office and went to see Kyoko..." she finished rubbing her arm. Yamamoto watched her. She was hiding something, but he probably didn't need to know whatever details she had omitted. It didn't matter. She had said enough. He smiled and kissed her forehead then rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs as he gazed into her brown ones, tears balancing precariously on their edges.

Without another thought, he bent and gently rested his lips on hers. She barely registered that one little action, him having been so abrupt, but by the time she realised what he was doing, the kiss was over and he was pulling away from her. He smirked then and chuckled.

"I've always wanted to do that," he said and turned to the stove, "So, what's for supper?" he asked. Haru looked at him incredulously. He had kissed her lips for the first time in their entire relationship and it had been goodbye? She didn't even get to enjoy it...

But she supposed she didn't deserve to enjoy it. She had been kissing another man that very afternoon and she hadn't given Yamamoto a second thought. Now, she supposed, he was all she could think about. There really wouldn't be a better time to kiss her and there probably never had been. But to not kiss her for this long, even she had to wonder what kind of restraint he had. She smiled. At least she wouldn't lose him completely.

She couldn't help but feel that this was a much nicer version of her previous break-up. There was no pain, just peace of mind. There was no loneliness. Instead, the relationship had been replaced with an easy friendliness. How he managed to make her feel a little better every minute she spent in his presence was beyond him, but she thanked the heavens above that she had him. He really shouldn't have put up with her for so long.

She acknowledged his change in topic with a smile as she pointed out the various stews she had prepared. They settled into an easy conversation with a speed that amazed Haru. She hadn't expected them to be able to get along so easily after they had just broken up. All the laws of dating that she knew dictated that they should spend some time apart before regaining some small semblance of whatever platonic relationship they had before. She chuckled supposing that whoever had come up with that law had obviously not met Yamamoto.

Later, after she had gone to sleep in the guest room, Yamamoto stayed up drinking his traditional glass of warm milk. He had broken up with Haru and played the easy-going part to perfection. Her smiles came more easily now. He supposed it was better for both of them. The farce would have had to stop at some point. He sipped his drink and sighed. He had expected it, but not this soon. He had expected the pain too, but not this little...

Still, something had to have happened in that office to monumentally change Haru's resolve. Whatever it was, Yamamoto was sure he didn't even want to know. It didn't matter anyway. He wasn't really losing her. He could be content enough with that he supposed. At least he had gotten to kiss her lips once. He had figured that in that moment, it hadn't mattered what was on her mind. It was rather selfish of him to be thinking only about himself and what he wanted when he realised she was slipping through his fingers... or had she already slipped through and had he merely been deluding himself?

Like he had earlier concluded, it didn't matter. He wasn't sure how long it was before she was back in Hibari's arms, but, he supposed as he finished the last drops, that that too didn't really matter either.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Hibari! Hibari!" exclaimed the tiny ball of yellow feathers that landed outside his window. Hibari rose and went to pick up the little creature. How long he had sat in the dark simply lost in thought was beyond him. All he knew was that since Haru had left, he had not been fully able to concentrate on his work and that irked him. He should at least be able to do that much.

He placed Hibird on the desk and petted him absently, his head resting on his fist. He had wanted for so long to be able to tell Haru how he felt and he had gotten that chance. Then she had slapped him and left his office in a huff. He supposed he deserved that much. It wasn't that she had caught him off guard either. It would have been only too easy to stop that hand. He had seen it coming, but he hadn't expected that much force. He had been the source of much irritation for a good number of violent women, but again, she was the only exception.

It wasn't so much that she had slapped him but that he had let her.

He would have stopped a second blow however. He was apologetic, not submissive. Now it was up to her to decide how they moved. He didn't like not being in control. He didn't appreciate the fact that he had to relinquish whatever say he had on the matter to depend on her now. He couldn't move unless she did. It was like a warped chess game only much more complicated.

Hibird flew onto Hibari's shoulder as he stood to leave the office. He would obviously get nothing accomplished that night. Perhaps he would be better after he had slept. Who knew how long she would take to decide their fate. Until then, there as absolutely nothing he could do but wait.