Hey! Sorry for the really late update. How long has it been? three months? I honestly don't remember. But i'm really sorry if i kept you waiting. A lot of things have happened within the few monts and well, i'm just really really busy right now. So yeah. Anyway, please enjoy :) Don't forget to read and review :)

SHOUT OUT: Thank you for all those who reviewed :) EdxWinry6789 ,Sayonara Yasashii Akumu , Lady Queria , just... and everHermione. Thank You guys so much! You inspired me to work harder. 3

PS: I've posted a PICTURE OF HOW MIYUKI LOOKS LIKE ON MY PROFILE PAGE. SO FEEL FREE TO CHECK IT OUT. Cause like, i know i didn't do a great job on describing her :)

NOTE: I JUST REMOVED A SENTENCE THAT REPEATED. THAT'S ALL :)

Heart Strings

Chapter Twelve: Friendship

"Achoo!"I covered my nose with a tissue as I sneezed. I was sick. Nothing serious though, just a slight cold. I've been like this since Saturday and today was a Monday. So that's Saturday, Sunday, Monday…three days. I've had colds for three days already. Wow. My immune system's really bad isn't it?

"Neh Miyuki-chan. You don't seem too well. What about skipping practice?" I looked up and saw Momo-senpai.

I sniffed. "Daijoubu Senpai. It's just a cold."

Momo-senpai started laughing. I made face and started whining. "Momo-sennpai!"

Momo-senpai continued on laughing. "Gomen Gomen Miyuki-chan! You just sound...so different!" He wiped the tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes. You want to know why Momo-senpai's laughing at me? Okay, here's the thing. Remember how I have a cold? Well, because of that, I somehow manage to lose my voice. I didn't lose it completely. It's just that it's really hoarse. Oh, and you know what Mom-senpai said? He said that I sound like a boy now. I sighed. Well, at least that's better than what Fuji-senpai said. He said that I sounded like a frog!

"Senpai!" I puffed my cheeks.

"Nya, Mimi-chi! Maybe you shouldn't shout so much. You won't get your voice back nya." Eiji-nii chuckled as he gave me a light hug from the back. His hands were around my shoulders and his cheeks were resting on the top of my head.

"Ah, Eiji-nii. I know I know…but, I can't help myself!" Once again, I couldn't control myself. I screamed. Ish. My voice was a little loud a t first but then my voice got really high and pitchy.

"Nya, what'd I just tell you?" He started poking my cheek. I sighed. Eiji-nii just loves doing that. Apparently, my cheeks are as soft as pillows…so he says.

"That's fine Eiji. At least Miyuki-chan'll sound like a frog for a little longer." Fuji-senpai chuckled. Wah! Fuji-senpai's such a sadist! Puffed my cheeks yet again.

"Fuji-senpai~" I whined.

"Neh, Miyuki-chan. How'd you end up getting sick anyway?" Momo-senpai asked. Yeah, he FINALLY stopped laughing at my voice.

I turned red, remembering what happened that very day. "Mah, I told you already. I got caught in the rain last Saturday!" I croaked.

"Nya! Miyuki-chan! You're turning red! And you're getting warm! Nya are you getting a fever!" Eiji-nii was panicking. Sugoi, he's acting like Oishi-senpai! Well, I guess that was expected. I mean, after all those years that they've spent with each other, I'm sure they've caught on to each other's habits. Though…I don't see it that much…

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Saa Eiji. I don't think that's it. I think Miyuki-chan's hiding something." Bullseye. Why's Fuji-senpai so good when it comes to guessing things? Oh yeah, I forgot. He's a tensai. I turned even redder "Saa Miyuki-chan, what happened last Saturday?"

"N-nothing!" I screamed..ish. I couldn't really scream with a hoarse voice. With that, I pried away from Eiji-nii's hug and walked towards who knows where. I continued on walking until I bumped into something that felt like a wall. I looked up, it was just Kuni-chan. "Ah Kuni-chan…"

Kuni-chan bent down and felt my forehead. "You're a bit warm. Maybe you should go home instead."

"Mou, Kuni-chan. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. See?" I gave him a huge grin.

Kuni-chan stood up "Ah…If ever you don't feel well, go to the nurse's office."

I nodded. "Hai Kuni-chan." I smiled again. At that, Kuni-chan left, walking around the courts and monitoring the regulars.

I then looked at Ryo-chan.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. My heart was beating really loud. I sighed. Of all the people I could've fallen for…it just had to be him. I don't hate Ryo-chan , of course not. He's my best friend after all….but that's the problem right there. He's my BEST FRIEND. I couldn't fall in love with my best friend. I just couldn't. If Ryo-chan doesn't feel the same way as me, then it'd be awkward. Worst case scenario? It would be so awkward that we'd stop talking to each other. And that was what I was scared about.

RYOMA'S POV

I looked at Miyuki-chan. I don't get it. Buchou says she looked like she has a fever earlier and told me to watch her…but she seems fine to me. Look. She's smiling and laughing at Horio's lame attempt of a joke. Seriously, his jokes aren't that funny. Miyuki-chan's easy to please. She'll laugh at almost anything. I mean, she giggles all the time. How ironic though. Her cousin, Tezuka-buchou, doesn't laugh, nor does he smile. It's like the laughter that was supposed to be in him went to Miyuki-chan…

"R-ryo-chan? D-daijoubu?" Miyuki-chan cocked her head to her left as she blinked. She sounds really weird. Hmm, I wonder why I didn't get sick as she did? Then again, unlike her, I was wearing a jacket last Saturday so I wasn't as soaked as she was.

"Hai hai. I'm fine." I sighed. "Hey, you shouldn't talk too much." You sound worse than yesterday…" She giggled. See, I told you she giggles all the time.

"Don't worry Ryo-chan. I'll be fine!"

I sighed. Okay, maybe Buchou was right about keeping an eye on her. If she keeps this up, she'll lose her voice by tomorrow. I shook my head. "Don't talk too much. You'll lose your voice."

"Hai hai…I'll try not to talk so much… Oh yeah, here's your jacket. Thanks for lending it to me." she rummaged through her bag and took out my red jacket. It was neatly folded. Hmm, I almost forgot about this…

"Ah.. Arigatou…" I took my jacket back. From afar, I could smell the scent of lavender. Hmm, just like her. Uh…okay, forget I said that.

"No problem." She giggled before turning her attention to Riku. She's obsessed with that egg. Well, maybe she just wanted a good grade…Che, whatever. I continued to stare at her. Why I'm doing this, I don't know.

"Y-yeah but-AAAH!" she was really scared wasn't she? I brought her hands away from her ears and held them between my hands. "Daijoubou." Then, I realized something. What was I doing? I don't normally do this. Noticing the awkwardness in the air, I slowly let her hands go…"G-gomen…" I took out my I-pod and places the ear phones on her ears. "H-here, you won't hear the thunder…."

I shook my head. Why is it that I can't stop thinking about what happened last Saturday? Okay, maybe I was a bit…out of character? But still. That's not something to be worked up about. What's so weird about me being nice to someone. I'm nice…I guess. Okay fine, I'm only nice to people when I want to be. And I'm nicer to Miyuki-chan than to any other person, but that's only because she's my best friend. And last Saturday, I could tell that she was really afraid, what's so wrong with helping her out? I sighed. Che, that's not it. It's not that I can't stop thinking about what happened last Saturday. It's her. Why can't I stop thinking about her lately?

I looked at Miyuki-chan from the corner of my eyes. She seems frustrated. She's really having a hard time in English huh? I chuckled inwardly as she let out a frustrated face and slumped on her desk. It's kinda cute….uh….what did I just say? Nevermind. Why am I looking at her anyway? Even though English class is boring, I can look at other things…like the sky or something. I sighed and started looking at the board. Dependent and Independent clauses. Boring. Che, I already know these things. Do I REALLY have to take this class? Seriously. My English is a lot more advanced than this. I sighed.

RING.

Finally. English is done. I stood up and grabbed my books for the next class. It was time for home economics. Once again, we have to go to the kitchen. Don't ask why. Che, annoying. Home economics is such a hassle. Even the baby egg project's a hassle. Well, not entirely a hassle. It can be a bit fun. I mean, because of the egg project, I've been spending more time with Miyuki-chan more, which is kinda fun. Okay fine. I really enjoy spending time with her out of school. But still. Taking care of an egg is pretty stupid. Er…don't tell Miyuki-chan I said that. She'll kill me. Though, it's pretty funny that she's really into the project and all. You know, she's being all motherly like towards the egg..er…Riku. It's cute. I blinked. What's up with me today? I can't stop thinking about her, can't stop calling her cute, can't stop looking at her… Maybe I'm coming down with something? Maybe a fever? I dunno. Che, one thing's for sure. Hanging around her too much will only make me think about her more….

I left the room. As I was walking along the corridor, I heard Miyuki-chan shout.

"RYO-CHAN! WAIT UP!" I chose to ignore her.

MIYUKI'S POV

I walked out of the classroom only to find…no Ryo-chan. That's odd, he didn't wait for me this time. Hmm, maybe he just didn't hear me or something. Well, that's fine. I continued walking towards the kitchen. As soon as I got there….hmm, I don't have a working area to stay in. See, at the start of the year, sensei explained to us that only two people are allowed to stay in one working area. Sadly, they were all full. Well, it seemed like that. Mou, even Ryo-chan has one. He's with Sakuno-chan. Just so you know, she's Riyuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. I looked around for a working area, ah there's one. I quickly took my spot, right beside Kachiro-kun.

"Hi Kachiro-kun."

"Ah Miyuki-chan. Neh, I thought Ryoma-kun would save you a seat or something." He said, scratching his head.

"Mah, I think he came in late." I chuckled as I placed my apron on.

Kachiro-kun blinked. "Ie. Ryoma-kun was one of the first people to arrive."

"Oh..well, maybe he didn't want to hoard the seats."

Kachiro-kun chuckled. "Haha, that's probably it. I actually thought that the two of you were fighting." He scratched the back of his head again.

"Alright class, settle down." Sensei finally arrived. Hmm, I wonder what we're doing today? Hopefully we don't have to bake or cook anything. I would seriously die. Sensei started putting her apron on and stood in the middle of the kitchen. "So today, you'll be learning how to make croquettes. So, to make things a lot easier, you'll be working in pairs. Uh. Just work with the person who's in the same working area as you. Alright everyone, get your ingredients and recipe in front."

I looked at Kachiro. "Neh Kachiro-kun, I'll go get the ingredients. Okay?"

"Anou, Miyuki-chan. Why don't I help you? There seems to be a lot of things."

I looked in front. Uh..yeah, he was right. There WERE a lot of things. "Alright, thanks Kachiro-kun." At that, Kachiro-kun and I gathered the things we needed; potatoes, breading, flour, eggs, onion, shredded chicken and a lot of more things. Who knew you needed a lot of things to make croquettes.

As soon as Kachiro and I had the things we need, we carefully read the recipe. Kachiro-kun and I were both holding the paper. "Step one. Cook two potatoes." We both looked at the potatoes given to us.

"Neh, Kachiro-kun, they're already cooked right?" I looked at Kachiro-kun.

"Hai. That's why they're already peeled. And I asked sensei earlier." We continued on reading. "Step two, in a bowl, mash the potatoes along with a fourth cup of onion, a fourth cup of shredded chicken and a teaspoon of table salt."

Kachiro and I started working on the mashed potatoes. Boy was it hard to mash them. They were already soft of course, but still. It was hard to completely mash them. "Neh, Miyuki-chan. Why don't we cut them in smaller pieces? I think that would be a lot easier to mash."

I giggled. "You're right. Anou…I don't really like using knives….um…can you do it?"

Kachiro-kun gave his usual smile. He's a really happy person isn't he? "Hai. No problem." Kachiro-kun started cutting the potatoes in smaller pieces. While he was doing that, I started looking around. My eyes were fixed on Ryo-chan and Sakuno-chan. They seemed like they were having so much fun. Honestly, I was slightly jealous.

It was lunch time. Normally. I would be at the rooftop eating my lunch with Ryo-chan. Not today. Today was different. I was sitting on one of the benches around campus, the ones near the tennis courts. Well, I wanted some time to myself. Okay, maybe it was a lie. Why wasn't I at the rooftop today? Well, I don't know when it started, but…out of the blue, I started feeling this weird tension between Ryo-chan and I. You know, little awkward moments. I mean, whenever I talk to him, he just stares, he doesn't say anything. Okay, Ryo-chan may not be the talkative type of person, but when you start a conversation with him, he usually answers. Even though he just gives his usual one word answers, it's still considered as an answer. It's not just that. Whenever I tried to approach him, he'd usually go…away. And right now, I don't know, I just find it so hard to approach him. Weird huh? It was like…that feeling I felt when Kuni-chan and I got into a big fight. Hmm. I wonder if he's mad. But…why would he be mad? I sighed. This feels really weird .But here's the thing. I like Ryo-chan. You know, like-like. And…what if he finds out that I like him and he doesn't feel the same way. This is what I'll be experiencing every day. And I don't think I can stand that….

I sighed and looked at Riku. "Neh Riku, okaasan's troubled….."

"Saa, what's troubling you okaasan?"

"Well, it started when…" I stopped talking. Wait a minute. I blinked and gawked at Riku. No way. Riku did NOT just talk.

"Saa okaasan. Isn't gawking rude?" Riku chuckled. Okay. He just talked. AGAIN! And did Riku just sound like Fuji-senpai? I sighed. Fuji-senpai. I bet he's behind me. I turned around and, yes, I was right. It was Fuji-senpai all along. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Fuji-senpai was pranking me. He's like that after all.

"Fuji-senpai! For a second there I thought Riku was actually talking…or that I've gone crazy and was imagining things." I whined as I started hitting Fuji-senpai with my fists. I did this lightly of course. I don't really want to inflict pain on him. Then again, even if I used every ounce of strength I had, I probably wouldn't be able to hurt him as much. I mean, I AM pretty small for my age.

Fuji-senpai just chuckled and sat beside me. "Gomen Miyuki-chan. I just wanted to see how you'd react if er.,.. Riku suddenly started talking. It was pretty funny actually" He smiled. I twitch. Sadist. Yes, this just proves to show that Fuji-senpai is a sadist. I sighed. "Saa, so what's bugging you? You seem a bit upset"

I blinked. "Mah Fuji-senpai. It's nothing serious. Just some school stuff, that's all." I giggled.

"Saa Miyuki-chan, it's not good to lie. I can tell you're a little upset about something. Does it have something to do with what happened last Saturday?"I blinked for the nth time this day. Ooh, Fuji-senpai's good. He's not a tensai for nothing. I placed Riku back in his little basket and clasped started fidgeting with my fingers. "Well…kinda. But…" I sighed and looked at Fuji-senpai. "Neh senpai, if you were to choose what would you chose? Friendship or love?"

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Hmm. I guess I'd have to say both."

I made a face. That didn't help. "Mah, okay. Hmmm…How about this. Let's say, hypothetically, you like someone. And this someone happens to be your friend, a really close friend of yours. Would you tell her that you like her, even though you might lose her as a friend if she doesn't feel the same way?"

Fuji-senpai chuckled again. "Saa Miyuki-chan. Is that what's troubling you?"

"N-no. It was a hypothetical question. Hypothetical…." I started fidgeting with my fingers, a sure sign that I was hiding something or that I was nervous about something. Kinda a habit of mine. I have a lot of habits huh? I bet a lot of people can read me like an open book.

"Saa, so you really don't like Echizen as more than a friend?"

"N-no…W-why would you say that?" I stuttered. I don't know why but iw as nervous. I guess I just didn't want anyone to know that I kinda liked Ryo-chan.

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Cause he's right behind you."

My jaw dropped and quickly turned around, only to find…no one. Fuji-senpai tricked me. I turned around and squinted my eyes at Fuji-senpai as I puffed my cheeks. "F-FUJI-SENPAI!" I coughed as my voice started getting high. Note to self: YOU'RE SICK. STOP SCREAMING. Mah, Eiji-nii was right. I CAN'T stop screaming.

Fuji-senpai just chuckled. "Saa Miyuki-chan. Seems like you do."

"Okay fine…maybe I do." I mumbled soft enough so that only Fuji-senpai could hear. "But don't tell anyone. Okay? Pinkie swear." I looked up and held out my right pinkie. I know it sounds kind of childish, you know, pinkie promise. But pinkie promises are a big thing for me. You do NOT break pinkie promises.

"Saa Miyuki-chan, that really isn't a secret anymore. I mean, almost all of us think that you have a crush on him." Fuji-senpai chuckled.

My jwa dropped. Almost EVERYONE? When was this? I just got a crush on him recently! Was it that obvious? I made a face. "B-but still. Pinkie promise you won't tell anyone." I extended my pinkie further.

"Hai hai." He smiled and intertwined his pinkie with mine. So now, he was sworn to secrecy. Hey, I don't take pinkie swears lightly. "But, if you can have both, then I'd pick both."

I made a face. Right now, he wasn't helping my dilemma at all. "Mou. What if you're only allowed to pick one? What would you pick?"

Fuji-senpai looked up as though he was thinking. I tilted my head. Was it really that hard to answer? Well, it kinda IS hard to answer it. "Saa. It depends. For me, I'd take the risk. It's in my personality to take risks. I guess, you'll just have to follow what your heart wants." I blinked. Wow, I never knew Fuji-senpai was a really insightful person. Yes, I was well aware that he was a really smart person. He's a tensai after all. But, who knew he could give good advices huh? "Saa, what's your heart telling you? What's more important for you?"

I looked up to the sky and, without thinking, said the first thing that popped in my head. "Hmm. friendship…."

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