Waiting is a hassle, I know. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's a little more mellow than usual, but it's a build up-did it again. Oh well.

Unlikely as it sounds,

you're all I have now.

Never thought I'd say it

How I ask you, How

We're closer now than we ever were

Through the death of one so dear

He left a memory of the two of us

Hoping we'd be near.

Near to know that all we have left

Is a friendship we'd never though possible

To this I ask of you, advice

For times I need an ear.

True friendship means honesty

No matter how brutal it will seem.

Which is why I ask again,

advice to make me see.

See why I need you

A friend, my only friend

Nothing can remove what we have now

Not even he who wants my end.

The Hanasaki household was buzzing with excitement. And there's only one reason now as to why it should.

Sono Hanasaki was graduating at the end of the week.

The whole class was buzzing with anticipation. 4 years of busting ass to get to where they needed to be.

And right now, it seemed like everything was in preparation.

Naomi was setting up her sons suit, dusting off any hair she found. Sono was sitting on his bed, in nothing but a black tank top and blue shorts. To sum it up, he was trying it on...for at least the third time.

"Mom, it's fine. The last size fit me fine. It doesn't have to be totally snug."

Naomi turned her head and gave him a smile.

"I know, sweetie. But you have my hips, which makes it difficult to find boy clothes that fit you. I figured making your suit like we did Oto's would work just as well. "

Sono blushed and ran his hand across his neck, feeling chills. Friday. Friday and then High School was over forever. He could finally leave and move on from all the horrid memories of Fukushima. He could go to Tokyo and start a whole new life, make a name for himself. He had his future all layed out in his head.

First he would move to Tokyo and get started in school. He would stay for 2 years, then go where ever they sent him. Afterwards, he would work his hardest until he became a famous manga artist, just like his idol, Mr. Yoshio. Then maybe...just maybe...he'd find love again. Maybe he'd find love in someone as Naoki loved him. But it was a hope he'd stick to.

Speaking of Naoki...Sono never did find his ring...

"Finished!"

Sono jumped and looked up; His mother looked ecstatic. He kept handing him parts of the suit, telling him to try it on. Sighing, he got off his bed, yanked off his tank top and shut his bathroom door. For a while, Naomi stood there with her hands clamped together, as if praying this would be the perfect fit. Then, the door opened and she gasped.

Sono came out in his black suit with a dark purple blazer. The black slacks just touched the tops of his bare feet. He was trying to adjust his black tie when he locked eyes with his mother. He extended his arms and asked,

"Does it look ok?"

"Does it look ok? Baby, you look so handsome. It looks perfect..."

Sono's brown eyes widened when he saw tears perking against his mothers eyes. He reached out and wiped them away, avoiding the smear of her makeup.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Naomi smiled and set her hand on her sons, shaking her head.

"Both my boys are grown up...no, you're not boys anymore. You both are men. Such strong willed men. Makes me happy to see this."

She patted her hands on Sono's shoulders, giggling when she saw his trademark blush. She patted his face and turned to clean up her sewing material. She heard the boy go back into the bathroom to remove the suit and she sighed. It was hard to believe it had been so long since both her boys...were boys. When did they grow up so fast?

She shut her case and looked over at the time. Then she looked at the bathroom.

"Sono. Your dads gonna be home soon...do you think it's time yet?"

The blond stepped out of his bathroom, back in his shorts and tank top, shaking his head.

"No mom. Not yet. I'm waiting a little longer before I talk to him again."

Naomi sighed again, this time with sorrow. She felt her sons hands rest on her shoulder and she looked up to see his smile.

"Relax. I promise you...I'll talk to him before I leave for Tokyo. Maybe seeing his last child graduate will melt his cold heart."

They both chuckled and Naomi nodded, hugging her son and walked out of the room, telling him to get some sleep. When she left, Sono plopped on his bed, hands behind his back and he stared at the ceiling. Only a few more days and he'd be free. The thought made him smile to himself and turn over on his side, curling himself into a ball.

Then his eyes caught sight of that picture. Each and every time he looked at that picture, he felt a sense of pain and sadness. Groaning, he did what he should've done before: he set the picture face down and turned away from it. He curdled the blankets up to his chin and looked out his large window. He saw the large cherry blossom tree outside lightly flailing in the soft summer breeze. The petals looked beautiful and Sono let out a shudder. Turning off the light, he stared at the tree in the dark, watching the petals move.

"So, do you think they'll play some dorky song for us like they did last year for the seniors? Because if they do, they better not play some stupid ass pop song and-hey, Sono! You listening to me?"

Sono stared off into space, eyes tired. It was already Thursday...tomorrow was the big day. He was nervous...twitchy...

He gasped when he saw a pair of fingers snap in front of his face. He looked over to see Ami snapping at him.

"Don't be tweaking on me, boy. We need to look over some uber last minute details before tomorrow...you ok?"

The blond male rubbed his eyes and coughed.

"Yeah...sorry Ami. I didn't get much sleep last night. I guess it's pre-graduation jitters. I'll be fine..."

Ami tilted her head, her blond bangs covering her left eye. Something was amiss. She could see it in Sono's eyes. She gently layed down the stack of papers and she stood, rubbing Sono's face with the back of her hand gently. She felt the boy jump a little, then relax. Finally, she said,

"You sure you're ok? You seem jumpy...oh god. Is Takeo harassing you again?"

"No. It's nothing like that. I just didn't sleep very well last night. Had a lot of packing to do and...it was...kinda hard."

Ami nodded. She understood that much. She even had a hard time packing a lot of her stuff for the last few nights. She had Mirai come over to help her pack her clothes and her art boards. She knew Sono was going to an Art school for manga artistry while she was going to a school in Paris for fashion design.

"Look, I understand it's hard to pack up the past. But we have to if we want to start new lives."

"Ami, it's not that easy for me. My past isn't all that easy to just pack up in boxes. There's things I can't just...leave behind..."

"Like what?"

Sono's eyes widened when he realized what he just said. Fuck...he set himself up. Ami wanted to know and he knew she wouldn't stop asking until she knew. He let out a choked gasp and said,

"If I tell you...you have to swear you won't tell anyone else..."

Ami gave him a questioning look and sat next to him, rubbing his back.

"I promise I won't tell...you have my word. Now what happened?"

Sono looked at her and told her...EVERYTHING. He told her about what happened with him and his 'uncle', Chino. And as he told her, he noticed her facial expressions get to a point where he knew he should stop talking. When he did, he looked at her and saw her place her hand against her mouth. She was speechless as she stood up and walked around the park fountain a few times before asking,

"Who else knows? I mean, aside from your family."

"No one...I've never told anyone until today. I never even told Naoki and Takeo that...I was always afraid to."

"Oh my god...Sono, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that-"

"It's alright. It's nothing I have to hold over anymore. He's still in jail and I don't have to worry about anymore."

Ami sighed and sat back down, laying her head on his shoulder. They linked hands and she said,

"Sono, in a matter of hours, all our troubles will fade into the distance as long as we let them. In your case, you'll find a guy who will treat you as sweet...and as loving...and as perfect as Naoki did. One who will help you with your issues lest they ever come back. Simple as that."

Sono chuckled and looked down at her.

"Do you always have to sound all poetic when you talk to me?"

"It's habit. Get used to it."

They both laughed and stared off into the park. They watched children play around with their parents, running around the jungle gyms. Ami sighed to herself. Sono picked up on what she was thinking.

Was it really that long ago when we were that young and small? When all we had to worry about was 'would mom get mad if she finds out I stole a cookie from the jar?' or 'Daddy's going to be happy about this art work I made today.'

Now, as their last 18 hours of senior hood were ticking away, it seemed like they were in their own little memories of what life was like when they were in grade school.

Ami broke their silence after a while by saying,

"You know, if Takeo didn't come to our grade school, I think you'd have been a much more happier person."

"I doubt that. Takeo's the one who broke me out of my shell. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to talk to anyone else. He's the reason I met Naoki."

"Even still...nevermind. I see where you're coming from...where's your ring?"

Sono looked down at her, eyes glazed over.

"What?"

"The ring Naoki gave you. Where is it? You told me you never took that thing off. Well, it's off."

Sono looked at his right ring finger and sighed. Of course she would notice it. After they became friends, she became sort of a guardian angel...well more of a bodyguard like figure to him. No one gave him that much crap anymore since Ami was now his only friend. But because of that, she was very intuitive when it came to his things he had regarding Naoki. The ring was the most important.

The blond male sighed again and said,

"Believe me if I knew, I'd be wearing it. But it somehow disappeared from me."

"You lost it?"

"No I didn't lose it. I'm not that stupid. That thing fits me so snug, I feel it on my finger everyday. One day I wore it...the next it was gone. I don't know where it went off to."

"Do you think someone stole it?"

Sono tilted his head and looked at her. He hadn't exactly thought of that. He figured it slipped off when he was taking a shower...touching himself..when-

Takeo. It seemed to make sense. Takeo had changed over the course of the year. But did he notice Sono wearing a ring the day he walked in and...well...molested him, pretty much? If anything, he would've asked were the ring came from. He doubted Takeo was a thief. But if he did see the ring and somehow knew instantly where it came from...would Takeo steal it?

Groaning, Sono ran his hands through his hair, saying,

"I don't know. I doubt it. But I'm not in the mood to think about it...what time is it?"

Ami looked at her watch and said,

"About 1:40. Why?"

"I'm starving, that's why. You wanna get something to eat? I'll buy."

She smiled and nodded, picking up her stuff and setting it in her bag. She watched as the blond male stood up and leaned back to pop his back. A very small glimpse of his flat stomach came into view and Ami found herself blushing. She had to admit. He was attractive, regardless of whether or not he thought so. His black t-shirt and those dark blue jeans that just clung to his body, complimenting his pale skin...his long blond hair, bangs hanging in front of his eyes...Ami's face felt more red than it had in ages.

Sono looked over and saw her red face, bag scrunched up to her chest.

"You ok there, Ami?"

She jumped as her blush faded fast.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm fine...just fine. Um...where'd you want to go eat?"

"Hmmmmm I don't know about you, but I could really go for some dango right now."

"Oh god, that does sound sooooo good."

Sono set his bag around his shoulders and they walked out of the park and into the city, walking past the people, busy with their own lives. They walked past a coffee shop, where Ami inhaled the scent and smiled.

"God that smells good."

"It does..."

Ami noticed the odd tone in Sono's voice and she turned around to look at him. She saw him staring at his phone, a sorrowful look in his eyes. She suddenly took his phone and read the text he was reading, her eyes flaring.

"Seriously? He's seriously sending you this shit?"

"Ami...it's not a big deal...it's-"

"Like hell it isn't! He has no right sending you this dirty shit! I thought you told him off!"

Ami's ranting was causing a lot of people to stop and stare at her. Even Sono seemed a little put off by her yelling. His eyes were wide, but emotionless as she went on.

"Fucking Takeo. I can't believe he's this stupid. He knows you won't take him back so why is he bothering you? I mean, can't he take a hint?"

"Ami?"

"Is this guy that much of a prick to think you'd even consider this?"

"Ami."

"God, the next time I see him, I'll rip him a new asshole. I can't believe that-"

"AMI!"

"What?"

She jumped when Sono suddenly snapped at her, but it did shut her up for a moment. The blond male rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed that everyone around them was now staring in their direction, but he could care less at the moment. Slowly, he set his hands on her shoulders, saying,

"Relax. I won't take him back. He's just trying to psych me out with these texts. And I promise, tomorrow, after the graduation ceremony, I will talk to him. I'll tell him that he can't scare me anymore, not that he already did, you know what I mean. And that I won't take him back and that I'll be starting my own life, with or without him as my friend. Simple as that."

Ami let out a sigh of relief. Somehow, that made her feel a little more at ease. She'd do anything to keep Sono away from Takeo again. She figured Naoki would have wanted that.

Then, something struck her mind.

"And? What if he doesn't take it well?"

Sono sighed and removed his hands from her shoulders, shrugging.

"I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow and see what happens. But I think I know Takeo well enough to know he won't hurt me."

"You think? Sono, thinking and knowing are two different things. So which is it? Do you think you know him well enough? Or do you KNOW you know him well enough?"

"Well, that's the thing...I can't exactly answer that, now can I? That's why I said...we wait until tomorrow and see what happens."

Yeah yeah, shorter than usual, but I figure it's a good chapter to post. This way, we see how well Ami and Sono get along after, well, yeah.

But dun dun DUN. Guess what chapter comes next? Anticipation rising.