Read the Author's note part at the end, please! It's important!

Chapter 20: Yamaguchi Iyo

The end of year results came out with Haru in first place and Shizuku in second place. There's no need to say that the girl was ticked off at the raven haired boy.

"Natsume-san, are you listening?" Shizuku called out to the dazed girl who jolted back to reality. "Natsume-san, you have my sympathies but forget about being heartbroken now and focus on your studies".

"Heartbroken?" questioned Tsubaki who was sitting on a desk. "Did I miss something?"

"W-W-What?! You heard it from Mi-chan?!" Natsume squeaked.

Shizuku leaned back close to Tsubaki, "She confessed to Mi-chan-san but he turned her down".

The redhead was stunned.

"It's just as you said", Natsume continued. "I really should stop behaving in such a way that will burden or hurt others..."

The tears streamed down her face.

Shizuku panicked and Tsubaki hissed darkly.

"I got this wrong! It's wrong, please don't mind me!" Natsume exclaimed in a shaking voice, referring to her work.

"Okay, now I'm mad", Tsubaki growled and she stood up with her arms crossed over her chest. "What did he do to you? I'm so going to kick his sorry butt for hurting you. No one makes my friend cry without bearing the consequences and I'll make sure that he remembers them for a while. That -"

Shizuku placed a hand over her shoulder to silence her.

"This kind of thing happens all the time", Natsume said. "That's why I never truly realize it until they're completely disappeared. Truth is, for a time like this, I just have to stay still while I'm home alone and me alone and I would get better. But this time, because of what Mi-chan said... Why do I always find myself like this?"

Shizuku placed a hand on her head.

"Don't cry", the brunette said.

Natsume threw herself onto her and she wrapped her arms around Shizuku's middle, burying her face in her clothes and she wailed. Tsubaki placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she gave it a gentle squeeze.

When the pretty Asako had calmed down, Shizuku picked up with the studies again with Tsubaki just sitting there and watching them.

"What?! Haru and Mi-chan fought?" Natsume exclaimed.

"Yeah, they had a huge rampage in the parking lot. Haru was probably mad because you got hurt", Shizuku replied.

The young Yoshida appeared by the window. He had some bruises on his face and his left cheek was covered in gauze.

"What's with your face?" Natsume screamed at him.

"Sorry, Natsume', he apologized. "Even when you were troubled I could not do much".

The girl blushed. It was the first time that someone had really fought for her. She furiously wiped at the tears coming. "No, it's fine! Anyway, please make up with Mi-chan!"

"At one point I thought I was going to win but Mi-chan was really tough", Haru said with a relieved smile.

"But you did him good, right?" added Tsubaki with a frown.

"Yeah!"

"Atta boy!"

Spring break came and Tsubaki and Kyoya barely saw each other at home since they both went out with there friends.

Tsubaki had just completed her shift at Lacie's Café and on her way home, she met Haru.

"Yo", he greeted. "Want to come with me?"

"Hi", she said. "Sure! As long as you don't take me to some unknown place to get me killed".

Haru deadpanned at her. "Very funny, Hurricane. So, is everything okay between you and Yuuzan?"

"Yeah, we're good", she simply replied. She found that they were heading straight for Shizuku's place. They were both surprised when they saw Yamaken outside holding Shizuku's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Haru!" Shizuku called out.

"Yo, Shizuku! It's been a while", he said and he handed her a bag that he was carrying.

"You went back to your actual home, right? I even called you", she told him.

"I just got back. I left my cellphone at my house", Haru said. "I brought some buns back for you".

Once Shizuku had the bag in hand, Haru swiped at Yamaken but the blond boy drew back. "Why don't you let go of her hand?" he asked with a deep frown.

The two boys began to bicker and Tsubaki stood back to watch them. The postman came delivering a parcel for Shizuku.

"Well then, Haru, Yamaken-kun, see you later!" she said and went inside her house.

Both boys stared after her dumbly before Haru opened the gate to go inside. However, he was pulled back by Yamaken. "Do you plan on going in there when her Dad is not home?"

"I'm just going to eat some of the buns. Don't get in my way!"

Tsubaki intervened and she pushed both of them away from each other. "Stop it, idiots! You can go fight elsewhere", she scolded.

"Move back, Hurricane!"

"Don't interfere in this, woman!"

"Can you guys not fight for -"

"You're an idiot, Haru. You're going home with me!"

"What?! No way! Hurricane!"

"Uwah! Hey, don't drag me into this!"

The door flew open and Shizuku came out with a cellphone in hand. "Haru! It's from my Mom. She got me a new cellphone", she said with a blush that conveyed her happiness although her face was not showing it.

"How do I figure out my number?" she asked as she browsed through the device.

"Maybe this?" suggested Yamaken, pointing to an icon.

"It's pink!" said Haru.

"Remember it, Haru", Shizuku told him as she showed him her number. "From now on when you go somewhere I want you to call me. I get worried if you don't".

"Yup! I've memorized it", he chirped with content look.

Yamaken took the new phone and he quickly inserted his number before handing it back. "That's my number entered in", he informed her.

Shizuku stayed rooted to the spot as Yamaken dragged Haru away and Tsubaki approached her. "He told you?"

"He denied it but the signs are there", the brunette replied and she handed over her phone for the redhead to insert her number. "It's getting complicated. Oshima-san confessed to Haru and here Yamaken-kun likes me. You're lucky that you don't have to worry about such things".

"Don't let it get to you", Tsubaki replied with a smile. "Haru loves you and you are his first friend. He cares for you more than anyone else and I bet that he's not going to leave you for any other girls!"

"Thank you", Shizuku said with a smile.

Soon school started again for a new year. Everything was the same, new students came and the seniors had left. (A/N: I made a mistake, I think. It is now that they got in second year. I got confused during the first chapters and I had put everyone as second years instead of first years. So, let's make a slight change. Haru & Co. were in first year, Kyoya was in his last year for middle school and now he joined high school. Let's make as if middle school is like, behind high school or something else I'll have to make loads of changes in the previous chapters. Anyway, let's move on!)

However, the class list had changed. Natsume, Sohei, Shizuku and Tsubaki were in the same class but Haru got moved to next door, along with Chizuru. At first, Haru had not been attending classes but with some encouragement for Shizuku, he attended his classes.

"I wonder if Haru-kun is alright", Natsume said worriedly. "I haven't seen him since then". She was together with Sohei, Shizuku and Tsubaki in a burger place, studying for a test.

"He's been going to class properly and he should be doing his best", Shizuku replied and she went through the notes in her copybook. The two of them were sitting together and across from them were Sasayan and Tsubaki.

"Mitty", Natsume said, drawing on her name. "You're the same as always. Don't you feel lonely since Haru is not in the same class now?"

"Not really", Shizuku replied. "If we're going to talk about Haru and me then I'm just going o boast about how good we are now. How about you? Did your heartbreak problem get solved?"

"Oi, why are you always out of the reception range?" Yamaken asked as he approached them.

"Hello to you too, blondie", Tsubaki said with her eyes narrowed.

Yamaken glanced down at her and he pulled a chair to sit with them.

"Why do you know Mitty's secret number?!" Natsume demanded and she stood up.

They all began talking and did not notice when Haru appeared. "Oi, why is Yamaken here?"

"Haru-kun!"

"Young Master, should I buy you a happy meal?" a man who was familiar to Tsubaki asked Haru who replied, "No, it's fine. Just go get Mi-chan's food".

"Ah!" Tsubaki exclaimed as the name finally clicked. "Andou-san, right?"

The tall man looked down at her with an almost dazed look and a slow smile. "Yes. How have you been, Milady?"

"Oh, fine thank you".

"How do you know him?" Haru asked curiously. "And why does he call you 'Milady'?"

"I met him once when Yuuzan offered to drop me home", she answered. "And well, ever since he heard about me and Yuuzan, he insisted on calling me as such".

"A title befitting the lady who is dating Master Yuuzan", Andou added with a curt nod. He then left with Sohei and Natsume to get Mitsuyoshi's meal while the other two went to get drinks.

And once again, Haru and Yamaken began bickering over Shizuku and Tsubaki slumped down in her seat with her copybook over her head.

"Someone get me out of here!" she whined and faked her sobs.

Shizuku, Sohei, Haru and Tsubaki were in the library. Sohei and Shizuku were sitting at a table, Haru was seated at a window and Tsubaki was pacing around with a book in hand, reciting definitions. When Natsume joined them, she was accompanied by a first year student. The latter had short straight blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was a pretty girl who was taller than the three other girls in the room.

"This is my lower-classman Iyo-chan!" Natsume intruduced.

"Asako-sempai, where is the person who is as cold as a fridge?" the new girl asked in a light voice which sounded almost dreamy.

"Hi", the three older students greeted.

"I'm Mizutani Shizuku".

"I am Sasahara Sohei".

"Kurosaki Tsubaki".

"Kurosaki-sempai, your hair is so red!" Iyo cooed.

"Ah..uh..thanks..?"

Iyo walked deeper in the library where she found Haru. Meanwhile, Tsubaki turned to her friends, "Doesn't she look familiar or something?"

"No", Shizuku replied. "She has a face that can easily be remembered".

"He only has a nice face!" Iyo shouted to Natsume as they joined the rest of the group at a table. The blond haired girl jumped close to Haru, leaning forward, almost onto him. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sohei was taken aback, Tsubaki's jaw dropped open, Shizuku was still digesting the question and the raven haired Yoshida nearly jumped out of his skin. "No..?" he replied slowly.

"Then do you have your eyes set on anyone?"

"Natsume-san", Sasayan called when he noticed how Shizuku stiffened slightly. "It would be better to reign in your little friend now". Tsubaki mimed killing herself and she motioned towards Shizuku who had not notice her.

Haru quickly went to Shizuku and he turned her chair around for her to face Iyo and he hid behind her seat. "The one I like is her!" he exclaimed. He shivered at the glare that Shizuku shot him but he did not see the blush on her flustered face since she hid it with her book.

"I can't see it!" Iyo said after staring at the brunette for a while and she crossed her arms over her chest confidently. "Iyo is way cuter!"

The young Mizutani slammed her book on the table and she straightened her back, shooting the first year student a cold stare. "You want something from me?"

In a flash, Natsume and Haru were hidden behind a bookshelf and Haru had pulled Tsubaki along to use her as a shield. Instead of the full-blown catfight he was expecting, Iyo smiled and said, "Class 1-C, Yamaguchi Iyo".

At the end of the day, the five friends and Iyo went to a donut place and coincidentally, they met the Kaimei students there. There had been some kind of stare down between Iyo and Yamaken, where Yamaken had the look of a wolf and Iyo had the scared-to-death rabbit look.

"Haru-sempai, Shizuku-sempai", the young girl called in a wavering voice. "Please forget about what happened today!"

She turned around to leave with tears pooling in her eyes but Natsume stopped her. "W-What happened?" she asked worriedly. "Is this about Haru-kun?"

"I didn't know they knew my brother!" Iyo said rather quickly.

"But you don't have to leave so quickly".

"Asako-sempai, living beings called brothers are entities that deny the existence of their younger sister from their very roots", she said and then ran off.

"She was nervous", Tsubaki noticed and she narrowed her eyes at Yamaken who raised at eyebrow at her. A sudden grin split on her face. "See?! I was right when I said that she is familiar in some way or another!"

"No wonder she looks so familiar", Sohei added.

"Her arrogance is just like yours", Shizuku told Yamaken who then replied, "Just don't talk about her. I don't remember having such a stupid younger sister".

Haru turned to the three other Kaimei boys. "O-Oi! She's that guy's little sister?"

Masahiro and Ryuuji were roaring with laughter at his shocked expression.

"Well, she's becoming more serious now!" Masahiro said.

"She was really interesting when she was in middle school", Ryuuji added, still laughing.

All of them shot off into several conversations and Tsubaki decided to mess with Masahiro. She stood behind him and drummed her fingers on his head as she hummed a tuneless song when he pretended to be doing Yoga. She successfully got a grumble and a whine out of him for messing with his hair.

"Damn, you're so cute!" she told him and she pinched his cheeks. He slapped her hands away and he tilted his head up so that they were looking at each other's face upside down.

"Are you flirting?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Perhaps", she replied with a slow smirk.

"What if I ask the pretty girl to be my girlfriend?"

Tsubaki froze for a second but she laughed when she saw the teasing twinkle in his eyes. "What if the pretty girl says yes?" she said to play along.

"Tsubaki!" called a shocked Natsume.

The redhead and Masahiro found everyone staring at them. Haru, though, was frowning deeply. "Hurricane, I really don't care about that bastard brother of mine but are you cheating on him?"

Jaws dropped open, eyes widened in shock and faces paled.

"Brother?" Yamaken repeated. "Don't tell me that..."

"You and Yuuzan are dating?!" Ryuuji exclaimed.

"It's been a while", Tsubaki replied sheepishly and then she hurriedly added, "And no, I'm not cheating on him. Masahiro and I were just fooling around".

"But you still find me find me cute, right?" the boy asked childishly as he tilted his head back again.

"Of course", the red haired Kurosaki assured him. "Just like my sweet little brother".

His face fell and Ryuuji burst out laughing. "That's worse than being friend-zoned!"

There were several sighs and conversations picked up again. This time most of them pitched in the matter between Iyo and Shizuku, and who does Haru get to be with.

"That won't do", Yamaken said over the voices when it was agreed that Shizuku was to be with Haru. He was sitting away from the crowd, next to Issei who got busy with his phone. "I won't hand Mizutani-san over so easily".

There was a brief silence before everyone went in an uproar but the blond haired boy stopped it. "This is not a joke. I'm being completely serious". His posture said it all. He was sitting with his back straight and his legs were crossed under the table. He was not smiling and there was a hard and determined expression in his dark eyes.

All eyes turned to a blushing Mizutani. The latter stared at the confessing boy without blinking. He suddenly stood up and pulled her out of her seat. "Come with me for a bit", he said as he dragged her out of the place. Haru followed them with a fast and somehow furious walk.

"Oh hell, no!" Tsubaki said loudly, ready to follow them as well but Ryuuji held her back just like Sasayan was holding Natsume back.

"It's Mizutani-san's decision", the baseball player said. "Let them go".

Tsubaki nervously nibbled on her lower lip. "I feel bad", she suddenly said with worry clear on her face and she began pacing the small area in front. "I feel really bad. One of the boys will be rejected and they'll be heartbroken. I can't even begin to understand how deep the pain of rejection goes. And Shizuku! She has to take the decision all by herself. What if she feels guilty when rejecting one of them? I mean, she will feel guilty if she considers Yamaken and Haru to be her good friends. What am I talking about?! Of course she cares for both! But, oh the pain. Oh my God, can you imagine Haru or Yamaken coming in here with a sad face? What if they just break downright here? How are we -"

Sasahara took her by her shoulders firmly. "You're rambling", he told her. "Don't worry about it. You're nervous but they'll sort it out and no one is going to cry, okay? Now stop worrying yourself".

Tsubaki simply nodded and she plopped down on one of the chairs.

"She can talk a damn lot!" Masahiro said with an amazed look. He soon got a call from Yamaken who told them to meet him outside since they were leaving.

A few minutes after the Kaimei boys left, Shizuku came back in, alone. "Let's continue", she said as she picked up her book. A bright red blush was on her face and she pretended not to notice it. "Haru left?" she asked when she saw that the boy was absent.

"Wasn't he with you?" Sohei replied. "He went out and chased you".

Shizuku left immediately to look for Haru. At the same time, Tsubaki's phone vibrated. 'I'm at the candy store near the batting center. Will Tsubaki come and meet me? -Yuuzan xxx'

A light blush dusted her cheeks. "I-I need to go too", she told Sasayan and Natsume who both gave her knowing looks and grins. "See you guys!"

The young girl shot down the street and she soon found herself in front of the candy store. She entered the sweet little place and found the tall raven haired boy in front of some jars, choosing his candies. She crept up behind him and she snaked her arms around his waist, leaning against his back.

"You're still choosing?" she asked.

Yuuzan pulled her by his side and he placed an arm around her shoulders since she kept one arm around his waist. "There's so many to choose from!" he told her excitedly with the hint of a blush on his handsome face. "No matter how many times I come here, I can't easily choose what I want because I want to try all of them!"

"Let's do that, then", she said with a grin and they bought a large variety of sweets. As they left the shop, Tsubaki noticed the setting sun.

"Come to eat at my place tonight?" she asked with a cute tilt of her head.

"Will Kyoya be okay with my presence?" Yuuzan asked nervously.

"He will", she replied firmly. They both headed to the Kurosaki residence where they found Kyoya sprawled on the couch. Some books were thrown haphazardly around him, some opened at a random page, others closed.

"Clean up your mess", Tsubaki said. "We have a guest".

Kyoya looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of the older Yoshida. He blinked a few times as if in a daze.

"Thanks for having me tonight", Yuuzan said with a bright smile. "Don't worry, Kyoya, I won't touch your sister in any inappropriate manner".

The younger boy rolled his eyes and he began picking up his scattered books. "You already did that on the doorstep some time back, remember?" he murmured but Yuuzan caught his words and he simply laughed.

Tsubaki was relieved that the night went by with no bubbling fights between the boy she loved and her brother. They were both pleasant at the dining table and Kyoya even told him about her embarrassing moments from when they were still kids.

All in all, everything went well.

"See you soon?" Tsubaki said softly, skimming her lips on Yuuzan's cheek.

The boy placed his hands on her hips and he drew her closer, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her soft lips. "Soon", he agreed.

Tsubaki watched him leave and she locked the front door. She closed her eyes momentarily, wondering about the strange worry doing somersaults in her stomach.

Author's note: I have a bad bad news.. Like, really awful bad. I won't be posting any more chapters for a long, long time.. I'm really sorry! I want to cry so much right now but my mom is taking the laptop away from me because my end of year results were absolutely catastrophic. She wants me to concentrate on my studies until I complete my final exams next year.. Okay, I'm crying :'( I'm so sorry to disappoint do many of you, my sweethearts.. I really love you all but I can't write anymore for around a year or something. I really breaks my heart to say this to you and once again, I'm deeply sorry..

~IcedLady~