Oh my god guys, I updated! I am free! (aka no classes for two weeks haha)

So here's the very late update (to the reviewer guest who reminded me to update, thank you for that!)

And readers out there as well, so sorry!

Thank you lilybunnyboo for proofreading this chapter again.

I do not own PoT

Akira found herself by the benches near the 'confession tree' that everyone has been making a fuss about since she entered middle school. She doesn't want to stay in her classroom or in the library that morning because she knew that Yukimura knew she would be there. Ran would know about what she had been dealing with and she doesn't want that yet. She doesn't want to stay by the courts because it will just painfully remind her of the things she had been doing, the things that she had done for him even if she's not that kind.

She felt a pang of guilt and at the same time annoyance with herself when she realized that she shouldn't be guilty about what she had done.

"Akira-san," And thus it has reverted back to formalities after how they thought that they weren't like any other who demands time and effort from both parties, how they knew each other well and-

-unlike other couples, they were a victim of an infatuation that they mistook for love.

She doesn't need to turn around just to see who called her. "Ne, Yukimura-kun," The smile in her voice didn't hide the fact that this was just too difficult for both of them. She scoot towards the side, giving him enough space to sit on, and enough space not too close enough to her.

Yukimura took the hint and sat beside her, leaving a distance between them. He let out a breath before he finally broke the silence. "I think we should break up." He didn't need to fabricate his intention with words because he knew she understands what this is about. He glanced at her. She seemed to be relaxed, not as angry as she had been on their first and definitely last fight.

Akira turned to him, patting his shoulder and smiling. "Okay." She tried hard to breathe normally. She didn't want him to see how weak she could get in front of such news, because she's not fragile. Facing things like this is new to her, but that doesn't mean she came unprepared.

"Okay." Yukimura responded, trying his best to avoid showing any signs of discomfort. But then, he had put this not only upon himself, but to her as well.

Akira rose from her seat and clasped her hands behind her. "It was a nice dream Yukimura-kun." She didn't bother turning to him as she walked away. She didn't even look back.

Yukimura was left sitting in that corner of the bench where it felt so painful. Painful, not because of the break up, but painful because someone who had admired him for who he is and not what people make him out to be, lost trust in him.

And she did not even look back…

He chuckled as he looked down the cold hard ground. It was a nice dream, she described. But he knew too well that all dreams will eventually come to a halt.

And-

"All dreams are not real." He muttered to the wind as it swept away the gold leaves of autumn, and his words wither with them.

O~O~O

Akira leaned her back against her shoe locker, hands clutching on her indoor shoes, eyes looking at the ground but never to the people who passed by. If it weren't for that desire not to have a red mark on her untarnished attendance, then she wouldn't be heading straight for the building when all she wanted was to run away just for a day. Maybe swim all the way to Okinawa and-

Before she could even notice, a hand snatched the pair of white shoes. "Akira, it seems that you don't need this." Niou hurriedly went upstairs, with her pair of indoor shoes in tow, and left her in the first floor with nothing but her socks.

Akira wanted to cry at that moment but she didn't want to. She scoffed as she ran up the stairs to follow Niou who was out of sight. She reached the end of the hallway and turned to the corner where a wall blocked her. She heaved a sigh.

He really has a knack of doing things which are so out of context. Just like a thunder after lightning has already done a great job of scaring the hell out of people, only what he did was sort of different. She didn't feel too sad to the point of wanting to cry right then and there but instead she-

-she found herself laughing at that certain predicament that she couldn't help but laugh more.

She curled and uncurled her toes underneath her socks, oddly feeling the coldness of the floor seep through the cloth. And it comforts her that way.

She heard footsteps approach her from behind. She turned, arms on her hips and deeming on a look between a glare and stifling of laughter. "Give me back my shoes." She held out her hand, palm open wide.

Niou only smiled, hands behind him. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Kirihara-senpai." He mocked with a voice that he remembered he has when they were just in their first year.

Akira rolled her eyes, heading straight for the shoes he hid behind. "We're both third years in the first years' floor, Niou-senpai!" Like a tiger lunging for its prey, she tried to grab her shoes which should have been behind Niou only for him to take a step to the side, avoiding her in process. "Get it back!" She demanded, trying to get the white shoes but his heavily guarded… like how he's always been.

Perhaps, perhaps, if she followed his example of showing less of yourself and knowing more about others-

-no Niou is not that kind. He's more of a showing less yourself and learning from others.

She should have followed that example, really. Instead of falling so miserably, like how she's falling right now because of a wrong footing, all for the sake of one pair of shoes.

She closed her eyes waiting for the floor to touch her face, rather the other way around but that doesn't matter anymore.

And before one touch the other really happened, she found herself nestled in Niou's arms, the material of her shoes pressing her back. She looked up, and tears couldn't help but fall. Why can't she be that strong?

Niou looked away first, and whined out. "If you get hurt, they'll be blaming me. If I get hurt, it will still be me. It's no fun if one of us gets hurt." He helped her stand straight and gave her shoes back.

"You are not funny, you know that?" She put her shoes on, missing the feeling of the floor with her socks.

It's no fun if one of us gets hurt… But then, hurting is part of learning.

Akira wiped the tear threatening to fall out of her eyes and pretended that she was just tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. No, she will not cry over that… not just yet.

O~O~O

Yukimura joined in the regulars' training that afternoon. No one knew of the break up yet, except maybe Niou. But soon, they'd be the talk of town, and the worse is yet to come. Sanada could sense it, so does Renji but they prefer not to talk.

Kirihara, however, was naïve enough to ask after Yukimura and he lightly sparred. "How are you and onee-san, buchou?" Yukimura stopped on his tracks. Only a few people heard though for the others were preoccupied with the training program they each had. Niou was surprisingly present to be a spectator, but he looked away out of respect. "I'm sorry but I heard you and nee-san arguing one time, last week so I-"

"Don't worry about it, Akaya." Yukimura smiled at him, but it wasn't one of his sweet smiles. He had always been an exemption because he is the youngest and the one who will carry Rikkai's legacy. However, this is different.

"But buchou!" Yukimura could see how much of a kid the well-known demon of Rikkai Dai is. He shouldn't be dwelling on things like this though. Though, this is his sister, thus he should dwell on it as well.

Yukimura sighed. "We broke up just now." He answered before leaving when he could so Kirihara won't ask.

Kirihara was left stunned by the news.

O~O~O

Akira found a box with a slice of cake lying in front of her door when she arrived home. She turned to the adjacent room with the door left ajar and found a shadow of a person hiding behind the door. She smiled at the affectionate act. He would always do this when he knew she's down.

She crouched and took the box in her hands and entered her room muttering some thanks to whoever gave it. He would try other ways next time if he knew that she discovered it, to remain his identity unknown.

She closed the door of her room and dropped her bag. The box with her favourite dessert remained her arms as she slid down and-

-and when she sat on the floor, she let the tears flow from her eyes.

O~O~O

Yukimura was in the park with his little sister. He sat on the bench while the little girl played with the dog that was given to her as a gift. He waved back at her when she paused to wave at him and shortly returning to the game she has with the dog.

He looked at the leaf he just picked, and oddly he remembered the thing that he has been holding unto for the past two weeks after their break up. He should have been holding on some gifts given to him by Akira, but he wasn't. He chuckled at the thought. He clings unto something that gives him more pain than the sickness he just recovered from and the aftermaths of that neurological disorder.

"Nii-san!" The little girl with the same shade of hair came running to her big brother with such big innocent eyes and a toothed grin as the dog followed her. "Look, I taught Chacha how to sit." She sternly gazed at the dog, lifting her index finger at him and mustering up such a brave expression on her face. "Sit!" She ordered and the dog complied.

Seiichi laughed, somehow a bit proud of his sister. "Wouldn't it be nice to be always like this, Hina?" He ran a hand through her dark locks.

She blinked, her little mind still unable to comprehend such big questions. "What do you mean, nii-san?"

"Right now, we're lying on a bed of roses." He answered, giving the horizon a distant look.

Hina shook her head. "But we're not lying on a bed of roses!" She protested. The older one gave her a look of confusion.

Seiichi only patted her head. Of course, how could she understand? Everything is still simple for her. The thought of her having it better crossed his mind.

"Because, if we lie on a bed of roses, all we could feel is pain. We are happy right now, right nii-san?" Hina answered enthusiastically. "We're more like lying on a field of flowers, with the sun giving us enough warmth and the wind lulling us to sleep."

And Seiichi could only look at her with such amazement and envy. She could see things that he failed to… and he wished she would never become him.

But he knew better than to judge someone who hasn't experienced anything yet. His free hand reached for the pocket of his cardigan, where the glass filled with already withered cherry blossoms was kept.

The cherry blossoms are always there to give you hope, Seiichi so paint this. Please. With the sunset. So it will remind you of the hope in the midst of the luring darkness. Midori asked him to, and he promised, not because he wanted to do it for himself but for her. Because there's the lurking shadow in her eyes just like the sunset where the darkness is slowly spreading.

"Hina, let's go home." It was getting dark anyway. "Nii-san needs to do something."

He is still uncertain, but he knows what he should do.

O~O~O

Ran and Akira were walking by the beach that autumn afternoon, the wind too cold for that kind of act. The brunette pulled her scarf and hugged her body.

Akira rolled her eyes as she hugged herself to keep the cold creeping from the sudden gush of wind. And it was even a high tide. "Why did you invite me here? Why are we here in the first place?!" She glared at her.

"I need to look for an inspiration for my next artwork." Ran rubbed her hands covered with mittens together and looked at the distant horizon.

"Let's go to the park instead if you want an autumn feel in your work." Akira reasoned as she crouched down to get more of the body warmth but the sea breeze isn't helping her at all. "Geez, Ran!"

Ran found a bunch of algae lying near the shore and hurriedly ran towards it. The formation was just stunning for her. "Akira, go to the café nearby. I already found something!" She shouted without even bothering to turn back.

Akira wanted to stay but the cold isn't helping her. It would be a burden for Ran if her body gave up so she complied and went to the café to warm herself with a hot chocolate.

"It's really a wonder why they call this a café and yet they serve teas, and chocolates, don't you think so, Akira?" Niou took it upon himself to sit in the empty chair across her. He wrapped his hands on the body of the mug to warm them up.

"Café is-"

Niou raised a hand to stop her from one of those trivial matters of the world. He's too fed up with those. "It was some sort of a joke. You should have laughed."

Akira's eyes narrowed. She did not laugh. "Why are you having such a normal conversation with me when you just arrived, Masaharu-kun?" The suspicion in her voice was clear enough for him. "Did you lose something impor-"

Niou laughed at the look of disgust Akira was showing. And like wildfire, her anger within her spread quickly. "I did some math and it turns out, your monthly prank quota has yet to be completed." He recovered from the laughter and the genuine priceless reaction. "Don't worry, it's just food coloring."

Akira pushed the cup of hot chocolate away from her. She snarled at him. "You can have it. I am not fond of the color pink and I couldn't bear having to take it and be part of my system." She pinched the bridge of her nose in distress. "I am having brewed coffee next, so it will only absorb the color." Though she knew the logic to be messed up, she ordered it anyway and kept it close to her.

And before they knew it, they were so engrossed in whatever they were talking about that Ran didn't bother coming inside.