~ Michi ~

The blaring of my alarm tried to rouse me up from sleep, but I wasn't quite ready to cooperate. I snuggled back up to the warmth next to me, only getting the inkling that something was up when my mouth hit something that wasn't a pillow and something smooth and soft tickled my face. "Huh…?"

"Michi?" Shin groaned, shifting as the alarm woke him up too. We were tangled up together, and his movements only brought his arms tighter around me, his body closer.

I held my breath, lips trembling against his neck while I caught the scent of his hair that was gently brushing against my face. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't move or think properly because his arms were holding me so securely and his closeness was making my mind short out.

"Good morning…" He looked down at me blearily for a few moments before his expression shifted into one of surprise, and he fell still as reality hit him too. "Oh." He backed away quickly but ended up hitting his head on the table that was beside my bed. "Agh…"

"Uh… Are you okay?" I reached to turn the alarm off.

"I'm fine… Do you have work today or something?"

"Yeah." I hopped up and stretched. "I'm going to shower, so… If you're gone by the time I get out, that's fine. But if you're still here, then that's fine too."

"Thanks… But I think I should just go home now." He got up and brushed himself off, then looked at me closely. "Are you sure you're alright, after last night?"

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about a thing." I forced a smile. I had refused to tell him anything about what I remembered, so he'd just held me like that until I had stopped crying… I guess we'd fallen asleep eventually.

"I'm going to worry about you either way, so doesn't it make more sense to be honest with me?" He narrowed his eyes a little.

"I mean…" I frowned. "I'm not feeling great about what I remembered. But it's going to be fine. I've come to terms with worse, I feel like."

He still looked doubtful, but he nodded. "I'm the one who knows what's going on now, so you're able to lean on me as much as you want. Just remember that."

"Fine, fine. I get it," I grumbled, secretly relieved and appreciative to hear those words. "You hurry and get ready to go then, before I claim the bathroom."

While he left me to clean up a little and get changed, I started rummaging in my dresser. If my hair had changed, why not change my whole look? It could end up being refreshing. I picked out a plaid peplum shirt and jean shorts to go over my checkered leggings, setting the flower pin on top of the pile before nodding with satisfaction. Yeah, it'd look cute. Probably.

"Well…" Shin and I stood at the door awkwardly as he prepared to leave. "Thanks for this. And everything else."

"Yeah, yeah. You just watch out for your dad, okay?"

"I will. Call me if you need me or you just want to talk."

"Yeah. I'll see you later, then."

"Bye." He waved goodbye, and I was able to relax once the door shut behind him.

"Well that was disappointing," Musca commented as I went to the shower.

"How so?"

"He could have at least left you with a hug. Better yet, a kiss on the cheek."

I just shrugged at her.

"Especially after what he did last night…"

"Wait, what? He didn't draw on my face with a marker or something, did he?"

"No, not at all. Do you want me to tell you?" She smiled like she was holding on to a juicy secret.

"Ugh… Just do what you want." I sped through my shower, trying not to think too much.

"That's no fun. What do you want me to do?"

"Cut that out. Don't try to put the choice on me."

"Well, I'm fine either way." Musca hummed to herself while I cleaned up, and I couldn't take the suspense by the time I was toweling off.

"Okay, tell me." I pulled my clothes on, avoiding looking at her because I knew she had on a laughing expression.

"Okay, so, after you went to sleep…" She paused for effect.

"Stop killing me and get on with it." I grabbed up Ikki's hair pin and went to figure out a new style. Yeah, a braid over the shoulder, and then the pin to move some of my bangs out of the way. Not bad, not bad at all.

"He laid you down really gently and tucked you in."

I was ready to melt with just that. Luckily there was a cool breeze outside to cool my possible combustion. "Uh-huh…?" Maybe by the time I had walked to work I'd be calm.

"Then he lay down next to you, just looking at you and stroking your hair and smiling to himself."

"What kind of smile was it? Like, a serial killer grin, or more like a this girl is ridiculous and it's funny to me smile?"

"Neither, of course. He looked tender."

Shin? Tender? "Humph." I crossed my arms and scowled.

"What's the matter? I thought you'd be happy."

"I'm not! He goes and does things like this when I have to decide what to do about Ikki, and then… Ugh!"

Musca frowned. "Michi… If you had chosen the Spade World first instead of the Heart World, what do you think would have happened?" She shook her head when I opened my mouth to speak. "It was rhetorical. You would have fallen in love with Ikki based on your memories if you had met him first. Then you wouldn't be having problems. The two of you would probably be dating by now. Just because you happened to meet Shin first and remember him before the others doesn't mean he's your only option. There were four pathways, and four fates of love. Don't get hung up on someone who would have made their move by now if it was going to happen."

"Musca… Why say all of this to me?"

"Any of these guys would be lucky to have you. You deserve nothing less than the best, someone who's willing to pursue you to the fullest. Understand?"

I smiled. "Thanks, Musca."

When I got to work, I was actually the last one there since I had spent extra time on my appearance that morning. "Oh hey, Kent, Mine. How are you guys?"

"Hello." Kent nodded to me.

Strangely, Mine said nothing. She just huffed and turned her back.

I frowned after her before going to change into my uniform. "What's her problem?"

"I've no idea. Maybe she's having a girl issue? Like… Um… I don't know." Musca finished her rambling with a shrug.

"Well, I guess if she wants to talk she'll say something." Since I was on the clock now, I didn't have the concentration or the time to worry about things like that. It was kept in my mind though, since Mine refused to speak to me or hardly look at me throughout the entire shift. "Seriously… She's acting weird."

"Is that so?" Kent popped up behind me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Stop…" I gasped. "Stop sneaking up on me!"

"Perhaps you simply don't have sufficient awareness of your surroundings."

"Ugh… Well, do you need something?"

"Yes. Your phone number."

"Why?" I glared at him suspiciously.

"You previously stated that we would talk about my intentions to ask Sawa out at a later date. It is now later. The most efficient means of communication would be for the two of us to text."

"I, uh… Can't argue with that." We traded phones, and I glanced up as Mine walked past us. Our eyes met, and the intense hatred in her glare shocked me. All of that hate was being directed at me. But why?

"Slut," she muttered under her breath, barely audible.

"Alright…" I shoved Kent's phone back at him and grabbed Mine's shoulder. "What the hell is your problem?! If you've got something to say to me, confront me directly instead of being a whiny little…" I took a breath to calm down before I said something I could really regret. "Mine, why are you so angry with me? Tell me what it is I did."

She glared at me, but whipped out her phone and messed with it for a few seconds before putting it in my face. On the screen was a picture of…

"What the… HELL?!" I gasped. It was Ikki and I, last night… When he had kissed me. "Where'd you… How'd you… Get this?" I sputtered.

"You know I like him!" While she was still fuming, Mine also looked a little bit like she was about to cry. "So how could you do this?"

"Wait, wait. Hold up. It's just…" There was nothing I could say to make it better. Telling her the truth, that Ikki had legitimately confessed to me, wouldn't spare her feelings at all. But I had to say something… "Look… I didn't see it coming either. I just –"

"We told you to just stay away."

"We? Hold on, you're one of his fangirls?" Was she freakin' kidding me with this bullshit?

"I get notifications from them. I ignored the one about the two of you hanging out the first time, figuring there had to be a good reason. I was going to ask you about it today, but then I got this last night… I'll never forgive you for this." She whisked away, getting in the last word.

"… She's serious…? I don't get it at all…"

"… I'm afraid I understand less than you do." Kent was looking at me questioningly.

"Hey, Kent, you're Ikki's friend, right?"

"Correct."

"Then, do you know why he let's those girls hang all over him like that? They're thinking that they can control him and the people around him, and that's just not normal or healthy at all."

"Hm… It would be best for you to ask Ikkyu himself, as I can't quite understand his line of thinking either."

"Geez… Alright. But I need answers." This sort of behavior wasn't normal at all. There had to be some reason… As he started to turn away I reached up and grabbed his shoulder. "By the way, could you do me a favor…?" I murmured, making sure no one else could hear.

He turned to me, looking puzzled but mildly interested. "What is it?"