Lonely No More
by Cyberchao X

Chapter 36

Disclaimer: OC-heavy though it is, this is a fanfiction, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A/N: Wow. I was worried that I'd been falling down on ideas, and then I actually looked at the last chapter—I usually like to at least have the previous chapter open when I'm working on a new chapter, to remind me of where we were—and it's actually pretty long.

*later that week*

"So why don't you just ask Dylan-san out already?" Arisa asked. "You know that he knows how you feel about him."

"I thought you'd be happier that I'm still yours alone," Suzuka replied. "Wait, since when are you on first-name basis with Keith-san?"

"Since Monday. He…kind of expressed interest in me. Of course, I told him that I wasn't interested in guys, and, well, he still seemed to take it fairly well and remained interested in being friends." Something else from that conversation suddenly occurred to her. "And you'd better act quickly, because it's only a matter of time before he draws interest from someone who's more of his type."

"Are you saying I'm not?"

"He…kind of indirectly said it. He mentioned that he had been reluctant to reveal his 'type' during our conversation at lunch last week because the only girls at the table that were it had shown no interest in him. As it turns out, that's because they were the only two with no interest in boys at all…stereotyped though it is."

"Stereotyped?"

"I'm guessing, even though he didn't actually say it, that he goes for the athletic type."

"I'm suddenly relieved that his first encounter with a member of Class 2-O went so disastrously," Suzuka joked. "Though if cheerleaders like Kanna-chan are athlete enough, I could definitely foresee some issues arising in the future… So is this because you're his friend too now?"

"It's because of you, of course. If it were just his interests I was looking out for, I'd introduce him to one of my teammates. Also…I kind of let it slip about us. Luckily, he didn't take me seriously."

"…What?!" Arisa explained about the conversation, how she'd mentioned her arrangement with Tatsuke and expressed interest in creating a similar arrangement if the need arose. "And this happened in public?"

"We were speaking English at the time, so it's unlikely anyone else knows."

Suzuka sighed. "I get the feeling you've ruined everything."

*Friday night*

Suzuka's feeling was wrong, of course. Dylan accepted when she asked him out. "I…see that this is a popular place for high school couples," he said. "I'm guessing you planned it that way?"

"You barely even know me, and already you're accusing me of underhanded behavior?"

"That grin on your face tells me I was spot on," Dylan replied. "You want other people to know that you're on a date with me."

"…Maybe a bit."

"…Is that Chura-san from our class?"

Suzuka suddenly seemed exasperated. "I wouldn't think he'd want such a popular spot."

"So then that girl who appears too young to be his girlfriend, too old for him to be babysitting her, and not enough like him to be his sister…"

"Is his girlfriend, yes. Indirectly, they met through me."

"Indirectly?"

"I invited the entire class to my New Year's party last year—this year, I suppose, but last school year. Himiya-san and a couple of her friends decided to crash the party, and somehow while we were giving her and Watagami-chan the third degree, Aoba-san slipped away and mingled with the guests. Lied about her age, too."

"Okay, so that one's Aoba, and I heard you mention Watagami once before…but who is Himiya?"

"Suki-chan's current girlfriend."

"So then Arisa-chan told you about our conversation."

"Did you really expect otherwise?"

"No, I don't suppose I did. Given how close you two are, I'd imagine you share just about everything."

"…What?"

"Oh, did she leave out the part where she blabbed your secret?"

Suzuka took a moment to respond. "[No, she told me about that. She said you thought it was just a…a joke. She also said that you two were speaking English at the time, so…don't talk about that in Japanese with all of these people around.]"

"Sorry. Nicely done, though, speaking your mind like that in English."

"I am pretty good in all of my classes."

"Yes, but your inflection was good, too. I've noticed that it's a lot harder to show your emotions in a foreign language. I'd like to think I'm getting better, but I can tell that my Japanese must sound very, um…I don't know the word I'm looking for so I'll say 'emotionless'—to the rest of you."

"'Monotonous'?" Suzuka guessed. "I don't really know how to say that in English, but that seems like it would fit." It was indeed the correct word. "I guess there are some natural problems with communication between us."

"Only on tough words that don't come up often in everyday speech. And, you know…dirty words."

"Why did you bring those up? Wishing you could talk dirty to me?" Suzuka teased.

"No, just wishing I knew what you said about me on the first day of school. I mentioned to Arisa-chan that there was something you'd said that I didn't understand, and she repeatedly told me that she wasn't teaching me any dirty words."

"Yeah, Arisa may come off as a bit 'rough' at times, but she's probably the 'cleanest' one in her peer group; always has been." She thought about this. "Well, maybe not as much so as Fate-chan…" A sad look started to come into her eyes.

"Something wrong?"

"Just thinking about our friends from elementary school and junior high. For a good six years or so, the five of us were inseparable…but now our group has been split into three and two."

"The three of them all left together?"

"It's probably best if we talk about something else, before I say something I shouldn't."

Dylan looked at her, wondering why she needed to be so secretive, but he knew better than to push it. "[So then it really wasn't a joke?]"

"Eh?"

"[I was just teasing you, you know. I figured that Arisa-chan probably would've mentioned that part too, given how closely related it was to the part that you'd already revealed that you knew about, so…]"

"[…So you decided to test my reaction to see if it was a joke or the truth.]"

"[…Actually Arisa-chan was spot on. I did think it was a joke. I was surprised when you reacted the way you did, especially seeing as how I didn't give any specifics…um, details,]" he corrected, seeing Suzuka slightly confused at his word choice.

"[I would've gotten it eventually,]" she protested to his decision to clarify. "[…Yeah, it's true. I like both boys and girls, and Arisa and I are…in a relationship.]"

"[…And Arisa-chan's 'arrangement'?]"

"Yeah, that really happened. I don't know what the current status of the arrangement is, because last I knew Suki-chan felt that she'd rather end things with her boyfriend than allow Himiya-san to have a similar arrangement, but then Himiya started to think that she was leaning more towards guys…"

CCX: Suzuka brings up a very good point. KatSuki has been all but ignored since the last lemon chapter. And yet, given where we last left off with Katsura…

*the next day*

"I was surprised you wanted to come along with me," Suki said.

"Well, as tolerant as I am, I can't let you have too much unsupervised time with your ex-girlfriend who you clearly still have some feelings for," Katsura teased.

"And yet you'll no doubt go wandering over to watch the boys instead."

"…Yeah, you caught me."

"Looks like they're drawing quite the female crowd. Must be someone that a lot of girls want…" Katsura had already gone to join the throng. "Wait, Katsu-tan, that's not a good idea!"

"He's beautiful…like a male version of Suki-sama," Katsura thought, trying to figure out how to get him alone to introduce herself.

"So I guess that exclusivity thing never did happen, huh?"

"Huh?"

"Should've figured you'd be taken with Dy—Keith-san," Suzuka corrected, "but from what I hear, 'porcelain dolls' aren't really his type."

"…'Keith-san'?"

"Foreign exchange student. In my class. Also we went out on a date last night." The last sentence was whispered.

"And you want to keep that a secret?"

"Well, no; that's why I made sure it was somewhere where we'd be seen. But at the same time, to announce that here would be suicide."

"In other words, 'Back off, cat, he's mine'?"

"You're a smart girl, Himiya-san."

"…So if all of this female attention is on the foreign exchange student, I'd have a pretty decent shot at one of the others?"

Suzuka sweatdropped. "Possibly. Hell if I know; I haven't been coming to these things much. Like I said, this relationship, if you can even call it that yet, hasn't been going on for very long."

"Suzuka-chan. Didn't expect to see you here. Shouldn't you, I don't know, be over with me watching Arisa-chan?"

"Well, Dylan-san's willing to give me a chance even though he knows the truth about…all of us…so I'm taking the proper girlfriend course of action."

"…What do you mean, 'all of us'?"

"That is a question you should be asking Ari-chan. Although, I suppose I was the one who confirmed it to be true…well, parts of it, anyway. I don't think he thought she was joking about you."

"Don't think he thought?"

Suzuka paused. "You are absolutely correct. I need to have a talk with Arisa, too. Later today, we're going to have to discuss what is known by whom."

Katsura sat down next to Suki. "Arisa-san still isn't here yet?"

"Nope. It's kind of refreshing to see such progressive attitudes, actually; it would be all too easy for her teammates to ostracize her off the field because of her sexuality," Suzuka said. "How was your excursion?"

"Fruitful." She grinned. "Though I wasn't too busy to notice that you might need to work a bit harder to keep your position."

"From the throng in the stands, I hope?"

"You don't seem too concerned."

"I am. I just need to know how concerned to be."

"About?" asked a familiar voice.

"Dylan-san, of course."

"Well, just because it wasn't one of my teammates doesn't mean you're home free. What's up?"

"Just wanted to update you on how last night went."

"And what does that have to do with Suki-tan and Katsu-chan?"

"Because both of us have problems keeping our mouths shut. I let on that you'd told me about your conversation, and he 'teased' me about our little secret. Naturally, I took it the wrong way and my reaction confirmed to him that you weren't joking."

"Ouch. And you're not worried that Katsu-chan's report that he's apparently still playing the field isn't related to this?"

"…Why do you have to be so realistic, Arisa? That's supposed to be my job."

"Sorry. How did the topic come up, anyway?"

"Well, my plan to make sure we were seen ended up finding someone else familiar."

Katsura shook her head. "Mayu-chan. Of course, since…Quiche-san, was it?—is in your class, he'd know her boyfriend." (CCX: My apologies if there are dialects in which "quiche" wouldn't be pronounced exactly like Katsura's mispronunciation of "Keith". I could've gone with a more phonetic pronunciation, but I thought this was funnier.)

"Yeah. And that's…a decent approximation of his name, yes."

"Eh?"

"His name is…particularly troublesome for those who aren't used to speaking anything other than Japanese," Arisa explained.

Suzuka nodded. "I had to take it very slowly the first time I tried to say it because I didn't want to get it wrong. Kanna-chan wasn't quite so careful."

"Who?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess you wouldn't have met her, except maybe briefly at the party you crashed. She's another friend and classmate…and lesbian."

"Of course, I didn't have any trouble with it, because I was raised speaking both English and Japanese," Arisa said.

"Right, you're half-American. Everyone always assumes I have some sort of foreign ancestry because of my pale coloration, but if I do, it's very distant." (CCX: I don't remember if we discussed this already or not.)

"Hm. Yeah, you are paler than most…but you'd probably get more strange looks in America than you do here, because even though your skin color is lighter than most Caucasians, your features are decidedly Asian."

"Have you actually been to America?"

"Yeah. Quite a number of times, actually. I do still have family there, after all."

"And friends, too, right?"

Nobody said anything. Arisa looked over at Suki as if to ask, "Did you tell her this lie?" Suki shook her head.

"Actually, they're in Europe. Somewhere in Germany, I think," Suzuka said, knowing that continued silence would only cause more problems. "Hayate-chan has family there, or somewhere around there. I don't know; I don't speak German."

"Oh. Okay, that makes sense too. I just remembered hearing that they were far away. I guess I just assumed that it was America."

"Yeah, well…"

When Katsura had left the table, Arisa asked, "So what was that all about?"

"I figured it was better to lie outright than invite more questions with silence."

"Why Germany?"

"Because Wolkenritter is clearly a German word. I always wondered why beings from another realm had a name that seemed to be derived from a language on our planet."

"Coincidence?"

"Maybe."

*…some other day*

"So, you heading up to the school today?" Katsura asked.

Mayu didn't answer for a moment before realizing that she'd meant the high school. "No, I've got Student Council work to do. Why are you so eager to go up there all of a sudden?"

"Let's just say that I finally hit paydirt. Hopefully it'll get somewhere before either of them realizes that I don't go to their school at all."

"There are so many things wrong with that statement, Himiya-chan."

"…You feel comfortable enough with me to call me '-chan', but still can't use my given name?"

"…Don't take it personally."

"Whatever. So, if you would elaborate?"

"Okay, start with the word 'either'. I suppose it's better than if you'd said 'any', but it still means you're playing two boys. Add on that anyone coming from school would probably still be in uniform during after-school activities, and your street clothes are just as revealing—as telling—as your middle school uniform would be."

"True. Good thing I didn't actually say that I was a part of their year at their school. Actually, I don't think I ever said I was a part of their year, period, but if that is the lie I'm to be telling, I can always claim to go to a private school."

"It'd be much easier to disprove that than it would be to disprove that you went to any given public school. Probably."

"Do you even realize what a hypocrite you're being about this, Mayu-san? If I remember correctly, you made this exact same lie on New Year's."

"I didn't claim to be the same age as my boyfriend-to-be."

"No, but you claimed to be two years older than you actually were. Hence, the same lie. They're first-years."

"…Fair enough. That still leaves your little love triangle problem."

"I wouldn't call it a 'love' triangle just yet. And I only have to play them both long enough to figure out which one I want for myself. Then I just casually mention to the other one that I have this friend who I think would be perfect for him and pray that Atsuya-san doesn't go into overprotective big brother mode and beat the shit out of the guy."

"…Who?"

"Hanna's brother. She has two brothers, so it would be too confusing if I was on last name basis with both of them. They let me call them by their given names."

CCX: You know, that's one of the things that always bothered me about honorifics. I guess you have to make sure you're speaking directly to someone, because it's quite possible that you call the rest of their family by the exact same name. I've wondered at times if the honorific is even needed when you're not directly addressing someone but instead talking about them to a third party; I've always included it just in case, though only in speech, not in thoughts.

*the following Saturday. Is it May yet?*

"…Sorry I haven't been able to answer your calls. Or return your texts. Student Council work's been keeping me busy, and a certain someone would be all too quick to use any signs of slacking off against me."

"I guess I didn't realize how things would change after you gained this position," Katsura replied. "Are you free now?"

"Yeah, I guess. You certainly seem to be in a rush to set me up with this guy."

"Well, I…kindofstartedaftertwoguysato nce. In a situation where it'd be hard to keep them apart."

"So I'm supposed to clean up your mess?"

"It's not like that! I was just trying to keep my options open, pick up numbers…and I got two. Figured that I'd keep one and introduce the other to you. Though I think you and Touga-san would be an even better fit than me and Rakashi-san, so that's a plus. Oh, and while I don't think I ever outright lied and said we weren't, they don't know that I'm still in junior high, so if you're in your school uniform, you might want to change before arriving."

"The uniform wouldn't do me justice anyway. No problem."

Katsura left the bathroom…only to run into both Touga and Rakashi anyway. "I don't suppose, by any chance, that your friend is coming, is she?" the former asked.

"Actually, she is. I…guess you know, huh?"

"Well, I couldn't find you, and Rakashi-san said he was waiting for a girl, and you had seemed interested enough in me when we first met but suddenly you want to introduce me to a friend of yours…it kind of all added up."

"Heh heh…I seriously think you two would be perfect for each other, though. Totally would've let her go after you if we'd been boy-hunting together like usual." She paused. "That really didn't help my case, did it?"

"Not really, no," Rakashi said.

"That's what I thought. I think maybe I'll just shut up until Hanna-chan gets here. You should probably go over and watch the varsity game, anyway."

"…You're right. We probably should."

"Okay, so keeping them from finding out that I'd been flirting with the other one failed, but I don't think this venture has totally gone up in smoke yet."

"'Yet' being the key word. Judging by the fact that you're alone at the moment, I take it you found a way to avoid having to speak without me around to filter you?"

"Well, it makes a better impression for them to be attentive during the varsity game. It's just a shame that the softball team's game is away today; I wouldn't even be lying if I said I had friends on that team."

"You have friends on that team?"

"Well, a friend. Arisa-san and I have been getting along quite well ever since…well, I guess since New Year's, actually."

"You'd think that would've made things worse."

"There was some enmity at first, sure, and there's still always a little tension because it's obvious that she and Suki still love each other…but as long as she's got Suzuka-san, I don't think she minds me too much."

"…So why me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I was just thinking when you said that Bannings-san doesn't mind you so much anymore, 'If only Hayama-san was so accepting.'"

"You think I should've kept Touga-san for myself and set Rakashi-san up with Suki-tan?"

"…Would that be self-sacrifice on your part?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Tough to tell which one I like more…but it was obvious which one would be better for you."

"…I'm glad to know I'm still on your mind. So which one is Touga-san?"

"I'll introduce you."

"I kind of want to…introduce myself."

"Down, girl. Remember, I thought he'd be a good match for you. A boobs-first introduction may give him the wrong idea."

"You think I should cover up more?"

"I didn't say that. Your outfit is just fine. But brushing up against him isn't the way. If he wants to focus on your breasts, let him be the one to make that decision. Since you're certainly putting them—it out there."

"You sound jealous."

"…Now that they explicitly know that I want to double date, I feel like perhaps my plans will go awry."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that, well, I don't know either one that well yet but I think Rakashi-san's probably the more likely of the two of them to fall in love at first sight with your chest."

"You are selfless, taking the one you believe to be shallower for yourself."

"Or possibly just lacking the self-esteem to believe that anyone would want me for my depths."

A chuckle from behind them. "Your depths weren't so bad."

Katsura spun around at the whisper in her ear and found herself face-to-face with a grinning purplette. "S-Suzuka-san… don't talk about that…" She cleared her throat. "So why are you here, when Arisa-chan is playing elsewhere?"

"You were the one who told me that I needed to work a bit harder at staking my claim. And so far, it seems to be working."

"Eh? Tsukimura-san has a 'claim' here too?" Hanna asked.

"Don't tell me you thought I was only interested in girls."

"Yeah, and she's got her work cut out for her. Lot of competition."

"I don't see anyone out there that would draw that much attention," Hanna said.

"Wait for it. Trust me, he is hot."

The batter at the plate hit a home run, driving in the runners on base at the time—one of which was Dylan. "Oh. Foreign exchange student. That'd do it."

"Yeah, he's been getting a lot of attention. Of course, a smart girl would avoid the crowds and go for someone else."

"And that's exactly what we have here. You must be the friend Himiya-san mentioned."

"Thank you Touga-san."

"Yeah, I'm Hanna…Watagami Hanna." Her adherence to traditions overrode the nagging sense that it might not be a great idea to mention her family name, since unlike Katsura, she had family in the school. Her fears were unfounded, though, as her brother was in a completely different circle than these guys.

"…Are you sure there wasn't some mistake as to which of us you were going to set up with your friend?"

"You're a pig. And no, there was no mistake; Hanna-chan's the smart one, too."

"You're a bold one, insulting someone you want to date."

"Yes, she is," Hanna agreed. "She's always been that."

An unexpectedly long chapter, all in a day's work. CCX, signing off.