A/N: You can say it any way you want to, you can frame it any way you can, but I can tell you I've read the fine print, written by your steady hand. You can say it any way you want to, you can frame it any way you can, but what's behind your good intentions? In your heart a hidden hand? 20-5=15.


Hearing Haruhiko mention Usagi's past relationship with Kamijou stirred up all kinds of memories. While they stayed up for a while, mostly so that Misaki could comfort and support Haruhiko through kind words and cuddles, when they did actually fall asleep her mind was assaulted by unearthed memories.

A long time ago, Misaki had run into Haruhiko purely by chance. He was struck by her features and remembered her as the little girl who had run away from her brother that one time. He approached and asked her if she remembered him, but she just stared at him in a confused manner and said she didn't. Despite this awkward introduction, they ended up talking. Misaki was shocked to learn that the man talking to her was actually the brother of her boyfriend. For some reason she felt like she could trust him and began venting her frustrations to him. She spoke at length about how her boyfriend acted like a kid and never seemed to take responsibility for anything, and how he treated her like she was the kid in that relationship. She complained that he was lazy and selfish and insufferable at times. None of this was new, she had voiced these opinions to Usagi several times in the past, but he never heeded it.

The strangest thing she said regarding the matter was that she felt inferior to him, despite his childlike nonchalance about everything. She felt like she wanted someone more on her level, in terms of money and fame. Haruhiko pressed her a little on that statement, and she just explained that rich and powerful people just seemed out of her league. For some reason her explanation offended him.

The tow of them ended up at a bar, and they shared a few drinks together. Being as small as she was, it didn't take long for her to get a little tipsy. They continued to chat long into the night, until finally Haruhiko invited her to his hotel room. Being drunk as she was, she never thought twice about accepting such an offer and assumed it was completely innocent.

They arrived in Haruhiko's room and Misaki collapsed sloppily on his bed. The words spoken in that were still vivid in her mind years later.

"You know, you're not Akihiko's first love." Haruhiko wasn't sure why he brought that up, maybe it was to make her jealous. He didn't expect her to just dump him after knowing that though, since it wasn't unusual for people to have multiple crushes and partners during their lifetime.

"Mmm, that doesn't surprise me." She mumbled. "He's a total sleazebag. I bet he's had a lot… before me."

"He's done some awful things to the girls that liked him though, there was this one time when he blindfolded himself and had sex with a girl while pretending she was someone else."

Somehow hearing that made her angry, a lot angrier than she thought she'd' be upon hearing about her boyfriend's past exploits. Perhaps it was the thought of him using other girls to his own selfish ends, maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was the alcohol messing her reasoning skills. Maybe it was the thought of him imagining someone else other than her, even if it was before he knew of her. Whatever the reason, she'd make sure to confront him and work out her feelings of anger. "How do you know this?" She mumbled, unsure if she should press further on this topic.

"…I seen this first hand. He was with someone named Kamijou, who I think is a professor now. I've only seen her a few times, but it was pretty clear that she liked him."

"…Kamijou?" Misaki's mind went straight to the professor known to throw things in the university. Was that the same person Haruhiko was talking about?

Right now though, she was drunk and tired and on the verge of drifting off to sleep. She was completely oblivious to the potential danger lurking. "Mmm, anyway, I'll think about it tomorrow. Good night."

Haruhiko had misinterpreted many signals that night and was closing in on her. Since he was so inexperienced, he just leaned in close to gage her reaction.

Naturally Misaki, even during as she was, didn't appreciate him invading her space. It never occurred to her that his room only had one bed in it. "Hey." She mumbled, but Haruhiko didn't slow. Eventually, when he made contact with her, she mustered all of the strength she had and slapped him away. She then stood on shaky legs and staggered out of that room.

Her memory was a little fuzzy after that, but she did remember the morning after that encounter. It started out like any other day, except for the hung over headache she had. Fragments of the conversation she had last night lingered in her mind, and eventually she built up the courage to say what was on her mind. "hey Usagi-san, did you ever know a girl named Kamijou?"

He raised an eyebrow at such an oddly specific question. "Yes, I did once know a Kamijou Hiroki, why do you ask?"

"Well, I was told that you had sex with a girl named Kamijou, but you wore a blindfold and pretended she was someone else. That's not true is it?"

"How did you come to know something like that?" He was clearly not pleased with her prying into his past like that.

"So it IS true!" She said, ignoring his increasingly annoyed tone. "How could you do something like that?!"

"Relax, this was long before I met you."

"That's not the point! I can't believe you'd do such a horrible thing!"

"What are you talking about?! You're way over reacting!"

"Do you think about other girls when you're with me?"

"Of course not, if I did I'd be saying their name instead of yours. Now stop this irrational worrying, it's making you look stupid."

She felt hurt after hearing hose words. It was just like him to ignore or downplay her feelings. Right now she wasn't in the mood to put up with his shenanigans, so she just left for class early in a huff. He didn't bother to chase after her.

What happened after that was a series of emotions decisions that quickly turned into an unexpected journey and later a tryst. She spoke with Shinobu who was also experiencing problems in her relationship, and the two of them got to talking about the exchange program offered by the university. At first it started out as a typical getaway fantasy, but the more they talked about it, the more it seemed like a legitimate idea. After a long discussion, it seemed like a great idea to leave for America just to annoy their boyfriends with an unexplained absence. So that's exactly what they did. They signed up for the program and within the week they were on the place to a new continent with almost no warning to their boyfriends.

There was much protest from Usagi, he was visibly, outwardly angry that she was taking off to America with only a day's notice. He ranted endlessly trying to convince her to stay, but she was hearing none of it. She was still mad at him for downplaying her feelings and being so completely shameless in the past. A part of her was happy to hear him beg her to stay, but it was too late, everything was already put into place and she wasn't about to cancel her plans.

She only knew Shinobu, everyone else was just a faceless nobody to her on this trip. Shinobu shared in her bitterness, and they revelled in their anger during the entirety of the flight. When they arrived they were assigned a hotel room and given instructions on where classes would start. Now that they were there though, the nervousness finally started to creep in. Shinobu was stoic and nonchalant as ever, but Misaki started shaking. This was a place vastly different from what she was used to, everything was in English, and she wasn't sure about the culture. Bidding Shinobu farewell, she went right to her room.

Not long after she got a text from Usagi claiming that she was only going so far away because she was having an affair with Shinobu of all people, she just laughed at his ridiculous insecurity and didn't bother to respond.

After unpacking, she wondered if she should look around. The time difference was pretty massive, but she wasn't feeling the jetlag yet. Eventually she steeled herself and made her way to the lobby, and eventually to the bar. Naturally it was full of Americans and English filled her ears, making her feel slightly uneasy. She wandered around and sized up her surroundings, making note of the various drinks available and astounded at the number of slot machines hanging around.

All of a sudden she caught sight of another Japanese person, sitting at the edge of the bar looking forlorn. She wondered then if she should approach him and try to strike up a conversation. Maybe he was bilingual and knew the area better than her, or perhaps he was Japanese American who didn't actually speak Japanese. At the risk of feeling isolated, she approached.