Chapter 11

Don't You Leave Your Heart Behind

Ever since he first saw it Fuutarou hadn't been able to get his mind off the other motorcycle the manager owned. After the quints left and he returned to the restaurant he worked vigorously until closing time. He was all but vibrating with eagerness as his boss took him back to the storage unit. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited.

When the engine started for the first time he knew it was a different kind of bike. Just looking at it was impressive, but the sound it made sent a chill down his spine. When the manager revved the engine a he was almost blown away. It was nothing like the other bike. This one was like a beast on wheels, waiting to be unleashed after sleeping for so long.

Wakamura explained that the motorcycle they used for deliveries was simply a cheap dirt bike designed for off road racing, easy to repair and maintain but not safe on the open road. The motorcycle he saw now was called a cruiser. These kind of bikes were specifically designed for travelling on the open road. While maintaining them was a more delicate procedure, they were bigger, heavier, sturdier, and much more comfortable to ride. The instant Fuutarou sat down on it he literally felt the difference.

For the rest of the evening and through the next day Fuutarou got used to riding it, and he was enjoying himself immensely. On the dirt bike he always felt that he was just going to one place to the next as fast as he could, but on this cruiser he felt he could go anywhere without ever stopping. He never imagined that riding on a motorcycle could be so much... fun.

There really was no other word he could use to describe it, and it made him both excited for the big day with Nino.

On that next day he woke up early, took a nice hot bath, and went straight to the restaurant. He had volunteered to switch shifts with one of the morning workers so he could be ready to go when the time came. During his shift Ichika came by and gave him a light blue cap and a pair of aviator style sunglasses, saying that it would help enhance his new image, before heading back home to help get Nino ready.

At around 10:30 AM he ended his shift and changed into his outfit. When he came out of the bathroom he found his dad and Raiha waiting for him. Together they followed Wakamura to the storage unit. Fuutarou brought the bike out himself and kick started it to let the engine warm up.

"Did you bring it?" he asked his sister as he straddled the bike.

"Yep!" Raiha handed it over, "I spend all of yesterday making it!"

Yesterday he had asked Raiha for a favor. He ran his thumb over the object she had created and gave a giant nod of approval.

"It very cute, Raiha," he smiled and rubbed her head, "Thanks a lot."

"Anytime, Onii-chan!" Rai beamed in delight.

Fuutarou placed the object in his jacket pocket and took a deep breath.

"Nervous?" his dad asked.

"I'd be lying if I wasn't," he shrugged, "I just don't want to screw up again."

"Oh, I doubt you can screw up anymore than you already have," the manager said after came out of the garage and handed Fuutarou a helmet before wrapping the straps of another one around the bar handle.

"Just remember why you're doing this," Isanari reminded, "It's for Nino. Keep your entire focus on her and nothing else."

"And most importantly," Wakamura chimed in, "go out and have fun. Don't think about anything else."

"Just relax and let loose. Tell her what you need to tell her," Isanari winked, "Trust me, it will all work out in the end."

"Yeah," Fuutarou nodded, feeling his confidence return, "I got it."

He strapped on the helmet and revved the engine a little.

"Thanks for all your help, Manager," he shook Wakamura's hand.

"Don't mention it, and tell Nino that I need her back in kitchen ASAP."

Fuutarou laughed, "Will do."

Isanari patted his son's shoulder, "Go knock 'em dead kid."

"Good luck, Onii-chan!" Raiha cheered.

Fuutarou gave them one last salute and rode away. Isanari watched his son go, feeling very proud for the first time.

"Think he'll do alright?" asked Wakamura.

He smiled right away, "I think he'll do just fine."

"Well," Wakamura clapped a hand on Isanari's shoulder, "How about I buy you a drink? Along with a free lunch for you and your daughter?"

"That will do just fine!" Isanari laughed.

Ten minutes later Fuutarou arrived at the apartment building. From the corner of his eye he saw all five quints standing there at the sidewalk, but he kept his eyes forward as he rolled to a halt and cut the engine. He could feel Nino's gaze staring at him as he removed his helmet. He took a moment to gather his wits before he turned to look at her.

He was immediately greeted by the stunning image of Nino. The last time he could remember seeing her in that outfit was when he had asked the quints to do their hair a certain way to see if he had met one of them during his childhood. That was when her hair was still very long, he recalled. As he looked at her he was surprised to find that he missed those days before she had cut her hair. The wide brimmed hat she wore now made up for that, and she looked absolutely beautiful. Her sisters had done a magnificent job of making her look that way again and he made a mental note to praise their work later on.

She was now looking at him with a confused expression. He felt a grin start to rise on his lips and he suddenly felt his confidence grow. When he removed his sunglasses he almost laughed at her stunned reaction.

"Fuu-Fuutarou?" was the first word she said to him.

He suddenly felt... cocky again, a feeling he hadn't felt like that since he was a little kid. Without hesitation he leaned on the handlebars of the manager's bike and grinned at Nino.

"Hey, there, pretty girl," he pointed his thumb to the backseat, "Would you like to go for a ride?"

When Ichika had to him and the others about Nino's silly dream date they decided exactly to play it out exactly the way Nino imagined, from him arriving on the motorcycle to him saying that very line. Now they all waited with held breath for Nino's reaction.

When she suddenly burst out laughing he blinked a few times before he looked at the other quints. To his relief he found that they were all smiling. Nino continued laughing, hands clutching her stomach. She wasn't laughing in humor. She was laughing because she was truly, genially, surprised beyond words.

Ichika looked at Fuutarou and with a wink she gave him a thumbs up. Their plan had worked better than they hoped for. Blowing a sigh of relief he bobbed his head and waited for Nino to calm down.

After several moments she finally got a hold of herself and straightened her body.

"What..." she gasped for breath, "What are you doing, Fuutarou?"

"Making you dream come true," he casually replied.

"My... my dream?" she wiped little tears from her eyes, "What are you..." she took in the scene again and with a gasp she look at Ichika, who stood there looking very smug, "You told him about that?!"

The other quints giggled and Fuutarou couldn't help but chuckle. In less than a minute Nino had reverted back to her old self, exactly what they were hoping to see.

"Well, he did want to take you by surprise," Ichika smoothly pointed out, "We thought this was the best way to do it. It's your own fault for telling me about that silly dream of yours."

Nino opened her mouth to protest, but shut it when she realized she had nothing to argue with. Thinking back to that time she had told Ichika about that ridiculous dream out of anger, and out of...

She glanced over at Yotsuba, who looked very pleased right now. Biting her lip she looked away as guilt washed over. When Fuutarou had told her the reason why he had chosen Yotsuba that night she'd held a great deal of resentment towards Yotsuba for understandable reasons. At that time she felt cheated of what she believed was her best chance of finding true love. Her anger towards Yotsuba had resulted on her lashing out at her sister, but then Fuutarou had exposed his true character and that had hurt her a great deal more.

Now, however, it had been Yotsuba who had told her only a hour before that it was time to get past that. Furthermore, her sisters had all pitched in to help her come out of her depression. Now Fuutarou was here, her dream had literally come to life, all for her. There was so much to take in she almost became dizzy.

"I..."I don't understand," she looked at her sisters, "Why would you guys do all... all of this? Why would you go this far for my sake?"

"Because I wanted to."

The words came from Fuutarou and she turned around. She blinked in surprise when she saw his face. The cocky grin he had earlier was gone, replaced with... it was difficult to describe because of how different he look from when he did weeks before. Fuutarou no longer had that serious expression. He now had the look of someone who was very lost. The last she'd seen him like that was when she had found him standing outside of her own apartment building during the time she was living by herself.

It was completely different this time. Fuutarou's eyes were filled with guilt, like a boy who knew he did something bad but was too ashamed to admit it. There was also something else. Those eyes seemed to plead with her, asking for forgiveness. It struck her so suddenly it actually made her breath catch. Fuutarou looked nothing like the person she knew from before. This was the most... vulnerable she had ever seen him be.

"This was your idea?" she asked.

"Not entirely. This whole getup was Ichika's, but it was I who wanted, needed, to do this. I needed to have a chance to talk with you alone. When Ichika came to see me after you broke down crying we had a long talk about you. She told me things about you I didn't know about and it made me realize just how unfair I had been to you. I want to make up for my mistake by doing something special for you. I want to apologize for the pain I caused you. Can you at least let me try to do that?"

Nino was speechless. Fuutarou had never spoken this way, and he wasn't acting like some coward begging for his life. He was being sincere. Honest. He wasn't trying to make excuses, he was simply saying from the heart that he was sorry for what for he did and he wanted to make things right.

"Fuutarou-kun has finally learned his lesson," said Ichika, "We've all did these few weeks, and you have been cheated far too many times of getting what you should have had long ago. So..." she gestured to everyone, "We decided to take matters into our own hands. We worked together to give you the special day you deserve. We did this for you, Nino."

Nino felt her eyes start to burn as she finally realized what this was all about, "Guys... I..."

"Hey! Don't you dare start crying," Ichika warned, "Especially after all the hard work I did putting your makeup on."

"Y-Yeah," Nino blinked back her tears, feeling very happy right now, "I just... I just don't know what to say."

"You can thank us later," said Yotsuba.

Nino turned to her, "But what about-"

Her sister waved her hand, "I told you before, Fuutarou and I will sort things out later. Right now I want you two to go out and enjoy yourselves. Think of this as me letting you borrow him for today."

She was grinning broadly when she said that and Nino couldn't help but laugh again.

"Alright, if you say so."

"Well, Nino..." she turned to see a grinning Fuutarou holding a helmet out to her, "You ready to go?"

A big smile came to her lips, "Hell yeah!"

Everyone cheered as she took the helmet. Ichika took Nino hat and placed it underneath the picnic basket handles before placing on the back rack and trying it down with the bungee cords Fuutarou's manager had placed there earlier.

Nino swung her leg over the backseat behind Fuutarou when someone started singing. Everyone looked over to see Yotsuba moving her hands as if she was playing a guitar, then they laughed as they realized she was playing the opening chords of the famous George Thorogood song "Bad To The Bone". Chucking and shaking his head, Fuutarou kicked on the motor and felt Nino jump behind him as it roared to life.

"Nothing like the other bike, huh?" he grinned.

"Y-Yeah," Nino looked a little nervous as she fixed the strap of her helmet.

"Relax, this bike is actually much safer than the other one."

"Okay, you're all set!" Ichika came to there side.

Fuutarou strapped on his helmet before holding his hand out to her.

"Thanks for all your help, everyone," he said.

"You're very welcome, Fuutarou-kun," Ichika shook his hand and winked at Nino, "Be sure to have her home by eight. Or else..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Fuutarou put his sunglasses back on before glancing over his shoulder, "You ready, Nino?"

"Yep!" Nino placed one arm around him and waved at her sisters with the other, "See you later guys! Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye!" The remaining sisters waved as the couple sped away.

"Well, they're off," Miku said as they disappeared out of sight.

"Yep," smiled Yotsuba.

"I think everything's going to be fine from now on," said Itsuki.

"Hm-hmm," Yotsuba agreed.

"You okay, Yotsuba?" Ichika touched her sister's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she grinned, "I actually feel a lot better now that Nino's back to her old self."

"Yeah," the rest agreed.

"Well!" Ichika clapped her hands, "Why don't we go into town and celebrate?"

Everyone happily agreed and went back into the apartment to change, but not before Itsuki took out her cell phone and group text a few people.

They're on the way. Keep us updated when they arrive.

"Where did you get this bike?" Nino spoke into Fuutarou's ear when they came to a stoplight.

"I bought it!" Fuutarou flashed his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, right," Nino rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh, "There's no way in hell you could have bought something like this."

"Okay, I lied," he chuckled, "I borrowed it from Manager."

"Manager?"

"He had this bike in storage but he rarely gets the chance to take it out for a spin. He wanted to help too so he let me borrow this."

"Oh," Nino was surprised, suddenly feeling guilty for having forgotten that there other people who were also worried about her.

"He also said to give him a call when you get a chance," Fuutarou said, "The restaurant hasn't been the same without you in the kitchen."

"Yeah," Nino laughed nervously, "I'll be sure to thank him later."

The light turned green and they continued down the city streets. Fuutarou suddenly started singing, and in a different language. Nino frowned, wondering if he had gone crazy. It took a moment for her to realize that he was actually singing in English and that he was singing the opening lyrics of "Bad to the Bone".

"The head nurse spoke up and said leave this one alone. She could tell right away that I was bad to the bone."

Unable to help herself she burst out laughing.

"You actually know the lyrics of that song?" she asked when they came to another stoplight.

"My Dad used to be in the Army in his younger days," he explained, "He made a lot of friends with the US Marines and they introduced him to American rock music."

He went on to explain how his dad would always play that song when he was little, saying that it was Fuutarou's theme song, and how irritated his mother would get every time he did.

Nino chuckled, "Well, you're certainly living up to that now."

"Yep," he grinned as they started off again, "And I'm enjoying every bit of it."

Nino watched him closely as they rode along. She had never seen Fuutarou this happy before. Before then he wouldn't have even considered doing something like this. Now he no longer seem to care. Her sisters had been right. Fuutarou had changed a great deal since she had last seen him.

"Where are we going by the way?" she asked when they reached the highway and things quieted down a little.

"You'll see in a little while," he replied.

"Do you even know where you're going?" she asked skeptically.

"I do," he assured, "I made a delivery near the place before. Don't worry, Nino. I got it all under control. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

She felt her heart start to beat rapidly and she tightened her arms around the man she loved, pressing her cheek softly against his back and closing her eyes.

"I already am," she whispered happily.

How she wished that this moment would never end. It was just impossible to believe that this was really happening. She paid little attention to the scenery passing by as they cruised down the highway. The fact that she was now living her very own dream of riding with Fuutarou on his motorcycle made her heart so full she was certain it would burst. If he were to offer to take her somewhere far away right now she would agree in a heartbeat. For now all she wanted was to savor this moment for as long as it lasted.

"Here we are," Fuutarou said a short while later.

Opening her eyes, Nino looked over his shoulder and saw... a sight that took her breath away.

"Cherry blossoms?"

They were slowly rolling down a street where a great number of sakura trees were in full bloom. Nino lifted a hand and a soft white and pink petal fell right into her palm. The bike rolled to a stop and she looked ahead to see that gotten in line behind a bunch of other vehicles waiting for their turn to go into the parking zone. There was music playing and crowds of people laughing and cheering. The large open area indicated they were in some major outdoor park.

"What it this?"

"A cherry blossom festival. Your sisters said that you really like cherry blossoms and manager suggested that I take you here."

"Oh," Nino smiled happily, "You're right. I really do like cherry blossoms. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Fuutarou turned to smile at her before gesturing ahead, "Some of our classmates will be here too, perhaps even some of your friends. If you see them be sure to say hi, let them know you're doing okay."

"Yeah," Nino nodded, recalling she hadn't kept in touch with her friends recently, "I'll do that."

They were silent for the rest of the way. When their turn came the guide directed them to a different parking zone reserved for motorcycles. As Fuutarou pulled in to an unoccupied spot they could see numerous canopies and food stands. Their were crowds everywhere and in the center of the park was a big makeshift stage consisting both of a music band and a DJ.

"Wow," Fuutarou switched off the engine and put the kickstand down, "There really are a lot of people here."

"It usually is for these kind of events," Nino swung off the bike and undid the strap of her helmet.

"Yo!" came a voice, "Nice bike you got there!"

Nino turned around just in time to hear Fuutarou laugh and say, "Thanks Maeda! Even though it's not mine."

Looking ahead Nino saw Maeda, one of Fuutarou friends, arm and arm with his girlfriend... Ane if she remembered right. She vaguely remembered Maeda as the guy who had pursued Ichika for a time before he met his girlfriend during the winter school camping trip. As always he was always dressed in his outlandish street clothes while Ane was dressed rather nicely.

"How do you know my name?" Maeda frowned at Fuutarou, apparently not recognizing him.

Chuckling, Fuutarou took off his helmet and lifted his cap. Meada stared for several moments before his eyes went wide.

"Fuutarou? Oh, my god! It is you! What the hell happened to you? Why are you dressed like that? You've taken up cosplay or something?"

Fuutarou laughed, "Nope. I just had a change of style."

"Okay," Meada looked over Fuutarou's shoulder, "Who's the girl behind you?"

Grinning, Nino took off her own helmet and shook out her hair a bit.

"Nino-chan!" Ane gasped, "I thought you were sick."

She shrugged, "I got better."

"What are you doing here?"

Before Nino could answer Fuutarou said, "Isn't it obvious? We're here on a date."

She gaped at him, as did Maeda and Ane, before she turned away. She felt her cheeks warm and her body shook with laughter. Even though he had changed Fuutarou hadn't lost his usual bluntness, except that he was doing it jokingly now.

"You two are dating now?" asked Maeda, "I thought you were dating one of the other quints."

"Her sisters and I thought Nino needed some fresh air and taking her someplace where she could have fun," Fuutarou explained, "So my... girlfriend suggested that I should take her here, just the two of us, get her out of the house so to speak."

Nino suddenly felt uneasy. She hadn't thought about how devastated Yotsuba must have been when she realized that the boy she liked for so long was not who she'd thought he'd be. She couldn't help but wonder what their relationship was like now, then again it was Yotsuba who pushed her into going on this date with Fuutarou. She would need to have a talk Yotsuba sometime soon, but this wasn't the time or place to dwell on it. Fuutarou had brought her here to have fun and that's what she was going to do. She would worry about everything else tomorrow.

"Well, whatever the case," Ane smiled, "Good to see up and about, Nino-chan. I really like your outfit by the way."

"Thank you," Nino smiled as she drew her hat from the basket handles and put it back on.

"Well," Maeda gave a little salute, "I'm not sure what the deal is but it's no business of ours. I'll leave you two be."

"See you around," Ane waved as her boyfriend led her away.

Fuutarou took the keys out of the ignition and slipped them into his jacket pocket. Then he took the picnic basket from Nino's hands and placed it over his left arm before he offered his right to her.

"Ready?" he smiled at her.

Her heart stuttered but she smiled and took his arm. Together they walked into the park.

"Hey, Nino-chan!" someone yelled shortly afterward.

Nino looked up and cried in delight when she saw her two good friends, Yamada and Otori, running up to her.

"Hey, guys!" she joyfully embraced them both.

"I can't believe you're here!" Yamada looked at Nino's outfit, "You look wonderful!"

"How are you feeling?" asked Otori, "We haven't heard from you for so long we thought something happened."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch with you guys," Nino apologized, "I just wasn't feeling too well and I had a lot going on, but I feel much better now!"

"Are your sisters here with you?"

"Nope," she pointed to Fuutarou, "It's just me and Fuu-kun today."

"Fuu-kun?" her friends look at him.

Fuutarou grinned, happy to hear that Nino was calling him by that name again.

"Oh! Uesugi-san!"

"I didn't recognize you."

Fuutarou gave an exaggerated sigh, "It seems like no one does these days."

Nino giggled and explained the whole thing to her friends.

"Oh, I see," Yamada grinned, "Well, if that's the case we'll let you two be."

"Give us a call when you can in case we don't see you again," reminded Otori.

"I will," Nino promised and waved as her friends departed.

"It's nice that you have friends like that," mentioned Fuutarou.

"Hm-hmm," Nino happily agreed.

Placing her arm around his again they walked onto the grass and were able a more secluded spot underneath the shade of a cherry blossom. After spreading out the blanket they sat down and took in the scene.

"Perfect spot," Fuutarou pointed out, "We're not in the middle of the crowd and we can see the everything going in front of us."

"Yeah, we can," Nino lifted her knees and started taking off her boots. When Fuutarou took off his cap she stared in surprise, "Whoa... you got a haircut."

"Yeah," he ran hand through his shortened hair, "My dad cut it for me this time instead of my sister. What do you think?"

"It's..." she couldn't come up with a good answer and with a short laugh she shrugged, "I don't know what to think. First your clothes and now you're hair? Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

Fuutarou chuckled, "Nope. I just got inspired... by you to be honest."

"By me?"

"You remember back when you decided that you weren't going to live in the past anymore and that you wanted to change? Well, I decided to do the same thing. A friend of mine once told me that I was a lot more sociable as a bad kid back then, even if I was acting stupid. So I thought, 'why not embrace that old part of me again and see how it goes?' Well, so far I'm enjoying it. I having a lot more fun now than I did before."

Nino gaped at him, then shook her head in disbelief, "Wow. My sisters weren't kidding. You really have changed."

"Are you shocked?"

"No," she giggled, "Just really surprised. I mean, I never would have imagined you doing something like this. It's the last thing I ever expected you to do. I sincerely thought that would always be a dream."

"Well, if that's the case, I'm happy I did it, for the whole purpose was to shock you out of your depression."

She opened her mouth to protest but instead she looked away, lips bubbling with laughter. Fuutarou chuckled behind her and proceeded to take out the contents of the picnic basket. She finished removing her boots and took out her shoes from her purse but decided to leave them for now.

She was straightening out her skirt when she noticed from the corner of her eye that Fuutarou had gone still. She looked up at him to see what had caught his attention she was stunned to see that he was staring, intently, at her.

Her breath caught and her heartbeat quickened. Fuutarou had never looked that way before. Not at her, her sisters, or any girl for that matter. Even when she had appeared right in front of him wearing but a bath towel, or when Yotsuba had accidentally walked out of the bathroom naked, Fuutarou hadn't so much as blinked. Him suddenly reacting to a girl in front of him was both a great shock and a major change in his character.

"Fuu-kun..." she started to blush, "Please don't stare at me like that. It's embarrassing."

He blinked several times and shook himself, as if he was coming out of a trance.

"I'm sorry," he looked away, his face red, "I was just... thinking about the past."

"The past?"

"Back when we first met, when... when your hair used to be longer."

She stared at him, then she started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Fuutarou frowned.

"You're the second person today who's talked about my hair," she replied, "First my sisters and now you."

"What did they say?"

"That I had the prettiest hair when it was longer," she shrugged, "I always thought it was Itsuki."

"Well, I will admit, she is very pretty in her own way, but I actually agree with them," Fuutarou gave a lopsided grin, "Thinking back I kind of miss those days when your hair used to be longer. Have you ever thought about growing it back?"

Surprised by his honesty Nino lifted a hand to her short hair. Ever since she had first cut off her long tresses she had kept her hair trimmed this whole time.

"I guess I could," she answered, "although I don't think I'll ever grow it back to the way it used to be."

"Fair enough," Fuutarou nodded, then his stomach growled loudly and he laughed, "Well, I didn't have much of a breakfast this morning. So, shall we eat?"

"Sure," Nino smiled and took the sandwich he offered.

They ate mostly in silence, only commenting of whatever music that was playing or talking about pointless things. Nino herself impressed by how good the food was. It wasn't entirely up to her usual standards but she was hardly complaining. The sandwiches were obviously made by Miku, since she still wasn't capable of making a proper meal just yet, but she appreciated the effort. The real cooking was definitely done by Ebata, for he used to be their cook before she took over the job. She knew his cooking anywhere.

At some point Fuutarou removed his jacket, and when he did Nino saw something that immediately caught her eye.

"You're wearing the bracelet again."

Fuutarou looked down at his wrist, "Oh, yeah."

He ran his finger across the charm. He had gone completely silent, looking like he was debating with himself. This was the first time she had ever seen him so uneasy.

"You know... I never really thanked you for saving my life that night," he lifted his gaze to her, "In fact, I never thank you at all the things you did for me."

She wasn't sure what to answer. She could only watched as he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky through the pink petals.

"I really don't now how else to say this but... I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry for what I did," he sighed, "After I came to speak to you that night after the festival, I couldn't get the image of how defeated you looked out of my head. I just couldn't understand why you reacted that way. Then you broke down a week later, and it... it really affected me."

She felt herself shiver, remembering that moment.

"I never imagined that anyone could cry like that," Fuutarou went on, "and yet I still couldn't figure why. Heh, everyone was right. I didn't understand anything at all because I never tried to look for the deeper parts of the matter. You remember when my dad said that I've been doing nothing but trying to live up to my mom's expectations? Well, that was all true. I was very close to my mom back when she was alive. I guess you could say I was a Mama's Boy. After she died I virtually became a lost puppy looking for its dead mother. She was subconsciously controlling my life and not once did I ever realize it. All I wanted was to have her back in my life again. You remember when Miku asked me who my type was? Remember the three answers I gave?"

Nino thought back, "I do. You said you wanted someone who was always cheerful, could cook well, and loved her older brother. In other words, you wanted someone who was like your sister."

"And that was because Raiha was the closest thing I ever had to my mother. That's why I've always been so close to her," he shook his head, looking disgusted with himself, "That's was just the beginning of my mistakes. My choice wasn't base on love. It was based on whatever I was comfortable with," he pulled a few blades of grass and threw them away, "When Ichika came to see me she told me about your past boyfriends and how they badly they went. She even told about the guy who died in that bus accident. I'm very sorry about that."

It was a while before Nino could speak, "I haven't thought about him since that day."

"Ichika also told me how you understood me better the others did because you've gone through more or less of what I have," he sighed again, "It made me realize just how unfair I had been. Not just to everyone, but especially to you. Even before I met all of you I was only thinking about myself. I wanted to succeed, but I never developed a goal in life. When I first became your tutor it was originally because my family needed the money, but then making sure that all of you graduated became an obsession. Even when I ready to accept I couldn't stand the thought. For me, failure was not an option. You remember? All the underhanded tricks I did in trying to get you guys to study together?"

She nodded, remembering those times.

"But not once did I ever really think about you guys outside of studying. How you all felt about me. Sure, I acknowledged your feelings but I never took the time to understand them. Or rather... I just didn't care," he shook his head again, "That was totally wrong. I should have given you guys a chance to prove yourselves. I should have spoken to you one at time that night. Yeah, I might have broken the rules but I wouldn't have cared. Instead I just pushed all of you aside and went straight to Yotsuba. I couldn't even say that I loved her as a person because I had no idea what love is. And then I went and said all those things about you guys."

Nino looked away and pulled her knees up, going over all those events, "You weren't entirely wrong about us though."

"It wasn't an excuse," Fuutarou snorted, "I had no right to speak of you that way."

There was a long pause between them before Nino said, "You know, to be perfectly honest, I really wasn't expecting you to choose me that night."

Fuutarou looked at her, "Why do say that?"

She shrugged, "Why would a guy like you want to be with a girl like me? I treated you so badly in the beginning. I even drugged you. Twice."

He shook his head, "I won't deny that the first time was uncalled for, but the second one I totally deserved."

She chuckled a little before asking, "How come you never called me out on that?"

"Because I didn't see the point. Once you told me your side of the story I decided to let the whole thing go because I realized you didn't do it purely out of malice. And besides, it's not like you got me high or addicted to anything. So I'm not concerned about that anymore."

"I see," she gave small smile, "Well, I don't know if would have made much difference. You've seen it yourself. I'm impulsive and emotional, too much to deal with. You, on the other hand, are the complete opposite. When I think about it I just don't think our relationship could have worked out, at least in the long run."

He didn't reply. He only sat there thinking.

"Maybe... but we could have tried," he said before sitting up straight, "There's also one other reason why I wanted to talk to you, Nino."

Taking a deep breath, he told her about the full story of the girl he had rejected back in junior high.

"She's killed herself?" her eyes were wide pools of shock.

Fuutarou bobbed his head, "After your grandfather's funeral I had a nightmare of seeing your own funeral, with everyone turning their back on me."

"My own funeral?"

He swallowed and said, "You remember when you confessed to me? Do you remember how I reacted?"

She thought back to that time, "I do. You just seemed to freeze right there. I thought you were just so shocked because of what you said earlier. About how you believe that no girl would ever confess to a guy like you."

"That was part of it, but the real reason was because it scared the living hell out of me. The last time a girl confessed to me bad things happened and it left me traumatized. I insulted that girl by saying that she needed to change who she was because I believed no sensible guy would date someone like her. You have to remember that I considered myself to be smarter than everyone else and that I had pushed away all basic human emotion. Well, look where that got me? My arrogance eventually cost that girl her life."

"No!" Nino reached over and clutched his arm, "I don't believe that! You didn't kill her, Fuutarou. She killed herself because she couldn't live with her guilt."

Fuutarou gently removed her hand and patted it, "I know. When I had that nightmare I became more scared than ever because I feared the same thing could potentially happen to you."

She stared at him, "You were afraid I would become someone like her?"

"I didn't believe you would but after Ichika told me more about you I realized that I didn't want to take the chance. If you had gone down that same path and if I did nothing to stop it I would have never forgiven myself," he looked out to the distance, "My dad played this other American song that had this one line that really stood out to me. How I lost me and you lost you. It made me think about you and me several years from now. How I grew distant from you and your sisters and how you never found true love. In the time before we even knew each other we both tried to find happiness and we both failed."

He looked back at her and squeezed her hand.

"It finally made me realize just how pathetic my life was. How... pointless I had made it be. I decided that I didn't want to live that way anymore, and I didn't want to see you suffer anymore. You deserve better even if you don't believe you do. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should never feel ashamed of who you are and don't ever think that you're alone. You have your friends, you have your sisters... and you have me. But if you don't want to have anything to do with anymore, just say so. I won't hold it against you."

He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for saving my life, and for my saving my job when you didn't have to. Thank you for... for trying to show me how live a little and for introducing me to the thought love again. I made a terrible mistake by only looking at the surface instead of what was underneath. I just want you to know that... whatever you decide I'll respect it, but I'll always think of you as a friend. One that I cherish very much."

Nino didn't answer. She sat there quietly, going over his words several times in her mind. Then she looked at all the activity going on before reaching for her shoes.

Fuutarou watched her as she slipped them on, not sure what she was thinking. Then she stood and brushed off her skirt before turning around. His heart stopped he saw the beautiful smile she presented him.

She reached out her hand and said, "Come on. Let's go see the festival."

A great wave of warmth rushed through him and he smiled in return. It wasn't the words he'd hoped to hear, but it was more than enough. Closing the lid on the on the picnic basket he took her hand and allowed Nino to lead him to all the fun and games the festival had to offer.

For the next several hours Fuutarou and Nino forgot about everything else and had fun together. They visited every shop, participated in every game stall, and watched every little show.

Fuutarou let Nino guide him around since she knew more about these things than he did. He was more interested in watching her. Seeing how she was enjoying herself brought a great deal of delight to him. He'd never seen her this happy before and he found that he was enjoying this as much as she was.

One of the first places they visited was a stall selling homemade jewelry. Nino tried on some of the necklaces and held some earrings to her lobes, striking some poses and asking Fuutarou how she looked. He grinned and complimented her every time she did. Eventually she bought a pair of earring for herself and they moved on.

Next they visited a glasses shop where Nino had a great deal of fun having him try on different glasses, from the most professional looking to the most ridiculous. Fuutarou made no protest and let her do as she wished.

Afterwards they came across Maeda and his girlfriend. When both Ane and Nino saw a cute plushie displayed as a prize at baseball throwing game stall, they demanded their boyfriends to get it for them.

"Better do as she says, pal," Maeda told Fuutarou, "She won't forgive you otherwise. Trust me, I know."

He gestured to the two girls as he said it. Both of them had their arms crossed and carried looks that said they wouldn't be denied. Seeing how he had no choice Fuutarou agreed to play the game.

As soon as it started both he and Maeda discovered that their aim was terrible, but seeing how their relationships were on the line they both made valiant efforts. In the end though Maeda won. Ane squealed in delight as she was handed the prize while Nino stood there pouting.

"Sorry," Fuutarou held up his palms, "I did my very best."

"Yeah," Nino sighed before giving him a little smile, "I suppose you did."

Later they encountered Nino's friends who doing water color paintings. Nino joined right in and started painting different kinds of flowers. Fuutarou was surprised to see that she was actually a very good artist.

"How are you so good at that?" he asked.

"When we were little Mom would always buy us these water coloring kits," a sad look came to her eyes, "It was good way to pass the time and not think about all the hardships we were going through."

Fuutarou nodded in understanding. He had done the same thing himself. After his mother died he had spent most of his time trying to be the cool kid so he wouldn't think about her.

After doing six different paintings Nino kept two for herself while the rest were hung up for display.

The biggest highlight of the day for Fuutarou came unexpectedly. After visited a few of the food stalls and treating Nino to a few treats they returned to their picnic spot. Putting away their souvenirs Fuutarou asked behind his back what she would like to do next. When he received no answer he turned around and saw, except for her shoes, that she wasn't there. For a moment he almost panicked, then he spotted her joining in on a country style folk dance that had just started up. Breathing a sigh of relief and walked back down to the lawn.

Nino could really dance, and while there was no routine she moved gracefully around almost like a ballerina. She truly seemed to be in her element. Then she started pulling other people into the dance, from children to adults. Even her friends came to join her.

As she twirled around she spotted Fuutarou and waved at him to join her. He raised a hand and shook his head, not because he didn't want to dance but because he wanted to watch her a little while longer. But then somebody shoved him from behind and he stumbled forward.

"Get in there, dumbass!" he head someone say.

He recovered his footing and looked behind him to see Maeda standing there with Ane giggling on his arm. He only managed to send a glare at him before Nino caught him in her arms and swept him away.

He soon lost track of time and space. His body seemed to move on his own as everyone was dancing, but his eyes were entirely on Nino. He let her guide him through the dance and he picked up on it naturally.

They did one dance together. Then another. And another. Each time Fuutarou seemed to get better at it. Soon he was able to keep pace with Nino. Together they spun, twirled, whirled, and a few times he actually lifted her into the air at the right moment. He had never danced this much before, if at all, and he didn't believe he would ever dance like this again.

How many dances did they do? Neither of them knew, but neither did they care. At the end of the latest dance they found themselves in each other's arms, breathing heavily and looking into each other's eyes. They were oblivious as the crowd around cheered and clapped at the band for providing the music. After catching their breath they released each other and stepped back.

They were both a bit sweaty and their faces were flushed, but as they stared at each other they started laughing.

"How many times did we dance?" he asked.

"I don't know," Nino breathed, "I lost count after four."

"Shall we take a break?"

"Yeah," Nino chuckled, "I think we should before we collapse.

Still laughing the pair made their way back to their picnic spot. Reaching into the basket he handed her a water bottle.

"Ahh," Nino sighed after taking a long drink, "That hits the spot."

Fuutarou removed his shoes flexed his toes along with the rest of his body, "I think I'm going to be sore for a whole week."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nino laughed, "I forgot you're not very athletic. Once I started dancing I just couldn't stop."

"Don't worry about it. I brought you here to have fun after all. I say it was well worth it," a few minutes later he suddenly chuckled and said, "You remember back during the winter camping trip you invited Kintarou to the dance?"

"Oh, yeah," she eyed him, "He never showed up."

"Yeah, sorry about that," he grimaced, "Truth be told I was going to dance with you that night, but then I got locked in the shed with Ichika."

"I remember. How did that happen anyway?"

"We were helping bring out the wood for the bonfire. They locked us in without even bothering to check for anyone inside. We had to sit there and wait until someone came by."

"Hmph," Nino shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I'll let you off the hook for that."

Fuutarou looked at her and the secret grin on her lips. He turned away, grinning himself. Like Ichika, she was always good at teasing people.

"Looks like they're getting ready to pack it in," Nino pointed over to where some of the tents and canopies were starting to be taken down.

Fuutarou looked at the sky before glancing at his watch, "Sun is starting go down too. We'll have to head back soon before it gets dark."

The music band started playing one final song after it was announced that the festival would end soon.

Quickly slipping his shoes back on, Fuutarou stood and held his hand out to her.

"Shall we have one dance before we go?" he offered.

Smiling deeply she took his hand, "Sure."

Hand in hand they went back down to the lawn. It was slow romantic song playing this time so they simply copied the other couples by holding each other close. Both of them could feel their hearts beating rapidly as they slowly turned in a circle. They couldn't see each other faces, but their their cheeks touching.

Fuutarou was feeling really strange right now. He never held a girl like this before. When the dance was over they found themselves looking at each other again before they separated and applauded the band.

"We better head back," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed. He didn't like traveling in the dark.

Returning to their spot they quietly put everything away. Nino pulled her high boots back while Fuutarou put on his jacket and his cap before they headed back to the parking lot. When they arrived they found their friends waiting for them.

"Going home?" said Maeda as he helped placed the basket and Nino's hat on the back rack.

"Yep, it's about time we left," said Fuutarou as he straddled the motorcycle.

Nino's friends hugged her again.

"I'm so glad you came," said Otori, "I feel a lot better seeing you again."

"Are you going to come back to school next week?" asked Yamada.

"Yeah... I think so," Nino nodded, "I'll have to since it's going to be the final."

"Hey," Ane chimed in, "How about I take a picture of you and Uesugi on the bike with your phone? You know? Something to remember by?"

Nino looked at Fuutarou, who shrugged.

"I don't see why not."

"Okay," Nino handed her phone to Ane.

The girl took a few steps back while Nino turned around to figure out where she should pose with Fuutarou. But as she did her feet suddenly caught each other and she lost her balance. Luckily she was near enough to Fuutarou that he caught by reflex and she landed on his lap. They found themselves staring at each other again, blushing furiously.

"Oh, that's perfect!" cried Ane, "Put your arms around his neck, Nino-chan!"

"Uh..." Fuutarou's lips twisted as he gave a little laugh, "Well?"

"Yeah," Nino grinned a little as she pulled her body up to settle more firmly on his lap.

Both of them tried to relax as Ane adjusted the camera on Nino's smartphone.

"Okay! Smile you two! Big smile!" she hit the button twice, "Perfect!

She ran and handed Nino back her phone, "That's a cute picture of you two!"

They looked down at the picture and surprised to see that they were both giving very nice smiles. They looked so... natural together.

"That is a nice picture," said Nino.

"Yeah," Fuutarou agreed, "Would you mind getting off my lap now?"

"Oh, yeah," Nino jumped off.

Fuutarou kicked started the bike while Nino climbed on behind him. After putting on their helmets they waved goodbye to their friends.

"We'll see you later," said Fuutarou as he revved up the bike.

"I'll call you guys!" Nino said to her two friends, "Have a safe trip back!"

"You too!"

The friends waved until the bike was out of sight. They stood there silently for a moment, feeling very happy with today's events. Then Ane pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number before putting it on speaker.

"Hello?" came a voice.

"Hey, Itsuki-chan! It's us," Ane and the other gathered around her phone, "They just left a moment ago. Did you get all the pictures we sent you?"

"We did. Thanks for keeping an eye of them. How did it go between them?"

"We saw them have a long talk after they arrived, but they didn't get into any fights or arguments."

"I did have to push Uesugi around a couple times though," said Maeda, "But everything worked out in the end."

"Ha ha, that's good. How was Nino the whole time?"

"She was happy," replied Yamada, "Very happy."

"They were both very happy," put in Otori.

"That's good to hear. Thank you so much for agreeing to help. You don't how much this means to us."

"Not a problem, Itsuki-chan," Ane smiled proudly, "We're glad to see that Nino-chan's smiling again."

Sometime after they left Nino suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's up?" he yelled over the noise.

"Can you pull over to the side?" Nino gestured ahead of them, "I want to watch the sunset."

Glancing ahead, Fuutarou saw that the sun was just starting to set in the horizon. Having never watched a sunset before himself he moved the bike over to a turnoff and switched off the engine. Both of them took off their helmets and leaned back against the bike.

Together they watched as the sun slowly descended. Fuutarou felt Nino leaned against his side and he adjusted his arm to where he was touching her back. He felt her head touch his shoulder and he leaned his head closer to hers. He had no recollection of doing such things. His body just seemed to act on his own.

The minutes ticked until the sun finally slipped out of sight, but neither made a move. They sat there quietly for a little longer until Nino suddenly moved and the next thing he knew she was standing right in front of him, staring into his eyes.

"Fuu-kun..."

She placed her hands on his face and leaned closer. He made no attempt to stop her. He closed his eyes and their lips touched.

The kisses Nino had given him before had been sudden, forced, and and she was always nervous.

This time, however, it was the complete opposite. This new kiss was warm, gentle, and confident.

Fuutarou was shocked by the effect it had on him, and before he realized it his arms slid around Nino's waist and he pulled her closer. She made no protest. Instead she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck.

The kiss deepened and Fuutarou felt something flair inside him. Desire. That's what it was called. His mind was suddenly filled with the thought that he wanted Nino. Wanted her like a man wanted a woman. He was so shocked by the sudden feeling that he almost jerked away. Instead he forced himself to release her lips gently.

They were both breathing heavily again. They only stood there, avoiding each other's eyes. Nino's hands were on his shoulders while his hands were on her hips. Finally he forced himself to look at her again and waited until Nino's eyes met his once again. Her throat moved and she gulped down some air.

"Thank you... for doing this for me," she whispered, "I forgive you for you did. We both learned our lessons."

"Yeah..." he swallowed, "Thank you... and you're welcome."

A minute passed between them.

"If..." her eyes lowered and he saw her hesitate, "If you're still interested in Yotsuba, I'll see what I can... what I can do... to help."

He froze. He had forgotten that there was still Yotsuba to consider. They were going to need to have a major talk sometime to see what to do about their relationship and where to go from there.

"Y-Yeah," he suddenly felt sick, "We better get going."

Nino said nothing as they rode the rest of the way back. He felt her tightened her arms around him placing her cheek on his back again, as though she was desperate not to let him go. He discovered that he felt the same way. He didn't want to let her go, but this wasn't the time for such things. There were still other matters that had to be settled.

They finally arrived at the apartment. Nino took her had and the picnic before coming over to stand before him.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at school next week," there was a sad tone in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess so," Fuutarou smiled, "I'm really happy that you came with me today, Nino."

Her smile deepened, "I'm happy that I agreed to go. Well, see you later."

She turned and walked to the entrance. Fuutarou was about speed away when he felt his elbow touch something in his jacket pocket. He cursed, having almost forgotten about Raiha's handmade gift.

"Wait, Nino!" he sighed with relief when she turned back around, "Come back for a moment."

"Did you forget something?" she asked when she was by his side again.

"I almost did," he grinned, "Hold out you arm for a moment."

"My arm?" she blinked in confusion but did what he asked.

In one swift motion Fuutarou took the object from his pocket and placed it on her wrist.

Nino stared in shock. Wrapped around his wrist was a bracelet similar to Fuutarou's. It was made of green, white, and purple fibers and dangling off of one end was a butterfly that resembled her hair ribbons.

"Fuutarou... she gasped.

"I asked my sister to make another one," he grinned nervously, "I just thought it would be a nice gift to give to you."

"It's beautiful," she smiled happily, "Tell her I said thank you."

"I will," he looked at her and said, "Have a good night, Nino."

With that he gunned the engine and sped away. Nino watched him go, her heart pounding like crazy. She looked down at the bracelet and she felt tears coming down her cheeks. Now that she thought about it she had never met or spoken to Fuutarou's sister like Yotsuba or Itsuki had. She would have to meet her one day.

She made her way back into the apartment suite and found her sisters gathered around the dinner table. Apparently Ichika had ordered Chinese for tonight.

"Hey!" Ichika saw her first, "You're back! How did it go?"

The rest turned towards at her, eager to hear how today went.

"It..." she shrugged, "It was great! We really had a good time."

"I'm happy to hear that," Itsuki smiled and pointed to the table, "Are you hungry? We saved some for you."

"Not really. I ate quite a lot while I was there."

Putting down the basket and her hat Nino made her way to where Yotsuba sat. Her sister looked up at her with innocent eyes and she took a deep breath.

"Yotsuba..." she swallowed, "About that time... I just want to say-"

She never finished her sentence for Yotsuba suddenly stood and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay," she whispered, "I don't blame you. You had every reason to be mad at me. I would have felt the same way too."

Her vision becoming a blur and she hugged her back.

"Thank you for giving me the push I needed to get past this," releasing her sister Nino looked at the others, "Thank you, all of you, for doing this for me. I'm fine now. Sorry for making you worry so much about me."

Miku came over and hugged her, "Welcome back, Nino."

As Ichika came in to do the same Itsuki looked down at her lap. Displayed on her cell phone was the picture of Fuutarou and Nino smiling together on the motorcycle from a slightly different, secretly taken by one of Nino's friends.

I hate to admit it, she thought, but they really do make a nice couple.