A/N: Man thank goodness I finished Ch 30 the other day. Brain and body are being rude again. I should probably set aside Ch 31 and just work on Heartbreak Cure again at the next writing spree I get. I miss it a lot, believe me.

For now, here's Chapter 24. All I can say is, prepare for drama.

Enjoy!

[Chapter 24]: Other Friends

Tuesday and Wednesday went similarly. Conversation-wise, entertainment-wise.

He walked in on Hejjiguchi and Kurimu flirting one morning when Ami was late to school. Hejjiguchi winked at him conspiratorially. His head almost went through the wall.

Whose? Ayato really wasn't sure.

And he'd heeded Kimito's advice of bringing his brain home from school with him, but it came jam-packed with a lot of stuff he didn't want to be thinking about. The looks, the little voice, the uncertainty, the flirting, the ranting. Pottery wasn't as mindless as Ayato sometimes thought it was, so his performance was… rather lax.

Kimito's solution to that? Extended training hours.

Never mind that exhaustion had a history of causing some of his worst work. With extended hours in addition to earlier rising, he was only sleeping just deep enough to dream. Fragments, sometimes, of that fantasy school that was so captivating. It would be a bit more acceptable if it didn't add to his sleeplessness when he woke from them and spent endless minutes playing them over in his head until they were gone or he crashed again.

So around midday on Thursday when Yuri met him in the hall and threw a curveball at him, his energy and patience were very low-bar.

"Ami asked me to have lunch with her," she said sheepishly.

He blinked, her words barely registering. "Okay…"

"And I loyally told her I always have lunch with you," she continued. Then, as if anticipating his next response, she bit her lip. "So she invited you too."

"No."

She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and closed it. She chewed her mouth, rolled another thought around on her tongue. "I'll tell her you have a headache. She'll keep it down and not bother you."

"Lunch is the only time of the school day—" He stopped before he raised his voice. There were people around; he didn't want to put either of them on the spot. "Forget it. There's nothing you can say to persuade me."

Yuri looked conflicted and a little flustered. "I'm trying not to leave you out here."

Leave him out? As if he were some charity case?

"Listen, I could—"

"Just go with Ami," he said. He was tired. He wanted to sleep through lunch, not sit in the middle of girlish chatter. "I'm going back to class. I need a nap anyway."

He turned so he wouldn't be subjected to her fallen face (obligatory or not), but as he started down the hall in the opposite direction, he heard her scoff under her breath behind him, "Clearly."

The comment wasn't worth confronting. His tiredness rang in his skull and popped his eardrums, as if he was underwater.

Lunch came. The classroom lay empty except for him – a single answered prayer.

He closed his eyes.

Somehow, his desk had turned into a couch, and Hejjiguchi was next to him crying into the cushions. Was that Hejjiguchi? His hair seemed lighter, his voice deeper.

Oh well. He smiled contentedly into the pages of the book he was reading. Hejjiguchi or not, his cries sustained him. Ayato had the feeling he had been the one to make him bawl like a baby, which highly amused him. Yes, maybe not-Hejjiguchi would think twice before crossing him again—

And then he felt himself being lifted. A strong hand had him by the scruff and held tight.

"Don't misuse your powers," said a stern voice. Ayato looked up and saw a head of orange hair and firm maroon eyes. "What'd you do to that poor guy?"

"He started it," Ayato said, feeling defensive all of a sudden. "I resolved things peacefully. God is innocent."

"Peaceful? You made a grown man cry on his knees!"

The door creaked open. "*****shi?" It was Yuri's voice, but he didn't quite get the name. It sounded like static fuzz. "Naoi? We need to talk. Come with me for a moment."

He didn't know what this was all about, and certainly didn't like taking orders. But he recognized the redhead as the sane man among a group of imbeciles. So when Redhead obeyed Yuri, he followed suit.

She led them down an endless hallway. Then they were in a dark room with a single table and chair, though he didn't remember going through any door.

When Redhead voiced his confusion, Yuri gave Ayato a firm look.

"Naoi," she said. Apparently they were on a last name basis again; the sharp edge to her voice all but confirmed it. "I want you to help *****shi regain his lost memories."

He didn't like her tone. "You dare order me around? Who do you think you are?!"

Redhead, as it turned out, had quite a slap to him. The impact was so hard that it knocked his cap off-kilter. The back of his head burned with pain; Ayato clutched his ringing skull in agony as he nursed his pride.

"-don't contradict her. Just shut up and do what she tells you to!" Redhead was saying. He lost some of the reprimand as the room sang with a horrid wail.

More radio static. The room buzzed and flickered. He was in the student council room for just a second, Yuri looking supremely unimpressed with him. Behind him, he could hear not-Hejjiguchi calling him a moron.

Again, the room flickered. The window behind Yuri shattered and a strange, thick darkness billowed in like demon fog. Yuri was gone and he was in a hallway with not-Hejjiguchi and Redhead with more glass windows falling to pieces around them. They ran outside to a courtyard where the demon fog – now with bright eyes – had multiplied into hundreds of beings waiting for them.

His two companions stared at him, wide-eyed. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see one monster descending on him like a famished leopard.

It began to consume him, burrowing within while he screamed for help. His body felt cold and his vision blurred, greying around the edges like his eyes had been too vigorously rubbed. Within his peripheral vision, he saw a classroom full of blank faces. He felt his body being knocked to the ground.

Before he passed out, he could swear he heard gunshots—

Ayato woke up in the least dignified way possible – with a snorting gasp, alert eyes, and an audience.

The culprit behind his rude awakening stood at the scene of the crime, the toe of her shoe still entangled with a desk's leg. She threw her hands up in surrender and repentance.

"Sorry!" she said in earnest. "I swear I did everything I could to avoid that."

He blinked away his nap vision and panic until he could get a good look at her. Didn't sound like Yuri. Medium-height but auburn-haired, eyes wide enough to be noticeably blue.

"Hisakawa." Bewilderment gave way to recognition. "What are you doing in here?"

"Came to deliver something." She regarded the desks in the room for a moment, then settled her gaze back to him. "This is Souma Hejjiguchi's classroom, right? Where's his seat?"

He gestured over his shoulder. "Two behind mine."

"Thanks."

As she weaved her way through the desks, he promptly face-planted into his own. Gave the furnished wood a rich, prolonged groan that it kindly muffled for him. Trust Hejjiguchi to indirectly ruin his sleep.

Still, the way that dream was going…

Through the barrier of his arms, he heard Hisakawa fall into Kurimu's seat behind him.

"Something wrong?" she asked carefully. "I mean, other than me scaring you senseless out of a nap."

Something wrong… Ayato huffed, pulling his head up from his desk only to rub his temples. What a question. Of the million answers he could give her, he wished he could pick a favorite.

"Ever had dreams where you're at another school?" he asked with a sigh, drowsiness still tugging at his voice. "A really weird one?"

"Well, yeah. Doesn't everyone?" Hisakawa stretched out her legs onto Ami's chair. "I'm no psychologist, but school dreams are stress dreams. Ideally we would leave school at school. But our brain says, 'I don't think so. Here's proof that there are scarier things than exams.'"

"You have no idea," Ayato mumbled, thinking back to the demon fog.

Hisakawa hummed as if reminiscent. "Dinosaurs in the hallways, tornadoes in the courtyard—"

"Mine are usually in the gym."

"—falling really slowly in a deep dark pit—"

"Don't forget the vicious giant river monster," he added. He didn't know about deep dark pits but he was definitely almost swallowed by a giant fish.

Behind him, Hisakawa sounded excited.

"Yes!" She snapped her fingers as if he'd said the magic word. "And it's thrashing around in the water making a maelstrom and everyone's drowning, being pulled down to the depths. And you feel really responsible like it's your science project, but you just don't know how to soothe the damn thing when it's the size of a bus…"

"A bus? Try a whale." He grimaced; the gaping mouth was vivid in his memory. "And no, the one in mine just tried to eat me."

Hisakawa laughed.

"Well, excuse me," she said. "But lesson learned. Don't read about giant squids or watch pirate movies when you're stressed about a project. Especially if your pet fish just died."

"Pet fish?" Ayato snickered. "Who has a pet fish?"

Hisakawa gave an offended gasp that was only half-joking. "His name was Mamoru! He was my protector!"

"My deepest condolences, but you can't possibly expect a fish be a proper guard animal." He shook his head in disbelief, amazed he was still having this conversation. "And if you don't mind, I'd rather not get into an argument about fish."

"Who's arguing?" Hisakawa asked innocently. But she said no more on the matter.

Who's arguing, his little voice echoed. He frowned, leaning back in his chair. It wasn't that he had a problem with Hisakawa, she just… It was her presence here. It reminded him of Yuri. Of the distance. Of what he still didn't know about her, what she stubbornly kept from him.

Hisakawa knew her before he did. They'd been on the gymnastics team together. And now she was sitting right here. He could so easily just ask.

He pivoted in his seat, turned to look at her. She'd dropped her legs from the chair and had instead pressed her back against the wall, head leaning against the window. Eyes closed, drinking in the silence. But when he turned, one eye popped open.

"Hm?" she said, as if he was the one who'd disturbed her nap.

His gall wavered and he averted his gaze. It wasn't right. It wouldn't be right to get it from her. How could he stew about not having someone's full trust, only to go behind her back and dishonor what he had of it?

"It's nothing," he said. "Never mind."

"Well whatever it is, don't dwell on it too much." Hisakawa stretched out her arms and legs until they cracked. "If it's that important, you should probably do something about it."

"I thought you said you weren't a psychologist," Ayato said, eyeing her as she stood up from Kurimu's chair.

"Just a believer in actions." She sat on the edge of Hejjiguchi's desk and rifled through her bag. "Petty begets petty, trust me."

Ayato turned to her with a response on the tip of his tongue, but then the door slid open – and who should walk in but his and Yuri's favorite couple? Hejjiguchi and Kurimu were laughing about something, her gasping for breath as she clutched his arm for support. When they noticed the other two, she miraculously regained the ability to inhale as they both stopped in their tracks.

Hejjiguchi was the first to regain his composure. He blinked a couple of times, then flashed a friendly grin.

"Hey, Hisakawa," he said, with a corny little salute. "What brings you here?"

Just in time, she fished something gold out of her bag and waved it triumphantly in the air. "We found your gold bracelet in the gym. Must've left it when you borrowed or brought back the hurdles. Coach asked me to give it to you."

With that, she flip-tossed the piece to Hejjiguchi, and they both looked equally impressed when he caught it.

"It's not a bracelet," Hejjiguchi said defensively, sliding it onto his wrist. "It's a cuff… ring… thing."

"Thick bracelet," said Hisakawa, shrugging. She glanced to Ayato and then to Kurimu. "And I hope you both saw that because something that cool and coordinated will never happen again."

Hejjiguchi laughed as she passed him by. "Did Coach Watanabe say if we'd be sharing the field this week?"

"Next Friday."

"Cool, see you then." He threw her a wink and a thumbs up. Ayato was flabbergasted. Sure, Hejjiguchi winked at everyone, but what did Kurimu think of that just now? He glanced at her, but after she waved a good-natured goodbye to Hisakawa, her curious gaze turned to him instead.

"Aoki, aren't you the jealous type at all?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "He just talked to and winked at another woman."

Both Kurimu and Hejjiguchi looked incredulous at him.

"Him? What about you?" Kurimu said, surprised.

Hejjiguchi shook his head, tsking exaggeratedly at him. "Talking to other girls, Naoi. For shame."

Ayato scowled. "Shut up."

"I'm going to have to tell Yuri…"

"Tell Yuri what?"

Ah yes, it wouldn't be the troublesome trio without rosy Ami Kawata, who was standing in the doorway after lunch still hungry for gossip. He regarded her and her arrival time with subtle scrutiny. Had all three of them eaten with Yuri?

Hejjiguchi dropped into his seat and kicked back. "Aw, nothing. We were just giving him a hard time."

Ami smiled slightly at him before taking her own seat and turning to Ayato.

"And rightfully so," she said, with a sternness he couldn't tell was joking or not. "You should've come and had lunch with us! Four is an unlucky number."

Ayato scoffed, allowing only the front board his full attention. "You and your superstitions."

"You said it yourself last month!" she reminded him.

Luckily for Ayato, more classmates and the teacher filed into the classroom before she could press the matter further, and he was left alone to his thoughts. Except, of course, for the unfortunate fact of his seating and his being within earshot of annoying conversations.

"Hey," Ami stage-whispered to Kurimu, "was that Hisakawa I saw leaving the classroom two minutes ago?"

"Yeah." Kurimu's whispers were always short and sweet, to minimize teacher trouble.

Ami wasn't satisfied with it. "Why was she here?"

"To drop off Hejjiguchi's bracelet."

"What was she doing with—" Shut up, Ayato thought, willing her with any mental abilities he had to zip her lips. "Never mind."

Success?

No. There was a lingering pause, while Ami tapped her nails rhythmically on the desk. But then, "Did she talk to Naoi at all while she was in here?"

"Maybe a little, but he looked like he'd just woken up from a nap," Kurimu said patiently.

"Oh—"

Ayato snapped. Did these two honestly think he couldn't hear them? Masuda's tall stature and good posture served as an opportune shield from the teacher's view, so he looked sharply over his shoulder at Ami.

"Why," he demanded.

Ami blinked, shameless but caught. "Why what?"

"Why do you care if I talk to Hisakawa?"

Her eyebrows furrowed at him, and she crossed her arms over her desk. "Maybe I need to know everything."

"Maybe you don't—"

"Kawata! Naoi!" the teacher barked. "Stop flirting and pay attention."

Ami's red face crinkled in dismayed disgust; he was sure his reflected the same. They obeyed, with Hejjiguchi cracking up in the background.

That is, until the teacher told him to shut up as well. At least he got that justice.

By Friday, Yuri was too rattled to be sulky at him for the lunch debacle, and on Monday, he was too tired to be actively sulky with her. Akuma High's sports day certainly hadn't helped his situation.

But in Yuri's case, it was almost mid-October, and the school festival was creeping closer and closer. Wouldn't it be kind of pointless to accept new drama club members at the last minute? They'd probably already be busy with an idea or rehearsals for a play and have no roles for two newbies to fill.

"If drama club is about to be busy, then it keeps Ami busy," Ayato had noted, when Yuri had come to "congratulate" him for Hejjiguchi winning the relay race for his class and instead started fussing again. "Wasn't that the entire point?"

Yuri had given him a withering look for that. Why did girls hate logic?

Speaking of girls, they continued to be confusing this week. Tuesday, Ami had stopped him after class to talk to him in private. Hejjiguchi and Kurimu, of course, had no problem walking to lunch just the two of them, and promised they'd save her a seat. Ayato imagined that meant "sitting together and then quickly jumping a seat apart when they spotted her."

"I didn't tell Yuri about Thursday," she said conspiratorially. And then, with a decisive nod, "You're welcome."

"For what?" He tried to think back to Thursday. He would say he'd slept since then but that wouldn't be entirely accurate.

Ami placed her hands on her hips, multiple gold bracelets jingling.

"You boys and your terrible memory! No wonder you stood Kurimu up." Her lips pursed into a thin line as she sized him up. "You had lunch with Hisakawa, didn't you? Remember that?"

"I didn't have lunch with her," Ayato said, rolling his eyes. "She came to drop off something of Hejjiguchi's. Some memory you have."

Ami waved away the facts as if shooing an annoying fly.

"Well, you talked to her," she said, and waggled her finger at him. "Behind Yuri's back? That's a no-no in my book."

"I merely acknowledged her." He scoffed, eyeing the exit behind her with longing. Then he fixed her with a stare of blatant intolerance. "And I don't recall Yuri making any rules about who I can and can't speak to."

Ami stomped her foot. "It's disloyal!"

"What's disloyal about it?" Ayato said incredulously. "Do they dislike each other? If Yuri can make friends with people who irritate me, I have every right—"

"To talk to them behind her back?" Ami interrupted with a frown. "I'm not going to tell her, but you should."

"I don't have to, because it was nothing." He 'accidentally'thumped her shoulder on his way to the door. "Now if you'll excuse me."

In his personal opinion, the sputtering that ensued made her sound like a horse.

"I don't know what Yuri sees in you!" she squawked.

The classroom door slid shut behind him, effectively muffling the rest of her spiel. He could say the same for her – didn't Yuri hate people who wasted someone's precious time?

But still, her parting words…

How many people do you think feel that way?

He inwardly cursed Ami for how long that thought pursued him. For a time, he'd been ignoring most looks in the hallways or at lunch in favor of paying attention to Yuri's operation. But Ami's words brought it back – his hyperawareness. The tiny electrical jolt in his brain whenever someone glanced their way and it instinctively analyzed who they were looking at, the shift of their eyebrow, attention timespan…

It was overdrive, that's what it was. Exhausting.

Every time someone looked, he made pointed eye contact. More often than not, they would pretend to be interested in something else. But sometimes he dreamed of a more powerful gaze, one that would deliver a more fitting punishment.

After all, it was rude to stare.

On Wednesday, he needed a respite.

With thoughts not turning off – spiraling, if anything – they were trying to get into his head that drama queen Ami disliking him a little more now and hanging out with Yuri was a dangerous combination. So he had that fun concept to deal with now, wonderful. And Yuri was still irritable as she was relating more and more to his theory that theirs was a school of imbeciles.

Or, in her words, "Geez, everyone's so useless! …Whoa, déjà vu."

What he found particularly aggravating, but a grievance he had learned not to voice, was that getting Yuri to ask certain perky and loud girls (those he considered the most dramatic) was like trying to drag a dog past a succulent hot dog on the ground. Especially athletic types.

"It's the same issue as before!" she'd complained when he tried to question this. "They're athletes, not thespians."

"Did you ever think they could be both?" he countered.

Yuri sighed into a facepalm. "I should never have exposed you to High School Musical this summer."

"But you did, so reap the consequences."

"You paid attention to that, but athletes have prior time-conflicting engagements!" Yuri reminded him. "Unlike in the movies, I can't rig anything to make them miss it."

And it wasn't worth researching any schedules, so he'd dropped the matter. But he still thought it was stubborn of her to limit her options; at this point she was causing her own stress. For that, he was considerably less sympathetic.

Yuri had a tendency to be emotionally contagious, so five minutes into lunch on Wednesday after a brain-melting surprise test, he stopped her in mid-rant.

"Please tell me there's good news," he said, mentally projecting himself to bed.

Something. Anything he could use to put his mind at ease through tonight's throwing session. Something to think about other than strange looks, or unfounded fears, or what he did or didn't deserve. Those things tensed his hands and pressured the pottery wheel pedal, and Kimito was getting fed up. More often this week his father's hand had flown unrestrained. Although such things hadn't come up in his conversations with Yuri these days, it hurt like hell and he'd like to get less of it. He figured that was what made the slap in his dream from last week feel so absurdly real.

Some sort of metaphorical heavenly chorus sang when Yuri's face lit up in recollection.

"Actually, yes!" she said with a smile. "Brighter note. You know how I've been doing homework after school lately? Kind of hoping I'll run into someone? Well…"

Yuri sat at a desk by the window, tapping her pencil on her notebook. That was the benefit of doing homework at school after hours—she could do a drum solo with the damn thing if she wanted. Sure she could do that at home, but not to the same effect.

Plus there was the added bonus of choice seating. She might as well be the star of her own school anime.

For dramatic effect, she took a moment to gaze out the window. There were track and field students running laps, some slower than the others. The predatory part of her mind kept a watchful eye on the slow ones. Maybe with a little push they'd quit and switch to theatre. One guy's gait was a bit flamboyant. She had a sudden urge to send a paper airplane or an arrow with a secret message: "JOIN DRAMA CLUB." But when had she ever been good at archery? This operation was making her think ridiculous thoughts.

Her attention broke when the door to the classroom rumbled open. Peeking in from the doorway was a tall, slim male student with vivid purple hair. And gold eyes, which widened just a bit when he spotted her there.

"I'm sorry, I thought this room was empty," he said, blinking. Then he cocked his head. "Wait a minute. Aren't you Yuri Nakamura? What are you doing here?"

"Just doing my homework while I wait for someone," she said with an innocent shrug. "But how come I need an excuse? What are you doing here?"

"The same as you." He slid the door shut behind him with the back of his foot. "Except the part about waiting for someone."

"I see." Yuri kept her response short, as she was curious about him. Giving brief answers like that tended to make people uncomfortable and start giving out more information.

He played right into her hands. Shifting a bit, the boy added, "Living with a couple of idiots doesn't give me a lot of peace and quiet, so I've got to do my assignments and meditating here."

Yeah, he had the voice for meditating. Deep, but calm and serene.

"A couple of idiots?" Yuri echoed after a second, as his words set in. "That's what you call your parents?"

He laughed nervously. "No, no. They aren't my parents. Just my roommates. God help anyone who has either of them for a father."

"Oh." He had to be a little young to be living with roommates rather than parents, but she accepted it. "Well, apparently you already know me, so who are you?"

"Where are my manners?" he said with a grin, and sat down at the desk next to her before extending his hand. "I'm Eisuke Masuda."

"Masuda!" The name rang a few bells, so she wracked her brain. "You're the one guy other than Naoi who stays awake during his History class."

Masuda laughed. "That would be me."

"So you met Masuda," said Ayato, rubbing his chin.

Another new friend – at least this one somewhat renewed his faith in Yuri's taste. But still…

"Yeah, he's kind of quiet—"

"In comparison to Ami, anyone is quiet."

"—but he's pretty cool when you get to know him," Yuri continued.

He nodded seriously. "Then, did you two have a long heart-to-heart? Trade secrets, braid each other's hair?"

"Not quite," said Yuri, measuring his sarcasm with an arched brow, "but we did get to talking. He doesn't live with his parents, just two roommates – Hachihama's a grade below us and Miyake graduated a couple years ago. Miyake keeps trying to start this amateur detective business but Masuda says he'd honestly rather be in the police force—"

As he listened, Ayato didn't know what to make of this. Granted it was a better conversational topic than past subjects. The gleam in her eye wasn't one of a stressed woman on a mission, but of a girl who'd made a new friend. He'd seen the same gleam six months ago in this very spot.

This was novel. This was new.

"—and he thought I was waiting on you, but I said no, and told him about the drama club thing. He basically pointed out that he'd heard I almost exclusively hang out with you," she added, brushing it off like it was nothing, "but I was like, 'Hey, I'm broadening my circle.'"

He blinked and reeled back as he processed this.

Unless she has a new best friend—Guess she got bored of you—Always looking for something new to play with—I don't know what Yuri sees in you!

I'm—broadening—my—circle—

"So that's allowed," he said after a moment.

Yuri paused, crinkling her forehead at him. "What's allowed?"

"Being friends with other people." He looked at her briefly, tilting his head in mock contemplation. "I can do that too, right? Even people you don't like."

Her lips thinned, unimpressed with his sarcasm. "I'm not… Geez, what brought this on?"

He huffed. "Ami gave me the impression that there are girls I'm not allowed to talk to without your permission."

"She…" Yuri began to laugh, and flicked him in the forehead. "She still thinks we like each other, remember? I haven't said anything against it because I thought it would keep her from starting the Kurimu thing up again." She shook her head, still laughing. "Ungrateful."

In some cases, that would appease him with the amount of sense it made. But he didn't much like being made a mockery of, especially since it didn't quite feel like the right answer.

"So if I tell you, as Ami ordered, the name of the girl I talked to during lunch last Thursday," he said, rolling his eyes as Yuri made a whip cracking noise, "it'll have no effect on you whatsoever?"

Yuri was still laughing as she raised her coffee can to her mouth.

"Lay it on me," she said. "I'll try not to get jealous."

Feeling considerate, and also not wanting to get any spray from a resulting spit-take, he waited for her to swallow. And then, watching very carefully for her reaction, he said the name:

"Chitose Hisakawa."

The leftover fizzle of laughter came to a knee-jerk stop. Her smile fell so suddenly from her lips it might've landed right into her lap. The mirth even dimmed in her eyes, giving way to a familiar darkness he couldn't put his finger on. It was such a devastating impact he might feel bad if he hadn't just been proven right.

The name festered between them for a good minute as they stared at each other, Yuri silently waiting for something. An explanation, perhaps.

"It affected you," he said simply. "Why?"

It took Yuri's half-second pause for him to predict what she was going to say next. "I don't want to talk about it," they said in unison.

"What a surprise. You won't tell me." He moved his half-eaten lunch off his lap and stood up. "You pour your heart out to Masuda in a day but I don't deserve that privilege anymore, is that right? I've lost my novelty."

"Your novelty?" Yuri gawked at him like he was an idiot. "I'm allowed to keep some things to myself!"

"Ami knows about it!" Ayato countered.

"How would you know? You don't even know what it is!"

But then a look like realization took over her, and she got to her feet with bright, angry eyes.

"Or do you?" she said, pointing a finger so that her rose-red nail poked his chest. "You talked to Hisakawa. What'd she tell you? What did you say to her?" She got in his face, nostrils flaring. "Were you so desperate to know all my secrets that you went and double-crossed me?"

"She talked to me," Ayato sniffed, "if that's so hard to believe. That other people besides you might befriend me without judgment. Do you think you're cool for hanging around with the son of the biggest bastard in Akuma?"

"God, don't be so edgy!"

"That's why you started hanging out with me, wasn't it?" he accused. Part of him knew he was spitting drivel, but he couldn't help himself. "I was 'edgy.' I had some sort of cheap appeal. But now I'm not even worth your time. The bored little rich girl wants to play with someone else." He scoffed then, crossing his arms. "I bet the same thing happened with Hisakawa and you just threw her away."

Yuri's cheeks flushed a vivid crimson, her fists clenched and shaking at her sides. "That's NOT it!"

"Then what is it?!" Ayato snapped, glaring at her. "Why do people look at us like we're mismatched? Why do you not give a damn about anything but your newest project? Why do people like Hejjiguchi and Ami get to know something about you that I don't? Why—"

"That's not my fault, I didn't tell them—"

"—is your every answer 'I don't want to talk about it'? What could be so important that your best friend doesn't deserve to know—"

"Why can't YOU mind your own goddamn business?!" Yuri shouted.

"When are they going to kiss?" some girl within earshot whispered to her friend.

"SHUT UP!" Ayato and Yuri yelled, which sent both girls running.

When they'd lost their audience, Ayato brought his glare back to Yuri, who returned it just as fiercely. She was breathing heavy, lips red from biting them in aggravation. There was coffee at the corner of her mouth. Somehow that trivial detail felt like a victory for him.

"Or am I your best friend?" he challenged. "You haven't been much of one lately—"

"I can't believe you of all people are saying this!" Yuri threw her hands up in exasperated disbelief. "You've been nothing but a grouch!"

"All I've done is try to help—"

"All you've done is gripe about everything," she said with a scowl, "and act like it doesn't matter just because you don't like Ami and you don't care about it!"

"You knew I wanted to be done with their stupidity and you dragged us back in!" Ayato shot back. "Making friends with the people you know I can't stand? You could have left well enough alone!"

Yuri laughed loudly, bitterly. "Look who's talking! You didn't leave the past in the past. You made friends with Hisakawa—"

"Because you wouldn't tell me—"

"I shouldn't HAVE to!" Yuri snarled at him. "You're not entitled to know everything about me! It has nothing to do with you, so stop being such a brat about it!"

"Why don't you stop being such a dodgy bitch?" he spat. "I think it has everything to do with me. Friends don't hide from each other!"

Yuri recoiled as if from a hard slap.

"What the hell would you know about it?" she said coldly. "I guess we aren't friends. You haven't even told me your thing – and you know what? Unlike you, I don't really give a damn!"

With that, she grabbed the remains of her lunch and stormed toward the doors to the school. Leaving Ayato standing there under the tree with his jaw clenched in bristled fury. And the stares, subtle in the hallway, were blatant and lingering and wide-eyed in the courtyard.

So he figured he didn't have much left to lose.

"It was a stupid coffee mug I made for your birthday!" Ayato shouted after her. "And you know what? Now I'm GLAD he broke it!"

A/N: Alright I feel bad for loving this chapter. But in my defense, I love angsty fights. And Hisakawa is kind of fun to develop. Most of my other OCs are based on characters who already have personalities (like stencils). Hisakawa is way more mine and I've never really done that before.

Anyways, brace yourselves. More drama ahead!

Preview:

"I don't want to spread gossip."

"You're useless, boy!"

"You wouldn't fight in front of a lady."

"Stay in your seats!"

"Wow, a whole month…"

"Why would you lie about something like that?"

"Hejjiguchi, your game's off today!"

[Chapter 25]: Distance.