A/N: Alright I know this is getting really long, so I've decided to start going easy on them. Maybe 3 or so more chapters and I should be done… Hope things don't seem rushed. *S*

Matchmakers II

Rika gave him a peck on the corner of his mouth and ran into her house, 'There! I did it! I'm so terrified. Should I have stayed and waited for his response? What would his respond have been?'

.

Sendoh was about to kiss her when he found two hands shoved against his face. He pulled back and looked at her.

"We don't have to go that far with a practise date."

"Practise date?" he asked.

"Well, duh. You got a date with a girl like me, right? You shouldn't stay up so late. Get home and take a good night sleep. You got to get ready for tomorrow, ne?"

"You think I'm using you?" he asked, 'she thinks this is all an act?!'

She smiled, "I don't mind."

He nodded, "I see. Thank-you very much for your help."

.

Miyuki sighed and sat against the door hugging her knee, 'I really had fun today. I almost thought it was real. I haven't had such a pleasant and enjoyable date since-'

Someone pushed the door. She got up.

"Why are you blocking the door?"

"So you can't come in," she retorted, "you must've had fun with Rika. So how was it?"

"She acted weird the entire date. Like she's just been dumped or having major PMS."

Miyuki smiled, "Why do you think that?"

"One second she's happy and then grumpy. Wouldn't let go of me, acted all girly. Maybe her boyfriend dumped her for being too tomboyish. And…" he touched his cheek, "she acted really…grateful too."

'Baka,' Miyuki thought and grinned, "would you dump her because she's not girly enough?"

"Rika's not meant to be girly."

'He isn't hopeless, he's just so oblivious.'

.

"Well said," Miyuki said clapping, "you still haven't answered whether you had fun on your date or not."

"It's not a date," he protested.

"What is it then?" she challenged.

"…" he changed the subject, "why was Sendoh here?"

"He accompanied me home on his practise date."

"Practise date?" he asked.

"He has a date tomorrow and I'm his test subject for the day."

'That sounds outrageous. He looked quite dejected and irritated. Sendoh likes Miyuki,' Rukawa decided, "did he tell you that?"

"Tell me what?"

"That it was a practise date for his actual date tomorrow."

"No, but he did tell me he liked a girl that was just like me, so…"

Rukawa sighed, 'Baka.'

'She's usually so smart and wise. It's obvious even to me, an observer, that the girl Sendoh's talking about is her. So why doesn't she see it?'

"You're the baka, correction, oblivious baka," she said, "so did you enjoy your non-date date with Rika?"

.

Rika couldn't sleep and flipped through the channels, 'Kaede's actually a considerate person. He walked me home and everything. Should I phone him? If so when? Tomorrow? Why should I phone him? He should phone me or-'

The door opened. Rika turned, "Ani."

"Hey. Why are you still up?" he asked listlessly.

She frowned, "What's wrong? You sound glumly."

He sighed, "Why didn't she take me seriously?"

"Who's her? What did you say? Are you even capable of seriousness?" she asked.

He sighed, "I'm going to go sleep."

'What's up with him?'

.

Next Morning:

Miyuki sighed and spun the pen with her fingers, 'What was I thinking yesterday? What was he thinking?'

She spotted Yurdle crawl off the page and absentmindedly pulled him back to the centre of the page, 'We must've both be lost in the moment. But he appeared to know what he was doing… He sounded so confused when I mentioned it was a practise date, and so offended when he asked, You think I'm using you?'

Yurdle crawled off the page again and she pulled him back, 'He can't be serious. I mean why would he pick me? We're just friends…right? But…'

"Yuck! Yurdle…" she said looking at the growing yellow stain on her physics report, "was that why you wanted to leave? Think I can pass it off as apple juice? I wish this was chem, I could always blame it on the chemicals."

.

Rukawa looked at the coffee brewing, dumped a spoonful of coffee beans into the wok and stirred it in with the fried noodles, 'Why was I having such weird dreams? Because of yesterday? She really wasn't acting like herself…and I kind of liked that her, yet at the same time, disliked it…'

He shook some soy sauce into the wok, 'Why did she kiss me last night? It was a thank-you kiss, right? But what was she thanking me for? Other than my family and relatives, she's the first one to kiss me…'

Rukawa shook some vinegar in and mixed it with the noodles, 'Was it really a date like Miyu suggested? No way! But…'

He sniffed something burning and looked at the noodles, 'Oh, crap.'

.

Sendoh sighed and looked around, 'How did I end up here?'

Sunshine barked and pulled him towards Miyuki who was in the yard with her cat.

"Sendoh?" she said surprised.

Sunshine sniffed the black cat and let out a bark, the cat in return raked Sunshine across the face and curled around Miyuki's ankles. Sunshine whimpered and hid behind him.

"Gomen! Chibi Kaede, bad!" she scolded the cat and picked him up, "anou…why are you here Sendoh? Don't you have a date?"

He took a deep breath, "No."

"She called it off?" she asked.

I sighed and blurted, "She doesn't exist. That girl was you. All those questions were just an excuse to find out what you like. It was you all along. I like you!"

She looked stunned and stumbled backwards, "Uh…I got to go!! Bye!"

.

Rukawa looked out the window as Miyuki rushed inside. He sighed and went out. He looked at the miserable Sendoh, "You shouldn't despair, instead you should feel please."

"Rukawa? Why would I be pleased? She just ran away after I told her I liked her."

"It's not all that hard for her to tell someone off. She's got a lot of experience and she's usually really cruel and harsh about it. But she did no such thing with you."

"Because she knows me."

He smirked, "So? How hard is it to say: sorry I don't like you, not in that way?"

"Then why did she run off?"

"Guilt."

"Guilt? Of what?" Sendoh asked.

"Because of her last boyfriend. I think they were really in love. He's dead now, brain tumour," Rukawa stated, "that's why she came back to Japan. That's why she chooses to date the most obnoxious, annoying, guys and stay away from the nice ones."

Sendoh looked me.

.

"Her dilemma is she doesn't want to let go of him and yet she likes you. Her guilt is in liking you," Rukawa stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What should I do then?"

He shrugged, "Persist."

'Persist?'

Rukawa began walking back to his house.

"Arigatou."

"Don't thank me. I'm not trying to help you. I'm just helping my sister," he stated.

.

Rika sat at her desk and sighed, 'Why didn't he phone me? Does he expect me to phone him? I made the first move already. I asked him out. I kissed him. Why must I do everything? Haven't I done enough?'

"Miss. Sendoh!" her sensei said.

"Uh…hai."

"Pay attention!"

.

Miyuki frowned, 'Why did he have to go and tell me that? Weren't we happier as friends? Why do I-'

"Miyuki!"

The volleyball hit her on the chest.

"Miyuki are you ok? You seem to be out of it lately."

"Gomen…."

.

Sendoh sighed, 'Why is she avoiding me? She won't even give me a chance to prove my case. I don't like this feeling…this feeling of helplessness.'

"Sendoh-san."

"Huh?"

"What are you thinking about?" Hikoichi asked.

"Nothing…"

.

"Kaede-kun."

"Hm?"

"Aishiteru," Rika said and stood on her tiptoes.

I leaned forward and bent down my head about to-

"Kitsune, get up and off the bench!"

Rukawa glared at Hanamichi, 'Why do I keep on getting these weird dreams with her in it? It's not because I like her…is it? Well, she's not that bad, she's pretty nice, not that annoying, can be gentle and cute, she… Oh, crap. I…'

.

Rika picked up the phone and dialled Rukawa's number, 'What am I doing? What am I going to say to him? I better hang-'

"Moshi-moshi?"

'Miyuki? Oh, yeah, she lives there too…'

"Hello…"

"Uh, hi. It's me Rika."

"Oh? Why did you call?"

"Um…how's Ka…Rukawa doing?" Rika asked.

"Kaede's acting really absentmindedly. His mind seems occupied with something or someone."

Rika was thoughtful.

"Come visit us," she said, "Kaede's probably bored to death and maybe if you come I won't have to eat weird tasting and burnt food."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Well…lets see. He was fine until his date with you…" Miyuki said, "in my opinion, I think he's love sick."

'Love sick?!'

.

The phone began ringing.

"Pick it up already!" Miyuki shouted.

Rukawa sighed, "Moshi-moshi?"

"Is Miyuki there?"

"Hold on," Rukawa said covering the mouth piece, "Miyu, phone!"

"Who is it?" she asked coming out of her room.

"Sendoh."

"Tell him I've gone out."

"That's a lie."

She went to the door, opened it and stepped out, "There."

"…" Rukawa sighed, "she just stepped out the door…"

"Oh…"

Rukawa was feeling very bad for Sendoh, 'I got to get the two of them together. She can't just avoid him forever. Well, ok, she probably can…but I won't allow it.'

"Is Rika there?"

"Yeah. Hold on," he said.

A minute later Rika's voice came through, "Got it. Hang up."

Click.

"Hello."

"Hi…"

"You asked for me?" she said.

"Yeah…are you busy tomorrow after school?" he asked.

"No."

"Will you meet me?"

"Sure. Where?" she asked eagerly.

"I'll go to Kainan to meet you," Rukawa said.

"Ok."

"Bye…"

"Bye…"

Rukawa hung up, 'Why am I feeling so nervous and tongue-tied? She's just a girl…ok, she's not just a girl…she's Rika but still…'

.

Rika was tense, 'Why does Rukawa want to see me? What should I say? How should I greet him?'

Rika spotted him as he crashed into a tree, got up, brushed himself, and rode over to her looking half asleep.

"Hi…" she greeted, 'baka! Hi? How lame is that?'

"Hi," he said.

Silence.

"Uh…so why do you want to meet with me?"

"Have you noticed, your brother and my sister are acting odd. She's avoiding him."

'He wants to talk to me about Akira and Miyuki?' I wondered, "yes, I have noticed."

"They like each other. We should help them," he said.

"You want me to help you get them together?" Rika asked.

Rukawa nodded.

"Lets do it," she said though disappointed that Rukawa didn't ask her out to talk to about them.

End of Matchmaker II