DISCLAIMER: I am too busy worrying about picking off the little strings of hot glue from my fingers to worry about the fact that I don't own FY.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Not much this time... Another chapter, yay. Been buried under Lit work, car breakdowns, and being sick this week... at least my heater's working again. We're having some craaaaaaaaaaaaazy weather here. Freezing one day than 70 the next... ahh, the South.

Stuff to watch out for in this chapter: language, a little friendly fighting. ~sighs~ Why can't these kids today be more mature?



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Loud banging on the front door and the buzzer repeatedly sounding woke Reijirou out of a sound sleep the next morning. He groaned and buried his head under his pillow, but whoever was out there refused to go away. He gave up and lifted bleary eyes to his brand-new radio alarm clock.

Shit. They better have a good reason for showing up here at 8:30, damnit! His first class wasn't even till ten-thirty. He wouldn't've been awake for another hour at least, especially after finally finding sleep too soon before. The banging and buzzing continued, and Reijirou literally fell out of bed, getting slowly to his feet, glaring in the direction of the sound. "Hai, hai, I'm comin', I'm comin'." He trudged out of his room and down the hall in his old t-shirt and boxer shorts, not fully awake. He leaned against the door for a moment, taking a deep breath, before opening it.

"Hey man!" It was Gesshin.

BAM. Gesshin was painfully flat against the opposite wall.

Reijirou glared at him over his extended fist. "That's for waking me up, you shit." He slammed the door and waited.

A minute later a feeble knocking came from the other side of the door. "That's better." Reijirou opened the door again and hauled Gesshin into the apartment. "Next time CALL, baka."

"Hell, I would've if I had some money!" Gesshin's voice was slightly squashed as he was testing his nose to see if it was broken again.

"Nani? What happened to your job?" Reijirou rubbed his eyes to wake up a little more as he headed to the kitchen. "I need coffee…"

"I was sorta let go…"

"Wha?" Reijirou looked up from measuring coffee grounds into the maker. "You flipped burgers. Any moron can flip burgers. What happened?"

Gesshin walked over to the fridge and opened it, scanning the contents. "Well… there might've been a fire…"

Reijirou gave him a look.

"...'r two…"

More look.

"...'r more."

"BAKA! I should hit you again."

"IYA!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, pyro."

"Easy. Ya hit harder than anyone I know," he said, stressing every word. "'m still seein' stars from that last one! An' yesterday! Ya could've been a LITTLE nicer!"

Reijirou spun from the coffee maker, glaring sheer venom at him. "Not after you hurt an innocent woman."

"Hell, I didn' MEAN to!"

"But you did. You reap what you sow. I'm still considering turning you over to the police."

Gesshin paled, making a startling contrast with his thick, flame-red hair. "Ya wouldn'… "

Reijirou's glare grew even more venomous. He walked slowly up to Gesshin and took hold of his collar, yanking his face down a few inches and glaring directly in his eyes. "Try me."

Gesshin knew just how serious Reijirou was. "Onegai, c'mon man, it was the firs' time I ever did it… I needed the money for rent… I- I didn't mean t' hurt her!"

A minute passed in silence, Reijirou glaring and Gesshin pale and sweating, knowing very well that he was in a bad state. However, Reijirou let him go and turned back to the coffee maker, adding water. "I won't as long as you never do it again."

Gesshin collapsed against the wall in relief. "I won', I promise! Damn, I think ye're worse than the police." He rubbed his face where Reijirou had socked him, a nice bruise forming. "I wouldn've even tried, but the old man's been gettin' worse."

"Drinking away the paycheck?"

Gesshin nodded, running his fingers through his hair in a habit that made it stand almost on end. "An' more besides. Damned if I know where he gets the money for the booze, but somehow he's always got it… and the landlord threatened t' throw us out if he didn' get his damn check SOON. As in the next three days."

Reijirou whistled as he watched the coffee. "Damn… And with you out of a job… How's your sister doing?"

Gesshin shrugged. "Dunno, really. She's managed t' stay in school-"

"Unlike you."

"Are ya gonna start that again?"

"I keep telling you, I can help you study and you can-"

"Iya, I can', all right?" Gesshin gave him a tired glare. "'m busy helpin' Mitsuyo." He slouched against the wall and sighed. "One of these days… 'm afraid the drunkard's gonna go after her…..."

Reijirou, although he definitely did not agree with Gesshin's actions the day before, knew how bad his home life was and how much worse it must have gotten to drive him to out-and-out thievery. "Are you sure you won't consider moving out?"

Gesshin shook his head. "Not till I can take Mitsuyo with me."

Reijirou sighed. "Well, let me know, I can help you look for a place if you reconsider." He glanced at the still-open refrigerator. "Grab something to eat, I'll be back in a few."

He left Gesshin searching through the fridge and went to take a quick shower and change.



~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




Reijirou toweled his hair dry in his room before dressing in a pair of khakis, a dark blue shirt, and his favorite long black leather jacket, mentally reviewing his schedule for the day and thankful it wasn't too full. Yesterday had given him enough excitement for a week. Or month.

Suddenly he sniffed the air. "Is Gesshin actually cooking?" Visions of flaming frying pans danced through his head, but there was no denying that whatever was being cooked smelled a lot more appetizing than the solitary English muffin the day before.

He played bloodhound and followed his nose to the kitchen, where he found Gesshin putting the skills he'd learned as a short-order cook to use. "What're you making?" Reijirou called, pouring a cup of coffee for himself.

Gesshin jabbed his spatula at the fridge. "Whatever was in there, think it's bacon an' eggs. An' yer sister left a note for ya. It's still up there."

Reijirou finally noticed the note, almost hidden beneath a large round photo-magnet. He pried the strong magnet off the door and unfolded her note, reading it outloud. "'Reijirou-kun, gone to early lab with Ibi-sensei-' she spends more time in his classes than at home '-and got a ride with Suezo.'" He blinked. "Who's Suezo?"

"Got two guesses," Gesshin commented as he flipped the bacon over. "Classmate 'r boyfriend."

"With her, probably both. Where was… Oh yeah. 'You have the car today-' sweet! '-keys are on the table by the door. Remember, Hajime's bringing his friends Katai and Shirai home after school today. Bye! Chiaki. PS- you just (8:10) got a phone call. Some woman might be stopping by before you leave for class.'"

"Whoo-hoo, Reijirou's hit the big time! Ya go man!" Gesshin yelled, grinning evilly.

Reijirou gave him a withering look. "You're looking to get hurt. Again. 'Name is'…" His mouth fell open as his eyes bulged. "SUKUNAMI MIAKA!"

The buzzer rang.

"Holy shit!" he cussed softly, remembering just in time to keep his voice down. "Gesshin, go in my room and lock the door, NOW."

"What the hell? What's goin' on man?" Gesshin put the spatula on the counter and untied the simple apron he'd been wearing.

"Remember the woman from yesterday?"

It was Gesshin's turn for a withering glance. "Ya think I'd ferget that easily?"

"Well, she's here." The buzzer rang again, and someone knocked at the door.

Gesshin blanched again, looking rather like a ghost who's "head" had caught on fire. "Fuck. Ya mean…"

Reijirou quickly pulled Gesshin's discarded apron over his head and tied it on. "Hai, it's Sukunami Miaka! The same one from the note! Go, NOW!" Gesshin needed no further encouragement and hightailed it down the hall, quickly closing and locking the door to Reijirou's room and settling on his bed to wait until his victim had left.

Reijirou took a deep breath, picked up the spatula, and walked into the living room. He steeled himself before putting on a cheerful expression and opening the door.

"Ohayo Reijirou, I hope we didn't come at a bad time." Sukunami Miaka stood there, holding an armful of sleepy four-year-old who regarded him inquisitively.

"Iie, I was just making breakfast. Come on in, have some." Reijirou stood back and held the door respectfully open, letting Miaka and the little girl in. The girl started trying to look in every direction at once, squirming around in Miaka's hold. She turned big blue eyes on Miaka. "Down, pwease."

Miaka looked at Reijirou as he closed the door. "Is it all right to let her wander around?"

"Hai, teenagers do more damage than toddlers, and Mom hasn't gotten the breakables out again yet." He knelt on the ground as Miaka placed the girl on the floor, smiling gently at her. "And what's your name?"

"Naora," she replied solemnly, putting her thumb in her mouth.

"That's such a pretty name. May I call you Naora-chan?"

Naora looked up at Miaka for permission, looking incredibly sweet and innocent.

Miaka smiled. "This is one of Mama's friends, it's fine for him to call you Naora-chan if you'd like it."

Naora looked back at Reijirou. "Hai, you may."

Reijirou laughed and picked her up, holding her the way Miaka had been earlier. "I bet you're hungry, Naora-chan. Would you like something to eat?"

She smiled widely. "Hai!"

"Very good!" Reijirou walked into the kitchen, Miaka following, depositing Naora swiftly in one of the chairs around the table. "One breakfast coming up!" He pulled three plates out of the cupboard and dished up Gesshin's cooking (I'm gonna have to get him to teach me more of this, he thought). "Have a seat Miaka, you can have some too."

Miaka took a seat, glancing about the apartment much as her daughter was doing. "This is very nice. Sorry about bringing Naora-chan, but her daycare burst a pipe and closed for the day."

"It's no problem." Reijirou untied the apron strings and pulled it off, shaking his head to get his hair to fall back in place before carrying the plates to the table. "So what did you want to talk about, Miaka?"

"I wanted to ask you to come over to our place later, after your physics class." She grinned. "Having your husband at the university has its benefits, I can get anyone's schedule I want."

Reijirou gave a mock-rueful sigh. "So there's no getting out of it."

"I'm afraid not." She grinned.

"Oh, baka. Would you like coffee?"

"Hai, that would be nice."

Reijirou retrieved his cup and poured another for Miaka. "Cream, sugar, milk?"

"Just some sugar and a little milk."

He added the ingredients to the coffee, then sat down again and handed her the cup. "So what do I need to go to your place for?"

She sipped the coffee. "This is good stuff. Well, Taka and I have something for you, but it has to stay at the apartment at least a little while longer."

"Nani?"

She grinned again, anticipating his response. "A book."

"Nani?!" He nearly fell out of his chair. "What is it with your family and books?!"

"I'm a professor's wife," she said smugly. "What else do you expect?"

"Reijirou-san?"

He blinked and looked at Naora. She must be one of the best-behaved children in Tokyo, he thought. I almost forgot she was there. "Nani, Naora-chan?"

"May I pwease have some more?" Her plate was empty, and so were his and Miaka's, he noted.

"Oh, I don't know, we'll have to ask your mother." He winked at Naora, then both of them turned to look at Miaka with identical pleading expressions on their faces. "Onegaaaaaaiiiiii?"

She burst out laughing. "Reijirou, stop encouraging her! But yes, she can."

"Wai! Come on Naora-chan, you can help me." The little girl scrambled down from her chair and tore over to the stove, standing on tiptoe to see over. Reijirou picked her up again and "helped" her use the spatula to move some eggs and a slice of bacon to her plate. Neither one of them were aware that Miaka watched Reijirou with the same sad, wistful expression both she and Taka had used the day before.

So much like him… she thought. We must do this.



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A few minutes later Miaka and Naora were gone. Reijirou sighed with relief and tucked the paper with directions to the Sukunami apartment in his pocket. Then he trotted down the hall to his room, knocking sharply at the door. "It's all right man, they're gone."

"DAMN! FINALLY!" Gesshin burst out the door. "I thought they'd never leave!" He looked down at Reijirou plaintively. "Ya didn't by any change save me some of that food that I made, now did ya?"

Reijirou grinned. "Take all that's left."

"SCORE!" Gesshin raced down the hall as Reijirou smirked, then headed into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"NANI?! HELL! YA FUCKIN' PIGS ATE EVERYTHIN'!"

Reijirou leaned out the door and yelled down the hallway. "Hey watch it Fangy, this is a family complex and some people are still trying to sleep! YAH!" He rebounded back into the bathroom as a couch pillow sailed through the air where his head had been.

"Don't forget who's taller!" Gesshin shrieked.

Reijirou leaned out again. "Don't you forget who's A LOT OLDER! And faster! And-" SMACK. That time he couldn't dodge.



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"So where do I drop you off?" Reijirou was relaxed. This is really the way to spend college. Cruisin' with your friends and not worrying about times. He was having a good day so far. And it looked like he'd be early for physics.

"Jus' around here. I'm gonna check out the job scene, see if anythin's open." Gesshin was scanning the want ads of Reijirou's morning paper, as he'd been doing for the past hour. He glanced up to look at the street signs. "Looks like a restaurant near here needs a couple waiters 'r busboys, I'll try it."

"Suit yourself." Reijirou parallel parked in the first space he came to, letting Gesshin jump onto the curb. "Want me to pick you up at any time?"

"When's that meetin' of yers?" Reijirou had filled him in on the previous day's events, as well as that morning's.

"Around one-thirty. Don't know how long it'll last though."

Gesshin nodded. "All right, well if ya have some free time between class and then, could ya pick me up here? If yer not here by one-thirty I'll walk home."

Reijirou gave him a thumbs up. "Sounds good. See you then, or later today." He backed out of the space and pulled away towards Seinan as Gesshin started down a side street, the want ads still clutched in his hand.

Despite Chiaki's fuss the previous day, the student parking lot wasn't that crowded, and he found a space within a few minutes. He locked the car, slinging his bag over his shoulder, and started to his class, completely unrushed and feeling great about it.

It was a mild, though not unpleasant, surprise to see Risako sitting in a desk in the physics room. "Hi you!" she called, grinning. "I take it the shopping trip was successful, since you're here on time. Even early! You beat everyone else!"

He grinned back, setting his bag on the desk next to hers. "Yep, brand new alarm clock with built in radio that actually has good reception." He pulled off his jacket and sat in the desk. "How'd the visit go after I left?"

A brief flash of something he couldn't identify passed over her face, but she blinked and smiled, erasing all traces of it. "Fine. Miaka seemed even better after she had food in her system. I had to go before she could check out though."

"Well, she got home all right, she and her daughter turned up on my doorstep this morning."

"NANI?! They left their home?!"

"Not like that, baka!" He groaned. "Females. Always overreacting. She wanted to ask me something and have her daughter meet me. We had breakfast. You might be getting a similar phone call tomorrow, I'd have supplies on standby. We went through all our breakfast food, and I didn't eat a lot."

She smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

The door clicked open and they both turned to face it, trying to get a glimpse of their new classmate or sensei. The guy that entered was definitely their age, but didn't look like a Japanese. It was easy to tell his blond hair was natural. And when he looked their way, it was obvious that the blue of his eyes wasn't due to contacts. He looked a bit confused also.

Reijirou waved and shook his head slightly to rid it of the deja vu. "Hey there, are you lost?"

The blond quickly came over, a typical university schedule held in his left hand. "Is this the physics room?" he asked in barely accented Japanese. "I looked, but the room number had been torn off the wall."

"Hai, you found it. Don't think I'm rude or anything, but are you American?" Reijirou had recognized the accent.

The other nodded and held out his hand. "My family's lived here for five years. Lowle Adam. Or Adam Lowle, depending on what language you're speaking."

Reijirou and Risako each shook hands in turn. "Enomoto Reijirou." "Daishi Risako." Reijirou at least was silently blessing being good at English so he could pronounce the strange name. He had a suspicion that Risako was doing the same.

Adam sat in the desk in front of Risako. "Do either of you know what this class is about?"

Risako shrugged. "Physics, I guess. What else could it be about?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know. D'you know who teaches this class?"

"Uhh…" Reijirou grabbed for his bag and fished his thick book of course descriptions (complements of Chiaki's job in the copy office) out. "Lesse… Physics 101… Physics 101…" He muttered to himself, flipping through the pages to the science courses. "Ahh. Iie, no one's listed. Must be a new guy then." He snapped the book shut and stuffed it back in his bag.

"Ah. Thanks anyway." Adam turned around and pulled a book out of his backpack, opened it to the bookmark halfway through, and began to read. Risako and Reijirou just shrugged at each other and continued talking.



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"I guess that could've been worse," Risako commented two hours later as they left class.

Reijirou yawned, bag slung over his shoulder. "Don't think it could've been more boring. Man, that guy's so different from Taka."

"Hai, really. Where're you going now?"

"Me?" He stopped and looked back at her. "I'm going to go pick up my friend, then I'm going to the Sukunamis'."

"Could I possibly bum a ride? I lost my last bus ticket." She gave him a pleading look that would rival Naora's.

He shrugged. "As long as you don't mind sitting in the back. And being subjected to Gesshin." He grinned. "That in itself is an experience."

"Experiences are fun, I'll take the risk."

"All right, but don't say you weren't warned."



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Somewhere in the back of his mind Reijirou was worried about Risako recognizing Gesshin from the day before and doing something unpleasant. But it turned out he needn't have worried: Gesshin was wearing completely different clothes and the baseball hat had concealed his readily identifiable hair. The two talked and laughed like old friends, Risako happily squashed in the backseat all the way to the Enomotos', where Reijirou let Gesshin out.

Gesshin turned so Risako couldn't see him and winked at Reijirou. "She's a keeper, man," he said in low tones. He was promptly rewarded with a very hard whack upside the head. "Damnit, why d'ya always do that?" He walked inside the building grumbling.

Risako climbed into the front seat again as Reijirou pulled away, fishing the directions out of his pocket and noting the time. "Risako-san, want to just come with me? I don't have time to take you home."

"Why not? I want to meet this kawaii little girl you've been raving about," she replied as she buckled on her seatbelt.

"Good, cause we got ten minutes to get to the other side of the city in lunch time traffic. Hang on!" He gunned it, not as fast as Chiaki, but enough to slam them back into their seats as the car peeled out onto the street in the direction of the Sukunamis'.



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AUTHOR'S NOTES II: Random question. Hopefully you know that Yui and Miaka have two friends in the real world named Morin and Fuu. Can anyone tell me WITHOUT A DOUBT which is which? I've been trying to figure this out for a LONG time, and I'm fairly sure that the one with greenish braids is Morin, but I'm just not sure... Can anyone help me here?

D'you notice how Reijirou seems to change the way he talks depending on who he talks to? Why does he do this? I have no idea!

Expect things to start getting crazy next chapter! ja ne! ~_~