Chapter 16: Aki & Hana, Yuki & Kaede
"So, what brought you all the way here, Sendoh-san?" asked Hanayuki. She watched as Sendoh prepared the bait and threw the fishing line into the sea.
"I'm here to fish," Sendoh answered. "What about you?"
"I slept over at a friend's place yesterday night. Came out to take Yumi here for a walk," she said, as her hands gently stroked the dog lying at her side.
"I see. So, this friend of yours, is it a guy or a girl?"
Hanayuki raised her eyebrows at the question. Nevertheless, she answered, "A guy."
"Do I know him?"
"No, you don't."
"Sou ka. Is he just a friend, or more than just a friend?"
Hanayuki sighed. "What kind of a question is that?"
"An innocent one?" Sendoh replied, looking just as innocently.
"He's like a brother to me," said Hanayuki, who didn't want to argue, even if it is only for fun.
"Like Sakuragi?"
She nodded in reply.
"That's good," said Sendoh, turning his attention to his fishing.
"Why is that?"
"Well, because then there wouldn't be any competition," came the reply.
"What competition?"
"Winning you."
"What, I'm something to be won?" said Hanayuki, a little irritated.
"No, that's not what I meant. You know what I mean, Hanayuki-san." He looked at her meaningfully.
Hanayuki sighed again. "Sendoh-san, this is not something you can afford to be joking about."
His normally jovial expression changed into a more serious one. "Indeed, but what if I am not joking, Hanayuki-san?"
Hanayuki regarded him for a while, before looking away. "Then, I would advise you not to waste your time."
They lapsed into a round of silence, and then, Sendoh spoke. "Perhaps, if you can give me a better reason why I shouldn't be wasting my time on you, I wouldn't."
"Well, the reason is because you would only be wasting your time."
"Is that so? But why?"
"I just told you why," Hanayuki pointed out.
He shook his head. "No, you didn't. You just kept on repeating the same thing, which, in my opinion, doesn't count as a reason at all."
When Hanayuki didn't answer, he continued, "You know, you can't just brush me off like that. I mean, the least you can do is tell me why I would only be wasting my time. It's only fair."
Hanayuki turned to look at him. "Sendoh-san, to begin with, life is not fair. If it is, then a lot of things wouldn't have happened the way they had..."
"Yes, I wouldn't deny that. But, I believe that there are things you can do to balance everything out."
"Oh? Like how?"
"Well, for starters, you can tell me the reason why I do not have a chance with you."
Again, Hanayuki didn't answer. Sendoh sighed.
"I really have no chance, huh?"
"No."
Despite being disappointed, Sendoh had to laugh at the straight-forwardness of her answer. "Whoa! That's very straight to the point."
"It's for your own good, Sendoh-san."
"How would I know if you wouldn't tell me how is it so?"
"I just told you, it's for your own good."
"Fine. Since you weren't able to give me a good enough reason not to court you, I will continue doing so. I'm sure I'll be able to change your mind. Enough said."
Hanayuki opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Sendoh. "In the meantime, we can be friends with each other. And since we are friends, we shall call each other by the first name. How about that?"
Hanayuki could only gape at him.
Taking that as a yes, he went on. "Let's see... from now on, you will call me Akira. No Sendoh-san, no Sendoh, no Akira-kun whatsoever. Just plain old Akira. And I'll call you, um... Hana. Yeah, Hana. Is that ok with you?"
Hanayuki couldn't help but notice how cute and sincere he looked when he spoke. Hesitantly, but not unwillingly, she nodded and smiled a little. "Yeah, it's fine."
Sendoh positively beamed at her reply. He checked the fish line, before turning around so that he was now facing her.
"Ok. So, we're friends now right?"
Hanayuki narrowed her eyes. "Yeah?" Somehow, she didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Great. Then, you can tell me why you seemed so down and moody today."
I should have seen it coming. Putting on a nonchalant expression, Hanayuki shrugged and said, "Nothing. I'm perfectly fine. What makes you think otherwise?"
"Well, usually, you have this smile-always attitude around you. You know, something like me; always smiling and laughing. I haven't seen you smile even once today, not to mention laugh."
"Uh-huh... well, you can't possibly be smiling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. I mean, true, you use less muscles to smile than to frown, but the bottom-line is that you still use muscles. It gets a little tiring when you overdo it too much." Especially when deep down inside, you are feeling exactly the opposite, she added silently.
"You have a point there, Hana, but I don't think that's the case here. Come on, you can tell me. I am a very good secret-keeper," said Sendoh.
"I don't doubt you are, but-" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt his hand on her chin. Slowly, but firmly, he tilted her head upwards until she was looking straight into his eyes.
"Hana, you can trust me. Besides, it's not good keeping everything inside to yourself. You might burst one day, and believe me, it won't be a very pretty sight," said Sendoh gently.
That's it. Come on, open up yourself to me... thought Sendoh. I can see it now, she's going to let down her guard. She's going to let me into her heart. Just a little bit more... a little bit mo-
"Sendoh-san, I think you caught a fish!"
"Huh? What the...?" He quickly turned to catch the rod before it got pulled into the sea, while Hanayuki stood up and moved back a little to give him more space. Unconsciously, she moved behind him, which was a bad move, because when he jerked the rod back, it hit her on the head.
"Ouch!"
"Ah! Hana, are you alright? Did I hit you too hard?" asked Sendoh, dropping the rod on the ground and squatting down beside Hanayuki, who was already kneeling down, her hand touching the spot where she had been hit.
To his surprise and horror, Hanayuki started crying. "Ha...Hana, does it really hurt that much? I'll take you to the hospital." Probably for the first time in his entire life (I said probably...), Sendoh Akira began to panic.
For the next 10 minutes or so, Sendoh could only watch helplessly as Hanayuki cried her heart out. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she stopped crying. It took her another few seconds to compose herself before she could speak.
"I'm fine, Sendoh-san. I... I just needed to release all those pent-up feelings inside of me, that's all." She smiled her first genuine smile of the day. "I'm feeling so much better already."
Sendoh smiled in relief. "I can see that. That was the first smile I saw from you today."
Hanayuki smiled again. "Thanks to you, no doubt about it."
"Nah. I didn't do anything. Just whack the fishing rod on your head," said Sendoh, laughing.
"And it gave me the opening I needed to let the tears flow," said Hanayuki. "Anyway, arigatou."
Sendoh only smiled in reply. For a while, nobody said anything.
"Sendoh-san..." said Hanayuki, breaking the silence.
"Not Sendoh-san, Hana. It's Akira. You know, you've called me Sendoh-san twice already. This is the thi-"
"Actually, I only wanted to ask if I can call you Aki instead."
Sendoh stopped rambling. "Eh? Aki?"
"I was only asking. If you don't like it, I can always stick to Akira," said Hanayuki quickly, worried that she might have offended the Ryonan ace player.
She needn't bother. Sendoh's smile grew so wide, it couldn't have gone any wider. "No, Aki's fine. In fact, Aki sounds really cute, don't you think?"
Hanayuki smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I think it's-"
"You'll be the first and only person to call me that. Which goes to show that you are special to me," he said, and winked at her. He watched happily as a faint blush coloured her cheeks.
Having resolved the name-calling matter, they went on to share an hour of companionable silence. After all, Sendoh was there to fish, and you can't be too noisy when you want to fish. Despite that, Sendoh proved to be a very fun-to-be-with person, given the fact that he had successfully kept Hanayuki smiling and laughing throughout the hour.
"From the first day... that I saw your smiling face...Honey I knew that we would be together forever... Oooh..."
Hanayuki looked at him in mock horror. "Are you singing what I think you're singing?"
"Why, don't you like it, Hana?" said Sendoh with the ever-innocent smile plastered on his face. "When I asked you out, you said no but I found out... Darling that you've been hurt... you thought that you'd never love again..."
Clearing his throat, he changed to another song. "I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me..."
"... I'll go anywhere for you, anywhere you ask me to... I'll do anything for you, anything you want me to..."
Hanayuki was laughing so much, her stomach was beginning to ache and tears were once again pouring down her cheeks. Only this time, they were tears of laughter.
"You know Aki, if you are singing all these Backstreet Boys songs with the intention of irking me out, I'm afraid you won't be very successful, because I have nothing against them or their songs," said Hanayuki as she wiped away the tears on her face.
"I wasn't trying to irk you, Hana. I was just trying to convey my feelings to you. Nothing can express the inner feelings of a person better than songs, and I think that these songs were the most appropriate, given the situation we're in."
"Oh no, please don't start."
"I won't if you will reconsider my proposal."
"What proposal?"
"That I be given the chance to be your boyfriend."
"Isn't it enough that you are a guy and my friend?"
"Not for me, no."
"Then it's just too bad."
"Aww, come on, Hana!"
"Shohoku!"
"Eh?"
"Fight! Fight! Shohoku!"
Hanayuki jumped to her feet. "Oh my goodness! I cannot believe I actually forgot about them."
"What about them?" asked Sendoh.
"I told them that I would meet them here at the beach. Guess I'd better go now." She called to Yumi. "Come Yumi."
Sendoh stood up as well. "Matte, Hana! I'll come with you. I need to go back to Ryonan anyway. I can accompany you to the train station."
"Come on then."
"Hai. Just a minute while I pack my things."
---
"Isn't that Yuki-chan?" asked Kogure as he ran alongside Akagi.
"Hana-chan? Where?"
"Over there, you baka," said Miyagi as he pointed to a distant figure walking along the jetty towards them. His vision focused on the person beside her. "Hey, isn't that Sendoh with her?"
"It's Sendoh alright," said Mitsui grimly. Rukawa, who was running beside him, visibly scowled at the sight.
"Yuki-san," shouted Ichiro, as he cycled towards her (he and Ayako were cycling while the rest were running).
"Ohayo, minna! So, how did the night go? Slept well, I presume," greeted Hanayuki cheerfully. Too cheerful, in Rukawa's opinion.
"Hana-chan! What are you doing with that... that baka porcupine smiley?" asked Sakuragi.
"I came here to fish, Sakuragi-kun," Sendoh answered.
"What, there's no fish back in Ryonan?"
Sendoh laughed. "Unfortunately, no. Here, on the other hand, there's plenty of fish. Big fishes. In fact, I almost caught one today, but it slipped away from my hands when I was trying to get a better hold on it. I'm not worried, though. I'm sure I'll be able to catch it again. Right, Hana?" He slipped his hand around her waist.
"Aarrgghh!!! Sendoh, take your hands off Hana-chan now! And why are you calling her Hana??!" shouted Sakuragi.
"Because she lets me, don't you, Hana?" Sendoh replied, knowing perfectly well that he was further aggravating the redhead, and a certain super rookie.
"Aki! Are you complaining that your lifespan is too long?" Hanayuki reprimanded, poking him in the ribs.
"Aki?!" everybody chorused (even Rukawa, except that he said it in his mind).
Sendoh beamed. "It's cute, isn't it? Only Hana here can call me by that name."
"Hana-chan, what were you thinking??!!" wailed Sakuragi. And for the rest of the day, that was the only thing Sakuragi had to say to his sister.
---
A few days later, at Shohoku High School...
It had been a relatively peaceful day for Hanayuki. Until...
"Yuki-chan! Yuki-chan!"
Hanayuki turned around to see Yasuda running up to her. "What's wrong, Yasuda-sempai?"
She waited for him to catch his breath. Still panting slightly, Yasuda said, "Yuki-chan, we... we're in serious trouble."
Hanayuki frowned. "What trouble?"
---
"I cannot believe that all four of them had failed all their subjects," grumbled Ayako.
Kogure sighed. "Let's just hope that Akagi can get the teachers to let them have a replacement test."
Hanayuki, who was leaning against the wall, kept quiet. One problem after another. My poor, poor heart...
Meanwhile, in the staff room, Akagi had managed to beg the teachers to let Sakuragi, Rukawa, Miyagi and Mitsui sit for a replacement test. Because they will be having the test the next day, Akagi ordered them to go to his house that very night to have a study camp.
"I won't be able to do it alone. I'll need your help," said Akagi, looking at Kogure and Ayako.
"I'll help too," Hanayuki volunteered.
"No, Yuki-chan. You don't have to come. You need a lot of rest, and I think we will be staying up the whole night," said Akagi.
"But-"
"Don't worry, Yuki-chan. We'll be able to handle them," Kogure assured her.
"But-"
"Everything will be fine," added Ayako.
"But-"
"Recess time is almost over, Yuki-chan. You had better get back to your class quick," said Akagi. "We'll be going too. Come on, Kogure."
And she watched as the three of them walked down the corridor towards their respective classes, leaving her behind.
---
Knock, knock.
"Coming!" called Haruko, as she skipped all the way to the door. I cannot believe Rukawa-kun is here in my house. And oniichan asked me to tutor him! Oh my god! It couldn't get any better than...
"Konbanwa, Haruko-chan."
...this...
Haruko stared at the person standing in front of her.
"Um, can I come in?" asked Hanayuki.
"Ah! Of course, Yuki-chan. Come in," said Haruko, moving aside to let Hanayuki enter.
Hanayuki smiled at her. "Arigatou, Haruko-chan." She walked into the house, as Haruko closed the door behind her.
Why does she have to come? I thought oniichan said she wasn't coming... thought Haruko sadly.
Meanwhile, in the living room...
"Hana-chan!"
"Yuki-chan?"
"Hey guys, look what I brought," said Hanayuki, holding up the pot in her hand.
"Yuki-chan, what are you doing here?" asked Akagi.
"I came to help, Akagi-sempai," she replied. Before he could say another word, she continued, "You really don't expect me to just sit back and watch while you and Kogure-sempai and Ayako-san do everything, do you? Don't forget, I am your coach after all, even if it's only on a temporary basis."
Defeated, Akagi just shook his head. Mitsui, on the other hand, took the pot from her and opened the lid to take a peek inside. "What is this, Hana-chan?"
"It's chicken soup, Hisashi-niichan."
"Chicken soup?"
"Yeah. I remember reading somewhere that chicken soup is very good for the brain, so I bought all the ingredients this afternoon, prepared them at home, and brought it here as soon as it was ready. Akagi-sempai said that you guys would most probably be staying up all night to study for tomorrow's test, and I thought that some chicken soup might be able to help you get through the night," explained Hanayuki.
Turning to Akagi, she asked, "Do you mind if I use the kitchen, Akagi-sempai? I need to heat it up on the stove, since it's getting cold. I promise I'll clean up everything after that."
"Er... well, I guess it wouldn't be a problem, but you cannot possibly stay up all night yourself, Yuki-chan. You just barely recovered from your last attack and-"
"Don't worry, Akagi-sempai. I'm only heating up soup. How hard can that be on my heart?" Hanayuki assured him. Without waiting for his answer, she took everything into the kitchen and immediately set to work.
While waiting for the soup to be ready for drinking, Hanayuki went to check on their progress with their specially-prepared paper work. She peered over Sakuragi's shoulder, looking at his paper.
"Hana-chan, I don't understand how to answer this question. Can you teach me?" he asked.
"Um... let me see."
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
"Er... just another second..."
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
"Anou... one more second..."
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
"Er... Hana-chan?"
"Ehehehehe... gomen, oniichan, but you see, I don't know how to answer the question either..." said Hanayuki embarrassedly. Sakuragi sweatdropped.
"Do'aho."
"Teme!" Sakuragi turned to glare at Rukawa. "Who are you calling a do'aho, kitsune?"
"Her."
"Why you- huh? Oh..."
"Do'aho."
"Teme! How dare you call the Tensai's sister do'aho??!"
"I was calling you, do'aho."
"Nani??!"
"BAKA!!!"
BAM!
"Itai..." moaned Sakuragi in pain.
"In my room, now!!!" roared Akagi, pulling the redhead up by the ear. Hanayuki sweatdropped as she watched her brother struggle all the way upstairs.
"Haruko, you watch over Rukawa. Don't let him fall asleep, you hear me?" instructed Akagi from upstairs.
While Haruko sat opposite Rukawa, blushing furiously, Hanayuki went back into the kitchen to check on the soup. A couple of minutes later, she came out with a few bowls of steaming hot chicken soup.
"Ok, minna. The soup's ready. Come and drink it before it gets cold," Hanayuki called to the 'red-mark army'. Then, she went upstairs to get her brother.
"So, how does it taste?" asked Hanayuki eagerly.
"It tastes alright," said Mitsui.
"Yeah," Sakuragi agreed. "It tastes like chicken."
"Baka! Of course it tastes like chicken. It is chicken soup."
"Teme Ryochin! I know it's chicken soup. That's why I said it tasted like chicken."
"URUSAI!"
BAM!
"Itai..."
"Back to my room, now!!!" And so once again, Sakuragi was hauled upstairs by the ear.
After they had finished the soup, Hanayuki gathered the bowls and proceeded to the kitchen to wash them. Ayako insisted on helping, and Hanayuki let her.
In the kitchen...
"So, Yuki-chan. What's with you and Sendoh?" asked Ayako all of a sudden.
Knowing where the question was leading to, Hanayuki sighed. "He's a friend, Ayako-san."
"Reeeaaally?"
"Ayako-san, pleeeaaase don't start."
"I'm only being a caring senior and friend, Yuki-chan."
"How unfortunate that I can't seem to be able to feel that way, Ayako-san."
"Yeah... that's why I have to keep showing you, Yuki-chan. So anyway, how do you feel about Sendoh?" Ayako persisted.
Hanayuki kept quiet, and she continued, "Come on, Yuki-chan. Can't you take this as a normal girl-to-girl talk? You tell me about yourself and I tell you about mine. We don't get to talk much in school, you know."
"You're never going to give up until I talk, are you, Ayako-san?"
"Absolutely not."
Hanayuki sighed again. "Fine. I think he's a very nice person."
"That's all?"
"He's funny."
"And...?"
"Always smiling."
"And...?"
"Always laughing."
"Ok. Change of question. How does he make you feel?"
Hanayuki paused for a while, before answering, "Well, to tell you the truth, he makes me smile. And laugh." A small smile played on her lips as she remembered his antics at the jetty a few days back.
Ayako saw it and smiled mischievously to herself. "Do you like him?"
"Of course I like him, Ayako-san."
"Ok. Change of question again. Do you love him?"
Hanayuki turned to look at her. "Of course not. We've only started to get to know each other."
"Ah... that means there is the possibility that you will love him once you get to know him better."
"I don't think so."
"But why not? Like you said, he's a very nice person, he's funny, always smiling and laughing. Most importantly, he makes you smile and laugh. Long story cut short, he makes you happy. That's what we girls look for in a guy; someone that will make us happy," lectured Ayako.
"I know, Ayako-san. But you can't force yourself to love someone just because that someone makes you laugh. I mean, oniichan makes me laugh," reasoned Hanayuki.
"Yes, Sakuragi makes you laugh, and you love him right?"
"Well, yeah, of course I love him. But, he's my brother! It's different."
"True. After all, we're talking about a potential life-partner here."
"For goodness sake, Ayako-san! I'm only 15 this year. What are you trying to do, talking to me about life-partners?" asked Hanayuki exasperatedly.
"My dear, in case you are too dense to notice, there are currently two guys out there trying to capture your heart. One is in the dining room of this house, and the other is in Ryonan. Tell me, what are you going to do with them?" Ayako pointed out.
"What can I do about them, Ayako-san?" Hanayuki asked, throwing her hands in the air.
"Well, you can choose either one of them and go on living."
"Why can't I not choose either one of them and go on living?"
"Because then you won't be able to rid yourself of at least one of them."
"Why would I want to rid myself of them? They're my friends."
"Yes, they are your friends. But, do they only want to be your friend, Yuki-chan?"
"This is getting confusing and frustrating. I don't want to talk about it anymore." Hanayuki buried her face in her hands.
Ayako let her sort out her feelings first before saying gently, "Yuki-chan, tell me the truth. Between the two of them, who do you feel most comfortable with?"
It took a while, but Hanayuki answered the question. "Aki."
"Why?"
"I don't know..."
"Ok. Let me put it this way. Why don't you feel comfortable with Rukawa?"
"I don't know..."
"Then, let me try answering the question for you. Is it because you know that you have feelings for Rukawa, but couldn't acknowledge it, that's why you don't feel comfortable with him?"
Hanayuki lifted her hands from her face and looked at Ayako. She didn't have to say a thing. Ayako could see the answer clearly shown on her face.
Hanayuki returned to her washing. Ayako watched her for a while, before asking, "Why can't you acknowledge your feelings for Rukawa?"
She could see that Hanayuki was trying very hard not to burst into tears. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Yuki-chan?"
Hanayuki took a deep breath. The answer she gave startled Ayako.
"Because, like you said, I do have feelings for him."
---
Unknown to the two girls inside the kitchen, someone was listening to their conversation outside the door.
---
"Huh? That doesn't make any sense, Yuki-chan," said Ayako, baffled.
"I don't expect you to understand, Ayako-san. I don't expect anybody to understand."
"But-"
"Ayako-san. I have my own reasons as to why I chose to do what I did. That's all I can tell you. Don't bother asking me what the reasons are, because I won't tell. At least, not now. Perhaps in the future, when the time comes."
She dried the last bowl and put in back on the dish rack. "Thank you for making me talk, Ayako-san. As much as I didn't want to talk about it, well, it made me feel better. Thank you." She smiled at Ayako before leaving the kitchen.
Out in the dining room, Hanayuki saw Rukawa bending over his paper. Smiling a little, she walked over to him. "Rukawa-kun, I half-expected you to be asleep already."
Rukawa grunted in reply.
"Well, keep it up," she said, before heading for the living room.
"Yuki."
Hearing her name being called, Hanayuki turned around. "Yes, Rukawa-kun?"
"Go to sleep."
Smirking, she replied, "I will. You, on the other hand, had better not fall asleep." With that, she left the room.
---
2 hours later...
Rukawa handed the paper to Haruko. Ayako, who was passing by the table, remarked, "It's a miracle to see you still awake, Rukawa."
"My eyes are ruined," came the reply.
"Well, I think you can go and get some sleep now, since you are already done. But before that, how did he do, Haruko-chan?" asked Ayako.
Haruko was too busy blushing and thinking that she was holding Rukawa's paper to be able to hear anything. Shaking her head, Ayako said, "Never mind. Go to sleep, Rukawa."
She didn't have to tell him twice. In a flash, he was out of the dining room and in the living room, where Miyagi, Mitsui and Hanayuki were already asleep on the sofas. Miyagi and Mitsui were sleeping on the opposite ends of one sofa, while Hanayuki had a sofa all to herself.
Without missing a beat, Rukawa went over to Hanayuki and knelt down beside her. Gently, he caressed her face, waking her up in the process.
"Rukawa-kun?" said Hanayuki groggily. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Kaede."
"Huh?"
"Call me Kaede."
Hanayuki looked at him curiously. "Why the sudden change?"
Rukawa shrugged. He sat on the sofa and stretched his legs.
Hanayuki yawned. "Fine, fine. We'll stick to Kaede then. You done with your paper work already?"
When she saw him nod, she yawned again. "Good, then go to sleep." She stood up to leave when Rukawa reached out and pulled at her hand.
"Sleep, do'aho."
Hanayuki raised an eyebrow. "How am I going to sleep when you took my sleeping spot?"
Rukawa just looked at her and didn't answer, his face expressionless. Hanayuki raised both her eyebrows. "You can't be serious."
When Rukawa didn't say anything, she heaved a huge sigh. "This is Akagi-sempai's house, in case you forgot. Besides, the sofa is too small."
Rolling his eyes, Rukawa pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. Hanayuki would have protested, but knowing that he wouldn't yield even if she created a fuss and woke the whole house, and since she was tired anyway, she reluctantly complied and stretched on the sofa, leaning her head on his chest. In an instant, she was asleep, and Rukawa tightened his hold on her, so as to prevent her from rolling off the sofa and falling to the floor.
(A/n: Um... I don't know how to describe how it looked like, you will have to use your imagination. Basically, Rukawa was lying on the sofa with Hanayuki beside him, her head on his chest and his arms around her. Since the sofa was supposed to be small, Rukawa was lying slightly on his side, while Hanayuki is practically lying sideways. That's about it, I guess. Happy imagining.)
Ayako watched the scene in amusement, while Haruko looked on enviously. At that moment, Sakuragi came down the stairs.
"Sakuragi, what are you doing down here?" asked Ayako. Before he could answer, she pushed him into the dining room. She knew very well how he would react if he saw Hanayuki and the 'kitsune' sleeping together on the sofa. She motioned to Haruko to help her distract him, and luckily, Haruko obliged, and so, it remained peaceful for the rest of the night.
---
The next morning...
Miyagi and Mitsui were awakened by the booming voice of Akagi. Even in their sleepy state, it didn't take them long to see the ink marks on his face, and they started laughing. Ayako could barely hold back herself, while Haruko sweatdropped. Sakuragi, the culprit, was only given the chance to snigger for a second, before he was pounded by Akagi repeatedly.
Extraordinarily, Hanayuki and Rukawa remained undisturbed by the chaos around them. And, even in his pounded state, it didn't take Sakuragi long to catch sight of them, now that Ayako and Haruko weren't trying to keep him away.
"AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Hana-chan!!!" Creating a miracle, he managed to release himself from Akagi's pounding and in a blink of an eye, was already beside the sofa. He yanked Hanayuki from the sofa and threw her aside, before grabbing hold of Rukawa by the shirt collar.
Rudely awakened, Rukawa delivered a punch to Sakuragi's face, marking the start of a full-fledged fight right in the middle of the living room of the Akagi household. Even Akagi couldn't stop the fight, and he was forced to retreat to safety with the others.
Creating another miracle for the day, Sakuragi picked up the sofa (don't ask me how, I mean, miracles do happen you know, especially when you're real mad) and threw it at Rukawa. Rukawa, having possessed quick fox-like reflexes, avoided the sofa easily. Unfortunately, somebody wasn't as quick or as lucky.
Sakuragi looked in horror at the hand stuck out from under the sofa, while Rukawa paled considerably. Akagi, Mitsui, Miyagi and Ayako had their jaws dropped to the floor and their eyes bulged out of their sockets, while Haruko had fainted on the floor.
"Ouch."
---
Author's notes: Thank you to everyone who reviewed... You guys are so kind... sniff