Finally! Got a chance to upload! Hurrah!

Tensaispira: Why? What's wrong with the Jin fic?

Zwey: Thanks! Am not implicated by your approach. ^_^ How come your teacher's a lawyer? What's he doing in a school?

Unchained: Thanks! Watched an episode of SD that I missed – compared it to the story – realised the gap of OOCness and am appalled. But well, too late.

Fiery-ice: I read it again and thought it was too mushy… but nvm. Head of TWO clubs??? Man, tell me about it. I'm the president of three clubs, vice of one, head of debator, and secretary of another, so I know how you feel. ^_^

Miracle: Am from SMKSBU. You know my school? Good luck in PMR!! Me taking SPM. !!!

Krappkarmin: No, am not going to write Koshino fic. STOP PERSUADING ME TO DO IT!

Iluvenis Telperien: *hugs IT back*

Unquestionable: Sympathize with you. Got teachers like that too!

Kka: Find out, hmm?

Iori: Did not lie. Can someone give me an idea on how to get back on Ika?

Reika Zelon: Good luck in ur exams!!

Tiran: You cried? Whoa!

SLL: Congrats on your PMR!! *claps loudly* Omedeto! (did I spell that right?)

Frozenfemale: Yeah, keep that parang away – far, far away. I like societies!! But now am having trouble because am tied to all five and cannot escape!

Patty g: ha ha ha! School's okay, am still alive!!

Jo-sen7: I was thinking that the previous chap SHOULD have been the last chap, but somehow it wasn't. Do you think the story's getting too stretchy? Maybe I should end it sooner.

Unknown-angel: Thanks for reviewing!

Akima's hand was on its way to knock on her parents' bedroom door, her mind whirling up a speech – Hi, Dad, in reference to the moving away to Spain news… –

"Let's not tell the kids about this yet."

She stopped, automatically holding her breath. Kids? Is that supposed to include me?? KIDS??

"Why not?" came her stepmother's reply. "They should know."

"Let it be a surprise."

"Why? We're already going at the end of next month."

There was silence. Akima hurriedly tried to listen in.        

"Akima," Akira, on padded slippers and a cold drink in hand, said rather seriously as he looked down at his stepsister who was crouching down with one ear to the keyhole in front of their parents' bedroom. "I usually don't care, but what on earth are you doing?"

"Sssh!" she hushed him snappily, pressing the side of her face closer to the door to hear the murmurs behind it better. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"What I see is you squatting like a frog and attempting to fit your earlobe into the key-hole." His eyes widened suddenly and he all but dropped the drink. "Stinking shit! Are you spying on mom and dad having sex??"

Akima ignored him, her concentration somewhere else.

Akira shook his head. "And people tell me I'm the perverted one," he muttered. "Oh well, the game show's about to start. I'm just going to take my drink and myself to the TV while you get some sex education." Akima didn't reply. "I see. Other than turning into a scarily curious young girl, you're also turning deaf. Very well. Have fun."

She waved him away absently, then struggled to focus into the muffled voices from the room beyond. It was sort of like fixing your TV antenna. Step one, find the right position. Step two, STAY THERE.

"Just admit in, Mizano."

Akima heard her father sigh. Admit what? Oh please, don't tell me he's marrying someone else in Spain.

"All right, all right," her father said helplessly. "I'm scared. Okay? I'm terrified of breaking the news to Akima." There was some shuffling sound, probably him standing up. "I mean, I promised her when I came back here that it'd be a permanent stay, and now we … well, I just don't know if she'll take it very well."

Damn right, dad.

"Then don't move."

Damn right, stepmom.

"We have to. I have to oversee the processes myself, see the progress. And you have to be with me as the official co-partner of the company. And the kids –"

"They'll be fine with it. Akira would like it, I believe. How long do we have to stay there anyway?"

"One year, at least."

Akima heard someone clap, and her stepmother's voice. "Then it's just fine. Akima's a big girl. She'll take it well. It's just one year, and then we'll be back here again."

"You don't get it, darling. I said 'at least'."

"Oh." Pause. "So that 'at least' actually means a probability of 0.01 percent?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's a problem."

Her father sighed again. "Which is why I'm thinking we shouldn't tell the kids yet – until I figure out some way to work it out to them."

"We can tell Akira."

"You tell Akira, then it's like telling Akima as well." Footsteps padding across the carpeted floor. "Just do what I ask you and don't tell them yet, especially Akima. All right?"

The soft silence indicated her stepmother was thinking about it. Then – "All right." Then some smooches were heard and Akima quickly pushed herself away. Zombie-like, she stalked to the television set where Akira was blissfully sprawled.

He took one look at her. "They're done? Already?"

She ignored him, a haunted look on her face.

"Why, you look … off-colour. Some sex education, eh?"

She looked at him. "Did you know –" she stopped then sighing, "No, never mind."

            He raised an eyebrow, but went back to the TV as she slithered upstairs quiet as a ghost. Get facts in a straight line, Akima told herself. Deal with practicality. Think about killing your father and stepmother later. Same goes for ideas of bombing dad's company up so no bloody body will have to move to some other bloody place.

            Okay.

            Number 1 – we are moving to Spain, in a month's time.

            Number 2 – Spain is far.

            Number 3 – very far.

            Number 4 – very, very far.

            Number 5 – will have to tell Kaede.

            Number 6 – will definitely get into a fight about it

            Number 7 – but have just reconciled

            Number 8 – to tell, or not to tell?

            Option # 1 – Tell.

            Consequences # 1 – Short term: Furious Kaede. Long term: No Kaede.

            Option # 2 – Shut up.

            Consequences # 2 – Short term: Oblivious Kaede. Long term: No Kaede.

            Akima buried herself in her bedspread.

            Wonderful.

            Wonderfully hateful.

            I hate Spain.

            I hate moving away.

            I hate Dad.

            I hate my bedspread. It smells.

            "Akima, you okay?" Akira's voice penetrated through her door.

            "I hate you," she replied aloofly, mind occupied with the list of thing she hated, "and everything else in the whole wide world."

            A pause from Akira. Then – "Um, well, good night to you too."

            "So that's where the word vanilla originated from," Akima chattered quickly as she sat cross-legged on the public basketball court. "Do you want to know where 'chocolate' came from? It happened when –" she stopped when he paused in the act of shooting a ball and gave her a funny look.

            "Why are we talking about ice cream flavours?" he asked.

            Akima subconsciously bit her lip. "Because it's … interesting? I mean, who would have thought that vanilla – okay, okay, sorry. This time, I'll tell you about the origins of tomato. You see, there was once a farmer who –"

            "Tell me what you've been up to lately in Ryonan," he interrupted with a rather amused tone. "Other than reading up on the origins of everything existing on earth."

            Akima sighed. To tell, or not to tell? "Nothing much."

            "That's all? Isn't there anything you want to tell me?"

            She turned slightly pale. "No. I won't tell. I mean, there's nothing to tell, so I won't tell. You know what I mean." Silence. "Um, so about the tomato –" She stopped again at the look on his face, quite aware that she had been talking endlessly from the second they met up. She was afraid that if she didn't talk, she'd start brooding over the Spain thing and then blurt it out. "I'm just trying to fill in the silence," she said lamely.

            "We never had the need to fill in the silence before."

            "Yeah, well, today's a special occasion."

            "I don't see what's so special about it."

            "It's special because I said it is and because I feel like filling in the silence."

            "You're nervous."

            "No, I'm not nervous."

            "You're tense."

            "No, I'm not tense."

            "You're not lying."

            "No, I'm lying." Akima paused and then narrowed her eyes. "Ahahaha. Shut up and practice."

            "Same to you."

            They glared at each other with a mix of exasperation and affection. He continued practicing, running up and down the court. Akima sat quietly (15% watching, 85% brooding). To tell, or not to tell? If I tell, then instant break up. If I don't… then I have some more time with him… tell or not to tell? Shut up or open up? "Kaede," she called out then, out of the blue.

            He grunted audibly. "Hmm?"

            "This is simply a survey test," she told him, laying the groundwork to avoid suspicion. "Let's say you hate chilli, okay?"

            "Is that a trick question?"

            "Um, well, sort of. Not really. I don't know. Just listen." Akima took a deep breath. "Okay, so you hate chilli. So one day, I cook you a meal, and it has chilli in it."

            "You can cook?"

            She released a sharp breath. "Yes. SO, the meal has chilli in it, but you've already eaten it all without even knowing it."

            His eyebrows were furrowed. "Okay."

            "Would you, or would you not want me to tell you that the meal has chilli in it?"

            He dribbled the ball thoughtfully. "No," he answered then. "I'm better off not knowing about it. The deed's done, isn't it?"

            Akima stared at him for a while, and then quickly nodded. "Right," she said vigorously. "Right." Decision = do not tell. "Well, uh, 45 percent who uh, did the survey said that too."

            "What did the other 55 percent say?"

            Akima rubbed her cheek. "Um, I forgot. Anyway," she said quickly, "as I was saying, there was this farmer who planted tomato seeds, only he didn't know it was tomato seeds and…"

            They stared at each other across the school cafeteria, both silent, brooding and unsure. Akima rubbed her temples in pretence of shooing away a mosquito. Suki coughed uncomfortably, pretending she'd choked on something.

            Then, almost painfully, with her eyes set on the smooth table, Akima muttered, "Hey."

            Suki's eyes widened slightly, in a darn-I-hope-this-is-not-just-a-dream way. "H-hi."

            Both cheeks were flushed.

            "I, uh," suddenly tongue-tied, Akima cursed herself in her head. "I heard – I mean, Kaede told me about what you did."

            "Oh."

            "Yeah, about admitting to him and stuff like that."

            "Yeah, that's right."

            "I just thought I'd thank you."

            Suki scraped her shoe against the metal sides of her wheelchair. "It was no big deal. I – I owed you that, I think."

            "Hmm." They stared at each other again.

            Akima then stood up, still pretending to shoo a mosquito. "Well, the bell's about to ring. I better go. I have Physics now."

            Suki nodded. "I know. I'm in the same class."

            Akima bit her tongue. "Right. Sorry."

            "Why?"

            "Because I forgot." Akima replied. "And because I was such being such a childish sulker."

            Suki suddenly looked straight at the dustbin in front of her. "I'm sorry too."

            Akima blinked. "Why?"

            "Because… well, you know why."

            The smile was too impulsive to stop. "Okay."

            Suki looked up. "Okay?"

            Akima nodded. "Yeah," she repeated. "Okay."

            Suki's lips were spreading across her face. "I've been thinking," she said enthusiastically, "about what you told me to think about. And," she paused for a while, "And well, I saw your point. I'm joining clubs now. Societies too. I've got new friends. I think they like me."

            Akima cocked her head. "That's great."

            "I butted into the basketball club."

            "Oh?" Akima was frowning. "Why would you enter a club with a captain who has a demented, not to mention spiky, head?"

            Suki looked at the dustbin again in an abashed move.

            Akima stared with a raised eyebrow. "Oh." She murmured. "Oh." No.

            Suki stared even harder at the dustbin, very aware that Akima was doing her best not to drop down guffawing on the floor.

            "Well," Akima started, awkward again despite the amusement she felt. To tell Akira, or not to tell Akira? "I better go now."

            'I better go now'. Not 'we better go now'. Suki didn't say anything, silently sighing at the invisible border Akima had apparently put between them. Not too far, but not close either. But she decided it was a start. She'd have a long way to climb to win Akima's trust again.

            "See you in Physics?"

            Suki looked up in surprise. Then, she smiled broadly. "Absolutely."

            "Okay then." Akima walked away with a slight nod. "Don't be late."

            Suki watched her go, a sudden contentment stopping her from moving. "I won't." Maybe not such a long way to climb after all, she thought happily. Maybe there were short cuts. "Hey, Akima." She called out loudly. "I have an idea to pay Ika back."

            Akima turned, her face unreadable. For a moment, Suki expected her to smile. Then, "Sorry. Not interested." The smile did come, but it was sort of wry. "If I did, I would have to pay back on you too, wouldn't I?"

            Suki turned bright red. She had been sure Akima would agree and they'd go for revenge together and patch up along the way. Unfortunately, she'd missed out the fact that she herself was part of the people being revenged upon.

            So, no short cuts.

            "Oh, yeah," Akira nodded when Akima confronted him during recess. "Your friend, Suki, joined the club recently. She's the assistant manageress, of course. There's isn't anything else she could be."

            Akima nodded agreeably. "How has she been?" She forcefully hid the telltale smile.

            "Enthusiastic," he shrugged. "Absolutely obedient. She does everything I tell her to without even a flicker of the eye."

            "Wow. Interesting."

            "And she actually stays back and insists on being there until the last member returns home."

            "Which is you, right?"

            "I have to be the last to leave. I'm the captain."

            And because you're always the last to come. "Wow. Very interesting."

            Akira gave her a funny look. "Basically, she has been very sweet. We're getting rather fond of her. Yesterday, I asked her if there was any chance she'd be able to walk again, and she said yes, if she practiced enough. So we came to an agreement that I'd help her walk after basketball practice."

            Akima nodded again. "Hmm. Of course, that would require you to hold and support her most of the time, right?"       

            Akira thought about it. "Probably, but she should be able to cease depending on me as we move on."

            Akima disagreed, but didn't let it be an issue. "Wow. Even more interesting."

            "She was very excited about it."

            "Wow. All the more interesting."

            Akira snapped his packet of lunch shut. "All right," he said in a serious tone. "What's so interesting? Why do you keep grinning like that?"

            "I'm not grinning." She corrected him. "I'm just stretching my lips."

            "Oh, right. And I'm a black hippopotamus with green fungus down my back."

            "I can see the similarities."

            His eyes rolled upwards. "Seriously, Akima. What's got you so bubbly?"

            Her eyes widened excessively. "I'm not bubbly," she told him. "Actually, I'm very, very worried."

            His eyebrows went up as he considered the implication. "About Suki?"

            "No," she shook her head. "About you."

            Akira stared at her. "Why?" he asked, puzzled. "Why? Why would you be worried about me? What's there to be worried about? Why? Why? Why, why why?"

            "I don't know why, why, why." Akima winked as she prepared to escape. "Why, why, why don't you think about it?"

I tried to update Fujima and Maki, but I couldn't open the file, for some obscure reason! Sorry!