A/N: And now that the weekend is over…back to normal, every day life! Which probably has less drama. Or does it…?

Disclaimer: Any Navy life information is based on what I've read/been told and may not be accurate. But don't let that affect your enjoyment of the story. ^_^

Part 5: Return

Day 5: Monday

            "Thank you, Sano…for everything," Kenshin said as he lifted his bag from the trunk of Sanosuke's truck.

            "No problem. You're always welcome to visit me." Sanosuke placed Kaoru's luggage on the curb of Norfolk airport.

            After Kenshin retrieved Megumi's luggage, Sano closed the trunk and approached the women waiting at curbside.

            "Thanks for coming. Sorry I wasted your guys' trip…" Sano admitted sheepishly.

            He wasn't much of one for goodbyes. People always made such a big deal out of them, but he never really saw the point of all their drama. But he was willing to make a couple exceptions, particularly to his best friend, his best friend's wife, and…his ex-girlfriend.

            "It's all right, Sano," Kaoru assured him, her voice cheerful like always. "I had a great time seeing the East Coast. And look at it this way…you know what to do for next time."

            He smiled wryly. "Thanks. Come visit me anytime you want."

            She gave him a quick hug. "You're welcome to come visit us for Christmas if you have no one to celebrate with."

            "Thanks, Jo-chan."

            He glanced in Megumi's direction, to see that she was fishing in her purse. Early this morning, when she had fully regained consciousness, they immediately headed back to his truck and to the house. Megumi had asked several questions…she had been curious, especially after finding herself wearing next to nothing, but he had assured her that nothing had happened. Well. Almost nothing. But he didn't tell her that. He hadn't been able to stop himself from kissing her. When he realized that she was half-asleep, he immediately stopped. He wondered if Kenshin and Kaoru knew about them staying at the motel together. No doubt Kaoru would get her crazy ideas and Kenshin would just have his own thoughts, not saying anything, but thinking his and Megumi's business was their own. Megumi was a private person…she didn't freely give details like that to just anyone. He turned back to the couple, who were making sure that their luggage had their nametags in the event the bags were lost.

            "Can you guys go ahead? I need to talk to Megumi first."

            Three pairs of eyes shot to his – one blue-green, one violet, and one brown, with just a hint of alarm.

            Kenshin nodded and wheeled his luggage towards the entrance.

            "We'll see you at the gate," Kaoru said to Megumi before following her husband.

            The two disappeared behind the sliding doors as Megumi watched.

            Sanosuke leaned against the driver's side, shoving his hands in his pockets, keeping his gaze steady on her.

            Dark eyes stared back at him. "What do you want to say to me?"

            "Something happened yesterday…when we were alone…I started thinking…and…" he began softly. "I…I don't think I ever stopped caring about you." He swallowed the lump in his throat, staring at his feet. She was going to leave now and he needed to get this out in the open. "I'll always care about you. Hell, maybe a part of me will always love you." Damn, it was a relief to actually say that.

            When he looked up, she was staring at him in disbelief. "Why…Why are you saying this…?" she whispered. "I thought…I thought…"

            "You thought we were done?" he supplied. At her nod, he smiled ruefully, "So did I."

            Megumi pressed slender fingers to her forehead. "But…you…you were supposed to marry someone else yesterday…"

            "Do I look married to you?"

            "I don't understand…how…you can…" Megumi swallowed, meeting his gaze. "That…that doesn't make any sense…"

            "Love isn't something that does."

            "But…why…how could you say that to me?" Megumi began to shake.

            "I know it isn't something you want to hear, but you don't need to act like the world's gonna end," he grimaced.

            "But we've been through this already!" she argued. "You've never given me any reason to believe that our relationship could continue. I thought you moved on…I thought…How…How could you ask someone else to marry you if you still had feelings for me?"

            Sanosuke moved forward, grasping her forearms with his large hands. "Megumi, I didn't think I felt this way. I really thought that I was over you. But when I sat there last night…I…I can't explain it, but-"

"This can't be happening," Megumi murmured, her eyes closing.

            "I'm not asking you to tell me how you feel…I'm just telling it like it is from my side." He moved closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Even after four months together, a break-up, and a year-long friendship, you know me better than Kat does. She couldn't marry me knowing that. Why do you think even after all that time, you know me better than my ex-fiancee?"

            "Because I understand men better?" Megumi commented dryly.

            "That could be it," he grinned. Once his eyes turned serious, he added, "But you've never stopped caring either."

            Silence.

            After last night, he realized he'd always want to be part of her life. And if he wasn't mistaken, she wanted the same.

            Which brought up something else…"Kat told me that I need to go to Hawaii…find myself…what makes me happy. Whether it's you or something else…"

            Her eyes shot to his. "And…are you going?"

            How was her reaction to that? She didn't seem too bothered by it. Nor was she too thrilled about it. Not that he'd blame her. How many people in the world wanted their ex in the same time zone…let alone the same town?

            "I haven't decided yet." He sighed. "Besides, I'd just mess things up…and there's someone waiting for you back on Hawaii…"

            "Aoshi…and I…I don't really know what to do about him…" Megumi looked away, taking a deep breath. "He leaving pretty much says what he thought of our relationship…"

            Guilt washed over him. He was really bad at this relationship thing. First his own relationships…was he going to mess up other people's, too? Sano hadn't missed the officer's protectiveness over Megumi, or the look in Aoshi's eyes after Megumi left with his truck. The man had been angry about Megumi's decision, but he had been hurt, as well. No one could walk away from Megumi without being affected. It was a feeling Sanosuke understood very well.

            Impulsively, she placed her hand on his arm. "You have to come to Hawaii for Christmas. You shouldn't be spending the holidays without family." 

            He frowned. "What about Aoshi?"

            Megumi's eyes softened. "I'm not sure what is going to happen..."

            How could she think that so soon after the man left? He caught himself. If he felt that he and Kat wouldn't be able to work things out…what was to stop her from thinking the same? "If I go…is there any way we could be more?"

            She closed her eyes. "I…really don't think-"

            "That was a stupid question," he immediately said. He raked a hand through his hair. "I know you love him…and the last thing I want to do is mess everything up. You were happy before you came here, fox-lady."

            Her eyes flew open. "And look what happened once I got here." She released another breath.  

            "I'm not expecting much, fox-lady. I know that a lot's happened since we broke up." He wasn't even sure what to do…what to think. But he knew that he had a small portion of his answer. The rest…would come in time.

            She looked away for a few moments. "I want you to come to Hawaii. In spite of what you think about close ties and roots…you do have a family there. Myself included."

            His brown eyes widened. "You really mean that?"

            She nodded. "Yes. We'll always be friends, Sano. That will never change. But…I won't be a consolation prize."

            He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, looking down into her beautiful dark eyes. "You never were." He cleared his throat. "I've got a couple things I need to do if I go back to Hawaii. I'm not really sure where all of it will go…but I'd like you to be there for me through all of it."

            Megumi bit her lip at his implication. "Sano…with everything going on-"

            "As a friend. If you want to be there as more…that's up to you," he said softly.

            She lifted her brows. "Where do you plan on starting for this self-discovery?"

            "Maybe find who my birth parents were. I don't know." He shrugged, letting his hand drop from the satiny texture of her skin. "I'll call you when I get to the islands."

            "All right..."

Day 5: Tuesday

            Lieutenant Commander Aoshi Shinomori, from his position on the bridge, watched and waited as several fighter jets quickly landed on the deck, all in line. He leafed through the printed report he had just retrieved, before tucking it back onto his clipboard. The section leaders weren't going to be happy with his report. Neither would the commanding officer of the air wings.

            Navy life. Always dynamic…and an endless journey. During his eleven years of service, he had the life experience of men twice his age. And had served on at least a dozen ships since then. More so now, thanks to his position. There weren't at least two days of the week he wasn't out at the harbor, if not three miles out with whichever ship or boat was coming to the harbor for refueling and restocking of supplies.

            After he spotted the last pilot climb out of his jet, Aoshi promptly left his position, heading towards one of the meeting rooms. A technician greeted him politely, as was custom for greeting an officer, and Aoshi responded in kind. Once he got into the meeting room, he sat quietly in the back as the first squadron discussed the results in their flight run for that day.

            "Kingpin performed a rolling maneuver here…" the commanding officer gestured to a blinking light display at the front of the room, which also had a rough map of the Pacific Ocean. "Traveling at two hundred knots…which got him to the target point exactly one minute ahead of schedule…"

            Aoshi had been around enough pilots to know that perfection was important. To be a pilot was to be the best in the Navy. Their physical training was rigorous, their aptitude tests critical, and flight school highly competitive. Constantly trying to improve one's flying was the most important, whether they were bomber runs, landings, night traps…if a pilot was bad at any of those, he had no place in the Navy.

            "Commander Shinomori, if you could tell us about your findings," Commander Thomas prompted after he described the flight run.

            Aoshi picked up his clipboard and walked to the front. Every pilot in the room wore olive green flight suits. He was the only one wearing the khaki work uniform, its short-sleeved button-down shirt and fitting trousers, complete with shiny black shoes and brightly colored ribbons pinned to his left side.

            Aoshi distributed a sheet of paper to each of the seven men in the room.

            "Due to increase in government spending, the US Navy is looking to purchase nearly one hundred Super Hornets, with you and VFA-198 to serve as the test pilots. These aircraft are not foreign to any of you, but the contractor has made a couple changes in its weapons system." Aoshi saw that several pilots were looking over the numbers on the paper he had given out. "This data is a report of everyone's flight run today. These numbers indicate the range your bombs went off from the water target assigned to you. None of you got within one hundred feet." He waited, noticing the CO looked over the paper again. "It is to my understanding that F/A-18 Hornets are designed to fire its weapons once the pilot initiates the sequence. All of you are seasoned pilots…so what seems to be the problem? Given the fact that these are brand new craft, there is room for error. Is it the system itself? Does the contractor need to calibrate the weapons navigation?" 

            "Programming the computer is a little different this time around," one officer raised his hand.

            "I think…given that we're dealing with a new system, the standards should be flexible," another commented.

            Aoshi arched a brow. "As in changing the range."

            "Yes, sir." Aoshi noted his call sign, 'Pitcher'.

            "Your given range was one hundred feet," Aoshi stated.

            "Yes, sir," Pitcher repeated automatically.

            Aoshi glanced at the commanding officer. "Courvoisier…for the man who can get within fifty feet."

            Several coughs.

            "Yes, sir," Pitcher said again, giving one of his wingmen a dirty look after being jabbed in the back.

            Aoshi's eyes narrowed and he surveyed the small group for several long moments. Some of them shifted in their chairs. It gave him great pleasure to make them squirm.

            Turning back to his clipboard, he said lightly, "One hundred feet is a very generous range. Given that one hundred is needed to pass intermediate fighter jet training...which you all took…seven…eight years ago?" At no reply, he continued, "As this exercise continues, we plan to reduce that range."

            "With all due respect, sir," an officer spoke up. "In terms of range, perhaps we-"

            "One hundred feet can mean the difference between damaging your enemy's resources…or completely destroying them, Lieutenant," Aoshi cut in. Then he added, "But I'm sure you knew that." He straightened. "What other reasons could there be for error?"

            "The drop sequence might have to be fine-tuned," another pilot spoke up.

            "How so?" Aoshi studied the young aviator for several moments.

            "I noticed a brief delay as we approached the target." The pilot cleared his throat. "It could have been my personal preference that the drop occur sooner. But anyway…is there a system on board that will allow us to perform calculations? Prior to formally entering coordinates into the computer?"

            "No…but that is something that can be brought to the contractor's attention," Aoshi said after a moment. "It would most likely be placed as another shuffle menu on the cockpit display."

            The Hornet was a very sophisticated aircraft. It could literally pilot itself on a computer. But as was the nature of humans…they believed computers were not the obsolete way of controlling an aircraft. Nevertheless, Aoshi had been very impressed after seeing what it could do.

            "If that is all…" Aoshi glanced at the commander.

            "Dismissed."

            Commander Thomas waited until everyone left before moving towards the intelligence officer. "How soon will the contractor be able to calibrate the systems?"

            "VFA-198 should be finishing their test runs today…" Aoshi trailed off, making several notes on his clipboard.

            Commander Thomas blinked in surprise. "They're ahead of schedule." Then the CO nodded, frowning in thought. "Do you honestly think pilot error is the reason for low scores?"

            Aoshi paused in his writing. Based on what he found, the commanding officer of this air wing had been a pilot for many, many years…flying on many different craft. He was a decent man, having fought in many wars and an advocate for improving technology – which included weapons. Aoshi knew that his job wasn't easy…nothing was more difficult than telling a squadron that they failed their bombing runs. Especially since Aoshi himself wasn't a pilot. However, he was a weapons specialist…and if weapons weren't hitting the targets they practiced against, he needed to know why.

            "A computer can only do something incorrect if it is told to do so," Aoshi responded. At the scowl on the commander's face, he added, "They just need to understand how to fully use what they're given. I should be receiving a report from San Diego later today…they may have found something that your team missed."

            "Very well. There is a chopper waiting to take you back to the harbor. I will see you tomorrow, Commander, zero-nine-hundred."

            With that, Aoshi left the meeting room and headed to the flight deck, stepping through doorways and climbing stairs. The walkie-talkie strapped to his hip began to beep. He pulled it off his belt and pressed a button.

            "Shinomori." He released the button, holding the device to his ear.

            "I trust things went well?" his commanding officer prompted.

            Aoshi let a small smile cross his lips. "Commander Thomas wasn't happy to hear about the test run."

            "Then he'll be even unhappier to hear that the others successfully completed theirs. I just received a fax from California. Lieutenant Commander Irwin would like to talk to you first thing tomorrow," Commander Saitou explained. "Get back to headquarters…something else has come up."       

            When Aoshi got to the flight deck, he spotted several jets refueling. And a lone chopper, its blades slicing through the air as it prepared for liftoff. Aoshi made his way towards the waiting craft, pulling the door open so he could climb into the seat behind the pilot.

            The pilot was a Caucasian man, probably around his age.

            "Commander Shinomori, Lieutenant Stafford and my navigator, Lieutenant Barnes. Welcome aboard, sir."

            "Thank you."

            "ETA is twenty minutes," Lieutenant Stafford flicked several switches as Aoshi placed a headset on.

            As the craft lifted into the air, Aoshi watched the waves of the Pacific move below.

            "This really sucks," Stella pouted.

            Misao looked up from her planner. "What?"

            "Why do boys always act like idiots?" Stella lamented. "I swear…they put up this super cool front around their guys friends and treat us like jerks."

            "They're boys," Danielle retorted.

            Stella sighed, casting a glance across the open amphitheater of Honolulu High. Varsity flag were practicing routines, complete with dance moves and flag tosses. Lunchtime was the longest hour of the day for them.

            Turning back, Stella glanced at Misao. "How was Virginia?"

            "Freakin' cold," Misao stated. "We are so lucky to be living on these islands. I forgot how cold East Coast can be…"

            "Didn't you live there before?"

            "Oh yeah. Washington DC. Boy was I glad Aoshi and I moved out of there." Misao flipped a couple pages. "Course, before that, we lived in San Diego…so when we got to Hawaii…I begged Aoshi to arrange it so he doesn't get transferred out. This place is the bomb. Anyone who has problems living on an island should live on the East Coast."

            Danielle laughed. "Well…where would you vacation?"

            "You guys are lucky. Trust me." Misao nodded.

            Some people just couldn't appreciate what they had. Made Misao wonder how the heck they got through life like that. Even her own life…most kids her age had happily married parents…she had Aoshi and Okina. She'd always be grateful for them.

            "Anyway," Stella crossed her arms as the varsity football team emerged from the café. "What do you think I should do?"

            Misao glanced in the direction her friend had, her eyes apparently on the wide receiver. She grimaced. Personally, she'd never date an athlete. It had been her experience that Honolulu High School boys were just that…boys. Maybe she was just bitter. She saw what relationships were like when she first came to Honolulu. So much drama. More drama than a soap opera. Made her wonder if she'd have to go through that.

            "I think you should forget him," Misao shrugged. "Football players don't publicly date anyone but cheerleaders."

            "But he's so nice!" Stella argued.

            "Misao's right…if he doesn't want to be around you when he's around the team, forget it," Danielle agreed. "Even if he's nice to you in private. What good does that do?"

            After his late lunch break, Aoshi immediately began clearing his tray. The exchange was full of customers during the early afternoon…mostly spouses running errands or officers enjoying an extended break. Many US Navy personnel were outside at the food court, just like him, shaded from the Hawaiian sun by patio umbrellas. He turned to dispose of his plate and utensils in the trash, finishing up his soda.

            "Hi," a familiar feminine voice greeted from behind him.

            He turned around, not surprised to see her. The base was pretty small. "Megumi."

            "Do you have a few minutes?" she asked.

            He nodded, tossing his cup in the trash. Megumi began walking towards the commissary, apparently keen on just walking, and not really going anywhere in particular.

            "So…" she looked down for a few moments before looking up at him. "How…How have you been the last…two days?"

            "Fine," he replied.

            He had thought he could give her the benefit of the doubt…but after having a day to think about it…he realized that he had been more than fair to her. And look where it had got him. To make things even more confusing…he had missed her. A lot. He had forgotten the privileges one received while being in a relationship. Over the past ten months, he had made a habit of calling her at night before he went to bed. And of course, their weekend surfing expeditions. But he still could not accept what had happened over the weekend.

            "I…I just wanted to see how you were doing…given the circumstances when you left…"

            "I thought that was settled, already," Aoshi said, distantly.

            "Well, you left not understanding-"

            "After I left, did Sagara make-up with Katherine?" he interrupted.

            Her eyes lowered. "No."

            "Does he plan on trying to repair their relationship?"

            She sighed. "No."

            "He still cares for you," he stated flatly.

            "I know he does," she responded. "But he's not the issue…You and I-"

            "There is no us, Megumi," he cut in. At her startled look, he added, "You made that very clear when you chose to stay in Virginia."

            "Why is that such a big deal-?"

            "Because you staying obviously indicated your feelings towards me," he cut in. "And if that's the case…what have I been doing all this time?"

            Her eyes rounded.

            "What have we been doing, Megumi?" he demanded. "Answer that."

            "I wanted to stay to be supportive. You are reading too much in a simple gesture," Megumi argued, placing her hands on her hips. "The bottom line is that you didn't trust me. If it had been anyone but Sano, you would have been fine with it."

            "Trust is not the issue here-"

            "Yes, it is."

            "You want to talk about trust? Fine." His eyes narrowed. "The morning I left…before I boarded the plane, I called your cell phone." Never mind that Misao did, it was a minor technicality. "And Sagara answered the phone."

            Her lips parted in surprise. "I…I didn't know…"

            "Obviously," he retorted. "If our situations had been reversed…what would you have thought? Honestly."

            Megumi looked away. "I…I would have thought that you spent the night with her…"

            He remained quiet. It hurt. Seeing her…and feeling what he felt inside. His military training had always taught him to keep control of his emotions…and it was taking every ounce of that control. This woman had gotten under his skin…she knew exactly what to do to anger him, amuse him, irritate him. But he still loved her. That wasn't something he could turn off…although at the moment, he wanted to. Maybe if he didn't have those feelings of love, he wouldn't be feeling the pain inside. 

            "Aoshi…" Megumi spoke up, swallowing the waver in her voice. "I know it looks bad…but I swear…nothing happened that night…"

            "Even if something did," Aoshi said in a dangerously low voice, clenching his jaw, keeping a check on his temper. "I could live with that because I said our relationship was over. That's not what bothers me. If you actually look at yourself, really look, you'll see that whatever you two had isn't finished yet. It probably never was." 

            Uncertainty filtered into her dark eyes. She was completely at a loss for words. And in that moment, he knew that he was right. Whether she realized it or not. She could spend as much time with her ex-boyfriends as she wanted. Just as long as she came back to him. But when it came to Sanosuke Sagara, he'd always fall behind. And that was the last place he wanted to be.

            He left her standing between the exchange and commissary.          

           Aoshi looked up from his newspaper when the front door of the house opened and three teens piled inside the house.

            It had been a few hours since his talk with Megumi. He'd had time to cool down. But he still stood by his thoughts…Megumi needed to find out on her own what she wanted. But he was not going to be pulled around at her convenience…if she couldn't decide if she wanted to live in the past or the present, he didn't plan on being around for that.

            He had gotten home from work not too long ago, changing into black cotton drawstring pants and a white T-shirt. Whenever he got home, he never hesitated to yank his uniform off to place it in the dry cleaning bag. Misao once told him that he lived in those clothes. It seemed that taking the uniform off officially removed him from his professional demeanor. Not that it was any more different…but at home…or away from work in general, he was a little more relaxed. But not by much.

            "I can't believe he did that to you!" Danielle exclaimed. "I know you said he acted like a jerk to you around the team…but he actually said that he could get any woman he wants?"

            Stella shook her head, gnashing her teeth. "I…I…I'm so upset I can't even…"

            "When he said that, I almost busted him in the head!" Misao crowed. "Why didn't you guys let me kick him?"

            "Good afternoon, ladies," Aoshi spoke up, forcing Megumi and their relationship out of his mind.

            "Aoshi!" Misao turned as they finally noticed his presence.

            "I take it you three had an interesting day at school," he commented wryly.

            After the three set their bags down, they moved to the kitchen counter. Misao gave Aoshi a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting on the stools next to her friends.

            "Boys suck," Stella declared. "They're so…rude…and cruel…and…and…"

            Aoshi lifted a brow. "Any one in particular?"

            "The wide receiver of the football team," Danielle supplied, patting Stella's shoulder. "He seemed really nice around her but when he was around the team…"

            "Even when I was in high school, we had those," Aoshi commented. "Athletes, blatant cheerleaders, smart students…" He turned to the fridge to retrieve two mangos. Aoshi grabbed the cutting board by the sink, a knife, and a bowl. "The maturity levels of high school students are the same for each generation."

            "You actually remember your high school life?" Misao joked.

            Aoshi shot her a look from his place by the sink, where he rinsed the fruit. "I'm not that old, Misao."

            "Yeah…but…high school was like fifteen something years ago to you," Misao retorted. "Ancient times."

            His eyes narrowed at her before he moved towards the counter with all of his items. "I still remember my high school life." He picked up a mango and using the knife, began to peel away the green and red skin, revealing the yellow fruit beneath. "It wasn't exciting."

            "Did you have a girlfriend in high school, Aoshi?" Danielle asked.

            Misao snickered. "Aoshi? Yeah, right."

            Aoshi arched a brow. "I had two." At the mirth in Misao's eyes, he added, "Not at the same time, of course."

            "Do tell," his ward grinned.

            "The first one was class representative…the second was science club president," Aoshi informed, ignoring her teasing tone.

            "You dated nerds," Misao said flatly.

            Stella and Danielle tried to unsuccessfully hide their smiles.

            "Being in JROTC attracted attention," Aoshi grimaced. "Everyone in the unit had to deal with it."

            "It's those uniforms," Danielle declared, nodding firmly.

            "You know my favorite part of PE class?" Stella chimed in out of nowhere. "When we girls are playing Frisbee football and the guys are playing touch football…shirts against skins."

            Aoshi cleared his throat. His high school PE class usually played football the same way…usually in the spring. Due to the physical training the JROTC boys went through, they were always in top physical condition…something the females never hesitated to openly appreciate. He set the fruit down and began to peel the next one.

            "Let's get back to Aoshi dating nerds," Misao joked.

            He rolled his eyes.

            "That doesn't surprise me," Misao said thoughtfully. "You always thought a chick's brain was the most important."

            "It's useless if you can't speak intelligently with someone," Aoshi responded.

            "I don't know how it was back in your school…but at our school…there's always that one guy who floats from woman to woman…barely two weeks between each one," Danielle commented in Aoshi's direction. "And he isn't always the brightest person in the world."

            He shrugged. "The section leader was like that. Yet the girls still went after him…"

            "Okay, this is weird," Misao spoke up. "Aoshi talking about high school life."

            "Now were you the model student?" Stella asked.

            Aoshi nodded. "Most of the time. Although my section leader and I argued constantly."

            Misao's eyes widened. "And you didn't get in trouble for that?"

            "I did several times. The master chief happened to be his father-"

            "That's so unfair…" Stella shook her head.

            "But of course, Okina and Misao's grandfather were officers with many friends everywhere…so he never did anything. The section leader was a navy brat, in every sense of the word…" Aoshi continued. "He always talked about how he would become a successful officer…and how he would be a great leader and run a unit…But I don't even think he signed up for the service."

            "But you decided to serve your country," Misao said proudly. "Aren't you glad?"

            He shrugged. "It is one of the best decisions I ever made…" One of the few things that he considered a success. He frowned. His parenting recently improved, so there was that. But he had next to no social life. And his personal life was a failure. It was a bit discouraging.

            "Hey, let's booby trap his locker tomorrow morning," Misao suddenly exclaimed.

            Stella and Danielle stared in shock. "What??"

            Nodding enthusiastically, Misao steepled her fingers, occasionally tapping them together. "We can do that…take all of his books…or whip cream his locker…"

            Stella raised her hand. "Hello, Misao. Padlocked locker."

            "So?" Misao huffed. "I'll pick the lock."

            "You can pick locks?" Danielle frowned. "Where'd you learn that?"

            Misao grinned broadly. "From the best, of course…"

            The two girls' heads immediately swiveled to Aoshi, who conveniently was chewing on a piece of mango. He set the plate of fruit in front of the girls.

            "Anyway, we have some homework to do, so let's go," Misao winked at Aoshi before sliding off the stool to retrieve her bag.

            Her two friends followed her example, Danielle grabbing their 'snack', and walked towards Misao's room, but not without a couple, 'Thanks for the snack, Aoshi', 'Thanks, Aoshi'.

            The room was quiet again.

A/N: Sano's lost, Megumi's no longer oblivious to what's going on, Kat's out of the picture, and Aoshi wants to be in first place.  Drama. YAY. Although reliving high school clichés through Stella, Misao, and Danielle's eyes certainly lightens the mood.

Next!!! I have no idea. Out of curiosity…what do you guys want to see next?

Oh yeah, and Eriesalia just gave me a few wonderful ideas which I can add later on…

And Aoshi's idea of an afternoon snack is very, very, very reminiscent of what my own father did after picking me up from school (the fruit itself, the peeling, talking about his school days). Dads are THE BEST. ^_^