Nibbling at my muffin in the backroom felt like I was locked in some dungeon with a dry loaf of bread. Darkness was everywhere and I was soon to be swallowed by that and resolve to be nothing but a shadow. Translucency. Invisibility. See-through. Nothing. I wish to just disappear. Why was I doing this to myself? Ash said that I loved me. Why did I have to be my shy self and run away from it? I could have told him the truth! That I felt the same way. Ah, hontou no kokoro wa doko?!

Watashi no baka!!

"Misty?" The door to my jail cell is slowly slid open. "Daijobu?"

I pass a weak smile to Hatsu. "Genki-desu."

"No, you're not." He pulls up a chair and sits next to me. "Please, Mist. Tell me what went wrong? What did he do to you?"

My face felt chapped, but more tears fought their way out. "I'm sort of happy about it all, Hatsu."

"Tell me! Please."

I look down into my muffin. "He told me that…he loved me."

"Eh?!" Hatsu blurts out. "Usou!"

"You sound unhappy."

Hatsu opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He clears his throat. "Is that what you were talking about earlier when he was here?"

"Yes." I reply. "He told me to meet him in the park this morning at ten. I went there and we started talking about my sister, Lily. He said he wanted to brake things off with her. I asked him why. His answer was that his feelings weren't for her anymore. He loved me instead."

Hatsu slowly nods.

I sigh. "This all reminds me of a song I once heard. Ayumi Hamasaki sings it. I know she's one of your favorites, Hatsu."

"Uh, yeah." Hatsu agrees. "Which one?"

"No more words."

Hatsu smiles. "That is a good one."

"The chorus." I close my eyes and recite. "Moshimo kono sekai ga shousha to haisha to no futatsu kiri no wakareru nara. Aa boku wa haisha de ii, itsu datte haisha de itai n da."

If this world, the winners and losers, if it will split in two… I want to be the loser, I want to be a loser always.

"How does that remind you of this, Misty-chan?" Hatsu asks.

"Ayumi is so clever with her words." I reply. "She basically means that if things go from bad to worse, I'd rather be with you through it all than be alone."

Hatsu stands up from his chair. "Come here, Misty."

I stand up as well and stand before him. He wraps his arms around my back and brings me to him, squeezing me tight.

"Misty, if you ever felt alone in this world, I want to apologize. Also, you're not the only one who may have felt alone one time or another. But let me tell you this: I will always be here for you. If you have a problem, a worry, a wish, just come to me and talk about it! I want you to. I'll listen. I want to help you. Because, Misty, I've always cared about you. You're more than a friend to me. You're like a sister." Hatsu whispers as if he were afraid he'd be overheard.

"Hatsu…"

He gives me one more squeeze before letting me go. "Now, go get him."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You damn well know what I mean, Misty O-hime-sama!"

"O-hime-sama?" I ask in slight anger.

"He obviously hasn't forgotten what he said to you! The little bastard stood in that lobby after you went back here, staring at the stupid door for who knows how long!" Hatsu almost laughs after his statement.

"But…Lily…" I say, unsure of myself.

"She's as good as gone." Hatsu replies. "He was going to brake up with her, deshou?"

"He said he would, but…"

"Is he not a man of his word?" Hatsu asks. "Well, if he thinks himself a man, then he must be."

"Demo…"

Hatsu grabs my shoulders. "Shikari, Misty-chan! I know you can be strong. Where's that confidence of yours? Eh?"

I stifle a laugh. "What confidence?"

"I know it's in there somewhere." Hatsu says. "Dig down, get a hold of it, and bring it to the surface. Life isn't easy, Mist. Things aren't just going to happen on their own accord. You have to stand up and do them yourself! Especially when it comes to love."

I could feel pink dust my cheeks. "Who said anything about love? I never said I loved him back!"

Hatsu shakes his head. "It's written all over your face, Tenshi!"

Hatsu takes a pen that was sitting on the table and takes off the cap. Grabbing my hand, he writes down the character for 'Ai'. After setting the pen down, he puts his pointer and index fingers of his right hand together and kisses the tips and then places them on the writing on my hand. I was a little confused, but who could blame me?

"Now," Hatsu continues. "I want you to go over to your house on break. If I know guys, because I am one myself, Ash won't go over there right away."

"So then, what's this for?" I hold the backside of my left hand up by my face.

Hatsu smiles. I always liked his smile. One side of his mouth always curled higher than the other. "Whenever you think that you can't do it, or that you're lacking the confidence, look at that. Yes, it will eventually wash off, but the real thing…real 'Ai', is set in stone."

I look at my hand and then back at Hatsu. "You've always had a way with words too."

"Ayumi and I would make a great couple, eh?" Hatsu pokes me with his elbow and winks.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, Hatsu. The perfect couple."

Hatsu looks at his watch. "Now, go make that other perfect couple! Go on, now, go on!"

"I have break already?" I ask him as he pushes me out of the backroom.

"Hai, hai, O-hime-sama!" Hatsu says grandly and in the fullest voice he could muster.

Before I knew it, he had pushed me all the way out to my car. Hatsu opened the driver's side door for me and nodded his head for me to get in. I couldn't believe I was about to do this. It wasn't that big of a deal, but to me it was. I took a deep breath, gazed down quickly at my hand, and turned back to Hatsu.

"Thank you for being there for me when I need you most." I stand on my tip tops and give him a little kiss on the cheek. "You're my best friend."

Hatsu touches the spot on his cheek and I could see a trace of pink rush to his ears and nose. "You're my best friend too, Misty-chan. Get in the car."

I get behind the wheel and turn the key. I was out of the strip mall parking lot in no time. Just to make me feel my best, I put that song, No More Words, over the speakers. Of course, it took longer than five minutes to get to my house. So, M came on afterwards. It was a good song, quite peppy. I felt like I was on a sugar high. My fingers couldn't grip the wheel. They had to tap along to the music. My head bobbed slightly and uncontrollably. I could hear my heart over the loud chorus, pounding in my throat.

I turned down Watercrest and the lump in the back of my throat gets bigger as I see a car just pulling into the driveway. It was Ash's car. Damn, I hate it when Hatsu is right! I drive, a little slower than before, as I watch Ash get out of his car and pause as if waiting for me to hurry up. The drumming of my fingers draws my attention. The bones in my hands make the kanji character dance. Yousha!

My car slides into the driveway and my confidence slid the other way. I was this close to putting the car into reverse when Ash turned around and noticed me pull in. I turn off the car and unfasten my seatbelt. Opening the door, my legs began to feel a little like hiyashi soba. How I managed to stand and face him, I'll never know. He just stared at me. No expression what so ever. He was probably incredibly mad at me. He spilled everything and I never said a word. The only thing I did say was that he was fake.

Ash's lips parted slightly to speak.

I tried my best to beat him to it. "Gomenasai!"

Ash looked a little taken aback. "Misty, why are you apologizing to me?"

My tongue was getting more tied by the second. I look down at the ground and get distracted by the large black mark on my hand. "Because I've been my stupid, shy self. I wouldn't even listen to what my own head was telling me. At the bridge, I may not have looked it, but inside I was jumping with ecstasy. As corny as it sounds, it's the truth."

Ash didn't say anything. So, I felt obligated to prolong what I was trying to say.

"I was stupid and just ran from that feeling. What I said earlier, about you being a fake, I didn't mean it. I was still trying to hide myself. What I really think is that you're… you're the guy I always dreamed of. Ever since the first time you came to my front door, I was drowning in jealousy of my sister's good looks and how she caught your attention before I could even say a word."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of pink from the front window. Lily must have seen us out here. I had to hurry up with what I was going to say. I was dragging too much. I was always such a procrastinator. No wonder this was a never-ending summer vacation. Everything was happening so slow. A day seemed like a week. A week seemed like forever. Someone is trying to tell me that I need to slow myself down and look around me. I have to see what I'm missing.

I swallow hard and look Ash right in the eye. His gorgeous coffee-brown eyes. "Watashi wa…"

The front door handle turned.

"Watashi wa anata ga…" I stumble around.

The door creaks open and I could see a polished foot slip out.

"Watashi wa anata ga suki-desu." I finally say. "Hontou suki-desu."

"NANI-DESU TE?!?!?"

Lily was standing in the front lawn with her hands on her hips and hair falling from behind her ears. I didn't want to look directly at her. I was afraid to. I was terrified of her maroon eyes and how they'd pierce my gut with one stare. I felt somewhat cold and faint. My hiyashi soba legs were quickly turning to yasai itame. Firmer, but still uncomfortable none the less.

Ash wouldn't look at Lily either. He wouldn't take his eyes off of me. It made me feel a little better that he wasn't distracted by her. He didn't go frolicking to her like a little puppy anymore. But now that I've told him how I truly felt, will he pull the same treatment on me that I did on him? I believe that would be more depressing than having Lily keep him forever.

Lily takes her hands off of her hips and walks over to me. She stares me down before raising her hand and slapping me across the face.

"I knew I couldn't trust you, not for a second! I take my eyes off you and you immediately come and try to steal my boyfriend! What kind of sister are you, treating me like this?"

Lily's ramblings continue but I wasn't paying much attention for Ash had finally moved from his rooted spot and walked up to Lily and I. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pushes her back a few feet so he would have room to stand between us. His back was to me, but I could almost feel the heat coming from his body. I wasn't sure if he was from anger or from being flustered.

"Lay off, Lily." Ash says.

Lily's chin would have dropped five feet if it could. "Did you just tell me to 'lay off'?"

"Yes, I did." Ash replies firmly.

Ash was… sticking up for me! I felt like wings would sprout from my shoulders and I'd fly up into the summer's hot sun.

"Tell me, what are you trying to imply?" Lily asked.

"I don't know why I was blinded by it before, but…you're really just a stuck-up bitch."

It was so hard not to smile. I couldn't have put it more bluntly myself.

Lily's size 34C chest puffed in and out as she breathed heavier by the minute. "So, since when did you think that of me?"

"Eh, ever since you stood me up at Wonder Dog." Ash says. "Your sister was kind enough to drive out to tell me that you weren't coming. That you decided to go get your hair primped instead. So, I gave the extra ticket to her and we had a nice time there. I got to know the real Misty. Not the one that you kept on talking about."

My heart was making that noise that your throat makes when you get really excited. Would you call it a squeal? Lily never knew that I spent that night with Ash. It must really burst her bubble now to find out. Just goes to show you, never put your hair before your boyfriend.

"Sou ka." Lily says through her teeth. "In that case, I think we need to end things between us, Ash."

Ash sighs with irritation. "I already told you we were through in the park this morning! You through a hissy fit and said we needed to sort it all out later. That's why I'm here in the first place!"

Lily makes a face as if this was news to her. "This morning? That wasn't what we were-…"

"Don't try to get away from it, Lily. Please." Ash says with a touch of sincerity.

"But, Ash," Lily starts to brew up her trained tears. "Do you have any idea how it feels to drop in on your man when he's telling your little sister that he's in love with her? Huh?"

So, Lily had overheard us. It felt as if someone had punched me in the gut as well as given me a blow to the head with a boulder. I was starting to think that this time, her tears were the real thing. I was so caught up in my own determination to tell Ash how I really felt, I had no idea what Lily was going to think of it. I always thought that Lily was into Ash for the benefit of cash, presents, luxuries, the kisses. That is what Lily was after in every relationship it seemed. That's all I saw. Whenever I came downstairs to greet her coming back from a date, the first sentence had to do with how much the meal cost, if he had forgotten his wallet, or if he had bought her anything. It always led me to believe that Lily had a shallow heart. Maybe, with Ash, she felt something different.

Daihen. It makes me want to throw up. I did something despicable.

I take a step back from where I stood and started to head to my car.

"Misty?" Ash turned around as well.

I give him the best smile I could. It felt sort of weird. "I have to get back to work, my break is almost over. You can sort things out with Lily, I know you two need to have a good talk."

Lily was giving me the strangest look. It wasn't her usual 'I'm going to shoot you if you spoil things for me', it was more of a 'Don't expect me to thank you later'. It made me happy. Well, I came here and did what I set out to do. I told Ash how I truly felt about it. Mission accomplished. Now, I think I'll help my sister out for once. Maybe her relationship can be fixed through this. Maybe it won't. At least they'll have the time to talk things out and tell each other why it happened.

"Can I stop by KawaiiYuki later for that ice cream you promised me this morning?" Ash asks me. His casual but sweet tone just makes me melt.

This time when I smiled, it felt like my first true smile. "Of course. I get out at six, so you have plenty of time."

He puts up his hand to wave. "I'll show up sooner or later."

"Matte iru wa." I felt like a kid again for some strange reason. "See you when I get home, Lily."

"Ja." She mumbled with her hands down at her side.

I get into my car and drive off, back towards the strip mall. Ayumi Hamasaki continued to blare through the speakers as well as my head. I felt so different, like I wasn't myself. I took out the current CD and put one in that Hatsu burned me that I never listened to before. The first song to come on was an English one. Hatsu was always a fan foreign music. I knew this song though, because I caught him singing it before. It was by the singer Mandy Moore, called I Want you Back. It was a typical song, according to Hatsu. He knows more English than I do. He did teach me the chorus though, which I remember: If I I say I want you back, would you turn around and say you want me too. 'Cause I say I want you back, this time I really mean it. And then the second verse. There's so much I want to tell you, I've changed so much. But I don't know what to say or do. We're apart, but I still own you in my heart. I believe it's time to make another start.

I wonder now if that's what really going on in my sister's head. Maybe it was just another one of your acts that got me to feel this way, maybe not. That look on her face was genuine; like nothing I've seen on her face before. I've never really cared for Lily, and she's never really cared for me. We both know that. I suppose fighting over a guy can be the first step towards a better sisterhood. I laugh out loud. That'll be the day…

When I get back to KawaiiYuki, Hatsu is behind the counter as usual with a snow-cone cup on his head and a paddleball board in his hand. He instantly drops it leans over the counter.

"So, O-hime-sama, how was it?" Hatsu, by habit, lifts his arm to protect his head.

I just smile at him.

"What? You're not going to smack me for calling you O-hime-sama?"

"Not today, Hatsu." I say and place my left hand on the counter. The symbol still held its bold black color. "Arigatou, daisukete kurete."

Hatsu smiles. "Don't mention it, Tenshi. Now, get back here before the other workers come in. Daisuke is coming in at one."

"Okay," I slip into the backroom, only to hear Hatsu yell back at me.

"You never told me what happened! I must know!"

I stick my head back out from the door. "You're such a gossip king, Hatsu."

Hatsu lets out a grand laugh. "That's great! A king needs a queen! I have a princess right here!"

Hatsu follows me into the backroom and tries his best to play king and 'rescue is maiden'. I usually would tell him to knock it off and stop fooling around. But today, I felt like I could loosen up. I could be myself and have some fun once in a while. No matter what happens later today when Ash comes in for that ice cream, I feel that I could keep on smiling. It was a strange feeling. Fushigi da, ne?

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As requested, here are the Japanese Romanji Translations! (in order of appearance)

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Hontou no kokoro wa doko? - Where is my true (real) heart?

Watashi no baka! - I'm an idiot (fool) !

Daijobu - Are you alright?

Genki-desu - I'm fine.

Usou! - You're lying!

O-hime-sama - Princess (Your Highness)

Deshou? - A word put on the end of sentences to make them a question basically. Or it can be used for 'isn't that right?'

Demo - But, however,

Shikari - Get a grip! (to put bluntly ^_^o)

Tenshi - Angel

Ai - Love

Hai - Yes

Yousha - a phrase used when you're ready to do something pronounced difficult. Sort of like 'Alright!'. Kind of used to get the person pumped up.

Gomenasai - I'm sorry

Watashi wa - I

Watashi wa anata ga - I…you…

Watashi wa anata ga suki-desu - I love you

Hontou suki-desu - I really love you

Nani-desu te? - (I may be wrong with the spelling for this phrase) What did you say?

Sou ka - I see

Daihen - This is terrible

Matte iru wa - I'll be waiting

Ja - Later (short from see you later)

Arigatou, daisukete kurete - Thank you for helping me

Fushigi da, ne? - Mysterious, isn't it?