The spray of the shower was hot, but felt nice. There was a small knowledge that such a degree could cause first degree burns, but was discarded. The water was exactly what he needed.

His head bowed, letting water plaster his bangs to the sides of his face and cover his eyes. After a few seconds, his head shook to dislodge the troublesome hair keeping him from seeing and gave a small smile.

The shower was finished...he was just standing under the spray and letting it flow over his body for the feel. He liked that, it reminded him of the few times when he stood outside during a summer rainstorm and let it plaster his clothes to his body. Inhaling some of the steam, he decided to stop wasting water and get out. There might be someone else who wanted to use the bath after all.

He turned the handles to off and propped forearms against the wall in front of him, drip-drying for a brief time. With his eyes closed, he could feel every droplet as it paved a way down his skin, sliding along the muscles that defined his body. He shook some of the water off his bangs, causing more to stick to his skin. He let them be for the brief time and pulled the shower curtain aside to reach for a towel. The steam felt too good still and he didn't want to let it all escape.

After drying off his arms and giving his hair a brief towel-dry, he wrapped the terrycloth around his waist and stepped onto the bath mat.

The mirror was fully clouded over to the point of being opaque. His lips tilted as he swiped a hand over it, getting an blurry picture of himself before some of the steam clouded the picture over a little. He stared into the mirror, bracing himself on the wide sink and leaning on his arms. He stopped inches from the glass and solemnly took in his face.

Ever since that last fight he hadn't spoken with Cam. He figured Jayden's advice to let Cam cool off - and him as well - and think things over would help. But unfinished confrontations without an ending hanging in the air weren't things he liked. It ate away at him...especially since this was his girlfriend and someone he cared for...

He looked away with a small shake of his head. Best not to dwell on those thoughts. If today went without a hitch, Cameron would apologize and things could get back to normal. So he hoped...

A hand snatched a wide-toothed comb from the sink and brushed tangles out. His attention turned to his hair as he worked and he stared at the back of his head as best he could. It was growing out again...that was good. Knowing that caused another small smile. It was to his shoulders and curling outward at the edges. It was getting even longer. Perhaps he could finally put it in a ponytail...

To anyone else, that would be considered girly or unmanly. Gods knew the others teased him enough about having long hair. But he liked his hair...he found it one of his best attributes. Aside from the body he kept in shape...and the charming smile...and the color of his eyes. And his nose wasn't that bad either...

He smirked and put the comb away, resituating the towel. Okay, so maybe he counted a LOT of things as his best attributes. But hey...wasn't it better to have a high self-image than a low one? That wasn't conceited, loving the way you looked...so long as it didn't get you an ego.

When the door opened to the hallway, a rush of cool air hit him and the steam left. His head jutted past the doorway, looking right and left to find the coast clear. Now that there was no danger of acting indecent, he headed to his room down the hall. Finally inside, he headed toward the walk-in closet with his half of the clothes and threw it open. Hands rested on his hips as he pondered what to wear. It was pretty nice outside - as the weather normally was for fall. As far as he knew, it was in the mid-seventies...so perhaps he could get to wear his fall clothes now.

Just as he was letting the towel slip to change, the door swung open and he yanked it back up to cover himself. "OI!" He cried, sending an offending glare upon finding who it was. There was no one he could be that rude to, even when invading the sanctuary of his room, unless it was... "Nee-chan!! Couldn't you have KNOCKED first?"

Jayden blankly stared for a few seconds before bringing in a basket of folded clothes and set them on her bed. "As you saw, my hands were full ototo-chan." She set the basket down and started pulling things out. "And knock to enter my own room?"

"It's not just YOURS, you know." He retorted, heading into the closet. Leaving the door cracked enough to be heard, he placed the towel on his head and went for the small chest on the floor.

"Nanto..." Jayden muttered, standing. She turned to the closet and with the barest of sighs, set her clothes down in wait. "Lunch will be ready soon. I just thought I'd come up and tell you since you were in the shower so long."

He tossed the towel down and pulled the light grey wife beater over his head. "Arigatou nee-chan...but I'm heading out soon. I'm going to give Cam a call and meet with her."

Jayden blinked and sat on the bed, arms over her lap. She leaned over her thighs a little in interest and watched the door. "Eehh? So you going to go hear her apology? Or apologize?"

"Hear. I'm not in the wrong on that."

"Hai hai...don't work yourself up over that. You already did remember?" A hand waved in the air, as if to dissipate the bad vibes. "Yare yare," She muttered, standing, "it can't be helped. Ganbatte ne, ototo-chan." Turning to her clothes, Jayden ended their talk and picked them up the same time Inaki pushed the door open.

There was a little bit of sibling love in his eyes. A small smile resided on his face. It was always good to know his nee-chan was on his side with matters like this. He inclined his head in thanks when she stopped before him and then went around into the closet.

He decided to be nice and help in return for her words and faith. Knowing where and how she wanted her clothes, he picked up a bundle from the basket and turned...only to have something cloth-like smack him directly in the face. "Are?!" He cried out, stumbling. Hands flailed to keep him from falling and dropped Jayden's folded clothes.

"Pick up after yourself!" Jayden retorted. "Mataku...you messed them all up."

He pulled the cloth away from his face and found it was the towel he used. A hand went through his drying bangs to fix them and glared down at his sister. "Oi...what was that for?? You didn't need to blind me! That could've hurt you know!"

Jayden concentrated on trying to fold what she could back to normal and ignored his words. "Not so likely..." With a sad face, she pulled a slip up and tried to shake the wrinkles out of the half-dry cloth. "Mou...this is silk too."

Inaki tsked and stepped around her, slinging the towel over his shoulder. "If you hadn't thrown it at me, I wouldn't have dropped everything! Baka." He paused at the door and looked at the mess. It was a little bigger than he thought. "That's what I get for trying to help out and be nice..." He muttered.

He paused long enough in the bathroom to hang the towel up before heading to the kitchen. The aroma of the dishes cooling on the stove hit his nose and his stomach clenched in hunger. Perhaps he would grab something for the road. He had a feeling wherever he and Cam went, he would probably stop somewhere and grab a bite before they parted anyway.

Pulling the lid off one pan found a plethora of white, meat-filled dumplings. His eyes lit up and he snuck a wary glance around the area and surrounding family room. 'Yosh...no one around.' With a sly grin, he reached over and snatched a pair of chopsticks from the resting place by the stove and grabbed a dumpling. Quickly replacing the pan to keep everything warm, he blew on his prize and took a bite when it was cool enough.

"Musuko...bad manners. We used those chopsticks to cook with, not eat with."

He startled and choked on the final bite he stuffed in his mouth. After a quick cough to free his windpipe, he blushed from getting caught and went to rinse off the chopsticks. His face slid forward to hide his eyes with his bangs. "Gomen okaasan..." He muttered, feeling his face flame. "I was just going to grab a bite for the road before I called Cameron and patched things up."

Nothing met his reply and after grabbing a towel to dry them with, he looked up in confusion and found his mother at the stove...dishing up some food with a different pair of chopsticks. "Okaasan..."

She turned with the smile only a mother can give and set the chopsticks on the loaded plate. "If you're going out, have something before you go. You don't need to fill yourself with such greasy junk food, as I know you'll probably do."

He sheepishly looked to the ground and smiled when she winked to show she was teasing. He gave a small nod and looked up to find her setting the plate on the table. His heart warmed. Only his okaasan. "Kaasan..." He lovingly whispered. Remembering the chopsticks in his hand, he headed to the stove and put them back. When he turned around, he found his mother setting a teacup next to the steaming plate.

His face softened even further, and his head ducked at the treatment as her hand swooped to his zabuton invitingly. Taking the invite, never wanting to be rude, he slowly headed over and kneeled. "Arigatou gozaimasu..." He mumbled, bowing over the plate.

"Doo itashimashite." She answered, giving his shoulder a small pat. His heart flowed with love. Only a mother could pamper their child so much by doing something so simple...

"Itadakimasu." He muttered, grabbing a rice ball. Just finishing that, he looked up when his mother stopped at his side and blinked in bemusement at finding her holding the phone for him to take. "Eh? Nani?"

His mother's eyes closed with a friendly smile. "You wanted to call Cameron, did you not?"

Barely a discipline for sneaking food with the cooking utensils...then she dished him up lunch, and now got the phone for him?? He slowly took the cordless with a sheepish smile, feeling totally pampered. Only in these quiet times with his mother did he feel like this. When there was no one around to spoil the bonding mood. "D - doomo arigatou..." He gained another pat on the shoulder and pressed a speed dial, getting a ring. He went for another rice ball and dipped it some of the sauce his mother poured as he waited. As he listened to the rings, he tried to get the small blush off his face.

"Merth residence."

"May I talk to Cameron please?" He asked, setting the food down. The hand rested on the table as some of his bad mood returned, his mother's indulging not enough to decimate it entirely.

"This is Cameron."

"Konnichi wa." He quietly greeted.

There was a pause, as if someone were holding their breath. He couldn't tell who was doing it.

"Inaki..."

"I told you I'd call you this weekend. Sorry it wasn't Saturday."

"That's fine... Do - do you have a few hours we can spend together? I'd like to...talk."

Part of his mood lifted a little in hopes that his plan and advice given to him worked. "Yea. I'm eating a quick lunch and I can be over within half an hour or so."

"Are you boarding it over?"

"It's nice enough to. If you want to drive...we can take your car."

There was another bout of silence. He slowly went for the rice ball again as if coming from a trance. "That works." Cam quietly answered. "I'll see you in...half an hour?"

"Hai." He quietly replied.

There was a slow click, as if Cam gently put the phone back where it belonged, before he turned his off with a beep.

He deeply inhaled and held it for a few seconds before letting it exit with a whoosh. After that, he forced himself to cheer up a little and stuffed the rest of the rice ball in his mouth.

A quick look behind him found the area empty. He blinked, wondering if he was that preoccupied that he didn't notice his mother leave. His request of her taking the phone died as he set it on the table next to his plate and finished up the rest of his lunch before it got cold. Just as he was sipping his drink, reveling in the ever-pleasant aroma of green tea, his mother entered as quietly as she appeared and kneeled before the table.

He only had enough time to jump at finding her suddenly next to him before her hand took his plate. "Iie okaasan! I can take care of that -" He stopped when she seemed to not hear him and rose.

He looked up and met her eyes, blinking at her amiable look. That was one of the things he liked about his mother. She may not've been Japanese, but her manner was quiet, yet pleasant. She fit into the household perfectly. Too bad Jayden didn't get her personality from their mother.

"You've had a bad weekend musuko." Yamoi Kristine quietly replied. "You don't need to tell me your problems if you don't want to, but it's important that you're happy."

With the help of his palms, he twisted on the zabuton and stared at his mother, blinking like an owl. "Okaasan?"

Gently setting the dishes in the sink, Kristine turned and gave her son a soft look. "Your happiness is very important to me as your mother." Socked feet padded across and touched tatami of the eating area as she kneeled to take the phone. "It's okay to allow yourself to let others do something for you once in a while. Enjoy it musuko." With that, she headed out of the kitchen to put the phone away.

He watched her exit, staring even when she was out of sight. His head lowered with a touched smile and a hand cradled the cup in his palm again. His mother...such a kind person. Was it any mystery that he loved her so?

'Kaasan...'

Deep brown spied a clock on the counter and widened over the brim of the porcelain. He was going to be late!

He downed the rest of the tea, feeling bad for not being able to enjoy it, and jumped to his feet. He at least got the satisfaction of putting his cup to soak with the rest of his dishes before rocketing it to the front door. He grabbed a pair of sandals and his board from its resting place in the closet. "Gochisousan!" He called, hugging the board to his side. He threw the door open and snatched his house keys off their peg on the wall. "Ittekimasu!"

"Iterasshai!"

He smiled and nodded to his mother's voice, though she couldn't see him and locked the door.

He headed to the street and dropped the board, hopping on and savagely kicked off. "Man - I'm going to be so late! She won't forgive me for that and then things won't get any better!"

He decided to take a few short cuts instead of keeping to the streets. Pushing off on the back, he jumped into the air and caught his board with a deft hand and broke into a run as he hugged it to his body. An arm rose to guard his face as he took a sharp turn into a few trees and cut through an extensive lawn of the neighbors. He kept his pace fast and low to keep from being seen and jumped over a small pile of rocks.

After breaking through the mini forest, he dropped the board face down and hopped on, using his momentum to gain speed. He pushed off and headed down a few streets to the next block and repeated the process with his board. He pushed off the ground with all his might and hopped a chain link fence into a yard. He jogged through it, running up the plastic slide to gain height and jump over the other side.

He landed well and found Cameron's street a straight distance away. He smiled and dropped his board a third time, pushing off with less intensity than the others. He made good time and hopefully he could relax his heartbeat so Cam didn't know how late he might've been. A hand went through his hair as he coasted on the incline. He suddenly found he forgot to grab a hat, but disregarded it. His bangs were never easily tamable by sticking them through the hole of a backwards cap and his hair was in its ponytail.

He leaned on the brake as he came onto their lawn and put his foot on the concrete. After kicking on the brake, he caught the board and held it in the crook of his arm and ambled up the lawn. A brief knock on the front door soon produced his reason for coming and he nodded in greeting. Cameron gave a small smile back and opened the screen door.

"I'm heading out dad! I'll be back in a few hours!" Cameron called, grabbing her keys.

The two silently headed to the car and he dropped his board on the floor of the front seat before climbing in. Cameron started the car and the solar engine hummed to life before they headed down the street.

There was a tenseness surrounding them as Cameron stopped the car at a deserted park a ways away. Inaki grabbed his board before he knew he did and hugged it to his side before the two locked the car and headed for the equipment.

Cameron quietly sat on a swing and stared at the gravel underneath while he straddled his board on the concrete a few feet away. After a few seconds of waiting for her to speak, he slowly began rocking in agitation with help of the wheels. He wanted to fidget. He wanted to toy with a strand of hair or tap his fingers on something. But he fought the urges to busy himself and waited. Cam had to do this without prompting - he knew this - and it seemed she was struggling with trying to say anything as it was.

Hands clenched around the chains to the swing as she took a deep breath. Cameron knew she couldn't look at him, as she was still feeling incredibly guilty. "I...I thought about what you told me. We've gone out for almost eight months and nearly half of that has been like this. I know I'm partially to blame for bringing up the fights...no - maybe a little more than half." Her eyes squeezed shut. "I just...I can't stand being away from you! I like being around you so much... I always wondered what you saw in me and every time I see you talking or the occasional flirting with another girl, I always think you'll leave me..."

They were some of the worst fears she had. She was very close to falling in love with this man, but she always denied it because of his nature. She knew that's just the way part of him was, but she wanted ALL his attention. Was it right to have him focus on her and only her like that? To look at no one else and be around her and her alone? Not just women...but other people...

Whenever she thought about it, it sounded like obsession...

Her hands clenched tighter as shameful tears appeared. "I'm...sorry for the way I've acted, for the way I act." Cameron tightly whispered. "I'm trying - I really am - to change, but it's hard. I just can't see myself as outgoing as you..." Her throat clogged and she tried to swallow past it. "I know you're trying to help and I'm grateful for that. No one I know would try so hard or so relentlessly with your kind of patience..." Her head bowed even further, spilling hair into her vision and hiding her face. "Can you...forgive me for the way I've been? I'm such a fool...but I can't be something I'm not yet..."

With held breath and a heart full of girlish hope, Cameron waited, body tense. Her jaw and eyes clenched shut, hands shaking with the death grip on the swing.

She didn't know what she would do if he didn't forgive her. He had so far, but the fights were growing worse as time passed. She was trying to bite her tongue, but it seemed she was stretching his patience every time.

The longer time drew out, the more her heart started losing hope and sinking. Perhaps...this fight was the last straw...

Cameron inhaled a quiet, shaky breath. More tears followed as she lost all hope. The area was eerily quiet. Was Inaki still around? She didn't hear him get up and walk away, nor did she hear his wheels moving and crunching against the walk anymore. Was he just sitting there enjoying her misery?

Maybe that wasn't as horrible as it sounded...considering all the misery she put HIM through these past months by being so -

A quiet crunch on gravel jerked her head up and she blinked. A hand quickly swiped at tears in her eyes to clear it a little...and also to make sure she wasn't seeing anything.

No...she WASN'T dreaming! Inaki WAS smiling at her! Her mouth slowly dropped as her eyes widened further. Did this mean -

His gaze softened at her childlike appearance. She looked so pathetic and small sitting there that he couldn't help but pity her. He took another step to her, sandals crunching underneath as he slowly headed over. He stopped just a few inches from her knees and kneeled. Hands rested on her skin, pushing her back a little when he leaned on her. Without saying a word, he pressed a kiss to an exposed thigh and rested his head in her lap.

That was all she needed to know. The soft look in his eyes and his touch... Tears of relief spilled from her eyes as her head bowed in gratitude. After a few minutes, he gradually pulled back and stood, extending a hand for her to take. Cameron gripped it like a lifeline and was pulled to her feet, throwing her arms around him as if he'd leave if she didn't.

Sobs shook her form and he inaudibly sighed. Her words touched him; he knew she was sincere. She thought about his words, but whether or not she'd change as a result from this was unknown.

A large part of him didn't think so. Had Cameron used their fighting to change for the better, the fighting would have stopped months ago. All he could do was wait and watch to see how she acted and hope this would finally open her eyes.

Open her eyes and let her trust him more...

"Shhh...calm down Cam..." He whispered, resting his head against hers. He gave a kiss next to her cheek and a brief rub against her hair. "Daijoubu - it's okay. Stop crying now..." The hand rubbing her back snaked around her waist to press her closer. Cameron's arms responded, but her breathing became forcefully deeper as she tried to calm down.

Cameron knew he didn't like it when women cried. They were a weak spot he had, but it wasn't like she did it on PURPOSE. She had always been able to cry. Not at the drop of a hat of course, but she never found it hard at least.

His chin rested on her head, a hand slowly petting her hair nearby. After a while, it slowed to a stop as they stood there and he stared into the sky above.

How would things go after this? Her confession was promising, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. For a girl who thought so little of her self-worth, it often carried to things like this. It was one of the reasons he felt sorry for her sometimes. She was jealous of other girls because of her insecurities and he was trying to make her open up so she wouldn't be anymore.

Getting her to change that was hard, but he wanted her to for the better if he was going to be with her - and he wanted to be with her. He wouldn't ask her to change otherwise, but the way she was now wasn't easy to deal with. If Cameron didn't find self-worth and self-esteem to trust him...he didn't know how much more he could take.

**I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner...so if these are not 100% correct...please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page to learn from, a dictionary, and a few months experience to work with.**

Translations: Hai-Yes/yea/ok (General acknowledgement to something said) Ganbatte ne-Work hard/good luck Mataku-Geez Mou-Really

Baka-Stupid/idiot/moron/etc (General degradation of someone's intelligence) Gomen-Sorry Nani-What Nanto-Whatever

Itadakimasu-Bon Appetite/Thank you for the food (Version of grace) Doomo arigatou-Another way of saying thank you

Gochisousan-Thank you for the food Ittekimasu-I'm leaving/going

Iterasshai-(General well wishes in response to Ittekimasu, not too sure what the literal translation is as I've seen a few spin offs...if anyone cares to inform me, please let me know)