*Wide eyes* I haven't updated this story for AGES! (Well, compared to usual updates, anyway…) but it's really sad. Here I am, writing this story's conclusion. That's so sad! (This isn't it, by the way, and it won't be for a long time, but…) this story ends! I don't want it to end! *Sniff* That's so incredibly sad! :(

Anyway. Just to clear up a few things and other stuff. Fire Inu, yes, it was Hayate's POV. Mushrooms came in because I love mushrooms. I totally agree with you, Hikari. Ryu needs to elope! ^_^ I can't wait for my big surprise *evil grin* Anyway. Onward!

*

"Where are you going, Hayate?" Ayane's voice drifted down the corridor. "If you're going out, can you get me some coke?"

"The drug or the drink?" he asked.

"Shut up! The drink, you arse," Her head suddenly appeared in front of him as he only just managed to duck the blow she sent his way. "Although, if you can find the drug…"

She held up her hands as he glared at her. "Only kidding! Jeez. Can't take a joke or anything, you old fart. Just the bloody drink. Not too hard for you,"

"Why can't you get it yourself?"

"Well, where the hell are you going? You couldn't just go a tiny bit out of your way and be helpful, instead of being an ass, could you? Just that one little thing, just being a slight bit nice instead of the mega-dick you usually are?"

"Oh well. Got no chance now," He opened the door.

She sighed theatrically. "Fine,"

His feet took him automatically to the park, hoping that Ryu actually would be there. The idea that his friend might have decided to simply not turn up had certainly come into his head. To his surprise, there he was, sitting on a park bench, staring into space.

"Hey, stupid!" he yelled from halfway across the park.

Surprisingly enough, his friend turned around.

"It was your voice," Ryu explained after his laughing fit had calmed down somewhat. "I could tell that it was you,"

"Sure you could!" he chuckled.

"I've been called stupid all afternoon. Probably why I responded to it. I'm getting used to it,"

He stopped laughing, opening an eye to stare at his friend.

"Father trouble?"

"You could say that," Ryu murmured absently.

"I'm probably not the best source of advice, but you should stand up to him more," he suggested. His friend shook his head, a laugh as bitter as the sound of smashing glass escaping his lips, making him shudder involuntarily.

"No point. I did that this afternoon and was only lucky to get away with it. He was… he was speaking derogatorily about Ayane,"

"Oh?" That caused a small burning flame of anger to flare. "Really?"

"Yeah, really?" Aforementioned Ayane popped her head out from behind a tree. "What did the brute say? I'll roast his balls and feed them to our dog. Pity. He is kinda cute, but,"

He glanced quickly across at his friend and was unsurprised to see the look of discomfit flash across his face briefly. "Please don't tell me that,"

"Jealous?" Ayane asked snidely.

"Simply disgusted," Ryu responded coolly.

"It's true, Hayabusa, as much as you might dislike admitting it. Your father doesn't look half bad for an old guy,"

"Don't tell me," Ryu shook his head. "I don't want to hear it,"

"Block your ears," Ayane suggested.

"Weren't you going to buy coke, instead of talking and following me, bothering us in the interim?" he asked pointedly. "I think the coke is calling to you,"

Ayane instantly stood up. "Fine," she snapped. "I can tell when I'm not wanted,"

"Not when idiotic statements come out of your mouth, no, you're not," he retorted.

Ryu's head jerked up as the words came out of his mouth, and he was totally astonished when a hurt expression crossed his half-sister's face. She turned around, hiding her face from view, before hurling abuse at him.

Finally, she stopped and spoke.

"Thanks, Hayate. Now I really know where a bastard child lies,"

With that, she stormed off.

He sighed.

"I'm not going to go for her now. I have no hope of her listening to me, not yet,"

Emerald eyes were gazing intently at him. He resisted the urge to squirm under their inquisitive beam. "You were probably a bit harsh on her, Hayate. The fact about not being wanted is something rather sensitive to her,"

He narrowed his eyes, not in anger, in thought. "How do you know all this? You only just met her recently. Last week, for crying out loud, yet you claim to read her better then me, and yet I've known her all her life. Obviously,"

"She… she told me,"

He raised an eyebrow. "Told you? Wow. She must trust you. She usually doesn't tell anybody anything about what bothers her. She's a bit like you, in that respect, anyway,"

His friend looked confused. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "Whenever I ask you what's wrong with you, or something to that effect, you always come back with 'don't know' or find some neat way of avoiding the question. Ayane, she isn't that subtle. She just tells you to piss off. But, keeping stuff bottled up like that isn't healthy. You know how glass shatters if it gets too hot in the microwave oven?"

He's so naïve. So smart, yet so innocently naïve. Ryu still didn't look as though he had comprehended the previous statements. "Yes, your point?"

"Think of a parallel," he chided.

Ryu shook his head. "I can't. I have to go, anyway,"

His friend rubbed his temples in a circular motion and it was then he remembered that the reason his friend had been sent home was because he was sick.

"Why so soon?" he asked, before instantly regretting it, as Ryu, having finally taken his previous statements into consideration, responded fully.

"Father's drunk. He's already in a bad mood with me over something I don't understand. Now you're just making me feel even more foolish, even more recalcitrant. Besides, I don't want to be late, not with Father being so volatile,"

"Now you know how it feels," he responded, not without bitterness lacing his tone.

"How what feels?"   

Okay. Perhaps he's not as smart as I thought. "How it feels to be an idiot,"

"You're not an idiot," That response was automatic. Perhaps too automatic.

"Nice of you to say so," he muttered under his breath.

*