First things first: With this chapter, do NOT jump to conclusions PLEASE. PLEASE!

Like, I know it sounds bad, but… take a deep breath! Everything works out fine! (Well, sorta…) Okay. And Sephiroth, don't break Ninja Gaiden! O.O How could you? Send it to me if you're that angry ^_^ Well… the last chapter seems to have everyone angry with someone. Almost amusing, really… *cough* Good work, guys! ^_^ Oh, and Ayane will swear a lot more! A… *cough* lot.

How could you hate Ryu?! I think I'm gonna cry now… cry and deck you. *Evil grin*

Anyways! Onto the chapter!

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"I can't believe she would do that," his voice was soft. He was angry. He couldn't express it overly well, but he was. Angry at himself, mostly. That she felt that he, or perhaps just the fact of her beating Kasumi in itself, was important enough to so badly hurt her sister for.

He glared at his hands. I don't believe it. I knew she was jealous of Kasumi, but to do something like that? There's no way known that that can be socially acceptable. And I don't even know exactly why it's made me so angry… at her, but mostly myself. Perhaps because I was too rough on her. Or perhaps because I know that I'm not worth such an ugly argument over. Maybe even because it seems like this whole incident was my fault.

"Perhaps you were a bit harsh on her, Ryu," Hayate's voice drifted down from the tree branch he was sitting on, a concerned tone all too obvious. "Ayane's always had a problem with not being able to beat Kasumi. I think she thinks that Kasumi always seems to have the edge on her, therefore she hates her for it,"

"Nothing can excuse that sort of lowlife behaviour," he muttered. "Even sibling rivalry. Kasumi has wanted to be accepted by Ayane for so long, but to have such a blatant mockery made of that in front of everybody…"

"How do you know so much about my sisters?" his friend asked, sounding almost suspicious.

"I open my eyes instead of my mouth,"

He raised an eyebrow. Ryu was certainly not in a good mood. Most people wouldn't have noticed. It seemed odd, that even perfect people could have bad days. Not really. I guess nobody is truly perfect, but… Ryu comes pretty damn close. Of all the people to be friends with, I have to pick the perfect ones.

Like Irene…

That train of thought was instantly truncated as he jumped swiftly to the ground with a flurry of leaves accompanying him. "Have you even got anything for this thing tonight?"

"Of course I have," Was he mistaken, or was that a glint of humour in his friend's eye. "One must choose outfits carefully to make sure it goes with one's features…"

"Oh, shut up," he muttered, throwing the apple he had been holding at his friend, who caught it, eyed it for a moment, before biting into it.

"Hey, that's my apple, loser. Go get your own!"

"I did. Just so happens that it used to be yours. Unless of course, you want it back," Ryu proffered the apple, which now had a significant… hole in it.

"No. I don't want Ryu germs,"

"Didn't think so," Holding the apple, Ryu rolled his eyes theatrically before biting into it once more. "Nice apple, by the way,"

"So. This 'outfit' you're wearing tonight. Did you find some nice high heels to go with it?"

Surprisingly, even though he could easily tell that his friend still wasn't in the best of moods, Ryu went along with it, instead of telling him to shut up, which would have been easier.

"Of course I did. They are rather nice, actually. But I think my dress outdoes them,"

"I'm glad," he folded his arms across his chest. "I can't believe you stole my apple,"

Ryu held it out again, biting into it once more. "I can,"

"But. My apple. Mine!" he sighed, pulling out a packet of chips from his pocket. "Oh well. I suppose there was no sign, saying 'Don't feed the animals' or anything. Nobody can get too angry at me for that,"

"You're so harsh," Ryu, having finished the apple, aimed it at the bin and threw. Of course, it went in cleanly. "I don't know why I put up with you sometimes, when all you do is call me an animal and feed me your leftovers,"

Suddenly, there was the tell-tale crackle of the loudspeaker. "Could Hayate and Ryu of year twelve please go to the office immediately. Repeat, could Hayate and Ryu, both year twelve, please go to the office immediately,"

"Great!" he stood up, rubbing his arms. "What have we done now?"

Ryu opened the door. "You wanted us?"

The receptionist nodded. "The principal thought you might want to know something. It concerns you both,"

The principal looked up from his desk as they entered. "Ah, Hayate, Ryu. Please sit down,"

Obediently, they did so. He shot a glance at his friend, who shrugged.

"We've just received word from a police officer. She claims to know you, Ryu, but I'll get to that in a minute. It appears that Ayane, your sister, if I am correct?"

He had a sudden horrible sinking feeling. "Yes, sir, she is my sister,"

"She left the school grounds and has proceeded to somehow acquire illegal drugs and apparently attempt an overdose on them, or so it seems. Luckily, she was found before any severe damage could be done, and most of the pills were able to be… how should I say? Removed before any effects could show themselves,"

"Ayane took drugs?" He felt faint. If he hadn't been sitting down, he would have been on the ground. Ryu looked as shocked as he felt, which was a big thing in itself. "So she's alright?"

"She's in the local hospital for observations and questioning. Obviously, the police would like to know the source of the drugs, as they are illegal for a reason. Apparently they were pills meant to bring on hallucinations, but as most of them were separated from her possession before she could ingest many, if any, we're not too sure on the details thus far, she will recover perfectly. Do either of you know what drove her to such drastic measures?"

Ryu looked horribly pale beside him, but didn't say anything.

"Either of you?" The principal looked from him, to Ryu, to him, then back to Ryu again. "I can't express how important it is that you tell us what you know. Even though Ayane is only a new student, we care greatly for her wellbeing and would greatly appreciate any light you could shed on the subject,"

"Well, we… we had an argument before she left, but…" Never before had he heard his friend sound so hesitant. "It wasn't anywhere near drastic enough for her to…"

"Could you please elaborate, Ryu?" the principal turned piercing eyes onto his friend. He shifted slightly, grateful for those eyes leaving him, at least for a time.

"I… well, there was something going on about the formal this evening… and…" Ryu shook his head. "I don't know,"

"Please try, Mr Hayabusa," the principal was beginning to lose his patience, it was obvious by the tone of voice. "This is important…"

"I know it's important," Ryu looked downright flustered now.

"Ayane and Kasumi had an argument, because Kasumi claimed that Ayane had spread rumours around the school about her dating someone else, therefore trying to convince Ryu to not go with Kasumi and to go with her instead. Well, we all agreed with Kasumi without question, which was probably a foolish thing to do, reflecting on it, and Ryu simply told Ayane that if she was going to do things like that then he didn't want to go with her to the formal tonight. She cracked it and then they got into an argument, which ended with Ayane running off. That's all we know," he finished quietly.

"Thankyou, Hayate. Do you have any idea why these arguments would have affected your sister to such an extent?"

"I have an idea, but don't hold me to it. For so long now, Kasumi has always seemed to beat Ayane in everything, even now, in getting somebody for the formal. So she retaliated. But everybody is more likely to believe Kasumi then Ayane, and it ended up with Ayane losing again. But… I never would have thought she would act so drastically. Perhaps all the times of her losing got to be too much for her,"

"You two should probably go and see her,"

"No," his friend's voice was firm. "She wouldn't want to see us,"

"Don't you want to make sure that she is alright?"

Ryu shook his head slowly. "It isn't that. She wouldn't want to see us, me especially. Our presence would just further aggravate her,"

"You should go and see her regardless," the principal said firmly. "I think that an apology is in order from both sides,"

With that, they were dismissed. As soon as they got outside, Ryu stopped walking, shutting his eyes and leaning against the wall heavily.

"An apology, he says. An apology for her nearly losing her life. Seems a little bit inadequate,"

"What else can you do?" he asked chidingly.

Ryu gave a bitter snort, bitter enough for him to mentally wince at it. It was as harsh as the sound of fingernails dragging down a blackboard. "Can I do. Nice wording. Nothing. That's what's so aggravating. She deserves more then that,"

"Sounds a bit different from before,"

"Yes, perhaps," Swirling emerald orbs looked over to him. "Before, when I thought that she was simply being cruel. Before she tried to take her own life. For what?"

"Sounds like it was for you,"

He certainly wasn't expecting his friend to start laughing at his statement. The sound reminded him distinctly of breaking glass, so harsh, yet so oddly beautiful at the same time.

"That's what's so foolish," Ryu put a hand weakly to his face to shield his laughter. "What makes it seem so amusing,"

"I'm glad you find this so damn funny that my sister tried to kill herself over you!" he hissed furiously, reaching out a trembling hand to shake his friend roughly. "Pull yourself together!"

Finally, Ryu stopped laughing, turning to face him.

"Me too. Because if I didn't laugh, I'd cry. Tears hurt so much more then laughter. And anguish makes you do more drastic things. As we've just seen,"

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