Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.

A/N: So here's what happens after Tsukasa killed the pizza guy...

Chapter 25: Somebody Buy This Girl a Clue

Tsukushi held on to her composure until she reached the basement. Once she got there, however, she closed the door quietly and leaned back against it, trembling. Her knuckles turned white as both her hands gripped the sides of the pizza box she was holding. She was gripping it so tightly that it was enough to bend the corners of the box out of shape. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath as she thought of what had happened a few minutes earlier.

Shit! I must be going crazy! Just last night I was convincing Rui that I'd never fall for Tsukasa, and now what do I do? I almost let him kiss me! Again! Way to go, Tsukushi.

She wondered what it was she really felt for their curly-haired bandleader. There was no question that she was physically attracted to him... she had admitted as much to Rui last night.

Yeah, that's all it is. I am physically attracted to Tsukasa. That's it. And there really is nothing wrong with that, right? I am, after all, a healthy female, and he's a damn fine specimen of the male species. So it's but natural that I'd be attracted to him. Right. Especially since I haven't gotten laid in so long. Too long.

Maybe she should've just let him kiss her. Maybe she should've gone with the natural flow of things. The kiss would've led to making out, which would've led to a quick toss in bed. Maybe she just needed to get the heat out of her system.

But Tsukushi knew she wasn't that kind of girl. She had only given herself completely to one man before... Junpei. And that was because she was in love with him. But for her to even consider going to bed with Tsukasa... what did it mean? Could she, as Rui implied the night before, be falling for him?

No freakin' way. Nuh-uh. Impossible.

But why then did she feel that squeeze on her heart whenever she thought of the time he held her hand throughout that first song on the night of her debut performance? And why did she feel all giddy thinking about that fleeting kiss they shared at the beach? And why did her stomach perform somersaults whenever he happened to flash that bedimpled smile of his?

Am I in love with Tsukasa? Could this be more than a mere physical attraction?

Akira and Soujiro were just as well built as Tsukasa, if not more so. But she was pretty sure her reaction at seeing either of them almost naked wouldn't have been as explosive as it was when she saw Tsukasa earlier. Rui? Hmmm, maybe, but...

Oh god, Tsukushi, will you listen to yourself? Now you're thinking of your band mates naked?!?!

She was right the first time. It HAD been too long since she's gotten laid.

She shook her head emphatically, as if doing so would empty it of all the thoughts that had been running through her mind. She strode up to the table at one side of the room and laid the pizza box on it. But as she did, she got back to thinking about how she and Tsukasa had almost kissed.

Rui told me last night that Tsukasa likes me. And he thinks I like him back. Maybe I do. So why couldn't I just open up my heart?

But she knew the answer to that question all too well, as bitter memories of the night when Junpei left her flooded her mind. Suddenly, she felt all the pain of that night coming back, like a knife twisting itself though her heart.

=================

Upstairs, Tsukasa finished paying the pizza guy. He wanted to strangle the little twerp for ruining the moment but he had to satisfy himself with giving him a measly tip and shutting the door abruptly on his pimply face before the poor guy could even complain.

After grabbing a couple of cans of soda from the fridge, he made his way down to the basement, stopping midway down the stairs to gather his thoughts.

It was pretty obvious from the way that Tsukushi acted earlier that she didn't want to talk about what almost happened in Akira's room. Did she think it was a mistake? But how could she think that when the moment felt so... right. He was sure he didn't imagine it when he felt her arms go around his neck as he prepared to kiss her. Damn it, she wanted that kiss too, as much as he did! So why the cold shoulder afterwards?

Idiot! Tsukasa scolded himself. She already told you the reason that night at the beach. She's built this wall around her heart so she wouldn't be hurt again. She's not ready for another relationship. But the question was, will she ever be ready?

The way he saw it, he had two choices. The first would be to forget about this whole thing, forget about her, and give up. Or, he could just wait 'til she found it in herself to open her heart again. If that time ever came. The most logical choice would be the first one, of course.

Yeah. That's it. It's best if I just forget about this whole thing. She's already made it clear that she wasn't ever gonna fall in love again. So there. From this moment on, I'm gonna keep my distance and try not to think of her as anything more than a friend and band mate.

Having made that decision, he squared his shoulders resolutely as he went down the few remaining steps of stairs, then flung the door to the basement wide open.

Tsukushi turned towards the open door. For a fleeting second, she looked at him with such soulful eyes. Then she blinked, and schooled her expression once more in a reserved mask of composure.

But that brief moment was enough to weaken Tsukasa's resolve.

Okay, I change my mind. What the hell was I thinking?! Forget her? Fat chance! I'll wait. I can be a very patient man.

Tsukushi was still deep in her thoughts, her mind reliving all the hurt she's been through, when the door was suddenly flung open by Tsukasa. Seeing him, she roused herself quickly and put on a neutral face.

"Tsukushi..." he began.

"Your pizza's getting cold," she cut him off abruptly as she struggled to keep her voice even. Not wanting to look at him any longer, she turned away. "Better start eating it now. I'll start working on the song while you're having your lunch." She pulled a chair away from the table and dragged it close to the couch, so it could serve as her makeshift desk. She had no intention of working at the same table as him just yet. Right now, maintaining a safe physical distance was best, because she couldn't trust herself not to pounce on him and give him a very thorough kiss if he happened to gaze into her eyes again. Still averting her eyes from his, she went back to the table and tore a few sheets of paper from the pad laying on top of it. She also grabbed a pencil from the pen cup before going back to sit on the couch.

"Um, yeah. I just wanted to ask if you'd care to join me?" Tsukasa asked as he held out a soda can to her.

She rose from the couch and strode briskly to him to take the proffered can. As her fingers brushed his, the jolt of electricity she felt caused her to grab the can rather brusquely. "I'm still full. I just had my lunch before coming here," she declared as she turned away to go back to the couch. When she was almost there, she halted in her tracks and turned back to look at him. "Tsukasa?" she called out softly.

"Yeah?"

She lifted the soda can slightly and offered him a brief smile. "Thanks." Though it may seem that she was merely thanking him for the drink, she was actually thanking him for not bringing up what happened earlier and not forcing the issue.

He seemed to get the message, because he nodded in understanding and flashed her a warm smile. "You're welcome."

Feeling a little less uptight than she did a few minutes earlier, she sat back down at the couch and got ready to work. Tsukasa meanwhile, sat at the table to eat his pizza. "I was thinking, how about we work on the song separately for now, then compare notes later?" she suggested.

"Sure, no problem," Tsukasa agreed. For the rest of the next half hour or so, silence reigned in the room. Tsukushi was thankful for the diversion, and was soon absorbed in the task of thinking up lyrics for the song. Once in a while she would hum the tune softly to herself, to see if the words she'd thought up fit the melody. Tsukasa, on the other hand, was lost in his own thoughts. Long after he'd finished eating, he stared unseeingly at the blank sheet before him as his mind wandered to what happened earlier in Akira's room. He couldn't forget how right she felt in his arms, like it was where she truly belonged.

Tsukushi started out writing from memory the lyrics they had managed to come up with the day before. Then an idea hit her and after that the words seemed to tumble out of her head as she scribbled furiously on the paper before her. Before she knew it, she had finished writing the rest of the song. After a few revisions, she held the sheet up triumphantly. "I'm done!" she exclaimed, excitement coloring her voice as she flashed Tsukasa a wide smile. "How 'bout you?" she asked, almost as an afterthought.

Tsukasa sheepishly grinned as he held up the pad he had been staring at the whole time she was working. There was nothing written on it.

"Well, that's okay," she waved a dismissive hand as she strode over to join him at the table. "Take a look at what I've got, and tell me what you think."

After he had cleared the table and thrown the pizza box and soda can into the trash, he took a seat beside her and read over her work. For the next few minutes, he read quietly, pausing once in a while to sing the words under his breath, while Tsukushi bit her lip nervously, anxious for his approval. She hoped he liked what she'd come up with, 'cause that would make it easier for her to make her suggestion as to how she thought the song should be sung.

The hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he neared the end of the song, and this slowly widened to a full grin. "I like it. Dang, you're good!"

The gorgeous smile, coupled with the compliment he gave, made her feel warm all over, and did a lot to awaken those butterflies in her stomach again. "Thanks," she shyly answered. "I'm really happy I could help you write this song."

Tsukasa was glad that she seemed to have forgotten her earlier awkwardness towards him, and that they were back again to normal. "Hey, even if the others aren't here yet, we can start practicing this. Maybe we can even debut it this Friday at Frenzy."

"Um, yeah. See, Tsukasa, I have a suggestion as to how we're gonna sing this..."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"Um, I was thinking, what if we don't sing this as a duet?" she spoke uncertainly as she waited for his reaction.

"It's not gonna be a duet? But why?" Confusion made him knit his eyebrows as he asked her. "Don't you want to sing this with me?" he asked, unable to keep the hurt from creeping up his voice. He had been looking forward to singing this song with Tsukushi. It was THEIR song. He had started writing it out with her in mind, and now she didn't want to sing it with him?!

"That's not the reason, silly. Remember how a few weeks ago we all got talking about how bands like ours are a dime a dozen?"

"Tell me about it," Tsukasa answered as he rolled his eyes. "Just last night Jiro, Akira and I were at a club uptown and there was a band very much like ours playing. Their repertoire was almost exactly like ours. But what's your point?"

"I've got one, and I'm getting there. Just hear me out first." She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. "One edge we've got over other bands is our original material -- the songs you compose." At his nod, she continued. "But we also agreed that's not enough to get us noticed. To make us stand out from the rest. Which is why we decided to venture into new things, like rap. Audiences will always appreciate variety, and we were proven right, judging from the response we got at the luau last weekend. With this song, we can take it up a notch and show the people how versatile we are."

"Go on," he prodded as she took another pause. Tsukushi was getting more animated by the second, and his curiosity was piqued. But just as she was to launch further into her pitch, the door burst open, revealing a visibly excited Akira.

"Tsukasa," he spoke breathlessly. "Guess who I just had lunch with?"

"Spill," he demanded, not having the patience to play guessing games.

"Remember Akemi?"

"Akemi, your rich, bratty ex? Tendou Akemi?"

"The very same. Anyway, as I was saying, I just had lunch with her. She's getting married!"

"Married? Huh. Who'd have thought? So who's the poor sap who got suckered into marrying that brat?"

"Kuroda Hiro." One of Tsukasa's brows lifted at hearing the name. "Yup," Akira confirmed. "Sole heir to the Kuroda shipping empire. You can't exactly say he's a 'poor sap.' Rich sap, more like," he laughed at his own joke.

By this time Soujiro and Rui had arrived, and they were quickly brought up to speed by Akira. Tsukushi, meanwhile, listened with avid interest to the conversation among the four guys. From what she had gathered, Tendou Akemi was from a rich family which owned one of the largest supermarket chains in the whole of Japan. She and Akira dated briefly while they were still studying at Eitoku University. Though they broke up after only a few months, they had remained friends. Unlike Soujiro, whose relationships mostly ended with a nice little slap and a few death threats, Akira had managed to remain in good terms with his ex-girlfriends. This Akemi was marrying Kuroda Hiro, the sole heir to the biggest shipping company in the country. Their wedding, which was set for the following month, was sure to be touted as the wedding of the year, Akira had said.

"That's quite a catch, even for Akemi," Jiro remarked. "It's a good thing she snared someone rich enough to cater to her every whim." They knew Akemi to be a spoiled little rich girl, from the brief time Akira was dating her.

"So is that why you were so excited when you came in?" Tsukasa asked. "Are we invited to this 'wedding of the year?'"

"My friend," Akira spoke solemnly. "Not only are we invited but we are playing at the wedding!" his somber demeanor was quickly erased by the wide grin on his face. "Can you believe it? Imagine the exposure! Everyone who is anyone will be there. Just think! New money weds into old money. We'll be playing for the richest people in the country! Plus, we'll be getting paid four times as much as we usually charge for weddings."

"Woohoo! Way to go, man!" Soujiro slapped Akira in the back. "Now I believe you when you say it pays to remain friends with your exes."

"You bet!" Akira replied earnestly. "They were actually considering hiring one of the more famous bands in Tokyo. Fortunately for us, Akemi's fiancé caught our performance at Frenzy last Friday, and he liked our music. Akemi herself still wasn't so sure, but I was able to convince her over lunch. Told her we're more versatile than other bands, and we can offer more variety than they could. Um, Rui, you think you could play a few pieces on your violin?" he asked as he turned to look pleadingly at their quiet friend. He scratched his head and gave a guilty grin. "I may have promised Akemi that while I was trying to convince her to choose us."

Rui shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"

"Great!" Akira slapped him goodnaturedly on the back. "So there you have it guys," he looked around the group to address them. "This is gonna be a big gig, and we've got a month to prepare for it."

"Hey," Tsukasa remembered that he still hadn't heard Tsukushi's suggestion on the song. "Speaking of variety, Tsukushi here has an idea on how we're gonna sing the song she and I co-wrote. Apparently, we won't be singing it as a duet," he looked at Tsukushi disapprovingly.

"You won't?" Rui asked. "Why not?"

"Well, I was thinking, if we sing it as a duet, it'll just be like all the other songs we've been singing. The audience won't see it as anything different. This is the first song I've ever co-written. I want it to be special. When we perform it, I want the people to stop and take notice, and say, 'hey, this is new.'"

"I don't think they're gonna see it as anything more special if Tsukasa sings it solo," Soujiro opined.

"Tsukasa won't be singing it solo."

"But I thought you're not singing it with him?" Akira asked. "I'm getting confused. If you're not singing it as a duet, and he's not singing it solo, who's gonna sing it then?"

Tsukushi beamed at the four men. "All four of you. And you'll be singing it a capella."

A buzz of conversation followed Tsukushi's announcement. Tsukasa was firmly opposed to the idea, Akira and Soujiro liked it, while Rui... well, Rui just yawned as he listened to everyone talk around him.

"Aww, c'mon Tsukasa," Tsukushi tried to cajole him. "Let's try this out first, then if it doesn't work, let's do it your way and sing it as a duet, okay?"

After much resistance, Tsukasa finally gave in. It was Rui who helped him change his mind when he took his friend aside and whispered, "Just think of it this way. Instead of you singing it WITH her, you'll be singing it FOR her."

And once they had started the tedious task of learning the new song and rehearsing it over and over again, he began to think that this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

A/N: Whew! I'm sooo glad I finally finished this chapter. Writing it irritated the hell out of me, 'cause I was having a hard time getting it to flow. So, yeah, it got a little draggy in some parts, but there were some things I just had to get across. Anyways, just let me know what you think of this chapter if you have time.

abyss: Hehe, sorry for making you impatient. Don't worry, T&T will have their moment, eventually. And I promise that the next time they attempt to kiss, there won't be any interruptions, lol. Thanks for posting a review on this site.

cherub girl: As usual, thank you for your kind words. They really encourage me. I'm still deciding on whether to write a chapter on how the F3 'help' Tsukasa in getting Kushi to like him. We'll see if I'm motivated enough.

KyouFan17: Hi! Nice to hear from you again.

Sailor Angie: LOL! Your review made me laugh. Sorry if there's no making out in this chapter... I wanted to take a break from writing all that fluff. And no, I can't put a scene like that in every chapter, 'cause I don't want to deprive you of oxygen everytime you read my updates, hahaha.

XxSwtDreamerxX1: Hehe, I haven't decided yet whether to include a chap on the F3 'helping' Tsukasa out. Maybe if inspiration hits me.

random0182: Haha, I'm glad someone found the exhibitionist bit funny.

kamiangel: Well, I hope this chapter explained the cold shoulder treatment sufficiently. But don't worry, now they're back to normal. Oh, and now you know why I couldn't use the song you suggested. It's not gonna be a TxT duet. About Jerry, hahaha, I'm obsessed with him too!

ToinKs: Haha, so sorry if the last post frustrated you. Promise, next time, hindi na ako mambibitin, hehehe!

Syvonair: Hi! Sorry if I didn't make them kiss. I just felt it wasn't the right time yet, 'cause Tsukushi's still got all these hang-ups.

chaRm007: Kumusta? I'm glad you like my story. Hope to hear from you again.

Ruth: Hey hey! I was wondering if I'd ever hear from you again. I hope you're liking this story as much as you did my first one. I'm pretty sure you're not the only one who wants to strangle me, hahaha. Just be patient. T&T will have their moment sooner or later. And I promise, no more interruptions next time, lol.

Lian: It is a TxT pairing. I thought RxT was your favorite couple because you said you're their fan. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!

See you all next update!