Title:Faerie Confrontations

Part: chapter4

Author: Nanako

Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance

Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, the characters are sometimes ooc, and there is a lot of Haruko bashing in this fic

Disclaimer: no claim no sue

Dedicated to Nagyra, Afuna and Yen

CHAPTER 4

Lunamir Day

Kogure entered Miyagi's room and ducked quickly as a lightning bolt was shot at his direction. "Ryota!" he exclaimed, after recovering from shock. "Be careful where you aim that!"

Miyagi turned his attention to Kogure and smiled apologetically. "Sorry Kiminobu."

"You just came in at the wrong time," commented Mitsui, from his seated position on a chair in the opposite side of the room.

"Good morning Hisashi," greeted Kogure. "You're teaching him how to conjure lightning bolts again?"

"Yeah," admitted the prince. "He's already able to conjure it. But I forgot to teach him the more tedious stuff."

"Tedious stuff?"

"Yeah," said the prince, scratching his head. "Things like how to aim or control the things you conjure, especially things like lightning bolts, fireballs, and the like. It's a whole lot harder learning to control than learning how to conjure things." He sighed and continued, "Anyways, looks like we have to go."

"Go?" Miyagi asked.

"Today's Lunamir Day, and if you guys haven't forgotten, today is also my younger brother's engagement."

"Prince Sendoh?" Kogure inquired as the prince rose from his seat and began walking out of the room.

"Yeah," the prince replied. "But I still can't believe what Hiroaki sees in that hentai brother of mine."

"True love does not need any explanations Hisashi," said Kogure. "It just happens."

"I know Kimonobu," said the prince softly as he made his way out of the room.

Miyagi adjusted the belt on his cloak and complained, "Why does this have to be so darn tight!"

"Oh stop complaining Ryota," said Kogure as the three of them made their way into the palace of Eilandar. "We already told you that it's too small for you, but you wouldn't listen. Now stop complaining, Ayako will be meeting us at any moment."

And just as Kogure had assumed, the high queen met them as they entered the Great Hall. "Nice to see you've arrived here safely, Hisashi, Kogure, Miyagi."

The three newcomers bowed before the queen as a greeting and the queen curtsied before them as a return greeting. "Come," she said, gesturing for the four to follow her. "Akira and Hiroaki aren't here yet, so all the others are just killing time."

"Akira's late even on his engagement!" Mitsui exclaimed. Then he shook his head and continued, "When will that brother of mine ever learn?"

"Oh, do calm down Hisashi," said the queen. "We ARE kind of used to Akira's being late and all. It's no big deal, really."

"I still can't understand why he can bear to be late on important occasions. This is his engagement, for heaven's sake," said the prince.

The queen just shook her head and gestured for them to follow her. After some time walking through the halls of the palace, they soon reached the doors leading to the garden.

The queen opened the doors and led the three outside.

"You guys wait here for a while. Kenji's somewhere in the palace. Haruko, Sakuragi and Rukawa are somewhere in this garden. Come, I'll bring you to where they are."

"Ayako," said Kogure. "There is no need to guide us there if you are busy. We..."

"Oh don't worry so much Kogure!" exclaimed the queen. "You're not bothering me, if that is what concerns you. I do need a breath of fresh air. And where else to get it, but here in my own garden?"

Kogure was about to say something but stopped when he noticed that their other companion had not said a word ever since they entered the garden. "Ryota?" he asked, turning his attention to his friend. "What's wrong? You're unusually quiet."

Miyagi tore his eyes from the vast garden and turned to Kogure, "Nothing's wrong with me, Kiminobu. I was just wondering where Hanamichi is and what he could be doing while waiting. If I remember correctly, he is the most impatient within among us four."

Kogure thought for a while and considered the thought. "You're right, Ryota. And he could be very destructive when he's impatient," he added, wincing as a memory of a very impatient Sakuragi surfaced in his mind.

"Don't worry about it," interrupted the queen. "He won't be able to do much damage to this garden," she added knowingly. "Now, why don't we go look for the others?"

All three guys agreed.

They walked through the garden and Kogure could not help but be mesmerized the beauty of the vast array of flowers the garden housed. Even Miyagi, who did not appreciate these things back home, was also enthralled by the garden's beauty.

Since they were so interested in the different flower display, they didn't realize that they had already walked for a good ten minutes or so. And the only thing that made them stop admiring the flowers was the sudden greeting of the queen.

"Haruko!"

"Ayako! Hisashi!" exclaimed the princess. She got up from her sitting position on the grass and abandoned the garland she was making. "Kogure! Miyagi!"

"Hi Haruko," greeted the prince. He looked around and asked her, "Where are Rukawa and Sakuragi? Aren't they supposed to be with you?"

"They were with me until a little while ago," said the princess. "But I think Rukawa got a bit bored a while back so he decided to continue Hanamichi's training. Come on, let's see what those two boys are up to."

Haruko dusted her long flowery gown and led the way.

"Hisashi," Kogure asked the prince softly so that the princess wouldn't be able to hear.

"Yes Kiminobu?"

"Haruko and Rukawa are engaged right?"

Mitsui nodded, and Kogure continued, "If they are engaged, then why is she still calling Rukawa by his last name?"

Mitsui sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "I really don't like to meddle in my siblings' love life. But what I do know is that, it has always been Haruko going after Rukawa, not the other way around. And you've met him. I think you would agree that it would not be easy talking with him, being a man of few words himself."

"Why are you so concerned Kiminobu?" Miyagi inquired from Mitsui's side.

Kogure shook his head. "I wasn't really concerned, just curious."

They continued walking in silence, as they could no longer find a topic to talk about.

Suddenly, they were suddenly stopped by the queen.

"What's wrong Ayako?" Mitsui asked.

"I feel tremendous energy," replied the queen slowly. "We have to be careful in approaching."

"Tremendous energy? Whose?"

The queen closed her eyes, and silence once again settled over the company. Then the queen opened her eyes and said, "I'm not sure Hisashi." She turned to him with troubled eyes and asked, "Hisashi, do you..." But she stopped and didn't finish the question; instead, she turned away from her cousin. "Come on, let's go back to the palace."

"What is it Ayako?" Mitsui asked, tone serious. "I've never seen your eyes that troubled ever since our childhood years. What did you see?"

Ayako shook her head and replied. "You wouldn't understand Hisashi."

"Try me," the prince challenged.

But the queen shook her head again. "It would be better for me to talk about this matter with the Prince Regent. Although this matter concerns our family as a whole, you guys are still too young to understand any of it."

Mitsui backed off. Ayako never called them by their titles, and by calling Fujima by his formal title, he knew the queen was serious and that this matter was probably way out of his hands. So he held his hands up and said, "Alright, I won't pester you anymore."

"Thank you Hisashi."

"Prince Regent?"

Ayako turned to Miyagi and smiled at him, firm and serious attitude gone once again. "It's Kenji's royal title aside from being a prince and being the ruler of Greendale. He never introduces himself as such though."

"Oh... I see," murmured Miyagi as they made their way back to the palace.

"Kaede?" Sakuragi asked when the raven-haired faerie he was following suddenly stopped walking. "Why did we come to this meadow?"

Rukawa looked back at the redhead and said, "This is where we will continue our training. Don't worry, this is still part of the garden. I just didn't want to destroy the queen's prized trees and flowers while we have our little duel. "

"Why a duel now of all times? And I thought you said we were going to continue our training? What's with the sudden "duel" idea?" asked Sakuragi with a playful pout on his lips.

Rukawa raised his brow in amusement and asked, "Why, would you rather stay with Haruko while she makes those garlands? I clearly saw that you were bored halfway to death. And besides, you learn faster from hands on experience rather than listening to boring lectures."

Sakuragi shook his head and smiled at the faerie. "You know me too well for comfort Kaede," he said as he and Rukawa distanced themselves from each other. "But I'm not complaining."

Both boys stopped walking when they were about twenty paces apart. "Are you ready?" Rukawa asked Sakuragi.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Kaede," said Sakuragi.

Rukawa looked at Sakuragi intently as he stretched out his right arm, palm facing forward. As he did so, the wind around him gathered, and he was lifted off his feet by the gentle gushes of wind. And he did all this without breaking eye contact with the redhead.

Sakuragi kept his eyes fixed on the now airborne Rukawa, knowing fully well that the faerie will take full advantage of any slip in his concentration.

And was he ever thankful that his attention never wavered. Because, after Rukawa reached a height of about twenty feet from the ground, Rukawa crossed his arms over his chest, and instantly ice crystals materialized around him. Without even a facial hint that he was going to attack, Rukawa sent the ice crystals hurtling towards Sakuragi.

The redhead, anticipating the attack, quickly moved away. Without using any hand symbols, he called the winds to his command, thus making his escape from the ice crystals possible as the wind propelled him through the air. His aim was for the wind to help him gain speed, not to reach the same height as the faerie he was dueling with.

But the ice crystals weren't done yet. After they had severed the part of the garden where Sakuragi was standing but a minute before, they resumed their chase of the evasive redhead.

As Sakuragi maneuvered his way through the air away from the attacking ice crystals, he summoned a few balls of fire. And, after establishing a safe distance from the pursuing ice crystals, he stopped in mid-air and put his right hand in front of him, aiming the fireballs he summoned earlier towards the ice crystals.

The fireballs destroyed the ice crystals almost immediately upon contact. But, just as Rukawa's first onslaught ended, he started to launch another one from his position above. Minute water molecules gathered around him, and when he whispered the word, "Ryu," the gathering water took on the form of dragons.

Sensing raw energy gathering above him, Sakuragi looked up at Rukawa just in time to see the faerie's water dragons rush towards him. The redhead, using the wind once again, was able to avoid direct collision in the nick of time. As the wind propelled him away from the water dragons, Sakuragi gathered lightning around his right palm and fired it towards the advancing water dragons.

The water dragons tried to dodge the lightning bolts hurled their way. But it was in vain as the lightning bolts followed them and destroyed them upon contact.

As the water dragons began to lose their forms and disintegrate, Rukawa, still from his original position, attacked Sakuragi using both fire and lightning.

Sakuragi, this time, was late in reacting to Rukawa's offensive. So when the fire and lightning attacks rained down on him, he, upon instinct, summoned his fire sword and deflected the attacks.

After Sakuragi managed to deflect the last of his attacks, Rukawa stopped, summoned the wind again and landed elegantly before him. He looked at the unscathed redhead and commented, "You're getting much better than I had originally thought."

Sakuragi smiled at the comment. "Great teacher great student." He cocked his head to the side and asked, "But why did you stop?"

"Getting impatient again Hanamichi?" asked the faerie fondly. "Well, I'm not stupid. I know that I won't be able to hit you with anything I conjure as long as you have that out," he said, indicating the blazing fire sword Sakuragi was holding firmly in his right hand.

Sakuragi shook his head and the sword vanished. "I'm sorry Kaede. I summoned it up again without thinking about it. It seems to appear automatically every time I'm in a pinch."

"It's okay," said Rukawa. "It's also about time we ended our little duel anyway, the engagement party will begin soon and we need to change to our more... appropriate clothes for the occasion," he finished, indicating the rumpled and a bit dirtied robes he and Sakuragi were wearing at the moment.

"It was a good thing that we didn't wear our formal clothes yet then," said Sakuragi with a small smile. Suddenly a thoughtful look crossed his features. "What about Princess Haruko?"

Rukawa closed his eyes and the two stayed silent for a while. He opened his eyes not a minute later and said plainly, "She's already inside the palace." Rukawa informed him. He held his arm out to Sakuragi. "Ready to go back, Hanamichi?"

Sakuragi placed his arm on Rukawa's and closed his eyes. Without a second's notice, both boys disappeared without a sound and without a trace.

Ayako fingered her scepter as her eyes swept over the vast garden of her palace through the window of the throne room. Ever since she became queen, after her late father passed away, Ayako had always been firm and had a strong shield over her emotions. But what she saw a while ago had instantly pulled her shields down. Even Mitsui had realized she was troubled. True, this was a matter that concerned the whole royal family. But Sendoh, Mitsui and Haruko were all too young for this. The only person she could expect some help from now is...

The faint sound of the door closing alerted Ayako out of her reverie. She turned from the scenery and faced Fujima. "Prince Regent," she greeted, their eyes making contact.

Fujima was about to say something in greeting to his cousin, but at the mention of his formal title, he stopped. His azure eyes took on a serious glow as he bowed before Ayako. "My queen, you called for me?"

"I requested Takenori to call for you, yes. Prince regent, I need to show you something very important. Come to my side."

"As is commanded by my queen." Fujima stood up from his bowing position and went to the queen's side in long quick strides.

When Fujima reached her side, Ayako took his hand in both of hers. "There is something I must show you," she said. Then without warning, she sent a mental image to her cousin. It was the image that she saw earlier in the garden when she had tried to reach out and look for the source of the energy surge in the garden.

Then, as quickly as Ayako held his hand, Fujima pulled away, his eyes wide open in shock. "That...That's impossible..."

But Ayako shook her head. "That's what I thought too. But we can't be mistaken, that IS the fire sword my late father told us about."

"But the late king said that it has been missing since we were kids!" Fujima insisted.

Ayako sighed. "I know...but that sword fits the description... you did see the characters engraved on the blade."

Fujima took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I did see the characters, but...how could that be possible?"

"I don't know either..."

Fujima shook his head, knelt down before the queen and held Ayako's hands. "My queen,"he said. "I speak to you now, not as the Prince Regent, but as your cousin." He looked into Ayako's eyes, recognizing the troubled glow in them, something that she never showed her other cousins except Fujima, occasionally. "That sword we have seen before. I'm sure I knew of it even before the late King Edward made mention of it to us when he was in his deathbed. It belonged to someone close to us, close to me. I knew him and he knew me, even before you were born."

"I knew of it too before father told us about it. And I know too that the wielder in my memory is someone dear to us cousin, very dear," Ayako said. "But somehow... I can't remember who that person in my memory is. As a cousin older than me by a year, I hoped that you would be able to remember..."

Fujima shook his head again, sadly this time. "In theory, I should be able to remember...But I can't. I'm sorry..." He pulled Ayako closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, in a comforting embrace. "Why the human Sakuragi possesses the sword now must have its own reason. Though the reason evades us at the moment, I'm sure it will surface when the time is right."

Ayako pulled away and nodded. "I understand."

Fujima smiled and distanced himself from his cousin as he stood up. "Don't worry, if I find out anything related to that sword, you'll be the first to know. Now, let us make out way to the Great Hall. A royal engagement is never complete without the High Queen's blessing." Then he added with a grin, "Besides, Hiroaki's going to need all the blessings he can get with Akira for a fiancé."

Ayako snickered and she too stood up. "Come now, Kenji. All word about the sword should be kept within the four walls of this room. Let us now join our cousin in his royal engagement."

Fujima bowed before Ayako and escorted her to the Great Hall.

Fujima sipped the drink in his half empty glass as he observed the decorations for the engagement party. Although Ayako had told him to leave all thoughts of the sword in the throne room, he couldn't help but think about it. The guests had long since left, but he didn't give it any notice.

It was useless to worry Ayako more, since she had a whole kingdom to govern. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Why did that sword show up now? After all these years it was missing?

And the biggest question was, why was it with Sakuragi? An ordinary faerie would be unable to wield a sword with such power. So how can a human? Just how strong is Sakuragi Hanamichi?

His thoughts were cut off when a hissed "Baka!" reached his keen ears. He turned his head to the other table and smiled despite himself. He stood up, bringing his glass with him, and walked over to his other cousins. "My my...already quarreling just a few hours after your engagement Akira, Hiroaki?"

Koshino, Sendoh and the rest of the occupants at the table – Haruko, Mitsui, Kogure and Miyagi - turned to look at Fujima, greeting the older faerie. Sendoh flashed him his trademark smile and slung an arm over Koshino's shoulders. "Well...we're not really quarreling. Just that Hiroaki here is such a shy boy..."

A kick under the table stopped him from going any further.

Fujima snickered and indicated the empty seat beside Haruko. "Mind if I joined you?"

"Oh not at all," Koshino was quick to reply.

Fujima nodded his thanks and sat down. He looked around the table as the conversation, which he interrupted by coming over, continued. Ayako was probably tending to some of the guests who had stayed behind, being the High Queen, and Akagi could be with her. But why was Sakuragi not here? He couldn't be off anywhere without his friends, would he? Besides, he didn't know his way around the castle, neither did he know any of the guests...Wait a minute, Rukawa's missing too.

Fujima sipped his drink as a thoughtful look clouded his expression.

"Kenji?"

Fujima turned to look at his cousin. Haruko was peering into his face with a worried expression.

"Is anything wrong Kenji?" she asked.

She noticed? Fujima shook his head and replied, "Nothing's wrong Haruko." He smiled and shook his head again. "Maybe I'm just tired, you do know how hard I train my physical and magical skills right?"

Haruko nodded, not fully convinced.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Fujima repeated. "By the way Haruko...do you know where Rukawa is?"

This time, it was Haruko's turn to look pensive. "I don't know...I don't know where he is... I have no idea where and what he's doing and thinking all the time..."

"Haruko?"

Haruko dropped her voice to a mere whisper. "He seems so distant to me...even before Hanamichi came. And now, he seems even further away from me...I don't know..."

Fujima held Haruko's hand and squeezed it lightly for assurance. "He's your fiancé, I'm sure everything will be alright."

"That's just it...he's my fiancé but I don't seem to know anything about him, neither does he seem the least bit interested..."

Fujima shook his head, "I'm sure everything will work out fine..."

"What's wrong?"

That voice...Fujima looked behind him. Speaking of the devil. Sakuragi and Rukawa were both there, behind him. Sakuragi had a worried expression on his face, while Rukawa's face was, as usual, swept clean of all emotions.

Fujima sipped his drink again. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he was missing something here. Something...his eyes traveled downwards and he raised his eyebrow, amusement barely hidden from his eyes. There, almost completely hidden by the thick folds of their robes, were Sakuragi's and Rukawa's hands, entwined.

He saw the faint squeeze Sakuragi gave Rukawa's hand before the redhead let go and went over to their table ad approached the princess. Rukawa did not approach his fiancé though, rather he went over to Fujima and sat down beside the prince.

"Princess Haruko...is anything wrong?" Sakuragi asked worriedly as he reached Haruko's side.

Haruko glanced at Rukawa before she turned back to Sakuragi. "Nothing's wrong Hanamichi... I just need to go get a breath of fresh air." She stood up and curtsied before the others. "If you would all excuse me." She straightened and nodded at her cousins before leaving the Great Hall.

An awkward silence enveloped the table as the princess left the hall, and Fujima locked his eyes on the two newcomers. No one spoke for a while, and as the silence stretched, with the redhead fidgeting under Fujima's gaze, the Prince Regent came to a conclusion that if he did not start this conversation, no one will. So he did.

"Is there something we need to know?"

The look in the faces of everyone in the table said that it was the question they wanted to ask, but were afraid to. And having Fujima ask it was a huge relief. With the question asked, everyone's attention was brought to the two in question.

Rukawa remained passive and just met Fujima's gaze with unreadable blue eyes. Sakuragi though, kept his eyes on the table and didn't meet the prince's gaze. Then he turned to face Rukawa, brown eyes pleading with blue.

And so it was Rukawa who spoke. "Hanamichi and I have been together ever since our transfer to Flores."

Fujima smiled while the other occupants of the table just stared at the couple. "I knew it," the faerie said. His smile widened as he continued, "Congratulations to the both of you."

This time, Sakuragi looked up and met the prince's gaze, an incredulous expression on his face. "You're not…angry or anything?"

Fujima was surprised by the question and he showed it. His brow raised, he asked, "And why would I be?"

"Because Kaede is Haruko san's fiancé…"

It was Mitsui's turn to react, and his reaction came as a surprise to the redhead. Mitsui laughed.

Sakuragi looked at the princess' elder brother with a questioning look in his eyes. "Didn't Rukawa tell you anything?"

Sakuragi shook his head.

"Rukawa never liked my sister, it was Haruko who insisted on the engagement," Mitsui explained. "We were all opposed to it because it was obvious she was forcing Rukawa into the engagement, but she insisted and we yielded to her insistence. Don't worry, we never took that engagement too seriously. In fact there wasn't a legal engagement, just a banquet and that was all. We never held the ceremony because Kenji here somehow knew that the relationship wouldn't work out."

"In short, even though we're not related to Rukawa in any way, we're happy that he's finally with someone he really likes," Sendoh added. "Haruko can be pretty spoiled sometimes, you know. But don't worry, she won't chase you out of Flores just because you're together."

Kogure and Miyagi were silent at first, trying to digest the information they were presented with. Then... "Who would have thought? Congratulations Hanamichi." That was Kogure.

"Yeah," agreed Miyagi. "I thought you two would repel each other for sure." He shrugged and continued, "Guess I was wrong, wasn't I?"

Fujima returned his attention to the two. "So now that we have your relationship out in the open, I have a secret of my own to share." His eyes swept over the entire table. "I usually tell secrets about my personal life to my relatives only. But I do think that Rukawa, Sakuragi, Miyagi and Kogure will be staying with our family for quite a long time and I just have to consider you guys as family. So it's alright to share it with you as well..."

"Oh stop with the explanation Kenji," Mitsui cut off. "Just tell us already."

Fujima took a deep breath. "I have a boyfriend."

Sendoh was the first to react. "Finally! I was wondering when my dashing cousin would find a lover. You don't know how long we've been waiting for this." He leaned closer to the table. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"He's…" Fujima hesitated, his cousins were very good faeries, but this might come with some sort of shock. "He's a farmer back home in Katia's Haven."

"A…farmer?" Sendoh repeated, staring at his cousin.

Fujima nodded and Mitsui echoed what Sendoh said. "You've turned down more than a hundred proposals from nobles both male and female and you chose a farmer?"

"He's more handsome than any noble I know. And besides, I don't want a lover who doesn't appreciate the beauty of the fields of Greendale," Fujima explained. "You'll agree that he's the right guy for me once you meet him."

Mitsui crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. "Maybe…but a farmer? Isn't that too simple for your tastes Kenji?"

"Even though my Hiroaki here is a commoner, he has royal blood in his veins."

Fujima sighed and turned to his cousins. He would not lose his cool. "Shinichi is more noble than all the nobles who proposed to me in the past put together," he stated. "I certainly do not want a fiancé who would stay by my side simply because of her noble status and live a lazy life by my side. I need a mate who understands my people and my land well, and that person is Shinichi."

Mitsui sighed. "Oh well. With that tone of voice, I think you have your mind set."

Sendoh smiled at his cousin. "So, when do we meet this gallant farmer?"

"Soon," Fujima replied. "When you meet him, I'm sure you'll agree with me."

Mitsui smiled at this and said, "Trust Kenji and his instincts." He and his brother laughed at this and he continued, directing his statement to the three humans and Rukawa who were with them at the moment, "One look from Kenji and he can quickly tell if a person is compatible with another. You should have seen his face when Haruko announced her engagement with Rukawa during a banquet a few years back."

"That face was priceless!" Sendoh agreed, laughing at the memory. Koshino stomped on his fiance's foot to shut him up.

Fujima cleared his throat, the memory of his reaction then bringing a blush to his cheeks. "Anyway, that was a long time ago. Besides, the reason for that no longer exists, since Rukawa here is no longer bound to my cousin."

Fujima smiled as Mitsui and Sendoh once again took the conversation into their hands. He looked out of the window right across the hall and sighed, he wanted to go back to Katia's Haven, he wanted to go back to his beloved. The issue about the fire sword and Sakuragi Hanamichi could wait.

A tall figure wrapped in a dark gray cloak walked up the steps of the palace in Katia's Haven. His strides were long and graceful, almost like a feline. But the way he carried himself was that of much authority.

Maki saw the stranger before he even reached the castle doors. With his basket of new fruits in his arms, he observed the stranger. Yes he was gracious and full of authority, but something about him didn't feel right. And this made Maki uneasy.

The stranger sensed the presence of another faerie behind him. But he paid him no heed. Instead, he smiled and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

Maki didn't see the stranger's reaction, neither did he know if the stranger sensed his presence or not. One thing was certain for the farmer though, this stranger was someone they needed to be cautions about. He looked up into the afternoon sky and silently wished that Fujima would already return from Eilandar.

AN: I'm soooooo sorry, took me...years before this came out? ... (swt) Years to update just one chapter. Gomen minna! (hides from all the bashings) I don't know, my muses seemed to have disappeared over the years and I couldn't add anything to the precious chapter for a whole year or so. It was only recently that I've taken into writing again, and hopefully my muses are here to stay, for a long long while

I hope this chapter is okay. More Haruko bashing, sorry to the Haruko fans. out there, if there are. And Hana kun's gotten stronger ne?

As usual, comments, constructive criticisms, suggestions and r&r's are greatly appreaciated. I hope you enjoyed this :)