Disclaimer: I already wrote one of those... if you wanna read it, go to chapter one.

Chapter TWO: Lots of Talk

Manji woke up later than he usually did, to his surprise. He sat up expecting to be the first one awake, once again, surprised that he wasn't. This was unusual. He started to get a nervous feeling again, like the one when she left the first time and he found her weak and in trouble with a band of men, and worst of all, with Kagehisa. Oh, how low she had sunk.

He got up quickly, going over to feel her bedding. Cold, so she'd been out of it for a while. Maybe she just went to go cook breakfast, he thought, yeah, right, like she would do that. He opened the door rather calmly for a person who had possibly just been ditched again. He walked outside, looked around. Trees, grass, dirt, a very dead fire. No sign, he thought, and walked out further.

"Rin?" he called out, just for curiosity's sake.

"Yeah?" she replied, though she sounded far off.

Manji looked around, still, no one there. "Where are you?" he asked puzzled.

"On the roof," she answered.

"How the hell'd you get..."

Then he saw it. The dagger she had stabbed him with was sticking halfway out of the support beam, a perfect footstep. He walked over to it, stepped up, and was at the perfect reach for getting up on the roof. It wasn't difficult, especially since Rin had put the dagger there for herself, and he was considerably taller than her.

"What are you doing on the roof?" He said as he went over to her and sat down.

"Dunno, just felt like climbing," she said. She was sitting with her knees pressed against her chest, her arms folded across them and her chin on top of that. She was blankly staring straight ahead.

"So, you wanna talk?" he asked, not really looking at her, but not really looking away either.

"No, but I think it would be for the best." She muttered into her arms.

"What was that about yesterday?" Manji asked, very straightforward, no dancing around this one.

"I dunno," she said, looking up into the sky, and then at him. "It might've been from the excitement of actually winning, winning against you. Maybe it was because," she sighed softly, trying to think of another reason, "maybe because you're the first guy I met after my parents died. I was in need of attention, and I got it from you. Maybe, maybe because we've been alone for so long, I haven't seen anyone else. I don't know, I don't know."

Manji sighed and stretched out. He didn't particularly look like he was thinking of anything, so Rin just looked away. She focused on a small white bird that was sitting in the tree just next to the building. Oh, how she wished she could be that little bird, just to fly away from this uncomfortable conversation, or, rather, lack there of.

The silence was broken unceremoniously by Manji chuckling. He sat up and turned his head toward Rin.

"So... does this mean you are in love with me?" He asked with a smirk plastered to his face.

She just glared at him. She was not prepared to be asked that question in such a straight forward manner, although, considering how the conversation started, this shouldn't have bothered her so much. Perhaps she was shocked because she knew the answer to this.

"No." Rin said, without so much as a pause. "Love is too strong a word."

There was another silence between them, but it was not as uncomfortable as before.

"But, I wouldn't say I considered you like a father, or brother. It's not so strong as love, but not like a familial bond..." She pursed her lips trying to find the right word, but it never came. She shook her head, and started over.

"Ok, I wouldn't say 'I'm in love with you,' I would say... it's more like 'I'm in like with you,' if you get that."

He looked at her with a look of amusement. He started to chuckle again.

"Would you quit that? I'm not here for amusement." She stared at him, and to her surprise, saw a little bit of remorse in his expression. She looked away not wanting to feel like she was the cause of it.

"Um," she started. Manji could just see her face, and thought he saw a little bit of a blush starting to form. "Well, um, what do you feel for me?"

His mind went blank. What do I... oh, shit, I don't know, she's always just been around. I guess I never thought about that. Shit, she's looking at me, what do I say?

"Um," he thought, with all the brain power he possessed, he thought, "I'm gonna have to get back to you on that one." That was all you could come up with, you're a loser.

Rin looked absolutely lost, she wasn't expecting that, she was expecting a solid "You're just some stupid kid," and instead, got that? He just panicked, you should've been more coy, not so straight, you're not him.

Manji got up and went to the edge of the roof. "I'm gonna go make breakfast."

A/N: Oh, what will his answer be? For all of you out there who read this, and don't bother to review... well, poopy on you. But I made two possible endings, the next chapter will be him affirming her "love" and the fourth chapter will be a decline. Read whichever you will. The next chapter is a little, well, sketchy, so if you don't like that, go on to the rejection.

And please review! I don't mind flames, although, if you make them really harsh, you're liable to make me cry. T-T