A.N. This is just a short little ficlet. AND, I'd like to preface this with the fact that I have not read all of Hana-Kimi yet because 1.) I cannot read Japanese as much as I would like to and b.) the series is not complete/fully translated in the States yet. So you'll have to forgive if I say things that are just blatantly wrong. I just don't know any better… Feel free to correct me if you have the knowledge.

Standard Disclaimer: Disclaimed. I can in no way, shape or form take possession of the Hana-Kimi characters. I hate to say it ladies, but we're being forced to share…

Her Boys

By Magawa

Mizuki swung her legs in the booth miserably. Without a doubt she missed them. Well, she missed Sano in a particular way, but she missed Nakatsu as well. Nakatsu was like a brother that provided a constant source of fun and laughter.

But Sano… Her kicking legs abruptly stopped. She missed him like she had missed American food. She needed him around like she needed air to breathe and now she found herself grasping for remnants of him.

It had been only a little more than a month since she had been made to leave him, them, and she was finding the separation to be more than she could handle. She had been enrolled in an all girls' high school and whereas before it would have unconsciously easy to make friends now it was difficult; as if she were out of practice. And, to tell the truth, it wasn't even as if she wanted the company of other girls. All that she wanted was her boys…

The noise of the cafeteria around her was a pleasant hum – enough noise to allow her to think freely. The curious stares and invitations to sit with different groups had stopped coming. Mizuki was no longer a novelty and known to be a loner. They couldn't have been further from the truth. And by now it would just be too much effort to change their minds. And Mizuki was sorely lacking in energy these days.

Kicking her legs out once more to settle on the bench opposite her, Mizuki resolutely bit into her sandwich. Sandwiches were one of those things that she had really missed having over in Japan. She wasn't hungry, but eating was just something that a person did. She looked across the table to where Sano and Nakatsu would be sitting if she were still in Japan with them.

Her eyes began to tear up and she stubbornly hunched her shoulders against them. She had spent too much time pretending to be a guy to just allow herself to cry. She missed the way they'd sit together for dinner all the time. She missed the easy banter and the way they made her laugh. She smiled sadly as she remembered an off-campus trip they had made once to McDonald's. They had made her laugh so hard that the hamburger bite she had been trying to swallow shot up and lodged itself in her nasal passage. They had been concerned about all her choking and hacking noises until she was able to explain to them why. And then their concern took a direct path to teasing. Their comments of: "Mizuki, you're the only person I know that's able to breathe hamburger…" etc. only made her laugh more.

When it came down to it, they just made life more fun. By that point both boys had known that she was a girl and both were intent on keeping her secret. They had accepted her for who she was – and at this moment, eating alone; she missed that quality more than any other.

Mizuki kept her eyes down allowing her thoughts free rein. She didn't notice the noise spike in the cafeteria, nor the sudden silence that quickly followed it. She resolutely kept plugging away at her sandwich. Or rather, she did until she felt a hand brush her feet off the opposite bench before the body connected to the hand sat down across from her.

Mizuki's feet plopped to the floor with a resounding smack and Mizuki looked up, momentarily distracted from her downward spiraling thoughts.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes lit up. Her right leg began an unconscious tattoo on the ground in an effort to let off some of her newborn energy. Immediately she began to smile. Her entire posture and attitude changed. Because now, sitting in the booth in front of her were her boys; seated just as they had been so many times before.

She had waited for them, for this, for so long now that their presence in front of her was nearly overwhelming. She was speechless with shock yet her happiness radiated off her more tangibly than heat. She was lucky her boys weren't so speechless…

"Mizuki," Sano stated by way of greeting, the look in his eyes much more emotional than the tone of his voice.

Nakatsu was much more vocal. "Miz-u-ki!" he sing-songed. "We've missed you!"

Finally finding her voice Mizuki exclaimed, "Sano! Nakatsu! I've missed you too! More than you could ever know!"

Nakatsu laughed a little, pleased to hear the sound of her voice again. "Oh we know. Aside from the fact that you were just sitting here looking as if your dog had died…"

"Well I did have to leave Yujiro behind. And you're kind of like a dog too now that I think about it…" Mizuki teased.

Sano broke in, "That and the fact that your brother called us and begged us to come over here and visit you…"

Mizuki gasped all teasing forgotten, "He did?"

"Yup," Nakatsu confirmed. "He even paid for our tickets – business class and everything."

Mizuki could only grin. Even the crowd of blatantly curious drooling girls around their table couldn't dampen her spirits. This was just exactly what she had needed: her boys.

A.N.: I had considered doing this with Fruits Basket, but in the case of my life, Hana-Kimi hits a tiny bit closer to the target. I spent much of my time in China with two American boys, one dark-haired the other light and we would eat dinner (and sometimes other meals) together all the time. They really took care of me, the only girl on the trip. And the thing about trying to breathe hamburger, yeah, that's true. Well, I've been home about two months now and I still really miss them. They go to the same college I do, so half the time that I'm out eating by myself between classes I almost expect them to slide into the booth with me like they used to do all the time. They made a habit of sneaking up on me or showing up to dine with me when I thought I'd be eating alone. They saved me from a lot of loneliness and I thought Mizuki would feel exactly the same way if she'd have had to come back to the States without her boys. I know I certainly miss mine. 1/18/06