Sorry for the long delay peeps. Exams coming up. Not easy ya know. Most of this written in class so you have gotta forgive me.


Momiji was dazed as he walked down the school corridor led by, not surprisingly, the one who was causing his current out-of-earth state in the first place -- Souma Hatsuharu. Stares were directed at the two and the girls thanked the gods for their luck at seeing the cousins together at once, in such a close gesture, no less. Haru, however, was oblivious just as how Momiji was fazed. It was only as the pair stepped out of the double-doors of the school building and the white-haired Souma removed Momiji's heaven-on-earth, i.e. his arm, away from its temporary resting place on Momiji's shoulders did the blond haired boy come out of his dazed state with a jerk.

Immediately Momiji started to blush. Fortunately Haru did not notice as he continued his way across the school yard towards the school gate. Momiji did not even realise he had stopped in his tracks at the sudden loss of contact until Haru paused at the gates to turn back and call out to him.

Momiji quickly recovered, smiling and running over to catch up, hoping his cousin didn't realise anything strange. Grinning, Momiji skipped past Haru, grabbing his arm and give it a tug shouting, "Ikuzo, Hatsu-chan!" It was a name Momiji had given him a few years back, a little while after they met. Everybody called Hatsuharu 'Haru' for short. 'Haru-chan' maybe, but never Hatsu.

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"Why do they call you 'Haru', Hatsuharu?" a chibi Momiji knelt beside his equally young cousin. They sat on the raised wooden porch of the main house as they waited for their mothers to finish their chat in the room behind them.

"I don't know." replied Hatsuharu as he slightly swung his legs which were hanging over the ground, still too short to reach down that far. Obviously his answer was not enough to satisfy his curious cousin.

"Why not 'Hatsu'?"

"I don't know."

"…"

"…"

"Can I call you Hatsu?"

"… I guess so."

"… … HATSU-CHAN!!!!!"

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So that became a nickname for him. But Momiji never called him Hatsu-chan in front of others, only when they were alone. And Momiji loved it. It made him feel special.

Momiji kept grinning as he hopped along towards home, sometimes turning around and hopping backs few steps to match the pace of the slow cow. "What're you so happy about?" asked Haru all of a sudden.

The bouncing rabbit stopped in mid-hop, turning around to look at his cousin quizzically. Haru looked back with his usual bored expression, as if he hadn't said anything. Sometimes when they were talking, or rather, when Momiji was talking, he wondered if Haru ever listened. And when he did reply, Momiji would wonder if he actually did reply. He always held the same expression. The only time Momiji ever saw Haru's face show anything but plain impassiveness was when he turned either of his black personalities or when he faced Yuki…..That hurt. That hurt a lot. To see the person you love smile, but not for you, or at you even. And it hurt even more at the skip your heart feels when you see that smile.

Momiji shook himself mentally, beginning to feel the familiar tightness in his chest. Now, gazing up at Haru who had stopped in front of him, Momiji had another familiar feeling – the speeding up of his heartbeat and the threat of his breath catching in his throat.

"Momiji?" Haru was now standing less than two feet away from him, looking down at him, puzzlement and slight concern starting to show in his eyes. Momiji couldn't help but think how cute Haru looked with that slight frown on his face. A slight breeze blew from behind Haru and Momiji's senses were suddenly assaulted with the musky scent of Haru's cologne that he had come to love. He took a deep breath, holding it for as long as possible, trying to keep it with him until he couldn't anymore and he let it out in a long, slow sigh.

By now, Haru was getting a little worried of his cousin. Momiji had been acting weird all day. He stepped forward to check on him better, the smaller boy's face was flushed. He didn't have any health problems, right? Like getting a fever from hopping around in circles too much or something like how Yuki would get an asthma attack from being out in the cold too long. "Momiji, are you alright?" Brow slightly creased, Haru leaned forward to have a closer inspection, advancing further. He was now less than a foot way from the blushing blond boy and Momiji found himself glued to the spot, his brown eyes fixed only on those grey ones in front of him.

Momiji felt drawn towards the warmth in front of him as another one of the chilly autumn winds blew towards him again, engulfing him in the sweet scent of crisp leaves and Haru. Momiji shivered from more than the chill. He was leaning forward, towards the source of the devils that were completely overpowering his senses and Momiji could not think properly. Get a grip, Momiji!! No! You are not suppo… Momiji's screaming conscience wascut short when a hot breath hit his face. All coherent thought was lost as Momiji leant ever closer…closer… those pink lips from his fantasies were so close… closer…the breath so hot… closer… just a bit more…

'Thuck' Momiji felt a sharp thwack at his forehead and he stumbled backwards, his hand coming to cover the sore spot on his head. What? Momiji looked up at Haru. Like a meteor which was intercepted on its full-speed course in space Momiji collided back onto earth. And he managed to land on hard rocks. Hard, sharp rocks. And boy, did that pinch.

Haru was staring, finger still raised at its position where it hit Momiji. Momiji stared back… then he straightened himself up and turned to go like nothing happened. Haru was confused.

"Momi.."

"Let's go, Haru." Momiji cut in. To say Haru was shocked was an understatement. Momiji just interrupted him. When he was calling his name. And he called him Haru. When no one else was around. And he was walking away from him. Blatantly ignoring him while he was calling him. Haru was totally confused. His best friend and cousin had never done such things before. Never. Especially to Haru. And the fact pinched. Haru had no choice but to follow the blond boy who was now quite a distance in front. As they walked home, always maintaining the distance between, Haru did not pass up and notice the way Momiji's quickening pace and clenched fists, only to be relaxed again along with the slowing down of the footsteps, all the while he followed behind at a more constant pace. Haru was very confused, not to mention worried. What's wrong with Momiji?

Haru almost crashed into the said boy when the shorter boy stopped. Haru looked up and recognised the wooden two-story building that rose up in front of to be his house. The taller boy looked down again, expecting the shorter rabbit-boy to be already bounding into the huge mansion while unnecessarily asking for the permission to do so like he did so everyday after walking home together. But he was met with only the closed wooden door and empty space. Turning around he saw Momiji walking back down the gravelled path from where they had come from and make a right turn, going to deeper into the Souma estate, most probably in the direction of his own empty and cold house.

Haru frowned as he stood there long after the blond had flashed and disappeared around the corner before he turned around and pulled open the sliding door of his house and entered.

A few blocks away later in his dark bedroom, the blond boy toppled onto his soft bed, exhausted. He lay there for a while before he could take it no longer. Reaching out for the cow soft toy at the corner of his bed, Momiji curled up into himself, pulled the stuffed animal close and cried himself to sleep.