Yeah! I'm finally here at last! I've been dying to get to this chapter so I can start with (muffle) (muffle) (muffle)... well you'll see! I hope you enjoy it and as always read review. [Warning I'm re-watching Marmalade Boy for like the 50 billionth time {it's my favorite anime soap opera... well Hana Yori Dango is right up there too...} any way if this chapter feels like a exert from a soap opera you know what show is to blame... Anyway this chapter and how I did it... people who have seen MB know what episode I watched today... hehehe...

Also, next week I'm going to Dallas to go to Anime Fest so if I'm late I sincerely apologize. I'll either end up doing two chapters the week after if that happens are just doubling the length. I finally get to dress up as Zorro [Alabaster Arc] from One Piece! I've wanted to do that for so long! I'm also going to be Jakotsu [skit only], Inuyasha, Risa [FMA], and I'll find an excuse to take my Ryuichi bunny cosplay! I can't wait!

Chapter12: Strawberry Heartache

"Why! Why, why, why, why, why!" Narumi sobbed into her pillow. Why did this have to happen? What had she done to have her life totally turned upside down like this?

A knocking sound came from outside of her door, but she didn't care.

"Narumi?"

"Just go away! I don't want to talk with you right now!"

The pounding on the door continued, but she just ignored it. She buried her head under the pillow and tried to block out the memory of what she had just seen.

All of it had just made her so angry. She wanted to go back down there and scream at all of them, but she couldn't do it. This was Ryuichi's house now too… at least… at least for now.

How did she end up with this mess on her hands anyway? Narumi wondered.

She leaned against the wall and let her head lean against it. She was staring blankly at the ceiling wondering what part of the whole day was the worst…

Was it her class?

Perhaps it had been the party?

Knowing she was going to have a huge mess of feathers to clean up?

Seeing Ryuichi being hugged by that?

Wait a second! Where did that thought?

She shook her head trying to rid it of the clutter of the day, but somehow a part of her screamed that that had been what had totally driven her off the edge.

Where those two?

Don't even think about it! She screamed to herself. This is so stupid!

Narumi was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the silence from downstairs.

"Well that's what you can expect from Narumi. She never really was one for parties, but still that was probably the worst reaction I could ever have imagined. I wonder what set her off?"

Ryuichi was listening or at least trying to but he was beginning to wonder if maybe... perhaps...

"Don't even worry about it, man. She has a good heart. Give her some time and she'll have all the steam blown off. Besides, she's the one overreacting. I mean you had to throw all of your friends out because of her reaction." Touya was picking up the feathers from the ground as he was speaking.

Ryuichi couldn't help but worry. He knew very well what a beautiful heart Narumi had. Only someone like that would have done what she had, and he had hurt her. He wished he had known that she didn't like parties. He couldn't help but to worry.

He had thrown that party hoping to cheer her up but in the end he had only made things worse. He was miserable.

How did she feel?

"...fine?"

"Shirokawa-san, go ahead and finish cleaning I'm going to check on her."

"You already tried that remember? She told you to beat it. Just let her be."

Ryuichi shook his head at that. No he couldn't do that this was his fault after all. He had a responsibility to make it up to her. Besides he wanted to make things right.

No matter what.

Narumi was curled up on her bed when a 'tap' 'tap' 'tap' on her window made her slowly wake up. Drowsily she headed over to the window. That was where the tapping was coming from.

She wiped the dried tears away from her eyes and looked out. Ryuichi was crouched on the ledge outside of her window. He had a big smile plastered across his face, as he opened the window and stepped inside.

How?

She looked outside of the window where there was no trees or anything to aid in his climb. She looked to the side of the house and saw a small ledge that he had to have crept along to reach her window. All color washed out of her face as she stared at it. It was a long way down and that ledge was more than a little bit dangerous.

What was he thinking? He could have broken his neck!

When she turned to face him the fire of pure outrage was engulfing her. Everything that had happened, how he had just put his on life in danger it made her so mad! She really wanted to scream at him for this!

"I was worried about you." The smile had obviously only been meant for his successful climb because it had already faded into an anxious frown. It reminded her of the first time she had seen him in the rain...

Broken.

Yes, that was the word that came to mind. He looked as though everything had just jumped on him at once and decided to do a jig. It may have been the darkness of the room but it looked as though his eyes were misting over.

Was he going to cry? She wondered. It was wrong! She was the one hurt by his actions. He didn't have any right to act so... so... vulnerable.

"You were so worried about your brother... and you looked so alone I just thought... Well, maybe you needed to make some friends so I just invited everyone from work and well... I'm so very very sorry! I didn't mean to be a bother I just..."

Shoot! He was meeting her eyes head on and she couldn't miss the fact that he was trying really hard not to cry.

Had her actions hurt him this much? She was fighting the urge to reach out and comfort him. She wanted to tell him that it was all right and that even though she was still a little mad, she wanted to lie and say it was all right.

Narumi began to reach out and touch Ryuichi's shoulder when a scene from earlier that night flashed through her mind.

"Sakuma-sama!" He squealed happily before running over and latching onto Ryuichi.

Why did that memory bother her so much? She turned her eyes away from him, she was afraid of what she would say if she met his eyes. She didn't even fully understand why it had bothered her so badly. For all she knew the two of them were lovers.

Lovers?

Narumi could feel a blush creeping over her cheeks.

No way! They couldn't be could they?

"Narumi-chan?"

What had that 'monk' called him, Ryuichi-sama? It was Ryuichi-sama right? What man would call his lover 'sama' anyway?

"Naruuumi-chaaan?"

"That stupid monk." She seethed. "How dare he?"

"Monk? Do you mean Eiri Tatsuha-san?" Why was Narumi bringing him up? Wasn't she mad at him? He was getting really confused. Did Narumi know Eiri-san? Were they already friends? Where was Eiri-san's temple anyway? He remembered something vaguely about it being out near Kyoto? Kyoto... Osaka... weren't they like really close? Maybe they were friends? Maybe they were closer than that! Did they fight? Was that why she was so mad? Eiri-san was normally really friendly towards him, was that it?

Ryuichi's brain was beginning to hurt. He wasn't particularly fond of complex situations like this, and something about his train of thought was starting to irritate him.

Chapter 13