Narrator: Whoops, I forgot to do a chapter preview last time… (Sweatdrops) But you're here now, so thanks for reading.


That Wednesday afternoon, Fia, Nagisa, and Karma all found themselves staring at Haven and Earnest. They were supposed to be watching a television documentary on the Amazon Rainforest, but Earnest and Haven were going at it as usual. Earnest slid through the tunnels of his couch pillow fort and launched himself over the group. Haven, growling, chased after Earnest and ran around the trio.

"Earnest!" Haven sighed and came to a stop. When she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, she found herself being tackle-hugged by Earnest. "Earnest!"

He laughed and affectionately ruffled her hair, earning a disdainful smile from her.

Karma sweat-dropped but smirked. "You two are awfully chummy. Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Nagisa sighed heavily and sourly looked away from the white-haired girl as he scribbled half-heartedly in his notebook.

"What do you mean?" Haven asked as she jabbed Earnest in his side, effectively removing him from clinging to her.

"Well, I was just going to say that you're closer than friends normally would be, and you did refer to him as a 'friend.' Judging by your facial expression, I take you it you aren't understanding what I'm getting at." Karma sighed. "You really are dense."

Sighing, Fia decided to explain. "The way you act sometimes makes it seem like you guys could be… a couple."

"Wait, you thought we were a couple!" Haven looked at her friends in shock. "I think of him like a BROTHER, and we're actually first cousins! "

"Well what about that whole exercise thing?" Nagisa asked tentatively.

"We were sparring!" Haven exclaimed. "It's something we've been doing since Earnest started martial arts. I don't know why he wiggled his eyebrows though."

"Well, technically, in all states marrying a cousin is legal if they're distantly enough related. Several states even allow direct cousins to get married," Earnest pointed out.

"As if I'd want to marry you," Haven face-palmed.

"Well, we're usually a 'marry' couple," Earnest smiled.

"That was bad, even for your standards," Haven jabbed him in the side, causing him to jump.

"They certainly bicker like a married couple," Karma smirked and dodged a TV remote flying at him, courtesy of Haven.

"Apparently, Haven didn't find that even 'remotely' funny," Earnest noted with a grin.

Nagisa sighed in relief to himself and smiled wryly at Fia. "You don't seem surprised… Did you know?"

Fia sweat-dropped. "No, well, kind of. I didn't know how they were related, but after remembering about our camp experiences, I didn't think they were dating," she explained quickly. "Besides, I totally understand the sentiment…"

"You do?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Well, my brother was five years older than me, so we only ever got to go to the same school when we were elementary school age. That's besides the point, but kids teased us because we seemed like we were dating and were 'sharing cooties.'" Fia smiled bittersweetly. "Then again, I did ask him to marry me when I was little. I had no idea what it meant. To me, I just thought marriage meant that you'd get to be at someone's side forever, and I fell in love with that idea."

"So that's what you meant…" Nagisa sweat-dropped. "It wasn't exactly a proposal, but you did kind of say you were willing to marry Karma during that period of age regression."

Fia's jaw fell slack and her cheeks flushed. "N-No way! R-Really?!"


Hearing her phone ring, Fia hit the answer button on her screen and brought her cell phone to her ear. "Hello? This is Fia speaking… Oh, hi, Fee'cia. No, I'm not busy, but Nagisa is napping here. I don't want to wake him up, so give me a second." Fia slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and draped a blanket over the boy's sleeping figure on the couch.

She slipped out and into the hall. Bringing her phone to her ear, Fia answered again. "Alright, I'm back."

"Okay. So, sis, I heard you've increased the intensity of your training with Irina and Tadaomi," Felicia said casually.

Fia laughed. "I'm guessing you heard how I got my ass handed to me when I refused to let Ms. Jelavic show me her special technique. The bruising still hasn't gone away," she sighed.

"It's a pretty helpful technique," Felicia explained, "I can now assemble and dissemble model figures in about a minute."

The younger sister pouted. "I'm still between two and three minutes! How did you get so good!?"

"You really want to know?" Her smirk was almost physically manifested through her voice.

"C-Cazzo, no. Never mind that… Is experience really the only way I'm going to learn?" Fia mumbled with pink cheeks.

Felicia, pausing to think, hummed. "Well, it's probably the best way to go about it. At least, you should see these techniques in action, otherwise you'll never know how to execute them. I know!" Fia heard a quick snap from her sister's end. "Why don't I take you on a couple of my missions. I know it's dangerous, but you need some experience."

"You're right… Alright, that sounds like a plan. Is that all you called for?" Fia asked.

She heard a loud whine. "What? I can't just call to check in on my adorable little sister?"

"Now you sound like Ms. Jelavic. Cut it out," Fia protested.

Felicia scoffed. "Where do you think I got it from? I admit, Irina is more than a little eccentric, but she's talented. To answer your pointed question - which wasn't cute of you at all - I also wanted to know how your planned study abroad trip to Italy was panning out."

"With midterms all this week, I haven't had any time to go home and bring it up to Mami. I know you, sorella, what's this about? It's not like you to bring stuff up without a reason."

Sighing, she explained slowly. "I was recently sent on a mission in Naples. I thought I saw someone strangely familiar. After some investigating, I discovered that Uncle Alesso seems to be stirring up some trouble."

Fia sat in silence for a few moments. "Why are you telling me this now?" she asked quietly.

"Because I think you need to see the truth for yourself, Fiore." With that, Felicia cut the line.

Quietly, Fia lowered the phone and let herself back into the apartment. She took her seat again on the couch next to Nagisa. She picked up her portfolio and glanced over at the bluenette, surprised to see a small smile on his face.

"What are you dreaming about…?" she asked with a small smile of her own.


Nagisa wandered around the old school building until he found his old classroom. Sitting down in the small chair that was attached to his old desk, Nagisa smiled in wonder. He knew he was a college student in the U.S., but if his dreams wanted to take him back to junior high, he would welcome the experience.

"Is someone there?" a soft voice called from just outside the screen door.

"U-Um," Nagisa became flustered, not having expected to run into anyone else.

Suddenly, the door opened and a petite girl with long blue pigtails tied off by large bows entered the classroom. Blue eyes widened. "Oh, hello…" the girl said in Japanese. I wasn't expecting anyone to be here," she admitted.

Nagisa stood and bowed his head. "Hello. I'm Nagisa Shiota," he introduced himself, returning her Japanese with a smile.

Covering her mouth, the girl gasped. "M-My name is Nagisa Shiota too!"

The two stared at each other for a few moments, both carefully inspecting the other's features, remarkably similar to their own. After taking some time to talk a little bit about themselves, there was no denying that they could have been the same person. The Nagisas took a casual stroll down the forested mountainside together in the warm afternoon light.

"Is it safe to assume that you are the male version of myself?" the female Nagisa asked as she skimmed through her notebook. Shyly, she looked up at the male Nagisa. "Is there anything else I can call you? It's strange calling someone else 'Nagisa-kun' too…"

He rubbed the back of his head. "You can c-call me 'Gisa-kun,' I guess…" The bluenette blushed slightly.

Nagisa scribbled in her notebook. "Alright, I think I got it." With her step and pigtails bouncing, she smiled up at Gisa. "I have a question for you. We talked about being in Class 3-E, but what have you done since… Well, Koro-sensei?"

"Let's see, I go to school in America now. I decided to become an assassin with Karma-kun under Karasuma-sensei and Bitch-sensei," he admitted. "I hope to become a teacher like you with time, though."

"B-Bitch-sensei? Do you mean Ivan Jelavic, the professional assassin? He was always so cool, but a huge player." She paused to think. "You're friends with Karma-san? She's very… Interesting. I find it very difficult to get along with her." Nagisa frowned slightly. "Is she any different as a male?"

Gisa sweat-dropped. "No, no he's probably just as… interesting as your Karma. He has his good points though. So your Koro-sensei was female, right?" He extended his hand to help his female counterpart over a particularly large log.

"Right," she smiled. "Koro-sensei was the best teacher I've ever had. I'm sure that much hasn't changed between our worlds."

The two found their way off of the mountain path and walked down the street to a park they were both familiar with. Standing back to back, the Nagisas stared up in awe at the falling cherry blossoms spiraling in the breeze.

"So… beautiful…" they said together. Meeting each other's gazes in shy surprise, they laughed together and made their way to sit on a bench under the biggest sakura tree.

"Is there something on your mind?" Nagisa asked, leaning forward suddenly with big, intently-focused blue eyes. "It's love, isn't it?"

Her male counterpart flinched back as his cheeks turned red and his eyes averted. "How could you tell?"

The female Nagisa sighed as she leaned back and looked up at the sky. She blushed and became more soft-spoken. "Because I'm the same… Let me guess, you have a girl you like, but she's surrounded by more guys than she realizes, and she's completely oblivious to your feelings?"

"Yeah…" Gisa smiled down at his female counterpart and gently patted her head like Koro-sensei might have, minus the tentacles. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Oh, just an upperclassman of mine who's helped me out through this long process. He's supportive and kind… What's she like? The girl you care about?"

"Well, a lot of people don't see it, but she's loyal, focused, and usually fairly thoughtful when it comes to those she cares about," he explained. "I'm not sure how to let someone like her know that I care about her though…"

"Neither do I," she admitted. "I want more than anything for him to notice me and realize how I feel," Nagisa murmured under her breath.

The male Nagisa paused to think for a moment. "I understand. Why not just tell him? It doesn't need to be a fancy confession, just… honest. If he's anything like I think he is, he'll probably hear you out, and that's really the most you can ask for. At least, then he'll know how you feel and you can say that you gave it your all." Two pairs of blue eyes widened.

Nagisa caught a cherry blossom gently between her fingers and placed it in Gisa's hand. "It seems like you've had a revelation." She smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Nagisa. Best of luck to you…"

He looked down at his hand and watched as the wind carried away the peach petals. Turning back towards his counterpart, Nagisa opened his mouth to thank her and wish her the same, but, like the blossom, she was already gone.

Nagisa opened his eyes and sat up with a start. Looking around, he found himself in the dimly lit apartment. He rubbed his eyes and soon heard a soft sigh.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Fia asked, concern written across her face.

The bluenette shook his head quickly. "No, not at all. Thank you for the blanket."

"No problem," she replied cheerfully. "What were you dreaming about? You were smiling…"

"Oh, nothing, just cherry blossoms and of advice I've long needed to tell myself."


Earnest glomped the four housemates as they walked through the door. "Hey, guys! What took you so long today? You missed the purr-fect opportunity to meet my friends!"

Everyone dead-panned simultaneously as they saw the havoc being wreaked around their apartment.

"Earnest, what did you do?!" Haven demanded.

Grimacing at the cat that had just hacked up a hairball onto his shoes, Karma growled. "Cats?!"

Fia slid to the ground. "Don't get me wrong, I love kittens… But why are there so many?!"

"I lost track after 30…" Nagisa held his head in his hand. "Where are they all coming from?"

Earnest smiled. "Well, I went to the park today and walked around the smaller neighborhoods, and they all kind of just followed me here!

"At least they're not tiger kittens… I don't think Aunt Joy has ever reprimanded us so much," Haven sighed.

Nagisa jumped slightly. "No way?! TIGER kittens?!"

Karma ran to his room to check on his stuff. "DON'T MATE ON MY BED!"

After guiding all the cats out of her room and closing the door securely, Fia moved to check the kitchen. "WHO'S USING THE SINK AS A LITTER BOX?!"

Nagisa sat on the living room floor as he mourned over the shredded remains of one of the books he'd left out that morning. "My books…"

Fia chased after a few cats who were tangled up and running around with her ribbons. "Hey! Please give those back!"

"GET OUT OF MY CLOSET, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Karma screamed.

The Italian girl sweat-dropped at the battling sounds of hiss and claw versus profanity and fang. "I would look out for cat scat, if I were you…"

"Earnest, I know you like animals, but this is a bit extreme. Could you get rid of them before I break out into hives?" Haven sighed and rubbed her temples.

"But you're not allergic to cats, only guinea pigs," Earnest called from the center of a mound of kittens.

Nagisa flailed and tried to crawl away, but he was firmly weighed down and pinned to the floor by an army of feline menaces. He scrunched up his face as two kittens batted at his face and played with his pigtails. "This is madness!"

Trying to hold Karma back from kicking either Earnest or any of the cats, Fia sweat-dropped. "WHAT DO WE DO?! EARNEST IS LIKE THEIR NATURAL CATNIP!"

"More like their supreme overlord!" Karma spat. "LET ME AT 'EM!"

"If he's the catnip, hopefully I'm the repellant," Haven said as she picked up a mewling kitten.

Karma kicked open the front door, allowing Earnest to lead the parade of cats out.

"My question," Nagisa tried to call out between cats stepping on the back of his head, "Is how did he get them to move in a single-file line?"

The annoyed redhead pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to know."

Fia cradled a kitten to her chest. "Can't we at least keep one…?" she asked meekly.

"I think this one's cute," Haven smiled as she poked the kitten's nose.

Karma picked the two up by the scruff of their necks. "You're kidding, right?" Seeing the pairs of verdant green and azure eyes staring hugely up at him, Karma sighed. "Fine, whatever."

"Yay!" Fia gently handed the siamese cat to Haven and threw her arms around the taller male. "Thank you, Karma!"

He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sure, just let go, will you?"

"It's definitely a stray," Haven noted, "You're just a bag of bones."

Fia released him with a smile and ran into the kitchen. "I'll get the pretty kitty some food and water." Humming, she flitted about the kitchen and set down a pair of bowls with paw print patterns. "I was going to give these to Earnest, but I think he'd want the cutie pie to have these more~."

Haven lifted the kitten and inspected its underside. "It's a girl," she reported before setting the kitten on the floor near the food dishes.

Smiling, Nagisa approached his housemates and crouched down near the kitten. "She is cute, isn't she? What should we call her?"

Karma leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "I don't mean to burst your happy bubbles, but -" He gestured at the destruction strewn about the apartment. "Not to mention cat food, shots, spaying, and whatever the hell else that cat's going to need."

"Oh, Earnest will clean it up. He always does," Haven replied. "As for shots, I'm sure Earnest can refer someone."

"Speaking of Earnest, I'm going to make sure he returned all of the cats alright… We don't want him bringing home a hoard of raccoons next, you know?" Squealing in excitement, Fia pulled on her jacket and quickly bounded out the front door.

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "I know Fia is pretty responsible, but won't she just get caught up playing with the animals too?"


Fia and Earnest fell through the front door together late that evening.

"Say it again!" She pleaded between laughs. "Please?!"

"CRIKEY!" Earnest shouted, eliciting another giggle from his female counterpart.

Fia smiled from her housemates to Earnest. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Irwin, the animal hunter!"

Sauntering up to his cousin, Earnest gasped. In his best Australian accent, Earnest declared "I've spotted a wild Haven! We must be especially careful; we're in Haven territory now! Note it's naturally pristine appearance and surly expression - that's a good sign that she's ready to pounce on her prey!" He used his fingers and pretended to be filming this entire encounter. "I think I've made her angry! I'll poke her with a stick!" Earnest poked Haven's cheek.

"EARNEST!" Haven began chasing her cousin around the room, trying to poke him in the side.

"It's Irwin! Oh! I've made her angry now! Females of this species are highly volatile and have a signature move for the TAKE-DOWN! It's called the Lee side-jab and its high velocity can pierce even the toughest of armor! This isn't for the weak-hearted, ladies and gents!" Earnest slid to a stop next to Nagisa and the kitten in his lap. "Now, here we have the docile pigtailia. Note the cute double pair of fluffy ears that makes this species great listeners!"

Nagisa sweat-dropped. "P-Pigtailia…?"

Dodging a jab from Haven, Earnest continued. "Yes! You're of the same tribe as this lovely specimen here!" He threw his arm around the pigtailed Italian's shoulders. "A domestic breed, quite proficient at caregiving and looking particularly feminine! A defense and attack strategy beyond compare."

Fia blushed. "L-Lovely…?"

"And there -" Earnest pointed at Karma. "Is a red, fanged manticore!"

"Not this shit again. I'm done here!" With that, Karma walked back to his room.

Earnest feigned an exasperated sigh. "We just witnessed a rare sighting, indeed! It's not everyday we get to see the manticore's fleeing ritual!"

"What did you just say?!" Karma growled as he turned around and bared his teeth.

"And now, the furious Haven takes her revenge," Haven said in monotone as she gave her cousin a noogie.

"AAAHHH! The wild Haven's kill move! Blimey, I'm in for it now!" He scrunched up his face but laughed obnoxiously.

"I swear, how did we survive childhood?" Haven sighed and released her laughing cousin.

Fia took a seat next to Nagisa and gently ran her hand through the kitten's silver fur. "She really seems to have taken to you, Nagisa. Have you thought up a name for her?"

Nagisa affectionately held the kitten to his face and smiled softly. "Wysteria."

"That is a cute name!" She gasped and gently shook the kitten's paw. "It's nice to meet you~."


Fia stretched in front of her mirror. "Last day before break, here I come! Ready for your midterms, Angel?" She smiled over at her roommate.

"Uh-huh," Haven nodded her head, distracted.

"Is everything okay?" Fia asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about what I'm going to wear to the dance. I doubt I have anything appropriate…" Haven replied.

Fia hummed. "Well, I already have my dress, but do you want me to take you shopping later this afternoon?"

"Sure… I'm worried about leaving Earnest alone for that long though… I'm also worried about getting a tux for him," Haven said.

"Would you be alright borrowing some of my sibling's clothes? I'm sure one of my brother's suits would fit Irwin. It's… not like Felix needs it anymore." Fia sweat-dropped. "Besides, you're about Mia's size."

"I think I'll drag Earnest to the thrift shop for my dress," Haven replied. "I'm not sure Mia's style suits me. But Earnest could definitely wear Felix's tux. …Did you just call him Irwin?"

Fia giggled. "That works; I'll have Papino drop it off later. I think it's really sweet that you're going to the dance to give Irwin the full college experience. Anyway, I'm going to head out first," she said as she pulled her favorite green military jacket over a white sweater. Fia exited their room and waved to the boys sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning!" Nagisa called.

"Good morning~" Fia replied cheerfully as she hugged Earnest from behind. "Do you really have to go tomorrow?" She pouted. "Can't we keep you?" Fia rested her head on his and held him like she might a stray puppy.

"Sure, we can. But if he stays, neither of you can make another pun," Haven smirked as she came into the kitchen.

Both Earnest and Fia sweat-dropped, knowing full-well that neither would be able to keep that condition for more than an hour or two if they were in the same room. Sighing, Fia released her grip on the younger boy.

"Alright, but, Irwin, we have to hang out sometime! You promised to tell me which shelter you volunteer at!" She giggled and moved to serve herself some cereal.

"I thought you were going to Thailand or Indonesia to help with elephants," Haven interjected. "Or was it China to work at a panda rescue…?"

"All three," Earnest laughed, "but that isn't until this summer so we have some time. You're going to love the rabbits, Fia! I'll hop to it and see that you get the forms." He smiled goofily.

"Darn," Haven snapped her fingers. "I have to put up with you for another month." She ignored a smug grin from her cousin.

"I only have a month more with Irwin…" Fia sighed. "That's no fun. We just got to rekindle our friendship!"

Karma rolled his eyes at the ongoing exchanges. "You're all getting nice and chummy, aren't you?"

Haven stared daggers at the redhead, "Are you trying to imply something, Akabane?"

"No, not at all," he replied coldly as he got to his feet and went to grab his bag.

"Rebecca told me you're going to the dance with some fling," Haven called to him. "Is it anyone we know?"

Nagisa gave his housemate the 'Please, don't provoke him look,' which was adeptly ignored… As usual.

"It's none of your damned business," Karma spat. Haven quirked an eyebrow.

Fia stood between her housemates with a wry smile. "Why don't we just finish up breakfast and head to class? We all have midterms today!" She tried to wear a positive energy and laughed nervously as her housemates all sighed.


"This is in-tents!" Earnest cheered as he saw the tents and decorative lights strewn about the grassy quad. "This is the Spring Fling?! I could 'fling' myself into that action!" Shining eyes looked from the live bands to the colorful banners and balloons to the tall plates of food to the masses of dancing college students.

"I'm going to smack you if you make another pun," Haven growled at her cousin.

Fia ran up to her friends. "S-Sorry I'm late!" She said between gasps. "You look so very pretty!"

"Why, thank you!" Earnest flipped his tousled dark bangs. Haven face-palmed.

The Italian laughed. "You look very handsome too, Earnest. I'm surprised that you picked out such a cute dress, Angel!"

Haven blushed slightly. "It's the only thing they had in my size," she admitted as she twirled. She looked like a lolita doll in her strapless black tulle dress. The bodice was covered in black ruffles and the knee length skirt comprised of three layers that were trimmed in pink ribbon, each a bit shorter than the one behind it.

"Well, I think it suits you, Angel." Fia smiled. "Try to have fun today, okay?"

"Especially the tennies," Earnest noted. "At least they match the color scheme."

"Tennies?" She followed Earnest's line of sight down to Haven's feet. "You're wearing tennis shoes?"

"What?" Haven asked, looking down at her feet. She was wearing black tennis shoes with pink laces. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Fia laughed. "If I could have gotten past my parents with flats or wedges, I would have worn those instead of these death traps." Fia raised the body of her floor-length, green silk gown to reveal strappy stilettos. Her dress was sleeveless but a light, floral lace rested from the wide neckline to the bodice's low, sweetheart cut. The skirt billowed with Fia's every move under the sash tied securely behind the small of her back. Gingerly, Fia brushed some of her neatly curled locks off of her shoulder and twirled her half-up ponytail around a finger. "Anyway, we should probably find Nagisa. Do you know where he is?"

"You guys looking for me?" a voice came from behind them.

The girls, plus Earnest, turned to see Kavi approaching them in a black tuxedo.

"Wow, Haven, you look great!" Kavi's cheeks darkened.

"Thanks," Haven replied, blushing under Kavi's intense gaze.

"Oh," he snapped out of his daze, "I was meaning to ask if you wanted to dance."

"Sure," Haven smiled at him.

Fia and Earnest waved as Kavi and Haven disappeared onto the dancefloor of sorts. Exchanging glances, they made their way to the snack table and began picking at the desserts.

"You don't want to dance?" The excitable boy asked as his eyes ravaged the snack table.

The girl laughed dryly. "I can't dance, not really aside from traditional dancing anyway."

"Dancing is a cake-walk," Earnest mused, scooping some desserts onto a plate. "It's easy as pie!" He set down the plate and picked up the entire tray for himself.

"Speak for yourself," Fia giggled as she poured punch for the both of them. Looking up, she saw their neighbor approaching them with a grin. "Hi, Rebecca! You look great!"

"Thanks!" The girl smiled. Leaning forward across the table towards Fia. "Have you guys seen Karma's date?! She's a real hot, bombshell."

Fia gingerly sipped at her drink and suppressed the red rising to her cheeks. "No, I haven't," she mumbled.

Rebecca gasped. "Don't tell me you have the hots for him!"

Slamming her drink down, Fia stomped her foot as color exploded across her face. "I-I-I D-DO N-N-NOT!"

Her neighbor smiled mischievously. "Okay, okay. If you say so." Putting her hands up in defense, she turned towards the boy stuffing his face with cookies. "Who's that? Your date?"

Fia shook her head before gingerly grabbing onto Earnest's arm. "This is Haven's cousin Earnest." Gesturing between them, she introduced the pair. "Earnest, this is our neighbor and friend, Rebecca."

"Nice to meet'cha!" The boy grinned and wiped the crumbs from around his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Nice to meet you too! Wow, Haven sure does have cute cousins, doesn't she?" Rebecca smiled.

"Our family is rather large. Some of us had to get the good looks," Earnest winked.

Fia glanced between the two and she gently pushed Earnest a step towards Rebecca. "Why don't you show them those awesome dance moves of yours?" She suggested.

"Sure!" He grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

Instantaneously, Fia was glad she hadn't gone to dance with Earnest. His wild, outgoing moves were a little much for her to handle, but it seemed like Rebecca and her housemates were all having a blast cheering on his 'dance moves.' Sipping at her punch, Fia had to wonder if his dance moves were a reflection of the animals he spent so much time around or of his desire to thrive in nature, free. Was that supposed to imitate an octopus or a bear? She wasn't really sure…

"Two drinks and only one pretty girl?" Nagisa laughed as he took one of the punch glasses from Fia's hand and leaned against the table next to her.

"Nagisa!" Fia smiled embarrassedly. "I heard your exam ran late - I'm glad you could make it! That tuxedo looks great on you and I really like the ponytail."

The bluenette blushed slightly. "Thanks. Where are Haven and Earnest -" Nagisa cut himself off as he spotted the boy krumping to the music. He sweat-dropped. "Well, that explains that." Seeing a flash of white and black, Nagisa spotted Haven and Kavi dancing towards the outskirts of the dance floor. His shoulders visibly fell as he saw Haven laughing to, presumably, one of Kavi's jokes.

"They make a nice couple," Nagisa noted bitterly.

"Sure they do," a voice said snappily, "but you don't think you'd make a better one? I mean he's kind of a giant and she's kind of a midget."

"Should you leave your date on her own, Karma?" Nagisa sighed. "I've heard she's quite the looker."

Karma sighed as he poured punch. "Let me guess, Rebecca told you? I'm just getting her something to drink." He shot Fia a look. "You're not here with Earnest?"

She shook her head quickly. "No, not really…" Fia mumbled dejectedly as she took notice of a beautiful woman standing just a little ways away, watching Karma expectantly. Blushing slightly, she shot Karma a look. "It really is rude to leave a girl alone though. You should get back to her," she scowled. "She's waiting for you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just needed to smack some sense into this guy," Karma shrugged as he clapped Nagisa upside the head.

"Ow! Okay, okay, I get it," Nagisa rubbed the back of his head and shot Karma a glare.

"Oi! Being a brute isn't the answer," Haven told Karma off as she approached her three housemates.

Fia sweat-dropped. "Well, now it's a party…" she said. "Looks like we're all here."

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Akabane. You shouldn't leave your date waiting," Haven advised cooly.

"Yeah, I got it already!" Karma sighed and walked back to hand his date a drink. She brought the glass to her lips and smiled before sliding his arm around her waist.

Haven shook her head at the pair and crossed her arms, "He's clueless."

Pushing herself to her feet, Fia stood and brushed herself off. "W-Well, I'm going to… Um, l-listen to the band, yeah."

Haven stared at her friend with an unamused expression, "You're a horrible liar."

Fia sighed softly. "You caught me. I'm going to walk around a little bit," she waved with a wry smile and shot Nagisa a reassuring smile before turning and heading off into the crowd.

A few moments later, Kavi walked over to where Nagisa and Haven stood. He nodded to Nagisa before turning to Haven.

"I'll see you around, Haven," he smiled and turned to go.

"Are you leaving already?" Haven asked.

"Nah, but there are some other people I want to meet up with tonight," he called back at her.

"And now, a slow dance for all you romantics," the band leader called from a platform at the other end of the tents.

"Haven, shall we dance?" Nagisa smiled at her. She nodded and let herself be led into the dancing crowd.

"I will warn you before hand that I don't know how to dance," Nagisa smiled.

"Don't worry. I can teach you," Haven smiled back and took Nagisa's left hand in her right one. She placed his other hand on her back before placing her own on his right shoulder. "Now, step forward on your left foot," Haven began instructing him on how to waltz.


Haven had been right, waltzing was easy once you got the hang of it. The two of them had passed Karma and his date several times. Each time, Karma had given Nagisa a look that clearly read 'grow a pair'. After the most recent pass, Nagisa gathered his courage and looked Haven in the eyes.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but…" Nagisa blushed. "I seem to have fallen for you." Haven looked away.

"I don't think I understand what you are talking about," Haven's face turned slightly pink.

"I'm in love with you," Nagisa's blush deepened. Haven looked down, a ball of worry formed in Nagisa's heart as the music ended. "I understand if you don't feel the same way." After a few moments, Nagisa added, "I just needed to tell you."


Kavi sighed and put his hands in his pockets as he watched Haven and Nagisa dance. Judging by Haven's embarrassed smile and Nagisa's shining, gleeful eyes, he figured that they'd gotten together. As much as it hurt, he was happy for her. Not one to let things keep him down, he decided to head back onto the dance floor for now.

Maneuvering around swaying bodies, Fia found herself in the heart of the dance floor, surrounded by slow dancing couples. She smiled as she spotted Earnest alternating slow-dancing, albeit a little awkwardly, with Rebecca and all of her friends.

As she avoided another couple, she almost ran into Karma and his date. Feeling a pang of pain through her heart just as the song ended, Fia turned on her heel and ran against the crowd of cheering people. She found herself being caught.

"Hey, Fia, what's wrong?" a deep voice asked with concern.

The panting girl looked up to find dark eyes staring down at her. "Kavi…"


The solemn pair of singles sat on a bench just down the paved path, from where they could watch the entirety of the Spring Fling unfold.

Fia shifted awkwardly and stole a glance at her laidback companion as he leaned back against the bench casually.

"I know that I have a handsome face, but do you have to stare?" Kavi teased.

Blushing, Fia looked away. "U-Um, so you wanted to talk…?"

"Yeah, something like that," he replied as he leaned forward. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked like you were going to cry back there. What happened?"

Fia sighed softly. "I-It's nothing you need to worry about." Olive eyes searched the crowd of dancing students until they found vibrant red. Shutting her eyes tightly, Fia shook her head furiously and clenched her fists in her lap. She felt two warm drops hit the back of her hands.

"Hey, don't cry," Kavi smiled and reassuringly rubbed the girl's back. "You can talk to me, you know. I tell a lot of jokes, but I'm not a bad listener."

Through blurry eyes, Fia found Kavi's smile and returned it. "I… Think I'm in love," she admitted slowly.

"Shouldn't that make you happy?" he asked with concern.

Fia wrung her hands together. "It does. It really does make me happy, but I might have found out a little late… He's got a beautiful girl at his side tonight."

"So do I," Kavi laughed. "She might not be girl I'm in love with - she's leaving with someone else tonight - but I'd like to dance with her nonetheless. If she'd be willing to dance with me, tonight might not end up being a total loss for either of us."

Giggling quietly, Fia took Kavi's extended hand and they made their way down the hill to the dancefloor. Looking up the clouds rolling across the otherwise starry sky, Fia smiled to herself. Ms. Jelavic could teach her how to change everything about herself, but she would never be able to change the fact that Fia just couldn't lie. Fia didn't think she wanted the ability, at least not when she whispered "I love Karma" and let her words be snatched away by the wind.

"Did you say something?" Kavi asked over the blaring pop music.

Fia shook her head with a smile. "Just something that I needed to tell myself! I'm going to warn you now, though, I'm not quite sure how to dance! Something about just feeling the music?!" She yelled back over the booming speakers.

Kavi grinned as he spun his friend. "That's about the gist of it! Don't worry, I'll show you how!"


Fia: (Blushes) So, you two finally are going out?

Haven and Nagisa: (Exchanging embarrassed glances)

Earnest: Haven's got a boyfriend~! Haven's got a boyfriend~! (Tosses Haven a fruit)

Haven: Earnest, what is this?

Earnest: I'm a mystical fortune teller, and this is what I see in your future!

Nagisa: Is that… a date? (Sweat-drops)

Haven: EARNEST! That's it! Go home to Aunt Joy!

Earnest: Aww, but Haven! (Clings to Fia) DON'T LET HER TAKE ME!

Fia: (Sweat-drops) Sorry, Irwin, but you know the condition for your staying here and someone already commented that there were almost too many puns in the last chapter…

Earnest: (As Haven drags him off into the distance) This is cruel and unusual pun-ishment!

Right Brain: Speaking of commenters, a little shout out to poppykiller for leaving fifteen reviews! It means a lot to us! ^-^ 3

Nagisa: Fia, what did you end up doing for the rest of the dance?

Fia: Oh, you know, I just hung out with a friend… Do you know where Karma is?

Nagisa: (Points to locked bedroom door) Someone is still enjoying his spring fling, if you know what I mean. Mind if I hang out in your room for awhile?

Fia: (Blushing at the door) They're… loud… N-Not at all, Nagisa!

Haven: (Returns, dusting off her hands) Well, that takes care of that for now.

Narrator: If there are any forms of torture… I mean scenarios, you'd like to see the gang in, please leave it in the comments or give me a pm. I may decide to incorporate your suggestions!

Nagisa, Fia, and Haven: WHAT?!

Narrator: If you want to hear more about the secondary characters, please comment or pm that too! Maybe I'll post some spin-off stories about them as well!

All: WHAT?!

Narrator: Now for the preview… what do you mean I don't have one! (picks up sheet of paper) It's blank… (sarcastically) Very helpful.

Left Brain: It's going to be a surprise.