I've been putting off this fic and Trust for a while, I know, but I have a perfectly good reason! Actually, it's a pretty bad reason, but it's not just because I've been being a lazy bum. It's actually some potentially upsetting news for any of my wonderful fans, but I'll tell you at the end so I don't upset you all...Enjoy!

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"Wh-what are you doing here?" Kousuke asked, shocked to see the person standing in the doorway.

Ryoko looked at the two in shock, "I was looking for you." she said, in a bit of a daze, "Were they just...no." she thought, shaking her head, "They couldn't be...no." As much as the evidence pointed to it, she couldn't believe that Kousuke had chosen Ayumu...not over her. They belonged together, and everyone knew it. They always joked about how they would end up getting married when they were kids, but was that all it had been to Kousuke, a joke? Impossible, they were always flirting...how could it end up like this?

"Are you okay?" Kousuke asked, standing up and seperating himself from Ayumu. He had known they would have to tell everyone about their relationship eventually if they decided to make a big deal out of it, but Ryoko wasn't the first person he wanted to find out. It was obvious how drawn to him she was, and he had hoped that he would never have to turn her down; it would be too hard. Now, though, there wasn't much chance of keeping it a secret, and he hated the look of betrayl and pain he saw on her face. Even though he wasn't in love with Ryoko, he still loved her like a sister, and didn't want to be the reason she was upset.

Ryoko's eyes started to water, and she could only think of one thing, "Do you know what today is?" she asked, hurt beyond belief that Kousuke was with Ayumu on this day and not her. It made no sense, and it hurt so bad.

Kousuke freaked, thinking it was her birthday, but then shook his head; Ryoko's birthday was in July. It was only February, so what was she going on about? What was so special about..."Oh..." Kousuke sighed, unable to look Ryoko in the eyes, "Valentine's Day." he remembered, "That's just great." he sat back down on the bed, head in his hands.

Ryoko bit back a cry as Kousuke avoided her gaze and took his seat next to Ayumu, "Why?" she wondered, "How could be not be together?" She shook her head, and turned to leave, "What did I do to deserve this?" she wondered, walking down the stairs and out the door in a trance. She wondered what Kousuke was even doing over at Ayumu's house, and how long they had been together. It couldn't have been long, if Rio knew about it, she would have told her...right? Deciding that maybe Rio would have kept the relationship a secret if Kousuke had asked her to, Ryoko headed to the one person she knew would tell her the truth: Kanone.

Back at the Narumi's house, Ayumu watched as Kousuke flopped back on the bed, eyes closed, "You okay?" he asked, sliding over next to the redhead.

Kousuke opened one emerald eye to gaze at his new boyfriend, "Do I look okay?" he asked.

Ayumu knew the question was rhetorical, but attempted to lighten the mood anyway, "You look pretty good from where I'm sitting." he said, grinning at the raised eyebrow the comment earned him.

"How can you even possibly think of that when I just lost one of my best friends?" he asked, a little disappointed that Ayumu was turning out to be just like everyone else; constantly making sex jokes and thinking about sex.

Ayumu smiled, and ran a hand through Kousuke's hair, "You haven't lost her." he assured the older one, "Ryoko's just like every other girl with a crush. She's hurt right now, but she'll get over it. Believe me, for as long as you two have been friends, something like this won't be the thing to tear you apart."

Kousuke opened both eyes to stare at Ayumu's reassuring face, "I guess you're right, but..." he trailed off. Ayumu said nothing else, but leaned down to place a soft kiss on Kousuke's lips. The older one relaxed into the kiss and smiled a little as Ayumu pulled away and kissed the tip of his nose, "Thanks."

"Happy Valentine's Day." Ayumu replied, allowing Kousuke to pull him into another kiss.

Eyes and Kanone weren't having as good a day as the two next door. The latter had woken up only a few hours after he fell asleep, and was extremely restless. All he could think about was how pissed he was at Kousuke, and Ryoko stopping by, of course, didn't help at all. Opening the door, Kanone attempted to put on a smile, but fell short, "Hello, Ryoko." Kanone greeted, moving so the obviously upset girl could enter, "Something the matter."

Ryoko nodded, and followed Kanone into the living room, taking a seat next to him, "Kousuke..." she whispered, blinking back a few tears.

Hearing that Kousuke had pissed off someone else didn't suprise Kanone any, "Looks like he's on a roll." he commented, sarcastically.

Ryoko looked at Kanone questioningly, and he nodded to the broken urn. He had collected the ashes to the best of his ability, but couldn't bring himself to touch the broken piece of pottery. Ryoko gasped, realizing that Kousuke must have broken it, "I'm sorry." she said, sadly. Attempting to take Kanone's mind off of the matter, she asked him a question, "Do you know about Kousuke and Ayumu?"

"What about them?" Kanone asked, completely oblivious.

"You don't know." she put it all together. Kanone must have gotten pissed at Kousuke for obvious reason, and made him leave. Instead of walking all the way home, Kousuke probably just went over to Ayumu's, maybe looking for a ride or a place to sleep, and they hooked up.

Kanone, however, was still lost, "What don't I know?" he wondered.

"Kousuke and Ayumu are..." she found it incredibly difficult to actually say it. Thinking it was one thing, but actually admitting that Kousuke was Ayumu's and not hers was another.

Kanone seemed to understand from the pained expression on the girl's face, "They are?" he asked, unsure of what else to say. He knew that Ryoko loved Kousuke, and had always thought that the feeling was mutual.

Ryoko nodded, "Today of all days, too." she commented, not even able to laugh at the irony of getting her heart broken on this day.

Kanone's mind quickly ran over the possibilities of what significance today could hold, and was glad that Ryoko pointed it out to him, "Valentine's Day." he whispered. He had been so caught up with everything going on that he hadn't even noticed that the day was approaching. Then another thought entered his head, mostly a realization that he hadn't gotten Eyes anything. He knew the younger one was probably oblivious to the holiday existing all together, but that didn't mean they didn't have to celebrate it.

"So...you had no idea about them?" she asked, confirming her earlier suspicions.

Kanone shook his head, "Kousuke left last night...he must have gone over there." he said, his mind thinking of other things. Ryoko nodded, sadly, and Kanone realized that Ryoko's problem was more immediate than his. He turned his attention to her, and hesitantly pulled her into a hug, which she gladly leaned into. Kissing the top of her head softly, Kanone rested his own on hers, "Kousuke is a simple-minded fool, who is worth none of our worries or sorrows." he said, "I know you were quite attached to him, but you were friends before these feelings developed, and you'll be friends long after they go away."

Ryoko sniffled, "How are you so sure that I'll get over him?" she wondered, "It feels like my entire world is crashing down around me right now."

Kanone hugged her tighter, "I know, but I've been in the same position as you before." he reminded her, thinking of Justin, "You'll find someone better, and feel foolish for even shedding one tear for him." Saying this made him realize exactly how happy he was now that his past suicide attempt hadn't succeeded. If he had killed himself over Justin, not only would he have not met Eyes, but Chase and Jack wouldn't be together either, and a lot of people would still be suffering by Chase's hand. He supposed, in the long run, it was better that he and Justin were seperated, but even now it still hurt to think about what he'd lost. All he had to do was think of Eyes, though, and all those regrets and all that pain washed away in those beautiful blue eyes, "You'll be okay." Kanone told himself as much as he was telling Ryoko, "He's not worth it."

Ryoko glanced up to Kanone, and realized that he must have been thinking about Justin. She looked at that relationship for a moment, and as happy as Kanone had been with Justin, he was so much better off with Eyes. She also realized that Kousuke was her Justin, and she had yet to find her Eyes. Knowing this dulled the pain a little, and she smiled, "Thanks, Kanone." she said, standing up, "I feel a little better now." Though, she knew that it was still hurt for a while.

Kanone smiled at her, finding it much easier now, "I do, too." he said, and stood up as well, "I just don't want to see you two be split up like Justin and I."

Ryoko shook her head, "Even if he doesn't love me, Kousuke does care about me, I know that much."

Kanone nodded, "I'm sure he didn't want to hurt you, so take it easy on him." he realized then that his words could be applied to his own situation with Kousuke, "He didn't mean to do anything wrong, and I was a bit harsh on him." he looked to Ryoko, "If you see him again soon, tell him I'd like to speak with him."

Ryoko frowned, "He's probably still over at Ayumu's..." she told him.

Kanone nodded, "I know, but don't act like you're not going over there as soon as you leave here." Ryoko blushed slightly, wondering if she was that easy to read. Kanone laughed, "It's alright, but I've got to go make sure Eyes doesn't wake up alone." Ryoko looked at him, slightly confused, and he just shrugged, "He hates it, I don't know why." Smiling, he raised a hand as he headed up the stairs, "Tell Kousuke to take his time."

Ryoko blushed, this time for an entirely different reason, "Bye, Kanone." she said as she walked out the door. Kanone smirked, then headed up the stairs to wake Eyes up in the only way appropriate for a lover to do so on Valentine's Day.

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Hmm, isn't Eyes the lucky boy? So, it looks like Kousuke got off pretty good this chappy. Ryoko and Kanone both convinced each other not to be pissed at him in their own way, and he got himself a boyfriend for Valentine's Day. I'll continue this next chappy, so V-Day isn't over yet, but I wanted to end it here...not sure why. Anyway, on with my potentially upsetting news...It seems that one of my friends is going to be unable to access the internet for a little while (until the 6th), and has asked me to kindly not update Trapped or Trust until that day. I've been inclined to agree; however, if you all start rioting, I may have to keep you at bay with a chappy or two. I know it doesn't seem fair to everyone else, but I'd do it for any of you! So, review, and if I get, like, 10 reviews begging me to continue, I may be persuaded. Actually, I just want to see if 10 people are still reading this...