Hello everyone! This isn't Chapter 8 per se - it's a bonus chapter! I'd intended to release this when the fic got 100 kudos on AO3, but considering it's been almost four weeks since the last update and I'm bit stuck on Chapter 8 at the moment, I'm releasing it a smidge early. Chapter 8 will be on its way very soon - I've just finished my exams and I have plenty of time to spare!

This is basically all Heir Guitar (Ibuki/Twogami) fluff, and it takes place while they're guarding the game if that's not clear. Even if you're not a fan I hope you enjoy it.


Item Get: Ibuki's Greatest Ambition

A charm said to contain the hopes and dreams of young girls. It will grant wishes for a certain price, but for wishes that turn the hearts of others the price may be too great to pay. For our use it has taken the form of a ramen noodle cup.


Ibuki didn't expect to pay him too much mind in the beginning, at least not more than she paid anyone else.

It wasn't because anything about him was unappealing to her – far from it, in fact. But she'd had bigger things on her mind then, bigger even than the biggest things she ever thought could exist. One minute she'd been walking backwards up to the gate of her new school, then the next thing she knew she'd been dropped onto a tropical island with fifteen people she didn't know and a talking pink teacher-bunny telling her to make friends with them. Her brain was so full from the effort of not imploding on itself that, to all available witnesses including herself, she had completely conquered her confusion and registered her environment as perfectly normal and actually quite interesting. And it was, though the nagging feeling of I shouldn't be here why am I not at school what is this never left her, even if it never came out of her mouth.

So his short introduction and cold dismissal of her weren't anything she thought about too much. Sure, it was disappointing, but there were so many people she'd just had to meet she could hardly get them straight in her head. She figured maybe she'd gotten a bad first impression; it had happened with a lot of people who had become her best friends. But that was an issue for later. When they got their swimsuits on and dove into the water she hardly even noticed he wasn't among them.

But then everything started going wrong. Monobear, mutual killing, Monomi's apparent death… in one move everything she'd built up to protect herself from one unimaginable situation had broken down in the face of something even more outlandish. She couldn't comprehend it at first, and almost forced herself not to, but the knowledge bothered her to the point where she couldn't sleep at all, not with her imagination running wild in her head.

She didn't want to think of whether anyone might participate in the mutual killing game they'd been given, and yet it was the only thing on her mind. And they'd all seemed like such awesome people, too. She'd never wanted this view of them, never wanted this uncertainty, never wanted any secrets between her and anyone else ever again. But, as she thought around 3 am, perhaps it was just her getting what she deserved, for keeping her own secrets from those she cared about.

But just as she'd resigned herself to wondering whether the friends she was making would all turn on her – not that her smile would ever fade, or her energy level would ever drop, or anything would indicate how she felt – Byakuya-chan emerged at the forefront of the fifteen as if he had appeared among them for the first time. He proclaimed himself leader (that was the end of not noticing him) then assured them that, under his leadership, they would all figure out a way to escape. He'd even started them on the path to figuring out who was responsible for their imprisonment.

It was all unlike anything Ibuki had ever expected. Given how Byakuya-chan had behaved towards her, his concern for them was surprising. But it was also profoundly reassuring, as she was sure to let him know. At first she was grateful that there was there was at least one person on the island that wouldn't listen to Monobear, but as the day went on, she saw that Byakuya-chan's words were affecting the others, as well. They were calmer. They talked more freely. Some even smiled and laughed when Ibuki jumped and cheered, and Ibuki found herself feeling those jumps and cheers much more than before.

More and more troubling things occurred – the countdown clock, the lost memories, Fuyuhiko-chan's behavior – but now they slid easily away when it came time to clear her mind for sleep. Byakuya-chan's words had taken their place, repeating again and again. We have no time for foolish ideas such as murder, she remembered with a smile, kicking her legs up and down on her mattress. We have to concentrate on the things we must do right now. Let us observe, infer, perceive and understand. If that much is impossible for any of you, at the very least move your bodies. Most importantly, follow me. I will return us all to normality.

Sleep still came with fits and false starts – she felt more excited than anything knowing that such a cool, strong, intelligent person was there to help them. It even carried over to the next morning, especially after Byakuya-chan announced the party. Ibuki hadn't been to one since her last tour, and she was sure Byakuya-chan was trying to bring them back into a more familiar state of mind, something to make them – her – feel better despite everything. She didn't understand the full body checks at the door, or why her breath caught in her throat when he touched her, even if it was just on her shoulders and hips. But she was still ready to give it her all as if she were on tour again.

And then Nagito-chan was killed. For a fleeting second Ibuki shut down, sure this was the end of everything. But Nagito-chan's blood was hardly dry before Byakuya-chan stepped in with his guidance and direction, moving everyone forward through the investigation and the trial, his calm implacable even in the face of death. It did scare Ibuki stiff when he tried to take Teruteru-chan's place to be executed. She managed not to scream, but she was sure she would have if it had actually happened. And yet she was fascinated by the attitude he took to the sacrifice, at the same time that she was terrified.

She didn't want Byakuya-chan to hurt himself, she thought in bed that night as she fought back tears, even if it meant helping someone else. No matter how important Byakuya-chan thought he was, it was more important that he stayed alive to keep everyone together, wasn't it? And for his own sake, at that. She worried, now, that he might not realize how important his own safety was to her. Or to all of them.

She wanted to tell him this in the morning – after breakfast, maybe, when she could pull him aside. But he was nowhere to be found until noon, when he turned up at the new island's diner with Hajime-chan, groggy from a lack of sleep just as Ibuki had been that first night. Like everyone else she encouraged him to rest, though she knew she'd lost her chance to speak to him. She tried checking on him that evening, but after she'd knocked several dozen times Nekomaru-chan spotted her and told her it was likely not the best idea to disturb him.

And yet, Ibuki thought, once again in her bed, would it have been so bad if she had? She wondered what Byakuya-chan was thinking about, or what he'd thought before he'd fallen asleep. She wondered if he was lonely. She wondered if she could get up and go across the hotel and knock again, and tell him everything she was feeling, everything she wanted him to know. Maybe then she'd see him smile, though it happened so rarely. But she remembered every detail of the times he had: the sparkle that lit up his eyes, the movement of his lips and the curve of his cheeks, the way his shoulders fell and his entire body seemed, just for a moment, to relax…

She stopped suddenly, realized what she was doing, and felt her face burn bright red. She slammed herself into her pillow, then took that pillow and threw it across the room, followed by every other pillow she could get her hands on, and when she ran out of pillows she jumped up and down on her bed, squealing and whooping to herself.

"Byakuya-chan!"she yelled, rolling and kicking her legs in the air, "Byakuya-chan, Byakuya-chan, Byakuya-chan…!"She spun onto the ground, did a full cartwheel across the floor, then grabbed her pillows again, holding them tight as she fell asleep with ease.


The upshot was that Ibuki now knew exactly what she had to do. She'd been through this before, even if it had been a while since she'd been so close to a boy, as her single-sex school had dominated her market for potential love interests. But through experience, both with confessions and everything that came after, she'd discovered that hiding and fretting her affections away was simply a waste of time. If she wanted anything to come of this, as she certainly did, she'd have to act now and act fast.

She found it hard not to be distracted by everything that came with her feelings: the hot flush of excitement when she saw him in the restaurant first thing in the morning, the thoughts and plans and aspirations she couldn't stop herself from having…but the evening brought her just what she needed to focus. Twilight Syndrome may have been a murder motive, but now that Byakuya-chan had it under control it became, for Ibuki, an opportunity. And it was because she'd taken that opportunity that she was here now, watching Hajime-chan leave Jabberwock Park and making sure he didn't suddenly step back for anything.

Byakuya-chan sat nearby, bent over his ramen cup, pushing the last of the noodles into his mouth. Ibuki had hardly started on hers, and his speed boggled her.

"Howaa!" she shouted. "Byakuya-chan's finished already!"

"Hm?" Byakuya-chan swallowed, then cleared his throat. "Does that surprise you? How ill-informed. One ramen bowl is hardly a challenge for me."

"Then Byakuya-chan's skills are more powerful than I ever imagined…" Ibuki put a finger to her chin and grinned. "So next time Ibuki will bring more snacks!"

"I didn't intend for you to get worked up over this." Byakuya-chan set his empty cup back on the tray. "I would prefer more, certainly, but I'm not surprised you assumed this would be enough." His brow furrowed. "I…do appreciate your efforts."

"And Ibuki appreciates Byakuya-chan's appreciation!" Ibuki rocked back and forth where she sat, while Byakuya-chan folded his arms and looked over at the game.

They sat in silence for a time, while Ibuki raced through her noodles. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Byakuya-chan shifting where he sat before he stood. "I should move to a closer position," he said.

Ibuki's head jerked up, and she slurped her noodles into her mouth. "Woah! Byakuya-chan takes charge as soon as he can!" She jumped up. "Quick! What are your plans for Ibuki?"

"Plans?" Byakuya-chan made a grunting noise. "You're the one who took this responsibility on yourself. Do as you see fit to fulfill that."

"Oh…right! That's right! Ibuki is dependable at most times and now is one of them!" Ibuki saluted Byakuya-chan, but Byakuya-chan didn't see it. He walked over to the game, folded his arms, and stared straight ahead, looking just off from where Ibuki stood.

Ibuki picked up her ramen bowl and finished the rest of it in a hurry. Then she crouched, stacked the bowl on top of Byakuya-chan's, jumped back up, skipped over to where Byakuya-chan stood, and came to a stop next to him. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a time, hopping up and down every other rock. She looked up at Byakuya-chan and smiled; he looked back, and even smiled, but only briefly.

Eventually she found herself looking down at the ground, wondering just how to say what she wanted to say. She was sure she'd had it all figured out before; she could swear it had once been easier. For all she'd thought before, about acting now and acting fast, now that she was in the moment it was as though the million things she felt she could say weren't anywhere near what she'd wanted.

"Oy, Mioda."

Ibuki jumped. "Huh? Yes?"

"You've been fidgeting for quite a while now." Byakuya-chan looked down at her from his impressive height, his eyebrows raised. "Is there any reason for that?"

"Gah! No!" Ibuki planted her feet firmly on the ground. "Ibuki will stop immediately!"

"That isn't necessary. I simply observed that you looked…rather nervous," Byakuya-chan said. "Is there anything you're concerned about?"

Ibuki blinked. "Con…cerned?"

"That is what I said," Byakuya-chan went on. "Is there anything about our situation that frightens you?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Ibuki said. Byakuya-chan's eyes went wide, and Ibuki rubbed her hands together. "Okay, Ibuki lied, maybe a little. But with Ibuki and Byakuya-chan on duty, then it's nothing! Right?"

Byakuya-chan fixed her with a curious look, then chuckled and smiled. "That's quite right," he said. "You've done well to put your trust in me, Mioda. Monobear has made the mistake of tailoring his motives to the whims of those he believes can easily fall for them, but he's underestimated the scope of my ability to combat his influence."

"Exactly! Thanks to Byakuya-chan, no one's going to touch this game at all!" Ibuki felt jitters welling up in her chest again, this time for different reasons. She stamped up and down, swinging her arms back and forth. "Gnaaahhh! Byakuya-chan's confidence is really, really cool!"

"That's…well, that's a fine thing to think." Byakuya-chan's expression was determined. "If you remember nothing else I've said, remember this. Whatever danger there was on this island, it will never touch us again. As long as I am your leader you will have nothing to fear from anyone."

"Ibuki will remember!" Ibuki saluted him again. "But Ibuki's never forgotten a single word! Not one!"

"Your attention is impressive." Byakuya-chan turned away again, this time facing the path to the second island.

Ibuki didn't know if this meant he didn't want to talk anymore, but even if she did know, she'd talk even more if she could. His confidence, his wisdom, his reassurance…even with the memory of Nagito-chan and Teruteru-chan's deaths fresh in her mind, his words felt no less true than ever. It was such a happy, triumphant moment – not only that, but one where she was sure he was happy about her.

"Ibuki knows Byakuya-chan is working hard, but Ibuki doesn't want Byakuya-chan to hurt himself even if it'll help Teruteru-chan, and she doesn't want him to not get any sleep either, because sleep is very important, and if Byakuya-chan can't sleep –" She swallowed her thoughts at the last moment. She couldn't say anything negative, not when she couldn't gauge how he'd react, or how it would help him. Three days ago she could have said this without that consideration, but now whatever she said had to come from somewhere closer that didn't exist yet…

"Gnnnnn," she found herself humming in frustration. "Gnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…!"

"Hm?" Byakuya-chan looked back over at her. "Use your words, Mioda."

"Ibuki will..." Ibuki paced back and forth. "Ibuki's thinking…"

"There's no need to make conversation at all times," Byakuya-chan said, facing forward again, "and no point pressuring yourself to do so."

If only Byakuya-chan knew how important this was to Ibuki. She had to start something, something that would help her form the words correctly. She rubbed her temples while Byakuya-chan eyed her in confusion, until an idea popped into her head and she whirled on him with a grin. "What's your most favorite thing in the world?"

Byakuya-chan's eyes went wide. "My…most favorite thing?"

"Anything you ever wanted to tell anyone about!" Ibuki pointed skyward. "Ibuki wants to listen!"

"You…that's a very sudden question."

"But Ibuki still wants to knoooow!"

"I didn't say I won't answer." Byakuya-chan held a hand to his chin. "But…well… that is, I would, but my interests may be incomprehensible to you."

"Hmmm…Ibuki thinks someone's dodging the subject!" She winked – and when she did she could swear Byakuya-chan flinched. "It really doesn't matter to Ibuki!"

"Well, then…" Byakuya-chan stroked his chin several times and gazed into the distance, though he stole some glances back at her. Ibuki tried to wait patiently, but soon started rocking back and forth again, and found her own eyes scanning the outline of his body, from the curve of his hips all the way up to his hair fluttering in the night breeze.

"Mioda," he finally said, "Do you know of the saying, 'A chicken in the hand is worth more than beef in the refrigerator'?"

Chicken…beef… hand? It sounded familiar to Ibuki. "Yep!" she said.

"And do you know what it means?"

"Not at all!"

"Heh, that's not surprising. Sayings can often circulate without their meanings attached." He chuckled. "It means it is better to have something inferior close by than something better far away."

"But why is it saying chicken's worse than beef?" Ibuki said. "Ibuki likes chicken!"

The change that came over Byakuya-chan's face at that moment was indescribable. "Precisely," he said. "Why should such a saying pass down what is clearly someone's personal preference as if it were universal folk wisdom? Just because chicken may generally be less expensive than beef does not necessarily mean one is less desirable than the other. Chicken may be less costly to prepare, but this has no bearing on the quality of its taste!"

"Hmmm, Ibuki's never thought of this before!" Ibuki put a hand to her chin. "But now she sees it's an unfairness unnoticed by society at large!"

"And price isn't necessarily an indicator of quality," Byakuya-chan went on. "Wouldn't a beef hamburger at a fast food restaurant be less expensive than a chicken dish prepared by a gourmet chef? And aren't there situations where that hamburger would taste better or otherwise be more desirable than a luxury meal?" He looked very concerned all of a sudden. "Why wouldn't the price of the meal account for this? How far are we influenced by the costs of production?"

"Quite suspicious indeed!" Ibuki said. "Is there a conspiracy behind this?"

"Naturally, but chicken and beef are only the beginning," Byakuya-chan said, pacing nervously. "One mistake you must never make is to allow these comparisons to overlook pork!"

And from there Byakuya-chan took off, speaking loud and long and hardly pausing for breath. Ibuki had never met anyone so knowledgeable or passionate about meat – and he wasn't one of those boring people that went on forever and ever, either; he had her hanging on to every word. He knew each and every part of a chicken, pig, and cow, along with its nutritional content and every way it could be prepared or used, food or otherwise. He told her about all the dishes he'd had and the ones he'd heard about and wanted to try in the future. Then he moved on to every different kind of fish he knew of ("Don't listen to anyone that says they aren't meat, Mioda"), and from there to every other meat – turkey, lamb, duck, venison, even alligator, to name a few.

When he got to bear, Monobear showed up right on cue, leaning against the pedestal with his arms folded. "Huh? What's that, Togami-kun?" he said. "You were saying something about me, weren't you? Go on now, don't be shy, I haven't received any other confessions lately!"

"I had no intention of being shy," Byakuya-chan said, scowling. "I was just telling Mioda how well you'd go with curry."

"Oooh, I would, wouldn't I? Imagine that, Togami-kun, me preparing curry in an apron with no other clothes on…not that I ever wear any other clothes, so what's the point of me even saying that?" Monobear stomped up and down. "But that's not what I came here to say! What are you doing here if you're not going to play the game I put together for you bastards so lovingly?"

"Protecting it, of course!" Ibuki announced.

"No, no, I didn't need to hear that again! I already watched that whole conversation happening!" Monobear waved his fists. "I mean why are you actually doing it? Why would you bastards put this together if you weren't just going to play the game without anyone suspecting you?"

"Because some of us like to keep our promises," Byakuya-chan said.

"Ohohoho, is that so… but aren't you curious?" Monobear said. "Aren't you wondering what power that game could possibly have?"

"Not really!" Ibuki said.

"Gnaah! This is embarrassing!" Monobear threw his hands into the air. "You'll be the first targets when someone does want to play, you know that, right?"

"We'll handle that when it happens," Byakuya-chan said.

"Sure, sure you will." Monobear hopped off the pedestal and headed down the path, his laughter ringing through the woods. "We'll see what you think in a few days."

He vanished halfway down the path. Byakuya-chan groaned, and rubbed his hand against his temples. "I can't believe this," he said. "Ignore him, Mioda. He's only attempting to manipulate us."

"Ibuki's way ahead of you. She doesn't even know what you're talking about!" Ibuki grinned, and she was delighted to see Byakuya-chan chuckle.

"Well…" Byakuya-chan paused, and held his chin. "I've told you everything I know, I'm afraid."

"Awwwww!" Ibuki swung her arms back and forth. "But Byakuya-chan sure does know a lot, doesn't he?"

"You asked me what I'm passionate about," he said. "The heir to the Togami conglomerate is a man of his word."

"He definitely is! And now Ibuki knows more about meat than ever!" Ibuki laughed to herself. "This is a victory for a more enlightened age!"

"I'm…glad that held your interest." Byakuya-chan's face softened, and then – could it be? Yes, the corners of his mouth were turning up – there it was, there it was – Ibuki's heart was fluttering so fast she was sure Byakuya-chan could hear it, but if it meant just another second of fully enjoying this moment she'd gladly let him hear every single one of her thoughts.

The smile faltered, but only slightly, and he turned back to her. "Well, now I'm curious," he said. "What are you most passionate about?"

"Eh – wha?" Ibuki's eyes went wide, and she vibrated where she stood. "Y-you're asking Ibuki?"

"Usually these topics are reciprocal, aren't they?" Byakuya-chan's grin reached its full extent. "It's only fair."

"It's true, it's true, it's true…" Ibuki rubbed her own temples at lightning speed, but it was largely for show – she knew in an instant what she had to do. A happy feeling was welling up in her chest, and she felt her energy growing in leaps and bounds. "Byakuya-chan!" she shouted. "How much do you know about light music?"

Byakuya-chan blinked. "Nothing," he said.

"Well, psyche! Ibuki isn't going to tell you about that!" She swung her arm forward in a sweeping motion. "The topic for the evening is punk rock! Pay attention!"


"SopunkwassweepingthemainstreamintheninetiesbutnotsomuchinJapanexceptforthesetwoAustralianbandscalledFreznalRhombandBodyjarhaveyoueverheardofthemByakuyachantheywerebighugemaybesomeoneyouknewknewthemIbukiknewsomeonethatwasbornataBodyjarconcertormaybedowntheroadIbukiforgetsbutstillIbuki'llintroduceByakuyachansometime –"

"Mioda."

"ButtheninAmericapeoplelikedGreenDaymoreforsomereasonprobablybecausetheyhadanalbumcalledDookiethatstheenglishword
forpoopbutIbuki'sheardDookieandIbukithinksiftheyusedlikesixmoreguitarstheyreallywouldvegottenthesoundtheywanted –"

"Mioda…"

"AndpeoplesaiditwasntrealpunkbecauseitwasalltoomainstreambutIbukithinksthataslongasyoucarrythespiritofpunkrockinyoursoulandyourmindandyourheartandyourinnerandouterorgans –"

"Mioda!"

"Eh? Byakuya-chan?" Ibuki gave him a quizzical look. "What is it?"

Byakuya-chan looked a bit startled himself by her response, and blinked several times before speaking again. "I've been listening very carefully, but…Mioda, you're going too fast. I haven't been able to understand a word you've been saying for about the past half hour."

"Whaaa?" Ibuki swung her hands back and forth. "But if Ibuki doesn't go this fast Ibuki can't tell Byakuya-chan everything he needs to know!" It was true – last night she'd hardly gotten out of the eighties before Nekomaru-chan and Akane-chan had showed up, and though she'd started again as soon as Byakuya-chan had shown up for their shift the next day she doubted she'd have time to do her Michio-chan impression, even though lunch had come and gone.

"I don't understand your hurry," Byakuya-chan said. "We have several of these shifts in our future and just as little to do during each of them. So if you're going to talk I'd prefer to absorb what you're saying than listen to endless noise."

"Endless noise?" Ibuki didn't know whether she looked offended or not, but in the next instant Byakuya-chan's eyes went very wide. "That's not –" He paused, then started again. "I meant that as a point of constructive criticism, not a petty affront, but I admit it –"

"Huh? No, no, Ibuki knows!" In truth Ibuki was quite relieved, but she'd had a feeling she knew what was going on – this definitely wasn't the first time. "Sometimes Byakuya-chan tries to cover up compliments. But don't think Ibuki doesn't notice!"

"Compliments?" Byakuya-chan's eyes narrowed. "When did I compliment you? You're inventing it."

"Nooooope!" Ibuki grinned. "You said you liked listening to Ibuki!"

"I said I wanted to absorb what you were telling me –"

"No no no, don't say you didn't say what you said!"

"I'm saying I said what I said." Byakuya-chan made an odd face. "You reworded what I said to say something else."

"But do you like listening to Ibuki?"

Byakuya-chan folded his arms. "I suppose so," he said. "Is there a reason for your hurry? Did you have anything else planned?"

She did, for sure, but she wasn't sure how much she could reveal at this point in time. "Hmmmmmmm," she ended up saying. "Maybe!"

"How vague." Byakuya-chan chuckled. "And yet it's as I said. We have all the time we need, and when we discover a way off this island we'll have even more. So speak carefully!"

"Hell yeah!" Ibuki pointed forward with both hands. "So listen up! Ibuki must now –"

"Hold on. I meant to ask you something first." Byakuya-chan's face grew serious, and he looked back and forth between the paths to make sure no one was coming. They'd had several interruptions and guests over the course of the day – most recently Sonia-chan, who'd come from the library with Gundam-chan and a giant stack of occult magazines – but it had been relatively quiet since lunch. Everyone seemed to have found their places for the afternoon.

"Something?" Ibuki tilted her head, her imagination running wild in ways she could hardly focus on. "What's a something?"

"It's about the others," he said. "Have you noticed any unusual or suspicious behavior from them?"

Ibuki was surprised at the question – not to mention by the worried look on Byakuya-chan's handsome face – but it did get her thinking. She'd failed to get Kazuichi-chan to squirt milk out his nose at breakfast, but that wasn't suspicious, just disappointing. "Nope," she said.

"You're absolutely sure."

"Yep."

"And while we're on the topic, has anyone found anything particularly important to our cause? Such as a clue about our situation? Or a means to escape the island?"

"Ibuki's knowledge is your knowledge!"

"Alright. But keep vigilant. It doesn't do well to forget the kind of danger we're in."

"Ibuki agrees…" The worry was still on his face – Ibuki needed to wipe it away as fast as she could. "But as long as Ibuki and Byakuya-chan are keeping everyone safe, we don't have to think about it all the time!"

"Well…if that's what you believe." Byakuya-chan smiled again – victory had been achieved. "Then we can continue with the punk rock, if you weren't finished."

"Absolutely! Ibuki must now reveal her secret imitation abilities!" Byakuya-chan did a sharp double take, which Ibuki took to mean he was paying rapt attention. "First up! Kadotani Michio-chan!"

"Mioda…"

Ibuki's eyes flickered open, and she shook her head rapidly, trying to stabilize her vision. A white pillar was standing over her – how strange, she thought, until she blinked and Byakuya-chan came into focus. It took all her restraint not to jump back into the pedestal.

"You're falling asleep again," Byakuya-chan said.

"Howaa! Nononononono!" Ibuki looked left and right. "Ibuki's vigilant at all times!"

"That's not what I see." Byakuya-chan lowered himself in a crouch. "Don't be difficult. We could easily wake Nidai or Owari to take over for you."

"Ibuki's fine!" Ibuki opened her eyes as wide as she could, and looked directly into Byakuya-chan's face. It was illuminated perfectly in the moonlight, and she was so close she could practically count his eyelashes. She realized she'd been staring – but had he noticed? Was anything different in his face? If he had, was that good or bad?

"That is what you may think," Byakuya-chan said – so he hadn't. "But it is important to us all that you get enough sleep."

"Ibuki gets all the sleep Ibuki needs!" Ibuki opened her eyes very wide, this time to demonstrate just how awake she was. Byakuya-chan shook his head slightly – then, to her surprise, he straightened and walked away from her. She was confused for a moment – but then she saw a slight movement in her peripheral vision, and turned to see that he had seated himself next to her, still keeping the game cabinet in his sights.

"How odd this is," he said. "Weren't you just telling me about the perils of sleep deprivation a few days ago?"

Ibuki's blood turned to ice. "I-Ibuki remembers something like that," she said, though she remembered that moment very clearly – the bags under his eyes, his stumbling confusion, his refusal to acknowledge his condition.

"Then wouldn't that apply to you as well? Isn't your duty as dependent on your vigilance as mine?" Byakuya-chan shifted where he sat. "If Monomi comes by, we can utilize her to send a message. But it is up to your judgment."

"That…" Ibuki was, indeed, very tired – it was late and she'd skipped her midday nap. The elements of her situation floated through her head like dreams. She didn't want to seem like she wasn't doing her job, and she didn't want to leave Byakuya-chan before her time with him was up, and yet – was he helping her? Was he concerned about her? Or was it more about the security of the game? But Byakuya-chan trusted Byakuya-chan, and Ibuki trusted Byakuya-chan, but if he was doing all this –

Suddenly Ibuki felt wide awake. She jumped up, struck a pose, and pointed down with renewed energy. "Byakuya-chan!"

"Hm? What are you doing?" Byakuya-chan raised an eyebrow, then lifted himself to his feet.

"You…" Ibuki hesitated briefly, and then the words poured out at a mile a minute. "You shouldn't be hurting yourself at all! Even if you think it's going to protect us!"

"What…" Byakuya-chan balled his hands into fists. "What's this about?!"

"Ibuki wants you to always take care of yourself, because yourself is what's most important! If Byakuya-chan's leading all of us, then he should be leading himself too! If he wants to find a way to save everyone he has to really…save everyone…even Byakuya-chan…"

Ibuki's voice faltered, and then died completely. It had hit her, quite suddenly, just how distressed Byakuya-chan now looked. Now she'd done it, she thought – but she was stuck in limbo, unable to act or to know what would happen next, until Byakuya-chan's face relaxed, and he turned away from her.

"Mioda," he said, "Is this about what happened during the trial?"

That and more, Ibuki thought, that and so much more, but she nodded – he was, after all, correct.

"You know I won't be attempting that again," he said, though he couldn't see her.

Ibuki's mouth was a thin line. "Ibuki didn't want Byakuya-chan to do it at all."

Byakuya-chan turned back to face her, his shoulders heaving slightly. His expression was sad, very sad, but also curious. She'd never seen anything like it before. "Mioda…" He trailed off for a long time – thinking, he must have been – before he spoke again. "I made that decision based on what I felt would be best for everyone. I…I didn't consider how it would upset you." He looked down. "But I'm no stranger to dangerous decisions. In fact, I'm more qualified to handle them than anyone else on this earth. So there is no need to be so affected on my part."

This wasn't the answer Ibuki had wanted at all. "But that doesn't matter!" she shouted. "No matter who Byakuya-chan is, or what he's done, Byakuya-chan still shouldn't be-"

"There's no need to continue on this topic," Byakuya-chan said, very quickly. "We have important work to do, in case you've forgotten." He walked some distance from her, back to his usual position. "Should we contact Monomi?"

"Ibuki's fine." She really was, now. There was no way she could fall asleep anymore. She followed him back to her own position, and they stood in silence for a long, long time. But words were rising and falling in Ibuki's chest, pushing against her mouth and begging to be said. Byakuya-chan was looking down, his face invisible to her. More than ever before she wanted to do something, but it was as though her confidence had disappeared. She had said what she wanted to say, but she knew it wasn't helping, and she didn't know what Byakuya-chan would and wouldn't reject. Or why.

"Ibuki's sorry," she said.

Byakuya-chan did not answer right away. "Why?"

"Ibuki trusts Byakuya-chan," she said. "She shouldn't have said she didn't."

"You said nothing of the sort." Byakuya-chan folded his arms. "I wasn't rejecting your concern. I was simply letting you know why it wasn't necessary."

Ibuki nodded, but she still felt numbness inside that wasn't leaving her. "Can Ibuki still be concerned, even if isn't?"

"I suppose there's no reason to stop you." Byakuya-chan hugged his arms tighter to his chest, but only briefly, before he let them fall to his sides again. "I won't anymore."

"Won't?"

"Won't put myself in danger."

Ibuki felt a warm swell in her chest, almost as though the past five minutes had never happened. "Promise?" she said.

"Promise," Byakuya-chan said.

"Double promise?" Without thinking about it – but loving her own genius once she did – Ibuki spit into her palm and held it out to Byakuya-chan.

"Wh-" Byakuya-chan looked down at Ibuki's hand in surprise. "What is this?"

"It's how you seal a double promise!" Ibuki said with a grin. "Everyone knows that."

"But that's –" Byakuya-chan looked uncertainly from Ibuki, to her palm, to his own palm. "I see. Alright." He held his hand up to his face, and while Ibuki couldn't tell whether he'd actually spit into it, she still shook his hand when he offered it – and she found herself amazed at just how warm it was, and how soft, and how gently it held hers.


Her thoughts were a jumble, all night and into the morning. She was sure she'd done the right thing, saying what she'd said and telling Byakuya-chan what he needed to know, but when she least expected it she'd be caught unawares by the sudden feeling that she'd gone too far. But then it'd be gone, and she'd find herself rocking back and forth in her seat at the restaurant, with Hiyoko-chan yelling "Tip! Tip! Tip!" whenever the chair went too far back.

She couldn't tell if Byakuya-chan was acting any differently. She never seemed to be able to find him when they weren't at the game, and at breakfast he was often so absorbed in eating that, beyond his morning announcements, he spoke to no one. Normally she didn't mind - it was pretty cute, after all – but every second she couldn't know just what was going through his mind, what he now thought of her, was nerve-wracking in the extreme. Ten o'clock couldn't come fast enough for her.

But when it did come, they'd hardly arrived at the cabinet before the back-and-forth began. Fuyuhiko-chan always came back from the second island around noontime, though he never stopped to talk or even look at them. Sonia-chan went daily to the library, always stopping to share her new discoveries, and Chiaki-chan always brought them lunch while she stared wistfully at the game. But the ones who didn't have routines hung around the island a lot more that day; Kazuichi-chan somehow showed up at the same time as Sonia-chan, so Ibuki shot him a few sly grins, and Akane-chan and Nekomaru-chan hung around for a long time on their way to the beach.

They never had a truly quiet moment - but Ibuki realized some time after noon that she hadn't needed one after all. Byakuya-chan didn't seem angry, or distressed, or even quite as stern as he was sometimes. He was no more talkative in the very brief periods between visits, but when he did talk he didn't ask anything about the previous day. Instead he asked about her – her life, her family, her old school – and she was all too happy to share. She tried to ask the same of him, but was met with two-word answers and subject changes.

In a way, she thought, this was the fulfillment of his promise, wasn't it? The one not to hurt himself. And he was still doing a super-cool job of protecting everyone. It was everything Ibuki had ever needed – even if her wants, such as they were, were a bit more ambitious than that.

The crowd dissipated as two o'clock drew closer. Akane-chan and Nekomaru-chan were due to show up again any minute. Ibuki hummed softly to herself and watched Byakuya-chan pace around, looking back at the path to the second island. "They're late," he said.

"Huh? How does Byakuya-chan know?" Ibuki squinted down the path, then gasped. "Has he been keeping a secret watch from Ibuki?"

"Why would I have any reason to do that?" Byakuya-chan paced back to the game, then turned round again. "Pekoyama said it was one-thirty when she passed through. Wasn't that at least half an hour ago? Or more?"

"M-maybe Akane-chan and Nekomaru-chan lost track of time?" Ibuki twirled her fingers around themselves. "They really spend a lot of time together…"

"Whatever they spend their time on shouldn't be interfering with their responsibility to our survival." Byakuya-chan sounded stern at first, but after a short pause, his shoulders relaxed. "But then, that may not be the case. One's personal sense of time can be thrown off when one is impatient for lunch."

"But didn't Chiaki-chan already bring us lunch?" Ibuki's eyes widened.

"And you're not hungry again now?" Byakuya-chan sounded surprised. "Are you sure?"

"No, but – gah!" Ibuki realized her mistake too late. "Ibuki can still come to lunch!"

"Heh. Very well." Byakuya-chan put a hand to his chin. "But, Koizumi wanted to meet with you after this, didn't she?"

She had – Ibuki'd legitimately forgotten. "Gah! You're right! Hmmm…" Ibuki put her hand to her chin, in imitation of Byakuya-chan. "Ibuki bets Mahiru-chan wouldn't mind if Byakuya-chan came along for a little!"

"Koizumi invited you specifically, Mioda. I can't imagine she would want me to intrude." He paused. "Perhaps…another time."

"Another time…another time…" Ibuki jumped up and down to burn off excess energy, but it didn't work in the least. "How about…how about dinner?"

"Well, of course. We're always together at dinner –"

"At the diner!" Ibuki blurted. "Diner dinner! Dinniner!"

"Wait, the diner…?" Byakuya-chan looked only curious at first, but then his eyes went very wide, and his mouth fell open slightly. "I, well, that's, that can't…"

"Can't?" Ibuki's jaw dropped. "But why not?"

"It's not that, I'm…" Byakuya-chan fixed Ibuki with a look of disbelief, then turned away again. "I'm sure you'll understand that such an outing would consume…quite a lot of time. Time that none of us necessarily have, least of all myself if I'm going to make any progress on our escape." His body tensed. "Perhaps if the situation were different."

Ibuki felt a hot spasm in her chest, and another in her mind from the strain of figuring out just what Byakuya-chan was trying to say. What did he think she'd said? What did she WANT him to think she'd said? "The situation?" she said. "So… when we leave?"

"If I were you, Mioda, I would focus on the leaving and not on what might happen afterwards. At least, not until it occurs." Byakuya-chan shuddered, then turned back to her, his face blank. "Owari and Nidai are coming. I'll see you this evening, in any case."


Ibuki didn't know what to think anymore.

She'd turned Byakuya-chan's words over and over in her mind. Sometimes they'd leave her, like when Mahiru-chan told her all about the next day's beach trip and how much fun they were going to have and how there'd be no boys at all, just the girls – but then they'd come back, like when she started imagining just what everyone would look like in their swimsuits during dinner and she realized she hadn't seen Byakuya-chan in a swimsuit yet, and she wondered if maybe Mahiru-chan could make one exception, just one, but then she thought of just how much effort it would take to convince him to come and whether she could convince him at all.

She wasn't frustrated – he was more than worth the chase. But it was a confusing feeling, knowing there was so much more she didn't understand about Byakuya-chan than she'd expected, but not a disheartening one. Every thing she'd discovered had been more exciting than the last. She loved his dedication, knew that without him so many things would be different, would be worse, but didn't he see that he could get away with not –

"Mioda?"

"Wha!" Ibuki was about to jump back in surprise, but a strong hand gripped her shoulder and prevented her from smashing into the pedestal. As soon as she was stable, Byakuya-chan folded his arms again. "Honestly, Mioda, you should be more careful," he said.

"Exactly! Ibuki must improve her focus!" Ibuki saluted Byakuya-chan, pouting in an exaggerated fashion. "Er – what did Byakuya-chan need?"

"I didn't need anything," Byakuya-chan said. "You've been quiet. I thought you'd fallen asleep again."

"Nope, Ibuki's vigilant this time!" Ibuki scratched her head. "Ibuki was just using her brain to think."

"To think?" Byakuya-chan moved to the side, and with a jolt Ibuki realized he was leaning next to her. "What about?"

"Stuff," Ibuki said quickly.

"Ah. Stuff." Byakuya-chan folded his arms. "It was not my intention to interrupt your thinking. Silence just seemed rather unlike you."

"Ibuki already said Ibuki's full of surprises," Ibuki said. "Where normal humans have blood and other organs, Ibuki has surprises. Especially as I'm sure you find this information surprising!"

"You certainly think of interesting wordplay."

"All day and all night!"

"Heh." Already Byakuya-chan looked more relaxed, and Ibuki felt relaxed just looking at him. As much as he claimed not to have time to have any fun, he did seem to enjoy it when he did. But the moment didn't last long – his mouth was a thin line again before she knew it. "Have you had any thoughts about how we can escape? Or any of the other mysteries we've been confronted with?"

In truth, Ibuki'd wanted to come up with something, but nothing had come – nothing that could help their escape, anyway. "Ibuki tried yesterday," she ended up saying. "But everyone already knows about the ruins and the ruins aren't opening up any time soon…"

"If there's a password lock, then there must be a clue to the password somewhere," Byakuya-chan said. "I've been looking for that clue since I found that door. I haven't found anything that remotely leads to it, however –"

"And Ibuki thought a lot about our memories," Ibuki said. "Who just takes a bunch of years out of your head? What was Ibuki even up to? Did she write any songs that Ibuki wants to hear? Why didn't she get any new piercings? Ibuki wouldn't do that-"

"Mioda, I think that's perhaps the one thing we shouldn't be thinking about," Byakuya-chan interrupted. "We don't know if that information is true, and even if it is, I don't believe we'll get anywhere on speculation about our personal lives." He put a hand to his chin. "Monobear may eventually leave us clues as to how we were led here. We can retrace our steps from there."

"Ibuki knows, but Ibuki's still kinda curious." Ibuki had a sudden thought. "Do you think Ibuki and Byakuya-chan were friends?"

Byakuya-chan's eyes went wide. "Friends?"

"Friends!" Ibuki piped up. "Ibuki wouldn't want Ibuki to miss out on someone so cool, right? But now Ibuki's friends with Byakuya-chan, so maybe it doesn't matter so much?"

"Mioda –" Byakuya-chan covered his mouth with his right hand. He had an unusual look in his eyes, one Ibuki had never seen on his face before. He looked at her, then looked away, and lowered his hand from his mouth.

"It could be, couldn't it?" he said in a small voice, one that hardly sounded like Byakuya-chan at all. "But…could it? Could it really? It can't…"

"Byakuya-chan?"

"No." Byakuya-chan shook his head rapidly. "No, it's…"

Ibuki leaned closer to Byakuya-chan, so close she could see his hair fluttering against his cheek. He flinched slightly when he saw her. Ibuki could swear for a second he looked afraid, but then he relaxed, and turned to face her. "Mioda," he said, "How much trust do you have in me? Truly?"

This struck Ibuki as a strange question, but not a hard one to answer. "Ibuki has all the trust," she said.

She looked down to find that his hand was free, and on a whim, she took it. The initial touch was brief – he tensed under her fingers, and flinched again, but when she pulled back he reached for her, taking her hand with the same gentle touch she still remembered so vividly. But that too passed, and as quickly as they'd been offered his hands were at his sides again.

"It's good that you trust me," Byakuya-chan said, breaking the silence that followed. "Thank you."

For a moment, Ibuki had an odd thought, an alien one, one where she took everything she'd seen – the expressions, the movements, the words – and put them together to form something she didn't have a name for, something that could perhaps not be named, something beautiful and terrifying and entirely out of her grasp – like music, she thought, music made mortal. But then the thought was gone, and Byakuya-chan was back – the smirk, the straightened posture, the folded arms, as if they had never left.

"Byakuya-chan –" she began, but Byakuya-chan stood and walked away from the pedestal, cutting her off. "As long as you're in the mood to think, questioning you will only serve to distract you," he said. "I hear footsteps. Be sure to give me your findings tomorrow."


That didn't end up happening, and not just because she hadn't found anything. At five the next morning Ibuki found herself awake and opening the door for Peko-chan, who told her all about the arrangements Mahiru-chan had made for the beach excursion. Ibuki didn't think too hard about this – it was just one day, and it wasn't like she'd never see Byakuya-chan again. But she did feel quite confused when Byakuya-chan came to find them at the central island, angry that he had not been told of the plans. It wasn't an unfamiliar side of Byakuya-chan by far, but it still wasn't one she liked to see.

But that, too, did not last long. He wasn't at the central island when Ibuki arrived there, though Hajime-chan, Nekomaru-chan, and Kazuichi-chan were, along with Chiaki-chan. She didn't want to say she'd picked a bikini on purpose, not that anyone would ask, not that she'd even considered whether it meant anything or not, not that it mattered. Even when he arrived she was sure it was more for her own benefit than for his. But what benefit did it have for her? He didn't seem to pay her outfit change any particular mind, but that really was just like Byakuya-chan, she thought. Perhaps it was what she'd been expecting all along.

She left them when Sonia-chan arrived, and they ran at a good clip to catch up with Chiaki-chan and Peko-chan. They met the others by the diner, where they were held up chasing off Kazuichi-chan, who had followed them, begging and pleading to come along. Then they headed together into Chandler Beach, talking and laughing all the way.

The afternoon went by in a flash for Ibuki. One minute she was diving into the ocean, the next she was chicken-fighting Chiaki-chan while sitting on Peko-chan's shoulders, then she was helping Mikan-chan out of a collapsed beach chair, then a split second later the sun was going down and Akane-chan and Sonia-chan were pulling her out of the water, laughing and dragging her to the beach house, where everyone else had gone to get drinks.

Ibuki grabbed an orange soda and sat with everyone else in the middle of the floor, her hair disheveled and a towel around her hips. At first the topics were light, accounts of the events of the afternoon mostly, but then Mahiru-chan had to mention Kazuichi-chan again, and just what a pig he was, trying to follow them, and then Akane-chan had to say, "Well, if he wasn't such a goober he wouldn't be half-bad as far as looks," and then there was no way to get the conversation back from where it was going, not that Ibuki minded this lack of control at all.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Mahiru-chan folded her arms. "Maybe if he got a haircut. Maybe."

"And a new wardrobe," Akane-chan said.

"And new teeth," Hiyoko-chan blurted.

"Well, there's not very much we can do about Souda-san's personal choices," Sonia-chan said. "But what about Tanaka-san? He's quite handsome already."

"Tanaka?" Mahiru-chan looked at Sonia-chan like she had three heads. "Seriously?!"

"Do I even need to say anything?" Hiyoko-chan was rolling with laughter.

"What Gundam-chan lacks in comprehensible speech he more than makes up for with personal style!" Ibuki offered. "His trenchcoat is so cool Ibuki wants one of her own!"

"That would look really cute on you, Ibuki-chan," Mahiru-chan said. "I guess I can give him that…but he's pretty irresponsible. Going on about all that magic business like he's still in seventh grade…"

"I like Tanaka-kun," Chiaki-chan said. "He reminds me of the wizard from…from…I don't remember the name of the game."

"But you agree he's fascinating," Sonia-chan said. "And his hamsters are quite charming."

"Besides, if we're talking irresponsible he's peanuts to Kuzuryuu." Akane-chan folded her arms. "So many times I could've punched him, and you guys just had to hold me back."

"Don't even talk to me about Kuzuryuu," Mahiru-chan said with a scowl. "I forget he exists half the time. He's always shut up in his room or hiding from us or whatever. What a coward."

"D-don't forget he said…he wouldn't hesitate…" Mikan-chan shivered. "To…to…"

"I don't know if he'd actually go through with that threat if he's announced it to all of us," Chiaki-chan said.

"Well, thinking about him isn't what we're here for," Mahiru-chan said. "But as much as I think there isn't a decent boy on this island at all…"

Ibuki felt a hot flush of excitement creeping up her neck, and was just about to speak when Mahiru-chan turned away from her. "Peko-chan, you've been quiet. What do you think?"

Peko-chan took a long swig from her water bottle. "I don't have strong feelings one way or another about any of them," she said.

"But what about Big Bro Hinata?" Hioyko-chan leered at Peko-chan. "You guys spend a lot of time alone by the game…Is it true what they say about guys with spiky hair?"

"Saionji, I just said –!" Peko-chan blushed a deep red and folded her arms across her chest. "He's a fine person. No complaints, nothing stands out. That's all."

"Yeah, that's about all you can say about Hinata." Mahiru-chan looked askance, and Ibuki could swear she saw her blush. "He's…got a decent face, though."

"I think that's rather an understatement," Sonia-chan said. "He has quite an unremarkable face, much like a certain Novoselic folk hero –"

"And he's sensible, too," Chiaki-chan said, apparently unaware she was cutting Sonia-chan off. She let her gaze drift over to the stack of board games she'd brought, which had lain untouched the entire time.

"I-I think he's nice," Mikan-chan said. "C-c-can I say that? You all disagree, don't you…?"

"Nobody cares what you think," Hiyoko-chan spat. "This is getting old, anyway. Big Sis Pekoyama's not the only one spending a lot of time alone with boys…"

"Hey, all old man Nidai does is go on and on about my technique," Akane-chan said.

"Your technique?" Mahiru-chan gasped, and several of the others followed suit.

"I know what you're thinking, but he and I really aren't like that." Akane-chan wrinkled her nose. "Kissing him'd be like kissing my brother."

"So? Kiss him anyway!"

"That's not how it works, Saionji," Peko-chan said.

"Ugh, bo-ring…" Hiyoko-chan pouted for a moment, then rounded on Ibuki with a wild grin. "Big Sis Miooodaaaa…!"

"Hoho!" Ibuki was way ahead of Hiyoko-chan; she folded her arms and grinned confidently. "Is Ibuki on the spot now?"

"Well, now that you say it…" Peko-chan stretched her arms behind her back. "You always seem rather…enthusiastic to spend time with Togami."

"Enthusiastic?! What do you mean? No, hold on, that's not proper at all!" Sonia-chan whirled to face Ibuki, and pushed her hand forward in a sweeping motion. "Mioda-san! You must elaborate on what Pekoyama-san has told us!"

There was no getting out of it now – such was the power of a Super High School Level Princess. But Ibuki didn't even need Sonia-chan's orders – she'd been waiting for this moment since the conversation began. But as much as she wanted to gush, to tell them everything, that just wasn't how she could communicate. Instead she grinned and put a finger to her cheek. "Hmmmmmmmmm," she said.

"Hmm?" Mahiru-chan said. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"Hmmmmmmmm…" Ibuki said again, raising her volume ever so slightly. Then she threw up a piece sign. "You'll just have to wait and see!"

"But what do you mean?" Sonia-chan said. "What will we be seeing? Are you pursuing Togami-san or not?"

"Maaaybe!" Ibuki winked. "Who knows?"

"You are!" Sonia-chan jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. Akane-chan, Chiaki-chan, and Peko-chan grinned, while everyone else's jaws dropped to the floor. "Oh, this is magnificently tubular!" Sonia-chan went on. "A tropical island romance…it's the perfect setting for such a thing! Oh, what have you attempted so far? What situations have occurred? You must tell us everything!"

"Everything?" Ibuki's eyes went wide. "But now Ibuki doesn't know where to start!"

"Then tell us what you find most appealing about him!" Sonia-chan sat down by Ibuki and clapped her hands together. "Was it his eyes? That is what they always say, isn't it?"

It was, and Ibuki could probably say it and it would be true one way or another, but could that really give them the full picture of just how cool he was? She was just trying to think of a clever way to phrase what she was feeling when Mahiru-chan spoke up. "Ibuki-chan…I get what's going on here, but are you really so sure about this?"

Ibuki felt her insides grow still. "Huh…?"

"What could you possibly mean, Koizumi-san?" Sonia's mouth became a thin line.

"Well, I mean, I kinda get why you'd…y'know," she said. "But he's overconfident, he's snobbish, he thinks he can order the rest of us around… I just don't want to see you disappointed."

Disappointed? Ibuki wasn't sure what to feel or react to at all. She was about ready to make an impulsive strike back, and Sonia-chan looked about ready to join her, when Chiaki-chan raised a single finger. "Koizumi-san, I know you're concerned," she said, "And I know how Togami-kun's been behaving. But Mioda-san's spent a lot of time with him. She'd probably know him a lot better than we do, and see things that we don't…I think."

"But…" Mahiru-chan looked to the side. "That was kind of out of line, wasn't it…?"

"I don't think it's our call to comment," Peko-chan said.

"True…this should be exciting, shouldn't it?" Mahiru-chan smiled. "I'm…sorry, Ibuki-chan."

"Ibuki understands!" She still felt a bit odd – but she'd known Mahiru-chan had a powerful personality, one that clashed against Byakuya-chan's fairly often. Her words had stung, but the backtrack was enough. "Maybe Ibuki can convince Mahiru-chan otherwise? Actually, Ibuki's convinced she can convince!"

"Yaaay!" Hiyoko-chan threw her hands up in the air. "Mr. Porkfeet's going to get his mack on!"

"But that's jumping too far ahead too fast!" Sonia shouted.

"Yeah, whatever!" Akane-chan grabbed Ibuki round the shoulders and dug her knuckles into her skull. "Ibuki-chaaan! Remember me when you're rich, okay?"

Oh, right, he's an heir, Ibuki thought. She was amazed to see them all so happy for her – Mikan-chan smiling and crying at the same time, Sonia-chan so enthusiastic, even Mahiru-chan managing a smile. She remembered when she'd felt so afraid of all of them – just a week ago, in fact – and relished in how distant that feeling felt.

She told them everything, or at least everything she could. She kept some things to herself, like her concerns, her failed attempts, and his more incomprehensible moments. But as she went through everything else, every connection great or small, one by one, her confidence surged and came alive in every word she said. Byakuya-chan had to be her friend – there was no way he couldn't be. And despite everything that was going on, over time, much like the stories she'd heard again and again, perhaps something else could occur. But for now she was happy at least to talk and think about it. The actual next step could come later.


Up next - actual Chapter 8!

- Carth