a/n: I apologize for the delay in this being posted. I have been and still am currently ill, it being rather nasty. Those of you who write or do other such creative activities I am sure know how being considerably sick can mess with your muse. As such I am not sure when the next chapter will be released. However I will do it as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and continued reading. On with the story!

Chapter Three: Moving Forward

"Thank you again for inviting me out," said Kale as he walked with Kyou down the busy street.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal." Indeed what she said was true; it really was no big deal.

When she'd gotten off the phone with Ryou, Kyou had asked Nagisa if she would go with her. But Nagisa had quickly declined, saying something about going on a picnic after school with Ushio and her husband, Tomoya. Ushio's surprised look in response to her mother's answer made Kyou doubt the validity of her statement. She didn't pursue it though and had turned to Kale instead, since he was standing right there. She didn't want to be rude by not inviting him along, not after she discussed the outing with Nagisa right in front of him. Plus a potential bonus was that the outing might help cheer Kale up some, though what exactly was wrong with him, Kyou still didn't know.

As they walked down the street the two remained mostly silent. Kyou was such mainly because she didn't know what was going on with Kale and she still couldn't figure out why it bothered her so much. She was stuck in deep thought and thus, greatly distracted, preventing her from making much meaningful conversation. Though, she did occasionally glance over at Kale, observing him, wishing to find an answer as to what was wrong with him. While Kale did seem a little down, he didn't look nearly as bad as he did that morning. He was even smiling a little. Kyou eventually stopped looking over at him, wishing to avoid any possibility of Kale looking back at her and seeing that she was watching him. That may give him the wrong idea. Instead, Kyou concentrated on the road ahead, and was happy to discover that they weren't too far from the café.

Kyou didn't have to look too hard for her sister since a waving arm from a smiling face instantly told her that Ryou was in the outdoor part of the cafe. Kyou smiled back at her, waving just as excitedly. No matter what, it was always pleasing to see her dear sister, especially when she was in a good mood. Kyou observed Ryou's beaming smile as they were invited to sit down at the table with her.

"It's so good to see you again, Onee-chan," smiled Ryou. When Ryou had started calling Kyou Onee-chan some many years ago, it was strange at first, since they were twins. However Ryou had adopted calling her that since Kyou had been born first, making her technically older. Kyou had gotten use to it over the years so it didn't even register as unusual anymore. However to strangers it might be a tiny bit confusing.

"So your Kyou's younger sister, then?" asked Kale.

"In a way, yes," politely replied Ryou. "We're twins but she was born first. That's why I call her Onee-chan, since she's technically older than me."

"Ah, I see," said Kale. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kale Saunders." Though he was seated, Kale bowed his upper body some to Ryou who was sitting in front of him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Saunders-san," smiled Ryou. "I'm Ryou Fujibayashi." They grew quiet for a moment as the three of them perused the provided menus, deciding on what to eat. Kyou happened to look up from her menu and saw that Ryou was looking at her and Kale, switching her gaze back and forth. She suddenly began to get an uneasy feeling.

"So . . ." Ryou started quietly, "Is Saunders-san your boyfriend?" she asked Kyou.

Despite having expected a question like that, Kyou's face smacked the table, hands still clutching the menu. She quickly picked her head back up and spoke, her tone tense. "No he isn't!" she barked, "Geez, why does everyone think that?" She noticed that Kale had turned his face away from them, embarrassed, his face red.

Ryou was also flustered due to her misconception. "Well . . . um . . . I guess it's because he seems nice and that you two seem like a cute couple . . ." she stammered, trying to explain her blunder. This didn't make the situation any better, as it just made Kale blush even more and Kyou bury her face in her hands, her own face beginning to turn red. "Please Ryou . . ." her voice was half growling, half pleading, "Please . . . just shut up."

Thankfully, Ryou complied, deciding to not say anymore on the matter. The three remained quiet, concentrating on the menus in front of them, yet it was mostly out of embarrassment and not an actual desire for food. Eventually they did each order a dish, the menus thus taken away. Now, not having anything to distract them, Ryou decided to try and strike up a conversation. "So how do you know my sister Saunders-san?"

"I'm actually the janitor at the school where Kyou works," he explained. "We happened to meet when I was petting Botan and she came out to see who I was."

"Oh, I see . . ." said Ryou, looking down at her hands then she glanced back up at Kyou, "How is Botan doing anyways?"

"She's doing great," informed Kyou.

"Where is she right now?" Ryou knew that bringing a boar of Botan's size to an outdoor cafe would certainly create chaos; she mainly asked the question in hope of continuing the conversation.

"She's back at my place, where else?"

After receiving an "Oh, right . . ." Kyou noticed that Ryou had grown quiet and she was starting to fidget. She knew right away what this meant; Ryou had something to say but was shy in saying it.

"What is it, Ryou?" Kyou abruptly asked, wishing to not beat around the bush.

"E-excuse me?" stuttered Ryou.

Kyou's purple eyes narrowed as she glared at her sister. "I know you, Ryou. I am your sister after all." she stated. "I know when you want to say something and you're afraid to do so. Just spit it out already."

Ryou's gaze lowered to the table as she struggled to choke out the words. "Well . . . u-um . . ." No matter how she tried Ryou couldn't seem to say what she wanted. Eventually she gave up trying verbal communication and instead decided to rely on action. Raising her left arm, Ryou extended her hand forward so that it was in plain sight. Immediately, Kyou could see what had flustered her so much. Adorned upon her ring finger was a shiny silver ring.

"I-is this . . .?" Stunned by what this meant Kyou couldn't finish her own sentence.

"An engagement ring, yes . . ." Ryou mumbled. Kyou and Ryou sat there for a moment in silence, Kale also quiet but merely watching from the sidelines, not knowing Ryou well enough to say anything. Eventually the air was rent in twain by a high pitched squeal as Kyou quickly got up and ran around the small table to hug her sister. "I'm so happy for you!" laughed Kyou. Ryou's blue eyes went wide, surprised by Kyou's sudden reaction.

"Y-you mean . . . you aren't mad?" softly asked Ryou.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" blinked Kyou, confused by the question.

"Well . . . um, I never even told you that I was dating anyone . . . and then I sprang this on you so suddenly. I was sure you would be angry with me."

Kyou responded with a hearty laugh, followed by a few slaps of Ryou's shoulder. "I wouldn't be mad at you, Ryou. You are your own person; you can live your own life. You don't have to report every little thing to me," she assured her sister, smiling warmly at her, as she sat back down in her chair. "That's why you asked me to bring a friend, wasn't it? You figured if I had a friend along, I'd control my anger better, right?"

"R-right . . ." Ryou replied weakly.

Kyou smiled and then began her barrage of questions. "What's his name anyways?"

"It's Hiiragi Kappei."

"Hiiragi being his family name I suppose?" asked Kyou. She herself was pretty sure that was such, but she asked in order to inform Kale in a roundabout way of which was which.

"That's right," confirmed Ryou with a nod. "I met him through my job at the hospital."

The sisters continued to talk, Kyou mainly casting forth questions and Ryou responding with answers. Kale sat quietly for most of their transaction, he occasionally glancing at Kyou. She didn't realize it since she was so absorbed in her conversation with Ryou but Kale's eyes had a hint of worry in them. Kale didn't say anything though and continued to sit in silence.

After about an hour and a half of talking, the three finally decided to go their separate ways. Ryou went one way while Kale and Kyou went another. The two decided to walk home together since Kale's apartment was on the same way as Kyou's. They traveled on in silence, Kale occasionally glancing over at Kyou when she wasn't looking. Worry still tainted his gaze, though he didn't say anything right away. Eventually, he finally decided to speak up.

"You lied back there, didn't you?" he asked. Despite his non accusing tone, Kyou still whipped her head around, anger beginning to stir within her.

"Excuse me?" she growled, not liking being accused of dishonesty.

"Well, um . . ." Kale was slightly staggered by her anger but he didn't stop. "When you said that you were happy for Ryou and not mad . . . that was a lie, wasn't it?"

Kyou immediately opened her mouth to give forth her denial, yet she suddenly found herself unable to do so. Her mouth flopped open and closed like a fish, as her mind attempted to find the right words to say. Finally she quietly said, "Well . . . in a way it wasn't." She looked away from him, guessing that he was giving her a doubtful look. "But, then again . . . you're completely right," she sighed.

"So, you were mad at her?"

"I'm . . . I'm not sure," Kyou sighed. "I think I am, but that's just stupid of me to feel that way. She's allowed to live her own life; she is twenty-five years old after all . . . yet, I feel hurt and I'm not exactly sure why."

Kale thought for a moment, his hand brought to his chin. He then lowered his hand when done pondering. "You don't have a boyfriend right now do you?" he asked.

"What has that got to do with anything?" she asked indignantly.

"Well, I have a guess as to what may be bothering you," the janitor stated simply.

Kyou sighed, eventually giving him an answer. "No I don't have a boyfriend."

"I see . . ." said Kale thoughtfully. "Could it be that you're jealous of Ryou, then?"

"Jealous? Of what?" she asked.

"Having a significant other," he replied quickly. "Could it be that you feel as if you're being left behind, as if everyone is moving on and progressing through life, while you yourself stand still?"

Again, Kyou wanted to deny what Kale was saying, to deny that she was so petty as to feel jealous. Yet, again she could not, for she knew that deep down, Kale was exactly right.

"Yeah, I-I guess so," she stammered slightly. "It's silly though . . . here I am living out my dream and yet I still want more."

"What is your dream?" inquired Kale.

"To be a kindergarten teacher," answered the young purple-haired woman. "I find it amazing that I'm entrusted with the lives of children, to be able to influence their lives and help make the world a better place. But . . ." Kyou's head, which had risen as she spoke passionately about her beloved profession lowered, her gaze pointed at the ground. "But somehow, I don't feel very satisfied . . . guess I'm a greedy person huh?"

"Not at all," firmly said Kale. "People are never truly complete, never finished moving forward. We continually strive forward, seeking to improve ourselves and go after our dreams. You yourself are living your dream, right now, as you just said. But without direction, you feel as if you're wandering aimlessly, am I right?" Kyou nodded in agreement, to which Kale continued to speak. "So it's natural for you to find something else to live for, something to give you direction. You don't have to give up on the dream you're living right now, but just find another dream, one that you can add to your current dream."

"But what if you don't know what your dream is?" wondered Kyou.

"Well, as silly as it sounds then that can be your dream, to dream of finding another dream . . . guess that sounds strange, huh?"

"Not at all," said Kyou, softly shaking her head, a smile beginning to creep back onto her face. "It makes perfect sense . . ." she quietly contemplated his words, and then looked back up at him, "You sound as if you are speaking from experience though."

"Yeah, I am," Kale sighed. "For the longest time back in America, I felt as if I was standing completely still, and that the world around me was progressing faster than I could comprehend. Before I knew it my two older brothers were both married, had children, and living out their dream careers. Yet I remained standing still, living every other day as if it were a continuous loop of repetition."

"That was when I decided to reach for my dream, to grab it and move forward no matter what. I succeeded in what I wanted to do for so long. And yet, I wanted more, I wanted to progress."

"What was your dream?"

"To move to Japan," easily answered Kale. "I've always been fascinated with the culture, the beautiful language, nearly everything about it. That's why I moved here from the U.S."

"Did you ever decide what your next goal would be?" inquired Kyou. She was eager to know if this young man had followed his own advice and found another dream to look for.

"Well . . . yeah," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I wanted to be a manga artist."

"A manga artist, eh?" she was a bit surprised. Most people she knew weren't that interested in art so talking to one who was interested was new for her.

"Yeah," laughed Kale nervously. "You see, I draw art for fun, I find that creating something is quite fascinating. I know I'm not good enough to be a professional, but I still want to someday, draw art professionally that is. Ever since I decided what to work for I noticed that I worked harder since I wanted to reach that goal and not just simply survive."

"Well, I think that's quite admirable," said Kyou, smiling at him.

He looked away, blushing yet again. "I'm sure you'll find something to work towards Fujibayashi-san," said Kale. "You're a strong person that much I can tell."

Though she didn't avert her gaze like Kale had, Kyou did blush. "Thanks a lot Saunders-san. Your words helped me out a lot."

"It was my pleasure. I'm just glad I could help," replied Kale. Looking up he noticed they had arrived at his apartment. "Well, this is my stop. I suppose, I'll see you tomorrow, Fujibayashi-san."

"Yeah . . . see ya." said Kyou. She turned and began walking down the street when an idea struck her. Turning around she called out, "Hey, Kale?"

"Hmm, what is it?" asked Kale, stopping turning his key in the door and looking up at her.

"How about we have lunch again tomorrow, we can trade dishes again . . . does that sound good?"

"That's sounds great," he smiled. "I look forward to tomorrow's meal."

"As do I," replied Kyou, smiling back at him. She waved goodbye, then turned and continued walking down the street.

She softly repeated her parting words to Kale, "As do I." A warm smile spread across her face as she thought of the next day. She truly did look forward to it.

a/n: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews of any nature other then flames are appreciated. Thank you for you time.