Chapter Three

"What do you mean the effects are delayed?" Tomoka growled, seeming more stressed than Sakuno should be. Sakuno fully understands what Tomoka's argument is. The tonic Inui made is the solution to their problem, but this is supposed to be an instant thing.

"This is supposed to be an instant thing!" Tomoka covered her forehead with both her hands, sitting on the least destroyed seat the park could ever offer. As Sakuno sat beside her best friend, she felt the marred wood slightly bend at her weight. She started scratching the chipped white paint and felt bad as she saw small white litter on the ground. This was her doing. She also couldn't pry away the notion that maybe what Kikumaru's current state was also her doing.

What the others think of her feelings for Ryoma was her doing as well. If only she hadn't been so easy to read.

"Now, now. We are all saddened by this." Fuji said. He wore a fitted beige khakis shorts with an equally fitted yellow checkered polo, the first two buttons undone, showing a hint of chest hair. Sakuno had to bite her lip to keep from sneaking peeks at him- staring at him. It wasn't just because Fuji looked good in civilian clothes; he was acting exceptionally fishy. And it wasn't because he always looked like he had done something terribly sadistic.

All of them are acting exceptionally fishy. Or were they?

"Senpai-tachi," Ryoma released a low groan. He shifted his weight to his other leg. "This isn't some kind of joke, right? Did you really give him the antidote?"

Sakuno stared down at Fuji's large, large shoes. She can't ignore how hairy his legs are and how hairy Fuji really is. She pried her eyes elsewhere. To her own fingers, her own shoes, the gray pavement she's stepping on, thinking how many people have stepped on this poor stone.

Momo frowned. "That's not fair, Echizen. If you came at the right time, you should've been with us, forcing the, um, thing down his throat." He swung a small glass bottle that contained a hint of purplish liquid (the antidote?) with his thick fingers, in evident disgust, like it was hard evidence. "Where were you both anyway?"

"Somewhere..." Ryoma's voice trailed off. He swung his can of Ponta to his mouth like it's still half full. Everyone knows that it's just a simple piece of aluminum now.

"Oh-ho-ho." Momo's eyes trialed to the other's: to Kawamura, and Inui, and Oishi, and Kikumaru and to the handsome, handsome Fuji. The perfectly hairy Fuji that just caught her eye. Sakuno was almost glad that the captain, Tezuka, wasn't here. Momo tossed the bottle to Inui. Sakuno knew what she was doing: she was checking out other guys. It felt wrong. Ryoma was just there...

"At Sylvia's!" Sakuno tried to elaborate further. "I was supposed to buy something yesterday but I decided that I'll just buy it today. Ryoma just accompanied me." She wagged her hands in front of her, not really elaborating anything.

"A-ccom-pany." Momo sang. He realized how Sakuno doesn't have a bag that might contain what she might have bought. No hard evidence that she and Ryoma had really been to Sylvia's. Sakuno almost heard him repeating it in his head. Oh-ho-ho.

"He just accompanied her, no big deal. Stupid, stupid peach." Kaidoh muttered. Momo's head jerked to him. He loosened his folded arms that Sakuno hadn't noticed were folded at all. They were suddenly glaring at each other.

"I don't see why we can't have a match. Just to prove that the stupid, stupid peach is better than the stupid, stupid snake." Momo snarled.

Kaidoh rolled his eyes. "Asking for a match at this important time is proof that the stupid peach is really stupid."

The others started to calm Momo. Sakuno can't see why she suspected that the others are acting fishy. Like they had done something, and it was going on course. At the same time, Tomoka's unreadable face turned to Sakuno. "Sylvia's. Still? You're still making him that plush toy or whatever?"

Sakuno tried to smile. The smile just came naturally, like it wasn't forced. Evidently, she still haven't told Tomoka how Ryoma successfully convinced her to not make the plush toy. For Kikumaru. Going to Sylvia's was a total waste of time. Ryoma had convinced her on the way to Sylvia's. But the time wasted-which seemed like eternity- Sakuno was happy about. Absolute Flirting Moment. She was glad she decided to wear her high-waisted jeans and partnered it with a fit clad tee. Her sides were still tingling from Ryoma's touch. It seemed surreal to wish that Ryoma noticed her curved waist and how her hips was this big bump, but not in an ugly way. And, thankfully, no big belly; not that she had any trouble with her abdomen before. She's closer to being a woman now. Almost, any time now,she impatiently thought.

She felt the marred wood bend more, indicating that someone sat somewhere near her. Awfully familiar, heavy, muscled arms wrapped around her shoulders. Kikumaru's breath tickled her neck. "I can't believe that people around me don't take my feelings for you seriously." He whispered in her ear, lightly blocking the team's voices. "Believe me, I love you."

Her smile faltered. She now forced her lips up. "How convincing."

She felt Ryoma's glare on their direction. Jealous, she forced herself to believe.

Natsume slipped his way through a window into his room. His 'Special Star' room. The light wasn't on, and Natsume thought it was natural. Just as it is past curfew, the patrol guard rounded the corners of the building, the glare of his flashlight shot to the tree that Natsume recently climbed.

He just barely escaped the wrath of discovery.

Natsume shut the glass window without audible noise. He quickly removed his muddied shoes and silently glided to his bed. He heard a faint familiar creak of the wooden floor outside the hallway. A dim light hinted at the gaps underneath until it brightened.

It's them.

Muttering a silent curse, he removed his damp black shirt and quickly put on a white v-neck that hung on a chair. Together with his shoes, he shoved the black shirt under his bed and he slid under the covers. He felt light-headed. He heard the creaks getting louder and it stopped. He heard a clang of metal and realized that they were unlocking his door. Natsume tried to close his eyes but it doesn't follow.

The door swung open. Natsume could see the outline of a person- a man. His face slightly visible above the glare of his flashlight. His height tall enough to only need a single head for the man to reach the door panel. A sense of awkward adolescence in his stance. It took Natsume a second to realize that the man was his ward. His almost-little brother.

"Yoichi."

"Natsume-nii."

Natsume let out the breath he didn't notice he was holding. But then he felt like he should hold it again. The patrol guard. Was he far enough not to hear them? Natsume tore his eyes away from the older form of Yoichi, who was supposed to be nine years old only. There was no other obvious light than the gentle touch of the moon.

There was no other obvious light than Yoichi's flashlight, in full blast.

"Shut that off." Natsume said in a harsh whisper. Yoichi turned off the flashlight in an instant and closed the door behind him, careful not to make any noise. Natsume got off the bed to the window. He was almost relieved that there was no sign of the patrol guard.

Almost.

"What are you doing here? It's past curfew." He turned back and peered his eyes to the other occupant in his room. Natsume could hear the anger in his voice. Yoichi flinched. Natsume squeezed his eyes shut, releasing a very deep breath before inhaling only a bit, trying to calm his nerves. This is wrong. He shouldn't be so angry at Yoichi. He's just a child, after all. He tried to make his voice gentle. "You're supposed to be asleep."

Yoichi turned back to his original state. His flannel pajamas slowly getting bigger as he grew smaller. His night slippers slowly fitting his feet right. "I was waiting for you. I didn't know where you were, and Ruka-nii suddenly disappeared. We're supposed to be going to the Central Town. You promised."

Natsume completely forgot. His mind was full of Sakuno all day. Remembering that he still hadn't found her brought down his spirits. His stomach twisted and churned. He would do this; he would forget that there is another person expecting him- that there was a child who looked up to him- and pursue his selfish needs. He would do that.

Natsume opened his eyes to study the kid. Yoichi's toes are evidently curled underneath his night slippers and he has his hands behind him. His head is bent down, looking vulnerable. Like a scolded puppy. Like he just lost his entire family. His only family. Natsume knew that's what young Yoichi felt. Sometimes, Natsume felt like he was more of a father to Yoichi than a brother.

He crossed the room and stopped in front of Yoichi. He pressed both his hands on the kid's shoulders.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

Yoichi lifted his gaze. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I promise, really promise, to go with you soon enough. Whenever you want to go."

"Tomorrow." Yoichi said quickly. "We could go tomorrow. Can we go tomorrow?"

Natsume brought one hand to ruffle Yoichi's hair. He tugged his lips upward. "Sure. Tomorrow. And we'll get you some Howalon candy that you want."

For a moment, Yoichi's eyes told Natsume he was pleased. But, slowly, his lips quivered. Later, his shoulders were slightly shaking. He was at the verge of his tears. Natsume asked what was wrong but Yoichi only shook his head, attempting to hide his sudden depression. Natsume asked again. Yoichi opened his mouth, hesitating, and a strained sound escaped. "I miss her."

Natsume halted. Slowly, almost agonizingly, his hands slipped down to his sides, too tired to go into fists. An awkward silence fell into his chest. A familiar coldness in his gut came.

"I'm sorry." Yoichi stammered. "I shouldn't have brought her up. We can't talk about her, I know. I-"

"No. It's fine. It's... It's not that we can't talk about her. It's just too painful to talk about."

They fell silent. Natsume paced and sat down at the corner of his massive bed. Only too grateful there's a bit of metal he can hold to steady himself. Of course, no one had bothered to talk about Mikan in front of him. They all reasoned that he wasn't ready to talk about her yet. And they had been right. He felt broken without her. Like he is missing his Alpha, or his most favorite blanket.

Not that he ever had to miss his blanket.

"Narumi was talking about her. He had a meeting with the High School Principal. They mentioned a protection team. I listened to them and I learned where she is!"

Natsume looked at him. Protection team?

"Do you know what that means, Natsume-nii? We could ask them to let us join the protection team. We'll see her! We won't talk to her, but we'll still see her. We'll finally see her!" Unhealthy eagerness rung in Yoichi. Natsume was familiar with this. He, too, felt the same eagerness when he found out where Sakuno was. Sakuno...

Natsume doesn't know what to say. He felt happy, and sad, and dejected, and everything else. Isn't this what he wanted before? When he woke up from his deep slumber, when he finally recovered from his almost-death experience, when the Imai siblings disappeared, when he saw the sorry faces the others gave him, when he thought Mikan was dead... He wanted to see Mikan more than he wanted to see Sakuno. His heart ached. He longed for her touch, her voice, her lips. He wants to see Mikan now.

He knows he shouldn't. More than anything else, he know it shouldn't be done.

He's tempted.

He's very tempted.

"Natsume-nii?"

But what if the High School Principal approves? He would. Would. Natsume just have to make sure word doesn't get to him that Natsume sneaks out the academy, no matter how hard it is. But if he already knew...

"Natsume-nii, you're scaring me. Natsume-nii! Snap out of it!"

Natsume was drawn back to Earth. What had he been thinking? He thrust his fingers through his raven black hair, as if to feel if he had every piece of him attached to his body. Somehow, his gut was not. His stomach was all ice and air. He gulped, his saliva sticky and thick in his mouth. He looked at Yoichi. Yoichi had moved and is now in front of him, with his head align with Natsume's. Yoichi grows taller and taller by the year, Natsume came to a realization. Yoichi's getting older, and so was Natsume. Natsume shouldn't be acting like this. He should act mature. With a sigh, he pushed Yoichi gently and stood. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Yoichi's face piched, his boyish charm evident. He shrugged off Natsume's arms and backed away. "I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need anyone to tuck me in."

Natsume tried not to laugh. In occasions, Yoichi reminds him of his age. "I'm tucking you in, anyway."