A kind fan continued to remind me how much s/he liked this story, so I was reminded to update it. There's only ONE more chapter, so hurray and all that!

Anyway: READ ON!

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The Ouendan HQ wasn't cheerful at all. Aoi was muttering Latin to herself in the form of sock puppets, Kai brooded in a corner, and even Atsushi and Ittetsu didn't seem to be all that intent on playing Shogi with each other. Sayaka seemed not to care about Seijin Day, but it was taking a toll on her as well. She holed herself up in her room, and didn't speak to anyone for the entire day.

Anna couldn't bear to see her fellow Ouendan acting so depressed, and she did her best to try and cheer them up, "Aoi-chan, shall we practice our cheers together?" Anna was replied to by a sock puppet with an old mop for a wig. It spouted something that the American assumed was Latin, and returned to speaking to its friend, which was Aoi's other sock puppet.

Anna turned around and went to find Kai. He seemed to be hiding away from the others, sitting in a chair and staring deeply out the window, "Kai-san," Anna began, "is there anything I can do to help make the others feel better?"

"I'm thinking about that right now…" Kai replied, looking out the window with a faraway look in his eye. He seemed to be concentrating hard.

"Have you thought of anything yet?"

"I'm thinking about that right now…" Kai replied. Anna sighed.

"Thanks anyway, Kai-san…"

Anna went to go speak to Sayaka, and suddenly she heard an angry shout reverberate through the place. She looked up and rushed towards the sound. Ryuuta was shouting again! That was always a good sign!

"Dammit!!" Ryuuta shouted, grabbing at his hair, "I can't…! I can't take it anymore!"

"Ryuuta-kun!" Anna said, sliding into the living room on her socks, "Don't do anything rash! You know your blood pressure is always teetering on the edge of safety!"

"How can I remain calm with THAT staring at me?" Ryuuta pointing an accusing finger at the couch in the living room. Anna blinked at it, "It's… it's just STARING at me! All empty…! As if it's mocking me! 'Look, Ryuuta! Look! Hajime-kun isn't sitting in me, reading his damned books and acting like a know-it-all bastard!' Damn you, couch! Stop STARING at me!" Anna sighed. Everyone was beginning to crack. Without Hajime… she didn't know how long she'd last either…

"Ryuuta-kun…" Anna said, "You shouldn't…" She gasped when he started tromping from the room, "Ryuuta-kun, what are you doing?"

"The thing I should have done from the very beginning," Ryuuta replied between his stomping, "breaking into Hajime-kun's room in the dead of night, wrapping from head to toe in surgical tape, and kidnapping him for my own nefarious deeds."

"Ryuuta-kun, you're acting irrationally, everyone here isn't in their right mind. You should be very well aware of the fact that you simply cannot…" Anna rushed forward and stopped her friend at the door, "Ryuuta-kun, listen to me!"

"This isn't fair, Anna-san!" Ryuuta shouted hot bloodedly, making Anna's defense fall just a bit. The power of cheer was a strong ability after all, "You know it isn't!"

"I do! But you can't just…!" Anna struggled to keep Ryuuta away from the doorknob, "Ryuuta-kun! Stop it! Stop it! Leave that alone!" She suddenly started giggling when her friend attacked her maliciously at her most ticklish locations. What an underhanded tactic to get her to give up! "Ryuuta-kun! Sto… hehehehehe! Stop it…! You know I'm… hahahahaha, sensitive there…!"

The two stopped their fumbling immediately, and they stared at each other when they heard tiny knocks on the door; they worked quickly to pick themselves up and look presentable. Ryuuta coughed lightly and opened the door, revealing Tanaka Hajime, whose nose was beginning to run with blood, "…hi…?" He squeaked, staring at the two frazzled Ouendan.

"I swear, if you say anything, Hajime-kun, I will mash you into paste," Ryuuta said quickly, pointing a threatening finger at the recruit. Said recruit gulped and nodded vigorously. Anna straightened her hair and made her more acceptable, and looked down at Hajime.

"Hello, Hajime-kun. What brings you here?" She said, wiping sweat that had been accumulating on her brow.

Hajime didn't reply immediately. It was probably because he wasn't sure what to say that would keep him from becoming paste. Either that or his brain shut off, "I… I… wanted to say…" He shook his head and snapped from his stupor, "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for leaving you guys! I don't care what Father says, I'm going to be an Ouendan! I promise!" There was silence for a moment, and Hajime wondered why they were so quiet, "Uh… that's a good thing, right?"

"Are you KIDDING!?" Ryuuta suddenly shouted. Hajime jumped a foot in the air from fright, "If you ask that question again, I'll mash you…"

"…into paste, I know…" Hajime said as Ryuuta wrapped an arm around the recruit and swept him into the HQ. Anna followed closely behind as the Ouendan Leader filled his lungs with air and shouted louder than he had all month:

"Hey guys! Hajime-kun's back!" The moment those words escaped the leader's mouth, something about the Headquarters seemed to brighten. The HQ was revived and returned to life. The Ouendan materialized from the misty recesses of the now forgotten emofest, and slowly gravitated towards the sound that claimed the very thing they desired: a recruit they had come to love and trust.

"Haji-kun…?" Aoi murmured, poking her head into the entryway, her sock puppets still on her hands, "Haji-kun's back…?"

"You bet! And he dressed up like an idiot to say 'sorry'!" Ryuuta replied with a smile.

Hajime sighed, "An idiot, you say…?"

"Haji-kun, you're back!"

"Hajime-kun's back?"

"Hajime-san…?"

The entryway soon became very crowded. Aoi threw her sock puppets into Ittetsu's arms and she sailed to her friend's side, "Haji-kun! I was so sad that you were gone!"

"Everyone missed you, Hajime-san," Kai rumbled, speaking as if nothing had happened. Anna simply smiled, trying not to cry. Her prayers had been answered. Everyone had surrounded Hajime, and they began to thank him.

"For what?" Hajime asked, a little confused at people thanking him for some mysterious reason.

Sayaka sniffled lightly, "For coming back…"

"I say we celebrate!" Ryuuta said, squeezing Hajime close to him, "break out the sake! You're twenty! Time to celebrate!"

"I don't think I want to drink, Ryuuta-san…"

"Nonsense, you need to grow up," The leader replied, dragging the kimono clad recruit off, "And you need to take off this outfit! It's as if you flew out of the Meiji Era!"

"Mother and Father bought it for me specially…" Hajime said lightly, "It was a gift…"

A gift…! The other Ouendan looked at each other, and realized that because of their assumption that Hajime wouldn't be with them, most had completely forgotten about a gift…! Anna gestured to Ryuuta to keep the recruit busy, and the others went into an emergency huddle.

"Alright, we need to figure out what to do about Hajime-kun's gift." Anna said.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Aoi asked. Everyone turned to her, "I have a gift for Haji-kun. You're the ones who forgot…!"

"Aside from Aoi-san, then," Atsushi said as Ittetsu handed the sock puppets back to her, "What can we get him?"

"I have an idea," Kai said. He explained, "It will be from all of us. Is that appropriate?"

"I suppose, but then Aoi-chan will give him two gifts…" Sayaka said, "It wouldn't seem…"

Anna sighed, "Alright, so everyone BUT Aoi-chan will give him Kai's gift, and Aoi-chan will hand over her own gift. Good?"

"Sounds fine," Kai said, "Let's prepare." The Ouendan nodded to each other, and rushed off to prepare the gifts perfectly.

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Hajime pet the inebriated Ryuuta on the back as he slurred his words and asked how his recruit handled living with eight eyes, "It's not so bad," He replied as he adjusted his glasses, "You just need to keep from listening to people when they make fun of you."

"You also need to keep from listening to your father when he acts like a prick."

"Ryuuta-san! That's my father you're speaking about! Drunk or not, I will not have you talk about him that way…!"

"Why aren't you drunk too…?" Ryuuta asked, glaring at Hajime with crossed eyes. Hajime sighed.

"You preferred to drink everything you gave to me," Hajime said with a smile. Ryuuta immediately gave a rather large belch, and the recruit leaned against his hand, watching his leader try to count the number of fingers he was holding up.

"Heheh… three… or is it two…?" Ryuuta yawned loudly, and his head crashed into the table. Hajime listened as he started to snore harshly.

The recruit pet the inebriated (and unconscious) Ryuuta on the back, "Thanks for a wonderful time, Ryuuta-san…" he said in all seriousness. He went to move out of the room and change into a more appropriate outfit for lounging; he wanted to read on his couch until he fell asleep, like usual. It would be the end of a perfect day.

Hajime changed slowly, making sure to lay out his outfit to avoid wrinkles. He'd have to ask his mother how to care for it properly. Either that or ask Kai; he seemed to know everything. After the recruit applied his headband, he picked up another medical book and walked himself towards the couch. He found Aoi waiting for him at the living room. She appeared to be debating something in her mind, "Aoi-san! Hello!"

"Ahhh! Haji-kun…!" Aoi waited for him to approach her, and she continued twiddling her thumbs. A blush had risen on her face, "…I wanted to say… Congratulations. You're an adult now, Haji-kun."

"I was an adult three months before this. I don't know why everyone makes a big deal about it now."

"Well, you know…" Aoi said, "Because… on your birthday… your family celebrates… on Seijin Day…" She blushed brighter than before, "Your friends celebrate…"

Hajime stared at Aoi and she smiled at him. He had never thought of it that way, but seeing as how the entire squad seemed to react to him and his disappearance for only a couple of weeks, he understood that they wanted to wish him well. It was amazing that he hadn't realized it before, "…I never thought of it that way, Aoi-san."

"Really?" She smiled brightly, "I suppose it's silly to look at it like that…"

"No, it's a lot more reasonable than what I thought…" Hajime replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "So… I'm glad you guys waited for me."

"I'm glad you came back…" She said. The two stood in a lightly awkward silence, until Aoi suddenly remembered why she was there, "Oh yeah! H…Haji-kun, I got you a gift… for Seijin Day."

"I hope it's not sake. Ryuuta-san will probably steal it…" Hajime said truthfully.

"No, it's nothing like that," Aoi replied, shaking her head so her pigtails swung from side to side, "It's… a little different."

"Well then…"

"I'm just a little…" Aoi covered her cheeks with her hands to cool the blush that was rising again. She was always so shy around men, so Hajime gave her all the time she needed, "I wanted to give you…"

"If you're not ready, I can wait for a bit," Hajime said with a smile, "Don't worry about it, Aoi-sa…" Aoi interrupted Hajime by taking a step forward and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

"C…congratulations on adulthood, Haji-kun…!" Aoi stammered hastily, bowing hurriedly and fleeing. Hajime stared ahead, his mind white with shock.

"T…tha…ks…?" Hajime slurred, reaching up to touch the cheek that she had kissed. He seriously debated whether he should keep washing it.

Suddenly, something landed on his head, "Hey, you adult you!" Hajime looked up but Sayaka kept her hand down on his head to keep him from poking his head upward, "I saw that! What an adorable gesture!"

"Sayaka-san, please, I can't see…!" Hajime said. She was shoving something down in front of his eyes! "Please let go of my…" The Cheer Girl unexpectedly obliged, releasing the recruit's head and allowing him to poke his head up at the other Ouendan that smiled down at him.

"How's it feel to be older, Hajime-kun?" Anna said with a smile.

Hajime looked at everyone's smiles, and he replied "Fun!" with a grin. He then reached up and placed his hand on the hat that rested on his head. He took it off and blinked at it, "W…what's this…?" He asked, staring at the jet black cap that sported the Yuuhi Town Ouendan's logo. He suddenly looked up at Kai, staring at his cap. Kai's was frayed from years of use, but this one was very similar, just… new… "D…Doumeki-san…"

"Ryuuta-san refused one when I gave one to him on Seijin Day," Kai said, "I wondered if you would…"

Hajime looked down at the cap, and back up at Kai, "On one occasion, Doumeki-san!" Kai cast Hajime a questioning look, "Can you teach me how to care for my new kimono?"

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Hajime looked so much older, sporting his new cap. He wore it with pride, as it was a gift from his favorite friends. Although at the moment, wearing it pridefully entailed wearing it while reading on his favorite couch. He had to admit, the brim did a great job at covering his eyes from any glaring from the lights.

From out of nowhere, the young recruit suddenly yawned loudly. It was getting late, and he assumed it would be best to start heading off to bed. However, he was already comfortable… and the book was so interesting… He settled down further and continued reading.

And then, pain. Hajime felt searing empathy for someone who just shouted for help. The recruit looked up and practically tossed his book away. Did anyone else hear the cry? "Doumeki-san! There's someone in danger!"

Kai was lounging across the room, staring out the same window as before. At Hajime's voice, he looked up, "I felt it. Ittetsu-san, Atsushi-san."

The two back up Ouendan were already there, "We're on our way."

"Doumeki-san, may I go?" Hajime asked.

Kai turned to the recruit, and he frowned lightly in thought, "…stay here, Hajime-san."

"But… Doumeki-san…!" Hajime pled, "I didn't rejoin the Ouendan to sit around and do nothing!" The shout of help attacked him again, and he winced from the pain, "Please, let me go!"

"…" Kai looked down on Hajime, and the recruit felt that he was going to be berated for speaking up. The Ouendan Coach finally scratched his beard and nodded, "Ittetsu-san, Atsushi-san, take care of Hajime-san for me."

"Understood, Director," Ittetsu said. The three nodded at each other, and in a flash, they were gone.

Kai continued to think, scratching his beard absentmindedly. He wondered how Hajime would handle this mission…

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"I… can't hold on… much longer…" the man said, holding on tightly to a branch that stuck out from the cliff he was dangling over. He had been working on a new road just outside of Yuuhi Town… and on his way home he slipped while walking down the steep hill between Yuuhi Town and Asahi Town. He had tumbled quite a far bit, and finally grasped a branch that stuck out. What was he supposed to do now…?

"Someone…" he said, ignoring the pain that was the result of various cuts on his body, "Someone… help…!" What was he supposed to do…? There was something that he had learned… when he was in need of help, he was supposed to call something out… "Help…! Help…! Ouenda------n!!"

As if from nowhere, three men appeared, sliding down the hill to a small outcropping on the cliff. The leader nearly fell over, but uprighted himself, "Osu!" The three shouted in unison. The man looked up, and stared in disbelief at the leader. The leader, likewise, looked down, and the two men stared at each other.

"H… Hajime!?"

"F-Father…!!" Hajime shouted in disbelief.

To Be Continued...

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And that's it so far! Thanks for the reviews all, and I'll see you next time!