Okay, so here's my half-butted excuse for a chapter continuation. Cue rewrite. xD

I hate exams. I hate hate hate hate hate them. Thank the good Lahd they're finally over. For now, please (PLEASE .__.") (as in, TRY, because you love me. _) enjoy Ch. 3~ ^^


Keiichi stopped dead in his tracks, refusing to let go of her in fear that she would end up falling (literally) head over heels, unable to support her own weight at this stage. She had begun babbling incomprehensibly, frantically averting her gaze and folding her arms across her chest. If anything, she was more ashamed and embarrassed than she could have ever imagined, reality seeming to have crashed itself like a weight on top of her shoulders. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry or confess everything she had wanted to say to him and yet had been too much of a coward to do so earlier. Replaying the last few hours in her head… it had all seemed sort of… surreal… like she wasn't quite ready to acknowledge everything that had happened yet. It was almost like that unconscious part of her brain had taken over, and, while she had been deprived of her clarity, ended up in some serious crap that she wasn't ready to fully take on yet. She lowered her head, covering her mouth with her hand and shaking alarmingly.

She buried the side of her face in his chest from an angle, causing him to blush and pull her closer to him out of instinct. He understood that what she was going through must have been something extremely traumatizing for her, and that, as a friend, the most he could do was to remain by her side regardless of the situation. In the long run, he was glad to be able to experience everything that he had here in Hinamizawa, and to have made such loyal and praiseworthy friends in such a short period of time. It seemed that there wasn't much anything for him to complain about, and that he could say this with confidence as long as the whole of them remained together.

Mion sniffed, drawing herself closer to him and wiping the corner of her lower left eye intimidately. Although she was a year older than him, he still hovered a good 10 cm or so above the top of her head, which allowed him to rest his chin on the hood of her jacket comfortingly. After another minute and a half had passed, he released his grip around her shoulders, making sure she hadn't fallen asleep before courteously offering her his jacket to wipe her face off with. She halfheartedly declined, embarrassed at having let her composure slip at something so… simple, and turned her back to face him. Apparently, she wasn't quite ready to come clean and explain herself, to his and her own great dismay.

She thought about all the conversations she'd had with her sister regarding the topic, and how Shion had always encouraged her to man up and face him like the honest, strong, and charismatic leader she knew she was… and yet… she couldn't even do that. She remembered being asked how she expected any relationship to bloom without confirmation, and that it was useless to stand by and watch from afar, especially in situations like… well, these

Fresh, hot tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes, causing her to gasp and clamp her hands around her throat tightly, as if afraid to let herself fall apart. She cursed herself for her stupidity, her stubbornness, everything… She didn't know why she was acting this way… and yet it was like the answers were finally presenting themselves to her… bit by bit… with each fragile beating of her heart. Keiichi took a step back, sighing and tilting his nose towards the sky absentmindedly. Mion didn't know whether to be offended by this reaction, or to congratulate him for his own self-control. Either way, nothing mattered anymore… It was her against the world, wanting nothing but to escape this hellish nightmare that she had somehow dragged herself into.

Another minute passed, before she finally gathered the courage to utter the first words in what had seemed like an eternity.

"Kei… chan, do you… hate… me?"

Keiichi cautiously touched her by her wrist, allowing their eyes to meet for a brief second… before her face turned a bright red, and she frantically turned away.

"Mion…" he pleaded, offering her his outstretched hand, "I wouldn't hate you. You know that…"

"Then… you wouldn't hate me… even if I did something… like… this…?"

He laughed nervously, unsure what to think of her sudden change in behavior. "Of course I wouldn't. Mion, why…?"

She took a step in his direction, and, without missing a beat, responded, "Then… you wouldn't hate me… if I asked you something… that… could change… everything… would you…?"

"O-of course… not. Go… for it…" he swallowed, unable to bear the tension that seemed to have coiled itself around his body, as he was incapable of making any sound, any movement…

"Kei-chan…" Crunch. "I-I…"

His eyes widened, feeling her body beginning to be pressed against his own, the warmth that emanated from the two of them forcing his jaw to drop noticeably.

"Your pants… are… unzipped." She choked, holding back a small, girlish squeal, with surprising effort.

His eyes immediately flew to the location of his zipper, and – before he could react, he felt a hand beginning to weave it's way through his own hair, pulling him closer, more… intensely… than he could have anticipated. He closed his eyes, allowing the sensation to spread throughout the rest of his body, his blood beginning to pump at an alarming rate. Mion furiously began searching for his other hand, the two simultaneously intertwining their fingers with little to no hesitation. It wasn't until a few seconds later… that he realized exactly what had just taken place, and was unable to recognize his own actions anymore. Mion pulled back with one final, short gasp, wiping across her mouth with the back of her sleeve and blushing uncontrollably. She swore under her breath, shoving her hands in her pockets and shaking her head. Keiichi stood absolutely frozen, as if unable to register his surroundings. Eventually, he threw back his head and laughed awkwardly, causing Mion to jump back a little, startled.

"Kei-chan… do you hate me… now…?"

"Mion… don't make me repeat myself again. I… would never hate you. That's because…"

"Wh-…?" Mion lifted her head halfway, dropping her gaze to the riverbank just one or two meters below. She watched the water silently crash over a jutting rock or two, splashing onto the grass and wetting the ground there. She wondered… was he going to…? No, no no no no… she wasn't ready for this… she just… wasn't.

"Because… you're my friend… and I swore to never become your enemy, regardless of the situation. After all… I-"

"Is that all?" Mion interrupted disappointedly, straightening out her hood before beginning to work her way back in the direction of the path.

"If you would let me finish, I would be gla-"

"Then… hurry up. I'm tired, honestly… I-"

"Mion… I… love…"

Mion froze mid-stride, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and straightening out her expression.

"I… really… like you…" He swallowed audibly. "There, I've said it. You can leave, now. You need your rest; you said it yourself, and-"

Mion practically sprinted towards him, throwing her arms around the back of his neck and pulling him down to her height. He groaned, futilely attempting to release her grasp with what little strength he had left. She let out one long, shaky breath, tightening her hold around him determinedly.

"I-I'm tired… please…"

She ignored his plea, moving her hands so that they encircled his shoulders - and eventually his waist. He twisted his body so that he was now completely facing her, reaching for her hood and pulling it down so that her work could now be wholly admired. She gave up trying to find some sort of alibi, head-butting him in the stomach playfully. He wrapped his fingers around a lock of her hair, pondering it for a moment before releasing his grip and lightly tapping her cheek in order to regain her full attention. She made a full 180 degree turn, before racing off in the opposite direction, kicking her feet in the air in a celebratory fashion.

"Mion, wait-!"

By the time he finally recovered from this sudden revelation, Mion had already disappeared somewhere off in the distance, but a mere speck on the horizon.

You… idiot…

---------------

"Shion! Shion Shion Shi-! D-Dammit! Answer the phone!"

Mion redialed her sister's number for the 17th time that hour, in hopes that she would eventually get tired of ignoring her, and be forced to answer her just to get her to shut up. This didn't work the 18th… or the 19th time, and she finally gave up, plopping down onto her mattress and flinging her arms back behind her head, exhausted. She tossed a sideward glance at her alarm clock – 5:06 A.M. – and moaned impatiently. It seemed that, just as she did so, her phone eventually rang in response, her hand fumbling for the handle and drawing it up to her ear.

Before the person on the opposite end could even speak, she opened her mouth and blurted rather loudly, "SHION! Is… that you?"

"Mmph… who else would it be, exactly? Now hurry up and tell me what you need to before I fall back asleep aga-"

"I… can't." Mion choked, against her own will.

"Then… what the hell is the point of you-"

"I DID IT! I DID IT, I DID IT, I DID IT!" Mion screamed excitedly into the speaker, causing her sister to jump and blow a piece of stray hair from her eyes.

"You did… what-!?"

"I did, finally! I feel so accomplish-"

"I'm sorry, but I have no clue what the hell you're talking about. Mind explaining?" her sister mumbled inattentively, yawning and reaching for the glass of water she had placed next to her desk. She could care less how long it had been there in direct view of the sun, in all honesty.

"I told-"

She spit out her drink, coughing and wiping her face with her covers before momentarily regaining her focus.

"Congratulations, Onee-!"

"It was… amazing... I mean, we even-!"

"That's great-- can I sleep now? I promise you can tell me all about it in the morning, when I actually-"

"Wait! Don't you even want to hear-"

"Night… or… morning… Whatever you prefer, I sincerely and genuinely couldn't give a damn, from the bottom of my heart! I'll make up for it later~! Sleep well!" her sister remarked, hanging up the phone and retreating within the depths of her pillow, somewhat relieved.

She loved her sister, but sometimes it was just too much. Mion, on the other hand, felt quite the opposite. She was pretty sure that it was Shion most of the time who did the whole wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-and-say-something-completely-unrelated routine, not her.

Mion sighed and rolled over the edge of her mattress and onto the floor, tucking her arms in and fidgeting restlessly. She managed to pull herself back up, tackling the bed sheets and laying face down on her stomach, fumbling with the on and off switch of her alarm clock before finally drifting off within the midst of her absurd, subconscious fantasies. She couldn't exactly say that she was looking forward to the rest of the day, but, then again – she couldn't say that she wasn't, either…

---------------

Mion carefully balanced herself on either foot, stumbling past a local grocery store and receiving a friendly wave from one of the cashiers, of whom she knew well from repeated past experience. She wasn't necessarily wearing her usual attire, and was now struggling to make her way around a large group of nearby shoppers, who cast her a few unwelcome glances before resuming their excited, pointless gossiping amongst one another. She swore several times before making a sharp right, beginning to pick up her pace and transition into a slow jog… until the restaurant was in clear view ahead, coming to an abrupt halt as she leaned her weight against the familiar, glass doors. Her suspicions had been right – and it was evident that it was about to rain any minute now, the clouds a deep, ominous shade, leaving few patches for any (natural) light to escape their presence. She ignored the oddly peculiar, spiteful… and even one or two perverted glances from the rest of the company, straightening out her jacket (and making sure all of her clothing was intact) before allowing the doors to slam shut behind her. She began making her way past the hordes of colorful booths and puberty-stricken boys, who were now ogling at the nearest waitress, carrying a stack of assorted deserts and shakes in one hand, and a jumbled mass of papers and receipts in the other. She didn't necessarily mind them – after all, she was used to that sort of thing, especially when it came to wearing such a ridiculous outfit like the one her and Shion's uncle had fashioned in the honor of all well-developed and vulnerable women out there in the world. She found it rather disgusting, actually, and did her best to refrain from situations where she was portrayed as innocent, shameful, and… most importantly… defenseless against the vile intentions of just about every other man ever to walk the face of the earth.

She slammed her palms hard onto the surface of the counter, causing the young girl to let out a shrill cry and drop her pen onto the floor with a brief, clattering sound. She looked surprised to see that it was a fellow girl who had just walked into the premises, smiling and offering her services with stereotypical enthusiasm.

"Sonozaki… Shion? You know her?"

The girl turned around and muttered something to herself, feeling around for her lost possession and absently flipping through an abundant stack of files, partially hidden from view. She shook her head, embarrassed, and apologizing frantically.

Tch – typical behavior, isn't it?

"In that case… are you sure you haven't heard of her? She's been working here for quite a while; I'd be surpr-"

"Aahhh… ahh.. you… I'll… speak directly to the manager, then. I apologize, I'm ne-"

"Don't worry about it. Just make it quick, you got that? Make sure to mention that it's urgent news, that could possibly-"

Before she could finish her pre-melodramatic statement, the girl had already disappeared behind closed doors, to which Mion responded by drumming her fingers on the counter and humming impatiently. It only took about thirty seconds later for her sister to arrive seemingly out of nowhere, looking unexpectedly disheveled, her eyes wide.

"Onee! Who was it? Was it the old ha-"

"What? Shion? What are you talking abou-?" Mion whispered, shaking her wrist free of her sister's near death-grip.

"The girl… that just came back here… She told me that somebody had died, and-"

Mion allowed herself a small, congratulatory smile, knowing exactly what the girl from moments earlier had told her. Smart woman.

"Ahh… not exactly. You're not in your work clot- eh? Shion? What is it?"

Her sister seemed to have completely snapped out of it, her eyes distant, and her jaw slightly drawn.

"You… didn't."

"I did, actually. But that's not what I want to talk abo-"

"What… the hell were you thinking? Do you know how stupid you must have… and stll do… looked!?"

"I'm pretty sure I felt stupid myself as well. Now if you don't mind-"

Shion turned her back, covering her mouth with her hand and stifling a short giggle at her sister's embarrassment. The entire restaurant had grown quiet, watching the two young ladies quarrel with content amusement. Mion folded her arms, grabbing a newspaper from a nearby customer, rolling it up, and whacking her sister on the back of the head with it.

"Shiooonnn… God DAM-"

"Alright, alright. I've had my fun. We'll talk inside, how's that?" Shion suggested, imitating her sister's rather serious attitude childishly. Mion narrowed her eyes, dropping the newspaper on the floor and following her sister behind a large door marked, "Employee Entrance".

It was going to be a long day - that much she could tell already.


Lulz short chapter. Barely 3000 words, I swear. xD

Review, review, review. What more can I say? Listening to Ai Otsuka makes me happy. :D -xyz