FML -- this is the second time I'm uploading this ... thank you notepad for uploading and completely taking away the formatting. Sorrrrryyyyy =(

Enjoy!

Even when Cody was young, when something was happening, he could feel it. When his mother and grandfather were planning a surprise party one year, he knew. After working long and hard over an art project due the next day, he knew something was wrong when Yolei knocked on his balcony door, the ripped painting hidden behind her back. Today, something was going on. It was enough to make him put his pencil down and look around.

Then it was obvious.

"Are you fucking serious?"

Yolei was yelling, almost screaming. This was nothing new in itself; Yolei always yells, curses, asks ridiculous things -- sometime all in the same moment. Ken saying something back was not new either, but his presence was enough for Cody to go to the balcony.

"I'm sorry! What did you want me to do?" Cody could hear Ken asking Yolei, who was now crying. "You and me -- we were broken up, we weren't even talking! I didn't know what to do."

"Get away from me," Yolei said, her voice wavering from emotion.

Now angry, Cody walked through the apartment, passed his mother who asked him what was wrong, and outside. After walking in front of the Inoue family door and knocking continuously until someone answered, Cody walked past Yolei's sister and proceeded to Yolei's room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yolei exclaimed as soon as Cody burst into her room. "How did you get into the apartment?"

"Go home, Ichijouji," Cody growled. Since the beginning of the war, Cody has tried his best to comfort Yolei and protect her. Every time Ken left after a fight, Cody would go over and give her support. At this point, he was tired of seeing Yolei go through this.

Ken stared at Cody in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

For a while, they all silently stood there, looking around at each other -- waiting. The rosy color in Cody's cheeks faded back to a normal tone, Yolei stopped crying, and Ken was now massaging his temples. Something else was going on, Cody could tell. Neither of them were speaking and now they avoided looking at each other. Only the air freely moved throughout the room.

There were two different sets of books open on her bed. Two notebooks. Two book bags.

"Yolei," Cody asked lowly, "what is Ken doing here?"

Yolei crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one leg, "we were talking," she mumbled.

Cody threw his arm up towards her bed, "like hell you were talking Yolei. You were studying together?"Words were not forming fast enough in his mind for him to express his true emotion at that exact moment. "When did you two start hanging out again?"

"No! Its not like that!" Yolei jumped to say, her face now red. "Ken just came over and now he's leaving."

Ken tried looking Yolei in the eye, but she avoided doing so. "You're right, nothing like that." Ken sighed, shaking his head while looking over at the books. Cody could see the anger build up in Ken as he walked to the bed and collected his books, shoving them into his book bag.

"Goodbye," Cody said, holding the door open for Ken. A tense moment was shared between Ken and Cody when Ken stopped and stood in front of Cody. Even Cody didn't know what was going to happen, afraid that Ken would lash out. "What do you want to do, hit me?"

Ken let a soft laugh pass his lips, "No, Hida, that would not be the wise thing to do."

With Ken gone, Cody shut the door, his eyes immediately locking on Yolei.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked in a soft voice, tears forming in her eyes.