AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: And now Chapter 2!

Amaya: Well we were asked for an update, so here it is! And don't worry, there's more where this came from I assure you!

Shiro: Oh! And referring to the part were I had to use Amaya's glasses, I can't see very well when I'm tired in the morning.

Amaya: Right. Now that we've got that cleared up, enjoy! ...Syo-kun~ *heart*

Chapter 2

"GAHHHHH Why did I do that?!"

Amaya stood nearly alone on the edge of the lake, still reeling from her encounter and foolish actions. The few others who walked about outside looked on with a mixture of irritation and concern. But she hardly noticed them as she plopped down on the grass and stared up at the sky. "He thinks I'm crazy now. ...Well I am. But did he have to find out so soon?!" she groaned and covered her eyes against the glare of the sun. "Why couldn't I have just said 'hello' like a normal person?"

She closed her eyes, a smiling image of Syo coming to mind. "Syo-kun," she whispered. "You're just so cute, I couldn't think rationally to save my life." Amaya clenched her teeth in frustration, suddenly tired of hearing her own voice. Perhaps its not even him at all, she thought, though she knew she was kidding herself. That ridiculous "no love allowed" rule just makes it so much more tempting.

With a slow, deep breath she at last began to calm down a bit. As she always did when things seemed to be a mess, she attempted to empty her mind of stressful thoughts, and fill it with sweet melodies instead. She let the natural sounds of the rustling trees and the water lapping against the shore wash over her. Aside from the sound of her own content humming, those were the only things she heard.

But no matter what, that image of him would not leave her mind.

All too soon, the bell for class rang, interrupting her temporary peace. Amaya pulled herself to her feet. "Crap, I have to get back to class," she sighed. The color drained from her face as she came to a mortifying realization. "Wait, I left Shiro alone back there. ...SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!"

With that, Amaya rushed back inside the building, ready to face the music...so to speak. She moved so swiftly that she arrived back in the classroom before a majority of the other students. Though predictably, Shiro was already there. She must have left as soon as lunch was over. Cautiously, Amaya inched closer. "Hey...friend?"

Shiro tilted her head sideways to look up at Amaya and glared balefully.

Amaya smiled nervously. "Hehehe...I thought so."

This time, it was Shiro's turn to bolt out of her seat, only her chair really did topple to the floor. "YOU INSUFFERABLE, IDIOTIC, BRAINLESS, DIMWITTED, MINDLESS MORON! YOU LEFT ME ALONE! WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Amaya paled as her uh..."friend" raged on. For a few moments, she only stood and waited for Shiro's fury to play out. But Amaya's patience had always been paper thin. "I'M NOT YOUR BODYGUARD YA KNOW!" she at last retorted. An abrupt silence fell over them as she came to a realization. She glanced sideways. Sure enough, everyone was staring. Some were just as blanched as she had been. "Saaaay...you're the one causing a scene now!" she deduced with a devious smile.

Shiro's mind shattered and she fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. "I...hate...you...Amaya," she whimpered like a beaten puppy.

Amaya sweatdropped and tried to console her. "Come on Shiro," she said softly, putting a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Get up, it's not that bad." When Shiro refused to respond, a majority of her guilt went up in flames at the expense of frustration. "Get up you freaking wuss!"

"You shouldn't cause your friend so much distress," A deep, soft, heart meltingly warm voice said.

"Wha?" Amaya looked up to see a tall, lean young man with icy blue eyes, and ocean tinted hair, a serious expression across his face. A vein ticked in Amaya's temple, "And you shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations!" she argued irritably.

Now ignoring Amaya completely, the bluenette offered a hand to Shiro. "Are you alright?" he murmured soothingly.

"I was talking to you," Amaya muttered insultedly.

"Yes, I'm fi-," Shiro choked on her words as she looked into his eyes, hardly believing she had spoken to him at all.

"You're not helping," Amaya said in a rare moment of seriousness, looking directly at him.

The young man looked at her in question.

"Aside from me, she's practically terrified of people," she explained. "Especially strangers. And you seem pretty strange."

"Look who's talking!" Shiro exclaimed. Her eyes grew wide and her face flushed bright red, realizing she had just spoken in front of him again. "Eep."

"You should probably go sit down," Amaya intervened, still not looking away. "Before you make things worse."

She received nothing more than a vindictive glare from him as he walked away at last.

Amaya sweatdropped and smiled uneasily, sighing in relief that the tense encounter had ended. She could only stand her ground for so long. "At this rate, everyone at this school is gonna hate me."

"Well, now that my emotional outburst is done, I'm going to sit down now," Shiro whispered robotically.

"At least that's over with," Amaya gave a sigh of relief as she slumped down in her seat.

But again, to her horror, Shiro felt a presence above her. "Oh look! It's the cute little bunny!"

"Nooooo," Shiro squeaked, already knowing who it was.

"You again!?" Amaya cried in alarm, spotting Natsuki standing over her friend's desk. "Wait...why'd you call her a bunny?"

"Because she's so cute!" Natsuki replied cheerfully. "And her hair reminds me of large, white bunny ears."

"Why me?" Shiro whimpered.

"Uh...right." Amaya perked up, remembering who had accompanied Natsuki at lunch. Her speech suddenly became frantic and halting. "Um, could you um tell your friend, S-Syo-kun that I'm sorry and stuff? I don't know what was going through my head!"

Natsuki smiled reassuringly. "Syo-chan is such a hothead, but I think he'll understand."

"You shouldn't say stuff like that about him when he's not here!" Amaya countered pointedly. She did not know why she felt the need to defend Syo.

"Well it's true," Natsuki said, his smile never faltering. "But don't worry about it too much. By the way, what is your name?"

"Uh, why?" Amaya asked suspiciously. Am I that paranoid of this guy? She thought a moment later.

"Just a simple question," Natsuki replied. This time his smile only grew. "Besides, I'm sure Syo-chan would like to know."

Unwelcome warmth erupted across her face. "I-it's Amaya."

"Okay. See you later, Amaya-chan!" he said in an upbeat tone as he returned to his seat.

"Amaya-what now?!" she cried in alarm.

Despite her depressed state, Shiro pointed and giggled at her friend.

"What are you laughing at Shiro-chan?!" Amaya snapped.

Shiro froze. Amaya could practically hear her neck creaking as she slowly turned towards her, a malevolent glint in her eye. "I know you did not just call me Shiro-chan."

"Uhh...san! I said san!" Amaya quickly corrected herself.

"That's. What I thought."

"Hello class!" After what seemed like an eternity, Ringo-sensei had called his class to attention. It was almost as if he were just standing back to enjoy the drama that was unfolding. "Let's get started!"

~~~~~~~~~~At the end of the day~~~~~~~~~~

After a seemingly endless day, Shiro and Amaya were at last headed back to their dorm. Despite how impatient Shiro often became with Amaya, she was secretly glad they were roommates. She did not know how she could have possibly kept calm living with a strange girl. ...Well, strange in the unknown sense that is.

"Soooooooooo," Amaya broke the silence. "What was that face about?"

"What face?" Shiro asked, genuinely lost.

"You know what face," Amaya teased. "That blue-haired guy from class. That face wasn't your usual fearful expression."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shiro averted her eyes. "You're just delusional after making a fool of yourself with that short boy."

"How many times are you gonna bring that up!?" Amaya snapped in abashment as her face reddened again.

"As many times as I want. Speaking of which, isn't that him over there?"

"WHAT?!" Amaya looked off in the direction Shiro pointed.

There stood Syo, leaning against a tree, tapping a pen against his chin in contemplation while staring intently at a blank notepad.

"It is him," Amaya answered absently. Everything and everyone around her seemed to disappear until there was only him. "Syo-kun," she said under her breath.

Almost as if he had heard her, Syo's head turned and his eyes locked with hers.

"Ahh!" The shock of it had been enough to bring Amaya back to reality. "Hide me!" she cried, crouching behind Shiro, uncharacteristically timid all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Shiro looked side to side in confusion. She stepped aside and looked at her slightly trembling friend. "What is wrong with you? You're at least five inches taller than him!"

"That's not the problem!" Amaya cried, still not looking up.

"Then what is the problem?"

"I don't knooooow!"

"...Wait a minute," Shiro's rare smile suddenly became akin to Natsuki's. "Yes you do," she teased.

"No I don't! What are you talking about?! I do not have a crush on him!" Amaya whisper-screamed. She didn't say anything about a crush! Her brain warned her a few seconds too late.

"Uh-huh," Shiro continued to smile "innocently". "In any case, he's coming this way."

"HE'S WHAT?!" Amaya lifted her head just enough to see Syo walking towards her. Secretly, she wished that her shaking legs would stay rooted to the sidewalk. Long enough for him to get close to her at the very least. But to her dismay, a rush of panic overcame her. She hardly stayed put long enough to read his expression as she hastily departed. "I'll see you at the dorm!" She frantically called back to Shiro.

"Okay," Shiro sighed as she closed her eyes, hardly surprised anymore. She turned to see that Syo had stopped walking towards them. But now his large blue eyes were on her, his expression asking for some sort of explanation. Shiro took a breath as if she were about to justify Amaya's strange behavior. But instead, she only let out another sigh, hanging her head as she walked away.

Syo's shoulders fell in agitation. Are you kidding me? He thought. Defeated and not in the mood to pursue her, he turned back to his notepad.

Not wanting to go straight back to the dorm room just yet, Shiro made a detour to the lake. She looked out at the sparkling water as the colors of the sunset swirled within it. But she was quick to return her gaze to her feet as she circumscribed the lake. Not bothering to look where she was going, as usual, she staggered to the ground having run into what she thought was a tree. "Owww...," she mewled as she rubbed her forehead. Upon looking up, she spotted the "tree"...and his icy blue eyes. "Eep," she squeaked. Practically all of the color left her face, looking as though she were about to pass out.

"My apologies," he said stoically. "I should have looked where I was going."

Shiro gasped inwardly. You were looking down too?! We have so much in common! "I...I...," she stuttered. His face was the last thing she saw before the world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile, in the girls' dorm~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya groaned as she slumped down on her bed. Unopened boxes filled with her belongings surrounded her, but she did not feel like rifling through them right now. Her mind was already full of clutter, and she did not wish for her room to be littered with it to. "Why didn't I talk to him? Or at least apologize...again." she sighed regretfully. "Oh right...BECAUSE I'M FRIKKIN STUPID!" She threw her pillow over her head as she shouted, so as not to disturb any neighboring dorms. "Why are you so stupid, Amayaaaaa?" she whined to herself, comically crying.

Heedless of the warnings from her head, her heart brought back the image of Syo leaning against the tree in the courtyard, tapping his pen to his chin and staring at his notepad as if he were mentally commanding words to spring off the page. "So cute," she whispered, her smile returning despite herself as she squeezed her pillow in her arms.

She was nearly startled from her bed as she heard a light knock at the door. "Oh come on," she groaned. Sluggishly, she rose from the bed and sauntered towards the door. "Shiro, you know you have a key r-" Amaya stopped in mid-sentence as she opened the door.

There stood the tall ocean-haired young man from class, cradling an unconscious Shiro in his arms.

Amaya blinked in awe, still looking at only him. "You're not Shiro," she pointed out casually. She directed her stare downward. "But that is!" She looked incredulously between the two, suspicion mounting. "Wait! Why the fu-!"

"She passed out at the lake," he explained calmly. "I found the room number on her ID, and brought her back here." He nonchalantly walked past Amaya and placed Shiro on one of the beds.

Hey...that's my bed! Amaya thought in a huff. She raised up her finger as if to protest, but his eerie stone-faced calmness kept her silent. "Uh..." was the only thing she could manage to get out before he walked out and closed the door behind him. Turning back to Shiro, she slumped in defeat. Great, now I've got to wake her up.

Shiro stirred but did not wake as Amaya cautiously poked her face. "Shirooooo? ...Shiro!" After a few more minutes of poking, pinching, and shaking, Amaya gave up. Such a heavy sleeper! She thought, amazed and irritated at the same time. She leaned over and stared hard at her friend, as if telepathically trying to lift her from the bed.

Unexpectedly, Shiro let out a small groan, and her eye twinged a bit.

"Shiro?" Amaya questioned as she noticed her slight movement.

"AHHH!" SMACK!

"OWW!" Amaya cried in pain, clutching her burning right cheek. "What was that about?!"

"Don't get so close to my face," Shiro warned coldly. "...Wait, how did I get back?"

A mischievous grin replaced Amaya's painful grimace. "Ohhhhh, you're gonna love this!"

"...I'm gonna go to my own bed," Shiro grumbled as she stood up.

"Don't you wanna hear what happened?" Amaya whined eagerly.

"Not really," Shiro answered as she dropped upon her own bed. "But you're gonna tell me anyway, aren't you?"

"A-yep!" Amaya chirped. "Remember that blue-haired guy from class? The one who spoke up for you?"

Shiro's face began to glow, "Er, um...," she deflected her gaze to the floor.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" Amaya continued. "He told me that you passed out at the lake, and he brought you back here." Just to provoke Shiro even further, she filled her voice with dramatic emotion. "It was beautiful! He was almost like a knight who was carrying a fallen princess! So romantic!"

"Shut. Up. Amaya." A livid aura emanated around her. Hehe, he's totally into us, her other side chuckled. "SHUT UP!"

Amaya flinched in alarm. "I didn't even say anything that time!"

"Not you!"

"Oh, right," Amaya replied in understanding. You think I'd be used to this by now.

~~~~~~~~~~Across campus, in another dorm~~~~~~~~~~

"What was all that about today?" Syo wondered out loud, leaning back on his bed. He flipped the hat that he had almost lost today over and over in his hands, thinking of her all the while. "That strange girl, I thought she was trying to steal it, but then she just...gave it back." He sat up and threw his arms into the air in frustration. "Who does that?!"

"Apparently she does," Natsuki deadpanned, his customary near-permanent smile on his face.

Syo groaned as he fell back into place, spinning his hat around on his hand. "That still doesn't explain anything," he muttered begrudgingly.

"She's friends with that cute little bunny I met during lunch. She's in my class too, I even spoke with her this afternoon," Natsuki informed. "Her name is Amaya. She asked me to tell you that she was very sorry. She just didn't know what was going on in her head."

"Amaya?" Syo echoed. "Crazy girl. She sounds too much like you," he grumbled. But then he shook his head and chuckled. "Well, maybe I shouldn't say something that cruel."

"You don't really mean that, Syo-chan," Natsuki replied playfully, not feeling the least bit insulted.

"Right," Syo uttered dismissively with a roll of his eyes. "Unlike you, at least she was pretty."

Natsuki looked at Syo, his eyes shining with curiosity and delight at the opportunity before him. With his own brief laugh, he asked precariously, "So, you think she's pretty?"

Syo stiffened, turning beet red as his hat tumbled from his hand. "No! No I don't!" he shouted stubbornly with a slight stutter. "Don't change the subject! I was just making a comparison!"

"Aww, so you think she's ugly?" Natsuki said, feigning disappointment. "That's not nice, Syo-chan."

"No! I-I was...I just...AHHHHH!" Syo yelled in defiance, all but shaking with rage. "Damnit, do you ever stop?! You're impossible, Natsuki!"

Natsuki laughed, with more mirth this time. "You're so cute, Syo-chan!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

~~~~~~~~~~In yet another dorm~~~~~~~~~

"What kept you out so late?" Ren asked suggestively as his roommate at last arrived.

Masato did not bother to offer an answer as he strode to his side of the room.

"Was it a lady?" Ren egged on as he tossed a dart, hitting the bull's eye as always.

Masato's hands balled into tight fists. Though he still said nothing.

"So it was a lady," Ren concluded coolly. "It seems you've finally become a man." A scathing glare fell upon him, but Ren's face did not lose it's devious edge. He twirled a second dart around his fingers and propositioned, "Perhaps I could meet her."

At last, Masato spoke. "I won't allow it!" he vowed firmly.

"So you've fallen in love already?" Ren said, his expression only becoming more crooked. "And to think, a traditionalist like you breaking the rules so quickly."

Masato turned away, though his seething gaze still seemed as if it would burn through the wall. He took his place on the floor and began to meditate, attempting to clear his mind. I should tell myself that she's nothing to me, he thought. ...but I cannot lie to myself.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Oooooh, shit's 'bout to get real!

Shiro: So he does loves me! Yaaaays!

Amaya: And Syo loves me too! ...he just doesn't realize it yet.

Shiro: Riiiiiiiight. Just keep telling yourself that.

Amaya: Well it's true! Especially considering what we've got planned for the next few chapters...but you'll all have to wait for that!

Shiro: See you next times!