Thanks for the reviews! I hope you like this chapter. It's in Hilary's P.O.V. Enjoy!

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Emotional Outburst

Thankfully, Mako was going to be okay. She had just fainted out of shock, seeing as she can't swim. But there were a few things that bothered me about today: first off, she was all over Tyson. I mean, I know, she was in pain, and needed someone to lean on, and he just so happenedto be there, but, I dunno, I just didn't like it. And another thing, why would she launch her blade into the water in the first place? It's pretty odd. And seeing her risk her own life to get it back, whoa. But its not like I hate her, I was just…disturbed…

Anyways, I'm in Mariah's room, looking for my purse. The both of us are going to the market to get some kind of medicine or 'herbs' as Mariah calls it, for Mako. I know I put it here somewhere, but where could it have gone? Its not like me to lose something, I'm too much of a neat freak. I feel like Tyson…so unorganized…so messy…so clueless…so…cute… (A/N: she doesn't mean to call herself cute).

Did I just think that? Okay, I am officially losing it. I push the thought out of my head, feeling my face redden. I've begun to get used to this now, it's been happening so many times today. I look under the bed, and I find my purse (if I weren't so preoccupied I would've remembered I put it there). Grabbing a tissue off the desk, I swipe at all the dust. I head out of the room, and I'm halfway down the stairs when I bump into the one person that I'm trying to forget right now: Tyson.

"Uh," we both say in unison. I try moving to the side to let him pass, but he does the same thing. I move the other way, but he does, too.

So we're basically trying to get past each other, when finally Tyson stops and says, "Maybe…"

He grabs my shoulders, and for a heart-pounding second I think he's about to kiss me (hey, a girl can hope, right?). But instead he steps up one stair, and let's go. "There," he says softly, giving me a half-smile that looks pretty forced, before going up the remaining stairs. What's with the distance? And lack of conversation? My heart crumbles as I stare after him, wanting so much to be near him, until Kenny's voice breaks my trance.

"Uh…Hilary? What are you doing…?" he asks. He looks puzzled, but then, who wouldn't if they saw someone dreaming on a staircase? I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile, and say,

"Sorry…I guess I kinda zoned out…"

"Oh…okay…well, Mariah told me to get you," he says. "She said she wants to leave now."

I roll my eyes, but grin. "Leave it to Mariah to rush everything," I say, and I follow Kenny down the remaining steps to the door, where my impatient friend is waiting.

"Can we go now?" she asks, tapping her foot continuously. It's pretty amusing.

"Yes, we can. And thanks for waiting ever so patiently," I say sarcastically, as we head out the door. But as soon as we hit the outside, Mariah takes no time at all to start what I think she's about to start.

"So, you still didn't tell me what happened between you and Tyson last night."

I roll my eyes. "You just love interrogating me don't you?"

Skipping my remark, she urges me. "Well? What happened?"

"You act like it's a big thing!"

"Well, yeah, because it is, and I'm really curious!"

I sigh. What am I to say? It's not like I can just burst out, I almost got snogged by Tyson yesterday!

"Well…we…um…," I begin.

"Uh huh…."

"He sort of…I dunno…"

"Kissed you?!"

"No!!"

"Then?"

"Well, he actually…was…about…to…"

"He was about to kiss you?"

"Yeah…"

"Oooooohh!" she squeals. Then her face turns into a frown. "What stopped him?"

I'm about to tell her it was she who stopped him, but I decide not to. Instead I say, "Someone kinda broke our little moment."

Her frown deepens. "That sucks! Whoever broke you two apart at such a moment should be punished severely! In fact, I'm gonna kick their ass for you, just as soon as you tell me who it was."

I can't hold it in, so I burst out laughing. "What?" Mariah asks me, completely startled.

"It was you!" I laugh, "Remember when you called Tyson down? That's when you broke us apart!"

She looks astonished. "Really?"

"So are you gonna kick your own ass now?"

She rolls her eyes, but grins. "Okay, you had your laugh," then her face turns serious. "So then…are you two together now?"

My heart drops. "No," I say, looking down at the rocky path we're walking on. How could we be? Ever since the would-be kiss, Tyson's been deliberately avoiding me. And frankly, I really don't understand why: now that we know how we feel about each other, why aren't we flirting with each other rather than bumping into one another on staircases unceremoniously?

Mariah seems to have read my mind. "Don't worry," she says sympathetically. "He's probably not used to these things. Give it some time, and he'll come along."

I'm still unconvinced. "What if he doesn't?"

She sighs in the way that makes me know she's about to start a speech.

"Look," she begins slowly, staring ahead of her, "ever since I saw that first bickering session between you and Tyson, I knew it was meant to be. Because in both your eyes, there was always a glint of softness that wouldn't let either of you go over the line in hurting each others' feelings. You figured it out in time, but for Tyson, it took longer. Now you just have to let it sink into him. He only just found his true feelings for you, now he has to sort them out. And what he did last night was still part of the reaction, and now he probably thinks it was a mistake."

"But it wasn't!" I cry. "It was one of the best things that could ever happen to me! Even if it wasn't exactly a kiss, at least now I know how he feels for me and…I want him to be happy about it too…"

"You're sweet," Mariah grins. "But if that's what you want, tell him."

"But--"

"You want him, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"You want him to stop avoiding you, right?"

"Yes…"

"So I suggest you go talk to him." she says, in a tone that told me that was that.

XxX

The village marketplace is huge, and it still manages to be crowded! Mariah and I are squeezing through so many people, I'm afraid I might lose her. So I keep my eyes glued to her vibrant pink hair until we reach an area where we can breathe.

Finally, we arrive in front of an open grocery store…actually I'm not so sure what store it is. Never mind, I'm just glad I can inhale something that's not body odour.

"Hey, Mar! What's up?" I hear a male voice say. I look up to see a guy standing in front of us. He looks to be a year older than us, and he's actually pretty good-looking too: his hair is just like Rei's but shorter, and his face looks built. He's wearing nothing but black pants and a red cotton vest, and his chest looks built, too. Wow, what a hunk.

"Oh, hey Arek!" Mariah greets him happily, before turning to me. "This is my friend Hilary Tatibana. Hilary, this is Arekkusu, or Arek for short."

"Hi," I say.

"Hello," he says.

And that's that.

"So, what can I do for you girls?" he asks, smiling. And boy, what a smile he had.

"Right, do you have any…?" Mariah begins.

Mariah continues discussing herbs with Arek, and I take the chance to scan the rest of the Market. There's a countless amount of stores, and from this perspective, it looks like everyone is having fun. I'd love to go exploring here sometime…

"Hilary?" Mariah taps me on the shoulder. "Could you stay here for a bit? I'm gonna go fetch something from the store not far from here."

"Why can't I come with you?" I protest.

"Because you have to be here to keep Arek company," she says, grinning. "I'll be back in a sec," and with that, she runs off. Okay, what is she playing at?

I can't say anything else, because I don't want to look as if I want to get away from Arek. I turn back to him.

"So, you're not from around here?" he asks, as he gets out some plant-like medicines and starts chopping them.

I'm relieved that he's found something to talk about. "No, my friends and I came from Tokyo."

Arek's face lights up. "Really? I've always wanted to go to Tokyo. Heard its one heck of a city."

I grin. "It's nice, yeah, but nothing compared to China."

He waves his hand, as if dismissing the idea. "Naah, this? This is all rural. All the big cities are far from here."

"Well, I like rural!" I say, amazed that he could say such a thing.

He laughs. "How about a switch then?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," I laugh along. "So, do you work here by yourself?" I ask him.

"No," he replies, "my folks own this shop. I just cover for them when they're too busy to come. My sister comes sometimes, too." He pauses, and looks at me in the eye. "You look troubled. If you don't mind me asking, is anything wrong?"

I'm slightly taken aback by his notice. "How can you tell?"

He smiles. "Your eyes, they look far away. My sis does that too, so I know."

I think for a moment. He does seem friendly enough, and I still am a bit down about the whole Tyson thing. "Well, I guess I am going through some issues…,"

"Really? Like what?"

"Well…let's say I like this guy, who knows I like him, and I know he likes me back, but he won't say anything because he…or, we…don't know how to."

Arek smiles sympathetically. "Guy problems, huh?"

"Yup," I sigh.

He nods knowingly. "My sister gets that a lot. She's probably your age. I always tell her that a good conversation with the guy does the trick."

"You ever have things like this with girls?" I ask, out of curiosity.

"Do I ever!" he exclaims, making me jump. "One thing I noticed in common with all the girls I went out with is that the smallest things hurt their feelings!"

I frown. "You probably never dated many girls, then."

He grins. "Nah, I'm just playin'," he says, "I've known a lot of sweet girls. And considering how sweet you are, I'm sure this guy of yours will come around."

I'm flattered. "Thanks…,"

Just then Mariah returns, with something glimmering in her hand. But before I can ask, she says, "I had to get you something for the necklace. Hope you like it!"

She gives me a beautiful bracelet, coloured ruby to match my eyes. "Aww, thanks!" I say.

"No problem," she then turns to Arek as I put the bracelet on my hand. "Are they ready?"

"Yeah…here you go," he places the medicines in a bag, then hands it to Mariah. She pays him.

"Thanks," she says.

"No problem," says Arek. He then turns to me. "It was nice talking to you Hilary. If you need anything to talk about, you know where to find me," he says with a smile.

I smile back. "I'll keep that in mind. And thanks, you were a great help."

As we left the Market, Mariah asks me, "So, what do you think of Arek?"

"He's really friendly," I say. "I told him about Tyson. Somehow, I just knew I could trust him."

"He is sweet. You can tell him anything, he's a great listener. And he'll give you good advice, too," Mariah says.

"Yeah, I noticed…wait, hold up. You left us alone so he could help me out with my issues, didn't you?"

She grins. "You're a fast learner. But I also went to get your gift," she adds.

"Which is very nice," I say.

She laughs. "That's what I'm here for."

XxX

By the time we get back, it's almost dark. We return to the Tatsuya's place, to see Mako and give her the medicines. She's lying on her bed, looking rather weary. Rika comes in.

"Oh, good, you brought them," she says, thanking Mariah as she gives her the bag.

"Are you feeling any better?" I ask Mako.

"A little," she whispers. "It's nothing much, actually. I only fainted."

"Doesn't mean you can't have us sympathize for you," says Mariah.

Mako smiles. "You guys are too much."

I turn to Rika. "Where's everyone else?" I ask, trying to sound casual (everyone else Tyson).

"They're all at the guest house, except Tyson," she says. "He said something about wanting to be alone."

My heart jumps, concerned. "Where'd he go?"

Rika shrugs her shoulders. "I dunno, he didn't say. Sorry."

As Mako coughs, I look at Mariah. She sees me and nods, knowing what I wanted to do. I stand up.

"I'm going out for a while. I won't be long," I say to the three of them, before heading out the bedroom. I run down the stairs, and before I know it, I'm surrounded by the darkness of the night.

At once I dash into the dark forest of trees, hoping to find the clearing that I had found Tyson in only a few days ago. I don't know what I'm going to do or say, I'm not even sure if he's there. All I know is that I want to be with him, wherever he is. I'm done with the fact that he's avoiding me. If it's something I did, I'll apologize a million times; I just want him to be near.

Sure enough, I can hear the distant gushing of water. A gleam of light ahead of me guides me to the clearing. I step in, noticing how much more beautiful it all looks at night. But all thoughts are gone as soon as my searching eyes land on Tyson, lying down on the grass and staring up at the star strewn sky.

"Um…Tyson?" I say, getting his attention. A soon as he hears me, he sits up, not meeting my eyes.

"Why are you here…?" he asks, his back facing me.

"I was looking for you…," I reply, feeling a slight pang at his words. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he says quietly. I know he's lying.

"So then, why did you come here?"

"I wanted to," I hear him mumble.

"That's not it, Tyson," I say. "You're not telling me something. In fact, you hardly spoke to me today. And when you did, those smiles you gave, they all looked fake. Why are you keeping your distance from me? If there's anything wrong, please, tell me, I want to help. I can't bear seeing you like this."

There's a long moment of silence.

"I came here to get away from you. I didn't want you near me."

Did I hear that right…?

The real me would yell. The real me would fire up and get angry. But instead, I drop to my knees, trembling. His words pierce through me, shattering my heart. I try to hold in tears, but I feel them stream down my face. Hot, stinging tears. I close my eyes shut, to hold it in, but it doesn't help. A suppressed moan escapes my mouth, taking with it my strength, and I simply sit there, crying.

"No!" I hear him cry. I hear the shuffling of feet, and next thing I know, Tyson's arms are spread around me. "No! I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. I didn't want to make you cry! I'm sorry, it was a stupid thing to say…please, don't cry…don't cry…I'm so sorry…,"

"So why did you say it, then?" I ask into his shoulder.

"I didn't mean it like that," he says, hugging me tightly, "its just, ever since what I did last time, I didn't know how to face you…I didn't think it was what you wanted…I was…afraid…,"

I look up at him. "So, do you…?"

"I do," he says, gently wiping my tears with his warm hand. "I just didn't know it before. But I do now, and my feelings won't ever change. I love you, Hil."

I beam up at him. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear those words from you, Tyson...,"

"Then let's make up for lost time," he says softly. My eyes flutter shut as I feel his mouth on mine.

At once I lose myself. I feel as light as a feather, feel like I can fly up to the stars. His kiss is just as I dreamed: gentle, loving, perfect. I wrap my arms around his neck, allowing him to take me over. I can't see anything, hear anything. All I feel is the love that I had kept hidden inside me fall out into the kiss. After what felt like an eternity or more, we break apart.

"Good enough?" he asks me.

I smile. "Perfect."

We walk over to sit in front of the waterfall, and Tyson holds me in his warm embrace. As we sit there comfortably, I feel like the happiest person alive. I think about what everyone else would say. But after a while I drop the thought, resting my head on Tyson's shoulder as he takes hold of my hand. We're together. Finally, after all this time, we're together. And I don't care what anyone says. As long as I have my Tyson, the rest of the world can go hang themselves.

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Well, what do you think? I thought the title was pretty lame ( . I hope you liked this chapter!

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