Hey! Chapter 3. This is going to get interesting. Expect some funny things in the next two chapters. School is a bummer, so this chapter took me a while. I would like to thank all of the reviewers who commented on this story. And now…next stop, Chapter 3.

Runo's POV

I could feel the tension in the air.

Dan stared at me with his mouth slightly opened, his eyes bulging a bit. It took me every ounce of willpower to not copy his expression. I slowly walked to his couch and sat down, not breaking my stare on him.

A million thoughts were running around in my head. Why is he here? Who put him up for this? Why is he looking at me like that? I gritted my teeth, which he fortunately didn't see.

I was so caught up in my agony that he snapped out of the shock faster than I thought he would, and now he's waving his hand in front of my face.

"Hello, Miku? Are you there?" he asked. I blinked rapidly, snapping myself to reality.

"Oh yeah, just had a long concert. So tell me, what's your name?" I greeted. This is the worst that could happen. I groaned internally, realizing that I have jinxed myself. However, my mind stated firmly that I must suck it up, and get out of this without my cover blown.

"My name is Dan, Dan Kuso. It's nice to meet you." He replied. I smiled, though it probably looked like it was forced. "It's nice to meet you too." I returned.

We sat there in complete silence for a minute, both of us unable to start anything. He stared at the flower display, raising his eyebrows slightly, as if he was considering something. I glanced at the vase and thought, "What a weird arrangement…" I fiddled with my fingers a bit before being reminded that I was to give him my new album. Hopefully that's all I needed to do…

"Well, would you like an album? This is my first one, and it won't be released until next week." I sweetly asked. My mind, though, is going through utter panic mode. Dan nodded. I walked into my dressing room and tried to force my heartbeat down.

How could Dan win the contest? It's impossible. Someone must have given him the ticket…maybe it was Marucho…my left eye twitched a bit. My head seems to agree with me, seeing how it's the only way possible for Dan to get the ticket, because this concert is basically sold out. I gave a sigh filled with annoyance.

I grabbed the CD with my signature on it, which was neatly placed next to my regular hair ties. I glanced at them, now feeling thankful that I decided to keep my microphone on. Who knew laziness saved me at a time like this?

I headed out and handed the album to Dan. "Here you go!" I said with a chirpy voice. Dan reached out and grabbed the disc in my hands. In the process of doing so, however, his hand made contact with mine.

He flushed red and pulled his hand away, which is now occupied with the album. I took a tiny step back, confused over his expression. The tension again grew.

"Well, um…" I cursed myself for stuttering, "It's very late. I'm sure you need your rest, Dan. Thanks for coming, and I hope you enjoy that!" I said. I turned around and was about to open the door back to my dressing room when I heard Dan speak up:

"Hey, do you think you can help me? I know that I'm wasting your time, but I need some advice. My friends are acting weird, and I don't know what's wrong."

Now I was beginning to sweat. My heart started to thump unevenly. My hands clutched each other and found themselves resting on my chest. I can feel tears forming in my eyes.

"No, I don't want to hear your reasons, Dan Kuso."

"You should go. It's really getting late." I responded. Then, I pushed the door open without looking back. After a bit, I heard the door creak open and then close shut.

As soon as he was gone, I cried. I slid down the wall, and sobbed in my legs. My manager and Julie, dressed in a checked hat with her hair down and sunglasses, rushed in the room. Their smiles faded as they saw me.

Julie took her sunglasses off and embraced me. I sobbed harder. I could hear Julie say some things to me, but I couldn't make out what it is. My mind has shut down, and all I could think of is this growing, unbearable pain in my heart.

Why, why did you have to come back? After everything's fine and things are back to the way they were? Why? My mind and heart ached with me, both of them finally agreeing on a single thing.

The pain of seeing Dan Kuso once again.

The next day 5:00 P.M

"Runo! That note is flat! Raise those eyebrows and try again!" My vocal couch said. I tried fruitlessly to hit the note, but I wasn't concentrating today.

He must have noticed, because he suddenly shouted, "Okay, break!" He turned to me and said, "Go clear your head. You can't work properly when something's bothering you." Kea stood by the doorway, holding a phone up to her ear. She's probably calling Julie.

I exit the studio and started to head down to the river I always go to when I need to think. Once it was in view, I took a deep breath and sighed.

I don't know why, but this river always seems to calm me down whenever my mind is in turmoil.

"Runo!" I turned and saw Julie running to me. I smiled and greeted her back. "Hey, Runo. Guess what? Your concert was a huge success! They're thinking of maybe starting a tour." My eyes widened. "That's great news! Oh, I get to go to lots of places…" Julie nodded excitedly.

"I get to go with you, right?" She asked with her eyebrows raised. I laughed in response. "Of course. Someone needs to help me clear the crowd." Her smile turned into a pout, and she crossed her arms. "Well, isn't that why you have bodyguards?" Julie complained. I laughed again.

"Well, want some ice cream? I heard that new ice cream truck in the park have some new flavors. " Julie offered a hand. I nodded eagerly. Julie grabbed my hand, and we ran off, smiling in the process.

Dan's POV

"Dan, you have one screwed up life." Drago hopped on my shoulder, probably smirking.

"Hey! Not my fault! Uh…I think." I put one of my fingers on my chin, thinking. Drago fell to the side.

"Well, you have to do something, right? I'm sure you don't want your friends to suddenly hate you." He said. I sighed. "You're right, but how? I think I screwed up big time." Drago gave a soft chuckle. "You think? Ha! I know for sure that you screwed up." I glared at him, "Why you…" I started chasing him when a flash of blue caught my eye.

Runo was walking with Julie hand in hand, smiling. Seeing her smile made me happy and sad. Happy because she looks her best when she smiles, and sad because I can't make her smile like that.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go and fix your problems!" Drago gave a tiny shove, and I pretended to stumble before catching up to Runo.

"Runo!" I called. She turned and instantly, her smile turned into a snarl. "What do you want?" She crossed her arms, giving an annoyed look.

"Can we talk, please?" I reached out my hand, but she slapped it away. "There's nothing to talk about, Kuso. Leave me alone." My heart cracked at my last name. The way she said it, it hurts. It took every will not to clutch my heart, but I'm not giving up.

"Excuse me, Julie." I grabbed Runo's hand and led her away from Julie.

Normal POV

Dan pulled Runo over to the center of the park. "Please, Runo. Can you hear me out?" He put his hands in praying mode and looked at Runo.

The blue-haired girl was still glaring at him. "Why should I? It's not like you care." Dan at that point looked desperate. "Why? Why are you acting this way?" The girl now fumed with anger.

"Why am I acting this way?! Really?! Are you blind?! You really think I would forgive you after what you done! Forget it!" Her face was red with buried fury.

Dan suddenly glared at her. His anger spiked, his mind now focused on making the girl in front of him know how stubborn she is. "You know what?! Forget it! I'm trying to make things the way it was before, but you are just too stubborn. I don't know what I did wrong, but I know that I need to change that! But you can just forget it now!" His voice echoed into the sky.

"That's the way I want it! You are never there when I want you to be. You left me. Do you know how worried I was?! Do you know how frustrating it is to wait for you?! You didn't even contact me once!" Runo's vision blurred; her eyes clouded with unshed tears. She sniffed once and rubbed her eyes. Dan was taken back at the sight.

"Runo, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Can you forgive me?" Dan outstretched his arms, as if beckoning Runo to come to him.

Runo shook her head. "No…you hurt me too many times. I can't…no I won't." Dan looked broken, but it didn't affect Runo. Rain started to fall.

She pointed her finger at Dan, like she would when she brawled all those years ago. But as she did, her finger shook violently, as if it's fighting against itself. Runo lowered her head and gritted her teeth. She gulped once, and then snapped her head back up; her face now brimming with tears. Her blue-green eyes now morphed into an eerie purple color.

"Dan Kuso! I will absolutely never forgive you for what you did! I will have repayment for the pain that I went through! I will make it so that nobody will notice you." Her face grew an evil smirk, and the atmosphere around them darkened deeply. Runo continued in a much darker tone than her usual self, "Be prepared to pay for your mistakes!" She spun on her feet and chuckled darkly. Then, she walked away, leaving Dan totally stunned.

Dan's POV

As I stared at Runo's retreating figure, I couldn't help but feel the sense of dread inside me grow to unbearable measures.

Runo declared a challenge. A challenge that I know she won't back down from. I fell to the ground, my hands clutching the ground. The people around me scattered after Runo's exit, but I collapsed and fell to my knees.

What have I done? My impulsive side came up and ruined the little chance that I had. Flashes of her smiling face, her adorable pout, and her determined face zipped through my brain. I gritted my teeth and pounded the ground with my fist.

Drago landed on my shoulder. He didn't say anything, but I can tell his reaction to all this was utter disappointment. The rain that battered my back felt like needles being stabbed into me.

She thought waiting for me was unbearable. Why? No one told her to wait for me. I left wanting to change something about myself and experience different things. When have I ever said that I would come back? And yet…here I am, back at the same town where I left without anyone knowing. I let out a strangled laugh and gripped my forehead. My hand felt warm, and I realized that I have warm tears trickling down my face.

The world swirled around me as I stared at the ground.

And cut! How about that? Do you think Runo will achieve that task? We'll see. Tune in next time, and see who appears next. *wink wink*

A.N. Okay, there's nothing I can say except…arigato. Thank you for being patient and for following my stories. I hope that these rewrites are worth your wait. And so…see you in the next rewrite.