A/N: Once again, I apologise for how late this chapter is. Inquiries, fandom hopping, and writer's block were some of the factors. But yeah. I got it done. Thank so much for all the support, reviews, favourites, follows and stuff, it does mean a lot to me. I must thank my beta, RosiePosieRW she is a god damn saint with that patience.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi. If I did, CRACK PAIRINGS GALORE.
And of course, enjoy.

The text was sent twenty minutes ago. It took approximately forty minutes to travel from the restaurant to his apartment, if you don't count walking to the nearest station. From his location it would have been half an hour. The man cradled his head in his arms as he tried to think of a place to stay. A hotel? No, he was practically broke since he had only moved in recently. Maybe he could persuade a friend to let him stay at their place for the night. Yes, spending time with a friend was exactly what he needed. Nodding in his mind, he was confident in his place.

Realization dawned on him as he trudged over to the station. His previous apartment was closer to his last work place. And he had literally no close acquaintances who lived near this area, with the exception of An. Maybe, just maybe, if he left Mizuno standing there for a few hours, she would leave. But then...she would probably just stay at Takano's apartment. After a few moments of internal debate, Ritsu sauntered off to find the nearest café. Luckily for him, there was one right beside the bookstore with a homey feeling.

Whilst Ritsu was nursing a cup of coffee, looking over some papers, Mizuno stood shivering outside the apartment door of a certain newbie editor.

"Dammit," she muttered to herself, "why isn't there any heating? I'm freezing to death here!"

"You're still alive though, aren't you?" A voice caught her by surprise. The squeak of her rubber-soled sneakers on the cold, highly polished floor rang through the unidentified man's ears as she stormed towards him. He was bemused as to why the woman was so pissed at his simple observation.

His train of thought was abruptly halted at the exact moment that Mizuno's ice cold hands pressed against his cheeks.

"You really think people who are still alive has hands this cold, Masamune? Huh?!" she cried, slightly hysterical but mostly annoyed. To emphasize her point, her hands were sliding towards Masamune's neck. There was no way she was ever letting him get over the fact that his neck was his weak point. Knowing Mizuno, Masamune instinctively wrapped his fingers around her wrists and pushed them away.

"...if I let you in will you calm down?" Masamune suggested after a brief silence.

"I want tea."

"Of course."

Mizuno sat in silence as Masamune prepared the tea. There was little noise with the exception of the occasional clink of dishes and rustle of clothing when anyone moved.

"Are you an idiot? It's freezing and you're wearing a t-shirt," he commented dryly.

Mizuno actually had a reason for that, albeit a crappy one. What was she supposed to do when you're in a library with the heating turned up to 30 degrees Celsius? Take off a layer or seven. And then those kids came in. Shouting (maybe not shouting, but loud enough for her to hear) and rearranging the books incorrectly. In general, they were just acting like a bunch of little shits. She promptly left, forgetting her jumper.

"...I have reasons." she muttered weakly and feeling a bit embarrassed. There was no way she was going to tell him what really happened.

It was a simple process, really. The cafe closes in an hour. Mizuno shouldn't still be waiting outside his apartment, she should be at her home right now - or Masamune's at the very least. Prolonged exposure to winter air usually resulted in hypothermia. And she seemed to have an average (or much higher) level of intelligence, so she wouldn't normally stay out that long.

Feeling confident in his plan, Ritsu cleared the table and organized his papers with ease. He placed them into his messanger bag and swung it over his shoulder. It was time to get going; he shouldn't stay here much longer.

The quietness of the hallway was suspicious. It was too quiet. Where were the sounds of the guy next door doing yoga? The dog barking? The occasional thumping of feet from the people living directly above him? Every step he took resonated through the hallway, and the click of his lock opening made him wince slightly, afraid of what were to come if someone had heard. He knew that nobody was going to attack him or anything, but the seemingly loud creak of his apartment door nearly sent him cowering under the nearby potted plant in the hallway. No one can blame him; it was purely human instinct to want to run away. Or maybe it was paranoia. Same difference, he said to himself.

Dismissing it away as a case of mere instinct, he picked up his courage and stepped confidently, albeit cautiously, into his apartment and quickly switched on the light. Okay, he admitted, I am a coward, definitely - but I am a smart coward. He poked his head out of the apartment, and when he was fully convinced that no one was following him, he slammed the door shut. Kicking off his shoes, he dismissed the damp and slightly muddy footprints his shoes had made on the plastic wood near the entrance, blundered over to the kitchen area and made himself a cup of hot, smoking coffee.

Sighing in pleasure, he sunk himself into the couch. As the delicious aroma of the coffee was beckoning him to have another, Ritsu did nothing but periodically sip the beverage, his mind wandering off to dreamland. Well, it was dreamland until a knocking could be heard from his doorway. A brief silence passed and the knocking became rapping. He fumbled with his cup in surprise. He cursed under his breath; he knew this from experience, spilling hot liquids onto his body usually resulted in unpleasant sensations. Calming himself down by inhaling and exhaling deeply, he trekked over to the door, peeked through the eye-hole and groaned when he saw who it was.

Confronting with Mizuno was the last thing he wanted right now. Exasperatedly, he unlocked the door and was greeted with the image of a young women, goosebumps on her arms though she seemed fine, for the most part.

"Just what have you done to yourself?" he demanded, flying the door open. She wasn't serious, was she? Did she actually stay here for the few hours that he had spent in a warm cafe? But why didn't he notice her earlier as he came in? Ignoring his thoughts, he hurried the woman into his apartment and offered her the other cup of coffee he had been brewing. A small smile crept up on her face as she graciously accepted the coffee and wrapped her hands around the warm cup.

"So tell me. What were you doing outside? Didn't you know that the weather forecast said it would be one of the coldest nights this year?" he scolded, though he knew it was partially his fault.

"I was waiting for you, idiot," she muttered, leaving out that she had heard the door close from Masamune's apartment and came here. She didn't want him to think she was exhibiting stalker-like behaviours. Ritsu almost instantaneously felt a pang of guilt at making her wait. Mizuno taking note of this, she decided to do Takano's favour.

"It was rude to leave abruptly, especially if your fiancé was there," she stated, noting Ritsu's tired expression.

"She's not my fiancé." he said, almost mechanically, as if this was a phrase he had said all too often.

"Why do you say that? Do you not love her?" Mizuno pressed, the coffee left forgotten on the table.

He swallowed. "Not romantically, no."

"Then why don't you man up and tell her that?" she demanded, her voice rising. Her contempt boiling up at Ritsu for dragging her best friend along. Making An think that he loved her.

"I-I," he choked, "didn't want to hurt her," he mumbled quietly, not sure if Mizuno heard him.

Mizuno regained her composure and asked, "Then who are you in love with?"

He swallowed, though it could be considered a gulp this time. "I don't know," he whispered shamefully.

Mizuno had anticipated this answer. She sighed and went for another question, "You're still in love with that guy you stalked, aren't you?"

Ritsu momentarily stiffened before answering by giving one slow nod of his head. It wasn't like she knew who that guy was, so what harm was there in telling her? Mizuno, being the antisocial person she was, had little experience in comforting people, much less someone she had only met a few days earlier. Methods of how to comfort someone went through her head, none seeming good enough.

She placed her arms around him and patted him awkwardly on the back. It could be considered a hug, but neither would admit it. Suddenly remembering the favour from An, she let go of him immediately. He looked for the nearest cup, which happened to be one with coffee.

"An sends her condolences." When asked for a favour by An, she hadn't specifically been told what to do, but An had only wanted Mizuno to tell Ritsu that she'll stop chasing her. For now, anyway. Plus, spilling hot coffee on someone was always something that she had wanted to do for a while now and she knew Ritsu's reaction would be the best.

Making sure that the coffee wouldn't result in any second degree burns, she tipped the cup sideways to let some of the liquid flow out. She smirked at Ritsu's confused look. "I guess this is the part where I profusely apologise?" she asked, not sounding apologetic at all. Ritsu cursed as he cradled his arm. It wasn't going to leave any scars, but it hurt.

"Seriously?!" he cried, confusion turning into annoyance.

"Yes," she answered, although she knew it was rhetorical. She gave him a quick nod before holding the cup with the remains of the coffee. This coffee was good; it would be a shame to waste it. She seated herself down on the couch again and continued to drink. She noted Ritsu staring at her with hatred and malice in his eyes. Well, something along those lines.

"What?" she asked, absentmindedly. Seconds later, Ritsu had 'accidentally' spilt his coffee over her resulting in an astonished look at him.

"I apologise," he told her unapologetically. Well, that was it. The switch had been turned on. Minutes of childish banter and fighting ensued, before Ritsu decided to kick her out. Motioning his head to the door, he indicated for Mizuno to follow. Realising that she was technically an uninvited guest, she obeyed, though rather uncontently. Unlocking his door, he stayed in while Mizuno stood, like him. Red-faced, scuffled clothing and stained clothes. He made a mental note to send his shirt to the drycleaners tomorrow.

"Just what the hell have you two been doing?" Takano demanded, his eyes tired and arms crossed. He'd been working in tranquility for a few minutes before loud noises arose from the apartment next door. What required so much noise? He messily threw on a dark sweater before quietly exiting his apartment temporarily. Planning to kick the door open was his plan. However, he'd been greeted by the faces of two short and angry people. An awkward silence filled the room while Mizuno and Ritsu looked at each other. Both unsure what to say, the former shrugged her shoulders while Ritsu just sighed.

Narrowing his eyes at Takano, Ritsu felt slightly uncomfortable. "Good night," he said half-heartedly, drifting off weakly at the end. Despite it being rude, he closed his door, a bit too hard. He quickly relocked it and he slid down into a crouching position with his head in his hands. What the hell was going on? Emotions he hadn't felt since ten years ago bubbled up, once again. He felt like a love-struck teenager. Ritsu heard muffled voices outside his door, gradually rising. Shakily breathing out, Ritsu slowly went back to a standing position. He made a beeline for his bedroom. Maybe some rest would help him clear his head.

B/N: LindyL and I are ever so sorry for the very late update. It's the holidays now, so we can update much more often. It's just that there was the huge stress of exams during the past few weeks, and we didn't have much time aside from studying to write. We also experienced a bit of writer's block - and we all know how annoying that is. We apologise once more for this inconvenience, and we can assure you all that this won't be happening repeatedly. Thank you for all the support; we really appreciate it. Once again, sorry for the late update and we hope you enjoyed this rather short chapter.

- RosiePosieRW