Nya~ Its been a long wait~

First off, some good news:) The results of my school's 'Central Judging for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) for Secondary Choirs'. Gimme some drumrolls, people!

*Drumrolls* We got...*pauses for dramatic effect*...GOLD WITH HONOURS! WOOT!

Its been a tough journey for us, since the past year. Especially so in the last 4 months leading up to this competition, where we really went all the way and sang at every opportunity that came up. I nearly even lost my voice...but in the end it was all worth it:)

Right. So thats it for my awesome and dramatic *is hit for her ego* announcement.

For this chapter of Eternally, I was really shocked when I started writing way beyond my supposed word target for this story...which would be about 4000? Yep. It hit an awesome record of approx 5700 words (rounded off). Guess this would be a nice reward for all you readers who have been following me since the start of this story. A gift for having supported me as well as my longer than usual break.

Eh...woops. Just realised how long my starting A/Ns are. Will talk more at the end.

Disclaimer: POT was intended to be a Yaoi manga, only changed cuz the mangaka wanted more readers. Not making any sense? Good. It wasn't supposed to XD

Warning(s): Carried over as usual, pathetic attempt at some crack, fluff near the end, negative flow of events at one point...add more if you deem fit.

Story time then:)

Well, with all the happenings so far, it was not really surprising that Niou soon moved in with Yagyuu. It was to be expected, was it not? The paperwork as well as the arrangements with her previously rented apartment were settled quickly (no thanks to a certain megane…), and it took only 2 rounds to bring all her stuff there, since there was not even much to begin with. It was Yagyuu who suggested the idea, saying something along the lines of it being more convenient for them. The two even left for work together.

It was currently night time at the house, and well past midnight. Of course, a certain HOD would still be up at this hour doing who knows what and all that. Niou had foreseen that of course, and her face twisted up into a naughty grin as she carried out her oh-so-wonderful plan of trying to get Yagyuu to go to bed and leave all that work to tomorrow.

The Trickster had been given a room of her own, and she made full use of it. It was nice, just the right size for her to put all her stuff and not feel too cramped. She even invested some money in a full length mirror, which was sure to serve some useful purposes for situations…

…like now.

The silverette beamed at her reflection in the mirror. She felt she had done well in choosing this piece of nightwear. It sure looked decent…in her opinion of course. And it served her purposes all too well. Now we wouldn't want to know for exactly what purposes now, do we?

"Hiiiiiiiroshiiiiiiiii!~~"

There was a bounce in Niou's steps as she bounded over to Yagyuu's room and knocked on the door, as was her habit before gently pushing it open and finding her lover still going at it at his desk much like a robot. She sighed as she stayed at the door, and drawled on.

"Neh, Hiroshi, its getting late…you should go to sleep now…"

Oh yes, oh yes, that poutful (yes, I know this word is non-existent) and pleading tone…

No reply.

"Hiroshi~~ Go to bed already~"

Ok, now the frustrated and VERY poutful (I believe I already said I know this word is non-existent) pleading tone…

There was an exasperated sigh. And Yagyuu turned his head, his body following suit in the rotating chair (you know…those you find in offices?).

"Masaharu…I have to rush these consent forms and selection test worksheets by tomorrow. The vice-princi-"

The purple-haired man cut himself off and immediately turned to face his worksheets once again, just barely short of bursting into a great nosebleed he was convinced, would most definitely rival the Niagara Falls. Damn, much as he was a Gentleman, he had his limits too! And Niou was just pushing it. Totally pushing it.

She was still standing at the door, yep- she did this every night without fail. But it was what she was wearing this particular night that totally drove Yagyuu to the very edge of his limits. A white, one-piece nightdress that stopped short of about 15 centimetres from the knees, made of semi-transluscent material. The way it wrapped around her curves left quite little to the imagination, and her hair was also let down, in all its celestial silver glory. An angel…a seductive angel. Yet here Niou was, acting all innocent as if she didn't know what she had just done to the self-control of her boyfriend!

Oh yes…for Yagyuu…the edge of the cliff was very near…very near…

(A/N: Tenimyu song reference. See if you readers can guess the Myu and the song XDXD)

Unknown to the megane, he had a hand to his nose, for very obvious reasons that do not need to be said. He was also completing the rest of his tasks with much more fervour, seemingly having more drive in completing it faster and getting to sleep than before. Niou smirked as she soundlessly entered the room, slowly stepping forward.

The silverette's hands snaked around Yagyuu's broad and strong shoulders, hugging him, her head nuzzling against his, much like a spoilt kitten. This made a huge blush creep out onto his face. He had to reach out and attempt to push her away a little, muttering something about distractions and Niou needing her sleep.

How wrong he was to do that. How wrong.

An unhappy Trickster was not good at all, and the Gentleman had chosen to learn the hard way. Niou refused to let go, instead choosing to lick the side of the guy's neck sexily, inwardly smirking in victory as the said guy let out a moan. She then stopped and moved to hug him even tighter from behind, ensuring that the assets that she had been so generously blessed with by nature was not put to waste. The effect of it was almost instantaneous.

That being said, Yagyuu could not continue with his work even if he wanted to. A certain silver-haired woman made sure of it. Finally giving in, he stood up and pulled his mildly surprised lover into a light embrace, planting a goodnight kiss on her forehead. She blushed cutely in response- something that was not helping with the self-control that the man had been so proud of…until approximately 10 minutes ago that was.

With a nod, Niou happily skipped off to bed, making sure that her nightdress was so brilliantly flipped up every time she jumped up a little (she even wore lace undies to…enhance the effect). Closing the door to her room, she smirked evilly once more.

Now this was something she should do more often- it had a rather…large success rate.

In his room, Yagyuu Hiroshi sneezed…many times.

It apparently seemed that Niou had decided to make it a habit of hers to do something …arousing to her boyfriend at least once a day. The difference in teaching schedules weren't big enough of an obstacle to put her off doing that. It was annoyingly becoming a routine.

Like that time during lunch, when all the teachers except the two of them had gone to the cafeteria for something to eat. The silverette had actually given Yagyuu a quick hickie while he was off-guard for just a couple of moments, and conveniently placed it where it wouldn't easily be hidden. Blowing a kiss, Niou told her boyfriend where she would be sitting, and took off.

With only a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking, the Gentleman banged his head on his desk- hard. How many times? He lost count.

Then there was also this time when…something else happened. No one really knew if it was an accident or anything. Even Niou had looked shell-shocked when it happened. Yagyuu was just simply walking briskly towards his next class, and the other was also in the process of transitioning classes. It was inevitable that they should cross paths in the corridor some way or another. Nothing should have happened…but apparently some joker decided to leave spilt water on the floor- a big puddle at that. It was at such a convenient spot, at such a convenient timing…

…that it sent the Gentleman plunging headfirst into…the Valley of Ample Bosomness (copyrighted!).

All around them, the closet pervert teachers were inwardly cursing Yagyuu's good luck at being able to enjoy the embrace of the Valley without having to put in any effort at all.

It was during situations like these that pins seemed to suddenly gain a whole lot of mass, as proven when they could be heard when dropped to the floor. Surrounding students and teachers alike just stood there…stoned at the sight. It was a couple of seconds before a very flustered Yagyuu got himself out of that position and Niou bowed her head down, donning a blush deep enough to rival that ripe tomato she saw at the market the other day.

Apologies, and more jumbled up mumbling before awkward silence. The fact that they bumped each other (again) just as they tried to continue on to their respective classes did not help matters.

Nothing more was said and the witnesses as the subjects alike just went about their own business. The student who had come back with a towel to clean up the mess that he had so clumsily created…decided that the water would dry by itself and quickly ran away after seeing the scene.

"Masaharu…"

A sharp intake of breath before Niou looked up from her lunch and faced the Gentleman. They were seated at the same table like usual, but she had been unusually quiet and unattentive.

"Y-Yes…Hiroshi?"

"A-A-About…just now…I…uh…"

"I-I….uh…oh god…"

Stealing glances at each others' blushing and flustered expressions, the couple finally couldn't resist a grin, and they started laughing.

"I swear Hiroshi, if you had been wondering about it, that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I swear."

"I believe you. It was just rather…sudden."

"So how do you like the feel of my br-"

A sound similar to a light slap sounded as Yagyuu clamped a hand over Niou's mouth before she could say anymore. They stayed in that weird posture for a while before the Trickster frowned and gently tugged his hand off her face, sitting down obediently (quite reluctantly, might I add). With a greeting of "Ittadakimasu!" to start it off, the two dug in to their meals.

Having finished the food pretty quick, the two adults had quite some free time on their hands, and the silverette decided to start off the topic of the coming gathering of the old team at Marui's place.

"Ne, Hiroshi. We still haven't thought of a dish to bring to the gathering…any in mind?"

"Hm…"

Discussions went back and forth, with most of the plans for the weekend event having been agreed on by the time the lunch bell sounded and classes were to resume. Niou laughed quietly to herself. A date that night sounded absolutely inviting.

xXEternallyXx

Evening brought on a whole different atmosphere compared to the hustle and bustle of the morning in Kanagawa. It was that time of the day when events of the day finally wound down and people got off work. The time of the day that was considered the most romantic by some, and often the time when most dates took place. There were those boyfriends who were eager to impress their girls on the first date, and there were also those middle-aged couples who had long passed the peak of their lives- on a simple date to celebrate the amount of time they had been with each other.

There was also, of course, the young adult couples. Those who mostly already had a stable career, with their dates being either childhood sweethearts or someone who caught their eye at work. Or perhaps it was someone they had had a crush on since their schooldays…and finally had enough courage to ask that one special person out…

Yagyuu had insisted on Niou letting her hair down, claiming that she would suffer from hair loss should she keep her hair tied up like that all the time. After much persuasion, Niou reluctantly agreed, and combed the silky silver locks back neatly, placing on an amethyst studded hairclip that she had recently bought. Much as she hated letting her hair down as it meant it getting in her face nearly all the time, it was a good chance to show off that hairclip that she had so thoughtfully picked out.

Checking her appearance one last time, the silverette was satisfied. She had on a V-neck dress which showed her front assets just a little teasingly, cute cupped-shaped sleeves, and the fold of the skirt billowing out perfectly. A plain black choker flaunted her slim neck. The one-piece casual wear caught her curves just at the right spots and made Niou look really attractive. Adding on the fact that she even put on a bit of make-up, it was no wonder she took quite some time before she finally picked up her handbag and stepped out the door.

The moment the megane turned to look at his girlfriend, he gasped, blushing all the way to the roots of his hair, and finding the unnecessary need to obsess himself with adjusting his glasses and fussing over his shoes just to hide his expression.

His date for the night was just…drop-dead gorgeous. He was going to have to keep a sharp eye out for anyone else who just might try to flirt with or hit on her.

If Niou could see what sort of horrible homicidal thoughts her boyfriend was currently having, she would have backed off really, really far away by now…

xXEternallyXx

A dinner at a small restaurant kick-started the first official date that Niou and Yagyuu shared. It was awkward at first, but the tension gradually let up when the purple-haired man had found the voice to ask his date where she wanted to eat at. Niou had chuckled at that and pondered for a while before settling on their current location. The food was fantastic, and the place brought back memories of when the entire team went there for a treat by Yukimura's mother as a reward for winning the district preliminaries.

The food had long been finished and the dreary-eyed lovers now settled for simply staring at each other, taking in the beautiful sight that was the others' eyes. In the background, Niou swore she heard some of the waitresses squealing a little at them and some sighing with jealousy. She felt a pang of that particular emotion for a few moments too, but let it go. After all, no one was going to steal her man from her, not if she could help it.

"…and then he apologised, saying something like he thought that it was the correct dye…"

"Seriously? I thought those bottles were clearly labelled."

"I know! How stupid can he be? I had to wash for ages to get that stuff out…"

Niou was the first to break their gaze as she raised an eyebrow in confusion. She thought she heard some familiar voices, and looked around the restaurant just to make sure. What she saw had her momentarily frozen- not really the shocked type of frozen, but rather, the unexpected type of frozen. So she had not heard wrong.

Marui was sitting just a few tables away from them, complaining to his still-bald companion Jackal about all sorts of stuff. It seemed like they came just after knocking off from work and were simply enjoying a meal as friends. Well, maybe the redhead somehow managed to persuade Jackal to pay for their meal…but that would be a whole other story altogether, so we shall not go there.

"Oh crap."

The Trickster could only think as Marui looked to where her head had just been seconds ago and saw Yagyuu. He smiled and poked Jackal seemingly telling him something (Jackal also looked in the direction the other had pointed in) and the two nodded in agreement. Niou was panicking. She hadn't planned on meeting them yet. The woman had been hidden from their view so far only because the tables had been arranged with partitions for privacy- hence the explanation for why they only saw the Gentleman and not her.

"…Masaharu…?"

"Erm…perhaps I should go out for some…air. Yeah, that's it! Air! Ok see you!"

It was just seconds later that she had gotten up and left the table. Yagyuu blinked in stunned surprise at being left behind by his girlfriend. He pondered about her weird actions until he saw why.

"Yagyuu! Fancy seeing you here! Alone?"

"Ah…long time no see, Yagyuu."

Oh…so it was because she saw the ex-doubles 2 pair coming their way, and them seeing her would have ruined the entirety of the plan that the two had so carefully constructed to carry out the coming weekend. The silverette had probably gone to hide outside.

"Yes. I missed the food here, and thought I should patronise today since I had the time."

"Mou…teachers like you are always so freaking busy! How the heck do you cope with all that work?"

"It must have been tough on you. Hope you are doing well."

"No worries. Teaching isn't really a very troublesome profession once you get used to it…"

The conversation went on for a little while longer before Marui said he needed to turn in early for his job the next day. Bidding the megane a farewell, the redhead dragged Jackal along with him and soon they were out of sight. Yagyuu sighed and called for the bill, making his way to the entrance after paying, in order to find his lover now that the coast was clear.

xXEternallyXx

The night air was cooling, with just the occasional breeze. Not cold enough to require a jacket, nor hot enough to sweat too much. The perfect weather.

It had been a really close call just now, and Niou was actually thanking the heavens that Marui had accidentally dropped his handphone under the table at the exact moment she had stood up to leave, the short distraction giving her more than enough time to dash out the door and go into temporary hiding. Yagyuu would understand. Now she was just simply waiting under the stars for him to come get her.

There were some outdoor tables too, and it was mostly families occupying those. Mothers trying to coddle crying infants, fathers clumsily attempting to mix the correct milk formula, grandmothers trying to feed stubborn young children their food. The sight made her feel so happy, and warm.

Those children were just too adorable…were they not?

The Trickster suddenly found herself thinking about her future with Yagyuu. There would be no issues with them getting together now, since their relationship seemed normal enough on the exterior. To many who didn't know them, they were simply a young, lovestruck couple who had a promising life ahead of them. They had long passed that time of highschool 'crushing-on-that-one-other-secretly', and now it was finally time that they settled down…no? Niou never expected her life to turn out this way, she had expected to live to the end of her days as a boy as it should have been.

But now that she thought about it…this did not seem too bad.

So…what would happen once they got married? Probably just remain that happy and doe-eyed couple that society perceived all newlyweds to be. And then what? They would probably continue their jobs…seeing as how both enjoyed the profession. Maybe…just maybe…they could also start a family…you know. A few children in their likeness, happily playing abou-

Ok. Stop right there. The train of thought had started to…invoke certain memories of a certain health class held on that certain day at that certain time. Our dear silverette had decided, that she didn't want to remember something that gave her nightmares on end when she first learnt about it. She hurriedly paused her thoughts.

Seeing as how her boyfriend might take quite a while in settling those people (the pair sneezed), Niou shrugged and thought it would be a good chance to take a toilet break. She turned and followed the sign showing the way to the toilet, completely unaware of some awestruck as well as some lecherous looks being directed at her…

The place Yagyuu had brought Niou to on their date was a pretty unique one. The eateries all around that area were arranged in a rough circle and shared one outhouse toilet- it was a building all on its own. It was something like a mini village. The concept itself was pretty interesting, but when night came…the path to the toilet became rather dark. But then who would Niou be if she was scared of a dark path? Of course she did not care. She hurriedly went there, did whatever she needed to do, and hurriedly tried to make her way back. This, was probably one of the smartest, yet stupidest plans of all time.

Niou could have blamed herself for not being alert. But the current situation at hand gave no time for that. Who the heck would start thinking about that kind of thing when they were currently being held against the wall by someone at least 2 times as big as them? No one would, of course. They would all be too busy trying to think of ways to escape. And that was precisely what she was doing now.

She had been walking back and quickening her steps after seeing that familiar head of dark purple hair. Apparently, luck had not taken her side and just one building before that restaurant, she had been cornered against the wall by some people who apparently called themselves gangsters. Or were they just plain stupid men? Niou stuggled wildly against the one holding onto her, flailing about and trying to find that window of opportunity which would spell her escape.

Then, it hit her.

No, she was no longer that teenage boy who could fight off guys more than half his size should he choose to. She was not a young adult male who could hold his own against at least one of these guys.

She was a young woman. She had none of that brute strength. There was no way in hell she could fight back and hope to escape even 2 steps before getting caught again.

"Sh…Shit…"

xXEternallyXx

Akaya was currently very occupied. In fact, so occupied, he did not even notice when his microwave beeped its annoyance for the second time after heating up his dinner. He did not even notice that his favourite TV show had just announced a marathon…

He was out in his garden, watching nature. Nature in the form of insects- stag beetles to be exact. It was an interesting situation, really. He had just been daydreaming…when he happened to catch sight of 2 beetles, apparently of different genders, nuzzling together. The adorable and rare sight kept his attention and he watched on, careful not to make any unnecessary noise.

Out of nowhere at that point, another beetle- presumably male, since it had on these awesome set of horns, came. The pathetic pincers of the previous male were nothing compared to the majestic babies of this newcomer. Then, it started. An all out war for the female, horn-fighting style.

Now we come back to Akaya, who was inwardly cheering on the smaller male beetle, since it somewhat reminded him of himself compared to the Troika during his schooldays. The sole female insect took to the side shyly as it watched on, wondering which one would be the one to win.

Not too long later, the winner was deicided. The smaller male beetle had won, having been able to flip his massive opponent over, proudly standing in the glory of all its victory. The other lay quite defeated on the ground, his great mouthpieces twitching weakly. No one ever said being big always made you win.

It was with a smirk as the man left his mini garden and went back into his house.

"WHAAAAAAT? –Insert your fav Japanese drama here- IS HAVING A MARATHON?"

xXEternallyXx

Niou couldn't scream, even if she wanted to. A huge and smelly hand was clamped over her mouth and it was getting harder to breathe, with all that effort she was using to struggle. It had tightened when she succeeded in kicking the one holding her in the shin using her high heels, causing him to yelp like a puppy. She eventually had to stop, out of weariness. Head dipped low, she simply stayed silent, knowing there was no way she could escape now…and no one would be able to hear her. A palm reached out to tilt her head up to face the owner.

"A feisty beauty you are…rare…and a virgin?"

Oh, how Niou just wanted to punch the living daylights out of everyone there and take pleasure in watching them writhe and squirm before her…but alas, it was not to be.

"We could enjoy her first, right?"

"Of course. That's one of the perks of this job."

Snapping to full attention, the silverette felt fear, really deep and genuine fear. It was eating her from inside out and she couldn't stop it. It was just shivering and plain obedience right now. Staying silent as the terrible excuse of a man in front of her smoothed his hand over her front, she was barely holding in the urge to do anything to stop him from continuing on with his molest. Niou knew full well what he could do if she tried to pull anything funny.

Tears, warm tears leaked out, as the hand was still clamped on her lips, ensuring she kept her silence. Why was she in this situation? Why did she have to go to the toilet at such a bad time? Why? Why? The woman could hear the sound of and feel her dress fabric being ripped…and let out a faint whimper and a sob.

Her hair blew into her face, and Niou's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden wind. The figure in front of her…standing tall and defensive…

"H-H-Hiroshi…"

The Trickster hadn't seen what had happened earlier, but the guy who had been holding her against the wall earlier had seemingly teleported approximately 10 metres to the front of her, lying in a heap on the ground. Shocked silence greeted the newcomer as the others mentally gauged their strength against Yagyuu. And all those nuts of a brain they had, turned up their chances of winning as being in the pitiful negatives.

A small sigh escaped the Gentleman's lips. He was still standing upright, a perfect pokerface expression etched into his mature features. He moved to stand protectively in front of Niou. Cocking his head a little to the side, he spoke as calm as the usual, shifting up his glasses a bit.

"Unspoken rules of our modern day society, do depict that we, as men, must hold all women in some form of respect. Be it that old woman needing help across the street, or perhaps that young girl who had lost her mother in the shopping mall…"

As he spoke the words, the gang shivered, having sensed that the aura of the man in front of them had started to rise to disturbing levels.

"And you, as fellow men, have very blatantly ignored and defied this golden rule."

His glasses flashed dangerously, his already 'disturbing' aura growing even bigger.

"You give us Japanese a bad name. Gentlemen do not hurt ladies. Gentlemen do not force themselves on ladies. And most importantly…"

Yagyuu looked behind him, at where Niou was still tiredly slumped on the floor, her tear-streaked face only too obvious for the world to see. His eyes hardened, harsh behind those thick lenses.

"…Gentleman do not…make ladies cry…"

His hands moved to remove his spectacles, and the man placed them right beside where Niou's right hand was. She would know what to do. Niou nodded, taking those into her hands protectively. Turning to face them, he smiled…SMILED.

"What do you say we have a man-to-man talk?"

All was silent after Yagyuu had near effortlessly taken the rowdy gang out. He walked over to where his lover was, holding out a hand. He gently pulled her up onto her feet and hugged her close. Niou helped replace those spectacles on his face, once more obscuring the megane's eyes from the world's view. The two let go some seconds later.

"Here, Masaharu."

Looking at the item in Yagyuu's hands, Niou could not help but smile a bit. It was just too funny. Why the heck did her boyfriend have a shawl with him? And how did he even manage to obtain one in the first place? Any questions she had were thrown to the wind as she willingly accepted it, wearing the article of clothing in such a way so that the rip in her dress would be covered up.

The walk home was slow, Yagyuu possessively holding Niou close, and the latter sticking to him like a magnet. It would have been romantic, had nothing of any sort happened earlier.

"I'm sorry for not asking this earlier Masaharu, since you looked so scared…but are you alright?"

The first question that came from Yagyuu, after the two had just reached home and taken off their shoes. Niou had recovered a little by now, and she nodded slowly.

"Yes…I'm…fine…"

The door of her room clicked shut as she hurriedly went in, and locked it.

"Its late, you should go to sleep."

Niou was startled out of her dazed state as Yagyuu had miraculously managed to unlock the door (well, it was HIS house…) and was now walking in. He had already washed up and all decked out in sleepwear. Niou too was decked out in her sleepwear (a much more modest one than the one before…), but she was far too disturbed to enter slumber just yet.

"Hiroshi, I-"

The silverette was shut up with a kiss, a very deep one. Yagyuu seemed much more dominant this time, as his tongue overlapped and fought with his lover's, with him eventually winning. There was much more light kissing before they finally broke apart for the air they so needed. However, it wasn't enough for the megane and he continued with light kisses along the length of Niou's neck, causing her to moan in pleasure. Those were sure to leave hickies later.

In some way or another, the session had somehow ended with the couple in an awkward position. Yagyuu was positioned right on top of Niou and that did not give her much space to move about in. He leaned down to whisper huskily into her ear.

"You…are mine…and no one…will ever…take you from me…"

Niou was completely dumbfounded at those words and just stayed still, closing her eyes as she felt her lover's face coming nearer, and nearer, until she could feel and hear his breath. She could feel all his jealousy and possessiveness in those few moments, and felt very apologetic…as well as a little scared…

A slight chuckle, before the man retreated, settling for nuzzling under the covers beside the woman. She was really blushing like mad, being in such close proximity with the one she loved no less. They were facing each other, and Yagyuu started the conversation.

"You have no idea how painful it was to find you in that state."

Niou watched as Yagyuu removed his glasses to place them on the bedside table before turning to face her again. Deep purple orbs filled with sadness stared back at her.

"I'm sorry. I…should have been more careful. I guess I just forgot that I was a mere girl. Forgot that I no longer had the strength to fight back…I was so…scared…"

Niou snuggled closer to Yagyuu, holding on to him as if he was going to disappear any moment. It had been so frightening, that experience just now. The silverette had never thought much of her looks and how she held herself in the eyes of men. It was a wake-up call, you could say, for her. She had to be more careful from now on lest she ends up in the same situation and…Yagyuu iis not there to save her the next time.

The man must have read her mind, because he only responded by holding her closer in the same way she was holding him. Yagyuu felt really guilty for letting Niou get hurt like that- even if only mentally.

"I'm sorry. I should have…I should have been more alert…"

A flick to the forehead, and a frown.

"…idiot. I should be the one saying that…"

Then out of the blue, his lover started to laugh lightly, earning a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend. She smiled amid some stray tears.

"Thanks for saving me. Just that when I start to think about how you started to confront them…"

The silverette had to hold a hand to her mouth to keep from bursting out into laughter. Yagyuu had acted so much like a Gentleman even during that tense situation, and it was so amusing now that they both thought about it. The Gentleman joined in the laughter too, only too glad the worst was over for the night.

"Hiro…sleep with me tonight?"

"Of course."

xXEternallyXx

"Jackal."

The Brazilian wondered what Marui had suddenly called his name for. The two were currently (once again) at Marui's house, and had been discussing about the redhead's schedule for the following day. The sudden address caught him off-guard.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't Yagyuu want to tell us he already had a girlfriend?"

Oh, so that was what he was thinking about. Jackal shrugged absently.

"Maybe he just didn't want to tell us yet."

"Don't think that's the case."

"*Sighs* Marui, they might just be friends out for dinner or something. You can't just assume things like that."

Marui casually lazed across his couch, looking up to the ceiling, smirking a little at his discovery earlier. So Yagyuu had finally moved on and found himself a girl. Damn, he beat him to it!

"Jackal…"

A little annoyed by now, the man looked up from where he was filling in something on the form.

"What is it?"

"You haven't ever been in love before…have you?"

At that, Jackal nearly face-faulted onto the table. Marui simply stayed silent, obviously oblivious (contradicting…) to his partner's reaction. He continued.

"You should have seen the look in his eyes as he stared at her…you can't exactly describe it in words…"

The ex-tennis player played with the ends of his hair, twirling it at the ends, which were still wet from his late shower. Silence hung, with only the sounds of Jackal scribbling filling the air.

"So that was why you purposely dropped your phone on the floor and made such a big deal out of it."

Marui slowly sat up into a cross-legged sitting position. He winked, showing a victory sign with his right hand- a habit he had not been able to shrug off since their middle-school days.

"Yep. And by the way, she was such a hottie!"

Jackal sighed for probably the hundredth time that night (he actually sighed many times before Marui had even started on the topic of Yagyuu getting a girlfriend), putting down his pen and deciding that it was best if he forced the redhead into bed since they had an early day the next day. The paperwork could wait since he could rush it in the morning.

"Marui…since you already know she is Yagyuu's, don't mess with anything."

The redhead scowled.

"I was joking! Geez, you can't take a joke…"

"Sleep…now. Its already near midnight."

"Yes yes, partner."

Weird ending. I know. Couldn't think of anything better to write, so don't kill me.

I kind of made Yagyuu pretty heroic and all, plus the painfully cliche plot in the middle. I can totally see him doing that. But making Niou seem so weak in Hanako's body? Err...I admit I just might have overdone it a little...give me some pointers, will ya?

The supernatural explanation thingie I was talking about in the previous chapter will come in a few chapters, since I want to tie up some lose ends and set the scene properly before we move on to the gathering and the drama can begin. So pardon if this seemed like somewhat of a filler. I also want to thank Lulu-Prints-senpai for suggesting that I add in some naughty scenes on Niou's part to keep him in character! You rock! XDXD

Also, watch Vocaloid Rin's 'Kokoro' as well as her 'Paper Plane' on youtube. I realised about a month ago how much I was unconsciously influenced by these 2 songs in writing this story. Watch it please?

Please Review! Reviews are the air we authors breathe, the food we authors eat, the water we authors drink! Don't let us die just like that!

Comments and Constructive Criticism please? We all love the 3 Cs! XD

Thank you very much for reading, will update soon:)