From the day after and onwards, Kyo acted as if that night had never happened. The boy was almost more wicked than before as if to prove it wasn't possible. Yuya never forgot about that night though, not once. She saw a side to Kyo she never imagined was there. It haunted her sometimes. However, that didn't mean she forgave him for anything, especially since he was back and at it. Just yesterday, Kyo called her a dog-face in front of a mass of people in the cafeteria. The day before that, Kyo had hijacked her bike and Yuya wound up chasing after him all the way to school. By the time she got to class, her hair and clothes were tousled and she was soaked in sweat. Yet, what surprised her was when Kyo offered her a ride home on her own bike. Yuya refused of course, for what she believed was clearly an insult--he had that grin on his face.

But when Yuya thought back to this time later, she would agree that this was a good year.

This was the year she met Sakuya.

Whether she knew it or not, Yuya was quite popular. She was after all, kind to everyone, and brave. In Yuya's middle school class there was a girl, Sakuya (thankfully no Kyo), whom many considered shy and strange. She kept to herself and was always immersed in her Astrology book. One day, a couple of boys were poking fun at her and messing with her things. Sakuya remained still. Her eyes were hooded under her bangs, and she looked nervous...

Yuya interevened.

"Hey punks! Why don't you get a life? Seriously, she obviously isn't interested."

Genuinely interested herself, Yuya began to gravitate towards the girl during breaks and at lunch time. Did this lower her fan points? Possibly. Did Yuya care? Absolutely not.

As it turns out, Sakuya really was interesting. Yuya loved asking her about her horoscope, because when she did, Sakuya's face would light up and she'd turn into a chatter box. It was positively delighting.

As the days went on, they grew closer and closer, and Yuya finally had the pleasure to call Sakuya her best friend. She was ecstatic--her very first best friend.

Yuya could hardly contain her excitement, she was practically choking on it--Sakuya was sleeping over.

The girls exchanged notes all through class. Boy, were they pros at it too. They had secret codes and everything. Yuya once passed a note via the tube of a marker.

"Wait. " said Yuya. "We should wait at least 10 minutes before we walk to my house."

"Why?" asked Sakuya.

Yuya didn't answer. She wasn't going to let Kyo ruin their fun. No way.

However, Yuya's plan backfired. Kyo was still loitering outside of his house by the time they got there. Yuya gave him a nasty glare that said "don't even think about it", but what "it" was, she wasn't totally sure. Then she grabbed Sakuya by the arm and dragged her into the house to safety.

"Hello Sakuya!" Akari gushed, clad in a frilly apron with giant hearts, "I've made chocolate chip cookies!"

The cheerful girls both took five then made their way to Yuya's room. Nozomu passed by and smiled at the guest. Sakuya blushed, she couldn't help it.

"That's my brother," said Yuya, "he's kinda dumb."

"Heard that!" yelled Nozomu.

The two girls looked at each other and then burst out laughing.

Inside, Yuya proceeded to show Sakuya all her prized possessions.

"...and this," said Yuya, whispering for some reason, "is a hawk's nest."

Sakuya set down her cookie and carefully took the nest from Yuya as if she'd just been handed Queen Elizabeth's crown.

"I found--actually Kyo found it first, but he said it was stupid and didn't want it, then--"

"Knock! knock! knock!"

Yuya froze. It couldn't be. There was no way.

"Knock! knock! knock!"

Yuya exchanged a look with Sakuya, then she hesitantly walked over to the window and lifted the blinds...

It was Kyo.

Enraged, Yuya cracked open the window so she could shout at him properly, but then he caught the opening, and lifted the window up all the way. He kicked her aside, and invited himself in.

"Hey dog face, I see you've dragged something in your house..."

"Yeah, you! What are you doing in here? Get out!" Yuya screamed at him, trying to tug him out, but his solid form just shook her off.

"I'm bored. Hey, is that the nest--"

"Don't you dare touch it with your dirty hands!" yelled Yuya.

Kyo smirked. "But it's a nest, don't you think it's already dirty?"

"Shut up! Just get out already!"

Sakuya watched them go at it for what felt like a long time and started thinking. What Yuya didn't know was that Sakuya was exceptionally clever at reading people, and Sakuya saw something there that Yuya could never see herself. Sakuya smiled and started nibbling her cookie. They bickered on...

She let out a giant sigh. At last, she had managed to successfully kick the crow-head out. She locked the window, pulled down the blinds, and got Sakuya to help her hang a blanket over the window for good measure.

That night, the girls wiggled close under the covers. They giggled softly and shared their deepest, darkest secrets.

Yuya and Sakuya were 12 years old.