Again, I am back!

This one took longer to update, as life really started to distract me now. Ugh. Okay so that was no excuse, but still…

Thanks to LauraNeatO for again, leaving me a review. She always made it a point to leave one even if it was difficult. Thank you for all the follows, and faves, to aguslay, a new reviewer, and to the guest who left one… whew. Well, at least the feedbacks were growing. Haha. Thanks!

And so I'll leave with you this chapter. For now. I hope you will like it!

IV

Taichi sighed inwardly as he maneuvered his car to the entrance of the basement parking lot of his apartment. Well, if the word apartment would really cover it. It was more like a condo unit, which his mother had insisted for him to have even when he tried convincing her that he wouldn't really need that much space especially if he was going to live in it alone, and that a dorm situated right inside the campus will be just fine for him.

I have already allowed you to stay here in Japan and attend Sodai even when your father and I had wanted to send you off to Cambridge instead. Wouldn't you at least, allow me to do this much for you? He remembered her clearly asking him that three years ago.

His mother had always known how to pull the strings, he grudgingly admitted. It was not a wonder how she had married his father. She had lots of wit and conviction, which he had inherited.

Wit? Yes. But I wonder about the conviction. Hah.

He rolled in to the parking space reserved specifically for him, careful to look around. As soon as he was sure that everything is in order, he softened the roar of the engine to a soft purr before turning it off. The car had been a gift from his father during his twenty-first birthday, a brand new, silver Lexus LF. Consider it as a late graduation and entrance examination gift. You have made it to Sodai after all. It's not every day a son of mine gives that kind of honor to the family.

Now, if only his father cared more about him than the family pride.

He opened the car door and let himself out, straightening himself to full height. To an outsider, he had all the grace of a panther, tall and handsome, with an air of someone who had seen the world already. Okay, so maybe he had not seen everything. But then again, that was the aura he was giving off, which had always made countless women fall for it whether he wanted them to or not.

There is one girl he had only needed to fall for it, but again, that didn't work. So thanks, but… no thanks.

Locking the car doors, he went around to the back to get his things. Opening the trunk, he got out the thick books he had borrowed from the library today, adamantly trying hard not to get his thoughts to stray to her again, and slung his bag over his shoulder. He was about to move around when he suddenly felt as if he was pushed under water, like someone had covered his head with a plastic bag- the sounds disappearing all of a sudden, like it was being sucked out by a vacuum. Recognizing the sensation all too well, he shook his head, as if doing that would help.

Calm, Mashima. Stay calm. It would disappear in a minute. Just wait.

Sweat appeared on his upper lip as he tried to balance the books he was holding, willing himself not to panic. It was taking longer than he expected, and he tried to convince himself that it would disappear. Wait. Just wait.

Don't do this to me now. Please. I still have to pass the qualifying examinations. Kami-sama. Please.

A few more minutes later, he felt as if the world righted itself again and someone got him out underwater. He sighed with relief and wiped his forehead with a shaking hand, realizing that he had begun to be sweaty.

He had been used to episodes like this. It was irritating, but as long as he could hold out until he graduated, then that was fine with him.

He straightened up and locked the trunk, then begun trudging to the elevators down in the basement. He couldn't help but think that this scene resembled a horror movie, where the lights would shut off on the protagonists and they would be locked in the basement, where a monster or some kind of psycho in a killing spree would chase them.

Good Lord, Mashima. Is this what you're doing now? Imagining a horror scene? Christ.

He pushed the button for up, and the doors opened. As he did, there was a sound of clicking heels, and a woman sprinted up to him, nearly giving him a heart attack in surprise because he hadn't noticed her at all. She smiled at him sweetly and stepped in first before him, then he followed after her with a racing heart.

This is what you get for imagining horror scenes! Are you trying to kill yourself? He scolded himself mentally, ignoring the woman standing beside him and arranging the books he had in his arms as he pushed the button for his floor and the doors closed.

"That looks quite heavy. Do you need help?" a sweet voice asked charmingly.

He turned to the woman beside him, spotting her smiling a what-he-called the 'winsome' smile, the one that women use to get a man's attention. He knew that simple trick all too well.

Well, he was not in the mood to play around. He took his time to assess her: she had wavy, luscious, dark locks, a fair complexion, bright green eyes and a blemish-free face, with a pair of legs to die for, which was exposed under a decent-length black dress.

He was exhausted after the events of the day and was still reeling from his encounter with Chihaya. The only thing he wanted right now was the comfort of his home, a large mug of his favorite coffee and these books.

"Thanks, but no. A woman should never carry heavy things." He muttered in a monotone, shifting the books for a more comfortable strain on his left arm.

He was caught off-guard when she took a step closer to him and smiled coyly, raising a finger and running it over his left arm. "Well, aren't you the gentleman. No, I wouldn't mind. It was to help someone else after all."

He automatically recoiled. Uh oh. Not good. Not good at all… "I'm really sorry, ojousan, but-"

She cut him off when she pushed him to a corner of the elevator. His heart was racing already under the stress of the situation. First Chihaya, and now this! Is it any wonder he had been having attacks like the one earlier?

Okay so wait. He had no right to blame Chihaya. It was not her fault he was being stressed out by this woman who he did not even know and who came from God-knows-where.

This is why he had never appreciated being popular with the opposite sex. Ugh.

"Can you spare me a little of your time? My friends are having a get-together here tonight. Care to join us?" She whispered near his ear, causing goose bumps to rise on his skin. He was still a man, after all, and he had not been a stranger to these things. He may have steered clear off of women for the past three years he had been away from Chihaya, but he wasn't exactly pure and innocent. She grinned upon seeing this, smiling knowingly and provocatively. God, he wondered, what did I do to deserve this?

Thankfully, the elevator dinged, signaling that he was on his floor already. He stood straight, having had enough. "Sorry. Maybe next time. I'm not in the mood. I'm sure you can find someone else to play with." He said in a monotone again, huffing indignantly and eyeing her with a wary gaze. Not forgetting his manners, he bowed and turned his back to her, ready to step outside and leave the bewildered woman behind.

Only to stop, freezing from his tracks.

Ayase Chihaya, yes, the Ayase Chihaya who had haunted him these past years all the time and had barged into his life unknowingly earlier, was standing just outside the elevator, her large, doe eyes squarely on him.

"We need to talk."

Chihaya had been nervous and practically restless all day, even when she had decided a course of action already. She was so restless that she had to call the one person she knew could calm her down and make her think clearly.

"I've found him."

"Him?"

"Yes, Arata. Him. Who else would I be talking about?"

The voice on the other end of the line had grown quiet for a while, quiet in a sense that she had caught him by surprise. She could tell he hadn't been expecting this kind of news, not when he was still in Osaka as of the moment, in the middle of a travel internship.

"Really? That's great, Chihaya. Finally. How is he? Where did you find him?" She could tell that he was glad as well, but was too reserved to be able to express it properly.

"He's doing great. I found him at the Sodai University Hospital. Guess what? He's an intern there! That moron… he had been studying in Sodai, after all, just like you suspected. I guess he's been doing fine by himself…"

He had cleared his throat, sensing her spirits drop. "You sound unsure. Haven't you been able to talk to him at all?"

Tears pooled into her eyes, remembering what had happened earlier, the pain and anguish that she had seen reflected in his eyes. "No. He… He avoided me again. He was pushing me away, Arata. I had really wanted to talk to him, but…"

Silence followed again. She was growing nervous that time that she had to ask, "Y-You're not mad at him or anything, are you?"

"No. Of course not. I can never be mad at him, Chihaya. I just wish he would talk. Tell us the problem." She had heard him sigh at the other end. "He can really be petty when he wanted to be. Honestly. That guy."

She sighed as well. "But, Arata, I'm planning to talk to him. I mean… seriously, I have to know what had happened… How he's doing. I missed him so much."

She heard him chuckle, but it was more of a weary sound. "I know you would. Well, goodluck. But be careful, Chihaya. You may find yourself surprised. Taichi… well, he's different than before."

It was times like this that she suspected that Arata knew something that she didn't. The way he would talk about Taichi, (because she knew that despite of men being not touchy-feely with each other, -as she recalled Taichi telling her years before-, Arata, in fact, misses him as well,) sometimes suggested that he knew what had really happened to him.

To which she had no freaking knowledge about.

"I wonder if he's ever going to allow me to talk to him." She had said nervously.

"He had to allow you, Chihaya. It's just about time already."

He is supportive. Perhaps he really had missed their wayward childhood friend. Which made her wonder again whether he really isn't hiding anything from her.

These were the thoughts running in her head as she all but dragged Taichi away from the woman in the elevator earlier. She hadn't expected to see a woman so close to him, and she wondered whether they actually knew each other. If so, why was he leaning away from the woman? She couldn't help but feel so irritated and annoyed –had he gotten himself another girlfriend?

Although now that she thought about it, it wasn't exactly wrong.

So why is she so annoyed anyway?

Taichi had enough of being dragged around and stopped to wring his arm from her grip. "Will you let me go? I can walk by myself." He said in an annoyed tone, glaring at her back.

She whirled around all of a sudden to stare at him with fierce eyes that he nearly took a step back. He had always known that she had violent tendencies, and he didn't want to be standing too close to her once her arm lashes out to either punch him or slap him again, (either one highly probable to happen).

"We are talking," she hissed between gritted teeth, "and I am not going to allow you to run away from me again like you did earlier." She narrowed those pair of auburn eyes at him, as if challenging him to show her his fangs.

His teeth ground together in response. Why, oh why, was this woman testing his resolve, when he had decided years ago that she would be better off without him in her life? And how the hell did she even find out where he was living anyway?

"I've given you the hint from earlier, Chihaya. I'm busy, and I need to study. Which means I can't talk to you. Please understand that much." He snapped, though his voice sounded low and nearly pleading.

Let me go, Chihaya. Please, just this once listen to me. I don't want you to see me like this.

"You can't talk to me because you need to study, or was it because your girlfriend is waiting for you?" She practically snarled at him accusingly, her eyes going into slits each minute passing. Her hands were clenched into fists, and they were actually trembling.

Why did he suddenly feel that that accusation had an undertone of jealousy with it?

More than that, though, he felt incredibly offended. Who did she think she was anyway? He maybe in love with her yes, but that doesn't mean she can suddenly accuse him of things she didn't even understand in the first place. His temper spiked, and he found himself taking steps forward, his amber eyes also thinning into slits, narrowed with irritation and anger, and she stared back at him, chin raised in defiance and challenge. "She's not my girlfriend. Nor do I even know her. But what do you think gives you the right to accuse me of something like that? You don't even know what you're saying. Don't mess with me." He said through clenched teeth, lowering his head until they were almost nose-to-nose.

Chihaya felt intimidated, but hell if she showed him that. She wasn't going to allow him to escape. Not when she had a chance to understand what really had happened to him. "I am your best friend. Or was, since you suddenly decided that you don't want to be friends anymore three years ago, right? But hell yeah, for me, you're still my best friend even when you suddenly disappeared without a freaking explanation!" She snarled right back, her temper also getting the best of her.

"You want to talk? To find out what happened? Seriously? And why, of all these years, did you suddenly decide to find out?" His voice was growing louder by the second. "You were doing so well with your life. Why worry about things that were outside of your concern?"

He obviously chose the wrong thing to say. For the second time in one day, her palm made contact with his cheek. And this time, she had looked like she had no intention of apologizing.

Taichi gazed at her, his amber eyes pained, but otherwise devoid of any other emotion. She took a deep breath, her face sill red from anger. "What do you think I'm made of, Taichi? Why do I worry about things outside of my concern? When have I ever treated you as someone outside of my concern?!" She yelled into his face, tears pooling into her dark eyes, but she blinked them away defiantly.

"You didn't. You never treated me that way, I guess. And maybe that was the reason why it hurt so much here," he prodded his chest with a fist.

Her auburn eyes widened, momentarily confused. At the same time however, a door from the left side opened and a tall guy with ear piercings stepped out and gave them a weird look, probably wondering why they were standing in the middle of the wide hallway breathing heavily and looking as if they just came from a screaming match.

Taichi blew out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly. He was starting to hate the situation more and more. Why the hell won't she just let him go anyway?

"You want to talk? Fine. Follow me."

Chihaya found herself sitting in the middle of the living room of his unit, absolutely in awe of all the space and grand feel of the place. It very much gave off the 'guy' vibe, with very little décor and simplistic arrangement of his things. Right in front of her was the television she swore was the same one he used in his bedroom back in his old house, with his own stereo and stacks of dvds beside it. The coffee table was at the middle, with books under it. She grabbed one to study the cover, but her eyes turned swirly the moment she read the title.

"Human Anatomy."

She took the next one which said:

"Medical Contexts and Discoveries in the Twenty-first Century."

The third one read:

"Surgical Procedures Most Common in Japanese Society."

Man, she thought, forgetting for a moment her apprehension, Taichi is serious about becoming a doctor.

Well of course he is. Back then, she hadn't even realized that he was serious about becoming the next Meijin.

That thought alone brought her back in her current predicament, making her cringe. She had managed to convince him to talk to her, but what now? What was she going to tell him? How was she even going to start a conversation to begin with?

It didn't help that she began to feel the nerves creeping up on her. She was grateful to have a few minutes alone to herself since he was preparing some coffee, but what is she going to do once he comes back?

Don't start acting stupidly. What are you getting nervous for? This is Taichi! Just Taichi! Focus, Chihaya!

So why couldn't she shake the feeling that something is about to go wrong?

Right at that moment Taichi re-entered the living room, holding two large mugs of steaming coffee in both of his hands. She wasn't much of a fan of coffee, but at the moment her mouth watered from the aroma which came from it.

"Here," he said, gently placing the mug in front of her on the top of coffee table, noting how she flinched at the sound of his voice. "It's Java, so I'm not sure if you'll appreciate it."

"Whatever flavor is fine with me. As long as it doesn't kill." She responded nonchalantly, missing the glare that he had just thrown her way.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked irritatedly.

"Exactly as it's supposed to mean." She retorted, bending down in order to gather the mug carefully into her hands. She took a tentative sip, and was rewarded with the delicious taste of java.

They both fell silent. Like the calm before the storm, the tension built it's way into the room and began to thicken. It was so thick that you could probably slice it with a knife. Chihaya sipped and sipped, throwing furtive glances at him every now and then, but he was determined to avoid her gaze.

"Anyway, before I forgot," she began tentatively, placing down her mug for a while and reaching into a small purse slung over her shoulder, "They wanted me to give this to you."

She pulled out a small thing from her purse, and she gazed at it lovingly before stretching out a hand with it. He hesitated, then reached for it, his fingers brushing over hers, nearly dropping the hard book-like thing she held when he felt a shock run up his arm. Cursing himself inwardly, he stared at it, recognizing it as a small photo album.

"That was a gift from everyone during our final year." She explained, voice sounding sure and confident. "They made it as a sort of souvenir for our final team match as high schoolers, but… they didn't have the chance to give you yours. They made me the keeper, so that I can give it to you if ever I find you again."

Taichi carefully opened the album, inhaling a sharp breath as he stared at the first photo. Despite of the years that had passed, the photo still looked new.

It was a photo of him in his classic green and flesh hakama, bent over the field of cards, face concentrated. His opponent, the one who replaced Eromu as captain from Fujisaki High, was none other than Yamashiro Rion. It was a night full of surprises, when the match came down between the two of them in a luck of draw. He remembered wishing so bad for his card to be called, like he did back in their second year and their schools were also opponents, wishing for it so badly that he felt as if his heart was about to bleed from just doing so.

As if an answer to his prayers, his card had been called. Impassionate Gods…

He swallowed, eyes getting wider and wider each second passing by with each photo he saw. His match against Amakasu from Hokuo. Their match against Akashi Girls' High. A photo of him and the senior members from of the Mizusawa Karuta club: Nishida, Komano and Tsukuba, all holding the cup. Another photo showed him , Kana-chan, Sumire-chan and Chihaya, this time, grinning widely while wearing their hakamas and giving a thumbs up sign in front of the camera.

Every photo felt like a stab in his chest. These were memories he had left behind… memories that he had buried in the past, because it had hurt too much just remembering them.

The last photo took his breath away.

It was a photo of him and Chihaya, and the photo was taken during the school parade. As thanks to their effort and victory of bringing home the Tokyo Regional championship, the school had arranged for them to have a small celebratory school parade, since it was already their final year. He was laughing in the photo, and a giggling Chihaya was riding on his shoulders during that day, holding her pompoms and giggling like crazy. His friends had managed to convince the captain to perform such a feat for them to be better able to represent Mizusawa. He had blushed back then, but Kana-chan had pushed him into it.

It was too much. He felt like he was drowning in a sea of pain, and he was breathless and powerless against the wave of memories which tore open the wounds fresh again.

"Really, Chihaya, what do you hope to achieve by showing me these?" His tone was sharp, cold. Chihaya flinched visibly with it.

"I was hoping it would be able to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours." She said, also coolly. Whatever he was planning to say or do, she wasn't going to let it intimidate her. No. She wasn't going to allow him to push her away again.

"I no longer play karuta. What are these for then?"

"Souvenir? Memories?" She shot back determinedly. "I don't know, but maybe you remember what you once had before."

He gave her an emotionless stare, one which made it look like there was an another person within his body. "I do not play karuta anymore, Chihaya. These will be of no use. I dropped it years ago already."

"Because you lost during the Eastern qualifiers?" She hissed. "Really, Taichi? Because of that you gave up immediately? When have you ever seen me give up when I lost? Did I give up when I lost for the first time against Yamamoto Yumi?"

Taichi's eyes flashed, and for a second she felt scared. "You don't know anything, so stop talking like you do." He practically growled at her, his hands clenching around his mug of coffee.

She stood her ground. "That's funny. Maybe I really don't know what I am saying. But you know what? I don't know anything because you never told me anything!" Her voice was rising steadily now, despite her best efforts to remain calm. "Do you know how much Kana-chan and the others missed you? How Arata tried to find out everything he could to reach you? How I despaired because you weren't there?" Tears were pricking her eyes now. "How can you be so selfish, Taichi? Weren't we friends?" She had stood up, coffee and all forgotten.

He stood up as well. Just hearing the word selfish made his blood boil unimaginably. "Selfish? I was selfish? Dammit, Chihaya! Do you know how much that match meant to me? Do you know how it hurt, deep down here," he practically socked his chest, "To realize that I would never be able to become a Meijin? What do you know? What would a Queen know about almost reaching your goal but never really having it all this time!?" he exclaimed angrily, and he nearly lost his balance when his left ear suddenly hurt, making him gasp inwardly, not wanting Chihaya to see him.

Damn it…

Her fists were clenching, not noticing his gasp of pain, so concentrated was she on the argument. "You used to tell me what was bothering you before, and back then, even when we were kids! And I used to do the same! What changed now, Taichi? Tell me, what changed?" She practically begged, her tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I changed, that's what." He responded, raising a hand and rubbing his left temple which was starting to ache, sounding tired, as if his energy had been drained all of a sudden, "I was the one who changed." He averted his gaze from her to the side. "I was never like you, Chihaya. I wasn't such a positive thinker. I am more of a realist, -the one who never hopes too much. I wasn't like you who never cared what other people think, whatever they say about you. I wasn't like you who can always get up even when life doesn't always go your way. It was always something I admired about you, and what I always hated about myself." He covered his eyes with his left arm. "I'm different, Chihaya. I wasn't the same as before…"

Something felt wrong, and yet Chihaya had no idea what it is. Her fists clenched and unclenched, her heart starting to beat twice as faster than before as she finally noticed how his eyes were squeezing shut when he removed his arm. She couldn't respond -how does a person respond to that statement, anyway?

Taichi raised his eyes to look at her, and Chihaya felt something twist her heart. The look in his eyes was so full of pain that she started being nervous. For him to feel such a pain… there has to be something else that will make him look like that. Karuta may be a reason, yes, but she had always known Taichi to be a person who wasn't fixated into one thing. Years of growth and maturity had taught her how to be in tune with other people, though she had to admit, she was still lacking in that area.

But this is Taichi she was talking about. They practically grew up together, spent their high school years together. She would know. She ought to know that much.

Whatever it was, something really felt wrong here.

"What else are you not telling me?" Her heart and her fists were already clenching as she realized there was more to all of this than him just losing a karuta match years before. "You're still not telling me everything are you?!"

"I already told you-"

"No!" she exclaimed, cutting him off, "Don't lie to me, Taichi! I've had enough of you hiding things from me! Please, what else are you not telling me?!" she added, finally noticing how he winced, his handsome face twisting into a grimace.

W-What is going on?

She felt her heart stopping as she saw him stagger all of a sudden, before finally losing his balance and falling into one knee. She rushed to him, her heart beating wildly now as he clutched at his head, now unable to hide his grimace and sharp gasps. "T-Taichi!" she could only exclaim as she felt as if all the breath would whoosh out of her lungs.

His ears were ringing, and he felt as if someone was playing a malfunctioning jukebox, turning the volume on and off, on and off. He could feel Chihaya's hands flutter over him in a panic, and his head felt like someone was drilling into it mercilessly. "Get out of here, Chihaya. Get out…" He didn't sound as if he was driving her away, but it sounded as a plea. "Please. It would do you no good to stay here…"

"Like hell I would leave you when you're like this!" She hissed angrily. "What's wrong, Taichi? Please, you have to tell me what's wrong!"

He was tempted to tell her what was going on, but it's as if someone suddenly pulled the plug out of a stereo, as if all the sound had been sucked out of the universe.

It was too much. The shock was too much for his body to take. The last thing he saw was Chihaya's worried face and her tears, which he tried to wipe before succumbing into unconsciousness.

I'm sorry, Chihaya. Forgive me please…

It felt like an eternity that she was already sitting outside the emergency room. She couldn't sit still, actually, but she refrained from walking back and forth. She had the strange urge to bite her nails, but she knew it wouldn't help.

She was a mess. When Taichi lost consciousness, she could only dial the one number that came into her mind, -the emergency hotline. She thanked her lucky stars that she even remembered that one number, because she would have been caught in a panic if she hadn't tried to keep her head. She thanked Harada-sensei's military training of keeping calm even in the most dire of situations.

As she rushed him to Waseda University hospital, she mailed their friends, and the only one who had managed to reply so far was Kana-chan. She had called her to tell her she was on her way already, and to stay calm.

Her legs were still shaking, as she prayed with all her might that Taichi would recover. She had no idea what was going on, but she prayed all the same, that he would be okay.

Running footsteps from the left corner alerted her that someone was approaching, and she looked up, expecting to see Kana-chan. She was right, as Kana materialized not long after, running, cheeks flushed and breathing heavily. "Chihaya-chan!" she called, and Chihaya stood up, rushing over.

"Where is he? Where is the president?" Kana asked worriedly, as Chihaya shook from head to toe, biting her lip.

"H-He's still in the ER, and… and the doctor still hasn't come out…" Tears pooled into her eyes again. "I-It's all my fault, Kana-chan!"

Kana, as always, hurried to comfort her. She assisted her friend to one of the benches outside the emergency room, and they sat down. "Shhh, Chihaya-chan. It's not your fault. How can it be your fault? Tell me what happened. How did you find him?"

In a heavy and shaking voice, she recounted what had happened earlier, -from her niece's check up until their heated argument. Kana listened patiently, her face growing even more worried as time passed by.

By the time Chihaya finished, her cheeks were so flushed and her eyes were puffy from crying too much. Kana rubbed her back soothingly as she tried her best to comfort her friend. "K-Kana-chan, w-what if something is wrong with Taichi? H-He never did tell me what really had happened years ago…" she bit her bottom lip. "Kana-chan I'm so scared. I-I don't know if…"

"Shh, Chihaya-chan. It's not good for us to be assuming things. It's best to hear everything from the doctor first." Kana opened her bag and pulled out a water bottle. "Here, drink this first. This will help you calm down."

Hiccuping from crying too much, she accepted it gratefully. "T-Thanks, Kana-chan. You're the best."

Her friend patted her hand in response, and waited with her outside for what seemed like hours.

Finally, the doctor emerged from the emergency room, and spotted the two of them. He hurried over as they both stood up. "I need to speak with an immediate family member." He told them in a grave voice.

"H-His immediate family is in Mizusawa, and I'm his…" she trailed off, wondering what to say. What was she to him? A best friend? Not anyone special to him at all…

"His girlfriend." Kana-chan slipped in easily, and Chihaya turned to her in a panic. What?! "Actually, his fiancée. They are about to get married in four months."

Chihaya turned red from her neck to the roots of her hair. "I-I…" she reeled with the stern, blazing look Kana-chan suddenly gave her. "Y-Yes. His… er… iinazuke." She winced inwardly at the lie.

The doctor stared at the two of them for a minute longer before sighing. Kana-chan's was a face that inspired trust. "Then come with me. We have much to discuss."

With shaky legs, she followed him into his office. She was burning with questions, but she waited patiently and obediently as they entered the office and the doctor gestured for her to sit. She sat down without a word, her heart hammering in her ribcage now.

"You must be Ayase Chihaya." S he jumped when he spoke. She turned to him questioningly, eyebrows raised. He sighed. "I recognized you from the karuta queen matches my sister is addicted to watch. I am Ryuzaki Ensei, one of the resident doctors here and a good friend of Mashima-kun." He explained, also taking a seat.

"S-Sensei…" she began nervously, wetting her lips and trying to stop herself from shaking, "H-How is Taichi? Was he alright? W-What was wrong with him?"

The doctor removed his glasses and ruffled his ash-colored hair. "He's fine now, I've given him a sedative so he'll be asleep in a few hours. Based on your questions, it seems you didn't know of his condition yet."

Her heart beat wildly, as if wanting to jump out of her ribcage. "W-What condition? Is he sick? O-Or something…?" she trailed off, and his expression turned, if possible, even more grave.

"So I was right. He hasn't told you anything." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Ayase-san, listen carefully. What I am about to do will be a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality. I have to tell you this, since it also seems that he chose to keep everything to himself." His eyes went unfocused and appeared faraway. "He… has never told anyone about this, I would assume."

Chihaya felt the dread creep onto her spine, and she watched as the doctor seemed to be gauging her reaction. "Sensei… W-What is it? W-What do I have to know that he hasn't told anyone else?" she was beginning to panic again. Why was it that his expression was twisting in pity? Why?

"Ayase-san, Mashima-kun's condition is not something so light." She swallowed at the dark expression on his face. "I'm not supposed to tell you but… I fear that if someone wouldn't know, it will be too late."

Her auburn eyes widened.

"Mashima-kun has sensorineural hearing loss, Ayase-san. It was a hearing defect that he had been diagnosed with three years ago."

This chapter took even longer to write, because I've been going back and forth deciding how to write this and that. The end result was this.

Way to go, Taichi. Just great. Hiding something like that, eh?

Let me know what you guys think.