Episode Two: Obligatory Expositional Filler!

"Shh…I have loved since the day I met you. I love you right now. I will love you forever, I swear. I will never leave your side. The truth is…I even loved you when I was still engaged…"

"You…really did?"

"I have loved you every second of my life."

"Uh…Tamao?" She jumped up and paused the video she was watching. "Are you…er, okay?" She hurriedly wiped at her watery eyes.

"I…Y-Yes…sorry, Mr. Usui…I think I m-might have something in my eyes…" She sniffed and blew her nose on one of the remaining unused tissues she had left.

"Uh…huh…" Horohoro turned on the lights in the sound room. "And don't call me Mr. Usui." He smiled at her. "So. How many times now?"

"E-Eh?"

"How many…never mind." He reached forward and pressed a button on the television set. A number popped up in the bottom left corner of the screen after he released it. "Twelve times. You've rewatched this scene twelve times. You do know that all of the editing equipment in here records how many times you replay footage, right?"

She blushed and shook her head. "N-No, I didn't."

"And to think that I came in here to ask if you wanted to hit up Matamune's with me, Pirika an' Lyserg." He laughed once more. "Tell you what…howzabout we talk about this another time and you go out with us tonight and have fun to take your mind off of things?" He smiled.

She sighed. "Why not…It looks like I'm all out of tissues anyways."

"Why am I doing this? So many people tell me I've chained myself to a dying man. But look at us now. We're proving them wrong. But why am I doing this? It's not like I need to. I could've signed off on you. I could've given up. It would've saved me so much time and effort and…everything. It wasn't my duty. But…I wanted to. I wanted…no, I want to save you, Pailong. Why…why…I've never felt so strongly about…anything before. Not about pursuing medicine. Not about working at St. Luke's International. Not even after Lady Sati's death. Why…I always get that question."

She pushed his hair back like she always had for the past five years.

"I am afraid that you will find me to be quite strange for saying this but…I believe that I have fallen in love with you."

Pirika snapped the book shut. "See! Now go ahead. Tell me that isn't romantic!" she challenged, banging the paperback down on the bar countertop as if to prove her point.

"Okay. It isn't!" Horohoro exclaimed while Lyserg nodded.

"That's so bad…I mean 'I am afraid that you will find me to be quite strange'?" Lyserg shook his head in disbelief. "That's so terrible that even Ryu wouldn't let that be written into Europe Roundabout!" Horohoro laughed while even Pirika smiled a little bit, letting a crack in her otherwise stalwart defense show. The only person not joining in was Tamao who was simply fiddling with her perspiring, virgin strawberry daiquiri.

"Hey, Tamamura, what do you think?"

She jumped at the mention of her name. "I…um…"

"Oh come on, don't be shy. Just 'cause it's Pirika's favorite book doesn't mean ya can't tear it to shreds!" Horohoro exclaimed.

"Um…"

"Have you ever read the books?" Pirika asked innocently.

"W-Well…it's a bit…complicated…"

"Eh? How is it complicated? Isn't it that you have either read it or you haven't?" Pirika cocked her head to the side.

"Perhaps she was only able to read part of Critical Condition before her eyes began burning in her skull," Lyserg offered.

"Oh, hush you!" Pirika smacked her co-star in the arm with said paperback copy of Critical Condition.

"Ah, ignore them. So, what's the deal?" Horohoro laughed.

"I…well, I'm Anna's roommate so…I, uh—"

Pirika paused in her assault of Lyserg. "You're what?!" she squealed.

Lyserg raised his eyebrows in surprised amusement. "You're Anna's—"

"Roommate?" Horohoro gaped.

"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!" Pirika shrieked, clinging onto Tamao's arm. "We're totally going to be best friends now, Tamao! You have to introduce me to Anna!" Pirika placed the back of her hand against her forehead wistfully. "Oh, Miss Kyoyama! Your number one fan is coming for you!" She raised her arms in ecstasy, sending her novella flying backwards which effectively knocked out one of the waiters who was passing by.

"And with that, Miss Usui has somehow managed to add yet another reason why romance novels are dangerous to the general public," Lyserg announced into his glass-turned-fake-microphone.

"Jeez, Pirika, calm the heck down! You're scaring, and hurting, everyone!" Horohoro chastised his overly excited sister.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she apologized, rather out of breath. She turned to Tamao. "It's just that…you're…you're Miss Kyoyama's roommate!" she exclaimed, beginning to hyperventilate again.

"Well, yes…that's what I meant by it's complicated…" Tamao said, beginning to frown. It had always been like this. Why had she expected it would be any different?

"So, what are you? Like her editor or something'?" Horohoro asked, half-joking.

"A little bit, yes." Tamao pushed her drink away. "She always asks me to read her manuscripts before she sends them off—"

"You have access to her manuscripts too?" Pirika nearly screamed. "This is…this is too much for me."

"Dramatic onscreen and offscreen." Lyserg rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Yes…I have access to them…among…o-other things…"

"Other things?"

"Well…I…I don't think a lot of people know but…Anna is rather…slovenly…" She cleared her throat, evidently embarrassed. "And I…help organize her things. Just small things like balancing her accounts, helping her with taxes, setting some of her appointments…"

"So you're a make up artist and a personal secretary? Pity that you get paid for only one of your jobs!" Lyserg smiled.

Her face fell and she gathered up her belongings. "It is, isn't it?" she asked, a little more strongly than was characteristic of her. "Excuse me, I'm running late for another one of my engagements."

She turned around, dragging her purse off of the bar tabletop, ignoring Pirika's cries of We're still hanging out later, right? Right?! She shook her head as she pushed through the bar's door, exiting out onto the street. She could faintly hear Horohoro calling out after her.

She blinked back tears, smiling bitterly at how silly and melodramatic she probably would've looked to them. But she was tired. It had always been like this. People had looked through her for her entire life, she had been invisible but once they found out she was the amazing and great Kyoyama Anna's roommate, then everyone wanted to be her best friend.

Worse was when they found out the dynamic of her relationship with the authoress. People would make snide remarks about how she was Anna's little sidekick, her ingratiating little gopher that did everything for her. Seven years of it was beginning to get sickening.

It wasn't that Tamao hated Anna. Far from it. She idolized her. Ever since that one day on the playground in school when they were six. When Anna stood up to the bullies who had been picking on her. They'd been best friends. And those best friends couldn't be any more different, any more opposite of one another.

And yet…she still found herself resenting Anna. Silently of course. Because of…

"Yoh," she sighed into the night air, sitting down on a bus stop bench.

"Class, we'll be having a new student with us today. In case you haven't met her yet, this is Kyoyama Anna. She's joining us from the Osorezan region!" their teacher announced to his first grade class.

Tamao looked up and immediately smiled at the girl. It was the same kid who had beaten the living crud out of Ponchi and Conchi earlier when they were teasing her about her hair again. The twins yelped and pointed an accusing finger at her before proceeding to cower underneath their desks.

But Tamao didn't really have a lot of time to waste. Since, well, it was Valentine's Day and she had yet to finish her card for her beloved Yoh. Asakura Yoh, who was currently staring with his mouth open at Anna. But Tamao didn't pay much attention to how he was basically ogling her blond savior.

"What is that?" came a deadpan, monotone voice.

Tamao blinked and looked up at who had sat down next to her. "A-Anna!" she exclaimed and shoved the card underneath all her books.

"Is that a Valentine's Day card?" she asked, sounding really, really bored. She lazily reached past Tamao and underneath her books to pluck out the piece of paper, ignoring Tamao's feeble attempts at stopping her. "Who's it for?"

"I…ah…um…"

"Yoh." She blinked and looked back up at her. "Who's Yoh?"

Tamao couldn't manage anything else other than a pained whimper so Anna followed where her pink haired seatmate was looking. "Huh. That guy? He looks weird." She continued reading through the card. "Looks like you put a lot of work into it." She handed it back to Tamao who hurriedly stuffed it inside her desk.

"Th-That's because I did," Tamao muttered.

"So when are you gonna give it to him?" Anna asked, totally unaware of her companion's unwillingness to discuss the topic any further.

"Probably during lunch when he's away from his seat…" she mused, deliberating whether or not she should use a red or pink marker to finish off her greeting.

Anna knit her brows together. "Why does he have to be away from his seat? Don't you want him to know that you gave it to him?"

Tamao squawked. "No! I mean, ah, no…He would never like me back anyways so what's the point?" They both heard a chair scrape against the floor as it was pushed back.

"Mr. Mosuke, can I go to the bathroom?" Yoh asked, jutting his thumb at the door. Their teacher nodded and the boy exited the classroom and into the hallway.

"Now's your chance." Anna stood up and pulled Tamao to her feet before pushing her towards the back of the room toward Yoh's desk.

"What are you talking about?" Tamao asked fearfully, completely caught off guard.

"He isn't here so go put it on his desk," Anna said as if everyone should've known that. She kept nudging Tamao forward.

She gulped and thanked whatever deity was up there that Yoh sat in the back corner of the room, almost entirely by himself, since he liked his peace and quiet and illegally listening to music on his headphones. She tossed the card on his desk and sprinted back to her own as fast as she could.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Anna drawled.

Easy for you to say, Tamao thought, her face burning up and her head still swiveling around to see if anyone had caught her placing the Valentine on his desk.

"I don't know why you're so worried," Anna sniffed, taking out a lunch box as the bell sounded. She pulled out a pair of chopsticks.

Tamao frowned and looked down at her own lunch.

"Nothing could possibly go—"

They both jumped as they heard someone slap their hand down on the wooden top of Anna's desk. Tamao's jaw dropped and her face flushed and she suddenly lost the ability to speak while Anna's eyes merely blinked as they saw who it was. Yoh smiled down at her.

"Thanks for the card, Kyoyama!"

Anna was rendered speechless. "E-Excuse me?"

"The card? You know, those things people usually give each other on Valentine's Day? The one you just put on my desk?"

"I did no such thing!" she huffed, offended that he would even think that she would. "And why do you think it's me?"

"Well, I saw the way you looked at me when Mosuke-sensei was introducing you to the class," he said nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head and grinning at her. "And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you even smiled at me—"

He was interrupted as Anna delivered a sharp slap across his face. She stood up and placed both of her hands on her hips. "I would never smile at you, I would never look at you in any other way aside from that of contempt, and I most certainly would not, under any circumstances, ever, ever give you a Valentine's card." She sat back down and continued eating her lunch as if nothing had happened.

Yoh, instead of slinking back to his seat with his head down or whimpering and bursting into tears as everyone would've expected anyone would do after such a tongue lashing, began laughing. Anna paused, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth and she turned back towards him slowly. (Tamao still had on that deer in the headlights look ever since the boy had approached them).

"What's so funny?" Anna hissed, apparently unaccustomed to her victims reacting as such after she had chewed them out.

"Eh, I don't know. A lot of the girls in the class aren't like you."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Feisty and…and funny and stuff." He paused and said the three words Anna would've killed for him to take back, the three syllables Tamao had been waiting so long to hear:

"I like you."

And with that he began humming a tune and headed back to his desk.

Anna and Tamao kept staring at where Yoh had been standing for a good few minutes before Tamao burst out, "You said nothing could go wrong!"

"Hey, lady, are you coming on the bus or not?" the driver called out to her.

"Ah, sorry. Yes, I'm coming." She fumbled with her purse and tried to count out exact change.

"Where to?" the driver asked impatiently.

"Funbari Apartments, please." She dropped the spare coins into his waiting hands.

"This isn't enough," he snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry…Let me just…" She searched for more money in her wallet, only coming up with bills much more than the change she owed him.

"If I were any meaner, I would've kicked you off by now," he grumbled, observing the line of passengers that was growing behind Tamao outside.

She sighed and gave him a 5,000 yen bill. He blinked at it. "Lady, you know I don't have change for this, right?"

"You know what, just keep it," she said snippily (though uncharacteristic, her short temper was flaring up more and more that she began to think that it was becoming part of her personality). She headed to the back of the bus where, hopefully, she wouldn't encounter anymore people.

"Why not Manta?" Anna propositioned as she changed back into her uniform from her gym clothes.

"Oyamada?" Tamao asked as she waited for her best friend of seven years to finish. "He's nice, I guess but…" Her voice trailed off.

"He's a complete loser?" Anna finished for her. Tamao opened her mouth in protest. "Oh, hush, you know it's true. You're just too nice to say it." She paused. "Actually, you're just too nice for your own good."

"Anna…"

"Well, what do you expect? I've named nearly every boy in our class and you've shot all of them down." She slammed her the door of her overflowing, unorganized locker shut. "Unless…" She cast a suspicious eye at Tamao who instinctively flinched back. "You still like Yoh."

Tamao nervously giggled. "Wh-What? N-No…of course not! Wh-Why would you e-e-ever think that?" she asked, her voice cracking. "That's just silly."

"Tamao, that was a statement, not a question. And judging from your reaction…" Anna raised her eyebrows. "Wow, you still like him. Impressive. We're in junior high now and you still like him…how long has it been? We're thirteen now and I met you when we were six…"

"More than seven years…" Tamao mumbled.

Anna picked up her book bag. "In any case, will you please, please find someone new this Valentine's Day?"

Tamao sighed, feeling a bit guilty. For the past seven years, she had given Asakura Yoh a Valentine (anonymously) ever since the first grade and for the past seven years he had mistakenly thought that they were all from Anna. "Yes, Anna but do you think that…maybe…you could…" She picked at her nails, searching for a word.

"What?" They both began walking back to class

"I don't know, say yes to him?" Tamao said hurriedly.

"Are you kidding me?" She narrowed her eyes at her.

"He's asked you out—"

"Every single day of my life ever since that one day in first grade when he thought I gave him that card."

As if on cue, Yoh had jogged to catch up to the two girls. "Hey, Anna—"

"The answer is no, Asakura, and it will always be no."

He frowned. "I was just going to return your copy of Romeo and Juliet…But I guess you don't want it?"

She blinked and studied him closely as if trying to see if it were some sort of trick. "Oh…thanks…I guess." She grabbed the paperback and stuffed it into her book bag (quite an accomplishment considering the current, overstuffed, messy state of said book bag).

"By the way, will you go out with me?"

Anna let out an incomprehensible growl and clutched at her hair in frustration.

"I'm taking that as a yes!" Yoh exclaimed triumphantly. "I'll see you in class! Everyone's gonna be so excited that we're going out now! You know, we were voted 'Most Likely to Get Together and Get Married (But She Just Doesn't Know It Yet)' by the yearbook committee?" He clapped his hands together. "Awesome!" He saw Manta and began walking with him instead.

"Do…you…see…?" Anna demanded slowly. "Do you see what I have to put up with on a daily basis?" she snarled. "Why, why me?" she lamented. "Even when we don't have school and we're on vacation, he still somehow manages to find me! Even that one time when we went to Mount Fuji and you all thought I was taking an exceptionally long time at the souvenir stand during spring holiday? Yeah, no, he had followed us there and popped out of nowhere and asked me to be his girlfriend while I was looking at postcards. That idiot…"

"Don't you feel sorry for him sometimes?" Tamao said. "I mean, he tries so hard all the time…"

"Not everyone will have said yes to his more than two and half thousand propositions. Just you," Anna said disdainfully, roughly pushing the door open.

"Anna, I'm home," Tamao said, entering their apartment. She tossed her purse and keys on the kitchen table. She let her hair down and collapsed on their living room sofa, exhausted. She sadly started at the plethora of half-eaten ice cream cartons, half-read novels and half-written manuscripts that was strewn about the room, the television still open and playing a DVD of Anna's favorite soap opera. She closed her eyes, expecting Anna to come padding out of her room at any second, her hair in a disheveled mess to chastise Tamao for interrupting her during of one of her writing phases.

"I wonder where Anna is…" Tamao mumbled to herself as she went into the bathroom to fix her hair. She hadn't seen Anna for all of lunch, extremely, extremely strange since they had eaten lunch together, without fail, for the past ten years.

"Eh, maybe she was talking to a teach—Anna!" Tamao exclaimed as her friend emerged from one of the stalls.

"Er…hi, Tamao." Anna set her mouth into a straight, firm line and she quickly clasped her hands behind her back.

"What's wrong?" Tamao asked. She saw Anna shift uncomfortably. "Wh-What's that behind your back?" Tamao craned her neck to see what her friend was hiding.

"Nothing," Anna replied all too quickly, sidestepping Tamao and trying to exit the bathroom quickly.

Tamao simply followed her. "Why won't you tell me?" she whined.

"Because…! Because…um…I don't want—" She tripped over one of the uneven tiles by the lockers (the one that Tamao's foot had caught on, sending her sprawling in the middle of the hallway during passing period and fell flat on her face in front of Yoh, much to her extreme embarrassment). But unlike Tamao, Anna was able to steady herself. The thing she was trying to hide however, wasn't so lucky.

A paperback book flew from her hand and fell onto the floor, sliding across the wooden floorboards, and landed right in front of Tamao.

"Romeo and Juliet?" Tamao bent forward to pick up the novel. "Why do you have…"

"I was reading it in the bathroom, okay?"

"I thought you hated reading…"

"And writing and literature class. Well, that is, I used to."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember in junior high, we had to read Romeo and Juliet?"

"That was three years ago!"

"Yes, yes it was. I never actually read it because…well, like you said, I hate reading. But then I decided to read it and…well…" She threw her head back dramatically. "My outlook on life has been changed," she proclaimed.

Tamao looked at her blankly. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I want to study writing when we go to college next year. I'm going to be a writer."

Tamao frowned uncertainly at her. "I…I'm not so sure it's that easy…"

"Are you doubting me?" Anna asked, as if daring Tamao to say yes.

"Of course not…I just meant…well, how else has it changed you?"

"Ah, Kyoyama, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Yoh said cheerily as he saw the two girls in the hallway. "So, I was wondering, do you want to go out with me?"

Anna glared at him and Tamao was ready for her to pummel the living daylights out of him. "Ten long years and he still hasn't given up yet…poor thing," Tamao whispered to herself, feeling rather jealous.

Anna let the question hang in the air for a few minutes before flinging her hair over her shoulder and delivering a swift, yet nonchalant response:

"Yes."

"Eheh, perhaps another day, wait you just said what now to who?" Yoh reeled backwards as if she had indeed pummeled the living daylights out of him. Tamao's eyes widened so much that she feared they would fall out of her skull.

"Yes, Asakura Yoh, I would be delighted to go out with you and to be your girlfriend." She grabbed his wrist forcefully and led him down the hallway like an owner leading a very petrified and unwilling puppy by the leash. "Everyone's going be so excited that we're going out now. You know, we were voted 'Most Likely to Get Together and Get Married (But She Just Doesn't Know It Yet)' by the yearbook committee."

Tamao opened her eyes. "Anna?" she said into the obviously empty apartment. "Anna, are you here?" She steeled herself and opened the door to her best friend's room. She half-expected Anna to be there, furiously typing away at her laptop, too much in the zone for any distractions to bother her. Instead, Tamao was greeted by the sight of an empty chair and desk.

"That's strange. She's always home. Maybe she's out on a date with Yoh," she said, sorrow suddenly bubbling up and overcoming her. She shook herself out of it and checked the calendar that held all of Anna's life in it. However, the square with the current date on it was empty, save for an angry looking "WORK DAY" scrawled inside of it.

"Where could she be?" Tamao was seriously beginning to get worried as she went back to the living room.

"I can't believe that we're going to be starting college tomorrow," Tamao whispered, feeling all of the summer euphoria slipping away as she was sleeping over at Anna's house for the umpteenth time that vacation.

"Neither can I. Good thing we're both going to the same one." She slipped her laptop into her bag.

"And I can't believe you were serious about being a writer! Who knew you could do a complete one-eighty. And to think you're really good at too when just a few months ago, you detested even picking up a pen to write!" Tamao giggled while Anna allowed herself to smile. "College will be fun. We can room together and of course, college boys," she said, blushing. "Of course we'll have to get there early tomorrow morning so we can request to be roommates."

"Listen…Tamao…" Anna sighed. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about. You see…Yoh asked me to move in with him. Since you know how he got that part in that soap opera back in May, he has a studio apartment near the university…"

Tamao was crushed. "Oh…" She had assumed that Anna would've broken up with Yoh but somehow ever since she had read Romeo and Juliet her relationship with him had gone absolutely swimmingly much to everyone's surprise. "N-No…It's fine…I get it…I mean, it'll be better that way since I can meet more people and…yeah, don't worry, I get it." But she still couldn't help but feel slighted since Anna knew (and boy, she definitely knew) how Tamao had been in love with Yoh for the past ten years and she still agreed to go out with him despite that knowledge. Even more, since that epiphany that had changed her into a hopeless romantic, Anna had been spending nearly every waking moment with Yoh and had sometimes neglected Tamao and their friendship along the way.

Anna smiled momentarily. "So have you decided on what you wanted to study in college yet? If I remember correctly, you put down undecided for which career and major you wanted back when we were applying…"

"Yoh's going to be starring on Europe Roundabout?" Tamao asked, seeming not to have heard Anna's question.

Anna blinked in surprise. "Yes…His contract is at least for five years." She cleared her throat and asked again. "Do you know what career you want now?"

Tamao nodded even if as of five seconds ago, she still had no idea what she wanted to study in college. "Yes…yes, I do. I think I want to be a makeup artist and then maybe I can work on actors and actresses before their shows."

It didn't matter anymore. She'd follow him until he loved her.

She finally came across the blinking phone they kept in the kitchen that currently had one message on its voicemail. Tamao rushed over and pressed it, hoping it was Anna.

Fortunately and unfortunately, it was.

"Hey, Tamao, I'm not going to be home tonight until way later because…" The voice hesitated. "I think Yoh is going to propose to me n—"

And that's when Tamao's world stopped.

"Eh, we're sorry, Mr. Asakura…but…ah…" The man nervously pulled at his collar.

"But what," Hao stated. He crossed his arms and dared the man to say anything else.

"You see…when our representative called you…we all thought that we would be getting…Asakura."

"I am Asakura." Hao raised an eyebrow.

"The…other…Mr. Asakura." The man looked as if he were about to melt.

"Oh come now, we all know that you about to say 'the real Mr. Asakura,'" Hao sneered. "And why exactly won't you hire me? Aren't I good enough?" he demanded.

"I-It's not…that but…uh…"

"It's just that I'm not my brother, correct?" Hao stood up. "I'll be leaving now."

"You really mean it?" Asakura Keiko blinked in surprise as she looked at Yoh who was busily eating a lollipop.

"Completely. It's unusual for someone so young to display such talent," Silva said, smiling.

Keiko laughed sharply, ruffling Yoh's hair affectionately. "This is…this is great! Unexpected but great! So what do you think I should do from here then?" She leaned forward, totally engrossed in what Silva had to say, ignoring Hao's constant pulling of her shirt sleeve.

"Mom…" Hao moaned.

"Shh, not now, honey."

"Well, normally I'd advise parents with promising young children to head over to the Patch Performing Arts Theater but…" Silva hesitated.

"But? But?" Keiko asked, pressing him for what he was going to say next.

"But since Yoh here looks like he's…going to be something else, I'd like to propose that I could personally mentor him. I hope you don't mind—"

"Don't mind? Don't mind?!" Keiko exclaimed. "Oh, Mr. Silva, this is truly an honor! This is outstanding! I mean…" Her voice dropped. "You really think he's that talented?"

"I think he's capable of being incredibly talented. Just with the right amount of training and guidance then maybe…" Silva flashed a smile at Yoh who blankly looked back at him and finished off his lollipop.

"Mom…"

"Hao, quiet for a little bit." Keiko quickly stole a glance at him before returning her gaze to Silva. "What about…well, you know…what about…?" She nodded her head slightly at Hao who seemingly wasn't paying attention.

Silva frowned. "About him…I don't think he has…as…bright of a future as his brother."

Hao, who the two adults had assumed wasn't listening, glared at Silva for a split second, so quick that it was virtually unnoticeable.

"I see, I see…So I shouldn't sign him up for acting classes?"

"I wouldn't even bother."

Hao exited the agency completely seething, ignoring the receptionist's warm farewell. He kept shaking his head, his anger growing with each step he took. It had always been like this. Yoh had always been in the spotlight, from when they were growing up when he had been the baby of the family to when they were grade school as their mother refused to give Hao the same opportunity as Yoh. And now this. Recruits and agents always awkwardly tried rejecting him once they found out that they had accidentally contacted Asakura Hao instead. Also an aspiring actor but just not Yoh. I should make that into a business card. How perfect. His lips curled into a sneer as he walked down the steps to the subway and passed a huge billboard advertising the season finale of his brother's drama, Yoh's uncharacteristic brooding gaze laughing down at him.

"Hao! Hao! Hao!" Yoh shouted as he ran into the Asakura residence.

"Yoh, Yoh, Yoh," he replied, bored as usual.

"Guess what!" Yoh exclaimed as he slid to a stop in front of his brother, out of breath.

"No."

"Okay, fine," Yoh hurriedly said, dismissing the negativity his brother was trying to bring into their conversation. "I got the part I auditioned for!"

"You auditioned for something?" Hao asked with mock innocence.

Yoh frowned. "Hao…"

He rolled his eyes. "What?"

"Stop…stop…stop being mean!" Yoh blurted out. "You know I was working on that audition for Europe Roundabout for months!"

"Hmph." Hao stood up and patted Yoh on the head stiffly. "Good job then."

Yoh looked crestfallen. "Thanks…" he mumbled.

"You know, I suppose I am being rather of a downer," Hao mused thoughtfully.

Yoh looked up hopefully.

"This is probably why," he said flatly, throwing several pieces of paper at his twin before stalking away.

Yoh looked at them.

Dear Mr. Asakura,

Thank you for auditioning for Osorezan Revoir. However, we regret to inform you that you did not make the final callbacks. Do keep on acting and auditioning, it is unusual for someone so young to have so much untapped and raw talent—

Dear Mr. Asakura,

Thank you for your audition for Europe Roundabout. But we must regretfully inform you that you did not get the part of—

Dear Mr. Asakura,

We would like to thank you for taking the time to audition for Reincarnation, however, you unfortunately did not—

Dear Mr. Asakura,

Thank you very much for trying out for The Boy Who Dances With Ghosts but at this time we do not—

Dear Mr. Asakura,

Thank you for auditioning for Mentalite Flowers. However—

Dear Mr. Askaura,

Many thanks for coming out to the Snake Eyes audition but—

Dear Mr. Asakura,

Thank you for your Unwritten audition. Nevertheless—

Yoh let the letters fall to the floor. "Hao…"

Hao shook his head bitterly as he threw some spare change to buy the daily paper before sitting down to read it and wait for his train.

He let out an angry bark of acerbic laughter as he saw the first page:

DRAMA EUROPE ROUNDABOUT CELEBRATES SIXTH ANNIVERSARY: Becomes Most Watched Japanese Drama in History of Television

"So, um, how's the…commercial going?" Yoh asked, his voice searching for some sort of topic to talk about with his brother.

"Yoh, filming for the commercial was done nearly a month and a half a go. In fact, the commercial has been airing so long that they stopped running it already," Hao stated into the phone, trying his best not to snap. His hand clenched around his water bottle as he saw yet another interview with Yoh play on the television in the waiting room he was in. "What do you want anyways?"

He could visualize Yoh flinching at the question on the other end of the line. "I just…wanted to ask your advice about something."

"What could the great and almighty Yoh be in need of help with?" Hao asked mockingly. "What, do you want advice on how to be a failure? How to get rejected from nearly every other audition you go to because they think your acting style is too similar to your brother/s?"

He heard Yoh sigh, evidently hurt or tired of Hao's constant barbs. "I'm being serious here."

"As am I."

"I was going to ask you how I should propose to Anna but…you know what, never mind." Yoh hung up.

Hao's hand was frozen around the handset even long after Yoh had disconnected the call. "Pro…pose?" He shook his head and shut off his cell phone. "Yes, Yoh gets the family's praise, the job, the fame, the money, the perfect auditions, winning reviews, and now, the girl. How perfect." He stood up. "Everybody loves Yoh."

"Asakura? Asakura?" the set hand called into the room.

He raised his hand. "That would be me."

The set hand looked down at the clipboard before looking back up at him. "Er…" She looked him up and down before shrugging. "Follow me, I guess."

She led him through a few hallways before guiding him to a door which he opened.

The director smiled cheerily at him. "Asakura Y—" His smile instantly evaporated. "You're…"

"Not Yoh?" Hao had to literally bite down on his tongue to keep from shouting at the man.

The man reddened, embarrassed that Hao had called out his expectations. "W…Would you still be interested in auditioning? Perhaps we could still…work you in…somewhere."

"Interesting. Your representative said that I would be trying out for the leading role."

"I—"

"Would I still be auditioning for the leading role?" Hao asked in a deadpan voice, already knowing the answer to his question.

"I was thinking…more as an extra…"

"Good day."

Hao narrowed his eyes and then smiled as the train doors closed behind him. "Miss Tamamura?"

A/N: omnomnom, flashbacks. tried to incorporate as much Yohna as I could. needed this chapter. sorry guys. can't think right now. sorry for the late update. will post explanation on LJ later. working on chapter 12 of Critical Condition. having family problems right now. reviews would really make me a lot happier than I have for the past couple of weeks. hope y'all are doing better than i am