"Thorne!"

Thorne glanced back behind her when Amber called her name.

"What—"

She cut off with a shriek as she slammed into something—someone. Strong arms wrapped around her, keeping her upright. She blushed hotly as she stared up at him.

"S-sorry, Takashi."

He just smiled.

Amber giggled as she skated past the couple.

Thorne squeaked as he pulled her closer. She rested her hands on his chest, staring up at him wide-eyed. He kissed her forehead, then her nose, making her giggle. His smile widened. He lifted a hand to her cheek, tilting her chin up slightly. He hesitated briefly before slowly leaning down. Thorne's breath caught in her throat as his lips brushed lightly over hers. Beneath her right hand, she could feel his heart hammering against his chest, just as hard as her own. He pressed his lips against hers, firmly, but still gentle. Her eyes slid closed as she timidly returned the kiss.

Their first kiss—her first kiss. In the corner of the skating rink.

She smiled.

"So…. How are things with Keigo?"

Arora looked up from her textbook, staring at Kyoya with a stunned expression.

"What?" he snapped.

"Nothing," she blinked. "I'm just surprised—you don't seem to like talking about him."

"I don't."

"Then why—"

"Isn't that what friends do?" he sighed. "Make sure things are going well?"

"I…I suppose so, yes," she smiled softly. "Things are…fine."

"You don't sound too certain."

She sighed.

"He's…starting to get a bit…pushy."

"I was afraid of that."

"Huh?" she blinked.

"He doesn't exactly have the best reputation."

"Oh, that…." She frowned.

"Yes. That."

"You really don't like him, do you?"

"I've never had a problem with him—it's human nature to do things for one's own gain. Now, though…. No, I don't like him."

"What changed?"

He sighed, meeting her gaze with a frown.

"He went after someone I actually care about."

"O-oh," she looked back down at her book, blushing.

Kyoya suppressed a smirk as her face reddened.

"I'm surprised Tamaki doesn't beg you to leave him."

Arora laughed.

"Megan pretty much monopolizes him—he doesn't have time to spend hounding me about my love life."

"Ah, I suppose that's true."

"Mm-hm. Hey, Kyoya…."

"Hm?"

She pursed her lips, turning her thoughts over in her head. After a moment she forced a smile.

"Never mind. It can wait—it's really not important. Let's get back to work."

Kyoya frowned as Arora dove back into her book. She may be good at faking emotions, able to fool most people—but he saw through it easily. Something was bothering her.

What was she going to say?

Kaelan squealed as a paintball flew past her head. She recovered quickly; grinning, she ran forward, taking aim as she passed the rocks a few feet away.

You gave away your position.

"Dammit!"

She laughed as Kaoru plopped down on the ground, defeated. He lifted his mask, attempting to glare at her but unable to suppress a grin.

"You—"

She cut off, spinning as Hikaru fired at her. She fired a split second before the paintball hit her in the stomach—a last-ditch effort to at least take him down with her. Unfortunately for her, the paintball whirred by millimeters from his head.

"Damn."

She plopped down next to Kaoru with a huff.

"You died."

"Oh, shut up!" she laughed, removing her mask. "You died first!"

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she laughed again. She crawled closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I'm tired," she sighed. "It's hot."

"You're the one who wanted to go paintballing," he reminded her.

"I know, I know," she sighed again.

"It should be over soon, and then we can go swimming or something."

"Ok," she grinned up at him.

"I bet you look hot in a bikini."

"Of course I do."

He laughed, shifting to slide an arm around her shoulders. They sat in silence for a while, until the sound of boots approaching roused them. They looked up to find Kairi and Hikaru standing over them, helmets in hand.

"You missed," Hikaru teased.

"Kairi didn't," Kaelan retorted with a grin, nodding toward the purple splat on his chest.

"Yeah, well…she's a good shot," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"Damn right I am," Kairi grinned. "So what're we doing now? Another round?"

"Nah, it's too hot," Kaelan shook her head. "Kaoru and I were just talking about going for a swim."

"Ooh, sounds good," Kairi agreed. "What do you think, Hikaru?"

"Sure," he grinned.

"Cool."

Kaoru stood, stretched, and offered a hand down to Kaelan, who accepted it with a smile. Kairi rolled her eyes at the two, suppressing a giggle. As the two started walking away, hand-in-hand, Hikaru let out a small sigh. The soft sound went unnoticed by his brother and Kaelan, but Kairi heard it, and saw the slight—nearly nonexistent—frown on his face. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he paused, glancing back at her with an expression somewhere between blank and curious. He'd wiped the frown from his face entirely, but she knew it was just beneath the mask.

She smiled at him and slid her hand into his. He blinked, face flushing slightly, but smiled back at her.

"Hey, hurry up!"

Both teens jumped, startled, as Kaelan's voice reached their ears. She was standing with Kaoru in the distance, her free hand on her hip as she waited impatiently. They laughed sheepishly and ran to catch up, never once letting go.

Bah, writers' block! I think this one turned out ok, though-just some cute little scenes... Reviews are much appreciated :)