"The Last Time"

(Yes, author likes her new album)

~K27~

Me.

"Remind me…" I sigh. "Why are we here inside the mini theater again?"

Classes have ended and Yamamoto-kun suddenly came out of nowhere to whisk me here in the dimly-lit mini-theater in the school. Seriously, instead of idly watching the performances, we should be completing our plans for tomorrow. I also haven't bought a dress yet. I guess I should just borrow a dress of Haru's. Sigh, I have to spend an extra hour to go there and return home.

Exams have ended anyway. Which reminds me... I've forgotten to compare answers with Tsuna-kun!

"You didn't answer my question yesterday, Kyoko-san," Yamamoto-kun smiled at me.

I freeze. H-he has to remind me something so trivial. Gosh, so what?

"W-what's the point man? I've already moved on days ago," I rolled my eyes, but my words taste sour. "So… you want me to meet up with them after their final practice? That's why we're here?"

"Yup. Before Gokudera leaves, I want us to still be close. We won't be seeing him for awhile remember?"

"Nor will I see you guys anyway," I force a smile. "So what's the point? It's not like-"

"Haru was right. You guys are kinda bitter with each other," Yamamoto-kun laughs.

"So? It's not like it will be easy to just be friends with the guy who rejected you so easily." My gawd, it's you guys who aren't moving on with what happened last Saturday! It pisses me off that my friends are more affected than I am, for crying out loud!

"I already told you the reason why he did that."

"Y-yeah b-but-" I got tongue-tied and kept mum instead.

Yamamoto-kun grins smugly when I just looked on at the stage. Two people were coming out.

"It's a good thing they didn't light the whole place. Otherwise we wouldn't get a good view."

~K27~

Him.

Miura, make sure we don't make fools of ourselves in our final practice. It's not a good thing when we've got people to handle the lights and special effects for us to screw up now.

"Gokudera-kun, I never realized that the amphitheater would be this huge…"

Good. She's making my inner monologue make sense.

I whack her. "This isn't the time to let stage fright get the better of you! And we're not even performing here for the promenade, remember?"

"Well dammit you just made me feel much worse," she mumbles as she scans her parts in the half-torn paper she made a few days before. It was now torn and rolled up for reasons unknown (I never touch her stuff. The book doesn't count!). Now she's burying her face in the paper.

"This. Is. Definitely NOT the time to back out now. Look, I have to make you face the music, but there will be people when we perform. You have no fucking right to have stage fright because this was your idea in the first place! If you fucking make this a fiasco-"

"Sh-shut up! I'm not crying, moron! I'm just memorizing my guitar parts. Remember Haru…" and now she's also talking to herself. I ignore her and look at the empty seats of the amphitheater, all appearing like miserable ghosts in the glare of the lights. I won't be hearing their voices when I perform now but later…

I don't want to disappoint Kyoko-san or my class. I promised Chrome that I'll do my final duty to this class and her.

As a right-hand man I'll definitely make them proud.

I snapped my fingers. Darkness took over finally.

"Miura you know what to do."

"Fuck you, bigshot. Make sure the guys handling the lights do their thing," she laughs as she begins strumming the guitar.

And everything came to life.

~K27~

Me.

Oh my god, my tongue was gone when their mock performance began.

Haru suddenly begins strumming the guitar in this entrancing melody that I can't help but listen to and Gokudera-kun appears and then begins to sing-

OH MAI GAAAAAAAAAADD it's AMAZING.

And then he begins playing the piano in the middle parts and it's time for Haru to sing- Wow. Just freakin' epic. It really suits Valentines Day and I easily memorized Haru's parts.

At the finale I was able to sing along with her:

"Time together is never quite enough. When we're apart whatever are you thinking of? What will it take to make or break this hint of love? So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love…"

"All the time…" Yamamoto-kun joins in.

I wanted to clap my hands in delight at what I just saw but due to situations, I just gave them a nearly-invisible thumbs up.

"We should go now, Kyoko-san," Yamamoto-kun whispers. "In case our excitement gets the better of us."

"Sureeeee," I was dazed by my lack of description and my brim of admiration (for the both of them, not just him) that I let him whisk me off to reality.

And yes, we know the power of back exits.

"Wow," I said by the time we closed the doors. "Wow."

"I was lost for words, either. There were lapses and technical difficulties in some parts-"

"Shush, Yamamoto-kun. Stop critiquing when it's not even noticeable for us commoners. Ugh." Don't try ruining my moment man.

"Really. The music was off in some places and Haru-chan had some difficulties in terms of pitch-"

"What the eff man, let it go! I don't even know what you're talking about. It's just amazing-"

But Yamamoto-kun keeps on saying many bad things about their performance, mostly pointing out mistakes in lighting and music and stuff I don't give much of a damn about. It was just good for me, dammit!

It then hit me when Yamamoto-kun said the last bad remark about their presentation.

"And the worst thing is, Gokudera and Haru-chan don't have chemistry."

An evil smile plasters itself on my face. Hehehe. "Oh I see why…"

He looks at me nonplussed. "Eh?"

"You're… jealous of Gokudera-kun?"

"W-what made you say that?" cold sweat suddenly trickles down from his face.

"Oh nothing. You just kept criticizing their performance. And well, you saying them having no chemistry had me thinking…"

"W-what about you, Kyoko-san? Don't you feel anything?"

"LOL, why do you deviate the conversation man, it's not about me-"

"About Gokudera and Haru-chan?"

"What the eff it's over! I've been telling my onii-chan the same thing over and over now that I've moved on. It's easy since we never were a thing in the first place and you guys were just making the imaginary bubble bigger and bigger-"

"So… you're not jealous?"

"Uhuh. Dude, I've 'moved on' already. What about you? You jelly of the two?"

"…Maybe. I don't know." He hung his head and puts his hands in his pockets. It's the first time I see Yamamoto-kun lose his smile and actually sink into his thoughts.

"It's because they keep hanging out right? It's ok to envy them. You haven't hung out for such a while too…"

"I know there's a fair reason why they're doing it. I forgive that but…"

"But what?" I hate Haru for making me love gossip all of a sudden. I held his hand and forced him to walk. I don't want Tsuna-kun to call me and ask me where I was.

"Haru just keeps talking about Gokudera nonstop. I don't want to interrupt when I know that already because we're best friends, but it got me thinking that- wah, I feel really bad for thinking that way, Kyoko-san!"

I pat Yamamoto-kun encouragingly. "Chill, Yamamoto-kun. But what? Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret."

He smiles. "It's just that I think… Gokudera's playing the bad guy. He came in to suddenly make Tsuna's hard work to win you over come crashing down. And I guess with what's happening between him and Haru-chan, he'd also snatch her away from me. Wah, I sound really selfish," he whispers as we both stopped walking. He places his left hand to cover his eyes.

"No-" I pat him. "It's not wrong to think that way-"

But he has a point. Why oh why did I fall for Gokudera-kun even? What's the freaking point for me to fall for him then?

Gosh, I shouldn't be thinking that way now when I'm moving on now. Kyoko, what are you doing? STAHP!

"Is it really?" he whispers. "He's my best friend. He has been a good person. I've even voted for Tsuna to choose him as his right hand. I know it's bad for me to think of it this way but I already gave him what he wanted. These past three years, I was the one often sacrificing all I had for him. I just find it unfair that he'd be taking that only important thing away from me right now."

I gripped his arm tightly. I can't help but feel bad for him.

I can't help but remember Tsuna-kun from his words.

"Kyoko-san, am I a bad person to think that Gokudera's the villain here?"

Did Tsuna-kun ever feel this way then with Gokudera-kun and me? He must've never told Yamamoto-kun about this, which makes it a million times worse.

"This… this melodrama should just stop," I sigh. "First of all," I raise my index finger in front of him. "You should consult Tsuna-kun about this. I think it's a good thing that you should heed his advice. He's your boss, remember? Plus, he's already gone through this already."

"Ehehe, I've already told him about my conundrum, Kyoko-san," he smiles. "He told me that I should just tell Haru-chan if she loves me or not. And I should ask Gokudera if she likes Haru-chan as well."

"Then have you told her your feelings?"

"I promised myself I'll tell her at the Prom."

"Has Gokudera then told you…?"

"Ahaha, I don't think I have the courage to ask him if he likes her," he laughs. "Could you…?"

"Oh no-no-no my dear Yamamoto-kun!" I replied quickly. "I still don't think I'll be able to talk to him for now. Maybe I can ask Tsuna-kun to do it…?" I don't think I'll be able to handle the awkwardness overload.

"Alrighty then! Thanks, Kyoko-chan!" he smiles enthusiastically. "I guess now that's over, we'll do the final preparations then?"

Sweet Sanmyaku, I've been waiting for him to say that.

"Let's just make sure we'd be able to finish after dark, alright?" I remind.

~K27~

Him.

"We seriously need another practice here early tomorrow," I said after patching up our props at the Glass Hall (the place for the Prom). "The presentation was abysmal. Beyond fucking abysmal now that I think about it."

"Geez you worry to much. I'm sure I'll be able to pull myself together tomorrow," she waves off on top of the ladder as she tacks the moon in place. If that idiot ever falls from the damn thing-! Sigh.

"Don't be too nonchalant or else we won't be able to pull of something passable tomorrow evening, woman! The people working on the lighting deserves a whack with how they handled the middle parts-"

"It's because you wanted the lightings to be exact on the time. It won't follow the exact second every time, dude! They should follow the lyrics instead of the time, I told you! It was a good thing they did on our second performance otherwise…"

"Yeah, thanks about that."

"Uh… what?"

I hit her on the head.

"I said 'thank you.' It was a good thing you had them follow the lyrics ok? It's good that there's real content inside that nut of yours you call a head-"

"Ok," she shrinks. "Umm thanks too for writing the script for them to follow-"

"I had no choice. Your handwriting sucks way more than mine."

"Well fuck you," she throws a box of thumbtacks to my head. The ladder wobbles a little with her sudden action.

"You idiot! Get out of that ladder or else you'd be a no show for tomorrow!"

"It was your fault for pointing that out man. But yeah, thanks- woah!"

"You fucking fool-"

Whew! Dammit, it's a good thing I managed to catch her on time. Only, I wasn't prepared to handle this much weight. She was too damn heavy for my arms and just fell on top of me. The papers she had with her just fluttered in all directions.

"Are you ok, Gokudera-kun?" she pants.

I didn't know why but I just started to laugh. I don't fucking get what was so funny, but I just laughed.

It just came into my head that our days and days of preparations were finally over and it was only that big night left for us to deal with.

Everything… was really over. Starting tomorrow.

"Why are you laughing?" she now asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing. I'm just happy that all that's left is tomorrow night for me."

"Oh. Right," she looks down. "Time… just flew by so fast. I almost forgot that you'd be leaving tomorrow too."

"Yeah…" her weight didn't bother me the slightest as I let that cathartic moment hit me full in the face.

"Are you ready for tomorrow night then?"

"Hell yeah! What's with all the practice for?"

"What about the day after? Will you still…"

"You worry too much," I chuckle. "Surprising, I thought you didn't care what would happen to me next now that I'm out of the picture. I'm sure Yamamoto would send me letters about your lovey-dovey relationship."

She fell silent. What was also surprising was her standing up and picking up the papers… without a sound.

"Umm, Gokudera-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Thanks for everything."

I suddenly felt uncomfortable at those words.

"I should be the one saying those words, you idiot," I mock-punched her left arm. "After all the things that happened, I'm glad you were the one who was with me through all the good and bad."

She didn't reply for a couple of seconds. "Eh… I think we should go now."

I gave a final inspection to our props. They look passable, maybe.

"Yep. Lead the way then."

~K27~

Me.

I didn't expect to see Tsuna-kun to be standing outside the Hall at nine in the evening. It took us quite awhile to inspect the preparations and make the final touch ups. We have to go two hours before the event tomorrow just to make sure we really have everything over and done with.

Yamamoto-kun went on ahead 'to not spoil our moment.' Sweet Sanmyaku, I wish he'd just freakin' do it.

"How're things for tomorrow?" he swiftly begins the conversation.

"Spiffy so far. We just have to make sure. You shouldn't have waited for me too. It's such a hassle and your house is not exactly headed to my direction-"

"It's nothing, Kyoko-san!" he immediately waves it off. "It's pretty late too and you need company in these times…"

"Good grief, you already know I have Yamamoto-kun with me!"

"Still-"

"And you should be tired! The Hall isn't exactly near Namimori High plus it took awhile for the meeting to end..."

"But I wanted to see Kyoko-san safe…"

"You're such a dog," I blurt out. Instantly I cover my mouth. Shucks, me and my big mouth.

He smiles. "I guess I just love you too much to not see you off."

I eye him beadily. "I think it's creepy." He really says that 'l' word to me so easily… Yes, it feels awkward and romantic at the same time.

"Can't be helped. I don't know how else I'd express it, haha. It's a good thing you agreed to let me go with you."

"Like I have a choice. And I don't mind, to be honest. I guess it's because I want to talk to you too."

Suddenly his smile grows wider and forces me to stare at him. I nearly feel myself melting once I realize he's smiling only for me.

"It's about Yamamoto-kun…" I continued. His simper becomes a thin line of concern. I hate myself for longing he'd smile again at me. "I want to ask you a small favor. Can you ask Gokudera-kun if he likes Haru?"

"He confided his dilemma?"

"Uh yeah, earlier…" I trail off as I look at his eyes. "I just don't want him to feel bad about his thoughts. And I want to do something to make everything feel better!"

I can't help but turn red as I break eye-contact. I can't seem to move as easily around him since Gokudera-kun rejected me.

"I don't really mind. I'll call him later about it. Don't worry, Kyoko-san."

"Thanks."

We didn't say anything much after. I really didn't have anything else to say to him. Plus, I didn't want to ask him about those secret lessons with Hibari-san (I didn't want to pry). Add to that, exams are done now, and I don't want to compare answers because I forgot the questions. The meeting sucked all the mind-functioning I sustained after the tests.

"Tsuna-kun?"

"Yes, Kyoko-san?"

"Is it alright with you if I ask another favor?"

I didn't know what got over me. Maybe it's because my house was already in sight. Maybe because I was just caught in the spur of the moment that I had to ask him to…

The tears just fell down. I guess… it's really tough to let go.

"Please save Gokudera-kun. D-don't let him die, ok?"

I was really lying all along. I was still in love with Gokudera-kun. I feel so, so bad. I didn't want Tsuna-kun to be a rebound that I'll just use to move on.

It really takes time for wounds of the heart to heal. Fuck these teen problems.

What hurts more was his hand that suddenly enveloped my eyes. He must've understood and I didn't want him to think that I- oh god-

"I promise," he whispers. "I promise, Kyoko-san."

We didn't talk after as he just held me close when we neared my house. I hate myself for secretly blaming him for Gokudera-kun's demise. I know he's not the bad guy, but with this shift of events just because of this- this Mafia business- it just made our situation all messed up.

Even if he doesn't tell me, he must be feeling the same way. I'm sure he never tells Yamamoto-kun and Gokudera-kun about his feelings to prove he's not vulnerable. It must be hard.

He must be lonely.

I… I don't want him to feel that way. I guess it's my time to make him feel that I'll be there for him. That he can also have a shoulder to cry on, just like in that forest when I held him in my arms.

When we reached our place, I patted him.

"Thanks," I say, wiping my tears and making eye contact. He looked really tall, especially with his uniform on.

"Oh right," he reminds himself as he rummages through his bag. He takes out something wrapped in brown paper and puts it in my hands. "I'm pretty sure you didn't have time to buy a dress because of your preparations, so here."

"Wh-wha-" I just whisper in astonishment as my tears well up again. Dude, the eff are you doing? S-stop doing this things for me. You're making me feel spoiled! "Th-thank you. I'll definitely pay for this tomorrow-"

"Eh please don't, Kyoko-san," he laughs. "Just make sure you wear it for tomorrow. I pray it suits you."

I turn beet red at the thought of what the dress looks like. Gosh, I hope it won't be too revealing because I don't want to look like an idiot.

"Umm… yeah. Take care, Tsuna-kun." This is really… awkward. I was too tongue-tied to say anything else. But I swear I'll pay for this dress, no matter the cost. I'll just ask my brother to lend me his savings if mine aren't enough.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Kyoko-san," he bids me adieu. The moment I see him leave, I immediately run to the house.

Damn, I forgot to make everyone chocolates for tomorrow!

~K27~

Him.

"Yeah sure. Make sure we'd be at Namimori come 7 AM. Seven AM sharp, you hear?"

"Yup. Listen, can you tell Kyoko-san to come along? I don't have her number, sorry."

"Just tell Miura to tell her or something. I don't think I have the guts to do it."

"Oh young love…"

"Fuck you, baseball bastard. Nothing even happened between us, alright? See you tomorrow. Bye."

I threw the phone at the bed and began practicing again. I'm sure as hell that Kyoko-san won't be coming if I'm there. I don't mind, as long as Miura would practice with me after our final get-together.

Sweet Santa, I'll really be leaving tomorrow. Man, it just didn't stick to me that I probably won't be seeing Namimori for awhile, if not ever.

I won't be packing anything tomorrow either. I'll probably just prepare my uniform (since we'd be hanging out at Namimori) and my tux that I'd probably wear until my touchdown at Italy.

My phone started ringing. I lazily took it up and held it to my ear.

"Hello, Tenth?"

"Gokudera-kun, can I ask you something?"

"O-of course! Anything!" Don't tell me it's some classified information! I'll tell the Tenth all my secrets, even if it involved what happened between me and Kyoko-san!

"Do you have feelings for Haru-san?"

"What?!" I nearly swore. Me? With Her?! That was the last thing I'd ever do! "No Tenth! She belongs to the baseball idiot, right?"

"Thanks for answering. See you tomorrow then."

The Tenth is really straight to the point of asking! I can never be like him!

"Uh what made you ask, Tenth? She was just helping me with the presentation, if you want to know."

"It's just making Yamamoto worry."

"Ehehe, sorry about that Tenth. I really don't have any feelings for her. She's a great person, but not too great that I'd fall for her."

"All right, then what about with Kyoko-san? Are you still mad at me?"

"What? No, of course not! I should've known it was really never meant to be. I respect your decision! I'm really honored to be your Right Hand, Tenth! And I've accepted that I can never compete with you!"

"Right. Are you coming to our final get-together in school?"

"Yep! Bye then, Tenth!" I chirped.

It's a good thing he hung up after. I didn't want to remember Kyoko-san. I'm over it because I already know that it won't ever work out… and also… because I've already received something better in return.

But I wish we'd become friends again. I want to talk to her like old times. In fact, I want to at least say goodbye to her before I leave.

However, with how she's handling her feelings, I'm positive there's no way I'd be able to talk to her one last time.

~K27~

Her.

"Sure Kyoko-chan! I'll be taking care of your face and hair tomorrow. I'm sure you'll look divine with my help," I answer cheerfully as I begin prepping up my hair. With this ugly mop, I'm sure I won't be able to do anything pretty with it. Meh, at least I'll be able to transfer my styling skills to my best friend.

"Thanks, Haru-chan!" she says. "I'm really sorry about this. It just makes me feel really conscious about how I'll look tomorrow. The dress he gave me is too much for me. It's too… grand for me to wear."

"Yep! I'll come over there after practice with Gokudera-kun. Are you reallyyy sure you won't come for our final get-together at seven?"

"Sorry, I can't."

"You still can't move on?"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah."

"D'aww, my poor Kyoko-chan-"

"Oh please, what about you and Yamamoto-kun? Any chance you'll confess to him tomorrow night?"

"Err… about that… I don't knowwwwwww… Umm… I don't even know if… uh… hahahaha, oh my god, fuck me."

"Eh?"

"I-" I pause. Should I tell her? Should I tell her that I'm falling for Gokudera-kun?

"What?"

"I don't know if I'm in love with Takeshi-kun anymore. Maybe you were right before. Maybe all I felt was infatuation for him. Hahaha."

"What?! Are you serious, girl?"

"I don't know. Seriously, Kyoko-chan, I don't know now. Ahaha. Look, can you just hang up while I look at the window and sing like I'm in High School Musical?"

"Umm… sure? Thanks again, BTW." The line then went dead.

I then threw the receiver to the floor.

ARGGGGGGHHHHH. FUCK YOU, OCTOPUS HEAD! Die! It's all your fucking fault! Why the fuck are you so retarded and so hot that you made me fall for you?!

I don't even know if I fell for him or not. My affection for Takeshi-kun still lingers.

And it won't ever work between myself and that damn baldie! He'll be leaving tomorrow! He'll be forever single! That's how his damned life should be!

Hasta la vista, you son of a bitch! You broke my best friend's heart, but I won't be a fool to have you break mine!

And yet… I- I-

Oh goodness, stop girl! Stop hoping for something you'll never have! Just move on and look for another heart to stitch with yours!

It's best for me to just confess to Yamamoto-kun. There's also a better chance for us to hook up rather than with Gokudera-kun.

Gosh, fuck you octopus! Fuck, fuck, fuck you forever! Stop flashing in my mind!

Play safe, Haru! Just play safe!

If you swing recklessly for that home run, you might end up with an out. It's best if you just aim for first base. JUST. FIRST BASE.

I look at my lines and keep memorizing it over and over. I don't want to think about anything else. Just know this by heart, girl.

It's best if you just stay friends. It's better than to fall in love and get nothing in return.

Drama, puhleez.

~K27~

"Where The Lines Overlap"

(Gimme attention, I need it now)

Me.

"What are you doing?" my brother asks when he notices my needle and thread doing their work.

"Oh, just making a Valentine gift for Tsuna-kun," I say nonchalantly.

"That's good then! I'm glad you're thinking straight. Better Tsuna than that Octopus head!" he says encouragingly as he sits beside me by the sofa. "If you're too busy, I'll be making dinner."

"Err, I'll do it instead. This won't take long. I have to check the chocolates too if they've cooled so…" I'm not too keen to trust my brother's cooking skills yet.

"I'm excited. I'll be able to see my Prom partner tomorrow, to the extreme!"

"W-what?! Wait… I should've asked onii-chan who his partner is!"

"It's a secret~ She just came from Tokyo. She was nice enough to agree, to the extreme. Master Pao-Pao arranged for it."

"Seriously? She's from Tokyo?"

He nods. "She's my textmate."

Remind me, what else have I missed while I was moping with my life? Damn I should've at least snuck out from my rabbit hole to know this kind of gossip. I'm really proud of onii-chan.

"Wow, congratulations onii-chan!"

"Thanks, Kyoko-chan!" with that, he stands up and begins prancing around.

Damn, the last thing I need is for my brother to get a girlfriend. If this thing ever clicks, I'm pretty sure all my brother would talk about is his girl. I'm sure it's more an improvement than him talking about boxing but still-

I'm sure it'll just make me envious. Still though, I have to put my studies first before any of that lovey-dovey stuff. I want to be a well-known chef, for crying out loud!

Tsuna-kun, even if you confess on Valentines Day, just wait.

"Oh right, Kyoko! Can you give this to Haru? The girl with that awful hair?" He returns to hand me a small bottle full of swirling sun flames.

"Onii-chan, that's rude!"

"I'm just honest, to the extreme! I don't want to see her hair look like that. Tell her she deserves to look pretty for her partner. She should chuck these flames to her hair so they'd grow long. It's enough for one full long 'do."

"That's… thoughtful of you onii-chan." I don't want to remind him that Gokudera-kun would be her partner, or else he'd take the bottle back.

This might make a fitting return for my dolling-up session with Haru tomorrow. Maybe I'd go there tomorrow to give her this and the chocolates she'll share with everyone!

~K27~

Him.

"One more, Gokudera-kun! Pretty, pretty please?" she begs once we finish our supposed-to-be-final practice.

"You said that five practices ago, idiot! It's already good enough to present for later. Shouldn't we be saving the finale for later?"

"'Kay fine," she grumbles as she returns the guitar back to the instruments section.

"Are you still mad about us three only showing up earlier?"

"Tsuna-san said something urgent came up, right? And you already know that Kyoko-chan can't come if your ugly face shows up."

"She was nice enough to give me chocolates though," I simper as I take out the small bag of red foil from my uniform. "Tell her that I offer my sincerest gratitude."

"Whatever, baldie," she laughs as she pops a small heart-shaped chocolate to her mouth. "She gave Takeshi-kun and me chocolates too! She must've thought you'd be envious of us getting the only special treatment from her!"

"Really, I wonder who got the bigger bag!"

"You're skin and bones! She must've noticed," she sneers. "Make sure you have enough strength to carry me for the dances later."

"Make sure you can still dance with that amount of sweets in your stomach!" I retort before pushing the piano to the back.

"EVER!" she sticks her tongue out before laughing.

"You got chocolate in your teeth, HAHAHA!"

"FF- kay!"

We continued teasing each other even out of the glass hall. It was a good thing she brought her bicycle this time, otherwise I really had to bring that fat figure of hers home.

"Oh right, I have a secret gift to give you. Close your eyes and bow that big head of yours."

"No wisecracks," I warn her as I obey. Damn if Miura tries to dampen my mood I'll definitely not just give her a piece of my mind.

"I'm serious man!" she says as I hear her coming closer. I felt something hot go over my head and suddenly felt something ticklish at the nape of my back.

She bursts out laughing. "Ok, open your eyes."

"W-what the fuck am I seeing?!" I shouted because all I see are gray strands of-

-hair?!

M-my hair?

"Wait, I'll style it out," I hear her say between guffaws. I can see her pale fingers brush past my face and feel a comb run through my head. "Ok, look in front of you."

I do and feel my jaw drop. She was holding out a small mirror and I could see my own hair.

"Yup, I miss your bald head haha," she snickers. "Want me to cut some strands to make you look presentable? I swear I won't shear your pretty locks again."

Sure enough, she begins snipping in all directions. I just stare at the mirror to slowly see my old self again.

"What the fuck did you do?" I croak as she continues to cut my hair.

"Oh, Kyoko-chan gave a bottle of sun flames to me. She said her brother gave it to me to make me look pretty, I guess?"

I was dumbstruck as she snips the last strand of hair. She turns my head here and there before chirping out 'all done'.

"W-what about you?" I ask. I was still lost for words at the kindness she showed me.

"Oh, me?" she laughs and shows me a small bottle filled with a minute amount of flames. "These are enough to make me look presentable."

I look at her blankly as she sprinkles the last of the sun flames on top of her head. Her hair grows a little to barely reach her chin. She snips it here and there to make a decent bob cut.

I smile. Even a word of thanks isn't enough for me to praise her selflessness until now.

"It suits you," I say.

She colors a little. "Uh, thanks. You look great too. I don't think I did a good job making your hairstyle appear like before though."

She sure didn't. My bangs were shorter at the front and made my hair look finer and made my long face stand out more.

"It's fine, woman. At least my hair doesn't need my hand to style it for a change," I say. We were now riding past the Hall and back to town.

"We need to be back there at six, right?"

"Yup. I had my tux ironed out earlier. Looks like this will be our last bike ride together then." My tone darkened a little.

"Are you going to catch a train to the airport?"

"Nope. A chopper's gonna come on the school rooftop. I'll be running there soon after the Prom's over."

"Oh…Ok."

"What? You're gonna miss me? Ewww," I began to laugh.

"D-don't go all 'eww' on me, dude!" she attempts to bitch-slap me. "Of course I'm gonna miss you."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. You made these last few weeks the best weeks I ever had," she said, catching me off guard once more. "I'm glad that you guys came back. If not for you guys, I wouldn't have realized what a selfish person I was. You changed me. I'm glad."

I turn to look at her. She was smiling from ear to ear and it makes me rather uncomfortable. She's making my heart beat faster, reminding me of the moments I shared with Kyoko-san.

"Y-you're serious?"

"Uhuh. I'm glad that in such a short time, we would be able to become close like this. I've realized just how much I was a fool for not realizing you had a heart in you as well."

"Me too," I say. "With this, I won't be having any regrets of leaving Yamamoto in your good hands."

She suddenly rams the brakes and looks at me in horror.

"What?" I look at her quizzically as I turn around back to her side. "He's in love with you too. It won't be a surprise for me if he confesses to you later. Be glad I approve of you two."

"Oh…" she murmurs looking at the ground. Before long a smile seams back to her lips and breaks into a laugh. "That's comforting to know."

"Yep, just pretend you're surprised that he likes you when he confesses alright? It's a secret between us," I whisper to her ear before pedaling hard ahead of her.

I didn't know by then that she was starting to cry. And I hate myself for not wanting to know why.

~K27~

Me.

"So, Tsuna-kun didn't come?" I ask, crestfallen at her words. I didn't want to remember the nights before the kidnapping incident when he was often a no-show at our dates.

"Nope. Takeshi-kun said he had things to take care of," Haru says as she begins to use the curling iron on my hair. She said I should just let my hair loose because the dress might not suit me if I style my hair too much.

"He must be having his lessons with Hibari-san. What did you three do then?"

"Oh we just rode around Namimori. It was rather boring without you two. We went to Takeshi-kun's to eat sushi. After that, Gokudera and I went to the Hall for our final practice."

"Sorry about that."

"Close your eyes for a moment. There 'ya go." She then begins dabbing on some eyeshadow. "It's fine, girl. Oh right, Gokudera-kun says thanks for the chocolates."

"It's a good thing he doesn't mind my own cowardice, haha."

"Ok you can open them now. Last thing is your lips to smooch Tsuna-san with."

"T-that's gross, Haru-chan!" I still can't picture myself ever coming in contact with his lips. Erase whatever perverted thoughts you have now!

"Don't worry girl, I'll make sure you won't look like a clown. Trust my make-up skills, promise."

"Are you sure you still have time to put make-up on yourself too?"

"Yup. Ok, done! I'll just pin this flowers on your hair and… voila! You can look at the mirror now, Kyoko-chan. Admire my handiwork while I hurry on to prep myself up."

It was a good thing we did our make-up in our living room. My brother went ahead already to meet up with his date after carefully carrying down the vanity mirror beside our TV.

I still can't believe that Tsuna-san would buy me something this… grandiose? It looks more like a wedding dress than a prom dress.

I was wearing a white, layered pleated dress of tulle and taffeta that was embroidered with flowers in the chest area. Ruffles were everywhere, from my chest area to the bust-down. I had to wear long gloves also adorned with roses and violets and periwinkles. Sigh. It's a good thing that I was wearing flats or else it'll be extremely difficult for me to run around to supervise my class.

"How do I look, Kyoko-chan?" Haru asks excitedly. She was wearing a beautiful shimmering red balloon dress that reached her knees. She had on a chunky necklace of red and long dangling earrings. She was all a shade of passionate red, with red shoes and red lipstick to boot. She turns at the mirror. "I look hideous with this lipstick on. I guess I'll just put on lipgloss…"

"Haru-chan? Should I ditch this dress? I think it's too much…" I trail off as I stare at ruffles surrounding me from the bust down, making me look like an awful wedding cake.

"Hell no! Tsuna-san would be disappointed if you didn't wear that, girl!" she chides me as she tousles my hair to surround my shoulders and back. "You look divine. If they say a negative word about you I'll definitely whack them in the head. They have no shame!"

"Eh, ok then…" I should be thankful of Tsuna for lending me a dress in the first place. Sigh.

"Kyoko-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I like Gokudera-kun."

"W-what's with the sudden change of heart?!" I stare at her. This is definitely not the right time for her to tell me this out of the blue.

"I know but I really have to tell you. That damn bastard's such a pain. I shouldn't have fallen for him but I really can't help it. Kill me now, please."

"What about Yamamoto-kun? He likes you!"

"I-I know. I can't tell him that. I'm scared, girl. I don't know what I should do right now."

"Yamamoto-kun told me he'll be confessing tonight! What should you do?"

"I need your help, Kyoko-chan! Please tell me what I'll do now next!"

"It's not like I can alter your feelings too. I should be shipping you and Gokudera-kun but you know the situation-"

"I know! And I don't want to hurt Yamamoto-kun's feelings. OHMAIGAD WHAT SHOULD I DO?!"

"I know," someone says behind us. "You should just tell him that you don't like him before he confesses to you first."

We both turn around.

"R-REBORN-CHAN?!" we both scream.

"Ciaossu. Tsuna was out since early morning to take care of some business, and I was getting bored. It's a good thing I had a look around. So you really like Gokudera?"

"SHHHHHHH!" Haru shrieks as she attempts to catch Reborn-chan. "I don't want the entire neighborhood to know," she inhales and exhales. "S-so I have to tell him before he tells me? Is that it?"

"Yup. It's better than to hurt his feelings. He doesn't know you like him, right?"

"Yeah?" Haru says in a tiny voice.

"Then be a few steps ahead of him!"

"E-eh ok then!" Haru salutes.

"I-I'll try to help, Haru-chan!" I volunteer. She hugs me in delight.

"Thanks Reborn-chan! We'll definitely make sure things will be fine," Haru attempts to glomp him only to be kicked in the head.

"Make sure that you'll be responsible for the damage you'll be doing soon after," he advises. "Even if you tell Yamamoto first, you cannot avoid breaking him."

"I know," Haru says sagely. "If he cries, I'll make sure to be there for him to lean on."

"Easier said than done, Haru. I'll be watching you all later. See you at the Prom, you two."

We broke into a salute as he left through the window.

"Kyoko-chan?" she whispers. "Tsuna-san told me the night before that Gokudera-kun doesn't like me. Does that make me a fool to still like him?"

I laugh. "You're not the fool. He is, for not liking you back."

"Be honest with me, is it better if I said yes to Yamamoto-kun or I just go with someone who I'll probably not end up with?"

I can't answer. Compared to Analytic Geometry, this problem was much, much tougher to solve.