"Sheesh. You have problems, Haruka," Shuu mused, laughing half to himself and half into the receiver. Haruka had just told him about her fight with Satoshi, and oddly enough, he couldn't help but laugh. Yes, he had warned her about this from the beginning and here it was.

"Shuu-kun, I'm such an idiot, aren't I?" Haruka hiccupped, trying to desperately catch her breath before talking to her companion on the other end.

Shuu's chuckling ceased, hearing the strangled sobs of the brunette. Frowning, he retorted. "Pretty stupid, but not quite an idiot"
Gently, he rapped his fingers on the desk before leaning back in the chair he sat in.
"However, I did tell you that you shouldn't stay with that idiot, Satoshi, in the first place, now didn't I? Even your little brother said not to on many occasions."

Silence on the other end of the line.

"Haruka?" Shuu pressed.

"Yes?" the girl whimpered.

"Don't do anything drastic because of that stupid boy. He's naïve and has never treated a girl properly in his life. Kasumi can testify to that."

"Who?" Haruka questioned.

"Never mind, Haruka."

"Okay" Haruka whimpered once more, brushing away the last of her tears. Yet again, she paused before saying: "Shuu-kun?"

"Yes, Haruka?"

"Why don't I ever see you anymore? We were together a lot as kids, but I haven't seen since," she commented, a note of disappointment in her voice. It pained Shuu, but he could not address the problem right now.

He closed his emerald eyes and leaned back further in his chair, the receiver still to his lips.
"I've been a bit busy recently," Shuu replied.

"With what?" Haruka pressed.

"Work." Shuu tried to delay further details, but he knew Haruka would keep questioning.

"Can I know more?"

"No," he replied stuffily. It was odd not telling Haruka the entire truth, but he just couldn't afford her knowing the real reason just yet.

"Oh," Haruka whispered, pausing in silence yet again.
"Can I visit you?" she then asked innocently.

"Not yet, Haruka," Shuu coolly replied.

"When?" She frowned, impatience sinking into her voice instead of the expected disappointment.

"Eventually," Shuu replied hesitantly.

"Promise?" her voice sharpened slightly

Shuu frowned and contemplated it for a moment.
"Promise, Haru-chan."

A sing-song, light laughed echoed through the receiver and Shuu's heart fluttered, just like it did as a child.

"Thank you… Shuu," Haruka said warmly. Even through the phone, Shuu could feel this warmth reflected on his cheeks.

"Oh… Shuu-kun, have you ever heard of the actor Hayate Shuuka?"

Silence on the other end.

"Shuu?" Haruka echoed.
"No." Shuu said sharply. Maybe too sharply.

Haruka bit the inside of her lip. "Sheesh. It was just a question, Shuu-kun," she replied with the same sharp tone.

Shuu stiffened. "I should go, Haruka. Later."

"Uhmm… Okay. Later, Shuu-kun."
Shuu's throat tightened as he closed the phone in-between his hand and frowned.

"Hayate-san. Time for your next appointment," a man in a gray business suit with a polite smile addressed Shuu.

'Clearly, he's working with the agency. Maybe an intern, because I've never seen him before,' Shuu mentally noted. His expression hardened slightly.
"Yes, thank you. Let's go"

Inwardly, Shuu was still beating himself up over the phone call from a moment prior. Haruka could be so dense sometimes, but she really needed him right now. Still, Shuu sadly couldn't be of any help yet.

'How can I claim that I love her when I can't even help her when she needs it the most?' he mentally scorned himself, following the man from the agency half-heartedly to his next interview. 'This is awful'

Lupeh: Another brief chapter. Yes, yes. I'm sorry. This chapter was just a bit of a hinting fluff chapter, and, well. It helps to show that Shuu isn't going to be a normal character in this fic ;] Yes, Shuu is actually Hayate Shuuka(stage name) , a famous actor at the time, but Haruka isn't aware of this.
Chapter three is fun. I can't wait to publish it!

Please continue to Read and Review!