"Don't look." Fuyuhiko leaned over, whispering into Hajime's ear as they sat at one of the many tables in the restaurant. Their three other friends were sitting near eachother a few feet away, making small talk. He turned his head, raising a brow to show how much he had understood that statement.

"Don't look at what?" he whispered back after swallowing a mouth full of food. They played out their private conversation as smooth as possible, the topic of interest still in the air. Fuyuhiko took a sip of water, before bringing another bite to his mouth, speaking as he did so.

"Owari's starin' at you." a wave of heat slapped him in the face. Fuyuhiko caught the change in his composure, coughing to suppress his laughter. From his seat, Hajime could see Akane from the edge of his peripheral vision. Pure curiosity is what urged him to turn his head. "I said don't look, you moron."

He was prodded in his side with an elbow, his head staying in its current position, watching his hand needlessly toss food around on his plate. He took a bite, chewing slowly and without interest.

"How can you tell?" he probes for information, his whispers dancing on the thin line of secrecy. Fuyuhiko leans back, stretching against his chair so that his head was closer to Hajime's ear.

"She's not eating. At all." what was that supposed to mean? He showed his confusion by making a face, only receiving a few muffled curse words as a response. "Her plate is still full, you fucking genius. She's too preoccupied with looking at your damn face."

Hajime grunted as Fuyuhiko quickly stomped on his foot. He turned his head as he retaliated by copying his action. After that his body had succumbed to his overwhelming curiosity, and he shifted his vision towards her direction.

Their eyes met instantly. And in that instant, all of his nervous hopes had jumped out of hiding. At the moment, all that could be felt by him was warmth. His chest flared up as the fires within rekindled themselves. Slowly, he could feel his anxieties begin to fill his head again.

"You know there is such a thing as waiting too long." Hajime's head turned back towards Fuyuhiko when his words reached him. After exchanging a few remarks, he couldn't help but look back at Akane.

At her seat, having been discovered, she tried putting on a façade by attacking the food on her plate. The blush on her face had stayed behind as she ate, her eyes struggling to keep from looking back at him.

He took this chance to get up and leave the room. Saying nothing he took his leave, walking out of the hotel grounds. He needed to be alone, to relax. He walked towards the beach.

High tide was starting to roll in. The sky was filled with bright clusters of stars, lighting the night sky. Hajime sat down in the soft, comfortable sand, his back against a palm tree as he stared out at the waves.

He had been at the beach since he left the restaurant. Sitting there , he drifted in and out of a light sleep, trying to ignore the thoughts that had returned to him. He would just have to try harder, so that matters like this wouldn't phase him.

"I don't know what to do anymore." he sighed heavily, closing his eyes. The cold night air greatly contrasts the heat coming from his body. It brought a rather odd sense of comfort, as he started to shiver. He settled further into the sand below, using the sound of the waves to help him relax. He had decided that it would be best to forget about all of this until a later date.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Besides knocking him out, no I don't think you have."

"He's been avoiding me for two weeks now. I must've done something."

"Akane, you did nothing wrong. Why don't you just try and relax, and think about this logically."

"That's what I've been doin'. And all that's done is confuse me."

"Well...what is it that's confusing you?"

"I think...I..."

"It's alright, you don't have to say it. I understand."

"I don't know what to do anymore."

Akane slouched over, holding her head up in her hands. Next to her, Sonia tried to comfort her as best as she could, patting her back with her left palm. The two girls had been talking for some time, not reaching any sort of conclusion.

"I think you just have to talk to him." Sonia threw out her advice bluntly. Sitting on that advice Akane wondered if that was all she could do. Of course, a solution for this type of dilemma wasn't easy to find. And, any solutions that could be found, were not always as simple as they may have sounded.

"I don't think I can do that..." she denied the thought almost immediately. This song and dance was beginning to become tiresome. This endless cycle of hope followed by doubt. "If he rejects me..."

"Well, in the end, this is up to you and him." Sonia stood up, patting Akane on the top of her head. "Try not to think about it so much. You're just stressing yourself out. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Akane."

"Yeah, see ya later..." Akane got up, locking her door as her friend departed for the night. Alone again, she throws her body onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow and groaning as loud as possible.

"I've never felt so weak before..."