Author's Notes: Updated every Friday. I have been working like a dog these past few weeks and it is so relaxing sitting down to edit these chapters. I made a lot of changes to this one to make the conversation flow a little better. My first draft was much more awkwardly worded than this one so hopefully this flows together a little better.

Now for some actual interaction!

The wind picked up right before Yukari pushed the door open to the dormitory; it was going to be a blustery night. For all her complaining of the unbearable summer heat she missed it when faced with cold, rainy Autumn. Dumping her bag on the counter with a sigh, she realized no-one was in the common-room...

Except Akihiko. Perfect, she thought, eyeing him at the table with a magazine in his hand and a few books strewn about (like he was about to start or had just finished homework).

Making a show of carefully placing her bag on the couch and arranging the straps, her face filled up with blood when she realized she didn't really know what to say. How was your day, she supposed, mimicking Fuuka's usual greeting in her head. Or where the hell is everyone and why aren't they here to act as a buffer between us because I don't think I've said more than two or three words to you since I moved in here? That would probably suffice.

"Oh, hey... didn't see you there," real smooth Takeba, real smooth, "... where is everyone?"

Akihiko, previously intent on an article, folded up his magazine and put it to the side, reaching across to open up the selected novel for his Grammar class, "Minato isn't back yet and I think Mitsuru is at Fencing training. Junpei, Aigis and Ken are bringing Koromaru for a walk and Shinjiro is up in his room."

At least someone was well informed. Since Junpei was targeted by Strega, Mitsuru kept a tight schedule around the dorm to avoid such mishaps in the future. Everyone had to let someone know where they were going if going alone, what time they intended on being home at and had to keep their phones on at all times. It seemed to go-to person today was Akihiko, probably because he was stuck in the dorm with a mountain of homework.

Not able to shake the feeling of dread at the thought of talking to Akihiko and simultaneously coming across like an idiot, she walked around the opposite side of the table to the bar to get herself a drink, her mouth suddenly dry. What the hell am I so afraid of? She supposed it was because, even though Akihiko couldn't be a year or two older than her, he was a senior and as such - her senpai - and she had to show him a level of respect that people her own age didn't get. That and he had a refined air about him that was more than a little intimidating.

Rather like Mitsuru.

Steeling herself by clenching her fingers around her glass of water, she marched up to the table, yanked out the chair beside her senpai and sat herself down hard.

"So... how was your day?"

She didn't expect much of a response, but as he lifted his eyes from the book in front of him to politely return her gaze, she felt more at ease. Akihiko didn't think she was an idiot, she never gave him reason to. He was a nice guy, he wouldn't just brush her off.

Shrugging, he gestured with the pen in his hand, "Nothing special, how about you?"

Yukari wanted to tell him about that group of girls, she really did, but she couldn't gauge his reaction. She wondered if he even knew, if he even noticed that his feminine stalkers were plotting to embarrass the hell out of him. It would be a good page to start on because it was something they both shared, even if involuntarily so. Regardless...

What the hell was she going to say?

"It was okay... just... there are some pretty strange people in our school huh?"

Did he even notice them? The boxer rose a thin brow and shrugged; "There are some pretty strange people everywhere," he said, "Why? Did something happen?"

Maybe it would be a bad idea to tell him; maybe he didn't let it bother him or maybe he just shrugged it off and let it happen because talking down a group of love-sick girls was bothersome. Maybe it would be best to just drop the subject and assume he would be fine, even though the thought ate away at her because maybe he really didn't know.

"No nothing... happened, not to me anyway. I guess..."

Jeeze he was hard to talk to. What would he say if she told him? How would he react? What if he didn't know?

Chewing on her thumbnail, she looked up to see what little colour drain out of Akihiko's face. He barely leaned in, "Did someone approach you?"

Frustrated, Yukari stood, the legs of the chair squeaking against the tiles of the kitchen floor. She started pacing, wishing she could go back a couple of sentences and just erase what she said. He was probably thinking about Strega; hell everyone was on edge since Junpei was taken. What she was talking about wasn't so serious, just... delicate.

"I was just... in the library today and there was this moronic group of girls... and... just... ugh."

She couldn't tell him, it would do way more harm than good if he knew. He would spend the rest of the year watching his back to make sure those girls weren't perving on him at every step; what if his grades slipped? What if one of them did something to him (like took a picture of his ass and printed it on a godamned t-shirt) to embarrass him for the rest of the school year? He wouldn't be able to leave the dorm!

"Yukari, sit down."

Obediently, she sat down, her head hanging in shame. This was so not how she wanted it to go; she just wanted to ask him about how he was, and it turned into a conversation about a problem she was having. Usually she was so articulate, so open and friendly. She could talk to anyone and Akihiko was no exception. Yukari felt stupid; utterly, utterly-

"Do you need someone to talk to, Yukari?"

"No, no," she could still save it, "really I'm fine. I just get really frustrated knowing that I share a gender with those... with people like that. Girls are really weird sometimes."

She heard - or at least she thought she heard - Akihiko let out a short sigh of relief, "Heh, yeah, girls can be pretty weird sometimes..."

She supposed... she could kind of see what those girls saw in her senpai as she looked up from the floor to Akihiko's face. He was... pretty handsome. And the expression he was wearing had nothing but worry, which she presumed was reserved for her since her short outburst at the table. His features were perfectly symmetrical and pointed like he came from a rich family, and his eyes were the palest grey she'd ever seen-

"Uh... Yukari, are you okay? Your face is red," he said, backing up in his chair and raising his palms defensively, "You're not sick are you?"

Embarrassed, flustered, Yukari stood quickly out of her chair, "You know, I think I am coming down with something. Come to think of it I've been feeling a little under the weather for a few days now, it must be the change of temperature in the air. I think I'm going to go upstairs and take an early night-"

Rambling and nearly running for her school bag, Yukari rushed upstairs without even a backwards glance, and if Akihiko didn't think she was crazy before he probably thought it now. Stupid, stupid stupid, she thought as her foot met every step, nearly bowling Shinjiro over in the second floor hallway in her haste to get away. A flurry of swear-words followed her up the stairs but she couldn't stop, not until she pushed her door open and slammed it behind her, her heart hammering and her face boiling hot.

Her bag dropped to the ground, she wobbled unsteadily to her mirror and groaned when she saw just how red her face truly was.

Did she really just think that? Did she really just think that her senpai was handsome?

Flopping down on her bed, Yukari furiously rubbed her face in her hands, trying to rid herself of the thought but it wouldn't budge. She was no better than those girls in the library, fawning and swooning around him like women in bad romance novels.

There was no point in denying it; the thought was there and the more she tried to push it away, the deeper it burrowed until it was all she could think about. Akihiko-senpai was handsome. He was smart, kind and pretty damn good-looking and of all the moments for her to realize it, it had to be right in front of him. So determined she was to talk to him that she didn't even think about him as a person, couldn't even picture his face until it was too late and she was already reeling over the smooth perfection of his skin and the pale, pale grey of his eyes.

She foolishly made the conversation about her, so when she finally came out of her own feelings to talk to him, she looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time and found him to be just so...

Those girls were right; he was absolute perfection.

Yukari groaned loudly and turned herself over in her bed. With this new revelation, there was no way in hell she would be able to talk to him again without turning into a human tomato. He wasn't even mildly good-looking like Minato, or adorably annoying like Junpei, Akihiko was just bloody beautiful. Aristocratic, gentle and polite with just the right height, build and complexion and it was no wonder half the female population in the school had the hotts for him.

Now what was she going to do?!

Was that a question she was even willing to answer? She guessed she could just stay on the same course and try and get those girls to back-off and leave Akihiko-senpai alone, but that would mean spending a lot more time around him, and she wasn't sure if she could.

I could just go down and apologise for being such a weirdo... was the thought that followed.

After all, Yukari was well aware that she could talk to pretty much anyone else in the school; if she was able to calm herself down for a few moments, she would totally be able to hold a proper conversation with her quiet senpai, even if she did think he was the most beautiful thing to walk the earth. As much as she didn't want to embarrass herself, avoiding him forever was not the answer, and Yukari didn't want any tension within the group, especially not with their best assault member.

And she definitely didn't want those girls annoying or embarrassing him - if anything her resolve strengthened even further.

Yukari decided that she would keep on track and try to keep those girls from perving on her senpai... and if she got a chance, apologize for more than likely freaking Akihiko out. She made him worry about her for utterly no reason, and through the haze of tortured embarrassment, she felt terribly guilty.

Besides, she talked to plenty of people in the school, she could totally save face from what happened downstairs if she were to talk to Akihiko again.

"What the fuck was that?" Shinjiro spat; Akihiko dropped his pen out of sheer surprise, "Yukari-chan nearly kicked me down the fucking stairs! What the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!" The boxer cried, "We were sitting here talking and she just jumped up like she got electrocuted and ran up the stairs,"

Shinjiro pushed up the hem of his hat to pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a long, exasperated sigh, "I swear, when you're around girls you just make them turn insane. What did you say? Am I going to have to go up there and make sure she's not emotionally scarred for life?!"

Hanging his head miserably, Akihiko looked at the table-cloth and tried to figure out why she bolted up the stairs without even looking back. He was so convinced that she was trying to tell him those assholes in the locker-room did something to her, and so relieved when it turned out it was nothing like that. Did he say something to give himself away? He was sure he didn't.

Maybe she really was sick and she just didn't want him to catch anything. That seemed like her, Yukari thought about people like that.

Akihiko just shrugged, "I dunno, girls are really weird sometimes..."

Author's Notes: Next time, Yukari formulates a dastardly plan!