No class means an update. Hi it's me again! Wow it has been a week since I last updated. I have been very busy with school works lately so it's quite a long time since I sat down and type so here's what you've been waiting for. A chapter made with love~

Rollercoaster of Hearts- Chapter Eighteen

Sakura hummed gleefully to herself as she painstakingly arranged a bunch of her homemade chocolate chip cookies on a plate for her visitors as snacks for it was still four in the afternoon. Suzuna would not be home from her weekend club activities until five to prepare dinner which means there's still an hour to go.

The brunette grinned like the Cheshire as she got tea ready for them. She poured a generous amount of liquid into the cups before placing them on the tray along the platter full of cookies.

"I have cookies and tea. You guys must be hungry after holding those tons of apples for me." She put down the food on the top of the glass table situated on the middle of the little living room and smiled at the two.

"Thanks, Sakura," Kuuga answered as he bent over to reach for a cookie, a smile plastered on his face upon tasting Sakura's cooking for the first time around. That did not go unnoticed by Takumi's sharp eye for he chuckled lightly to himself and shook his head in hilarity over his friend's obvious actions.

"Takumi-kun, you should try these cookies too." Sakura held out the plate with generosity but was smoothly denied with a shake of the blonde's head.

"He doesn't eat food not made by Misaki."

Takumi looked toward the other boy beside him and as Kuuga would have expected, he narrowed his eyes. Well, that was as Kuuga would have expected. It's too bad he didn't. Instead of glaring, Kuuga was taken aback with the playful smirk tugging on Takumi's lips.

"You're a smart one."

Kuuga remained surprised in his seat as his mind buffered Takumi's words. Sakura, on the other hand, squealed and cheered like some high school girl all the while hitting Kuuga in delight much to the boy's dismay.

Takumi couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. The two looked cute quarreling as Kuuga clashed with Sakura after telling her to stop acting like some baby which somehow ticked the nerves of the girl. He pictured himself someday being that way to his future girl whether Chiyo or not. Well, when he learned to accept reality without Chiyo was beyond his knowledge. He just woke up one day thinking like that. But of course, his hunt for her would never end until he confirms her death. A part of her still lingered in his past for so long that it was grueling for him to forget completely.

A faint click of the main door's lock awakened Takumi back to reality. Three heads bolted up to see who it was. There, standing by the doorway, winding the key out of the small hole of the knob, unconscious to the eyes fixed on her was Misaki. She was humming to herself a tune no one is familiar of for it was the same tune her mom kept singing to her back in the old days. Takumi couldn't help but curve his lips into a smile. Seeing Misaki humming looked like serenity to him. It was soothing to his senses and it was as if he was seeing nothing but her as of the moment. And his ears-Misaki's hum was the only sound it perceived. He wondered why.

"Oh? Sakura? Takumi? Arrogant blonde-haired guy?" Misaki tilted her head toward the unanticipated set of house visitors as she hangs her sling bag on the rack by the doorway. "What brings the two of you here?"

Sakura let out a massive grin and pointed to the bunch of apples by the corner. Misaki understood right away. She could never get how Sakura tends to get so unlucky whenever she's out shopping in the market. Sometimes she just worries for her friend if there would come a time when she'd encounter some pervert o maniac for help. Well, Takumi and this blonde dude are perverts but that would not probably count. Misaki inwardly giggled.

"It was a good thing we were there, ne?" The blonde, Kuuga commented as he let show his pointed fangs which make him look more of like a wolf than a human being to Misaki. It was weird how she did not notice those teeth before.

Misaki rolled her eyes at the slight arrogance and smiled gently fake. "I didn't know you even know how to help. The last time I checked, you were being a pervert."

"And I didn't know you were capable of smiling that way because last time I checked, you were nothing but cusses here and cusses there," countered Kuuga as he smiled seeing Misaki glare in defeat.

"Whatever," Misaki said before disappearing down the hall and into her room with a bang of the door.

"What's up with her?" Sakura asked both the boys but was given only a shrug from Kuuga and a second of silence from Takumi.

. . . . .

Misaki leaned her small frame against the white-painted wooden door of her room immediately after she slammed the door shut. She clutched her chest area near her heart to calm the abnormal palpitation. Her blood-pumping organ was beating erratically fast because she was nervous for herself. Not because Sakura was being childish that it ticks her off. Not because she was pissed by that blonde guy and absolutely not because Takumi was simply drifting off in space. Damn, she was getting panicky that she could pee in her pants. Of course, she could run to the nearest bathroom if it not only be an expression of how edgy she is as of the moment.

"Damn, why does he have to show up here? And there I thought we won't get to see each other until Monday," Misaki muttered to herself before sliding her body against the door until her bottom touched the cold floor. She sprawled her legs out and relaxed the tense muscles of her body. She needed to calm down. She needed to first loosen up a little in order for her brain to process properly and find a reason out of her current mess. What's her mess? Well, it isn't actually that of a big problem if told to people but for Misaki, it was the most intricate thing she had over the past few weeks.

Misaki put up the shutters of her eyes-her eyelids-and reminisced the moment that caused her worries right now.

"Help me look for Chiyo."

With a puzzled mind, Misaki frowned. Take note, she was bothering to stretch her lips in a downward curve for Takumi was being demanding. She was doing so because her brain told her to. And what more did her brain told her to was because of the sudden down feeling she got. Right from the beginning when Takumi started talking about something like help and such, she could tell something is surely going to come. And it won't be in her favor. Why? She doesn't know. She could just tell judging from the uncanny feeling lingering inside her. And when he did say those words, Misaki understood though how strangely her chest was constricting her. It was like she was only waiting for an answer she already knew. Odd but irrefutably true.

"Misaki?" Takumi called out as he waved his hands over the daydreaming face of Misaki. She shook her head and snapped it towards the worried look of Takumi.

"Huh? What?"

"You were spacing out." Takumi grabbed one arm of his nonplussed friend and dragged her to sit with him by the corner of the rooftop.

"I was?"

He nodded and flashed his bolstering smile which she returned with a weak one as if energy was sucked out of her body.

"Sorry I just remembered something." Misaki lowered her head so that her eyes met the floor and she fidgeted with the fabric of her skirt, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

"Do you mind telling me?" He asked as he leaned down to get a closer and better look at his companion only to fail since she made sure to look the other way around.

Misaki hesitated whether to tell or not. Heck, if she will, she doesn't even know what to say because she, herself, has not a single clue on what's happening to her. She had to admit she was acting way past her liking. It was so confusing that she just wasn't sure if she was herself anymore. Of the twenty-two years she spent in her life, she never felt something like this before that for a second or two she even deemed the possibility of some brain disease. May it be Encephalitis, Meningitis, or a Brain Tumor, she hoped she would survive.

Misaki snapped back to the real world and away from her planet of thinking and worrying when she caught Takumi sigh.

"I guess you won't tell."

She answered with her silence not even bothering to look at him. But from the corner of her eye, she could see how disappointed he got. And she wondered. Was it because she would not tell him what was wrong? Or was it only because she did not answer him when he asked for help? She prayed for undetermined reasons that it wasn't the latter.

"Anyway, about what I asked you, what would you say?"

Certain he could not see her, Misaki bit her lower lip and shut her eye. There it was again-her damn heart and the stupid heartbeats it produces.

"Misaki?"

A soft sigh of courage left her mouth as she opened them to speak the only way she could think of. "I have class. I'll talk to you about that when I have time. Maybe next time we see each other again."

She stood up, brushed her skirt and marched out of the rooftop in a hurry as if she only had a second to get to class which was ironically still half an hour away. Whether Takumi knew her real schedule or not, she doesn't care. She just wanted to get the hell away from him to avoid having him listen to the drumming in her chest.

"Arf!"

Misaki got her eyes to open ajar when she felt the furs of Prince and Lady brushing against her lap. Her gaze was met by two puppies waggling their tails excitedly at the sight of their owner. She smiled.

"Now you two, don't get so jumpy. We'll play later."

She ruffled the fine hairs of the pups and pulled them closer to her lap.

"Arf!"

She giggled as the little animals squirmed from her embrace and left her off to play together in the small corner she made especially for them. Misaki couldn't help but giggle and wish she could be them for a day. She could be away from life problems and do nothing but eat, play, and sleep all day long. It would be great if only she could. It's unfortunate those things would only happen in fairytales and kid shows and would never occur in real life. It's an impossible wish away.

"I should get a grip of myself."

Misaki erased from her face the ecstatic demeanor she got from watching Prince and Lady playing and replaced it with a bitter one as she was brought back to her thoughts a little while ago. She returned to the feeling she had when she entered the room though her heartbeat was calmed now. Misaki regained her composure as she stood up and tidied her clothes.

She headed to the edge of her bed and made herself comfortable. Her mind was acting up. It wasn't operating as how it used to before. And that's why she's clueless as what to do. She never encountered such internal bodily stress before. Getting checked up by a doctor would probably cost her cash which she hates to the bone. So Misaki being herself flopped down the futon with her feet hanging and swinging to and fro. She stared up at the ceiling and thought deeper. It may add more confusion but it was worth giving a try. Maybe she could find a solution. Since she already started getting herself all messed up, she might just continue until the end. That was her philosophy-to continue what she started.

A few minutes of mindless thinking passed by Misaki and she still can't think straight enough. She could hear the others talking and chatting loudly outside but she doesn't care. She could sometimes hear the mention of her name but she doesn't care. She was not herself right now. It was like some lost spirit took over her entire being and made her a totally complete person.

"Oh God!" Misaki grunted and tilted her head to the side. Straightaway, her hazel orbs caught the familiar yet forgotten outline of the paper given to her by her friend Shizuko who is taking up Creative Writing in Yokohama.

Somehow, a smile fought to make its way to Misaki as she remembered her longtime friend. Though the last time she only saw her was when she was eight, Misaki could still remember precisely Shizuko's features. She was the one person Misaki somehow got close to in just a span of three weeks when Shizuko and Misaki's family took vacation in the same beach during that time. Now, their only means of communication was through the internet and mobile network. But she could never erase from her mind that silly day they crossed paths.

It was a bright day for the citizens of Tokyo in the middle of the hot summer season, perfect for some bonding time with friends and families that the beach was packed up with people from different places coming together to spend a day warm on the sand.

Little Misaki hummed blissfully to herself as she fixed the structure of her epic fail sandcastle. Even when how many times she had already mended the small building carved from sand, the waves kept coming and wash it all away. But Misaki didn't mind. She was happy and enjoying how every wave that comes becomes a challenge for her. Little did she know, it was already getting someone pissed off.

"Hey you!"

Misaki big hazel eyes trailed up to meet the figure of a little girl with short hair. She immediately guessed they were about the same age.

"Yes?"

"You are stupid." The girl placed both hands on her hips and puffed her cheeks.

"Eh?" Misaki stared confusingly at the sudden accusation and straightened her posture. "How can you say that?"

"You're building a sandcastle in a place where you know the waves could reach. Isn't that stupidity?"

"Nope. I consider it as a challenge." Misaki flashed a cheeky grin and grabbed the girl's wrist as to pull her down to sit beside her. "I'm Misaki by the way. You are?"

"Shizuko. Kaga Shizuko," the little girl mumbled as she jolted her hand away from the grip. She crossed her arms over her chest like a mature teenager she should be. "Didn't your parents tell you not to talk to strangers?"

"Did yours?"

Shizuko looked at the raven-haired girl puzzlingly and cocked an eyebrow.

"You were the one who talked to me first, were you not?"

Shizuko could only roll her eyes in defeat as she looked away over to face the horizon as sunset neared. "You don't seem like a bad person so it's okay."

"What's inside could always be hidden by the external appearance," Misaki explained as she too faced the horizon as the sky now slowly turned into the shade of a blue and orange mixture. "You could never tell if one person is good or not based on what you can see. You have to know him or her first before you can judge."

Shizuko faced Misaki though she can't clearly see her face from all the hair getting flown everywhere by the strong ocean breeze. But Shizuko could tell how serious she is just by hearing the tone of Misaki's voice.

"You're like an old hag saying that," Shizuko joked to lessen the tension of the seriousness of the atmosphere. She earned a light glare from her companion before Misaki chuckled not a few seconds after internalizing her words.

"Yeah yeah, I've been told."

Shizuko reciprocated the smile on Misaki's face though she could only muster up a small one. She thought it was enough. What was important was how she felt happiness on the inside. And she realized how Misaki's words were indeed true. You could never assume from the outer but rather assume from the inner.

"You made me realize something today with that small speech of yours, Misaki-chan."

Misaki smiled with her eyes and put on the best face she could make. "I'm glad I could help."

"Don't worry. Let's meet up tomorrow and until our last day on vacation and probably, I could come up with a great quote which could help you someday. Deal?"

"Deal!"

Misaki took baby steps towards the far end of her room where she placed the treasured small piece of baby blue-colored paper stuck to the wall with a tape. She neared it and traced its outline gently with her fingers as she read.

Love, what the body can conceal, the mind can pretend but the heart can't deny.

-Shizuko

"Eh? Why are you giving me something about love?" Misaki asked inquisitively as she examined the paper in her hands where Shizuko's so-called letter of inspiration was written in a neat type of penmanship.

"I told you I would give you something you could use someday. And that someday would be when you meet the one person you'd spend eternity with."

Misaki huffed and crossed her arms. "That's so cheesy. Because of that, I might just think you'd be a good author someday."

"No thanks. I prefer taking up Medical Technology."

"Trust me. With those impossible imaginations of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if you'd go worldwide with your own book."

Shizuko rolled her eyes up to the sky and spanked Misaki's arms lightly. "Shut it. I hate writing."

"You hate writing yet you managed to write something so sophisticated."

"That is not sophisticated!" Shizuko exclaimed as she pointed to the mildly crumpled paper in Misaki's hands.

"Bla bla bla…" Misaki covered her ears as if pretending not to hear Shizuko's words as the other girl kept nagging about her future work as well as the quote she came up with.

"Love, what the body can conceal, the mind can pretend but the heart can't deny," Misaki read as she returned to the bed and plopped down.

"What the heart can't deny…" she repeated. Misaki snorted at herself and placed down her hands holding the paper unto her lap smoothly.

"Am I denying?"

Hooray it's finally done. So basically, this chapter focused more on Misaki. But worry not because I promise you that there would be more Misaki and Usui moments in the next chapter. Just you wait. We're getting near to the lovey part. So close!

But unfortunately, I could not tell when I would get to update again. If I'm not busy, maybe on weekdays. It depends on my teachers. Please help me pray they won't give more school works this week.

Interview Corner: Interview with the Author

Misaki: So Author-san, Shizuko only appears on flashbacks?

Me: Nope.

Misaki: By the way, was that quote copied from the internet?

Me: I'm proud to say it is not. Though maybe you could find something similar in thought to it in Google because I have to say there are some people who think the way as I.

Misaki: I loved that line.

Me: Thank you. I'd be sure to make more.

Misaki: Please do. Also, I received some text messages from random people. They were asking on whether you'd let Chiyo end up with Tora.

Me: Chiyo is Takumi's fiancé.

Misaki: Eh?

Me: That's my answer.

Misaki: You're such a killjoy.

Me: I'd spoil the story if I was to tell my future ideas.

Misaki: Okay. Fine. Another thing, there were some anonymous people asking me on on when Takumi would realize some feelings for…err…me.

Me: Soon.

Misaki: (-_-) You're quite a woman of few words today. What's wrong?

Me: Tomorrow's Monday.

Misaki: Oh.

Me: But I'll be typing the next chapter now hahahaha! ^^

Misaki: Okay. We wish you the best of luck!