"Ugh, why do I have to do this," Isuke complained grumpily, "Do I look like a nurse?"

She removed a bandage and threw it in the nearby garbage can before she started to clean the wound with unsympathetically brutal movements. Haruki winched at the sudden pain, but knew it was best not to complain about it. Isuke's kindness was limited, so she'd better be grateful for the little she got and not ask for any more.

"I admit I'd want to see you in the outfit," she smirked instead, unable to keep herself from imagining the girl in a sexy nurse outfit. It looked so out of place that she couldn't refrain from laughing at the mere picture.

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes as she patched up the injury again.

Haruki enjoyed causing these reactions. She was just so much fun to tease because of it. The eye-rolling, snorting and blushing was ridiculously adorable.

"If you ever get injured, I'll return the favor," she said in a softer voice, because Isuke seemed to be getting pretty annoyed with her and she didn't want to piss her off so much that she left.

She truly was grateful that she had offered to do this for her. For most people it wouldn't be a big deal, but she was aware that for a person like Isuke, such consideration wasn't an everyday thing.

Normally, she'd be much too proud and indifferent to offer her help like that, but she guessed that for once, her guilt had overshadowed it. That, and maybe she did really care for Haruki's health. At least she wanted to believe that was the case.

"What makes you think I would want a clumsy girl as yourself to tend to my injuries?"

That statement was quite ironical considering how Isuke was treating her injuries. She definitely didn't have the right to say that.

"Speaking of, what did your family say when you came home looking like that?" asked Isuke, changing the topic.

When she'd gotten home yesterday, all beaten and bruised, her family had been shocked to say the least. She rarely got herself hurt, and when she did, it was just a little cut or bruise. They'd never seen her get into a serious fight before.

They'd calmed down after she told them it had only been a little misunderstanding and that everything was alright now, though.

"Ah, not much," she lied, not wanting to make her feel even guiltier, "My little brothers look like that pretty much every week, so we're used to it."

At least that last part was true. She loved all her siblings to no extent, but they were real troublemakers, always getting into fights and other difficult situations.

"I never want to meet your family," Isuke stated bluntly, "They sound like a bunch of wild animals."

Haruki laughed heartedly. It was true that sometimes she felt like she was living in a zoo. From time to time she wondered what it'd be like if she was an only child, like Isuke. It'd be peaceful and they would undoubtedly be better off economically. Yet, she wouldn't trade her siblings for something so petty and shallow.

She wouldn't trade them for the world.

"I'm sure they're good people, though," she added more kindly, tearing her out of her thoughts. "After all, they say kids kind of take after their older siblings."

Haruki felt a smile spread across her lips. Compliments from Isuke were rare, and when she got one, it normally either came along with a couple of insults, or it wasn't much of a compliment to begin with.

It was really starting to feel like she was warming up to her. Just the thought of that made her very happy. Their fake relationship aside, she truly did want her and Isuke to become friends for real.

The other girl looked weirdly at her.

"What's with that goofy look? It's kinda creepy," she claimed, furrowing her eyebrows as she inspected Haruki's face.

"It's just that… it was a nice thing to say. That's all," she stuttered a little. She didn't want to point out that kindness was out of character for her, because then she'd return to her old self. Chances were she would, anyway.

"Don't get used to it," she scoffed stubbornly, "I'm only being nice 'cause you're injured."

"You really are tsundere," she laughed. Isuke stuck her nose up and crossed her arms over her chest, making her laugh even harder.

She slowly let her arms fall and looked back at her as she quieted down.

"You really are an idiot, though," she spoke, her voice low and soft.

Haruki wasn't sure if she was still acting all tsundere, or if she was talking about something else.

"Going out of your way to help me. How stupid."

Haruki smiled a little. It hadn't been such a big deal for her, but Isuke seemed to have thought it was a lot.

It surprised her that a girl who was used to getting everything she wanted with a snap of her fingers thought such a little thing to be so great.

"Friends are there for each other in times of need," she stated simply, for she truly did want her and Isuke to be friends for real. All the banter and teasing, as well as the friendly conversations and flirting they did in public were so enjoyable, but one day, Isuke wouldn't need a fake girlfriend anymore.

When that time came, she didn't want them to lose contact. She wanted to remain a part of her life even after this was all over, as long as she wanted it as well.

"Friends, huh?" she smirked, looking intrigued. She twirled a curled lock of pink hair around her finger. "Isuke doesn't really have friends…"

Was that a rejection?

She couldn't really tell if Isuke was being serious or not. She didn't seem all that serious, her tone teasing and a mischievous grin on her face. Also, she sometimes referred to herself in third-person, but that was also mostly when she was fooling around.

Yet, she was getting nervous. It had felt like she was finally opening up, but it might just have been her imagination, or Isuke being nice because she was injured, like she'd said herself.

"But I guess I could make an exception for you," she shrugged, letting out a short laugh upon seeing Haruki's poorly concealed relief.

The rain was pouring down heavily, and despite having brought an umbrella, she was soaking wet by the time she got to the café.

A doorbell rang as she entered, making the staff and the two customers aware of her arrival.

The silver haired waitress looked her way, only to immediately freeze in her tracks. Hoping to make her relax a little more, Sumireko smiled and waved friendlily.

The waitress gathered all of her courage and marched over to the customer. 'Cause that's all she was; a customer. A customer who should be treated just like all other customers. Yes, that's it.

"Welcome. A t-table for one?" she asked, following the regular procedure.

"Yes, that would be preferable," the blonde smiled brightly, but then she got a better idea. "Or why don't we make it a table for two?"

Mahiru took a quick glance around, deciding on a table that she thought Sumireko would be fine with.

"Eh, right this way please," she said, walking towards the table she'd picked out.

Sumireko followed her as she showed her to a table near the window.

She truly wondered how a timid girl like Mahiru had ended up in the service industry.

While she had to admit that the girl looked beyond adorable in a waitress outfit, she seemed totally misplaced at the café. Sumireko knew she wasn't comfortable conversing with a lot of people, so what was she even doing here?

"What are you doing here, Hanabusa-san?" She jumped at the voice, having completely forgotten about their conversation, if you could even call it that.

Mahiru immediately regretted asking. Upon seeing the surprised look on Sumireko's face, she blushed and looked down.

"S-sorry! That was rude of me…" she muttered. She probably didn't have the right to ask, but she couldn't understand why the girl would be wandering around in the rain like that, or come to a café all by herself, for that matter.

Sumireko glanced out of the window. She hadn't even thought about that…

She'd wanted to talk to Mahiru so much she'd gone out in the rain and visited her at work, but she couldn't just confess to that. That would be creepy, and it would most definitely scare the girl even more.

"I…" she began, trying to come up with a believable excuse, "I was already out when it started raining, and so I decided to take shelter here for a while."

Yeah, that seemed reasonable enough. The explanation seemed to put Mahiru at ease.

"Um… Would you like to order right away?" she waitress continued nervously, still unable to look directly at her.

"Yes. I'd just like a cup of green tea, please," she replied as she sat down in her chair. After hearing this, she basically ran back to the kitchen to get the tea.

Sumireko rested her head in her palm and looked out of the window as she waited. The streets were empty. Of course, any sane person would stay indoors in this weather.

What had possessed her to come here, again?

She could have very well waited until tomorrow. She'd see Mahiru at school then.

What had made her go was a sudden gush of sheer determination. She'd thought about it for months now, but had never been able to gather up the courage, but that day, she'd suddenly felt ready to do it. She'd decided that she'd ask Mahiru out.

She would have wanted to choose a better time and place, but she was scared that if she waited for too long, her newfound courage would fade away.

"H-here you go." For the second time, Sumireko jumped in her seat. The abrupt movement caused the other girl to back away a few steps, before returning to place the cup of tea carefully on the table.

"Thank you, Mahiru-san," she smiled appreciatively, "Say, would you happen to have a moment?"

The waitress tensed up, shaking her head furiously.

"I'm working; I can't," she rushed.

She kept her cool as she gave the boss at the counter a questioning look. The middle aged man smiled and gestured for his worker to settle down and take a break.

Unwillingly, she took a seat opposite to the blonde, who smiled triumphantly and sipped her tea.

"This is quite the cozy place," she complimented, looking around. Sure, for the daughter of an important business company, it was low standard, but she found herself liking the small café nonetheless.

"Yes, it is," Mahiru agreed with a small smile, seemingly starting to relax.

"Perhaps I should visit more often," she thought out loud. She wanted to ease the tension before getting to the point, because she had a feeling that a too direct approach wouldn't work too well with someone like her.

"You should. I-I mean, if you want to," she added nervously. She quite enjoyed Sumireko's company, which was a rare thing for her, but she was always scared of saying the wrong thing.

"It's nice to know I'm wanted," she smiled, "Maybe I will."

She took another sip of tea while thinking about what she should say next.

"It's such a pity that you and I don't spend more time together, Mahiru-san."

"Why is that?" the scarred girl replied uncertainly. She didn't mean to sound rude; she simply didn't want any misunderstandings to occur.

"Because I find you pleasant to be around. Such good company is rare to come across," stated Sumireko honestly. There weren't many people her age that she got along well with, so she didn't have many friends at school. She could strike a friendly conversation with one of her classmates now and then, but didn't have any deeper relations than that.

"Yes, I know what you mean," Mahiru nodded, her eyes now meeting hers. She even held her gaze for a long while, which Sumireko assumed was a good thing. It felt like they were making immense progress over a short period of time.

"Would you maybe like to drink tea with me sometime?" she proposed, trying to sound casual. She would most like to ask her on a real date, but that was way too forwards.

The silver haired girl broke eye-contact with her, her face turning red.

"Ah, I… Um… I really," she stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence. It took some time, but Sumireko finally figured that the girl's senseless babbling was meant to be a no.

"Then… How about we do something else?" she asked, not wanting to give up that easily, "We could go to dinner somewhere, or see a movie, maybe go to a fashion show, or-"

She stopped upon seeing Mahiru's shocked expression.

"T-That sounds like… like a d-date," she whispered, gazing intensely down at the surface of the table.

She hadn't meant to say it like that; it had slipped out by accident. Now she could only hope it wouldn't frighten her…

"I assume…" she trailed off with a nervous laugh.

Mahiru stood up abruptly.

"I really shouldn't," she stated, her voice stronger now than Sumireko had ever heard it before, "I'm sorry."

It took a while before the impact of what Mahiru had just said hit her. She'd been flat out rejected. For once, there was no hesitation in the shy girl's voice. She had made up her mind about it. To her, saying she wouldn't go out with Sumireko was as much of a fact as saying the grass was green.

For a long time, she'd gone around daydreaming about asking her out, and she hadn't done it because she was afraid of being rejected, but never in any of her fantasies had it hurt this much.

She had to get out. Now.

"Well, at least I put myself out there," she laughed lightheartedly. If anything, she didn't want Mahiru to think she was hurt. It'd damage her pride as well as worrying Mahiru, and she didn't want that.

She got up from her seat and put her coat back on. It was still dripping wet from the rain.

"Are you leaving?" asked the waitress, now back to her old self, "I-It's still raining…"

"My clothes are already soaking, so it doesn't get much worse," she claimed, putting on her best smile. Years of attending boring business meetings and formal gatherings she didn't want to take part in had made her a master in the art of faking happiness.

She just had to fake it, like she always had.

How very tired she was of doing just that, though. She wanted to be herself for once, and she'd always felt like she could do that around Mahiru. It was like they had some sort of understanding, she'd always thought.

But perhaps that had been one-sided, just like her feelings.

She stepped out in the chilly afternoon air, cold water running down her face.

The streets were still empty, and she was just as lonely as she'd always been.

At least now she wouldn't have to fake a smile, though, because the rain could hide her tears.

"Yo, Fuyuka," greeted Haruki as she entered the kitchen, dropping a shopping bag on the bench. She took the groceries out of the bag and began putting them in place. Some ended in the cupboard, others in the tiny fridge, and the rest remained on the bench due to lack of room.

She found it odd how her sister, who was usually polite even to her family, didn't greet her back, so she turned to look at her.

She was sitting on the floor of their combined living room and kitchen, a bunch of letters spread across the floor in front of her. She was gazing down at them, her face hidden by her hair.

Haruki strolled over and sat down opposite to her, glancing down at the mess.

"What's this?"

Her sister peeked up at her through locks of brown hair. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were bright pink. Her face was dry now, but it was clear that she'd been crying just recently.

"I sent the kids out to play," Fuyuka muttered under her breath, not trusting her voice fully. It was still shaking after her crying.

"What? Why?" Haruki was starting to get worried now.

She tried her best to ignore the sneaking suspicion in the back of her mind, not wanting it to be true. It couldn't be true. Not now, when things were going so well for them.

"Fuyuka…" she whispered, picking up some of the letters. She didn't bother to open them, or even check the address they were sent from. She could tell what they were from her sister's reaction. "These are…"

Her voice died out mid-sentence.

"Bills," she finished for her, nodding in confirmation. The older girl let the pieces of paper fall back onto the floor.

"All of them?"

There was no need to answer. She already knew.

Just a couple of days earlier, her long since forgotten dream about buying a table for her family, so they could all eat together, had presented itself to her from nowhere. With the money from Isuke, they'd be able to afford it rather soon, she had thought.

She'd smiled to herself that night, as she thought about enjoying a large meal with her family gathered around a table.

She smiled even as she fell asleep, and she had dreamed about it.

And now…

"Just… Just how bad is it?" she forced herself to ask after a painfully long silence.

"I thought about asking around, maybe I can find someone who will babysit for free and then get a part-time job, but even then…" Fuyuka explained, closing her eyes to keep more tears from falling.

"I could take on another one."

"Don't you have two already?" she asked, obviously not wanting her sister to work even more.

True, technically she had two jobs. Her deal with Isuke, and a weekend job at a grocery store, but she could work in the afternoon and still have some time for Isuke, she hoped.

"We'll figure something out," she promised, not quite believing herself.

Fuyuka leaned forwards, wrapping her arms around her sister's waist and burrowing her face in her hair. Haruki rested her head on top of Fuyuka's, grateful that the younger girl couldn't see the lone tear that rolled down her cheek.

Wow, we hit a 100 reviews with the last chapter! You're all awesome and thank you so much for reading.

So this chapter explored a bit more of Mahiru's and Sumireko's relationship, which just took a dark turn. You'll see why I made it like that in a couple of chapters, though. But fear not, it'll all be alright in the end (I think xD)

I have a plot and a lot of plans for a Mahiru/Sumireko fanfic, but I don't know if I should work on two stories at the same time, so I was thinking I'd start writing when we start nearing the end of this one. (But by the time, the anime will have ended and I don't know if there'll be a lot of people remaining in the fandom. If there are, though, I will most likely write it.)

And Haruki's family are back to struggling, so we'll see what they do about that.

Might or might not be a little wait for the next chapter, as I have a pretty important test this week, but it is also the last one before the vacation starts.