"Stop scratching your head. What's wrong with you? Do you have lice?"

Gou took her hand from the offending spot at Hana's irritated words. She knew that she should be listening to her friend, but she kept zoning out. She kept returning to that spot on top of her head where that god damn beautiful whale shark had… kissed her. Just the thought made her whole face turn red.

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going absolutely murder you!

Gou was walking with Hana, and they had approximately two blocks till they split to go their separate ways – Hana to her job and Gou to clean a pool where undoubtedly Sousuke would be lounging around doing absolutely nothing but making her life a living hell.

"Sousuke and I got into a fight."

Hana blew the hair out of her face. "And this one is different why? Did you guys kiss and make up?"

Gou's whole body crawled with cold making every hair stand on end. After walking rigidly in silence, Hana glanced at her, and in her utter joy, stopped and grabbed Gou by the shoulders.

"Oh. My. God! You totally did! You two finally are fessing up. I have been praying for this day!" Her eyes lit, and she leaned in. "I want every detail! Was it a hot make-out session?"

"What?!," Gou squawked. "We didn't make-out, and I did NOT kiss him!"

Hana let her disappointment escape in a sigh before she continued walking. "Alas, I'll be old and grey before you realize what a hunk you have. Oh! The speedo! True proof he's gifted in every physical area!"

"Hana! Don't say that! People are going to hear you!"

Gou loved her friend, but she did want to kill her at times. Hana was overbearing and kept pushing her and Sousuke together with insinuations that despite Gou's best efforts she was starting to believe after this morning. Feelings that she had tossed out the window were poking their heads up like little demons.

"I just want you to hear me, Gou," whined Hana.

Gou rolled her eyes. "Not happening." But the usual tone wasn't in her voice.

"Ah well. It was good while it lasted. So why is this fight so upsetting?"

Gou told Hana everything about her friends in the pool closet, the small armies of children, her clever insults, Souske's less than satisfactory ones, and Goro's disappointment. But she didn't say anything about the kiss, but it was really the only thing that she could think about. The damn spot kept throbbing on her head.

"Sousuke has been your friend for most of your life and your brother's, hasn't he? Just make up. He probably wants that too."

Hana's rational words opened a bit of bitterness in Gou's heart. She didn't know what had happened before Sousuke left. Gou met her after that, but Gou remembered it even though she tried not to.

"Most of my life, huh?" Gou's voice came out bitter, but they had to split up, so she only received a raised eyebrow and a wave from Hana before they said goodbye.

She walked slower than normal after the split not caring if she was late. They didn't clock in anyway. She could always write that she was there on time. She didn't want to remember the Sousuke from before. Sure, at first he was an asshole, but then Rin left, and they were alone. She flourished into a tomboy fulfilling Rin's role and her own without any discomfort, but her brother had been important to her. She had started going to a certain spot by the ocean to watch the planes come and go. Sousuke found her there one day. He just sat down after a brief greeting, and he came every day after that. Eventually, Rin was supposed to come visit. She had ran down the stairs dressed to go when her mom looked up suddenly from the table. With a sad smile, she told Gou that Rin had had to stay for a special tournament, and it really couldn't be helped, but maybe she could make it up to her. Gou had come to the beach that day. A familiar body had sat beside her.

"Maybe he's on that one?"

"No. It's too small to carry his ego." Gou snorted at the small joke.

"Maybe that one," she whispered after awhile.

"But that one is leaving?"

"I know. And it's never coming back."

She had cried on his shoulder. He had held her. When she had dried her tears on his shirt, she had glanced up at his cherry red face and a similar sensation had invaded her own. Until like the typical asshole that he was, he ruined any charitable feeling that she harbored.

"Wanna swim, snot face?"

But maybe the anger when she punched him and the feeling of being tossed in the surf by the tall lanky boy had been what she needed. Maybe without him it was harder to smile. And so when she got to the pool and saw him scrubbing away, it suddenly didn't seem so hard to extend the metaphorical olive branch – especially considering the earlier fiasco.

"Hey, asshole!" Sousuke stood up rippling his muscles. Gou gulped. "Who were the five famous Sengoku generals' families?"

Sousuke's face split into a tentative smile. "Mori, Oda, Takeda, Tokugawa, and Uesugi."

"Correct," she said giving him a thumbs up, and all seemed right.

Sousuke cleaned along side her, and they traded questions and answers between each other. There may have been some heckling at incorrect answers involving earlier names they had called each other, but this time they accompanied a smile. It was almost too good in Sousuke's opinion. They were being companionable, but he was wary. Neither of them wished to depart too soon though. Partially it was the fear or Goro's wrath, but for Sousuke it was something else entirely. Gou was there, and she liked him for once.

When everything was spotless (according to Gou who was picky as hell), they collected her backpack and his duffle bag. That was when the silence hit. Somewhere in between asking about which mathematical formula did what and exiting the building through their respective locker rooms the conversation had fizzled to nonexistent.

Be interesting. Be interesting. His mantra was playing over in the background of his mind as they walked down the beach path towards home. But all he could see was the way her eyes shined and the tight grip she had on her backpack strap. He knew she was uncomfortable, so he decided to go out on a limb.

"So… Sorry, I guess. About this morning."

She jerked her head to look at him, and her cheeks darkened to a shade that the lengthening sunset complemented nicely. Her eyes searched his face, and he suddenly felt like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.

"For the fight. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Oh."

The silence stretched for a bit as Sousuke was wracking his brain for another thing to say that might make this inconceivable woman smile. He had already swallowed his pride and apologized, god dammit!

She sighed. "If you weren't such an asshole, I might believe you. What are you going to do if I don't help you study? Decorate my locker with football stickers and rocket ships?"

He smiled. Only Gou would consider that an affront. "You mean dicks?"

"I wasn't going to say it," she spluttered in a way that made his heart race. "You're a dick!"

"No," he corrected with a wink, "I'm the dick."

That was when Gou did something that Sousuke hadn't expected at all. She actually let her eyes flicker down to his package. Gou regretted it the moment it happened. It was – of course – all Hana's fault for her lewd innuendos and unladylike comments. But Gou did it. And she saw that Sousuke saw that she did it, and she proceeded to power walk ahead of him.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Away from you!"

C'mon! We were having a good conversation!"

"Can't hear you!"

Sousuke grabbed her arm, and she twisted to push him away, but her foot missed the sidewalk pulling her and her captor off balance and into the sand.

"Get your fat ass off me," Gou wheezed.

Sousuke propped himself up on his arms effectively putting a cage around her. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! You're the one that kissed me!"

Sousuke was shocked but more embarrassed. His wide eyes stared into Gou's angry ones as both their faces turned red. He was really riding the emotional roller coaster tonight. First she makes him depressed, then happy, then angry, then – to top it off – she leaves him feeling guilty. He rolled off of her and stared straight into the sky. He could feel her shifting in the sand getting ready to get up.

"I just wanted… you to feel better."

She went frigid, and he barely heard her statement.

"Like a brother."

He felt almost high. It was like the breeze was pulling his fear out of him once and for all. Maybe it was the magic of the ocean at night. Maybe it was the lack of the gatekeeper known as Rin. Maybe it was how Gou's ponytail brushed the sand.

"Not like a brother," he replied.

And Gou couldn't move. She couldn't breathe as she felt him in turn sit up beside her. She refused to meet his gaze. Her whole body was hot, and she felt like her stomach was going to fly away without her.

"Well, you kiss like one."

She flinched when she felt his hand cup her chin and turn her head. She swore that she didn't care one bit about how his lips looked as dry as hers felt, and she didn't lick her lips at the very thought.

"I can fix that." He whispered as he began coming closer. The heat from his breath only heated her up more. And then –

"Right?" His lip caught on hers with that last word, and she closed her eyes leaning in and lighting up from her lips down to her toes.

Sousuke deepened the kiss pushing back into her until both of them were out of breath and panting having to come up for air. He was floating from the excitement and hoping to see the same reaction from Gou, but he was disappointed. Tears were pricking at her eyes, and confusion crashed over him like a ton of bricks.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this." She began getting up and collecting her stuff with a rushed determination.

"Was it that bad?" He knew he wasn't a pro, but he didn't think he was that bad.

"I'm not fucking doing it, Sousuke. You'll just leave again, and I'll have to put my life back together without you!"

Sousuke wanted to tell her she was wrong – that he wasn't going anywhere. He remembered the last week he was in Iwatobi with Gou. She had just received her last ditch rejection letter from a school near Rin, and all she could do was cry, and all he could do was not burden her further. He knew it was wrong, and he knew it would bite him in the ass, but he wanted her to smile and just never mentioned his move to Tokyo. Day after day, he forgot. He had planned to tell her the last day – to suggest they keep in touch, but the words stuck in his throat when she said that she was glad to have a friend like him. He deserved all that he got, and he knew it. He had been a fool to think that the happy redhead that had bounded up to him that day at the swim meet had forgiven him. He hadn't even forgiven himself.

"I want to try again, Gou. I want you to trust me again."

She blinked, and the tears ran down her cheek. He reached out to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry."

She squeezed her eyes shut and thought of the boy that watched the planes with her. She nodded.

"Friends," she said.

His heart fell a bit, but he quickly picked it back up. "Friends."