A/N: Wow, I haven't updated this in so long. There really isn't any excuse to why I haven't. But I do want to have this story done by the end of the year so look to more frequent updates, especially throughout the summer! But you've waited long enough, so to the story!

Enjoy

I don't own Kodocha or any of its contents.

'Thoughts'
"Speech"
"Flashback/Dream"

Life As We Know It

-O-

Chapter 5: Decision

-O-

"I'm not really a big fan of change."
–Dorinda, Cheetah Girls

-O-

There was more to him than she had initially thought, Sana concluded.

As she sat at her usual spot with her friends in the cafeteria, the auburn haired teenager pondered on that thought. It was odd, seeing him help that little girl the other day. She figured someone as aloof, as stoic, as passive as he was wouldn't spare time to help a child. It was almost… sweet.

Sana frowned though, in her train of thoughts. The jerk ended up showing his true colors in the end, being rude to the mother, probably making her feel worse about losing her daughter.

Though, the auburn supposed the Haya-jerk had a point.

She really should have been paying attention to her daughter more.

"Sana-chan, you in there?"

Said girl blinked once, twice, before she fully understood what was going on.

"Eh?"

"Earth to Kurata! Earth to Kurata!" Sana looked up to see her best friend staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

"What? What'd I miss?" She asked, clearly broken from her thoughts.

Fuka was wearing this annoyed look, where she scrunched her brows together and her lip curled in slightly annoyance. Sana didn't appreciate the disapproving look she was receiving. It wasn't like she did anything necessarily bad.

"Oh Sana-chan," Aya sighed with a slight giggle, "I was asking if you'd become accustomed to Jinbou already?"

Sana formed a small "o" with her mouth, then smiled. "Yeah! It's great here! Everyone is really nice and they've all been great to me! The only complaint besides my stupid math class that is, is the Haya-jerk, but even then, I wouldn't necessarily say that he was awful."

The auburn haired teenager watched as everyone in the group raised a brow at that comment. As far as they were all concerned, Sana hated the young Hayama's guts. What changed that? They had no idea. But they had a feeling they were about to hear from her.

"Whoa, did I hear that right? Did you just say that Hayama wasn't that bad?" Fuka asked with wide eyes and a look of astonishment in her eyes.

Sana shrugged. "Yeah, he isn't that bad. A little rough around the edges but not a bad guy. He definitely needs an attitude adjustment and maybe to come off his pedestal, but I wouldn't say I hated him."

Fuka casted the auburn haired girl a quizzical glance, confused greatly by the words coming from her. Last time Fuka checked, Sana despised Akito.

When did that change?

"Anyway, we have a dilemma guys." The auburn haired girl pouted as she sighed, laying her chin on the cafeteria table. "I can't figure out my math homework! Fuka! Please help me before I fail and can't get out of third year!" Sana cried out to her best friend as dramatically began to cry. The entire table began to laugh at the auburn haired girl's childish antics and Fuka began to complain Sana's incompetence's.

As the group of 3rd years sat amongst themselves, Ayame Hayama watched with an amused smile. When the youngest Hayama's eyes fell on the new girl, Kurata Sana, she couldn't help but feel hopeful. There was something about Kurata Sana that intrigued Hayama Ayame. And the blonde haired girl wouldn't deny that she admired Sana's outgoing and strong personality. She had always wished she could be straightforward, but it was hard.

Especially when you had an older brother who didn't care about you.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or are you checking out the new third year, Kurata Sana?" The blonde jumped slightly at the voice next to her ear. Ayame turned to see her silver haired best friend since elementary school, Kotetsu Kyo. Kyo had emerald green eyes and a very goofy smile. Always very popular in class, he was very outgoing and kind towards others.

"Of course not, you baka." Ayame rolled her eyes with a smile. "I just admire her, that's all."

"She's kinda hot." She punched her best friend in the shoulder.

"Ow! Violent!" Kyo commented.

"Don't call Sana-chan hot. It's weird."

The two found an empty table in the cafeteria and sat down as Kyo struck up an entirely different conversation. He had a knack for doing that. Whenever things got weird or tense, the boy with green eyes always managed to make it okay to breathe again. And Ayame appreciated that.

"So how did you meet the new third year?" Kyo asked as he took a bite into his sandwich.

"I bumped into her on the way to class one morning." Ayame giggled as she recalled the memory, "Later in the day, I found out she knew Tsuyoshi-kun and Hiro-san. And she knew Oni-san too."

Kyo frowned, putting his sandwich down. He glared slightly, turning away from the blonde Hayama. Because Kyo had known Ayame almost his entire life, he knew about how the oldest Hayama was cold and detached from his little sister.

And it grated his nerves.

The silver haired boy had met the oldest of the Hayama siblings back in middle school. The third year hadn't become so reserved and apathetic towards Ayame at that point yet. It wasn't until Ayame was 11 and her older brother 14 that their entire life changed.

And Kyo had been there for a majority of it.

A sense of protectiveness always encompassed the young man when it came to Hayama Ayame. He vowed to always protect her, shield her, and be there for her whenever she needed him. Unlike her older brother, who essentially abandoned her.

Ayame watched as her best friend grew silent. Whenever her older brother was mentioned, the silver haired boy reacted in two ways: outrage or silence. Kyo was always vocal with his opinions and shared his thoughts with her, which is why she loved having him around. The boy never lied to her and was always brutally honest.

She knew her best friend didn't like her older brother. That was plainly obvious. Though, he had good reason. Even the youngest Hayama had a solid reason for not liking her brother, but he was family. And she wouldn't abandon him.

Even if he abandoned her.

"Ayame-chan!" Both first years looked up to see Kurata Sana running at them with a grin on her face. Behind her, Fuka, Tsuyoshi, and Aya followed suit.

"Hi everyone!" She greeted.

"Why didn't you eat lunch with us? I was looking around for you all day you silly girl!" Sana laughed as she ruffled the young blonde's head. Ayame shrieked slightly.

"Hey Kyo-kun! How are you?" Sana could hear Tsuyoshi ask to the boy sitting across from her. A devilish smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, I get it. Ayame-chan wanted to have lunch with her boyfriend. Geeze, you should have just said that!"

At that comment, Ayame and the silver haired boy sitting across from her turned bright red. Behind her, Sana could hear Aya giggle and Tsuyoshi laugh. Fuka commented "Idiot," under her breathe, like usual. The auburn haired teenager looked around, confused by everyone's reactions.

"Sana-chan, Kyo isn't my boyfriend." Ayame said as she laughed, "He is my best friend!"

"Yeah, you baka!" That's when Fuka proceeded to chop Sana on her head, an annoyed glared settled on her usually laid back face. "Don't just make assumptions like that."

The hazel eyed teenager turned to her best friend with a pout. "Was it really necessary to hit me!?"

The two teenagers began to quarrel, which was an everyday thing between the two girls. Ayame watched with amusement and Kyo was somewhat shocked at the interactions between the third years. From what's he heard from Ayame and the other student's at Jinbou High School, Sana was not what he expected.

He had known Fuka, Tsuyoshi, and Aya for some time now. Fuka was very stubborn and mature, always looking like she was annoyed, while Tsuyoshi and Aya were always so lovey dovey, expressing their love for each other at all times. Kyo had found it somewhat irritating, and even borderline repulsive, but he also understood the two were just deep in love.

But seeing the group's dynamic change was odd. Sana brought a sort of liveliness, changing the group of third years.

"You are annoying, you know that?" Kyo could hear Fuka counter. The auburn haired third year crossed her arms.

"I might be annoying, but at least I'm fun, unlike you."

Kyo watched as the lethal Matsui Fuka turned red and her eyes burned with anger. She shouted something at the new third year, then proceeded to stalk off.

"Sana-chan, don't you think you're taking it too far?" Tsuyoshi asked.

Sana smiled with her teeth as she began to laugh. Kyo quirked an eyebrow at surprise. He knew that if he had caused Ayame to stalk off like that, the silver haired boy would be sweating bullets at this point.

"Fuka is way to tense. She needs to loosen up!" Ayame laughed, though feeling slightly guilty.

"I'll apologize later… maybe." The girl laughed again. She then turned toward Kyo, who blushed lightly under her confident gaze.

"And sorry about assuming you were Ayame-chan's boyfriend! But let me formally introduce myself!" She pointed a thumb at herself with a grin attached to her lips. "I'm Kurata Sana! Please to meet ya!"

"Kotestu Kyo." The boy replied with a smile.

"I would love to hang around and all, Ayame-chan, Kyo. But I'm afraid I have a rather pissed off best friend that I need to go talk too before she disowns me as her best friend." Sana laughed, a twinkle in her eye. "So I'll see you all later! Bye!"

And with that, Sana was gone, leaving only Ayame, Kyo, Tsuyoshi, and Aya.

"What just happened?" Kyo asked.

"I honestly have no idea." Ayame replied, laughing shortly after.

Tsuyoshi and Aya turned towards each other and laughed while shrugging their shoulders. The couple had become accustomed to Sana's erratic and spontaneous behavior. Before, it was odd and they were constantly confused by her actions. But now, it was just a regular Sana "thing."

"Are Fuka and Sana really best friends? If anything, they seem like total opposites to me." The silver haired boy asked.

"It's funny you say that because we all thought the same thing. But, it turns out, when you hang around the both of them enough, you realize they are a lot alike." Tsuyoshi replied.

"Sana-chan is just more upbeat and outgoing than Fuka-chan. Fuka is very calm and collective while Sana likes to be spontaneous and a bit more daring." Aya said.

Then, the bell lunch rang throughout the cafeteria, signaling for all students to go to their next class. Tsuyoshi and Aya bid their farewells and Ayame and Kyo went towards their perspective floor.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Kyo asked, his green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Because I can." She replied and left it at that. Kyo watched her for a few moments more, absorbed by Ayame's beauty. Yes, she was his best friend, but that didn't mean that Kyo didn't think his best friend was beautiful. He noticed all the hungry eyes of all those 15-18 year olds that roamed the hallways and school grounds. Kyo was not naïve.

But his best friend was.

So it was only natural that he had to protect her.

"Alright, you big weirdo. Let's get going to our next class!" Kyo grabbed her arm and dragged her through the crowd, where both teenagers were smiling.

-O-

When Sana walked into English, she began debating whether she wanted to take the seat in front of the blonde haired boy or in her usual seat for the past few weeks. The last time she sat there, they ended up arguing over something so trivial. So she switched her seat, ignoring the boy just like he requested.

But when the two became civil, the auburn haired teen found herself wanting to try again. Hayama Akito wasn't a bad character. A little on the snobbish side, with a tad bit of an attitude, but not a bad person. Knowing she had to approach this carefully, Sana knew she couldn't rush this friendship she wanted to form with the boy. After all, he might be scared away like last time.

So Sana decided that she would give it a shot. She made her way over toward the empty seat in front of the golden eyed boy. Sitting down, she turned towards the blonde and smiled.

"Hey Hayama." She said with a smile and lingered towards him for a few moments until turning around and preparing for the class.

This time, she didn't give Hayama a chance to reply as she turned rather quickly. The blonde wondered if this is how it would be all the time now, where she greeted him every single day, despite that he most likely wouldn't respond.

He gazed over her, narrowing his golden eyes a bit, trying to understand the girl that was sitting in front of him.

People around school said that she and Matsui Fuka were practically twins.

But Hayama Akito would like to differ.

Fuka was annoying and pestering. She liked to shove her nose where it didn't belong, forcibly. The brown haired girl always tried too hard to seep past his walls. She was also aggressive and forceful, progressively not minding her own business.

But the girl sitting in front of him was anything but that.

She was an idiot.

Hayama would admit that he had watched Kurata Sana slightly, to see if he would have two Buka's on his ass, but was pleasantly surprised to see that Kurata Sana was nothing like Matsui Fuka.

The auburn haired teen was an absolute idiot. She was awful at math, so hyperactive and full of energy. She was always smiling, especially at him, which was somewhat irritating. There was never a moment when she wasn't trying to get under Fuka's skin and she was overly friendly with everyone.

For example, she recently became friends with his younger sister.

Not that Hayama talked to his little sister much, but it was odd, to see how well the two got along. It was irritating to him, seeing her all the time. Akito didn't know what it was, but there was something about Kurata Sana that got under his skin.

It wasn't that she did anything to him, because after the cafeteria incident, she steered cleared from him. But he caught a glimpse of what she was like outside school. She was just as childish as she was in school, fighting with a child over a stupid nickname. And she was naïve.

But she wasn't a bad person.

Maybe she would be good for his sister, Hayama concluded. Kami knows that the youngest Hayama needed a figure to look up to because her older brother wasn't much to look too.

The blonde shook his head, turning his attention away from the auburn haired girl in front of him. Whatever business the auburn haired girl had with his sister was their business and he wanted no part of it. Hayama had already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Kurata Sana.

Nothing at all.

English had passed slowly for Sana, sighing and puffing at every word the teacher said. She felt bad for her sensei. What urge did she have to teach high schoolers? Didn't she know they were evil, cunning, sly, lazy, kids who didn't really care about school until finals? She mentally shrugged, knowing that she fit under most of those categories.

She was a third year now, meaning she had one more year to figure out what she was going to do with her life. It scared her, not knowing what she wanted to pursue. But she still had a year to figure that out. Sana decided that was a conversation for another day, toning back into the lecture.

"Alright class. We've been doing a lot of reading and a lot of essay writing, so I'm going to give you all a short break from that." Sana perked at the words escaping from the teacher's mouth and she grinned, liking where this was going. "So what we are going to do is a group project."

Half the class groaned and the other yelped for joy. Sana wasn't sure which side she would be on. 1. She didn't know anyone in this class save for Hayama, but even then, he wouldn't want to work with her. 2. She was exactly the best person to be in a group project with. She hardly got her parts done and someone had to constantly tell her to get her assignments done so she would get it done. She was the reason people hated group projects.

"We've focused on a lot of autobiographies and biographies on famous English and American scholars and scientist. We've learned about them, their stories, who they were and what they've done and contributed to this world." Sana arched a brow, not sure she was following.

"So now, I want to hear your stories."

That caught the auburn haired girl by surprise. She wanted them to write an autobiography? Well, that wasn't hard at all! But, Sana failed to see how this was going to be a group project.

"Through the eyes of someone else."

Well, that explained her question.

"I will be assigning you your partners. Your assignment is to get to know your partner. Learn about them, who they are, what makes them unique. This assignment will be an ongoing assignment for the term. You will have until the end of the 10 week session to learn about your partner and write a biography about them."

The entire class was still, not sure how to take the news of this new assignment. Sana too was shocked by the details of the assignment. Since when did teachers care about students getting to know one another? They only cared about teaching the material, did they not?

"But, Mrs. Sugo?" Someone said as they raised their hand.

"Yes?" She answered with a smile.

"What is you get partnered with someone you don't like?" The class began muttering and agreeing with the kid who asked. That was a valid question, Sana thought as she put a finger to her chin.

What if you did get assigned to someone you didn't like? Are you supposed to just put aside your differences and work together to earn a good grade? Or do you risk the chance of failing because you can't even come within 10 feet of each other?

For a brief moment, Sana thought about the boy sitting behind her. Hayama Akito was anomaly. Everyone in the school avoided him, not trying to get to know him; except for Fuka maybe. What would the poor sucker who got stuck with him do? Something told her Hayama was not up to sharing his life story with anyone in this class. And something told her that nobody wanted to hear it.

"Well, I guess you're just going to have to overcome your dislike for another or else any chances you have at passing this class with anything above a C become very scarce."

Sana could hear some students shuffling uncomfortably in their seats. Looking around, it was obvious to see who didn't like each other and who did. The auburn haired girl could only sigh as she didn't have much to worry about.

She didn't know anyone in this class and her chances of being paired with the boy behind her were 1 to 30. She thought that her odds were favorable towards her.

"Now, I don't expect you to write a 20-40 page biography about your partner." Some students sighed in relief at this comment. "But I do expect 5-7 pages of quality, remember quality, writing. I want to see that you really took the time to get to know your partner. I want to see that you tried."

What if she did end up the boy behind her? How would that fare, for the both of them? Sana was an open book. Ask her anything and she would tell you. But Hayama Akito was a stone wall. You couldn't even jump high enough to reach the top. It would prove rather difficult for her to reach him, but maybe, just maybe, she would be able to jump just enough.

"I will provide a rubric for your assignment tomorrow in the beginning of class. As for your assigned partners, I already have made my choices and paired you. So listen for your name to be called."

Sitting in her chair, Sana gripped her hands nervously. The fact that there was a possibility that she could end up with the boy behind her made her anxious. How far would Hayama be willing to break that wall of his? How much would he let her in?

'Probably not much.' She thought bitterly. It was already obvious he hated her. If Hayama was stuck with her, he'd probably make her fail on purpose. And Sana couldn't afford to fail this class. She was already suffering in her math class.

Listening sharply, the hazel eyed teenager waited impatiently as she waited for her name to be called, wondering who her partner would be.

Hayama Akito was annoyed.

When the teacher explained the basis of the assignment, his immediate reaction was to get up and walk out of the class. What an asspull, the blonde thought to himself as he gripped the pen in his hand.

He refused to do this assignment. He didn't care if he failed the damn class. There was no way he was going to let someone into his life.

Since when was it anyone's business on what he did with his life? What type of bullshit was their idiotic teacher spewing about everyone's stories and who they are? Since when did that matter in high school? All that mattered were grades. That's what got you into the universities. Not who you are and what you contributed to this life.

Scoffing with annoyance, he leaned back against his chair, his eyes locked on the auburn haired girl in front of him. What if he got stuck with her? He inwardly winced.

That would be such an inconvenience for him.

Kurata Sana was a character he didn't want getting involved with him. While she wasn't nosy like Fuka, or pried into his life and demanded for answers on the daily, her personality was something he couldn't handle.

She was just too happy.

How was someone happy like that all the time? How was someone always so cheery? When he observed her, he noticed just how frequent she smiled. And that was a lot. The blonde couldn't handle someone with such an eccentric personality.

Shaking his head, he threw away all the unnecessary thoughts from his mind. His chances of being paired up with the auburn haired girl was 1 to 30. It was unlikely for him to be paired with her. So he waited patiently for the teacher to call out his name and the name of the unfortunate soul that was going to fail this class.

"Next." Mrs. Sugo said. "Kurata Sana." Sana bit her lip in anticipation as the teacher flip the page to read out her partner's name.

"And Hayama Akito."

There were collective sighs of relief throughout the class as Sana slumped against the chair. She could hear the muttering around the class, even hearing "She's going to fail" from the boy next to her. She was too scared to look behind her. How would Hayama react to this? Would he be willing to put all their differences aside to complete this project? She could hear a deep sigh behind her and that was the answer to all her questions.

She was seriously screwed, wasn't she?

When the teacher finished reading off the rest of the partners, the bell had chimed for the next session. Sitting for a moment, Sana contemplated what she would say and how she would confront this situation.

It was all about treading careful waters. Just how much would she dip her toes in? She couldn't go in all the way. That would only make him retreat. Sana had to be careful with how she approached this situation.

Turning around, she saw that the blonde was already making his way out the door. Taking a deep breath, she ran towards him. Kurata Sana was no coward and there was no way she was going to let him dictate the way this project was going to go. Her mother raised her better than to let a man tell her what to do.

"Hey Hayama! Wait up!" She called out, surprised to see that the blonde actually stopped.

"What do you want?" He asked as he turned around, obviously annoyed.

Sana frowned, not appreciating the boy's tone. "Look, I know that this isn't really an ideal group project for you."

"Gee, I wonder what gave you that idea." He replied sarcastically and the auburn haired teenager glared.

"ANYWAY," Answering with more sarcasm then he. "I know that you don't like me and want nothing to do with me. And that's okay. I don't mind."

That caught the blonde off guard.

"But, I need to pass this class and I can't afford to let my GPA fall any lower. A C would not help." She pursed her lip. "So I'm going to need you to work with me. Like really work with me."

He showed no signs of acknowledgement or agreement and that made Sana nervous.

"Just for the time of this project, we're going to have to get along. Or at least try. After the ten weeks, we don't ever have to talk to one another again, alright? But for the mean time, it would really mean a lot if you would at least consider giving it a shot."

She wasn't begging him. She was just asking him.

Hayama was not thrilled when his name was called after hers. He was not thrilled that this over energetic, hyperactive, cheery girl was his partner. And it wasn't like he could just scare her away like he could do with most. Kurata Sana wasn't afraid of him. She wasn't afraid to stand up to him and tell him how it was. She wasn't afraid to yell at him, like she ever so proudly claimed with the cafeteria incident.

And he especially didn't want to do this stupid project.

Hayama had already decided that he was going to fail and make the poor soul fail with him.

But as soon as he heard who he was partnered with, the blonde knew it was presumptuous of him to think that the hazel eyed teenager wouldn't want to get this project done. Of course she was going to give him a hard time. And of course she was going to try and have them do this stupid assignment.

She wasn't begging. She was just asking. He told himself as she stood tall in front of him, her chin raised tall and proud. Her eyes were blazing with confidence and she didn't seem like she would back down. The girl wasn't really giving him much room to disagree with him.

And he really didn't want to let her in.

There was enough going on in his life that he didn't need to add another person into the mix. And all because of a stupid group project.

As they stood facing each other, the warning bell chimed and broke both teenagers out of their thoughts. The auburn haired girl appeared horrified as she looked down the hall.

"Oh crap! I can't afford to be late!" She muttered to herself as Hayama rolled his eyes.

What an idiot, he thought to himself as she checked her phone.

"Just think about it, okay Hayama?" She offered him a smile then proceeded to run down the hall, muttering nonsense that he couldn't hear.

Sighing deeply, the blonde stepped away, heading towards his last class of the day.

Her smile flashed in his mind and he grimaced, scoffing at the mere image of the irritating girl that was giving him such a headache. She was so damn troublesome, he thought as he made his way to the classroom.

Hayama realized that he had a decision to make.

And the answer wasn't coming as easily to him as it should have.

A/N: So I'm extremely sorry I haven't updated in so long. I wanted too, but I just never got the urge to finish. I have been so focused on my Fairy Tail story that I kind of put my Kodomo No Omocha stories on hold. But, after reading this amazing Kingdom Hearts story, I got the inspiration to write my Kodocha stories once again! And that's why I am here.

While I've been working on LAWK, I've always been working on Crimson Ties and Two Worlds Collide. TWC's next chapter is going to be extremely long in length or I might do a double chapter to move it along faster. Look for an update sometime in the next week. CT should be updated by the end of the weekend. I am working diligently on it. So I hope that even though I've been gone for a while, there are still some loyal readers out there

Anyway, about the chapter. Some progression on the characters and a little progression on the plot of the story. The project idea was something that I did in middle school. It wasn't too extensive but I liked the idea of having Sana and Akito being forced to get to know each other. I realize that Sana is a bit more mature in this story and Akito may be a bit dark and bit mean towards Sana, but in due time, it will all make sense. You just have to continue reading to find out why.

Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take me months and I can really get this story going. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Reviews, questions, concerns, criticism and what not are always appreciated!

Until next time!
-Dark Waffle