A/N: Hey-o! Not much to say here but that I'm back and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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

Chapter 10: Spilled Milk

"So, Sana…"

Called girl removed her eyes from the book that she was staring into. Truth was, she wasn't reading the words on the page. Instead, she was lamenting over the conversation she had had with Hayama the other day.

"What's up, Hiro?"

The fourth year rested his cheek on his palm, staring at her intently. Earlier in the day, he had asked if she wanted to join him after school to study. It had been a few days since he had a chance to spend time with her.

"What are you doing this weekend?"

Shrugging off his question, she laid her chin on the desk.

"Fuka, Ayame, Tsuyoshi, and Aya are coming over to my house. They've been buggin' to come over."

Don't you mean begging? Hiro thought to himself as he sighed disappointingly. Obviously, his proposal went right over her head as her eyes went off in a daze. These past two days, he's noticed her sudden damper in mood. She was always so loud and energetic; easily able to be found.

But it's almost like she took a page from Hayama Akito as her brooding demeanor made him worry.

"You wanna come too?" Arching a brow, the auburn haired teen was now smiling candidly at him. He blushed slightly as her smile threw him for a loop. He coughed and looked away.

"Uh, yeah sure. Sounds like a good time." His voice cracked as his heart began to beat faster than just a moment ago.

"Great! I'll write down my address for ya! Unless you wanna walk with Ayame. She doesn't live to0o far from me, I think." Sana continued mumbling on about how they usually walk to school together in the morning.

She ripped off a piece of paper from her notebook as she finished scribbling on it. Reaching for his hand, the green eyed teen felt instant warmth as Sana opened his palm and stuck the paper in his palm. It suddenly got very difficult to breathe.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"There! I'll let the lot of ya'll figure out how to get there. Mama's making me clean before I have any company over." She pouted as she sat in her chair and Hiro found it absolutely adorable.

Despite his insane popularity and charming personality, Hiro didn't date much. While girls throwing themselves at him was quite flattering and made him feel confident, there was never a girl who struck him as different. They all came bearing gifts and asking for wishes to be his girlfriend. The amount of confessions he received a day were endless.

But, that changed when Kurata Sana entered his life.

It was easy to see she was lost on her first day of classes. Her frustrated eyes and slugged shoulders with a tight grip on her bag were the biggest indication. Because he was naturally a nice guy, Hiro decided to help the new girl out, feeling sorry for her.

Hiro was mentally prepared for the immediate gushing and stuttering that came from any girl that made contact with him. When he went up to her and introduced himself, needless to say, he was shocked.

Instead of the admiration and hearts circling around her eyes, there was instant relief. She sighed and thanked him for his generosity.

Talking with her was so easy. Even though they had just met, she was already cracking jokes with him, teasing him because of his popularity. From the corners of his eyes, he could see different girls looking at Sana with envy in their eyes. Either she was oblivious to the glares or she simply didn't care.

His thoughts led him to the ladder.

After their brief introduction, he couldn't help but feel compelled by her. Their conversations continued, their friendship growing. Hiro had never felt friendship come this easy. She just made it so easy.

It wasn't just with him either. It was with everyone.

She had just been here a month and the whole school knew her so quickly. Already being friends with Matsui, he could hear Sasaki and Sugita praising her and even see the admiration in Ayame's eyes for her.

Her befriending Ayame made Hiro especially happy. Someone as bright and as energetic as Sana was good for the youngest Hayama. After all she suffered and lost, she could use a few more good things in her life. Sana was sure to bring that bright and colorful girl out again.

"Are you just trying to get an excuse to hold my hand, Sana? Because you could hold it all you want if you just asked." He watched her face go from a blank stare, to her eyes opening wide, to a light pink forming on her cheeks.

She quickly snatched her hands away and he couldn't help but laugh. The attractive teen couldn't help himself.

"Aren't you the charmer? Quite full of yourself to think I wanted to hold your hand so badly, huh?" She teased as soon as she regained her composure.

"Well, when the signs are there…"

"The signs are not aligned for you today, sir!" She stood from her seat and stretched. Sana smiled down at Hiro, who in turn shook his head as he laughed.

Sana then reached for her things as she stuffed her school supplies and books in her bag. She mentioned something about having to meet up with Ayame soon. She waved her good bye and Hiro couldn't help but watch her figure out the door. The smile remained on his lips as she clutched Sana's address in his palm.

"Maybe someday they will be."

-O-

"Have you started your project with Sana already?"

Hayama Akito scowled as he opened his right eye. Did that stupid girl tell everyone about their project?

Tsuyoshi and Hayama were on the roof, where the glass eyed boy found his estranged best friend taking a nap. Akito was laid out on the floor with his arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed and chest moving peacefully.

"What a loud mouth." he commented and closed his eye.

Tsuyoshi sighed and sat down next to a sleeping Akito. On days like this, where Akito lets his guard down, does Tsuyoshi remember that he is just a kid as much as they are.

"Sana's not so bad." Hayama inwardly rolled his eyes at Tsuyoshi's comment. "I mean, if she was, you wouldn't have agreed to the project, right?"

Right…

Hayama still couldn't figure out why he actually agreed. It wasn't a particularly hard project. Kurata just made it more of a nuisance than it had to be. He wished he had just said no.

"If I had said no, she would have continued to nag me. And that would have been more annoying." Which was true. Had he said no like he wanted too, she wouldn't have been complacent. She would be glaring at him at all times of the day and blame him for her low grade in the class.

She couldn't afford another bad mark.

He on the other hand could care less. He had enough good marks for the teachers to know he was capable of pulling his grade out of the garbage.

Tsuyoshi chuckled next to him.

"Probably." Hayama could hear Tsuyoshi say, "but, she sure brings a lot more fun to the group. It reminds me of when we were younger, remember Akito?"

He remembered all too well. His liege of followers and the grief they gave the teachers. Thinking back on it, he actually felt remorse for what he had done to their elementary school teacher. They constantly sent Miss Mitsuya home crying. The teacher across the hall, Mr. Tanaka, would always reprimand him and the boys for their awful behavior.

"Yeah, I remember."

"You were such a trouble maker. You caused grief for all the teachers, including Mr. Naru!" Tsuyoshi recalled their old elementary school principal who surprisingly never suspended Hayama for his childish antics and disruptive behavior.

Instead, his suggestion for Akito was for him to take up karate. Back then, Tsuyoshi broke into fits of laughter at this suggestion. Like Akito would actually take up something like karate? He wasn't the type of guy to commit to something like that.

But to his surprise, Akito took the bait. From principal Naru's point of view, the oldest Hayama's reckless behavior came from an internal struggle and his lack of control on his own emotions. So something as controlling and calming as karate could be the solution to his bullying the teachers.

Who knew it would? Just a few weeks after Akito got into karate, his reign in the classroom ended. Of course some of the guys weren't pleased and so easily deflected from Akito's passive way of life. But, all it took was one punch from him to settle them.

It was a shame that Akito didn't do karate anymore.

"Yeah, we'll I stopped, didn't I?" There was annoyance in his voice and Tsuyoshi shrugged his shoulders.

"Thankfully. I don't know what would have happened had you continued."

"Probably would've been suspended hadn't it been for the bald, old man." In Akito language, that was some sort of gratefulness for their old principal for getting him out of his bad habits.

Tsuyoshi agreed. Who knows what would have happened if it had continued that way?

"Akito," Said boy hmmed in response, "Have you thought about giving karate another shot?"

Silence ensued between the two and Tsuyoshi gulped, knowing he was heading into dangerous territory. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up? He out of everyone knew how reserved Akito was when it came to his personal life.

The young blond opened his eyes and looked blankly at the sky. He pushed himself off the ground and stood from his comfortable spot. He could feel Tsuyoshi's eyes on him as he walked towards the fence that gave him a view of the school courtyard.

Give karate another try, huh?

"It's just, you were so good at it. And it was something that made you happy." Something we haven't you seen be in a long time. Tsuyoshi wouldn't voice it out loud though. Talks that dove into emotion often led to Akito running away because he didn't want to deal with the consequences of the conversation.

"No, I haven't."

But he lied.

He had thought about doing karate again. After doing it for so many years, it was part of who he was. Before, Hayama couldn't imagine him not being in karate and competing. And Tsuyoshi was right, he was really good.

After the accident, that all changed.

He couldn't muster the will or strength to continue on with his former passion.

"Oh." He could hear the disappointment in Tsuyoshi's voice.

Suddenly, Tsuyoshi felt a sharp pain in the middle of his forehead as Hayama was looking down at him with apathetic eyes.

He flicked me!

Tsuyoshi was about to retort to his best friend's reliance on violence.

"Don't worry so much. You're going to dig yourself an early grave if you worry too much, idiot."

Akito's words didn't sound so callous, too pessimistic despite the morbidity of his statement. Despite his stoic attitude, Akito was still his best friend. Even though he shut himself out from everyone, Hayama still found time to be there for him.

"Don't you have to meet Aya? You're going to be late." Akito shouted, waving for his friend to come over.

Instant panic and dread filled Tsuyoshi as he remembered his study date with his longtime girlfriend.

"Ah! I have to go now! Thanks for reminding me, Akito!"

The brown haired teen dashed away, leaving Hayama to his own thoughts.

What a weirdo.

-O-

Unpacking boxes was always a hassle that Sana didn't particularly enjoy. For some reason, they always ended up with more than they needed. And she would get distracted easily by the items she would find in the boxes.

Currently, she was unpacking the boxes in the living room since she had destroyed a few of them the day that Haya-jerk had come over.

Tch, she was still upset about that.

Sana knew that the conversation that her mama and Hayama had definitely involved her as the blond wouldn't even look at her. Shortly after she sat back on the couch and she answered a few more questions, Hayama proclaimed he had to get home soon.

Knowing it was pointless to try and stop him, she let him leave.

But something that had been troubling her was the content of the conversation. Her mama had been adamant about not sharing private information, but Sana argued it was for the good of the project. Her mom was relentless and disagreed on sharing any more information.

"Ugh, why do you have to be so complicating?" It was more of a mutter than a question as she unpacked the boxes in the living room.

Why did she even care this much? Hayama wasn't her friend; not in the slightest. They were just English partners for a stupid class that forced them to interact. They were complete and utter strangers. Besides what she had learned from the student population, which was nothing, Sana knew nothing about him.

Even when the project required them to learn about one another, Hayama was still pulling against. Tch, idiot. He already agreed! Didn't he understand that a group project meant working together?

Obviously not.

She huffed, her fingers rubbing at her temples. She was far too tense to meet with her friends.

Speaking of her friends…

Sana checked her phone and frowned. Fuka's name loitered her screen as multiple messages from the brunette came in. Tsuyoshi and Ayame's name were also thrown in the mix as she scanned through the inbox.

From Fuka:

Come open the door for me, idiot.

The auburn haired girl huffed as she crossed her arms out in front of her. That was rude. Was that necessary?

To: Fuka

Rude. Door's open.

At that moment, the door opened and in not only came Fuka, but with Tsuyoshi and Aya right behind her. Sana scowled at the stupid smirk on Fuka's face while the couple fixed bright smiles on their faces.

"Hey guys!" She greeted and offered a seat on her couch. "Welcome to my home!"

"I gotta say, Kurata. I almost got lost looking at the damn thing." Fuka walked by with a purpose as her head began poking in different places. Sana ignored her as she delve her attention towards the other stunned teenagers.

"Sana… this is your house?" Aya whispered in disbelief.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's no biggie. It's just a house."

"JUST A HOUSE?!" Tsuyoshi bellowed as he walked around in circles. "This isn't just a house, Sana!"

Embarrassment washed over her as she shifted in her spot. She wasn't aware that this was that big of a deal. Obviously her friends were overreacting. Her house wasn't that big!

"I didn't know author's made so much…" He muttered as he walked into the kitchen.

Well… not exactly.

But Sana wouldn't say that out loud… they didn't have to know. Right. It was better that they didn't know. Much better. Because they didn't need to know about Nagoya and… yeah, that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sana could see Fuka staring at her, her eyes looking for Sana in concern.

That's right… Fuka knew. Fuka knew about her past… about… that.

Stop.

With a smile, Sana called out to her friends. "Let me show you guys around!"

Tsuyoshi and Aya followed Sana with nothing but smiles as they eagerly shook their heads and walked behind her. Fuka straggled towards the back, probably keeping a distance to observe her reactions.

Well Fuka, she really hated to break it to her, but she was fine.

"Then we'll start with my room!" A wink and they followed her up the stairs.

After a quick tour, the four teenagers ended up in the back in the living room, sitting on the couch, gossiping about the latest drama around school.

"Didn't Ayame say she was coming over today too?" Sana asked, just remembering that conversation the two had shared the other day when coming back from school.

Tsuyoshi smiled. "Yeah! She did say she was going to be late though because she was working on a project with Kyo-kun."

Aya nodded, agreeing with Tsuyoshi. "Yes, we talked to her yesterday after school. I think she mentioned something about Hiro-kun also joining us?"

Sana cocked her head to the side. Hiro was coming? When did that happen?

"Oh, so you invited Hiro huh?" Sana felt a jab at her side and Fuka's suggestive arching of the brows made her scowl.

"Oh hush, you. It's not like that!" She defended with her cheeks flaring with a dark, red hue. That stupid smirk that appeared on her best friend's lips was irritating. "I don't even remember inviting him!"

"That's so cold, Sana. I feel like I should be insulted for being so easily forgotten."

The four teenagers turned at the sound of a voice and behind them stood Hiro in all his glory with Ayame giggling right next to him.

Well, here they were.

Sana felt herself burn up as her cheeks turned darker and the back of her neck felt extremely hot. Wow, that was embarrassing, she thought to herself. If she was Hiro, she would be more than just insulted.

Hiro walked up to her and padded at her head with a grin. "To be fair, when you did invite me over, you were quite distracted. So I guess I'll forgive you this time."

Relief washed over her as his gentle smile lifted on his lips.

"But, next time, you won't get off so easily." A wink and everyone else laughed. She pouted, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I didn't mean to forget!" Defending herself was impossible at this point. The room was against her and she was fighting a losing battle.

"It's okay, Sana-chan. Hiro isn't too offended. After all, he grew up with someone like me. I can have quite the mean streak."

That was hard to believe. Ayame did not seem like the type of girl to have a temper. But then again, she didn't know much about the youngest Hayama. Ask her about Fuka and she could write a novel about the personality changes and temperament of the brunette. It would most likely be a best seller with the comedy people would find inside.

"What are you laughing at?" Fuka asked in suspicion as she walked up to the duo.

Sana grinned evilly. "How great my book would sell if I wrote it about you."

Fuka glared. "That's meant to be an insult, isn't it?"

Thea auburn haired teenager dipped to the side, the grin stretching into an infectious smile. Her eyes lit up as Fuka's scowl deepened.

Ayame laughed, watching the bickering that ensued between the two girls that were her seniors by two years. Sana and Fuka had such a peculiar relationship with how often they fought and the jabs that were consistently thrown at one another. But, it somehow worked for them as they had been best friends since elementary school. She could see how much the two girls cared for one another, even if they hadn't outright shown it.

The youngest Hayama let her eyes wonder as the rest of her friends had involved themselves in the growing brawl between the two girls. She noticed the small details of the house as well as the largest of them. It was still empty as Sana had mentioned they had yet to completely unpack.

Her brother had been here at some point, she had heard. Ayame stumbled into the conversation during lunch when Sana was complaining about the difficulties in working with her older brother. It shocked her, no doubt, to hear that Akito had gone to her house.

Though, it also doesn't surprise her as he would never bring her to their house. There was just too much history to even try and bring anyone in. She rarely brought Kyo over as it was. And when he did come over, half the time he was burning holes towards Akito, or the general direction that her brother would be in.

Laughter broke her out of her morbid thoughts. Hiro was pinching at Sana's cheek as a furious red blush graced her cheeks and Fuka was laughing, kneeling over as tears kissed her eyes. Tsuyoshi and Aya were standing together as they laughed at the sight.

Seemed like she missed the joke.

"Sana, the food is ready for you and your friends."

At the word food, Sana's demeanor changed quickly. She swatted away Hiro's hand with a grin on her face as she turned, promised revenge on all her friends, and sprinted into the kitchen. She heard Fuka whisper some insult of a kind as she followed after, with everyone trailing behind.

Without words, Hiro placed a hand behind her back and guided her through the hall, with a smile. Words weren't always needed between the two. A simple smile was all it took for understanding.

The day passed quickly as Sana and company found themselves indulged in different activities. Between the tour of the house, engaging in outside activities and putting on a movie, the sun had long but settled and the night air was crisp and chill. Eventually, all friends had made their way out except for Ayama and Hiro.

"I should be going now. I have a test prep day tomorrow for the university." Hiro yawned, wiping away the tears on the corner of his eyes.

Ayame narrowed her eyes at her surrogate brother. What a pain in the ass he was with his nonchalant attitude sometimes. He really should have spent the day going over his coursework for the class. These classes weren't just something he could breeze through.

"Eww, sounds awful honestly." He laughed in response as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, they kind of suck. But, my dad wants me to get into a pretty decent university, so I gotta do what he tells me to do, you know?" Sana narrowed her eyes, then shifted towards Ayame, who nodded.

"Do you always do what your dad tells ya to do?" Ayame was surprised by the sudden forwardness, knowing Hiro's history with his father was taboo at times. She watched him carefully, curious as to his reply.

He pursed his lips as his brows fell into a scowl. Opening his mouth, then closing it, Hiro seemed conflicted in responding. To be fair, Ayame thought to herself, he brought the issue up. It wasn't something that was pried on.

"I try to keep him happy. Let's just say that."

With a slight narrow of the brows, Sana then nodded as she crossed her arms out in front of her. It was like an understanding she had. She just knew.

"Got it! Can't cry over spilled tea, right?"

Sana, it's spilled milk.

But Ayame wouldn't be the one to tell her as Hiro merely laughed, padding her head down. At times, the young Hayama wasn't sure whether Hiro harbored feelings for Sana. There were instances where she would catch them in conversation with his flirty undertone and his confident smile, but then there were times where she would see Hiro full of vulnerability. Knowing him for as long as she had, Ayame could recall most of the instances in which he dropped his façade and really let people in.

And it wasn't many.

Just like Akito, Hiro hid his true feelings from the world.

"Alright. I'm off. Ayame, you heading home?" Both her seniors looked at her with curious eyes.

Right, home. She probably should head home now before it got too late.

Not that it mattered, anyway. There was no one at home to greet her, to scold her, to reprimand her for being out at late hours of the night. She practically living on her own and relying on her own responsibilities.

She laughed almost comically. Robbed of her innocence so early, Ayame almost didn't know what it was like to be a child. Between her and Akito, bills had to be paid, chores had to get done, and life had to move on.

"You know, why don't I drop her off?"

Sana grinned, winking at her with a confident glint twinkling in her eyes. Hiro looked over both young ladies. But before he could retort, Sana was already grabbing her coat.

"Yeah, yeah. You want to walk us over because you're the ever gentlemen who wants to make sure two pretty girls get home late. BUT, we will be just fine! Right, Ayame-chan?!" Sana hooked an arm around her neck, nearly topping her over. The blonde smiled and nodded, not really having a choice in the matter at this point.

Either Hiro or Sana would walk her home.

Hiro shifted in his stance, uncomfortable with the options presented to him. He was always such a worry wart. He cared too much and didn't think about himself at all in situations like this. Especially when it came down to her, he was especially overprotective. Having two men in her life that constantly hounded her had its merits as its disadvantages.

"You're not going to let this one go, are you?" Sana shook her head, that grin still plastered on her face.

Ayame couldn't help but giggle. "It's okay, Hiro-kun. Sana-chan and I will be just fine."

Sighing in defeat, the blonde knew she had won this time.

"Alright. But if you two need anything at all, just call alright?" Ayame didn't bother fighting the eye roll.

"Stop being so paranoid! We will be fine, right Sana-chan?"

She nodded with confidence as she gave him a thumbs up. Hiro sighed again, this time making his way out the door, not before waving goodbye once more with his charming smile. When the door closed, Sana laughed.

"Sheesh! What a guy. So overprotective. Has he always been like that?" But her words were not malicious as she smiled after her statement. Ayame shrugged her shoulders as she reached for her shoes.

"For the most part, yes." Sana opened the door, shouting something to her mom about being gone for a bit before Ayame continued. When they walked outside, she was happy she had brought a sweater with her this time. "Hiro-kun is really close to his mom. He is very overprotective of her."

Sana laughed. "I can see that. I wonder where his sense of flirtation comes from though. It is pretty bad, if you ask me."

"He'd be hurt hearing you say that, Sana-chan. He prides himself in his ability to woo girls, you know?"

"Oh I think he's aware of my thoughts on his flirty skills. I may have mentioned once or twice." She winked and Ayame had no doubts.

The friendship her surrogate brother and her new friend had formed was quite the interesting one. She could tell they were comfortable with each other as they were often in conversation with one another. She had caught their banters and silly fighting a few times. All in all, they had established a strong friendship and could only wonder if it would grow from there…

"I have to ask, Sana-chan…" The auburn haired looked over as they made their way to the side walk.

"What is it?"

"Why did you wanna walk me home?" Sana titled her head, confused. "Not that I mind! No, totally don't! I was just curious since Hiro is on the way and you were already home!"

Ayame didn't want Sana to think she had a problem with her offering. In contrary, she was quite happy and excited. The young Hayama looked up to Sana in many ways. Hiro was her surrogate brother, and Kyo was her best friend. But, Ayame's always had a rough time connecting with other females.

She wasn't very close to Aya, though she was always overly sweet and sometimes played a motherly role. And sometimes Ayame felt like Fuka was using her to get to her brother, but she also knew Fuka meant no harm and actually cared for her in some ways.

But to create a bond with someone and confide in them? Yeah, she was missing out on that.

The possibility of having Sana be that person made her extremely happy on the inside.

Sana's grin dropped into a simple smile, that confused her slightly.

"You looked like you had something on your mind, so instead of having Hiro interrogate you for it, I figured you and I could go on a walk and chat for a bit. Get your mind off of things. And if you wanted to talk, I would lend an open ear. But, if you didn't, then we would find other things to talk about!"

Stunned, Ayame didn't know what to say.

Was she so easily to read that both Hiro and Sana sensed her sudden change in demeanor?

But, Sana was right. Hiro would have hounded her the entire way home until she talked. She loved that boy to death, but sometimes, he just couldn't take no for an answer.

She was touched, though. Touched by Sana's willingness to go out of her way for someone like her. Touched by the small things that her senior did for her. She certainly didn't have too.

It brought tears to her eyes. She had missed the small things like this. When Akito use to treat her like family and care about her and her wellbeing.

"Thank you, Sana-chan. You have no idea how much that means to me." Wiping at her eyes, the auburn haired teen giggled, ruffling the mop of blonde on her head.

"Now, instead of crying so much, how about you tell me about you and that 'best friend' of yours? Hmm..?!"

Almost instantly, the tears vanished and were replaced with a fierce blush on her cheeks. Ayame could feel the heat rise on the back of her neck. The stuttering started and Sana ah-had! In victory! Long did Ayame forget about the feelings and turmoil that was eating at her earlier. Embarrassment now in it's place.

When Sana saw that smile stretch out on Ayame's face and her dark demeanor switch to a brighter one, inwardly she smiled.

Without even knowing the history, she knew that this young girl has not had it easy. Having a brother like Hayama, who's personality was literally nonexistent and face void of emotion, made it obvious there was something there missing.

And she was hell bound to find out.

Because she was determined to have this kid smile more often now. She was determined to break through Akito's ice wall. And she was going to bring these two back together, even if it killed her (not literally though).

-O-

The chilliness of the night air bit at his skin as he trudged his way down the sidewalk. His routine run had been unsuccessful as his mind had been plagued with the thoughts of the conversation he shared with Tsuyoshi earlier in the day.

Karate, huh?

It was almost like riding a bike, how easy the physical sport came to him. Every meditation technique, every pose, every strike was engrained as he could almost see it right in front of him. Clenching his fist, the need was there. He just needed to muster up the will, the strength to do it.

But he couldn't.

He just… couldn't.

His will wasn't… strong enough. Even all these years later, when the itching at his fist and the aching of his legs hit, there was something pulling him back.

Something… something that he couldn't figure out dammit!

Sighing roughly in frustration, Akito figured it was best not to ponder on the idea. Karate was nothing but a hallow memory now, the idea buried a long time ago. If it hadn't been for Tsuyoshi bringing it up again, it wouldn't have been something he would have been anything he gave too much thought into.

A hot shower was needed after the failure that was his run. He had been hitting his time consistently, but because of the… distraction, he had slowed down significantly. And he didn't do things at a half assed time. It was either perfect or he would do it all over again.

It was a habit he picked up on when he started karate back in the day. He had this awful habit of not seeing things all the way through at times and was somewhat lazy about his responsibilities. But, karate had taught him many life lessons that he still carried with him, even if he didn't practice on some anymore.

His karate teacher would be dishonored by his new personality and attitude.

A part of him cared, wanted to prove he could be better, he could get better. But another part of him regressed, not thinking it was worth the time. Why go back to something that he didn't care much for anymore?

But that's a lie, right Akito? Because you do care. You care more then you let on.

No, he didn't. He stopped caring. He stopped caring about the trivial things. About the things that were replaceable in life. Holding onto emotions only slowed him down, only dragged him through the mud. When he once cared, things got messy, and hard. Not caring left it easy for him to leave.

He picked up his pace, moving at longer strides. The run did nothing to clear his mind. It was a failed attempt as his time was awful and his strides were slower. Consistency was what matter. Keep it consistent or do it better.

So when he began moving at a faster pace, and his breathing became more haggard, his lungs felt compressed as a burning sensation took over. The corners of his forehead were drenched in sweat and heat burned at his cheeks and the back of neck.

When he pulled around the final corner, one block away from his house, he nearly collapsed as he abruptly ended his full sprint. A series of coughing fits followed as he bent over, putting a hand on the gate next to a bench to support him. His coughs came with a wheeze as he felt the dryness in his throat. The irritation in his throat became bothersome and the burning heat from his cheeks made its way to his forehead.

"Whoa, you okay?!"

A voice called out to him as a hand reached for his back, rubbing and padding at it despite the sweat that soaked through his running sweater. The stranger whispered some comforts that he paid no mind too and wiped at the saliva at the corner of his mouth.

Pathetic.

The stranger urged him to sit down, and he obliged for the hell of it. The wheezing in his breathing made it difficult to continue standing. He bent down and screwed his eyes shut, his mind reeling and in one hundred and one places. In reality, Hayama knew he should have been sitting up straight with his hands above his head for oxygen to get to his lungs faster, but the headache wouldn't allow it.

"Here, have some water." A feminine voice.

Akito opened his eyes and almost wide eyed at the person in front of him.

Kurata Sana was standing in front of him with an expression of concern. A bottled water was waved in front of him as she offered the liquid to help with the dryness in his throat. He glared immediately and swatted her hand away.

Her expression of concern was immediately replaced with a glare that matched his own.

"Geeze, what's your deal? I was just trying to help!" She practically screeched and Hayama cringed inwardly. What an annoying girl she was. It was bad enough they sat next to one another in English, and that they were partnered up for that stupid project.

He still couldn't believe that he was doing this mundane project with her, humoring her all for the sakes of a pitiful grade.

"I-I don't need your he-help." Dammit all in the world! He didn't sound very confident in the way he said that, especially with the wheezing. And she caught onto it too as she rose a brow and clicked her tongue.

"Uh huh. You could barely breathe. Hayama, stop being so stubborn and let me help you."

"We're here to help you."

"We just want to know what happened."

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help what happened out there."

It came so fast that it nearly knocked the breath out of him. These vivid memories and flashbacks that began resurfacing in sudden moments. He wasn't even sure why they had begun to pop up again. But, it was happening. And it was happening more frequently.

Standing up rather abruptly, he pushed Sana's shoulder away as she replied with a loud yelp. Hunched over and swaying from one side to another with a somewhat ruthless glare, he made his way towards his home.

"I don't need your help. So leave me alone!" That last part was meant to sound menacing and hostile, but the cracking in his voice and his persistent swaying made that non feasible.

"You idiot! You are sick as a dog and about to fall over any minute! If I leave you alone, you're going to collapse out here and end up in the hospital!"

Ugh, what part did this girl not understand about leaving him alone?!

She reached for him and grabbed his arm, to which he kept pulling away. But he was feeling not only nauseous, but also weak in his stance. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. He was not going to make it home alone at this point.

"I'm fine." He said in a whisper and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the eye roll.

"Uh huh. And I'm Satan."

Well…

"Don't answer that." She said sharply as she pulled his arm over her shoulder and began dragging him towards the direction of his house.

"Do you ever take care of yourself? You are burning up!" Was that what was causing his hallucinations and resurface of those horrid memories?

"Shut up. You're not my mom, so don't lecture me." Again, as rude and hostile as he tried to make it sound, his word we're barely coming out in a whisper.

Another eye roll. "You are one stubborn fool. You don't take any help from anyone, ever."

"You've only known me for a little over a month, idiot. What would you know?" Oh this girl was just grinding his gears. Her glare and stupid pretentious comments were fueling him on the inside. If he was feeling healthy, she would be high tailing the other way at this moment.

"You think I'm that stupid, huh?" She asked him as she hoisted him up, still dragging him to who knows where. His sense of direction was out the door as his mind was literally burning up.

Actually, yes I do think you're that stupid.

"Don't answer that again." She replied and now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Then why do you ask me these stupid questions?"

Sana fought the urge to smack this sickly boy in her arms. Akito's weight was weighing her down, but she couldn't just leave this lone wolf to dry on the street. He was practically falling over when she found him!

But the audacity to just slap her hand away and refuse her help left her steaming! She had half a mind to just walk away and leave him to rot on the bench for the rest of the night!

Her conscious told her better. She wasn't going to leave this brooding lone wolf hunched over. But, she was going to smack some sense into him because when someone takes time out of their day to help another, you thank them with gratitude.

Not with snarky comments and flying insults.

"Their meant to be rhetorical!" She could hear him tch under his breath. Oh, this boy was certainly testing her patience.

"I'm surprised you know what that means."

"Oww!" he shouted in a hoarse whisper while looking up at her with a deeply embedded scowl that left not impression on her. His sickly face was comical enough for her. "What the hell?"

So she may have pinched his side? He would deal with it.

"Don't insult your savior." It was cute that he thought his pathetic attempt at a snarl would frighten her. She almost wanted to laugh.

"I didn't ask you to be. I told you, I don't need-"

"Yeah, yeah I get it! You don't need my help! But here I am, helping you anyway! So deal with it, alright? Sheesh, you'd think at least a thank you would be sufficing."

Sana knew that if he had been at his best, the glare he was attempting to give her would have been enough to scare her off. But, a las, he was hunched over and burning a fever that almost made her skin melt off. The auburn teen was sure though, that once he was at 100 percent again, he was going to make her life a living hell.

Oh she was sure of that.

"You are the most annoying and infuriating person I have ever met. You aggravate me to no end." Again, empty, hallow insults that bounced off Sana. She wasn't hurt the least by his shrill comments that were meant to send her crying.

"Hayama, if you think those petty insults are going to stop me from helping you, you are mistaken. If you think that your words are going to send me to crying to the hills, you are wrong. And if you think for a second that that's the worst I've heard, well you got another thing coming at you, buddy."

His reply was another tch and she rolled her eyes again. Lugging his dead weight around was certainly not what she pictured her evening to look like, but would she do it again?

Absolutely.

Even if he was a pretentious, pompous jerk, she wouldn't hesitate to stop and help him again.

When they reached the gate of the Hayama residence, she hoisted him up again, hearing a slight groan from his slugged body. This would have been a problem if she hadn't just been to his house earlier. Albeit, she didn't go inside, but she knew that this was where the two Hayama siblings lived.

She trudged forward, still dragging the blond.

"Alright, you lug. We're here. So you should wake up now."

Another groan and Sana rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I don't need your help. Yeah, you are aggravating. But, let me just pass out in your arms anyway and you can drag me home." Mocking his words from only moments ago, she knocked on the door, praying that Ayame hadn't gone to sleep yet.

She knocked a few more times before the outside light was flicked on and the lock on the other side of the door unlocked. When the door opened, Ayame rubbed at her eye, clearly already in her pajamas and ready for bed.

"Sana-chan? What is i-" But the words fell short as she gasped, her eyes going wide at the boy that was wrapped around her shoulder.

"Help me get him inside, will ya?" Ayame nodded her head as she grabbed the other arm and both girls dragged Akito in. They set him down on the couch and the youngest blonde hurried into the kitchen where Sana heard the water running and a clatter of dishes.

Under the light ceiling, Hayama looked worse then what he seemed on the way over. His bangs were matted onto his forehead as sweat was dripping down the sides of his face. His eyes were scrunched in pain and his breathing was haggard, wheezing occasionally. His cheeks were a dark shade of pink as his face was inflamed.

To her left, Sana found a cloth and began patting away the seat on the sides of his face. She brushed away his bangs and sighed, her eyes dropping that annoyed scowl from earlier.

Where were his parents to do this? They should have come running down the stairs as soon as Ayame scurried into the kitchen with the amount of noise she was making.

Ayame reappeared into the room. "What's wrong with him?"

"He has a fever and I'm pretty sure the chills. He's probably going to need a cold, wet cloth and some tea. You have any fever reducing medication?" Ayame nodded frantically, her eyes painted with worry.

She scurried away again, and Sana felt an overwhelming wave of sadness. It was easy to see that despite the non-existing relationship between her and her older brother, she cared and loved him dearly. The worry left Sana concerned and was anxious to ask more about the reaction, but there was a time and place for everything. And this was definitely not the time.

"Here you go, Sana. I also started the tea in the kitchen. He's probably going to need some soup right? I mean, that's what my mom use to do when we were sick as kids." She was rambling and Sana could tell she was nervous. Nervous for what?

Sana grabbed the wet cloth and medication from Ayame's shaking hands. She placed the items right next to her and reached for the young blonde's hands. "Ayame, breath. He's okay. The idiot just took it too far and needs to rest. He will be fine."

Ayame sighed deeply and closed her eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just, I never know what to do in situations like this. Obviously you know that we don't talk much and ever since my mom died, it's just been really difficult to talk to him and he never asks for any help and I know if he was awake right now, he would say he was fine and go straight to his room, shutting me out."

Sana's eyes went wide at the sudden confession from the youngest Hayama.

Their mom is… dead?

She didn't think Ayame even realized what she said with her constant rambling. Piece by piece, things were starting to come together. The Hayama mystery was solving itself right in front of her. Could she have possibly died during that accident that Sana had heard so much about? That was very much a possibility.

It would explain the behavior of the Hayama siblings.

But realization must have hit Ayame as she quickly put a hand to her mouth and shook her head.

"Oh god. I'm so sorry, Sana-chan. I was rambling. Please don't tell Akito I told you about our mom. He absolutely hates talking about it. It's absolute taboo for us. The only people who know about our mom is Tsuyoshi-kun, Hiro-kun, and Kyo-kun." There was a quiver in her voice as she begged. She was close to tears and Sana smiled.

"Not a word." She put a finger to her lips, shaking her head in notion to her request. Sana almost fell over with the hug that Ayame encased her in. It was hard for her to breathe as Ayame hugged her so tightly.

After a few moments, the youngest blonde wiped away at the tears at the corner of her eyes. "I better go check on the tea." Sana nodded with a small smile and watched the retreating form of the 15-year-old girl.

Sana would have never guessed something so detrimental had impacted their family. With how strong Ayame was and distant Akito is, she would have guessed it was another traumatic event that had broken up their family.

But the death of their mother?

Sana shuddered at the thought. A life without her mama? Sana would be distraught. She didn't know what she would do at that point. There was no moving forward for her. Her mama was the reason that Sana was here at this moment, helping the sick lone wolf.

Brushing his bangs out of the way, Sana placed the cool towel on Akito's forehead. He shuddered instantly. A sadness loomed over her again as she stared at the boy who contoured in pain.

He didn't show it, but there was a lot of grief and anger in him. There had to be. You don't lose your mom and not feel a sense of disdain towards the world. He might have hidden it well with that nonchalant, stoic, dismissive attitude of his, but there had to be some stir of emotion in him.

Even if it was just pent up hate.

Sana continued wiping away at the sweat and the sudden urge to know him better consumed her. What else did he hide behind those glaring, golden eyes of his? What other secrets did he hide? What other emotions did he disguise from the world?

Who was the real Hayama Akito?

A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Here we go! After nine chapters of fillers and introductions, we have finally gotten to the thick of the story. It's not all happening at once, but it's happening. Revelations and realizations are coming in pieces, but they are important to the story and to the plot. So keep an eye out! This chapter was kind of difficult to write and this last tad bit (starting with Akito's scene) wasn't even included in the original outline, but I felt like there had to be more than what I just wrote. So I hope you all enjoyed it!

Not much else to say but that! Sorry it took me so long to update! I kind of lost inspiration, but this morning, it just sort of hit me like a freight train. I was getting this idea about Akito getting sick (which was inspired by the manga moment where Akito's dad found Sana dragging Akito home) and I was just itching to write it out! So I hope you liked the end product!

More is coming, I promise! So please review and let me know what you think! Comments are always appreciated!

Until next time!
-Dark Waffle