A/N: Another installment! I'm really trying to push these out earlier and not take so damn long to write the next chapter. I'm pushing for a biweekly release but we will see how far I progress with that. This was done in three weeks so, maybe possible? Anyway, there is really one word to describe this chapter and I think by the end of it, you will all know which word (or multiple synonyms of it) I am thinking of. Lots of little goodies in here that made me smile as I wrote it. So, I hope you all enjoy that!

Chapter 31: Melancholic Hearts

Hayama Akito was sitting on the school bleachers in the gym, bored out of his mind.

He really didn't know why he was here today, other than to support Fuka on her first day back, or so Kurata Sana said. And she gave him that annoying glare and a few thumps over the head with that stupid hammer of hers as a way to threaten him.

So, now he was nursing a bump over his head while waiting for the girls and their team to come out of the locker room and do a typical routine.

His sister, Tsuyoshi, Aya, and even the fourth year, Akimoto Hiro, were here for support.

Ayame was currently talking to her surrogate brother while Tsuyoshi and Aya were discussing something to themselves. Just because he was forcefully dragged here, it didn't mean he would indulge in much conversation. Though, he noticed Tsuyoshi would turn and ask him questions sometimes.

His life was suddenly much livelier than it had been in the last few years.

He was finding himself surrounded by more people every day; people he once talked to all through elementary school or just the people in his class.

But he knew the real reason that happened was because Kurata Sana was in the middle of it all. She attracted all sorts of people and everyone wanted to be friends with her. He was just caught in the crossfires because she wanted to drag him everywhere with her.

"Oh, there they are!" Akito heard Ayame say as she grabbed Akimoto by the arm and turned towards Akito with a smile on her face.

The oldest Hayama nodded his head, and Ayame seemed satisfied with that as she turned away and looked at the gym team walking out of the locker room.

His younger sister had been smiling more willingly these days. It was… nice; nice seeing Ayame allowing herself to be happy and enjoy the people around her. In all honesty, he had forgotten the last time he seen his baby sister smile. And now that they were rebuilding their relationship, he had seen her open herself up more.

The blond's eyes trailed away from his sister as the gym team came out and at the fore front were Kurata and Fuka. Fuka seemed very concentrated, her eyes glazed over with this focus and seriousness. On the contrary, Kurata was loose, the stark smile and gleam in her eyes evident as she walked alongside her counterpart.

So similar, but completely different at the same time.

Kurata's eyes ventured up and Akito saw her smile turn into a full grin as she waved at Akito and the crew. Akimoto said something and Kurata's vision of line went to him and it was there that he noticed the change in Akimoto's facial features.

The red hue on his cheeks were noticeable, even from over where he was sitting. The smile brightened immensely, and Akimoto swallowed the bob in his throat nervously.

Akito didn't know why, but that left an unsettling feeling in his stomach; like he ate bad sushi and his stomach was growling at him for it. But he didn't settle on the feeling for long because now Kurata caught his line of vision.

And they sort of just looked at one another for a minute until she smirked and gave him a thumbs up and he rolled his eyes, looking away from her.

Glad you're here.

You forced me here, idiot.

He didn't know when it started or how they even did it, but he and Kurata always shared these small, indirect conversations through shared looks. It was almost like they knew exactly what each other was saying without saying anything to each other at all.

He could hear Kurata giggle and Fuka looked down at her in confusion. She waved her off and Fuka barked an order at her and the group of gymnasts behind them.

Fuka looked up and for a brief moment, Akito caught her gaze.

Her eyes were strong, fierce as they had always been. But, when he caught her line of gaze, that same blush Hiro wore for Kurata, Fuka now had the barest tinge on her cheeks.

She smiled slightly, her eyes almost… nervous. But he could tell that she was appreciative of him being here.

Despite it being by force of course.

Fuka turned away and looked back to Sana. Their coach came out of the double doors that lead up to the coach's office. He huddled the team together, said something about welcoming Fuka back, and then started barking orders.

The members of the team all split off into different parts of the gym as they started working on different routines. Both Sana and Fuka were at the mat, a girl at the speaker, obviously deciding a son that the girls would run their routine too.

Akito noticed Fuka favoring her right side, obviously afraid of re-injuring her left ankle. He could see the nervous smile as Sana clasped her shoulder, giving her a thumbs up. Fuka took small, tenacious steps towards the mat and everyone stopped what they were doing.

All eyes were on her and she knew it, Akito observed.

The blond shifted his gaze towards Kurata, who sucked in her lips and was holding her breathe as she crossed her arms in front of her tightly. He had seen Kurata through a range of emotions lately, but this tense nervousness was not one he recognized.

The music started and Fuka took that as her signal to start.

She started her dance, small, fluid movements that didn't focus to much on footwork; something she probably did purposely. Her arms moved in choreographed movements and then, the music tempo started increasing, her movements starting to move faster.

If she was nervous or anxious, she didn't dare show it.

Collectively, everyone took a breath as she began her sprint across the mat. She jumped, spinning in the air. When she landed almost perfectly without a grimace on her face and a small hobble, the room released that breathe and everyone clapped and yelled in celebrating. Kurata jumped in a cheer. The auburn-haired girl threw her fist in the air and started shouting something that Akito didn't bother to interpret.

Fuka had the widest smile Akito thought he had ever seen on her face.

The blond heard a small cough to his left. Standing well hidden behind the bleachers was an older woman, definitely old enough to be a parent. She was covered by the shadows, clearly not wanting to be seen. Akito followed her line of sight, which were directly focused on Fuka.

The resemblance was almost uncanny.

They shared the same facial structure and brown chocolate hair. The eyes though, they were the biggest give away to the relationship between this woman and Fuka.

Kurata did say Fuka's mom was slave driver and expected Fuka to exceed all expectations.

But as Fuka's mom watched her daughter perform on the mat, Akito could see something in her eyes. It wasn't that cold, calculated look that Kurata had described her to him before. There was something else there.

Her eyes were filled with remorse. Remorse and shame. They flickered back and forth, obviously conflicted. Because she was hiding, Akito had to assume that something happened between Fuka and her mom.

Something that left her mom feeling very guilty.

But, in those eyes, behind the remorse, the guilt, and the shame, when Fuka continued to land every jump and when she was tackled to the floor by all her teammates and everyone was cheering for her, there was something else in her mother's eyes.

Pride.

She was proud of Fuka.

Akito took his eyes off her and went back to the scene on the mat. Fuka was on the sidelines now, her coach talking adamantly to her. She was sweating and breathing hard, but clearly was happy.

"She did awesome, don't you think Akito?"

He looked down and Tsuyoshi was looking at him with a wide grin.

"Yeah, not bad." He humored him, knowing that not only was Aya listening, but so was his sister and Akimoto.

Akito shifted his eyes back to this left and Fuka's mother was gone.

Clearly, her presence here wasn't something Fuka wanted.

Sana stepped up to the mat and both Ayame and Akimoto yelled something. She turned towards them and gave them another thumbs up. The music started, her routine starting simple but then turning more complex as her dancing was short lived and moved quickly into tumbles and flips across the floor.

Akito watched her every step, where each foot landed, where her hands cut through, the precise matching of her movements with the rhythm of the music.

Honestly, he was impressed.

Something like this must have taken hours to learn and practice and rehearse.

Her routine ended as quickly as it started, and he found himself smirking. That girl really was something else, wasn't she?

The rest of the practice went relatively calm and soon enough, they were group together, waiting for both girls to come out of the locker room. Akito stayed seated on the bleachers again, watching those interact below him.

He remembered when he was surrounded by people like that, always looking up to him with amazement and confidence. Granted, it wasn't for the best reasons, but it always made him feel better knowing that someone was looking to him.

Akito clenched and unclenched his fist, his hands feeling heavy of his past and the memories that came with it. Looking down, he could still feel the crunch of bones on his fist from a jaw, rib, even a skull from time to time; the blood that use to pool at the knuckles. Even the breaks to his own hands that followed.

But wherever he was, she was always right behind him to clean up his mess, and him.

Sometimes, when he doesn't think about it, Akito could still feel her hands on his, wrapping bandages around them, whispering words of encouragement and giving him complements for his handiwork.

He clenched his fist tightly.

Her voice still made him sick to this day. Those things he did, the trouble and messes he got himself into, they were part of him now. It wasn't something he could ever take back.

The only thing that allowed him to feel better was that he got himself out. It was his choice to turn away and leave that part of his life behind.

Not a day goes by that he wasn't happy about that decision.

"Hey, you weirdo! You in there?"

Akito's deep thoughts were broken as Kurata Sana was now a few inches from him as she waved a hand in front of him.

He moved back immediately uncomfortable by the lack of space between them.

She giggled and leaned back. "We're all going to Fuka's uncle's sushi shop if you want to come with? I know how much you love sushi!" She edged with her elbow and gave him this creepy smile that made him roll his eyes.

He caught their group of friends staring at him; Tsuyoshi and Ayame with hopeful eyes, Akimoto curiously, Aya just happy, and Fuka with… indifference. Looking back to Sana, she continued to just stare at him, this time with a bright grin.

Come on. You know you want too.

Her eyes said to him and he scratched the back of his head.

"Only because there's sushi involved."

Sana let out a loud cheer that almost made Akito's head explode. He quickly covered his ears, cursing under his breath at the sheer loudness of this girl.

"Why are you so damn loud?" He asked, glaring right at her.

But she didn't even seem fazed as Kurata hooked her arm around his and pulled him. Akito felt himself falling as Sana pulled him up and down the bleachers, shouting to everyone that he was coming.

"Let go of me, dammit!" He continued to fight but Kurata just laughed and tugged harder.

"Alright! Who's ready to celebrate!"

.

Fuka was feeling conflicted.

She was sitting across Sana and Akito, who happened to be sitting next to one another. Hiro was to Sana's left and Ayame on the other side of him. Hiro pulled Sana into conversation, obviously doing whatever he could to keep her there. Ayame was chatting with Tsuyoshi, who was sitting across from her, Aya right In between him and herself.

It was obvious to anyone who looked that Hiro was infatuated with Sana.

Not that Fuka ever paid much attention to the Prince of Jinbou High, but she had known him long enough to know that the look of endearment in his eyes were solely for the auburn-haired girl sitting next to him.

Unfortunately for him, Sana was very dense in the romance department. And it would take a very loud and obvious confession for her best friend to realize how the green-eyed teenager felt about her.

But that wasn't the confliction that Fuka felt.

Fuka had made a promise to be better. She wanted to stop feeling so jealous and envious of her best friend, be more open with the people around her, be more honest with herself. And in that honesty, she found that her feelings for Akito and her envy of Sana was what caused her to break concentration and break her ankle.

And it was the idea of them together that circled her into despair.

She didn't know when it happened, or how it did, but there was a change to Hayama Akito.

He was different from when she first met him a year and a half ago. No longer was he so reclusive or broody. No longer was he pushing people away and walking around with his eyes towards the floor.

No, Akito was actually interacting with people again. From what Fuka had heard from Tsuyoshi, Aya, Mami, and Hisae, he was actually quite popular in elementary school. He had a band of groupies that followed him around everywhere, worshipped the ground he walked on.

It was hard for her to believe at first, knowing the oldest Hayama preferred solitude. But she could see it now in the way he talked with people. It was subtle at first, occurring slowly. It was small conversations here and there in their classes. In the hallways, some people apparently, he had known from elementary school saying hi.

And then one day, Fuka was sitting at their usual table, waiting for the group to arrive when Akito sat down. He didn't say anything at first, but she could feel someone staring at her. When she looked up, she found his dark, golden brown eyes on her.

Fuka was almost hesitant to ask, but she narrowed her eyes and said "What?"

It took him a minute to respond, but he looked down at her ankle and asked a question that had her heart racing but also entirely confused at the same time.

"Your ankle… how… is it?"

She could tell it made him uncomfortable, engaging in conversation like this, but Fuka felt her heart explode. Because this was a side of him, she had never seen. And the way he asked and looked at her, it was softer than the brooding glare he always wore and the rough, low voice he usually spoke with.

Fuka was almost too tongue tied to answer but managed to squeak out a very fast "fine thanks for asking." He seemed content with her answer and just went back to eating his lunch. And that was pretty much the only conversation they shared for the rest of the hour.

And it continued.

They continued to talk and converse, small comments here and there. Fuka felt like she had met an entirely new person at times.

But she knew where this all stemmed from.

Because she knew that this change started the moment Kurata Sana stormed back into her life again.

It didn't happen right away. Sana and Akito, they hated each other at first. They fought like cats and dogs, couldn't even stand being in the same room. Akito avoided her and Sana spewed poison.

But somewhere in those following weeks, Sana and Akito got paired to be partners for an English project and that started this new dynamic between the two.

Fuka saw it when they were studying, or sitting at lunch, or even just hanging out in the courtyard. She saw it during gymnastic practice or even just a simple conversation in the hallway. Akito continued to be guarded, to hold himself back, but little by little, she had seen him open himself to Sana.

And that broke her heart.

Because she knew it was something that Sana hadn't done purposely. Besides, her best friend didn't even know Fuka liked Akito, nonetheless, loved him.

There was just something about Kurata Sana that made you want to be a better version of yourself. She was so infuriatingly meddlesome and annoyingly perceptive. She always knew what buttons to push to get someone to talk, good or bad. And there was this air about her that made it so easy to talk to her.

Sana just understood people so well.

She didn't know what to say all the time, and often times didn't make the right decisions or use her head wisely. But she was there and that made the difference.

Hayama Akito and Kurata Sana were friends.

The way they interacted with one another, the way they looked at one another, the way they spoke to one another, it was obvious to anyone that they created this friendship and it really brought out the better side to Akito.

Fuka just only wished it could have been her.

"You going to eat that?"

Fuka was broken out of her thoughts by the same boy who had been plaguing them. He was looking at her with his stoic, golden-brown eyes, chop sticks in his hand. The blond was giving her this pointed look and she shook her head, pushing the plate towards him.

He devoured it within seconds.

"You're a big sushi fan, huh?"

The look that Akito gave her almost made her choke on the soda she was drinking. It was a look of a child, one who got caught eating snacks in the middle of the night; that deer in the headlights look.

Obviously Akito was still a child and this was something to expect. She just didn't ever expect something so… innocent from him.

"Yeah, something like that." He said as Fuka watched him continued to throw more pieces of sushi in his mouth, her eyes growing wider and wider with each roll.

"So… manga and sushi…" Her voice trailed off and he looked at her like he was expecting her to finish that sentence.

"I mean, you never struck me as the guy, but it works?" That was her own doubt she was voicing, and he raised a brow at her. "Yeah, totally works."

"Well, you never struck me as the type of girl who cared about simple stuff like that." He said so casually that Fuka almost spit up her drink. He wasn't looking at her anymore, focused on the sushi in front of Sana.

And while he picked her sushi off his plate and Sana angrily turned towards him and made a comment about taking her food, Fuka was still reeling about their conversation.

To everyone else, that comment could seem rude or demeaning. But to Fuka, it meant something else entirely.

Her heart did swell for a minute, her mind running through different scenarios/meanings of what that comment meant exactly.

But as Akito and Sana continued to banter with one another, that swelling in her heart deflated. She could see how easy it was for them. They thought they were subtle in their shared looks and hushed tones. But, Fuka could see the small smirk on Akito's lips and the fire in Sana's eyes as they interacted with one another.

Her heart wasn't supposed to hurt this much, not really.

Fuka just couldn't help it.

Because even though there was nothing to win, she felt like she already lost.

.

"What do you mean you don't like mochi!? Who doesn't like mochi!?" Kurata Sana said in exasperation as she fell into her desk chair with wide eyes.

Hayama Akito sighed roughly and Sana couldn't believe the roll of his eyes as he turned away from her in a huff.

"Not even ice cream mochi?!" He shot a glare at her, a frown at his lips.

"Akito isn't the biggest fan of sweets, I'm afraid." Tsuyoshi interjected as he found a seat next to the duo. The blond obviously didn't appreciate this as he shot another glare at his best friend.

Sana shook her head, unbelieving of the truth she just discovered.

"How do you not like mochi? It's so GOOD." She continued to press, slamming her hands on the table.

"It's a texture thing." He said as if that would answer all her questions.

Now, Sana knew Hayama Akito was something… but for him to not even like mochi? What was wrong with him?!

"You can try all you want, Sana-chan. But he won't change his mind." Tsuyoshi added again. The brown-haired boy shouted in obvious pain as Hayama delivered a swift kick to his chin.

"He's not wrong, Sana-chan. Akito-kun almost threw Tsuyoshi-kun into the pond in the back of school when he forced him to eat some." Aya, who had just gotten back from a meeting her with club, added as she sat down, the four of them sitting almost circle like.

This time, Hayama shifted his focus from Tsuyoshi to Aya, eyes narrowing. She put her hands up in defense, like she was offering an apology.

"Good to know that you are just mean to all your friends." Sana stated and Hayama rolled his eyes.

The conversation turned elsewhere as Tsuyoshi brought up another memory from elementary school, something involving Hayama Akito jumping off with a bungee cord from the gym roof to prove to the boys he was the bravest and therefore should lead the pack.

Sounded stupid and reckless, but Sana found amusement in this.

While her three friends were reminiscing in their past, Sana allowed herself a small smile.

Months ago, this would have been impossible.

Hayama Akito was a recluse and Tsuyoshi were too nervous and guilt-ridden to attempt any type of reformation of their friendship. Aya wouldn't have approached Hayama without Tsuyoshi and Hayama and Fuka would still have been at each other's throats.

Now, Hayama was sitting with them at lunch or studying with them after school, even meeting them at Mimi's Café for a relaxing afternoon. He was becoming more talkative, adding his thoughts and stating facts here and there. He had also started showing more emotion, even if it was just a smirk or glare here and there.

Overall, Sana was just so happy to see him moving forward.

Hayama's eyes caught hers and he rose a brow at what was probably a weird look on her face. Her small smile turned in a lop-sided grin and that caused the confusion in his face to increase.

What?

He was asking, Sana could tell through the scrunched eyebrows.

Oh, nothing!

She replied to him through her increasing smile.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking back to Tsuyoshi and Aya, who were caught in their own conversation.

Yeah, Sana was really happy with the progress that Hayama Akito has made.

"Alright, everyone! If I could have everyone's attention!"

Sana, as well as everyone in the class, turned towards the front of the class where their class representative, Tobita Mayu, was standing. Even though they shared the same homeroom, Sana had only interacted with her a few times.

Tobita Mayu was pretty with her dark, almost purple looking hair. She had striking electric blue eyes and was quite tall, especially for a girl. But a lot of her popularity stemmed from her involvement in school. She was not only the class rep, but she was involved in the school's student council as well.

It was a shame, Sana started thinking. Tobita Mayu was a nice girl; hardworking and determined. In the few times they interacted, she would always ask Sana how she was doing, if she'd adapted to Jinbou, if she needed anything, etc. She felt like her and Tobita-san could be friends if the girl wasn't so busy all the time.

Then again, a lot of Sana's own time was dedicated to solving the mystery that was Hayama Akito.

"It's that time of year again, people! And for those of you who know what that doesn't mean, it means that – "

"THE SCHOOL FESTIVAL IS COMING RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!"

Tobita-san was interrupted by their resident class clowns, Gomi and Hiroshi, who both looked at each other with stars in their eyes. They high-fived each other and started pumping their fist into the air.

Sana laughed as Hisae started chastising Gomi and pulling on his uniform to sit down. Mami was grabbing at Hiroshi's uniform, but it seemed futile as both girls had no luck.

It seemed that Tobita-san was accustomed to this behavior though as she laughed and waved them off.

"Yes, yes! The school festival is coming up here shortly in the middle of March! Now, I know it's the end of January, but we are wanting to get started early this year." She gave pointed looks to the two boys who finally sat down. They were wearing crooked smiles on their face and something told Sana that those boys had caused trouble for Tobita-san before.

"Like every year, the class will decide what event they want to host, put together a budget, their resources, supplies, needs, etc. etc. and then submit a proposal. Of course, as your class rep, I will be submitting the proposal to the student council." Tobita explained.

"Whoo hoo! Lucky to have you, Tobita-san!" Hiroshi shouted and she shook her head with an exasperated smile.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Anyway, like I've said in the past before, I will merely submit the proposal. As a class, we are all responsible for putting it together. I expect full cooperation on everyone's part!" Her voice was commanding but not demeaning.

She definitely was a leader, go getter type of gal, the type of girl to take charge in situations. Tobita-san must had gone to school with everyone here for some time because it seemed like everyone here was accustomed to her.

Sana had to admit, she was so excited!

It had been so long since she had been to a school festival, nevertheless involved.

She loved going to school festivals. They were so much fun. Or at least, they were when people weren't swarming after her. Or when she could actually go. Sometimes her job kept her from even being able to attend. She deadpanned, thinking about how she actually hadn't always enjoyed them to the fullest when she did make it.

Her old job really didn't allow her to enjoy public outings as much as she wished. She remembered back before Fuka transferred, her and Takaishi had to hide Sana into the janitor's closet because her fans wouldn't leave her alone.

Nevertheless, when she wasn't being chased, they were lots of fun!

The last time she had been to one was… well – she couldn't exactly remember.

The auburn-haired girl scratched at her head, trying to remember when exactly she had last gone to one. It had to be middle school, right? She furrowed her brows together, digging deep in the far reaches of her mind to remember.

But nothing was coming to her.

"Oi, you still in there or what?"

Her forehead slightly stung as her eyes were staring deep into a sea of golden-brown. Her hand went up to rub at the sore spot in the middle of her forehead. She scowled at the boy sitting in front of her.

"You flicked me?!" Sana frowned as she pointed an accusing finger at Hayama.

The bastard shrugged his shoulders. "You were making weird faces."

"And that gives you the right to flick me?!" She said, even louder. He shrugged again.

"That's so rude, you know. You came into my personal space without permission." Her tone was meant to be exasperated, and haughty. But she definitely felt the corners of her lips twitch and tug upwards to a smile. Her voice also may have delved into a playful tone.

Hayama released the loudest snort she had ever think she heard from him. He started shaking his head, scratching at his forehead. His eyes found hers, full of disbelief at her silly comment.

"You are one to talk about personal space." He bit back.

Now it was Sana's turn to shrug her shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about… ANYWAY. So, about this school festival!? That's exciting, huh!" She caught the not so subtle glare as she changed topics.

"I don't do school festivals." He said, so matter-of-factly.

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't like them like you don't like mochi!" Hayama rolled his eyes again at her statement, something he seemed to be doing a lot today; almost like was persistently annoyed with her.

"I never said I don't like them, I said I don't do them." He clarified again, like if she was an idiot.

"Well, this year you are!" She crossed her arms in front, giving him the biggest grin, she could muster. He scoffed, like he was irritated with her or something.

"If you could get this guy to participate in a school festival, that would be awesome, Kurata!" Gomi and Hiroshi popped out of nowhere, causing her to shriek slightly. They grinned like mad men and gave a knowing look to Hayama.

"Don't go getting any of your stupid idea's!" Hisae came marching up, hands on her hips. "We all remember what you guys last time did the three of you teamed up for a school festival."

Sana's brows rose, head turning towards Akito. Her eyes went wide as a smirk and low snort came from him. But as quickly as it was there, it disappeared the moment he noticed she was staring.

Party pooper.

"What did you guys do!?" Sana pushed, really curious to the story behind Hisae's lecture.

"Oh, I remember! First year of middle school, right?" Aya said, bursting into fits of laughter. Tsuyoshi groaned, shaking his head like a disappointed father would when their child got into trouble.

"The three of you would have been kicked out if they could have proved it was you guys!" Tsuyoshi tacked on, and Sana was growing impatient.

What did they do that was so bad!?

"And of course, they couldn't because our friends were loyal, and it was an EPIC prank." Hiroshi and Gomi said at the same time, which was kind of creepy how well they knew one another.

"Well, don't leave me out! What did you guys do?!"

Gomi and Hiroshi both chuckled. "Well, it was entirely Akito's idea, let me put that out. Gotta give credit where credits due." Sana's eyes looked back to him and he smirked lightly.

"You!?" Hayama didn't answer, that bastard.

"Anyway, so our class idea was to do this lava lamp thing, which BORING." Hisae shouted "hey!" and Gomi snickered. "ANYWAY, Akito thought of the awesome idea to make the lamps explode!"

Sana's eyes went wide, looking back at him. The smug bastard looked away, knowing he was caught.

Tsuyoshi groaned as Gomi continued the story. "So, we offered to make the lava lamps and Akito thought it would be funny to change one of the ingredients to make the lava lamp explode when shaken enough!"

"No one suspected a thing when we offered to make them!" Hiroshi said, but Mami smacked him upside the head.

"That's a total lie! The moment the three of you offered, we knew something was up! Hayama wasn't an idiot, but we knew he could get himself into trouble. The two of you though, we knew you were up to something!"

That thing Mami said, about Hayama getting into trouble, Sana wanted to ask exactly what that meant. But the conversation already moved on and she made a mental note to ask the dark haired girl about it later.

"So, then why didn't you stop us!?" Gomi taunted and Hisae pointed a finger at him.

"Because we didn't know what you three had planned! We just knew you were going to mess it up somehow!"

"Back to the story!" Hiroshi interjected on the quarreling couple. "So, we delivered them that next morning and the girls were actually first shift, so we knew that this was perfect!"

"Akito, Gomi, and I stood around the corner with Sasaki and literally started busting up when the first customer came. Sasaki of course had no idea. But, when the first lava lamp exploded, we knew it was as success! And the girl's shrieks and the looks on their faces were the damn best thing!"

If looks could kill, Mami, Hisae, and even sweet Aya were giving the duo their best glare. Obviously still a sore subject because then Hisae and Mami went into a rant about explaining the explosions to the teachers and almost getting banned from future school festivals.

Tsuyoshi had his head in his hands as he shook his head and Hayama was silent, but she knew that the jerk was smug under his cold, stoic exterior.

Months ago, she wouldn't have believed Hayama capable of pulling a trick like that, interacting like he had with all their friends like they all say he did.

But little by little, layer by layer, Sana was learning so much about Hayama Akito and who he used to be.

The auburn-haired girl watched as her new friends all interacted with one another, fussing and bantering like the old friends they had been. Even Hayama, who was absent for the last few years, fit in like he had never left.

She hated to admit it, but it left Sana a bit jealous.

Her job and moving schools a few times didn't really allow Sana to have such a close-knit group of friends that she could relish in nostalgia with. She had Fuka, but even then, it wasn't the same. Her and Fuka didn't sit around homeroom like these guys did and recount old, fond memories.

Not that Sana thought Fuka would want too since most of their memories together involved her ex-boyfriend.

She pursed her lips slightly, allowing herself to be a bit envious.

It wasn't like her friends were paying attention to her. They were all caught in the past and weren't paying attention to her and her moping mood, thank goodness.

Sana was lucky to have had Fuka though. As easy as it was to make friends, it was hard to find and keep real friends. With her lifestyle, people were superficial and only wanted surface level relationships with her. She found it hard to connect with people deeply due to that.

It wasn't something she talked about; that distrust she had in others after years of being taken advantage of and manipulating her for their own gain. Sana really hadn't even told Fuka if she was being honest.

The only person she talked to about this other than her mother was Rei.

Her heart ached at the thought of her first love.

Rei was the only one who knew Sana truly; knew her inside out. He could read her like a book, knowing what she needed or wanted through her body language and facial expressions. She could tell him one thing and it meant the exact opposite.

Sana bit her lip, not wanting to think about Rei.

Every time she did, she felt like she lost another part of her.

And she knew that it wasn't healthy, and it was normal to grieve, and one should think about their passed loved ones.

But Sana didn't have the strength to do it.

His death took everything out of her. She couldn't bare thinking about revisiting that. Not when she was finally feeling like herself again.

"You're doing it again."

Sana's thoughts were completely shattered as her forehead was once again tingling with pain. Her hands went to rub the sore spot and she looked up to see Hayama Akito looking down at her with his hands in his pockets and his book bag hanging over his shoulder.

"What?" Her eyes scanned the room and saw her classmates packing up and filing out of the room.

Had the bell rung, and she didn't even notice?

She looked back up to Hayama, who was staring at her with this unfamiliar look in his eyes. Sana couldn't quite put a finger to it, but it almost looked… concerned?

"You were making weird faces." She opened her mouth to say something but closed it, not really sure what to say to him.

"Yeah, well I do that I guess." She muttered, standing from her chair and doing a light stretch of her arms. She grabbed her jacket from the back and turned to grab her book bag when she noticed it wasn't where she had left it on the ground.

The jingle of one of her keychains hooked on the strap made her look up and Hayama Akito was holding it by the handles. She looked up to him, shocked and surprised by this sudden gesture of his. He was holding it out to her, like a peace offering.

She grabbed it from him, their fingers brushing past each other on exchange.

Sana sucked in a breath at their brief contact, eyes still locked onto one another, watching as his jaw hardened. His golden-brown eyes clashed hard with her hazel ones. She felt like she was locked in this trance, like she couldn't get out. When Sana secured her book bag in her hand, he pulled away and broke contact first.

Smiling up to him, Sana wanted to show her appreciation. It was a sweet gesture.

"Thank you." She said softly and he nodded.

She didn't know why, but her heart seemed to find itself beating uncharacteristically high. Taking a deep breath, she waved it off, thinking it probably had to do with her thoughts of Rei and her past. After all, thinking about that always made her anxious.

Sana continued with her day full of smiles and laughter as she tried to forget Rei's smile and Hayama's hypnotizing eyes.

.

She thought no one was looking when she let her guard down.

She thought that everyone was too caught up in the past that no one paid attention to the change in posture, her demeanor, he personality. He didn't know if she didn't think anyone bothered to pay mind to her or if she really was just that absent at times.

Whatever the case was, while everyone teleported to their middle school years, he watched as her entire persona shifted.

She probably didn't think anyone could tell since she was still looking at them and wore a smile on her face. But, with all the time he had been forced to spend with her, he started to catch onto these subtle quirks of hers, as he liked to call them.

Akito first noticed her silence.

Kurata was anything but that. She was boisterous and one always knew where she was because her voice carried. No longer pestering them with questions, she resided into her thoughts.

Then he noticed the distant look in her eyes.

She was there, but she also wasn't. Kurata was somewhere else, pretending to listen to the conversation but really, she was in someplace else. Where? He didn't know exactly. But by the look on her face, he imagined it wasn't somewhere pleasant.

Finally, it was the subtle but somber line stretched on her lips.

Whatever she was thinking about, it was causing her pain.

He frowned, watching as her eyes sunk and the light that always burned so furiously in them, was flickering.

Akito wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, yell at her, and tell her to stop. Tell her to stop looking so sad. Because dammit, that was his job. Well, not to look sad, but being the pensive one in this weird friendship they formed. Kurata was the jubilant one; she was all sunshine and rainbows.

This look she was wearing… it definitely didn't suit her.

The blond wanted to scoff. All these people, they called her their friend, and not one of them saw what he did. Not one of them seemed too concerned. That irked Akito in many ways. But also, the rational part of him, realized it was due to Kurata's uncanny ability to mask her emotions.

You will learn that she plays the part well.

Kurata Misako had said that to him so many months ago when they first met. That Kurata plays the part well. He didn't know what that meant, thinking she was just a moron – well that hadn't changed much. But he was starting to see what the oldest Kurata meant by that.

He didn't know where she learned it or why, but Kurata Sana was quite the actor when she needed to be.

The bell chimed and Akito sighed roughly, this uncomfortable feeling settling at the pit of his stomach. Kurata still hadn't moved, clearly so deep in her thoughts. He stood, grabbing his school bag and swung it over his shoulder. She still hadn't moved.

Raising his hand, he flicked her again.

That distant look in her eyes were gone, replaced by pure confusion as she looked up to find the culprit of her pain.

"You're doing it again."

Her eyes seemed puzzled and immediately scanned the room, finally noticing that it was time to go.

"What?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically low and soft.

"You were making weird faces."

Kurata opened her mouth, like she was going to make some sort of remark. Weirdly enough, Akito wanted her to fight him, to make a snide comment. But when she closed her mouth, and looked away, his jaw hardened.

"Yeah, well I do that I guess."

Akito saw her bag laying on the floor against her chair. Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed it. He couldn't really explain why he had done it, but now he was standing there, holding Kurata's school bag in his hand.

She was stretching and grabbing her school jacket when she noticed that her bag wasn't where she left it. Her eyes went wide, rightfully so, when he extended his arm forward, offering it back to her.

When she reached her hand to grab it, their fingers brushed past each other and Akito felt his jaw harden again

It was like when they first met, the shock that coursed through his body. It left a tingling feeling in him that was unexplainable. He looked down into her eyes, captivated by her sense of wonder and openness. But also, the harder and deeper he looked, he found strands of melancholy.

What the hell?

Not wanting this to get weird, once he felt her grab onto the handles of her bag, he released it and turned away.

He heard a soft "thank you," and he nodded, not really sure what to say. They walked out of the classroom in silence until Kurata found Fuka waiting outside by the lockers. She ran towards her and the melancholic mood she was in all but vanished. Fuka smiled at him and he nodded again, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Akito continued on with his day, trying to shake off the despondent in Kurata Sana's eyes.

.

It was the tail end of the day and Sana was sitting in the library with Hiro and Ayame. She huffed, staring at the numbers in front of her. Math really was just so foreign to her. How did she manage to get this far in her high school career? She gulped thinking about college.

"What? Don't tell me you're stuck again." Hiro jested, chuckling as he bumped into her shoulder.

Ayame looked up from her textbook and peered over to the worksheet on the table.

Sana sheepishly smiled at both her friends.

"Just not really in the mood to study, if I'm being honest."

Hiro closed his book and rested his cheek on his open hand.

"Alright. What do you want to do then?" He asked and Sana shrugged her shoulders. She seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"Not be here." Another sheepish smile and Ayame giggled.

"How about I take my two favorite girls to get some ice cream?" Hiro suggested with his dazzling smile and charming eyes.

Sana could see how someone could get lost in those twinkling, emerald eyes of his. And his smile was infectious. Ayame closed her book and nodded excitedly.

Sana had no problem thrusting her homework into her backpack and gave a very ecstatic thumb up.

And that was how the trio found themselves at this ice cream shop not far from school and somewhere in between all their homes. Sana groaned in satisfaction as she closed her eyes and felt the sun on her face.

It wasn't ideal, eating ice cream in the winter. But it soothed her soul and the sun was out in full force. If it wasn't for the icy breeze and occasional patches of snow, it would have felt like early spring.

"Have you decided what university you are going to apply to yet, Hiro-kun?" Ayame asked casually. The green-eyed boy stiffened slightly, Sana knowing that Hiro had been avoiding this topic due to his grandma's recent declining health.

"Not exactly. I'm probably going to stay close though." Sana watched as Ayame furrowed her brows.

"Didn't you say your dream was Kyoto University though?"

He groaned, Sana knowing that this was expected. Hiro had confided in her not that he was probably going to stay close because of his grandma's health and his mother's long hours. Though, Sana knew as well as Ayame, that it would be a disservice to Hiro's talents and academic career.

He wasn't the brightest in his class, but he was qualified for Kyoto University.

"Yeah, but Tokyo has a good mechanical engineering program here too." Hiro was trying his best to sound non-chalant about it, but with how long the two knew one another, Sana knew that Ayame knew better.

"Not as good as Kyoto." She barked back and the fourth year looked at her with a lop-sided smile.

"Hey now. Weren't you just crying earlier this year about me leaving ya? Shouldn't you be happy about me wanting to stay closer?" Hiro was deflecting and Sana knew it.

The green-eyed boy looked to Sana for help, his eyes pleading but she shook her head. Nope, this was not a conversation she was going to get in the middle of.

"Obviously because I was going to miss you but Hiro-kun. Kyoto University is the best for mechanical engineering, and you know it. What's the about you changing your mind?"

Hiro sighed roughly, running his hands through his hair and down his face.

Ayame looked back to Sana, who smiled sadly.

"Why else would he change his mind?" Sana whispered and the youngest Hayama's eyes went wide with realization. She whipped her head towards Hiro, who still had his face buried in his hands.

"Is your grandma's condition getting worse?" She asked, her voice not as harsh as earlier.

Since the Hayama siblings had started rekindling their relationship and Ayame was opening herself again, Sana was starting to see the similarities between Ayame and her older brother. And that included their sharpness in tone.

Hiro didn't say anything at first, just sighing loudly. He peeked at her through his hands and gave her this dejected look. The blond took purchase next to her surrogate big brother immediately and had him in her arms.

It was a sweet moment, a private moment that Sana felt like she was intruding on.

That seemed to be the theme of her day today… intrusion into a life that wasn't hers.

But that moment didn't last long because Ayame extended her hand towards Sana and asked her to join them because both girls knew that he needed them right now.

So, Sana took a seat next to Hiro and grabbed his hand tightly as he looked towards the floor with desolate eyes.

"'M fine you know. You don't have to worry about me." He looked up to the both of them and smiled.

"I'll always worry about you, you big dummy." Ayame shoved him and he laughed.

"I'm just here for moral support, don't look at me." Sana put her hands up in defense and he played the wounded warrior role for a moment.

"Nah uh. Don't pout at me, Akimoto Hiro. Besides, you can't be greedy. You already have Ayame-chan." Sana continued as she put her hand back on his forearm.

Hiro laughed.

"I'm just that lucky, you know?"

And the three of them laughed as Hiro continued to make ridiculous passes at her and Ayame teased him forever for it.

It was an afternoon well spent and Sana couldn't have been happier to have her day end that way. When she arrived home later that afternoon, had dinner with her family, and found her way into her bed, she couldn't help but feel an uneasiness in her heart.

Something was coming. She wasn't sure what, but something was coming that was going to change everything.

A/N: So before I delve into this chapter, I just want to say that I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! I was worried that people wouldn't be happy with a Fuka centered chapter but it seems most of you didn't mind! Now, onto this chapter. I think you all kind of figured out the overall theme of this chapter. There is major foreshadowing here and more insight into Kurata Sana's head. And, is that... character development I'm smelling in Hayama Akito? Oooh, we love to see it. By the way, Tobita Mayu is a character in the Kodocha anime. She was part of the singing group where Sana dressed up with the girls and sang in front of everyone at her house. She was only in one episode so i figured it didn't hurt to include her and give her her own personality.

Anyway, I'm so stoked for the next arc! The Spring Festival is going to be fun. I've obviously seen this a bunch in shojo and slice of life manga but now i actually get to write one. Which is kind of daunting, but also really exciting. I'm looking forward to it, also because there is so much jammed packed into it. Lots of good moments coming up for our characters! But, next chapter is going to be... intense and i cannot wait for it. Because like Sana said... something is coming that is going to change... everything.

So! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! You know the drill!

Until next time!

Dark Waffle