A/N: This chapter has taken me like 3 months to write but once I sat down and actually started writing, it only took me like two days. This chapter is definitely a filler. But a good filler! Lots of disposition and depth for our characters! And we see characters we haven't seen in a while. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 38: Peace

The closer the school festival was, the more excitement filled the air at Jinbou High School. Hallways were decorated, classrooms decked out with posters, and there was an increase in after school activities from students working on their parts of the festival.

Matsui Fuka smiled as a group of girls from two classes down ran by her, poster paper and paint in their hands. Her own class was certainly busy putting together a sushi bar courtesy of her sweet uncle. He generously donated himself and his staff to helping put together a stellar sushi bar that would outshine all other classes.

Call it part of their competitive nature that ran in their family but Fuka knew that it would be a hit. The gymnast was in charge of organizing the tedious background work while the rest of her class had split off into groups in terms of advertisement and shift work. They even willed themselves to learn how to roll their own sushi.

It was the first time in a longtime that Fuka was actually excited to participate in the school festival.

As she walked down the hall, a familiar head of blonde stood out from the crowd. His stoic and bored eyes didn't seem so frightening or intimidating anymore. The students didn't part like the red sea when he walked down the hall. People were waving hello to him now, speaking to him like they didn't just ignore him just a few short months ago.

Fuka pursed her lips slightly, a bitter taste in her mouth when she thought about who was responsible for this new change in him.

The brown-haired girl caught his gaze and she sucked in a breath. Even though her confession had been nothing but disastrous, they seemed closer, if that was even possible. The fight that ensued after her embarrassing confession unveiled this weird understanding between them.

She didn't understand why she still held feelings for him. Fuka knew she had to let go. But part of her still got flustered when he bore down at her with his sharp, golden-brown eyes. Kind of like he was doing right now.

Her heart raced and she could feel the back of her neck burn. But she knew that this was just infatuation at this point. Her feelings for him started to feel more superficial than what she thought they were just a few weeks ago.

"Buka." Akito called out to her, eyes disinterested.

Fuka rolled her eyes in his greeting.

"Akito." She responded with a nod of the head.

He walked past her and said nothing more. The brown-haired girl frowned, feeling unsatisfied from the conversation. Really, at this point, Fuka knew it was futile to look for more from him. Akito didn't owe her anything more.

"I heard about your sister making the softball team."

He stopped abruptly, hands in his pockets.

Fuka saw the announcement on the board a few days ago. She had no idea Ayame could play but when she saw Tsuyoshi and Aya in the hall a few hours after the announcement was posted, they explained to her that she quite the star back in the day.

"Yeah. She's excited." Akito turned back towards her and nodded.

"I had no idea she could play. I gotta go check out one of her games." She smiled, and he nodded again.

"I'm sure she would appreciate the support."

"You think so? Sometimes I feel like she doesn't like me." Fuka added with a strained smile.

Akito rolled his eyes in response. "Don't be an idiot. Ayame doesn't hate anyone."

"I come off standoffish so I wouldn't be surprised, especially after…" And she trailed off, looking away from him. Fuka really tried her best to avoid the topic of her and Sana. It still hurt thinking about the fallout between her and her ex best friend.

Another roll of the eyes from the blonde and Fuka frowned. "What?"

"Why you two persist to be like this is beyond me."

Fuka's frown deepened. "You know that part of this is your fault, right?"

He scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "She said that too." Fuka went wide eyed. "I may have been the catalyst to your fight, but at the end of the day, you both have unresolved issues that need to be discussed. And since both of you are so damn stubborn, you both resolved to stop being friends rather than working out your problems."

The brown-haired teen just stared wide eyed at the blond. She stared at him in silence, trying to formulate some type of response. But nothing was coming to mind. It was infuriating to her that Akito could just lay out their issues in front of them like it didn't mean anything.

"There was no other choice."

Another scoff and Akito moved out of the middle of the hallway, walking towards the window. He was staring out into the courtyard where people were playing football.

"There's always a choice." He muttered, eyes seeming faraway.

Fuka dug her fingernails into the palm of her hands and bit her lip. "You wouldn't understand."

No one understood the friendship between Sana and herself. Yes, there was jealousy and envy and hostility and frustration. But there was always silent understandings and comfort, and love. She loved Sana. Sana got her when no one else bothered. And even if she pushed too much, she knew that the young actress always had her best interest.

Ending their friendship broke her heart. Because Sana was her soulmate. And she truly believed that. Up until her betrayal.

"I think I do." He replied. "It's not worth it. This loneliness you're trying to accomplish by isolating yourself. It doesn't make the pain go away." He spoke in a softer tone, and Fuka couldn't believe it.

To hear him open up like this, it caught her by surprise. She had seen glimpses of his comforting ways. But this was an entirely new experience.

"Is that what you did?" Fuka asked, clutching onto the length of her skirt, anxious for his reply. "Were you wanting to run away from something too? Something you couldn't deal with?"

He remained silent, and the brown-haired teen was on the tips of her toes, awaiting a response. This was the most genuine and sincere conversation she had ever had with him. And Fuka was clinging to whatever she could get.

"It's just not worth it." And that was all he said, before he turned around and started to walk away.

Fuka could feel her heart break again. She felt him slip through her fingers, the grasp never strong enough, the line too weak. But then again, she never stood on firm ground with him. He was always just a touch out of reach.

She felt pricks of tears at the corners of her eyes.

The gymnast laughed at herself, rubbing away the tears.

And she couldn't help but feel her emotions all at once. Annoyed with herself for letting him make her feel like she had a chance.

And irritated in the way she knew deep in her heart that he would never open himself like he did with Sana.

.

"Can't you take anything seriously?!" Hisae shouted at Gomi, causing the room to snicker.

"Oh, come on! You really expect me to take this script seriously?" He countered and the light brown-haired girl stood abruptly from her seat.

"YES. And so does everyone in this room! We are trying to have the best event of the school festival!"

Tsuyoshi shook his head as their longtime friends bickered in front of the class, though most ignored their insults. The pair fought almost as much as Akito and Sana.

Speaking of the stars of their show, he peaked a look at his best friend and the former actress. They were sitting by the window, Akito looking bored as he looked over the first draft of the script. Mami, who was surprisingly a really great writer, had put together a rough script and with the input of Aya and Sana, came together and put a rough draft.

They had all gotten copies, and they encouraged criticism and were open to changes based off of personalities and how the students wanted to adopt their characters.

Sana was pointing at something on the script, and Akito was shaking his head. Sana seemed frustrated as she looked down and crossed something out with her pen. She wrote something and brought it back up to his face. He shook his head again.

"I've changed it like 5 times already! What's it going to take to please you!" She shouted, catching the attention of a few.

But at this point, their nagging and bickering had become a staple in their relationship. And the class had become accustomed to it. It probably didn't matter to anyone else, but Tsuyoshi found amusement and joy from watching his friends.

There was this budding chemistry. He saw flashes of sparks between the pair. Small flickers of hope that often left him disappointed. But Tsuyoshi couldn't help but be curious to see if the sparks would ignite.

And lately, it seemed that something had changed.

Akito seemed more open to Sana, especially as far as body language was concerned. He wasn't so guarded around her. His shoulders weren't so tensed, and face wasn't contoured into a scowl. He almost seemed relaxed. Even now, looking at them, Tsuyoshi could see the way his best friend was sort of leaning into Sana.

"What is it, Tsuyoshi-kun?" Aya asked next to him and he looked over at his longtime girlfriend.

Smiling he gestured over towards Sana and Akito. She took the silent indicator and followed his eyes. Looking back at him, her own eyebrows lifted in question.

"Something's different." Aya watched them as discreetly as she could, and her eyes lightened.

"You're right!" She whispered loudly.

Their thoughts were interrupted though as Sana slammed her hands on the table that separated her and Akito.

"I told you I'm not talking."

"I literally only need you to say one phrase! Just one!" She yelled in front of the whole class.

"No."

Sana glared at him.

"Must you be so damn stubborn!? UGH." She stood up and walked away, huffing and muttered insults as she reached the door.

"Wait! Sana-chan! Where are you going?" Mami called out.

She turned with a glare that sent chills in the entire room. But everyone knew who it was meant for.

"Bathroom." And she stomped out, leaving the room to sigh.

Tsuyoshi looked back at his best friend, who sighed deeply, muttering something under his breath. He looked back at Aya and smiled sweetly. She stared at him in confusion. Sitting up from his seat, he walked over to his friend and sat down in the seat next to him.

"If you came over here to tell me to be nicer to her, you could go back to your seat." There was annoyance in his voice and Tsuyoshi merely smiled.

"I was going to say that you should give her a break and work with her."

Akito glared. "Same shit."

Tsuyoshi laughed. "Would it kill you to say one phrase?"

"Go away." He stated sharply.

"The script really isn't that bad. I think Mami-chan, Sana-chan, and Aya-chan did a great job. Everyone gets a part and contributes in some ways. And they even limited your role to a few parts. Which is what you wanted."

"I didn't want to be a part of this, nevertheless, be a main character."

"If you really wanted to say no, you could have." Tsuyoshi challenged him, and Akito gave him a sharp look with his scary golden-brown eyes.

But joke was on his best friend because Tsuyoshi had seen chilling look one too many times and its desired effect wore off. And while Akito definitely left Tsuyoshi feeling weary at times, this was not one.

"You want to know what I think?" He leaned in close, his voice asking quietly.

His eyes narrowed. "Not particularly." His tongue sharp with a reply.

Tsuyoshi smiled deviously sweet as he leaned in closer.

"You accepted because you couldn't say no to her." He knew he had to be careful with how he treaded here. This was uncharted waters and Akito could be turbulent and suck him underneath. His best friend was staring at him with a blank look. And Tsuyoshi knew he was about to be caught by the jaws of the wolf.

"If you say what I think you are going to say, I would keep your mouth shut." He threatened with a hiss in his voice. Tsuyoshi backed off, putting his hands up. He toyed too close. If he continued, it was going to result in a bite.

"Ara, ara. I don't know what you mean." Playing off stupid, Tsuyoshi continued to smile.

Barred teeth were put away but Akito's body still seemed tense. "Go away, Tsuyoshi."

His voice returned to the monotonous range and Tsuyoshi sighed inwardly. It wasn't a topic to be breached for now. Maybe later…

The door opened to the classroom and Sana walked back in. Mami caught her attention and ran up to her, pointed at something on the paper in her hands.

"Okay! Everyone listen up! We have all the assigned roles filled up! So, look up to the board and take note of what you're doing in the play!" Sana commanded as Mami stood up next to her. "And while we're at it, why don't you all thank Mami for all her hard work into the script!"

The entire class erupted into a cheer and Mami was standing red faced.

"That's my girl!" Hisae shouted with a few others make comments.

"Thanks guys! I just want us to have the best show for the festival!" Mami stated in response.

"And we will!" Sana agreed with a wide smile.

Tsuyoshi looked past his friends at the board that had everyone's roles laid out.

Little Red Riding Hood – Kurata Sana

The Wolf – Hayama Akito

Red Riding Hood's Grandmother – Sugita Aya

Red Riding Hood's Mother – Kamayai Hisae

The Hunter – Shinichi Gomi

The Doctor – Sasaki Tusyohi

Villagers – Class 1A

Director – Mami Suzuki/Kurata Sana

"Hell yeah! I'm going to be the big bad ass hunter that takes the wolf down! You better watch out, Akitob-kun! I'm coming for you!" Gomi stood in his seat and pointed at Akito.

Akito narrowed his eyes and stared silently back at him. Gomi started to sweat as Akito's eyes darkened and he gulped, the boys knowing what that stare meant.

"Dude, you better sit your ass down before he takes you out!" Hiroshi grabbed Gomi's uniform and pulled him down.

"Classmate Hayama vs. Classmate Gomi! Can't wait to see who wins!" Yunichi laughed as he pinned the two boys against one another.

"Well, we already know who wins that one." Hisae stated matter of factly as she rolled her eyes and looked down at her eyes.

Sana cocked her head to the side. "What does that mean?" Tsuyoshi could hear her ask Mami. Mami huffed and crossed her arms.

"Oh! Oh! I can explain!" Hiroshi stood up, waving his hand in the air.

"Dude! No! It's embarrassing!" Gomi was trying to push Hiroshi back down into his chair. "Just shut up about it!"

Akito scoffed, clearly annoyed by the entire exchange.

"Well, is anyone going to explain!?" Sana asked again, her pitch going one octave higher as the class kept her out of the loop.

"Long story short, Gomi thought he could challenge Akito-kun as the leader of the boys and it ended very badly for him. As in, one punch to the gut was all it took!" Hisae explained and Gomi looked at his girlfriend with his mouth hanging wide open and eyes bugled wide.

"Damn it, Hisae! Why do you gotta air out my dirty laundry like that!?"

Hisae shrugged her shoulders, and the couple went into a torrent of insults and Tsuyoshi chuckled slightly. He could remember that day as clear as day.

"Why do you always resort to violence to solve all your problems!?" Tsuyoshi was broken out of his own thoughts as he heard Sana marching up to Akito and ask him loudly.

Akito shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like I beat on him. Besides, it was a long time ago."

Sana crossed her hands in front of her. "You're a mongrel."

Akito smirked, catching Tsuyoshi off guard. "Better than ditz."

And Tsuyoshi groaned as he watched Sana turn different shades of red and her brows furrow in anger.

"You scoundrel!" She went back to slamming her hands on the desk. "You never have anything nice to say!"

Tsuyoshi was sitting in between two bickering pairs and he groaned loudly, wondering how he got himself caught in between this mess. Aya chuckled, reaching for his hands and clenching it tightly.

The class was buzzing around them but when the brown-haired boy looked at Aya, all he saw was her and everyone else evaporated around him.

"Everyone sure is lively today, aren't they?" She smiled sweetly at him, and Tsuyoshi felt his heart melt at her.

Even after all these years, he was puddy in her hands.

"It reminds me of when we were children and we all had so much fun together."

He nodded in agreement. "When things weren't so complicated?"

She laughed. "Much simpler but yes. This is a good reminder of that."

"I hope we can have more times like this." She clenched his hand tightly.

"Me too." Tsuyoshi looked over at Sana and Akito, watching as their chemistry, even in all the tension, sparked fiercely. "Me too."

.

Sana read over the script in her hands as she sat on the bleachers, watching Ayame's softball practice take place. They didn't get much done as far as the play was concerned, but they established the basis for most things after the class calmed down.

Hisae and Mami had shared more stories about Hayama and the boys, about how Hayama commanded them all when they were in elementary school and they did all his bidding. She felt like there was something missing there, something they weren't saying. But Sana didn't push.

The truth would reveal itself within time.

It always did.

Staring at the script, Sana felt a heaviness in her chest. It had been a few years since she had done something like this. She wasn't sure if she still had what it took to do this, but she was never one to let things hold her down either.

Her mama had always taught her to stand in the face of adversity.

Even if it felt like the world was crushing her at her shoulders.

The memories acting had surfaced were almost too much to bear at times. Even the thought of it made it feel like her chest was caving in. Like a weight was tied around her ankle and she was sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

Like the grief was swallowing her whole.

She didn't want to act in the play. She wanted no part in the main character role. But she knew, deep in her heart, that Rei would want her to do this. To take the first step. To overcome this fear she kept locked away.

And that was part of the reason she agreed.

"Hey."

She looked up, Hayama's voice pulling her away from the void she was getting lost in.

Sana grinned at him. He took a seat next to her.

How tumultuous was their relationship, she thought to herself? This morning was filled with nothing but bickering. They traded insults with one another all morning along, into the early afternoon. But after lunch, once they both got tired of recycling the same insults at one another, called a truce and moved on.

He leaned back against the bleachers and his eyes found his sister, watching as she took some balls in the outfield.

"So nice of you to wait on your sister." She chided at him with a snicker and he shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I've never really watched softball before, so I figured I'd come watch!"

"While mesmerizing your lines?" He looked down at the script and she sighed harshly.

"I'll have to admit. It's been a bit difficult for me to start." She offered a strained smile.

Sana thought about how much she used to avoid these conversations. And how often she would evade the thought of it.

But Hayama had offered her his shoulder, and she had found this strange comfort in his presence, in him. And suddenly, it wasn't so difficult to talk about the things of the past.

"Because of then?"

She nodded slowly, her smile coming undone.

"When I think about acting, there's this ache that just won't go away. It lingers in my chest. And the ache grows and grows until it's suffocating me." Sana intertwined her fingers and clenches tightly, Rei's face coming to mind. "After Rei-kun died, I swore off acting forever. It hurt too much. Everything reminded me of him."

She tried stepping on the stage of Child's Toy once, after Rei died, and she couldn't bear the agony it brought her. He was everywhere and nowhere all at once. She saw him in the corner where he would take his phone calls, at the vending machines grabbing his soda, talking down the hall with one of the many workers on set.

Sana crumbled to floor right then and there, gasping for air, reaching for someone who was no longer here.

"It's silly, isn't it? That I still get so worked up. At some point, I've got to move on." Sana spoke, putting a strained smile on her face. "That's part of why I agreed, other than feeling bad. I've got to move forward. Rei-kun would want me too."

The auburn-haired girl looked over at Hayama, who was leaning forward, elbows on his knees. He was staring out at his sister too, his eyes far away. His jaw was steeled, and he squinted as his sister caught a ball and threw it home. It was a good throw.

"I don't think there is a time stamp for grief."

Sana went wide eyed as he spoke softly, the rough edges to his deep undertones gone.

"You can move on with your life while still grieving for someone you've lost. It's not silly to feel like you're stuck, or still getting hung up on a traumatic event in your life." Hayama clenched his knees, his eyes hardening. "The best thing we can do for them is live our life."

But then Hayama did something strange and turned towards her, eyes filled with something she couldn't pinpoint.

"But going back to this, to acting. It shouldn't be just for him. It should be for you too."

Mouth agape, Sana continued to be surprised by Hayama's range of empathy and the true characterization as a person.

In recent months, he had become one of her closest friends.

And now recently, her shoulder to cry on.

Before, he didn't care to listen to her and rejected the idea of being friends. But now, Sana has found solace with him, and peace. And not the peace where everything is quiet, because that's just not who she was.

Her soul has found peace with him. Comfort. She didn't have to be afraid of who she was around him. His words are often brutal and abrasive, and they don't seem special on the outside. But to her, lately, they've really touched her deep in her heart.

Sana smiled at him, her heart feeling full and that aching in her chest dissipating.

.

She was doing that thing again.

Smiling without reason, getting his heart worked up. He felt the back of his neck burn as her smile continued to melt whatever ice was left around his heart. Akito wished that it didn't affect him so, that he could just shrug his shoulders and turn away.

But her smile drew him in every single time.

"You've opened yourself a lot, you know that?" He pursed his lips, fully aware.

Fully aware of his feelings for her.

"I'm trying to be better." He replied, turning away from her. He didn't want her to see the red he could feel burning in his cheeks. And he hoped that she didn't pry.

"Well, I for one, like this side of you!" She nudged his arm and he just snorted. "See, I knew that there was more to you then just grumpiness."

Sana giggled and his chest constricted, his stomach twisting around itself. Akito pursed his lips and leaned his chin onto the palm of his hand.

Was this what it was like to have feelings for someone? The reaction your body had just from being around someone who made you feel.

And for her of all people?

The only other girl he had serious feelings for, he knew he felt them for all the wrong reasons. Around Ayumi, he was always angry. She fueled his contempt for life and encouraged his rage. She stroked the flames of his indignation and hate. And back then, he exploited it. Akito used her to bolster himself and his selfish feelings. And it wasn't like Ayumi didn't use him for her own petty games either.

But around Kurata – Sana, Akito found inner peace. Her smile lifted him, filled him with a calmness that stilled the raging storm inside of him. She was equal parts aggravating and obnoxious, but her soul was sincere. She wasn't the type of person who meant harm. Every person she touched, Kurata lit their soul.

He hated to admit it, his pride slightly bruised, but she had showed him what it felt to live again. To live for his mother, for the people around him, and most importantly, for himself.

"Yeah, okay." He finally replied, and she smiled brighter.

His throat went dry.

"But you're right. If I'm going to do this, it should be for me." She clenched his hands into fist, her eyes set in determination. A confident smile graced her lips. "I'm going to do the absolute best that I can!"

Punching a fist in the air, he couldn't help but smirk at her newfound resolve. This was more like the Kurata Sana he knew.

"And I expect nothing the but the best from my partner, too!"

Oh hell.

He hated the way she was staring at him, her eyes filled with conviction, and shining with hope. Kurata was expecting that same from him.

"You're aren't going to let it go until I agree, huh?"

The former actress gave a curt nod, her smile growing more confident.

"Nope!"

Guess there's no backing out now.

The blond took a deep breath and leaned back against the bleachers.

He reached for the script on Kurata's lap and flipped through the small book, looking over his and Kurata's highlighted lines.

"Alright."

Kurata jumped in the air, surprising not only himself but the entire softball team as she shouted a big "WHOO HOO!" in front of everyone. He sighed in embarrassment, wondering how someone like him liked a girl like her.

"Hey! What are you two doing here?"

Akito looked over at his sister, who was jogging over, uniform slightly dirty from a couple of drills.

"Ayame-chan! I wanted to see you practice! I've never watched softball before!" Kurata jumped from the bleachers and went up to the fence. His sister smiled.

"Oh! Well, this is nothing! Wait till we actually start playing!"

The smile on his sister's face grew bigger and bigger as she talked so passionately about her sport. Kurata was just as equally engaged, her mouth going wide, eyes brightening as the conversation passed.

Seeing his sister like this, it made him happy.

"If you stick around long enough, you'll see us do some hitting practice too! Though, no need to wait for me! I'm going to go eat with some of the girls after practice!" Ayame turned to him. "Is that okay?"

He snorted. It was humorous she thought she needed to ask. He wasn't her father. Technically, they both could do whatever they wanted. It wasn't like they had any parental figure to look over them.

But she was treating him like a parental figure and that made him uncomfortable. Because he shouldn't be anyone's role model or guardian.

"You don't have to ask me." He simply replied and she smiled.

"Then I will see you at home!" Her coach started shouting something, and Ayame looked over. "Okay guys! I will see you later! Make sure you play nice!"

She was looking right at him with a twinkle in her eye and Akito glared.

Sisters.

Kurata walked back to him and grabbed the script from his hands, packing things in her book bag. "Well, I'm going to start practicing. Care to join?"

With a bored look, he shrugged his shoulders, and stood up.

She began talking about something from her childhood as they walked back to the classroom. He dug his hands in his pockets and walked beside her, feeling at peace with himself and his life for the first time in what felt like years.

A/N: Oh I do love writing a self-aware Hayama Akito. Already a love struck puppy. More on Fuka and where her headspace is right now and we get a look inside Tsuyoshi's mind. Which, like Ayame, he's caught on. And in the manga, Tsuyoshi (and the rest of the class) pretty much knew Akito had feelings for Sana all along. They are just so dense when it comes to one another. I'm kind of excited for the school festival. Lots of juicy stuff to come! And name drops for the future of the story!

Hopefully it doesn't take me forever to to start on the next chapter.

As always, comments, reviews, etc. are always welcomed! Until next time!

- Dark Waffle