A/N: This chapter kind of wrote itself. Nothing crazy to see here but still fun to see the perspective of other characters :). I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter: 41 Interlude

The school festival was fast approaching, and the students of Jinbou High were ready for it. The excitement was obvious in the air as decorations and banners loitered the school. Students were bustling about the upcoming activities and their excitement for certain classes choice of participation.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding class 3-A, the play, and the stars of its show.

Ever since the truth about Kurata Sana was revealed, people were very excited to know that an once A list actress resided in their school and was going to put on a show. And also hearing that the ever recluse and previous bad boy, Hayama Akito, was her co-star, they couldn't wait to see what it looked like on stage.

Even though student council reps weren't allowed to be biased, Tobita Mayu was ecstatic for what her class had to offer.

She loved the students in her class. They had all been together from their young ages in elementary school through high school. Having been through the best and worst together, Tobita Mayu thought it was a treat to watch everyone grow.

And as she was elected as the representative of their class and then elected as vice-president of the Student Council, mostly due to the constant campaigning done by her dearest friends, Mayu always felt grateful.

While she was busy, it was nice to sit and relax with her longtime friends from time to time. Whether it was catching up on girl talk with Aya, Mami, and Hisae, or making audacious dares with Gomi, Yunichi, and Hiroshi, catching up on the latest anime with Tsuyoshi, or even speaking about the latest mystery manga chapter with Hayama Akito, Mayu enjoyed it very much.

Even lately, she had taken extra time to get to know the anomaly that was Kurata Sana.

After all, it wasn't so easy to break the walls of Hayama Akito, especially after his mother died.

Tobita Mayu had seen Hayama Akito in many different states, but after the death of his mother, he was shell of the boy she had come to know and respect.

So, she wanted to know the person that was able to get him to be more like his former self.

And Kurata Sana was lovely.

To say she left quite the impression was an understatement.

If not insane, she was energetic and loud and charismatic. She brought so much energy to their room, and it was as if she always belonged. There was never a dull moment with the former actress. A bit naïve and dense at times, Tobita Mayu understood what it was about Kurata that drew people in at first meeting.

"What are you doing in my grandma's house!?" Kurata acted on stage, pointing a finger at Akito, who was standing next to Aya.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a meal." He replied in the most bored of tones.

"Oh, Red Riding Hood, run! Save yourself! Find the hunter!"

Akito scoffed, whether that was in character or not, seemed very natural. "As if he would be able to stop me."

Tobita could hear Gomi shouting something from the chairs as the students all watched.

"I'll save you, Grandma! I don't need the hunter to take care of a puppy!"

"OKAY CUT."

Mami shouted, and the crew began to talk amongst themselves. "Sana-chan, if you keep improvising these scenes, we are going to have a whole new play!"

"Don't take my glory from me, Kurata!" Gomi stood and pointed, and the girl laughed.

"Ara, ara. I'm sorry! Truly! I just can't help it!"

Mayu's eyes left Sana and traveled to Akito and Aya. They were sitting on the floor, speaking it seemed like. Aya was giggling at something and Akito just shrugged his shoulders. Sana joined them shortly, shouting something at Akito. He rolled his eyes, saw his mouth move, and Sana took out her trusty hammer, swinging at him. Aya fell to the floor laughing.

It was scenes like this that Tobita Mayu very much cherished. It wasn't so much about the play, but the memories that were created alongside with it. Even though she was not allowed to participate, she was able to watch and be proud of her friends.

.

Since the announcement of the play and with the encouragement of Hayama, Sana had vowed to do the play both for Rei and herself. All the effort, strength and energy she gave, it was real. There were so many times she had to swallow the grief and sadness that came with acting. Even with everyone so happy and excited around her, the atmosphere reminded her too much of her previous life.

There were a lot of fun moments with her friends.

Gomi had started a prank war on the girls and of course they had to retaliate. This of course, included dumping buckets of paint all over the stage floor and it ended in a stern talking to from Tobita Mayu and the theater teacher. They were forced to clean it, not that they wouldn't have, but it was fun, and watching Akito slip, and fall was the highlight of her week.

But then there were moments to herself, where the noise turned to silence, and the theatre stage turned to a production set, and she was standing in the middle of the stage with the bright lights hovering over her.

Rei was standing on the side lines, glasses firmly in place, script rolled in hand and his handsome smile on his face. She couldn't hear anything around her, and the cameras started. Lost in her own head, so focused on the assignment in front of her, she didn't realize the scaffolding was coming down until it was too late.

And the silence around her turned to chaos and croaking of a machine and shouting around her brought her out of her revere.

By then, the last thing she heard was a shriek of her name.

"SANA!"

It was those moments that turned her white as a ghost, and she needed a minute to herself.

No one ever bothered to question her or ask her why. She had to assume they all knew, to at least some extend. Or maybe Akito had stricken fear into them again, and they were too scared to say anything around her.

Either way, she was grateful for the time she could be alone in her own thoughts.

At home, when she would rehearse her lines, Shimura always had a weary and concerned look. And though her mama was initially shocked at her decision to act again, was supportive and proud of her for taking the necessary steps to heal.

But as the play grew closer, Sana grew antsier.

"Sana dear. Do you have a moment?" Her mama knocked on her door and Sana closed her English book.

She gave a strained smile. "What's up?"

Her mother, the ever esteem Kurata Misako, walked in and took a seat at her bed. She gestured for Sana to join her, and she did. Her hat today was an amusement park with a small rollercoaster that her trusty chipmunk, Mako, was riding.

"How are you, daughter?"

A weary smile and Sana answered "Tired but good! Lots of stuff going on at school lately, you know!"

Her mother shook her head. "I see."

"Yeah, but once this festival is over, we can take a break! And then maybe I could join some spring clubs! Or maybe gear up for summer!" She rambled and her mother listened intently.

"Yes, your fourth year is coming rather quickly, isn't it?"

Sana nodded with a grin. "I can't wait! Of course, we gotta get through this play first, and then plan out the summer, but soon, I will be all done with high school."

She finished with a whisper and the idea of not being in school anymore seemed daunting. At one point, her career had been ultimately decided for her. She was going to be the best actress.

But what was she now without it? What would she do now?

"Sana." Misako said with a stern softness. "We haven't had a proper conversation about you participating in this play. So please, tell me, what are your real thoughts?"

Like a dam with cracks, her mother landed the hardest hit of them all, and it crumbled under the pressure.

Her grief came crawling up and she could feel the tears prick at her eyes. She shook her head, rubbing at her eyes, doing what she could to stop the tears from falling.

"I feel him all the time." She started, her voice cracking. "And I see him everywhere I go."

Her mother put a hand around her shoulder, pulling her close.

It was enough to let her tears fall.

"I just want to make Rei proud."

Burying her face into her mother's chest, her mama held her close and stroked her head.

"Oh, my sweet child. You have always made him very proud." She spoke softly. "There was never not a moment when he wasn't proud of you."

Sana looked up to her mother with red, puffy eyes and her mother smiled at her. "You were all the joy in his life, in both of our lives. I'm sure even now, he is proud of your courage and bravery."

Her heart squeezed and the grief was intangible. The pain in her chest was too much to bear. She hadn't allowed herself to feel during the duration of this play. She knew her friends were excited, and she was too.

But Sana was more terrified than anything.

Terrified to fail and disappoint everyone around her.

"What if I fail?" She asked.

"And so what if you do?"

Her mother smiled.

"You just simply try again. And again. And again. Till you succeed."

Grabbing her shoulder, her mother spoke with an air around her.

"Remember Sana, we must never measure our success against our failures."

She squeezed her shoulder tightly, and Sana laid her forehead on her mother's shoulder.

"I'm just so tired, mama."

"Then rest."

And Sana did just that, falling asleep in her mother's lap, like she used too when she was a child.

.

The TV was loud from the living room, her brother clearly wanting full immergence in whatever movie he was watching. She was cleaning up dishes from dinner, which was only fair after he cooked. She put the last dish on the rack and wiped the counter clean before joining.

"Whatcha watching?" She asked and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno. It was just on TV."

She took a seat next to him and pulled her backpack open. She wasn't sure how much homework she would get done in front of a TV, but she hadn't really had a lot of time with her brother lately.

Softball had her so busy.

"You mind if I do my homework?"

"You don't have to ask me that. You know what my answer is." He reminded her and she winced, old habits dying hard she supposed.

"Sorry. Just a habit."

"Well unmake it one." He replied dully and she smiled.

Eventually, her brother grew bored of the action movie and began scrolling through the channels. Ayame continued with her homework but would peek an eye in curiosity.

As he scrolled through, he came across a karate match, and Ayame's eyes flickered towards him. He didn't change it immediately, eyes focused on the match.

The young blonde could see his eyes delve into the program, focus zeroed in. The whole world could end around him, and he wouldn't even know it. Her own eyes went to the match and watched as one of the participants was pinned to the ground.

Her brother released a deep sigh and he turned off the TV.

"I'm going on a run."

He announced and stood up. Ayame watched him with melancholic eyes. He disappeared upstairs and she looked back at her homework.

Ayame wished he would stop punishing himself.

Just like she returned to softball, she wished her older brother returned to karate. She knew he loved the sport and knew how much peace it brought him.

But like the glutton for misery he was, he continued to run away from it.

When he came down the stairs, Ayame was waiting for him. He arched a brow, clearly surprised to find her at the door.

"Before you run off, just hear me out." He narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly what she was going to say. "You should rejoin karate."

He shook his head and walked around her, grabbing his keys from the basket at the entrance of their house.

"I've already told you the answer to that."

"And I am telling you that you should reconsider!"

He arched another brow at her with the sudden increase in her tone of voice. Ayame was glaring now, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Why can't you just leave it?"

"Because I can't stand knowing that you're still holding yourself back from being happy."

"Ayame…"

She shook her head, stepping in front of him and blocked the door.

"No. Do not Ayame me, Nii-chan! I'm serious!" She jabbed a finger in his chest and that certain caught him by surprise.

"I know karate made you really happy and you deserve to be in the sport again! Despite what you think! Me, Tsuyoshi-kun, hell! Even Sana-chan! All think you should give it another shot!"

He stared at her with his intimidating golden-brown eyes. She knew he was trying to subdue her with his intimidation, but that wasn't going to work on her. Ayame was a Hayama too, dammit!

So, she stared him down too and they were locked in this heated exchange and eventually her brother turned away.

HELL YEAH.

Akito rubbed the back of his head and sighed deeply. He walked over towards the door and stared at intently. Her eyes followed his every move. While she may not have been blessed with her brother's golden-brown eyes, she still could be menacing. She would like to think that's what she accomplished here.

"I'll think about it."

Her face lit up, a grin splitting her face in two.

"Wait, seriously?!"

"Yeah. I'll think about it."

"Wow, I can't believe that worked." She quickly muttered to herself, but then shook her head and looked up at him with a large grin. "YAY. Okay! Cool. Umm, nice! Great! I'm glad to hear it!"

Akito rolled his eyes.

"Ayame."

"Hmm?"

"Can I go on my run now?"

Turning red, she muttered a quick "Oh!" and stepped aside.

"Be safe!"

He nodded as a reply and closed the door behind him without another word.

Once she knew Akito would be out of ear space, she jumped with glee into the air.

"Whoo hoo! Go Ayame! Go Ayame!" She did a small dance to herself and skipped all the way back to her spot on the couch.

The smile on her face stayed plastered until her brother returned an hour later, muttering "sisters" with a shake of his head as he ran upstairs.

.

For as long as she was putting it off, she knew she couldn't no longer.

This had gone on long enough, and it was unfair to Hiro at this point. He had been anxiously waiting for her response while she got lost in everything but that.

Sana searched through her feelings, trying to decipher what was love and what wasn't. In the end, she confused herself further. Fortunately, Aya knew a thing or two about love that helped her come to a decision.

"Is there something bothering you, Sana-chan?"

Both she and Aya had been assigned cleaning duties and Sana was sighing so much. It was only a matter of time until she inquired about her struggles.

So, she finally decided to let Aya in.

Akito had been no help. Every time the topic had come up, he would grow defensive or standoffish. She really didn't understand his change in attitude and figured it was just a boy thing. So, her next best option was Aya.

Aya sat in silence for a minute as Sana finished explaining what had happened between her and Hiro.

"I see." She spoke softly. "Do you feel the same?"

Sana sighed again, laying her chin on her hands. "I don't know? I always thought of Hiro-kun as a really good friend. And it was never hard to be his friend. He was refreshing, ya know? I always thought of him to be a little flirty, but I didn't realize he loved me."

"Like, has our friendship always been a disguise for romance? Did he expect me to think we were going out?" Boy, was she as dense as ever?

Aya gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Sana, there's a real simple solution to this."

"And what exactly is it?!"

"What do you feel when you're with him?"

Sana blinked.

"Huh?"

"Okay, to make it simpler than that. When you are around Akimoto-kun, do you ever feel nervous? Or have butterflies? Does your heart ever race? Does he ever cross your mind randomly? Have you ever caught yourself staring at him, wondering what kissing him would feel like?"

Sana's face grew redder by the moment. Aya's ludicrous thoughts had her heart racing. Her? Kissing Hiro? Her entire body was tomato red at the thought.

"Aya-chan!" She hissed and the sand-colored haired girl laughed.

"You get embarrassed, but these are real thoughts, Sana-chan! I felt this with Tsuyoshi, and I still do. But that's because I love him. I love him very much."

Unbeknownst to Aya, Sana had once felt all those things, except the kissing thing, before. After all, she was just a small girl with a small crush on her manager who didn't know any better. Of course, her manager didn't make it better for her by indulging in her fantasy. But Sana knew those feelings.

And she knew that that wasn't what she felt around Hiro.

"I'm starting to think you know your answer?"

Sana smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I think I do."

Sana was rocking on the balls of her feet, waiting for Hiro to show up. She had texted him halfway through the school day and had told him she was ready to talk. So, they agreed to meet in one of the empty classrooms, where they could have a bit of privacy.

Grabbing her phone, she pulled up Akito's name and sent him a quick text.

To: Akito

Are you busy after school today?

Being the observant he was, he noticed quickly that something had her antsy today. She had been on the edge of her seat for most of the day and was quick to startle/anger/annoy.

And when he had asked her why, she told him.

She was waiting for his reply, his eyes seemingly growing darker by the second.

"So, you're going to answer." He said in a slightly irritated voice.

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Yup."

And they just stood in silence while they waited for their friends to arrive for lunch. He made no effort to talk to her and Sana really wasn't trying to add to her plate for today. She would figure out Akito's PMS moment another time.

They didn't say anything to one another after lunch and hadn't all day. They sort of went their separate ways and Sana felt like she couldn't face him until this was over.

Her phone vibrated.

From: Akito

No.

To: Akito

Wait for me by the lockers?

From: Akito

Okay.

Putting her phone away, the door slid open, and Sana felt a catch in her throat as Hiro walked in. He gave her a sheepish smile and Sana returned it.

It was awkward, and the tension was most definitely there.

Putting his backpack on the desk, he sat down and laid his hands over his legs. He smiled sadly at her and took a breath.

"You're going to reject me, aren't you?"

Her eyes went wide.

Hiro gave a shaky laugh and ran his hand through his hair.

"Hiro-kun, I-"

The brown-haired boy shook his head and put his hand up. "I wondered why it was taking you a while to answer. And then, I thought to myself, Sana would never want to hurt you. So, she is probably trying to figure out how she can avoid that."

Sana bit her lip.

"It was my fault really. I jumped the gun on my feelings, not really thinking about yours."

"That's not true at all!" Sana retaliated. She stepped closer to him. "Hiro-kun, I am bad with love. Like seriously, really bad. It took me so long because I wanted to make sure that I wasn't confusing my feelings for you. That if I did like you, I wanted to be sure."

He looked at her with such pain in his usually gleaming, green eyes. Sana felt her heart crumble.

Shiny, green eyes should never be that dull.

Walking to him, she grabbed his hands.

"From the beginning, you made it so easy to be friends. You were one of the first people here who made me feel welcomed. And I appreciated that so much."

He scoffed, ripping his hands away from her. Sana was slightly hurt by his actions as he stood up and looked away from her.

"You said I made it easy, but you have no idea how easy you made it, do you?" Sana narrowed her eyes. "God, you made it so easy to fall in love with you." He turned around and faced her, his eyes stricken with sadness.

"Hiro, I don't know what you want me to say."

Sana never meant to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt him. Her feelings had always been platonic. She couldn't help that he caught these feelings for her.

"I'm sorry, Sana." Hiro released a shuddering breath. "It's not your fault you don't feel the same."

"I just – I've never felt like this before. Not for anyone."

She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not worth the trouble, you know?" A small smile appeared on her lips.

"I'd say differently." The brown-haired boy retorted.

Squeezing his arm tight, Sana felt her a squeeze in her chest.

"One day, Hiro. You're going to find a girl so great, she's going to make me look like a stain on a carpet. I promise you that. She won't compare to me at all, and you're going to wonder why you let a girl like me break your heart."

Shaking his head, he laughed. "That is not possible."

"Sure, it is!" And they both laughed together.

When the laughter died, Sana released his arm and she looked at him again, with a tighter smile.

"I do like you , Hiro-kun."

He smiled sadly. "Just not like how I like you."

"Do you hate me?"

Hiro snorted. "God, I couldn't hate you even if I tried."

She beamed at him.

"Well, that's good to hear!"

"But you will have to give me some time to get over you."

That comment felt like a stab to the back. But she understood. She couldn't push Hiro. Not after leaving his heart so fragile.

"I… I understand."

Sana grabbed her book bag, and he did the same, slinging it over his shoulder. Hiro looked at her with fond eyes and a small smile.

"See ya later, Sana."

She smiled back sadly, waving at him.

And while he walked through one door, she exited through the other. A melancholic sadness coursed through her as she turned around and watched his back grow smaller.

Even though the last thing she wanted was to hurt him, Sana knew that this was the right decision. She couldn't continue to lead him on. There was no time to play with feelings.

Maybe one day she would find her one true love, but for now, that could wait.

She took a deep breath, shaking away Hiro's green eyes and putting the confession behind them. Hurrying along, she made her way downstairs and towards the shoe lockers, hoping Akito would be waiting like he said he would.

True to his word, when Sana walked up, she saw him standing there, phone in his hand with a stoic look on his face. The young actress smiled, happy to see him.

"Hey." She said as she walked up to him.

The blond looked up.

"Yo."

And they sat in silence for a minute, neither really saying anything to the other.

"I rejected him."

She blurted out, her eyes going wide.

Sana didn't know why, but she felt like she really needed to tell him that.

Akito remained silent for a minute.

"Okay."

The former actress then smiled, padded his shoulder, and walked right by him to her own locker. She changed her shoes quickly and looked back at him.

"You coming or what?"

He rolled his eyes and that made her grin grow bigger.

"Yeah."

.

A fuming bubble exploded in her chest as she watched Hiro follow behind Kurata, her blood turning cold. There was a deep hatred rooted in her stomach, a grief that swallowed her whole. She didn't know loving someone could leave her feeling so hollow.

But even as she watched the man she loved disappear behind the doors of an empty classroom, her anger was directed at him.

No.

Her hatred raged against the obnoxious, loud-mouthed former actress intensified. That girl had sunk her perverted claws into the boy she loved and manipulate him to be hers.

It wasn't fair.

She loved him first. She would always love him.

Clenching her fist, Chisaki Ryu swore that Kurata Sana would regret ever setting eyes on Akimoto Hiro.

A/N: A short, sweet chapter that leads into the next arc: The School Festival! I cannot wait for the next chapter though. It is definitely a treat!

Until next time!
- Dark Waffle