salut et quoi de neuf (hi and what's new)! and the reason for this update is...Misty is sick, unfortunately. but i wanted to thank those who still like this story and follow it on the occasional update! i'll try to see if i can squeeze in a bit more writing when i'm not sick and finish it up for you to show my appreciation! read, review, and enjoy, s'il vous plaît!

Twenty-One

Her light gray irises scanned over the results paper swiftly as she released a sigh of relief. Another passed test – and well done, at that – to add to her résumé. To reward her efforts, she leaned back in her desk to relax.

Classmates around her buzzed in a mixture of anxiety and excitement, while she sat silently at her desk. Groans of displeasure mingled alongside congratulatory compliments. Hisa caught June, in her peripheral vision, perched on the edge of Yuu’s desk, ruffling his hair to brighten his mood.

“Come on, Yuu – you passed! You shouldn’t be so down right now!”

He pushed away her hand, staring at his results sheet. “Stop it, June…I barely passed. That’s no reason to celebrate-”

June swayed closer to him, an uncharacteristically intense look in her eyes. “Oh, yes it is, Yuu. Your confidence should be a bit higher…”

Hisa rested her head on her fist, leaning forward in interest. There was something odd about the Jung Yi that had abruptly returned to Yuu Kawano’s life. She had a warm, slightly annoying expression, but at the same time, appeared to want to start something with Yuu. Perhaps she was just trying to live with the fairytale story of childhood friends becoming lovers.

“Leave me alone, June.” He pulled away at once, shoving his paper into his book bag.

Covering her laughter with her fist, Hisa glanced away. That fairytale seemed less and less likely each day.

June’s face fell at his words, but she recovered quickly, hopping off of his desk as if nothing had happened. “Um, okay. Just come to my house tonight for the ‘post-exam party’, okay?” Her request wasn’t as pushy as Hisa expected it to be.

Yuu merely nodded, pulling out another workbook to study from. “Sure.”

Just as she thought the whole situation was over, Hisa let out a surprised gasp. June was now at her desk, with the same smirk that she wanted to slap off of her face. She cocked her head to the side and waved pleasantly.

“Hello, Usui! Are you busy tonight?” June asked in a friendly, high-pitched tone. “I really hope that you aren’t!”

She gazed up with bored eyes, hoping that the bothersome girl would get the hint. “Sorry, I have to work tonight…”

“Oh, but you must come!” June gushed, overlooking Hisa’s reaction to her invitation. “Yuu’s coming and our entire class, I think!” She brought her hands together, her visage totally satisfied at her own party planning skills. “We’ll have games, music, snacks – and I promise that you won’t be out too late, Usui!”

Hisa took a brief peek over at Yuu, who seemed to be having trouble concentrating on his workbook. Either he was too infuriated with June, or he was fighting back the urge to stare helplessly at her. But she could tell that he was uncomfortable with the entire event.

She exhaled in defeat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine. Yet I may show up late, when work gets out.”

June clapped contentedly, her smile growing wider. “No problem! I’m looking forward to seeing you there!” Immediately, she turned and walked away back to her seat, composedly containing her desire to snicker at how well things were falling into place.



Jung Yi’s house was one over from Yuu Kawano’s place. To sneak in at her own pace, she brought a set of comfortable clothes from her dorm with her to the Kawano Estate, leaving them in the spare bathroom for Kazu and herself. But once again, their day was close to uneventful, allowing her to leave for the party earlier than expected.

As sluggishly as she could manage, Hisa pulled on her favorite pair of dark blue jeans, a comfortable gray lace tank top, and moderately flattering black zip-up sweatshirt. Still, she found herself ready anyways, with boredom looming ahead. She examined her appearance momentarily, before stuffing her other clothes into a small duffel bag and leaving it beside the shower to pick up later.

“I’m leaving,” she announced softly to Kazu, who was watching the television downstairs on the couch.

“Oh, have a fun time!” Kazu looked up with an expectant smile before returning to her drama. “Later!”

Hisa nodded, exiting through the side door and walking along the hedges between the Kawano house and Jung Yi’s. Even outside of the massive estate, she could hear a mix of popular hits and dance favorites while she approached from the sidewalk. Finally, she stepped up to the front door and knocked timidly, still working on a way to escape from the social gathering.

At last, the door swung open, but it wasn’t June – it was Yuu. The color drained from his face, but he refused to avert his eyes. He honestly didn’t believe that she would come.

“Can I come in?” Hisa prodded after a few seconds had passed. “It’s kind of chilly out here…”

“Y-Yeah, sure,” Yuu stuttered, opening the door wider for her. “June was going to start some game now, I think.” He moved away from her to allow her plenty of space to step into the house.

“Thanks,” she whispered, heading towards the table filled with snacks and beverages. Gingerly, she picked up a can of soda and sighed. There had been better nights that she had spent to celebrate her achievements.

Instantly, June skipped into the room with a classic black top hat filled with strips of blue and pink paper. “Okay, everybody! Game time!” She raised her eyebrows in surprise once she noticed Hisa lingering by the food. “Everyone’s here? Perfect!”

Rolling her eyes, Hisa steadily sipped the carbonated beverage, waiting for further instructions. From what she could observe, top hats and strips of paper didn’t really seem too amusing.

“So,” June began while mixing the papers with one hand. “While I was studying at this multicultural academy in England, this game got much more large-scale. But, I think that my house will still be enough space for tonight...”

Yuu stood beside her, leaning against the wall in his silent anxiety. “June...what is this, exactly?”

June smirked darkly for a moment, moving swiftly over to him to whisper in his ear. “Well...if I translate it correctly, it’s something like ‘Be Faithful, Husband and Wife’. Hope we’re paired together, sweetie.”

Hisa tried to focus on the space between Yuu and the top hat as she read his unsteady reaction to her news. It was then that she could tell that the game had an ulterior motive. She was starting to dislike this childhood friend of Yuu’s more and more.

“So, what we’ll do, is pair everyone up. Then, you have to find a hiding spot – the creative, the better. We have an odd number of people here tonight, on purpose,” she paused to glance appreciatively at Hisa.

“What’s after the hiding spot?” Hisa spoke up, startling some of her classmates. “What do we do next?”

June grinned, obviously pleased that Hisa was participating. “Well, the game is pretty much called ‘Be Faithful, Husband and Wife’, so the hiding pairs have to do something cute and full of love to each other – for example, a hug or a kiss. Anything, you could think of, really. I’m not to judge too harshly.”

A few classmates blushed and giggled in excitement at where the game was going. Hisa crossed her arms, listening closely to her assignment.

“And the single person?” She continued to prod.

“Well, that person’s job is to find those who ‘aren’t in love’ and swap with the same gender partner to be more faithful. The game ends if the single person can’t find anyone!”

Hisa nodded, taking another glance at Yuu. He appeared like he would throw up.

“But don’t worry!” June announced grandly, patting Yuu on the back. “It doesn’t have to be anything hot and heavy – especially if you don’t like the person. Just have fun! It’s a really hilarious game!”

“Well, can we start? Are we picking names now?” Hisa questioned, desperately hoping to start and finish the game as quickly as it took to explain it.

June nodded enthusiastically to her, presenting the top hat at once. “Since I’ll pick last, I’ll be the single lady this turn...so pick a blue strip of paper please.”

“Whatever,” Hisa sighed while digging her hand into the small pool of paper strips. She mixed the papers thoroughly, daring to sneak a quick peek out of the corner of her eye. One strip of blue paper had a streak of red pen across it, making it stand out from the rest. She quickly grabbed it between her fingers, and then closed her eyes again as she mixed the rest of the papers one last time.

“Okay, who did you pick?” June asked expectantly.

Hisa withdrew her hand from the hat, selecting the paper with the minute red streak across the back with her other hand. Her eyes widened as she read the name on it. She should have known that it would be like that.

“Yuu Kawano...” She breathed out, searching for his eyes past the annoying girl in front of her.

June pouted playfully, pushing Hisa out of the way. “Fine, fine – I’ll look for you first,” she joked. “Be gentle with him, Hisa!”

Not entirely believing the situation, Yuu continued to shrink back against the wall. He wasn’t sure that this was the kind of event that they needed, especially after what had happened the last time the two had been so close together. Although he was relieved he wasn’t paired up with June, he wasn’t certain of what to expect with Hisa.

At that moment, her hand snatched up his and yanked him as quickly but gently as she could up the stairs of the estate.

“W-Wait, where are we going?” Yuu stuttered out as Hisa threw open doors left and right as quietly as possible. “How’d you pick me?”

“I...honestly don’t know.” Hisa replied reluctantly, finally pulling him into Jung Yi’s room. Without even trying, she could spot over one hundred objects that had been disguised as a teenage girl’s simple decoration – when in reality, were some of Hisa’s own favorite weapons at the Academy.

Yuu stiffened as he realized where they were. “...In here?! Are you crazy, Hisa?”

Hisa pulled his hand again, almost kicking open the side door that led to the girl’s bathroom. “Get in the shower,” she ordered, sensing from the excited giggles downstairs that the last of the girls were picking their ‘husbands’ for the night.

He followed the command at once, sitting down obediently on the vibrant white tile that still retained an admirable shine in the dark. Hisa knelt down next to him, dropping his hand to pull the shower door shut. The magnets locked with a dull thud. And they were finally alone.

“Your...hand, did I hurt it?” Hisa began after several moments of chilling silence.

Yuu looked up in surprise, not realizing that he had been rubbing his knuckles – more out of habit, than pain. “Oh, um...not really. Sorry for worrying you, Hisa...”

She looked down, amazed by the space between the two of them. If June walked in anytime soon, they would absolutely be broken apart. At that moment, she couldn’t let that happen. So she had to work fast.

“Yuu...” she exhaled softly, wondering how exactly to go about this. “When did you first realize that...well, you liked me?” She looked up at him innocently to find his gaze locked steadily on hers.

He laughed to himself, running a hand nervously through his light brown hair. “I don’t even remember anymore. I’ve been so busy freaking out about what to do next, that I guess I let myself forget. That’s terrible, huh?”

Hisa shook her head empathetically. “Not really. There are worse things...”

“But I still feel the same way for you, Hisa,” Yuu continued. “I have a hard time averting the rush that I get when you’re around. I suppose I don’t know how to be as subtle as you, yet.”

She heard the spy-trained footsteps of June leap effortlessly up the stairs. Taking a deep breath to steady her pulse, Hisa grasped both of his hands, lighter this time than the last. “Well, for tonight, as ‘husband and wife’, I can accept you...but tomorrow, I’m sorry, Yuu. I should have told you...” She squeezed her eyes shut as she knew that she was about to break one of the first rules she had learned in her training: never intentionally mix the facts of your mission with your life. “I’m in love with someone too, to the point where I can’t tell where the liking ever started, or will ever stop.”

Hearing the door to June’s room open just in the slightest, Hisa leaned forward toward Yuu, capturing him in an apologetic kiss before he could react. She wanted all of his torture, all of the nights she spent wide-awake working on potential lies, all of the awkwardness that had built up between them, to end here. As she knew well, there would never be much of a future for them – not when she was expected to kill one of the most important people in his life. Love typically didn’t grow out of pain like that, as far as she knew.

As tears escaped the corners of her eyes, she tightened her grasp on him, forcing her frustration to morph into passion as their kisses deepened. Pretend you love him...pretend its Isao...I don’t care what I have to do, as long as it keeps us safe.

Feeling her hot tears streak down her cheeks and plummet to the tile beneath them, Yuu tried to pull away. “H-Hisa,” he tried to soothe her by stroking her hair as he moved his mouth away from her.

But she refused to be avoided, wiping away at the tears as if they belonged to someone else, someone much weaker. “Shh, we have to keep this up, for now,” she whispered, pressing herself to him in a much softer attempt. “Until she’s gone.”

In that instant, she felt June almost slither around the door into their hiding spot. The seconds ticked painfully by, and as she finally heard June shut the door of the bathroom, then the bedroom, Hisa withdrew slowly with feverish skin. It had been agony, feeling those stealthy eyes on them as the enemy observed in the corner of the room.

Her breath came out warm but steady. She shakily stood up, pushing the shower door over to let them out. As she climbed out, she walked over to the bathroom window, raising it to let the cool night air in.

“Hisa?” Yuu called out her name once more as Hisa stared blankly into the serene night. “I’m sorry...that I didn’t follow the signs. I think that I knew all along...knew who he was.”

She pressed her hand against the edge of the window, contemplating a jump. All she wanted at the moment was the run home to be comforted by Isao. Everything would be smoothed over within a night. Then, she could concentrate on what was left for her to do.

“I’m...going home,” she stated, her back still to him. “Tell Jung Yi I’m sick, or something...please.”

Yuu nodded understandingly, opening the door to exit through June’s room. He took one last look back at Hisa, just to solidify what had happened in his mind – but realized that she was no longer there.

“Hisa!” he yelled in shock, sprinting over to look out the window. There was no sign of her outside or left in the bathroom. Only her lingering presence in his mind reminded her that she had attended at all.

random babble... i've been living off of: lemons and honey, lemon-lime soda, green tea, oolong tea, vegetable chips, cough drops, cold medicine, manga, ami suzuki's music, and plenty of kleenex (oh...and sleep. that too.). i have to do something, if i'm missing Homecoming, right? à plus et au revoir (later and good-bye)!