"I can't believe she cheated on me!!!!" Hayato wailed again. 

"Well, I know what will cheer you up!" Takeda exclaimed hopefully. "Let's go play darts!"

"Yeah you always get happy when you beat us at darts!" Tsucchi added helpfully.

"Even though the only reason you win is because we ," Hyuga tried to chime in, but earned glares when his comment made Hayato wail even louder.

"Thanks for the help you guys," Hayato moped. "But I think I just wanna be alone for now." His friends watched helplessly as his body seemed to slowly levitate up from the chair and sludged his way out of the park, causing Hikari to throw her hands up in the air.

"I can't believe it's been a week already and that bunny idiot is still moping over a witch!" She screamed in frustration. "Isn't there any way to cheer that dope up?!" Hyuga grinned suggestively at her as he poked her in the side.

"Hikari, do you like Hayato?" He bluntly asked, causing her to stop fuming and stare at him as if he had two heads. Then just as expected, Hikari threw a punch at him hard on the shoulder. "Okay you don't like Hayato! I'm sorry mam!"

"Of course she doesn't like him," Ryu muttered. Hikari turned to him with a grateful smile and was about to thank him until he smirked. "Because she secretly loves him." His comment caused the group to burst out laughing or yelling "No way!" and just like before, Hikari was about to punch Ryu until he gave her a look, causing her to put her fist down.

"I don't like or love that idiot!" She denied quickly. "It's just boring around here without someone to fight with." Everyone quieted down as she crossed her arms. "I mean, I don't like him, but things are more interesting with him around. I can beat Huyga and Tsucchi easily."

"HEY!" The two yelled, obviously offended

"Takeda's too cute for me to even hit." Her words caused him to smile happily.

"And we know you can't hit me," Ryu pointed out, earning a nod from Hikari.

"The only one who's actually fun to fight with is him," Hikari repeated. "And since he's so boring the way he is now, I'm gonna go cheer him up!"  She hopped off the swings and went to the direction Hayato headed for earlier. As her figure got smaller, the guys began talking again.

"So she likes him?" Hyuga asked again just to make sure.

"She loves him," Tsucchi agreed.

"So loves him," Takeda chimed in. Ryu rolled his eyes at his friends, who were talking like a group of girls.

~Hayato~

He continued sniffing as he thought back to all the times they shared together.

"Maya..." He whispered sadly. Suddenly he jumped when he suddenly felt a cup being placed on his head. Hayato looked up to see a smiling Hikari staring down at him with the light hitting her just lightly while she held the cup on his head. "What do you want?" His words caused her to frown and shove the cup into his hands.

"Idiot," She replied. "I came to cheer you up and you treat me like this. Fine, I'll leave then." As she turned to leave as a joke, Hayato was too caught up to realize she was only joking.

"Wait!" He cried out. "Can you stay here with me? I feel kinda lonely like this." Hikari nodded at Hayato's request and went to sit down next to him. As she stared at her heart broken friend, she couldn't help but realize he looked like a lost puppy in this state and placed her hand on the top of his head and ruffled it lightly like she would to a real puppy.

"Are you really okay Hayato?" Hikari asked in a nice tone that neither of them ever heard her use towards him before.

"No," He muttered. "I really loved her, even if it was only a month." He heard a sigh next to him and turned his head towards Hikari.

"Look, Maya did the unforgivable and cheated on you. You think she feels guilty at all?" Hikari asked harshly, but soften when she saw he was about to cry even more. "As annoying as you are, even she doesn't deserve you. You know why? Because she doesn't know what she has and always try to go for more. That girl's a witch and she left someone as nice and cool...ish... like you." She paused as she heard Hayato sniff a bit. "Like you said when we got in a fight with that one school, you're someone who would protect what you care about no matter what. Maya's the person who would sell a family member's heart to save her own . And you think you weren't enough for her?" Hikari reached over to pull Hayato into a one arm hug and rubbed his back. "She lost someone who loves her, but you lost someone who never loved you. It's a cliche phrase, but it's her loss, not yours."

"I guess she lost more than I did, but that means I wasted a month with someone that never had feelings for me..." Hayato said sadly. Suddenly a loud smack came when Hikari slapped him, causing him to be at a loss for words. True they've always punched, fought, kicked, and wrestled with each other but one thing she's never done with slap him. Well she had a few times, but it wasn't a serious slap.

"Snap out of it!" Hikari yelled. "You're better than this you idiot bunny boy! She's like a rough draft to an essay! You gotta make a few mistakes to get the perfect paper. Now you know how you want to be like with the girl you're meant to be with in the future. She might not think you're as good as Okudera or you think that's how she thinks, but you need to remember that you're Yabuki Hayato! Of course you aren't him so you can't be better than him but he's also not you. So he can't be better than you either. You're a great guy in your own way and he's still terrible no matter how he is!" Hayato stood there taking in her words and realized she was right. He sliced the air with his fist and stopped it just centimeters away from her face.

"Who are you calling idiot bunny boy, Ri-chan?" He dragged her nickname out teasingly to show her he was okay again and now he's the Hayato that has always mocked and got mocked back by the one and only Hikari of Kurogin. Smirking back, Hikari got into a stance also.

"Don't call me Ri-chan," She hissed back, but in a joking way. With a yell, the two ran at each other and began throwing punches and kicks like old times. They continued sparring for about half an hour until a small clap was heard. "Who's there?!"

"That was some nice skills," a voice taunted. Hayato and Hikari turned around to see a gang of bikers surrounding them. "You see, your boyfriend here treated some of my boys very nicely earlier." The man who talked was a man that could be mistaken for a bulding and actually seemed pretty chubby. Hikari scanned his tattoos and saw a dragon claw on his right shoulder and what seemed like the dragon's fire breath on his left.

"And now we're going to treat him to such nice manners," the boss' right hand man said as the gang began chuckling and took out some iron poles. Hikari looked accusingly at Hayato as he tried to look innocent.

"They bumped into me?" He asked as if the excuse would make her stop glaring at him.

"I'll deal with you another time," Hikari threatened. "But for now, let's take care of these guys. Being heart broken didn't make you too rusty did it Yabuki?"

"Of course not," Hayato retorted arrogantly and the two got into a fighting stance as the bikers went around them in a circle.

"These guys have no originality," Hikari teased.

"Tell me about it," Hayato replied. "I could stop them as easily like.... this!" He jumped at one of the bikers and pushed him off the bike as Hayato took his place on top. Hayato made sure the bike ran at the others and jumped off just in time before the bikes crashed. Hikari heard some of the men curse at Hayato and smirked.

"I bet I can make them angrier." With that comment, she grabbed a pole from one of the men on the ground and kicked each man off his bike, causing the bikes to run wildly into each other and other buildings.

"What's the point of grabbing the pole if you aren't gonna use it?!" Hayato demanded. 

"It's to scare them!" Hikari yelled back. "Oy watch out behind you!" Hayato ducked as she jumped over him and kicked out the guy sneaking up behind him.

"Thanks!" He yelled before pushing her out of the way and punching a guy behind Hikari. They soon stood back to back and fought together.

"Sure thing!" She jumped and kicked two men running at them. They continued yelling to each other and took out the biker gang as a pair and soon only the boss was left.

"Hello," He mocked with a creepy smile. "I'm the final boss." The two watched as he cracked his knuckles and punched Hayato.

"For a fat guy, he moves fast!" Hayato blurted out.

"How dare you call me fat!" The man yelled and tried jumping on him. Hayato shrieked and quickly rolled out of the way while Hikari ran to his side.

"Got any ideas?" She asked.

"One," Hayato replied and jumped to kick the man in the chin. However his idea failed as he grabbed Hayato by the legs and swung him at Hikari as if he was a bat.

"Get off me you idiotic bunny boy!" Hikari yelled, pushing him off.

"But it felt nice laying on you!" Hayato whined once his body hit the hard ground."OW!" 

"That was for your erted comment," She hissed and jumped up into a fighting stance once again.

"It's not erted!" Hayato whined. "Unless you want it to be..."

"Shut up!" 

"Ow!"

"Well you deserve it you erted bunny!"

"Bunnies are supposed to be erted! How do you think they multiply so fast?!"

"You're not a real bunny you idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?!"

The boss of the biker gang watched the two in amusement, all three forgetting that they were in the middle of fighting. Finally one of them remembered, too bad it wasn't anyone from Kurogin.

"Take this!" The man yelled and jumped at the unsuspecting Hikari and Hayato, trapping both of them under him.

"Get off you heavy buffoon!" Hikari insulted and tried pushing him off, but to no avail. 

"This is all your fault! If you didn't punch me, we'd still be apart at this time!" Hayato accused.

"This is as much your fault as it is mine!" Hikari shouted back from under the laughing fat man. "But unlike you, at least I can break out of this!" The two males looked at her in surprise as she tried to do something Tetsu taught her a while back. Although Tetsu was a yakuza, not all of his tricks are something only yakuzas used.

"Really Ri-chan?" Hayato asked in disbelief. "You're tickling him?" She didn't reply, but continued looking for a ticklish spot. Suddenly the boss unexpectedly began giggling and jumped up in the air. The two also jumped up and ran away to the side quickly. "I can't believe something as stupid as that worked! Even a little kid could've done that!"

"Whatever, let's go!" Hikari yelled and dashed towards the biker to do an uppercut at his chin. The punch caused him to go off balance as Hayato and Hikari grinned at each other.

"The bigger they are," Hayato started and lifted up a fist with his female companion.

"The harder they fall," she finished and the two threw the final punch, knocking the boss off his feet and to the wround.

"Yeah!" The two cheered and high fived each other.

"Let's run before they get up again," Hayato suggested and the two ran off to Hikari's workplace since she was working that day anyways. When they finally reached it, the two collapsed on the ground laughing.

"That was actually pretty fun!" Hikari exclaimed.

"You can say that again!" Hayato replied and the two began laughing at the thrill of things again. As they quieted down, they both say up. "Say Ri-chan, thanks for helping me. I feel a lot better now. Or I just needed a good fight."

"No problem," said Hikari. "Whenever you need a good fight, just call me up."

"You know, I don't think you ever gave me your number," Hayato said as he thought back about things. 

"I guess not," she replied.

"Here just put your number in and I'll do the same," muttered Hayato as he reached for Hikari's phone and handed her his phone. The two exchanged numbers and Hikari walked into the cafe after Hayato left. Or so she thought. Hayato waited until Hikari went into the cafe and decided to watch from outside the doors, remembering the times when he walked Maya to work. Suddenly he heard some yelling inside. He looked through to see Hikari and Maya arguing again. 

"Don't treat me as if I'm lower than you," Hikari hissed. "You're the one who cheated on someone who cared for you. You know how low that is? You and Okudera deserve each other."

"That's enough you two," Ms. Ichigo yelled from the kitchen. "I've had enough of you two always fighting. You're both fired!" Hikari threw a guest's cake at Maya before storming out of the cafe silently while Maya was yelling loudly.

"What happened?!" Hayato asked as she left, making Hikari jump.

"I thought you left already!" blurted Hikari.

"I did, but I got curious so I came back." Hikari stared at him with an annoyed look before explaining to him.

"Oh well, that job was kinda boring after a few days anyways. Let's go to my house, my mom adores you," Hikari teased, remembering the last time. Hayato shivered remembering her mom trying to make Hayato act like her husband while Sayo and Hikari laughed loudly at him.

"Well it just means I'm great with older women too," Hayato tried to brag, recovering from his trauma. The evening went by pretty fast as Hikari and Hayato enjoyed it without realizing that they acted like friends for the first day since they met. Of course the two battled for the food, trying to see who can eat what first, who eats faster, and who eats more, but overall they actually acted like friends, surprsing both Hikari's mom and Sayo.

"They look so sweet don't they?" Their mom asked happily as Hikari and Hayato left the room. Hayato realized he forgot his bag and went back to the room to get it just in time to hear the woman say that line, causing him to smile.

"I guess," Sayo replied with attitude. Hayato angrily mocked her from behind the wall by raising a fist in the air. 

"But?" Their mom asked.

"I just think she makes a better couple with Ryu," Sayo admitted. "He seems like a better son in law and a better brother than Hayato would be. I mean Hayato's grades are terrible and Ryu's are at the top." As he heard it, he couldn't help but feel jealous of his best friend because of the praises Sayo was giving Ryu. Then again out of the whole group, Ryu was the only one she ever praised, but this time it felt different. He put his fist down and faked a smile as he walked in.

"Hey, just forgot my bag," Hayato stated and picked it off the floor. He quietly murmered a bye to both of them before meeting Hikari at the door. "I'll be going now."

"Hm," Hikari hummed. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." He hummed back at her before smirking.

"Nice hair by the way," Hayato taunted and rushed out as he heard her scream at him. Ever since Sayo tried to make Hikari appear girlier that night, Hikari has been annoyed nonstop trying to redo her hair. Now, he was just making fun of her for it. However once he reached the next street, his smile vanished from his face. How could he smile when he was compared to his friend in such a cruel way? He thought back to the day they first met Maya, who stared at Ryu more than him too. Maybe she just settled for him? Even Hikari liked Ryu! "Gah!" 

Hayato angrily kicked a nearby trashcan, consumed in his thoughts. He thought back to how his own father wanted him to be more like Ryu at times.He thought about the times when the class turned to Ryu for guidance when Hayato was at the end and couldn't think. But then again, Ryu was that type of person who would be thought of as the best. He knew when to fight and how to control his anger, unlike Hayato who would throw the first punch. His mind wandered back to Hikari and how her words comforted him.

"Thanks a lot Ri-chan," Hayato whispered with a small smile. He left for his home, remembering that he's better than Ryu in his own way too, even though Hikari was talking about Okudera earlier. It still applies right? The more he thought about it, the more he wondered about his only female friend. It was fun fighting with her all the time, she doesn't flirt back like other girls but instead she fights back without hesitation. Hikari was able to see him and the rest of class 3D as themselves instead of just a group of delinquents and run away. Although he liked girlier girls, he liked how she didn't complain about her nails or talk about fashion like Maya did. But if Hikari did decide to be a bit more feminine, he wouldn't mind either. Then Hayato couldn't help but think about how cute Hikari could be when she got angry at him.

"I wonder what she's doing right now..." Hayato thought aloud.

~Hikari~

"Achoo!" She rubbed her nose gently as Sayo suddenly pulled on her ear. "OW!"

"Shut up and turn around," lectured the younger girl. "It's going to be a lot of work on you."

~The next morning~

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" The class screamed in shock. In front of them stood Hikari in the female uniform, a sailor top and a mini skirt that only went to the bottom of her mid thighs.Not only that but her hair was half tied up and curled at the end by Sayo. The class already knew she was a pretty as a girl, but they have always thought of her as just one of the guys since that's how she acted. Sure they hit on her once in a while, but they never really treated her as they did with the other girls. No one could say a word that morning when he stepped into the room. Ryu of course didn't say anything since he almost never did anyways. Hyuga gasped and the breakfast he was consuming fell out of his mouth. Tsucchi dropped his fan, causing the only noise in the class.Takeda dropped his mouth along with Hayato, who also felt a bit of blood rushing to his cheeks.

"If you guys don't stop looking, I will punch each and every one of you," threatened Hikari with her arms crossed.

"There's the Hikari we all know and love," Takeda joked.

"But cute!" Hyuga yelled.

"Super cute!" Tsucchi added with hearts in his eyes. As the guys made their comments, Hikari couldn't help but blush. In the back of his mind, Hayato couldn't help but feel a small burning in his chest. However on the other hand , he also felt as if a fairy granted his wish of Hikari becoming more feminine.

'Why am I feeling grateful though?' Hayato thought. Then it hit him. 'It couldn't be....Me? Ri-chan? I actually think she's attractive?! There's only one explanation for this....I must be sick!' Meanwhile....

~Hikari's Mom~

"How did you find me?" She screamed in shock. "I left all of you years ago for a better life! What are you doing here?"

"Please don't be shocked Toda Miko, we promise we will bring no harm to you or your daughters," the man spoke gently.

"Just come with us so we can explain," the other man repeated. However Hikari and Sayo's mom was nowhere willing to follow two men of her past. 

"No! I want nothing to do with this anymore!" She yelled.

"We have no choice then, aniki," the shorter and chubbier man sighed.

"I'm afraid not," the taller man replied as they rushed at the woman and hit her pressure point, knocking her out.

"He hehe... She's so light," the shorter man giggled as they lifted her up, earning a slap on the back of his head by his partner.

"Minoru!" The other man yelled.

"Sorry," Minoru said guiltily as the two continued their task.