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3:30

Jun walked out in Jin’s comfortable boy clothes feeling great. He hated the extra attention he was getting from all sorts of guys, including teachers (can you say ewwwww) but he had to admit that it was good to feel something so familiar that he’d come to expect daily. He’d never again under appreciate pants and boxers!

"You’re late!" Jin yelled at him and Jun rolled his eyes as he walked up to him and Jin draped an arm over Jun’s shoulder as was to be their situation. Jun was supposed to act like Jin’s new girlfriend and that would be the reason they’d hang out like crazy.

When actually Jun was being willingly taken to the Hostess Club yet again in hopes of seeing the little bit strange but quite humouring Natsuki. He could get used to talking to girls like her. The ones who didn’t lie about how they felt about him. In fact he clearly remembered not wanting to leave her side last night just because she’d been so absolutely enamouring.

Speaking of last night, Jin was praising god for the fact that Kame hadn’t been in nor was he ever going to find out about this cause Kame usually didn’t care who he was with for the week, nor did he come into the dorm room too often cause more often than not he ended up crashing at Shige’s place downtown seeing as how it was almost always after curfew when Kame finished his nightly escapades. Kame also didn’t have the kind of luck Jin did and always ended up getting caught. Thus his philosophy was why come home at all at night?

The Horikitas had three children and Shige was the oldest one of the three. It was quite often you would find a girl or two kyaaing in his presence. The second youngest Tegoshi on the other hand looked far too much like his cute sister but in an almost creepy way.

But Jin had to admit that boy was the epitome of cute that Tegoshi. He had the oddest job of being a tabloid reporter too. Someone of the Horikita calibre working in such a low status job was just odd.

Shige on the other hand was qualified as a stylist and was working on becoming a T.V. personality. Something that would occur without a doubt because Jin’s father was backing him up. Hell Shige would become a movie star in a couple of months or so if Jin’s father had his way. While over all Jin had no problem with the Horikita’s kids he had a major problem with the Horikita father. It had just been once upon a time he’d discovered that inviting Megumi into his car at night. Yeah sure anyone could tell Megumi was a bit of an easy catch but someone so old? Jin had lashed out at the and grabbed Megumi and dragged her back to her house as unwilling as she was. He wasn’t about to watch or let that happen to anyone.

Even if it was just Megumi. He would have ratted her out to her parents and too but then-

"Earth to Jin...walking in solemn quiet silence like this might be fun but someone’s stopped in front of you and looks really angry and it's getting awkward for me." Jun said into his ear leaning his head on Jin’s shoulder. Really Jin wondered if Jun was a little too into the girl role sometimes. Or maybe he was just a really good actor. He really had to stop though, cause guys would start to get the wrong impression of him.

"Oh Eikura!" He grinned widely as the girl stared at him with the most adorably big, and he was a little bit tempted to call them fat but settled for plump, tears in her eyes. Eikura had the cutest smile, which tended to reach her eyes and the eyes of the person who she was with. That was the reason he’d given her any attention. Her smile made him smile instinctively.

"THIS IS WHO YOU’VE LEFT ME FOR!?" Oh that’s right. He had been dating her in the time he wasn’t at the club hadn’t he? Oh well...this was unprecedented. If only he kept more of a track of himself honestly but he tended not to remember these girls he had flighty moment long crushes for.

"I was never really with you that much." He really did feel bad for saying things like this to girls but he’d learned long before that if you cut them harshly you cut them best. It’s the best sort of break up really. There’s no what ifs, or ands, and buts left for them to ponder and go crazy over. "I mean we made out in the hallways when I got bored in class...and now I’m making out with her in the hallways when I get bored." Jin said grinning widely. Was that...yes...her tears were getting ‘plumper’ by the minute and one of them rolled down her cheeks in a way that made him want to hug her and tell her that she couldn’t have really expected they would last.

They really were incompatible, the good girl of the school who always came to parties in pure white cotton dresses, and the bike riding leather jacket wearing boy.He would say he was the bad boy but he had a feeling that title was reserved solely for Kame.

Not to say that Eikura hadn't had her share of scandal. She had but to say it had been accidental would be true.

"You wish," Jun scoffed taking a piece of Jin’s hair and twirling it around his finger. He only did it because he liked seeing the curl that formed afterwards bounce back and forth. He found it amusing but Eikura took it as if it was some deliberate move he made to show off what he had in his grasp that she didn’t no matter how much she wanted it.

"I don’t know what Mao sees in you!" Eikura shouted unable to think of anything else that would be rude and she would be allowed to say. She was really a hold on herself when it came to swearing and the like and insulting others. She was the type of girl who never said shut up and resorted to be quiet.

Jun had these glazed over eyes as he remembered Mao. The girl had yelled his head off today. So she’d probably forgotten what she’d seen in Jun. Eikura was probably one of the girls who was mad about Jun’s almost immediate induction into Mao’s posse, this newbie who really had nothing on any of the other girls in Eitoku.

Except for his odd hatred for women. He had that and looking on at this girl that odd quality of his was really acting up.

"Well- Eikura she didn’t sleep with her best friend’s dad, the prime-minister-to-be." Mao grinned widely as she pushed Jin and Jun apart walking through them to stare up at the tall graceful girl whose usually perfect posture was crumbling in front of her eyes. It was well known that Eikura had actually loved the man but the way Mao had revealed the scandal had left her looking like a complete and in fact she had stopped even thinking of men as people she could possibly love until Jin entered her life. Mao really did feel sorry for Eikura but...well that was life right?

Both of Jin and Jun looked at the petit little girl who had pushed them apart with shock apparent on their faces. Where on earth had she come from? She always seemed to show up like this, just on time not a moment earlier or sooner. Jin broke out of his surprised trance before Jun did. He threw a teasing grin on his face and glanced at Eikura.

"Whoa! I remember that. Wild time eh Eikura-chan? You must re-enact it with me when I get bored of Jun here okay? We got a date?" Jin mocked Eikura easily obviously seeing the turmoil flash on her face. He wasn’t like this usually, it was just that Mao gave them all the ammunition and it just was too much fun teasing Eikura.

Jin knew he was taking it too far though when he saw her tears spilling over and immediately stopped grinning choosing to look at his shoes quietly so he wouldn’t be tempted to put any other comments in.

Her eyes watered and she rubbed her face trying to hide the embarrassed or perhaps angry blush that was coming onto her face. Jun stared on at Mao now instead of the curl that recently bounced off his finger and bounded back near Jin’s structured features.

"I don’t need to justify that with an answer." She said pausing to glare at Mao for a moment clearly showing the hurt flashing through her eyes as she ran away from the three obvious sobs visible. Mao turned around from the somewhat depressing sight to happily face the two.

"You aren’t going anywhere. Koyama’s gone and done something absolutely stu-" Mao said as if he was already ready just waiting for her to apologize in this messed up way of hers and he would forgive her for yelling at him, ignoring him in math, and then actually throwing paper spit balls at the back of his head. He wished he could ignore all of that.

But the spitballs had been a to get out of his extensions.

"I have to go Mao. I promised Jin" Natsuki, "and I can’t back out on a promise cause I’ve already done so many times." I kind of just really want to see that pissed off look on your face become oh-so-much-worse."So sorry," Absolutely not. Jun couldn’t help but think with a wide grin on his face as he saw Mao’s face flash a thousand different colors. He felt like reaching over and curling one of her hairs around her finger to see if it would bounce like Jin’s did.

"I would invite you along...but you don’t seem like you’re into threesomes." Jin winked at Mao and held Jun’s long hand and dragged him away from Mao who stood there shaking her head in silent disbelief.

Jun hadn’t just walked out on her like that had she?

Okay she’d insulted Eikura as a kind of peace offering between herself and Jun. So why hadn’t that worked? She growled as she turned around. She didn’t need to be doing this! She had a boyfriend! Why was she following Jun and her boyfriend around?! Right now she needed to find Toma.

Toma would make her happy.

He couldn’t walk away with some other girlfriend either!

Cause as far as she knew she was the only one in his life!
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4:00 PM
"Gomen ne Mao we can’t come with you." Toma and Maki said and Mao looked at the two with the biggest open mouths possible.

This was not supposed to be happening. She’d just thought he wasn’t supposed to be walking out on her with some other girl! Well okay it wasn’t really another girl in the way she’d been thinking of but still!

"We’ve kind of been invited to this thing at Shige’s and he told me to bring along Toma cause he wanted to talk about the whole T.V. thing and Toma’s new co-star’s there and Jin’s dad is there a-"

"UGH! I do not want to hear that name right now!" She growled and rolled her eyes. They were completely messing with her weren’t they? They weren’t going off alone anywhere together to make Toma cheat on her. Right?

Of course not Maki had never given her a reason to worry. She was just becoming overly paranoid because Jun was pissing the crap out of her.

If girls could be called right now Mao would not restrain herself from referring to Jun as such.

"I wanted to take you last night because tonight I’d planned this with Shige and Maki a long time ago." Toma added looking truly apologetic with honesty in his eyes that just kept pestering her out of her annoyed gaze she was throwing him right now. Mao frowned. She couldn’t stay mad at him if he looked at her like that! She finally gave in slumping.

"You better call me when you get back cause I feel like I want to cuddle. I need lots of cuddles." She said without any restraints and Maki made a soft awkward sound feeling sort of out of place. She’d never been that straight forward with Shun. It had just kind of happened when it did. She’d never really needed it.

Then again she’d never really needed anything from Shun. Which was odd because she had completely been the one who had initiated their entire relationship. Except for the whole touching bits. That was all Shun. She thought it was pretty obvious for someone who had this whole don’t touch me vibe he went crazy with the hugs and things.

"What’s Shun doing right now? You could chill with him!" Maki exclaimed and Mao looked at her as if she was completely dumb. Still they didn’t look like they were going out on a date. Maki was dressed in simple jeans and Toma was dressed in simpler jeans and a shirt that Mao had seen Yamapi wear saying ‘I have great character’.

Huh...they were sharing shirts now. Why wasn’t she sharing shirts with Toma? She’d have to yell at Pi for trying to get closer to her boyfriend.

If only poor Mao could realize that she had s and Toma didn’t and her shirts would never look good on him just because they were shaped entirely differently. And let’s not forget that tank tops would look weird on Toma’s slightly wide shoulders.

"Anyways your boyfriend bunked math class. The class he knows I completely use him and ditch Jun for, who by the way evoked very strange emotions in me today." At this she heard Toma cough and she looked at him incredulously as if telling him she would kill him for even thinking such a thing. "She’s pissing me off." She clarified for the sake of her partner. "Back to your boyfriend though...I doubt he’s even on the premises. Probably drooling after Ryo-nii." She grumbled as if she was jealous. She always enjoyed drooling after the absolutely perfect man that was Ryo. In fact in some ways she’d taken a liking to Toma because he was like Ryo when he was at work. Serious, stoic, and so completely absorbed you couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he would do to you if you interrupted him. When he wasn’t at work Toma kind of reminded her of Jun, except a male version. Bouncing of the walls, completely indecipherable, and so completely adorable.

"Been there...so get it." Maki nodded patting Mao’s back. There had been many a time she’d had to deal with Shun’s extreme brother love. Shall we make a little list? She spoke to herself in her head.

a) family pictures

b) family phone calls

c) family meetings.

She shuddered to think of meeting his somewhat dysfunctional family. Thank god they had never gotten that far that she’d have actually had to meet Ryo and Aya.

Though they were obviously in town at the moment.

Still...no one knew they’d broken up yet and Maki kind of didn’t want to tell anyone. Shun hadn’t brought it out in the open yet so why should she? It would cause too much awkward-ness she felt. She looked up to find Toma looking at her as she stood in silence and quickly averted her eyes. In the presence of Mao she even found it hard to look at him let alone admit she was taking her best friend’s boyfriend away for a night.

God it wasn’t even as wrong as she was making it sound! She didn’t even know about Toma’s emotions.

Why should she want to?

Oh there came the inner turmoil.

She supposed it would have been easier to hurt Megumi than hurt Mao. Why was it her heart jumped from one to another in a matter of just a couple of weeks? It didn’t make sense to her.

‘Yamapi was just the new kid, the strange new one who enamoured you but don’t lie. You always knew that you’d end up with Toma. Seeing him seriously with someone for the first time, to see him pick someone else so close to you. That’s what caused you to take a second look...a second time.’ Oh how she sincerely hated this little logical voice that into her head declaring the obvious.

"I wanted to drool after Ryo-nii too! Why couldn’t he have called me!" Mao yelled breaking Maki out of her own thoughts and her gaze diverted onto Mao’s face.

Mao couldn’t help but notice how Toma and Maki wore the most identical expressions as they looked at her after her outburst.

"I don’t understand." They both said in synchrony and looked at each other for a second and then turned away. It didn’t quite escape Mao’s eyes but she simply discarded the thought. They were both being eerily similar that wasn’t really something to get worried about was it? She didn’t understand it but she didn’t mind.

Along with Mao Maki herself didn’t understand this either, this newfound awkwardness that was almost pleasant between herself and Toma. She didn’t really remember much from the brief ‘sort-of-kind-of-date’ they’d had on Sunday but it had obviously changed how she acted around him. That was the second time she got smashed since the school year commenced. (This time sadly without the comfort of what idiotic things she did the night before)

Even if he had been available (and technically she was treating him as such) she was sure she would be kind of apprehensive about going out with him right now. She had a feeling that the two of them together would be actually perfect. More perfect than Shun would ever be for her and she couldn’t be tied down to someone perfect just yet.

Had that been the reason she’d ignored him? Hoping he’d wait? Ahhh how did she even know that he even cared the slightest about her!? Why was she prattling on all by herself thinking up things and imagining stories. She didn’t even feel anything for him.

Or she was doing a bloody good job of ignoring the feelings that seemed to have been there all along as Plan B’s. She could continue on denying her Plan B feelings though. She’d gotten this far hadn’t she?

Yes that sickening feeling in her stomach? It had to be something she ate last night...butterflies? Psshtt butterflies can’t exist in your tummy! And that flush she felt on her face? Yeah she was coming down with something it wasn’t that anything sweet he said to her sent the blood rushing to her face.

"I’ll go bug Pi-nii." Mao deduced breaking Maki’s thought process yet again as she put her fist in the palm of her other hand in a decision-making stance.

"Since when is it Pi-nii?" Toma raised an eyebrow cynically and Mao grinned widely mistaking it jealously. She’d finally found something to make Toma jealous! Aha! Ohhh was he jealous of her real brother too?

"Since now and seeing your expression has just made me want to say it more and more. Pi-nii! Pi-nii! Pi-niiii!" She singsong-ed in his face bouncing around on her feet as Toma bounced back with her and Maki shook her head at their childishness and leaned back against the wall. It was hard to look at almost, almost too juvenile.

She was really thinking like a wasn’t she?

"You know it’s rude to call someone brother without asking them right?" Pi said from behind them grinning widely at the odd concoction of a name that Mao had come up with for him. Maki turned to look at him. Right Pi...she’d almost forgotten about him.

Hadn’t she somewhat confessed to him?

Where the hell did those feelings go? They couldn’t have just disappeared. She couldn’t believe just this Saturday she’d been crying over watching him come in kissing Megumi with fervor. She’d wanted to be Megumi...now she just wanted to be Mao.

God she really hated her flighty heart. The next thing she knew she’d like someone like- well...Kame. Ew. She didn’t do too well with smokers and drinkers and motorbike riders like Kame. At least Yamapi was the emo boy with good muscles...Kamenashi Kazuya was just bad boy all over.

"Erika got whisked away by some red haired freak today by the way. Very odd considering that last night she had been crying about Kame yet again." He sounded quite nonchalant. Maki noticed, Erika’s disappearance with a man of all of people seemed not to faze him.

Toma and Maki’s eyes however were bugging out of their sockets. Mao’s might have been except for the fact she knew it was all part of her ingenious, awesome, intelligent, absolutely foolproof plan!

"That freak is my brother Pi-nii." Mao said lowering her eyes in a dangerous manner and Pi grinned widely ruffling Mao’s hair not quite realizing how much of an idiot he sounded like.

"Bakaaa it wasn’t me!" Both Toma and Maki burst out laughing at Pi’s stupidity as he looked around looking for something else, which would make them burst into giggles. Since he possibly couldn’t be the reason with his oozing intellect.

For just a moment when his eyes landed on Maki hoping that they’d be looking at him it seemed she was sharing a sort of private conversation with Toma as she put her hand on his shoulder to keep herself upright.

"She has a real brother you know." Toma said to him grinning widely. It was funny how just a day ago he didn’t know this fact and now he was acting like it was obvious in front of Pi. Maki glanced down at her watch and hissed as if she was in pain.

"We’re late Toma. Shige hates anyone late you know. Plus he’s probably started getting all worried about me like he always does."

"Shige?" Pi questioned and Maki grinned widely as she opened to answer without feeling much of anything as she stared into Yamapi’s eyes but Mao beat her to the punch.

"Her nii-chan. The only person in the world who won’t let me call him nii." Mao grumbled once again before a sort of thoughtful expression came upon her face. "I wouldn’t mind drooling after Shige-chan either." She bubbled over with giggles as soon as the words were out of .

"Ewww. Creepy images." Maki shuddered rubbing her arms up and down with her hands trying to maintain the shiver.

Pi wanted to wrap his arms around her and see her shudder in response to the sudden warmth. Then he wanted to kiss her temple.

Oh god that was disgusting. Perhaps it was the whole Yui returning thing that was making him feel things like he did when he was with Masami.

Yeah that had to be it.

"Ewww...my girlfriend hello!" Toma spouted shaking his head trying to shake the images from his own head as he sighed as if it was futile and grinned at Mao who made kissy faces at him.

Toma quickly saw a chance and grinned as mischievously as possible when he saw her eyelids closed. He quickly leant over, pulled her hand into his wrapping his other arm around her waist and kissed her. Her eyes shot open wide as possible rather than the sleepier gaze she’d had before.

Toma had kissed her in public. Holy .

She’d had PDA! OMG SHE’D ALWAYS WANTED PDA!

She couldn’t bring herself to speak though as she stood in her spot staring at the cocky smile on her boyfriend’s face as he waved wildly in her face, kissed her forehead and winked at Pi starting away from the two with Maki. Pi stared, almost laughing, at his new sister who looked far too much like a newborn with the sort of drunken droopy gaze in her eyes but the absolutely wide mouth of shock. It didn’t look like she would be able to move anytime soon either; she stood rooted to the floor.

"My man!" Pi shouted to Toma who’d just left in pride as he hit his chest with his fist to show his clear approval.
Maki simply shook her head and waved good-bye to them as she raced after Toma. She should have felt jealous of Mao when Toma pulled her in but she couldn’t help but feel like at the moment she resembled the other woman out in the open. Mao might have been the one who got the kiss but Maki got the whole night with him and it -

Oh god why did she sound like such a ? Maki Yamate! She told herself. No man could ever be worth the friendship that Mao had given her.

No Man!

Not even Toma. So tonight she would restrain herself from being overly flirty and giving him hints of any sort good or bad.

But if she was honest, he came pretty damn close...you know...to being worth more than her friendship with Mao.
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A/N: Before you all kill me I had a very very good reason as to my disappearance before!!! I was in a summer program having lots of fun and I didn't have my docs with me and I didn't have time for updating and not that I could have cause speaking and typing and doing anything else in english was banned.

But I missed all of you and I'm so sorry I poofed without prior notice. This chapter actually had to be up before I left but the problem was there was so much to do and not enough time.

Thank you all so much for commenting! Christine, nad_skyblue91, yulyachen13,biniBningPunkista, Calliope, gl, Bee, Ichigokut3. You all are really faithful and I really do appreciate it and I hope you all didn't lose hope on this story. I'm so sorry I was unable to reply to each one of you individually but from now on I'll be able to. I just wanted to make sure this update was up first.

Now Previews for the next chapter!

"I’m not his girlfriend. There’s nothing you should be doing to me if you want to sleep with resident man ."

"Don’t be mad at me neh?"

"Are you sure you’re okay? I mean if I was you I’d be far brattier."

"We’ve broken up. I’m pretty sure I’ll end up breaking up Mao and her boyfriend so she can be mine like she’s meant to be now."

"NO I ING WASN’T. I CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A AND ONE WHO ISN’T!"