I am crying.

Well, no not really, but I am about to.

This is the final chapter.

Thanks to Gosia-Poland who couldn't wait for this chapter, to Zetfuu who was fallin' in love with TaichixChihaya, to Lada who's favorite is Chapter 9 and LaCieGarden who just left a review saying she felt a lot of emotions while reading this. A thousand thank yous to everyone who took their time to read this.

I want to thank everyone who favored, liked and followed the story, as well as those who favored and followed the crazy author (haha). Those things had kept me going. I would like to thank all those people who left reviews, especially the very first two ones, -Ravenanne and LauraNeatO. I have missed seeing their reviews and what their opinions were, but they helped a lot with the development of the story, most especially LauraNeatO. I remember being so scared as to what would be the readers' opinion regarding this, (until now I'm still scared, haha,) and how you guys will receive it, this being my very first fiction. LauraNeatO had given me advices. I hope I will once again hear from you guys.

The story line may have surprised everyone, and I hope no one is planning to strangle me. Taichi is a guy I am wishing very hard to be real, because he's just so… perfect. And he deserves happiness too, you know. I really hope Suetsugu-sensei would reconsider. We are all wishing for that, aren't we?

Read, everyone. And I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

X

The next days had been a bit hectic for the both of them. They had made their feelings clear for one another already, but it was as if fate had decided to suddenly shower Chihaya with activities that she barely found the time to visit him once a week the past month. He never complained though, seeing as he knew that she was focusing on her studies, especially now that her mid-quarter examinations were coming up, and he didn't want to be a distraction to her, now that she was already doing so well for herself.

He missed her of course. But just because they already had an understanding doesn't mean he had to stick around and distract her from her goals.

This week he had been surprised with the sudden visit of his former team. Nishida, Komano, Kana-chan and Tsukuba came first, and then later on, Hanano-san followed them, with an intent of surprising him with her home visit. She had just come home two weeks ago and had been too busy fixing a lot of things left to settle so it was only now that she had managed to come and visit.

"How're you doing, Mashima?" Nishida had asked, once the girls had finished giving him embraces and kisses on the cheeks in greeting and he had welcomed Hanano-san back.

He high-fived with the boys. "I'm doing great so far. I have to admit, though…" he trailed off, as they turned to him, looking expectant. "I'm so bored I could die."

They laughed appreciatively. "Of course you'd be bored, seeing as Ayase's not here to at least entertain you." Komano jibed good-naturedly which made Kana-chan elbow him and made Sumire-chan roll her eyes, exclaiming "Men!" as Nishida and Tsukuba laughed. Taichi laughed it off as well, but something twisted his heart in response, Komano's point hitting a little too close to home.

God, do I miss that girl.

He didn't have to tell his friends that something is different between him and Chihaya now. He knew they could tell with just the aura he was giving off, which, as opposed to him usually frustrated and slightly annoyed before, was now lighter, more casual and easy going.

More positive in life, he guessed.

What he was truly feeling didn't escape the girls though. As soon as the joke was finished, he could see Hanano-san and Kana-chan looking at each other pointedly, then to him that he had to avert his gaze from them. Those girls… as said before, they were too sensitive to emotions and feelings. And too irritatingly accurate too.

As soon as the boys had gone out from his room to buy snacks and food, the girls grilled him. Both of them.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Or rather, what on earth are you not doing?"

He nearly panic-attacked, not knowing how to defend himself from two at once, who despite being girls, can be seriously scary when they wanted to be. You can never tell with women after all.

"What? I'm not doing anything wrong at all, you know."

His response earned him a bonk on the head by Kana-chan and a slap on the thigh from Hanano-san.

"Ow!"

"Buchou! You shouldn't be leaving her all by herself, especially now at this time!" Kana-chan scolded, and he rubbed the back of his head defensively.

"What? She's busy! Do you honestly expect me to pester her when she's getting ready for her examinations and all? I'm just a distraction!"

Hanano-san clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "How on earth will you be a distraction, Mashima-buchou? You can help her study. Even after all this time you still hadn't learned your lesson had you?"

Now wait just a minute. What did he do to deserve this scolding again?

"Look. Yes, I want to see her. I'm dying to see her. But I couldn't exactly ask her to see me when she's busy you know. I want her to be able concentrate on what she needed to do." He explained exasperatedly to the two girls who shared a look, and both sighed.

"This is the first time she's ever done this. The first time she decided to pay more attention to her surroundings, to other people's emotions, to you. And you are her first boyfriend." Kana-chan responded pointedly, as Sumire-chan nodded beside her. "At this time she needs your support. Just because everything is clear between the two of you doesn't mean you can leave her hanging. This is Chihaya-chan we're talking about after all."

"I don't want to disturb her-"

"Ah mou!" Kana-chan conked him on the side of his head with her fist again which earned her a yelp from Taichi. "Have you even mailed her the past days?"

That made him stop. "Uhm… no. I haven't. Actually." He said sheepishly in a small voice.

Kana-chan and Hanano-san looked as if they both want to strangle him. "Buchou no baka!" Hanano-san took over in scolding him. "Did you even know that she had been waiting for you the past week to at least even call her?"

He felt the blood drain from his face, almost as if he could even hear it rush downwards. "S-She was?"

The two girls sighed at the same time, and Taichi had to marvel as he watched the two glare at him, their expressions torn between irritation and frustration. Sometimes he wondered how women could have one thought at the same time.

"She didn't say anything or even complained about it, but we could see her looking at her phone every once in a while when we had been studying together the past week in the library." Kana-chan explained exasperatedly. "I know you're only thinking of her buchou, but don't forget you've already made her miss you so much when you thought you should have stayed away from her the past years. Don't you think you're doing it again?"

Taichi flinched at Kana-chan's statement. Now that he thought about it, she was right. She was so freakishly right that he couldn't even argue back.

He had already hurt Chihaya when he had decided to stay away from her back then. And now that she couldn't even visit him as often as she wanted to because she was too busy, he had thought that he should at least behave and not pester her since he wanted her to be able to focus on her studies.

But knowing her, despite of all the strides they had made in their relationship, she was probably lost and confused again, the adorable airhead that she still is.

I am such an idiot, dammit…

The thought at how he was acting made him want to kick himself. Because he was too much of a good guy, he forgot to act as a boyfriend that he should be.

Well honestly, he still didn't know if she actually sees him as a boyfriend now. It was apparent that everything is clear between the two of them, but when he had tried to tease her about it, she had reddened so much that she lost the ability to even speak straight afterwards, though she held his hand and even fell asleep practically on his chest before she had gone home afterwards that day that she had told him that she loved him as well. He didn't force it on her seeing her reaction, but there was no denying the fact that yes, for him, she is his girlfriend.

The memory made him sigh. He was already missing her so much since he had last held her like that almost three weeks ago, and him being a man, he was longing for her affections more than ever.

"Okay. What should I do?" He asked, even when he already had an idea of what he should actually do.

"You could give her a call, buchou, and ask her what she was doing," Hanano-san suggested, trying hard not to roll her eyes that Taichi had to chuckle, "or how she was doing. I know she wants to hear from you as well. Ayase-senpai may not be the complaining type of girl but you have to show her how much you care for her even when she couldn't see you. It would greatly reassure her that you're not mad at her or anything since she could hardly find the time to visit you, you know."

Kana-chan ruffled his hair. "We know you're only thinking of her welfare, but there's nothing wrong to let her know how much you miss her already. You're together after all, for crying out loud."

"I just didn't want to be such a distraction."

The two shared another sigh. "Don't worry about being a distraction too much, buchou. Believe me when I say that Chihaya-chan would love it if you give her a call." Kana-chan winked at him. "Or even, she would welcome a distraction from you."

Taichi had to chuckle. "Really now."

The two girls chuckled as well, as Hanano-san finally smiled at him after glaring at him since earlier.

"We're really happy for you."

He didn't doubt Hanano-san's sincerity, hearing all the wistfulness in her voice.

A few hours later after they had left, he proceeded to do just as the two suggested. He finally speed-dialed Chihaya's number, (after thirty minutes of debating with himself whether this was the right time to call,) and waited for it to ring.

She picked up at the first ring that he had to wonder whether she really had been waiting for his call all this time.

"M-Moshi moshi? T-Taichi?"

"Moshi moshi, Chihaya."

The line went silent for a few minutes that Taichi started to wonder if he had caught her at a bad time, before Chihaya finally began to talk. "H-Hi! You called! Thank goodness! I thought you're mad at me!"

He chuckled at how relieved she sounded, which he could feel even at his end of the line. "Baka. Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I haven't visited lately?" She said, sounding forlorn all of a sudden.

He stood up from his bed to look outside the window of his hospital room, drawing the curtains open. He looked down to the busy streets of the Waseda University Hospital and sat down on the window ledge. "I'm not mad, Chihaya. Why on earth will I be mad anyway? You're busy with studies and I understand that. I won't get mad at something as simple as that."

"I know… it's just that I couldn't help but worry."

"Why are you worrying then?"

"Because y-you're my… b-b-boyfriend, and I haven't even seen you for three weeks now." He could tell that she had a hard time choking out the word 'boyfriend'.

Something inside him melted and he suddenly felt his heart flutter as he realized that that was how she saw him now. He felt warmth shoot down from the top of his head and spread down through his entire body. "I told you it's okay. And I'm doing fine anyway so there's no need to fuss. By the way, the whole team visited."

"Really? That's great! I'm supposed to come with them but I still have classes…"

"I told you everything's fine, so stop worrying. How's your studying?"

"I'm having a bit of trouble with Literature, but nothing too big to consider me failing that one."

"You better not." He teased lightly that he heard her disgruntled sigh at the other end. "Where are you anyway? Oh… is this actually a good time to call?"

"I'm at the dorm. I'm currently resting from reading too much. My eyes are already aching."

"Close your eyes and count from one-to-ten backwards. Slowly." He heard her proceed to do just that. "Are you even eating properly?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it."

"I hope you're not drowning yourself in ramen."

He heard her chuckle. "Uh… yes?"

"Chihaya." He muttered threateningly. "Seriously? I'm going to call Arata and ask him."

"No! I was just kidding, Taichi. Calm down."

"You'd better be eating something better than just ramen. I swear I'm going to call Arata and ask him to check what you've been eating every once in a while." He threatened more as she sighed.

"Yes sir. Don't get too mad." She pleaded, her tone turning soft and sweet. "I-I miss you."

His eyes softened as he heard her say it wistfully. "I miss you too."

Her tone turned all bubbly and cheery again. "So… what are you doing right now?"

Their conversation went on like that for a few more minutes, asking each other what kept them busy for the past weeks. He couldn't help but really be amazed that she was focusing on her studies now even more so than before, and not just karuta.

"Chihaya."

"Hmm?"

"I'm about to be discharged."

"Really? You've asked Ryuzaki-sensei about it?" She sounded so excited that he felt her enthusiasm start to affect him too. "When? When are you going to be discharged? I wanna come over and help…"

He chuckled at her excitement. "It's next week, so I'm not sure at all if you could come. I know you're terribly busy." He responded matter-of-factly, and at his words, he literally felt her enthusiasm drop.

"Argh. Stupid quarter examinations." She sighed deeply. "I'm really sorry. I'm not even sure if I could make it…" she said frustratedly, obviously annoyed.

"Don't worry about it. I understand." He reassured her, though he couldn't help but feel his heart swell that she really wanted to see him that much. There was nothing even better than the fact that she misses him just as much as he misses her. That definitely makes any man in love feel so much better.

"And I also want to tell you one more thing."

"Sure…"

"I'm planning to transfer schools."

The line went silent that Taichi wondered whether she had fallen asleep on him. It would explain why she had gone silent for about three minutes. "Chihaya?"

"R-Really?" Her voice sounded so small and somehow, even more forlorn than earlier that it startled him a bit. "Where?"

He chuckled again at her obvious sad reaction. "Why do you sound like that? I'm planning to transfer there."

"Here?" She asked, sounding confused for a moment that he laughed.

"No. In Meiji." He said jokingly, lightly rolling his eyes as if she could see it, still chuckling. "I'm planning to transfer in Todai, Chihaya. Probably two weeks after I'm discharged. I've already started processing it anyway when I-"

He was cut off and had to hold the phone away from his ear when she practically squealed on the other end. "Really? Really, really, really?! You're transferring here? Yay!" She exclaimed so happily that he couldn't help but chuckle again.

"Well… yeah." He pulled out a loose thread from his jeans as he looked downwards from the window again. "I hope the slots are still open. If not, I guess I'll be graduating from Sodai instead. I'll just have to visit you guys once in a while."

"Eh? But it'll be really great if you join us here. I mean, practically everyone from our year is bonkers over karuta! You'll be able to enjoy it here, you know. We're… with everyone, after all. And I'm sure Arata will be overjoyed if you transfer… But wouldn't that be harder for you? What about your subjects?" She said without any pause for breathing at all that he had to smile. She really hadn't changed at all.

"Well, Sodai follows the normal rule of an academic University. There's a great chance that I'll be able to credit a lot of my subjects… and anyway, it might even give me the chance to advance to fourth year." He teased in a cocky tone that she 'harrumphed' and heard her mutter 'arrogant baka' from the other end. He snorted in laughter. "That reminds me… your exams are two weeks from now right?"

"Yep. I'll be able to kick back and relax and go practice at Shiranami society afterwards!" She responded enthusiastically.

"Oh. So you already have plans…" He suddenly felt crushed.

"Um… Why? Are you planning to drop by and visit?"

"Nope. Never mind."

"Taichi. You're planning something aren't you? Why don't you tell me?" She asked peevishly, and she sounded somewhat heartbroken that Taichi felt almost sorry and he had to give in again.

"I was just planning to make a tour there. If you wouldn't mind…" He took a deep breath and plunged on. Ask her Taichi. Just ask her and do it. "I was planning to ask you to be my… tour guide, you know."

She was silent for an entire minute again that he started to get worried, so much that he was startled when she responded with "Y-Yes! I'd like that! Why not? I could introduce you to everyone and s-show you our clubroom!" He couldn't help but feel so relieved as she exclaimed so, and amazed with her ability at how she just about turned everything back to karuta.

"You sure about that? I would require your services full time and for a whole day, you know." He said teasingly, almost hearing her blush on the other end.

"I'm up to it. Don't forget you're talking to the Queen."

He sighed in relief and chuckled once again. "Looking forward to it, then."

Taichi had been taking another walk in the garden the day before his discharge when he had once again been caught off-guard with an another visit.

"Yo, Arata." He greeted, his voice a tone higher than usual, indicating his surprise. The dark-haired man stood a few feet away from him, carrying a large paper bag in one hand, a bit out of breath, face sweaty and more flustered than usual.

"Taichi." He greeted back, straightening up and wiping the sweat off his brow. "I brought ice cream. If we don't hurry, it'll melt and we'll be left with nothin'." He grinned widely that Taichi had to laugh in response.

"Okay, okay. I get the idea. Let's get inside."

They ended up in his hospital room, the two of them panicking like headless chickens and storing the ice cream tub into his personal fridge, (friggin' rich kid,) and after letting it sit there for about thirty minutes, they got it out to feast on it.

"Uh huh. You still know what I like. Mocha Caramel." Taichi teased lightly, an appreciative tone in his voice as Arata's expression changed into something like pride and smugness.

"Of course. You're not the only one with a good memory you know."

"Yeah right."

Despite of the surprise visit, Taichi couldn't help but feel grateful for the company and appreciate Arata's effort to check how he was doing. He knew that the current Meijin had been busy the past few weeks as well, what with all the preparations for their quarterly examinations, but he still found the time to go to Sodai.

He wasn't an idiot though. It had been three weeks since he and Chihaya had been together, (or admitted their feelings to one another out loud, and made everything clear, more like,) and he knew that until now he and Arata still have that invisible wall between the two of them. It had been inevitable for them to have vied for her affections before, but now that Chihaya had finally made the choice, Taichi didn't honestly know where he and Arata stood within each other now.

He hadn't attempted to ask Chihaya regarding Arata, whether she had made things clear to him as well. He knew that it was still something private, something that was still between her and Arata. They were friends, yes, but it didn't mean that they each do not have their privacy. Even if he was curious, he respected their space.

He hadn't been blind to Chihaya's difficulty choosing between the two of them, because he had always known, the smart man that he is, that she was in love with them, both. Well, the part of her also loving him took three entire years for her to figure out, (and him as well because he had always been too cautious to begin with,) but it had been clear, as clear as the daylight, to him that she did love Arata as well. That had always been the case for her during their high school days. It was something that had always made him… uncomfortable with Arata whenever they met each other before, despite of the reunion-like atmosphere for the three of them. After all, Arata had been the one to help her find her dream.

"Where's your mom? I haven't been seein' her around today."

He scooped up a spoonful of ice cream from his cup. "I've asked them to go home for now. She's busy looking after our business with dad gone, and she's too distracted with it the past weeks that it just about pained me to have her still looking after me when I can take care of myself." He said, slurping at his spoon enjoyably with a huge grin on his face. "So then no scary mom around for now."

He and Arata shared snickers knowingly. "So… how's Todai? I heard you're all in the middle of studying for the quarterly examinations." He asked trying not to sound too serious all of a sudden.

Arata looked up from his spoonful of ice cream as well. "Well, yes. Honestly, I think I only got just about nineteen hours of sleep this entire week. The professors were all drillin' us to study even harder, especially those students who were members of the clubs in Todai." He sighed, in a resigned way. "I should have expected that, though. Even Chihaya's bein' pushed harder because she's the 'star' of the university or somethin'."

"Really now."

"And you know Chihaya, once she does somethin' she'll put her whole heart to it."

Taichi snorted around his cupful of ice cream. "I didn't say this is about Chihaya you know." He teased lightly, knowing that sooner or later they would have to talk about her. It was inevitable- both of them cared about her too much, and now that Chihaya had made her choice, he knew that one way or another, he and Arata will have to face each other again.

In order to clear everything between the two of them.

"It seems everythin' for you will be about her, Taichi." Arata said, all the joking and bravado disappearing from his face, replacing it with a serious look that he had always known Arata to be famous in.

He felt the atmosphere change, turning silent and serious as well. Taichi suddenly wished he hadn't been the one to initiate changing it.

Way to go, Mashima. What happened to your brain cells?

But unlike before, it hadn't felt as awkward as it had been when they had first talked so openly about their feelings for Chihaya. It may have been due to the fact that it was clear that they didn't hold sway over her, that no one had forced her hand into choosing between the two of them.

"She's been waitin' for you to call, you know." Arata opened up, looking at Taichi gravely that he nearly flinched. "You haven't been contactin' her for weeks now?"

"I've just given her a call last week." He explained, trying very hard not to sound defensive. "I asked her how she was doing."

"I thought you've suddenly forgotten all about her or somethin'."

"I didn't. She's busy with her studies, and I just wanted to give her space. I didn't want to be a distraction." Why he felt the need to explain it, he didn't know. He just felt that it was the right thing to do. Maybe because deep down, he knew that he wanted to deserve Chihaya's attention.

So that just about made him feel guilty.

Arata was staring at him. "I wasn't surprised with her decision at all, you know."

So he knew. Chihaya had already made things clear. He didn't know if he should be relieved or what.

Taichi met his sapphire gaze, knowing that yes, it was time they talk about this. "That's… I don't know, strange. You weren't surprised? How come?" He said, his tone sounding startled.

Arata just smiled a bit absent-mindedly in response, shifting his gaze out to the window of his hospital room. "The moment she told me that she wanted to think about her feelings for me, I began suspecting. Chihaya has always been different, and even then I knew that she had always thought of you dearly."

"She's always felt the same way for you." He pointed out in response, sounding more defensive than he had ever meant to.

"Maybe." Arata turned to look at him. "But she had never cried for me, Taichi. She had never drifted far from the others for a while, physically present, but not there in mind, when I hadn't been there for her." He flicked off an imaginary dust from his shirt. "I'm not comparing, because we are two different individuals. But I could see the differences."

Now that he had thought about it, he hadn't known what had happened before when he had disappeared from their lives. He had cut off any possible connections from any of them before changing his number and everything. And it was a whole year before Nishida had managed to contact him, and he had never told him anything simply because he had asked him not to tell him anything about Chihaya.

He had always felt his conscience stab him the first few weeks he had been away from her, but when she had managed to defend her title thrice the past three years as the Queen, it had cemented his belief that she hadn't needed him at all, and he had been just too happy to stay away from her because he had felt that him being with her would just do her no good then.

And now that he and Arata had faced one another again, he felt that it was time for him to know.

"How bad was it?" He inquired wearily, glancing outside his window as well. He didn't have to make his question clear, because he knew Arata would understand what he was asking without a doubt.

"I wish I can describe it accurately." Arata said, following his gaze. "The first few months had been… the worst. She was still functioning like she was. She ate, she studied, she hang out with your friends like the usual. She still played karuta." Here Arata took a deep breath, "But anyone with eyes can see that she was not the Chihaya who had laughed with them before, not the enthusiastic girl who had charmed other people without much effort from her. She… changed." Taichi saw his hands clench around his now-empty cup of ice cream. "She was cryin', Taichi. Oh, she had tried to hide it," he said, seeing the look on Taichi's face, how he had turned pale, "she had never showed everyone how she had despaired with you gone. But I knew anyway, since she could never hide anythin' from me."

Taichi couldn't find the strength to meet Arata's gaze. He said it all without malice and just as calmly as he could, but it might as well have sounded like that. He could feel the guilt start to creep up in his bones, feel as if something had clenched his heart and was starting to twist it mercilessly.

"The first year that you were gone she was so mad at you for suddenly takin' off like that, for never talkin' to her, for suddenly actin' like you haven't known her your entire life. She used to ask me what you were thinkin', whether I knew where you were." Arata continued, watching his expression carefully as he swallowed and scooped up the last bit of ice cream in his cup. "Then the second year her questions changed. She asked me if it was somethin' she did, if she had done somethin' that made you so upset you suddenly decided to disappear. She had started to blame herself for what had happened." Arata gazed outside the window again. "And what hurt the most was that I had never been able to comfort her well as I should have. I wasn't able to do anythin' about it. It was incredibly painful, watchin' her look so helpless because she didn't know what to do, what she did, for you to suddenly have gone like that.

"I told her you had your reasons when you decided to disappear." Arata went on, smiling wryly at him. "She asked me what would be those reasons, if it was more important than her. That was always one of the questions that I haven't found it easy to answer. I would tell her that it was because she was important that you had to leave, just like that." His eyes had already gone distant, recalling how Chihaya had been a mess years before. "And then she went back to bein' mad at you again when she continued to defend her title and she hasn't had a glimpse of your shadow even. Chihaya thought that if she continued bein' the Queen you would have gone back to us. To her. She thought you would be challenged enough to show yourself once again and face us in class A."

Taichi set his cup down, having finished the ice cream finally. "I wouldn't be surprised if you really had wanted to strangle me back then." He said somewhat calmly, managing to smile wearily.

"Oh you wouldn't believe how I was itchin' to go to Sodai and drag you back to her." Arata clarified, sounding amused and annoyed at the same time, a hint of a grin on his lips. "But I promised you I wouldn't tell her, because I understood why you had to do it. That didn't mean I liked it, though."

"No, you wouldn't." Taichi agreed, managing to meet his gaze. "I couldn't even bring myself to like that decision. But it's done."

"Yes it is. And you're here now. That's what matters the most."

The two men stared at each other, as if sizing each other up. Arata set his own cup down. "I already understood then how she viewed the two of us. But I had to try and tell her how I feel. At least then, I had no regrets."

Taichi frowned. "That's not entirely true you know. Back in high school… she loved you. I was there, yes. But she had never looked at me as much as she did for you. It… had always been you. I wasn't an idiot. I know, because I could feel it." He explained, though why he was trying to make this clear, he didn't know. "She just didn't know, because that's just how she is."

Arata chuckled with more than a touch of weariness. "That may have been true, Taichi, back then. But everythin' and everyone changes as they grow." He faced Taichi directly. "For some reason, you had always guarded yourself whenever I was there. But while Chihaya had always defended me back when we were kids against you and the 'cool' kids, that didn't mean that she didn't change. That her feelin's hadn't changed." The dark-haired man ran a hand through his hair. "All throughout high school you stood with her. You supported her through everythin', you've always watched her back, you were strong enough to protect her even from herself. She may have been clueless, but that didn't mean she hadn't seen it. It was always somethin' that I knew I couldn't equal to, and always somethin' that I had envied of you, Taichi, because I had never shared the same proximity you always had with her."

His ears had gone red. Somehow he knew, -the confidence that he had always admired and envied from Arata as well, -was wavering.

"Chihaya was still a woman. And women… they always manage to surprise you, always manage to catch you off-guard when you were least expectin' it with one of those tricks they have up in their sleeves. It was always somethin' that exasperates us, men, but also one of the reasons why we cannot let them go." Arata reached out with his hand and gripped his shoulder. "If there was anyone else who deserved to be with her, it's you, Taichi."

He felt himself blow out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Thank you, Arata. For everything. You took care of her when I couldn't do it myself." And he meant what he had just said.

"Yes, I did." Arata responded, managing to smile wearily. "Though I had to admit, it wasn't the same like you would have done for her." His gaze turned serious once again, his sapphire eyes becoming sharper once more. "You're my best friend, Taichi, and you always have my support. But if you leave her once again, if you so much as make a tear fall from her eyes again, I will be claimin' her from you. So just a piece of advice, take responsibility for her. It's just about time."

At any other time, he would have been scared shitless with Arata's open threat, but he knew that this time, it was to make sure he didn't mess anything up. And this time would be different.

"Of course. Although…" here he grinned at Arata, "You could count on me not leaving like I did before, Arata."

Arata held out a fist, and he bumped it with his. "Good."

After settling everything, he was finally discharged. He had been adamant not to disturb anyone from his family regarding his release, and as soon as he stepped out from the hospital, he breathed in deeply the air.

Ah finally. Some freedom. Breathe, breathe, breeeeathe.

He still had to follow the strict orders of having soft diet and not to engage in exercise immediately, but at least he was finally released, and he would be going home.

As soon as he had settled once again in his home comfortably, he began processing his transfer. Some of his professors were sorry to see him go, and had expressed regrets losing a brilliant student like him, but they understood, all the same, that it was for his future. He had promised to visit them once in a while, and the few friends he had made had sent him best wishes for his studies in Todai.

Since Kana-chan had left him with their schedule for that week, what with their examinations, he at least gave Chihaya a call once a day, usually during their lunch, to at least remind her to eat and check how she was doing. She was so happy and enthusiastic whenever he called, and at least in turn made him happy that she was glad to hear from him.

He really worried what she was eating though.

The last call he had given her was on the last day of her examinations, and she was just bursting with happiness that 'hell week' is finally over. Turned out that he didn't have to remind her with their 'date' (if it could be even considered as one, what with just a tour in Todai,) because she assured him that she will be waking up bright and early for that day.

"I'll be picking you up around ten, then." He decided, just to hear her agree on the other end.

"See you on Monday!"

Of course, as with all of Mashima Taichi's plans and endeavors in life, there just have to be little bumps along the way.

He realized, the night before, that his favorite shirt was missing. It was of a navy dark blue color, one that unknowingly brought out the gold in his eyes. He had liked that shirt since Chihaya had asked where it was during one of her hospital visits, and when he had asked her why, she just told him that:

"Because that shirt looked so good on you!" She had responded without any hesitation, her cheeks aflame, eyes wide and innocent.

Dammit!

After practically emptying his closet, he found it on one of his drawers neatly folded and pressed. It made him sigh in relief, and he chuckled at his utter ridiculousness.

He had never cared about what he was supposed to wear when going to someplace else, but here he was, twenty two years old, panicking like a headless chicken because he couldn't find a shirt he was supposed to wear tomorrow, which was nowhere near a date with the girl he was so in love with. He continued chuckling. Ah man. Chihaya was the only girl who could make him act like this.

Taichi laughed at himself utterly.

Another bump was when he realized that he didn't know how her family would react once they found out that… well, he and Chihaya were together. That was one factor he had totally forgotten. He had made a mental post-it note in his head that he would have to pay them a visit one way or another, but with all the drama that had happened lately, and with all the pressure of telling him her feelings and how she would react to it, he had totally forgotten of her family.

Ah shit. Brilliant,Taichi. Bloody brilliant.

He realized, later onthough, that he actually didn't have to worry about that, at least, for now.

His phone rang around seven-thirty, an hour before he was supposed to wake up and get ready. He could kick back and wake up later on because he had finished preparing the bentos he was planning to bring later on for lunch for the two of them last night, so he was startled that someone was calling this early.

He grabbed his phone from his night table, swiped the screen carelessly, not bothering to look at who was calling and said a bit grudgingly: "Moshi moshi.", his voice sounding a lot like a frog's.

"O-Ohayou… T-Taichi?"

That had been enough to kick him awake. "Ohayou… Chihaya?" He asked, his tone higher than usual, sounding surprised. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his face and ruffling his hair. "Uhm… is something wrong? This is quite unusual for you to… call this… early." He finished lamely, trying to hide his yawn.

"I-I'm so sorry!" She suddenly wailed, voice sounding forlorn and scared at the same time on the other end that he jumped a foot on the air. "Gomen nasai, Taichi!"

Now that startled him. Why was she apologizing so early in the morning? "Uhm… Chihaya? Why are you apologizing? Was there something wrong?"

She went silent for an entire minute, and then sniffed. "I won't be able to make it today."

Taichi felt as if a giant hand had suddenly crushed him flat on his bed. "W-What?"

"I'm sorry!" She wailed once again. "Okaasan and Otousan had to accompany 'Neechan because she's slated to have a shooting in Hokkaido and-and Keiichi-nii had to go to work for an emergency… so they asked me to babysit Chizuko-chan for a while!"

Taichi face palmed. He should have known something like this was bound to happen. Nothing with Chihaya had always been easy. Be it telling her one's feelings, or trying to just spend an entire day with her.

Well, what could he do? It's not like he was the one handling her schedule.

"I'm really sorry! Please don't get mad at me…" She pleaded, and really, how could he get mad at that? Logically and rationally, it wasn't her fault. She didn't know that this was going to happen.

That didn't change the fact that he felt terribly disappointed though. He was still human after all.

"It's fine, Chihaya, I understand. No, I'm not mad, don't worry." And I am really looking forward for this day, too. He added mentally, collapsing anyhow back on his pillows and rolling to one side. "You'll be babysitting Chizuko-chan?"

She affirmed, still sounding so forlorn. "I was so excited, you know."

Then an idea popped into his head. It wasn't something big and all, but if she would agree then they could still salvage the day. "Well, since technically I'm free and all… do you need any help? I could…well, come over." He cleared his throat, trying hard not to sound like he was implying something.

She went silent. Taichi started wondering whether he had stepped over an invisible line or something that he cleared his throat again. He had never done something like this before, asking her outright if he could come over, because he had always been too much of a sneak and coward even then, using karuta as an excuse when he was trying to ask her out. He was pleasantly surprised to see that that was starting to change. "But if you don't want to, that's fine. We could just rearrange the-"

"N-No! Uhm… Really? You'll do that?" She asked, sounding so hopeful like a kid. "Y-You mean it?"

He chuckled at the kid-like hope she was expressing. "Of course. A kid can be a handful, you know."

She sighed in relief. "What time will you be coming?"

"Same time, if that's fine with you. And don't worry about the food, I've got that covered." He joked, chuckling once again as she laughed. "So… see you later?"

"Yes, please." She said wistfully, laughter still in her voice that he had to smile as well.

"Good. I have just the thing to keep your niece entertained."

An hour and a half later, he was stepping inside the Ayase household, as Chihaya helped him with the bentos that he had brought. "Ojamashimashita." He said quietly, as he removed his shoes and placed them on one of the empty shoe racks.

Chihaya beamed at him widely, her smile like a gentle sunrise. "It's no trouble. Thanks for coming today, Taichi." She mumbled, still smiling that he just shrugged.

"Thank me once we survive this day in one piece." He joked that Chihaya laughed appreciatively.

"Now that actually scared me."

Their eyes met again, and for some reason, Chihaya's gaze was intense. He then noticed that she had worn her hair on a side braid, a few strands loose around her face, and wore her blue mid-sized shirt with shorts.

Which just about emphasized her creamy legs.

Damn, what the hell have I gotten myself into?

What the hell was he thinking, forgetting that they were just the two adults in the house?!

Shit!

Before he could panic further though, a squeal sounded throughout the house and a pattering of little feet sounded, unknowingly breaking the spell the both of them were locked in. Seconds later, a little girl burst out front and ran to him.

"Taichi-niitan!"

He recovered in breakneck speed and bent down to catch Chizuko, lifting her up effortlessly as Chihaya's niece giggled merrily. "There's my girl! I haven't you seen you for a long time!"

Chihaya ruffled her niece's well-kept curly hair as she giggled. "She's missed you a lot, you know. She used to ask Keiichi-nii to take her for a checkup again in Sodai." Chihaya grinned. "She felt as if she's already known you for a long time, Taichi."

''Did I hear that right? Where's my kiss then?"

They went inside, and as soon as they were settled, they began playing all sorts of games just to keep the little girl entertained. Chihaya had laughed when she saw that their lunch really had been covered by Taichi, thanking him all the same that he had brought it. She gave a little squeal when she found that he had prepared salmon onigiri.

"Uwah~~ my favorite!" She had exclaimed, giving Taichi a surprise kiss on his left cheek in thanks. "Thanks so much, Taichi!"

The little girl giggled, and Taichi winked at her before playfully tickling her waist.

"What are you giggling about, hmm? C'mon!" He asked in between tickling the girl who was squealing happily.

As soon as they had finished lunch, however, the little girl asked if she could go upstairs and sleep for a while. Taichi had surrendered his lego set to her earlier, and by the looks of it, they had worn her out.

"Lego?" Chihaya had asked when she had seen it earlier, smiling amusedly.

"Yep. This would be a good exercise for the brain you know. I used to play with this when I was a kid."

"It's a wonder you still have that. Most kids just play with tablets nowadays."

"That's exactly why I brought it with me."

Taichi didn't miss the smile which Chizuko-chan had just given them both, her eyes twinkling mischievously, before running upstairs. Was she able to understand immediately? What the hell? He shook his head. Kids nowadays. Scary.

Chihaya had turned to him. "Do you want to watch anything? At least after I'm done with the dishes?"

"Yeah sure. Let's do the dishes first though."

"You don't have to-"

"Yep, I'm up for it."

Chihaya sighed as he gave her a flick on the forehead and she followed him to the dining room to clear the dishes. They worked comfortably, him washing the plates, her drying it. At first they were talking, telling each other what was the latest, him asking her how she did with her quarterly examinations, her telling him all about Kana-chan and Komano's relationship, and how he teased her mercilessly when she told him that Komano had been topping the examinations easily. They knew that something… like tension had been hanging in the air between the two of them, but they both adamantly tried to ignore it, both feeling that the temperature was increasing in the room even though it was cool outside.

"You know how he's always been good with studies, Chihaya." He was telling her teasingly as he scrubbed one plate quickly and efficiently.

"Still. It really felt that when Kami-sama decided to dole out intelligence, you two had caught it all, and I was hiding under the table when that had happened." She had responded grudgingly, pouting heavily.

He had laughed out loud, flicking her on the forehead again, accidentally wiping foam on her from the dishwashing liquid.

"Argh, Taichi! You'll pay for that!" She exclaimed irritably, and proceeded to wipe some foam on him too.

They went into battle mode, trying to get each other wet. He was laughing as she splashed him with the sponge he was holding, and Chihaya was trying to avoid him by running around the kitchen squealing madly.

"Oh no, you're not getting away from me, Ayase!"

She stuck out her tongue at him and ran to the door but he caught her around the waist and she squirmed, giggling madly as he immediately traced his finger across her cheek with thick foam. Trying to get away from him, she pushed her hips against his when she felt her skin tingle from the contact, and she heard him grunt –something that she felt she had accidentally heard from him.

They both went silent, both suddenly being too aware of each other, and just how long they actually hadn't seen each other for weeks.

Oh… dear Lord. What did I just do? Chihaya asked herself panickingly, not noticing how Taichi's eyes disappeared under his bangs, as he was standing behind her. Her heart was pounding when she felt his grip slacken, before releasing her completely.

"We should… I'd better finish the dishes first." He said, making a shiver run down her spine when she realized that his voice sounded lower than normal. The moment he had released her from his embrace she felt as if she had lost something, and she surprised him when she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I-I um… I'm really sorry I wasn't able to fulfill my promise today." She said, her voice small as she leaned her head against his back, "I was looking forward to it, you know. P-Please don't be mad at… me." She stammered, her heart pounding hard against his back.

She was surprised when he turned within her circle of arms and took her in an embrace, looking down at her with a soft and gentle gaze. "Chihaya. I'm not mad, alright? I understand. Besides, I love Chizuko-chan. She's a good kid. She reminds us of the times when we were kids." He smiled wistfully. "I do want to ask you one thing though."

"What is it?"

"Kiss me." He countered, reminding her when she had done the same weeks ago. Chihaya reddened furiously, as he chuckled, though his eyes remained serious.

Realizing that she hadn't even given him a proper kiss from earlier, as a proper girlfriend should, she tiptoed and kissed him lightly on the lips. The kiss was meant to be short and sweet, but she wasn't prepared for the desire that suddenly shot past her head to her toes. Helpless against the delicious sensation of his lips against hers, she didn't protest when she felt him deepen the kiss, and her hand once again crept up to grip his collar tightly, wanting to keep him there.

She felt him about to pull back before things went anything further, -Taichi was already inwardly cursing himself, trying to rein in the burning sensation somewhere in his stomach. He respected her a lot, and he didn't want to do something that he would regret, - but when she surged forward and pressed her body hard against his, her fingers wrapping around his collar just to make sure he wouldn't get away, all thoughts flew out of the window and he fell into the kiss hopelessly, praying that nothing untoward will happen to the two of them.

Chihaya's own thoughts scattered as he proceeded to kiss her brainless, and she was kind of glad he hadn't pulled away. She wondered why she hadn't ever thought of kissing him before, -because this just felt so right. So this is what it felt like to want someone who wanted you back, -like she was so thirsty and she finally found her oasis. He broke off the kiss and trailed a line of kisses past her jaw to her neck, brushing his lips against the area where her neck met her shoulder, and she felt him graze the heated skin with his teeth that she gave out a sharp gasp.

She wanted more.

Chihaya stepped on his feet, stretching on her legs, pressing herself even more to him that a slight gasp escaped him. His fingers had found her waist and his thumb had been rubbing circles on the warm, smooth skin as her shirt had lifted a bit. Heaven help him, but she was exactly everything that he had ever wanted. He could feel her everywhere, and he just wanted to drown in her scent.

Damn… it…

With all the places that their bodies touched, it was impossible for her not feel his body's immediate response. Taichi turned them around so that she was leaning against the wall, her head pillowed on his arm, and tried to turn his hips a bit so that she wouldn't feel him so obviously, but she shifted so that she was still pressed against him. His lips traveled upwards slowly, from her neck to her cheek, until he reached her left ear. He nibbled her earlobe gently, making her take a sharp intake of breath and murmur his name, her fingers tangling in his hair tightly and pushing herself as was possible against him even more.

Oh shit.

He slowly pulled backwards to meet her gaze and was nearly taken aback at how her eyes had changed. If possible, her eyes had darkened even more, and her cheeks were flushed with obvious desire.

Well, she wasn't the only one. Chihaya cradled his face in her hand as she stared at him, seeing how his usual bright, amber hues had darkened the color of dark gold, and his skin felt warmer than hers. "Chihaya." He said, his tone pleading.

"I want this, Taichi. I like doing this. I want you." She said with conviction, looking at him with determination reflecting in her eyes.

"You don't understand-"

"I do understand, Taichi. We're older now and we're both adults. I'm already aware of this. I did listen to Miyauchi-sensei when she was discussing the power of nature in science, you know." She explained, running a finger down his cheek that made shivers crawl down his spine, leaning forward to bestow him another short kiss.

"I don't want to force you into something you're not ready for, Chihaya." He said between the kiss, looking at her seriously. "I won't forgive myself. Ever."

"What makes you think you're forcing me?" Chihaya asked peevishly, eyes bright with confusion. "Do I have to say that I want s-"

Taichi panicked and kissed her on the mouth to quiet her down that she couldn't help but laugh through the kiss. He pulled back, eyes glinting with playful annoyance. "What kind of things have you been learning through college? You're surprising me each minute passing." He asked, tone sounding embarrassed all the same, relieved to feel the tension diminishing at the same time.

"A lot." Chihaya jibed, sounding even more playful as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. "Keiichi-nii said I was quite the quick learner, you know." She giggled as Taichi raised an eyebrow at her.

"You do know what you're talking about don't you?"

"Yes, Taichi." Her eyes shone with desire once again. "Come here and kiss me." She gave the back of his head a playful nudge. When he didn't move, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to say just so you'll stop worrying? Taichi," here she leaned her forehead on his, their gazes meeting, auburn boring into amber, "I understand if you're so surprised with the things I am saying, since –you've already said it before,- I haven't exactly cared about these things, but you have to understand that I am bound to be aware about these things sooner or later. Having girl friends help, you know." She winked at him as she said so.

Taichi mentally groaned. God, she was telling him that it's okay.

She's telling me she's fine with it!

He met her lips for an another kiss. Before things could once again heat up, though, they both jumped when a phone rang.

Chihaya playfully grumbled making Taichi laugh as she went to answer it. She picked it up immediately and talked, while Taichi used the time to finish the dishes that were somehow left throughout everything that had… transpired.

He heard her walk once again into the kitchen that he looked up. "What happened?"

"They're coming home. The shoot is cancelled." Chihaya responded, laughter in her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aw. Too bad." He said jokingly, proceeding to wipe the dishes. He could hear her giggling somewhere behind him. "What?" He asked defensively, though he could also feel a smile forming on his face.

"Well, we still have a few minutes left-"

He didn't let her finish and with quick strides, once again pulled her in for a deep, lingering kiss. She compensated for the sudden movement by pulling him in with her arms wrapped once again around his neck, meeting his lips head-on.

He decided that he wanted to ask her one thing, though, before they got too carried away.

"Chihaya."

"Hmmm?"

He buried his face on her neck, inhaling her lavender scent, which he realized was what her hair smelled like. It calmed his racing heart.

"Once I move to Todai… will you let me join the karuta club?" He said quietly, holding his breath for her response.

Her answering giggle had been more than enough to express her answer. "Really? You'll be playing again?"

"Uh huh. I'm a bit on the rusty side though." He said, smiling. "I'll probably need all the help just to get back in shape. And I'm afraid that won't be for an another month. But I want to join. To once again read those cards and claim them from the field."

She laughed, and embraced him gently. "I would love to let you join! I've missed seeing you play, you know. And Arata… I'm sure he'll be so happy." Then her eyes lit up even more. "Oh my gosh! That would be just like how we used to play like kids! You, me and Arata! Together, just like before." She said wistfully that he had to chuckle, as he returned her embrace. "We'll be a team once again!"

His girlfriend's excitement contagious, he felt happiness like he had never felt before swell inside him. So this is what it felt like to be truly and completely happy.

He knew that Chihaya would always desire for the three of them to be together, because their friendship had been a part of their lives already. Cutting one off from the three of them felt close to losing a limb. They would always be team Chihayafuru, no matter what happened.

And Chihaya would always love Arata for the things he had done for her, -helping her find her dream, for instance. But Taichi could accept it more openly now, to not act jealous over it. After all, Chihaya wouldn't be where she was in the first place if it wasn't for him, and she wouldn't be Chihaya without her love for karuta and Arata. He at least, understood that much about her.

"I love you, Taichi." She whispered, drawing his attention back to her.

He pressed a soft kiss on her lips in response, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I love you more." He responded, a gentle smile forming across his lips.

And Chihaya knew it to be true.

~Owari~

Dear reader,

Thank you for taking a chance with this story. I'm not sure how you found it, if it was nice or confusing or something, but thank you all the same for giving this a chance. Without you taking the time to read it, the author wouldn't be this happy.

Love,

Yamada Michiko

PS: Let me hear your opinion! I would love that. I'll be waiting for it, as always. Hahaha.

Love you guys! Wish me luck for the next ones I'll be publishing! See you again –in an another story! :)