AN: Sorry this chapter is so short. I just wanted to give a quick glimpse into the mind of our always straight-faced Takashi. Plus, I was kind of craving a Mori/Honey moment. ;)

Chapter 2

Mitskuni was leaning against the fence outside of the Kamigawa estate. I walked past him, and he skipped alongside me. It wasn't long ago when he would have leaped onto my back or climbed his way up to my shoulders. Those days were gone now, though. He wasn't as small as he used to be, though now his head still only reached my shoulder, and we were both adults now.

He was married a year ago to his sweet Reiko, and now she was expecting their first child. We both hoped it was a little girl for him to dress up and play with. I was happy that he was happy, but there was still a small part of me that missed the days when he climbed me like a tree, ate nothing but cake, and carried his Usa-chan around everywhere.

"Should we punish Chika-chan? He is my brother; I will do it if it needs to be done," he said.

"No, she isn't upset at him," I said.

He stopped walking and stared up at me. "What happened, Takashi? What did she say?"

I kept walking, and he started following me again.

"She said I kissed her and told her that I liked her. I don't remember that, but she was very upset by it."

"You didn't take a nap before your lesson?"

I shook my head.

He put his hand on my arm, and I stopped walking, and looked down at him.

"Did she reject you?"

I looked at my feet, dejectedly. "I didn't tell her how I feel."

He looked angry. It was rare for me to see him like this, and I forgot how scary he could be sometimes.

"You have been telling me for years how cute you think she is, and over the last three years, all I have heard from you is that you are in love with her. You got a nosebleed when you saw her get that tattoo, and now, after you were handed the perfect opportunity to finally tell her how you feel, you just walked away? Why?"

"She was crying. She said I was playing a cheap trick on her, and she told me that she didn't have feelings for me. She sent me away."

"Did you tell her that you can't ever remember what you do when you are tired, and explain to her that you tend to get overly flirtatious?"

Why did he have to make it sound so easy?

"No," I said. "I apologized for making her think I was toying with her emotions."

"Takashi, you idiot, she thinks you were rejecting her. If all you said to her was that you don't remember what happened and that you were sorry for making her feel bad, it is going to sound like you don't want to be with her. She is going to hurt you for this. Cho-chan has never been one to take an insult quietly. Remember what she did to Satoshi after he ditched her at my wedding?"

I inwardly cringed.

Cho could be just as scary as Mitskuni when she decided to get even with someone. She had beat Satoshi with a broom until she decided that he had learned some manners. I thought it was really cute that she could be so tiny and so scary all at the same time. I just didn't want that angry energy pointed at me.

"I know," I said. "I wanted to tell her, but she was so angry that I had dared to kiss her, and she started crying. I didn't know what else to do."

"I think she was angry that you kissed her and then acted like it didn't happen."

I didn't know what I should do. I couldn't go back in there right now, or it would look strange to her mother.

"You have to figure this out, Takashi, or you are going to lose her. If she doesn't know you care, she will not reciprocate. The way I see it, all she can see now is some jerk, who she trusted and cared about, kiss her and then reject her. She is probably confused and hurting. Remember how you felt watching her date those other boys? Imagine how you will feel if she starts to love someone else. I don't want to see you hurt, so fix it, okay?"

He smiled at me and walked away.

I stared after him in disbelief, and smiled. Even now that he was older and looked like the grown man that he was, it was hard for me to remember how deep and insightful he could be.

I glanced back at the Kamigawa estate. I didn't know how I would fix things with Cho, but I would do my best to try. Mitskuni was right; I loved her, and it would kill me to see her in love with someone else.