Author's Note: I cannot believe it's been an entire year since I've updated this story. Work and school had completely taken over my life. And now, when I'm free to write, the manga has gone in a completely different direction than what I had envisioned when I initially started my story, hehe! For example, I've been writing Chihaya as an oblivious airhead for most of this story, but she's had such a wonderful growth in the manga that I feel it would be a crime not to incorporate her development! Anyways, I shouldn't be complaining - the latest chapters in the manga have been absolutely beautiful :)

I would like to thank all the readers that have stuck with me so far. Please bear with me with these new chapters, as I get the feeling I'll be a little rusty after not writing for so long! I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer - I do not own Chihayafuru or the Hyakunin Isshu poems.

…

"Kana chan?"

"Hm?"

"Did you hear what I said? Memorization time is over. Let's start."

Kana sighed. "Hai, let's start."

She breathed in, trying to focus on the sea of green and white ahead of her. "Come on Kanade," she urged herself, "Concentrate!"

The opening song came on, and she tried to let the poem wash over senses.

"Nani wa zuni sakuya kono hana fuyogomori" How many tournaments had it been again? 5? 6?

"Ima wa harubeto sakuya kono hana…" Progressing to Class A seemed like an impossible hurdle.

"Kana chan, I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're hurting right now. I'm giving it my all."

"Ima wa harubeto sakuya kono hana. Kimi ga tame…" Taichi's arm shot out forward to take the card from her right side formation.

Kana bowed her head. "Gomen Taichi," she said in a small voice, "I don't think I can play. I feel like I'm disrespecting the cards. I'm not even paying attention to the poem's meanings."

"Then pay attention." Taichi smiled and crouched down again. "Here I go."

"Tsuki mireba…"

…

Touching her forehead to the window glass, Kana let out a breath of relief. Even though summer was almost over, it was still stiflingly hot inside the Toudai karuta clubroom, and the coolness of the window pane felt wonderful.

"I'm gonna go get some drink from the vending machine. You want your usual?"

Turning around, she smiled. "Yes, please."

"Finally! If I had known that a mere cola could make you smile, I'd have bought it sooner." Taichi exclaimed. "I'll be back."

As she watched Taichi go out through the clubroom, she felt a rush of gratitude. She had long stopped calling him "Buchou", but in some ways, he still felt like the captain of the Misuzawa team. The backbone that held everyone together and gently encouraged them towards their respective dreams.

She heard the Tower bell ring for one o' clock and turned towards the window again. She was greeted with the sight of students packing up their lunch hastily or stuffing their mouths with whatever was left in their lunch box. She smiled. Just a few months ago, this scenery had seemed so new, so foreign. And, while the seasons brought about their changes, the view from their club window had long become familiar to Kana. How did people adapt so fast? How did -

"Ooh Taichi, that's cold!"

Taichi laughed, removing the can from Kana's cheek. "Well, I came and saw you trying to suck all the coolness out of the windows and thought you needed it."

"Mou! Don't tease me about my only un-ladylike habit!"

"Kana chan, you couldn't be un-ladylike even if you tried."

Feeling a warmth spread over her cheeks, Kana looked away. "Thanks for the drink. And for pushing me to play today. I feel like I'm somewhat over my slump."

"You're welcome. You remember how long it took me to become Class-A right?"

"Mm."

"I felt like giving up completely at one point. I couldn't see a way forward, you know. But Chihaya and Harada sensei kept on pushing me, playing with me with all their might. At first, it had seemed cruel, but I later realized that if they had gone easy on me, I would have quit. If they hadn't played with their full strength, it would have seemed like they were giving up on me."

Kana looked over at Taichi's profile, trying to read the expression on his face. Ever since Chihaya had started dating Arata, Taichi usually didn't reminisce about their past together. She wondered what had caused him to bring it up today.

Feeling Kana's silence, Taichi turned to face her. "Are you still down? Listen, just like Chihaya and Harada sensei didn't give up on me, I won't give up until you become a certified reader. In any case, you promised to read for me during my Meijin match right?" Taichi smiled.

Kana felt a lump in her throat. "Arigatou Taichi, that means a lo – "

"Ring, ring, ring, ring."

"Sorry, Kana chan. I thought I had put it to silent."

"It's ok, you can answer it. That's the ringtone for Chihaya isn't it?"

"Yeah, but you were sayin – "

"Taichi, it's okay, please pick it up."

Sighing softly, Taichi answered, "Chihaya?"

Kana wondered why Chihaya was calling. Usually she was in class at this time. She checked the clock on the far end of the room to confirm.

A sharp intake of breath from Taichi made her look back at him. "When was this?" he asked.

Kana raised her eyebrows questioningly. Taichi motioned for her to wait. "Where are you? Ok, just stay put. I'll come to you right now, ok? I'm hanging up."

"Did something happen to Chihaya chan?" Kana asked, her voice raised in concern.

"She was crying, so I couldn't understand her fully – but I think she and Arata may have broken up."

"What! Why?" She was shocked. Although Chihaya had confided to her that she and Arata were going through a rough patch, she had never expected them to actually break up.

"I'm not fully sure." Kana watched as Taichi gathered his things. "Listen, can we do a rain-check for the rest of our practice? Chihaya seems really cut up. I – I should go to her."

Kana looked at Taichi with his backpack ready to go.

"Of course."

And before she could say anything else, he was gone.

…

Through the club window, Kana watched as Taichi rushed towards the dorms.

"Hito wa isa
Kokoro mo shirazu"

Why were the poems always right? It was true – the depths of human hearts were too hard to decipher. She had been by Taichi's side for so long, but what did she really know of his feelings? Nothing!

She shook her head, restless. There was no point in thinking like this. She breathed in and out, letting the solitude of the clubroom soothe her troubled mind.

Change was inevitable, she thought to herself. She noted the hints of red in the leaves, signaling the coming of autumn. If these majestic trees couldn't resist change from the passage of time, how could people? Kana mused.

She thought of all the ways their lives had changed after coming to college. Taichi seemed happier and more at peace with himself. Nishida had drastically changed his eating habits after his mom had been diagnosed with diabetes. He was much slimmer and healthier – so much so that the Nikuman nickname had been entirely dropped. In some ways, Komano hadn't changed outwardly, but he projected a quiet confidence as of late, and stood up taller. Even Chihaya, who had been oblivious to everything but her karuta dreams, had slowly but gradually become more perceptive. Kana remembered how even a few months ago, Chihaya had stubbornly refused to acknowledge that the dynamic between her and Taichi had changed, and that an invisible line had been drawn the moment she had started dating Arata. Lately though, she had seemed more aware, more conscious of the fine balance that she had to maintain between her two precious childhood friends.

Kana suddenly felt a foreboding in her heart. Now that Chihaya and Arata were no longer together, what became of that balance? Did the boundaries just simply disappear? She supposed she should be happy for Taichi because deep down, she knew, he must still love Chihaya. They really did belong together, the sun and moon of their karuta club. In fact, ever since high school, hadn't she always hoped that one day Chihaya would return Taichi's affections?

"Yo no naka wa
Tsune ni mo ga mo na"

If only the world had stayed the same. If only…

Kana sighed and turned away from the window. Change was inevitable. She had to accept it. She looked at the clock. Startled that it was almost time for her next class, she started tidying up.

As she was putting away the cards, she thought about the one question she had avoided thinking until now. She knew that like the rest of her friends, she too had changed. But the question was how? How had she changed? She was certainly happier and more confident of herself. The classical literature curriculum at Toudai was very rewarding, and despite bumps in the road, she was progressing towards her goal of becoming a certified reader.

But was that all?

As she picked up her bag, she realized one of the cards hadn't been put away. Picking it up, she briefly glanced to see which one it was.

As she read it, she felt that same foreboding in her heart. She had always confidently believed in the power or poetry. But she felt a pinprick of doubt. They couldn't always be right, could they? Was it even possible to accurately capture the complex emotions she felt in five lines? Putting the card away, she headed towards her next class, resolved to not think of it for the time being.

But it wouldn't do. The five lines kept on resonating within herself. Over and over again. Perhaps the complexity was in the situation, and not in her emotions. Maybe it was finally time to acknowledge the change in herself that she had been vehemently denying. That she simply fallen –

Her heart wavered as she remembered his retreating back, rushing towards Chihaya. How could she acknowledge her emotion, when she knew there'd be nothing in return? She willed herself to be stronger, to think of a different poem. But the words that kept on resounded in heart couldn't simply be willed away.

"Tsukuba ne no
Mine yori otsuru
Minano-gawa"

Change was inevitable. She had to accept it.

"Koi zo tsumorite
Fuchi to nari nuru"

Walking quietly under the trees that autumn had started to set aflame, she accepted it.

"So my love has grown to be
Like the river's quiet deeps."

…

Author's note – Don't kill me for throwing such a wrench in the plot line! I know in the manga, Kana and Komano have started falling for each other, but I've always wanted to explore her feelings/relationship to Taichi. Sorry, if the writing came out choppy. Not only am I rusty, but Suetsugu portrays her characters so beautifully, that it's hard writing something non-canon. Reviews will be really appreciated, so I can improve on my work. Thank you!

Poems used during Taichi and Kana's play:

# 15:

Japanese: Kimi ga tame/Haru no no ni idete/Wakana tsumu/Waga koromode ni/Yuki wa furi tsutsu

English: It is for your sake/That I walk the fields in spring/Gathering green herbs/While my garment's hanging sleeves/Are speckled with falling snow.

# 23:

Japanese: Tsuki mireba/Chiji ni mono koso/Kanashi kere/Waga mi hitotsu no/Aki ni wa aranedo

English: As I view the moon/Many things come into my mind/And my thoughts are sad/Yet it's not for me alone/That the autumn time has come.

Poems used in the rest of the story:

# 13:

Japanese: Tsukuba ne no/Mine yori otsuru/Minano-gawa/Koi zo tsumorite/Fuchi to nari nuru

English: From Tsukuba's peak/Falling waters have become/Mina's still, full flow/So my love has grown to be/Like the river's quiet deeps.

# 35:

Japanese: Hito wa isa/Kokoro mo shirazu/Furusato wa/Hana zo mukashi no/Ka ni nioi keruEnglish: The depths of the hearts/Of humankind cannot be known/But in my birthplace/The plum blossoms smell the same/As in the years gone by.

# 93:

Japanese: Yo no naka wa/Tsune ni mo ga mo na/Nagisa kogu/Ama no obune no/Tsuna de kanashi mo

English: If only our world/Could be always as it is/How moving the sight/Of the little fishing boat/
Drawn by ropes along the bank.