Disclaimer: All of these magnificent characters belong to Namori-sensei, who is most certainly not a scruffy twenty-something from an obscure corner of Tasmania. Hence I do not own this series.

Yo folks, it's been a while. I'll say sorry and just straight up admit to having other stuff on my mind. Games, Books and then my Computer finally gave up the goat and blew up. When I got a new one two weeks ago I was very gung-ho about getting this chapter out at least. At least I was until I checked the light novels, yuri manga and anime I'd missed out on. Then last weeks ep of YRYR gave me the perfect little AkaChina shot to pep up. It's 4AM here at the moment and I figured the other side of the morning was my best bet for finishing it off. Please enjoy, the next one should be out before christmas. I'll promise that much at least.

Akari was confused. It wasn't often she felt so relieved and burdened at the same time, Kyouko-chan thinks it has something to do with me too. I knew it! She sighed, eliciting a curious gaze from her blue-haired classmate, who stopped sweeping the floor and approached.

"Is something the matter Akari-san?" the ever-polite bluenette inquired.

"Hm?" The redhead continued to stare out across the schoolyard, her hands no longer clapping the still dirty blackboard erasers. It was obvious to anyone that she was focused on something far removed from classroom chores.

"Akari?" the tap on her shoulder dragged her from the sullen reverie she was so involved with.

"Ah!" she squawked and brought her hands to her chest suddenly, unwittingly bringing the erasers with them.

The subsequent cloud of chalk dust engulfed both girls and after a brief coughing fit it fell to the floor, providing them with a little more work before they could go home.

"Aa-ah! Sorry Himawari-chan!" she began bowing and apologising as much as she could in a bid to hide her embarrassment. "I'll clean this up for you, you should go home and make sure the chalk doesn-" The firm hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"It's perfectly fine Akari-san," a considerate little smile brought a little more heat to Akari's cheeks. "I know how easy it is to make a mistake when something important is on your mind."

"Oh no!" flustered now and unsure of how to calm back down her words began to spin a little. "It wasn't anything super-important. Just… distracting?"

Himawari narrowed her honey-gold eyes. "Has anybody ever told you that you were an atrocious liar?"

She sighed at that, that's the second time today. "Y-yes," she replied in as small a voice as she could manage. That matronly smile returned as her big-breasted companion moved back to sweeping.

"You don't have to tell me anything, just let me know if you need any help okay?" The only noise for a moment after that was the soft scraping of the broom as the Student Council Vice-President manoeuvred it around the empty chairs and desks. Akari smiled and gave her friend a silent thank you before turning back to the window and continuing her assigned chore in a proper manner.

She was returning the now dust-free erasers to their place and was about to reach for the dustpan to help the bluenette pick up the day's sweepings when they were alerted to a pair of voices they both knew having some sort of argument in the hallway.

"So what? You like her right?" This voice was the louder and was tinged with a superior air. The redhead also noticed the way Himawari's eyes narrowed and her shoulders seemed to bristle. Saku-chan then. "Why don't you just tell her?"

"I've told you five times already you moron, it really isn't like that." This voice was a little softer, shriller and the cold and inarguable way she insulted the first made Akari giggle a little to herself. And that's Chinatsu. She didn't notice her classmate shoot her a look as she giggled, she did however notice the way she sighed after what the acerbic pinkette said next. "Besides, I really," "OW!" "Don't want to hear something like 'why don't you just tell her' come out of your mouth."

"Whath's tha s'post te mean?" Sakurako's speech sounded somewhat garbled this time. The silence that followed her question felt heavy and tense for a reason the redhead couldn't quite figure out. Finally it was broken with, "OW! Not the other cheek!"

"I can't figure out if you're being obstinate or ignorant at this point." Chinatsu let out a weary sigh. "Whatever."

A tumbling noise followed by another shout of pain implied that her roommate had gotten bored with the conversation and just a moment later the door opened to reveal the tiny pink-haired dynamo, her blazer hanging out of her bookbag and her usual 'the-whole-damn-world-can-blow-up-for-all-I-care' expression. "Akari, are you good to-" she stopped suddenly and one of her immaculate eyebrows went up in confusion. The two members of Class 1A looked at each other and noticed they still had white dust in their hair and all over their green blazers and began to giggle together.

"What is it? Something funny?" their honey-blonde friend peered around the door frame with an excited look on her face. The eternal child, always looking for some new opportunity to have fun, especially at someone else's expense frowned at the scene. "Oh, it's just Himawari. Man, I thought it might be something good, not a powder-coated breast demon. Damn." She stood straight and clasped her hands behind her head, towering over her classmate still standing in the open doorway. Sakurako, much like Akari had shot up like a weed over the last half-year and now resembled a louder and darker haired version of her older sister. Her personality however seemed to have stopped at 12, she was still brash, wishy-washy, and moody and a constant source of irritation for her childhood friend.

"Sakurako." Himawari's voice was suddenly devoid of the gentle and considerate tone she usually addressed everybody else with. The frosty and bleak way she merely pronounced the name of her oldest friend still made the meek redhead want to cringe away sometimes. "Where is your bookbag?"

"Huh?" the honest look of confusion in her chocolate brown eyes made them all glance at her for a moment. "It's at home. Why?"

"Just that usually a 'student' would bring it to school, filled with the various things they might need for class that day," the bluenette slowly moved closer to the lanky blonde while gearing up for a lecture. Her voice still frosty but as always, using inexorably formal language. "A pencil case, note and textbooks for specific subjects, a change of clothes if necessary and perhaps a bento of homemade or store-bought varieties. Not to mention your student handbook, various other pieces of identification and even money or a train pass."

"Are you an idiot?" Sakurako seemed to be amused for some inexplicable reason. "We walk to school, why would I need a train pass. Pu~ Himawari, you're such an airhead sometimes."

Eyebrows twitched dangerously; Akari backed away slightly and Chinatsu gleefully watched on both knowing from experience the inevitable end this conversation was coursing towards. "That was not my point, Sakurako. Your bookbag is an important part of your daily life; it isn't just used for ferrying things to school but back to your home as well."

"What am I gonna do with my schoolbooks at home? If they're at home then they won't be here when I need them." The superior tone in her voice made it hard to tell if she was wilfully ignoring what was wrong with that statement or if she was truly clueless.

"Your homework baka."

"AH!" the shining look of surprise on her face was heart-wrenching. Saku-chan… "I nearly forgot! If I don't have my notebook how can I copy Himawari's answers?" A sharp CRACK followed that statement and despite the fact that she was now the shorter of the pair the bluenette seemed to loom like an impenetrable fortress. Chinatsu stifled a laugh. "OW! What the hell was that for you H-Cup Abomination?!" The pinkette's muffled laughter turned into a coughing fit. H-Cup? H is how big? I'm a B so… Akari's cheeks turned the same shade as her hair as she compared the size in her head. Himawari's face however had quickly passed crimson and was well on its way to burgundy.

"My cup-size has nothing to do with this you unforgivable moron." She followed that statement with a weary shake of her head and a sigh that implied she was weighed down with more than just a heavy chest. "It's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Well," the arrogant troublemaker quickly tried to jump on the upper hand and finally defeat her 'hated' rival. "I'm glad you-"

"It's my fault for thinking you'd actually grow up just because we're in high school now. No, that was stupid. You're right! I am an idiot for thinking you might possibly be able to think for yourself without causing me a headache. Aa-ah." As she rubbed her nose in mock despondency, this time it was Sakurako's eyebrows that twitched, it seemed that this resigned and rather calm way of insulting her was much more effective than simple shouting.

"You-you-you…" Nothing coherent seemed to be coming up and just as Akari felt she needed to interrupt to keep this from becoming a full on brawl a loud and obviously fake cough sounded out.

"Ga-hum!" Chinatsu was still standing where she had started, an amused smirk plastered across her porcelain features. "As hilarious as I find your little tsundere v tsundere spats I'm here to pick up one Akaza Akari, I'd prefer her non-traumatised so that's the match for today. Winner is the ecchi-chest, loser is the surfboard. Akari, I'm leaving in five, catch up." At that she turned around and strode away leaving all the occupants of the room in a daze. It lasted nearly five seconds before both of the 'tsunderes' realised what she's said on her way out.

"WHO'S A SURFBOARD?!" "W-w-what do you mean 'ecchi-chest'?" Chinatsuuu…

Their walk home was a little more sedate than most days. Chinatsu seemingly did not want to talk about anything and was content to simply stroll next to her best friend not that said best friend would have noticed anyway. She was far too busy mulling over everything she'd learned today. First was that her roommate and precious companion was troubled by something she couldn't talk about freely. Second was what she'd come to learn about matters of the heart concerning those of homosexual tendencies. Third was that whatever was going on had something to do with her, Kyouko-chan said it was and she is right most of the time. She stopped in her musings a moment to remember all the times Kyouko had been right and mentally cringed. None of them had been particularly pleasant predictions and most of them had ended up causing Akari some injury or embarrassment. Fourth was something she'd overheard just ten minutes ago, Saku-chan said Chinatsu has a crush on someone, but Chinatsu said that isn't it. So what is it? Not a crush? Admiration? 'Rivalry' like Saku-chan and Himawari-chan? I haven't seen her been like that with anybody though… Her feet stopped as she suddenly recalled venomous words and violence. Kyouko-chan?!

The pinkette realised her friend had stopped walking and turned around, a bemused expression on her doll-like face. "Something bizarre rattling around in your head?"

"Huh?"

"You stopped walking, then looked like you'd imagined something horrendous."

"Kyouko-chan is not horrendous!" she very near yelled in response. Forgetting for a moment where she was and what she was doing. Her head whipped to and fro as she tried to work out these important details.

Chinatsu chuckled a little, "I think I must respectfully disagree with that statement. I honestly can't think of a word that describes her better." Then she added in a much lower tone - "except maybe deviant."

Not Kyouko-chan then. Akari was at a loss about who and what to think of next. She wasn't good at romance, seeing it for most of her life as something other people who weren't Akaza Akari had and she didn't. Not that she minded at all, it looked fun sometimes, but it also looked exhausting and rather unrelated to her own thought processes. Perhaps I'm thinking the wrong way? Maybe I should think more like Chinatsu. Hmmm, 'Akari could you lie down over here? I want to practice my acupuncture.' 'Akari, let's have beef and black beans tonight!' 'Akari- while she tried to internalise the right balance of hot and cold she was unaware of the pinkette watching her carefully -I'm so glad you're here, pretty please can you help me?' 'Aa-ah, I feel like laying here forever like a sponge. Will you still love me even if I turn into a sea sponge, Akari?' 'Huh? Senpai I think you've made a mistake in thinking I actually care about your opinion.' 'Get off of her- at this point she cracked her knuckles as a physical link to the memory -now! Or would you prefer I remove your teeth?' 'Ara, senpai? I never knew yo-

"Want a drink?"

"Not really, but if you're going to get one then… yeah, I suppose." In her current dedication to trying to think like her best friend she had unwittingly answered just as she thought Chinatsu would have.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

The two girls stared at each other for a moment before Chinatsu nearly snorted in her hand and seemed to have to stifle another chuckle. "Akari?" The redhead's cheeks blushed pink.

"Hai, Chinatsu?"

"Can I get you a drink."

Akari covered her face with her hands and simply intoned an affirmative. She was embarrassed that her thoughts had slipped out like that and made her sound like an obnoxious version of her best friend, and instead of being angry or hurt she had just laughed it away. If she had stopped to think perhaps she might have realised that this aspect of Chinatsu was what had made it so easy to relax in each other's company right from the day they'd met. Unfortunately the scarlet-haired girl's thoughts were tangled up in trying to decipher all the theories, ideas and even new concepts she'd been introduced to today. As it was she also failed to notice the sparkle in her pink-haired companion's eyes and was treated to quite a shock as she downed half a can of Masochist Cider in one distracted gulp.

"Geh." Her mind quickly caught up to her mouth. The taste was unique and while not intrinsically disgusting, or even bad. It just had a certain piquancy that reminded Akari of bitter melons, overripe bananas and stale shortcake. All wrapped up into one heavily carbonated gulp; not a flavour that was conducive to intricate thought processes - indeed it was not conducive to any thought processes besides being forced to contemplate the cavalcade of not particularly nice elements which made up Maso-Cider.

Chinatsu at least seemed to be enjoying her roommate's dissatisfaction with the choice of drinks. Holding back actual laughter but amusement dripping from every syllable she asked, "Don't like it? We can swap if you want to." At this violet eyes narrowed and gazed at the can in the prankster's hand. It was as familiar as the one she held in her own. Likely because they were exactly the same thing. She didn't know exactly why the pinkette had decided to mess with her, she only knew there was one response.

"MOU! China-chan… why did you get two cans of this nasty stuff?" She stared dejectedly at the can in her hands, trying not to think about having another gulp.

"Haha, Sorry Akari. They're having a prize draw but you need the number on each individual can to enter. I already have about 5 empty cans at home."

Curious all of a sudden Akari glanced at the side of her can and saw a small list of prizes ranging from a year's supply of the rotten drink to an all-expenses-paid vacation at a tropical island resort off the coast of Australia. Wow! She'd never even been outside of the country in her life and the only times she'd boarded a plane were going to and returning from the school trip to Okinawa in 2nd year. She contemplated some of the other prizes - a new car, an entertainment system, a 1-day 2-night Hot Springs trip, a bunch of merchandise, etc. It was while she was distracted like this that she took another swig.

"Euch."

"You don't have to drink it all if you don't like it, I'll go get you something swe-"

"That's not it." Akari sighed and blushing still but for a different reason. "I don't actually dislike it. Which means I'm a… a… and that makes me want to just go euch and blech and all of that."

"Huh, most people get turned off by the taste." Her turquoise eyes sparkled alongside her tiny grin. "I wouldn't worry about that, not everyone who drinks it is a masochist. Can you see me calling anyone, at any point in my fleeting existence on this planet… -sama?" Her low chuckle, a contrast to her shrill voice made Akari's chest warm. I haven't heard her laugh this much for a while. Heehee, I'm so glad. She unconsciously took another swig of the cider, which was promptly followed by another 'euch!'