A/N: If for some reason you didn't see the update I made on chapter 1, I'm revamping this story. Chapter 1 still fits with the story, but I'm taking it in a different direction than what I said before. Ok, here ya go.

Inertia

The professor, a middle-aged man whose hair had just started to turn grey, was pacing back and forth at the front of the lecture hall. I stared at the pile of tests on the table behind him, thinking about how mine was somewhere near the bottom. I wasn't concerned in the slightest about my performance on the exam, however. The last student to finish walked up to him and turned in the test.

"Alright everybody, good work on the test. Sorry to give you one at this time of the year, but you can think of it as a late Christmas present. I hope you all have a wonderful Winter vacation. Oh, and your grades will be posted within a week." The lecture hall erupted with applause, shortly followed by the shuffling of feet and loud chatter as my classmates left the room. With a couple hundred students moving through the lecture hall, I decided to wait until everyone had left before standing up from my seat.

"Ah, Yukinoshita-san?" I turned to see the professor smiling at me.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"You've got a pretty good understanding of physics, you know? Signing up for classes should start soon… Would you be interested in taking a class I'm teaching next semester? I know you're in the law department, but-" He was interrupted by a loud, familiar yell from the entrance of the class.

"Yukinon!" Only one person called me by that, so I wasn't surprised when I turned and saw Yuigahama waving at me wildly.

"Ah, sorry for keeping you, Yukinoshita-san." He turned away from me and started to walk back to the desk. Before he was too far away, I spoke to him.

"I'll take the class. See you next semester, Sensei." He smiled and waved at me nonchalantly as I turned away from him. When I neared the doors, Yuigahama nearly suffocated me with her embrace. "T-too close…" Yuigahama giggled in response.

"Ah, how nostalgic. That still bothers you?" Yuigahama separated from me, and we started to walk towards the nearest train station. Luckily, the walk was short, otherwise the two of us would have to endure the cold winter air. "How long are you off for, again?"

"About a week. I'm sure your break is the same."

"Yeah, that's true. Ooh, I know!" Yuigahama grabbed my hands and excitedly spoke. "Do you wanna stay at my place for the break?" Unable to resist those pleading eyes, I accepted.

"Sure, but I have to visit my family first…" With Yuigahama's face so close to mine, I noticed something was off. "Your hair…"

"Ah, you noticed? I got rid of the bun, and I'll probably grow it longer! I was even thinking of dying it brown…" I couldn't take my eyes off the spot where her bun used to be as she said that. "What? It doesn't suit me?"

"It's not that… It's just-"

"Different?" I nodded, and Yuigahama backed away from me, smiling at the sky. That smile seemed so distant, despite our close proximity. "A lot of things are different now." We got on the train and rode to Chiba together, Yuigahama wearing that smile for the entirety of our trip.

After we separated, I got into a car that my parents had sent to pick me up. I rode in that car to the house I hadn't lived in since high school, staring at the sights of Chiba that I hadn't seen for a few months. Despite not living there, my parents' house contained a decent amount of my clothes and belongings in the room that used to be mine.

When I arrived, it was around dinner time, so I sat down with my parents at the dining table. My mother had prepared a beef dish that I had probably eaten over a thousand times before. She sat across the table, silently staring at me as we ate.

"So, how is your second semester going? Well, I presume."

"Yes, father." He smiled from the head of the table.

"I heard you took a physics class. Is that part of the Law Department's required curriculum?" I clenched my fists and looked downwards.

"No. Sorry, it won't happen again." I heard my father sigh loudly from my right.

"Yukino, you're an adu-"

"Then why did you take it?" I looked up at my mother, who was glaring at me, despite the kind tone of her voice. "Those classes cost money. Why take something that isn't necessary?"

"I understand. I won't take another one." My father sighed once more. Wanting to avoid any more interaction with my parents, I quickly finished the meal and stood up from my seat. "Thank you for the food. I'll be staying at a friend's place for the rest of the break."

"Do what you want." I nodded at my father and started to go to my old room in order to pack. As I walked away, I heard him speak again. "Dear, Yukino needs to…" His voice got quieter as I approached my room, and was completely gone by the time I entered it. That voice was soon replaced by another.

"Hello, Yukino-chan."

"Nee-san…"

My older sister was casually sitting on my bed as if she owned it. Her hair had grown past her shoulders in the months that I was away, so I almost didn't recognize her at first. Ignoring the smirk on her face that implied that she had something planned for me, I walked over to my wardrobe and started to choose clothes to bring to Yuigahama's house.

"Oh, you're going to ignore me?" I didn't even look back at her as I responded.

"Do you have something to say?"

"How's university?"

"That is none of your concern." Haruno sighed from behind me.

"I suppose that's true." After quickly selecting my attire for the next few days, I turned back to my sister, looking at the suitcase that was behind her. "Have you talked to Hikigaya-kun recently?"

"That is also none of your concern." The answer to that question was a resounding "no", as it wasn't in either of our personalities to seek out human communication. Rather, we waited for others to reach out to us. At least, that was my perception of Hikigaya-kun. As I thought of that, my eyes wandered before settling on my older sister's left hand. "A ring?"

"Ah, you didn't hear the news? I'm engaged to Hayato." She wore a fake smile as she said those words. As such, I offered her some insincere congratulations.

"Ah, good for you."

"Yes aren't we such an attractive couple?" Not seeing what my sister was getting at, I stayed silent while she talked. "Two young, good-looking adults from prominent families getting hitched. After our marriage, my initials will also be 'H.H.', you know?"

"I hadn't thought of tha-"

"It's all so boring." Now sporting a frown, Haruno had a distant look in her eyes, despite staring right through me. "It's like a cliché, forced plot point that authors include in their stories because they've seen it in so many successful stories. Yet I doubt I'll be saved from this unhappy matrimony by some handsome prince... Honestly, our family is just so predictable that it makes me sick."

"Then, why did you agree to it?" That distant look that seemed to stare through me turned into a piercing glare.

"You think I had a choice? That's a bit naive, no?" Her outburst left me frozen as she stood up from the bed. "Hayato is so dull. Always trying to please everyone and keep up appearances. There are many men I could think of that I'd rather marry than Hayato. One in particular, but it seems he isn't fond of me. Not to mention he's already taken."

"Who would that be?" I couldn't recall my sister ever paying much attention to the guys she spent time with. Instead of responding, she started to walk out of the room. Once she reached to door, she turned to me and spoke in a mocking tone.

"It's none of your concern, Yukino-chan. Have fun in college." As she walked out, I thought I could hear her say a few words quietly, as if she was whispering them to herself. "For my sake as well."

My parents and I walked outside together to the car that would take me to Yuigahama's house. Before stepping in, I looked at the large house where I had spent the majority of my life.

"I'll be heading out now." My father was the one to respond to that.

"Stop by before you head back to Tokyo, okay?"

"Yes, father." He walked closer to me and spoke under his breath, as if telling me a secret.

"Listen, Yukino… You can take physics classes if you are interested. You could even switch your department if you desire. Money isn't an issue and…" He looked back at the woman who was still waving and smiling at me. "I won't tell your mother."

"No, it's fine. I just took the class out of some lingering interest I had from studying it in high school. Nothing more than that." My father didn't seem too convinced by my statement, but simply nodded and backed off.

"Ah, I see… Well, goodbye then. We'll see you in a few days." I stepped into the car and stared straight ahead as the driver started the car. Then, once the car had begun to move, I looked outside the window, staring at the familiar sights of Chiba pass by. Everything was the same as I remembered it, yet there was a sinking feeling in my chest as I recalled Yuigahama's new hair style and Haruno's engagement.

Things certainly have changed, despite Chiba looking the same.

"Your room looks the same as the last time I was here…" I said that as I sat next to Yuigahama, snacking on cookies that her mother had brought to the room.

"Yep! It's probably because I hardly spend any time here. I got an apartment near the college, that way I could just walk to campus instead of having to take the train."

"Ah, I see." I looked over at Yuigahama, who suddenly looked downward as I bit into a cookie.

"By the way… How do you like the cookies?" I took another bite to confirm my opinion on them.

"They are delicious." Breathing a sigh of relief, the pink-haired girl smiled at me.

"Hehe, thank you!" Yuigahama puffed her already large chest. Despite shock spreading like a wildfire as I pieced things together, I managed to ask a simple question.

"Y-you made these?"

"Yep! I've been practicing a lot!" I grabbed another cookie and inspected it closely… There weren't any obvious flaws… The only criticisms that could be made were subjective.

"I-I'm impressed…"

"Hehe, thank you! I've been getting a lot of help from-" Yuigahama cut off her sentence as her phone started to ring. She looked at it and smiled. "Ah, speaking of him…"

While Yuighama answered the phone, I glanced back at the cookies on the table.

"Hey, Yukinon! Hachi wants to know if you wanna grab coffee tonight."

"Sure… Huh? H-Hachi?"

"Ah, I meant Hikki. Oh, Yukinon said…" Yuigahama's voice seemed to fade as I was overcome with confusion and shock.

A nickname that uses his given name… They're that close now, huh?

I was thinking of that when I felt a tug on my shirt.

"Hey, Yukinon, let's go!"

An object in constant motion or at rest stays that way unless a force acts upon it. This was Newton's first law, something that I had studied in the physics class I had aced a few days before. The law of inertia was an easy concept to understand: A thing won't change unless it is influenced to do so. Despite its simplicity, it was one of the only things on my mind as we rode the train through Chiba.

There were hardly any people riding on the train, as expected at this hour. As such, Yuigahama and I were able to sit down next to each other. For the entirety of the ride, the pink-haired girl was asking me questions, gossiping about college, and talking about people from Sobu.

"You ever think about cutting your hair, Yukinon? Isn't it a hassle to keep it as nice as you do?"

"Hmm... I don't really mind it. I get it trimmed every once in a while, but I've never thought about cutting it short." Yuigahama nodded in response.

"Ah, I see. You hear that thing about girls cutting their hair after they fall out of love?"

"Is that so? I've never heard of it. Nor have I ever been in love, so I don't quite understand why they would do that."

"Y-you haven't... Well, it is truly a wondrous feeling, Yukinon." As I was impressed by her word choice, the train came to a stop. "This is our stop, let's go!" We stepped onto the platform. "Ah, there he is. Hachi!"

"Yo." Hikigaya-kun stood in front of us, his hair cut shorter and gelled back. "Hey, Yukinoshita, Yui."

"I see you two call each other by first name now. How casual of you." Hikigaya tilted his head and looked to Yuigahama.

"You haven't told her?" In response, she smiled widely.

"I was going to wait until we were all together again!" Yuigahama then turned to me, still wearing that big smile. "Hachi and I are dating now!"

Eh?

Haruno Interlude

You think I had a choice?

Of course I had a choice. The only requirement was that one of the Yukinoshita sisters had to marry Hayato. So, if I refused, then my naive little sister would be forced to marry him. In fact, Yukino would probably not even resist the idea.

That girl was infuriating at times. Unable to think for herself and refusing to lie, even when doing so would help her… I highly doubt she could make it in the real world without having someone to guide her. That is, unless she decides to use her free will that she probably buried under perceived obligations.

I was glad she moved out of our house for high school. I was even happier when she decided to go to university in Tokyo. It wasn't the farthest place in the world from Chiba, but she was going to be independent from our family. Maybe that would stimulate some kind of growth, right?

Apparently, I had gotten my hopes up for nothing. I began to regret my decision to spare her from marrying Hayato. I gave her a chance to be free from the obligations that our family forced upon us, and she squandered it.

That feeling of freedom that I have already found and grown to cherish… I hope my dear sister finds it as well. After all, that would the best way to get back at the woman who raised me. Having her quiet, obedient daughter suddenly latch on to independence would surely shock her. But if Yukino doesn't grab hold of it… Then I will really start to hate her.

Hey, everybody. Thanks for reading.

So this was my original idea for the direction of the story when I first started writing it. I changed my mind before I finished the last chapter, and I changed it again after publishing it. Sorry if you wanted to read the fic I had planned, but I personally like this idea better.

Idk if my Haruno is ok.

Also when Haruno says that stuff about authors using clichés... I do that ALL THE TIME. So I'm not talking trash about it.

Thanks,

Bchets