A lone figure sat, back slumped against a large birch tree that loomed over her, making her seem tiny in comparison.

The sudden change of direction in the wind caused the long strands of lavender hair to billow out to wind side, tossed wildly, but gently away from her downcast face.

Fuuko sighed sullenly and drew her legs up to her chest.  The wind’s cool caress didn’t bother her, didn’t chill her despite the short-sleeved shirt that was short enough so that a sliver of flesh could be made out and a pair of faded shorts.

Where was her smile these days?  Where was her tough, sarcastic wit and readily enough bright smile?  ‘In the depths of the darkest corners of Hell,’ she thought to herself bitterly.

Things had changed so much in just one year.  The tournaments were over and done with, everything was buried and left untouched in the past and everyone had settled down again.  Everything was just as it should be, for everyone.  Now they all could live on in their normal everyday lives without any worries.

So why did she feel so empty?

‘Because you miss it.  You miss the adrenalin, the rush you got when you fought and beat the living crap out of perverted or demented bakas,’ she answered herself mentally.

The voice inside her head was right.  She did miss it.  But that wasn’t the only thing…no, it was just one amongst another.

And the other reason was that she was lonely.  She admitted it.  She admitted that she was lonely and she’d be damned if she let anyone else catching onto that!

She smiled; it was a twisted bitter parody of her usual one.  ‘Ironic isn’t it?  You’ve always wanted Domo off your back, and now that he’s got another girl getting all of attention, you feel a twinge of regret and jealousy.’

Yeah, the irony was painful.  It wasn’t that she was interested in her big lug of a friend, but he had always been there for her.  Shouting those stupid claims of love for her, hearts in his eyes.  And she would always hit or bop him over the head and constantly had to remind him that she was not interested in him.

Now that he had finally gotten over her, she actually felt the ache in her heart.  She wasn’t interested in him at all…but the unconditional attention he had lavished on her had spoiled her without her knowing it.

Until of course he’d eagerly come up to her one day and told her that he had realized that everything he had said to her in the past were false, that he had confused the notions of undying love with admiration and respect.  And then the big bomb had dropped when he told her he had found a girl, a girl who he didn’t say he love but just liked.

He went on to describe to her how wonderful she was, that she was beyond patient and kind and caring.  Fuuko had remained stunned, almost paralyzed so that his words fell on deaf ears.  Apart of her cheered for the sudden freedom, as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders.  Yet…yet there was another part of her that was saddened.  Saddened that she had finally got what she had wanted and wished for.

And then there were Yanagi and Recca.  Oh she didn’t like Recca either, not in that way.  And she was happy that they had found each other…even if she was a bit irate about the way Recca had given himself wholly and willingly to Yanagi, when she had spent nearly her entire life trying to beat the living tar out of him to make him admit that she was better.

It was the way the two acted when they were near each other.  It was definitely much worse than Domon and his girlfriend by far.  She could never feel comfortable with the group anymore either because she felt like the proverbial third wheel to their couplings.  She felt so out of place…

Tokiya never had any problems though because he seemed to remain unfazed and unaffected by the couples.  Always lost in his own thoughts, shielded by his icy blue eyes and he’d gaze coolly out of them with an air of superiority.  No, she was nothing like Tokiya.

‘You’re pathetic you know that?  Stop wallowing in self-pity and live a little!  You’re supposed to be out and kicking ass!  Gloating over victories in Street Fighter!  Not sitting here like some depressed twit…’ the voice chided her none to gently.  Fuuko couldn’t bring herself to snap out of her self-made glumness though.  She just didn’t have the heart for it…

“The day I thought I’d see Kirisawa Fuuko without a smile or smirk on her face was the day the sun would freeze over and forever disappear.  Looks like I didn’t have to wait for that day, ne?”

The calm, emotionless and cynical voice snapped Fuuko out of her reverie and the sight that greeted her was the last she would have expected.

“T-Tokiya?”

~

Author’s Insane Comments:

Wheee!!!  Lookie minna!  This is what a liter (more than that even!) of water, two cans of Coca Cola and a bag of half-finished Nacho Cheesier Doritos will do to ya!  Not to mention too many mushy/angsty ficcies revolving around your favorite couples!!!  ^_~

Yes, I am the dreaded otaku/genki girl whom is feared and revered by all because when I get my creative juices flowing, there’s no telling what I can come up with!  *powerposes and cackles insanely in a Tomo-like way*

Ahem.  As I was saying—er…typing I mean?  o.O;  Anyhoo, this ficcy was actually going to be a one shot, but after one too many drinks from my water bottle (which is room temp at the moment btw, which I do NOT like) I decided that a one shot would NOT do justice to this.  No sir’ree Bob!  I’m gonna make this turn out into a mini-one-shot-series!!!  *goes chibi and beams widely*  Aren’t you all so happy minna?  *starry eyes*  Just think about it!  More ficcies from me!!!  And I might actually finish this freakin’ story arc too!  O.O  Now THAT would be a miracle and a sight to behold!  ^_~  Anyhoo, just direct all C&C to me at BishounenOtaku@fangirl.org and I’ll be glad to respond!  Mata ne for now minna before I go overboard on my comments!  ^o^