Fuuko slurped her chocolate ice cream shake happily.  A day’s worth of kicking ass, demolishing her opponents and then finding her match in Tokiya after she managed to ‘persuade’ him to play had left her extremely famished.

Tokiya watched on with a badly hidden horrified face, fascinated that she had been able to stuff large fries, an extra-large double-cheeseburger and at least 3 shakes before this one!  He stared at her, baffled slightly as he tried to figure out how she maintained such a petite and trim figure if she ate like this all the time!  And even if the intense physical training did help, she should still be at least somewhat…fatter!

Fuuko, feeling someone staring at her looked up to find Tokiya staring at her with wide eyes and an expression of awe and disbelief on his face.  “Nani?  What are ya staring at Ice Man?” she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

Tokiya snapped out of it and shook his head in wonder.  “Just wondering how in the world you can fit so much food into you—what?  You have a bottomless pit for a stomach, ne?”

Fuuko blinked.  She seemed to be doing this a lot today.  Did Tokiya just…crack a joke?  “Wai!  The Ice Man has finally melted!” she exclaimed, slapping her cold hands on her cheeks dramatically.

Tokiya rolled his eyes and continued to sip demurely at his cold mocha.  “Baka,” he muttered just low enough for her not to hear.  Or so he thought.

A fry came flying at him from nowhere and he jerked his head up and glowered at the only suspect who could’ve done it, and she was currently sipping on her shake and glancing around innocently.

“Fuuko…” he said threateningly.  Fuuko looked at him in a perfect image of surprise.  “Nani?”  Tokiya suddenly felt his irritation fade, only to be replaced by…

It was Fuuko’s turn to give Tokiya a baffled look as he suddenly burst out laughing hysterically.  She glanced around and the other customers in the fast-food place were staring at them with strange looks on their faces.  Feeling her face burn in embarrassment and annoyance, she flicked another fry at Tokiya who just swapped at it absentmindedly, still laughing his head off.

Not being able to take it anymore, Fuuko huffed and asked him what in the world he found so funny.

“You…you *more laughter* just *giggle* look so innocent and it *guffaw* doesn’t suit you!” he managed to say in between gasps of laughter and giggling.

“Okaaaaaay…” Fuuko drawled out, looking at Tokiya with an odd expression that rivaled any of the faces the other customers were making.

It took a few minutes before Tokiya finally settled down, Fuuko just waited patiently, never seeing this side of Tokiya before she was extremely surprised and most of all, she was surprised to find he had a pleasant laugh.  And his smile wasn’t all that bad either now that she paid close attention to his face.

When he had composed himself once more, Fuuko wrinkled her nose at him.  “Mou, I thought you’d never stop!” she proclaimed, sticking out her tongue at him, just like the old Fuuko would’ve done.

Just like the old Fuuko would’ve done…Tokiya smiled inwardly, gloating at his successfulness in making her return to her normal self, even though he knew that she had…changed.  For better or worse he didn’t know.

He had surprised her when he had expressed his concern for her.  And he knew he surprised her when he gave that little awkward confession.  Most of all though, he surprised himself for doing the things he did in the first place.

Although he knew he wasn’t acting like his normal detached self, something about having to see Fuuko’s sad, solemn face and made him realize that the other girl reminded him of him.  The same distant look in her eyes, the way she would take a moment before turning and answering whenever someone addressed her, as if it had taken a few seconds for her to register the fact that someone was talking to her.  She heard, talked and did everything like she wasn’t altogether there.  And that had shaken him up and slapped him back to reality hard.

The fact that this was what he probably looked and seemed like to everyone around him.  Albeit maybe a bit more cooler, calmer and colder than she.

Fuuko remained silent throughout Tokiya’s inner thoughts.  She had seen the shift in his face instantly, and knew that he must be thinking, and so she kept her peace and said nothing.

Fuuko took the time to study him.  Tokiya was surprising.  There was a boyish quality about him, and when he had laughed before, she glimpsed what he must’ve looked and sounded like when he…didn’t have to go through the trials he did.  He had looked so carefree and…happy.

At the arcade too, although it had taken him a little while before thawing out, he had eventually and Fuuko found herself enjoying his presence immensely, something she thought she’d never have been able to claim a year ago.

Maybe her moping about had did some good…if it meant that Tokiya had finally melted and they had become closer than the other years she had known him, fought side by side with him.

They were…friends weren’t they?

Friends.

Fuuko whispered the word silently, playing it in her mind.  She liked it.  Friends.  But…how the heck did they get from just being acquaintances to friends?  Fuuko thought about it her face suddenly split into a wide grin.  Because we’re here for each other that’s why…and as astonishing as the thought is, it’s the truth…

Tokiya spotted her grin and immediately became suspicious.  He gave her a wary look and unobtrusively edged the fries as far away from her fingers as he could.  He didn’t fancy getting bombarded with fries any time soon.

Fuuko just continued to grin, and didn’t seem to notice that her fries were carefully moving from her side to his slowly, which led Tokiya to believe that she was grinning because of something else.  Curiosity getting the best of him, he poked her to get her attention.

“Wh-what?  Tokiya?  What do ya want?” Fuuko asked, the grin disappearing but she wasn’t annoyed so he thought it was okay.  “Why were you grinning like a Cheshire cat earlier?” he asked.

Fuuko shot him another grin and shrugged almost absently.  “I was just…thinking…ya know?  Like how we’re suddenly…well…close when before we barely spoke to each other…I guess I was just thinking that…err…I could call you a friend now…” she trailed off, blushing slightly.

Tokiya stared at her blankly a bit longer before he nodded slowly.  “I agree with you Fuuko,” he spoke quietly, voice serious.  “I’ve never been so…happy since I lost my…sister and since I first met Yanagi.”  He eyed her.  “I don’t know how to say this but…yes…I do consider you as a…friend now.”  He stumbled over the word, as if he didn’t know how to use it.

Tokiya gazed at Fuuko for a few seconds longer before he suddenly took her hand in his.  “Fuuko, if you ever need someone to talk to…I’ll always be here for you.  No matter what.  I promise.”

Fuuko’s eyes widened and her eyes misted over.  When had someone offered her this?  To unconditionally be there for her?  Domon may have…but he had never really had the patience, or the brain cells, to understand her when she wanted to talk to him about her feelings.  He either got a blank look on his face or fidgeted uncomfortably.

And yet, here was Mr. Ice Man himself offering to be a sound board for her…

”Arigatou Tokiya…and…and if you ever need someone to talk to as well, hey, I’ll always come running to your aid, ne?  Especially if ya need a body guard from all them girls ya keep gathering about ya,” she teased, winking at him.

Tokiya smiled back, the expression blooming across his face and he let go of her hand to resume his drinking and settled back.  ‘I’ll always come running to your aid…’  He tucked in her words like a sacred treasure into his memories.  He’d most likely never call up the promise but…he had meant it when he said he’d be there for her.  A gesture you couldn’t exactly say he did for everyone.

Fuuko grinned at him and went back to slurping her shake.  That was when she noticed something…

“TOKIYA!  Where are my FRIES!”

The outraged exclamation rang through the ears of all the customers in the fast food place.  Each vowed to turn tail and head of the hills whenever they spotted either the violet-haired girl or the silver-haired girl…uh…boy.

~

Author’s Insane Comments:

*powerposes*  WHEEEEEEEEE!!!  Last chapter done and over with!  Alright!  Now I can finally continue working on my other story arcs and also Snow Bound.  ~_~  Hope ya enjoyed this hecka mini-series minna!  Gambatte yo!!!

Oh yeaaaah…send all C&C to BishounenOtaku@fangirl.org so I know what ya’ll think about my story!  Ja mata ne!!!