Yeah, I'd just like to let everyone know: Midori was supposed to be gone for only three weeks not two months.

Seven

Midori's bike screeched loudly when she tightly gripped the breaks. Not missing a beat, she dismounted the bike and hurriedly deposited it at the bicycle shed. Before going into the building, she paused, trying to catch her breath, then made a run for it.

Midori almost tripped when she turned around the corner, then smiled when her destination came into view down the hall. She skidded to a stop at the door, and finally leaned one hand on her knee, while the other was clenched near her heart. She was breathing heavily, and her heart was pounding in her rib cage. After several seconds, she stood up straight as she took a steadying deep breath. She swallowed, wiping her face with her handkerchief and combed her fingers through her hair. Then, she opened the door as carefully as she could.

Rei's eyes turned to the door when it opened quietly, allowing a brown-haired girl to peek inside.

He blinked, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Midori was standing at the doorway, her face flushed and her hair pleasantly wind-blown. His breath got caught in his throat as he realized: he hasn't seen her for nearly half a year! He watched her bite her lip as she stealthily stepped in and took the nearest empty seat, so that practically no one noticed her.

What is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be at a trip?

With a mental shrug, Rei turned back to the front of the room.

Midori scanned the room for Aiko, but she was nowhere to be found. It looked like the whole track team was there except for her. She sighed, and resigned herself to listening to Seta when she suddenly did a double-take. She blinked, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. Rei was sitting by the window, his face almost silhouetted by the afternoon sun, his full attention directed to the track team captain in front. Her breath got caught in her throat as she realized: she hasn't seen him for nearly half a year!

But...what is he doing here?

She craned her neck a bit more. No cast, no wheelchair, no crutches, no nothing. She fought the urge to suddenly smile widely. So that meant he's totally OK now, right? With a mental note to get updates from Aiko later, Midori turned to Seta and listened.

"...held several meetings last year and over the summer to decide about this," Seta was saying in front. "If you have objections, please voice it out right now before we make it official so we can avoid the paperwork. Speak now or forever hold your peace. O~K. Let's start with the guys."

Seta opened a folder on the table, skimmed it, then nodded. "The non-graduating managerial staff remains, of course. Since, as all of you know, Futamata is a senior this year, he's still the manager."

"Tough luck, guys," Futamata quipped. The guys whistled, jeered and cheered all at the same time, throwing paper balls at him.

"OK, OK, settle down, you lot," Seta said with a laugh. "We have got to get the freshmen in the staff. Everyone needs to help there. Runners, you don't want to do the paperwork AND train at the same time, do you?" Another commotion erupted, but this time, the guys threw paper balls at the captain. When the guys finally stopped, Seta cleared his throat.

"As for the person who's gonna replace me --- and he'd better be as good as me... Well, it took a lot of time to decide whether or not we were going to go with this one."

Rei felt all color leave his face when Seta looked at him.

"But in the end, everyone agreed he's our man."

When Seta raised his eyebrow at him, Rei just shook his head dumbly.

No way. Please, no...

Seta's eyebrows furrowed, a bewlidered look taking over his features.

"We had decided that the guys' next captain is Yokaze Rei...but it seems he doesn't want to..."

Rei sank into his chair when everyone shifted in their seats to look at him. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. When 26 pairs of eyes are looking at you, it's really hard to speak, y'know?

"Ummm..." Rei finally managed to get out in a broken voice. He cleared his throat and swallowed. "Well, I'm really honored you picked me, but... Umm... Isn't Hongo-sempai supposed to be next in line?"

"Actually," came Hongo Daiki's voice. "Yes, I was supposed to be next in line," he paused, smiling, "At least, that was before your progress started accelerating."

When Rei's facial expression didn't change, Hongo continued. "Don't let the ranking in year level hinder you, Yokaze. If we were in the same year, I don't think we'd have any problems putting you up. Besides, you're physically fine now, right?"

Rei involuntarily clenched his fists under the table. "I can't be captain, sempai." He heaved a sigh and shook his head. "I'd really love to, but I can't. I can't run."

Another member spoke up. "But you ran earlier because you were late, didn't you?"

Rei laughed a bit, and nodded. "Yes, I did. I...suppose I can run, but my doctor told me it's better not to risk it for a few months."

"'Risk it'. What do you mean, 'risk it'?" Seta asked.

"My spinal cord could give out and complicate things. I might not be able to walk again," Rei said, straight to the point. He looked around the room. Everyone was suddenly not looking at him, but at their desks, the wall, or the floor, instead. Anywhere but Rei. Everyone...except Midori. What was in her eyes: it wasn't exactly encouragement, it wasn't even pity. Rei couldn't read her. She was just looking at him. And, strangely enough, that already gave him comfort. Just as her going to the hospital lifted his spirits even though they didn't talk. Too bad it happened just once.

"Well," Seta's voice suddenly broke through Rei's thoughts. "I don't think anybody here wants that...."

"How many months is the 'few' that you mentioned, Yokaze?" Hongo asked.

"I'm still under PT for four more months."

"At least four months," Futamata echoed. "So you can't train until July?"

"Yup, and even then, I don't think I can still run as fast. It'll already be too late for me to be captain."

"Are you sure it's OK for you to sit it out?" Hongo asked.

"Positively." Rei said firmly with a nod. "Hongo-sempai, you should take the position. And then maybe I'll try for it for next year."

Hongo, Seta and Futamata looked at each other, then Seta looked at Ayanami and Hoseki Ami (the girls' captain).

"All right. Hongo it is, then," Seta finally said, correcting the entry on his piece of paper. But then, he looked up. "Wait a sec. Where am I supposed to put you for four months, then, Yokaze? You certainly can't sit at the bleachers the whole time."

"He can come in my staff," Futamata spoke up. "That way he's still on the team even if he won't run, but still be productive."

"That's a good idea," Seta agreed. "Team?" There were nods all over the room. "Yokaze?"

Rei thought for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Sure... Why not?"

~~~

Midori pulled her slingbag over her head and made her way down the hall.

"Hey, Yukibana, congratulations!" said a team member as he jogged past her.

"Thanks."

"Congratulations, Mi-chan!" another member called as she passed by.

"Thanks," Midori said again. After three more congratulations, Midori decided to take another route outside. It's nice to be complimented, but getting one every few seconds can wear off the smile on your face. When she finally reached the exit, the sound of the leaving team was distant. Deciding it was safe to go out, Midori stepped forward and made her way to the bicycle shed.

"Argh."

Rei groaned and picked up his keys from the ground. He heaved a sigh before trying again.

"Come on..." he muttered under his breath. "I swear, I'm going to get a new chain tomorrow."

"Now, where have I heard that before?"

Rei almost dropped his keys again as he sharply turned around. Midori was standing a few meters away from him, the unreadable expression once again on her face.

"Geez, Yukibana, you surprised the heck out of me," Rei said, turning back to his bike chain, trying to look as relaxed as he could. But in his head, he was running all over the place.

Yukibana Midori just talked to me. After MONTHS, she's talking to me. I just talked to her. And we haven't shouted at each other yet...

AAAA~H! It's the end of the world!!!

Midori, for her part, wasn't feeling very comfortable herself. That was the first time she initiated a conversation with Rei in a long time. Heck, it was the first conversation they HAD in a long time.

Actually, she had been standing there for 30 seconds, watching Rei struggle with his bike chain, before she mustered enough guts to speak up. Even now that they had exchanged one sentence each, she still didn't know how she was supposed to act. She still felt guilty for ruining his last month in school. Besides, acting happy (or angry, for that matter) was way easier than being honest. If you were honest, you'd be open. And if you were open, then you could get hurt.

Just stay cool, she told herself.

"What're you still doing here?" Rei asked. "The meeting ended 10 minutes ago, didn't it?"

"Yeah, well," Midori said with a shrug as she stepped towards her bike on the other end of the shed, "I think I got a few seconds in Aiko's shoes and I didn't like it one bit, so I let everyone leave first."

"You've been the girls' track team manager for less than an hour and you already got worry lines on your face?"

She shook her head as she pulled her bike from the railing. "You have no idea. I remember the first time I met Aiko...She said everyone in her elementary looked at her either as 'a hero or a trying hard menace to society'. I never trully understood why the former was so bad... until today. My goodness," Midori suddenly paused in realization. "And that was just the track team! What more if it was the whole school?"

Rei winced. "Thanks for the warning. From now on, I'm going to be careful not to be popular."

"Ha. You can't escape destiny, buddy."

Her eyebrows furrowed, noticing that Rei still hadn't moved from his spot.

"Hey, I thought you were supposed to arrive next week," Rei suddenly said. "Aiko told me so."

"Yes, but we decided to go back early so I could get settled in before the year starts. Being able to attend the meeting was a plus, too. We literally just arrived, actually. I mean, I put my bags down and sped here on my bike like mad."

She cocked her head, trying to peek over Rei's shoulder without being obvious. Of course, this was hard to do. She was about three meters away from him, and Rei almost had his back at her. But she did see his face, which included furrowed eyebrows, and a mouth that was arched in a deep frown.

"You all right?" she finally asked.

"I will be once I get this stupid chain lock to open."

Midori sighed heavily, kicking her bike's stand. She went over to Rei and opened her hand. He gave her the keys automatically.

"You really should get a new one, you know?" Midori told him as she tried to open the lock. "You've been having trouble with this since elementary school."

"It's not like it's so long ago..." Rei weakly countered.

"Yeah, it's JUST been two years," Midori said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Rei as she finally opened the lock.

Rei smirked. "Third try. Not bad."

"Not bad my foot. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be in Minato trying to open that."

"Yeah, I would, wouldn't I?"

Midori handed the keys back to him and went back to her bike, while Rei pulled his own out of the shed. Though they haven't done so in years, they fell in step by reflex. Both kept quiet, not quite knowing what to say.

So, Rei and Midori walked together in silence, pulling their bikes beside them as they made their way to the gate. Rei couldn't help smiling, though, remembering all those times Midori opened his bike chain for him in elementary school. That time, they were still in good speaking terms...

~0~

"But it has a sentimental value to me! It's been my chain lock ever since I was 6, Midori!" Rei defended, holding the chain protectively in his hands.

"Aiya, Rei-kun!" Midori said, trying to outmaneuver Rei and get the chain. "That's your problem! It's OLD!"

"It's nostalgic."

Midori blinked. "Do you even know what that word means?"

"No... But who cares? I'm not giving it away."

"Of course you're not giving it away. Nobody's gonna be able to use it anyway. You always have a hard time opening it!"

"Well, that's good, then the robbers won't be able to get my bike, either, will they?"

"Mattaku, Yokaze! If it's so important to you, then keep it in your drawer and get a new chain for your bike! You can't get me to open your lock everyday, you know!"

~0~

Midori was right, of course. But for some reason, he never DID replace his chain. And she DID open it for him nearly everyday.

"What's so funny?"

Rei snapped out of his musings and turned to Midori. "Huh?"

Midori raised an eyebrow. "What's with that dreamy look on your face?"

Rei raised his chin. "My face does NOT have a dreamy look on it."

"Oho, but it does, Yokaze." Midori said, smiling.

"Quit it."

"Fine."

The two fell quiet again, their pace remaining slow as the sun set in the horizon. Rei sideglanced Midori and smiled: Midori was drinking in Tokyo's afternoon breeze with a smile. The sunset gave her cheeks an orange glow, and her light brown hair looked even lighter. Then, catching himself, Rei quickly turned his attention to the road. Geez, did he have to stare at Midori every time he saw her?

~~~

"Say what?!"

"My sentiments exactly."

Aiko walked over to her bed, twirling her finger around a lock of her blue-black hair.

"But...why~?" Kamui said from his end of the line. He was practically whining, but there was a slight hint of irritation in his voice. Aiko could imagine he was pacing around his room, scratching his head in exasperation.

"The afternoon started good, actually...They FINALLY have a decent conversation for fifteen minutes."

In his room, Kamui sat down and put his feet up on his desk. He stared at the ceiling as he swiveled his chair. "Fifteen minutes. That's a world record, right? I mean, the longest civilized conversation they had last was, what, five minutes?"

"Two, actually. Big leap if you ask me."

"And then?"

"And then they suddenly quarrel."

"About what?!"

"Midori wasn't sure," Aiko said with a sigh.

Kamui put his feet down, his eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion. "How can you not be sure of what you quarrelled so passionately about?"

"I don't know...I guess it was a big bunch of little things piled together."

"Little things..." Kamui echoed. "Elaborate."

"Midori mentioned something about Rei asking about why she went on her trip."

"So?"

"Kamui, they went because of a family problem."

"Ouch."

"Here's something interesting: so now we know that Rei had hit a sensitive topic, right? But, get this, Midori tried to keep her cool. She even tried to change the subject."

"Really? Wow."

"Except she picked the wrong subject. She asked Rei about his back. Apparently, Rei said something not exactly desirable about her not visiting."

"Double ouch. How'd she handle that?"

"Midori sounded real upset about it. But the thing is: I don't think she's blaming Rei and all that, this time."

"Wow. That's new."

"But still, things went downhill from there."

"And just when I thought this is finally going to end... How did the meeting go, by the way? I mean, with Rei not being able to train for months..."

"It gets worse: he was supposed to be the captain."

"Oh, man...Talk about wrong timing. Maybe that's why he was so touchy about the whole hospital issue... So, I take it they're back to the you-don't-exist phase?"

"I think they're at the I'm-not-speaking-to-you-if-you-don't phase."

"No way."

"Yeah. They're back at square one."

"Aiko, I do NOT want to experience that cycle again. Ever."

"You're not the only one."

"Those two are just SO stubborn!"

There was a pause.

"You know what? I think it's about time we REALLY do something about these two..."

"You know what? I think you're right."

.

From the Author:
Ooh-lala! Aiko and Kamui are up to something! Mwahahaha... *evil grin* I'm so excited for the next chap, I wanna upload it already! Yes, I'm on a roll, and I finished writing it! But, I gotta go and edit it first. Hehe. Visit again later this week: May 13. Yup, in two days! I'm going to update early!

I have a question: do you think Midori did change a bit after her trip? I wanted her to be a bit less edgy, angsty and defensive. What do you think? By the way, if anyone's wondering what Midori's family problem is... Well, I'll just say that it's about her dad. If you're still confused, reread the first part of the previous chapter, before Aiko calls Midori.

PT = Physical therapy, for those who are wondering.

CrystalMingy: Ehe. Sorry, but Midori doesn't get a boyfriend during her trip. Remember what she said about dating? Yeah, but at least her attitude changed, ne?

A million thanks to the readers, but a million more thanks for the reviewers, especially my the new ones: Lollipop Candy, Maggy d, gentle_deity and CrystalMingy. Thank you so much for letting me know that I'm not the only one who likes Ribbon! ^_______^

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