Hmmmm....Not as much reviews as I expected, but, what the heck. The show must go on! ^____^

Eight

"...And I can't help but notice your beauty."

"A romantic," Midori said with a smile, her eyebrow raised in unexpected amusement. "A hopeless one..."

"You have bloomed into a glorious flower. That is the reason why I was wondering if you would give me the honor of accompanying you to dinner on Friday..."

"And polite, too! Interesting."

"'Interesting'? That's all you can say about this? 'Interesting'?"

"That wasn't all I said."

Aiko sighed, stuffing the piece of paper into her bag. "Honestly. We're too young for this kind of stuff!"

"Hormones, girl, they make people do crazy things."

"We're just fourteen! We're still technically kids!"

"Actually, no. We're supposedly halfway to adulthood. Four more years and we'd be of age."

"Yeah, we're supposed to still have four more years," Aiko said with a sigh.

"Try two. I say in two years, you're gonna find your Prince Charming."

"Yeah, whatever. What am I supposed to do about this, Midori?"

"Sorry, girl, but I know nothing about love letters. I suppose you can tell him what you told me just now. That we're too young and stuff. At least he won't take it personally... Or, rather they. How many of those did you receive today? Twenty? Thirty?"

"I didn't dare count."

Midori patted her friend on her back. "I can see this isn't a very happy day for both of us, hm? The piece of paper I received today wasn't very encouraging, either."

To Midori's surprise, Aiko laughed. "Don't worry about it, Midori...I mean, you passed, didn't you?"

"But...But..." Midori sputtered. "that was MATH, Aiko! The one subject I'm good at! How can I get just a passing grade in the exam?! "

"It's not the only subject you're good at."

"But it's MATH!!!"

"You can always kick butt in the next exam..." Aiko suggested. "I mean, you said so yourself, you're really good at it..."

Midori was about to mutter "I guess..." when Aiko suddenly gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "I forgot something at school! Mi-chan, why don't you get to The Spazio and order your Milky Way to cheer up?" Aiko said hurriedly with a smile, turning to go back to Kobayakawa. "Meet me at Spazio in 5!"

"But, Ai-chan---!" Midori called, but Aiko was already gone. She blinked, her eyebrows furrowing. For a few moments, Midori just stood there with a suspicious frown, and debated whether or not she was going to go to The Spazio. Until finally, she shrugged and continued walking.

Aiko's too tired today to try anything, anyways...

Ever since the school year started, Midori had already sensed that Aiko was planning something behind her back. She could just see it in her smile. It was way too...happy. It was almost triumphant. Aiko was definitely up to something. What it was about, Midori wasn't sure, but she had a feeling it had to do with her...and Rei. Midori knew she had the ability to maneuver their conversations and make Aiko unconsciously tell her stuff, but Aiko always denied that she was keeping anything Midori should know about. For a few days, Midori was almost convinced that it was something that doesn't concern her, but certain things kept her suspicious.

#1: Rei was suddenly quiet. It was different from before, when he would just ignore her. That had been fine with her, of course, since she did the same thing. Now, though, she had his attention when she spoke. Heck, he would look her in the eye! As for his opinions, he never spoke them out loud until he was asked to. And the one asking was usually Kamui.

That's why she was pretty sure Kamui was behind this.

That meant Aiko was in there somewhere, too.

#2: The past month, Aiko's disappearing acts were getting frequent. The weird thing is, the people Aiko was disappearing with was Kamui, Rei or Futamata. Kamui, she can understand. With Rei, well, it was understandable, too, since he was part of the Group. But Futamata? It can't be for track, because coordinating with him was Midori's job...

~0~

"What's up?" Aiko asked, closing her locker.

"I hope you won't think I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong," Midori said, "but are you and Futamata-sempai going out?"

When Aiko just blinked, Midori continued.

"You can tell me, y'know, we're the only ones here...I can keep it a secret, don't worry. I was just wondering why you always spoke with him alone..."

Aiko blinked again.

And then she burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAhahaha...*gasp* AhahahaHAHAHAHA!!!"

It was Midori's turn to blink as Aiko leaned on the lockers for support. "A...Ai-chan?"

Aiko's response was just doubling over in laughter.

"Mattaku, Kazetenshi!"

Aiko suppressed more laughter attempting to escape her mouth, and wiped the tears already in her eyes.

"Sheesh, Midori, do you *snicker* actually think *snicker* that...that... HAHAHAhahahaHAHAHA~!"

"..."

"*gasp* This *snicker* is classic! HAHAHAHAhahaHAHAHA!!!"

~0~

Well, so much for the Aiko-Futamata theory.

So, what were Aiko and Futamata planning so secretly, then?

#3: She and Rei found themselves alone in the classroom, the staffroom, the bike shed or in the bleachers FAR too many times. Of course, they just did what they were sent there to do. Neither spoke, even that one time when Midori opened Rei's chain lock for him again (except his quiet "Thanks" and her equally quiet "No prob"). Of course, the people sending Midori there were either Kamui, Aiko, Hoseki Ami or Futamata. Sometimes the people they were supposed to meet came late. Sometimes, they never came at all.  Very curious, indeed. But still, she couldn't get hold of them long enough to make them talk.

"Oh, come on, Mi-chan," Ami said when Midori had cornered her once, "Why would we make a conspiracy like that? It's not like you and Yokaze got into a lovers' quarrel that we would want to fix, right?"

Needless to say, Midori stammered her way out of answering that.

Lovers' quarrel? HA!

~~~

Rei looked up from the small menu when the door opened, its bells jingling at the movement. Midori automatically made her way to their booth, but she suddenly stopped upon seeing him there.

Typical, he thought, looking out the window. As far as he knew, Midori won't voluntarily go anywhere within 50 meters from him, unless she absolutely needed to. Well, OK, except that time she opened his chain lock again. He supposed she was going to sit somewhere else (there were a lot of empty tables, anyway) if she was going to wait for Aiko. Or maybe she'll just leave.

So Rei was genuinely surprised --- stunned, actually --- when Midori took the seat across his. What in the world? He stole a quick glance at her...she was looking away from him. So that meant Aiko was supposed to meet her there. Rei mentally shook his head. Kamui and Aiko were both behind this again, he was sure.

Well, better make the most out of it.

Rei glanced at Midori again.

Just say, "Hi".

He watched Midori's reflection on the glass. She checked her watch and leaned back on her seat.

Piece of cake.

After about a full minute, he finally spoke.

"Waiting for Aiko?" he asked without looking at her. Apparently surprised that he spoke at all, it took her a couple of seconds to respond.

"Yeah, she told me to wait..."

End of conversation.

Rei watched her reflection again, and saw her bite her lip and fiddle with her fingers as she stared at table. After a moment, she looked away again so that he couldn't see her face. He mentally kicked himself over and over.

Come ON, Yokaze! You've let too many opportunities pass by.

Rei opened his mouth slightly, then shut it tight as a waitress came up to their table.

"You guys ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll have a Milky Way," Midori answered.

"Uh...Can I get the Cafenilla Shake?"

"Sure thing. Be back in a few," the waitress said, then walked off.

OK, she's gone, Rei thought. Go, go, go!

But no words came. The waitress came with their drinks and left, but no words came.

Talk to her, said a voice in his head. Rei marvelled at how much it sounded like Kamui and Aiko in chorus.

Talk to her already!!! they said again.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT!!! he almost yelled out loud.

Rei restrained himself from physically hitting himself. Or putting his head in his hands. So he occupied himself with drinking his shake. And finished it in record time.

Still no Kamui and Aiko.

He checked the time, his eyebrows knitting together. They've been sitting there for 15 minutes, and he STILL hadn't talked to her. He was sure Aiko and Kamui would be ready to strangle him tomorrow. He glanced at Midori, who was twirling her straw in her almost empty glass. Looking outside the window again, he quietly drummed his fingertips on the table. He watched the people outside as they went about their business. Kids ran by, students made their way home, friends went in and out of nearby stores.

A pair of students passed by, and Rei started, his gaze following them. Their uniform was VERY close to their uniform at Hanabishi...

Midori glanced at her watch. It had been fifteen minutes. What was taking Aiko so long? She couldn't have gone home already, could she? Aiko was the one who told her to go there...

Unless... Midori glanced at Rei, the wheels in her head turning.

He was alone, she was alone. Aiko told her to wait for her.

Sound familiar?

Mattaku, Kazetenshi.

She looked away quickly when Rei remotely looked like he was going to look in her direction. But then, she did a double-take.

Rei was looking at the table, and his fists were clenched. He looked a bit angry, determined and mighty nervous.

"What's up with you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Rei flinched. He closed his eyes, unable to stop himself from exhaling heavily. He realized he was tired. He was tired of all the mind games, he was tired of waiting, he was tired of hiding. He was tired of being afraid. It was time to face the music. And even if it wasn't, he would make it. Filling his lungs with air, Rei mustered his guts.

"Yukibana, can you promise me that you won't leave or react to what I'm going to explain to you until I'm done?"

Midori instantly knew what this conversation was going to be about. And, as much as she wanted to finally get rid of this burden...

She was scared.

Not knowing what to do, she said nothing and looked away, instead.

"Please?"

Whoa. Midori was stunned. Now that was one word she hadn't heard from him in a long time. The tone he used... And the look on his face... It just scared her even more. Midori stood up to leave, but Rei caught her wrist, making her turn around sharply.

"What?!" she growled, using her trademark Glare.

But this time, it didn't work.

"Please?" he repeated. "Just give me five minutes. And I promise, I'll never bother you again."

Rei held his breath as Midori narrowed her eyes even more. After a moment, she shook her head at herself and sat down, pulling her hand back.

"Spill."

Rei took a deep breath, then started his story.

"Elementary school. As you already know, Takashi had a crush on you. He teased you a lot because he was trying to get your attention. But when you looked like you didn't care less---" Rei stopped when Midori's face tightened.

Mind your choice of words, Yokaze, he told himself before continuing.

"But he wasn't really making any progress, so he got more and more frustrated. That day we were assigned to work together, you had a minor bout with him again, didn't you?"

~0~

"That Yukibana girl...acting as if she was so tough...Hah!"

"But she IS tough, Takashi. You've made all the girls in our class cry already except for her."

"Shut up, Izuki. I wasn't trying to make her cry, all right?"

"Takashi," Rei interjected. "Maybe you should just stop teasing her. Maybe you should try being nice."

"Let's see you try, Yokaze," Takashi replied irritably. "It ain't easy with the Queen of Ice."

"Oooh, is that a bet? How much are we talking about here?"

"It is NOT a bet, Ayukawa," Rei replied with a sigh. Ayukawa just loved to turn everything into a bet. It was fun at times, but, in Rei's book, things like this shouldn't be bet on. "And even if it was, I don't want in."

"But it's a perfect situation!" he argued. "You're her study partner for math, right?"

"Guys..."

"It can't be that hard. Be nice to her like you are to everyone. While Takashi here does it his way like always... Let's see who gets Yukibana first."

"Betting on who gets the highest score out of the four of us, I can handle. Betting on who wins in a game, I can handle. But manipulating and betting on people's feelings? No way. "

"You won't be playing her, Yokaze, you'll just do what you always do. It's not like you'll be lying to her! We're just here to watch."

"I want out on this one, got it?"

---

"Don't even think about it, Takashi," Rei said, blocking Takashi's way. Several yards away from them was Midori and The Two, eating lunch under a tree.

"Oooh, making sure you get all the points again, eh, Yokaze?"

"I am NOT in that stupid bet, all right?!"

"Oh, but you are," Izuki answered him. "Whether or not you want to, you're involved one way or another."

"Aw, geez, Yokaze!" Takashi exclaimed, looking past him. Rei turned and followed his gaze. Midori and the Two were gone. He breathed in relief, then turned to the other boys again.

"That's enough, all right? Stop it already and leave her alone."

Takashi's eyes narrowed at him. "You like her, too, don't you?"

"Look, Takashi---"

"You like her, too, and you want her for yourself! Hah! I knew it. You made your BEST heroic act today, lemme tell you that... So what made you decide to finally stand up for her? No pun intended."

"Takashi, I'm warning you..."

Takashi lifted his hands as if in surrender. "Cool it, buddy... Now I'm sure you feel that way, I'm giving her to you. Like I said, have it your way... Whatever you say, buddy."

"You WHAT?" Ayukawa exclaimed. "So the bet's off?"

"There IS no bet. And if you're plannning something, Takashi..."

"I'm honest, Yokaze, I won't tease her again. Really, I'm honest."

Rei didn't like the way Takashi was smiling. Not at all.

~0~

"I knew even then that he was planning something. I had no idea it was something like that." Rei winced, remembering what happened at the dance. "I was actually planning to tell you about it while we were dancing, but... I guess Takashi beat me to it. I guess that was what he meant by being 'honest'. So there was a bet, and I supposed I did have a major part in their decision-making about you, but... I wasn't in, Yukibana. I really thought you were cool...and I still do, no strings attached," he concluded.

For a moment, there was silence spoke in that booth. But, in a restaurant across the street from the Spazio, seven pairs of eyes were watching the scene behind pulled blinds. And, in that booth, whispers were being exchanged.

"So that's what happened? Did you know anything about this, Yokaze?"

"Sssh, Kamui! I can't hear what she's saying!"

"But she isn't saying anything yet."

"Ssh, Futamata."

"Ssh you, too, Ami."

"I can't believe I just bugged The Spazio. Isn't this felony?"

"No, Aoi, it's not. And we didn't bug The Spazio. We bugged Rei and Midori."

"Can we turn the volume up a bit more, Yokaze-kun?"

"Do you want me to go deaf, Kazetenshi?"

"OK, everyone be quiet. The Kid's going to say something."

But, in the Spazio, it wasn't Rei who was about to speak. It was Midori.

"Are you done?"

When Rei nodded, she leaned back. The cross-examination commenced.

"If that's the case, why did you suddenly treat me like that?"

"Like that"? Rei supposed she meant him not talking to her. Isn't the answer obvious?

"Defense mechanism, I guess. I did try apologizing several times, but you didn't respond to anything I did, so..."

"Yeah, I know," Midori said quietly. "But... why did you yell at me at your house? I mean, I was trying to explain my side then...And you wouldn't let me."

"You wouldn't let me explain that weekend."

Midori tensed. "I was still angry at you then. Besides, Takashi had me fully convinced."

"Funny how he easily convinced you, and I couldn't."

"You...didn't try to talk to me after the weekend, so I thought..."

"You thought what Takashi said was for real?" Rei finished for her, not noticing how his voice was already rising. "What did you expect me to do, wait for you forever?"

Midori's jaw clenched. "I didn't say that."

"Yeah, but that was what you implied, isn't it?"

Rei suddenly stopped, realizing what he just said. It was only then that he noticed how tense Midori was.

Oh, no....

As for Midori, her jaw had clenched tighter. But instead of snapping back, she looked out the window and tried to keep her breathing steady.

Do NOT shout at him. You'll just waste your energy. And don't cry, either!

"Oh, man..." Rei muttered. "I...I didn't....I didn't mean that..." What the hell was he doing?! He was supposed to be fixing things with her, not making it worse!

"Defense mechanism, huh?" she asked, still looking out the window.

Rei wracked his brain as Midori closed her eyes. What on earth is he going to do now? He remembered Aiko saying once, "Just be honest." But, what if he makes it even worse? What if Midori gets so angry at him to the point that their friendship was beyond repair? What if...

What if he never gets this chance again?

Taking a deep breath, he threw everything --- doubt, pride and caution --- into the wind. It was now or never.

"Yukibana..." he started again. He leaned forward, took her hands on the table and looked straight into her eyes when they snapped open. He didn't even want to think what that stunned expression on her face meant.

"Look, I'm really sorry. For what I said just now, and for everything that happened... Can't we be friends again? I..."

He paused, and with one mental grunt, flung himself into the unknown.

"I miss you, Midori."

There. I said it. One part of Rei won, and breathed freely. While the other part was nearly shaking with fear. He was practically laying himself out to dry...What was she going to say?! Would she laugh? Would she snap at him? Would she get angry? Or would she smile at him like she used to, and say that everything was OK?

Her reaction, however, was one Rei never expected. Her jaw went slack, and her tense, on-guard demeanor fell. What's more, tears sprung to her eyes.

Rei panicked.

Midori didn't know what it was. Whether it was his clear, utter sincerity, the words he used, his hands holding hers, the way he said her name, the way he looked at her, or maybe it was simply his eyes --- it was just then that she realized just how blue and deep and warm they were --- but Midori felt the wall, the wall she had so carefully and furiously put up for over a year, break into tiny million pieces and crash down.

"Mi...Midori?" he asked uncertainly.

The tears fell, and she shook her head. Rei felt like the world was going to crash down on him. But before it did, though, Midori smiled. She was smiling gently, and said three words that Rei will never forget:

"I'd like that."

~~~~~~

From the Author:
Woopee!!!! FINALLY! *giggle* Did you guys get the plan Aiko and Kamui organized and orchestrated the whole month? I wasn't sure if that part was clear. Also, Rei's first flashback happens after 1:1. The second flashback happened during lunch of the "hot day" in 1:4.

By the way, you can also check out a chapter from Blue Star called Interlude: Midori. That was what inspired me to write Ribbon. It's a nice read after you've gone through this chapter.

Maggy d: Oh my goodness. You read BS! Thank you!!!! *glomp!* But, wait... did you read the Interlude? That means you already knew what was going to happen in this chap? @_@ Oh well....
Lollipop Candy and Youku Kazeyami: Yes, Aiko and Kamui can be quite evil when they want to. And they got contacts, too!^^

Anyways, this is the end of Part Two. To tell you honestly, the original Rei-Midori story ends here. But I was considering writing more...Oh, and I'm currently writing the Epilogue. Though, if you guys want me to continue Ribbon, then I suppose it's going to be an Interlude. Please go to the Ribbon website to vote whether or not I'll continue it.

I'm sorry to those who expected to see a mushy, romantic...well, romance when you saw the Ribbon summary. I had planned impossibly cute, not leg-meltingly romantic. As Aiko said in this chapter, I think they're too young. But then, if I DO continue this, it's gonna be a bit different. A bit more fluff, maybe.

Tell me watcha think, OK? See ya'll next week!

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