This Story No Title
A School Rumble Fanfic

Chapter 1:  Love is a Battlefield

By John Biles

***************

 	"Yakumo-chaaaaaan, I can’t find any hangers!" 
Tenma Tsukamoto shouted to her sister from half-way 
across the house.

	Yakumo stared at her homework.  She’d meant to do 
her English before now, but she’d gotten caught up in all 
the preparations for the school festival, and nothing had 
gotten done.  

	"Yakumo-chaaaaaan, I can’t find any hangers!" 
Tenma shouted again, bouncing around her bedroom, her 
costume from the festival laid out on the bed.

	The reason she couldn’t find any hangers was that 
they were in the laundry room. Not that she thought to look 
there.

	Yakumo stared at her English homework.  She was 
fairly good at English, but it all seemed like meaningless 
gabble to her today.  Her brain was going around and 
around the events of earlier in the night.  Maybe I should 
just give up and go to bed, she thought.

	"YAAAAAAKKKKUUUUMMMOOOO-
CCCCHHHAAAAANNNN!!!!!" Tenma shouted, seeing if 
maybe making the word longer would help.  "I can’t find 
any hangers!"

	Iori, her cat, began to headbutt her leg, trying to get 
Yakumo’s attention.  

	Yakumo looked down at her right hand, which was 
sketching out a little boxed picture of a typical Japanese  
living room.  It seemed to almost move of its own accord, 
carefully drawing the table, and then a woman in a beret at 
it, carefully drawing, with a wistful look.  Yakumo 
wondered who she was.  Unfortunately, her hand wasn’t 
being communicative.

	She tried to find out, only to have her hand go limp as 
whatever unconscious inspiration drove her faded.  The 
pencil suddenly drew a slash across the picture as her hand 
suddenly moved.  

	"Yakumo-chan, I can’t find any hangers!" Tenma 
shouted into her sister’s ear.  Tenma was shaking her too.

	Yakumo jumped.  "I’m sorry, nee-chan, what is it?"

	"Hangers," Tenma said.

	Yakumo studied her carefully.  ‘HANGERS’,  
‘Karasuma is so cute in his costume’, ‘He’s such a good 
musician’, ‘Dancing is fun’, ‘TEA’ all floated in the air 
around Tenma’s head.  As usual, not as helpful as Yakumo 
would have liked.  "What about hangers?"

	"We don’t have any," Tenma said.  "That I can find."

	"Did you look in the laundry room?" Yakumo asked.

	"Oooh, good idea!" she said.  ‘TEA’, ‘HANGERS’, 
‘Iori is such a cute kitty’, and something which resembled a 
riceball all hung there around her head to Yakumo’s sight.  

	"Would you like me to make you some tea?" Yakumo 
asked.

	"Sure!" Tenma said.  "That would be very nice!"  She 
patted Yakumo’s shoulder and ran off at high speed.

	Yakumo rose slowly, looking at her hand.  Iori 
continued to headbutt her leg.  She paused and looked 
down at Iori.  "What is it, Iori?" she asked.

	‘Meow’.

	She sighed.  Harima-kun would know what he wants.  
Tentatively, she reached down to pick Iori up, but he ran 
off ahead of her to the kitchen.  

	She ambled after him, feeling suddenly lonely.  I wish 
I understood you, Iori, she thought.  But animals were as 
much a blank to her as Harima-kun.  Moreso, as he could 
talk at least.

	She began heating some water and sorting through her 
tea bags while Iori bounced about meowing.  She wondered 
for a moment if Tenma had dropped a tea bag in Iori’s 
water again; Iori had been hyper after that.

	A quick check showed he was out of water and food.  
She felt embarrassed and quickly filled both, then went 
looking for tea bags again.

	Tenma raced through the kitchen.  "Thanks!" she said, 
waving hangers at Yakumo, then bopping off.

	Yakumo smiled a little at that.  Her big sister never 
forgot to say thank you.  Well, sometimes  never forgot.  
She was known to sometimes be grateful.  

	She found the tea she wanted, then decided to make 
some riceballs to go with it.  Tenma liked onigiri.

	"Oh, there’s mail from Father!" Tenma shouted from 
halfway across the house.  "Have you read it?"

	"No," Yakumo said quietly, then realized Tenma 
couldn’t hear her.  She decided to read it while the tea 
brewed and while she formed the riceballs.

	It was a short letter as usual; he said he’d be back a 
few weeks late, maybe more, as he was off to the Grand 
Line with pirates.  The usual, really.  She sighed.  She 
missed her father sometimes, and it made her loneliness 
feel a little worse.

	Eventually, she finished the tea and riceballs and went 
to find her sister, who she found trying to play a guitar.  
This was inadvisable to say the least.  However, the sight of 
the food led to ‘FOOOD’ and to Tenma dropping the 
guitar.  "Thanks, little sis!" Tenma said, grabbing a glass 
and some onigiri.

	She sat down on the bed; Yakumo sat down on the 
floor. Iori curled up next to Yakumo; she smiled a little, 
petting him, while he made happy purrs.

	"You and Eri looked really cute," Tenma said.  "I got 
some pictures from Fuyuki."  She waved a disk in the air.  
"Now I just need something to print them with."

	Yakumo blushed.  "But we..."

	"I’m glad you two made up.  I’ll talk to her, okay?" 
Tenma said.  "Don’t worry, your big sister will take care of 
everything."

	Yakumo looked at Tenma’s head carefully.  ‘Tasty’, ‘I 
think I’ll just blow off my homework, it’s late’, ‘Maybe 
Akira has a printer’, and ‘There’s my stuffed duck!’ floated 
around her head.  She sighed.  "I...we..."  

	Her own voice floated in her mind.  {We're....not 
going out.}  That’s what she told Eri.  But she hadn’t...I 
mean, you couldn’t call working on a manga a date.  But 
there was something...that one time, she’d almost been able 
to read his mind.  She’d felt like she was getting closer to 
him.

	She looked up at her sister, who was trying to stuff a 
riceball in her mouth and drink at the same time.  
‘Karasuma is so cute’, ‘TASTY’, ‘Where’s my sheet 
music’, ‘Oooh, The Three Slashed is on later’.  She could 
read her big sister’s mind, but it was so complicated; it 
seemed like boy’s minds were usually so simple, but she 
couldn’t read Harima’s mind.  And he could talk to 
animals, who she couldn’t read.

	And he was fun to work with.

	She wished Akira hadn’t crucified him; he deserved to 
dance too.  Dancing with Eri-san had been fun.  She was a 
wonderful dancer.  

	"Yakumo?" Tenma asked, sounding worried.  ‘I need 
salt’, ‘Maybe Yakumo needs salt too’, ‘I should pet Iori’, 
‘Where is my hat?’  

	Yakumo licked her lips; they tasted salty enough to 
her.  "Do you need more salt for your riceballs?"

	"Yes, please," Tenma said.  "Are you okay?"

	"I’m fine," Yakumo said.  Did he...does he like me, 
she wondered.  

	Her mind spiraled to the manga.  The heroine always 
looked like Onee-chan and the hero always looked like 
Harima-kun, but...that was just a coincidence, right?  Or did 
he...but he never...

	Tenma frowned.  ‘Why won’t she admit she needs 
salt?  Is she being proud about her cooking?’, ‘I’m sitting 
on my costume’, ‘Salt’s in the kitchen, right?’.  "You stay 
here, I’ll get the salt."

	Salt?, Yakumo asked herself in confusion.  "Can you 
get me some pepper too?"  She could stand a little more 
flavor for her riceball.  

	"Sure."  Tenma ran out of the room.

	Yakumo sat and ate quietly, trying to decide why she 
felt like she did.  She’d never...she’d never even really 
thought about it before Eri had asked.  She wondered what 
he thought of their relationship.  He always calls me 
Imouto-san, but that’s because he knew my sister first.  

	Tenma returned with salt, pepper, and for some 
reason, nutmeg and chives.  She put a little of all four on 
her riceball and started munching.  Yakumo stuck to the 
salt and pepper.  "Onee-chan, are you..."  She wasn’t sure 
how to put it.

	"I’m very happy about the riceballs, thank you," 
Tenma said, smiling.  "These pictures will really be great!  
I just wish I could have danced with Karasuma, but he had 
to play."  She flopped back on the bed.  "He’s soooo cute."

	Yakumo envied her sister for a moment; there were no 
doubts in her mind.  She finished her riceball, and petted 
Iori as she began to sink into her own mind.

	"Did you get to dance with Harima-kun?" Tenma 
asked, suddenly rolling over.

	"He...he was on the ceiling," Yakumo said.

	"Oh right, he..."  She paused.  "Someone did let him 
down, right?"

	Yakumo’s eyes widened.  "Did they?"

	"Aaaaaahh!!!!"  Tenma got her cellphone out and 
called Akira.

	"Hello, Tenma-chan," Akira said.  "Decided to not 
skip your homework?"

	"You did let Harima-kun off the ceiling, right?"

	"Of course I..."  Silence.  "No, I forgot."

	"You aren’t supposed to forget!" Tenma said.  "That’s 
my job!"

	"You’d better go let him down."

	"But...I don’t even know how you got him up there."

	"I’m afraid I’m at work right now, until it’s time to go 
home to bed," Akira said.  

	"Well, Yakumo and I will go rescue him," Tenma 
said.  "We can’t just leave him there all night."

	"Well, he’s probably learned not to sleep in the school 
play bed by now," Akira said.  "Good luck."

	"Maybe Miko-chan will help," Tenma said once she 
said goodbye and hung up.  "Or Eri-chan."

	Yakumo felt suddenly nervous.  "Maybe...maybe we 
can handle it with just us."

	"Maybe," Tenma said.  "It can’t hurt to look, I guess."  
Then she looked over at Yakumo.  "Want me to dress you 
up in my prince costume, hmm?"  Images of Yakumo, 
Mikoto, and Eri in prince costumes floated around her 
head.

	"I...I’m the witch," Yakumo mumbled, a little 
embarrassed.  

	"Okay, I’ll be the prince, you be the Witch," Tenma 
proclaimed.

	"But...I don’t want to fight you..." Yakumo said softly.

	It was, however, too late to resist.  Nothing can stop 
the Tenma river at full flood.

**********

	Some people would have been screaming for help.  
Harima, however, had fallen asleep.  Wasn’t anything else 
to do up there.

	Thus, he was snoozing away as Eri picked her way 
through the rigging up in the ceiling of the ballroom.  
Stupid Beard, she told herself.  Getting himself crucified so 
I have to go to all this trouble to get him down.  Stupid 
Akira, running off to work.  She put him up here.

	But she couldn’t just leave him here.  So, having 
gotten halfway home, she’d come back to let him down.  
Of course, now he was asleep.  What had tired him out so 
much, anyway?  They’d just been selling food the whole  
day, after all.

	She studied the rope and pulley system.  How had the 
rope gotten tossed up here, anyway?  She could have just 
winched him down if the rope hadn’t been stuffed up in the 
rigging.  Probably to get it out of the way of the dancing.

	Well, if I let down the rope, I can climb back down 
and then winch him down, Eri thought.  This shouldn’t be 
too hard.

	She managed to untangle the rope and lower it enough 
to operate it from the floor.  Unfortunately, the rigging 
really had not been designed for people to climb on it.  The 
result was that as she tried to turn, she slipped and ended up 
having to grab the rope, finding herself hanging over the 
ballroom floor from thirty feet up.

	"DAMMIT!" she shouted.

	Harima stirred and looked at her.  "You’re a good 
climber, Sawachika-san."

	"Get me down!"

	"I’m stuck," he said, demonstrating he was tied in 
place by not moving.

	This yanked the rope just enough to send it swinging 
gently back and forth.  Eri cursed everything.  Ever.

	Yakumo and Tenma chose this moment to arrive.  
Yakumo waved nervously at Harima and Eri.  "Hello!"

	"Hello, Imouto-san!" Harima shouted back.  

	"Hi, Eri-chan!  Wow, you’re a good climber!" Tenma 
shouted.

	"GET ME DOWN," Eri shouted.  She pointed at 
Harima.  "This is all your fault!"

	He was too busy trying desperately to wave at Tenma.  
"Hello, Tsukamoto-san!" he shouted.  

	"Hi, hi!" Tenma shouted back to him.  She looked at 
the rope.  "Hmm."  She began tugging on it.  "You pull this 
to let Harima-kun down, right?"

	Yakumo said, "But that will pull Sawachika-san up."

	"LET ME DOWN!" Eri shouted.

	"Hmm.  If Eri climbs up the rope and clings to the 
cross, then we can lower them both down," Tenma said.  

	Yakumo looked at Eri, at Harima, then felt nervous.  
"I...I don’t know if that’s a good idea."  She didn’t like the 
image of Eri clinging to Harima.  

	Tenma looked at Yakumo, then up at Harima and Eri, 
then smiled and whispered, "Want me to ask him to walk 
home with us after this?"

	Yakumo said, softly, "That would be nice."  She felt a 
little embarrassed and wondered why her sister seemed to 
be thinking about walking home with Karasuma.

	"STOP WHISPERING AND GET US DOWN!" Eri 
shouted.  Stupid Beard, she thought.  I hate you.

	"It’s very nice of you to come visit us," Harima said, 
trying to hold back his excitement.  Tenma came to save 
me!  She loves me!  This is proof!  He began to cry tears of 
joy.

	Yakumo stared up at Harima, feeling worse as he 
began to cry.  Why can’t I read his mind, she asked herself.  

	Tenma frowned.  If Harima was actually crying, he 
must be in horrible pain.  She looked up at the thing he was 
tied to and tried to think of where she’d seen it before.  
Hadn’t one of those things killed someone once?  She had 
to act at once!

	"Yakumo!  Boost me up!" she commanded, jumping 
onto Yakumo’s shoulders.

	Yakumo wobbled, but held her legs as Tenma got up 
and stood on her shoulders.  She steadied herself with her 
staff.

	"Give me your staff!"

	Yakumo did so, though now it was harder to balance.

	Tenma stretched out with the staff.  "Grab the staff 
and I’ll lower you down, Eri-chan!"

	Eri looked at the end of the staff, about ten feet below 
her.  "My arms aren’t that long!  And I don’t think you 
could hold me up anyway!"

	Tenma then managed to topple over, making things 
moot.  "Oww!"

	"Maybe we should call Miko-chan," Tenma said, 
sighing.  "I can’t figure out how to get either of them 
down."

	Eri frowned.  "I guess I’ll have to climb up to Beard 
and ride him down when you lower the cross."

	"I’m fine," Harima said.  "It’s kind of relaxing, being 
able to just lie here."  He yawned.  Wait, no, I can’t sleep, 
Tenma is here!

	"Don’t be macho," Eri snapped.  "Don’t try anything 
FUNNY."  She managed to swing the rope close enough to 
grab hold of the cross, leaving her face to face with 
Harima.  "Don’t try anything funny," she told him, then 
noticed the tears on his face, then frowned.  Why is he 
crying?  Is he in pain?  As she thought about it, they did kill 
people this way.

	Suddenly, she felt bad for him.  "Just a little longer," 
she whispered.

	He tried to look down through eyes full of tears of joy  
"Hold on, Tsukamoto-san, I’m coming!" he shouted.  His 
mind wandered into a little fantasy of him running towards 
her through a field of flowers.

	Eri grimaced, gripping the cross in her fingers.  
"Harima, you MONKEY."  

	There was a sudden snapping as it came apart, and 
then they both began to fall.  She didn’t even have time to 
scream.

	Tenma did, somehow.  "Oh no, ERI-
CHAAAAAN!!!!!"  She ran over, somehow hoping to 
catch them.  Yakumo ran after her.  

	She wasn’t fast enough, of course, and if she had been, 
she would likely have been crushed.  As it stood, however, 
Harima turned in the air like a cat, catching Eri and landing 
lightly on his feet, dropped into a crouch.  He could hardly 
see through the tears in his eyes, but he’d been running to 
Tsukamoto, right?  She must have tripped and he’d caught 
her.  Or something.  Good enough.  

	Eri blushed red.  He caught me, she thought.  He fell 
all that way, and he thought about catching me, even after I 
yelled at him and made him cry.  Her heart was pounding 
faster and faster.  She felt herself rise as he stood up.

	Tenma clapped her hands.  "So cool!  Thank you, 
Harima-kun!"

	Her voice rang in his ears like a blessing from heaven.  
More tears of joy flowed from his eyes.  She was grateful 
for being caught.  She loved him!  Clearly, this was the best 
time to finally make his confession and show her his love.  
"I have always l..." he began.

	Yakumo approached him hesitantly.  "Are you both 
alright?"  She couldn’t read either of their minds.  He was 
crying and smiling at once, and she wasn’t sure why.  But 
Sawachika-san looked very embarrassed.  

	People are watching us, Harima realized.  Suddenly, 
he felt too embarrassed to confess.  Not with Imouto-san 
watching them.  It wouldn’t...there was definitely some 
reason not to.  Yes.  "Oh, hello, Imouto-san.  Thank you for 
helping me."  Her help with the manga had been an 
inspiration.  He’d been feeling down about his art after all 
the effort of entering that contest had ended messily, but 
she’d made him realize everything he loved about manga 
all over again.  He felt a warm glow at that.  

	Eri felt her embarrassment turn into irritation, 
especially seeing him smiling at Yakumo.  "And what am 
I?  Chopped liver?"

	Harima blinked and looked at her more clearly.  
"Sawachika-san, why am I carrying you?"

	"I don’t know!" she shouted, then leaped out of his 
arms.  "Next time, get yourself down," she grumbled.

	"Do..oh, from the ceiling," he said.

	Yakumo felt herself blushing just a little from him 
smiling at her.  I feel so strange, she thought.  "Will we be 
working on the next story tomorrow?"  

	"Sure, Imouto-san," he said.  "I’ll see you after 
school."

	She smiled nervously.

	"Are you okay?" Tenma asked Eri, worriedly.

	Eri yanked her gaze over to Tenma.  "I’m fine," she 
said.  "Despite Beard breaking the cross and nearly sending 
us to our deaths."  She felt a small twinge of guilt at putting 
it that way.

	"I’m sure it was an accident," Tenma said, then smiled 
at her sister and Harima.  They’re so cute, she thought.  I’m 
glad she finally got a boyfriend.

	She scooted over and nudged Harima.  "You should 
give Yakumo a ride home on your cycle."

	"I...sister..." Yakumo began.  "There isn’t room on it 
for both of us."

	"Sure there is," Tenma said.  "I’ve seen him give you 
rides all the time."

	"Well, I could try to get you both on it," Harima said.  
"I can’t just leave you here, Tsukamoto-san."

	"I have to help Eri get home.  And she has to help me 
with homework," Tenma said, taking Eri by the arm.  
"We’ll be fine, you two go on ahead without us."

	"What?" Eri asked.  "Butler-san is waiting for me; he 
can give both of you a ride home with me."  

	"It’s VERY important.  We have to discuss important 
secret...2-C girl things.  Yakumo is in another class and 
Harima is a boy," Tenma said, tightening her grip.  "So he 
can take her home, and I’ll ride with you and Butler-san."

	"But...Butler-san is a boy too..." Eri protested as 
Tenma began to hustle her along.

	"He’s a MAN," Tenma said desperately.  "And 
English.  So he doesn’t count."

	"But...I’m English..." Eri said as she was dragged 
further.

	"You’re part Japanese, so you count," Tenma said as 
she pulled Eri out the door.

	She thinks I’m a MAN, Harima thought, smiling, 
having only caught that much of it.  He turned to Yakumo, 
"Let’s go, then.  Just hold your hat tight so it won’t blow 
off."

	Yakumo watched Tenma leave in confusion; the 
words around her were very confusing.  Why was Tenma 
thinking about that blonde boy...Imadori...and some green 
haired girl...

	Yakumo turned back to Harima.  "Let’s go, Harima-
kun."

	They headed out to the parking lot, seeing Eri’s limo 
pull out.  "You don’t mind, do you?" Yakumo asked 
hesitantly.  "Big sister sometimes just decides things for 
everyone."

	"I don’t mind," Harima said to Yakumo, brushing his 
hair back as he walked.  "You’re a good rider."

	"I am?" she asked.

	"Yeah, some people do stupid things on a bike, but 
you’re never a burden when we ride," he said, reaching his 
bike and quickly checking it over to make sure he wasn’t 
about to blow anything and that no vandals got to it.  

	She smiled a little and got on the bike behind him, 
embracing him tightly and resting her head on his back.  
She could feel his muscles; he was so strong, she thought.  
She could hear his heart beat as she rested her head on his 
back.  But she couldn’t read it.  Was he part cat?  Or did 
he...was there some barrier between them?  

	As they headed out into the street, he said, hesitantly, 
"You fight pretty well."

	"Father tried to teach us how to take care of ourselves, 
since he’s gone so often," Yakumo said.  "I don’t like to 
fight, but I can if I have to."

	There was a long silence; for a moment, she worried 
he’d gone to sleep.  That was what her sister being quiet 
usually meant.  Finally, he said, "I don’t fight any more if I 
can help it."  His voice sounded a little tight.  She could 
hear his heart speeding up.  It was almost like being able to 
read his mind.  

	"You seem like a very peaceful man to me," Yakumo 
said, "Though you do fight well, I’ve heard."

	He seemed to relax at that, and she smiled a little, 
trying to listen to his heart beat.  It returned to a normal 
beat, then sped up a little.  "Tsukamoto-san doesn’t...think 
I’m violent, does she?" he asked hesitantly.

	"No, she doesn’t," Yakumo said.  "And neither do I."  
She felt his heart beat return to normal and relaxed.  She 
was learning to read his heartbeat; that was a start, right?  
She wanted...she wanted to be closer to him.  To know his 
heart like she knew her sister’s.  Was it complicated?  
Maybe it was so complicated she couldn’t hear it.  

	He was quiet again for a little while, then said, "We’re 
almost there."

	She didn’t want to go home yet.  She was enjoying 
riding with him, and there was only homework at home.  
Well, her sister would probably be home by now.  "Do you 
think...I could use a few things from the store."

	"Sure," he said.  I can’t afford to let Tsukamoto 
starve!, he thought.  

	She felt his heart speed up a little.  She tried to listen 
careful.  Was this a good fast?  She thought it was.  Maybe 
he wants to ride with me a while longer too, she thought.  
She smiled a little.  I feel a little closer to him already.

*************
	  
	"Ahh, I forgot to bring my homework!" Tenma said in 
the limo.

	Eri sighed.  "Well, we’re going to your house.  It’ll be 
there, right?"

	"Thank you!  I need help with my English, badly," 
Tenma said.

	"So what’s this...2-C girl business?" Eri asked.

	"Business?" Tenma asked.  "Are we starting a 
business?"

	They stared at each other in confusion.  "You forgot?"

	"I..."  Tenma racked her brain.  Whatever could Eri be 
talking about?  She sighed.  "I forgot."

	"..."  Eri sighed.  "It’s not important, is it?"

	It must be important, Tenma thought.  "It must be very 
important for you to remind me of it."

	"But you told me you had to tell me about it in 
private!" Eri protested.

	"Oh, THAT business," Tenma said, knocking herself 
on the side of the head with an embarrassed smile.  It had 
slipped her mind, like water through a sieve.  "That was 
just to give Yakumo a chance to ride home with Harima."

	"But..." Eri began, then looked assessingly at Tenma.  
"Are you trying to hook him and your sister up?"  She said 
they weren’t dating, but if Tenma is trying to push her into 
it, and...  "I thought you thought he liked Miko-chan."

	"I was wrong," Tenma said.  "She’s even stayed 
overnight with him."

	Tiny wiffs of smoke came out of Eri’s ears.  "You let 
your sister stay overnight with a boy!!!!???"

	"I told him not to be a monkey, so it will all be fine," 
Tenma said.  "My little sister is growing up."  She smiled 
proudly.  

	I should have expected this, Eri thought.  She and 
Karasuma have a...an adult relationship...after all.  Of 
course she approves of her sister having one.  She felt a 
surge of jealousy.  "But she said..."  Maybe she lied to me, 
Eri thought.  I mean, a girl could get a reputation from 
something like this.  "Do they do it often?"

	"It’s been a while," Tenma said.  She sighed.  "I wish 
Karasuma and I could spend that much time together."

	"What, they...more than you and Karasuma?"

	"Oh yes," Tenma said, feeling just a little jealous.  
"I’ve never stayed overnight with him."

	"He just sends you home afterwards?" Eri demanded, 
feeling a little outraged.

	"I usually go home afterwards," Tenma said.  "Unless 
I have something else to do."

	Eri felt like her brain would melt.  "But...you..."

	"We’re there, Miss," the driver said.

	"I’ll be here a while, so you might as well go home, 
and I’ll call you later," Eri said to her butler, getting out 
and taking Tenma inside.  "So you’re still in your prince 
outfit too?" she asked, looking at Tenma and trying to 
change the subject before she could explode.

	"I thought it would be a good idea to be a prince if I 
was going to rescue Harima-kun from the cross."  She 
nodded firmly.  "You saw how it tried to kill him."

	Eri felt embarrassed.  "Yeah.  I realized he’d be stuck 
up there all night.  And if he died, he’d stink."  Stupid 
Beard, causing me this trouble.  

	"I feel so much braver in this," Tenma said.  "I guess 
clothes really do make the person."

	Eri looked down at herself, then out at the night.  
"Shouldn’t they be here by now?"

	"We left first," Tenma said.  "Let’s go do English."

	Trying to tutor Tenma at English was frustrating, but it 
took Eri’s mind off her problems, and she began to relax.  
Finally, there was a revving of an engine and the sound of 
the door opening.

	"Hello?" Tenma shouted.

	There was only the sound of footsteps growing closer.

	Tenma looked over at Eri.  "Could be...burglars."

	Eri sweated.  "You stopped a bank robbery.  Do 
something."

	Tenma dived into her closet.  Eri began looking for a 
weapon.

	Tenma emerged, clad in a shrine uniform and holding 
a bow with a quiver of arrows on her back.  "Don’t worry!  
The One Who Shoots will protect you!"

	"Tenma, I..."  It then struck her she was carrying a 
sword. She rose, realized she was still clad in her prince 
uniform - she'd turned back to rescue Harima, and hadn't 
had time to change - and drew her sword.  "I guess that 
makes me She Who Slashes," she mumbled.

	"Yeah!  Let’s get ‘em!" Tenma shouted, then charged 
out at high speed.

	Eri ran after her.  "Don’t alert them we’re here," she 
hissed.

	The burglars were in the kitchen.  Tenma charged in, 
arrow nocked, and leveled it at the man and woman lurking 
in the kitchen...making tea.

	Yakumo blinked.

	Harima jumped in front of Yakumo instinctively and 
seized her around the waist, flipping over the counter 
before he realized it was Tenma.  "Tsukamoto-san!" he said 
in surprise.

	"Oh, hi, Harima-kun," Tenma said.  "Watch out, 
there’s burglars in the house!"

	"Burglars?" Harima said.  "Stay here, I’ll find them." 

	He ran off just as Eri ran in, catching up with Tenma.  
"Where is Beard going?" she asked.

	"To find the burglars!" Tenma proclaimed.

	"Tenma-chan, I think that we just heard Beard and 
Yakumo-chan," Eri said.

	"But they’re not burglars," Tenma said.

	"Yes.  They are not burglars," Eri continued.  "At all."

	"Does that mean I don’t get to shoot anyone?" Tenma 
asked, sighing.

	"Onee-chan, it’s not safe to shoot inside the house," 
Yakumo said.

	Tenma sighed.  "I suppose this means we ought to do 
homework."

	"Would you like some tea?" Yakumo asked.  "I was 
making Harima-kun some."

	"Yes, please.  We didn’t finish our tea earlier," Tenma 
said.  "Do you want some, Eri?"

	Eri cocked her head slightly warily.  "I’d better make 
sure Beard doesn’t break anything, tell him there’s no 
burglars."

	"Okay.  I can coach Yakumo on handling her 
boyfriend," Tenma said.  "Go, find him."

	But he’s not my boyfriend, Yakumo thought.  I 
mean...I don’t think he is.  Right?  She wondered again 
what he really thought of her.

	Eri started to speak, frowned, then turned and left.  

	She soon found Harima in one of the hallways, 
studying pictures of Tenma, Yakumo, and their parents at 
various ages hung up there.  She frowned.  So much for 
burglar hunting.  "BURGLAR!" she shouted.

	Harima jumped, then landed in a ready position.  
"Where?"

	She sighed.  "There’s no burglar."  

	He said, "Obviously the burglar fled my presence."

	Eri rolled her eyes.  "Come on.  We have to do 
English."

	"English?  English?  I’m no good at English."

	"Tenma’s terrible too," Eri said.  "But I am very good 
at English."

	"Really?" 

	She stared at him.  "That’s a joke, right?"

	"It is?" he asked in confusion.

	"I’m half-British, you know!" Eri said, hands on her 
hips.

	He blinked, then nodded.  "Oh."

	"Didn’t you know?" she asked in surprise.

	"I’m not much of a gossiper," he said.  He glanced up 
at the pictures.  "Have you known Tsukamoto-san long?"

	"About a year and a half or so, ever since I came back 
to Japan," Eri said, looking up at the pictures.  She felt a 
little jealous, seeing Tenma in so many happy pictures with 
Yakumo and her parents.  She knew she shouldn’t feel that 
way, but what can you do about your feelings?  Despite 
this, she sighed.

	She glanced over at him; he was always hard to read, 
but he looked a little envious too.  He muttered something.  
"What was that?" she asked.

	"You’re very lucky," he mumbled.  His voice sounded 
a little tight.  

	Trying to understand him was like trying to pound 
through a wall with her head, Eri had learned.  "Something 
wrong, Beard?" she asked softly.  

	"Nothing," he said, turning to apparently stare off at 
the corner.  

	She glanced at the corner, then looked at him, and 
tried to figure out what to do.  Something had him upset, 
and for once, it didn’t seem to be the results of his own bad 
judgement.  She reached towards his shoulder, then paused, 
wondering again what exactly was going on between him 
and Yakumo.  Does he open up to her, she wondered.  Why 
do men always only show the emotions you’d rather not 
see?  Like all those perverted boys drooling over Itoko-
sensei.  

	"Do you get on well with your parents?" he asked, 
finally.

	"Mother is usually gone; she runs some of the 
operations outside Japan.  And Father has to go on business 
trips all the time, but we get on well when he is here," she 
said.  Which isn’t very often, but I don’t want to tell people 
that.  She shivered slightly, remembering standing in the 
rain as her father pulled away and Harima offering her an 
umbrella and walking her home.  She suddenly felt very 
embarrassed and didn’t know why, turning to stare intently 
at a picture of Tenma trying to fish while her father tried to 
keep her from being pulled off the boat by the huge 
creature.  

	"You cold?" he asked, already taking off his jacket.

	"I’m fine," she said.  "I might...end up carrying it off 
again if I’m not careful."  She paused.  "Harima-kun, 
why..."  She froze, not even sure what she was asking.  
"Did she really stay overnight at your house?" she found 
herself blurting out.

	Harima froze up.  "We were at Osakabe-sensei’s 
house," Harima said frantically.  

	Liar, she thought.  But why then...what is going on?  
She had to know.  "What is your..."

	She heard stumbling and turned and saw Yakumo 
standing there, unbalanced; at the corner, she could see 
Tenma with arms extended.  Yakumo said nervously, "I’m 
sorry to interrupt, but the tea is ready."

	"Ahh, thank you, Tsukamoto Imouto-san," Harima 
said.  "Let’s go, Sawachika-san."

	"I, sempai," Yakumo began, then froze, mouth ajar.

	"What she MEANT to say," Tenma said, "is that you 
can call her Yakumo now.  And since I’ll be your sister in 
law, you can call me Tenma."  She smiled widely, and 
moved up, pushing her sister just a little closer to Harima.

	Harima vibrated with joy.  "Thank you, 
Tsuka...Tenma-san!"  He took Eri with one arm and 
Yakumo with the other while imagining both of them were 
Tenma, and dragged them along, heading to get tea.

	Eri blushed slightly, then saw he had Yakumo in the 
other arm.  "Beard!  What are you doing?"

	He looked at her and blinked.  "You’re not Tenma-
san."

	"Ano...Harima-sempai..."  Yakumo said hesitantly.

	"I AM NOT TENMA, YES," Eri said.  "Do you even 
know my name?"  She was feeling aggravated.

	"Sawachika Eri," he replied, then paused.  "Right?"

	"Right," she said, feeling a little better.

	"Ano...Harima-sempai..." Yakumo tried again.

	Tenma sidled over to her, "Call him by his first name," 
she whispered.

	Yakumo gulped.  "Kenji-san."

	Harima jumped, then turned to her.  "Tsu...Yakumo-
san.  Is something wrong?"

	"The tea is getting cold," she said hesitantly.

	"Let’s go drink it," he said, heading forwards again, 
pulling each along by one arm.  Tea made for me by 
Tenma-chan, he thought.  It will be full of love.  

	Eri looked over at Yakumo, who was blushing, and 
frowned.  She likes him, she thought.  And Tenma’s 
already decided their future.  But I don’t give up easily, she 
thought.  "Well, if we’re all going to be so friendly, you can 
call me Eri, if you want to, B...Kenji-kun."

	He looked surprised.  "Do you really want me to?"

	Tenma looked over at her in surprise.  

	"Yes," she said determinedly.  "I want...I want to be 
good friends with you, since...since you have...Because you 
and my friend Tenma are such good friends."  I sound so 
evasive, she thought.

	His eyes lit up with joy, and she stumbled in surprise.  
I’m getting close to Tenma and her friends, Harima 
thought.  THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE.  "Then 
I will call you Eri-san," Harima said.  "And you can call 
me...call me Kenji."  NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW.

	I can’t believe I made him so happy with that, Eri 
thought, feeling more embarrassed.

	Tenma looked at Yakumo, Eri, and Harima, then 
frowned for a moment.  She moved in and whispered into 
his ear as they walked, "Remember, Kenji-kun, a girl wants 
a guy who just thinks of her.  Don’t be a monkey just 
because Eri is nice."

	He nodded.  I won’t be a monkey, he thought.  Just 
wait and see!  I will be utterly faithful to you and make you 
happy!

	They got to the kitchen, where they found Akira and 
Mikoto drinking tea.  "Yo," Akira said.

	Yakumo stared in surprise, then mumbled, "I am a bad 
hostess," and went to start pouring tea, only to find Akira 
had already poured everyone a glass.  She stared, 
nonplussed.

	"Akira-chan and Miko-chin got here while you were 
off...looking for Eri-chan and Kenji-kun," Tenma said.  
"Before I went looking for you."

	Yakumo felt herself blush a little.

	Eri looked at her curiously.

	Akira quirked an eyebrow at Tenma.

	Mikoto’s eyes widened slightly.

	"Hi, Akira-chan!  I thought you were at work," Eri  
said.

	"I cut early so I could make sure Tenma and Yakumo 
got back alright from the school," Akira said.  "I could 
afford the loss."

	"Hi, everyone," Mikoto said, looking at Yakumo, 
Harima, and Eri oddly.

	"Well, since we’re all here, we should study together," 
Tenma said.  

	Akira’s eyes flickered across the group.  
	 
	Studying with Tenma in her house, Harima thought, 
smiling goofily.  I am truly in Heaven.

	Yakumo looked over at Harima, then at her tea, then 
carefully drank from the cup.  "Have fun studying," she 
said.  "I will be in my room if you need me."

	Tenma looked at Yakumo, then at Harima, then 
elbowed Harima.  "Kenji-kun.  You should help Yakumo 
with her homework."

	"Anything you say, Tenma-san!" Harima said proudly, 
then began to hustle Yakumo off.  I get to do Tenma-chan a 
favor, he thought.  In her own home!  Her own home!

	Eri said, "Tenma-chan, is that REALLY a good idea?"

	Mikoto looked at Tenma.  "Kenji-kun?" she asked in 
surprise.

	"You didn’t know his name?" Tenma asked in 
surprise.

	"..."

	"Tenma..." Eri said a little louder.

	"What?" Tenma asked.

	"You do realize that Be...Ke...he’s probably the worst 
or at least one of the worst students in our class, right?" Eri 
asked.

	"LOVE can overcome anything," Tenma said.  "I have 
faith in Kenji-kun to take good care of Yakumo-chan."

	SHE HAS FAITH IN ME, Harima thought, his keen 
ears picking out the sounds of her voice.  He and a nervous 
Yakumo glided out of the room.

	Eri frowned, then shook her head.  "Let’s go study, 
then."

	"KENJI-kun?" Mikoto asked Tenma again.

	"Miko-chin, are you okay?" Tenma asked, worried.  
"Did you forget his name again?"

	"Since...but..." Mikoto began.

	Akira put a hand on Mikoto’s shoulder for a moment.  
"Life is much more peaceful if you just accept it as it 
comes."  She sipped her tea.  "Let us study."

**********

	Distantly, Hanai was busy doing homework himself.  
As he tried to puzzle out a math problem, he felt a chill run 
down his spine.

	He blinked, then adjusted his pose as he kneeled at the 
table.  The chill didn’t return so he shrugged.  

	Probably not worth worrying about, he thought.  Just a 
cool fall day.

***********

	Yakumo stepped into her room, then found her school 
books, still stacked by her table.  "Please, sit down," she 
said, looking about to make sure her sister hadn’t left 
anything for people to sit on.  The floor was safe, she 
thought.

	Harima sat down by the table, the haze in his brain 
beginning to clear as he realized what he’d gotten into.  
How did I end up volunteering for this?  I’m a terrible 
student!  "I...um...where should we start?"

	Yakumo stared at her homework.  She’d finished most 
of it, but there was still the English and the history.  "Are 
you any good at English?" she asked.

	"I’ve seen all of Clint Eastwood’s movies," Harima 
said proudly.  "Do you feel lucky, punk?" he pronounced in 
English.

	Yakumo looked at him, impressed.  No one in her 
class ever managed to speak English with such energy 
except Sara, who was a native after all.  "I have to say a 
few things about my sister."

	"I can say many things about your sister!" Harima said 
proudly, then sagged.  But in English?  He began racking 
his brains for any scraps of English which could possibly 
be an adequate description of the magnificence of Tenma.  
"Go ahead, make my day," wouldn’t cut it.  Or would it?

	He could imagine himself facing down some horrible 
punks after HIS Tenma.  American punks.  Like in the 
movies.  And he’d say... "Do you feel lucky punks?  Do 
you?  Go ahead, make my day." He said in English.  Then 
in Japanese, he said, "How’s that?"

	Yakumo stared at him.  "I don’t understand," she said 
hesitantly.

	"I guess it is a little too...not your style," Harima said 
to Yakumo.

	"I need to express how kind and friendly she is, and 
how she can always cheer me up," Yakumo said.  

	"Yes, she is, and she always can," Harima said 
rapturously.  "And it has to be in English?"

	"Yes," Yakumo said.  She had written something, but 
it wasn’t very satisfactory.  Harima-kun had a good ear for 
dramatic dialogue in Japanese, she’d learned.  Maybe he 
could do well for English too.

	Love...love...the words ‘Love you long time’ popped 
into his head, but he frowned.  The tone wasn’t quite right.  
‘Can’t buy me love’.  ‘Love is a battlefield.’  Oooh, that 
could work, he thought.  

	"Love is a battlefield," he pronounced sagely.  A war 
he intended to win.

	Yakumo scribbled.  "I need more than that," she said.

	His cellphone rang.  He pulled it out and answered it.  
"Yo."

	It was Itoko.  "Akira called me.  Do you need help?"

	"I’m fine!" Harima replied.  "I can handle this all on 
my own!"

	"You’re helpless at anything but art and phys. Ed, 
cousin," Itoko said.

	"I am not!  I will help her, by my honor!" Harima said, 
striking an impressive pose.

	Yakumo looked up at him, straining her ears to try and 
hear the other end of the conversation, though she knew she 
shouldn’t try to peep on the call.  I wish I knew what he 
was thinking, she thought.

	Itoko made a noise, a cross between a laugh and a 
snort.  "Are you sure?"

	"Yes.  We will be just fine together!" Harima said.

	Yakumo felt a little embarrased.

	"Don’t say I didn’t offer."

	"I won’t.  Goodnight, cousin."

	"Will you be staying at her place tonight?" Itoko asked 
casually.

	Tiny tufts of smoke curled out of Harima’s ears.  
"Stay...here?"

	"Well, umm..." Yakumo said.  "If big sister doesn’t 
mind, you could.  Since you were nice enough to put me up 
for three days."  His brother had opened up near sleep, she 
thought.  Maybe...maybe he would too.

	"Well, there you go," Itoko said.  "I’ll see you when 
you come home eventually."

	"But...I..." Harima said.

	"Goodbye," Itoko said and hung up.

	"Who was that?" Yakumo asked.

	"My cousin," Harima said.  "She likes to meddle."

	"Oh," Yakumo said.  She looked hopefully at Harima.  
"Thought of any more English?"

	Harima searched his brain for something, anything.  
Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to search everywhere.  
There was a fragment of a song... ‘You’ve lost that loving 
feeling’, that had to do with Love, right?  He hummed the 
tune to himself.

	Yakumo hummed along.  "I can’t remember the 
English words to that."

	Harima wracked his brain again.  I’m so weak, he 
thought.  I should be able to praise Tenma-chan in any 
language.

	He could see her crying because he couldn’t figure out 
how to say it in English.  Oh, if only I’d paid attention, he 
thought, wracked with guilt.

	Yakumo looked over at him, seeing him writhe, and 
suddenly felt guilty.  "It’s...it’s okay," she said.  "We can 
try doing history instead."

	He gave a great sigh of relief.  "English is not really 
my strong point."

	"Okay, we have to write about the collapse of the 
Ashikaga shogunate and the rise of the Tokugawa 
shogunate," Yakumo said.  

	Shogun.  Samurai movie.  I know samurai movies, 
Harima thought.  I can do this!  "The first thing you have to 
understand is that Tokugawa was possessed by a demon."

	Yakumo blinked at him.

	Good thing I stayed up late watching those movies, he 
thought.  "The demon had once been bound by the Emperor 
Go Nagai, but..."

	Yakumo listened carefully, taking notes.  This didn’t 
match the book or the lectures at all, but he seemed so 
convinced it was right.  Maybe I just didn’t pay attention, 
she thought.  Or he might be wrong, but surely he would 
have just begged off if he didn’t know anything.  

	As he wound down, he said, "Hmm, you could make a 
good manga out of all that.  Although I suppose there are a 
lot of manga on that period."  Harima tapped his cheek.  "In 
fact, we should do your essay as a manga!  I bet that would 
impress the teacher."

	Yakumo perked up a little.  "But can we do one fast 
enough?"

	"You never know until you try!" Harima said, 
whipping out a pencil.  "Shall we?"

	Yakumo looked at her essay, then nodded.  "Sure."  

	"Let’s go!"

****************

	"Eri-chan, are you waiting for Butler-san to get you or 
something?" Tenma asked Eri, who kept cocking her head.

	"Nothing," Eri said a little irritably.  What were those 
two up to?  Besides probably setting Yakumo’s grades on 
fire and dancing around them.  

	Akira rose.  "I expect she is worried about my kohai.  I 
will make sure they are doing alright."

	"That’s sweet of you to worry about her, but I’m sure 
Harima-kun is being a gentleman with her," Tenma said.  
"Like Karasuma-kun is with me."

	Eri’s brain quickly put together the words ‘adult 
relationship’ with her own encounter with a naked Harima.  
She blushed, her eyes crossed, and then she said, "I’ll come 
with you, Akira."

	Akira looked at her, then nodded and they left.

	Mikoto watched them go, then said, "Why do I feel 
like there’s some joke and everyone but me knows it?"

	"There’s a joke?" Tenma asked.  "Is it funny?"

	Mikoto flopped onto her back.  "Is it just me, or does 
Eri-chan seem extra jumpy tonight?"

	"She’s probably nervous from ending up hanging from 
the rope,"  Tenma said.  "She tried to get Harima-kun off 
the ceiling and got trapped."  She shook her head.  "Then 
they both fell and Harima-kun caught her.  So she’s 
probably kind of jumpy from that."  Tenma tapped her 
cheek.  "Though I am kind of surprised she told him to call 
her Eri."

	"Well, that is the British way, right?" Mikoto said.  
"Or do you think..."

	"I wish I was good at thinking," Tenma said, sighing.  
"I get such bad grades."

	"Well, let’s do some more studying, then."

	"Thanks!"

*************
	
	Akira and Eri started down the hallway.  Akira said, 
"So are we going to peep or just walk in?"

	"I don’t peep!" Eri said frantically.

	"Just getting it straight."

	"Are you going to commando off the ceiling and kiss 
him?" Eri demanded.

	"Maybe," Akira said.

	Eri’s eyes bulged.

	"You’re too easy to tease," Akira said, cracking a tiny 
smile.  "Harima’s not my type," she continued.  "But is he 
yours?"

	"I told you all, I hate him!" Eri said.  "Look at all the 
trouble he puts me through!"

	Akira smiled her usual calm, infuriating smile at Eri.  
"Well, let’s just see if they’re doing okay."

	"Fine."

	Akira knocked on Yakumo’s door.  "Yakumo-chan, 
can we come in?"

	There was an odd noise, a sound of shuffling papers 
and then Yakumo said, "Come in."

	The table was strangely clear of paper except for a 
single sheet on which Yakumo was scribbling in English.  
Harima sat next to her, looking nervous, backed up against 
the bed with his back to it.

	Eri looked at him; he couldn’t possibly have gotten 
dressed so quickly.  Could he?  Of course, he might have 
just been starting...

	Akira said, "Hello, Harima-kun, kohai.  Are things 
going well?"

	"Sa...If Eri-san could help with the English, it would 
be good," Harima said.  "I’m not very good."

	"I would be grateful," Yakumo said softly.

	I have to help Beard’s girlfriend because he’s not 
smart enough, Eri thought.  Or whatever she is to him.  
They seemed to sit awfully close to each other.  Eri 
grimaced, then sighed.  "Alright.  Let’s get to it."

	"I have to write something about my sister.  
Ha...Kenji-kun suggested that I start with ‘Love is a 
battlefield’," she said, saying the phrase in English.

	"Hmm, not too bad," Eri said.  "He even got the 
grammar correct.  Not that it’s very complicated, mind 
you."

	Harima smiled a little.  He was pretty sure he’d never 
gotten anything right in English before.  

	"So what do you want to express?" Eri asked.

	"How kind and sweet my sister is and how much I...I 
love her," Yakumo finished, a little breathless.

	Eri thought.  Hard to work Love is a battlefield into 
that.  Why did he suggest that for Tenma, anyway?  Then 
she thought of a recent incident.  "Love is a battlefield, but 
my sister fights in my army," she said in English 
thoughtfully.  "She is always a great comfort to me, 
because she is kind and gentle and loves me like I love 
her."

	Harima strained to understand.  Was Eri announcing 
she was in love with Tenma?  That couldn’t be right.  
Could it?  He studied her assessingly, trying to figure this 
out.  

	Yakumo scribbled frantically.  "That’s great, sempai.  
Thank you."

	Akira observed the scribblings.  "Well, you three seem 
to be doing well.  I’ll go make sure Tenma-chan and Miko-
chan haven’t wrecked their homework in my absence."

	"I..." Eri began.

	"You coming, Eri-chan, or will you stay and help them 
some more?" Akira asked.

	Harima shifted nervously.  "We’ll be fine, Sa...Eri-
san."

	They’re hiding something, she thought.  "Let’s go," 
she said, then got up and went to go.

	"Thank you, sempai," Yakumo said.

	"Yeah, thanks," Harima said.

	"You’re welcome," Eri said and headed out into the 
hallway.  Partway down it, she said, "I’m going to the 
bathroom."

	"So you can sneak back and spy," Akira said.

	"No!"

	"Do what you want," Akira said.  "Just remember, the 
gods punish jealous peeping."

	Eri remembered the incident in the old school and 
shivered, then said, "I’ll be fine."

	"As you like."  And then Akira left.

	Eri went to the bathroom and washed her face to calm 
her nerves.  Surely they wouldn’t...I mean, anyone could 
walk in on them, and Yakumo said she’s not his girlfriend, 
but they were hiding something...

	She crept down the hallway, nearly tripping over Iori, 
who she booted aside.  Iori scampered off irritably.  
Finally, she reached the door and tried to crack it, hoping 
she wasn’t visible through the paper.  

	"I think..." Yakumo said hesitantly, "the Princess 
should have a younger sister, who..."

	Princess? Eri asked herself.  What are they doing?  
She couldn’t see anything except for the edge of the table.  
Stupid door.

	"Is secretly a witch assigned to protect her," Harima 
said.

	"I...yes.  A witch," Yakumo said slowly.  "With a cat."

	"Hmm.  Alright, that sounds good."  Harima sounded 
satisfied.

	Eri’s brain began conjuring scenarios.  Is this one of 
those sex role-play things?  You pretend to be a prince 
and...a witch!  Yakumo had been the witch in the play.  
And now...

	Her mind began flooding with perverted images as if 
she’d accidentally accessed a porn site inside her head.  Her 
eyes crossed for a minute.

	"The witch...she really...well, she..."  Yakumo’s voice 
was very hesitant.

	Eri heard rustling.  "Be confident," Harima said.  
"Your ideas are always very good and I enjoy them."  His 
voice had a strong confidence to it.

	Do they do this often?  All those times she goes to his 
house and stays all night and now they have the gall to do it 
in Tenma’s house and...  Eri felt her brain overloading.  She 
couldn’t allow this.

	"Well, it might be a...a good twist if the witch was in 
love with..."

	Eri threw open the door.  "You shouldn’t be playing 
perverted games here in Tenma’s house while the rest of us 
are trying to study!"

	What she saw was Harima holding Yakumo’s hands, 
both of them fully clothed, sitting next to a table with 
papers on it which flew into the air as the door flew open.  
They both turned and stared at her in confusion.

	"Uh, what, Eri-san?" Harima asked.

	"Games?" Yakumo asked, still letting Harima hold her 
hands.

	Eri blushed.  "Oops, wrong room," then slammed the 
door and ran.

	I am such an idiot.  They’re just writing a story or 
something and I’m just...  She felt the urge to cry and 
resisted it, going to the bathroom and washing her face 
again.  I shouldn’t get all worked up about this, she 
thought.  It’s just Beard.  What do I care if he and 
Yakumo...I mean, it shouldn’t matter.  

	"Hey, you okay," Mikoto asked.

	Eri jumped.  "When did you get in here?"

	"We heard doors flying and yelling and whatnot, so I 
came to check on you," Mikoto said.  "Did you and 
Harima-san have another fight?"

	"I just...nothing," Eri said, drying her face.

	"Come on, you can tell me."

	"Is it just me, or is Tenma so awfully relaxed about a 
boy being in her sister’s room unwatched?" Eri asked.

	"It’s Harima.  He’s kind of weird, but he’s a nice guy," 
Mikoto said.

	Eri frowned.  "You know how guys are."

	"Well, maybe it’s a little weird, but can’t you trust 
him?" Mikoto asked.  "Besides, he wouldn’t try anything 
with other people so close, right?"

	Eri imagined her naked confrontation with him and 
Akira walking in.  He probably learned his lesson, she 
thought.  She sighed.  "Well, it’s in Tenma-chan’s hands."

	"Come on, let’s study."

	She let herself be pulled away.

*************

	It was getting very late.  Mikoto yawned.  "We’d 
better all get home while we still can."

	Eri got out her cellphone.  "Time to call for my ride.  
You guys want a ride home?"

	"Sure," Akira said.  

	Eri paused.  "Oh wait...no, he’s got his own cycle."  
She looked over at Tenma.  "You’d better make sure he 
goes home now."

	"Hmm, he may want to spend the night," Tenma said.

	Akira smiled slightly.

	Eri vibrated.  "What would your parents think?"

	"We’re allowed to have guests," Tenma said, getting 
up.  "I’ll go check on them."

	"I don’t think they meant like this," Eri said as Tenma 
left.

	Tenma headed down the hallway; there were sounds 
of intense scribbling when she listened at the door.  They 
must be studying, she thought.  My sister is so dutiful.  She 
felt a little envy for a moment.  "Big sister approaching!" 
she said loudly, just in case they needed to finish kissing.

	Then she opened the door and found Yakumo hunched 
over an essay which Harima was studying intently, sitting 
next to her.  Tenma smiled a little; they look so comfortable 
together, she thought.  

	"Everyone’s heading home," Tenma said.  "Are you 
leaving or are you going to crash here, Kenji-kun?"

	The sound of her voice hypnotized Harima, who 
stared at her, then said, "I...can crash here?"

	"Well, we have plenty of guest space," Tenma said.  "I 
can make you a bed."

	Harima imagined her tucking him carefully into bed.  
His arms shook and his eyes spun.  WOOOOO.  He calmed 
himself.  "Im...Yakumo-san and I should continue working 
on her...essay.  So best I stay."

	Tenma nodded.  "I’ll make you up a bed."

	Yakumo rose, saying, "I’ll do that, onee-chan."

	"Now, now, you can work on your essay," Tenma 
said.  "Let big sister arrange it all."

	Yakumo smiled a little.  "Thank you."

	"Not a problem," Tenma said, leaving to go do that.

*************
	
	Yakumo wobbled.  "I’m too tired," she mumbled.

	"We can’t stop..." Harima mumbled, drawing 
frantically.  "We’ve got a lot more to go in order to show 
everything."  And even that required really simplifying 
things too much.  At least he had a good model for the 
witch sister in Yakumo, which had helped.  

	She keeled over, and he caught her head.  Gently, he 
picked her up and laid her down on the bed.  Don’t worry, 
Yakumo, he thought.  I’ll finish this for you, so you aren’t 
in trouble.  He yawned.  Going to need some coffee.

*************
	
	Tenma woke up, the sun streaming in the window.  
The birds were singing and it was a wonderful day.  Hah! 
She thought.  I woke up without Yakumo having to wake 
me!

	She got up and leisurely dressed, then checked her 
clock.  11:32 AM. 

	...

	"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! I AM SO 
LATE!"

	She started to run for the door.  Wait, why didn’t 
Yakumo wake me?  Is she sick?  Or is today actually 
Sunday?

	She ran to Yakumo’s room and found Yakumo, still 
dressed, asleep in bed, and Harima, still dressed, crashed 
out on the floor, his head and torso on the table.  There was 
a thick envelope full of papers next to his head, labeled 
‘Yakumo’s Essay’.  

	Wow, they must have worked all night, then 
collapsed, Tenma thought.  I’d better let them sleep.  No, 
wait, Yakumo’s essay must be due.  I’ll take it to her 
teacher...but which teacher?  

	She sighed and gently shook Yakumo.

	Yakumo yawned.  "Sister?" she mumbled.

	"Just sleep.  Which teacher is your essay for?"

	"History," Yakumo mumbled.

	Tenma patted her cheek.  "Sleep."  She took the essay 
and left.

*************
	
	"Not feeling well?" the history teacher, a tall thin, 
balding man asked.

	"She wiped herself out writing this."  

	He blinked at the envelope.  "It’s large."

	"She worked very hard.  Please be kind to her," Tenma 
said, then bowed.

	He smiled.  "She’s a good student.  Tell her I hope she 
feels better tomorrow."

	"I will!"

***********