Takiyo, Ren, Arisu and Syo were bundled around a window in the corridor during break, which overlooked the courtyard. There standing in the shadow of the tree, they could see Yuko, her back to them. They could hardly see Saburo, but they knew he was there.

"It's finally happening." Syo said gladly, leaning against Takiyo's head. Takiyo was bent over with his arms folded on the window sill, head on arms. Arisu was next to him, leaning against the sill with her hands. Ren was leaning on the wall next to her with his elbow, watching with a smile.

"I wish I could hear." Arisu whimpered.

"Just be glad we can see." Ren told her. He couldn't stop smiling.

They could see Yuko fidgeting nervously with her hands behind her back.

"Do your best, Yu-chan." Arisu whispered.

***

"Thanks for coming." Yuko said nervously. Saburo looked fairly nervous himself. "Firstly," Yuko took a deep breath, then bowed.

"I deeply apologize for running away!" she blurted out.

"It's okay, really!" Saburo said, hands up in front of him.

"No it's not." Yuko said, looking up at him. "You thought what you said made me uncomfortable. It didn't. It made me happy."

"It's understandable, with your anxiety." Saburo said nervously, fidgeting. He smiled a little at hearing that she was happy.

"But, I'm still confused." Yuko said. "I thought... you liked Hirose-senpai. I thought you were dating."

"No, we weren't." Saburo said firmly. "Sara is my childhood friend. She's been really clingy since way back then. But...she likes me. But I already turned her down before confessing to you. I liked you from way back, Nishikawa-san. Ever since we met. I just never had the courage to ask."

Yuko smiled a little. So that's how it was. Then a memory came to her."But...you kissed her one time."

Saburo tried to recollect the memory, and when he did, he blushed and a guilty look overcame his face. "That didn't happen. But I'll admit it. I did agree at first, but I couldn't do it. But I do care about Sara. She's my childhood friend. Of course I will care for her. I just wanted to make her happy back then. I apologise deeply." He bowed.

"No, don't apologise." Yuko said bluntly. Her tone surprised Saburo. He looked up at her. Her face was serious, but then it broke into a smile. "This is a new start. So..." She was blushing and uneasy. She had to take the leap. Everybody was cheering her on. All she needed to do was take that final step. Push through the barriers. She bowed, and said, "Please take care of me!"

Saburo smiled, and he bowed as well. "Please take care of me as well." As he straightened again, he caught a glance of four people standing at the window, three of the four with freakishly large grins on the their faces. Those were her friends, if he was not wrong?

Takiyo could feel their freakishly large smiles, and turned to them in disapproval. Ren looked like a proud father, and Arisu was internally fangirling. Syo was trying to stop, but he couldn't. Ren suddenly banged his hand against the wall.

"Well, that's done." he said, still smiling.

"Yes, you're right." Arisu said, pushing away from the window.

Syo thumped Takiyo's shoulder, and the three of them started to walk away. "Coming, Takiyo?" Syo asked.

Takiyo nodded, but he hadn't moved.

"Okay." Syo said, and he went back to the class with Ren and Arisu.

Takiyo continued to stare across the courtyard. Not particularly at Yuko and Saburo, who were now talking happily, blushing. Half their promise was fulfilled, but it felt as though half the world's problems were solved. But to continue their promise...he didn't have much motivation anymore. He stood there, contemplating.

"Hello."

Takiyo jumped. He looked around, and he saw Sara standing next to him, leaning against the window, smiling and gazing across the courtyard. Takiyo was unsure why she was here. He blinked at her.

"If I'm not wrong, you're Hamasaki-kun, right?" Sara asked, not looking at him.

"Um, yes." Takiyo replied, standing rather stiffly.

Sara nodded, and then her eyes slid over to Yuko and Saburo. She smiled.

"You probably don't like me, because I made things really hard for your friend, didn't I? I knew he liked her, you know?" she said quietly.

"You did?" Takiyo was confused as to why she was talking to him.

"Yes, I always knew he liked her. I liked him too." Sara said. "I really liked him. But I knew he didn't like me." Then she sighed. "I'm very selfish."

Takiyo put his hands on the sill. He was still stiff, but he listened silently to Sara.

"I wanted him for myself." Sara said. "I wanted to be with him. I tried to win him over. But I knew it was worthless."

Takiyo could see sadness in her smile. She left an opening for him to say something, but he didn't. Sara continued.

"I just want him to be happy, though. If he is happy with Nishikawa-san, let him be. I already knew I was fighting a losing battle, I just had to admit defeat." She pushed back and stretched. "Haa~ I feel refreshed. That's done now. At the end of day, we all are just fighting against ourselves, right?" She chuckled lightly.

"Um... Hirose-senpai, why are you telling me this?" Takiyo asked.

Sara looked at him. "You're Nishikawa-san's friend, right?"

"I am, but..."

"You understand how I feel, right?" Sara asked. "You want Nishikawa-san to be happy, and you're letting her go too, right?"

"What do you mean by 'letting her go'?"

Sara looked surprised that Takiyo didn't understand what she was talking about. "You like her, right?"

"What?! Where did you get that idea?" Takiyo yelled in shock.

Sara looked surprised. "Oh, you don't?"

"No I don't!"

"But it seemed like that."

"From what angle?!"

"Hmm..." Sara leaned on the window sill, contemplating him. "But I feel like you understand how I feel. You like someone else?"

Takiyo diverted his eyes.

Sara gasped. "You do!" She saw Takiyo blush violently, and laughed. "Wow, you're surprisingly cute."

"Don't call me cute."

Sara was busy laughing. Finally she calmed down, and rested her hand against her head, smiling at him. "You like someone. But they don't like you back. Unrequited love?"

Takiyo avoided looking at her. Sara was surprisingly intuitive. He leaned against the window sill. Sara gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I like you." she decided finally, making Takiyo look up. "So I'll be cheering you on. I hope you win, even if you're loosing." She patted his shoulder. "Atta boy."

Those were the same words he gave Yuko. It was surprising to hear them from someone he least expected. He nodded, and Sara smiled a familiar smile. That of a proud mother, that he had been seeing so often on his own mother recently.

"Did you know that Saburo was kind of the possessive type?" Sara said randomly.

Takiyo was surprised at the random trivia. Sara smiled at his surprise.

Sara started moving away from him. "Well, I'm done. I hope you can be happy, too, Hamasaki-kun. Nishikawa-san is happy now, so you can be too. Saburo's happy too, so he doesn't need me anymore." A shadow of sadness passed over her face, before she hitched up a bright smile again. "This is my exit. It was nice talking to you, Hamasaki-kun. I'm off to find a new love. I'm cheering you on from the shadows," She looked him dead in the eye. "Whatever battle you are fighting."

The last sentence made him jolt. "Whatever battle he was fighting."? Of course he knew what battle he was fighting. Takiyo could feel himself starting to feel sympathetic towards Sara. He wanted to say something, but Sara waved him off. "See you later, Hamasaki-kun!" Her smile said so many things, and Takiyo read all of them.

"What battle are you fighting?"

Sara was gone, and now he leaned back against the sill, contemplating everything Sara had wordlessly said. Sara knew much more than he thought she knew. He knew what battle he was fighting...right?

He saw Syo walking around, looking for him. His face was of his neutral expression, the one that made them think he hated them. Takiyo had almost forgotten that look. People can change a lot. They change as their surroundings change.

Syo spotted him. A smile lit up on his face and he waved and called, "Takiyo! Stop stalking them!"

Takiyo looked at him. People can change in the blink of an eye.

"I'm not stalking anyone." Takiyo replied plainly.

"Okay, come on back, then." Syo told him. Takiyo nodded, and glanced back the tree, where Yuko and Saburo were now seated, then followed Syo.

Sara wanted Saburo to be happy. But she was done with what she had to do, and she made her exit. Takiyo was done with what he had to do for Yuko. Did that mean he had to make his exit too?

Shit, he thought, tearing his eyes away from the scene. Don't go confusing me.

"Are you just fighting against your loneliness?"

Her smile said that too.

...

What was I fighting against?