Writer's Note:

This is a smut chapter! No minors allowed! ^_^

Only a few chaps left until the end!

Thanks to tbd_07 for the chapter banner!

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"Good morning," Dara glanced back at him and greeted him cheerfully while cooking their breakfast. She already took a shower and was wearing a comfortable dress. Since it was Saturday, she planned on checking on her friends to see how they were doing after the incident. Jiro, on the other hand, had a part-time job during the weekend. "I'm still preparing our food, go take a shower first. I already prepared your change of clothes."

Jiro did not respond as he strode drowsily toward her. He then wrapped one arm around her waist from behind and leaned down, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. He released her afterwards and went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Dara smiled giddily while following him with her gaze, a peaceful feeling settling inside her.

A few minutes later, Jiro finally stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hair with the towel draped on his shoulder. He sat at the dining table where Dara was waiting with a big smile on her lips, her eyes focused on his face. She knew it was awkward for him to bring up what happened last night, so she just settled on staring at him. Having a peaceful morning with Jiro was enough to brighten her day. Finally, he realized what she was telling him from the very beginning. It might not be enough and he might doubt himself again, but she was willing to trust him and believe in him.

"What?" he asked in puzzlement.

"Nothing. I'm just happy."

"I bet you're imagining weird things again," he remarked while getting food and putting it on her plate before placing some on his plate.

Dara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Thank you for ruining our moment."

"We have a moment?" he cocked his eyebrows at her, hovering the cup of coffee on his mouth to hide his smirk. He was clearly enjoying bursting her happy bubble, amused with the girl's annoyed face.

Dara glared at him and was about to say something when the sound of a text message from their phones interrupted them. They both read the message and had different reactions upon seeing the photo sent by Picaro and Namee wearing couple shirts with a caption We're fine. How are you guys doing? We hope everyone is all right. Jiro grimaced in disgust while Dara smiled, happy that her friend was okay after the InterSAT incident and was now enjoying her time with her boyfriend.

"Did you receive it too?" she asked.

"The couple picture from hell?" Jiro scowled. "Yeah, I did. Cheng is turning Picaro into a woman."

"They're cute!" Dara countered, still staring at her phone.

"Please don't tell me you're into couple stuff."

"I'm not. But I want a couple picture."

"We already have one already," he argued. "It's in my wallet."

"You mean our pictures when we were kids? That doesn't count! We're not even a couple then and that was taken a long time ago."

"Eat," Jiro shoved a piece of bread in her mouth, shutting her up. Dara creased her eyebrows while chewing the food, her dark gaze directed at the stoic guy.

"You're no fun," she muttered.

"Couple pictures are not fun."

Dara sighed dramatically and stared at him. "Why are you my boyfriend again? Why didn't I end up with Picaro—"

"Taken."

"Or Bonsai..."

"Hates girls."

"Or...Bullet?"

"Flirt. Asshole. Bastard."

"Bullet is sweet," Dara teased, grinning at Jiro to annoy him.

"He acts like that with all the girls especially girls with big—" He paused and dropped his gaze at her chest. Dara crossed her arms in reflex and widened her eyes at him. "I wonder why he got interested in you," he mumbled.

"What are you trying to insinuate?" she shrieked.

"Nothing."

She kicked his foot under the table and snarled at him. "My chest may not be that big but it's not flat either!" she argued, defending the honor of her breasts.

"Okay."

"They're not flat," she mumbled and pouted. "Right?"

"Compared to Picaro's man breasts?" he smirked, his eyes dropping on his plate.

"Let's break up."

"Love you."

"Whatever, Jiro."

***

It was like a nightmare that was forgotten when the sun finally rose. A few days after the attack of the outside gangs, InterSAT was back to the way it was before. It was said that everything had been discussed and instead of pressing charges, the school administration talked to the schools of the members from the outside gangs. The InterSAT gangsters were also reprimanded but all in all, everything had been settled.

"You should've seen it! The three leaders fought at the west gate. It was so cool!"

"Ice Lord beat the shit out of Hawk!"

"I saw Bullet and Stone running at the university garden. Gosh, I can't forget the serious expression on their faces."

"Montecillo is really scary when he's mad."

"His girl was assaulted. That's why he was really furious."

"His girl? Oh, the former Bridge Rose student?"

Dara hid her smile behind her books while she walked along the hallway. The stories about the attack of the outside gangs had not yet died down, and the students were repeatedly recounting how Jiro got extremely furious when he saw her being strangled by Hawk. What made her smile, though, was recalling the story that happened after that – when Jiro finally reached out to her with a new perspective of himself.

She lifted her gaze when she heard the girls squealing, noticing that Jiro and the rest of the Black Dragons just exited their turf and were now walking toward her direction. She slowed down her steps and when they were about to walk past her, she smiled at Jiro, but her smile instantly vanished and turned into a scowl when Jiro just glanced at her with disinterest and continued walking without even acknowledging her existence.

She sighed heavily and marched toward the university garden where Bullet and Namee were waiting. A lot of things changed, but some things remained the same – like the way Jiro ignored and walked past her whenever they ran across each other at the hallway. Grrr...

Dara: You didn't even smile back. Snob!

She sent the text message to Jiro and pocketed her phone before she continued walking. Whatever. Jiro was like that and she should be used to it by now. *Sigh*

"Munchkin!" Bullet's voice slashed through the air as she approached them. She smiled and sat on the ground beside Namee who was hugging her knees, her head hanging low. When she noticed that Bullet was doing some weird hand gestures while pointing at Namee, her eyebrows creased instantly.

"Namee, are you oka-...woah!" Dara jerked back in shock when her friend straightened up and she saw that Namee was wearing very dark lipstick.

"I'm in a dark lipstick mood today."

"What kind of mood is a dark lipstick mood?" Dara asked Bullet who was now leaning lazily against the tree, his arms behind his head.

"The one where she glares at everyone she sees and where her mind is filled with all funky shit that makes her question life in general," he replied. "I am so fucking done with you, women. Not only do you have your periods, you also have this kind of random dark moods that does not follow a monthly schedule."

"Bullet, you are not adorable in my eyes right now. If you say another word..." Namee paused and gave Bullet a pained glare, before tears started streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey! What did I say? That's not fair!" Bullet exclaimed in shock when his friend started sobbing. He let out a long, frustrated groan before pulling Namee toward him, hugging and consoling his friend.

"Namee, what's happening to you? What's the matter?" Dara patted her friend's shoulder in worry but the girl did not respond and continued crying. She just let Bullet calm her as she pulled out her phone when a text message came in.

Jiro: Because it's awkward.

Dara pouted upon reading the message and pocketed her phone, directing her attention to the girl in dark lipstick mood.

"Come on, Namee. Tell us what's bothering you," she said.

"It's just that, I realized we're all growing up and changing and I suddenly thought of what will become of us in a year. Our third year in college is already ending, and soon we're all going to graduate," Namee mumbled, drying her tears with her handkerchief. "It felt like yesterday when I met you, Dara. Then we became close with Bullet and I never imagined I would be friends with the famous Fire 39 leader. And then, I was finally able to be with Picaro. But time flies by so fast. Even Jiro is already graduating—oh my gosh! I'm sorry for mentioning He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"Jiro and I are okay now," she informed them and smiled. Bullet clutched his chest ever so slowly, his lips trembling as if he was going to cry. "Stop your drama, Bullet," she chuckled.

"Back to Namee, please," Namee pointed at herself, still sniffing a bit.

"But you said so yourself, we're growing up," Bullet draped his arm over her shoulder, squeezing her to his side. "It doesn't mean we have to grow apart."

"I agree," Dara said. "And remember, not everything changes. It's up to us to keep the things that we wanted to keep, like the three of us for example. Even if we grow up, I still want to keep my friendship with both of you."

"But no one can tell what lies ahead," Namee mumbled.

"It's not a bad thing, don't you think? It makes life more exciting. And not knowing what our future is means that we have many chances of starting all over again and choosing what we want to become."

"I don't want this to change," Namee admitted, clasping the hands of her friends. "Our third year is ending and we're about to be graduating students next school year, but I want us to be us no matter what changes may come along."

"Okay," Bullet said, squeezing her hand.

"Okay," Dara gave her a reassuring smile. "But please wipe that dark lipstick. It's ridiculous, to be honest."

"Thank you, Dara," Bullet exclaimed. "I swear, I was actually trying to erase it by the power of my mind. Seriously, Namee, throw that dark lipstick away. You look like Ursula from Little Mermaid."

"Exactly how many Disney movies have you watched?" Namee frowned at the guy suspiciously.

"Girls love those sappy movies, so what can I do?"

"Excuses, excuses."

The bell for the next period rang so Dara immediately got up and bade goodbye to the two who still had vacant hours. "I'll see you two later," she said, waving at them before dashing toward the Arts Building.

She was on her way to her classroom when she came across Jiro walking toward her direction with the Black Dragons behind him. She decided not to greet him anymore and just focused her eyes forward since the guy was obviously uncomfortable with smiling. When the two of them was about to walk each other, Jiro slowed down his steps.

"Hello," she heard him say. Dara abruptly stopped and glanced back at the guy in surprise, but Jiro just continued walking as if nothing happened.

A bright smile curved on her lips as she followed him with her gaze. Indeed, just like Namee said, they were all changing. There were a lot of changes in her life, and Jiro was one of them. The two of them fell apart, learned and rose from their own ruins, and now everything was falling into place.

Shortly after, Dara laughed softly while reading the text message from the guy.

Jiro: IT'S FUCKING AWKWARD I'M NOT GONNA DO IT AGAIN.

***

Dara barged inside the Black Dragon's turf looking for Jiro because he had been missing since the other day. She only got one text message from him saying that he was going away to take care of something and then, nada. The guy disappeared. He was not at his house and he was not in school. He didn't even say where he was going and when he was coming back. She couldn't contact him and he was not answering her texts either. She was getting really worried and angry because the day was about to end and it would be the third night that he had gone missing.

Bonsai was the only one left in the turf, sitting lazily on a broken bench by the wall, since the other gang members still had classes. As soon as Dara stepped inside the turf and her eyes zeroed in on him, he already felt the dark force emanating from her. It was too late to run away.

In Tsai family's training manual (under the strict supervision of his dad), the Tsai brothers were conditioned to run away from a.) girls who are about to cry, b.) girls who are angry, c.) girls who have their period. The combination of the three is the worst level because no response or any response is never the correct response. Why are girls so complicated?

"Where is Jiro?" she asked while approaching him.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, and all hell broke lose. Dara's eyebrows connected in anger, huffing furiously as she paced back and forth in front of the little guy.

"I can't believe him!"

Oh no. Here it comes.

"He only sent me one message saying that he's going to take care of something, and then he has suddenly gone missing. ONE MESSAGE, Bonsai! Then, I didn't hear from him anymore!"

Bonsai stared at her like she was going to eat him, eyes wide with horror. He couldn't handle women flipping out in front of him, dear God. Why was she doing this to him? What should he say?

"B-But I really don't know where he is..."

"EXACTLY!"

Bonsai winced a bit at her loud voice. His dad was right! There is no correct response for an angry woman.

"No one knew where he is! No one knew when he's going to be back! Doesn't he know we're going to get worried?"

But I'm not worried, he thought. He was smart enough not to let those words slip or heaven knows, she was going to really fucking lose it.

"AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?" Dara shrieked, making Bonsai jerk back in surprise. He didn't know what else. Hell, he didn't even want to ask. He just wanted to go home and hug his brother Battou and cry on the little kid's shoulder because he had been harassed like this.

"I can't even contact his phone and when I contacted the place where he works, it turns out that he missed his shift and someone even had to cover for him. Gosh! This is driving me insane! Why is he doing this, Bonsai? Why?"

The guy cowered in fear, not knowing what to do. He seriously wanted to turn back time.

"What is going on here?" Picaro entered the turf, catching the attention of the two. Bonsai eyed him like he descended from heaven complete with wings and halo, mouthing the words "save me" as Picaro approached them.

"Jiro has been missing since the other day. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

"No. But he sent me a message that he's just going to take care of something."

"That's what he texted me too, but I wasn't able to contact him after that," she huffed and was about to bombard Picaro with her rants but the guy was quick to beat her to it.

"I know you're worried, Dara. But this isn't helping at all. Trust Jiro. I'm sure he has a good reason why you can't reach him," he explained calmly.

Dara sighed heavily and slumped on the seat beside Bonsai. The guy was quick to scoot away, afraid that another round of ramblings would be detonated with any slight movement.

"You're right," she said. "I'm sorry for throwing this out on you."

Thank heavens for Picaro. Bonsai slowly shifted his gaze at the guy, his eyes full of admiration. How Picaro pacifies girls was beyond him. He should be worshipped.

"It's okay. I'm sure Jiro is fine so stop worrying."

"I hope you're right," Dara said while fumbling with her phone, hoping that a text message or call from him would come.

***

Where are you?

Are you okay?

Jiro, I'm getting mad now.

Please call me.

I'm really worried here, Jiro. Where are you?

Dara threw her phone aside and buried her face on her pillow. It was the third night that Jiro was gone and nobody knew where he was. She was already losing her mind because of worry and had been trying to text and call him, but to no avail.

She got up and headed toward the bathroom, taking a quick shower and wearing a comfortable blouse and skirt afterwards. She needed to go out even if it was the middle of the night or she'd certainly go nuts. Hopefully, Namee or Bullet was still awake to accompany her for a drink.

She was about to text her friends when Jiro suddenly walked inside her room, throwing his bag aside. "I'm back," he said tiredly, removing his jacket before collapsing on the side of the bed, his feet still on the floor. He placed his arm across his eyes and breathed deeply.

Dara looked at him with disbelief, her eyebrows slowly connecting in fury. "Where have you been?" she asked, her voice hiking up.

Jiro removed his arm from his eyes and looked at her. Sighing heavily, he sat up, his hands planted on the bed. "I texted you that I had to take care of something."

"But you didn't tell me where you're going or when you'll be back."

"I forgot my charger at my place and things were hectic."

Dara groaned in frustration as she stood in a near distance. "Jiro, do you realize how worried I was?"

"Sorry. Don't be mad, it's not good for our baby," he said nonchalantly.

"Are you seriously trying to be funny right now?" Dara said. "I was so worried," her voice broke, making Jiro shot to his feet in alarm.

He guided her toward the bed and made her sit at the edge. He sat beside the girl and wrapped his arm around her, pressing her to his side while tilting his head to look at her, his hand gently stroking her upper arm to soothe her. "Ramirez," he mumbled softly.

"I'm fine," she said, angrily wiping the tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. He tried to catch her gaze, but she stubbornly averted her eyes and stared elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and she felt him leaning forward, his warm lips brushing on her cheek. "It won't happen again," he promised and kissed the corner of her lips when she turned her head to look at him. He repeatedly apologized while showering her face with soft kisses, making her heart melt.

"I was really worried," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry."

"And your joke is so lame."

"I know."

"Don't do this again."

"Okay," he said hoarsely as his eyes flicked down on her lips. Instinctively, Dara wet her lips when she saw where he was staring at, her throat becoming dry. He then lifted his eyes and stared at her intensely, his scorching gaze drilling through her, making her body feel hot. What is he doing to her?