As Hanako scooted himself into the girls' bathroom, I stood outside muttering to myself angrily.

Me? Flirting? AS IF!

Why would I flirt with someone the likes of him? Why would I flirt?! I don't have friends, meaning I don't have a significant other as well. I'm Rouge: a single girl, who can kick-ass & survive on her own!

I continued to yell at myself, wanting to stomp & throw a fit like a five-year-old who just got denied candy. I may be freaking sixteen, but my god I throw tantrums when frustrated.

As I collected myself together, trying to get ready to go into the toilet boy's boundary, I smoothed out my kimono. I wiped off the imaginary dust, took a deep breath, & threw the door open.

I was expecting some "grand boundary" seeming he was the most powerful apparition...but it was just a normal school bathroom. Red doors hid the female toilets, & fogged mirrors hung up above leaky sinks. The only thing that really made it unique was the multi-colored glass-paned window, where Hanako was sitting on its ledge.

He raised an eyebrow at me, who made the sudden noise of slamming the door open. I played it off cooly as I let the door close behind me, & stood in front of him.

Crossing my arms again I looked at the ghost boy, "So, why did you bring me back to your boundary? It smells."

Hanako chuckled, "Just the reason why!"

I gave him a perplexed look, & before I knew it, a mop was secured into my hands. I looked down hurriedly at the mop & Hanako.

Before I could open my mouth, he clasped his hands together in glee, "Time for you to clean!"

It stayed quiet for a minute.

"Excuse me?"

Hanako was now sitting back on the ledge, legs crossed, "Well, part of your job as being my assistant is cleaning my boundary. It makes it way cozier for when we meet here, & discuss things."

I snorted, "I'm sorry, no. I maintain my boundary, how bout you keep up yours."

His eyes flicked with amusement, "So you're telling me you cleaned up the dead bodies you caused from your boundary?"

I coughed, "Technically, not in my boundary. It was in the school."

"Still, you didn't clean up your mess."

I felt my irritation getting to me, "So your point is?"

"If you want me to help you & protect you, you need to follow some of my orders. Again, I'm your boss after all..."

In a hushed voice, I heard him murmur, "Since we're not friends."

My heart hurt for a second hearing that, but I act like I completely didn't hear him...just to keep it from being awkward. I shifted the mop in my hands, my kimono sleeves scrunching up a little.

"So how will this help me "condemn" for what I've done?" I asked him, making a weird voice on 'condemn', "Because this just seems like manual labor."

He tipped his hat up, giving a little grin, "Well, you're paying me back in labor for protection. For now, I'm not revoking you of your number, meaning people will remember & continue to spread your rumor & talk about you - so you'll need as much protection as you can from the Minamoto boys."

I snorted, "I've seen one of the Minamoto boys. He's not the smartest cookie in the cookie jar."

Hanako nodded, "Yeah, but that cookie jar is also pretty nutty. So, you still need to be careful. On top of that, I need your help with a few errands."

"Errands?"

"Yep! But for now, I need you to get cleaning!"

I groaned, "I did not die to be resurrected to be a damn cleaning lady. I'm dressed to nice to be doing this job."

Hanako drew closer to me with a snicker, "I mean, I could find you a maid costume if you really wanna look the part~"

Instantly, I took my hand & smacked him upside the head, causing him to fall face-first onto the white tiled floor of the bathroom. He pushed himself up with a pout, causing me to laugh. As he got up, he dusted off his uniform muttering things under his breath. He sat back onto the windowsill, giving me yet again his signature smile.

That damned smile.

& without another word, I sighed beginning my "maid" duties. I mopped the floors till I could probably see my reflection in them. I cleaned the mirrors, that questionably remained foggy no matter how much I wiped them. I sprayed some perfume in the bathrooms to make some very questionable odors dissipate. I plunged & scrubbed the toilets, no matter how much I felt like vomiting into them while doing so.

As it was finally nighttime, I was completely exhausted. I had cleaned Hanako's boundary from head-to-toe, as he sat on his butt staring out the window...& making unnecessary comments, & trying to make small talk.

Putting all the cleaning materials back into the janitor's closet, just next door to the bathroom, hands met my shoulders. They spun me around, causing me to look into excited amber orbs.

"Yes, Seven?" I asked him, as he looked like he was gonna burst with excitement.

He let go of my shoulders, "Rou! Since your done with your duties for today, how bout we do something fun?"

I wanted to groan & protest, complaining about how I wanted seven minutes of peace - until he brought up what he wanted to do together:

"Can we go outside? To your boundary?"

I crossed my arms at him, looking at him from head to toe. This wasn't usually how No. Seven acted...this was, different. He seemed extra friendly & more kid-like. He didn't have a hostile physique with his knife in hand, nor his flirty & ambitious tone.

He looked...genuinely excited, & just plain innocent.

In all honesty, it caught me off guard.

"I-I uh...sure?" I stammered a little, causing a wider grin from him to appear on his face.

"Great!" Hanako exclaimed, "I'll meet you down there?"

Before I could even answer, he was already floating away to the stairs, humming another one of his tunes. I watched him as he disappeared from my sights, confusion still fogging up my brain.

This could not be the same Hanako I've known since I've gotten here, nor the one I've talked to today...could it? Does this just mean No. Seven has a lot more layers than I thought he did?

I could've played with that thought for the rest of the night, but for the first time in a while, I stayed out of my thoughts & decided to follow him shortly after he left. This time, I chose to float down the darkened stairs & halls since my legs were killing me - curse you manual labor. Down the halls, the only light that shone through was the bright moonlight. It created a white-ish & blue-ish color into the school. It was almost as beautiful as it was in the evening.

I continued to admire the beautiful lighting hitting my home just perfectly, as I made my way down to my sakura tree. I arrived there before I even knew it, opening the door to see Hanako standing outside.

The wind whistled lightly, almost like a gentle flute playing in the distance. All the flowers, crops, & plants in the school garden were very visible in the dark night. The only light sources that surrounded me & Hanako were the bright stars & the radiating moon. My sakura tree was dark, & seemed to almost be welting during this time. But it looked so peaceful, almost as when it's sleeping it's dark, & when it's awake it's bright.

It made me feel some sort of joy in a way, but I could never explain how or why.

I looked at Hanako, who stared up at the sky. I looked up to see what he was staring at, but all I could see was stars scattered amongst the endless sky. I never could imagine what was past those stars, nor truly what those stars were.

A girl could've dreamed.

I walked closer to Seven, not even having him notice me. I looked at his face, which seemed to have a small smile attached to it. He seemed happy & at home, giving me a warm feeling. A feeling I hadn't felt even when I was alive.

I tapped on his shoulder, causing him to stop for a minute to look at me, "Rou! You finally came down."

I slightly rolled my eyes, "Yeah yeah...so, what'd you want to do in my boundary?"

He looked between me & the sakura tree. Seven began to rub the back of his neck, as he plastered his eyes to the ground. Was he...being shy? No way, Seven was never shy. He's a cocky & bold apparition, there's no way.

"Rouge? Could I ask for a weird favor?" Hanako asked, almost reaching a whisper.