First and foremost, if this story seems familiar, that's because it may very well be. I posted the first chapter of this on my other account, over a year ago (the one I was using when I didn't have access to this one). Now I'm trying to transfer all of those stories to this account so things are a little more convenient.

For those of you following me as an author and were hoping this was an update to one of my other stories, sorry. I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately, but I've been having fun writing chapters for this story. Hopefully that will rub off on my other stories as time goes by.

Anyway, please enjoy.

All Encompassing Story Disclaimer: I don't own Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.

Gold Fibre

Sleep Problems

...

To quote Ernest Hemingway, "I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"

Indeed, when I'm asleep, I don't need to worry about anything. I don't need to be aware of my surroundings, because I'm unconscious. I don't need to pay attention to anything, because my subconscious mind pays attention to whatever the hell it wants to. I don't need to feel anything.

But, I do feel you, Ernest; I feel you. Or do you prefer Mr. Hemingway?

Regardless, I just had to remember you, didn't I?

"Dammit..."

It happens from time to time; no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to fall asleep. Although, for the past year or so, it hasn't been happening all that often. I let out a long, annoyed sigh after looking at my alarm clock. It read: 1:37 AM.

Even though I usually stay up until at least eleven, anything past one in the morning is just too much for me to handle. I like my sleep, after all. Deciding I've done enough tossing and turning for one night, I sit up, sighing once again. Forcing myself out of bed, I walk downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. The stairs seemed to have a grudge against me, though, as every step I took, a loud creak would accompany it under my weight. Eventually, I managed to make my way down to the front door.

Slipping on a pair of shoes, I open the door and make my way to the street. On these rare occasions where I just can't seem to fall asleep, a quick walk around the neighborhood tends to do the trick.

Walking along, I close my eyes for a few seconds, taking in the sounds and smells of the very early morning. Not much was going on, of course, but there was an occasional car that passed by and a few stray cats here and there. Other than that, it was a ghost town.

My neighborhood was usually pretty quiet, though. I can't even remember the last time I heard about a crime happening in the area. The night here is always peaceful. There are no night clubs to cause an uproar, and no college kids to throw parties. The night in this neighborhood holds nothing but peace and quiet.

As I passed a small bridge at the very edge of my neighborhood, I saw someone I never would have imagined seeing. However, not wanting to deal with her at the moment, I continued on as if I never saw her. I need to be calm if I ever want to fall asleep tonight, right? And dealing with her of all people would just make it more difficult for me to experience the sweet embrace of my pillow.

"Hey, Hikio?"

Gah... Is it so wrong to want to walk around the neighborhood in the middle of the night without any disturbances? Why didn't I turn right at the last street? Allowing myself a moment to sigh, I turn around and face her.

"O-Oh, Miura. Good morning."

Turning back around, I attempt to scurry away before she decided to strike up a conversation. Wait, scurry? What am I, a cockroach?

Before I could even continue that thought, or more importantly, continue my scurrying, she spoke up again.

"Were you seriously gonna just walk right by me!? What's up with that?" she said in obvious annoyance.

If it were last year, I'd still be scared of this woman. Being a third year now, my fear of her subsided quite a bit. Soon enough, high school would be a thing of the past. That being said, she can still be overwhelming from time to time, but I've gotten rather used to her since this year. After all, in my current class, Miura and I are the only ones from our previous year. Oh, wait. Ooka and Yamato were in our class, too. I keep forgetting they even exist.

How pitiable; even someone as forgettable as me forgot about those two.

Even though I still wasn't comfortable talking to her, it was early in the morning and I wanted at least a few hours of sleep tonight, so I really wasn't in the mood. In fact, I might just be too irritable to even care about her ferocity.

"Huh? What else was I supposed to do?" I said with annoyance lacing my own voice.

"You could've at least said hello or something, you know?" she said, irritation evident on her moonlit face.

"Why would I do that? We're not that close, and we hardly ever speak."

"W-Well, this is a weird situation, right? I mean, how often do you see a classmate on the street at two in the morning?" she said in a hurry. Maybe my statement caught her off guard?

"Hmm... Well I guess you have a point. At the same time, though, normally if I randomly greet someone on the street, I get called a creep." Maybe it's because of my lack of sleep, but I just couldn't help but make that last comment.

"That's not... well."

Hah! It seems you understand that much, at least.

"I think it's different in these circumstances," she said in a rather timid voice that was very uncharacteristic for her. I wonder if she's more tired than she's letting on.

"Maybe, but if you were me, I bet you would have done the same thing." Why would I go out of my way to greet someone who barely acknowledges my existence?

Miura was quiet for a moment before changing topics. "Anyway, what are you doing up this late?"

"I could ask you the same thing. It's dangerous for a young woman like yourself to be walking around this late." Seriously, it's dangerous! Shouldn't you have a little more common sense, Miura?

"Huh? But I live right there," she said, turning and pointing to a house close by. Wait, for real? Who would have ever thought that the Queen of Fire lives so close to me?

"S-Still, it's not safe..." Even if she does live a stones throw away, it's still dangerous for someone as attractive as her to be out at this hour. Just because crime doesn't happen often in this area, that doesn't mean there aren't people who are capable of it around here.

"Whatever," she mumbled, "Now, answer my question."

That fierce glare. That fiery tone. That annoyed expression.

That's the Miura Yumiko I know.

"I couldn't sleep. Walking around helps," I said. A simple answer is all she needed from me.

After saying that, her glare seemed to lose a bit of its intensity. Only a bit, though. After a few more seconds, she turned her attention to the small stream flowing beneath the bridge.

"Same with me," she said in almost a whisper, "When I can't sleep or when I'm upset, I come here at night. It's calming."

Whoa! Hold on, Miura! Don't start reminiscing about some old memory while I'm around. That could be rather dangerous for my poor little heart.

"Ah, is that so."

After a few moments of silence, I started to turn around. "Well, try and get some sleep," I said as I began walking away.

"Goodnight, Hikio."

I didn't turn around, but I could almost hear the reluctance in her voice. Does it really take that much effort to say goodnight to me?

"Goodnight," I offered, raising my hand in a wave. Haah... I guess that walk wasn't too helpful after all.

Trying to clear my head on the way back to my house, I couldn't help but feel that Miura seemed a bit lonely. True, she wasn't with anyone from our previous class, except for the two virgins and myself. But, she still saw her friends almost every day. Most days between classes, Ebina and Yuigahama would swing by the classroom. They'd usually give me a quick greeting before going to talk to Miura. She seemed happy enough, so why did she look so lonely at the same time? Hayama?

No, that can't be it. He comes by the classroom a few times a week to talk to Ooka, Yamato, and Miura. Also, once in a while, she would go to his classroom to talk between breaks. From what Yuigahama tells me during club, Miura's clique still hangs out on a pretty regular basis outside of school. So, what the hell are you so lonely for? You have no right compared to someone like me!

"I guess I'll ask Yuigahama tomorrow..." I mumble to myself as I open the front door to my house.

...

...

...

Once I got to school, I grabbed a can of MAX and made my way to the classroom at a lazy pace. However, Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to have other plans for me. Did I break a comb this morning and forget about it?

"Hikigaya!" she said, rushing over to me. H-Hey, don't do something like that! The police will get involved if the other students start to suspect something indecent is going on between us, you know!

"Come with me," she said with a bright smile, grabbing my arm. Oww! Let go of my arm if you're gonna use that vise grip.

"Oi, Sensei!?" I tried to get her attention, but I got the impression she was purposely ignoring me. Giving in to my fate, I allow her to drag me to wherever she's planning on murde... I mean, taking me.

Rounding a corner, she pulls me into an unused classroom. You know, Sensei, if I were a lesser mortal, I'd definitely be expecting something here. Thinking this, I glanced at her sizable chest, trying to ignore the warm feeling on my cheeks. Luckily for me, the lights were off, so I doubt she had noticed.

"Guess what?" she said with a bit too much excitement in her voice.

Not really understanding what was going on, I just said the first thing that came to mind. "Um, you got yourself a boyfriend?"

"Yes!" she almost yelled. Jeez, woman. At least try to hide how desperate you are for a love life. "Well, we're just going on a date, but I'm getting a really good feeling about him. He could be the one, Hikigaya!" she said with a shy yet hopeful expression.

Cute...

I know I've said this before, but if we were closer in age, I would have fallen for you. Hard.

"Good for you."

"Huh? That's it?" she said in mild confusion.

"What should I be saying?" I said, maybe letting a little of my irritation flow into my tone. Being the rational person that I am, I just can't seem to figure out why this woman, my Sensei, would be this excited to tell me, her student, that she's going on a date.

"No, it's just... I was expecting you to make one of your stupid cynical comments or something."

"Ah, sorry for letting you down, Sensei. I'm feeling a bit tired today."

Wait, if you were expecting something like that, then why did you go out of your way to drag me here?

Sensei... Are you really a masochist?

As I was thinking this, Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to be contemplating my words. When her eyes focused once again, she smiled and turned to the classroom's entrance.

"Anyway, school already started, so lets get you to your class," she said, opening the door. As we walked to my classroom, I noticed a light 'pop' in her step. Just how hard did you fall for this guy, Sensei?

"Why did you tell me?" I said, letting the question that had been nagging my mind escape.

"Huh? I'm allowed to talk to whoever I want." To be honest, that sounded like something a little kid would say.

"That's not what I mean, Sensei. Why did you go out of your way to tell me this morning?"

"Hmm... I wonder," she mumbled with a mischievous grin. Oi, what the hell!? Don't involve me in whatever it is you're plotting! I already have to deal with Isshiki's scheming; I don't need to worry about you on top of that. My Kohai can be a bit too much sometimes.

"How about you, Hikigaya. Have anyone you're interested in?"

Without a seconds thought, I answered, "No. Not at all."

"That so? Well, that's just too bad," she said, a slight knowing smile on her face. What do you know, Sensei? What do you know!?

Just as I was about to say something in response, we arrived at my classroom. Sighing, I opened the door. Class had been started for almost fifteen minutes at this point. Everyone was staring at me.

"Why are you so late?" the Sensei asked. What, you can't even call me by my name? You can't not know what my name is. You grade my papers, after all!

"Sorry. I had some business with him."

"Ah, Hiratsuka-sensei. Very well," the middle aged man said with a bit of annoyance on his face (directed at me, of course). "Take your seat."

I offered him a slight bow and glanced back at Hiratsuka-sensei. With a wink, she smiled at me and closed the door.

Walking to my seat, I scanned the classroom; no one was paying me attention any longer. Just as that thought finished, I made eye contact with Miura. As soon as her gaze registered with me, she turned away with what seemed like a 'hmph'.

Well, sorry for disturbing your studies. Not that you were paying attention to the lesson anyway.

Sitting down, I brought out my study materials and proceeded to stare at the chalkboard. Allowing my mind to wander, as I usually do during math class, I start thinking about what Hiratsuka-sensei might be scheming.

Hold up! Maybe this is why my math grades are so poor...

Breaking a comb is a Japanese superstition for a bad omen.

...

Thanks for reading, everyone! Even though this is just a re-post, I did add a few things. Let me know if you found any grammar or spelling mistakes (shoot me a PM).

I already have the second chapter finished; I'm just polishing it a bit. I'm going to try for a chapter a week, but if I don't make the deadline, please don't hate me!

Again, thanks for reading!

...

-Mystiirious