I don't know what just happened, thankfully it is fixed now. Stupid WORD!

Last time...

"Please go out with me, Miss. Tsukamoto"

Tenma was a basket of mixed emotions. Joy was foremost, as her dreams of dating Karasuma became less fantasy and more possibility. However just as acceptance was about to leave her lips - she hesitated, and a wave of paralyzing doubt came crashing down.

Karasuma deserves better than a short, flat chested…

Tenma looked down and closed her eyes as she felt the thoughts circle in her mind, growing stronger with each repetition.

He is so cool, and you are so boring…

Tenma sobbed and grabbed fistfuls of her hair – but was stopped as two gentle hands captured hers and drew them back to her sides.

Placing two fingers on her chin, Karasuma gently brought Tenma's face up, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"You are worthy,"

He whispered confidently,

"I would have no other,"

With each phrase, his strength flowed into her and chased the negative thoughts away.

"You are beautiful to me,"

Tenma blushed and began sobbing anew as his gentle words touched her heart. Nodding her head up and down, she closed her eyes and let the tears flow freely and shouted,

"Yes!"

Karasuma smiled as his new girlfriend clung to his waist, all thoughts of her parent's return and the implications thereof chased from her mind. Placing a hand on her head, Karasuma smoothed her hair back and cupped her neck, drawing her closer. Tenma made a high pitched sound of shock but quickly relaxed, her body melting against Karasuma's in a way that made the taller boy want to groan aloud.

Taking a deep breath of her scent, Karasuma gently pushed Tenma back and placed hands on her shoulders.

"Introduce us."

He said, searching her eyes and finding only confusion.

"We will convince your parents to stay."

Tenma blissfully floated through the halls and into the classroom marked 2C, unaware of a certain delinquent watching her every move.

Harima leaned his chin on his hand and stared at the petite girl a few desks away. The slender line of her neck drew his eye as she tilted her head in puzzlement at the problem before her. Looking up, she smiled at a classmate's comment and the sheer goodness of her made Harima sigh with longing.

The rugged young man's dreamy expression conflicted with his appearance, causing at least one other student in the class to take notice…

If only she wasn't so dense! It was practically criminal how easily she brushed off his fumbling attempts to confess. Why - if a girl showed as much obvious interest in him as Harima did in Tenma … He paused and shook his head at the ridiculousness of that thought. There were no girls in 2C interested in him in that way.

A few desks away, Eri felt a strange twinge of annoyance.

Much to Harima's dismay, Karasuma had woken up from his usual stupor and now wouldn't stop staring at him. Harima frowned and tried to block it out, focusing on Tenma's beauty and grace.

It didn't work. The weight of Karasuma's gaze burdened Harima until he could no longer take it. Standing up, he slammed his hands on his desk and shouted,

"Stop staring at me!"

All eyes pivoted to his direction, and a hush filled the room. Despite everything they knew about Harima, much of the class was still afraid of him – having heard rumors of gang affiliation.

Tenma fretted, still unsure of her relationship with Karasuma and not wanting to break any unknown 'girlfriend rules'.

Akira smiled and prepared for the show that was about to take place.

Eri ground her teeth together and prayed that this time Karasuma would take the bait.

Sparing a gentle look for his girlfriend, Karasuma calmly stood from his desk and confronted Harima.

"Miss Tskamoto has agreed to be my girlfriend."

Harima gaped and darted his eyes to Tenma, who blushed and looked away.

"No! You… you must have tricked her!"

Harima said, gaining confidence with each word. His resolve to save his angel from the evil kappa solidified in his mind, and he took a step to the side, placing himself in front of Tenma.

Karasuma looked around Harima at the now flustered Tenma and stretched out his hand in invitation, a question in his eyes. As was his way, Karasuma did not set any one path in motion, butopened the ways for others to act. Had Tenma not taken that moment to skip past a befuddled Harima and press herself against him, another path would have been chosen. Still, a voice deep within Karasuma noted, this path was most enjoyable.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, the quiet boy tucked Tenma closer to him and looked into his rival's eyes defiantly.

Harima's expression was one of utter shock. His wonderful Tenma had walked right into the arms of the enemy! Desperately rationalizing this behavior, he came to the conclusion that she was brainwashed.

Only a few feet away, Eri groaned in frustration. Having witnessed Harima's unreasonable behavior before, she recognized the stupid look on his face and knew it meant trouble.

"UGH! Don't you get it?!"

All eyes turned to Eri as she fumed,

"Tenma LOVES Karasuma! And Karasuma LOVES HER BACK! There is NO place for you … in her heart…"

She softened her voice at the last, regretting her outburst as Harima's eyes filled with despair.

"No… it can't…!"

Harima sprinted from the classroom, shoving students aside in his haste to escape.

Eri grabbed onto him and was unceremoniously dragged away, hanging on for dear life.

Tenma watched her friends leave and felt sadness settle around her. Although she didn't fully understand what was going on, it was clear that Harima was upset and that she was somehow the cause of it. Looking up into Karasuma's face she started to ask a question but faltered as his eyes met hers.

The expression on his face was so tender and open that all thoughts of going after Harima fled her mind, and Tenma found herself falling under his spell.

Suddenly aware that Tenma was staring into his eyes, Karasuma shuttered his expression and looked away. Detaching her from his side, he quietly took his seat and continued his usual routine ofstaring out the window.

Only somewhat dejected, Tenma looked around and saw that all eyes were on her. Blushing violently, she quickly took her seat.

Itoko-sensei took that moment to enter the classroom and raised an eyebrow at the strange atmosphere.

Walking beside her new boyfriend, Tenma darted her eyes at his hand and tried to work up the courage to take it.

Take a step sideways; she carefully matched the gentle swinging of his arm and reached out ever so slowly. Just as the backs of their hands touched, Karasuma's mouth twitched in a grin and he enfolded Tenma's small palm into his own.

"Um… Karasuma-san…"

Karasuma tightened his grip and inwardly grinned as her blush increased.

"So, I was wondering…Can you read minds?"

"No."

Karasuma replied quietly,

"Your heart shines through your eyes."

"Tenma blinked, imagining Karasuma seeing a bloody beating heart in her eyes and wondering if that was somehow what made him so observant.

"No, your emotions. You are an open book to me."

Tenma frowned, seeing Karasuma reading a book with her face as the cover, a picture of a beating heart on the open page.

Chuckling slightly, Karasuma stopped and waited for Tenma to turn and face him.

Pulling her closer, he pressed their foreheads together for a second before pulling back and looking into her eyes.

"Your expression tells me what you are thinking."

"Tenma nodded in understanding, blushing at the closeness of his face to her own.

"Can I… can you teach me how? To be a 'closed book'? Like you?"

Tenma asked, looking up at him beseechingly.

Karasuma leaned down and pressed the gentlest of kisses to her cheek, whispering,

"I love you just the way you are."