Chapter 9

"I-I can explain. I was just buying Pepsi when suddenly he just pops out of nowhere. He's always like that. Now, how about you lower down that baseball bat and we'll talk this out."

Kaori tried acting as composed as she could, but inside she's panicking like a baby rabbit getting chased by a stray dog. It was HORRIBLE.

"Oi, teme. It's not just what happened a while ago. You've always been with him, and we could practically see you trying REALLY hard to get his attention. Don't ever think that you could get away with him in front of us!" the other girls started to make noises, saying something about Kaori stealing Takashi and all.

All of them looked sharply at Kaori.

"President, you can come out now. How should we deal with her?" one of the girls shouted at a dark corner.

A shadow appeared from the darkness, after bit by bit, it revealed to be someone that Kaori knows very much of.

"...!!" Kaori's expression changed. Her feelings changed from being panicked to the bone to utter shock.

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"Hey, Takashi, where're you going? You still got work to do!" Izuma spoke to Takashi.

"I'll be back. I have bad feeling..." he said his thoughts out loud.

"Huhh? Bad feeling? About what? WAIT! COME BACK HERE!"

Takashi dashed through the hallways as fast as he could. He knew something wasn't right at that moment. Something...involved someone that he really cares about.

Kaori's voice...and Mei's too...I better hurry...


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"...MEI-SAN?! You're the President of the fanclub??" her mouth then gapped.

"Hai, Kubayashi-san. I'm sorry for doing this. It's just that, we all have a common interest: We love Takashi-kun. And you're actions proved to be a burden for us. You're getting TOO close with Takashi-kun, and it seemed like you're ignoring our warning back then." Mei revealed her true nature to Kaori.

"Mei-san...so all this time, you're pretending to be quiet and lonely in front of others, when in fact...you're a very CRUEL person inside." Kaori replied, ignoring the glares of the girls surrounding her.

"Correct, Kubayashi-san. Only this club knew about my other side. I've made you my nemesis for a long time. You're always with him. Everybody knows that you LIKE Takashi-kun."

"W-What?! Just because we're close, that doesn't mean that-" Kaori's were cut short. One of the girls when into rage and slapped her.

"Enough! President, let's just beat her!" others shouted. Mei-san nodded of approval.

"WAIT!!"

Before they even get the chance to touch Kaori, a mysterious person suddenly came and covered Kaori from the hoards of angry fangirls.

"H-Hey! Move it! Who are you?!" the girl with the baseball bat said angrily.

Ta-Takashi! Baka! What are doing here?!

"*Turns back* Do you really want to hit her that bad, Sizuka-san?"

"....!! Takasahi-kun!!" all of them said instantaneously. "I-I'm sorry!! It-it was the President's idea to kidnap Kubayashi-san here!" Sizuka stuttered.

"...Well, President. Say something...Mei-san." Takashi moved his eyes to Mei's.

"I-I'm a victim here, Ta-Takashi-kun! I'm not even involved in this-" One hand landed squarely on Mei's face. Mei fell down, the blow proved too much for her to bear.

"Mei, that's enough. I'm going home. Just leave me alone." Kaori lowered her head. Then, she went to the school gate and grabbed her bag, proceeding to go home.

"H-Hey, Kaori! I need to talk to you!" Takashi yelled at her.

Ignore...ignore...ignore...Just ignore him...What time is it now...5 pm?!? I'll think go to the riverbank instead...I need to cool off...

Chapter 8

Just rest, honey. I already told Takashi-kun to tell your sensei about your fever." Kaori's mother spoke softly to her.

"T-Takashi? O-okay..." her face suddenly sweat-dropped after hearing his name.

I can't believe that all of this is happening right NOW...

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*Flashback*

"Takashi-kun, thank you for taking care of her. This kid does nothing but troubles you!" Kaori's mother let out a long sigh.

"Not at all, Subari-san. I'm just glad that it's nothing serious." Takashi smiled, while looking at Kaori who's sleeping soundly at the back of the car.

"Sayonara, Takashi-kun. Take care." her mother smiled.

After they arrived home, Kaori lied on the couch while pulling out a fuzzy blanket to cover her cold, weak body.

"Okasan, can you please get me the remote...I'm too tired to move..." her mother grunted at her, saying something about being irresponsible, to which she responded with a short sigh.

There's nothing interesting right now...might as well watch MTV...

"Tell me your secrets...and ask me your questions...

oh let's go back to the start..."

This song...I remembered this...Takashi introduced this song to me when we're in middle school...

"Nobody said it was easy...

Oh it's such a shame for us to part...

Nobody said it was easy...

No one ever said it would be so hard...

I'm going back to the start..."

She remembered about what happened in the nurse's room. Without holding back, little beads of tears started to fall silently on her cheeks.

*End of flashback*

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Kaori sat silently on her seat, her eyes were focused on the scribble that was in front of her.

"Stay away from Takashi Mayama! Or else, you'll regret coming to this school in the first place! This is a WARNING!"

Great...I'm the victim...stupid fangirls...so, that means I'll be dead if I even look at Takashi?...

"Alright, class. Let's start..." their sensei entered their classroom.

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"Ri-chan, sorry, I can't stay back today. I have to go and help my mom at her bakery shop today." Kasumi pouted at her best friend.

"Ah, sou ka...It's okay. I'll just stay here by myself. Just go, daijoubu." Kaori smiled, albeit being a bit frustrated.

"Okay. See you again, Ri-chan!" she waved goodbye.

Ahh, I'm all alone now...better get something to drink first before I start cleaning the classroom by MYSELF...Mi-chan, why did you have to go...sob sob...

She walked to vending machine, hoping to get a nice, cold can of Pepsi to quench her thirst.

"Feeling better, already?"

"T-T-Takashi!" Kaori almost sprayed out the Pepsi that she was drinking.

This is bad...THIS IS BAD...There's a Takashi fangirl at the corner, and another one near the stairs...I hope they didn't saw me...time to escape!

"I-I gotta go! Yes, that's right! See you!" Kaori went back to her class and picked up her backpack, trying to ran away from Takashi as far as she could.

The school gate...almost there...take a deep breath, Kaori...just breathe...

A group of girls started to block the gate, with one holding a baseball bat in her hands.

"Let's go to the back of the school building, shall we, Kubayashi-san." all of them grinned hard.

Chapter 7

"Onii-chan, you just missed your favourite TV show. That's just weird. Usually you won't miss it for the world..." Ayumi voiced out her thoughts loudly.

"Ooh, yeah...I remembered. It was a rerun tonight, so no biggie." Takashi replied.

"...How's Kaori-san, Onii-chan~" Ayumi snickered. "You've been pretty much close to her lately...or am I wrong, Onii-chan?..."

"Stop making rumours. Don't spread them at school. Now go to sleep, chibi." Takashi stuck his tongue out to his little sister, which attended the same school as him and Kaori.

Sigh...I can't let Ayumi know about this...never mind about that...now that Kaori knew about Mei and I...I wonder how she felt about it...

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Ooh, my head...it feels like it's going to explode any moment now...GREAT...

"Eh? Ri-chan? You came to school earlier than me! That's odd...did you sleep last night? Are you sick?" Kasumi gave her a surprising expression.

"First, no. Second, yes. But I'm fine, I just got a little headache, that's all." Kaori replied, trying her best to reassure her best friend that's she okay.

"Okay...here's some pills if you're feeling worse later on. I always keep them in my bag in case I get sick."

"Thanks, Mi-chan."

Ahh...Mei-san...she came today...the boys looked worried as hell, just as I thought.

"Alright class. Grab your tracksuits and meet me in the indoor basketball court. Get moving." their P.E. sensei yelled at them.

"Hai."

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"Are you sure about this, Ri-chan? You're sick, you should just sit down and relax. I'll go tell sensei-"

"No, Mi-chan. I'm fine, see? I'm feeling better already." Kaori lied to her friend, as the reason why she didn't want to relax was because she doesn't want to sit with Mei. Mei didn't joined them that morning.

"Okay! We're gonna play dodgeball! Class 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3, divide into Team 1, 2 and 3. You got 5 minutes." her sensei then blow out the whistle that was in his pocket.

OOOH BOY...of all the games in the world...it has to be dodgeball today...I'm SERIOUSLY in trouble now...

"*whistle* Time's up! Alright! Team 1 versus Team 2! Now, ready, set, GO!" her sensei whistled some more.

Kaori's head became worse as she swayed back and forth, left and right trying to avoid the ball that was coming from the other team. Takashi was one of the members of Team 1.

She looks pale...Definitely pale...Is she sick?

Kaori continued dodging balls, until, when one ball which came from nowhere, struck hard at her head. She wobbled, then fell onto the cold, hard floor. Takashi was surprised.

"Sensei! Kaori passed out!" one of the students shouted.

"Don't worry, sensei. I'll send her to the nurse's room." Takashi then lifted Kaori, holding her in a princess position which caused quite a stir in the basketball court. Kaori was still unconscious. Takashi could practically hear his fangirls screaming 'NO! NO!' when he lifted her.

Damn...why did it have to happen in front of everybody...especially the fangirls! Kaori, you idiot...you shouldn't be playing in the first place...

_______________________________________________________________

Wha...what...what happened...OOH MY HEAD...it hurts...

"...It hurts..." Kaori mumbled by herself, not knowing that Takashi was beside her at that time.

"Shhh...just rest...just sleep, Kaori. You'll be alright..." he put his hand on her eyes, closing it to prevent Kaori from waking up.

Then, warm tears started pouring from her violet eyes. She cried and cried, while holding the hand that was closing those very eyes.

"...Ta-Takashi...you...baka..."

"Just let it all out, Kaori. Don't worry, I'll stay by your side no matter what."

And those words were what Kaori just wanted to hear at that tender moment.

Chapter 6

''Mei-san? Why?" Takashi was puzzled.

"She didn't come to school today...As his girlfriend, I though you should-" Kaori's words were cut short.

"...I lied. Meet me at the playground this night, 8 pm. NO BUTS."

"Hey! Wait! Takashi!" Kaori chased him, but the athletic star proved too much for her. His other nickname is 'Inazuma' which is lightning. And he IS fast, mind you.

This guy is SERIOUSLY troublesome sometimes...Well, 8 pm tonight, huhh...It's already 6 pm, now...Better get going.

After dinner, she prepared herself to go out. "Okasan, I'll be out for a while."

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DAMN YOU TAKASHI. It's already 8.30 pm. If he's late ONE more minute then I'll chop his hea-...

"Gomen. I was eating, then Ayumi told me something about swings. After that, THEN I suddenly remembered about you. Hahaha-Ugghh!" Kaori let out a fatal punch right to his face.

"BAKA. I'M GOING HOME." As Kaori was preparing to leave, he grabbed her arm and whispered to her ear.

"Are you sure? It's about Mei-san...aren't you interested?..." he said with a husky voice that made her spine shivered.

"Wh-What's with that voice!" she yelled at him.

"Fine. Let's go to the swings."

Takashi...you are so going to pay for wasting my time...


"Actually, I don't know how to start. Alright. Mei-san likes me since our first year in high school."

"...WHAT?? She's pretty much quiet in school...a lot of guys like her...everyday I keep seeing juniors and senpais giving her love letters. I didn't know that she actually likes you..." Kaori's voice suddenly disappeared as she swings back and forth.

"...Somebody sounds a bit jealous. Hehehe-Aufff!" Kaori slapped his head as hard as she could.

"I'm just saying, why did she like you? Just spill it out, Takashi."

"Well...I helped her once. Some thief stole her purse one day. It was by chance that she was shouting for help and I recognized her voice. I managed to catch that thief, and she thanked me for that. We went out that night, and when I sent her home, she...well..." Takashi lowered his head.

"She??"

"...She tried to kiss me. But I avoided it, so she kissed my cheek instead. From that day on, I noticed that she still doesn't get over me. I told her I already like somebody else, and one day, she asked me if the girl that she's pointing at is the one that I like. I nodded."

"......."

"H-Hey, say something, will you?..." Takashi looked at Kaori, noticing that she looked a bit different from before.

"S-So, who's the g-girl? Who do you like?" Kaori's heart began to race.

"...I'm sorry. I'll tell you when the time comes..."

"Y-You can't even tell you best friend, Takashi?...Ahh, gomen... I got too carried away. It's okay, I understand. I'll wait for your answer." she smiled, albeit being a bit sad inside. "You know what, Takashi? It's good that you actually like someone. I thought that you were a homo back then. Hahaha..."

"Yeah...Hahaha...It's late now. Thanks for hearing, Kaori. I'll send you home. Don't want anything to trouble you this late at night. Hurry up."

"Ha-Hai..." Kaori stood up with Takashi and they walked back home together.

"Ahh, it's starting to rain again... It's quite cold out here..." Kaori sighed.

Takashi then removed his hoodie and put it on Kaori's shoulders. "Here. Don't say a word. Hurry before it gets wetter."

"Ehh! You don't have to...Thanks..." Kaori smiled and hugged his hoodie comfortably.

When they arrived at Kaori's house, Takashi then suddenly leaned forward to say something. Her heart just can't seem to take it anymore.

"...Wash my hoodie. I'll just borrow your umbrella tonight. Night. I'm sure you expected something right-"

Takashi managed to dodge her vicious attack.

"Hehh...Night, Kaori." he grinned.

"B-Bakashi! Return my umbrella tomorrow!" she quickly shut the door to prevent him from seeing her fragile face.

Before going to bed, she thought about a certain someone. A person with dark brown hair, jet black eyes and likes to smile all the time.

Takashi...who do you like? Why did I feel sad when he said that...Mei-san...I can't believed you've kissed Takashi...I'm seriously going to have a headache now...

Chapter 5

God...who the hell hired the gardener at this school...right, it's the Principal, who else...this garden is a TERRIBLE mess...

Kaori watched the garden in front of her. She still remembered how beautiful it was when she first entered high school. But now...that's all history.

"This will take FOREVER to weed out the whole garden. Just think of the flowers, Kaori. Just think of the flowers..." she muttered by herself.

"Want me to lend a hand? You sure like to talk to yourself a lot. It must be really lonely."

She turned her head to see Takashi sitting beside her, starting to pull out the weeds from the flower beds.

"T-Thanks. You're really useful at times like this. Looks like you're not just eye candy, after all-" Kaori then closed her mouth, preventing herself from talking about Takashi's appearance.

"So...you DO admit that I'm good-looking. How about charming, smart and hardworking? I'm one of those too, you know. Well, according to my fanclub here." Takashi chuckled. Kaori's face turned red from embarrassment.

"Shu-Shut up, Bakashi. You're ugly and disgusting. Just WEED." Kaori mumbled.

After an hour, the garden returned to its former glory. No more weeds and tall grasses, just beautiful flowers of all kinds and colours swaying back and forth from the strong winds that were blowing.

"It's beautiful..." Kaori gazed at the wonderful sight in front of her.

"Good thing I know something about gardening. You almost destroy those dandelions. And those carnations too."

"Y-Yeah...I guess...Hey, thanks for your help...I mean it." she smiled, her face full of gleam that only Takashi can see it at that time.

"B-Baka...stop making that face. It's not you at all." This time, Takashi's the one who's face was flushed.


His face is red...That's the first time I've seen Takashi like this...Why is he shy all of a sudden?...

"Eh, you're embarrassed, Mr. Hotshot? Hahaha. By the way, how's the so-called fanclub of yours? You MUST be the President."

"Honestly, they're driving me nuts. Everytime they see me walking down the hall, they'll squeal and chase me until I find a good place to hide. Usually it's the men's bathroom. It's hard being popular AND handsome at the same time."

"Whatever, Takashi. Hey, it's been a long time since we've talked like this, right?..."

"Yeah...a LONG time, I guess..." They both laughed heartily together. Then, after the strong winds blew continuously, rain started to fall down.

"I guess today's my lucky day...my favourite view and my favourite weather came to me before my eyes..."

Kaori went silent, then she touched the rain with her pale, bare hands. She wished the rain would never stop, but then, all pleasant things must come to an end eventually.

"Takashi...I want to ask you about Mei."

Chapter 4

"Just rest, okay? It's about time Reido shows you what he really is." Kaori spoked, angry about what happened to her best friend.

"...Gomen, Ri-chan. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye..." Kasumi gave her friend a warm hug before going inside her house.

Boys...they can be SO mean and a pain in the butt sometimes...just like Takashi...Arghh! I seriously have to stop saying his name over and over again...

After taking a shower, she then rummaged her backpack to do her homework. A LOT of homework.

"Okay, Maths: check. English: check. All there's left is dreadful Physics...What?!? It's already 12 am..." She sighed.

Calm down...calm down...Just one more and THEN you can hug Mr. Turtle and sleep soundly...

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"Kaori! Wake up! KAORI!" her mother shouted as loud as she could.

"Zzz...Ah, what time is it...7.45?!?! Damn, I forgot to set the alarm clock!"

Kaori hastily went to the bathroom, setting a new world record of brushing her teeth and washing her face as fast as lightning. She didn't even bother taking a shower that morning. All she cared was going to school before Hitomi-sensei punish the usual late students.

"Honey, breakf-" Kaori snapped the buttered toast out of her mother's hand.

"LATE. GOT TO MOVE. LOVE YOU." And 3 short sentences was all she need to say her farewell to her mother.

5 minutes left...5 minutes left...I HAVE TO RUN FASTER!!...

Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn't on her side that day.

Oh no...not again...Takashi too...

"Ahh, just like the usual. Kubayashi-san...and Mayama-kun. Now, what are you waiting for? Mayama-kun, 25 push-ups and Kubayashi-san, this time you have to weed out the school garden at the Science lab after school's over." Hitomi-sensei snickered.

"Sensei...why do I always have weird punishments?"

"Do you want to do push-ups instead, Kubayashi-san?"

"N-No...Okay, I'll be going now...He-Hehehe..." Kaori smiled at Hitomi-sensei.

She ran to her class, and gave a sigh of relief after seeing that her sensei hasn't come in yet.

"Ri-chan! You're always late!" Keigo, her classmate, shouted.

"Keigo, stop calling me that. It sounds weird. It's KA-O-RI. Only Mi-chan can call me that."

"Hai, hai...RI-CHAN!" Keigo laughed while Kaori chased after him in their class. After their rendezvous, they returned back to their respective seats. Their sensei entered.

"Okay, okay. Now sit down. I'll be taking your attendances now. Keigo Hanata?"

"HHAAIII."

"Mei Futaba?"

"She's absent, sensei. She told me she had a fever today." Mei's friend voiced out.

"Fever? That's odd. She's never absent before. Well, moving on...."

Sensei's right...Mei's an honour student. A fever like this usually means nothing to her. She never missed school before. Was it...about Takashi? It could be...

Chapter 3

"Oi, Takashi! I don't have all day, you know...I still have to-" Kaori's words were cut short when she saw it.

"Here...Isn't it beautiful? My mom brought it home last night. We're going to plant it in the garden today."

"It's...it's s-so beautiful..." Kaori's eyes gleamed at the dazzling sight in front of her. Takashi couldn't help but stare at Kaori's expression.

"I still remember when we were kids. You're really fascinated by my mom's garden back then. You told me you like chrysanthemums, right?"

"Y-yeah...I just love yellow flowers a lot...but chrysanthemums are my favourite. They smell so nice..." Kaori's lips began to form a smile.

"Well, sorry to bother you and your time. It's just flowers, really. I thought you might expect me to kiss you or some- OUCHH!" Takashi's head swelled from the blow that Kaori's fist landed upon.

"Ba-Bakashi! I'm going home!" Kaori stomped her way out of his house.

Man, that's hurts...but that's the first time I've seen her happy like that since a while...

"Okasan, I'm home..." Kaori's voice began to faint.

"What's wrong? You're not your usual self today. Are you sick, honey?" her mom began to worry.

"N-no, I just feel a little bit sleepy. Can I do the chores later, okasan? I'm going to take a nap for a while..."

"Okay dear."

She lied down on her bed, wondering about Takashi's action just now.

Why did he always say stupid things? Expecting a kiss? I...I never felt nervous when he's around when we were kids...but since we went to high school together...I began to stutter quite a lot...not to mention that my heart just went doki doki all of a sudden...Could it be...no, it couldn't, right?...

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RING! RING! Kaori picked up her cellphone.

"Ri-chan! Please help! I'm at Shibuya now, the usual place. COME HERE NOW!" Kasumi shouted at the other line.

"What's wrong, Mi-chan? Are you crying? Ok, ok. I'll be there in 15 minutes." Kaori ended the call.

20 minutes later, Kaori arrived at their usual place. She found Kasumi wiping her tears with her hands, sitting alone in a cafe.

"Mi-chan! What's wrong?"

"It's...it's Reido. You're right about him...He...He dumped me, just now...He said he's in love with another girl...and he's been planing to break up with me since last year..." Kasumi's voice began to muffle from her crying.

"I knew it! That bastard...Don't worry. Let's just go home. I'll walk with you." she helped Kasumi from her seat and they took the train together. Kasumi fell asleep, probably from crying too much, while Kaori stood up to look after her.

"DING DONG! Next stop: Chiyoda! Next stop: Chiyoda!"

"Psst. What happened to Kasumi-san? Did she cried?"

Kaori's face flustered, then she turned right to see a very familiar person standing next to her.

"T-T-Takashi! What are you doing here! Y-you almost got me a heart attack!" she whispered back.

"So, now I can't ride a train with you? Don't worry, I won't grope you- Ahh..." Takashi's voice quivered after Kaori pinched his arms.

"You're getting annoying nowadays, Bakashi. Why are you in Shibuya?"

"...I just came back from dating. You know Mei-san, right? Your classmate."

Kaori's heart began to pound harder and harder from hearing his words.

"Oooh, M-Mei-san...I didn't know you're da-dating her..." her hands began to trembled a bit, but she hid them from him.

"DING DONG! Please exit carefully and give way for incoming passengers. Thank you."

"Well, we're home. Don't tell anyone about what I've told you. See you tomorrow, Kaori." Takashi smiled then vanished through the hoards of people coming onto the train.

"Damn...Kasumi! Wake up! We're here already."

"Ahh! Sorry, Ri-chan. Let's go home..." Kaori dragged her friend's arm and they walked back home.

Wait...did he just said that he...he's dating Mei-san?!...I know that Takashi's has quite a fanclub in school...but why Mei-san?...she's the quietest girl in class...well, she is the prettiest...damn, why am I feeling restless now?... 

P/S: Writer's note:
Kaori likes to use 'Bakashi' as in 'Baka' in Japanese mean...STUPID. Hohoho. :p

Chapter 2

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!!!

Wham! Kaori slammed her fist on the poor alarm clock. "It's already 7.30..." she mumbled.

Kaori went to her bathroom and prepared herself for school. This time, she reminded herself to bring her own umbrella in case yesterday's unfortunate turn of events happen again today.

"Kaori-chan! Wait!" her mother called.

"Sorry, Okasan. I'm already late! Love you!" Kaori then wore her shoes and ran on the way to school.

Ahh, it's his house...there's Takashi...I wonder why he's still in his pajamas...

"Oii, Takashi! Are you sick? Why aren't you prepared yet? You're always late for school!"

"Kaori..." Takashi stared into her dark, violet eyes.

"W-What? You haven't answered my question yet!" Kaori shouted, while Takashi gave her a small laugh.

"...Today's Sunday. That's what you get for calling me Bakashi all the time." he smirked.

"I-I-I see...I know that! I just....forgot..." Kaori's cheeks turned red, embarrassed as her neighbours were also chuckling.

"Go change. Then come back here. I have something to show you." Takashi said.

"Hmmph!" Kaori ran back to her house, trying to prevent further embarrassment of herself.

"OKASAN! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT'S SUNDAY TODAY!" Kaori tried as hard as she could to avoid her tears from falling.

"I tried, honey, but you dashed off like someone's going to bit your little bottom!" her mother hugged her, trying to comfort her.

"Gomen...I'll be going to Takashi's house after I'm changing. He said he's going to show something..."

"Alright. Don't stay there too long. You have chores to do."

What is he going to show me? Hmmm...what should I wear...ahh, this yellow blouse looks cute...it's summer anyways...WAIT! What am I doing?! It's just TAKASHI. Yeahh, that's right. It's just Takashi...

After changing, Kaori walked her way to Takashi's house.

"What took you so long? Don't tell me you had a hard time picking out which outfit looks bes-"

"N-NO! I-I have to feed my cats! That's all!" Kaori's face flushed. Takashi just smiled.

She looks cute today...like always....

Chapter 1

"Ahh, it's raining again...I wonder if it'll lasts..." Kaori muttered by herself.

"Eh, you're talking by yourself again, Ri-chan? You always do this whenever it rains..." Kasumi sighed.

"Whatever. I'm going to the front building and just wait until the rain recedes a little bit. I forgot to bring my umbrella. It was just windy this morning, I never thought that it'll actually rain...Oh well, sayonara, Mi-chan. Good luck dating that good-for-nothing boyfriend of yours." Kaori quickly left, avoiding the dark glare that her best friend emitted after she said the 'good-for-nothing' part.

Kaori arrived at her destination, while watching droplets of rain fell and fell from the sky as if the rain will never ever stop. She doesn't mind it, as she likes rainy days.

"It's so cold, yet I'm really warm inside..." Kaori then proceed to stretch her arms, feeling the rain touching her skin, to which she responded with a faint smile.

"Are you always like this, Kaori? Talking by yourself, I mean."

Kaori quickly turned her backside to the familiar voice. "Ta-Ta-Takashi! I-I didn't know you're here!"

"It's okay, Kaori. You acted as if we haven't seen each other for a long time. Stop talking by yourself. It's weird and people will spread nasty things about you, you know." Takashi patted her head as he opened his umbrella and stepped onto the rain.

"Takashi! Wait! Could you...send me home? I forgot to bring my umbrella...Our houses isn't that far anyways..." Kaori pouted at Takashi, hoping to go home after a long day in school.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Alright. But I think we have to take the long way back home. I don't want any rumours about us DATING or whatever. This school can get out of control, sometimes." Takashi said it to her, hoping she'll get the gist of it.

"Yeah, sure. Like I'll date you anyways, Bakashi."

"What did you call me?!? Okay, you just stay there until the rain stops. Goodbye." Takashi walked faster, leaving her behind.

"Alright! You win! WAITTT!!!" Kaori hurried herself, dying to get under Takashi's umbrella.

Both of them didn't said anything while they're walking together. When they arrived at Kaori's house, Takashi greeted Kaori's mother as she was outside, trying to call her cats to come inside the house. 

"Takashi-san! Good thing you know Kaori well enough! She always forgets something - or - maybe I'm missing something between the two of you??" Kaori's mother smiled sinisterly.

"OKASAN!" Kaori shouted. "No, I'm just sending her home, Subari-san. Sayonara." Takashi smiled sweetly, then he stuck his tongue out to Kaori. "Next time bring your own umbrella."

"I will, Bakashi!" Kaori shouted again, slamming the front door shut to Takashi's face.

After taking a long, warm bath, Kaori then changed into her pajamas and started to blow dry her long, black hair. A lot of things went through her mind that day.

Baka Takashi! Always making me miserable after he helps me. It's always been like this since elementary school. Takashi...how long will you make me suffer? I can' take this anymore...

Meanwhile, Takashi just finished eating with his family, when her sister said something unexpectedly. "Onii-chan, I saw you walking with Kaori-san today. You both even shared an umbre-" Takashi then coughed hardly, hoping that his parents wouldn't suspect anything about that evening. 

"Okay, I'm stuffed. I'll just....go to my room." He dashed as fast as he can, leaving his family with question marks on their heads. His sister just smiled by herself while sipping a nice cup of tea.

Takashi locked the door and proceed to lie down on his bed with his arms behind his head.

Damn. Ayumi saw us. I just hope she won't spread this in school. I'll reason with her later. I wonder how Kaori felt when I said about us not dating back then. It just popped out of my mouth. Kaori...I'm sorry. I wish you know how I feel about you...