Chapter 11

"Yes, I promise. Now will you excuse me, I have many important things to do now."

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Kaori entered her classroom, only to be greeted by silence from the rest of her classmates. Once she sat on her chair, she could hear faint whispers, but she knew what they were talking about. Kasumi noticed the tension that Kaori showed on her face.

"Ri-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?", Kasumi asked, trying to reassure her own feelings.

"...W-what? Yes, I'm fine, Mi-chan. Umm...do we have any homework yesterday? I totally forgot about it", Kaori spoke loudly, trying to hide what's on her mind at that time.

"N-No, Ri-chan." Kasumi then smiled, albeit being worried about her.

Their Chemistry teacher, upon entering the class, was shocked to see the class became a bit too quiet from the usual mayhem. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu. Did someone just died recently? It's so quiet in here. All of you are a bit far from the norm today."

Mei, who was sitting at the back of the class, starred at Kaori's backside since the minute she walked into the class. She couldn't forget about the incident that happened yesterday, where her precious Takashi protected Kaori from her doings. She felt humiliated, fully humiliated as Takashi chose Kaori over her in front of the other girls that was attacking Kaori at that time.

Kasumi's worries finally outgrown her.

"Ri-chan, I think after Chemistry class, you should follow me to go and see something for yourself. Please, just follow me. I couldn't hide it any longer." Kasumi whispered, making Kaori's heart beats two times faster than the usual.

"O-okay, Mi-chan."

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"Who did this?", Takashi raised his voice.

"I said, WHO DID THIS?", This time, Takashi's voice sounded different from the usual tone. And everyone, well mostly the male students, knows that Takashi rarely change his tone when he's talking. 

The male students quickly pointed out at a student. A very, very familiar student, according to Takashi's eyes.

Nikoyama.

"Who paid you, Niko-san?"

"S-s-someone...Takashi-senpai...please, spare my life!" Nikoyama panicked.

Takashi looked at his junior with eyes full of disgust. Now, almost all the female and male students in other classes were watching Takashi's fit of rage. He didn't show them his full-fledged tantrum, but they can definitely feel the heated, red, burning aura that he emitted.

He grabbed Nikoyama by the arm and left to go to the men's restroom. He could see Nikoyama's scared expression, as if Takashi was going to kill him with a rusty blade at that moment if he fails to please him.

"Now, I'm going to ask you one more time, Niko-san. Spill...it...OUT."

"I-it's...it's...I'm sorry, senpai!...Please, senpai! She said that i-i-if I'd to break this secret then she wouldn't go out with me this weekend...!"

"...Fine. I want the the whole thing to disappear by this evening. Or else, you'll know soon enough. Now, run."

Nikoyama ran frantically out of the restroom and along the corridors. He was glad that the almighty Takashi-senpai decided to spare his little, puny life for the sake of begging like a loser to his senpai.

Takashi walked past by the hoards of fangirls and amused juniors and peers to go to the spot where the source of all this chaos was invented. He looked at big, obviously disturbing and unsightly mural in the center of the 2nd year's building corridor wall.

Damn it...this ain't good...


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Kasumi sweat-dropped while she was dragging Kaori's hand towards the center of the building.

"Mi-chan, just tell me already. You're making me nervo-" Kaori's mouth gaped widely and her eyes almost fell out from their sockets. Her heart also skipped several beats.

'KAORI KUBAYASHI LIKES TAKASHI. KAORI KUBAYASHI IS A WHORE. KAORI KUBAYASHI WILL DO ANYTHING FOR TAKASHI. KAORI KUBAYASHI IS A CHEAP LITTLE SLUT. KAORI KUBAYASHI IS DESPERATELY YEARNING FOR TAKASHI. SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE WITH TAKASHI. SHE SHOULD GET OUT OF THIS SCHOOL.'

Although the mural was badly sprayed by a bright pink neon spray paint, she could read the sentences well and clear. Kaori Kubayashi, as she read, is clearly her name. She didn't recall hearing anybody with that name other than she is. A stick figure of her was seen to be stabbed by an axe beside the rants.

"...This is crazy. Mi-chan, who the hell did this?"

"I-I don't know, Ri-chan...I came to school this morning and saw a bunch of people crowded in front of this wall...that's when I saw your name..." Kasumi trembled.

This...well, this is juuuust PERFECT. It turns out that I'm the most hated person in this school right now. PERFECT. I'm SOOOO going to KILL that little miss innocent.

Chapter 10

This has got to be one of the worst days of my life...Stupid Takashi! Baka! BAKA! BAKA! You and your stupid fangirls!...


Kaori went ahead and sat along the riverbank. The sunset wasn't nearly there yet, but she can definitely feel the warmth of it as she tried to calm herself down. She kept thinking about the things that happened between her and Takashi during those few weeks. Then, droplets of pearls started to form underneath her eyes.

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"Oi! Kaori! I said WAIT!" he shouted with all his might to Kaori, only to be ignored by her silence. She proceeded to run as fast as she could. Her feelings were all mixed - anger, sadness, shamefulness - they all smacked hard within her like as if someone hit her chest multiple times. All she could ever think of was continuing running.

"GO AWAY YOU STUPID FREAK!" Kaori couldn't stay quiet long after all. Takashi slowed down his steps, shocked to hear the words that just came out of her mouth.

First time she called me a freak...must be really mad, eh Kaori...


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Takashi finally arrived there, after walking slowly to avoid chasing her. He saw her sitting by the riverbank, and from far away he could that her cheeks were glimmering. He knew what that means. Takashi sat by Kaori as gently as possible.

"Kaori..." his voice, his tender, calming voice tried to reassure Kaori that he's there to be by her side. Nothing more, nothing less.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that all of this could get out of hand back then. If I knew that Mei-san was like that, then I would've -"

Kaori looked at the calmed river, while trying to avoid Takashi's gaze. "Keep your words to yourself. I'm going home. Goodbye." she then stood up, wore her backpack and walked slowly towards home.

"...Walk safe. I'll call you tonight..." Takashi couldn't help but say those words out of worry. He watched as Kaori was getting further and further away from him. His mind at that time was filled with Kaori. Only...Kaori.

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"Honey, what's wrong? You look awful today, something wrong? School? Boys?" her mother shocked to see that her daughter's face changed dramatically from the usual.

"Nahh, just tired. I'm just going to bed. Don't fix dinner for me." Kaori expressed half-heartedly.

She went up the stairs one by one, until she reached her room. Her backpack was dropped on the floor, then she continued to lie down on her bed. In no time, she was crying so hard that at the same time she tried to muffle them as best as she could.

How on earth should I go to school tomorrow...How on earth should I face Mei tomorrow...How on earth should I avoid Takashi...tomorrow...


Meanwhile, Takashi was in his room, sitting by the window overlooking the beautiful, bright little moon, holding his Blackberry, trying to decide whether or not he should call Kaori. He already told her about calling, but he didn't think that she heard the last part.

"The number you're calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep." *BEEP*


"Kaori, you're probably pissed off at me right now or maybe you're sleeping soundly. I...I just want you to know that I'm truly, deeply sorry for what had happened this evening. I should've known more about Mei-san and that stupid fanclub, but you know, deep inside you already know that I have nothing to do with the both of them whatsoever. I promise, if anything happens to you, I'll be there to protect you. Oh yeah...one more thing. Delete this voicemail once you've heard it. Don't want anything to spread around. Take care, ok...Oh, and Kaori, the girl that I like is actually -" *BEEP*


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Kaori suddenly woke up to the sound of her cellphone ringing beside her. She looked at it, only to be surprised by the caller. 'Bakashi', as she named him on her cellphone, was actually calling her that midnight. She just let her cellphone rang, as the chorus of the song "Kina Granis - Valentine" passed by a few times. She then looked at it, on the screen it stated that she received a voicemail  from him.

She pondered a while, thinking about what could Takashi have been saying to her right now...
She opened the voicemail.

Oh my God!...Damn it...who IS IT??!...He is literally killing me right now...

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...

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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?...

_______________________________________________________________
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....