Title: Disturbed

Summary: /EijiOC/ The closeness he always created usually makes her uneasy for some reasons.

Disclaimer: (1) PoT will never be mine. (2) The prompt challenge rightfully came from Imagination: Unleashed Forum.

Thanks to: Akemi-chan for the wonderful beta and ideas :)

A/N: XD This fic was supposed to be InuiOC but then…I thought it will be cuter if it's Eiji (geez, I just love him). So yeah, I hope you'll enjoy reading!

/Challenge # 23/Prompt # 2/ Entropy

She hated formula and all the crappy symbols. She hated Mendeleev for even inventing the Periodic Table of Elements. She hated calculations. She hated chemicals.

Damn it.e

She just hated Chemistry.

Since she entered junior high, she never found herself having a hard time dealing with her grades. All of her classmates could get an F mark for all she cared but definitely not her. She passed each year with ease without attempting to kill most of her brain cells simply because…she could.

But right now, she wasn't in any way happy. She had been getting low grades these past few weeks and worst, she couldn't even identify the source of her difficulty. Once, she almost failed to pass a test; a major exam. It was so preposterous. No one could associate failing grades to someone who studies like hell – someone like her.

In fact, she wasn't supposed to hate Chemistry. But the thought that it was the only subject that was giving her a hard time made her detest even just the mere mention of said subject.

"Ne, ne, Akako-chan!" she stopped short with all her musing when she heard someone mention her name. "You're staring into space again, nya! You're really weird."

Kikumaru Eiji, the renowned acrobat tennis player, appeared right before her. She hadn't really known a lot about him since this was the very first time they had classes together, added the fact that they only shared classes during Chemistry. Even though he sometimes annoyed her, what with the way he acts with so much familiarity with everyone, she pretty much enjoyed the fact that she somehow met him. As much as she wanted to deny it, his presence was indeed quite…refreshing.

"Nya!" he exclaimed, pulling her out of her trance.

"What?" she finally responded.

With his chair now fully turned to face her, he propped his chin on his hand by leaning on her table, "You," he said, pointing his free hand towards her. "You always just stare at me when I'm talking," added he accusingly.

"No, I'm not," she defended blandly and pulled back almost instinctively. The closeness he always created usually makes her uneasy for some reasons.

"You're not even listening to what I was talking about a while ago," he raised a brow as if expecting for an intelligent answer.

"What are you saying a while ago?" Akako replied, not minding him mumbling something about 'inattentiveness, it's annoying' or something along those lines.

"I said," he spoke slowly. "Can I copy your notes? I seem to have lost mine," he scratched his head sheepishly.

Who in the world would lose his notes just right before midterms?

"No," was her curt reply.

"Why not? I heard that you're one of the best students in our batch," he pouted and suddenly grabbed her hand. "Please? Just your notes in Chemistry?"

Damn those hands. "I said no," she repeated and pulled hers back. "Learn how to be responsible once in a while, will you?"

With a dejected sigh, he turned around, "I should've asked Fuji," he said with more than necessary loudness. "But he already gave his notes to Taka-chan! I wonder what I should do," he sighed again and glanced back as if to make sure that she was already feeling guilt.

And it worked. "Alright," she said exasperatingly. "You can have mine. I'll give it to you after class since I still need to copy notes."

He beamed as soon as she spoke the words of approval, "In return, I shall tell you a secret!"

"What secret?" she cocked her head in confusion.

He motioned for her to lean closer, "I know that you have a disease."

"E-Eh?" weird thing was…she did not know she had one.

"You have all the symptoms, you know?" he smiled and drew himself backwards.

Just when she was about to ask about the disease that he claimed she had, Hinamura-sensei, their Chemistry teacher, entered the room. Bracing herself for another discussion and note-taking, she brought out her pen and laid her notebook open in front of her.

However, much to her dismay, she couldn't seem to concetrate on what the teacher was talking about. Odd, she thought, for she never had any problems with attentiveness before. But then again, no matter how she resisted, her gaze would land to the man in front of her. As the time passed, she caught herself just staring wordlessly at Kikumaru Eiji's back. His back, damn it. It was really a wonder to her how he could do that to people – to her at least. Saying something and cutting the conversation just when he got to the most important part.

In fact, it wasn't the first time he did it to her. Once, he said that she got something weird on her face. When she asked him what it was, he just turned away just in time when the teacher came inside the room. All throughout the lesson she was conscious of what was really on her face. She even discreetly asked her seatmate if there was something wrong with how she looked but, much to her confusion, said classmate said that there was none. In the end, she opted on waiting for the class to finish so that she could ask Kikumaru, making a mental note to bring a handy mirror next time.

"Kikumaru!" Akako exclaimed when she found him going out of the classroom.

"Yes?" he asked, his big eyes revealing bewilderment. After all, it was the very first time she initiated a conversation with him.

"What's on my face?" she prompted a little embarrassed now that she finally realized his friends were as well gazing questioningly at her.

Instead of feeling the awkwardness that she felt, the red-haired merely chuckled and replied as he unconsciously touched his nose, "I was kidding. You're just frowning too much… it's weird."

She slapped herself literally when she felt her face getting hot again. She didn't know but just the thought could make her blush furiously.

Unfortunately, it caught the attention of Hinamura-sensei who, she feared, was giving her a disapproving look, "Is there any problem, Suzuki-san?"

Mortifyingly, she lowered her head and sunk herself deeper on her seat, "No-Nothing, sensei," was her reply.

This was why she always hated Chemistry. She had been so distracted for the whole week thus causing her doing same action consecutively. Now that she thought about it, she had been disturbed almost everyday.

"I told you," whispered Kikumaru amusingly.

She had enough. 'Focus!' she told to herself inwardly.

With a determined look on her face, she chose to ignore the comment of the man in front of her and picked up her pen.

0.0

"Kikumaru!" she exclaimed as soon as the lesson ended.

He turned his head to her and smiled, "Thanks," he said and laid his right hand on her desk.

For a while, she thought she was missing something but then was reminded when she found where his gaze landed. Her notebook. Of course.

"Here," she replied kindly by giving her Chemistry notes. "Return it tomorrow. I still need to study for the midterms."

He nodded and stared at the notebook in delight. "I'm going!" he turned to leave but was immediately stopped by Akako's voice.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" he frowned and pulled the notebook closer to him as if she would snatch it back anytime soon.

"What's my disease?" she just hoped his answer wouldn't be as stupid as before.

"Oh! That," he said in realization after a pause. "Have you been thinking of something these past few days? Like an important thing or event?"

She felt her face going red again, 'Has he been reading my thoughts?' But she would rather die than admit it, "No," she answered. She would never admit that she had been thinking about him vaguely these past few days.

"Hm…" he touched his chin, thinking hard. "Maybe there's something that suddenly entered your life that caused a disorder? Like a disturbance in a system?"

"Geez, Kikumaru," it wouldn't help her if he would just keep on describing himself. "Just get to the point. What's my disease?"

"Well…" he trailed.

"Well?"

"I think you're in-love," he spoke so suddenly with a laugh.

She sat frozen, "Enlighten me."

"It's just a guess!" he pouted when he saw her gobsmacked expression. "It's just that my sister acts the same way you do when she finally had her boyfriend."

"I-I don't have a boyfriend!" she defended.

"I know," he chuckled childishly. "I said I was guessing. So never mind that. See ya!" he continued, bidding goodbye and raised a dismissive hand as he exited the classroom.

It felt surreal.

She just realized that she fell in-love with Kikumaru Eiji.

~End

Date Published: March 23, 2010