Gullible

by Modokashii Suiri

[Oneshot] Class is unbearable with Kouji around. I ask if there's a test. He always says there is. When there isn't, I always believe him. When there is, I don't believe him. To top it all off, he picks on me all the time. I just can't stand him.

Disclaimer-I'll get straight to the point: I don't own Digimon.

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Summary- (One-shot) Class is unbearable with Kouji around. I ask if there's a test. He always says there is. When there isn't, I always believe him. When there is, I don't believe him. To top it all off, he picks on me all the time. I just can't stand him anymore. Why me? (Izumi POV)

A/N-And…I suppose you could say it's kind of Kouzumi fluff.

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Gullible

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Tenth grade is unbearable. People say, 'Tenth grade is the best!' or, 'Sophomore year is slacker year!'

None of that is true. Especially if you're working with slackers. All I can say is there's one thing that has been bothering me since we've gotten back from the Digital World. I finally settled in. I got friends, figured out my relationships with Junpei and Takuya, and yet that thing still keeps bothering me. It's hardly human.

I refuse to call Kouji Minamoto human. I just downright refuse. There are several things that helped me arrive at this conclusion. You see, it all started about a year after the Digital World. I remember it like it was yesterday.

(-----FLASHBACK-----)

I stopped beside Takuya and took a seat. We were both at the park. It was Spring, but seemed more like Fall. For the longest time, the two of us were quiet. Takuya spoke first.

"Listen, Izumi," he murmured, scratching the sidewalk with his shoe, "I just want to figure out this whole mess between us."

It was a mess indeed. About a week before, we had gone out together to the bookstore for a while and went to a restaurant straight after. It wasn't a date, but almost everyone thought so. Personally, I liked the fact that they thought so, but it seemed Takuya was having issues with it. I really didn't blame him all that much. It was unsettling. My mom also warned me that all boys had trouble with commitment. I guess I should have listened to her advice more often. Not that Takuya and I were going out or anything-It was a wish, but hardly reality.

Then he just spat it out at me. It felt like a knife that was aimed for my heart, but missed horribly and left a large wound instead. Takuya had stood up and yelled, "I don't like you!"

I sat there, staring at him for several seconds. Countless thoughts ran through my head and the one that shouted the loudest was the one that told me to cry and hurt him. But as much as I wanted to, I couldn't. Too embarrassed as I was already, I drew a shaky breath and stood up. The one thing I didn't forget was to turn away. "Um," I mumbled awkwardly, "I have no idea what you were thinking, but if you're done..."

"Y-you aren't mad, are you?" he asked, reaching out a hand and placing it on my shoulder.

Mad? Mad was an understatement to me. I was furious. I hated him. The least he could have done was keep it quiet so I didn't have the entire world staring at me while I calmly brushed him away. So I just pushed my hair back and waved. It was hard, but I mustered a calm, "Later," before walking off.

(----FLASHBACK END----)

We talked about it later on and Takuya and I came to the conclusion that we had a brother-sister relationship. A while after, the same thing happened with Junpei. The exact same thing. I just didn't understand. Both humiliated me in front of a whole bunch of people just to say that they didn't love me. I never expected much from Takuya, in truth, but a relationship with him would have been nice. Junpei I always considered a brother. I don't know where he got the idea that I liked him more when I concentrated on my studies day and night thanks to my mother.

But you see, both times, there was always one witness present who used both happenings against me.

Kouji Minamoto, the devil brother to Kouichi Kimura. I just don't understand how he could be the Warrior of Light and Kouichi the Warrior of Darkness! They're complete opposites!

This entire incident with Kouji constantly bugging me started in seventh grade. That was the very first year we were both in the same class. Kouichi was in an entirely different school at the time with Takuya, and Junpei was a year ahead. Tomoki was two years younger, so you see, I was the only one who Kouji knew at the time.

He made it his personal mission to annoy me from the very start. I couldn't understand why. I hadn't done anything to him. He started off by telling me that I was hopeless in love that day. What I couldn't understand is why he cared so much. When I asked him, he replied, "You really think I care? I don't care. I'm just here to bug you to the point you can't stand me anymore."

So you see, there is no way I can classify someone so heartless as a human. And if that isn't enough, you don't want to know what he does now.

"Minamoto, sit down!" one of the boys in our class yelled. "You're blocking the board!"

Kouji's mission is to annoy me after all. He does a great job of it, too. On the good days, it's just during the breaks. When I'm having a bad day-and he always happens to know when I'm having a bad day-it's during class.

I just can't understand. What did I do wrong?

Today was a bad day. I had woken up later than usual by five minutes. Five minutes is a great difference in traffic, so I managed to fall into my seat just as the bell rang. Mind you, it took a lot of running. My hair was a mess, I left a great deal of homework at home, and the very first thing Kouji did today was point out I didn't have my school uniform on.

Who invented the damn dress code? I can't stand the colors! Honestly, a white shirt with a dark blue skirt-it is so overused. Lavender is more of my color, anyway.

To top it off, we were taking notes at the moment when Kouji had decided to sit on his desk and block the views of everyone in front of him. What chance, considering I sit two seats behind him. The boy in front of me (the one who had yelled at Kouji to sit down) was now furiously popping up and down in his seat in an attempt to see the board. I merely buried my face in my arms, folded onto the table.

Tenth grade was probably worse than seventh. Knowing that Kouichi and Takuya were classrooms away, and that Junpei and Tomoki were somewhere on campus, but I'd never be able to run out of the room to cry to them about the jerk that Kouji was being was worse than them not being there. Even during lunch I couldn't say much. Kouji was always watching me, waiting for me to falter. It wasn't like I was a mouse and he was an owl. I'm not his food and prefer not to be. I'm human, for crying out loud. He's the thing.

All eyes were on me. I didn't need to look up to tell. After about a month, the entire class and Wakui-sensei know he only acts like this because of me.

"Kouji, would you please stop?" I begged, still not looking up.

There was a smirk. There must have been. His voice was enough for me to know he was smirking. It was that mocking tone in his voice as he replied, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just couldn't see the notes." Innocent reason, but he was hardly innocent.

He made it harder to not cry each time. I looked up and wished I didn't. He wasn't taking notes. The thing was just staring at the notes. Angrily, I picked up my notebook, stood up, and threw it at him. It was the first time I resorted to violence of any sort against Kouji, but it felt good. "Get. Down," I growled, stomping over to retrieve my notebook. But I had to be careful, or he'd try something.

Kouji turned to me, and I immediately regretted my actions. He had that evil look in his eye. It was that glint that told me right away that the rest of the day would be pure torture. I met his sneering smile with a glare of my own. It surprised me, but he sat back down in his seat. A shiver ran down my spine as I picked up my notebook and quickly scurried back to my seat.

No sooner had I taken the first step than Kouji decided to stick out his foot to trip me. It hadn't occurred to me that he would go so far as to trip me, but as I landed on the hard floor, notebook flying out of my hand, I learned an important thing when dealing with Kouji.

He was merciless.

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After determining that I wasn't hurt, Wakui-sensei continued with history notes. I'm not exactly a favorite of Wakui-sensei. With all the commotion Kouji causes, I've become the most hated student in the class. Naturally, when we got projects, as we had at the moment, I got paired with the worst students in the class. After today's incident, I wasn't so surprised that he paired me up with Kouji.

Knowing well that he wouldn't move to sit beside me, I had to move to the seat next to him. "Hello, Kouji," I greeted him as if nothing had happened and we were back in the Digital World. A grunt answered me, and I sat down beside him, well aware of the dangers of the moment. As Wakui-sensei explained what we were going to do, I sighed, "Great, another essay." Writing isn't exactly my strong point.

Kouji pulled his blue bandana with brown stripes out of his pocket and put it on. It was against the dress code, but Wakui-sensei wouldn't care enough to correct him for the umpteenth time. My eyes were glued to the board, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see what he was doing. Confused, I turned to him and opened my mouth, about to ask what he was doing. In return, he clamped my mouth shut with one hand, and placed something in my own hand with his free hand. Withdrawing his hands, the bandana boy turned back to the front, leaving me to stare from him to my hand. I stared at the item, greatly baffled. "Candy?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes, Orimoto, do explain what you're doing with candy in your hands?" inquired Wakui-sensei politely. He's out to get me. But he's not the only one. Maybe he hired Kouji.

I was shaken. I just couldn't possibly understand what I had done to Kouji to deserve this much. After taking the blame and apologizing, I threw away the candy and stared at my desk. Kouji was staring at the board, leaning back in his chair so it rested against the desk behind him and bringing his feet up on the desk. His pencil rested on his ear. "Okay, Izumi, start already," the bandana boy commented.

Trembling, I brought out a piece of paper and a pencil, staring at the board for a minute before I looked back at the paper. I knew what to write, but I just couldn't put it down. My hand was shaking beyond control, and tears were spilling out of my eyes. I couldn't control myself, and no one seemed to care. Placing both arms on the desk, I hid my face in my arms and cried away my tears, determined not to make a sound.

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I guess Kouji actually did the essay for us, but he didn't say anything. When I stopped crying, he was in the same position as he was before. Although I head faint scribbling sounds penetrating my held back sobs, I thought they came from in front of me or behind me. There really was no sign Kouji did the essay. He was in the exact same position as I had left him; this time, eyes closed.

"So you're done, crybaby?" asked the ever-smug bandana boy. It isn't necessary for one to look at him to know what his face is like. I could tell right away there was a smirk plastered on. He was completely prepared to taunt me further.

If I could have digivolved into Kazemon, his face would have been punched in. But I'd get suspended, expelled, all that stuff. To top it all of, my mother would kill me. My eyes were red, and they hurt a lot. At the exposure to the air, they began to sting and water up again. I didn't respond right away. In fact I was on the verge of crying again. I had lost to Kouji. Turning away from him, I asked, "Did you do the essay?" My voice was most definitely betraying my instability. I felt absolutely stupid. Now I was the slacker.

He chuckled, "No." His eyes must have opened at this point to observe my reaction. But I wasn't looking at him. I couldn't, especially not now.

My heart shattered. There went my grade, my hopes…my dreams. "Oh…oh," I mumbled. I shouldn't have expected so much from him. The tears came back with a vengeance, worse than before. As soon as I brought out another paper, it became soaked more so than the first piece of paper that was now stuck to the desk, glued down with water. There was a dull thud of the chair legs meeting the ground, followed by two feet. A pencil clashed on the table and fell on top of the paper in front of me.

"What the hell are you doing? I was being sarcastic," Kouji snapped, ripping the two papers away and waving them so they would dry.

Someone retorted, "Well maybe it's because you're always sarcastic that she can't tell the difference! Stop bugging her, Kouji!"

"It's okay, Fumiko," I replied weakly.

Fumiko Itou is practically my older sister, along with Megumi Tsuzuhara. They were the first friends I made after Kouji began his reign of unspeakable terror. Megumi's a year older though, and she's actually Fumiko's cousin. She's in Junpei's class. They've both got the same qualities-smart, stubborn, and incredibly witty. But stubbornness reigned supreme in Fumiko at the moment, and she glared at Kouji. "No, it isn't, Izumi. Stand up to him, will you? You're letting him walk all over you!" she barked.

They think I'm too easy on Kouji. I don't want to admit it, but I've been trying my hardest to ignore him. It won't work. He's like a titanium battering ram on a steel door. I'm going to break into his attacks sooner or later. More sooner than later.

Fumiko was right, I knew, but I just couldn't follow her advice. Ignoring her, I turned myself to face Kouji, looking at my hands that rested in my lap. "Um, thanks, Kouji," I mumbled weakly. I did owe him a thank you for the essay after all. The one thing I was glad of was that Fumiko had given me time to wipe my tears away so Kouji couldn't bother me about crying. My eyes were still puffy, though.

Kouji snorted, "I shouldn't really accept that. You obviously didn't mean it." I looked up, outraged, and he continued mercilessly, "If you really meant it, you'd have looked me in the eye." And saying so, his eyes bore into mine.

Have I ever talked about his eyes? They're strange. One minute, they're this shade of dark blue, another second, they're gray. And right now, they were just dark, endless pools that held no mercy.

I looked away, furious that I couldn't stand up to him. Brunch was soon, and there was a chance I could catch Takuya and Kouichi during lunch. I completely ignored Fumiko and turned to Kouji. You see, I have this bad habit of forgetting who and what he is, sometimes. "Kouji, do we have a test in math?" I inquired stupidly. Had I kept my brain in tact, I could have turned around to ask Fumiko the same question and getting a straight answer. But no, I turned to Kouji.

He smirked. It was that unbearable smirk that told me right away he was up to something. Casually, he leaned back in his chair again and replied in that taunting voice of his, "No duh?" Placing his feet back up on the table, Kouji yawned.

Fumiko frowned. "Minamoto, stop being a jerk," she ordered.

But he had dragged me too far into this little game. A fish is almost always helpless when it gets caught on the hook, and so was I. "What's it on?" My eyes were widening. Every other sound had ceased to exist.

Kouji's smirk widened. He turned to me, a cruel sneer on his face. Placing his feet and his chair down, he began to laugh. Kouji continued to laugh until the entire class was staring at me. They never stare at him, they stare at me. It's so irritating. It isn't my fault he likes to pick on me!

"Pathetic," Kouji muttered when the laughter subsided. "Honestly, Izumi. You're so gullible." There was a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"Wh-what?"

"He lied to you," Fumiko told me straight away before walking to Wakui-sensei's desk to drop off her essay.

Realization hit me, knocking the air out of me. I turned away from Kouji, positively hurt. There wasn't a second in the day I could escape his tormenting. Letting out a sigh, I stood up to return to my seat. Today just wasn't my day.

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"My, my, my…do you really need Fumiko to protect you all the time?" Kouji asked, yanking on a strand of blond hair.

I immediately winced, hand flying up to my hair. Once I managed to push away Kouji's hand, I turned to him and snapped, "Who said she's protecting me? I don't need her to protect me, thank you. I'm amazed you don't know that by now."

Kouji sneered at me and laughed, "So brave."

"Exactly, so bug off!" I retorted. Being around Fumiko had a certain effect on me sometimes.

It was the usual schedule during brunch. Kouji came over to Fumiko and myself, tugged on my hair, threw a couple of insults at me, then walked off. He was a relentless force of nature.

Today was no exception. If it's possible, I think he was less harsh today. But I didn't dare let my guard down. He always has ways of tripping me up.

But today, all he did was tug my hair, insult me for a minute straight at the least, and then before I could counter, he left. Usually, we spend the entire time arguing, and Fumiko helps me.

Confused, I looked to Fumiko for an answer. "What's with him?" I asked her, suddenly worried. This could mean Kouji had something planned. Something big that would put my entire reputation in danger. The last thing I wanted was my reputation ruined more than it already was.

Fumiko just shrugged and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You know," she commented, "If you ask me, he doesn't mean any of what he does to you. I think it's because he can only talk to you that he bugs you." She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully before continuing, "And I've heard rumors of why he bugs you."

"Why?" I asked, dumbfounded. Rumors going around about Kouji? I was amazed he let them run. But then again, I was the only one he bothered. Regardless of the fact, I still couldn't believe he didn't do anything about it. I sounded my thoughts, "Has Kouji really let this all go? He's a bit sensitive to what people say about him."

Nearly choking, Fumiko began to cough. It took several seconds before she gasped to regain her breath and turned to me, eyes wide. "Sensitive?" she repeated. "If he was sensitive, he wouldn't be so insensitive towards you!" I just shrugged. Fumiko rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. There was a sigh before she continued, "So anyway, rumors. I've been asking around with the boys and they've all said something about a three-way bet."

"A bet?" I repeated dumbly. Kouji just didn't seem the type. Was it because I constantly compared him to the Kouji I had known in the digital world?

Before Fumiko could explain anymore, the bell rang, leaving me wide-eyed. Thousands of times, my mother had given me the same advice over and over again. 'Boys change on you in a matter of days,' she told me. The truth in her advice makes me want to listen to her all the more.

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Throughout class, I couldn't concentrate. Fumiko's words kept coming back to haunt me, disrupting my thoughts though I tried my best to forget it. A bet.

He was tormenting me because of a bet?

But it occurred to me that was how boys were. The ones I knew, anyway. Even Kouichi and Tomoki let things get to their head at times and would accept a challenge. I supposed it was just their nature, and who was I to stop them?

Yet all the same, I wanted to know the truth. After making up my mind to confront Kouji during lunch, I was able to think peacefully in class. The only thoughts running through my head were about logarithms. And I rather liked it, too.

But time passed by slower than I wanted it to. You know the saying-'Time flies when you're having fun.' But I wasn't having fun. I was too anxious to know the truth. It hurts when you realize that the entire world is keeping a secret from you, and you feel like a complete fool. Feeling hurt makes me wonder what's really going on around me. I become more aware and time seems never-ending. Then just as I think it will never end, I blink, sit back and sigh, then open my eyes to find that an entire hour has passed.

I scrambled out of my seat and quickly slipped on my backpack, determined to find Takuya and Kouichi before Kouji did. The only problem was he tended to be faster, because he was around them much more than I was and knew practically every area they covered.

Plus, there was Fumiko and Megumi. They watched over me tirelessly, even when I told them not to.

As stealthily as possible, I followed Kouji out of the classroom and down the hall. He made a stop at his locker, and I took the moment to get my bearings. He threw in his backpack and, now without a burden, ran down the hall.

Kouji must have seen me following him. He wasn't hard to make out in the crowd. He was the only one with his jacket on in the first blaze of the oncoming summer. Even if the jacket didn't help, his bandana would make him stick out like a sore thumb. And I was sure he was the only one with a ponytail that was a boy.

I lost him when he went into the boy's bathroom. If there's anything annoying, it's a bathroom. Not that I'm not happy for the fact that boys can't go into a girl's bathroom and vice versa, it's just that when you're trying to follow someone, it's hard to do so when there's a bathroom involved and they're of the opposite sex.

It mattered little to me. I continued to search for Takuya and Kouichi, not the least bit intimidated.

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"Takuya! He's bugging me again!" I cried, throwing myself in the goggle boy's arms. If you ask me, and you probably won't, Takuya and Kouji have a problem with their accessories. They're so attached to their goggles and bandanas respectively that the dress code doesn't get in their way of wearing them during school hours.

Kouichi managed to catch his balance. He had been standing beside Takuya and was startled when I jumped at him. "Don't tell me Kouji's at it again," he murmured, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I looked down, feeling guilty. If anyone was bothering anyone, I must have been bothering Kouichi the most. I don't know how he could stand me. He must have been devastated each time I complained about Kouji. I really want to feel bad about it, but Kouji's just so impossible, I just can't help but hate him.

But Kouichi doesn't ever get annoyed despite the large amount of complaining from me. I dropped my hands to my side and gazed away from the two boys. Smiling slightly, Kouichi ruffled my hair affectionately and told me, "I'll talk to him and see what he's up to, okay?"

Hanging my head, I let out a sigh. "Why does he have to pick on me?" I mumbled miserably, walking beside the two boys as they headed to their lunch spot, which varied from day to day. Knowing very well that Fumiko and Megumi were a few feet behind me, I decided to keep this short. "Kouichi, do you know anything about a bet Kouji made?" I inquired as I looked up again.

Kouichi fell silent, and I could see his eyes, though his head didn't move, trail to Takuya. Takuya, ashen-faced, said nothing, but instead stared at the sky. "Hey, are there going to be any summer rainstorms?" he suddenly asked. "That looks like a rain cloud!" He pointed up at a random cloud in the sky.

But wait-there were no clouds in the sky. I rolled my eyes as Kouichi joined in, pointing at the very same spot. Somewhat stiffly, he exclaimed, "Why you're right, Takuya! It's a-"

"So there was a bet?"

The two boys fell quiet and shifted uncomfortably. They looked up at me quickly before turning around and murmuring to themselves. My temper grew. After having cried because of relentless torture from Kouji, I couldn't take any more lies. I stepped forward and placed my left hand on Takuya's left shoulder and my right hand on Kouichi's right shoulder. They both froze at my touch, Kouichi squirming slightly as if he knew what was coming. "What bet?" I growled, practically digging my nails into their shoulders.

"Nothing, nothing," Takuya tried to reassure me. In response, I dug deeper into his skin. "No, it's nothing!" he screamed.

I think at once, Kouichi regretted choosing such an isolated location to eat lunch at. With some difficulty, he removed my hand from his shoulder and calmly turned around. Drawing a breath, he murmured, "Listen, Izumi, there really was no bet that we know of. At least I don't know of it. Takuya, on the other hand, might have started a few rumors-Izumi, are you okay?"

I had turned slightly pale, noticing the figure that blocked my light. Takuya, too, saw it, but Kouichi was positively clueless because he was facing me. A bone-chilling laugh sounded, and I crept behind Takuya, pushing my 'brother' in front of me. I wasn't exactly sure if the two other boys would stand up to Kouji. Provoked in a certain manner, Takuya might have the guts, but Kouichi would never harm his brother. You could say, at the moment, I wish Duskmon was possessing him.

"Look at your face," Kouji muttered when the laughter subsided. A short chuckle ended his laugh, followed by a snort. "Would you go around believing every single word everyone told you about me?"

Would I? Well, considering he was Kouji, yes, probably. I just stared at him defiantly, unsure of what I should say. He smirked at me, pushing Takuya out of the way. "Yes," he continued, "you would. If there's one thing I've discovered about you, Izumi, it's that you're gullible."

"What?" I gasped, my eyes widening in fury. Fumiko and Megumi had come into plain view now. I could see that Junpei was with them, sheepishly scratching his head as he watched the scene taking place. They were all watching, and no one was doing anything about it. It angered me all the more.

"You'd believe anyone. Gullible," sneered Kouji.

"I am not gullible!" I insisted, blinking back the tears that sprang into my eyes. I wouldn't cry in front of him. I wouldn't dare give him the pleasure of watching me cry. Not after what he did to me.

But he held his ground in his normal fashion. Casually, he slipped his hands into his pockets and carelessly countered, "Yes, you are." It seemed to be so natural for him, as if it was second nature. Everything he did was carefully planned out. He was a master of his art. I had to give him that. "I could tell you gullible isn't in the dictionary and you would believe me. Take today for example. You asked me if I didn't write the essay. I say no, and you start crying."

That hit a sore spot. I could see Kouichi wince out of my peripheral vision. Angrily, I turned to face Kouji fully. "You don't have to keep lying! What kind of jerk are you?" I yelled, turning my back on the smug bandana boy and storming towards my friends instead. I just couldn't stand him. I couldn't.

Fumiko shook her head and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, let's go, Izumi," she told me, leading me away and watching behind her shoulder as Megumi followed and Junpei walked over to deal with a victorious Kouji and the other two startled boys.

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Class came and went, but I just couldn't get over what Kouji had told me. Gullible, he had called me. If I was gullible, he was a gorilla. A gorilla with a bandana would be quite a sight to see. I just don't understand how I could let him get to me like that. Walking home after school was the perfect time to ponder the fact.

"Hey, purple."

Maybe it was that taunting hint in his voice.

"Deaf?"

Or possibly that he'd never stop and I failed each time at ignoring him.

"Blondie!"

It could also be the fact that in comparison to his brother, Kouji was heartless.

"Are you listening to me? Oh, wait, you're deaf. Kidding."

Maybe I was comparing him to Takuya. They were both annoying, but Takuya never meant it. Kouji always seemed to mean what he said. I can never tell when he's being sarcastic.

"Orimoto!" he shouted, grabbing my shoulder and spinning me around. In the end, that resulted with me on the ground, my books beside me, and my papers flying everywhere.

Considering half of those papers were my homework, I wasn't exactly happy. I don't know how, but I managed to remain calm, picking up my papers. That is, as much as I could get. They were completely scattered. The five hours straight I spent researching last night was for naught. I clenched my fists angrily, staring at the direction the rest of the papers had blown away. Angrily, I turned on Kouji and threw the rest of my papers at him. It had gotten to the point where I simply couldn't stand him anymore. I didn't care about my paper, and I sure didn't care for my grade. All I cared about was him leaving me alone.

"What is your problem?" I screamed at the top of my lungs. He had finally gotten to me after three and a half years. "Can you not see that some of us have actual lives, that we don't want idiots like you to ruin life for us? Why can't you just leave me alone?" I continued to yell at him. I yelled at Kouji until I couldn't yell anymore. There was so much that had been ruined thanks to him. My feelings, reputation, chance of friends-he had taken all these away, broken them and handed them back. But the words that came out of my mouth seemed to repeat themselves over and over again, growing louder in volume each time.

I don't know when I came back to my senses again. Fumiko and Megumi managed to calm me down though, holding me back just as I think I was about to hurt Kouji in the most painful way possible. But it irked me to see that Kouji wasn't affected at all. All he did was stand there, arms crossed, eyes glued to the sky thoughtfully. There was an unusual air of calm about Kouji that minute. Seeing that I was done, he turned to the two girls behind me and nodded before spinning around on his heel and walking away.

That was the moment I wanted to scream. Everything that I had worked for had gone up in smoke that very second. I couldn't stand any of them. They didn't care for me one bit. I broke away from Fumiko and Megumi, ignoring their yells for me to come back. I didn't. All I could do was run. I ran where my feet carried me, ignoring the stares I got. In fact, I ran straight most of the way, taking turns when needed.

Eventually, I found myself in an alley. It was a dead end. There was a wall in the back of it with boxes stacked against it. They seemed clean enough, so on one of the boxes, I sat down, dropping my backpack to the floor. It was there that I cried for minutes, thinking no one would look for me.

No one I really knew came for me, but did recall a few moments that made me realize how right Kouji was.

I was gullible.

Kouichi and Takuya-they had both lied to me. If there was one moment I remembered more than any other moment that could point out the truth, it was that one day about a month ago that I had stumbled upon the two talking.

'Yeah, he's actually succeeding with this. Junpei and I chickened out,' Takuya had told Kouichi.

Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I sat up straight to wipe them away. My eyes slipped shut. He had been right, and I hated him for it. After all the time I spent not having friends, I still hadn't learned my lesson. No one cared for me. They all hated me.

A silent meow caused me to open my eyes. In front of me sat a cat. It was a stray, I guessed. There was no collar. But despite the fact that it might have been a stray, it seemed to be used to my presence. I don't know why, but I held out my arms. The cat jumped up, rubbing it's head against my arm. I guessed it to be a Japanese Bobtail. Soft white fur brushed against my arm as it resituated itself in my lap for a nap.

I smiled, softly stroking it's back. I had always wanted a cat, but my mother said that we couldn't. 'It's too much work. And you know how your cousins have allergies,' she told me each and every time. But I don't care about my cousins! Well, it's not that I don't care, it's just that they're over so often, it's sickening to see them sometimes.

"So she likes you. Or are you just falling into her trap so she can have a nice place to nap?"

Good moments never last long. I wanted to stand up and punch Kouji right now. He stood right in front of me, both hands in his pockets. There was that stupid smirk on his face again. I would have gone through with the punch idea, but the Bobtail was still on my lap, fast asleep. Instead, all I could do was send a withering glare in the bandana brain's direction.

Kouji's smirk melted into a small smile as he walked over and looked down at the cat. "Do you want to find out?" he asked, kneeling down and still staring at the cat.

"What do you mean do I want to find out?" I didn't want to talk to him, that's what I wanted to find out-how wonderful an entire day without Kouji could be. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as he held his hand out to hover above the cat.

The hand dropped gently, falling into a stroke. I frowned at Kouji, wondering exactly what he was pulling.

He didn't look up at me, but instead took the cat into his own arms and sat down beside me. "Did you think I would scare it away?" asked Kouji softly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Bug off. Or did you come here just to annoy me even further?"

"Maybe…maybe not. Do you really hate me?"

"What do you think?" I spat, turning away from him. I really wanted to run. The only fact that held me back from doing so was the sense that told me he would just come after me again. Another one of my mother's warnings came to haunt me, but I ignored it.

Smiling, Kouji kept his gaze glued to the cat, which was now stretching and resituating itself on it's back for a tummy rub. And then Kouji laughed.

I hate when he laughs. It's always so…so scary. But this time, what worried me was that it really wasn't scary.

That just scared me all the more.

While Kouji leaned back on his palms to laugh, the cat jumped out of his lap and walked back to me, gazing up at me longingly. I sighed and picked it up. "You're so spoiled," I muttered to the cat, hiding a smile as it meowed gratefully.

Kouji's laughter died and he chuckled, "Well you're gullible."

"I am not!" I found myself screaming. I didn't want him to be right. I wanted him to leave me alone.

"Calm down," he murmured, frantically trying to mollify me before I attracted too much attention. Seeing this side of him, I shut up immediately. It's just weird when someone's been such a jerk to you for a long time and then suddenly, they're trying to not make you cry.

But I did calm down. I stared him straight in the eye, trying to find out who he really was. For the first time, I wanted to know who Kouji really was.

He sighed when I fell silent. "Listen, Izumi, I know you hate us for all of this-" he started.

I interrupted and corrected, "Just you."

"Me?"

"I just hate you."

"Oh! Okay. Well, I know you hate me for all of this, but…" Kouji paused and turned to me. "Listen, Izumi, no hard feelings, right?" he asked, a small smile on his face.

No hard feelings…? No hard feelings, I repeated in my head as if to convince myself. It was impossible. How could there not be hard feelings? After all I had been put through, how could I not hate him for what he had done? For ruining my research, putting me in utter misery and countless other crimes…

Turning to him with a calm look, I murmured, "No…" It couldn't be.

"What?"

It couldn't. "No," I repeated firmly in a louder voice.

Kouji didn't look shaken at all. He seemed to nod and accept the fact silently. Finally, he stood up and held out a hand. "Alright. Truce?"

I must say, I was amazed. Here he was, expecting me to forgive him for years of pain and misery, all with a hand shake. It was ridiculous.

I wanted to laugh.

Shaking my head, I glared long and hard at him. "You know, Kouji," I told him, "For the longest time, I'd waited for you to say this was all a joke. Don't expect me to forgive you, you jerk. It's not going to happen." I placed the cat down with great reluctance and stood up, brushing back my hair. There was a shocking silence that satisfied me. Finally, with much hard work, I had shut Kouji Minamoto up for good.

(-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-)

The next day was quiet. After getting a lot of help from my mom, I did manage to redo my homework. But it just wasn't the same. Almost depressing, actually. I guess I should have saved it on the computer. Then again, how many times do you expect your papers to be scattered around by the winds?

Kouji didn't say anything. Not one word. He was as silent as a mouse, and I think even Wakui-sensei was surprised, because the guy came up to me and asked if Kouji and I had talked recently. I felt bad about it, but I shrugged the guy off. After all he's done to me, he doesn't deserve to know.

Actually…I don't think I talked to anyone for the first half of the hour. And after that, when I did, it was to talk about the notes, or the problem, or something school related. Never once was it about Kouji. He was invisible to me. I was kind of happy.

The first break of the day came and went, and nothing happened. I sat in my seat and pulled out a book to read. Honestly, for some reason, every time I go to the library and pull out a random book off the shelf and then take it home, it's always something stupid and ridiculous. My standards for a book are just way too high I guess. Not even Fumiko came to talk to me. Kind of scary if I think about it now, but I didn't think about it so it wasn't.

When lunch finally came (and I was happy it did), I practically ran out the room. After discovering that a bunch of idiot boys pretty much decided it would be fun to screw around with my life, I decided it would be fun to get a few explanations from them, with force if needed. Fumiko said something about a bet, and I wanted answers.

I found Kouichi and Takuya with Junpei, all three boys comparing papers of some sort. Well there were two papers and Takuya and Junpei were looking at one while Kouichi was looking at the other. They looked slightly frustrated, occasionally bringing both papers together and pointing before they pushed away and looked down their papers again. It looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Hey, Kouichi, Takuya! I need to talk to you two," I said, waving over to them.

They came easily, both with blinking faces. It was hilarious as their expressions changed to utter horror when I asked, "So what's with Kouji?"

"You're his brother!" Takuya shouted, pushing Kouichi forward. "You answer!"

Wincing, Kouichi mumbled, "Well…Takuya and Kouji forced me into this, but Takuya, Junpei and Kouji had a bet that…"

You can always hit a mine of gold with Kouichi. He caves in so easily, and he's just the best person to talk to. My eyes widened slightly as he explained the whole point of this stupid bet. Apparently, Kouji had seemed to be winning, but now it seemed like they all lost. The very thought of it made me want to mutilate Takuya and Junpei, but I was just too amused to do so. Thanking Kouichi and formulating my plan, I began to look around for the bandana boy.

(-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-)

A few months after we returned from the Digital World, all the guys got together without me out of boredom, their thoughts being that you can't really do 'guy things' with a girl. It was Takuya who mentioned something about me, Kouichi said, that started the entire bet. At first, it was between Junpei and Takuya. That part made total sense to me. Then apparently they dragged Kouji into it.

I wanted to gag just thinking about it. Never once did Kouji show any emotion towards me that gave a hint that he liked me. It isn't like Takuya did, but Takuya was just open. I loved him for that. It's his own fault that I can never look at him the same way. And Junpei was Junpei.

Kouichi explained that Kouji had pride issues. It makes sense, because why else would he accept a challenge to go out with me? And not just one date, but for an entire year? I guess Takuya and Junpei either quit from the pressure or Kouji's just intimidating. Either way, it worked.

I'm not one to not accept a challenge. If Kouji wants to win so bad, I figured, why not? I'm not as gullible as he thinks, and there was only one way to prove it.

Kouji was by his locker, staring blankly at it. I guess he had just finished his business there, because one hand was on the lock. He was just about to take a step away when I appeared in front of him, a smile on my face. "Uh…oh, Izumi," he greeted me. A flicker of surprise ran across his face.

"Kouji," I returned, searching him with my eyes. Nothing. Might as well get to him. "So, having fun with your little challenge? Or are you giving up?"

I had him just where I wanted him. He stared at me for a long time, half twitching, half trembling. Finally, he shook his head and laughed. Noticing me roll my eyes, Kouji asked, "What? Do I seem pathetic? No, I wasn't giving up, actually…" His hands grabbed my upper arms and yanked me forward. "I was going to move onto part two, but I guess you caught on. Who spilled?"

There was a look of disgust plainly visible on my face. Nothing daunts him. He's just an unstoppable force of nature that finds it's way around any obstacles. Do you see the wind stopped by a wall? No, it goes above the damn thing. I can't construct that high, unfortunately. "Does it matter?" Snorting, I released myself from his grip. "So what were you going to do after the year was over? Just dump me?" I asked him. I was completely serious. It's just sickening, but I've heard of that happening before.

The effects of the laughter died down after a grueling minute. Yes, a minute. The entire time I glared daggers at him, waiting for him to stop. "Actually, Izumi," he told me in a soft voice, "I wanted you to actually be my girlfriend. You know…seriously." There was a small smile on his face. I couldn't tell if it was true or not.

He says I'm gullible. Why should I chance getting my heart broken? Two can play at that game. I smiled back sweetly, stepping forward. "And you still want to?" I asked.

Kouji seemed taken aback. It looked funny in a way. He quickly gained his composure and leaned down to kiss me. I think I tried yanking him down, too, because he pulled away with a grin on his face.

I knew the words were going to come out of his mouth. "Gullible," Kouji laughed, and then he kissed me.

So what if he's a good kisser? I still managed to push him away and ask, "What do you mean by that?" I was getting slightly annoyed with him calling me gullible, especially now that we were technically…a couple.

The thought made me shudder, but I managed to hold it back. Kouji shook his head and turned away from me. "Ah…it's just a joke Izumi," he told me, walking off. "See you during class."

He had made my life miserable. Hey, we were a couple. It was easy to do the same to him now.

And he calls me gullible.

(-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-)

Kouji slammed his locker shut and leaned against it, smirking triumphantly. A hand was outstretched in front of Takuya and Junpei, both of whom were digging through their pockets to produce the money they owed him. "I believe I'm victorious, here," he announced, snatching the money and counting it.

Walking away from the rest of them, Kouji shook his head and pocketed the money. Of course, Izumi now thought he was acting when in reality he wasn't. She would try to make his life miserable, and he would simply act as if she was successful. It amused him, but he wasn't about to give up on years of work.

Smiling, Kouji gazed up at the ceiling. It was just another day with Izumi.

A very gullible Izumi.

(-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-)

A/N-

Written mainly to challenge myself. I stink when it comes to Kouzumi (I'm a die-hard Takumi fan) and I hate writing big stories in first person. 'Across The Tears' is different, because with that, it's not dialogue. It's a compilation of thoughts. But yeah, tell me what you thought. I don't like it.

Review or Flame.