My very first fanfiction, yay. Please review.

"I'm back," Mizuki Ashiya murmmured to herself. Sano Izumi's rhythmed breathing
answered, he was already asleep.

"Why are you back so late, Ashiya?" Sano's stranger-cold voice came from his bed
suddenly.

Mizuki frowned at the gently rising and falling figure through the slightly opened curtain hanging, before climbing the ladder and falling into her own bed and drawing the curtains. "I don't think it's your business knowing where and what I'm doing with whom Sano Izumi," she answered him shortly.

But the unspoken and knowable truth that she had been with Nakatsu burned in the already painful silence. She remembered when Sano would nag her to clean and dry herself or she'd get sick...

She pushed the images back and turned on her side.

"If you don't dry your hair you'll catch a cold..." She turned on her other side. "I knew I'd find you here..." She buried her head under the pillow. "Don't cry..." Tears leaked down her stone blank face as she lay on her back again.

Where had it gone wrong? When did it stop becoming natural for them to be side by side, always and forever. Sano and Mizuki, Mizuki and Sano. But suddenly, as his high jumping began to get more focused, he was pulled away and Nakatsu automatically filled the void Sano left—or he tried to anyway.

In a way, Mizuki loved Nakatsu--very, very much. He catered to her and she in return. They rarely got into arfguments and when they did, it was settled easily; both sides always willing to disperse of the feud. In some ways they were perfect for each other, a mirror image of the other. But that could be the problem; they needed opposites to balance them out.

But Sano...even now, they never spent nearly as much time together as they once had. However Mizuki knew she still loved him--true love never dies, but it can be buried. She had done just that, after pining after him, seeing the girls surrond him--free to touch him, to give him tokens of their love, free to date.

It was after Sano had come in 2nd for a high jump competition and had been offered a spot at a high-quality sports school. The usual fangirls were there, somehow easily pushing her further and further into the crowds as they surronded him and showered him with praise and gifts. Then Anita Nanao--a usual fangirl of Sano's, too nice to be mean to; overall golden girl: track, honors list, community service. Almost the spitting image in demeanor and physique of Mizuki had she not been posing as a guy--just went up to him and kissed him! Right before all the girls, the people in the stands, some classmates.

The memories conjured a fresh wave of core-prickling pain and tears.

At first, Mizuki had been embarassed for Sano. But then he didn't push her away, he just stood their shocked then when she pulled away smiled at her and hugged her.

It all went up the scale for Sano after that--he managed to break record after record, after each practice and competition he was greeted by Anita Nanao The Great, The Beautiful, the freakin Trophy Girlfriend of the Year! And everything went downhill for Mizuki who slowly but surely--in a manner that no one could accuse The All-Wonderful Anita Nanao of sabotaging her--was replaced in Sano's heart.

Mizuki's own heart had been broken. Oh, of course, she played her part--smiles, congratulations, pretending everything was alright. When it wasn't. It was the opposite of "O.K", it was the entire opposite, it was the world crumbling under her, it was her falling into water beneath and sinking, sinking, sinking deeper and deeper.

But then, Nakatsu pulled her out of the water, slowly. He stitched her back together, even though scars deep into the tissues of her heart were uneraseable--love that strong had to have roots that deep. Along the way, they did become lovers—boy, that was one helluva conversation. Mizuki couldn't help but smile.

Nakatsu did his best to fill the dark space left in Mizuki, at first she had decided to get closer to him to make Sano jealous--a despiteful, coniving thing to do but he broke her heart first, let him taste his own medicine. But Mizuki grew to truly love Nakatsu, he anchored her during the internal storm and stopped her from flying back to America.

They could've been soul mates. But her love for Sano eclisped that of Nakatsu's, though desperately wished it wasn't so. She loved Sano, with almost all her heart.
She loved his hair, falling down casually over his beautiful knowing eyes looking down his pert nose right above those lips she wanted to touch, kiss right along with his ears and down that slender neck. She longed to run her hands over his high jumping toned physique, and freely praise every inch of his demeanor. She missed that smile she used to be blessed with daily. She missed spending time with him and making him react--shock, happiness, occasionaly...jealousy?

She loved him so much that her heart burned with passion before then stabbed with an icy knife when she remembered their ever-deteriorating only-friend relationship. She loved him so much that even when she looked at him, saw him smile, look, or talk with someone else she felt a hot poker in her stomach.

"Mizuki," her heart sped up in a familiar manner at her friendly-mannered name being used on Sano's tongue. "Mizuki, this isn't working." Her heart slowed, it sensed bad news.

"What isn't working?" She answered feebly in an attempt at nonchalence.

The covers being shifted sounded below her and she knew he had sat up. "You know what I mean. We need to get this in the open." Her heart stopped, she knew this day was coming. He was going to go to Enden High, the sports school. He was going to leave. He was leaving. Sano was leaving, her. This brought a fresh batch of tears along which poured down the sides of her face after pooling up in her eyes. Her voice cracked, "W- Get, get what in the open?"

"I've been considering going to Enden." Her heart split in half and the tears began freefalling down her face and soaking the bed covers. "Ani," Mizuki's heart gave an angry twitch at the familiar-used nickname. "Anita has been saying I should go ahead with it. What do you think?"

"Do-Does my opinion even matter?" More disdain than she'd wanted poured in from anger. He was silent, then a shaky breath and she knew he was crying.

"Yes." Another shaky breath. "It does, alot. You should also know..." A throat clearing, but his voice was still choked. "That Anita's parents asked if I would engage Anita." A whimper-sob escaped Mizuki and she buried her face in her pillow as her tears poured. It was over, she suddenly longed for the unspoken awkwardness, the noticed but desperately ignored tension, the overall oddness.

This was the ending of her life. She came across waters to an all-boys academy in Japan to meet the boy she was a fan of only to discover he'd quit high-jumping. She'd befriended him and he returned to the sport, they'd gone through so much. So much. But now instead of the old-aged fairy tale ending she'd was sure was at the end, she faced a 21st century rude sword through the gut pain awakening that the man she'd fallen in love with was now marrying some princess of a not-so faraway land. A few blocks maybe.

She imagined how things may have gone, if she had went about this differently. Maybe she could have gone to St.Blossom's Academy--she knew many guys that had girlfriends from the all-girls school. She could've enrolled there, and been joined by Julia later on in the year. Then, maybe during the ball or maybe during that fieldtrip she could've gotten Sano's attention and who knows what might have happened then? They could've hung out, they could still maybe have gotten to know each other...gotten to actually date. They may have become an exclusive couple, how great would that have been? Sano shifting again from below punctured her dream, letting the colors sweep her down the drain leading to the sewage-reality--it really stunk.

It was too much. Far too much.

She quickly scaled the ladder not bothering to wipe her face, making for the door. But Sano's strong arms caught her from behind and warm suppressed memories of past semesters burst through as well as strangled sobs and tears. She tried pulling away weakly, punily beating on his hands with shaking fists.

"Let-let me go! Let me g-go!" She gave up, her as well as her knees and they fell to the floor sitting awkwardly with her head lolled to one side and Sano still clutching her.

"I said no." It didn't sink in at first. No. No? Said I no? "To Anita and Enden and all those girls. I can't live like this anymore!" Turning her around to face him he stooped his head to look her fiercly with passion-filled eyes he said, "I love you, Mizuki Ashiya! You and only you. I know you're a girl. I know that and I know that I LOVE YOU."

She couldn't do anything but cry. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears and his mixing as they ran down his chest. "I-I love you," she whispered, finally looking into his beautiful eyes. Their heads drew closer and the moment before their lips touched was so intense and tight you could cut it with a dull plastic knife and almost as wonderful as when their lips actually touched.

Love poured from their very soul as they embraced tightly and just sat there, speaking countless "I love you"s with their lips and tongues and hands.