Choutarou Ootori Story

A/N: Too many new ideas. I don't think this is a very good story, no real plot, just kinda fluff, I guess. I dunno. I'm just kinda writing nowadays, too much on my mind. But anyway, I love Chou-kun! He's so sweet and cute! He deserves a story! Anyway, review please!

--Michy

Hyoutei Gakuen could get rather annoying sometimes. Mostly just with all of the fangirls and their random squealing times. Especially when the boys' tennis team regulars walked into the room! They went absolutely nuts then! I could hardly concentrate in Math class with them squealing behind me! It was really possible to be so thoroughly annoyed with fangirls of someone, that you begin to not like that person as well, despite them doing nothing to you. I learned that by experience.

It was always 'Atobe-kun this', or 'Jiroh-kun that', or 'Oshitari-kun did this today', or 'Jiroh-kun fell asleep in my favorite park yesterday', or something of the sort! I was tired of hearing their names already. Literally! Every time the teacher called on Ootori, Choutarou, I winced! That's how annoyed I was! If my mother hadn't been so against any school but Hyoutei, I probably would actually have more than two friends! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find girls who aren't tennis-boy fangirls here at Hyoutei?! VERY HARD!

"Yumikaiya-san! Yumikaiya-san! Psst! Hey!" I broke out of my trance at the end, but it was already too late to acknowledge my desk mate, because my teacher had already made her way up the aisle to my desk, and was staring at me as if she were a hawk and I was her prey.

"H-hai, sensei?" I questioned shyly.

"You might want to pay more attention to your desk mate when he is trying to warn you of my approach. Pay attention, Yumikaiya." She stalked back down the aisle toward the front, and glared at me before continuing her lecture. I groaned mentally, glancing sideways at my partner. Choutarou Ootori. One of the seven irks of my existence.

"Gomennasai, Yumikaiya-san. I tried to tell you…" He whispered good-naturedly. I sighed slightly, and nodded at him. I couldn't be rude at the moment; he HAD at least tried to save me from my sensei's impending doom. I turned back to my teacher, only to see her smirk at me slightly before lecturing again. I twitched slightly. I wouldn't be lying if I said I thought she was out to get me for not being a tennis fangirl like her daughter. Yes, daughter. She's one of my sempais. And I really didn't like her one bit. At all.

A few minutes later the bell rang, and I gathered up my stuff to leave, not even noticing the boy next to me waiting for me patiently. I grabbed the last of my things and headed out of the room, pausing as I heard a small, "Wait, Yumikaiya-san!" I turned around and spotted Ootori, and I twitched slightly.

"Hai, Ootori-san?" I asked politely. No need to be murdered for being rude to a tennis boy, ne? His fangirls should seriously be under 'EVIL' in the dictionary! They're maniacs!

"Ano… I was just wondering… if you'd like to attend the tennis practice today. You never seem to go, and Shishido-sempai said it was probably because you didn't feel welcomed, so…" He stuttered out nervously. I blinked in surprise. Was he seriously inviting me to tennis practice? Had he not seen me twitch at the sheer mention of the word tennis numerous times?

"Ano… Ootori-kun, nothing against the tennis team or anything, but… I would rather not have to hear all your fangirls screaming… Gomennasai." I apologized, and waved at him slightly as I left through the door. "Jaa!"

I walked to my locker, deep in thought. Why would he ask me that? Common courtesy? Curiosity as to why I never attended the practice? Why? I took the books I needed for homework out of my locker, and turned to leave through the double doors, before noticing Ootori in front of me, blushing a bit.

"Gomen, Yumikaiya-san, err… ano… I was just wondering if…" He trailed off, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"If?" I asked, urging him to continue his sentence.

"If you would… If…" He sighed and took a deep breath, "If you would attend Atobe-buchou's ball with me this Friday!" He finally blurted it out, and I stared at him in shock.

"Eh?" I blinked in confusion. "I… what?"

"Y-You see, Buchou is having a ball this weekend, and dates are needed, and you're the only girl in any of my classes who isn't a fangirl of me or anyone else on the team, and so… I was just wondering if you… would go as my date?" He explained, stuttering along the way. I flushed a bright red, thinking about whether or not I had plans. I sighed slightly, my eyes shining in sympathy for him.

"Gomennasai, Ootori-san, demo… I have a family reunion on Friday night…" I bowed slightly, apologizing again. He looked crestfallen, and I genuinely felt bad for not being able to go.

"A-ah. G-gomen for bothering you then, Yumikaiya-san. I hope your reunion goes well…." He bowed as well, and headed off toward his own locker. I bit my lip slightly. I felt really bad, genuinely. Maybe all the tennis boys weren't that bad after all?

I groaned, plopping down on the side of my patio, legs leaning over the edge of my in ground swimming pool. I leaned backwards, lying down on my back now. I was still thinking about earlier today. I couldn't believe he had honestly asked me to be his date to Atobe, Keigo's ball. It just wasn't…. normal!

"Amika! You are not supposed to be lying down like that in a bikini!" I shot up immediately, sighing at my older sister.

"Like anyone is seeing me! I'm in my own back yard; I should be able to lie down however I want!" I protested. She narrowed her eyes, before rolling them, and stepping slowly into the heated water of our swimming pool. She had tied her long red hair up into a high bun, and exchanged her glasses for contacts. She looked much more mature this way, despite being almost eighteen either way.

"What are you so zoned out about anyway? I've never seen you daydream so much in a day!" She questioned, swimming over to the ledge beside me.

"It's nothing Jurika." I rolled my own emerald eyes, before staring up at the clouds and sighing, my own hair blowing slightly in its ponytail from the wind, albeit not red, but a dark chocolate brown, and naturally baby-curled, unlike Jurika's pinstraight hair.

"Yeah right, like I believe that." She snorted. She smiled at me slightly, and I blinked at her curiously.

"What?" I questioned.

"Who's the boy?" She asked. I flushed immediately.

"W-what?" I questioned, shocked.

"You're never this quiet or contemplative. Who's the boy?" She questioned, smiling again at my red face.

"It's not that." I shook my head quickly.

"Oh? Then what is it?" She asked, smirking slightly at my slowly reddening face. I sighed after a few seconds.

"Oh, alright! It's a boy from my class. He's a tennis-boy," She nodded in realization, knowing how I felt about tennis-boys, "And he asked me… to his buchou, Keigo Atobe,'s ball. It's Friday, which is the day of the reunion. So I had to say no, despite him actually having a pretty good reason. I just feel bad is all."

"What was his reason?" She asked. I flushed slightly.

"I'm the only girl in all of his classes who isn't a fangirl of him or one of his teammates…" I replied sheepishly. She laughed immediately.

"That is so you!" She giggled then, "Well, did you at least apologize and explain why you couldn't go?" I nodded, and she smiled. "Then that's all you could do. You can't just skip out on the reunion just because a boy wanted you to go to his captain's ball with him!" I sighed, and nodded at her in reply.

"Alright. I feel a bit better now. Arigatou, Jurika-nee." She shook her head.

"No problem, little sis! Now, who's the boy, and is he cute?" I rolled my eyes.

"You're such a dork." She laughed.

"What? I'm trying to set you up! You need a man in your life!"

"Nee-chan! I do not!"

I flushed slightly as I plopped down in my seat beside Ootori-san the next day, my sister's words echoing in my mind. Who is he, and is he cute? You need a man in your life! I'm just trying to set you up! She could be such a pain sometimes! I don't think I'll be able to look Ootori-san in the eyes for at least a week without blushing bright red!

"Yumikaiya-san... Daijobou?" I flushed at the voice questioning my health.

"H-hai, O-Ootori-san." He looked disbelievingly at me. I flushed more.

"Are you sure? You're really red, do you have a fever?" He questioned, bringing his hand close to my forehead to check my temperature. I flushed redder as it made contact and he pulled his hand away immediately. "You're burning up!"

"I-I'm f-fine, Ootori-san!"

He shook his head, "You have a fever!"

I shook my own head, "I do not! I'm just embarrassed is all." I quickly bit my tongue. Did I just say that? Out loud?

I groaned mentally as he froze and blinked at me in confusion, "Eh? Embarrassed? Why?" He flushed then. "A-ah! I-is it because I asked you to the ball yesterday? Gomennasai, I didn't mean to embarrass you!"

I flushed, "Iie, Iie, It's just something my sister said is all! I just keep remembering it; it has nothing to do with you, Ootori-san!" I protested. He blinked in understanding.

"Oh, ah, alright then. Gomennasai for freaking out like that." It was his turn to turn red. I simply let out a small giggle in reply, and he blinked at me in confusion.

"It's fine, Ootori-san!" I looked over at him after a second, realizing his surprised look. "Ne? What is it, Ootori-san?" I blinked in confusion.

"I think that was the first time I've ever heard you laugh before, Yumikaiya-san…" Choutarou blinked again. I flushed slightly, realizing that he was absolutely right. I really had never laughed in front of him before.

"O-oh…" I replied, flushed. I looked away from him. Why do I keep flushing around him! It's not fair! It's not like I like him or anything… right? I pointedly ignored the voice whispering in the back of my mind that it was actually quite possible that I did like him… or was at least beginning to. I heard him begin to stutter.

"A-ah, Y-Yumikaiya-san, I-I didn't m-mean it as a bad thing! I was just thinking out loud!" He protested. I blinked, trying to process what would possess him to say that. I realized it a few seconds later, and I shook my head.

"Oh, no! I wasn't quiet because of that, I was just a bit embarrassed that I never really was myself around you, was I?" I asked him, deliberately steering the conversation AWAY from my previously-red-flushed cheeks (which I had just managed to turn completely back to their normal peachy look). He blinked at me in return, and smiled slightly.

"I don't think you have, actually. You've never really seemed to like me much, to be honest. It's… why I normally don't talk to you much." He explained shyly. My cheeks flared again.

"O-oh… well, to be honest, I sort of… didn't like you much… not for anything you did, just… your fangirls are really annoying, is all. I shouldn't have held that against you personally though. Sorry about that, Ootori-san." I explained, looking down at my desk. I heard a small chuckle escape him, and glanced up at him curiously. He smiled brightly, but shyly at me.

"Trust me, I know what you mean. I don't blame you either- sometimes even I hate myself for them." I stared at him for a few seconds, before immediately breaking out into giggles. He broke out into chuckles, himself.

"Do you realize how utterly insane you just sounded?" He just nodded at me in response, and we continued to laugh. By this point, our classmates had begun to stare, but we really couldn't have cared less. We were both just so utterly amused. When we had finally stopped laughing, we merely grinned at each other, and turned to the front of the classroom, just as our teacher walked in. I really didn't like that woman.

A/N: So, what do you think? Let me know!

--Michy