Author's Note: Yes, this is an overly used plot about two best friends falling in love with each other. However, I couldn't get this story out of my mind for weeks now. Hence, I am indulging myself with this trying-to-be-humorous story with slightly and/or overly done OOCs and all its fluff. Hope you appreciate it as much as I do!

It was the loud beating of the drums that started it all. Each hit on the white exterior echoed the beating of her heart. It was exhilarating and it made Mikan Sakura feel alive.

She was seventeen when she first witnessed Alice University's drumline team. She had been walking with her friends during the freshmen welcoming week when the first strike on the bass drum effectively silenced everyone. That lone calling beat demanded attention and it sure got a hundred percent of Mikan's. The succeeding beats and watching the team with their game faces on made her heart skip a beat.

It was then that she knew she found home and a place she wanted to belong to while she was in University.

"Strike it harder!" Tonouchi, their team captain, shouted as he walked the length that the playing members occupied in the empty football field. "Those who aren't playing, observe them carefully. You're not here to just stand around!"

Her mind filled with determination, Mikan drew her body closer to the bass drum. She held the rim tighter with her left hand, lifted her right arm and in a swift move, brought it back down against the drum's surface. The sound it created was comparably louder than the previous ones she made. Keeping the tempo and power up, she continued beating her bass drum.

"Mikan, you're off-beat!" Tonouchi shouted in front of her. She nodded both in apology and understanding.

Amidst the noise, Mikan closed her eyes, and trained her ears towards the steady tempo of her other teammates. She gripped her percussion mallet tighter, ignoring the searing pain on her fingers. Her sweat trickled down from her forehead and trembled along her jaw like raindrops falling on the edge of the roof. For today's training, they were tasked to play the beats of a lengthy Alice U chant on repeat for fifteen minutes in order to build their stamina.

Their captain signaled that they only have one last round left, hence, she poured every remaining bit of energy left in her body into that last cycle. Their fifteen minutes were up.

Mikan watched her hands tremble slightly as well as the fresh wounds that formed there after the exhausting activity. She didn't notice her teammate and senior, Tsubasa Andou, approach her. "Hey, you okay?"

"Hey, senpai. Yes, of course," she grinned at him. "Unstoppable is my second name."

Beside Mikan was Koko whose arms were propped against his knees to support his weight. He said breathlessly, "That freakin' round killed me."

Tsubasa laughed and patted both their backs. "You guys have only been here for one season. You'll get used to it."

"Gather around," came the command of their coach, Shiki, to which they all replied a monotonous Yes, Coach!

"Your performance today was good enough but that's not the standard we're aiming for. Our goal is to play at the championships this season so you have to be better than best," he said. He turned to Tonouchi and asked, "Tono, is there anything else you need to tell them?"

"Yes, Coach," he turned to his constituents. "The League is drawing closer and all the teams in Alice U are training hard to get the back-to-back overall champion title. As your captain, I expect everyone to do the same and to work twice as hard. Clear?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Alright, you're dismissed," he said before turning towards the freshmen members to tell them to bring the team's equipment back to the storage room.

In the locker room, Mikan looked at her hands both in pain and disgust. The skin of her fingers were torn due to friction and the force she applied in training earlier although it was nothing new. Shaking her head, she continued changing her clothes, careful not to let the fabric rub her wounded hands. Afterwards, she got her phone out of her gym bag and saw a message from Natsume.

. . .

iMessage 6:09 PM

Natsume:

I'll drive you home. Don't forget.

iMessage 8:58 PM

Mikan:

Yes, I need to have my fingers treated first. Meet you at the quad? :-)

. . .

Everyone had always said that Natsume Hyuuga will grow up to become an excellent swimmer, the Michael Phelps of his generation. It had been said so often that he had come to expect it of himself. No more, no less.

He learned swimming before he even began to walk. He started swimming competitively at the tender age of six in the Kyoto Pool & Tennis Club where he also earned his first championship medal under the children's division. When he was thirteen years old, he earned the nation's attention and admiration when he won five consecutive titles in the Japan Junior Swimming meets. It was the beginning of stardom and brand sponsorships which also meant being constantly under the scrutinizing gaze of sports analysts and swimming fanatics as well as the expectations of his fanbase.

That's why he was restless. And annoyed. And frustrated.

He had been on a slump ever since he started his collegiate swimming career. The problem began when he lost in a pre-season meet against his all-time rival, Kuonji, which he disdainfully calls, Kuondick. His succeeding matches bore the same results and the next thing he knew, his ranking suffered a significant drop. He lost several sponsorship deals and gained more online hate. But the trouble didn't end there. Three weeks before the season opening of the Collegiate Athletic League of Tokyo, or simply The League, for swimming, he sustained a shoulder injury which made him spend his rookie year by the benches instead of the pool. It didn't sit well with him but it's not like there was something he could do with the situation.

Upon reaching the end of the swimming pool, he kicked the wall in order to propel himself back to the direction where he came from. Muscular arms emerged from the water in an alternating manner. One arm pushed water backwards underwater while the other recovered forward above water in controlled movement. Simultaneously, his legs executed flutter kicks which left ripples of water in its wake.

Reaching the edge of the pool, he removed his goggles then his swimming cap. His coach, Rei Serio, said, "Your time record's 50.58. Good job, Natsume."

"Thanks, coach."

"I already sent your name for the Tokyo Pool Club's meet tomorrow. It's nothing big but it'd be a nice practice game for you."

Beside his lane, Ruka, Natsume's closest friend gave him a high-five and said, "Nice one, bro."

"Thanks, man."

Persona turned to the other members of the swimming team. "As for the others, you showed improvement compared to last season's performance. But don't get too cocky. I was once a student athlete like you and I'm telling you that the only way is up for this team. When you put in the work, you become stronger. The harder it gets, the harder—"

Behind Rei, a petite girl with wavy hair tied in a messy ponytail coughed to interrupt the swimming coach's emotional tirade. Nobara swiftly said, "Alright, what the coach wanted to say was continue to train harder. That's all. You're dismissed."

"Aye, aye, Coach!" shouted Kitsuneme.

Once in the warmth of their locker room, the boys entered their separate shower stalls and began to talk about their coach. The sound of the warm water falling from the shower and its accompanying steam filled the room. Mochu complained, "Have nothing against coach but he's chatty these days and it's freaking me out."

"Really? What was he like before?" Youichi, their rookie, asked.

"My man," Hayate, a brown-haired swimming team member began. "You wouldn't believe this but I'ma tell you anyway—"

"He was really moody and kept to himself most of the time," Kitsuneme explained.

"Thanks for interrup—" Hayate complained sarcastically.

"He had this mysterious aura going on," Ruka added.

"Hey—" Hayate tried again.

"He doesn't do motivational speeches either," Natsume said.

"Why the change then?" Youichi asked.

Thinking that his fellow teammates didn't have an answer to the rookie's question, he began quite proudly, "Rumor says that—"

"They say he fell in love, hence, the change of heart," Ruka said.

"I'm talking here—" Hayate said but then was cut off again.

"Heard that they also had a baby," Natsume said.

"Apparently, if it were true, a baby changes everything," Kitsuneme said.

"Stop—" Hayate said.

"But those were just rumors though. It's not like he'd actually share his personal life to us," Ruka said.

"And it's not like we'd actually want to know," Natsume said.

Assuming that the conversation which his teammates left him out of was finally finished, he said while feigning seriousness, "He also only wore black."

"Oh, yeah," Mochu affirmed.

Satisfied that he finally got everyone's attention, he continued, "These days, the only black he's wearing are trunks."

"But our trunks are black," Kitsuneme said.

"Hayate the dummy," Youichi said.

"Why, you—" Hayate began to retort but got cut off once again.

"Thinking about him gives me goosebumps," Mochu said and after a pause, he added. "Even down there."

At that, the boys groaned in disgust. Ruka said, "Mochiage, you're sick."

Having gone out of his shower stall a lot faster than the other boys, Natsume had already dressed himself in a clean white shirt, black gym shorts, and sliders. He rolled his eyes at Mochu's comment. Lifting his gym bag and placing the strap on his shoulder, he said, "See you guys tomorrow. Gotta go."

"Girlfriend waiting for you?" Kitsuneme teasingly asked.

Opening the most recent message on his phone, he nonchalantly said, "She's not my girlfriend."

. . .

iMessage 9:17 PM

Natsume:

Alright. On my way.

. . .

"Ah, my regular is here. Of what may I be of service?"

Mikan sheepishly smiled before lifting her slightly bloody fingers to show it to Narumi, the nurse assigned to student athletes. "The usual."

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll just get the gauze and antiseptic."

When Narumi got back, he took a cotton ball and dipped it in hydrogen peroxide then applied it on Mikan's wounds. He asked, "Was training that intense today?"

Mikan nodded. "Yeah."

"But you do love what you're doing, right?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Then you can endure it. You can do it as long as you put your heart and mind to it."

"That's funny," Mikan said in wonder. "My parents tell me the same thing!"

"Really? Must be a coincidence," Without looking at Mikan, he asked, "What do your parents say about your blisters each time you go home then?"

"Oh, they've been nothing but super supportive since I joined my team."

He gently smiled at her. "That's good to know. There, we're done."

Mikan's phone which was on her lap vibrated and she saw the text notification from Natsume. Narumi asked, "Boyfriend?"

"Nah, best friend," Mikan smiled at him, thanked him, then went out to go to the quad. She failed to hear the nurse's next probing question which was, You sure?

Koko had been quietly observing passersby when his teammate, course-mate, and close friend approached him. When he noticed Mikan's bandaged fingers, he looked at his own hands and at the hardened skin.

He jokingly asked her, "Remind me again why we joined this torture?"

"Me, I've always loved the sound of the bass and you . . . you're in love with Permy and wanted to get her attention."

"Yeah?"

Upon noticing her cheerleader friends, Mikan moved closer to Koko to whisper in a singsong voice, "And here she is."

Koko often thought that God must have taken a lot of time creating Sumire because in his eyes, she was just perfect. Once, Mikan asked him why he liked her so much and he answered that it was because she's strong, independent, and a woman. As he watched her walk towards where he was, he can hear The Archies' Sugar, Sugar playing. Until he heard her accusingly say, "What are you looking at?"

Always with a smile on, he truthfully said, "You."

Sumire became red in the face and at a loss of words, only managed to narrow her eyes at him. Her vice cheer captain and friend, Nonoko said, "Don't be too harsh on him, Permy."

"Isn't he sweet?" Anna, also a friend of theirs and a cheerleader, gushed.

"Then date him."

"No can do! I already have Mochu."

The cheerleading team's student manager, Hotaru, said, "If you girls won't mind, I'll be taking my leave."

Mikan clung to her and babyishly complained, "Already? But I missed you."

"I don't miss you."

"But Hotaru," she pouted.

"Not working," she turned to the other girls . . . and Koko. "I need to review for my Accounting quiz tomorrow."

"Can Anna and I carpool with you?"

"Yes, of course," she answered before turning to the cheer captain who was being annoyed by the drummer. "And Shouda?"

"I'll drive her home," Koko answered on her behalf, his hand already taking Permy's gym bag.

"No, you can't. We still need to discuss the game assignments!" Sumire reasoned out.

"Nonoko and I can do it since we'll be riding with Hotaru!" Anna answered.

"Besides, you deserve some lovin' because of all your hard work these past few weeks," Nonoko said then winked at the green-haired beauty.

"Ooh, guess who's gonna get some lovin' next?" Koko mirthfully asked while looking at someone jogging towards them.

Mikan elbowed him on the backside, "Shut it, Koko."

"Here comes Mikan's boyfriend," Koko teased. "I guess that's our cue to leave."

"He's not my boyfriend," Mikan said, slightly horrified that her friends were indeed already starting to leave. "Wait, don't leave me!"

"Oh, shut it, Mikan," Hotaru said. "You're no damsel in distress."

It was ridiculous how almost everyone thought that she and Natsume were dating based solely on the premise that they're always seen together—going to school, lunchtime, before and after their respective training schedules, going home, and whatnot. If Mikan was to pinpoint how it all began, it would've been during their first week in Alice U. It was that time when invitation for acquaintance parties were handed left and right—by school organizations and individual students themselves.

Their high school batch-mate, Wakako, hosted one of those parties and heck, she did know how to plan a party everyone would rave about in the days to come. She hired a DJ, installed party lights, moved the furniture towards the walls so there'd be plenty of space for dancing, and her brother who was a bartender mixed their drinks so well he deserved to be praised. To put the long story short, they both got heavily drunk that night and they ended up sleeping in one of the couches. One partygoer maliciously took a picture of them while they were asleep and seated dangerously close—Natsume's arms were wrapped around Mikan's shoulders while she was half-seated on his lap, her head tucked underneath his chin and her own arms wrapped around his neck.

Come Monday, they were both surprised to know that they became the main subject of the rumor mill. Said photo wouldn't have been talked about if it weren't for Natsume being one of the most promising rookies that year. For the next three weeks, the two best friends decided to delete all their social media applications because of all the online hate they received, especially Mikan who got slut-shamed for, guess what, having fun.

At first, they both tried to actively deny the rumors and the questions thrown their way from Natsume's fanbase and Mikan's friends until they both realized that strangely, denial only makes the people think that they are indeed together. Over time, gossipmongers moved on to other topics. Except their friends, teammates, and schoolmates who often see them together. Both of them laughed at the silliness of it all.

Seriously, can't a guy and a girl just be friends?

"Where'd they go?" Natsume asked when he reached her.

"They, uhm, had to do something."

"You're lying."

"What? It's the truth."

"Yes, and the truth is you're lying."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"Your nose crinkles when you lie."

They started walking towards the school parking lot. She slapped him on the back before grumbling, "I hate that you know me like the back of your hand. It's annoying."

"Blame our moms."

"Yeah, you're right. When I think about it—"

"That's new."

"—we're basically forced to be friends and grow up with each other since we were babies."

"Which is highly favorable on your part because you're best friends with, as my fans would say it and the thousands of fan fiction written about me, the Natsume Hyuuga," he said proudly.

"You read fan fiction?"

"More like, skimmed through it. Mochu made me check some out before training. Never doing it again though."

"Why?"

"Some were really," he grimaced at the memory. " . . . disturbing."

She laughed heartily. When she wiped her happy tears, Natsume noticed her bandaged fingers, "How was your training?"

"Tough, as usual. But I'm getting used to it."

"I told you to use athletic tape, remember?"

"I don't have the time to go to the mall, remember?" she mimicked his reprimanding voice that he used with her. "I need to work on my academics harder than you have to. I inherited my mom's brain, you know that."

"Fine. I'll buy one for you tomorrow after my game—"

"Your game?" She stopped walking and waited for his answer.

"Yes, my game," he softly affirmed with pride.

She witnessed how devastated Natsume was when he had to miss his supposed first season in The League due to his injury. She also witnessed how hard he worked so he won't get left behind in terms of progress by his other teammates. Hence, to hear that Natsume would finally represent Alice U for the first time, even if it's not as recognized as The League, almost made her cry. But she never cries, not in front of her best friend at least. Instead, she ran towards him and jumped on his back.

Natsume was taken aback at first but flexibly held her legs securely. He smiled at her strange way of showing him how proud she is of him. He felt her head near his ears as she asked, "Where?"

"If I tell you, will you watch?"

"Duh," she playfully rolled her eyes. "I've been supporting you since day one."

"Alright, Tokyo Pool Club. 1 PM, you free?"

"Ah, shit. I have Economics with Jinno that time. I'd miss his class but we're not exactly on friendly terms."

"It's fine, I understand."

"I'm really sorry. But know what, I'll make sure to be there in all your games once The League starts. Heck, I'll even beg my team captain to assign me to all your games."

"Promise?" He held out his pinky finger.

"Promise," Mikan said as she carefully intertwined her bandaged pinky finger with Natsume's. Then she playfully added, "The moon's our witness."

As if in agreement to what the drummer said, the moon was indeed shining brightly against the infinite darkness that was the nighttime sky.