Wow, this was a little messy, but it happened. I apologize in advance to the readers who were hoping to have a chapter with Kotori. I thought about it and the way I want the story to go, it would make more sense if this came first. At first I was working on my other story, but I didn't like the way I wrote it so I scrapped it and got frustrated. Therefore, this story got its next chapter instead. Anyways, keep voting and I hope you enjoy!

-Zero

Voting Update

Maki – 53 votes

Kotori – 36 votes

Eli – 15 votes

Secret - Ch. 7

The once clear sky slowly began to be covered with dark clouds. Because the chance of rain was sixty percent, most clubs decided to cancel practice, they weren't going to take their chances of getting rained on.

Azure eyes reflected the cloudy sky as their owner gazed out the window. The blonde sighed as she returned back to finishing her paperwork. She was currently alone, due to the fact that her Vice President was absent for certain circumstances. The girl hoped to get them done as soon as possible before it starts raining.

Summer break was finally here which excited the blonde. Luckily, the three idiots and Hiroshi passed (barely) their exams and were able to dodge the long, boring lectures of summer classes.

Eli giggled to herself as she remembered their study session together. It wasn't the fact that she needed it, but more for Honoka, Rin, Nico, and Hiroshi. Everyone enjoyed that time that they spent together...well except the ones who really needed it. Her lips arched upward as she recalled the recent memory. In a way, she kind of felt sorry for the slackers since Nozomi, Ushio, and Maki were making sure they stayed on task.

Ushio...

Her cheeks turned pink from the thought of a certain bluenet. She let out another sighed as she rested her chin in her hand. Lately, it has been happening more often than she liked. Just being around him made her feel like she was walking on air. At this rate her mind was going to be filled with nothing but the boy.

*Knock Knock*

Eli jumped in her seat, causing her to sit up straight in the chair. The sudden noise startled the Student Council President.

"Come in." She cleared her throat and smoothed out the creases on her uniform. Whoever this person was better have a good reason to interrupt her while doing work.

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not intruding." The familiar voice made the girl's heart flutter.

"Ushio, what are you doing here?" The blonde was surprised to find the person she was thinking about appear before her.

The blue haired boy greeted the older girl with his signature smile. "I was told I would find you here."

"Who told you that?" Eli raised her eyebrows.

"Nozomi texted me that she had some things to do at the shrine, so she asked me to see if I could help you with some of the paperwork in her place." He walked up to the desk to Eli's left and set down his bag before sighing. "Honestly, if I had known that you had this much left to finish I would have come sooner. Didn't you promise me that you would ask for help when you had too much to do?"

"I never made such promise." The blonde pouted. "I only said that if I need your help I would ask for it without hearing a single complaint. If you don't want to help then that's fine by me!"

"I wasn't complaining...I was just...frustrated that you didn't try to ask any of us for help if you needed it, like I'm not good enough..." He spoke in a passive tone to show the other that he wasn't trying to start a fight.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." Eli now felt bad knowing that Ushio had good intentions with his words.

"That's okay." He chuckled. "For a moment, I thought you were going to beat me with your stapler."

They both laughed. Eli had noticed that the younger boy learned how to be more lax around her as she had with him.

"So, what would you like me to do?"

"You can help me by putting these papers in order. I already finished looking over them."

The bluenet nodded and began working right away.

Throughout the whole hour that they worked, it was in complete silence. Eli wasn't sure if it was appropriate to strike a conversation when Ushio was working so diligently. The Student Council President had finished looking over the all the documents and was now trying her best to stay busy. Of course, the attempts failed and her eyes always made their way back to boy sitting to her left who was completely absorbed in the work.

The blonde noticed how he was very particular on how the papers were ordered. First by grade level and then in alphabetical. She couldn't help but giggle at his nod when he was finally finished.

"Thank you Ushio, you really saved me." She smiled.

"Eh! Ah! I was just doing what I could!" Ushio stuttered, a hint of pink dusted his cheeks. The smile that she gave him made him blush. "We should get going! It's getting kind of late!"

"You're right. We should go before it...rains..."

Right as the words left the blonde's mouth she looked out the window and realized that it was pouring.

So much for getting things done before it rains...

Eli looked out the window and internally sighed to herself. The day she forgets to bring an umbrella had to be the day it rains.

"It's raining really hard." Ushio spoke from behind, giving her a small fright. For a moment, she forgot that he was there.

"Eh! Uh, yeah...it really is..." Eli's voice hitched when their hands brushed against each other.

"Shall we get going then?"

"Yeah, let me grab my stuff."

xXx

The pair made their way down to the front doors and stood under there. Ushio pulled out a small carry on umbrella from his bag and opened it. Just when he was about to say goodbye to the older girl he noticed that she wasn't pulling out an umbrella.

"Eli, did you not bring one?"

"Haha, it seems that I might have forgotten to pack one." She gave him a 'don't worry about it' smile. He didn't like the idea of leaving her stranded so he decided to give her his umbrella.

"Eh?" Eli was confused when he put the opened umbrella in his hands.

"I'm letting you borrow it." Amber orbs averted the gaze of aquamarine jewels. He didn't know why, but his face began to heat up.

"But-" Before Eli could finish her sentence he started walking away from her and braced himself for the rain.

Better me than her right?

Just when he was getting ready to dash in the rain, Eli tugged on the back of his shirt. Turning around, he found a flustered third year trying to find her voice.

"I-I-If you want, w-we can s-s-share it t-t-together..." Eli's face was completely red from asking the question, but Ushio wasn't any better. The thought of sharing an umbrella together lead to the idea of looking like a couple which embarrassed both of them.

"Eh?! N-n-no it's-"

"I would feel bad if you got sick...besides...I don't mind the idea of sharing an umbrella together..." The rest of Eli's sentence came out in a mumble.

"Besides...?" Ushio questioned the third year.

"Anyways, we'll share the umbrella until we reach a convenience store so I-"

"I'll just walk you home then." Ushio cut off the rest of Eli's statement. In this kind of weather he felt more at ease if he knew the blonde had made it home safely. On the other hand, he hadn't noticed that his statement had cause Eli to blush even harder than she already was.

xXx

Without any more arguing they decided to walk together to Eli's house. They stood under the small object together. Ushio offered to hold it while they made their journey.

He's gotten taller hasn't he...

Eli noticed that not a single drop of rain touched her, but she knew the bluenet well. She knew he was the type of person who would take a wet shoulder while the other person stays completely dry. Mustering all of the courage she had, Eli pulled him by the arm and brought them closer to each other.

"E-E-Eli!" The sudden action brought his blush to go past his ears. Being in such close proximity made his mind go haywire.

"Y-your shoulder is getting wet...so deal with it until we get to my house." He nodded, knowing that there was no way out if he wanted to avoid another argument. Eli wasn't any better than the bluenet. She prayed that he couldn't hear or feel the fast beating of her heart.

Too close! You're too close Eli! Wait...what is this soft feeling...

Citrine eyes slowly looked at the area of softness as they continued to walk. Ushio's eyes widen when he saw Eli's...soft part of her body touching his arm.

E-E-E-E-Eli's c-c-c-chest is t-touching- Ushio, get yourself together! Stop thinking of indecent thoughts! What would she think if you say that out loud?!

The bluenet fought an internal battle to keep his mind off of the position they were in. Thankfully, they had arrived at Eli's house before Ushio overheated from thinking too much.

xXx

"I'll see you tomorrow then." The second year dropped her off at her door and was ready to head home until she called out to him.

"Why don't you stay for a bit? It's still raining pretty hard and you need to dry yourself off before you catch a cold." Azure eyes scanned the boy's wet shoulder. She knew that she would feel responsible if Ushio got sick.

"I guess I could stay until the rain calms down. It would be rude of me if I refused when you asked so kindly." Ushio gave her a light smile.

He entered the Ayase residence and excused himself for intruding. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't nervous. This was his first time visiting a friend's home besides Kotori or Honoka. The boy stiffly made his way through the home and tried to act natural as possible. He sat down on the couch and set his belongings beside his feet.

"There's no need to be so stiff Ushio, my parents are at work and Arisa texted to me earlier that she was with Yukiho." Eli's face flared when she realized what she said. She was home alone with the boy. The boy that she has a crush on. The boy who's probably too dense to realize the situation.

"Eli, are you okay? You look kind of red." Ushio gave her a look of confusion and concern. He was worried that she may have gotten sick from being in the rain.

"Eh! I-I-I'm fine! I just spaced out for a bit! Totally fine!" She managed to stammer out.

"?" Ushio's face was now completely confused.

"H-how about I go and get you a towel? Would you also like some tea?" The blush on her face slowly returned to her natural color. She got up and walked to her room to grab a spare towel.

*BOOM*

The loud sound of thunder startled Ushio along with the lights going out, but what made him scared even more was when Eli screamed. He got up and ran to the direction of her voice and searched for the blonde.

"Eli are you- oomph!" An incoming force tackled Ushio to the ground. He shook away the spinning of his head and tried to get up, but the mass of weight that pushed him down was now on top of him.

"Please don't let me go. Please don't let me go." Eli wrapped her arms around his torso as she trembled, burying her face into his chest. Ushio may not be able to see in the dark, but he could hear the blonde sniffling as she tightened her grip which shocked the bluenet. Eli was usually as calm and more easygoing than he was; seeing her on the verge of tears was something he had never seen before.

"Eli, you're not hurt are you?" Ushio pushed them off the ground and sat themselves up, Eli never letting him go. She shook her head in response, but her trembling continued.

"Please don't let me go..." She repeated again.

She must be really scared. Amber eyes tried their best to reassure the quarter Russian that everything was okay, that is, if she decided to open her eyes.

If they were in a different situation, the bluenet knew he would have passed out by now because of how close their bodies are. But he didn't have the time to be selfishly thinking about himself when Eli was silently sobbing in his chest.

The mere thought of actually seeing her crying face made Ushio's chest ache in a displeasing way. He really liked it when she smiled. Her smile was different from Kotori's. Kotori's smile was childlike and caring while Eli's was warm like the sun with a hint of playfulness. There were times when the blonde would flash him a smile and make his heart beat fast.

"Eli..." He slowly pulled away to try and meet her in the eyes. "Are you able to get up?"

"I-I think so..." She held back another sob to answer the younger boy.

Ushio used the wall for support to help them both off the floor. Eli continued to stay close to him, hoping that he wouldn't suddenly disappear. The bluenet noticed that she was still shaking, so, on instinct he wiped away her tears before pulling her close to hold her. Eli stiffened from his sudden boldness, but soon relaxed in the embrace when Ushio started to rub circles on her back to soothe her.

When Eli had calmed down he pulled out of the embrace and took out his phone. The small amount of light that came from the screen was enough to help them see each other and a little around themselves. The two walked back to the couch and took a seat. Eli held onto Ushio's hand, refusing to let go even if she was completely embarrassed at this point.

"So...are you feeling better?" Ushio spoke up in hope to break the awkward silence that has been around since the time they had spent together at school.

"I'm still a little scared, but I feel a lot better knowing that you're here." Eli replied before giving a half-hearted laughed. "You must think I'm childish for being scared..."

Eli averted her eyes from citrine eyes to avoid contact. She was embarrassed about the fact that her crush has found out about her biggest fear.

"I don't think so."

"Please, if you want to laugh I won't get mad. Look a seventeen year-old student who's still afraid of the dark." Eli's words came out forced.

"There's nothing to laugh about. There are plenty of people older than you who are afraid of the dark; it's a psychological phobia for some. Besides...everyone have something their afraid of...even me." Ushio grabbed the older girl's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Eli leaned onto Ushio's shoulder and squeezed his hand back. She let out a soft giggle. "So even the usually calm Sonoda Ushio has something he's afraid of."

At first he blushed from her teasing, but soon smiled to himself knowing that Eli was back to her usual self. "O-of course. I am human after all."

"Well, since you know what my fear is what about you?" Eli became comfortable in the position they were in. Although the darkness still made her scared, she felt more at ease having the boy by her side.

"...My fear is being rejected by others..." Ushio's words came out softly and also took Eli by surprise. She had never thought that his fear would be that. "My whole life, I was always told what to do. The day I told all of you my secret...I was afraid you all would reject me for hiding something so big. Sometimes I fear what my parents would say if I ever decide that I don't want to take over the family dojo...you could say my biggest fear is having my dearest people leave me."

Eli didn't know what to say to him. She didn't know if words could soothe one's heart from such a big fear. She hummed in response to his words and laced their fingers together. She was past the point of being embarrassed, so basically, she didn't care anymore.

"I think that's also something everyone is afraid of...but if it makes you feel better, I won't leave you..."

Aquamarine gems made contact with his eyes. Their faces were inches away from each other. Eli made the bold decision to move closer until...

*FLICKER*

The power to Eli's house turned back on. Ushio hadn't realize that their faces were in such close proximity, lips centimeters apart. Both of their faces erupted in flames, the color would put a certain redhead's hair to shame. The younger boy practically fell off of the couch when everything replayed in his mind.

"I-I-I-I-I s-should get going! The rain seemed to have let down!" Ushio abruptly stood up and stuttered the words out of his mouth.

"Y-you're right! It's getting kind of late; your parents might be worried!" Eli replied a little quicker than expected.

An awkward silence invaded the room as the two avoided making eye contact with each other. Ushio gather his things and left the Ayase residence as Eli saw him to the door.

"Wait!" Once again the blonde stop the other before he could leave. "Um...I just wanted to thank you...for you know...what happened..." She madly blushed in embarrassment as she remembers what she did.

Ushio rubbed the back of his neck and reassured her that it was alright. His face, flushed just like her's.

When they finally said their goodbyes, Eli closed the front door shut. Her heart was beating like a drum, her feeling were overflowing throughout her body. How much longer will she be able to hold back her feelings?

Walking back into her room, her phone rang. The caller ID was from none other than her best friend.

"Hello."

"So, Elichi, how was your time with Ushio-kun?" A snicker could be heard from the other side of the line.

"NOZOMI!"

What the readers don't know…

Ushio during his internal battle 'Think of something else! Uh…' *looks at Eli's chest* 'Pi = 3.14159265359…etc.'

Hahaha I hope the Eli voters out there enjoyed this chapter. So close Eli, so close. Next chapter will most definitely be Kotori's turn while they all enjoy their summer break together.

Just as a reminder, you are allowed to vote again after every chapter I post, this also includes users with accounts.

Eli voters you are falling behind! Get you butts up if you want her to have a happy ending! Maki and Kotori voters are still in their heated battle.

Until Next Time…