Head Over Feet
By: Kagayaki Ame
Chapter One:
Misunderstood
The
beautiful blonde walked confidently through the courtyard, schoolbooks clutched
protectively against her chest. She was determined not to pay attention to the
many couples around her exchanging candy, flowers and kisses, so much so that
she didn't notice the many heads that turned her way.
Not
that she ever did. None of them were good enough for her anyway. They were only
interested in one thing – and they knew she wasn't the kind of girl to give
it to them.
But,
oh, how they dreamed…
"Nanami."
She stopped and rolled her eyes exasperatedly before
turning to face the sources of the harmonized greeting. As she feared it was
the baka-trio that had been annoying her for five years since the beginning of
seventh grade.
"What do you want?" she asked in a flat, annoyed tone.
"Today is valentines day," said Suzuki, the first of the
baka.
"And we wanted to give you," continued Yamada, the
second.
"A token of our affection for you," finished Tanaka, the
last.
Nanami glanced at their 'tokens' with disinterest. They
each held a rose: one red, one white, and one pink. She sighed and accepted the
roses. "Thanks. Can I go now?" Without waiting for a response, she turned and
continued walking.
Inside the fancy school building she headed toward her
locker. On her way she tossed the three roses into a wastebasket. Her action
drew looks of contempt and disapproval. She didn't care if anyone thought she
was a bitch – people's personal feelings about her never really mattered to
her. They didn't understand her anyway. And if she kept those roses, she'd
surely suffer for it later at the hands of the overenthusiastic, Suzuki, Yamada
and Tanaka.
Besides,
nobody could understand her or truly wanted to. It kept her lonely and that got
to her sometimes, but she wouldn't let them see that it did. The only person
who came close to understanding her was Touga and she loved her big brother for
it. She knew people thought their closeness strange but they had no idea what
they'd been through together. He was the only one she could trust. He was the
only person she loved…
Lately,
though, his attentions had been spread even thinner. The college scene had
offered him even more girls to conquer and as a junior, he was running out of
time – or so he saw it.
She
slammed her locker shut. Where were Keiko, Yuuko and Aiko? Even their annoying
company was better than being alone. They soon appeared and they all walked to
study hall together. Nanami soon regretted their company. Had she been as
shallow as them before? It wasn't hard to believe. But why hadn't they all
matured together. Nanami knew now there was more to life than vindictiveness
and jealousy and plotting. She wondered if this was her doing… No matter what
the source, it was annoying. All they talked about were boys and how to get
them from the girls they hated. It was disgusting.
She
remained silent trying to tune them out.
"I
hate valentines day," she thought.
All
through study hall the smell of chocolate and roses made her progressively more
nauseated. Her friends didn't help with their mindless chatter about boys and
falling in love. They were so shallow and while she did indulge in her own bit
of shallow behavior ever now and again, maintaining a shallow existence was not
something she intended to do. They weren't children anymore - they were juniors
now – older, wiser. Or so they were meant to be. She'd matured without them.
Perhaps that could be attributed to Touga's going to Ohtori University. Their
contact was infrequent and she was forced to depend upon herself, something she'd
handled rather well. It forced her to grow up. Something her friends obviously
hadn't done.
"Would
you all just shut up, or, if you insist on talking about stupid shit, do it
elsewhere," she snapped slamming her hand on the table causing the other
students in the library to look their way.
Keiko,
Yuuko and Aiko looked shocked, then annoyed. Then Keiko's expression turned
smug. "Fine, Nanami. We'll leave." They all rose and Keiko looked down at her. "You
always get like this on valentines day. Don't take it out on us because you don't
have a guy."
Nanami
narrowed her eyes at the girl. "At least I don't have one by choice. What's
your sorry excuse?"
Keiko
simmered and turned angrily. The two girls followed her faithfully.
Nanami
turned back to her books and ignored their snide comments as they left study
hall. She didn't care. They weren't true friends anyway…
Just
as she was getting back into her work, she was interrupted again.
"Excuse
me, where is room 281? I have British Literature there and I'm new and very
lost."
"When
you leave the library go left and to the end of the hall. You can't miss it –
unless you're a blind fool." Nanami didn't look up.
Instead
of being slighted, the boy was intrigued. His aqua eyes sparked as he smiled. "Well
I'm neither blind nor a fool, so I should be fine."
"I'm
so happy for you. Now if you don't mind I'd like to…" Nanami trailed off as she
looked up into the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen.
"Like
to what?" he asked still smiling.
"I'd…
um… like to apologize for being rude just now." She smiled back. A genuine
smile.
"It's
fine. If you feel bad, you can make it up to me…"
Nanami
looked at him warily. "Like what?"
"Walk
me to class. So I don't get lost." His smile was brilliant.
Nanami
couldn't help returning the smile. "Okay. I think I can handle that."
The
bell rung and she stood and gathered her books. "I'm Nanami, by the way. Kiryuu
Nanami."
He
took her books from her and began walking. "I'm Aiden, Tenryou Aiden."
Nanami
paused for a moment before following him. She didn't have to ask him to carry
her books…
"Thank
you… for carrying those. They were kind of heavy." She smiled.
He
held the door open for her and smiled handsomely. "You have a beautiful smile,
Nanami."
She
blushed. "Thanks… again."
As
they walked she couldn't help stealing a few glances at him. He was
spectacular. Beautiful eyes, handsome, jet black hair, a great smile and a nice
body, as far as she could tell. He wore a different uniform that was deep blue
instead of light. He was only more handsome for it.
Her
demeanor took a dive as she saw Suzuki, Yamada and Tanaka coming toward her in
the hallway.
"Damn,"
she said under her breath. She grabbed Aiden's arm and whispered, "please just
go along with me."
"O-kay…"
Aiden said puzzled. He watched her sweet expression turn to one of contempt as
she squared herself.
"Who
is this person, Nanami?" Suzuki asked.
"Is
he bothering you?" Yamada asked.
"We've
never seen him around before," Tanaka finished.
Nanami
tightened her grip and said evenly, "this, baka-trio, is my boyfriend. He just
transferred to our school."
Suzuki,
Yamada and Tanaka gasped, speechless for once. "No…" they mused in unison.
Nanami
opened her mouth but Aiden beat her to it. "Actually, yes. Do you have a
problem with it?"
Suzuki
spoke up. "Actually, we do. Prove it. If you're really her boyfriend, that is…"
Nanami
got nervous but Aiden kept his cool. "Alright then." Without hesitation he bent
toward Nanami and kissed her softly on her lips. Suzuki, Yamada and Tanaka were
surprised but no more than Nanami. A blush spread over her cheeks furiously.
Aiden pulled away and winked at her before turning to the trio again. "Now, if
you don't mind, we'd like to get to class." They pushed past the shocked trio
and continued ahead.
Nanami
was speechless. Aiden had just kissed her. In front of everyone…
"Who
were they?" he asked casually.
"Um…
just some… boys that like me… um… thanks for… playing along."
"Sure.
Anytime. I hope I wasn't too forward in kissing you." He looked at her.
Nanami
felt shy under his gaze. She smiled bashfully and averted her eyes. "No. It
convinced them."
They
reached his room and Nanami stopped. "Here you are, Aiden."
He
gave her her books back and grinned. "Thanks. I'm glad you walked me here."
"You
would have made it alone," she replied accepting her books.
"True,"
he said lightly. Then he leaned toward her and lowered his voice to a core
shaking bass. "But then I'd never have gotten to kiss you." He winked at her
again and entered his classroom.
Nanami
stood there for a moment then pulled her books to her chest and smiled happily.
He kissed her. He flirted with her. It made her feel good. She turned and
headed to her next class feeling better. The day was not so bad after all.
To Be
Continued…
* * * * *
Author's
Notes: So how'd you like it? I really like Nanami myself and I think there's a
lot more to her than people think. I also think she doesn't get nearly enough
attention as she should. I felt I had to give her a few years in this story to
make her maturity believable. And also enough time for her to grow, especially
apart from her annoying little groupie friends. I hope you liked it. The next
chapter will be up soon. *^ - ^*
