Next chapter done! Mer. This story seems to be very popular so far--well, at least more popular than I thought it'd be… oh well! I'm really getting into it, working out the little crooks and nannies in the plot I have laid out. Now, to respond to the wonderful reviews you all gave!

Kikoken- Yes, this might just be one of those fics. Or it might not. But could it? Yes. Or maybe not. Har :p you'll have to read to find out!

SukiLovesAnime14- I'm glad you like it so far -smile- I hope I'll be able to keep your attention.

twilight eyes 8120- -bows- Thanks so much for the compliment. I must say, the only reason her thoughts are, well, realistic, is because I've been in that position many times -sheepish grin- so if you could see what goes on in my head during school when I notice my crush, it'd be redundant of what you see here -.-;

ShibiChicken- Jon, Jon, Jon… -shakes head- You really shouldn't make rash assumptions like that. I assure you, everything is under control, and this will not be the corniest fic ever written :). If you must know why I have so much feeling in this story, read the response to twilight eyes. As to the "Who ruined you?" question, his name is Ethan Hart, if you must know -grins- he's just about as out of reach as Seto is to Kumiko right now. Hence my inspiration :). Oh, and chapter 3 for Hacker's World is up and has been for a while, so go read, you silly neenerhead.

Minor Arcana- Of course this will have a snazzy bit of darkness wound into the plot; none of my stories thus far have been entirely happy. This one will definitely have some complicated stuff being thrown around, so watch out! As soon as I get a bit more time, I shall read your story and review it:) I can't wait.

tyrantyoshi- -blushes- Short, yet so fulfilling. Thanks much; compliments like that make me so happy.

AllisonWalker- Ya know what's really really weird? The description of your crush sounds almost exactly like mine, except mine has Paul Newman blue eyes (if you haven't heard that expression before, it means they're… very very blue and pretty :p). Though, I try not to stare too much at him –grin- I'm such a wuss sometimes –smacks self-. I hope your luck improves with him in the future.

Whew! I hope that wasn't too long for responses, but I felt like writing a little more to take up space for this chapter. Onwards! Again, going off of personal feelings, what Kumiko does and thinks is exactly what I would do and think in the exact situation. There's reality reading for ya. Hope you all like this chapter! (oh, and keep an eye out for a picture of Kumiko and Shinobu; soon there shall be a link from my profile page to the drawing.)

Chapter 2

The next few days went by without much happening. I still watched Seto write in class and snap at people, but I never really got the chance to try to make him notice me. I was too busy trying to focus on some tests coming up, and for some reason the girls in my class decided that this week was the one to really make fun of me.

My glasses were one of the main attention points they decided to zoom in on, that and the fact that Shinobu was only "going out with me" because he pitied me. I'll admit, Shinobu is a really nice guy, but he would never date someone for that reason. The fact that they were dead wrong about half the stuff they said nearly made me scoff at them, but I kept my mouth shut and my head down like I usually do.

I used to be so hurt by what they said that I would come home crying, but after a year or so I got used to it and just sort of sat and absorbed it. Sometimes if I was focused enough on what I was doing I could almost block them out entirely. Occasionally they'd steal something of mine to make me pay attention, but I've outgrown trying to take whatever it is back; I just sit and wait until they get bored enough with it and angrily give it back, accompanied with a nasty comment about how it's a piece of crap anyway.

I really hate people sometimes.

One day that week, though, I just about forgave them for all their taunting. They had found a new thing to make fun of—how intelligent I am. I was rather surprised at how many drugs they named off that were mind stimulants; they had been going at it for a while, and right when I was about to try to ask them to leave me alone… it happened.

"Will you morons find something else to do?"

I think all of us must have had the same expressions on our faces as we looked at the speaker. It was Seto. He was glaring at the girls instead of me this time. "You're all just making yourselves look like idiots every time you do this. It's gotten really old, so knock it off." He turned back to his work, leaving me shocked. I could have cared less about the fact that they left with a few nasty words about how Shinobu's gonna break up with me because I'm cheating on him with Seto.

He made the bullies leave me alone.

I really wanted to say "thank you" to him. I sat around for the rest of the period, not working on anything but thinking about how I was going to do it. Would I walk up to his desk and say it was he was packing up his things? What if he didn't hear me? Maybe I could get his attention first—no, that'd be like I was being too formal. It's no big deal, right? It's not like he was doing it for me or anything; they were just annoying him, and I know how serious he gets when he's working.

But, I still should say "thank you", I mean…it'll be a way to get his attention again. If I stand in front of his desk and say it, how should I stand? Should I even look at him? Should I wait around to see if I hear a "you're welcome" or should I just say it and leave? I was thinking too much, I decided. I should just grit my teeth and do it. Simple as that.

No, that was more complicated than just thinking about it.

The bell rang and scared me half to death; I stared at my hands for a second before I packed up my things, making a split-second decision. Tucking my pen away in my pencil bag, I put my backpack on and straightened my shirt. As I walked by his desk I held out my hand slightly, dropping a small piece of paper without looking anywhere near him. I hoped to whatever higher being that it landed on his desk and then left the class.

I practically ran to lunch; the adrenaline levels in me were definitely still hyped up even as I took out my lunch bag. I saw that Shinobu was with some of his friends, so I went to sit by myself on a bench. I started into my sandwich, relishing the fact that my hand had come within a foot of him. I got lost in the happy feeling, and that's when the nervousness set in.

What if he didn't get the note? Even if he somehow managed to notice it, I didn't put my name on it at all, so he might not know who it's from. No, he's smart, so he'll figure it out sooner or later. When he does, what'll he think? He might consider it, maybe he'll decide to defend me more often because the note made him feel appreciated.

I nearly smacked myself. Who the heck was I kidding? He'd probably look at it and then just throw it away; after all, what do I matter? Now he'll probably think I'm some sort of loser who needs to be led by the hand to keep from bursting to tears. He'll think I'm a wimp. Or—

I stopped eating. Maybe it'll make him start to think about me. Maybe… he might start noticing how much I look at him; it'll make him realize that I like him! Is that good or bad? I suppose it's good because… now that he knows… he knows, and I don't have to tell him, therefore it's up to him whether he wants to do something about it, so the pressure's off me. It could be bad, though; what if he tells someone and the whole school finds out? The mean girls in class will make fun of me even more!

I was so lost in my thoughts and internal ranting that I didn't realize that someone was standing right next to me. It was only when the glint of their silver briefcase reached my eyes that my mind halted; I was sure that as I swallowed the last bite of food, it would have a long way to go because my stomach kindly decided to splat onto the concrete below my feet.