By Your Side Chapter 4: Knocks Me Off My Feet, a sailor moon fanfic

By Your Side – Chapter 4: 'Knocks Me off My Feet'

By Akilah

Note: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and sorry that it took so long for the next chapter. Shout outs to Aqua Rhapshody: You'll see, and maybe this chapter will gave you some answers. Jupiter Fan:Your review is what made me get up off my lazy butt and finally format it. Princess Jupiter: Thanks for the review, I hope you'll still be excited for the next chapter after you read this one. Athena Kyle: Sorry for the long absence. I understand the almost fainting thing, lol, I promise not to be so long with the next chapters and thanks so much for sticking around and still reading. I thought I lost all of the original readers for sure.

Just so no one is confused, in Japan High School is for three years. It starts at 10th grade and ends at 12th. Makoto is starting 10th which makes her a freshman, Ken is in 11th which makes him a junior

Disclaimer: I do not own sailormoon or any of its characters. All original characters belong to me. The lyrics are from the song "Knocks Me Off My Feet" by Stevie Wonder. I do not own that either.

I see us in the park
Strolling the summer days of imaginings in my head
And words from our hearts
Told only to the wind felt even without being said
I don't want to bore you with my trouble
But there's somethin' bout your love
That makes me weak and
Knocks me off my feet
I don't want to bore you with it
Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you,
I don't want to bore you with it
Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you
More and more…

Ken glanced at the clock to his left. The bright red numbers showed that it was only six am. He had been lying in bed anticipating the coming day. It would be his first day back to school and he would officially be in eleventh grade, no longer a freshman! Most importantly, Miaka Kawa would be starting high school today and that meant they would be in close proximity of each other once again.

Ken also knew that now was the time to do something that he'd wanted to do for years, and that was to finally ask her out. He didn't know exactly how he was going to do it or how he would know when the right moment was. The only thing he knew was that he was finally going to do it, and that he had to do it soon before some other guy got to her.

He sighed and rolled over on his bed. He closed his eyes and a picture of Miaka's face floated into his thoughts. He smiled when he remembered where that image of her came from. It was the first time he had ever seen her and she was only six years old, Ken had only been seven. He thought back to the very moment.

At seven years old Ken was a gawky and skinny kid who wore glasses. He had little social skills since he was an only child who was smothered by his over bearing mother. So naturally, he was picked on often and was labeled a nerd ever since he could remember.

One day after the school bullies Shinji and Touji had dumped and attempted to flush his head down a toilet, Ken came running from out of the bathroom. He ran as fast as he could, while carrying an enormous book bag and praying that his glasses wouldn't slip off his wet face. His clothes were soaked and water dripped from them onto the hallway floor. Many students laughed as he ran past. Some were pointing and talking loudly about how ridiculous he looked. Ken had no time to care, he just wanted to get away from Shinji and Touji before they caught up to him and finished killing him off.

A kid in the hallway poked his foot out and Ken tripped over it and fell face forward onto the hard marble floor. The hall exploded with laughter. He slowly turned over onto his back and stared at the light on the ceiling. He didn't want to get up. He didn't even want to move an inch. 'What's the point?' He thought. 'No one even cares that I could have broken my neck. They probably would've laughed if I had anyway. Maybe they all want me dead like Shinji does.'

Suddenly Ken saw an angelic face overhead starring down at him. For a moment he thought he really had died and that an angel was standing over him to take him away to heaven.

"Are you okay?" Asked the little angel. She held out her small hand to help him up and Ken stared at her for a moment before grabbing it. She pulled him to his feet before he reluctantly let go.

After staring at her for a moment he realized that she wasn't an angel but a little girl he had never seen before. She wasn't just any girl, Ken quickly realized, but the most beautiful girl he ever laid eyes on. She had a creamy complexion and little freckles covered her nose and cheeks. Her hair was bright red and pulled into two braided ponytails.

Ken stood there staring at her, unable to speak. His clothes were still soaked with water and students were staring and laughing at him, but he didn't care. The red haired girl stared back with a look of concern upon her face.

"Come on, Miaka." Said another girl with long black hair. She walked over to the red haired girl and grabbed her by the arm. "He's a geek! Don't talk to him." She pulled her away and dragged her down the hall. Ken continued to stare and the red haired girl looked back and frowned.

'Miaka.' He thought. 'Her name is Miaka.'

That had been nine years ago. Ken was now sixteen and so much had changed since then. Shinji was no longer dumping his head into toilets but was now one of his best friends and he was no longer an awkward gawky kid, he was nearly a man. But there was one thing that hadn't changed for him; Miaka Kawa was still the most beautiful girl in the world.

Ken smiled before jumping out of bed excitedly and hopping into the shower.

Makoto yawned as she pulled a pair of baggy gray knee length shorts on. The shorts were so large that she needed to borrow one of her father's belts to tighten them around her waist in order to keep them from falling. She threw a white tee shirt on, that had the name of one of her favorite rock groups, over her sports bra. She walked over to a mirror and hurriedly pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. She threw on a pair of black and white checkered Vans shoes and quickly ran out of her room, down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Morning, Dad." She said as she walked towards her father who was standing at the stove making French toast, eggs, and bacon.

"Morning, high school girl." He said and leaned in towards Makoto as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Yum! Smells good." Makoto stuffed a piece of French toast into her mouth as she walked towards her mother and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Makoto's mother, Hikari, slapped her butt. "Don't eat yet, I want to take pictures of you going off to your first day of high school." Hikari said while putting film into her camera. Makoto rolled her eyes and swallowed her toast.

"What for! You act as if I'm going off to college and you'll never see me again."

Hikari laughed. "You know I take pictures of you every year on your first day of school." She brushed a strand of hair out of Makoto's face. "And you've gotten so pretty. I'm surprised a model scout hasn't swept you off to Europe yet."

Makoto squished her face in disgust at her mother's comments.

There was a knock at the back door and Ken walked in. He sat down at the table after greeting every one. After the family ate breakfast together the kids got up to leave.

"Wait you two. I want to take some photos of you guys so can you stay for a minute?"

Makoto groaned and rolled her eyes and Ken happily put his arm around her and smiled brightly. The two kids posed a few times and gave a few silly faces for the camera before leaving and getting into Ken's car.

Once inside the car Makoto turned the radio onto her favorite rock station and cut the volume on blast. Ken covered his ears after putting on his seat belt.

"What the heck!" He quickly turned the volume down.

"What you do that for, I like that song!" Makoto protested.

"I don't care." Ken said while pulling out a CD and popping it into the player. "'Cause in my car, we listen to my music." A slow R&B song began to play out of the speakers. Ken cut the volume up. Makoto rolled her eyes and leaned back into her seat, irritated by the boring song.

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Ken was eager to discuss what was on his mind with Makoto but was unsure how to bring the topic up. Whenever he opened his mouth to speak he quickly shut it, afraid of sounding like an idiot. He was rarely nervous when it came to discussing anything with her, but this time it was different for some reason.

Makoto had dozed off after listening to Ken's R&B CD. She had already been tired from having to get up so early that morning.

"Makoto." Ken said. She woke up and turned her head to glance at him.

"Yeah, Ken." She said while rubbing her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were sleeping."

"No, no. I'm awake now. What's up." She sat up in her seat. Ken cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"Remember when I told you about finally asking Miaka out?" He said nervously, his voice cracking. He suddenly felt too shy to look at her.

How could she forget? Ken had discussed his feelings for Miaka with her just a few days ago and she had felt very uncomfortable listening.

Realizing that she had been staring at him for the past minute, she suddenly remembered to blink. She turned her head and looked out of the passenger's window for a moment and sighed before looking back at him. "Yeah, of course I remember." She said, then rolled her eyes, sure that Ken wasn't looking to see it.

"Well," Ken said while looking straight ahead, still too embarrassed to look her in the eye. "I plan on asking her out sooner than later. Like this week."

She looked down at her hands and played with her fingers. It was suddenly becoming harder to breath. "Oh." That was the only word that managed to escape her lips. She tried to think of something more to say; something much more encouraging but failed.

Ken who was startled by her silence glanced at her, forgetting his embarrassment. She quickly straightened up and looked at him.

"That's great. You should go for it." She said while grinning. Ken felt that it seemed a little insincere but ignored the thought.

"I mean… the thing is… well… I don't exactly know how to ask anyone out and you know that I've liked her for so long that you know… I'm a little bit nervous about it. I mean… what I really need is your encouragement and your support… If that would be ok with you, that is." Ken said. He took in a deep breath and sighed heavily.

Makoto gapped at him. She now felt a little confused. "What do you need my support for. You're a regular pimp aren't you." She suppressed a smirk.

"Ha, ha. You know what I mean. I mean… just be there for me, you know. When I see her in the hallway and my legs turn into putty I need you to shove me towards her anyway. And when she finally turns me down I need you to be there to build my shattered ego back up. Look, I just need you to be my support. Don't let me chicken out of this ok. You've never let me chicken out of anything else before and I need you to have my back on this one too." He finished. Makoto sighed.

"Ok, but you owe me big time. Just be ready to build my ego back up if it ever gets shattered." She grinned at him and he smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Mako." Ken said as he pulled into a parking space in the school lot.

They got out and Makoto sat on the hood of the car while Ken leaned against it. It was a warm day in early September and many students were talking loudly and greeting each other in the large parking lot. Makoto sat cross-legged with her skateboard on her lap and rolled her eyes when a group of giggling girls waved at Ken from across the lot.

"And you say you're not a pimp, huh?" Makoto joked.

"What? What are you talking about, I just know them from class. Well, I know two of them from class last year. The others are just friends of theirs I guess."

Makoto smirked at him. "Oh." She said as she nodded her head. Ken shoved her and she shoved him back. Pretty soon they were laughing and play fighting in front of his car. They paused when they heard a motorcycle drive into the lot.

A dark haired boy parked the bike before getting off and walked over to the crowd of girls who had waved at Ken a few minutes before. He was tall and had a dark tan, deep brown eyes and a thin but muscular built. He wore a plain white tee shirt and baggy jeans that sagged and were only held up by his belt. He leaned into one of the giggling girls and wrapped his arms intimately around her waist while she wrapped hers around his neck. He looked over across the lot and saw Makoto and Ken. He winked at them and untangled himself from the girl. She looked very disappointed as he walked away.

As he walked toward them he smiled widely. Ken returned the grin and laughed excitedly. Makoto only stared at him with a nasty expression upon her face and her arms crossed.

"Shinji, my man!" Ken walked over towards the dark haired boy and gave him a manly one-arm hug. "We're officially juniors. Can you believe it? It seems like yesterday we were scrawny little freshman like Mako over here." He laughed as he pointed back at Makoto with his thumb. Makoto, who wasn't so amused by the joke, slapped his hand away from her.

Shinji smiled. "What's up, Mako." He said while shoving her shoulder with his fist, as if he were greeting Ken's kid brother. Makoto, who still wouldn't smile, looked down at her shoulder as if something dirty just touched it. She looked back at Shinji with an evil stare. He looked slightly offended by this but continued to smile at her although the edges of his mouth were starting to drop. He cleared his throat and looked back at Ken who gave him a 'forget it' type of look.

"I've got to go." Makoto said. "I'm suppose to meet up with Yuki." She hopped onto her skateboard and pushed off. "See you later, Ken!" She shouted as she skated out of sight.

"What's up with her?" Shinji asked. Ken shrugged.

"She's always like that around you, isn't she. Don't pay her any mind, that's just Makoto for you." He said while rolling his eyes.

Shinji shook his head. "Anyway, you see those chicks over there." He said while glancing at the group of girls he had just been standing with. "All of them are hot. Except for that one in the green shirt, but anyway most of them look good, man!" He shoved Ken. "You see that one with the mini skirt?"

"Yeah." Said Ken while looking at an attractive blond with a very short denim skirt and red pumps.

"I hit that." Shinji said casually.

"No, when?" Ken said, while trying to get a better look. Shinji laughed.

"While you were on vacation with you dear Mako, having fun building sand castles and strolling along the beach with her parents…" Shinji said with a tiny smirk on his lips. Ken threw him a nasty look. He laughed. "I was getting it on with that gorgeous long legged blond over there. We got it on in public. She's a freak, that one." Shinji laughed.

"You're kidding me right?"

"I kid you not my virginal friend…" Ken threw Shinji another nasty look. "It was in the park. On a bench to be exact. She got a few splinters… but what's pleasure without a little pain?" Shinji grinned.

Ken shook his head and laughed at his best friend. "No wonder Makoto recoiled under your touch. You're a filthy man, Shinji."

Shinji laughed. "Look, all of those girls over there would give anything to be able to spend one night with you, or one quarter of an hour with you, whatever as long as its sufficient time to get the job done."

Ken looked at him as if he were crazy. "I don't think so, and even if that were true you know me. You know how I am and what I stand for. I'm not like you I can't do stuff like that."

Shinji shook his head. "I know, I know. You're waiting for your perfect angel. And speaking of, what's the deal with that?"

Ken took a deep breath and looked away from Shinji. "I'm asking her. I'm gonna ask her to go to the Harvest dance with me. I'm serious about this, I've made up my mind." Ken faced Shinji who was now looking at him quietly. He didn't have a trace of a grin on his face. Instead, he patted Ken on the back.

"Go for it man. That's your woman! You've been waiting for her all these years, its time that you did something about it. You know I've got your back. So if she breaks your heart I've got chicks that can track her down and jump her for you." Shinji smirked.

"Whatever, man."

"Yo, it looks like your chance is gonna come sooner than expected." A red convertible pulled into the lot driven by Touji. His sister Hitomi in the passenger's seat while Miaka Kawa sat in the back.

Touji parked and all three of them exited and walked towards Ken and Shinji. Ken's stomach felt like it did a somersault as he watched Miaka. Her curly red hair was shoulder length and framed her creamy white complexion. A few freckles lay upon her tiny nose right underneath her big bright blue eyes. She was smiling widely and showed off her perfectly straight teeth. The pink dress that she wore looked like a linen shirt that was much too long, with a white belt looped around the waist. She was petite but shapely.

The two siblings, Touji and Hitomi, were both good looking. Touji was not as tall as Shinji and Ken. He was about 5'9". He had light brown hair and hazel eyes. Hitomi's black hair was waist length and she was very petite but always made sure she showed off her figure with revealing clothes. Today she wore a black tube top with tight capri jeans.

"What's up, fellas." Touji said before pouncing on each of them.

"Get off me!" Shinji said as he shoved him away.

"I can't help it, I missed you all summer." Touji laughed.

"Sorry, can't say the same for you." Shinji told him coldly. Touji pouted his lower lip exaggeratedly before turning to Ken.

"You missed me didn't you?" He asked as he pinched Ken's cheeks.

"Of course I missed smelling your stinking ass." Ken said as he shoved Touji's head away. All three of the boys laughed. Hitomi rolled her eyes.

"You guys are such assholes. I can't even get a 'hello' or 'how was your summer'. That's the polite thing to say you know." She said.

Ken smiled. "Well hello, Hitomi." He wrapped his arm around her. "How was your summer?" Hitomi threw his arm from off her shoulders and laughed.

"Too late now. Besides, there's someone else that you have been rude to. You haven't even acknowledge her with a glance."

Ken felt his face warm and was sure that he was blushing. He looked over at Miaka who was blushing as well. She grinned at him and he felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

"Hello, Miaka." He said softly. He was amazed that he managed to say that straight. Miaka smiled more widely and her face turned a deeper shade of red.

"Hello, Ken." She looked down at her shoes before glancing over at Hitomi. Both girls were smiling widely now.

"How was your summer?" He asked her, feeling a bit more comfortable.

"Great… yeah… it was good." She said, she seemed to be nervous. An awkward silence fell as they both stared at each other.

"My summer was good too!" Touji said loudly, breaking the silence. Shinji gave a small laugh as he smoked on his cigarette.

"No one cares how your summer went, Touji." Ken told him loudly. Everyone laughed except for Miaka.

"Well, I know my man here got laid multiple times." Touji said while shaking Shinji's shoulder. Shinji rolled his eyes at him and continued to smoke his cigarette. "I wasn't so fortunate since those French chicks weren't as easy as I thought they would be." The guys laughed again. Hitomi rolled her eyes and grabbed Miaka's wrist.

"The three stooges have finally reunited!" Hitomi exclaimed loudly. "Come on Miaka, let's leave these love birds alone." She pulled Miaka away with her, but the red haired girl turned and gave them a small wave goodbye. Ken continued to gape in her direction even after the two girls left the parking lot.

"You've got it bad, man." Touji said as he patted Ken on the back.

Yuki checked her watch. 'She should be here by now.' She thought. She tapped her foot against the grass of the school lawn. She had been waiting for Makoto for the past fifteen minutes. She was anxious to share something very important with her. She also wanted to see how Makoto would react to her makeover. Her natural light brown hair was now dyed blond, and she wore contacts instead of glasses. She wore a khaki mini skirt, a white tank top, and brown sandals.

"Arggh!" She heard someone scream and turned to the direction it came from. A few students were running out of the way, and a few were shouting as Makoto skated down the railing of a staircase.

"Get out of the way!" Makoto shouted as she landed on the ground. Yuki laughed. 'So typical Makoto.' She shook her head and waved her arm so that the other girl would be able to spot her. She caught Makoto's eye and she skated towards her.

"Nice entrance." Yuki smirked. Makoto laughed.

"You look great!" Makoto said as she surveyed Yuki. "That hair color looks great on you. And look, your showing off your legs!" She pointed to Yuki's exposed legs. "You never did that before. But you look so damn sexy!"

Yuki hit Makoto hard on the arm and laughed. "Whatever."

"No, no you really do. The guys are gonna love it! You just may catch yourself one this year."

Yuki blushed. "Well, there is one guy in particular that I'm hoping will like it." She said as she looked down at her feet.

"Ken, right?" Makoto said seriously.

"Yeah." Yuki said while looking up at her. Makoto groaned.

"Why don't you forget about that oblivious freak! He's known you for four years but still hasn't seen what a great person you are. I'm starting to think there's no hope left for that idiot boy." Makoto rolled her eyes. "Look at you, you can get a much hotter guy who worships the ground you walk on."

Yuki frowned and sighed. "I was hoping you could help me out a bit, you know… sort of persuade him to look my way. Maybe drop a few hints about what a great girlfriend I would be."

Makoto looked down. She had just promised Ken a few minutes ago that she would help him get Miaka, now Yuki wanted her to promise to help her get Ken for herself.

Yuki continued. "Look, you know how much I like Ken. And I don't think its just infatuation… I mean… I think I love him." Yuki turned away from her. Makoto sighed. She was almost sure that there was no way that Yuki actually loved Ken. She was only fifteen for goodness sakes and they hadn't even been on a date yet. Still, Yuki was her best friend and she wanted her to be happy. After all, Yuki was a much better catch for Ken than that hideous Miaka Kawa. Maybe she could convince him to take a better look at her and at the same time support him in his pursuit of Miaka. Ken would clearly see that Yuki was the better girl, and being the smart guy that he is will pick her in the end. Makoto felt good with this reasoning.

"Right, I'll help you. No need to worry. Consider Ken your man!" Makoto said. Yuki turned around enthusiastically.

"Really, Makoto? You'll help me?"

Makoto grinned. "Of course. You're my girl, what am I here for."

Yuki jumped up and gave her a tight hug. "Oh my gosh! I promise you'll be the maid of honor at our wedding."

"Yeah, just don't make me wear a hideous dress." She joked.

"Hey, guys!" Three girls walked up to them. They were their friends Risako, Momo and Kaori.

"Wow Yuki, you look hot!" Momo said. Yuki blushed.

"Thanks." She said, feeling self-conscious.

"Yeah, love the hair." Risako said.

"And the legs." Kaori added. Risako, Kaori, Momo and Makoto laughed. Yuki's face turned red and she desperately wished everyone's attention would focus on someone else or something else.

"Oh my gosh, Makoto! Is that a tattoo." Risako pointed to Makoto's ankle tattoo. She frowned. She had forgotten about the darn thing, and almost felt like telling the girls that it was temporary.

"Yeah." She said. She scratched the back of her head and looked away from them. She had already told Yuki about it over the phone, but wasn't planning on telling anyone else any time soon. The three girls stared at her with their mouths open in shock.

"No way!" Risako exclaimed.

"Rebel, rebel, Mako." Kaori grinned.

"Well it is kind of hot!" Momo said after taking a better look.

"Why did you get it?" Risako asked.

"Long story. I'll just say that it was sort of a joke that got out of hand. Ken got one too." Makoto said.

"Ahh." All three of the girls said in unison. "That's so sweet." Kaori said.

"What's so sweet about it!" Makoto shouted, annoyed. The girls laughed.

"You two are so in love and don't even know it." Kaori said.

Makoto rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She was use to the girls making those ridiculous accusations, yet they still annoyed her. "How many times do I have to say it! Ken and I are just friends! We never have been more than that and never will be!"

"Oh never say never, Hun." Kaori said. The other girls laughed at Makoto's frustrated face.

"What I don't understand is that Ken is so hot and yet you act as if he's your brother." Risako said.

"Yeah, and these two have even shared a bed together and they never did anything. I wouldn't be able to take it if I was you. I would jump on that boy and show him what Momo is all about." Momo laughed. The other girls giggled.

"You guys are so perverted and sick. At least I've got Yuki on my side, right." Makoto turned desperately towards Yuki who laughed at her.

"He is hot. You already know how I feel about that." The other girls patted Yuki on the back.

"That a girl, Yuki." Momo said.

"But Makoto and Ken are just friends and always have been. And I would like them to keep it that way. That means more Ken for me." Yuki finished. The girls giggled along with her except for Makoto.

"Speaking of tattoos, I've heard that Shinji has a huge dragon tattooed on his back. My neighbor Tomoko had a little fling with him this summer and said that his 'package' is huge." Kaori said. A few of the girls gasped and giggled but Makoto felt as if she were going to be sick. She grabbed her stomach and turned away from them.

"Why did you have to say that. I don't want to know what's under his dirty draws." She leaned over a bush. "I think I'm going to puke."

"Oh don't be so dramatic. You know that he's hot. You're just jealous because he's taking time away from you with your precious Ken." Kaori added.

"Whatever! I don't understand you girls. Drooling over guys that aren't even remotely attractive. I'll admit that Ken is handsome, and I'm only saying this in a sisterly way, but he is by no means worth lusting over. And that Shinji, oh don't even get me started, that little slim ball." Makoto shook her head in disgust.

The other girls gaped at her. "Makoto, I'm starting to think you're a lesbian." Risako said. Makoto laughed.

"I'm secure enough in my sexuality to not be offended by that. But I will tell you who is hot." Makoto nodded her head towards a skinny boy with long brown hair and a skateboard in his hand. He was standing under a tree and talking to a few other kids. The other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

"Not bad, pretty cute actually." Momo said. The school bell ring and the girls ran into the building for homeroom.

Makoto and Yuki were relieved to have the same homeroom. They weren't as excited when they realized who would be sharing it with them. Hitomi and Miaka Kawa walked in a few minutes after them. Makoto groaned and Yuki rolled her eyes. Hitomi glared at them and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she walked past their desks. Makoto suppressed a laugh at her dramatics. Miaka however stopped in front of Makoto's desk.

"Hi, Makoto." Miaka said softly. She seemed to be a little nervous and her cheeks turned pink. Taken aback, Makoto glared at her before mumbling hello back. Miaka, who was looking a little insulted, walked to the back of the class and sat next to Hitomi.

Yuki's jaw dropped from shock and she stared at Makoto. Makoto shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Since when has that girl ever said 'hello' to either one of us in the past four years." Makoto asked.

"I've known her for over ten years and she's never spoken to me once either." Yuki said. Makoto turned back to glance at Miaka.

"What's up with her?" Makoto said. Worried that there was more behind Miaka's hello.

After homeroom Makoto and Yuki picked out lockers in the hallway. They found two together and began decorating them. Makoto hung a few pictures of her favorite rock bands, along with a drawing of herself that Ken drew and a few photos of herself with friends including Yuki and Ken.

Yuki hung a mirror on the door of her locker along with a picture of Makoto and herself and an old picture of her with her mother and grandmother. She put a hairbrush, comb, hairspray and lipstick on the top shelf of her locker.

"Becoming a little vain now, aren't we?" Makoto asked Yuki as she observed the cosmetics that the other girl had stored in her locker. Yuki blushed.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with having a little pride in yourself." Yuki mumbled. Makoto smirked and shook her head. 'She sure has changed.' She thought.

"Maaakooo!" Makoto turned around and saw Ken walking towards her along with Shinji and Touji. Makoto beamed.

"Keeeen!" She laughed. "How has your first day been so far?"

Ken and the guys stopped in front of her. "Great." Ken said as he leaned against a locker. "All three of us are in the same homeroom." Makoto observed the other boys, Touji was observing the many girls that were walking past him in the hall and Shinji was staring straight ahead with his hands in his pockets looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but there at the moment.

"Oh, I feel bad for your homeroom advisor." She joked. Ken playfully poked her in the stomach and she let out a scream. Touji looked at her finally.

"Hey, Mako." He said quietly. Makoto didn't get along too well with Touji or Shinji, but they all tolerated each other for Ken's sake.

"Hey, Touji." Mako said. She looked over at Shinji who seemed determined to not look at her. She rolled her eyes. She then shoved Ken.

"I'm surprised by you, Ken. I never knew you were so rude to Yuki." Makoto said. Ken looked confused for a second before glancing over to the blond that seemed to be hiding behind her locker door. Yuki stepped away from her locker reluctantly and gave a weak wave.

"Yuki!" Ken said, shocked. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his sockets and his mouth was opened wide. Shinji quickly averted his gaze to Yuki and stared at her in disbelief. Touji laughed. Yuki blushed. She was a little embarrassed by all of the attention, especially Ken's attention, but Touji's laugh made her feel even worst. She wasn't sure if they were staring because they didn't recognize her or because she looked silly. She looked down at her shoes, wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her. Makoto gave her a little shove and smiled at her reassuringly.

"You look great!" Ken exclaimed. The words seemed to come out his mouth before he realized it. Yuki looked up, stunned, and stared at him. Her face was now completely red and she looked over at Makoto who gave her the thumbs up.

"Thanks." She said, not looking at him. Ken straightened up and beamed at her.

"You look really nice." He said as he observed her surprisingly developed figure.

"Yeah… nice." Touji said as he stared at her legs. Yuki blushed even harder. She then noticed that Shinji was uncharacteristically smiling at her. She frowned and glared at him. He wiped the smile off his face and looked down at his shoes before clearing his throat. Yuki had never completely forgiven him for what he had done to her four years ago. It was quite a traumatic experience for a girl to be attacked and robed in an empty alleyway, and Yuki remembered the incident every time she looked at him.

"Yeah, she's hot!" Makoto said and Yuki shoved her.

"Yeah, I say that you and I agree on something." Touji said as he continued to eye Yuki. Yuki looked at him in surprise and he grinned at her. She rolled her eyes and tugged at Makoto's arm.

"Come on, Mako. We're gonna be late for class." Makoto grabbed her notebook and slammed her locker shut, startling the boys who had been goggling at Yuki.

"Bye, guys." Makoto said as they left.

"See ya." Ken said.

"Bye, Yuki." Touji gave Yuki a little wave. Yuki eyed him in disgust.

"Yuki's a hottie!" Makoto teased. Yuki blushed.

"Stop it." She said uncomfortably.

"Did you see the way that Ken looked at you. I don't think I've ever seen him look at anyone like that before. He was clearly into you."

Yuki blushed. "You think so?" She asked hopefully. She had been waiting four years for Ken to notice her in a romantic way.

"Oh yeah, and he wasn't the only one. Touji couldn't keep his eyes off you. And Shinji even smiled at you, and he hardly ever smiles unless he's smiling at one of Ken's stupid jokes." Makoto said.

Yuki didn't know what to think. Her head felt light as they made their way to Geometry class.

Ken sat in his Advanced Chemistry class taking notes as the professor lectured. The bell had rung five minutes before and they were already taking notes on their first day of class.

There was a knock at the door and Ken looked up to see who was entering the room late. A pretty red haired girl timidly walked into the classroom. 'Miaka!' Ken stared at her in shock. 'Wait, there's no way that she could be in this class. She's only a freshman, maybe she got lost or something.' He thought.

Miaka walked to the professor's desk and asked if it was in the right class. After checking his roll sheet, the professor pointed at the station that Ken was sitting at. Miaka caught his eye and beamed. Ken felt his heart beating so hard and so fast he was almost sure that the rest of the class could hear it. Miaka sat next to him and he stared at her.

"Hey, Ken." She said as she continued to smile at him. Ken couldn't find words to say back to her so he just continued to stare. Feeling a little uncomfortable Miaka looked away from him and stared down at her fingers that were curled up on the desk before pulling out her notebook. Ken looked away finally and returned his gaze towards the professor. His hand shook as he tried to write and he glanced over at Miaka to see if she had noticed. She looked over at him and he quickly returned his gaze back to the professor as if he had been staring at him the entire time.

He suddenly realized that he had not been breathing for the past minute and gasped loudly. Miaka whipped her head back towards him and stared at him for a second. He was breathing erratically and felt as if he might be having an asthma attack.

"Are you okay?" She asked, looking concerned. Ken nodded, afraid to look at her.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, not completely convinced. He nodded again. "Because if you aren't I could get you some water, or walk you to the nurses office or something?" She said, now completely ignoring the professor and forgetting to take notes.

"No, no. I'm fine." Ken finally faced her. He breathed heavily as he stared at her misty blue eyes and creamy complexion. He continued to stare at her unblinking, for almost an entire minute. Miaka, feeling a little uncomfortable, turned back to face the professor and continued taking notes. Ken, realizing he was staring, looked away from her finally and resumed his note taking. Stealing glances at her for the remainder of the class.

When the bell finally ringed Ken packed quickly, determined to runaway from this embarrassing situation as soon as possible. 'I made a complete fool out of myself.' He thought. 'She thought I was having some kind of asthma attack.' He groaned as he threw his books into his bag.

Miaka looked over at him nervously. "So… I guess we're lab partners." She said with a small smirk. Ken gapped at her. He didn't know why he hadn't realized it before. Miaka Kawa was now his one and only chem. lab partner. This was like something from out of one of his fantasies. He and Miaka would be sitting and working together on class assignments for the entire school year.

"Yeah… yeah. I guess we are." He said, not sure if he should be happy or distressed about this. Miaka smiled at him brightly. He gazed at her before he remembered something.

"Wait… how did you get into this class? You're only a freshman. I mean… I had to bust my butt to get into Advanced Chemistry and so did most of the seniors."

Miaka laughed. "Well, I've always sort of been like a science fiend. And I'm a little obsessed with Chemistry. You know… I had like the whole chem. set when I was a kid and I use to do all sorts of experiments. I even made a facial cream for Hitomi once in seventh grade and it was pretty good too- well for about a week, before mysterious spots started appearing all over her face."

Ken laughed and shook his head. Miaka laughed with him. "Then when I was in middle school, my mother enrolled me into this evening science program. It was very extensive. We focused mostly on bio and chem., but I'm more of a chemistry freak. Anyway, I also went to Tokyo this summer for a special chemistry program for high school students. It was great and it guaranteed me a spot in this class, so here I am."

Ken was impressed. He had no idea that she was so smart. "Wow." They laughed again before starring at each other. Miaka was smiling brightly and Ken was smiling at her as well. Miaka looked down at her watch and realized that it was almost time for their next class.

"We should be getting to our classes." She said.

"Huh, oh yeah." Ken blushed. "Yeah, we should." They walked out of the door together.

"Well, my class is this way. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Miaka said.

Ken nodded. He felt disappointed to be parting with her. He would have liked to stay in her company all day.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Miaka walked away and Ken watched her leave. As she was about to turn into a corridor, she looked back and waved at him.

Makoto ate lunch with Yuki, Momo, Risako and Kaori that day. As they sat at their table, Makoto told them about Ken, Touji and Shinji's reaction to Yuki's makeover.

"… Ken was just drooling at her. Then I was like 'Yuki's a hottie!' and get this… Touji… Touji goes 'Well I think we have something we agree on.' And he says this while he's staring at Yuki's legs." Makoto said matter-of-factly.

"Woah. Oh my goodness! Touji was like all over you, Yuki." Momo said.

"Yeah, it sounds like he was making it kind of obvious." Kaori added. Yuki blushed for the hundredth time that day.

"It wasn't at all like that. Makoto's exaggerating." Yuki defended.

"What? I'm not exaggerating. You know that I don't exaggerate when it comes to stuff like this. All three of those boys were staring at you like you were a piece of meat. Dogs… all of them. Even Ken." Mako said before eating a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Well I wouldn't mind being stared at like a piece of meat by the three hottest guys in school." Momo said.

"I second that, except that Touji is sort of a goofball, and he's not as hot as Ken and Shinji." Risako said.

"There's nothing hot about Shinji." Yuki said. Risako, Momo and Kaori laughed.

"What's up with you two and the 'I Hate Shinji Blango' club?" Kaori joked. Yuki and Makoto looked at each other before staring down at their plates.

"Oh look, speaking of the three hottest guys in school, here comes one." Momo said. Ken walked to their table and wrapped his arms around Makoto's shoulders. He squeezed her tightly and pulled her out her chair. She protested but he was too strong. He quickly sat down in her seat at the table and smiled at the girls as if nothing happened.

"Hello ladies." Ken said as he smiled at each one of them. Yuki suddenly felt the urge to stare at her plate.

"Ken! Get up!" Makoto said as she shoved and hit him from behind. Ken tried to ignore her.

"How was your first day of high school? Good I hope." Ken said. Makoto hit him across the head with her notebook. Ken shoved her away and held her back with his arm, all while staring at the girls. Momo, Kaori and Risako laughed. Yuki felt like she was going to be sick.

"Good." Momo blushed. Ken rested his chin on his fist and stared at her sweetly.

"I'm glad to hear that." He said. He then looked over at Kaori who was smiling brightly. "How about you?" He asked. Kaori giggled.

"Much better since I've seen you." Kaori flirted. Ken sat up in mock surprise.

"Really, I feel so special." Ken said. Yuki glared at him and felt her heart drop. Ken was flirting with everyone at the table. She no longer felt special about having had grabbed his attention earlier that day. She looked down sadly. He didn't so much as acknowledge her individually when he sat down.

"You're going to feel so abused if you don't get out of my seat!" Makoto threatened him. Ken looked over at her.

"You're welcome to sit on my lap." Ken said. Risako whistled and Kaori volunteered to sit on his lap instead.

"Okay, Mr. Flirt. That's enough. Your feminine whiles may work on others but not with me." Makoto said seriously, her arms crossed. The girls laughed and Ken's cheeks turned light pink.

"Okay, okay. You win." He said as he stood up. Makoto sat back down and Ken grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table and squeezed himself in between Yuki and Makoto. Yuki felt all the blood drain from her face and rush to other parts of her body as Ken sat next to her. Her body temperature went up when she smelled Ken's cologne. Her mind felt a little blank and she was sure that if anyone tried to talk to her she would be unable to string two words together.

'Please don't talk to me. Please don't talk to me.' She thought as she imagined fumbling on her words in front of him.

Ken slowly looked over at her. "How's your day going, Yuki?" Ken said in a quieter and much more serious tone than he used with the other girls. Yuki's body stiffened and she accidentally slid her turkey off her plate onto the table.

"Fine." She said quickly while gazing at the mess she made. She glanced over at Ken who was looking at her attentively and then glanced at Makoto who was mouthing 'relax' to her. She looked away, took a deep breath and smiled weakly at Ken.

"How has your day been?" She asked him. He smiled at her. Makoto smiled brightly and gave her thumbs up.

"It's been great. And guess who's in my advanced chemistry class." He said excitedly.

"Who." All the girls said in unison.

"Miaka Kawa." Ken said proudly. Makoto looked at him as if he she was about to slap him. Risako, Momo, Kaori and Yuki groaned in unison.

"I don't understand why you think anyone else is interested in what classes that stupid girl is in." Makoto said, irritated by his lack of tactfulness.

"Yeah, don't tell us anything about her unless it involves some juicy gossip." Risako said. Momo and Kaori laughed.

"Oh well, it made my day." Ken said as he ate a piece of turkey off Makoto's plate. Makoto rolled her eyes and shook her head. She then passed him a note. Ken opened it discretely and read to himself:

Ken,
I overheard Miaka say that she's going to be hanging in town at the docks tonight. I think we should make an appearance too.
Mako

Ken nodded his head in understanding and stuffed the paper into his pocket. Makoto rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was only doing this because she promised Ken she'd help him. She did one thing for Ken so far, now she had to figure out a way to help Yuki.

"Thanks." Ken whispered to her. Makoto nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Um… excuse me." Said a deep male voice. Makoto looked up to see who it belonged to and her eyes widened in surprise. Standing before her was the cute skater boy she had pointed out to her girls earlier that morning.

"Yes!" Makoto said excitedly without thinking. "I mean… hi." Makoto said softly. Skater boy grinned at her. The other girls were smiling widely and were looking from the skater boy to Makoto and back. Ken looked at Makoto as if he didn't know her.

"Hey. I saw you earlier today, skating off that railing and man you were cool. That was dope." The skater boy said. Makoto continued to smile even harder.

"Thanks." She said, her cheeks turning pink. Ken continued to stare at her. He had never seen her act this way before in his life. He then looked over at skater boy as if he were dirty. Skater boy looked over at him and felt a little intimidated. He awkwardly held out his hand.

"Hi, you're Ken Brown right." Skater boy said. Ken stared at his hand as if he didn't want to touch him.

"Yeah." Ken said plainly. The skater boy took his hand away. Makoto glared at Ken and shoved him in the shoulder slightly.

"Ah… that's cool man. You don't gotta shake my hand." Skater boy said. He then looked back at Makoto. "Hey, I'm Tenshi." He said brightly.

"Nice to meet you Tenshi. I'm Makoto." She said. Tenshi nodded his head.

"Nice. I was wondering if you wanted to hang sometime. We all skate at this park not too far from here, but its sort of hard to find, unless you're going with someone who knows exactly where it is." Tenshi said.

"Yeah! Sure. That sounds cool, yo!" Makoto said excitedly. Tenshi smiled widely.

"Great! I'll be seeing you around then, Makoto."

"Yeah. See you, Tenshi." Makoto said. Tenshi waved weakly to Ken and then to everyone else at the table before leaving. As he walked away Ken stared at him maliciously. Makoto looked over at him angrily.

"What's your problem? You were so rude to him!" He turned and looked at her.

"What do you mean. That guy is a total slim ball. Just look at his hair, he looks like he hasn't washed it in a year." Ken said. Makoto shook her head and laughed.

"This is so unlike you." She decided to ignore him and she stuffed her mouth with food instead. Risako cleared her throat before speaking.

"His hair was actually kind of sexy, Ken." Risako said. "Anyway. Mako, how cool was that! You just pointed that guy out this morning and said how hot he was, and he comes up to you and asks you out a few hours later. You really got some pimp skills, girl."

Makoto shook her head and laughed. "What are you talking about, he didn't ask me out."

"He practically did in his skater boyish kind of way." Kaori said.

"He's even cuter up close." Momo said. Ken groaned and got up from the table.

"Look, I'm going to hang with Shinji and Touji. I think I've had enough of all of this estrogen and shit." Ken said as he walked away. The girls looked affronted and surprised. Makoto stared at him angrily as he sat down at a table with Shinji and Touji.

"What's up with him!" Kaori said, insulted. Makoto shook her head.

"I don't know." She said as she watched him laugh with his boys.

Later that evening, Ken and Makoto planned to go downtown to catch up with Miaka. They were hoping that he would have an opportunity to ask her out. As they drove in Ken's car, they were silent once again. Makoto was angry with Ken over his histrionics from earlier that day. She decided not to mention the incident again, but couldn't help feeling a little hurt and confused by his behavior.

Ken, on the other hand, was quite with nerves. He was completely anxious over the idea that he was finally going to ask Miaka out tonight after years of fantasizing about it.

He looked over at Makoto to think of something to say to take his mind off his nerves. He noticed that she was wearing a denim jacket and her hair was down. He really liked it when she wore it that way, he thought. Makoto looked over at him for a moment before looking back out of the passenger's window. Ken looked back at the road before pulling over in front of an old ragged house. Makoto was surprised by the sudden stop but recognized the house immediately.

"What are we doing here?" She asked frantically. Ken smiled at her.

"We're picking up Shinji."

Makoto shook her head. "I don't believe this, you didn't mention anything about Shinji coming with us. I could have stayed at Yuki's house if I knew he was going to be with you!"

"Oh, well. Too late now." Ken said as he nodded towards Makoto's window. She quickly turned to look out of it and saw Shinji walking out of his house. He smiled at her and nodded at Ken. When they made eye contact Makoto's face hardened. She immediately turned away and looked down at the dashboard.

Shinji jumped into the car and flopped down on the back seat. Makoto could hear him and felt the heat of his body in back of her, but she was too disgusted to look at him.

"What's up, man! Ready to do this?" Shinji asked as he shook Ken's shoulder. Makoto rolled her eyes and hissed. Ken glanced at her.

"As ready as I'm going to be, man." He said. Shinji laughed before looking at Makoto.

"What's up, Mako." She turned her head in the opposite direction and stared out of the window.

"Nothing." She said coldly. Ken smiled at Shinji and Shinji shook his head as he repressed a laugh. They pulled off and they made their way to downtown Cherry Grove.

As they walked along the business district, they stared into the windows of clothing shops and ate ice cream.

Shinji ate his playfully. He flicked his tongue over the tip of the comb and slowly and seductively licked the chocolate ice cream scoop. He made loud sucking noises as he sipped the melted ice cream from around the edges of the comb. Ken laughed. Makoto was furious with his rudeness.

"That is disgusting!" She said angrily. Shinji grinned at her and lifted his eyebrow while eyeing her up and down.

"You like that, huh?" He said with a wink. "Most girls tell me I'm good at it."

Makoto went red in the face while feeling her body warm to an uncomfortable temperature.

Ken laughed even harder and pointed at Makoto's blushing face. She had an urge to slap both of them.

"Good at what? Sucking Ken's dick?" She said while glaring at Shinji. Both boys stopped in their tracks.

"WHAT!" Ken said, shocked. Makoto smiled triumphantly. Shinji laughed.

"It ain't that kind of party, Mako." Shinji said, a small grin on his mouth.

"Oh really. With all the time you two spend together I'm surprised that it's not." She said while walking ahead of the two boys. They glanced at each other before running to catch up with her.

"Is that what this is all about? Is that why you hate me? You think I'm stealing your precious Ken away from you? You're jealous, right?" Shinji asked. He was still wearing that stupid smile on his face.

Makoto looked at him and gave a soft smirk. "No." She said softly. "I hate you because you're an asshole." Shinji's smile left his face for a moment before returning. Makoto smiled back at him and looked straight ahead. Glad that she was able to bring the boy to silence.

Ken suddenly shoved Makoto forcedly, knocking her into Shinji. She almost fell, but Shinji grabbed her before she hit the ground. Makoto looked up at his still face and felt his warm arm wrapped around her waist and his hand squeezing her wrist violently. She looked down at his hand and he let go of her. They straightened themselves up while comprehending what just happened to them. They turned and looked at Ken when they heard him laughing.

"Go and have sex already! I just thought I'd give you two a push in the right direction." Ken laughed harder at their stunned faces. Makoto glared at him in disbelief. Words could not express what she wanted to say to him. She turned and walked hurriedly away from the two boys.

Shinji stared at Ken who was still laughing. When he finally straightened up, Shinji shook his head at him.

"I thought she was your best friend, man." Shinji said.

"She is, but she needs to lighten up. She's too hard on you. You know that she is. Besides, it was just a joke… since when can't you take a joke."

Shinji shook his head. "Whatever, dude."

They walked on without Makoto for awhile and found her talking to Momo, Risako, and Kaori in front of a fast food restaurant. When she spotted them she waved goodbye to her friends and joined up with the two boys.

"Hey, Momo said that she saw Miaka over in BeBe, so she should be coming down to the Dock any minute now." She told Ken. Shinji stared at her, surprised that she no longer was angry. Ken didn't seem to have been bothered by her sudden change in demeanor.

They walked over to the Dock, a place where many of the town's teenagers came to hang out and over look the large lake that separated them from the next town. There were tables and benches for sitting and eating, and a fast food restaurant sat conveniently across from it.

"Let's sit over there, we can get a good look at everything from that spot." Makoto said while pointing at a bench. They all sat down and waited, as if they were hunters waiting for a deer to cross their paths. Ken sighed and anxiously played with his fingers. Makoto smiled at him.

After about fifteen minutes, Miaka showed up along with a group of chatting girlfriends. Makoto shook Ken's shoulder as the girls sat down at a nearby table.

"This is your moment, Ken! Go for it." She said excitedly. Ken felt as though he was ready to puke. His heart began to race and his palms felt sweaty.

"I don't know about this. Maybe this was a stupid idea. I don't think I can do it." Ken said as he stared at his shoes.

Shinji patted him on the back. "Yeah you can, dude. You're smart, you're handsome, you've got most of the female population at Cherry Grove High drooling over you, so there is no reason you can't ask her out." He said encouragingly. Makoto nodded.

"Right, you can do this. That girl is crazy if she turns you down." Makoto added.

"That's not true. I'm just a pathetic dork. Why would she want to go out with me." Ken said as he covered his face with his hands. Makoto and Shinji glanced at each other for support.

"All right, I've had enough of you putting your self down. Since when do I hang around pathetic dorks." Shinji said. Ken laughed hysterically and wiped his face with his hands. Makoto and Shinji glanced at each other.

"You alright, Ken?" Makoto asked, afraid for his sanity. Ken nodded his head.

"Just take a deep breath, man, and relax." Shinji said as he rubbed Ken's back. Ken took a few deep breaths and felt focused once again.

"You okay, now?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah, I think I can do this." Ken said.

"Yeah you can do this. I know you can." Shinji added.

"Yeah, Ken. This is nothing compared to you learning how to play basketball, right?"

Ken smiled. "Yeah."

"And you're damn good at that too, aren't you." Shinji said as he shoved Ken. Ken couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, you know you are."

"Right, right… you guys are right. I'm going to go on and do this." Ken said as he stood. Makoto and Shinji clapped their hands and whistled.

"Get 'em tiger!" Shinji said. He slapped Ken on the butt and growled like a lion. Ken looked around at him and laughed before walking towards Miaka.

As he approached the table of chatting girls he felt his heart beat speed up once again and felt an urge to run back to Makoto and Shinji, but he knew he would look like a complete dork if he did. He took a deep breath and continued on. A few girls from the table looked up at him as he approached, and giggled amongst each other. A few of them were whispering and smiling, all of them seemed to be having some type of reaction towards Ken except Miaka who was calmly sitting and staring at him. Her face was expressionless.

"Hey, Miaka." He said. Miaka blushed slightly. The girls at the table were now silent and starring at Ken intently.

"Hey, Ken." Miaka said. For some reason she didn't look too happy to see him.

"Hi, Ken." A girl Ken did not know greeted him from the table.

"Hey." He said distractedly. He looked back at Miaka. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He asked nervously. Miaka nodded and got up.

'This is finally happening. I'm really about to do this.' He thought. The two walked over to a quiet spot by the edge of the dock.

"What's going on, Ken?" Miaka asked. He took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.' He thought.

"I… I was just wondering if…" He stopped abruptly when a young man with dark brown hair approached them and wrapped his arm around Miaka's waist.

"What's going on here?" The young man asked as he held Miaka possessively. Miaka looked down and glanced over at Ken. The young man was now looking at Ken suspiciously.

"Ken was just about to ask me something." Miaka said. Ken felt his face go red as the young man gave him an intimidating look.

"Oh, yeah. What was he about to ask?" He asked Miaka without taking his eyes off of Ken.

Ken felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. This guy was never part of his fantasy when he thought about asking Miaka out for the first time.

"I was just going to ask you if you had written down all of the notes in Chem. today because I missed a few things." Ken lied. Miaka looked surprised.

"Oh." She said. "Umm… yeah. I wrote them down. Do you want to borrow them in class tomorrow?"

Ken nodded. "Yeah, sure." He said with a defeated voice. He stared at Miaka who was now looking down at the ground.

"Bye!" The young man with brown hair said. Miaka turned around and gave him a small slap on the arm. Ken felt as if he wanted to jump into the lake and drown himself. Instead, he nodded his head and walked away.

He was too embarrassed to go back to Makoto and Shinji. He walked down the dock to a more secluded area and rested onto the railing as he stared over the edge onto the lights that reflected off the dark water.

Makoto and Shinji who had been watching the entire scene from their bench felt embarrassed for him.

"I don't think it went too well." Makoto said as the two of them stared at their friend.

"Who are you telling." Shinji said.

"I think we should go over there to comfort him." Makoto said as she got up. Shinji started to stand but before he could two girls approached him.

"Hey, Shinji." One girl said who was wearing a ridiculously tight pair of jeans.

"Hey." Shinji smiled at the two of them. Makoto rolled her eyes.

"I think I'm gonna hang out with these two, if you don't mind." Shinji said as he stared at the girl's jeans.

"Whatever!" She said irritably as she walked away from them towards Ken. When she reached him, she walked over to the gate silently, leaned her head on the railing and stared down at the water. Ken gave a hard sigh and buried his face into his arms. Makoto wrapped her arm around him and leaned her chin on his shoulder. Ken could feel her warm breath on his ear.

"I am such a loser." Ken said dishearteningly. Makoto sighed and wrapped both arms around his waist.

"You're not." She said as she glanced at him. Ken lifted his head up.

"But I made a fool out of myself." He said without looking at her. "And what's worst is that she already has a boyfriend."

"You didn't make a fool out of yourself. You tried to ask her out and if she realizes that then she should be honored. And if she didn't realize what you were doing than no harm done, I would just think she were a little slow." Makoto said. Ken groaned.

"And how do you know that was her boyfriend. It could have just been a friend or some random guy she went out on a date or two with. Besides, he didn't look like much, I mean compared to you really." Makoto said and she leaned her forehead on the side of Ken's.

"You don't have to lie." He said trying to suppress a grin. Makoto laughed.

"You're such a vain boy, aren't you." She said jokingly. Ken smirked.

"No I'm not." He said as he finally looked at her. They stared at each other and smirked. Their foreheads were still touching and they were now breathing each other's air. Makoto pulled away after a moment when she realized how uncomfortably close they were.

"Come on, let's go home."

The next day at school, Ken acted coldly towards Miaka. He didn't speak to her when she sat down next to him and only acknowledged her when she gave him a timid goodbye when class was over. He mumbled "bye" back to her with out looking at her face.

During Makoto's English class, she turned around and stared at Miaka who sat in the back of the classroom with Hitomi. When Miaka looked up and saw that she had been staring at her, Makoto gave her a nasty look. She then turned to Yuki and slipped her a note that read:

Yuki,
Leave Ken up to me!
Mako

Yuki turned to Makoto and gave her a bewildered look. Makoto gave her a smile that she found suspicious.

That first week of school went by quickly and the weekend came before anyone had a chance to get use to their new schedule.

When Shinji woke up that Saturday morning he found himself in the shed in back of Ken's house. The events from the previous night came flooding back to him and he remembered the aching bruise on his cheek. He gently touched it and the bruise burned under his fingers. He leaned back and rested his head on the dusty wooden wall as he sat on a small cot. He closed his eyes and thought back to the first night he ever slept in the tiny shed.

It had been a rainy evening four years ago. He had only been twelve years old at the time and had just made a new friend, Ken. He was to meet up with him that evening and hang out with him at the mall. As he was walking out of the door his drunken father threw an empty beer bottle at his head. The glass bottle broke when it hit him since it had been thrown with such force. Shinji grabbed his head in pain and felt the warm blood seep over his fingers. He cursed at his father but it only infuriated the large man even more. He grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the wall. He then punched the boy in his stomach continuously until he puked. Shinji slid down the wall, fell onto his knees and cried from the pain.

"Don't you cry! Be a man!" His father slapped him across the face. "I ain't gonna have you acting like a little bitch!" He said as he kicked his son in the butt.

"Now get the hell out of here! I don't even want to look at your ugly ass!" The man screamed.

Shinji glared up at him as he sobbed and stood as quickly as he could. He then ran out of the house and found Ken standing outside under an umbrella. Ken looked frightened and Shinji knew that he had heard everything. He tried to walk forward and act as if nothing happened, but he stumbled as his stomach and head pained him. Ken quickly walked towards him and helped him up. The small blond haired boy threw Shinji's arm around his shoulder and wrapped his own arm around the taller boy's waist.

As they walked in the storming rain, Ken continued to hold Shinji up as he held the umbrella. They were both soaked since the wind blew the rain right under the umbrella, but Ken still held it up faithfully. He didn't say anything throughout the entire walk and Shinji was extremely grateful for this. He didn't want to talk about it, he couldn't bear anyone knowing how weak he was, and how he let his father beat him all the time.

When they stood in front of Ken's house. Shinji protested. He didn't want to go inside and have Ken's mother see him in that condition. Ken did not argue but took him around to the back of the house instead. There he showed Shinji the shed and they walked in.

The dusty little room held gardening equipment and was made out of wood, though it was surprisingly warm inside. Ken switched on the one light bulb that hung from the ceiling and sat Shinji down on a cot that was in the corner. Ken left him alone for a few minutes but he quickly returned with blankets, dry clothes and food. He wrapped a warm towel around Shinji and wiped the back of his head with a warm and damp rag. As Ken sat next to him, aiding his wound, Shinji could feel the warmth from the other boy's body. He closed his eyes and let Ken tend to him. He could only remember ever feeling so warm and so cared for when his mother was alive.

When Ken finished, Shinji felt cold once again and the pain returned. The thought of his mother had touched a wound within him that hurt and stung deeper than any bruise his father ever gave him. He felt warm tears escape his eyes that would not go back no matter how much he willed them too. He didn't want to cry in front of Ken. He never wanted to cry ever, he was a man! He wanted to prove it to his father, but the tears that ran down his face would not allow him too. He turned and looked at Ken who was staring at the ground. Shinji leaned his head on the other boy's shoulder compellingly; he did not understand why he did it. Ken reluctantly wrapped an arm around the other boy and Shinji sobbed even harder.

The two of them sat there together in that shed that night. And Ken did not let go of Shinji until they awoke the next morning.

Now, four years later, Shinji found himself in the shed once again. This time he was alone like most of the nights he spent in it. Ken had given him a key to it years ago, it was a haven for him whenever things got too ugly at home. Once again, he had a bruise that his father had given him the night before, but this time was different. He was no longer the scared little boy he was before, he was now a man, and last night he had proven it to his father.

"I thought you were in here." Ken said as he walked into the shed. Shinji smirked.

"And how did you know that?" He asked. Ken shrugged.

"Just a feeling I guess." He surveyed Shinji's face before sitting on the cot next to him. "Your dad went off again last night?" He said as he stared at Shinji.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah." He said before laughing. "But you don't have to worry about it happening anymore. I doubt he'll lay a hand on me again."

Ken looked confused. "Why do you say that?"

Shinji gave a small laugh. "Because I almost killed him last night." He faced Ken and smirked. "When he punched me in the face, I don't know, but something just happened inside of me. This rage came out of my stomach and filled my entire body. I looked at him and I forgot who he was for a second… He was no longer my father but this pathetic old man who thought he could hit me and get away with it. I looked at him, and it must have been a hell of a look because he backed away and looked scared as hell. The next thing I know I punched him with all the strength I had." Shinji shook his head as he thought back.

"Ken, he fell back! My father fell from a hit that I gave him. Its like I always thought he was invincible, that he was the strongest man in this world and that I was weak. When he would hit me it was like I was paralyzed or something, I couldn't run away from him… I couldn't hit back. But last night I knocked him to the ground. And it felt so good!" Shinji gave a small laugh.

"As he was laying there he looked up at me, it as if he were begging me to just walk away and leave him alone. But watching him lay there, so weak and so defenseless, made me think of the way my mom looked when he would take a beating out on her. I remembered how he beat the life out of her, and how I would wish that I were big and strong so I could beat the life out of him. Then I thought of all the times he beat the life out of me, and I just went crazy. I kicked him over and over and over again. I kicked him in every part of his body that I could reach. Then I started punching him, and I punched him so hard on his face that it was all bloody after I was done. He cried for me to stop and I laughed. I laughed so hard and then I spit in his face." Shinji laughed hysterically.

"He looked so scared. And I left, I walked out and left him there alone." Shinji paused and stared at the wall. "I never felt so good in my life, Ken."

Ken stared at him but didn't say anything. Shinji leaned back against the wall and looked at his best friend. "I had to leave… before I killed him." He said quietly. The two boys looked at each other in silence.

Shinji broke their stare by shaking his head and wiping his face with his hand. He cleared his throat. "So, um… you gonna show me that tattoo that you got. I already spotted Mako's above her ankle."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah." Ken said before removing his shirt and revealing his tattoo.

"Wow." Shinji laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day. Ken Brown has a tattoo." Shinji said as he touched Ken's back and traced the outline of the tattoo with his fingers. "Not bad, though. It's quite sexy, actually." Shinji joked. Ken threw his shirt back on.

"Alright! I know you want my body, but must you make it so obvious." Ken said. Shinji laughed.

"I'm a ho, so I can't help it." Shinji joked. They both laughed and the tension that was in the air earlier disappeared.

"So… you and Mako getting matching tattoos. When are you two going to realize you're in love." Shinji laughed. Ken threw a pillow at him.

Makoto waited in front of the movie theatre for her friends to arrive. She was wearing a soccer jersey, jeans, a pair of white tennis shoes and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail as usual. She checked her watch. 'They should be here any minute now.' She thought and smiled to herself.

Yuki was the first to arrive. She wore a sleeveless yellow sundress that was short enough to show off her pale but shapely legs. Makoto whistled when she saw her.

"Looking good, Mama." Makoto said as she shimmied. Yuki blushed.

"Stop it." She said. Makoto smiled.

"Ken is going to love this. Look, I already brought the tickets for 'Alexander' so we can go right in when he arrives."

Yuki blushed at the sound of Ken's name.

"Oh, here he comes now." Makoto said as she spotted Ken walking towards them. Yuki caught Ken's eye and he smiled at her when he reached them. She blushed even harder.

When they entered the theatre, Yuki was the first to sit down. Ken gestured for Makoto to go and take a seat before him.

"No, Ken. I have to use the bathroom so why don't you go and sit. I'll be back in a little while." Makoto said quickly as she left the theatre. Ken shrugged and walked down the row towards Yuki. She looked extremely pretty in that yellow dress, he thought. As he reached her, he was unsure whether to sit next to her or leave a space between them for Makoto. Deciding that it would be rude to sit a seat away from her, he sat next to her. Yuki looked at him and felt her body become warmer. Ken smiled nervously to her.

"Umm… where's Mako?" She asked. Ken laughed nervously.

"She had to use the restroom." He grinned. "Why? You don't want to sit next to me." He said. Yuki's face paled.

"No! No, I just… I mean I didn't know…" She protested but Ken interrupted her with a laugh.

"I know. I'm just playing with you." He said. Yuki huffed.

"Oh." She said, embarrassed, before taking a sip of her soda.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit of a joker." He looked at Yuki's lips very seriously. "I thought Makoto would have warned you by now."

Yuki noticed that Ken had been staring at her lips and glared at him. When Ken caught her eye she looked down, trying to suppress a smirk.

"Yeah, well. She is the queen of pranks isn't she? What would I expect from her best friend." She said.

Ken smirked. "Well, she taught me everything that I know."

Yuki giggled. "I think she would love to hear you say that." She said. Ken nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she would. Hey, did she tell you about that prank she pulled on me a few weeks ago that resulted in a permanent tattoo?" Ken asked.

Yuki sighed. "Oh yeah, of course. She showed me the first day of school. I think she said that you got yours on your back or something."

Ken smiled. "Yeah, I did. Remind me to show you sometime." He said in a soft voice. Yuki spit soda from her mouth. Ken laughed at her.

"Stop, that wasn't funny." She said. Ken continued to laugh.

"Yeah it was. You looked like a water fountain the way you squirted that soda from your mouth."

"I did not." She mumbled as she looked down at her shoes.

Ken nodded his head. "Yeah you did. Look if it makes you feel any better I'll squirt soda from my mouth."

Yuki gave a disgusted look. "No, please don't do that."

Ken was too excited to listen. He sipped a mouthful of soda and squirted it back into his cup. Yuki frowned.

"That was gross!" She said before laughing with him.

The movie started and the audience went quiet. Fifteen minutes past before Yuki asked about Makoto again.

"Do you think something happened to her?"

Ken shook his head. "No, I think we've been set up. This is Mako's attempt at making us have a date."

Yuki blushed hard. She thought back to the letter that Mako had given her in class a few days ago and it made sense. She felt extremely embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Ken. I didn't know she was going to do this. I would have stopped her from leaving if I had known." Yuki whispered.

"What are you apologizing for. I think we're having fun without her. Besides, she talks too much during movies anyway." He smiled at her.

Yuki blushed deeply before smiling back at him.

When the movie was over Ken and Yuki excitedly discussed the film while exiting the theatre.

"I just loved all of the symbolism in the film. The way the director compared Alexander's life to ancient Greek mythology was just fabulous." Yuki said.

"Yeah. Especially since it fit the idealism of Alexander. His deep beliefs in these myths made them real to him. And its so ironic how his life played out like a Greek tragedy." Ken added.

"Yes, yes. Your right." Yuki paused as she and Ken stood in front of the box office to the theatre. "It was an excellent film, wasn't it?"

Ken nodded in agreement. "Hey, do you want to go get some burgers or something? I'm starving."

Yuki felt her heart leap. "Yeah. Why not."

Ken smiled. "My treat."

After dinner Ken drove her home. When they reached her apartment building, he pulled the car over and they sat nervously in silence. Ken looked over at Yuki and realized how pretty she was. 'How come I've never noticed it before?' He asked himself.

Yuki looked over at him and her heart beat uncontrollably.

"I had a great time tonight." Ken told her. "Lets do it again sometime."

Yuki smiled. "Yeah, I had a great time too." She said. The two stared at each other. Ken had the urge to kiss her but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate or not, being that it was only their first date and all. He decided not to and turned away, looking straightforward.

Yuki, whose palms had been sweating when she thought Ken was about to kiss her, took a deep breath when he turned away. 'Just do it Yuki!' She told herself, and before she had time to reconsider she leaned over and gave Ken a quick kiss on the cheek. Ken looked at her in surprise, but to her relief, smiled widely.

"Goodnight." She said, faking an air of confidence. She slowly unbuckled herself and got out of the car. Ken was still dumbstruck but managed to tell her goodbye before she closed the car door.

When Yuki entered her apartment building and was out of sight from Ken, she screamed loudly and jumped up and down. 'That did not just happen.' She continued to hop excitedly as she waited for the elevator to arrive.

Ken had basketball practice Sunday afternoon. He was practicing in gym along with Shinji, Touji and the rest of the team when Miaka walked in for cheerleader tryouts. Ken groaned when he saw her and she gave him a mournful look.

He found it hard to play properly with her being so close, watching him. Though he tried to ignore her he couldn't help but glance at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking and she did the same to him.

When practice was over, Ken tried to exit the gym as quickly as possible. When he stepped out into the hall he heard Miaka call out for him. Reluctantly, he turned around and saw her running towards him. When she caught up to him she took a moment to catch her breath, resting her hands on her knees.

"Ken… we need to talk." She said finally. Ken refused to look her in the eye. He didn't understand why she stopped him or what she possibly wanted to talk about. Miaka stared at him, expecting him to respond to her.

"I… I need to know why you're acting like this towards me. What did I do to you?" Miaka asked, wearing a worried expression on her face.

"Nothing." Ken said, still not looking her in the eye. He turned to leave but she grabbed his arm.

"I need to know why you're acting so cold towards me. I mean, I thought we were friends. I really like you, Ken. And I like talking to you and laughing with you. I really thought we had a connection." Miaka said, looking at Ken with a distressed expression upon her face.

She looked away and shook her head. "I guess I sound like a real idiot. I didn't mean to bother you." She turned to walk away but Ken grabbed her arm and stopped her. She slowly turned around and her deep blue eyes widened from surprise. Ken sighed as he took in her beauty.

"No, you're not an idiot." He let go of her arm and they silently stared at each other before the captain of the cheerleading squad called for Miaka to return.

On Monday morning Makoto and Yuki discussed Saturday's date as they walked down a hallway at school.

"Thank you again, Makoto. We had such a great time and I really think he likes me! Can you believe it? Ken Brown likes me!" Yuki said dreamily. Makoto couldn't help but grin widely. Her plan had worked! And most importantly her best friend was happy.

"Well, I am a Master." Makoto laughed. "But seriously, I always thought you two would hit it off if you ever had the chance to spend some alone time together."

Yuki squeezed her books against her chest and sighed. "He has the softest cheek. When I kissed him his cheek was like a marsh mellow against my lips."

Makoto had to restrain from laughing.

"And when I licked my lips after kissing him, they tasted like his after shave." Yuki said as she gazed out at nothing in particular. Makoto had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. She doubted that Ken needed to shave, but she wouldn't put it past him if he were using after-shave anyway. She was happy for Yuki and was amused at how taken she was with Ken. She hoped that Ken returned Yuki's feelings.

"That's great. I'm really happy for you." Makoto said. She spotted Ken walking towards them and he looked the happiest he had been in the past week. Yuki saw him coming too and felt her heart beat ten times as fast.

"Oh my gosh. What should I do, I think I'm going to be sick." Yuki felt nervous about speaking to Ken after the kiss.

"Just relax, he said he had a great time with you, didn't he? You have nothing to worry about. Act natural."

Ken spotted Makoto and ran to her in excitement. He could not wait to tell her his good news. When he approached them he said a quick hello before bursting his news to them.

"Makoto…" Ken said, he was overwhelmed with excitement. "I think I may still have a chance with Miaka! I talked to her yesterday and she told me how much she likes me." He was beaming and his eyes twinkled from joy. He was completely ignoring Yuki and didn't notice when her smile left her face.

Yuki felt as if she had been punched in the stomach and her face went pale. Stunned and extremely hurt, she ran away from them. Ken was puzzled by her behavior.

"What's up with her?" He asked Makoto. She sighed and her heart ached for her friend.

"You're what's wrong, Ken!" Makoto said before shoving Ken as she walked past him. Ken stared out at her in confusion.

'Girls!' He thought.

That evening Makoto stayed at Yuki's apartment and comforted her as they watched a movie and ate ice cream. They were both sitting on the couch in their PJs with a blanket covering them. Yuki cried as she stuffed her mouth with a spoonful of rocky road ice cream.

"I kissed him and he didn't even remember or seemed to care." Yuki wiped her face with a tissue. "What a jerk!"

Makoto sat quietly and listened to Yuki vent. She agreed that Ken had been a jerk and was completely shocked at his rudeness and insensitivity. 'But he always loses his head when it comes to Miaka.' She thought.

"I really thought he liked me! But he was just leading me on. Oh, he is so conceited and so arrogant. Does he really think that he can go around treating people that way? How dare he! I'm so through with him! Can you believe that I have been crushing on him for four years and this is where it gets me? Oh… why did I ever like him." Yuki cried harder and buried her face in a tissue. Makoto scooted towards her and wrapped her arm tightly around her. Yuki leaned into her chest and sobbed, creating a wet spot on Makoto's nightshirt.

"That Ken… he's a heartbreaker, Makoto. He is a heartbreaker!" Yuki's voice was muffled by Makoto's shirt. Makoto gave her a tight squeeze and rubbed her back. She seriously doubted that Ken was a heartbreaker but sympathized with her friend anyway.

"You can do much better. Cheer up! It's his lost." She said and believed every word of it.

The next day in class Ken and Miaka received the date for their first Chem. exam. They planned a few study sessions to prepare for it and had their first that afternoon. They met up in the library after school.

Ken had been friendly towards Miaka since they had their conversation on Sunday, and was working on building enough confidence to ask her out again. As they studied in the library, Ken looked over at Miaka and noticed how good she looked wearing glasses. Miaka caught him staring and she smiled at him sweetly. He smiled back before looking down at his notes again. He felt comfortable and warm sitting with her like this.

"So… are you going to the Harvest Dance?" He asked. Miaka continued to stare at her notebook.

"Yeah." She said quickly without looking at him. Ken cleared his throat.

"Are you going with anyone?" His voice cracked as he asked the last question. Miaka continued to stare at her paper, reluctant to answer.

"Yeah. I'm going with Daisuke, the guy you saw me with last week at the docks." Miaka said in a stoic tone, still reading her notes.

Ken felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him and he stared at the desk. How could he have been so stupid? He attempted to ask her out twice and had basically been rejected both times. He felt as if his brain was throbbing. Extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable, he sat quietly and pretended to be studying. Neither one of them said another word to each other for the rest of the day.

When Ken came home that night, he immediately went to his bedroom and flopped, face forward, onto the bed. He buried his face into a pillow and punched the mattress. He felt like a complete moron. What was worst was that he lost all hope of ever dating Miaka. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling quietly.

A few hours later he heard a knock at the door. He had been in bed since coming home and had no plans to get up. He decided to ignore whomever it was, he didn't want to eat dinner tonight.

Makoto opened Ken's bedroom door and walked in.

"Where have you been? I've been calling for hours." She said as she leaned in the doorway. Ken turned his back towards her.

"What's wrong with you? What's got you so down?"

Ken groaned. She walked over to his bed and sat next to him. Ken grabbed his pillow and covered his face with it. Makoto pulled it away from him.

"Talk to me, won't you!" Makoto said irritably. Ken turned towards her. His hair was messy and his eyes were glazed over. He had the look of a person who had just been emotionally drained.

"Are you sick?" Makoto placed her hand on Ken's forehead. Ken grabbed her hand and moved it away from him.

"No. I'm not sick." He said as he stared at Makoto's hand that was now resting on the mattress. "It's Miaka. She's going to the dance with Daisuke." Ken said before turning onto his stomach and burying his face into the pillow once again.

"Whose Daisuke?"

Ken let out a loud groan and threw his pillow onto the floor. Makoto leaned back, disturbed by his sudden outburst. Ken sat up on the bed and he looked at her angrily. A vein was popping out of the side of his head and his eyes were blood shot.

"The stupid guy she was with at the Docks!" Ken said angrily. Makoto thought he looked a little possessed.

"Oh."

Ken gave a small laugh. "Oh." He mocked Makoto. He then picked up another pillow and threw it across the room as he made a loud grunting noise. He then turned onto his stomach once again, face buried in his arms. Makoto was afraid to say anything or to even move. She timidly patted his back.

"You're worth ten Daisukes. If she doesn't see that then she's an idiot." Makoto said reassuringly. Ken moaned and Makoto continued to pat his back. She thought of how she had to comfort Yuki just last night and now she was comforting Ken. All because they're respective crushes didn't return their feelings.

'Is being in love really this complicated?' Makoto thought quietly. 'Thank goodness Ken and Yuki never hooked up. They are both such drama queens that they would have ended up bitching over every little thing.'

Makoto was glad that she never was stupid enough to fall head over heels for someone. 'Its just not worth the trouble.' She thought as she watched Ken try to hide his sobs.

Makoto watched Miaka chatting cheerfully with Hitomi during homeroom on Wednesday morning. She became annoyed at how happy Miaka looked while Ken was in so much agony over her. She got up from her seat and headed towards her. Yuki grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to give Miaka a piece of my mind." Makoto eyed Miaka maliciously. Yuki released her and frowned. Makoto approached Miaka and she and Hitomi became quiet. Miaka looked away from her.

"What does your skinny ass want?" Hitomi said viciously. Makoto made a fist and held it in front of Hitomi's face.

"Keep talking if you want me to give you another black eye like the one I gave you in seventh grade. It may even go nice with the dress you're planning to wear to the Harvest Dane." Makoto threatened. Hitomi's face paled and she sat back in her seat quietly. Makoto focused on Miaka again and placed her hands on the desk. Miaka wouldn't look Makoto in the face.

"Do you like Ken?" Makoto asked her. Miaka's head popped up in surprise.

"What?" She asked, looking at Makoto as if she were a ghost.

"You heard me." Makoto said as she inched closer to Miaka's face. "Because if you do, you need to stop playing games with him and just be real. If you don't, just leave him alone." Makoto stood straight and as she turned to leave she gave Miaka an evil glare.

Miaka sat quietly; shocked by Makoto's confrontation. She hadn't said anything but she heard and understood Makoto's message well. Her words resonated with her and gave her a lot to think about.

The weekend came and went and Monday morning ushered in a new school week. The Harvest formal was now two weeks away and the school was buzzing with anticipation. People were finding dates and discussing what they wanted to wear. Yuki was even on the formal committee. Since Ken was out of the question and she really didn't feel like exerting any more energy on guys for a while, she asked Makoto to be her date instead. Makoto agreed and thought that it would be much more fun hanging out with her best girlfriend instead of making it a real date with a guy.

In Advanced Chemistry that morning, Miaka sat next to Ken quietly and gave him a weak smile. Ken nodded his head in acknowledgement but did not speak to her. This had been their daily routine since Miaka told him that she would be going to the formal with Daisuke. They usually worked in silence, only speaking when it was directly about an assignment. This morning however, Miaka turned to Ken and spoke.

"So, you never told me if you had a date to the formal." She asked in a quiet tone, all while staring at him intensely. Ken felt as if a weight was on his heart. He really hoped that she would never ask him that, since he looked pathetic not having a date yet.

"No." He said, his voice icy, the usual tone he used when talking to her now days. Miaka looked down and nodded.

"Well, I don't have a date anymore either."

Ken's eyes were wide as he stared at her. "Why… why not! I thought you were going with that guy."

Miaka shook her head. "I decided not to." She looked over at Ken and stared into his eyes. "I decided that there's someone I like better." She turned away and continued with her assignment. Ken continued to stare at her, not knowing what to say or think.

Ken spoke to Makoto about what Miaka said to him. Ken felt excited but confused since he didn't want to be played again. Makoto assured him that Miaka really did seem to like him but he shouldn't give into her so easily. Ken agreed and decided that he would wait a while before asking her to the formal. Makoto thought it was healthy for him to make her sweat a bit. She laughed inwardly at the thought of Miaka not getting what she wanted right away. 'It will be healthy for her as well.' She thought. 'Teach the little brat a lesson.'

Ken knew that he would ask Miaka out, but he didn't know how too exactly. He wanted every thing to be perfect, and he wanted it to be special. After much thought he came up with the perfect idea but he would wait until the following week to execute it.

That Saturday, Makoto hung out with Tenshi (the skater boy) at the park he told her about. She enjoyed skating on new concrete she had never touched before and meeting a bunch of new skater kids. Later that evening she, Tenshi and a few of his friends went to Pizza Hut for dinner.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Makoto was surprised to see Ken there along with the rest of the basketball team. It appeared that they had got a bite to eat after a long day of practice. She waved at him and he waved back excitedly, although he glared at Tenshi. He averted his gaze to Makoto again and stared, not realizing he was.

"Makoto looks kind of good with her hair down like that." Gin, a fellow player on the basketball team,said. Ken threw an ice cube at him.

"Watch how you talk about her, she's practically my sister." He said defensively. Gin laughed.

"Are you sure that you're defending her just because she's like a sister or is it because you don't like another guy checking out your property."

"Ooh." The other guys around the table said and laughed.

"You know he's got a point, Ken." Touji interrupted. "Do you just have brotherly affection for Makoto or is it something more?"

"I ought to kill you, Touji. Don't be so stupid!"

"What's so stupid about it? It's a legitimate question. I mean, you have noticed that she is a girl haven't you? And she ain't bad, she is a little skinny but you got to admit she's cute." Touji said.

"You think so too, Touji? I thought I was the only one. I felt weird for thinking she's hot." Gin said. Touji and Shinji laughed.

"I never said she's hot. I just think she's alright." Touji defended himself. Shinji rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure." Shinji said coolly, leaning into his seat. Ken looked at them as if they were crazy and shook his head.

"She is pretty. But it's not like that. I promise you."

Shinji gave him a weird smirk.

Makoto and Ken left together but took a detour before going home. They stopped by their secret place in the forest that theynamed Endor. It was dark outside and the weather was cool but they decided to take a dip in the creek anyway. Ken stripped down to his boxers and jumped into the warm water. Makoto removed her pants and shirt, revealing her white under shirt and boy panties. She jumped in after him and they swam and splashed around in the water.

Makoto tried to pull Ken's swim trunks off under water but he prevented her from doing so by grabbing her wrist and restraining her. As they floated they interlocked their fingers together and pushed and pulled on each other playfully.

The moonlight reflected on Makoto's dark, slick wet hair and Ken paused as he stared at her. Her sleeveless undershirt clung tightly to her body and one of the straps hung off her shoulder. Her emerald eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky above her.

"Ken, are you okay?" Makoto asked.

His mouth was now ajar and his breathing was sporadic. He stared at her plump red lips and nodded. He could feel his heart racing as he looked at her frightened eyes. And without thinking, he quickly kissed her.

Makoto gasped and stared at him in shock, her eyes were wide and her body was frozen. Ken backed a foot away from her and ducked down into the water from embarrassment. His heart sunk as he looked at her expression. 'What the hell was that? Idiot… I'm such an idiot!' He thought. He felt like drowning himself and wondered what compelled him to kiss her in the first place.

Makoto stared at him and saw him cowering in the water looking like a sad little puppy. She realized that he must have been extremely embarrassed and she felt embarrassed for him. Not wanting him to feel bad about his mistake, she swam to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips as well.

"S-see," She stuttered. "W-we're even now." She said hastily. She became embarrassed after seeing the expression on Ken's face. She quickly turned to move away from him but he grabbed her arm. Without he wrapped his arm around her waist. He grabbed her face with his other hand and turned it towards his own. Makoto stared into his blue eyes and felt warm, secure and frightened all at once. She closed her eyes.

Ken watched a drop of water fall from the tip of her nose unto her shiny lips. He wanted to kiss them again.

When their lips met this time they did not part from each other quickly like they had before, but stayed. Makoto felt Ken's soft lips and the warmth that was emitting from his body and her own body relaxed. She smelled sweet to him and he wanted to taste her. He parted their lips and nervously slipped his tongue into her mouth. Makoto gasped in her throat and realized she was trembling. She turned towards him and grabbedhisshoulders to keep from slipping and she felt how hard and strong his body was. She held tighter and pressed her own body against his.

She felt soft up against him and he kissed her harder. He placed his hands on her back and they began to wander. Makoto's brain stopped working but her body took over. She felt the need to touch him and her hands caressed him.

Ken felt as if his body was on fire and he grabbed the back of her head as he squeezed her bottom. Makoto wrapped her legs around his waist and felt like she couldn't get close enough to him. They parted to breath and Ken assaulted her neck with kisses. She rubbed his wet hair and squeezed her legs tighter around him.

Their lips met once again and soft raindrops hit their wet skin. A flash of lightening lit up the night sky and the loud sound of thunder frightened them. They quickly parted and stared at each other for a moment before running out of the pond. They grabbed their clothes and headed to Ken's car.

We lay beneath the stars
Under a lover's tree that's seen through the eyes of my mind
I reach out for the part
Of me that lives in you that only our two hearts can find
But I don't want to bore with my trouble
But there's somethin' bout your love
That makes me weak and
Knocks me off my feet
But there's somethin' bout your love
That makes me weak and
Knocks me off my feet
I don't want to bore you with it
Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you
I don't want to bore you with it
Oh but I love you, I love you, I love you

Akilah's note:

Well, I hope you all liked that. This chapter came out longer than I expected but I needed to reintroduce characters and show where each character fit in socially. This was the first chapter that Miaka ever spoke in although she's been mentioned by name since the first, if you paid attention. And Shinji… I really like Shinji. Can't you tell?

So what is going to happen after that kiss (which I fear may have come out reading too cheesy or romance novelish)? You'll see, just check back for chapter 5: 'Game of Love'. The Harvest Formal is upon us and we all want to know who will be taking whom or how that whole fiasco is going to turn out don't we? Chapter 5 will be posted with in two weeks.

Thanks to everyone who left a review and to all of those who harassed me to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I heard you and thanks for kicking me in my lazy butt. I 'm glad that you're enjoying the story because I'm really enjoying it as well. Why else would I write it. Also, I wonder who everyone's favorite character is and what you think will happen next. I love feedback.

God Bless,

Akilah