A/N: I OWN NOTHING! I am just borrowing Naoki and Kotoko for my own amusement. There are some quotes from the show in here, and also a quote from one of my favorite books!

-3K+N3-

The next morning, Naoki woke up feeling as though he had not slept. He was tossing and turning all night with dreams of kissing Kotoko. 'Why did I do that?' he grumbled frustratedly as he scraped a hand down his face. 'I mean, I know I was curious, but I did not just have to kiss her. Now I have to deal with this nonsense. How long before it goes away?' Like most men, Naoki had woken up with a rather sizeable situation on his hands, or rather, a sizeable situation that he refused to take into his own hand. 'Disgraceful,' he thought in shame, a dark cloud settling over his head. 'It would normally have gone down by now… Do thoughts of girls make it last longer?'

After a good 20 minutes of laying on his bed and reciting random facts to himself, Naoki decided he was in control of himself and began to get ready for the school day. 'Oh, right, we get the exam results today. I wonder what she is going to ask me for.' He stubbornly shook his head to get those kinds of thoughts out of his mind, making his way down to breakfast with a dead look in his eyes. Seeing the object of his frustration across the table from him as he sat down caused his eyebrow to twitch. The twitch got worse as he noticed her face flame completely as she looked down to use her hair as a barricade between them.

He instantly picked up the business section of the newspaper to avoid any more contact with her, reaching out for the coffee cup that was off to the side of his plate. As he took a sip of the hot liquid he paused, the taste coating his tongue in the best ways possibly, thawing out part of the ice that had begun to build after his restless night. 'She made me coffee this morning,' he pondered happily, savoring the flavor. 'I wonder if this is her way of acknowledging what happened between us.' He proceeded to eat his breakfast, ignoring the world around him as he finished his food and reveled in what remained of his morning shot of heaven. Once he had finished, he laid the paper down, excused himself and began finished his preparations for the day ahead.

As he was slipping on his shoes, he heard Kotoko come up behind him. His shoulders began to tense, before he remembered the coffee that she had made for him, relaxing slightly in her presence. They called out that they were leaving, and left the house in silence, both being trapped in their thoughts. Nearing the area where they typically start to converse, Naoki noticed that Kotoko had placed her fingers against her lips, her face flushing attractively as her eyes sparkled. Clearing his throat to bring her back to the present, he began: "Thank you for the coffee, Aihara."

"You're welcome," she whispered shyly, unsure how to fully act around him. He could not blame her, as he was at a loss himself. The continued the rest of the path in silence, meeting up with their individual friends after they cleared the gates to the school.

"How is Aihara?" Watanabe asked him as he fell into step beside him. Naoki went to question what he meant before he remembered the accident at the end of the mixed relay.

"She is fine," he replied. "The medical staff said that she was mostly just going to be sore."

"Well, that is a relief," his friend exhaled happily. "Say, Irie, are you two more involved than anyone at school knows?" Naoki froze for half a second before he continued to settle into his desk in his homeroom. He failed to notice Watanabe cataloging his reaction as he kept his eyes forward.

"What are you on about," he asked incredulously. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, she was sitting with you and your family during lunch yesterday," he explained as if it were obvious. "You went with her during the borrower race, and you carried her to the medical tent. It has a lot of people speculating that you are either dating or engaged at this point."

Naoki internally grumbled, his eye twitching, and his black mood reappearing before he replied. "Our fathers are old friends, so they ran into each other when they came to watch the event." Naoki was glad he thought of this response as he noticed others in his class listening in on the conversation. "I participated in the race because I knew my mother would give me grief if I were to blow her off. I was also the one responsible for her injury, so it made sense for me to be the one that took her to the medical tent to ensure that she was okay." Naoki ran his words back in his mind, satisfied with his explanations. He exhaled in relief when he noticed that everyone in his class took him at his word and decided to not question him further.

Brimming with anticipation that he refused to display outwardly, Naoki wandered to the board that was posted in the middle of the entrance. This board would partially chart the course for his near or distant future, depending on the whims of the young women involved. He started at the back and walked the length of the board, surprise flickering briefly over his face before he continued out to the courtyard, under the tree that the wager was conceived under.

"Irie-kun," he heard her breathlessly cry out a short distance from himself. Looking up, he saw the bright smile on her face, her eyes sparkling happily. "Congratulations on being number one again! With a perfect score too!"

"Well of course," he drawled. "I have never studied so much in my life. Congratulations to you as well." He sighed at her confused look, before continuing. "You did not even look after you saw my name, did you?" He waited as the lightbulb turned on and she sprinted back into the school. He followed at a much more reasonable place, pausing in the doorway as she took in the board in front of her, her mouth dropped open.

"Irie-kun!" she cried out happily. "I did it, Irie-kun! I got spot number 48! I am on the board! Thank you, Irie-kun!" She began shaking his hand up and down as people started whispering around them. He wrenched his hand away, giving her a hard look before he continued his way back to class, noticing that she fell in behind him.

When they were a reasonable distance away from the rest of the group he decided to reply. "Congratulations. I would say you are welcome, but honestly, I just helped you learn the concepts. The test was all you. Be thinking about what wish you would like for me to grant." He saw the hopeful look on her face as something gripped in his chest. Unsure about what to make of the feeling, he continued in a hard voice. "Now remember, do not talk to me at school." With that he ducked into his class, leaving the noticeably stunned girl standing there, unsure about the hot and cold attitude he had just displayed.

'I need to get my head on straight,' he thought silently. 'I do not know why I cannot get her out of my mind. I do not understand why I keep replaying that kiss; nor do I understand why I REALLY want to do it again. GAH. I am going crazy.' The black mood that seems to evaporate in Kotoko's presence reappeared with a vengeance. He noticed that Watanabe had come back into the room and went to speak with him until he saw the dark look across his face, causing him to retrace his steps back to his own seat. 'Just as well,' he muses. 'I would not be good company right now… Well, more so than usual.'

Naoki remained in his classroom for most of the day following that encounter. The next thing he knows, Watanabe comes in out of breath and runs straight up to him. "Aihara is living with you?!" he exclaims in shock. Naoki knows his face is completely stunned which causes him to continue. "On the bulletin board. There is a photo of you and Aihara, with writing declaring that you are living together."

He does not even stop to ask questions. He bolts of the room, storming to Kotoko's classroom livid. "Aihara!" he barks out sharply when he gets there. "Come with me." He watches as she wearily makes her way to him, pausing in front of him with a terrified look on her face. 'She clearly did something she knows she should not have,' he fumes silently, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down to the bulletin boards.

"What is going on?" the girl questions as she notices the crowd and he essentially throws her forward.

"That is what I would like to know," he replies angrily as they gaze at a photo of themselves, their heads upon their arms asleep on the table in her room, their bodies across from each other. Naoki knew this to be from the night before the exams started when they fell asleep doing her practice test, and he knew that his mother would have been the one to take the photo. "How did this get out!"

"Well," she replied hesitantly. "Oba-sama had given me that envelope for good luck at the start of exams. I honestly forgot about it, but it fell out of my bag when I was arguing with Ikezawa earlier and my friends opened the envelope and flashed it to the entire class. I had to explain what happened, and that we were living together because our fathers are old friends."

"I cannot take this anymore," he rages. "You are probably used to this sort of thing, but to me it is a nuisance. From now on, stay out of my life!" He starts to storm away, but as he passes her, he notices the completely stricken look on her face. She looked that like he had just slapped her, eyes beginning to fill her eyes. 'Nothing to do for it now,' he tells himself, continuing to walk away. 'I am sorry, Aihara, I know it is not truly your fault.'

His black mood continues as he returns home, the young girl had stayed further behind him, not allowing them to converse. Naoki was oddly okay with that because he honestly was not sure what he could say to her. He felt like he should apologize, but also felt somewhat justified in what he said. He knew that a lot of what came out of his mouth was said in anger, and did not portray how he truly feels, but his black mood and stubbornness refused to let him admit that he was in the wrong in any way. He stormed into the house, announcing he was home before rushing upstairs to get changed and do his homework.

When he heard Kotoko arrive home, he overheard his mother questioning her on what was wrong. The girl tried to deny anything was bothering her, but suddenly the rest of the family joined in. "You know, Kotoko-chan," he heard his mother begin as he started to head towards the shared living space. "You can always just join our family by marrying Oni-chan. Then you would not have to worry about anything. You both could stay here, and I would always be able to take care of you."

"I refuse," he responded dangerously. "I have no interest in marrying that BAKA." He briefly glanced at her, seeing the hurt flash as the fire in her eyes flickered before raging.

"That is fine, because I refuse to marry you as well," she snarled back at him.

"Oh really," he drawled confidently. "And after you wrote me such a passionate letter?"

"You would not dare," she growled between her teeth.

"Dear Irie, I am Kotoko Aihara from Class F. Ever since you spoke at our entrance ceremony, I have admired your intelligence and good looks. Since we will never be in the same class, Irie, I love yo..." Naoki stopped speaking as Kotoko's palm collided with the side of his face. Their families stared at them in shock as Naoki was left reeling.

"How dare you recite that to people," she fumed angrily.

"It was addressed to me," he drawled.

"You did not have to memorize it."

"It is not my fault that I remember everything I read after I see it once," he replied. Internally he knew he took it too far but was unsure about how to recover from this. He was flailing, at risk for being sucked under that water in a way that he was not used to. 'I cannot believe I did that… That letter was personal and only meant for me.'

"Could this mean," his mother began giddy. His eyebrow twitched as he grasped the full extent of his actions. "Kotoko-chan, did you write Oni-chan a love letter?"

"Tell the truth," he smirked, happy that at least this secret was being revealed.

"I did," she replied as she turned around, bowing to their families. "I am sorry I hid this."

"Does that mean you are dating?" his mother asked in a bright tone.

"AS IF!" a rude voice interrupted from the doorway. "Irie-demon turned down her love note when she offered it." Naoki's eye was twitching harder as he recognized Ikezawa standing in his home.

"Who are you?" his mother asked puzzled.

"Oh, forgive me," he turned to bow to the adults and his little brother. "Hello Irie family. I am Ikezawa Kinnosuke or Kin-chan. I am a classmate of Kotoko's and her… friend…" The boy trailed off uneasily as Naoki smirked, realizing that he was honoring the bet.

"Great, another stupid person," Yuki drawled while shrugging.

"Why you little brat," the boy growled out.

"Why are you here, Ikezawa?" Naoki asked dryly.

"I came to protect Kotoko, now that I know you are living together," he proclaimed with his hand against his heart. "You never know when a genius can become a beast."

"What do you mean that Oni-chan rejected the letter?" his mother asked. "Clearly he has read it."

"Irie-demon hates Kotoko and rejected the letter when she first gave it to him. I guess he got it from her later though. Which makes more sense now that we know that they are living together." The black-haired menace explained. "Because of this, those two will never be married."

"Oh, I do not know," Naoki replied in a soft voice. "You can hate someone today and love them tomorrow. Who is to say how I will feel later?"

"But but…" the boy gaped at him.

"Just to set the record straight, by the way," he looked back at the group as he began to walk away. "I do not hate Aihara. I never did." With that he walked back to his room. 'I really owe her an apology now,' he thinks as he flops down on his bed. 'What in the world was I thinking, reciting her letter to me? I was just so angry over everything today that I lashed out. She deserves better than that.'

He waits until his brother came up for bed, feigning sleep so he did not have to talk to anyone. When he was sure that Yuki was asleep, he opened his door, listening for sounds in the rest of the house. Noticing that everyone else seemed to have retired he as well made his way to Kotoko's room, seeing the light under the door. He knocked gently before letting himself into the room and locking the door behind him. He turned to face the room at large, seeing that the girl had fallen asleep on top of her blankets, tear tracks visible on her cheeks. 'I really screwed up.'

He sighed as he made his way over to her, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her. He watched as she began to take in her surroundings, eyes blinking quickly as she tried to understand what was happening. He watched as the fire went out in her eyes as the doors slammed shut as soon as she saw him. His felt the gripping feeling in his chest again, just harder and more in a suffocating way than earlier.

"What do you want?" she asked, hurt ringing through her voice.

"I am so sorry," he whispered to her, flinching slightly at her shocked look. "I did not mean to say what I said at school. I was having a bad day and was in a really bad mood, and I took it out on you, which I should not have." He watches her eyes widen, tears beginning to fill them, causing them to shine from the light of her room. "As for earlier, I am truly sorry about reciting the letter in front of others. I have no idea what I was thinking. I was lashing out at my mother and your comment about not wanting to marry me. It was not at all rational, considering the fact you were just responding to my declaration, but I know I crossed a line I should not have. I truly meant to keep the contents of that letter to myself, due to the personal nature of its contents."

Naoki's heart broke watching the tears run down Kotoko's face, even if he did not understand why he was reacting like he was. "I think this means that I now owe you three wishes." At her teary confused look, he decided to explain. "The first wish if for the board," he smiled softly as a small smile made it's way on her face. "The other two wishes are to make up for my behavior. Anything you want, if it is within my power to grant, shall be yours." He silently prayed that this was the correct course of action on making amends with the girl. He hated the idea of her being upset with him in any fashion.

He sighed in relief as he watched the spark come back in her chocolate orbs, anticipating at least the first wish being asked. "For my first wish," she begins softly, sitting up to clean her face before continuing. "I want you to kiss me." Naoki gulped, having had a feeling that would be one of the wishes he is now obligated to fulfill. He reached is hand out for hers, pulling her up in front of him. "I want this to be a real kiss, not a kiss on the cheek or hand. And not just a quick peck."

He nodded as his left arm looped around her back, pulling her body into his for the second night in a row, the fingers of his right hand going to her cheek as he connects their mouths together, before sliding his fingers into her silky copper strands. He slightly parted his lips breathing through his nose as he changed the angle of the kiss, brushing his tongue lightly against her bottom lip. When she gasped at his action, he pulled her body closer as his tongue invaded her mouth, sweeping through the new territory before lightly coaxing her own appendage into a dance with his. After a little while, he pulled back, placing two more light kisses on her lips before disengaging with her completely. "As you wish," he whispers, quoting a book he had read once. "Good night, Kotoko." He then quietly left her room and walked back to his.

'I am in so much trouble,' he groans internally as he lays back down on his bed, shifting his pants in an attempt to relieve the ache that was once again present. 'But for some reason, I do not think I mind.' With that thought and a small smile, Naoki drifted off to sleep.