Minna-san, konnichiwa! This is luvracci again!

Wow, so many of you preferred FujiAya to FujiAn!! (smiles) But then again, that is how I planned it. Don't worry; I wasn't planning on Fuji and An ending up together in the first place, but...it's interesting to think about the idea, ne? I've always pictured An to be like a guy magnet or something, so I made her the ultimate obstacle for Aya to reach out for Fuji. I wasn't planning on making a new OC because people don't like too many OCs in a story, so I used An instead. If you pay close attention to the anime, she IS perfect for this part.

Major thanks to those thoughtful people who reviewed so far!!! (in order from reviews page):

aniime.crazii.hOi.hOi, stophoggingtheblanket, starrysnow, TheNewKid25, ShizukaK, kawaii-kitsune22, Lily, darkrisingphoenix, Ali, hairband, NE1410S, CherryBlood101, heavenly-anime-angelz, da shiz mint, lychee4ever, masi, and daysofHALCYON!!!

It's thanks to y'all that I've come this far without losing hope about my story sounding stupid!! (chokes at my own comment)

Oh, and THIS CHAPTER IS TOLD FROM AYA'S POV.Only SOME flashbacks are not told from her POV. I'm better at writing from a first-person POV than a third-person POV, so I'm hoping that this would make the story better. And keep in mind that Aya is still paranoid and Fuji is NOT a pervert. THIS IS ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING SO FAR!!! XD

Okay, time for my heroic-yea-not-really battle cry: ON WITH THE STORY!!!

­­Chapter 5

May the Heavens above never let anyone find out about this scene!! What does Fuji think he's doing?! Is he INSANE?! How can he possibly think that he can get away with this??

"...Well, fine." If that's how he likes to play around when he's not sitting on his throne, then sat in his seat, next to An.

I don't know how I forced myself to sleep after that, but I must've have managed to doze off, because I knew as soon as I woke up: the anger started up again.

-------------------------------------

I couldn't believe it. Once I woke up, he didn't even show the slightest notion that he did something wrong! He's sitting in the seat I left him, talking to his usual group of fan girls from the C class. I can see his lips moving but I can't hear what he's saying. Would he be talking about me? Would everybody notice anything at all? I rub the sleep from my eyes and turn at the sound of flipping paper. An is casually reading a fashion magazine, humming some tune from some song. She looks up from her read and smiles at me. "Finally awake?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry about this. It's just that I couldn't sleep by my seat and I asked Fuji to switch with me."

"Oh, I already know that."

My ears perked up. "You do?"

"Un. I asked Fuji ten minutes ago and he told me the same thing."

The pilot reported on the speaker that we would be descending now.

So, Fuji didn't reveal the real story either. I wonder whether I should be glad or mad. Five minutes soon passed, and the plane descended and we were on land. I promised myself that I'd never let down my guard. One wrong move and I'd be better off dead. I took off my seat belt.

The circle of girls scattered away from Fuji as the teacher told us to get in an orderly line to exit. He's still smiling and acting innocent. I'll give him this: he's an okay actor.

I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home with my dad. But no, I'll be stuck in Tokyo forever. I blinked away the moisture from my eyes at my own realization, for I didn't want anyone to know what I'll always be feeling.

"Are you okay?" An asked me. She noticed.

"Uh-huh. I just yawned, that's all!" It scared me to think that I lie the easiest when I'm not thinking. "Let's get off of this hay ride, it's making me sleepy," I said to her while smiling. She smiled too and stood up.

However, when I tried to get up, my head suddenly felt dizzy.

"H-huh?" I lost my balance and accidentally bumped into An.

"WHA-!!" We both fell backwards. Why am I always doing things like this?? We tried to get a hold of ourselves on the ground and I tried to apologize to An and to the people whose way we were blocking.

But then, like a flash, I saw him before us.

"Thanks," said An. It took me a while to realize that Fuji had helped her up. The few people around us who had noticed that we'd fallen stared at me. Their thoughts entered my head as if we were thinking the same thing: He'll help Aya up, too.

Fuji stretched a polite hand in front of me.

-flashback-

"So he's NOT blind? Oh good. Now he's able to see me like this---"

"Nugh!" she tried standing up.

"Daijobukai?" Fuji asked her, surprised. Aya was nearly stupefied to see that he had his hands held in front of her.

-end flashback-

"NO!!"

Slap--

I would never forget that look in his eye.

Why had I done that? Why would I ever slap anyone's hand away? He was a fool, but I was starting to get the feeling that I was the bigger fool. I helped myself up and gave a resilient glance toward Fuji's direction before stepping off the plane and not turning back.

The long nightmare is finally over! I stood in the chaos of the airport, eyeing the suitcases and bags that rotated on the black belt. I wish there were easier ways of getting baggage claim.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Oh. Hey, Eiji."

He looked like he didn't get a decent night's sleep; his face was paler than before, but he still managed to be hyper. "Ne, Aya-chan...can I ask you something?"

"Please don't ask me about Fuji again," I groaned.

"Doushite?" his brows knitted.

"Let's just say that...he wasn't the guy I thought he'd be." I turned away and pretended to study a black suitcase to see if it was mine. I hope he would leave, but Eiji still stuck around.

"Why? Did something happen this morning? You can tell me about it!" he pointed to himself and smiled that kitty smile.

I acted like I didn't hear him. "Hey, do you my bag anywhere? It has my laptop in it."

"Before you and An fell this morning, did you notice...anything...weird? I mean, did you see how Fuji was...sitting in your seat this morning? Wasn't he trying to reassure you or something?"

I doubt it. "It's not that. I asked him to switch seats with me last night, Eiji."

Momo popped from nowhere and put a firm hand over Eiji. God bless him. The conversation was starting to get a little weird, as if Eiji knew something I didn't. Momo said a quick, nervous "Gomen," and dragged Eiji to a distance. From the corner of my ear, I heard Momo whisper to Eiji about something I couldn't make out. I strained and heard the last part, though not quite clear, but it sounded like: "...Don't let anyone find out."

I soon saw my bag in clear view and grabbed it from the rotating belt. Well. Nothing else to do but wait for the teachers to give us further instructions. I really wished I hadn't seen my bag so soon: delaying that task would've given me an excuse to be busy.

That thought came around to slap me when I saw Fuji, the king himself, leave the circle of girls and start to walk to me.

What does HE want?! If it was to talk about the two incidents that happened earlier... I turned my head and pretended to not notice him walk up to me.

I looked up when he was close enough to be noticed. "What?" I asked rather harshly.

His hand fumbled in his jacket and took out a book.

"I found this next to me this morning. I don't know how it got there, but I think it belongs to you."

I saw the cover: Sleeping Nights Alone As a Virgin. AUGH!!! I totally forgot---I was reading that the night before!! The voice inside my mind shouted: "But don't let him know what you're thinking, act natural!!"

I muttered a cold monosyllable and didn't take it. Sadly, this was the best I could come up with: "I-I know I left it last night. What made you think I didn't know? Do you actually think I'm that dumb?"

"Of course not."

That completely backfired my attempt. He sounded like he meant it.

But I remembered him this morning, the image and the scents coming back as if a tide ran

over me. I gained control of myself. "Then that's settled."

I took the book and smiled a Western choke-yourself smile. I wasn't too bad at this either.

I didn't stop smiling. I wasn't going to hand him his crown that easily, so think again, Fuji Syuusuke.

"Ja," I turned and walked off triumphantly.

An hour passed, and everybody took his or her assigned seats on the bus shuttle. I don't think An even remembers that I exist. To her, I was just the ticket to the Fuji Express.

But it seems as if I were wrong, because as I am sitting in my bus seat right now, An decides that she'll talk to me.

Why are my assigned seats always beside an empty one?? I have no idea, but now that space is occupied. An is radiant.

"Hey Aya!"

"Hey," I say, and look out the window. I didn't think she'd stick around, so I am surprised when she starts a conversation.

"You know, I really am looking forward to this trip." She's so energetic.

"Me too." What else can I say?

"And you know what else? Christmas is nearing."

"Yeah." Why is she so alarmingly happy about Christmas all of a sudden?

"Well," she shrugged, "you know what they say. I mean, the whole 'Christmas is for lovers' thing?"

I hope she didn't see my smile twitch. "Uh, sure...can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"Are...are you and..." I couldn't really bring myself to say it, hoping I'd be too direct. But I was curious. "Are you and Fuji together?"

Her smile grew wider.

"I-I mean...by that I meant...never mind!" I smiled harder myself and turned away.

"If you say so." Her tone of voice changed as she became a ray of sunshine. "Let's be friends, okay?"

"Sure."

But I was alarmed. That wide smile never went away.

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I wonder why the plane forces people to turn off cell phones, but I had to make a phone call for my mum to tell her that I survived it.

"So how was the plane ride?" she asked me.

"If you must know, awful. Worse than terrible."

My parent responded to the shocking news with her usual lack of concern for anyone else, especially me. "Drop the sarcasm. So, you're in your hotel room now?"

"Yeah. But I want to go home."

"I'm sure you'll have a great time."

I sighed. What would she know? The last time she was my age was needless to say. "Ma, I have to go. Say hi to Aoi for me."

I couldn't talk with my mum like I could with my dad. I placed the phone on the bed and got dressed into fresh clothes; dinner would be called in half an hour. Who would I sit next to with Miyu gone? But I was half glad she wasn't there; she's been spending too much time with me. I think it'd be better if I didn't show up in a small part of her life for a while.

I turned on my computer and started to type about the day's events. I wrote:

"Things weren't what I thought they'd be. Maybe I'd make just a little impression on somebody, anybody. Starting a new reputation was the most exciting thing about Japan."

I stopped typing. Why did I feel so light-headed back at the airplane? Why would I slap away Fuji's hand? Why did I get that feeling that I didn't want to be friends with An?

I didn't want to go to dinner. The teachers will be too occupied with the other 80 students anyway. Who would notice that I of all people was gone? I moved my hips to a comfortable position on the bed and took out a book that my father had given me. Why had I packed this book along with me? Maybe that was it. I just wanted a taste of home.

Then...why does his voice constantly ring in my ears? "Of course not. Of course not. Of course not."... Am I possibly...? I shook my head. I don't know if I should be happy that he said that, or I should be angry because he can possibly be pretending to be nice, or Lord knows what else.

I blinked and turned the pages of the book, a heavy volume containing aerial photographs of China's many towns and cities. I stopped every once in a while to go back to the very first page and feel its surface. Dad had written, "For Tie Mei" in his thin scribbles. My real name is Tie Mei, the "tie" meaning "steel" and "mei" meaning a combination of four characteristics: "beauty," "faith," and two other ones that I had forgotten long ago. The Chinese name didn't really appeal to me as much as Aya, since no one called me Tie Mei anyway, except for Dad when he was angry with me.

When we first visited America in 2002, we fell in love with "Drops of Jupiter", a western song. "The lyrics are beautiful," he used to say. "It reminds me of you."

"Really?" I was flattered.

"Yep. Just like the girl in the song, you're always on Cloud 9."

"WHAT!"

-end flashback-

I wonder why he wasn't as close to Aoi as he was with me. I think I carried more of his traits than her. I could always laugh or cry around him; he was one of my best friends.

I shut the book and put it aside. I couldn't keep myself busy in any way---I abandoned my precious phone, laptop, and book. Instead I thought.

If I were feeling so homesick, why does he enter my thoughts? Yes, Fuji Syuusuke is indeed poison, darkening the image of my father and China and putting himself in focus.

I really thought I could trust him. I thought maybe we could be good friends.

I did my best to avoid his eyes at dinner. A group of girls from my class started a conversation with me and I sat next to them. I can't even remember what we were talking about---I think it was something stupid, like crushes or breakups or whatever.

"So what do you think of Fuji?" one of them said.

"He's cute," another girl answered.

"Definitely. But he's too complicated already---there's, like, a million girls after him already."

"Yeah. And have you seen that An girl? She doesn't go to our school, does she? But look, she's sitting with the C class right now."

I remembered our agreement to be friends with each other, but somehow I resented it.

Does that make me a bad person? I thought about this as I stared at her direction.

I switched glances---Fuji and my eyes met. He was sitting with the regulars. It was only for a short while, but he gave me a warm smile for a change. But then I remembered his eyes from earlier today, so I swallowed my pride and didn't smile back. Dinner will be over in a few minutes, so I can tolerate a few more awkward moments for now, but...

"Fuji, what are you smiling at?"

But...

"Nothing, Eiji."

He makes it hard for me to forget him.

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-Third person POV-

Class D's chaperone answered his cell phone. It was the airport calling him. "Hai? Oh...yes. There's a Aya Minase in my class. She sat in aisle 24, seat F.

"!! Oh...I'm terribly sorry about this. Thank you. Thank you," he hung up.

"What is it?" an on-looking teacher asked.

"Apparently, Aya Minase forgot her purse and left it on the plane. They'll have it sent to the check-in desk right away. I'd better go tell her..."

He left the dinner table and got in an elevator, taking out his master keys. "She's in room 3093, I think..." He checked his watch: it was 11 P.M. already. She'd be asleep by now. With a sigh, he decided against the idea and thought of just getting the purse tonight and giving it to her tomorrow. He was about to press an elevator key for the first floor when the door opened and saw a swift figure pass by one of the halls.

"Fuji Syuusuke!" he stepped out of the elevator, and Fuji stopped walking. "What are you doing up so late?! You should have been locked in your hotel room an hour ago!"

"I had to run an errand for Ms. Shizuka," he answered. "I'm returning to my room now."

"Oh. Well, in that case...could you run one more errand for me?"

"Sure."

"Could you go run to the check-in desk and go retrieve Aya Minase's purse for me? I'll be downstairs with all the other teachers. And put on a jacket, aren't you cold?"

"It's fine." He merely nodded to the elevator's direction and got in one of them. Once the doors closed on him, he had to smile a little harder. She had forgotten her own bag? Of course she did. She was funny that way.

He took his time with his errand and did as he was told. After he got the American label bag for the chaperone, he made his way to his own room.

His room was #4052, meaning that he had to pass Aya's on his way there. Imagine his surprise and humor as he found out that she had forgotten to lock her door. It was partly ajar.

The cold air conditioning escaping from her room swept across his cheeks and he remembered the unpleasant encounter earlier. But he forgave Eiji and the others for what they had done.

-flashback-

Momo still held his hand against Eiji's mouth. "Don't let anyone find out!"

"I know!" Eiji twisted himself free.

"Let anyone find out about what?"

Momo and Eiji turned to face Fuji. "Uh..." they stammered. Eiji smiled, "Nothing! We were just talking about how horrible Momo snores in his sleep."

"Or how terribly Eiji drools in HIS sleep," Momo added with a glare at Eiji's direction.

Fuji gave them a searching look. He wasn't kidding with this.

Finally, Inui came into the scene. "We were the ones who moved you out of your seat."

"INUI!!!"

"He should know the truth," Inui smiled deviously.

Fuji opened his eyes.

Inui continued, "I have never seen you react anyway to someone you've just met. Ii data."

-end flashback-

Fuji put a hand to her door and slowly opened it. Soundlessly, he entered her room and closed the door behind him. Aya was nowhere to be seen.

Then he saw her. Wrapped in millions of blankets and covered with tons of pillows, Aya was buried deep in her bed, sound asleep.

But only to a normal person would she look like she was happily dreaming. Fuji walked to her side, never keeping his eyes off her. It was dark, but his eyes soon adjusted to it and he could make out her face. He bent down and pulled the covers away from her forehead so she wouldn't suffocate herself.

Perspiration ran from her hair to her neck; her breathing was heavy. She looked like she was having a nightmare, he could see. He stood there and listened to her breathe for a few minutes.

Suddenly, Aya looked...sad? She mumbled something and he heard her: "Don't tell me that. I'm not getting on that thing. I'm not leaving."

Then and there Fuji understood why she felt dizzy back on the plane. It reminded her of the day of her move.

What was that feeling? Pity? No. He opened his eyes.

He gently sat beside her on the bed and stroked her bangs. Aya seemed to relax at his touch. She closed her mouth and her breathing became lighter.

She opened her eyes. "Mmm...?"

She sat up to rub her eyes. She could've sworn she felt something gentle against her skin, but there was no one in the room but her.

So what did you think? Is there any improvement?

And for anyone who has not heard of "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, please listen to it! It's beautiful.