CHAPTER TWO

"Oh my gosh I missed my pants!" I hugged a random pair to my chest as I stood in my room the day after the wedding. I plopped down on my bed and began massaging my sore feet. I idly remembered the best man-Maid of honor dance, and how hard it had been for me not to turn a million shades of red while dancing to 'I loved her first', and in Mizuki, Hajime's arms. Mitsuka was never going to let me live that down after her honeymoon. Nor would she stop herself from killing me for the speech I made for her. But, then again, It's her fault for making me write a speech for her reception. She should have known better.

"Well, I was told I had to write a speech, for Mitsuka. So, I did. Hopefully she won't kill me, because she should have known that I was going to write something to embarass her...So, let's start shall we?..."

I laughed at my opening scentance, remembering the words and teasing that came after. About her puberty years, where she was so boy obsessed I thought she would never settle down, and teasing her about when we were really young and her saying about boys having cooties. Wonderful times, wonderful things to bring up at her wedding. She was definitly going to kill me. She'd had to bury her face in Yuki's chest to not laugh, and/or kill me. Mizuki had been practically rolling on the floor in laughter.

I stood up and quickly put on my slightly -okay not slightly, but very- muddy L.E.I. jeans, and black cami -over a white one-, and my black-and-white hightop converses. I threw my now-straight hair into a side ponytail on the right side of my face, aswell as letting my bangs cover my right eye as usual. I was make-up-less today, and proud of it. I was also heel-less, dress-less, and beautified-less. I was in a very good mood-save for the blisters on my feet from those stupid heels and all the dancing I'd had to do.

I got up and left the house quickly, ignoring the teasing from my brother about me not looking feminine anymore.

I wandered around the city for a bit, wondering what to do. I hadn't grabbed my tennis bag, so the street courts were out of the question. I'd made sure to grab my money-filled wallet, but I didn't want to shop. Unlike most girls, I hate shopping. It's one of the things my brother teases me about constantly.

Vuzzzz. I grabbed my enV phone from my back pocket and flipped it open to read the text message. Hey, we're at the burger place across the street from you. Get over here. --HAJIME-KUN. I smirked at the face that he capitalized his name in a hint to call him that. I turned to my right and looked in the window, seeing him and Yuuta wave at me. I rolled my eyes and, once the light turned red for cars, walked the street and into the Burger Place.

I walked over to the table and sat down in between the two St. Rudolph Regulars. I stuck my phone in my front right pocket and put my elbows on the table, my chin cupped in both.

"And you needed me why, MIZUKI-KUN?" I asked.

He groaned, "Why must you never call me what I tell you too?"

"Because it tortures you." I laughed. Yuuta snickered beside me, and Mizuki glared at him, but Yuuta's snicker just increased more.

"Again, why was I texted here?" I asked.

"Because we were bored." Yuuta answered. I pouted.

"So i'm only entertainment for you guys? Are all St. Rudolph members this mean?"

"Hey, you would know if you didn't go to Hyotei." I stuck my tounge out at Mizuki.

"Not my fault Atobe was determined not to let me go anywhere else." I protested.

"Why is he obsessed with you, anyway?" Yuuta asked.

"I'm the only girl he knows that DOESN'T want him. It's a 'challenge' for him, I guess." I answered with a shrug.

"Well, who DO you want, that is sooo much better then Atobe?" Mizuki asked.

I turned a light shade of pink, "No one!"

"You only blush when you do, I know you. Remember?" Mizuki chuckled.

"Who, Aimika-chan?" Yuuta asked.

"Oi, Don't make me sick your sister on you again!" I protested. Yuuta paled. I laughed at the memory.

FLASHBACK

Yuuta and Mizuki had been consistantly teasing me, attempting to get me to spill who I liked. After a half hour of being teased, I ran off into the crowd to find Fuji-kun.

"Fuji-kun!" I pouted as I saw said tensai.

"Hai, Tsukaina-chan?" He asked.

"Where's your sister? I need her to attack Yuuta for me. He won't stop teasing me!" I pouted.

"Right here, Tsukaina-chan!" Yumiko giggled, and I turned behind him to see a girl with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Yumiko-san?" I questioned. I wanted to make sure it was her, I'd only heard about her from Mizuki, Yuuta, and Mitsuka.

"Hai." She replied.

I pouted, "Yuuta's teasing mee!" I whined. Yuuta paled once he'd run over and saw where I'd gone.

"N-nee-chan..Aniki..W-what is Aimika-chan doing over here?" He gulped.

"Yuuta! No teasing innocent girls! Especially not making her come to tell one's older sister! What were you teasing her about for anyway?" Yumiko scolded.

"She won't t-tell us who she liked, and Yuki-san mentioned it!" Yuuta attempted to defend himself.

"She won't tell you if you tease!" Yumiko scolded, "Girls only tell when they want to!"

Yuuta'd got scolded for a full 15 minutes before Mizuki noticed and pulled him away with the excuse of a tennis-strategy.

FLASHBACK END

"Y-you wouldn't?" He stuttered. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, you would." He sighed, and stopped asking. That didn't stop Mizuki, however.

"My sister is on her honeymoon!" He chuckled.

"One of the three is, you mean. I can always ask the other two!" He snickered.

"They'd only start pestering you too."

"Good point. I can always call Mitsuki." I smirked. He glared.

"Don't you dare. She'll murder me."

"That's the point, Mizuki-kun!" That made him pout when I stressed his name.

"It's Hajime!!" He whined. "Ha-ji-me!"

"Well, Mizuki-kun, I call you Mizuki-kun, and you, Mizuki-kun, shall enjoy me calling you Mizuki-kun, because I will now and forever refer to you as Mizuki-kun, even if you don't like me calling you Mizuki-kun. But you are Mizuki-kun, and I shall continue calling you by your name, Mizuki-kun." His glare intensified with every 'Mizuki-kun' that slipped out of my mouth. Then he banged his head off the table- a very un-Mizuki-kun like thing to do.

Yuuta and I burst out laughing as he groaned, and continued to hit his head on the table. We were practically rolling on the ground, and didn't notice the people who entered the shop and were looking at us like we'd just grown three heads or something.

"Uhm...Are you okay?" A familiar voice crooned. I looked up, only to see Takeshi Momoshiro, Eiji Kikumaru, and Ryoma Echizen.

"H-h-hai!" I giggled. Yuuta snickered.

"We're fine." He stood off the ground-where'd we'd landed after falling out of our chairs laughing- and helped me up aswell. Mizuki just glared at me.

"What'd you do to Mizuki-kun?" Kikumaru asked.

"Hmmm...well...all I said was--" I was cutt off as Mizuki covered my mouth and glared.

"Don't. Ask." He answered to Kikumaru.

"Why, nya?" He replied.

"She'll repeat the whole thing, and I'll be driven up the wall!"Mizuki replied. He glared as I hummed against his hand a 'Mizuki-kun, Mizuki-kun, Mizuki-kuuuunnn'.

Yuuta was almost on the ground laughing again, and I was grinning against Mizuki's hand.

"Why must you annoy me so?" Mizuki asked, he removed his hand from my mouth for me to answer.

"Well, Mizuki-kun, It is becasue we are friends, and that is what I do to my friends. Along with sicking their sisters on them for teasing me. Now, Mizuki-kun, what ever have I done to annoy you so?" The three Seigaku members looked confused at my stressing of his name, and how he glared everytime I said it.

"Well, I told you a million times to call me HAJIME, but you INSIST on calling me Mizuki-kun just to aggrivate me, and do it a million times in a row, just to drive me up a wall." He growled, then whined, "What do I have to do to get you to call me by my first name?"

"Hmmm..." I thought for a minute, then, "I got nothin'." He almost deadpanned. Yuuta was on the ground laughing again, and Kikumaru was snickering, Momoshiro was staring at me oddly, but chuckling, and Echizen was smirking.

"Aiiimmiiikkaaaa!!" He whined. Mizuki is always un-Mizuki-like around me. I have no idea why, but he just really is very out of character around me, really.

"Miiizzuuukkiii-kuuunn!" He glared.

"I don't think I've heard you even say my first name since we were ten." He whined.

"I don't think I've said it since then..." I paused, thinking. Then I shook my head, "Nope. I haven't. Not even thought it."

"Why?" He asked.

"I have no idea. It annoys you though, so I continue to do so." I shrugged.

"If I stop getting annoyed will you stop?" He asked.

"If you pretend not to, I'll say it fifty thousand times in a row until you burst in annoyance." I smirked. Yuuta laughed even harder, and I wondered slightly how he breathed.

Mizuki groaned.

"-snicker- Well, sorry to say this, but we'll be eating now. See yah, St. Rudolph." Momoshiro saluted. I rolled my eyes.

"You forgot me!" I pouted.

"Don't you go to St. Rudolph too. nya?" Kikumaru asked.

"Iie. Hyotei." I replied.

"Eh? Hyotei? You're one of that Atobe's guys fangirls, then!!" Momoshiro exclaimed. I glared. Yuuta snickered, as well as Mizuki.

"I would never, never, never, ever, ever,ever, EVER be a FANGIRL. Let alone to ATOBE. He's a stupid, pompous, bratty, conceited, arrogant DIVA." I growled. Kikumaru burst out laughing, as well as Ryoma laughing. Momoshiro looked shocked and scared at the same time.

"Oh, how I wish he could hear that, Nya!" Kikumaru laughed.

I laughed, "He has. I've told it to him to his face...exactly why he is obsessed with me." I sighed. Kikumaru hugged me.

"Poor girl! You poor, poor girl!" I burst out laughing, and hugged him back dramatically crying.

"I know, Kikumaru-kun, I know!"

After that Me, Mizuki, and Yuuta left, and the Seigaku members stayed to eat the food they ordered. The three of us headed to the park. Mizuki was being silent, and looked really irritated, so I walked close to his side, and he turned his gaze away from me and crossed his arms.

My eyes softened, "Mizuki-kun? Are you mad at me or something?" He didn't answer, just kept walking, staring ahead of him and not even so much as glancing at me. Something inside me froze and I felt ready to cry, but held it back.

"Is it because I keep calling you by your last name? Because I hugged that Seigaku guy? Because I teased you so bad? Sumimasen!" I looked at the ground. Yuuta frowned at Mizuki.

"Guys, I should head back, my sister's making Rasberry pie. I can't miss it!" He faked a smile, wanting to leave the two alone.

"Seeyah, Yuuta-kun!" I hugged him quickly, and Mizuki nodded and waved to him in goodbye. I frowned at Mizuki's lack of enthusiasm. Yuuta ran off, and I continued walking by Mizuki's side akwardly.

"Mizuki..why...are you mad at me?" I asked after around fifteen minutes. He snorted. "Tell me, and I'll stop. Please. I don't want you mad at me." It hurts. I continued in my head. He didn't answer me, just kept looking ahead irrately. I looked at the ground, and held back my tears, though my eyes still watered.

I hate it when he's mad at me. I thought, frowning, I don't know why, but everytime he frowns at me, yells at me, anything that says he is something other then happy with me, I get this icy feeling in my stomache, and it feels like everything inside me crumbles.

I snuck a glance at his face, and nothing had changed about his irate features. I looked down sadly.

I didn't mean to make him mad. I was jokeing. I don't call him by his family name to tease him, it's only an excuse. I call him it because, I can't help but worry that one day I'll tell him about my feelings toward him, and I'll loose him, and have to call him by his family name anyway. I'd rather get used to it beforehand, rather then loose the priveledge, and it hurt even more. I glanced at him again. Nothing different still. Hajime-kun...I'm sorry. I can't. I'm too afraid of loosing you. It would hurt too much. But this hurts too. Why can't you see it's the only thing I can do to lessen the pain I know will come? Please, forgive me, Hajime-kun.

The next week was the worst of my life. Mizuki hadn't called me, texted me, anything. And anytime I saw him walking around, he ignored me completely, no matter how much I apologized. I sent him texts, emails, voicemails, all saying I was sorry. Was calling him his first name really so important to him? I hoped it wasn't.

That icy feeling in my stomach still hadn't gone away. I had cried myself to sleep the last three days. I hadn't even bothered to tell Atobe off all week, nor my brother when he teased me about me having been dressed up during the wedding, nor anything he tried. I just walked around like a robot, and it felt like I was one.

I was walking around Hyotei's grounds, away from the tennis courts. I couldn't walk near them, for fear of seeing the game being played and remembering that Mizuki had been the one to teach me how to play. I couldn't risk breaking down infront of everyone near there at the sight of the yellow ball flying across the court and smashing against the racquets of the opponent.

I took out my phone and texted Yuuta. He was my only way into knowing how Mizuki had been. Mitsuka's honeymoon didn't end until tomorrow, being a week-long trip to Hawaii. I hadn't been able to get in touch with her, nor would she know anyway, being so far away.

A few seconds later Yuuta replied, saying Mizuki was acting like his usual self, pretending nothing happened, and anytime Yuuta mentioned me, he was silenced by a death-glare.

I felt my ice-encased stomach freeze and fall even more. But it wasn't just my stomach anymore, now my heart felt frozen too. He was pretending I didn't exist? He was pretending that? All because of me. If I would have just called him by his first name I wouldn't have to deal with this! The pain of loosing him because of me telling him my feelings could have never amounted to this. Atleast then I would have lost him for a slightly good reason. Something I had done to try and make our relationship more. Not because of something as small and stupid as not calling him by his given name.

I leaned my back against one of the walls of the school, and sank down, trying my best to hold back the salty tears attempting to escape from the prison I'd sealed them in. A few lone tears escaped and I curled my knees to my chest, and burried my face into them. I didn't hear my brother walk up to me, nor did I hear Atobe behind him.

Aimika...what's wrong with you? You've been depressed all week. And now you're curled up in a ball against a wall? What happened? My brother wondered.