Originally intended to be YukiChi, but the Student Council sorta took over. Not that I'm complaining. Oh yeah, this is my first time writing Nao and Kimi (hope they came out right). I swear, this group has so much fanfic potential. Why isn't anyone exploiting it?

My rants aside... Enjoy the fic! ITADAKIMASU!

Disclaimer: No.

Powerful Words

6. No

It seemed like all he was saying these days was "No". Not an actual, outright "no" but a form of it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to refuse."

(No, I will not go out with you)

"I don't see you that way."

(No, I don't like you as you like me)

"But we can be friends, if you like. I don't mind."

(Nor do you have any hope of my changing my sentiments to compliment yours)

He sighed as the girl he'd rejected gave him a watery smile and took off. To find her friends, no doubt, and tell them all that 'that Yuki is the absolute worst'. He got that a lot, he believed, and he knew that sometime today, he'd be getting dirty looks in the halls and in particular classrooms as he did a routine public announcement that afternoon.

It wasn't as if he could do anything about it, but...that was his fifth rejection in less than a week.

The girls are getting bolder...

He sighed.

I wish they wouldn't do this.

Pity was usually given to those who had received the rejection, rather than to those who had given it, but Yuki was beginning to believe that sort of practice was unfair. It was disconcerting having to tell someone that you didn't share a mutual liking for one another.

And he knew he would never get used to it. Ever. Even though he'd already denied five girls in less than a week. Even though coming face-to-face with a blushing female classmate was a situation that he'd become familiar with. Never would he get used to it. Never, never, never.

He was in the middle of his third sigh when a head poked out of the door that led to the Student Council office.

"President? Have you finished...?"

"Yeah," he said, giving the Council treasurer a half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry for the – ah – interruption, Machi."

The gap between the door and its frame widened, revealing the slight form of Kuragi Machi. "It's all right," she said, brushing back dark bangs. "I was practically finished with my report anyway." And a pause in which her eyes seemed to peer straight into his soul. "You made her cry too...?"

He reddened, looked down, nodded, and let out another sigh. There was no use in hiding it, anyway. "I hate this."

I wish it would all end…. I don't like making other people feel miserable.

But what choice did he have? Pretending to return the affection would be just as bad as tossing their feelings aside. And he did try to soften the blow; he offered his friendship.

So why? Why do they insist on making me out to be the bad guy?

A hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and delivered a well-placed flick right at the center of his forehead.

"WAH–!" He recoiled, stumbling over his feet, feeling his balance tip wildly out of proportion, and knowing he would hit the ground in a moment–

When something braced his shoulders, and a loud voice from behind him said, "Whoa there, Yun-yun, that was some reaction! Oy, Machi, didn't I tell you to be extra gentle? You know how delicate Yun-chan is!"

"...I didn't think he'd react so violently."

"Ahhhh! Has Machi bruised Yun-yun's delicate face? How terrible of you, Machi! As punishment, you will have to do ALL of Kimi's paperwork for today!"

"That is the most preposterous punishment I've ever heard of! Kuragi-san, don't listen to her. She has no authority to dump all her work on another person."

"Nyaaaaaaah, shut-up, Chibi-kun! Kimi does SO! And Yun-yun agrees–" And a girlish face framed by long black hair shot up right in front of him, coming closer and closer with each punctuation as if he was peering through a camera and someone else was tinkering with the zoom-in button "–right, Yun-yun? RIGHT? Isn't Kimi right?"

Words simply couldn't have adequately expressed what he felt right then and there.

Completely overwhelmed (as he was apt to feel whenever he was in the company of 'these people'), Yuki lifted his palms and made as if he was fanning the girl away.

"Space," he managed to rasp out when she merely stared at him.

"He means 'get out of the way', you idiot," Nao brazenly translated, and he appeared within Yuki's line of sight and made Kimi move a few steps backwards.

"Upsie-daisy!" came Kakeru's sing-song voice above the female secretary's high-pitched protests, and Yuki felt himself being eased back onto his own two feet. Kakeru himself appeared by his side a few seconds later, groaning and massaging his arms in a highly exaggerated manner. "Man, Yun-yun, for a delicate little thing you sure are HEAVY! I mean, I KNOW you were just leaning and stuff but MAN! I thought my arms were gonna shrivel up and DIE! Thank goodness Chibi-suke over there moved Kimi so you had space to stand, ne?"

Yuki grabbed both sides of Kakeru's face before those hints of a bright, shiny, infuriating grin could evolve into a full-fledged one.

And, smiling himself, he pinched those cheeks hard and slo-o-o-owly pulled them apart.

"You," he said cheerfully, "have a wonderful talent for pissing me off."

"YEEEEOOOOOWH! YUH-YUH, LEGGGOOOH!"

"Ooooh," Kimi gasped from where she'd been arguing with Nao. Her eyes widened and her fingers partially covered her open mouth. "Yun-yun's Double-pinch Face Platter."

"The Double-pinch Face Platter?" Nao repeated under his breath, a rare note of awe in his tone. "Are you serious? How long has it been since he's done one of those?"

Machi looked down a moment, and then said, "Two months, six weeks, and a day..."

The three looked on pityingly at their Vice President.

"Maybe Kimi should lend Kakeru some facial cream later. Last time his face was all achy and red."

"Don't, Toudou-san. He deserves it."

"…"

"But doesn't Yun-yun look like he's having fun? Kimi thinks Yun-yun is secretly sadistic."

"Don't be ridiculous. Souma-sempai is just teaching Manabe-sempai a well-needed lesson in discipline. I'm quite sure he will finish at any moment now."

"..."

"YUUUH-YUUUUH! MEEEEEHRCYYYY!" – writhing in agony.

"Suffer, you scumbag." – smiling darkly.

"Mmmm… Kimi still thinks Yun-yun is secretly sadistic."

"Right..." Nervous laughter. A sadistic Yuki wasn't a pretty sight to behold. "Kuragi-san, since you're not doing much, you go over and resc– ah, remind the sempais that we have some announcements to prepare for this afternoon."

"EH? How come Chibi-kun can tell Machi what to do but Kimi can't? UNFAAAAAAAAAIR!"

In a flash of protests and cries of foul play, the two secretaries resumed their argument, and the poor council treasurer was left filled with guilt for being solely responsible for the senseless squabbles before her.

Yuki, in the meantime, was getting tired. The spurt of anger that had spurred him into becoming Kakeru's current source of pain had ebbed away much quicker than he had anticipated, which disappointed him somewhat – he thought his Vice President could use a little bit more disciplining.

"You are an idiot," he stated, giving Kakeru's now bright-red cheeks another hard squeeze before releasing his grip on them.

The dark-haired boy wasted no time in putting some distance between Yuki and himself, and dove behind a very startled Machi.

"Kakeru, what –?" his half-sister started.

"You will not come another inch closer to me, understand!" he yelled, pointing a shaking finger at the grey-haired person who he now considered as his worst enemy, his other hand clamped tightly on Machi's head. Unconsciously, he was forcing her to bend it sideways, into a position that was all but painful.

"Manabe-sempai!" Naohito yelled from where he was fighting off Kimi's attempts to hit him. "You're hurting Kuragi-san! GET OFF HER!"

Watching, horrified, as the treasurer's head dipped lower and lower, Yuki stepped forward, "Kakeru –"

"BACK!"

"I –"

"BACK!"

"But Machi, she's –"

"BAAAAAAAAACK!"

Machi's head tilted a fraction, and flinching, she uttered a tiny, "Itai."

"Hey she's seriously getting hurt there, Kakeru…"

"I SAID STAY BA– OOOOOOW!" Yuki stared as Kakeru immediately released his victim and started hopping around in circles, clutching his left foot. "Ow! Ow! OW!" He glared at the girl who was calmly rubbing her neck. "You didn't have to kick my shin THAT hard!"

She replied by looking at him expressively.

Yuki averted his gaze, but Nao beat him to the words. "You had it coming, sempai," he said, walking over to them, his face slightly smug due to the fact that he'd won his argument.

"Kakeru fights with Yun-yun everyday, but hurting a girl is bad," Kimi, who had been making faces at Naohito's back, nodded sagely.

Kakeru frowned at all of them, first uncomprehending, then peeved. "Gah, I can't take this anymore," he sighed heavily, "Everybody's ganging up on me all of a sudden! Definitely not cool! I'm outta here!" He stalked off, hands in his pockets, cheeks still ruddy from their encounter with Yuki's fingers. "And if Yun-yun needs another distraction from his hectic life, don't bother to call me, ungrateful idiots!"

Yuki blinked. Distraction?

"Ahhh, that guy is a handful," Nao groaned, rolling his eyes when Kakeru was gone. He turned and headed for the council room, calling over his shoulder, "President, in case you've forgotten, we still have to prepare for that public announcement this afternoon. I say we leave him and begin the preparations. I think I'll start right now…"

"Kimi will help too! Kimi will make sure Chibi-kun doesn't mess up!"

"For YOUR information, Toudou-san, I do NOT mess up!"

And the door shut to another one of their trivial arguments.

Yuki turned to the only other person who was accompanying him in the hallway. "Um, Machi, what did Kakeru mean by 'distraction'… Ah!" He mentally rapped himself on the head for his rudeness and approached her, worried. "Does your neck still hurt?"

The girl shook her head, her long, dark hair whipping in strands across her face, and kept her gaze prudently on the ground. "He… saw…" she said softly – so softly that Yuki almost missed it. "Um… He saw that you were… upset." A pause, then she met his gaze with her steady one. "I… saw too. Because you didn't notice when the others came out of the room."

"…So you thought you'd wake me up?" Yuki asked gently, remembering the flick that he'd felt on his forehead prior to all the chaos that had followed.

"His idea," Machi said, quickly looking away again, her hair covering most of her face, and Yuki guessed that she had meant her irreverent older brother.

Well… Regardless of what she says…I still feel I ought to thank her…

"Um, President?" He looked up, slightly surprised, to see that she was still determined to not look at him. "I think it's okay if you make them cry. Sometimes crying helps people to become a little wiser."

(A little wiser)

Yeah…

He smiled.

Somehow, with that in mind, I think I'll be able to face those dirty looks that I'll have to see…

"Thank you, Machi."

She nodded, and walked off. "I'll go get Kakeru for you, President. Please help Sakuragi-san and Toudou-sempai in the mean time."

"Yeah, I will."

Yeah…

Saying 'no' is hard…

But it can't possibly be all that bad.

End

(1852)

Next: "Help" - There is a message – almost telepathic – that can be exchanged between two people. (Kyou, Arisa)