Me: Tadaa! A new chapter finally!!

Hikari: YES! Finally!

Me: Yup, now the disclaimer-

Kasumi: Amulet Misty does not own Pokemon...duh....

Me: Since you're all waiting patiently...here is our countdown.

Kasumi: 3

Nozomi: 2

Haruka: 1

Everyone: Let's roll!

Chapter 9 - Feelings Realized

Hikari walked to school thinking many thoughts. So much had happened on the day before. She and Shinji had broken up, and Kengo and the rest had cheered her up. Kengo, she thought. What do I think of him now? He used to be just a friend, but now...

"Hikari-chan!"

Hikari nearly jumped and she turned around. She saw Kasumi running up to her.

"Eh, sorry for scaring you like that," Kasumi panted. After a minute she was able to catch her breath.

"What are you looking at?" Hikari asked, since Kasumi looked like she was staring at something.

"Oh nothing," she said. She looked at Hikari cautiously and said, "Anyway, how are you doing?"

"I'm alright," Hikari said honestly. Yesterday she was quite shaken up by the break-up but today it was as if it never happened. Though something was bugging her at the back of her mind but she just didn't know what it was.

That was of course until Hikari and Kasumi reached their class.

Shinji had moved from his usual place, which was next to Hikari. Hikari stared at Shinji, not knowing how to react.

The whole class held their breath, waiting for Hikari to explore in rage or drown them in tears. This was, after all, the first time she's seen him since the break-up. But Hikari did neither, and just walked to her place without giving Shinji a second look. The class let out their breath.

Hikari saw Kengo come in and take his place next to her.

"Hey," Kengo said with a smile.

"Hi," said Hikari.

Kengo looked like he was thinking hard about something as he looked at Hikari.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" Hikari asked.

"I was wondering if you were okay," he said with such an intense gaze that it made Hikari blush.

"Hey don't look like that! I'm absolutely okay," Hikari assured him. "Daijobu!"

Kengo hesitated, and then smiled. "If you say so," he said.

Hikari smiled back. She was glad that she had Kengo as a friend.

_

Hikari took out her lunch box with her sushi rolls as she and the other girls sat at their usual table at lunch. She looked longingly at Kasumi who always had the best fish for her sushi.

"Toyaguchi-san," said a boy Hikari knew was in the other class. He was the class president last year.

He mumbled something that Hikari couldn't understand. The others were staring at him curiously.

"Yes?" Hikari asked. What was this guy trying to say? Hikari was really hungry.

"I like you," he said finally.

Hikari blinked. Out of all the things he could say he didn't expect that.

"I'm flattered," said Hikari, quite unsure of what to think of the boy's confession. "But I don't really know you that well."

The boy turned red and stuttered, "O-okay...well s-see you around." And with that, he ran away.

"Why did he confess to be out of the blue like that?" Hikari wondered out loud. The other girls gave her exasperated looks.

"Didn't you know that Akuri-kun's has had a crush on you since last year?" said Haruka with a giggle.

"I had no clue," said Hikari. "I didn't think he liked me at all, he never talked to me last year when we were doing projects and stuff."

"That's because he was shy," said Haruka.

"Why didn't he talk to me this year then?" Hikari asked.

Kasumi sighed. "Isn't it obvious?" she said. "He was scared of Shinji-kun."

"What?" Hikari said, surprised at the new information.

"Think about it," said Kasumi in a tone suggesting that she liked knowing something Hikari didn't. "This year you became Shinji-kun's girlfriend. He's the toughest pokemon trainer in our year, besides Satoshi. He wouldn't take the risk talk to you. But now that news has spread around that you two have broken up, he took his chance."

"Exactly who spread the news?" Hikari asked looking suspiciously at the girls.

"That's beside the point," Kasumi said. "In case you didn't know, lots of boys like you."

"I didn't know that," Hikari said, astonished. She wasn't that pretty or smart was she? She didn't think a lot of boys would like her.

"Like I said," Kasumi continued. "The rest of the boys were scared of Shinji-kun. They wouldn't give you any hints while he was around."

Hikari looked over at the table where Shinji was sitting. It was right in the corner of the cafeteria and he was sitting alone.

"He's not that bad is he?" she said.

The girls looked at her with disbelief.

"He just broke up with you!" Yumomi cried.

Hikari sweat-dropped. "Yeah, but it's not really his fault."

"Not really his fault...?" repeated Haruka. She was shaking her head.

"Nozomi, talk some sense into the girl," Kasumi said turning to the red-head who hadn't spoken for the entire time.

Nozomi stopped looking at Shinji and looked at Hikari instead.

"Hikari might be right," she said.

"WHAT?!?" the other three girls exclaimed. Hikari cheered inwardly.

"He might be tough on the inside, but maybe there is a way to get through to him," Nozomi said ignoring the other girl's shouts.

"Could you really get through to him?" Kasumi said rolling her eyes.

"Yes," Nozomi said in her calm way, but it looked like she had decided upon something. "I'm going to start right now."

Without another word, she got up and made her way to Shinji's table and set right in front of him.

"I can't believe it," said Haruka, gaping at Nozomi.

The rest were also staring wide-mouthed at Nozomi.

Hikari was different on the other hand.

"Go Nozomi! Break that ice," she cheered.

"Okay..." Yumomi said looking slightly confused. "Anyway, if Nozomi can magically turn Shinji nicer, would you get back with him?"

The remaining girls looked at her expecting an answer.

"No," Hikari said and smiled. "He's not for me, and anyway, I think I might have someone else in interest." Her eyes moved from the girls faces to the table where a certain person was sitting. She quickly looked back at the girls, not wanting to let them know who it was, but they had knowing smirks on their faces.

Hikari sweat-dropped. "I'm not really sure that I should like him, maybe I don't -er -You girls know who it is, don't you?"

They nodded, each wearing a smirk that was not at all assuring to Hikari.

"Oh no," Hikari groaned. They were going to tease her about this all week. She just knew it.

_

Hikari let out a tired sigh. For the whole week she had to endure a confession a day from boys she hardly knew and then she had to reject them. At least the next day was the weekend so she wouldn't get any confessions.

She was also going shopping with the other girls and that would be fun, though it would also give them the chance to tease her some more. True to her prediction, the girls teased Hikari about liking someone. They said they knew who it was but they never actually said his name. Hopefully they didn't know.

Hikari looked over at Kasumi who was mouthing 'Kengo and Hikari sitting on a tree' and she scowled.

They definitely knew.

Five minutes later, the bell rang and everyone rushed out of the class.

"We're free!" Satoshi cried happily.

"We have school next Monday," Kasumi reminded him.

"You just have to ruin everything don't you?" said Satoshi.

Kasumi shrugged.

"So the five of us are going shopping tomorrow and about two right?" Haruka asked Hikari.

"Yep," she said.

"Oh about that...I can't come," Yumomi said.

"Why not?" asked Haruka.

"I have to go somewhere with my dad..." she said. "Well there's always next time."

Hikari nodded. Usually Yumomi would like to go shopping with the rest of the girls but when parents want you to do something it can't be helped.

"Hikari-chan! Hurry up," Hikari heard Kengo call.

"Coming," she called back running to catch up with Kengo. She waved back at the rest, who were all wearing smirks.

"So what are you doing this weekend," she asked Kengo.

"My mum is inviting guests over so I'll have to help her around the house," he said.

"I could help," Hikari way she could spend more time with Kengo.

"Sure," he said smiling.

_

"Your house is so big," whined Hikari after only an hour of cleaning.

"Your house is bigger," Kengo said, while dusting off a picture frame.

"Well, we have the maids to clean the house!"

Kengo rolled his eyes. "The only thing is that we don't have maids."

"Yeah, yeah, but why do we have to clean the attic? The guests aren't coming up here are they?" Hikari grumbled.

"They might," Kengo said. "Besides, you were the one who wanted to help in the first place."

"I didn't know how much work it would take," she said.

Hikari and Kengo had helped cleaned the living room and and the dining room and had moved on to clean the attic. It was dark like all attics were and had a creepy feeling to it.

"Hey look what I found," said Kengo. Hikari looked up from the armour of statue she was wiping and looked around the room.

"Where are you?" she asked, unable to see where Kengo was.

"Over here," Kengo called from behind a stack of books.

Hikari made her way next to Kengo to see what he found.

"It's an album from when we were kids," he said. He was kneeling on the floor with a big album opened across the floor.

Hikari could see pictures of when Kengo and Hikari were at his birthday party when they were five and a picture of them swimming when they were six. There was also a picture of when Hikari had fallen down and was crying. Kengo had tried to cheer her up and asked his mum to let him get Hikari a balloon. A picture of Hikari and Kengo both smiling with balloons in both of their hands was also in the album.

So many memories, Hikari thought, Kengo is my best and oldest friend. Hikari felt warm inside, but it wasn't just from the memories. Being close to Kengo, it made her felt safe. She did have more feelings then a best friend would.

She snuck a peek at Kengo's face and saw that he was smiling happily, also, as Hikari thought, remembering the times they had together. That's right...Kengo's friendship is precious to me. I shouldn't let myself have feelings that might ruin our friendship. We've always been best friends and we should stay like that.

"Let's stop cleaning," Kengo said suddenly. "I think we've done enough."

"Alright," said Hikari.

"Oh yeah," said Kengo. "Thanks for helping me."

"No problem," said Hikari, getting up to her feet.

"After all, that's what friends are for."

Me: Yay so now I can start a new fanfic called...'Breaking The Ice' starring Nozomi and Shinji....this fanfiction isn't finish yet, though. Anyway for now-

Everyone: REVIEW!