Hey guys, it's Anya! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I know I always say this, but school is just tiring me out and killing my inspiration. The only place I've advanced in the past week is beginning that whole "How to Get Over a Guy in 10 Steps" fanfiction which I'm even stumped on that. Therefore, I've decided that I'll be posting my chapters up in pairs. It's like a double feature! However, due to the fact that Document Manager isn't working right now (I can edit my chapters through my browser history) I can't upload Chapter 15. Sorry, but it'll be out as soon as Document Manager is working again! Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen

The door for the computer club slammed open. Kuukai walked in, announcing through a megaphone, "Yo, computer club! We have a special announcement today!"

I walked in at this moment. My entire appearance said that I wanted to beat the living crap out of someone. Well, I did, I really wanted to beat the living hell out of Saaya, but I refrained from doing so. I glared at the computer club, trying not to focus my eyes on the white bandage on my nose. The volleyball had left a scratch, so after disinfecting it we had to apply a bandage on.

Kuukai looked like my emotional twin. He also looked pretty ticked off and dead serious. I had never really seen Kuukai like that before, it was kind of scary. Kuukai handed me the megaphone, and I put it up to my mouth. I spoke in an irritated monotone, obviously pissed off. "Yo, I have a bone to pick with you guys." The five members of the computer club stared at me in horror. There were three boys and two girls in the computer club. The three boys looked like your average nerds, but the two girls looked pretty average. They sat at two different desks. The three boys sat in front of three computers at the front desk and the two girls shared a computer at the back desk. They all had to turn their bodies to see me.

"W-what do you want?" One of the boys stammered. He had light brown hair cut like someone had just thrown a bowl on top of his head and followed the pattern. He had really light green eyes that were behind a pair of large circular glasses.

I cleared my throat and spoke through the megaphone again, "I believe that you're all familiar with Yamabuki Saaya, correct?"

My heart was pounding with nervousness. Despite how tough and confident I looked on the outside, the person on the inside of me was shaking at the knees. I never really knew how to talk to others, so I wasn't exactly the best at public speaking, especially when I was royally ticked off. If it weren't for Kuukai, I probably never would've taken matters into my own hands.

The computer club kids nodded. One of the girls from the club looked especially nervous, as if she were hiding something. I stared at her for a few seconds, and she immediately looked away. She was acting highly suspicious, and I thought that I could get information out of her easily.

"You," I pointed the megaphone at her as I talked into it, so she knew that I was talking to her. "Did you help Saaya hack onto the school's website?"

The girl was insanely cute, I'll give you that. She had shoulder-length perfectly straight brown hair pulled back with a pink headband and bright blue eyes. She looked extremely nervous, but she answered despite that. While looking away she replied, "N-no… I didn't…"

I really hated doing this, especially since she looked so sweet and innocent. However, I really had to find out who helped Saaya. If I at least knew who helped her I could probably report her to the principal or the school somehow. My first plan would have been to get revenge, but I knew better than that. Revenge always backfired, no matter who it was getting revenge. That was way Amu was going to teach Saaya a very important lesson, the lesson that hopeless bullying was never going to do her justice.

I walked up to the girl until the only thing between her and I was about ten centimeters of space and a megaphone. I turned down the volume so that it was absolutely screaming into her face, but so it was still loud enough. I repeated myself, "I'll ask you one more time: did you help Yamabuki Saaya?" The girl looked away as she was about to answer, but I interrupted her, "Look at me when you talk."

The girl seemed hesitant to look at me. I lowered the megaphone so she would have no reason to object. I mean, would you want to talk into the wrong end of a megaphone? Though there was nothing between us, the girl still seemed hesitant. I waited for her reply, but nothing seemed to be getting to her.

"I won't be mad if you tell me yes." I finally decided to try and pull it out of her gently. Kuukai and I were pretty scary looking at that moment, and the megaphone didn't exactly help the cause, it was just a confidence booster. Anyone would be scared if two scary upperclassmen with a megaphone came in and started talking to you in an unfriendly tone. "I just want to know the truth."

After a few more moments, the girl looked me straight in the eye with a guilty look on her face. "I… I helped Yamabuki Saaya…"

I placed my hand on top of her head and rubbed it back and forth a little, as if she were a dog. I had the same straight look on my face and said, "See, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Kuukai and I were able to get the girl to take the picture off of the school website. It wasn't too hard to do, either. The website software that the school used was a simple copy and paste software, so all she had to do was click on it and click delete once she had hacked into the school's website account.

Once the picture had been taken off, I found myself more than relieved. I hoped that with this I could put Ikuto behind me once and for all. I know it sounded harsh, but I just didn't want him to get involved with me any further. For some reason, I had a feeling that if I went back to him I would just end up getting hurt again. My heart was reluctant, but my mind was in the game. I was going to end all of my ties with Ikuto, it was decided.

"You'll change that soon enough."

Ikuto's voice was ringing in my head. I shook my head back and forth to clear my mind of him. Besides, how could I change my mind? I was already set on one thing and one thing alone. Just because Ikuto may be a tad persuasive and a teensy weensy bit seductive, no way in heck would he ever be able to change my mind! No way! No way! No way! He didn't have the power to do that… did he?

"You'll find out soon enough."

I shook my head back and forth frantically as Ikuto's quote replayed in my mind. Actually, more than just the quote replayed in my mind. The entire scene replayed in my mind over again. I could feel a blush spreading across my cheeks and I shook my head back and forth again.

"Yo, Hinamori, are you okay?" Kuukai broke my train of thought, thank goodness.

Blinking a few times to make sure that I was in reality, I looked over to Kuukai. I realized that I had just been spacing out for probably much too long. I replied while shaking my hands back in forth, as if dismissing the idea of me not being okay, "Yeah, I'm fine! What were you saying just now?"

Kuukai raised an eyebrow as he replied, "I didn't say anything. Are you sure you're okay, Hinamori? Did Saaya scramble your brains when she hit you in the head?" Kuukai asked while pointing to his noggin.

I shook my head back and forth again and then said, "No I'm fine, really."

"Strange." Kuukai spoke so that I had no clue what he was talking about. Did he mean that I was strange or did he mean that I was acting strange… maybe something else? I tried not to get too worked up over it, and went back to the task at hand.

I strangely found myself asking, "So what are we supposed to do now?"

Kuukai put his hands on his hips and looked up to the ceiling as if he were thinking about something. I waited impatiently, I was in no hurry to get home, yet I had the feeling that I should be rushing. Though while I waited, I found myself thinking about how grateful I was towards Kuukai. He had just helped me get enough confidence to get the picture off of the school's website and he was helping me out a lot. Yet I had to wonder… why was he helping me in the first place?

"It's time…" Kuukai looked straight forward and said with a determined look on his face, "For an all sprint dash!"

I blinked at him in confusion and echoed, "An all sprint… dash?"

Kuukai thanked the computer club girl and grabbed my hand. Immediately he started sprinting at full speed, holding nothing back. I had never been too athletic, so I found myself struggling to keep up with him. We sprinted through the school's hallways until we were in the same room as the shoe lockers. Completely ignoring the fact that we were still wearing our indoor shoes, he ran straight outside and into the rain.

"You're going to get our indoor shoes dirty!" I snapped at him once we were getting soaked by the rain. I couldn't really think of anything else to say once we were beginning to get soaked by the rain. My clothes were clinging to my skin, and it didn't sit too well with me. Kuukai let go of my hand and turned around to face me with a huge grin on his face.

While pointing at me, Kuukai began laughing his head off. "You're one interesting girl, you know that?"

I grimaced at him. Did he really have the position to laugh at me and call me interesting? "What's that supposed to mean?"

While catching his breath, the sports star replied, "You just had what was probably one of the craziest days of your life and all you care about now is your indoor shoes."

As if my grimace couldn't get even bigger, I forced it downwards even more. I decided to change the subject, "Why'd you bring me out here, anyways?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and told me, "I said we would go for a walk in the rain, didn't we?"

My grimace lightened up a little bit. Kuukai was really a nice guy. I found my heart wavering again, not as much as Ikuto had made me waver but I was still wavering. So many nice people were out in the world, nice people like Kuukai. How could I not feel so strange when he was being so nice and supporting of me despite my terrible attitude. That's when I realized something.

I turned around and walked into the shoe locker room as I said, "I'm not going for a walk anywhere unless I have my shoes on."

Ignoring his hysterical laughter I walked up to my shoe locker. While changing shoes, I could feel my heart warming up. My cold, indecisive heart warmed up as I made a huge decision. Love and affection were things that I did not want at all. However, I decided to alter my previous statement and promise. I did not want love and affection by romantic or intimate terms. There was only one thing that I wanted love and affection from. I smirked to myself, finding my wonderful loophole. Until now, there had been no exception to my rule.

Mumbling so quietly that not even someone that was standing right beside me could hear, I stated aloud, "Friends are the exception."

Amu made an exception? Is her heart finally starting to open up? What will happen next as she and Kuukai deepend their friendship? Be sure to check out chapter fifteen: My Own Happiness! Until next time!

Please Review *w*
(It gives me the inspiration to write more)