My Words My Heart
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
Chapter 3 – A Pistol Shot to Start it
"Okay, now, Valentine's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I think we should let Kaoru calm down until then." Elise explained, leaning across the bench in Chemistry, talking in hushed tones to Tala, Kai and Bryan. Chloe, who was next to her, sighed and continued their work with Ella.
Tala nodded. "Okay…any ideas?" he asked hopefully. He'd never done that before…Valentines never meant anything to him.
Until now.
Elise rolled her eyes. "But of course." She told them, smirking confidently. "I'll explain later, but we'll kick things off on Valentines Day – send her roses, chocolates, a card: whatever – and keep sending her notes and stuff from then until she at least gives you a chance." She explained.
The boys nodded, and Elise went back to her own side of the bench, taking a hand in the experiment, just as their teacher walked past, glaring down at Elise.
Kai snickered as she shot the teacher an innocent look, making him scowl and walk on. Elise turned to wink at Kai over her shoulder, knowing that she had almost been caught.
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"Okay, so you'll sign the card, the notes, the little note-thingie on the chocolates from Lilith, okay?" Elise said sternly, her gaze never leaving Tala.
He nodded. "I get it, but why Lilith?" he asked, frowning.
Elise rolled her eyes. "Lilith is – to Kaoru – whoever reads her notebook. That's you, so she'll know it's from you." She explained brightly. Chloe and Ella nodded. Tala sighed.
"Alright…but do we really have to wait another week?" he asked. Chloe giggled and nodded.
"Yup! What better time to start sending her notes than Valentine's Day?" she pointed out. Kai rolled his eyes.
"Do we have to do anything?" he asked, glancing to Bryan.
Elise shook her head. "Not unless you're hiding something from us, Kai." She replied coolly. Kai scowled at her, but Elise didn't bother to return it, walking away calmly.
"I think I hit a nerve, Zakuro."
Kai growled quietly as Elise's words floated back to them.
Bryan and Tala bit back laughter, and walked away again. Kai followed quickly, still glaring after Elise as she went in the opposite direction to them.
Kaoru glanced round her nervously, as she hurriedly entered the combination into her locker. Opening it, Kaoru gasped as something fell out of it.
She bent down to pick up the fallen red rose in amazement, before spotting several others inside her locker.
Her free hand flew to her mouth in astonishment, as she took in the display of red roses cast inside her small locker. She frowned and pushed the roses aside to reach the note at the back.
Her eyes widened at the poem she found inside.
Love Just Is (This poem is mine, by the way. You cannot take it or I can beat you with a stick because IT IS MINE!)
Love is a fire you cannot put out
Love is a cute, irresistible pout.
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Love is a light shining deep in your heart
Love is that which no one can part.
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Love is a feeling that's hard to dismiss
Love is a passionate, sensual kiss.
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Love is an ocean filling your mind
Love is a connection between your own kind.
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Love is something, yet nothing too
Love is that sent "from me to you".
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Love is a force you cannot deny
Love is an angel soaring sky-high.
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Love is a gesture, a word and a touch
Love is everything that means very much.
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Love is a puzzle filled with care
Love is nowhere, yet still everywhere.
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Love is a knife stabbing you deep
Love is the person with whom you will sleep.
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Love is more than just a word
Love is the felt, the seen and unheard.
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Love is priceless, yet expensive as well
Love is their voice, like the sound of a bell.
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Love isn't selfish, blind or lost
Love isn't without a personal cost.
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Love is the trickiest thing in this time
Love is when you can say that they're "mine".
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Love is just the way it comes out
Love is still an adorable pout.
-
Lilith
Kaoru stared, trembling, at the signature. Snapping to a decision, she put the roses to one side while she exchanged her books for the first two lessons before break.
She hesitated as she picked up the poem again, before stuffing it into her pocket, not chancing leaving it in her locker.
Kaoru took a black ribbon she had, and used it to tie her roses together in a small bunch: hell, if she was going to get them, she'd show them off!
…Or not.
Shaking her head, Kaoru put them back in her locker, unaware of two blue eyes watching her, hurt at her lack of enthusiasm over the roses.
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Kaoru sat in her lesson, partly relieved, partly disappointed that Lilith – who she knew without doubt to be Tala – had done nothing more than put roses and a poem in her locker.
Then again, she was still completely embarrassed over the fact that he had read her notebook, and had seen her very core.
It hurt her and excited her at the same time, honestly.
"Kaoru Skyling! My, my…!"
Kaoru looked up; eyes wide and lips parted innocently – Tala held back a smile at her expression – as the teacher called her name.
Her eyes widened further as she saw the gift a messenger had brought.
She kept her head down in embarrassment as she quickly went up to get her gift – a card and a box of what Elise had assured Tala to be her favourite chocolates – before going back to seat just as quickly, already looking at the card in curiosity.
Tala knew she wanted to glance at him, then.
He kept his eyes on the front, sneaking hidden glances at her every so often.
Her cheeks were flushed and her head was still down, yet she couldn't help but smile at the card – signed from Lilith, naturally – and bite her lip to hold back a grin as she gazed down at it happily.
In the seat behind her, Mariah glared at the girl, for getting a Valentine's gift as luxurious as that before her.
Tala resisted the temptation to glare back at Mariah for Kaoru, who was too happy to notice.
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Kaoru blinked as she opened her locker at break, only to find another surprise waiting.
Lilith...?!
A wooden, blue rose lay on top of an envelope, rose petals scattered daintily round her locker. Kaoru smiled unwillingly as she opened the envelope, to find rose petals in there as well.
She took out the note and gasped quietly.
Dear Minto,
I assume that you know some Japanese: can you tell me what this means? It's true.
Aishiteru
Sayonara, koi…
Lilith
Kaoru blinked down at the note, knowing full-well what it meant. Without her eyes leaving the note, Kaoru closed her locker, having taken the books she needed, and began to walk towards the Library, not needing to look where she was going.
Sitting down at a free computer in the Library, Kaoru tore her gaze from the note at last.
Inserting her trusty floppy disk into the correct place, Kaoru logged onto her account quickly, before opening her file full of Japanese translations.
Aishiteru – that meant 'I love you'.
Koi – that meant 'lover' or 'partner'.
Kaoru gaped at the note again, this time barely able to believe her luck; despite the fact that she knew it was Tala.
She'd never gotten a Valentine before, and yet here someone was, sending her chocolates, cards, roses and notes – and knowing who it was didn't lessen the 'Wow Factor' of it.
It was all so romantic…and he even knew how to put it into Japanese for her.
'Welcome to cloud nine, Kaoru' Tala thought as he watched his love look at the note he had sent her yet again, still unable to believe it was her's.
He'd stay out of her way for the day, and stick to leaving her surprises in her locker.
It seemed Elise really did know best, on Valentine's Day, though.
Laughing softly at that last thought, Tala swept from the Library, barely noticed, least of all by a certain young girl, gazing down at a note, half of which was in Japanese.
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"Aww, Minto's in luuuuuuurve!"
"Am not! This Lilith is the one in love!"
Sam frowned, looking between a reddened Kaoru – who was still clutching the note that had brought the conversation about – and a grinning Elise.
Chloe smiled at him and quietly explained about Kaoru's secret admirer – known as Lilith.
Sam frowned. "So, why not just go find him, or something?" he asked, still not sure he understood. Kaoru shook her head furiously, her blush darkening – Elise cackled at this, nearly toppling backwards in the chair she was leaning back in.
"Because - !" Kaoru exclaimed, pausing to shoot a smirk at Elise, who had just about managed to regain her balance in time, "Lilith is the person who read my notebook! I wrote a diary in that thing! How can I bear facing them after they've read something so personal about me?!"
Sam's frown deepened.
He still didn't get it…
"Aww, c'mon Kaoru – you know you want to!" Ella chided, elbowing Kaoru in the side gently. Kaoru shot a glare back at her insane friend.
"I'm not meeting him – and that's that!" she said firmly.
Kaoru expected the notes to have stopped after a couple of days, and for Lilith to have run out of things to write to her.
But instead, they kept on coming for another week.
Kaoru found a fresh note waiting for her after she had found the previous one – he always seemed to know, somehow, even when she never spoke about the notes. After every break, lunch and at the end of every school day, there was a fresh note waiting.
And when Kaoru didn't manage to check for a new note at, for example, break time, Lilith would wait until she received that one before posting another.
He always seemed to know, somehow…
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"This is annoying! All that's happening are these damn notes!" Elise cried as she stormed up and down the Quiet Room in impatiens.
"So? What can you do about it, Weinzweig?" asked Kai, using Elise's widely-mispronounced surname.
Elise shot him a glare, before grinning devilishly.
"It's time to bring out the Big Guns…!"
Chloe's eyes widened.
"You're crazy!" she exclaimed.
Elise shrugged. "So are Ella and Kaoru, but they're not trying to play matchmaker here." She shot back defiantly. "Oh, and don't worry – I'll have them monitored: they'll be fine!" she added.
Chloe sighed. "Okay, I'll help." She relented.
Kai, Bryan, Spencer and Ian all exchanged glances.
"…If it'll get Tala and Kaoru together, we'll help too." Bryan said at last.
Elise smirked and glanced to Ella, who grinned and nodded.
"I'll help!" the scissor-lover sang.
Elise grinned and bit her lip in excitement.
"Excellent…" she said, imitating Mr Burns from the Simpsons.
Chloe gulped loudly; summing up everyone's thoughts on Elise's Big Guns.
Poor Kaoru…
…Poor Tala!