A/N: Ahooy! I'm back. Thanks for reading the previous chapters of this story! Well, I figured that I need to post this chapter quickly since I don't want to lose my inspiration for this fic. Nyahaha! Anyway, I've been listening to 3G's song "Crush" (Princess Diaries Soundtrack) lately, and trying to exhaust some ideas and fluffiness from it, though I'd probably include it in the final chapter of my story (Oh yeah, I'm really doing my best to finish this! Hopefully...). So, please read this one and leave me a nice review! Alrightie? XD

More Than Just A Crush

By: Killua K.

Chapter 6: Crushed

The hour hand struck nine o'clock, echoing an eerie sound within the Student Council's spacious meeting room. Kaoru Kamiya, president of the said club and overall coordinator of an upcoming Summer Party event, woke up from her catnap; with droopy eyes involuntarily scanning her unusually peaceful environment, the exhausted girl realized that night had already visited, and she should be going home. Stretching her arms and limbs in a mannish manner, she yawned contentedly then sluggishly pulled herself up from the wooden chair. Her left hand automatically groped for head, scratching her lustrous pony-tailed raven hair into a clump of mess. Like a boy who just recently stirred from his slumber, Kaoru picked up her school bag while she turned her head around one more time, making sure no one else was left inside the room.

It had been a very long and fatiguing week for everyone in the school because of the midterms, and probably since most students couldn't wait for summer to begin. However, Kaoru Kamiya believed that the week had been particularly stressful for Student Council members, mainly for her as she was the chief conspirator behind their extremely ambitious Summer Party proposal. She vividly recalled how the faculty strongly criticized and inconsiderately accused their project as 'preposterous' and 'inconsequential' to the entire school's welfare. Moreover, she could still precisely remember how these cunning adults regarded the idea as a mere waste of time and money, considering that Inter-High Championships was only 2 months away. It was only after Himura Kenshin, Student Council's Vice President and apparently, the school's number one genius, exclusively discussed the matter with the principal and selected faculty members that their bold plan eventually won the favor of most professors and school officers.

Tsk...Himura-kun...

Kaoru shut the door behind her then started to walk along the empty school corridor. After passing several deserted freshmen classrooms, she turned to her right then went straight to the shoe shelves across the building's entrance/exit doors. Reaching her destination, Kaoru stooped down carefully to replace her school slippers with her old worn-out sneakers. Then, she exited through the glass door and headed to the bicycle parking lot.

As she strode along a dimly lit path, she heard several muffled voices and various sounds from a distance. Realizing that those came from students training in the school's large open field nearby, she simply ignored them and reached for her bicycle.

Shizuoka Senior High was the most prestigious private high school in Kanto region, making it every student's dream school. It acquired such prominent status among hundreds of elite schools in the area, since 'twas a familiar home for child prodigies, accomplished artists, outstanding athletes, exceptional teen idols, and affluent kids. Ironically, attaining the most sought-after position in the most influential and controversial organization in her school, Kaoru was beginning to despise her extremely stressful job since meeting everyone's highly meticulous expectation became an implicitly mandatory thing in their club.

Darn it!

Cursing silently in her disorganized mind, she continued pedaling her rusty old bike until she halted to a stop. She agonizingly waited for the red light to turn into green. Nausea was beginning to shake her head violently that in a few more minutes, she thought, she would pass out. As soon as the green signal lit up, she pedaled faster while breezing through several streets and dark alleys, until finally she arrived at her humble house.

Friday nights were supposed to be savored and enjoyed. God created them so that busy salary men and fed-up students like Kamiya Kaoru could relax and anticipate for a peaceful and more pleasant weekend. She wanted to convince herself that tonight would be such night, yet as she threw her frail body on a rolled out futon inside her small room, her thoughts betrayed her once more.

"Kaoru-chaaan! Tsubame-chan is on the phone for you! Pick it up, dear!" her mother's high-pitched voice pierced through her shoji door. Hearing this, she lazily pulled herself up and walked over to a cordless phone carelessly strewn on top of a messy study desk. She placed it beside her ear then muttered a few words.

"Hey, what's up?" she said, trying to hide the exhaustion from her voice.

"Ohh! I'm glad you answered Kamiya-sempai! Uhhmmm...I called because Himura-sempai instructed me to tell you that we will have a meeting tomorrow at school..." Tsubame explained.

"Meeting..?" a hint of surprise and disgust became obvious in Kaoru's tone. Thinking that her sempai might be extremely exhausted, Tsubame tried to explain everything carefully as she chose her words.

"Ahh...yes! It's not really that long, Sempai. I presume it will only last for a few minutes. We just have to go over our schedule for next week and check if all our preparations are right on track. In my opinion, we're doing absolutely great," she enthusiastically told Kaoru. "Well...except for Aoshi-kun's documentary-dating contest...Yahiko-kun and Tsunoda-kun are really struggling to record his everyday life since, as you may already know, Shinomori-sempai's always hiding from them. But other than that, everything should be fine. So don't worry too much!" Tsubame thought for a moment if it was better not to include her last statement.

"Then why have a meeting?" Kaoru suddenly retorted. "We can do it next Monday anyway. What's the rush for?"

Listening to an unusually irritated Kaoru proved to be uneasy for Tsubame as she rarely heard her like that. "Well...Himura-sempai told me that Yukishiro-sensei will also come, so...I guess, it is that important."

A few moments of silence passed between them. Tsubame already wanted to hang up in order to avoid Kaoru's sudden burst of anger, but she eventually thought that she should instead wait for her sempai to end their conversation.

"All right..."

Kaoru's voice echoed a defeated soul.

And even before Tsubame could say 'Good night' to her, Kaoru instantly pressed a red button on the phone, ending the girl's call. Then, she threw herself carelessly to her futon and immediately succumbed to sleep.

He woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. Glancing at his side, Seta Soujiro extended his left arm and groped for the snooze switch that could save another extra five minutes of his precious sleep. His fingers lightly brushed on a protruding button then he rolled over to the other side of his king-size bed and attempted to sleep.

Suddenly, a series of loud knocks came from the door. He immediately forced his droopy eyes to open, and sat up straight on his bed.

"Soujiro-sama!"

Sighing heavily, he put his slippers on and walked away from his bed, his shiny black hair ruffled in a mess. As he reached a huge wooden oak door and turned its golden knob, an old lady wearing red kimono suddenly rushed in.

"Soujiro-sama, it's time for your hot morning bath," the old lady's loud hoarse voice slightly hurt his ears.

"Uhhmmm...can we do this later? I would really appreciate it if you'd spare me five more minutes of my sleep. You see, last night, I already got to bed at..."

"Do you know what time it is?" she curtailed his immediate reasoning.

He paused briefly at her commanding presence. Kanna-san, a distant relative of Soujiro's grandmother, has faithfully served their prosperous family for god-knows-how-many-years-now; she became the absolute authority in the mansion after his parents, and thus unquestionably involved herself in any matter of consequence concerning each member of the household. Every morning, she would rise from her bed at an incredibly early hour and make sure that all maids and servants are altogether ready to attend to their family's needs. It was definitely more than what they asked of her, and yet she would tell them that she merely did everything out of her personal whim, an old granny's caprice per se. "I believe it's..." he scratched his head for a moment then sighed. "...I'm late for my appointment, am I not?"

"Yes, my dear master," the old lady grinned broadly, showing off several wrinkles and creases on her aged skin. "I already asked the chef to prepare your favorite meal..."

"And what is that?" he asked plainly.

"A piece of toast and a cup of espresso..."

"Perfect!" he turned his back from the old lady then strode cheerfully into a lavish walk-in closet across his bed. After a few minutes, he appeared with his school uniform while combing his scruffy hair by his fingers. "Kanna-san, do you know where I placed my bike keys?"

"Don't you usually leave it in the lock?"

"Ahh! Perhaps..." he uttered as he picked up a brown back-pack strewn carelessly on the carpeted floor.

"Will you leave without taking a..."

"...a bath?"

"Yes, my dear," she spoke, trying to hide her astonishment.

"Naahh...I'll take it later. We're gonna have a club practice today, so I'd probably get dirty again." It was a shocking answer that the old lady never expected to hear from a decent young man like Soujiro, and just like any other curious parent, she wondered what kind of ridiculous 'values' he learns from his outstanding senior high school. However, before she managed to voice out her growing concern, her young master opened the bedroom door and smiled happily as he said his last words.

"Besides...let's save some water, Kanna-san."

She quickly grabbed his obi, preventing him from executing his meticulously planned maneuver.

One...

Two...

A surprise attack by his left leg almost caught her off guard, causing her fingers to slip from his left sleeve.

Shoot!

Regaining her balance, she propelled her petite yet agile body against his broad stone-hard chest and managed to skillfully shove him to the tatami mat.

Hahaha! Sucko!

A hard-earned smirk evaporated from her overconfident countenance as his muscular arms eventually entwined around her neck and started to choke the life out of her.

Ahhh..! I c-can't...bre-breatheee...

She attempted to wrap her legs around his torso, clutching the quilted sleeve around his suffocating arms as she flung her limbs that ached for revenge.

Damn you...

His knees were up on the ground, and he was able to reverse their positions within fleeting seconds, sensing the taste of victory that lurked within the walls of their dojo. He stared audaciously at those huge dauntless sapphire orbs that spoke well of his opponent's resolute determination to win.

Crap...I must finish this.

She shut her eyes tightly and focused all of her strength to that one last ace she had.

If I can't do this, how could I win the gold?

It was his utter chance to show his absolute superiority and unparalleled skills; today was the most opportune time to regain his colleague's respect and let everyone know that never again would a skinny girl beat him in his field of expertise. He held the neckline of her thick cotton jacket, fastening her black obi on the other hand. And now, the moment of truth...

Three!

Blaaaaggggg!

A thunder of applause and incessant cheering shook the whole room. Indeed, triumph was sweet and heartfelt. To witness one's adversary fling across the air and land his immobile body awestruck on the dull green ground was undeniably more precious than to receive any trophy or distinction in a Judo tournament.

But today wasn't just that day for Yukishiro Enishi.

He stared dumbfounded at the weasel girl towering over him, grinning widely like there was no tomorrow. He had no idea how it all happened – how, after all his painstaking preparation for this skirmish, he ended up lying in the very same position he had imagined her to be in.

"Nyak nyak nyak nyak nyak!" Misao Makimachi planted her hands on her hips as she stood on her wide-apart feet. Laughing arrogantly, she tried her best to hide the dread she just felt when Enishi trapped her in his lethal arms. She could still hear the absurdly fast uneven pounding inside her chest and the relentless throbbing of her veins around her perspiring forehead. It was a phenomenal sensation she never once experienced - a very dangerous act which could've choked the life out of her at that very moment, yet altogether an incredibly inspiring and brilliant technique.

She turned her head to the boy on the ground. She extended her left arm and offered her hand to him. "Well done, Yukishiro-kun..." a taunting phrase that managed to slip from her mischievous mouth.

Enishi silently took her soft delicate hand. It was unusually warm and pleasant to his rough touch, contrary to its deceitful nature. He pulled himself up then glanced at her smirking face for a few moments.

"You're still a girl, Makimachi..." he muttered in a low voice. He ached to grapple her seemingly frail body one more time and finally knock her consciousness off; however, he keenly decided that his precipitous action should be postponed for the time being.

Misao scowled as she heard his rude words. She never got used to his hostility ever since she joined the school's infamous Judo Club. From the very first time they set eyes on each other, she felt as if she had met her destined archrival beyond those hazy emerald green windows; until later, she figured out that her intuition was utterly right. "And I'm gonna show you that I can bring home that gold, Grandpa..."

In an instant, she turned her back from him and walked away, not wanting to aggravate the tension between them. She reached her other club mates, and they received her enthusiastically while Enishi strode over to the other side of the room and allowed his fatigued body to rest.

After a ten-minute break, Hiko Seijuro sensei called everyone to gather around him as he would be making a very important announcement. Hearing this, fifteen people lined up before him and adeptly knelt down a few meters away on the tatami mat. Hands on their waists, his students looked at him with that unfaltering zeal and patiently waited for his instructions.

"As you know, the Inter-High Championships will take place at the end of August..." he began. "...which means you have to train hard every single damn day until you could no longer move a muscle in your eyes." He paused as he looked at each person in front of him. "No buts, no excuses. If you don't want to compete, take off your uniform right now and don't show up your pathetic face in this dojo until the end of the tournament. Am I clear on this?"

"Yes, Sensei!" his students shouted confidently.

"Very well..." he nodded his head. "Except for Sundays, you have to come here everyday and polish your skills. I may not always be around here to guide you, but I expect that you will do your best to train yourselves and your teammates."

"Yes, Sensei!"

With that, he finished off their brief meeting as they bowed to each other.

"Makimachi!" Hiko called the only female member of their team. Misao turned her head quickly then sprinted across the room to meet her teacher.

"Well done..." he muttered, a slight grin formed in his lips. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she heard those brief yet very meaningful words from her teacher. Preventing her girly emotions from taking place, she merely smiled back and nodded her head in glee.

"Thank you, Hiko-sensei," she replied.

"By the way, I noticed that you cut your hair..."

"Ahhh..."

"Hmm...it suits you though," he frankly told the startled girl in front of him. She smiled again.

"You're the only person who ever said that." Hiko was certain that a hint of sadness echoed in her voice. Noticing this, he decided to drop off the topic and ask her another question.

"Do you know where Seta Soujiro has gone off? He does know we have a practice today, right?"

Misao suddenly realized that he was right. She was thinking so much about her sparring with Enishi that she almost forgot about her friend. Wondering where he could be, she scratched her head for a moment then contemplated quietly.

"...perhaps, he's somewhere else..?"

"I see...all right then. You may now go. If ever you meet him later, tell him to see me in my office," he said. She nodded her head. Hiko turned his back from her then walked towards a small room located at the other end of the hall.

Where could he be? She mused. Her eyes swiftly glanced around the spacious training area and scanned every present person's face to make sure that Soujiro was definitely absent from their meeting. Fifteen people, including myself...Let me see...

There's Michi-kun, Arai-kun, Takeda-sempai...she thought quietly, her legs starting to move on their own, gliding her through each vacant spot on the tatami-covered floor. The huge wooden door suddenly opened and a couple of boys carried their bags as they left the place.

Ichikawa-sempai, Makoto-kun, Arumi-kun, Noda-sempai, Takuro-kun...she carefully took note of their names before they managed to disappear from her sight. Misao turned her attention to another group of boys who convened around a small water dispenser near Hiko-sensei's private room. Ignoring their joyous reverberating guffaw, she tried to recognize their names and faces as her eyes swept over them. Chiba-kun, Mori-sempai, Kobayashi-sempai, Takagi-kun...

"Oi, Makimachi-kun! What're ya doin' there? Meditating?" a tall guy with cropped black hair shouted at her, realizing that the girl was wandering by herself on their sparring area. Hearing his silly comment, the other boys who were drinking water laughed loudly. Misao didn't mind them at all, and simply continued examining the dojo by turning her head.

"Maybe she's reminiscing her glorious feat over Enishi earlier, right Yukishiro-kun?" another boy who was rather short for his age, insensitively joked. Once again, their guffaw relentlessly echoed throughout the entire hall.

Pretending not to hear any of their harsh statements, Enishi merely talked to Kurosagi Taka, one of his fellow club mates, and calmly expressed his disgust over earlier's match.

"Tsk...You're weak, Enishi. You can't even win against Misao-chan! Hah! Such a loser!"

Kobayashi-sempai...Misao mumbled to herself when she felt the rising tension in the air. She briefly looked at Enishi who stood on the other side of the room. He didn't react to what they were saying, casually maintaining his poise as he conversed with his friend, although he seemed a little bit more restless than before. Meanwhile, the others continued mocking his skill and ability as Hiko Seijuro's apprentice, indifferently throwing banters and impolite remarks at him.

"Hah! If I were him, I would've wrestled Makimachi earlier when I had the chance. That was so darn easy, yet he failed to beat her again," Takagi explained, including some arm and leg movements in his suggestion.

"Oh, and did you see his expression when he landed on the floor? That's like the ultimate thing, dude!" Chiba laughed in a taunting manner with his mouth wide open.

"Cut it out, guys," Misao surprisingly retorted.

Enishi heard her speak and was a bit startled.

"Oohh..." Chiba said. "Ohhohohoho! I can't believe you're on Yukishiro's side, Mi-chan."

"I'm not on anyone's side, 'kay? I just want you to stop, that's all."

"Then why do you want us to stop?"

"Because you're too loud."

"Hah! We're too loud? Guys, this girl is insane..."

"Hey, I'm not insane!" Misao's tone suddenly rose.

Chiba stepped forward and approached her, his eyes ferociously staring at her whole being.

"Well, why the hell butt in? Do you have a crush on Yukishiro that's why you're protecting him?"

"Hell nooo!"

"Then mind your own business," he snapped angrily. With that, he pushed her petite body with his right hand and chuckled sarcastically. Chiba turned his back from her and eventually walked away as he muttered some words. Misao sighed heavily then rolled her eyeballs in annoyance.

Fools!

She eyed the entrance then started to move her body, deciding to ignore other people. I'll just look for Soujiro...

However, she never realized that a pair of emerald green eyes was furtively observing her every action until she left the dojo.

He finally saw her.

The mysterious ballerina whose once ambiguous face haunted him in his dreams.

The most beautiful lady he had ever seen since he breathed into life.

The sole woman who managed to capture a fragment of his wandering soul.

It was she, all along.

And yet he was a pathetic fool to not know that she studied in the very same school he was in, that she walked the same corridors and cemented paths he traversed, that she stared at the same fast-paced city located beyond the building's windows, and that she perhaps heard the same rumors and gossips associated with him.

Strange as it might seem, Aoshi convinced himself that if not for the Student Council's persistent devotion to their Summer Party idea, he would never ever meet the girl of his dreams during his entire lifespan. It merely happened last Monday, on the first day of Midterms, when Tsunoda and his other colleagues searched for him in the whole school vicinity. Lucky that he had ample time to hide himself, Aoshi coincidentally found the auditorium and decided to enter the dimly lit place. At first he thought that he was all alone in the vast empty room, until a group of people appeared, and an almost nostalgic music played in the background. He stood still near the stage and watched quietly, wondering what kind of act they would perform.

Astonishingly, a couple of female students emerged from the curtains and started to dance ballet, and amongst them, one lady effortlessly captivated his finicky attention and kept his stunned eyes from blinking even for a moment. As he watched her move with such distinguished grace, flex her toes, bend her slender elastic body, and spin in countless flawless turns on the stage, he could feel the rapid uncontrollable pounding inside his chest. His hands were cold and trembling, and he thought that his shaking knees would give in, causing him to collapse. Words were not enough to describe the intensity of his emotions at that very moment. A cocktail of exuberant feelings, accompanied by euphoria – not even close...

The unexpected meeting meant more than anything, and as he looked at her striking countenance, he realized that finally, he was able to see her genuine face. Although he had never found out the girl's name three years ago, he knew that he merely had to rely on his feelings to verify the ballerina's identity, since his heart was the only existence that never once betrayed him.

Takani Megumi...

Aoshi muttered to himself while he halted to a stop. He carefully got off his bicycle and held its handle, ushering it to the parking lot. Once he found a perfect place to leave his bike, he locked it up as he inserted and twisted a key in the hole. Then, slipping the key into his pocket, he took his bag from the front basket and slung it over his back. He started to walk towards the school's dojo, where his Kendo Club's practice would take place.

Takani Megumi...he thought again, smiling inwardly.

He recalled that it took him almost a week to find out her name, asking every person who might possibly know her. It was a pretty painstaking task, as he had to hide his true intentions and make up some stories when other people question his sudden curiosity. Luckily in the end, Sanosuke was the one who helped him with his problem. Aoshi found out that her name was Takani Megumi, and she originally belonged to Himura's class where excellent students studied; however due to some circumstances, she was demoted to Sano's section, a place for mediocre pupils, and was never promoted back. She was also the president of their Ballet Club, and as Aoshi had guessed, her club would hold a special performance sometime in the summer break and perhaps even join a contest.

I must meet her.

Aoshi continued amusing himself with his thoughts about Megumi. He had done so ever since he saw her last Monday, contributing to a sudden increase in his interest and concentration in studies, which in turn aided his success through all his midterms.

He walked leisurely under the scorching heat of a Saturday sun. But this time, he managed to bear the extreme heat and excessive perspiration dripping from his scalp and forehead, since he wallowed in his own reverie and merely dreamt about his long-lost ballerina.

Perhaps, it was also the same reason why a few hundred feet from where Aoshi stood, a girl's muffled cries never penetrated through the barrier that enshrouded his consciousness.

Misao Makimachi struggled to break free from a powerful arm that strangled her neck in a very familiar way as she clasped the huge rough hand that covered her screaming mouth. She was just about to leave the school when this stranger suddenly appeared behind and grabbed her on her waist.

And before she knocked out unconscious, the man whispered something to her ear – a declaration of absolute hatred which she had just heard earlier that day.

"You're still a girl, Makimachi..." he muttered in a low grunt.

Then all was lost.

A/N: Ohh myyy...I'm sorry it took me quite a while to update this. Anyway, I made it longer so you won't be that sad. Hehehehe! Did you like it? Huh? How was it, guys? Oh please, please, give me a review, will you? I need your comments, criticisms and praises (if there's any...) Nyahahaha! I will be away from my computer for three days so the earliest possible day I could update this is on Saturday. Nyehehehe! But you'd wait, right? Yaay! Thank you very much! Please review! XD