A/N: Another chapter! How do you like the story so far? I apologize if it has gotten a little serious. Don't worry though! I'll try my best to inject some humor in this fic. And please don't forget to give me a review, okay? Thanks!

More Than Just A Crush

By: Killua K.

Chapter 9: Forgotten

She opened her eyes slowly and felt a sudden shock of bolting pain from her stomach that traveled across her entire body. She instantly curled into a ball, like a defenseless kitten trying to protect herself from danger.

"Mi-chan!"

She heard someone shout her name. As soon as she looked up, two familiar guys came running towards her.

"Hey! What happened, Mi-chan? I've been looking for you all over the school! What are you doing here on the parking lot?"

Misao realized it was Soujiro. He gathered her in his arms and held her close to his chest. She could feel the loud pounding of his heart.

"I...I'm n-not sure either..." she forced herself to smile as her hands clutched the fabric of her clothes on the stomach area. She could not clearly remember what happened to her and how she ended up lying on the bicycle parking lot. "Sou-kun, what are you doing here?" she murmured.

Suddenly, Soujiro embraced her tightly and caressed her short black hair. His trembling hands gently rubbed her nape and did not want to let her go. "I was...I was so scared," he mumbled. For a while, he held her in that position, and she received the warmth and comfort that his strong muscular arms offered. She wondered why she felt so relieved to be beside him. Her hands loosened on her clothes then slowly reached for Soujiro's neck. Then without any hesitation, she pulled him closer to her face and stared into his eyes.

"Thank you..." she barely made out the words. Her right hand touched his cheeks and her fingers gingerly brushed away the bangs that slightly covered his eyes. Soujiro shivered a little bit when she did that. For a moment, he thought he was going to lose his mind.

"It's okay now, Mi-chan. I'm here," he smiled when he said that happily. He hugged her more tightly than ever and assured that everything was going to be all right. He was not going to let anything bad happen to her ever again.

Soujiro... She thought lovingly. Her eyelids gently closed as she felt herself being lifted from the ground. She did not know why it felt so right to be with her best friend. What really happened to her? She asked herself. But it seemed as if her brain did not want to remember whatever it was that put her in that state. It was like a defense mechanism that prevented her from reliving the trauma that she just experienced. It was horrifying.

Soujiro carefully held her in his strong arms while he walked across the parking lot. She could hear him talking to the other guy who also came to rescue her.

"Thank you, sempai," Soujiro told him. "I'm really glad you helped me find Misao."

"Of course...anything for Misao," the other guy replied.

But even before Misao realized the identity of the young man who also worriedly looked for her all over the school, she felt herself succumb to the power of sleep. It has been a long day.

One week has passed since that incident.

I told myself many times that everything was going to be all right, that everything would run smoothly according to my plan.

I kept on reassuring myself that all of my hard work would come to fruition, and that I would finally regain the pride that I lost.

Until that bitch got in my way.

Kaoru Kamiya...No, "President Kamiya" is it? The thought of her name was enough to ignite the anger peacefully contained within me. She has always been in my mind, all the time, ever since we were kids. And now that she has finally revealed her true colors in front of me, I simply could not remove her from my thoughts. I always had a feeling that she did not like me at all, that she was insecure and very jealous of my achievements. But never once did she show her disgust to me. She has always been kind, obedient, and reserved, a girl who knew how to carry herself and communicate well with others. We would argue over school matters sometimes, but our competitive personalities never crossed that line. Or at least, that's what I think.

I held a piece of pastel chalk in my right hand and started sketching something on the paper in front of me. It was my way of relieving stress that Student Council work has been causing me.

Kaoru... Her name resounded in my thoughts again.

I continued drawing on the paper as I quietly sat on my bed. It was past eight in the evening, and for the first time in weeks, I had nothing to do. Except for some issues about Shinomori Aoshi's documentary date contest, Student Council is pretty much set for the summer break. I had to deal with Kaoru's drama for the past week, and step up to effectively run our organization. Of course, not everything went smoothly according to my plan. Members panicked and asked many questions about Kaoru's absence in our meetings. Teachers started to become hesitant about our ambitious Summer Party event, and preparations for the upcoming Inter-High School Athletic Competitions were becoming more intense. It was hell for me. And I despised Kaoru for not being there at such a crucial time.

My fingers lightly touched the strokes on the paper and smudged them to create a softer effect. I stared at the figure that I was drawing, and felt really calm. There was something about that form that made me smile inside.

She wasn't like that before.

We used to be close friends back in elementary school. Now I don't know what happened between us. Now I don't know why she hates me this much, and why I feel the same way for her too. Now...everything is different.

I stopped sketching for a moment.

Kaoru...

I looked at my work and noticed the bright smile drawn on the face of a girl so familiar to me. It was warm and gentle, the kind of smile that I have always admired ever since we met. I longed to see it again. But it seemed as if this there was no point in fostering false hopes. She's been gone for years.

After I signed on the paper, I decided to put it in my collection of drawings and paintings. I stood up from my bed and opened a large closet across my room. In one corner of the closet lay a separate box of sketches and art works. I gingerly placed my latest drawing inside, being extra careful not to damage my other stuff. My eyes glanced over the old label sticking outside the box. In big round letters, the familiar name proudly stood before me. I remember that I had written it when I was seven years old. It was the first time I ever made a sketch of someone and kept it close to me.

I sighed as I touched the old label. How long ago was it since I last had a conversation with the girl in my drawings?

And I mean a "real" conversation...not just some random talk... I sighed again.

Suddenly, my cellphone rang.

Startled at the sound of my phone, I quickly closed my closet and rushed to my bag. I grabbed the little communication tool from one of the pockets of my bag and quickly pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" I spoke.

"K-Kenshin..."

My eyes widened in shock when I heard the familiar voice. Why would she call me at this time? I thought to myself.

"About last week...I'm..."

"I understand, Kaoru-san."

"Huh?"

"You didn't mean it, right?"

"Well...I guess you could say that."

"You were only stressed out, that's all."

"Even if I said all those horrible things to you?"

"I don't hold grudges."

"But I even..." she paused for a while. "I even slapped you."

"I think I should get used to that. I'm a guy after all." I chuckled.

"Kenshin...No, Vice President Himura..."

"Please...we're not at school. Why call me that way?"

"I...I just feel that I have to..."

"My name is enough."

"Kenshin..."

"There...that is so much better." I smiled as I tightly held the phone to my ear. Even if I couldn't understand why she had to call me that time, I did not mind. Hearing her voice was enough to soothe my soul. As soon as she spoke my name, all my troubled feelings started to go away. Kaoru...how could I even get mad at you? My eyes glanced at the closet where I hid all my sketches and paintings. I remembered the old label sticking on the box where I kept all my drawings of that girl – of Kaoru.

"Kaoru..." I started. "How come we've become like this?"

Even if I wasn't looking at her face to face, I could imagine her displaying such a surprised expression.

"What...what do you mean 'like this'?"

I sighed again. I felt like a coward for asking such a stupid question over the phone. But I guess it was better that way. I don't have the courage to talk to her in person anyway. It was the only way and only chance I could ever talk to her like that.

"Like what we are now...as if..." I took a deep breath and prepared myself. "As if we've never even met before...as if we've never even become friends..."

"Kenshin..."

"Please tell me...what happened to us?"

There was a long pause. I should've expected that to happen. After all, how could she understand what I was saying if what she really felt for me was nothing but hatred and contempt?

"Nothing happened," she sadly replied.

"W-what?"

"There...there was nothing, Kenshin.

"But we weren't like this before –"

"We never had anything before this, Kenshin. You were only my classmate, that's all."

My heart twitched inside my chest.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"I thought we were friends, Kaoru."

"I thought so, too."

"But why are you like this?"

"What?"

"Why do you keep acting as if you..." I stopped for a moment. "...as if you don't care about me at all?"

The words slipped from my mouth carelessly. It was too late before I realized what I've confessed to the girl on the other end of the line.

"Kenshin..." she spoke my name softly. "I don't understand why you're saying these things to me. Are you still upset that I said those harsh words to you? I only called to apologize and ask how everything is going along at the Student Council."

Student Council? Is that what she only cares about? I angrily thought to myself.

"Never mind...I think I'm just stressed out," I snapped. "And don't worry, we're making progress."

"Good to know that. I'll be there next meeting. I really regret my actions last week."

I was about to hit the 'end call' button until she spoke up again.

"And, Kenshin...please take care of yourself."

I barely uttered a response after that. She hung up on me eventually, and I was left staring at the phone on my hand, wondering about the bizarre conversation we just had moments ago.

You're so stupid, Kenshin.

I threw my body on the bed and buried my face on the pillow. As sleep gradually swallowed my consciousness, I kept wishing that I would see her in my dreams tonight. Even just in my dreams...I thought, and then light was stolen from eyes.

"If you were given a chance to spend one day with Shinomori Aoshi, what would you do?" Tsubame held a microphone in one hand as she interviewed one of the contestants sitting on the couch.

At last, she thought, for the first time in weeks, everything was running smoothly in their documentary-date contest project. Although it was hard to convince the student body that only three finalists would be allowed to actually participate in the contest, the girls conceded as they also did not have any choice about the situation. Now, they were conducting interviews to assess the participants and gain more knowledge about Shinomori Aoshi's mysterious personality.

"Of course, we're going to like, spend it in a beach resort or sumthin'. Ya know what I mean? I mean like, oh my gosh, it's Aoshi-sempai we're talkin' about here. Like he's hot...and of course I want to share kisses with him. I'm like..." the girl explained while twirling her hair on one finger. "Kyaaa! Just imagining it makes me scream like this...he's that HOT!"

"We're going to read books in the public library. I will let him read my novels and short stories, and ask him what kind of stories and books he enjoys reading. It will be a fantastic and surreal day. Love and books. It's all about Aoshi-sempai and me," another girl answered. She was fixing her eyeglasses the whole time.

"Why, we have to go to a concert of course! Rock, that is. Hell yeah, I love rock music! What bands do I like? A lot. Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Linkin Park, Incubus... What? Of course, I'm sure Shinomori-sempai likes rock music. He's that cool! I won't have a crush on someone who ain't cool. Yeah, music is my thing, you know. It's like a life force that connects everyone here on earth. It's like...like a witchcraft of some sort. Who's gonna pay for the ticket? Well shouldn't it be him!" the girl rambled on as she looked at Tsubame intensely.

Fifty contestants have completed the interview so far, and Tsubame was already calling it quits. She was getting exhausted, not because of the hot temperature in the room and the time she has spent in that place. It was because of the girls themselves who act like obsessed little fan girls. Their answers were simply incredible. She did not understand why girls liked Shinomori Aoshi very much. He was intelligent, handsome, and athletic, like a guy lifted from a Japanese manga and given life. But she knew his horrible side. He was harsh to all the girls who confess to him. Even the incident with Harumi Imai, the most popular girl in their high school, was enough to convince her how terrible Shinomori Aoshi was.

Ugghh...I couldn't stand this, she told herself. She sipped some water from the bottle in her hand. As she wiped the sweat that formed on her forehead, a guy came up to her and handed her a list.

"The next set of contestants, Tsubame-chan. Good luck!" Yahiko patted him on the back.

She looked at the list and saw more names on the piece of paper. "You gotta be kidding me. I can't stand these girls, Yahiko-kun!"

"Well, I can't stand Aoshi-sempai either. We've been filming his life ever since, and you know what? Nothing special has happened so far, except for the countless confessions he got from his fans," he explained.

"What do you know?" Tsubame drank some more water from the bottle then put it aside. She glanced at the number of girls standing outside the room. They were starting to arrive again.

"Of course, he's rejected all of them. You know what he tells them? It's just a simple 'sorry.' I mean, c'mon, dude, he should say something else at least! I can't believe he could be this terrible," Yahiko complained as he prepared the camcorder in his hands.

"Do you see any potential finalist so far?" Tsubame asked him.

"Hhhmm...honestly, I have no idea what's going on with these girls. There's this interesting girl I know though. She's Aoshi's best friend. Looks like she may be a good candidate."

Tsubame's eyes widened. "Really? What's her name? What's she like?"

"She's Misao Makimachi. You know, the only girl in the Judo Club? She's also the number one student in her year."

"How come she's best friends with that stoic guy? And she's a girl!"

"I was also surprised. But from what I've gathered about her, they've been childhood friends ever since. It also seems that she has a big crush on him. I doubt that she ever confessed though. I don't think she's the type to do that kind of thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she may be outspoken. But I get the feeling that she's really shy when it comes to her feelings. You know...she's pretending to be strong and all, but really she's not. It's a very interesting personality."

"I see," Tsubame nodded her head then quickly scribbled the name on her paper.

"So how are we going to choose the finalists?" Yahiko asked again.

"We have to go over the interviews and simply choose the best," she amusedly answered.

"That's it? Isn't that a little biased?"

"I guess...but isn't that how Reality Tv shows do it nowadays? They don't just randomly pick people and air their lives on national television. They choose those characters to suit their vision. That's how we're going to make this project successful, Yahiko-kun."

"But how do we pick the people?"

"Well, that's why we have you to film Aoshi's life. We pick those who have interesting relations to him." Tsubame smiled widely. She looked back at the name scribbled on the paper in her hand.

Misao Makimachi...I wonder how you'd fare in this contest. She looked at the long line outside the room and suddenly frowned.

"Can I call it a day?" Tsubame asked Yahiko.

"No, you can't, Tsubame-chan...Look at that line. Can you imagine what will happen if we don't follow the schedule? It's going to be a disaster," Yahiko readied his camera as he pointed to the crowd outside the room.

"Oh, Jesus..." she muttered as she went back to her seat. She looked down at the list of names and interview questions written on the paper. As soon as she lifted her face, about twenty girls rushed inside the room and sat on the couches designated to participants. She put on a wide smile but was clearly annoyed at what she was witnessing that time.

"And we're rolling in three, two, one!" Yahiko shouted as everyone went back to his station and prepared for the interview. And in an instant, the documentary-date contest interviews resumed.

She brushed her short hair with her fingers. For the first time, she felt different and empty now that her long braid is gone.

"I told you, Soujiro was the one who looked for you. I was just there because he asked for help."

Shinomori Aoshi did not look at her and simply continued writing on his notebook. She tried to sneak a peek and check what he was scribbling on the paper.

"Ehhh..." she uttered as she ran her fingers on her hair. "I thought it's because you were worried! I mean you don't have to deny it, Aoshi-sempai. I'm like that to you, too. When I don't see you around, I feel like my heart's gonna break in despair. Oh yes! You don't know how it pains me not to see you every day..."

She's clearly overreacting, Aoshi thought to himself as he quickly looked up and glanced at the girl in front of him. The back of her right hand was on her forehead, and she was acting as if she were a damsel-in-distress waiting to be saved by her knight-in-shining-armor. Though he was glad that Misao was back to normal after that incident one week ago, he did not realize that she would recover this fast. Also, he almost forgot how weird Misao could actually be in front of him when she's trying to get his attention.

"What are you writing?" she suddenly asked him.

"Nothing...just a...a letter," he replied shortly.

"Oooooohhh! I bet it's a love letter! Is it for me, sempai?" she exclaimed. She brought her face closer to his as her hands slammed on his desk. He was startled at what she did and slightly blushed when her wide blue eyes stared at him lovingly.

"Idiot. Why would I write a love letter on my notebook?" he retorted.

"Aahh..but that's what I did last time! Remember when I gave you my love letter? Remember that? And remember how you forgot that I was waiting for you here in the classroom? Do you still remember that?" For some reason, Aoshi did not sense any sarcasm or hurt in her voice. He thought that she would never talk about that ever again, but here she was, being casual about it.

"Of course, I do."

"Teeheehee! Yeah that letter was from my notebook! I tore it off from my thing. Hahaha! Isn't it brilliant? I'm unlike any other girl you know!" she excitedly said.

"Well, I'm surprised," he replied sarcastically. He looked back at what he was writing. No, it wasn't a love letter. But it was Megumi Takani's personal information which he got from Sano. Sano was doing all the work for him, while he was waiting for the right time to confess everything to Megumi – how she had captivated him ever since he saw her dance ballet years ago, how she haunted his dreams every night and made his heart pound so fast in his chest. These things, he thought, must be communicated to this woman – this woman whose graceful moves had captured his soul.

"By the way, I haven't gotten your answer yet from last time," Misao interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm?" Aoshi concentrated on what he was writing.

"I mean...I know you forgot that I was waiting here last time, but since I ran away that day, yeah I know that was really foolish of me, we never really got the chance to talk to each other about my...you know, my – my feelings?" she explained to him.

Aoshi paused for a moment when he heard her words. Why so serious? He thought. He put his pen down on his notebook then stared at her directly. He saw that the sparkle in her eyes had vanished as soon as she started talking. He also noticed that she stopped messing with her short hair.

"What of?" he muttered.

"Well, I wanted to tell you that day that uhmm..." she took her eyes off him and glanced at her side. "You know...I really have a big crush on you. I mean, well, you see, I'm not like other girls. I've been your friend for years, and I know you really well. We get along together. You saved me from – from that horrible incident, and...and I feel like we look really good together, don't you think? I mean, oh my gosh I'm uttering nonsense, anyway, I just wanted to say that I like you and that I feel like this thing is really...how should I put it? Uhhmm..." she paused then timidly looked at his face. "I feel like this is more than just a crush."

He did not utter anything.

She stared at him intently, preparing herself for what she's about to hear from her Aoshi-sempai.

He noticed the seriousness in her eyes, and the way she held her hands together.

She swallowed a lump inside her throat and started to feel nauseous. Am I ready to hear this? What am I doing? Ugh...

Suddenly, a sarcastic chuckle broke the silence that ruled between them. As soon as she heard this, Misao's eyes widened in shock, her hands started to tremble more than ever, and her head ached so much.

"That was it?" Aoshi said as he laughed like a naughty selfish boy.

"Wha- what?" Misao could barely utter a word.

"I've heard that from you ever since we were kids. You're telling me that was what you wanted to tell me that day? Seriously?"

She nodded her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Give me a break, Mi-chan. You should stop this nonsense right away. We're growing up. All along, you still think that you like me, that- that you have this big crush on me. Well, surprise, surprise! You just look up to me because I'm like a brother to you, because I protect you like any brother would to his siblings...You're clearly mistaken. How long are you going to be like this, Mi-chan? We're not children anymore. I'm going to college next year, and you're going to stay here and enjoy your life as a high school student. Do you even realize that? I'm not going to be beside you forever. So grow up and stop whining over this thing," Aoshi erupted like a volcano that has been dormant for decades. He stood up and slammed his hands on his desk as he looked at the girl in front of him. Misao has never looked so frail and vulnerable before.

He wanted to turn his eyes away and not see her in such a distraught state, but he simply could not do it. He didn't mean to hurt her. He just didn't know why he acted like a mad man and started harassing her with those mean words. Usually, he would just dismiss her in this kind of situation.

Suddenly, tears started to fall from Misao's eyes.

"We can't be together forever, Mi-chan," he added. "I can't always be there...to protect you."

She didn't say anything. She simply looked at him.

"I'm..." Aoshi hesitated for a while. Should I say "sorry?" But I feel like it would be too cruel for her.

"I'm sorry."

Without any warning, Misao ran away from him after uttering those words.

Aoshi was left in the classroom, wondering why after what happened, it was he who was hurting so badly. It didn't feel right.

"DAMN IT!" he cursed as he threw his notebook across the classroom.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! So how did you like this chapter? I'm glad that I'm making progress here. I wanted to speed things up. Please leave a review! XD