Chapter 2: Friends?

I look down at Mimi with a slight feeling of melancholy in my heart. I could feel my lips curl up into a smile as I scratched her behind her eyes, causing her to let out a groan of annoyance. I expected this reaction, though, and giggled when her red eyes glared up at me.

Done with my slight show of affection to my little pet (not that I'd ever admit it), I look back down at the book in my hands, determination filling me entirely.

How To Undo a Curse

This was the title of the book, and I had every intention of reading the entire thick thing. If nobody will help me, maybe I can lift it on my own...

"HEY!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin, and I tried to bite down the 'eek' that escaped my mouth, but I was never good at disguising things anyway. I look up to glare at the thing - or person - that had frightened me. My eyes lock onto mismatched blue and green and I find myself glaring at the boy once I recognized the face. I tried not to yell, but seriously, this kid scared me! "THE HELL?! WHAT ARE YOU DOIN- MMPH!"

"Shh! No need to yell; it's just me!" That's exactly why I'm yelling, you silver-haired idiot!

I sighed, but it came out as more of a exhale of air through my nose. Ugh, this little kid leaves me no choice...

Ignoring the dissatisfied 'ew!' I got as a reaction, I tried to regain some of my dignity as the boy was busy wiping his hand on his cloak. "What are you doing here?"

His head snapped up to look at me once the question left my lips and he had the nerve to smile after what just happened. "I came to see you, duh!"

I could feel my brow arch down. His happy go-lucky attitude just... Annoys me! "What for?" I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing the possible motives behind his 'visit'. "Do you want Starx from me? I've got none, so go away!"

He tilts his head to the side, but then immediately shakes his head and laughs as if what I just said was the funniest joke in the world. "You're silly~" His giggles slowly fade away as a smile sticks to his slightly-pale face. "I just want to know your name!"

"M-My n-n-n-name, you s-say..." No one has asked me for such information since I was born. Heck, I bet you Holders don't know my real name, either!

"Yes," his smile is still plastered on, but his eyes seem to have achieved a small glint of what I dearly hoped was not excitement, "your name! I have to know after what happened yesterday! Oh, and also!" His eyes leave me and look down towards the ground, his eyes trained on the tiny flowers and long blades of grass beneath us. I watch silently and expressionlessly as the tiny plants take off from the ground and weave together to form...

I saw the finished object for just a sliver of a second before it disappeared and I felt a small weight on my head. Curiously, I lift my hand up to feel the object to make a guess of what it was. Isn't it...

"It's a thank-you gift," the boy happily says, and I could feel my face get a bit warm.

He made me a flower crown. I haven't worn one since...

"Consider it a thank-you gift, my little girl."

"You look pretty..."

I immediately shook my head, my thoughts now interrupted by his sudden compliment. It took me a while to digest the words, though. He called me 'pretty'...

No one's ever done that before.

I knew fully well that I was blushing, but I refused to acknowledge it. Stupid G8 boy! But, I can't just stand here and say nothing! What do I reply, though?

"U-Uh..."

I should have never opened my mouth. He must think me a fool... Wait, I don't care what he thinks of me!

"So~" Is this guy somehow oblivious, too?! "I asked for your name, and I don't hear an answer!"

"And you never will," I replied, a small smirk forming on my lips.

I frowned when I saw him pout. "Why not?" Man, this boy is persistent!

"Because...!" What do I say? 'Hey, it turns out I'm cursed~ You can't say my name because of it, you dummy~!'?!

My hands suddenly feel warm, and I look down to see the boy had grabbed them as he oh-so-happily said, "My name is Piko Utatane! What's your name?"

So his name's Piko, huh? It fits him... Ah, what am I thinking? I tried pulling my hands out of his grasp, but this kid is strong! I can't tell him my name... He can't say my name...

Why... Why do I feel like crying? Maybe I just feel frustrated...? I bite my lip. He isn't going to go away until I tell him, huh? But then again...

"Th-The rumors...!" With all the remaining strength I had in me, I pulled my hands out of his and continued, "You've been here for months, right? Surely you must have heard the rumors about me..."

Hesitantly, I looked up for his reaction. The idiot just smiled and said, "I've heard them, and I don't care! Please, I really want to know your name!"

"Y-Y-Yamada M-M-M-Mayu..." Please don't repeat my name... "There, I said it, and I won't say it again! Now leave me alone!"

The bo- Piko grabbed my hand again and smiled a grin that I swore was brighter than the sun above us.

"Nice to meet you, Mayu!"

I sigh as I look down at Mimi with a bit of a sad tone in my voice, "Why did I tell him, Usano-chan?" I grabbed the bunny's small body and brought it to my chest, tears of frustration building up on my eyes, "Why didn't I tell him my fake name?"

I could feel Mimi shrug. So she didn't know the answer either...

I feel extremely horrible. The curse said that anyone who says my name will suffer a great pain. What if I wake up during the night to the sound of screeching wails of pain? No, I can't assume the worst...

Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all that night except for the couple nightmares that decided to come by and haunt me.

"MAYU~"

I nearly jumped as I dropped the fork I was using, "I-Idiot! Don't just shout my name like that!"

I looked back down at my food, deciding to ignore the slight sounds that came out of Piko taking the seat in front of me. The curse hadn't activated yet...

"Sorry~" I poked at my food, not really hungry. "What class do you have after this, huh?"

I shrugged, "Cosmotology."

"No way!" I had to refrain myself from yelling at him to quiet down, so I settled to just cutting my meat into smaller pieces. "I have that class, too!"

Really? I never saw him in there... But, then again, I'm not interested in studying about the Cosmos, so I usually just doodle summoning circles on the desk to entertain myself.

Soft chimes suddenly reverberate through the room, a signal to all the magical beings in here that meant classes were to start in five minutes. I looked down at my breakfast and with a flick of my wrist, it was gone. I looked over at Piko to see he had done the same, but I couldn't really expect less since he was a G8 student.

Anyways, I got up from my seat and with a bit of concentration, I tapped the right side of my head with closed eyes. Once I felt I was where I needed to be, I opened my eyes to see that I was in Mr. Hatsune's class for Cosmotology. Here goes another long day...

It takes everything I've got for me NOT to summon a knife and stab these people. "YOU DAMN RETARDS HAVE NO RIGHT- MMPPH MM MMMTH!"

My arms send a huge burst of pain through me as they trap me in a spell I know all too well and I curse Holder Akita-sama for creating it.

I stand completely still, for if I was to move, the pain will only get worse to the point where I find it hard to breath and keep myself awake. These damn G10 students should just leave me the hell alone!

"You can't talk to your senpais that way," I glare up at the boy before blocking their annoying voices with a little mind spell. Okay, now to stop this nonsense once and for all...

"Hey!"

Idiot...

I look over towards the voice's owner and immediately frown, causing the pain I was already in to strengthen just by a little. The hell is he doing here?!

"Let her go! She didn't do anything wrong!"

The boy holding me dropped me and I fell to the ground. I had to fight the instinctive urge to put my arms out as I did, seeing as I already felt like throwing up. Because of this, though, I felt a huge pain bursting from my left cheek and throughout that side of my head. Dammit...

I closed my eyes for a bit, not really wanting to see the idiot get beaten up by- Oh my gosh, that slam better not have been-!

"Mayu!"

I refused to open my eyes, but I answered, nonetheless. "W-What?"

"... How long has this happened for?"

I'm still not going to open my eyes...! "Why do y-you c-care?!"

I could practically feel him smiling. "Because Mayu and I are friends, ne?"

I opened my mouth to answer, when I heard footsteps coming our way. I know the sounds of those high heels anywhere...

"You look pathetic. But, that's nothing new, now, is it?"

It is then that I wish my eyelids could forever stay shut as I reply with as much venom as I could possibly muster up. "Bitch..."

A.N./ This chapter should've actually been out earlier, but then I did something and I forgot to save and I said 'screw it, I'll do it tomorrow' and... Yep. Then I started feeling ill and I am now in bed as I type with a runny nose, a bit of a headache and an aching throat. So, yeah, I feel like... BLAH!

Thanks to all the readers that have read this so far! I know MayuxPiko isn't a very popular pairing, so it means a lot that people have read this! *u* And, if all goes well, I may make another MayuxPiko story... ;) See ya~