ME ON SUGAR HIGH: Thanks so much to those who reviewed! Anyways, news, people. My best friend finally made an account here in FFnet! Whoo! Her pen name is zumikamesuzu and she's...totally gonna kill me for making a special mention. Ah, whatev. This is for her own good! She's making a story where Niou turns into a girl, and I think it's going off to a great start. All I'm asking is, do you guys mind checking her story out and telling her your opinions? Thanks! Anyways, thanks SO much to those who reviewed! I owe you guys a lot for bringing me back from the dead. Each reviewer gets COOKIES!!! *hands out chocolate chip cookies*

I love you all! Okay, so to make this chapter work, I kind of made the day after the ride with Atobe a holiday. Flames are welcome since I got this little thing called a fire extinguisher.

Rukia's POV

Hurt. Destroyed. Partially Insane.

Curse you Keigo Atobe.

Sniffling, I reached into my duvet and pulled out a bar of Cadbury chocolate.

Only a bar of chocolate containing billions of calories could cheer me up now.

Well that pretty much summed up my life now. Lie in bed, mourn about life, and get fatter by the nanosecond.

This wasn't fair. I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't spend my entire existence holed up in my room crying over an egoistic moron who probably already forgot about me. It was just too much.

It was just the truth that I would never ever be able to laugh with him, to even talk to him or hold his hand. He had never loved me that way and I was stuck groveling in this stupid fantasy that maybe for a second there, he actually cared.

Seeing his face in my mind brought about a fresh round of tears. Sobbing, I smushed my face into my pillow, feeling a slight wave of depression overcome me. As if I needed anymore.

As if I needed anymore reminding that I would never be any good for him, and yet, I would always be there, hoping for his love, waiting in the sidelines, waiting for something that would never come.

Suddenly, I heard the creak of my bedroom door as someone walked in, releasing my A.C. coldness.

"Oh, Rukia," I heard that voice and my head immediately snapped up.

That familiar bush of silver hair, with that stupid ponytail of his. His flashing green eyes. God, Niou, such great timing.

"Rukia, what have you done to yourself?" I heard his voice cloud up with annoyance. Stupid childhood friends and their stupid uncanny ability to show up at the most stupid times.

"Don't talk." I motioned my hand to a stop sign. I knew I looked horrible. My hair was a mess, my eyes were red, and my clothes were all rumpled and hobo-looking.

I felt a cool hand run through my back and turned to look at Niou with big confused eyes.

He wasn't usually this sympathetic. My best childhood friend was a manly man and had long ago left his girly, feminine side to burn and rot in hell. Usually, he could be expected to start laughing at my distorted, dishelved, disgusting self.

He looked back at me with cool green eyes that conveyed understanding.

"Why are you here?" My voice was hoarse. I lifted a hand to stifle a gasp as emotions took over me again. I hadn't seen Niou in almost a year. What was he doing here? We had lost complete contact ever since he was left in Japan while my family whisked me away to Hawaii.

"Your mom told me, Ru. Did you really think you could get over Atobe this easily?" His voice was scathing, but his hand moved gently to rub my back.

"'Haru, I can't do this anymore..." I murmured, burying my head into his lap.

"Nobody said you had to, Ru." I felt like I was the same small, silly, kid who used to hang out with Niou in the playground south of the park. I was always the one who ended up crying for the smallest reasons and he would always be there to help me. Of course, that was before we moved to Hawaii and he completely broke all forms of communication.

"Why does it always have to happen to me?" I sniffled a bit, looking up to green orbs.

"I don't know, Rukia." He rolled his eyes.

We sat there in silence, me stifling a hiccup now and then, and his hand moving in steady rhythm against my back.

"Do you love him, Ru?" His voice came out of the blue and I was a bit surprised with the question.

"Y-yes, I think." I looked down in shame. He forced me to look at him.

"Rukia Fujiwara. You. Are. In. Love." His eyes gleamed with amusement and all solemnity gone. I had the sudden urge to punch him.

"I know, you moronic retard! Otherwise, I wouldn't be crying, now would I?" I looked at him in annoyance. Then the sudden impact of his words stunned me. I was in love. I was in love with someone who didn't love me back.

I hated love.

"Aw, sweetie, it happens. Sometimes you're the dog. Sometimes you're the hydrant." I was leaning against his chest and I could feel him laughing deep in there. It annoyed me so much I could spit.

"So you're telling me Atobe peed on me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ew. Bad mental images. Anyway, answer all of these honestly Rukia. Does he make you happy?" He looked solemn again.

I was about to say a flat out NO. He did not make me happy. Confused, angry, hurt, yes. Happy, no.

But then I thought about that day when we had our first ride together, and the fact that he kissed my cheek. I had wished it had meant something. Did that mean I liked him? Did that mean he made me happy?

That day... after the movie, I had felt happy beyond recognition. I was in a happy bubble for days. I didn't know why, I just was.

It took me until now to figure out why.

I had fallen in love.

I had fallen, and fallen hard at that. I had kept waiting for a sign from Atobe, anything to know that what happened had happened and it wasn't just a crazy dream.

He HAD made me happy.

"Yes, Niou. He did," I closed my eyes, feeling a sudden twinge of pain.

"Then, what's the problem? Your mother told me you went home last night wet with a bleeding knee and a glare that could wipe off all mankind. And then you said something about 'Atobe' so I figured Atobe had something to do with it."

"He flirted with me Niou. We went to the movies; he flirted with me and kissed me on the cheek during the ride back home. I had my hopes up. Then he ignored me for six weeks. That's the problem. After he got my hopes up he was just going to-to disappear?" I almost wailed in despair. Dimly, I noticed his arms tighten around me.

Looking up, I saw his eyes darken.

"Rukia." He let out a sigh. "Is there any OTHER guy you've met who makes you happy? Besides me, of course," He grinned suddenly.

I whacked his head. "There is Jirou..." I murmured.

"There you go. Problem solved." He grinned at me. Something was off about his grin. It seemed void of emotion.

I couldn't love Jirou. I loved him like a best friend, like a little brother. But as a lover? I couldn't. He had always been there for me, always made me feel better. Maybe I should love him.

"You don't love him, do you?" Niou squinted at me. I blinked. Amazing, really. This guy was psychic.

"How'd you know?" I asked him.

"It was written all over your face, Ru. It looked like a constipated man choosing between two brands of toilet paper." My childhood friend grinned again. Sometimes I wonder how we ended up being friends.

"You can't feel anything that your heart doesn't want to feel, Rukia." He murmured, rubbing my back again. "And besides. I think Atobe loves you too. He's probably just confused. Well, as far as confused goes for Atobe, yeah."

I settled into his cool embrace. I didn't notice, but I had always been yearning for my childhood friend back. I wanted everything to feel stable again, and Niou was the supreme pinnacle of cemented stable.

"Thanks, 'Haru." I whispered quietly.

"Hn," he muttered, embarrassed. I grinned.

"Hey, 'Haru?" I muttered, half in sleep, half out. But I wasn't going to let a golden opportunity like this pass up. Oh no I was not.

"Eh?"

"Since when did you become such a girl?"

"Go to sleep Rukia. You're obviously insane and emotionally unstable at this point. You're hallucinating." I heard his playful voice echo in and out of my head.

Drifting to sleep, I didn't hear him whisper words that were carried away by my A.C. cold winds.

'You've got him now, Rukia. I wish I never broke it off. I wish I could be the one who was filling your heart now, because you know I would. I would fill every bit of it. I would never break it like he did. I love you Rukia.'

*******

Atobe was going insane.

Atobe, the gracious ore-sama, was going insane.

Atobe didn't get any sleep last night. His eyes had huge bags under them. He had drunk a grand total of seventeen cups of coffee during the past two hours, and his hair was just...lying there.

Gasp, oh gasp.

Growling, Atobe picked up one of my phones and keyed in a number.

"Yes?"

"Ore-sama would like a manicure,"

"Alright, Atobe-sama. I'll send one right over."

"Goodbye,"

"Goodbye Atobe-sama."

Groaning inwardly because an Atobe never shows distress, Atobe sat down on a cream loveseat.

What the hell was wrong with him? He had been feeling jumpy and insecure ever since... ever since...

Ever since the disastrous car ride with a certain Fujiwara Rukia yesterday.

Atobe still remembered how wounded she had looked when she shouted at him.

She had said she liked him.

Atobe would never admit this to anyone, but last night, he had climbed into bed with a weary heart, and was terrified to find out he had been crying.

He had messed it up. Big time.

After what he had done during the movies, Atobe had felt insecure and lonely. He realized now what his feelings for the girl were.

They were love.

But still, a part of Atobe had denied that fact. Love did not exist. In the world of money, and business, there was no such thing as love.

So he had foolishly acted as if nothing had happened. The truth was he was afraid. He was afraid that Rukia would be the only girl in school who did not return his feelings.

His feelings... no matter how miniscule they were, they could still tell love from like.

And this feeling was so much more than just like.

Love. Just a four letter word. A four letter word that scared the crap out of ore-sama.

Why? Because he was afraid of rejection, he recoiled away from it. And he had almost been certain that Rukia loved Jirou and not him.

Until she had told him, of course.

But even then he had messed it up. Rukia was hurt that he had raised her hopes only to disappear. What she didn't know was that her hurt was a million times magnified into Atobe.

And now... and now what? He had fallen in love with Rukia. That was it. That was the truth. And she had maybe liked him. But not anymore, and Atobe could scarcely blame her.

But he wanted it right. He was going to apologize to her. He was going to win her back. He was going to show her he loved her above all things.

Not because they were false. But because they were true. They were truer than anything Atobe had ever uttered besides the fact that he was the most beautiful thing on earth. And even that had been a lie.

He had fallen in love with the most beautiful thing on earth.

And not because of her looks... it was because of every single fault she possessed.

She made every single fault seem like an unfathomable gift.

The decision was made.

He would win her back. Even if it took him everything he owned.

And seeing he was Atobe, he owned quite a lot.

******

Niou walked home, hands in his pockets, contemplating on the events that had happened earlier that day.

He had seen Rukia. That was what he had wanted all along. To see her smile at him, her hazel eyes twinkling.

But he had found her in a different stage. She was broken.

He had fixed her. But there was still one missing piece.

And only Atobe could fill that piece.

Niou resented ever breaking off all communications between him and Rukia. He just hadn't wanted to hurt anymore. He didn't want to feel empty from missing her, so he thought maybe if he forgot her, he would soon move on.

But that was partially insane.

He couldn't forget her. He himself had proved that. So he had merely tried to hide this weak side of his to his all too annoying teammates.

He loved her. That was it. He loved her ever since they started playing when they were little kids.

But know she had someone else. Niou mentally cursed himself.

Maybe if he hadn't broken it off, he would be the one with Rukia. He would be the one hugging her and holding her hand. She would always come to his matches and cheer him on. She would wait for him after practice and be the one to hand him towels and water bottles and complain about his man smell. They could have been together. They could have been happy.

But he was just her friend.

Her friend, Niou promised grimly, who will always be there for her.

Whatever Rukia needed, Niou would be.

Even if that was just a Goddamn fucking friend.

Closing his eyes contentedly, Niou let out a sigh.

It was enough to know she needed him although not the way he needed her. It was enough to be loved by that little insignificant nerd who would just walk out of the blue, take your life and jumble it around to her liking. Then she would smile happily at you and say 'It's better this way'.

And you couldn't help but agree with her.

Well that's the end for chappie 5! Hope you liked it... Anyways, please review, review and tell me your opinions! Is Niou OOC? I bet he is. I know, it's not much of a JirouXOC now. It's pretty much turned into a NiouXOC, but don't worry! There'll be major AtobeXOC moments next chapter, I promise! See ya when I see ya and review please!

-Miyu