Hey, guys. After nearly four years of a hiatus, here is another installment of 'Never Forget Me.' This chapter will be somewhat of a body punch, especially with Izuku. In this chapter, Izuku and Camie go to the beach. It is there where Izuku finally confesses to Camie. How would she respond? Read and see.

Camie and Izuku found a nice spot on the beach to take a seat. It was an action-packed fill day. With their gelatos in hand, they allowed the soft song of the surf to soothe themselves.

"Thanks for the yummy treat, Izuku." Camie said as she took a spoonful of her sugary dairy treat. "Remind me to pay you back when I drop you off."

"We're squared." Izuku interjected.

"I detect a hint of bass in your voice. Growing some hair on your chest?" Camie said, playfully sticking her tongue out.

"No," he interjected. A tint of red appeared on his face. "An eye for an eye. You treated me with lunch." He averted his eyes momentarily. "It's the least I can do."

"Jesus, you're adorable." She reached over and ran her fingers through his hair. "You might be old enough to purchase cigarettes at the counter now but you'll always be my little Icchan."

"Yeah." He chuckled.

His eyes then were focusing on the surf. He could tell the tide would come at some point. He wasn't particularly worried as they were far enough when it did happen. He leaned to the side, elbow to the sand. As he ate his treat, he wanted to look at the beauty that was his surrogate sister.

Face paint covered her face. A little decoration of a red sun with a smiley face. He, too, sported a bunny rabbit on his face. A bit of fun they did while perusing through Little America. They ventured through the arcades, played bingo with strangers, tried out delicacies that came from the food booths of various countries. Side by side, hand in hand, the duo made the most of this day. It was fun, giving him reminders of how it used to be.

And now, as the sun crested at the shore, so would this moment between old friends.

"You're getting quiet on me, Izuku."

He jerked his head. Camie, putting her gelato to the side, leaned back with her elbows supporting her. Her hair dropped to the sand.

"Hmm?"

"I said you were getting quiet on me. A penny for your thoughts?"

What could he say? Their sitting together eating gelatos, this picturesque sunset on the beach, this beautiful, yet finite day that was coming to a close. He hasn't seen her in years and now, she was going to walk out of his life once again. His troubled thoughts still ponder on the ring in her hand, a vow that she promised to love and honor through sickness and health. A man that he most envied because he had the rabbit's paw to covet such a beautiful gem.

And there she was, sitting beside him without a care in the world. He mustered as much as he could to contain the tears of a girl that he had internally vied for after all of these years.

"I think you are a beautiful boy. I think I know now why I have a hard time dating boys my age."

"How so?"

"Because they would not understand how to please a woman. They would not know how to desire me as a boy can. Young boys look at older women as goddesses. I want, no, deserve that kind of love."

"Oh?! Me!" He chuckled as he took another spoonful of his gelato. "C'mon, Camie. You know how I can be. A comfortable silence, just taking in the essence of this beautiful evening."

The blonde reached out and touched his chin, wiping it gently. He saw remnants of his gelato collected by her fingernail. "You know you're cute when you lie, you know that." She licked the remnants off her finger before drying it off with her shirt.

He stared blankly at her. "Am I too obvious?"

"You're an easy read, Izuku. Oftentimes I think that it's bad for you but in this sense, I don't blame you."

"Is that so?"

She nodded. She then looked skyward to the heavens, taking in the sea air before letting out a sigh. He could feel that sigh — a sigh that was bound and in need of release. "You probably want to know about my fiance, do you?"

Before he could attempt to deflect the question, he spouted, "Yes."

"I met him on one of my travels. By coincidence, it was Canada. Our encounter was only by pure chance," she said as she turned to her side to face Izuku. "I was leaving the museum and was throwing a can of soda away." She light-heartedly chuckled. "At the same time I tossed it, so did he."

"Wow! Talk about perfect timing."

"True. After exchanging witty bantering with each other, he introduced himself as a university student pursuing medicine. He's Japanese Canadian, thus making Canada his birth place. I gave him my backstory and he became amazed. We asked each other, you know, the trivial questions and out of the blue, he asked me out.

"We continued our conversation at the diner and the talks became endless. We talked and talked until we couldn't anymore. We exchanged phone numbers and the rest was history." She ran her finger through her hair and then eyed the ring on her finger.

"It's crazy how life can be sometimes, Izuku. Our choices, our decisions, things that are triggered by actions. It makes you think, makes you wonder."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it? What if I didn't take that trip to Canada. What if I didn't go to the museum and went someplace else? What if…what if…what if…"

"If you didn't take on the job as my babysitter?" Izuku interjected.

She blinked her eyes a few times. He could tell that his response caught her completely off guard. "Yeah, just like that."

They paused momentarily as a group of kids with their parents ran down the shoreline. Izuku noticed the father carrying their beach gear and the mother standing beside him as she kept watch. He could see her bumping into him. He could tell that this was intentional as the man began to laugh. A bit of a tear came out of Izuku's eye. He wished to know that feeling of being loved, feeling belonged, knowing that someone was seeking his attention and affection.

"Thank you for today, Izuku. It was really a blast." Camie said to him.

He nodded in agreement, trying his best to keep his composure. He smiled. "Thank you as well, Camie. I really had a great time with you. It was…it was…"

"Something to remember?"

"It's something I'll never forget."

He then sat up and faced the beach's direction. The sun was finally below the horizon and the stars would be taking its place. This day will never come back. A day like this would never be replicated. This was now or never. He now had the platform. If he didn't address what was on his mind, he knew that he would never have this chance again.

"I can't ever forget you, Camie."

She dropped her head, displaying a candid smile. "Aww, Izuku. Of course, you know I won't ever forget you either."

"No," interjected Izuku, turning his head to face her. "That isn't what I mean."

Camie was surprised when the boy reached out and clasped her cheek with his palm. "If I don't say this now, I won't have this chance again."

"Izuku?"

He needed to say it, even if she rejected him, he needed to let it out. "I love you, Camie." He could feel his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. If lightning came down and struck him, it would still be a relief. "I love you, Camie. I'm in love with you, Camie. Always had, always will be."

Her beady eyes averted from his sight. The smile faded from her face. She took hold of his hand and gently rested it on the sand. "Izuku…just know that you mean a lot to me and you have a special place in my heart…but…"

His hands shook. The inevitable was approached. Nevertheless, he mustered through the pain. "I know it was going to be a no but I just have to let it out of my chest." He grabbed hold of her hand and placed it on his chest. "My heart yearns for you. Even in your absence, your presence never left. I have gone through years thinking of what presence has done and what absence has done.

"I still think of that day when we were in the park…"

Camie's eyes were wide as saucers. She tried pulling away from him but he wouldn't let go.

"Izuku…" She cleared her throat. "I…I…" She was stuttering, turning her head away.

"You looked at me as a beautiful boy. You said that you liked me. You said that you liked boys that looked to you as a goddess. You said that you desired boys like me." Izuku used his other hand to keep hold of Camie's hand on his chest. "What you did to me that day left an impression that I'll never forget. I…I…I love you, Camie."

"Izuku…please don't take this the wrong way." Camie lowered her gaze. "What we did that day was a mistake. I should have never toiled with your heart like that."

"You're saying that your loving me was a lie?"

"No…no…"

"Then what is it?"

"I…I…"

"Answer me, Camie!"

His voice began to crescendo. It wasn't the pleasant voice from earlier. It was a voice of desperation. A voice that knew how much he could attempt to bargain, it would be futile.

"Understand that I do love you. My love for you is deeper than the Mariana Trench, deeper than the Earth's core." She then let out another sigh. "But my love for you is just a familiar love. A love that is of a family member. That's all."

Tears started to stream from the blonde's eyes. She then took hold of Izuku's hands and clasped them tightly. "I love you but I am not in love with you, Izuku. That day…I wasn't being me. I did something to you that should have never been done."

"Camie!" His teeth rattled. His hands were shaking. He really wanted to bury himself in a hole and just die. "You can't be serious. You took something from me that day that I could never forget. I thought that you loved me."

"And I do, Izuku."

"But not in that way?"

"Please don't use that tone of voice, Izuku."

"Why not, Camie?" His tone became abrasive. "Why the hell not? So, it's okay to waltz back into my life just to tell me that you're getting married and I'm just going to be okay with that."

"Izuku, don't…"

"No!" He interjected. "When you took my innocence that day in the forest, I thought what we did was special. I really thought that you really loved me. And now you're saying that what we did was nothing and you were just toying with my heart?"

"Izuku…"

"I yearned for you, Camie. I couldn't look at other women the same way since you. You're in my mind day and night and I thought with your return, it meant it was something." Izuku felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt could heave. He just didn't want to hear it anymore. He stood up.

"Go away."

"Izuku!"

"Leave me be, God damnit!"

"Izuku, no!"

"Just leave me. I don't want to be around you anymore."

"Izuku!"

"Don't you get it? I don't like you. I can't stand you. I hate you!" The reservoir of emotion was finally released as he couldn't contain the tears. "You came back into my life just to fuck with me. Is that how you are? I don't want to be around you anymore. Just go! Just go to your fucking husband. I hope he really knows what you truly are."

The teen started to run.

"Izuku, come back!"

He didn't want to hear it. He picked up the pace. Sand trailed behind him as he ran directionless. He didn't know where he was going. He just wanted to get away from Camie.

He was in pain, and couldn't handle the words that came from the horse's mouth. He was always familiar with brokenheartedness — in anime, manga, novellas, and on television; introspective from the windows of his soul. Never did he think he would universally join amongst that particular umbrella.

An umbrella that was split in half, the string of love permanently severed. Stress and grief clouded his mind, so much so that he didn't see the sandpit.

"Aaugh!" Izuku cried as he fell face forward. His head impacted with the rough granular surface. His mouth was tasting the sand. His knees and ankle, wincing in the pain.

"Izuku, Izuku!"

Camie wasn't that far behind as she saw Izuku lying on the ground. She rushed to his aid.

"Leave me alone," he cried out.

"No, I won't."

"Please, just leave me be."

"I'm not doing that."

Camie used her upper body strength to turn Izuku over. She had his back on her lap. She saw the sand coating his face, snot coming out of his nose, and the non-stop of his tears.

Her stunned eyes looked at his ankle — skin was broken, obviously bleeding. "Oh my God, Izuku!"

"Just leave me alone," he continued sobbing. "Just leave me alone."

Camie wasn't going to do that. She took off her shirt, thankfully sporting an undershirt as she reached over and wrapped his ankle to stop the bleeding. There wasn't anything she could do with his knees for the time being but it wasn't that bad.

"I'm going to get you up…and I won't be taking no for an answer."

Camie put her hands under his arms to lift him up. Once he was up, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder to help him walk. "Lift your leg up. I'll help you as we go."

"..." He omitted his response. It was useless. No matter how many times he said no, she was persistent in not leaving him. Sobs continued to ache his throat. He didn't have in him to fight anymore. He gave him and allowed her to assist him.

The walk back to her vehicle was filled with silence. Occasionally, she paused if he needed a break. She was thankful, especially since he had greater muscle mass so dead weight was a bit of a pull on her.

They walked up the stairs back to the pier. Her vehicle wasn't more than a stone's throw. "Think you can walk back to the car without me?"

Izuku silently nodded. She released him and let him take the lead to the car. Once they got to the Volkswagen, she opened the door for him. She aided him inside and put on his seatbelt. Closing the door, she walked around the beetle into the driver's side.

She turned on the ignition, shifted the gear in drive, and headed back out of the beach.

As they drove, he couldn't look at her. He didn't want to look at her. He didn't even want to look at himself. He felt like a little brat that was denied a toy. Sixteen years old and fighting for a girl that wasn't at his level. Was that how love was supposed to feel? Did it hurt that bad because of the rejection?

Or, was this "love" served as infatuation? Was he really in love as he thought he was? He was young when his first time was taken. He could still feel her touch, her smell, her taste when they were at the park. Maybe it was nothing more than just sheer lust. He was young and obviously naive. Maybe he was just confusing lust with love.

He decided to stop. Trying to dissect this moment at this particular juncture would only make more irrational decisions. It certainly proved itself as he tripped and fell. Be that as it may, if he could go back in time, he would simply wish that he didn't become emotionally attached to her.

Camie approached a red light. Izuku saw and recognized this intersection. They weren't too far from his house.

"Izuku…I-I-I…" Camie was stuttering. She gripped the steering wheel roughly. "I never want to play with your heart. I mean when I say that you're special to me." She took a deep, yet ragged breath. Even he could tell that she was keeping herself from crying. "Since you came into my life, you were something to me. I have always looked at you like my special brother. A brother that I can confide myself in. You were always there supporting me. You're my number one cheerleader."

She could no longer stop the tears.

"I'm sorry for playing with your heart. I had no intentions in hurting you that day. I was in the wrong to look at you as an object of sexual gratification. That day when I…gave myself to you, what I said to you was true. You're special to me." She dropped her head, biting into her lip. "You were wrong and I was foolish. Love is something that needs to be mutual. It's a special gift that can't be bought. It's an energy that comes from the soul."

After a moment, he lifted himself up, wiped the sand and snot with his sleeve and faced the blonde. "Then what are you saying?"

The light turned green. Camie released the brake and back to the accelerator. Instead of taking the route back to his house, she turned in the opposite direction.

"Camie, what are you doing?"

"I can't let this day end like this. I don't want our final moment to end like this."

"What do you mean?"

Camie allowed her right hand to guide the wheel as she used her free hand to remove the ring. Taking hold of the ring, she put it in the cup holder.

"Camie?"

"You say that you love me. I feel that it is only right to return that love…even if it is for the night." She displayed a nervous smile. "Izuku Midoriya. I want to make tonight special and I want you to remember me as your special someone. Just for tonight, become my man."

To be concluded….