"Kazuya! I hate you forever!" Miyuki said as she swirled her arm around Eichi. I jumped back in shock, my backpack dangled loosely from my fingers.

"What?! Why?!" Eichi laughed as he pulled Miyuki closer to himself.

"You know why, Kazuya. You're nothing but a pathetic loser!" Miyuki seemed to have lost interest in me and looked up at Eichi, her eyes glimmered with adoration.

"But I." I had nothing to say, I knew deep inside that I had failed. Then to emphasize the fact, they began to laugh at me. It hurt.

    I didn't know how to react, it was the first time I wasn't in control of the situation. I dropped to the ground and huddled into a little ball, crushing my backpack against my chest.

"Miyuki!!!"

"Kazuya!!" I looked up and the image of Eichi and Miyuki shattered leaving me lying in my bed crushing a screaming Jingimi to my chest. I released my arms and let him go. The bed shook when Jingimi leapt off and cowered in a corner of my room. It was still dark and the digital display on my clock read 5:06 a.m.

"Kazuya, I said get the door!!!" It was Akane screaming from her room. I looked at my clock again. Who could it be this early in the morning? My stomach dropped. I hoped it wasn't Miyuki, I couldn't face her right now. She probably hates me after yesterday's match.

    I yawned and finally got out of bed, fumbling my way down the stairs. I heard a repeated banging against the door. Strange, Miyuki usually rings the bell three times. The thought that it could've been a dangerous stranger was actually more comforting than the presence of Miyuki.

    Now with a little more ease, I approached the front door. I checked myself in the hallway     mirror, my hair was shooting out into all kinds of directions. I was so tired I didn't even bother to fix myself up, I don't think I ever got up this early before. I swung open the door. It took a few seconds to register the face.

"Takashi? What are you doing here?"

    He put a big smile on his face and said, "Hey, Kazuya!" then shot down to waist level and charged forward toward me. What? He grabbed my body and ran with it, then slammed me into my couch.

"UUGHGH!! What?! Are you nuts??" I screamed at him. He gave me his patented Takashi's insanity look.

"Are you blind, did you not see yourself yesterday? You were horrible! You need me to train you into becoming one of the best wrestlers!!"

"What? No way, the last thing I need to do is embarrass myself in front of more people, I'm quitting the team today."

"Oh, so now you're not only a loser but you're also a quitter."

"No, it's not like that."

"You're right, it's not like that, there's more." Takashi finally got off of me and stood up. "As soon as you quit, you'll be the biggest slacker in the school. Then what will my friends think of my greatest student?" He looked up at the ceiling as if he saw some dream that I couldn't.

"Ummm." Takashi snapped back.

"Even though it's understandable to lose against the captain of the wrestling team, it's not understandable to just give up." The thought sunk in, I had never thought of it that way. He was actually starting to make sense.

"Maybe you're right, maybe I will give it another shot." Maybe if I became good enough, I would be good enough to beat Eichi.

"No, you're right. You'll just make a bigger idiot out of yourself." As usual, Takashi shocked me.

"But. but then why are you here at 5 o'clock in the morning? Why are you always doing this to me?"

"Kazuya, calm down. I've only known you for a little over a day, how could I always do this to you. The reason I really came by here is to get the notes I missed since I wasn't in school the first few days." This guy is just more and more aggravating, but I can't let it bother me. I really should worry about what I'm going to say to Miyuki.

"Okay, fine, I'll get you my notes." I started walking up the stairs until I realized that Takashi was right behind me. Did he think he was coming into my room too?

"Kazuya? What are you waiting for? Hurry up, I have many important things to take care of." I decided to just ignore his presence and let him follow me up the stairs. Akane's door opened, and she stumbled out lazily rubbing her eyes.

"Kazuya, who is it?" Takashi shot her one of his insanity smiles and Akane decided to go back into her room and shut the door before I had a chance to say anything. I envied that she was smart enough to avoid someone like him and I wasn't.

    I let Takashi into my room as I looked for my backpack that held my notebook. As I expected, he walked around and touched whatever he felt like. I hurried up and finally got my backpack and flung it open, pulling out my school notebook. I turned around and Takashi was holding a picture frame that I had on my dresser.

"Hey, Kazuya. Isn't this that girl that Eichi likes? Miyuki, right?" I thrust the notebook into his hand and grabbed the picture.

"Miyuki is my girlfriend. I don't care what Eichi thinks." Takashi puts his hands up in a defensive motion.

"Calm down, Kazuya! I didn't know, honestly." Takashi flipped through the pages of my notebook, apparently trying to find something to do. I knew he was thinking about Eichi, and I was going to find out exactly what. I started to probe into his mind and read his thoughts.

"Kazuya is sure in for a hard time, Eichi seems like the guy that always gets what he wants.'

"Mai?" My concentration broke at the mention of her name. What did he know about her?

    Takashi held up the notebook for me to see, clearly written in the corner of a page was a bad attempt to erase her name. I forgot that it was even there.

"Kazuya. I have to tell you something, this bothers me a lot." I got nervous, I didn't know how to explain what I thought of Mai, how she was the girl in my dreams. How somehow I can never get her out of my mind.

"Kazuya. for Teacher Ishiguro's class you only have one paragraph, and a bunch of doodles! How am I supposed to use this?" I was relieved that he didn't pressure me but then I realized that I would be the worst one in class to ask for notes.

"Your notes are worse than your wrestling." Takashi handing the notebook back to me. "Maybe I'll just get the notes from Eichi. After all, he owes me the favor."

"Yeah," I said, somewhat ashamed.

"Whatever." Takashi turned away and let himself out of the room, but then poked his head back in. "So, Kazuya, think about what I said." He then gave me that crazy smile again and finally left. I was now determined he was insane.

    Before school started, I waited for Miyuki at the top of the staircase. Standing here made me remember yesterday, after the match. Miyuki was waiting for me here, she had wanted to talk to me.

"Kazuya, I just wanted to let you know that I'm proud of you."

"What? How could you be? I lost."

"But you tried. What happened couldn't be helped. After all, Eichi is the captain and he's stronger. You tried your best and that's what matters to me."

    Just the mention of Eichi filled me with anger. I couldn't stand hearing Miyuki talk well about him. I couldn't help saying what I did.

"Just forget it! I quit! I don't ever want to wrestle again. Go ahead and celebrate with Eichi, he's the one that really wants you there!" I ran away before giving her a chance to speak but I knew that I hurt her feelings.

    And so now here I am, waiting for Miyuki. but she never came. I was afraid of my dream coming true so, as much as I was afraid of confronting her, I wanted to get it over with. Waiting there made me more uncertain, and late for class. I decided I would talk to her after History when we normally passed each other in the hallway.

    Sitting in class was horrifying, my thoughts grew to the reality of the dream. I was more sure that she hated me at this point. I had to tell her I wouldn't quit the team. She would be proud of me, and everything would remain okay.

    The bell finally rang, and I shot out the door before anyone else. I waited for her right outside of her class door to be sure that I wouldn't miss her. I just stood there counting the people that came out. And finally, she came. As soon as I saw her, though, I forgot everything I was about to say.

    She shot me a wicked glance and kept on walking. I ran after her.

"Miyuki, I need to talk to you."

"It's okay, Kazuya. I understand it's not your fault, you just can't help yourself. I totally understand." She kept walking faster trying to lose me.

"Wait! I know you're mad and I'm sorry, but I've got something to tell you. Please." She stopped and for a split second her expression softened. "Meet me right outside of the cafeteria after your lunch period." She paused for a few moments that felt like a lifetime.

"Okay, I'll be there," she said, looking a little better. This was good, she wasn't as mad as I thought she would be.

    I continued down the hall, walking to my next class with a little relief that at least I was on the right track. I'll just tell her about me not quitting and everything would be fine."

"Slick move."

"What?" I turned around to see who said it, it was Takashi. He was beginning not to surprise me.

"You're not as much of a coward as I thought you were. It also seems that you're using my idea. Good move, now you owe me twice." He continued down the hall with a little skip to his walk, and humming a tune. I really didn't have a clue what I owed him for.

    It seemed that watching Takashi caught his attention again and before he went far he spun around and headed back towards me.

"Kazuya, I had wanted to ask you something," he called out. Just then, I heard another familiar voice call out to me.

"Kazuya?" I turned around and it was Mai, she was looking as cute as ever.

"Mai!" I couldn't help but give a nervous laugh as Takashi stood next to us and staring as if he should be there. "How are you?"

"Fine! I wanted to treat you to an ice cream at Abcb, as sort of a second place prize for your match yesterday." Takashi looked at her and then at me. He face contorted into his insane grin which only told me that he knew that this was the Mai that was written in my notebook.

"Well.. I.. uh.." If I was anyone else, I would have been smart enough to say no. But I was Kazuya Kasuga, and I never heard of the word. "Sure, I wouldn't mind."

"Great! See you then!" She gave my arm a little squeeze and walked to her class. Takashi continued staring. I just ignored him and left him there, pretending he didn't see any of that.

    All in all, everything was going well. No one insulted me for losing yesterday's match and I still didn't lose Miyuki. I guess Miyuki's reaction to Eichi though, sort of meant that we both lost that round. I continued walking to my next class.

    Lunch had just ended for Miyuki, everything had to be perfect. I ran down the stairs from Mathematics class and headed for the cafeteria to meet her. I wanted to get down there before the mad rush of students hit the halls. I got there almost before anyone had left, I was out of breath from running. I leaned against the wall and tried to calm down.

"Kazuya?" I shot my head up realizing it wasn't Miyuki.

"Oh, Mai, what's up?" It was nice to see her, it was sort of a relief. Then I realized that Miyuki would be coming pretty soon and I started to get a little uncomfortable. Mai stood a little closer as the students started to pour out of the cafeteria. She smiled.

"How is everything going?"

"Well, I guess." I noticed her body slowly pushing towards mine. What is she doing? Then all of a sudden, her chest shot forward and pressed up against mine, as well as her lips pressing into mine. I went into shock. Every other student froze and stared at us. Just before I blinked, I saw Takashi standing behind her with his hand pushing her into me.

"Mmmuuuu." We pulled apart the second Takashi let go. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't help but give a nervous smile.

    Then I felt it. It was like a powerful force slammed into me and if I wasn't already leaning against a wall I would have fallen. I became conscious of everyone's stares, of their shocked expressions. Of one stare, one expression in particular. I slowly turned my head to the side just to see Miyuki staring at us. Oh, this is definitely not good.

"Oh, I get it now, this is what you wanted me to see! KAZUYA, YOU IDIOT!!!" Miyuki screamed at the top of her lungs. When she was mad, she let everyone know it. She threw her books down and stormed down the hall, pushing away anyone who got in her path.

    I was still in shock, it all happened so fast. My mouth was wide open, I looked back and forth and just saw Takashi looking at us.

    He held his hand on his chin and said, "Hmmm, interesting." And then I just watched him walk away. I couldn't believe it. I looked down and saw that Mai was turning completely red. She was breathing heavy as if all the air had been knocked out of her. She looked up, her dazed expression quickly turning into anger. I saw fire burning in her eyes.

"I.. I.. uh," I didn't know what to say. Takashi, that jerk! I'll.

    My thoughts were broken by Mai, she was trembling now. She screamed as loud as Miyuki.

"KAZUYA, YOU JERK!!!" But Mai didn't run away like Miyuki, instead I saw her right hand fly into position. I saw that before and I was scared. I looked to her for mercy but I could see that there wasn't any room for that in her eyes. I closed my eyes and prayed. It didn't help.

SSLLAAPP!!!

    This was definitely the worst.

    The bell rang, finally. I finished my lunch alone, pondering over the events that just happened. I stood and gathered together my books along with the books that Miyuki left behind. I had a feeling that she wasn't going to the rest of her classes anyway, she was so upset. I had to clear up this situation although I couldn't see it getting any worse.

    I walked out into the hallway and walked into, to my surprise, Ryosuke. He had the most aggravated look on his face that I've ever seen.

"What did you do, Kazuya?!" he demanded. He must have heard of what happened but I played dumb.

"What do you mean?" Ryosuke's little body was on the verge of exploding, veins protruded from his forehead.

"You upset Mai, and my darling Miyuki!" The last thing I needed was for Ryosuke to get involved. "I know we're friends. but I can't just watch you hurt them."

I couldn't believe that out of all people, he is saying this to me. "Where did you hear that from?"

"Takashi told me all about what you pulled." What? Takashi - he started this whole mess. I had to talk to a Miyuki now to straighten this out before things get worse. I ran past Ryosuke.

"Hey! I'm not done! I. wait for me!" I could hear Ryosuke squealing behind me.

    I quickly shot down the hall and looked everywhere for Miyuki but I couldn't find her. I almost ran into Eichi, he was talking to Takashi. Oh no, can it be that Takashi is doing all of this to help Eichi. Thoughts of my dream becoming a reality tormented me, I couldn't bear to have Miyuki hate me. I didn't want to face Eichi now, I had to find Miyuki before he had a chance to do anything. I tried to get away as quickly as possible, but Eichi was turning to walk my way - he was going to see me. I reached my hand out and felt against the wall, looking for a door handle. Luckily, I found one! I threw open the door and jumped inside just as I was sure Eichi would have seen me.

    The room was unnaturally silent and yet somehow, familiar. I looked around and saw mirrors, a towel dispenser, sinks, and stalls.. not the kind that boys use. The realization of where I was hit me.

    Unwittingly, I ran into the girls' bathroom in an honest but mistaken effort to avoid Eichi. I was fortunate that the room was empty but I knew that it was only a coincidence that wouldn't last for long. I frantically ran for the door, I had to get out now!

    Just as I was about to push on the door handle, I saw the door move. It opened a crack and the sound of girls echoed inside. I jumped back and fell unceremoniously to the floor, I wasn't getting any breaks today. I could only see how humiliating it would be if I was driven out by a horde of angry and insulted girl students who insisted I was a pervert.

    I shot my head around as if I could see an exit that wasn't there. The door opened fully and there were more girls than I could imagine about to walk right in. They were talking to each other and laughing, obviously not realizing that I was inside. In a moment, they would look and it would all be over. I put out my hands in a defensive motion and closed my eyes. Again, I prayed.

    This time, something happened.

    I felt the air in the room pull towards me with a whoosh and the lights flickered once. I felt as if the walls were trying to collapse inward with me as its center. The force pushed at my chest and my back and stopped my breath. In slow motion, I saw the first girl turn her head towards me and her eyes widened. and then she disappeared.

    I was surrounded by darkness and it felt as if a powerful wind was lifting me up and away, past the ceiling, past anything solid. I thought to myself and it was if I was speaking aloud. So, this is teleportation.

    I felt the warmth of the sun upon my face and I squinted when I opened my eyes. I was sitting against a brick wall and when I looked around I could see that I was on the school roof. I knew this was a place where students went to eat lunch, spend time with a friend, or just be alone. On the other end of the roof kneeled Miyuki, facing away and softly sobbing.

    It hurt to see Miyuki sad, I wished I never had gotten into these messes. This time I was going to set matters right. I stood up and walked across the cement, strangely confident. It was as if I knew what to do, which was a strange feeling for someone as uncertain as me. I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Miyuki," I said softly. She turned to look at me, her eyes were red and it was clear that she had been crying.

"Kazuya? How did you know I was here?" she managed to ask. "What are you doing here?"

"Miyuki this whole thing is a misunderstanding. I came to the cafeteria to tell you something important. Mai came over to say hello, and Takashi pushed her into me. Nothing happened, honestly."

She looked at me with water-filled eyes, "Really?"

"Honestly, I." Suddenly, Miyuki exploded into rage. I jumped back.

"Why should I believe you?! I saw you! You weren't fighting it, you always give up!" She backed me into the fence and at that moment I did want to give up. I didn't want to fight her, but I knew I had to do something or I would regret it.

"Honestly, I felt horrible about yesterday. I'm so sorry, and I realized something. That is was alright that I lost, but I'm not giving up. I'm staying on the team, and I'm not giving up on you. I'll do everything to prove that I can protect you." I couldn't believe I was saying this, I never felt so corny in my life.

    Miyuki shot me another warning glance, and then smiled.

"Oh, Kazuya!" She jumped into me and hugged me, almost crushing my whole body. I was finally relieved, it was finally over.

    Just then, I saw the door at the far end of the roof open and Eichi appeared. Apparently, he must have been expecting to see only Miyuki here. I looked to see his reaction. He just played it cool, and swung his hair back. He smiled once at me, a challenge smile that admitted he lost this round, and then left.

    An instant later, Takashi appeared as well. I thought he would be mad seeing that Eichi's plans were ruined but instead he gave me that insane smile and a thumbs-up. What an idiot! Instead of disappearing like Eichi, he just waited by the door until Miyuki finally let go and we walked back together. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Way to go, Kazuya! I knew you weren't a quitter." I was getting mad seeing him just smile at me, especially after what he did.

"Why did you push me into Mai, Takashi?" I growled.

"Come on, Kazuya. I told you what you had to do, but it wouldn't be fun if I didn't liven things up. Admit it, you need me." I swept his hand off of my shoulder and continued down the stairs with Miyuki.

"I don't need you, Takashi." Takashi stood there as if considering what I said, then excitedly bellowed down the stairs.

"Oh, by the way, first thing after school on Monday is practice, you're up against me!" I knew this wouldn't last long, now I have to wrestle this maniac. Oh well, it's probably better than wrestling Eichi.

    I caught up with Miyuki on the way home, right before she reached the top of the hundred stairs,  and we walked down quietly together. Somehow, I could tell she was still a little annoyed at something because she wouldn't say anything. We walked about halfway down the stairs before she stopped, I was three steps below her.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I could just feel that it had to do with Mai. She turned and looked at me, she almost looked embarrassed.

"I don't know what it is, Kazuya, but when I saw you kiss Mai."

"Eh?" I interrupted. "I didn't."

"I know, when you accidentally kissed Mai, I wasn't just mad. I was sort of jealous." I then realized that I had never kissed Miyuki, our relationship wasn't like that, yet.

    Miyuki stepped down one, two, then three steps before she was at face level with me. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile, she looked so innocent and sweet. She closed her eyes and leaned a little closer to me.

    Outside, I was expressionless. Inside, I was exploding. I both wanted to grab her and kiss her or just run away and not look back. I couldn't move if I wanted to, fear had completely overcome me. Isn't this what I always wanted? I decided to stop thinking.

    I closed my eyes and leaned forward, I knew that in just a moment I would be kissing Miyuki. What she hadn't known would be my first real kiss. I was so close.

"KAZUYA!!!" Miyuki jumped back and I fell forward, almost completely losing my balance. We both looked up and saw an enraged Ryosuke running down the stairs.

"Kazuya! What are you doing to my dear Miyuki?!" Miyuki looked pretty mad at the interruption, I felt bad for what she would probably do to Ryosuke when he finally reached us. As if on cue, Ryosuke was screaming out Miyuki's name and lost his footing. He toppled over and over until he reached a landing. I wondered if he was getting used to this by now.

    Miyuki was at first surprised, then a smile formed on her face. She began to giggle at how pathetic Ryosuke looked, a crumpled form moaning out her name. She quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me after her, running down the stairs. We ran home like that together, and I just watched her. Miyuki was always able to do that, forget about the past and just enjoy the moment.

    I guess that's why I love her so much.