AU

R&R

Pairing: Makoto and Ami

I sit here all day, watching the leaves as they fall from their own branch. Sitting and watching as the memories kept hidden in my heart be remembered all over again. As the leaves fall a bit slowly but gently down the ground, so as the memories of this past, slowly but gently, making its way back to reality. In this season of fall, slowly but gently, I experienced my first love.

xxx000xxx

Autumn's Melancholy

I stared out the window and watched as the leaves gradually fall from their branch. I was looking for some distraction while these other students around me kept blabbering about kiss and love in all aspects. How frustrating and excruciatingly painful to listen to these nonsense they kept going on and on for almost each passing second. I sigh, a bit loudly, out of frustration and let the others feel how irritating they're becoming with each words released.

But soon enough, I found myself thanking God as soon as the teacher walked inside the classroom. Everybody greeted her in unison and was returned with her usual reply

"Alright. Take your sits and keep your mouth shut."

"Finally." I scoffed and don't blame me cause I can't help it. She turned to my direction and narrowed her gaze and spoke a bit annoyed

"Is there anything you want to say, Ms. Kino?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow, perhaps to accompany her suspicious inquisition.

"Nothing that would be of care to you, sensei." I responded quite frankly in return. She glared at me for a little while before shrugging my response off. She held the chalk and as usual continued discussing yesterday's topic.

I returned from my previous position and stared blankly at the falling leaves. I yawned and found myself bored and lost from this gibberish talk the teacher makes. 'No wonder I fail…' I chuckled softly and quite bitterly. I rested my head on the table and took some well deserve nap for the day. I was halfway when the teacher called out a name completely distracting me from my sleep.

"Yes, Ms. Mizuno-san?" I slightly opened my eyes and turned to my side and watched as Mizuno Ami stood gracefully from her seat and answered the teacher in her outmost respectful way.

"X equals 4, Y equals three and Z equals -2, Kisanagi-sensei."

"Very good, Mizuno-san. At least I have a student who do her homework and pays attention to class." She praised then she continued her speech "Unlike someone here who only knows how to sleep during class, isn't that right, Ms. Kino?"

Everybody laughed in unison, and to be honest I don't give a damn. I stood up from the chair and responded, unlike Ami, impudently. "A good educator first needs to be well educated. Perhaps sensei, you lack in that sense." I started walking out of the classroom and before I close the door, I look back and stared at Ami. I groaned as rising hatred for her started building in me. Finally I shut the door close and went out of the school building.

Ever since I met Ami, I found myself hating her. She is completely different from me. The way she acts, the way she moves, the way she talks, everything she does and she is, is completely opposite of me and I simply hate it. And Ami acting in accordingly to what the teachers want, makes me despise her even more. Looking at her simply boils the blood in me, yet… I can't help myself but to look at her.

"Makoto-san?" I snapped out from my reverie when I heard a familiar voice calling my name out. I rolled my body from the diving board where I laid and look down to the pool.

"Michiru-san." I greeted which was returned with a sincere smile. "practice?" I asked.

"Hai. I just finished. You?" She asked in return.

"Resting."

"Got out from class again?" She assumed. I simply smiled and she only sighed in return.

"How's Haruka doing?" I inquired to divert her attention.

"She's doing fine. Flirting as usual but fine overall." She responded with her usual response. I chuckled while she continued "Don't you have any plans of going home? The school is over a long time ago."

"Ah that. Good thing you told me." I stood up and started climbing down the diving board. "Ne Michiru-san, you're friends with Mizuno right?"

"Yes, you could call it that way." She looked at me skeptically before smiling mischievously. "Why? Does Makoto-san fond Ami?"

"If fondness would include disturbingly annoyed, we could consider it that way." I said as I made my way towards her. "It's just that I hate the way she is. These perfect; flawless; impeccable attitude she has and proper way of addressing and responding to people simply irritates me."

"You know as people would say hate means love." She teased.

"Really? If that were true, then the world wouldn't be in such chaos." I returned. Michiru smiled all knowingly. "I better go. I have to get my things back in the classroom. Say my hellos to Haruka-san will you." She nodded. I bid my farewell and ran back to the classroom.

As soon as I was near the room, I stopped running and started walking instead. A few steps away, a sound coming from the classroom was heard. I walked slowly and peaked through the opening. My eyes widened at the sight.

There Ami sat as graceful and as proper any person could possibly be in her seat. The sun's rays shone upon her exemplifying her beauty even more. Even in silence she is simply eye catching… breathtaking. I stood there by the door, admiring her beauty from afar. She then raised her right hand up and brought it in front of her mouth. Suddenly, and unexpectedly, she leaned in for a kiss. In the most possible weird way, I felt my heart suddenly raise a beat at the sight of her kissing her hand. I clenched my hand over my chest and stopped it from throbbing harder and harder with every second passing. Having my heart pound this way is painful yet looking at her at that very moment, I found contentment in life.

So I continued watching her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes once again and the kiss was finally over. I stood still in my position, unmoved, until the bell rang all over again. I let out a soft shriek which cause Ami to startle. She turned around and looked in my direction, and I was now welcomed with half horrified and half surprised look from her. What do you expect? I panicked and walked inside the classroom and started gathering my things from my desk. She tried to approach me but I simply refuse to look at her. I left as soon as possible without even looking at her, not even a glimpse...

-Next day-

I entered the classroom and now I can't bring myself to look at Ami anymore without having my heart pounding crazily. She looked at me, eyes gleaming with hesitation to whether approach me or not. I took my seat while she stood up from her chair and started walking in my direction. I swear to the Gods that I could hear my heart beat with every step Ami takes towards me.

"Alright. Take your sits and keep your mouth shut." I felt relieved as soon as the Kisanagi walked in. And for the first time, I found myself thanking her for this wonderful timing. And like yesterday, she continued with her topic and Ami answered every question Kisanagi raise.

The bell rang and it was finally lunch break. I stepped out of the class before Ami decides again to approach me.

I walked out of the school building and proceeded to the garden behind the school. I took a sit on the grass and laid peacefully under the cherry blossom tree.

Soon enough, what I fear the most, took her sit beside me uninvited, and spoke unwantedly "I always like to look at the cherry blossoms as they fall off from their branch."

"…" I remained silent, or maybe the fact that I wasn't sure of what say.

"About what you saw yesterday…" she started. "I heard other students talked about kiss and how it felt, so I tried to experiment by doing it with my hand." She softly laughed. I sat straight from my position and soon accompanied her in laughing. 'Really... I don't really know how to respond to that. I don't even know if I can. Not when she looks at me that way. Not when she says it that way. Not when my heart keeps pounding this way. I can't when I don't know how to respond to what I'm feeling right now.' "Makoto-san" she called me out. I looked at her and she continued. "Do you hate me?"

I paused and for the first time I found myself helpless as I looked deep into her blue eyes. I shook my head and she smiled her heart out to me.

"Let's be good friends then." keeping her sweet captivating smile up.

And from that day forward, Ami and I became friends.

We started talking, laughing and sharing everything about our lives. We became close, terribly close, that I had to question my feelings for her. Feelings that only got stronger each and every single day I spent with her. The breaking point was the day I saw her talking to some girl in our class. I had this feeling, this urge of dragging her away from the other girl and locking her in a room with the only two of us inside. This urge, this feeling which I finally admitted to myself as something defined as more than feelings between friends have. I finally admitted to myself that I like Mizuno Ami.

It was a day before our graduation day when Ami asked me to go the library with her. She kept talking about a book she had always wanted to read but never had the chance to. And how could I possibly refuse when she looks at me so earnestly? I nodded and let her drag me along with her. Once we arrived, it took less than a second for Ami to rush in and look for the book she kept mentioning about. I smiled and started making my way to the table behind the shelves near the window. I looked outside and again I found myself staring at the falling leaves.

"I found it!!" Ami voiced out joyfully. I looked at her and smiled in return. She then took her sit opposite mine and started reading the book in her hands. I looked at the window once again and let the time do its work.

The sun started setting down when Ami finally finished reading the book. She stood up from the chair and returned it from where she had first seen it. And during this moment of Ami being gone, is the moment started sorting my thoughts and feelings out.

"Mako-chan." She called out. I look up and stared at her. "Let's go." She invited. I stood up and walked over her. She grabbed my hand and she started walking, dragging me along with her.

I suddenly stopped and it pulled her back. She turned around and looked at me with confusion parading in her eyes. "Ami…" I said softly.

"Hai?"

"You mentioned about wondering what it feels like to kiss a person before…"

"I did." She laughed softly out of embarrassment.

"Do you want to try and feel it now?" I asked. A bit selfish of me, really. I wanted to kiss Ami long before we had gotten closer. And masking this intention for something as helping her out, is a bit selfish of me… yet…

"Are you serious?" she asked again, much innocently than before.

I nodded and continued. "For practice. You might be a bad kisser and your first boyfriend may hate you for that." I lied. And I don't know when I started telling all this lies.

She blushed a bit before nodding in return. It took me by surprise at first but in the end I found myself smiling at this.

I moved closer and cupped both her cheeks in my palms and leaned in for a kiss. I closed the gap between us and we were finally one. The kiss is overwhelming, and I felt my emotions pouring with every movement my lips make. There wasn't anything to describe what I feel at that moment, only the contentment and joy found in her lips. I felt my heart pounding much harder and much more painful…

We finally broke free from the kiss and my heart suddenly ached… ached from longing... ached for something that'll never be mine... I looked at her and finally I admitted to her what I really felt for her for the longest time now.

"I like you, Ami." I said softly and honestly, my hands still cupping her cheeks. She only smiled.

"I like you too, Mako-chan." I smiled but not as strongly as before. She then grabbed my hand again and started walking out of the library, dragging me along with her.

"But it's not the same as mine." I uttered softly.

She looked over her shoulder and simply asked "Hmm?"

"Nothing." I smiled and she giggled. 'I love you Ami... I love you…' I whispered something I decided to leave unsaid, my heart's true self…

xxx000xxx

The graduation approached and we headed on with our separate ways, but our lives will never be the same. For that single day our lives had crossed each other's path, a bitter yet sweet memories was left in each other's hearts that will never be forgotten, not when leaves starts falling from their branch...

Perhaps the reason I keep looking up and watching the leaves as they fall is because somewhere, somehow, Ami is also looking up and watching the leaves as they fall from their branch. And in this simple fragment of hope in me made me realize that somehow Ami and I are together and sharing the same memory all over again.

A/N: end!! Thanks for reading! written in a rush.. gomen. Thanks to karis for being awesome!!

Next: A Winter's warm Romance. Haruka and Michiru