Because I'm lazy and I do not want to update CURRENT STATUS: SINGLE right now, I decided to write a one-shot instead. Uh, yeah. That's the keyword, people: one-shot. And uhm, yeah, I have about half of CS:S typed out already (please check it out!), but meh, I think I'll finish it next week instead. Er, I still have a deadline on the 15th and I really should be working on that first, but, well, my muse wouldn't shut up until I wrote this down. Damn you, muse.

So, yeah. Enjoy?

REMORSE

When Shinji Mimura heard the announcement of Takako Chigusa's death, he was in the middle of typing a series of codes for the virus he was sending the school's computer system. Left index finger still suspended in midair, Shinji's mind literally went blank until Yutaka shook him back to reality.

"Mim? You alright?" his comic friend asked, slightly concerned. Shinji, temporarily losing his voice, merely nodded and tried to focus at the task he was doing.

To say that he felt remorse over the death of Class B's prettiest girl was the understatement of the year. He felt more than remorse; he was distraught, shaken at the very least.

He had a thing for the pretty sprinter since their second year, but never acted on it because, like the rest of the students in their school, he thought Takako was Hiroki Sugimura's girlfriend (who happened to be a good friend of his).

It wasn't until recently that Shinji found out from Hiroki himself that he and Takako were merely best friends and that there was someone else the martial artist was crushing on. Unfortunately, Shinji never had the time to make a move on Takako because, well, by then his weekends had been busy hooking up with more-than-willing-to-get-fucked girls from other sections and year levels.

Besides, Shinji didn't think Takako was interested in him anyway. She always looked aloof, and like her friend Hiroki, was a bit of a loner. And like most of the girls in their section, Shinji assumed that Takako had considered him as a player. He couldn't blame her, of course. The girls he had slept with weren't exactly discreet about letting the whole world know about their escapades with The Third Man.

Shinji couldn't even remember a time when he and Takako had a decent conversation, except for one instance a few weeks before their study-trip-turned-to-hell.

Basketball practice had just ended, and Shinji was on his way to the locker room when he almost bumped into the rushing beauty just outside the basketball gym.

"Oh, hey Chigusa," he greeted her, his voice slightly shaky. He wouldn't have been surprised if he was sporting a faint blush of pink on his cheeks at that moment.

"Hey," she greeted back, skidding to a stop inches from the basketball player. "You've seen Sugi anywhere?"

Shinji had seen Hiroki a few hours earlier at the school dojo, but he figured that didn't count.

"Nope," he answered, shaking his head and smirking. "What, he stood you up on your date?"

Takako's face turned sour, and Shinji raised his arms in mock defense.

"A joke, hun, a joke."

He watched as Takako raised an eyebrow, and he realized that she was staring at his left ear.

"That's a nice earring you got there," she mused, referring to the earring he got from his uncle.

Shinji's hand shot to his ear. "This?" he asked, grinning. "Yeah, this is a keepsake from an important person."

"I see," Takako replied, nodding. She started looking around, as if preparing to leave.

Shinji noticed the intricate earrings the ace sprinter wore on both ears. "You like earrings too, huh?" he asked, trying to lengthen the conversation they were having. "You ever had trouble with the teachers because of those? Most of our professors wouldn't get off my back about mine."

Takako shrugged. "I never liked rules anyway." She started off, turning around for a second and nodding at The Third Man. "Thanks."

Shinji suddenly had the urge to follow her and ask her out for a snack or dinner date, but when he finally snapped out of his trance Takako had already turned a corner and disappeared.

And now she was dead.

Oh, it was more than remorse that he felt. He felt a deep pang of regret for not taking a chance with Takako when there was still time, when she was still alive.

Now it was already too late, and no amount of mourning would ever bring her back.

Shinji's laptop suddenly made a beep which signaled that his virus was finally making its way to the school's system.

Yutaka stood and headed towards him, asking again if everything was alright.

This one's for you, Chigusa, Shinji whispered to himself, nodding at his friend and smiling weakly. This is revenge for your death.

END

Yep. Reviews will be pwease?I promise to share Shinji and Hiroki to my reviewers. Swear.