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Description
Aaron

Okay, exams can go to hell. I'm sick of all this studying. It's getting on my nerves. I can't focus after everything that's happened. Not after.....Shinjiro's death. I didn't think it would bother me this much, but here it is. Me not being able to study crap for upcoming exams and beating myself up over and over again.

"Hey Fuuka! Wait up!" Instead, I chose to hang out with Fuuka after school. She was just about to pass the school gates when I stopped her. "Aaron-kun? What's up?" she asked. "Have you got anything planned for the rest of the afternoon? Maybe we can hang out." I offered. She had a faraway gaze for a moment, before looking back at me. "Well...I was actually heading to the bookstore. I don't know if you'd be interested in that so-" "Why not? Let's go." I interrupted her. Part of me felt bad about using her as a distraction from my stress, but it wasn't like that was my main intention. I also wanted set some things straight with myself. Namely, my more personal feelings.

So we made our way to the Bookworms book store. It was a rather old fashioned place, but man did they have everything. Well everything that was a legit book and not a manga, but meh. Strangely we didn't buy anything. We just browsed. "There doesn't seem to be that many cookbooks here..." Fuuka said in a disappointed tone. "Sorry... I guess people brought all the good ones...I should've called to ask before we came all the way here..." Wait, why was she apologizing? She didn't do anything wrong. And why was she looking even more sad than ever. I wanted to ask her those questions, yet all I said was, "Fuuka?"

She looked up at me with that same sad look in her eye that tore me apart. "...Do you remember what I told you, Aaron-kun?...That it's been a while since I've been in a bookstore..." she asked. Was that what this was about? "Well...yeah, I remember." I answered. Fuuka sighed and broke our locked gaze. "Something happened in a bookstore that I want to forget..." She sounded almost like she was...in pain, just by saying that. "What....What happened?" I asked carefully. This was clearly a really touchy issue. I felt I needed to tread lightly.

"It was last April...Someone took a picture of me...stealing." Umm....What? No way. Fuuka would never steal anything. She's not a thief at all. There has to be some mistake or misunderstanding involved here. "What do you mean...stealing?" I asked. She looked to the side and took a few steps, twiddling her thumbs. "Well, I'm short...And when I was reaching for the top shelf, I accidentally knocked some books down...Somehow, they landed in my bag. But when I went to take them out and put them back on the shelf...Some girl from our school took a picture of me with her cell phone and accused me of stealing. She threatened to show my parents the picture......"

Take a picture with her cellphone? Oh no. "...Natsuki." I muttered. I remember when I was wandering down the courtyard hall with Yukari. We overheard Natsuki and Maki laughing about taking a picture with her cellphone and how 'she freaked out and started crying, like it was the end of the world.' Fuuka, much to my despair, nodded at my assumption as to who it was and continued. "You probably think that sounds ridiculous...You probably think I should've defended myself...Well, you're right." She didn't say anything!? "Why didn't you, Fuuka!?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "I... I couldn't say anything. All these negative thoughts were running through my head. I thought that no matter what I said, it wouldn't do any good." I feared for a moment, Fuuka was going to break out into tears. If that happened, then the soothing hang out with Fuuka would have been completely FUBAR.

Fuuka suddenly turned back to me. This time, with a smile. "But, I feel like if I'm with you, Aaron-kun, I can change. I feel like if you're around, I won't think so negatively." she said cheerfully. Unfortunately, her cheer died as quickly as it came "...That must sound so selfish...It seems like I'm trying to take advantage of you, doesn't it...?" I...I couldn't tell her that I secretly thought that may have been the case. Being led on only to be thrown away like a torn glove. I can't even fathom why I feared Fuuka would do such a thing. "But, that's not my intention..." said frantically. "I...I guess what I'm trying to say is..." I quickly lay my hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's okay Fuuka. Just calm down." I said gently. She seemed to calm down a bit, which relieved me. If she kept going as flustered as she was, she might have said something bad.

Fuuka took a deep breath and gave me another smile. "....I've come to really depend on you, Aaron-kun...And I just wanted to say that I appreciate you..." she said happily. 'Appreciate.' What did that mean? How did she appreciate me? She couldn't possibly mean that in the way that I feel for her...could she? She suddenly looked away again, face flushed. "Sorry, I'm not making any sense..." she apologized. Truth be told, she wasn't. It didn't help that my brain wasn't in much condition to make sense of things right now. Fuuka turned away from me and began walking away. "F-Fuuka, where are you going?" I asked, taking a few steps toward her. "I'll explain to you how I feel when I understand it myself...I'm sorry." Before I could say protest or even say anything, Fuuka took off running.

Dammit. This was supposed to get rid of the tension in my mind. Not make it worse. Now it seems all I've done is just plant some in Fuuka's mind as well. 'Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with me!?' I thought angrily. Since there was no point to mindlessly milling about the strip mall, I chose to head back home. I gave the others a half assed, "Evening." and crashed on my bed.

That night, I barely got any sleep. "Fuuka..." was the last thing I muttered before I finally went under.

Description
Aaron

Okay, exams can go to hell. I'm sick of all this studying. It's getting on my nerves. I can't focus after everything that's happened. Not after.....Shinjiro's death. I didn't think it would bother me this much, but here it is. Me not being able to study crap for upcoming exams and beating myself up over and over again.

"Hey Fuuka! Wait up!" Instead, I chose to hang out with Fuuka after school. She was just about to pass the school gates when I stopped her. "Aaron-kun? What's up?" she asked. "Have you got anything planned for the rest of the afternoon? Maybe we can hang out." I offered. She had a faraway gaze for a moment, before looking back at me. "Well...I was actually heading to the bookstore. I don't know if you'd be interested in that so-" "Why not? Let's go." I interrupted her. Part of me felt bad about using her as a distraction from my stress, but it wasn't like that was my main intention. I also wanted set some things straight with myself. Namely, my more personal feelings.

So we made our way to the Bookworms book store. It was a rather old fashioned place, but man did they have everything. Well everything that was a legit book and not a manga, but meh. Strangely we didn't buy anything. We just browsed. "There doesn't seem to be that many cookbooks here..." Fuuka said in a disappointed tone. "Sorry... I guess people brought all the good ones...I should've called to ask before we came all the way here..." Wait, why was she apologizing? She didn't do anything wrong. And why was she looking even more sad than ever. I wanted to ask her those questions, yet all I said was, "Fuuka?"

She looked up at me with that same sad look in her eye that tore me apart. "...Do you remember what I told you, Aaron-kun?...That it's been a while since I've been in a bookstore..." she asked. Was that what this was about? "Well...yeah, I remember." I answered. Fuuka sighed and broke our locked gaze. "Something happened in a bookstore that I want to forget..." She sounded almost like she was...in pain, just by saying that. "What....What happened?" I asked carefully. This was clearly a really touchy issue. I felt I needed to tread lightly.

"It was last April...Someone took a picture of me...stealing." Umm....What? No way. Fuuka would never steal anything. She's not a thief at all. There has to be some mistake or misunderstanding involved here. "What do you mean...stealing?" I asked. She looked to the side and took a few steps, twiddling her thumbs. "Well, I'm short...And when I was reaching for the top shelf, I accidentally knocked some books down...Somehow, they landed in my bag. But when I went to take them out and put them back on the shelf...Some girl from our school took a picture of me with her cell phone and accused me of stealing. She threatened to show my parents the picture......"

Take a picture with her cellphone? Oh no. "...Natsuki." I muttered. I remember when I was wandering down the courtyard hall with Yukari. We overheard Natsuki and Maki laughing about taking a picture with her cellphone and how 'she freaked out and started crying, like it was the end of the world.' Fuuka, much to my despair, nodded at my assumption as to who it was and continued. "You probably think that sounds ridiculous...You probably think I should've defended myself...Well, you're right." She didn't say anything!? "Why didn't you, Fuuka!?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "I... I couldn't say anything. All these negative thoughts were running through my head. I thought that no matter what I said, it wouldn't do any good." I feared for a moment, Fuuka was going to break out into tears. If that happened, then the soothing hang out with Fuuka would have been completely FUBAR.

Fuuka suddenly turned back to me. This time, with a smile. "But, I feel like if I'm with you, Aaron-kun, I can change. I feel like if you're around, I won't think so negatively." she said cheerfully. Unfortunately, her cheer died as quickly as it came "...That must sound so selfish...It seems like I'm trying to take advantage of you, doesn't it...?" I...I couldn't tell her that I secretly thought that may have been the case. Being led on only to be thrown away like a torn glove. I can't even fathom why I feared Fuuka would do such a thing. "But, that's not my intention..." said frantically. "I...I guess what I'm trying to say is..." I quickly lay my hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's okay Fuuka. Just calm down." I said gently. She seemed to calm down a bit, which relieved me. If she kept going as flustered as she was, she might have said something bad.

Fuuka took a deep breath and gave me another smile. "....I've come to really depend on you, Aaron-kun...And I just wanted to say that I appreciate you..." she said happily. 'Appreciate.' What did that mean? How did she appreciate me? She couldn't possibly mean that in the way that I feel for her...could she? She suddenly looked away again, face flushed. "Sorry, I'm not making any sense..." she apologized. Truth be told, she wasn't. It didn't help that my brain wasn't in much condition to make sense of things right now. Fuuka turned away from me and began walking away. "F-Fuuka, where are you going?" I asked, taking a few steps toward her. "I'll explain to you how I feel when I understand it myself...I'm sorry." Before I could say protest or even say anything, Fuuka took off running.

Dammit. This was supposed to get rid of the tension in my mind. Not make it worse. Now it seems all I've done is just plant some in Fuuka's mind as well. 'Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with me!?' I thought angrily. Since there was no point to mindlessly milling about the strip mall, I chose to head back home. I gave the others a half assed, "Evening." and crashed on my bed.

That night, I barely got any sleep. "Fuuka..." was the last thing I muttered before I finally went under.