a boy named Hiroto and girl named Rias arw school freinds and they made for each other

A soft rain falls on their cheeks, the sounds around them are quiet, almost like there's no noise to be heard. It's peaceful.

The light is dim, but it's enough to illuminate his features as he stares back at the sky, eyes closed, lost in thought. His hand rests on the railing beside him, the wind softly pushing against his fingers. He looks so young like this. Even though a year had passed by already since their first meeting, Hiroto couldn't help but think that he looked younger, somehow. Like something has changed; he seems less stiff, more open. Not to say that there aren't any traces of stiffness left over in his body, there were, but they seemed to have faded away. Perhaps it was because they weren't facing someone who hated them anymore, or perhaps it was the fact that he was happier than before, more carefree. Whatever it was, it just seemed that he had grown up.

And not just him – every single one of his friends seemed to have moved into different places, even going off campus once in awhile. And although he would miss being at the same university as them, Hiroto knew that he didn't feel sad, nor lonely. They all made new friends, new lives, new people to rely on.He knew that it wasn't easy to move onto a new place, especially when you don't know anyone else yet, so he understood why they did. Still…he missed them. A lot.

He sighs. There's been some time since then where he hasn't felt loneliness, but there were still moments where his mind wandered off again, thoughts drifting to the things that happened while they were apart. He missed them so much, and it hurts.

His friends didn't forget about him, not really, he knows. But there were still those times when he would catch a glimpse of their faces from afar and see the guilt written in their expressions and words. Sometimes he thinks that they were pitying him, but if they really were, then they should understand that he was fine with it.

After all, he was doing good. Really well. He was living life the way he wanted to live it, he was learning new things and becoming better and better each day. The only thing wrong was that he couldn't find the perfect match out there yet, but he could live with that. If he didn't get the right person, then maybe someone will come along and make him happy. Someone who could change his life forever, someone who could bring the light that he needed back home.Maybe.

He turns his head to face her, who stood next to him. She wore her hair long today, and he wonders what she was thinking about. What she w

Why she was here alone with him. Was she okay? Had she gotten hurt? Is something wrong?

Hiroto doesn't ask anything. He simply waits, watching her carefully until he hears her voice again.

"I think I might be in love with him."

Her words send a chill down his spine.

Love?

Did she mean…did she mean…

"With whom?"

Her eyes widen slightly and she turns towards him. "You know who. Who do you think?"

Who do I think?

She means Kaito, doesn't she? That little bastard. The one who constantly makes fun of Hiroto. The one who keeps making fun of Hiroto because Hiroto hates himself so much. The one who never fails to remind Hiroto that he can't keep his cool no matter how hard he tries. Hiroto clenches his hands tightly together, trying to fight the urge to punch Kaito in the face.

What would Hiroto do if she said yes? Would he go after her like the fool that he is? Yes, yes, of course.He loves her. He wants to be with her. He wants to protect her. He wants to love her with all his heart.

But does he deserve to? Does he deserve her? He doesn't think so, but sometimes he feels as though he doesn't even deserve to breath. He doesn't think that she sees him as a person worthy of loving. He doesn't think he deserves to be loved.

So why does he continue to let her fall deeper for him, letting her stay in his arms?

Maybe because he wants to prove that he deserves to be loved. That he deserves her.

Perhaps because he wants to prove to her that he's worth more than what he says. He wants her to believe in him, even if it's not always the best way.

Maybe he just wants to show her that he's not the bad guy she thinks he is.

"Why me? Why me?"

Hiroto opens his eyes to see Rias walking away with tears falling down her face. The sound of the rain hitting the pavement fills his ears as he watches her leave. Tears start falling down his cheeks too and he lets them flow freely as he continues to stare at nothingness, a bitter taste filling his mouth.He wishes for everything to stop.

He wishes to stop hurting, to stop feeling guilty, to stop wishing that he'll be able to fix everything. Because nothing is ever fixed. Nothing ever gets better.

It's just a cycle of pain and misery.

"Why me?"

He closes his eyes again.

He doesn't know.

He doesn't know why.

Maybe it was because they've known each other so long. Maybe it was because they grew up together. Maybe it was because he'd seen her in pain. Maybe it was because he couldn't stand seeing her cry. Maybe it was because when he saw her crying, he wanted to comfort her. Maybe it was because he knew that deep inside, she didn't want to hurt him either.

Maybe it was because she was his friend, his best friend.

Maybe it was because he cared.

Or maybe he was just selfish.

Maybe he just wanted her to be happy. To be free. To be able to smile without feeling so sad.

Because maybe he wanted to be the one to break her sadness and her pain. So he could be the reason for it.

Just maybe.She stops running after what felt like years. Her legs were sore, and her heart aches, her lungs burned with every heavy breathe, but she kept going anyway.

There was no stopping now.

She ran until she reached an empty alleyway, panting heavily as her knees hit the ground. She leaned against the wall with one hand, her forehead pressed against the cold concrete as she struggled to catch her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears that threatened to escape back into her eyes to stop flowing.

She had to do it. No matter how hard it may be.

No matter how painful it may be.

She didn't have a choice, not anymore.

"You're the one."

He'd done it. He'd found a match. A beautiful, caring, talented, funny person whom he loves dearly and deeply. One who understands his feelings in ways that nobody else can.

He didn't expect that he would fall so fast. He didn't expect that he would love him so much, either. All he ever wanted was to be close to his friends. It was so strange for him that he felt this way for somebody else, but he didn't want it to end just yet.He liked the idea of having a partner, a lover. He liked the thought of being with a person that he wouldn't want to part with ever, ever ever.

But it isn't that simple, is it? It's not possible, right?

She sighs. Of course, of course it isn't. But she didn't care anymore. She didn't care what he thought, if she got rejected, if she got hurt, if she broke up with him and left, if he got angry, hurt, or sad. It doesn't matter. She had made a promise to herself.

They had promised to meet again after school tomorrow, and they were going to meet again tomorrow. They were going to spend time with each other again tomorrow. Tomorrow was a special day.

Tomorrow was the beginning of another story.

Chapter 2

Sometime later

"Ria-chan, wait!"

Hiroto pats the dirt, trying to find the object that his beloved had dropped earlier. Once he finds it, he stands up and looks around. His gaze falls upon the girl standing beside him, leaning against the tree with a small smile playing upon her lips as she stares at the sky. He blinks a couple times, unsure what exactly caught her attentionas his gaze follows hers. His expression softens as his gaze meets hers, a slight blush forming on his cheeks as he smiles softly, looking away from her.

"Sorry," he mutters as he bends down to pick up the item that he lost earlier. He walks over to the girl and places the gift onto her palm. She chuckles lightly before accepting the present, and she smiles brightly as she looks back at him.

"Thank you."

He nods once and grins at her brightly. "No problem. It's my job as your best friend."

The corner of her mouth curls upwards into a small smile as she glances at him. "Your job as my best friend indeed," she laughs quietly. "Now what am I supposed to do with these?"

"Hmm...maybe give them to him?" he suggests.

Ria raises an eyebrow at him questioningly. "For what?"

A smirk forms on his lips, and he shrugs nonchalantly as he leans forward to wrap both his arms around her neck while she's still leaning against the tree. He pulls her closer to his chest and rests his chin atop her head before answering. "For being my girlfriend, of course."She rolls her eyes with a light chuckle escaping her lips. "I wasn't expecting you to say such thing. Not only are you being stupid, but also stupidly cheesy."

He chuckles. "Yeah...yeah, I guess."

She snorts playfully and shakes her head. "Idiot."

His eyes widen as he stares back at her. "Wha—!? What did you just call me?!"

Ria rolls her eyes before smiling softly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I was only joking. Now hurry up and get off of me," she chuckles before pushing him off of her with a light shove.

He quickly grabs hold of her waist as he falls backwards. He groans slightly as he falls onto the wet grass beneath his body. "Hey!"

The girl chuckles softly at him as she sits down beside him, her gaze wandering through the trees, observing the people walking past them. There are quite a lot of people out today, especially at night. She wonders what they're doing and why they decided to go out at night.

"What are we doing here?" she asks, glancing back at him.

He tilts his head a bitbefore grinning. "We're going to watch some movie, duh!" he exclaims excitedly before looking at her. His grin turns softer as he reaches a hand out, gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her face before cupping her cheek lovingly.

She blushes and averts her gaze to look at anything else other than the man holding her close to his chest. She feels his warm touch against her skin and she smiles, closing her eyes as he kisses her temple affectionately.

Her lips curve upward before turning to face him. "Movie? What kind of movies?" she questions curiously.

His hand moves to caress the side of her face as his eyes soften. "Any movies you want. We can do whatever you want."

She hums lightly as a small smile appears on her lips. "Really? That sounds fun...I think I'll take you up on your offer then."

He chuckles and smiles widely at her, nodding his head in approval. "Great. Let's go then." He pushes himself off of her gently. "I'll go get our tickets. You should get changed, though. I'm not sure if you're ready yet."

She nods slowly in agreementand stands up. She glances down at her sweatpants and sweatshirt. "Um...actually, I might change first. Then we can go." She bites her lip as she glances down at herself before taking a step back toward the bench. "Is there any spare clothes I could borrow? I don't mind changing in front of you or something. Just so you know, it would make things easier."

He chuckles and nods his head. "Sure. Go ahead." He waves her away.

She smiles at him before rushing toward where she dropped her backpack earlier. She rummages through her bag for something more comfortable than her sweatshirt. It takes a few minutes before she finds something clean enough to wear; she changes quickly. After that, she rushes back to Hiroto, smiling softly at him as she holds out the clothing she has been searching for. "Here. I figured since you brought me home after practice."

"Thanks." He smiles as he accepts the clothes from her hands. He smiles down at her before he begins to walk toward the direction of the theater, leaving her behind.

After waiting a moment to see if he will turn around, she hurriedly hurries to join him. He keeps moving forward and she stays behind until he stops and turns around