Notice Me (1)

The Fight

Budo marched through the school, pushing and shoving his way through the kids.
"Okano!! Show yourself, coward!!" He yelled, shaking his fist in the air.
"What do you want now, Budo?" He says, stepping from behind the lockers to face the raging martial artist.

"What do I want?? How dare you ask me that, you coward!!" He yells, shoving the red head into the lockers.
"For what? I haven't done anything!" Okano states, being blunt and honest.
Too bad Budo thought he was playing coy.
"You shut your mouth, Okano! I'm going to teach you to not hit on girls!" He yells, rolling up his sleeve and readying for a fight.
Okano thumped his nose, then said, "You idiot, I haven't hit anyone!"

"Oh, yes you did! You hit Ayano-chan in the jaw! She has a bruise and everything!"
Okano froze as everyone in the crowd gasped.
"Budo, she's lying!"
"How, Okano? How the hell do you fake a bruise like she has!!"
Ayano shyly looked out from behind Budo, her make up gone and replaced with an actual bruise.

"S-she's lying! I n--"
Budo judo-chops Okano in the throat, kicking his leg and breaking it.
But he still wasn't done.
"First, you hit this girl because she confessed to you. Then you lie about it?! Look, see what kind of man he is ladies?! He's a damned coward!" Budo says, pinning him against the lockers, hammering away at him and bloodying his face up.

For some reason, this made Ayano gleefully urge him to kill Okano, but she was able to keep it to herself.

"That's enough!!" The principle yells, breaking them apart. "What the hell, Budo? What did he do?!"
"He hit Ayano-chan for no reason!" Budo says, jabbing his finger at Okano.
"I did not!" Okano says, trying to defend himself.
"ENOUGH!!!" the Principle yells, and silence ensues. Then, he looks at Ayano. "Did he hit you?"

She looks up at him, and nods.
"I... I told him my feelings for him... And he hit me and ran away..." She sniffles, and a few girls break from the crowd and comfort her.
Tora included.

The Principle looks at Okano, who was on the verge of tears.
"You have to believe me!"
"Son, I believe in truth. And right now, the truth is, I don't believe you." He grabs Okano by the arm, then turns to Budo. "No practice for a week!"
Budo crosses his arms and snorts, his angry way of saying Sure, whatever!

As the Principle leads a crying Okano away, Tora pats Ayano on the back.
"I'm sorry for Okano... I... Didn't know he'd do something like this..."
She sniffles and shudders at the touch, making Tora lift her hand away.

She looks at Tora.
"I-its fine... Wouldnt be the f-first time..." She says quietly, smiling cutely at her.
Tora smiles and pats her back.
"Hey, wanna be friends? Ya know, my best-- him, ex-best friend is going to jail."
Ayano's heart jumped, and then she nodded. "Of course!"

Tora smiled and walked away, waving her goodbye.
Sesa chuckled. "You're really something, you know that?"
Ayano looked at him. "Excuse me?"
"You used that hammer just right. Otherwise, even Budo would've known it was fake." He explains, cigarette in his mouth as he blows a puff out. "Little warning, Yandere-chan. Be careful whom you befriend." He warns, his words as sharp as a katana as he walks around the corner.

Budo gently touches her arm.
"Ayano..? Are you Ok?" He asks, his voice gentle, silky.
Perfect to be molded into what she could play with.
She nods, then wipes her eyes and winces at the 'pain'. "I-i'm fine, Budo-san. I just can't believe someone I love would hurt me..." She says, leaning on his arm.
He blushes. "Well... Maybe the answer you've been looking for has been here the entire time..." He replies, something hinting in his voice...

"Budo... I... I barely know you..." She says, standing a foot away, genuinely shocked at what he was hinting.
He smiled like the dope he is.
"Thats the thing! You barely know me, but I can't help how I feel about you! I'd do anything for you!" He says, making her smirk internally.
She'd remember that...

Tora comes back and smiles a little at the two.
"'Cmon, Ayano-chan! Let's get you to the nurse." She says, leading the way.
Ayano followed suit, casting Budo one last glance before she turned the corner.

He looked so heartbroken...

"Ayano-chan, can I ask you something?" Tora asks, stopping in front of the door to the nurses office.
"Of course, Tora-chan. What is it?"
"Well, I was wondering why you lied." She says, rubbing her neck a little.

Ayano froze instantly.
"A-about what..?" She asks, her voice on the caution side.
"About liking Budo! Everyone knows you two would be the perfect couple!" She says happily, giggling as Ayano breathed in deeply.
"But I don't. I hardly know him." She says, shrugging.
"Well, I'm just saying you two would be cute together." She says, winking at her and knocking on the door before she could reply.

The nurse, a pink haired man, pokes his head out, covered in medical gauze.
"Yes? Oh, Tora-chan, come in! Who's this?" He asks, looking Ayano up and down until he sees her jaw. "My goodness! What a terrible bruise!"
"I know. Okano did it. We... We won't be hanging out anymore." She says, a hint of sadness in her voice as she leaves.

"Don't worry, dear," Maju says, smiling at her, "I'll fix you right up!"