Disclaimer: I do not own Azumanga Daioh.

Kaori
By Silver Sailor Ganymede

My name is Kaori, but to my friends I'm Kaorin. To her, however, I'm neither. Who is 'her', I hear you ask; she is Sakaki-san. Sakaki-san is the coolest girl in school; she's athletic, smart, really pretty… and I have a slight crush on her. Oh, who am I kidding… slight crush: I have a major crush, bordering on an obsession, on her. But who can blame me? I mean, most of the guys have crushes on her, so why is it wrong that I, a girl, have a crush on her too?

There's just one hitch; I don't think she actually knows who I am. I mean, she knows that I'm a shy girl who is Chihiro's friend, but other than that, nothing. Yes, she knows almost nothing about me, and yet I am in love with her. Yes, I love her, and I'm not just saying that. I feel as though time stops whenever she's around; my voice fails me and I become a stuttering wreck. What must she think of me?
The fact that I'm almost too nervous to speak to her really doesn't help anything. I mean, I love her, and she's not even my friend… yet. It would be wonderful to hear her call me Kaori-chan. Yes, Kaori-chan would be fine, but even that is probably never going to happen.

It would be a dream come true (literally) if she called me Kaori. Not Kaorin or Kaori-chan: just Kaori. You see, then I'd know that she loved me back, and we could live happily ever after together.

Oh who am I kidding; that will never happen. But still I can't help but wish for it; I can't help but hope that she might, one day, call me Kaori, and confess her love for me too.

Yes, I want her to call me Kaori one day. Not Kaorin. Not Kaori-chan. Just Kaori. Nothing more, nothing less… just Kaori.