Picture of You

Non-Yaoi

Author's Notes:

This is my tribute to my Hisashi-kun's birthday! Hehehehe…I hope you can follow the timeline of this story. If you don't e-mail me and I'll explain it to you. * smiles * I know that Birthday tributes should be ONE-SHOTs only but I just can't help writing more and more! I hope that I'll get it finished in the next chapter. Don't forget to review, okie?

Anyway Happy Birthday Mitsui Hisashi!

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"Argh! Argh!" Azura Trinity grunted as she tried her hardest to open her locker door. The 15-year-old brown-headed green-eyed girl is a freshman at Shohoku High School. The locker assignments were just given that morning after a long two weeks of waiting. She was checking the locker, which was assigned to her. "Stupid locker! Out of all the hundreds of locker in this school why does this have to be the one which is assigned to me?!?" Trinity complained to no one as she continued tugging her locker in vain. She was positive that she had entered the right combination. There really was a problem with the locker's door.

"Mind if I help you?" a guy's voice suddenly made Trinity whirl around from tugging her locker's handle. She looked up and saw beautiful blue eyes staring politely back at her, waiting for her answer. The owner of the voice had chin-length bluish black hair. He has a scar on his chin but his mouth was curled up into an amused grin.

Trinity stepped back to let the guy try his luck. "I've been trying to open this locker for the last ten minutes and it still wouldn't open," she said, grinning sheepishly at the cute guy in front of her. She was blushing so hard that she was the color of a ripe tomato. Trinity didn't know that someone was watching her struggle with her stubborn locker.

The guy excused himself and stepped in front of the locker. He curled his right hand and banged the upper left side of the locker. The door, as if obeying his silent command, sprang open.

"Wow!" Trinity breathed impressed.

"I had this locker last year when I was just a freshman like you," the guy explained, still grinning.

"So that's how you do it… Bang it on the upper left side…" the girl stared at her locker in amazement.

"Uh-huh," the guy seconded. "Or… If it won't open again, just stand back and put your hands like this," he stepped back, cupped his hands together, his palm facing the locker door and continued, "And say, 'Open Sesame!'" his face was so serious that it made Trinity double-over with laughter.

"Hahahaha! That was so funny!"

The guy smiled at Trinity, still smiling and pretty proud of himself that he made the girl laugh. He waited for Trinity to compose herself.

"Sorry," Trinity tried to regain her breath as she realized that the boy was still standing looking at her. She paused and took a breath. Trinity turned to him, her green eyes twinkling mischievously, "Or… I could just wait for you to pass by again and open my locker for me." She started laughing again.

The guy just smiled at her laughing figure. There was something about the guy. He keeps his composure. He doesn't laugh out loud like Trinity does but he grins and smiles at her. Most of all, his blue eyes twinkle in laughter, making up for not laughing out loud.

Suddenly, a voice from behind them called out which made the blue-eyed guy snap his head in the direction of the voice. "Mitsui!" the voice was gruff, obviously a boy's voice.

Trinity stood up to attention when she heard the voice called out. "Your friends are calling you," her eyes flickered disappointment. She liked talking to this 'Mitsui' guy even though he doesn't laugh like her and keeps his composure all the time. He has some really funny jokes under his sleeve. Trinity tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, thanks, anyway," she bowed deep in respect at her 'Sempai'.

"Your welcome," the guy turned and bowed in return. With one last look at her, he backed down and went to the direction of his friend who was calling him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Mitsui Hisashi walked away from the green-eyed girl full of regret. Even though it was against his mind and heart, he went to where his friend, Hotta was standing, along with his other friends. If he wasn't caught talking with the girl, he would've stopped and talk with her and even help her get her locker in order. However, his stupid pride, which has already cost him so much, got in the way. His ego would never take it if his friends 'tease' him when they found out that he was acting like a gentleman to a girl, a freshman nonetheless. He is known to be a gang leader, who always get into fights and that fact concerning the girl would ruin his reputation.

He sighed. He tried to force himself to act normal as he reached his friends. "Hi, guys."

Unknown to Mitsui, though, Hotta saw what happened between Mitsui and the girl and easily sensed that his friend developed a liking to the girl. While the others started to walk towards the stairs that lead to the rooftop, where the gang spent most of their time, Hotta held back and decided to have a little talk with Mitsui, who always brought the rear.

"Spill the beans," Hotta said in a low voice so that the others won't hear.

"Nani? What are you talking about?" Mitsui asked alarmed. Am I really that transparent?

"Yes," as if reading his thoughts Hotta answered. "You're out of it."

Mitsui sighed. Hotta never fails to sense when something is wrong with him. "There's this girl…" he never had a chance to finish for Hotta cut him off.

"Don't worry about it… I'll take care of everything for you… I'll send one of the guys to find out who that girl is," Hotta assured his friend.

Mitsui surprised can only smile at him gratefully. "Thanks, Hotta," he mumbled as he pat his friend in the back as they made their way to the rooftop.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Trinity watched his retreating figure before burying her head in her locker to clean it before she placed her things in it. She found three pieces of crumpled paper, a torn out magazine picture of a bikini-clad girl and a lot of other things that are usually stocked in a locker and easily forgotten about. Her hands full, she walked to the nearest trashcan to dump the things in. That Mitsui guy is like any other guy. He lives like a pig! She brushed her hands in her skirt and a small giggle escaped her mouth. But there is no denying he is cute and unbelievingly attractive… Blue-eyed and that scar under his chin… I wonder where he got it… Content that her hand has already been cleaned of the dust, she headed back to her locker.

Staring at her locker, she took a deep breath and dug her hand again to check for the last time before putting her things that the locker was clean. She roamed her hands around the top shelf and then… She felt a smooth paper touch her fingers. Trinity grabbed the paper as she pulled her hand out. She was surprised to saw a picture of an unfamiliar smiling boy. The boy seems to be staring back at her, his mouth set in a wide smile, as if he was laughing when the picture was taken. His bluish hair was just below his eyes.

His eyes.

"Oh!" Trinity gasped as she saw the boy's eyes. It was no mistaking that the boy in the picture was the guy who helped her with her locker door, after all he was the owner of the locker before her. It makes sense that he would've left his picture in his own locker.

She grazed her fingers over the picture. His hair is much shorter. He hasn't got his scar and he's… Smiling so wide. How can he smile like this as if he's laughing? Like he lives a carefree life when now he's so…

Trinity stopped. She grinned to herself. She decided to return the picture to Mitsui when she sees him. For the meantime, cutie, you belong to me! Trinity got her binder notebook and tucked it between one of the pages.

* * * * * * * * * *

After a two weeks…

Trinity twirled her ballpen while she sat on her Algebra class, daydreaming. Two weeks has passed ever since her first encounter with Mitsui, and maybe her last. She hasn't seen him since the locker incident although she tried her hardest to look out for him in the hallways. Maybe my schedule clashes with him because he's a sophomore.

A voice suddenly distracted her from her daydream. "Sensei! Sensei!" It was the most obnoxius , Nunuke.

Trinity snickered to herself. She didn't particularly like Nunuke. He always competes with her through grades, even though it is known throughout the whole class that Trinity got the higher grades. It was also rumored that he sucked up to the teachers.

"I'll get your record book for you!" he cried as always trying to butter himself up with the teacher. The teacher in turn waved him off. He went off to the faculty room in glee while the class was as just relieved that he was out of the room.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Nunuke was just about to round the corner to get to the faculty room when strong hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him in one of the empty classrooms. There were three guys, all of them big and tall, towering the pipsqueak Nunuke.

"What do you want?" Nunuke stammered noticing that the three belonged to the most feared gang in the school.

One of them, with a toothy grin, advanced towards him. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want some information."

"About who?" was the comeback.

"The girl in your class who has green eyes and brown chin-length hair."

It all clicked in Nunuke's mind. These bullies wanted to find something about his longtime rival, Trinity. Defiant, the obnoxious guy turned on his heels and made his way to the door as he called out, "I'm going. I'm not going to give you any information."

However as soon as the three guys found out about his plan to escape, one of them blocked his way and grabbed him by the collar. He pushed him in one of the chairs. "If you resist more you're going to get more than that," the other guy growled threateningly.

Knowing that there was no escape, Nunuke complied. "All right! I don't know what you want with her but I'll give you some information about her…" In his mind he was thinking that maybe this guy want to harm her and so he complied.

"Stop side-tracking! Get to the point!" the third guy, who happens to be Hotta bellowed.

"Okay! Okay! Well, her name is Azura Trinity. She's 15 years old and she came from Tomigaoka Junior High. She's the top student in our class," and with this Nunuke snickered.

"Very well, that's all we need," Hotta cut him off. That was enough information.

Nunuke prepared his way to go. He was almost at the doorway when he paused, his back facing the three burly guys, "And," he drawled, "She's a bitch."

That was the last straw. Hotta was so angry that this guy was saying bad things about the girl that Mitsui likes. He quickly strode over to the younger boy, grabbed him from behind and dragged him inside. Nunuke's face was of pure terror as he realized that the older boy's fist was aiming at him.

Suddenly, a calm hand found its way on Hotta's shoulder. Hotta turned around, still not letting go of his captive, to find Mitsui, his face calm but his eyes blazing with fire that Hotta has never known he was capable of. "I'll handle this, Norio."

Hotta stepped back as he let Mitsui handle the situation. Mitsui, also grabbed the younger boy's uniform in his fist. His eyes were staring through Nunuke's terrifed ones. "Don't you ever call her a bitch, do you understand?" he said it in a very low voice as he shook Nunuke hard.

"Yes," Nunuke cried afraid for his safety. "Let me go now! Don't hurt me! I won't tell anyone about this if you'd just let me go unharmed!" he pleaded.

"All right," Mitsui compromised. With that, he thrust Nunuke hard out the door. However as an afterthought, he added, "If I ever hear that you're troubling her, I'll set my men on you, you hear?"

"I hear," Nunuke replied as he scurried off on his way to the faculty room before Mitsui could change his mind.

Mitsui clenched his fists by his side as he heard the footsteps disappear around the corner. There was no way he could ask Azura Trinity now… A top student would never go out with a gangster like me… What would her parents say? What would she say?

Hah! Mitsui Hisashi! The girl you've fallen in love with is a girl you can't have. Love? Yes, admit it. You've fallen deeply in love with her… But you can't do anything about it… You don't deserve her… Not her, not her love… In fact, with your ways, you don't deserve anyone, at all…

Bitter laughter echoed throughout the empty classroom as the proud gang leader tried desperately to stop his tears from flowing…But that he could not.

To Be Continued…