(11/10/2014): Hello, lovely reader of the Gals! fandom. Here I am, yet again, with another story. This one is really different from my others, though. I'd been wanting to write this for a while now, actually. Please enjoy it.

Setting: Shibuya. Right around the time in the beginning of the series when rumors about Aya being seen with an "older man" were spreading around Hounan.

Description: This story is told in first person, in the point of view of the man that Aya was going on subsidized dates with. His name is Izawa Ken (OC). Imagine him to be tall, ivory-skinned, and dark haired. In my mind I imagined him to look kind of like an older Kyoya Ootori from Ouran (without the glasses). This is a one-shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gals! Izawa Ken is a made up character of mine, however.

Fix you

By: Screaming Siopao

Where is she?

The girl with the long, midnight hair.

The perpetually anxious-looking girl.

The girl whose eyes seemed so dull and lifeless. Where has she disappeared to?

That girl: Hoshino Aya.

She's been on my mind non-stop. Ever since that day- that ever so rainy and miserable day. It's hard to imagine that it has already been about a month since I met her.

I was on my way home from another boring and redundant day at the office; I remember thinking how differently I had originally pictured my life after my university studies. I imagined myself to be married to a beautiful woman, with a nice house, and working at the job of my dreams. It was a little disappointing to discover that I was still a single bachelor working at a lame office while living in a lonely, sub-par apartment. I wondered what I had done wrong. I was only 31 and I thought that I was pretty good-looking. I had money but there was nothing or no one to spend it on. My life seemed a little empty.

I was walking through the streets of Shibuya when I saw her sad, ethereal face. She may have been crying from the way she looked, but I couldn't seem to tell. It was raining, after all, and she carried no umbrella. She was in her school uniform and was soaked from head to toe, yet she just stood there. She was looking off at something in the distance; I just never could figure out what she was staring at, exactly.

I approached her, placing my black umbrella over her head. It's all still very clear to me. My light blue dress shirt was beginning to feel a bit wet, since I put less of the umbrella over myself. It had taken her a minute or so until she had realized that I was standing beside her. I cleared my throat at the strange girl.

"Miss," I said gruffly, trying to wake her from her trance. "Excuse me, miss," I said a bit louder. I saw her flinch once she realized the cold rain wasn't falling on her slim, petite body anymore. She looked up at me with the saddest eyes I had ever seen in my life.

"Eh?" she chirped. Her voice was clear and gentle. It was like a stream. "Who are you?"

"Well, my name is Izawa," I awkwardly introduced myself. Why was I talking to this strange, high school girl? I shrugged it off. "Izawa Ken."

"I… Izawa-san," she bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you." She returned to staring off into the distance. Her gaze was so lifeless. What a sad girl.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Ah… my name?" she asked herself. She paused and stared at me curiously. "Hoshino. Hoshino Aya."

"Why are you just standing here, Hoshino-chan?" I asked her gently. "Are you waiting for someone? Are you lost? You'll get sick, you know."

Her lips curled ever so slightly into a smirk.

"It's nice to receive worry from a stranger," she said blankly. I wondered what this poor girl had gone through. The younger generation seems to have it pretty tough.

"You should head home," I advised. My shirt was also soaked at this point, since I was completely covering this strange young girl with my umbrella. My dark hair was also pretty drenched and stuck to my face. I didn't know why I was so concerned about her.

She remained silent and unmoving. Minutes went by and she was always mute and still.

"Or maybe we can sit somewhere and I can get you some tea?" I suggested, desperate to get a response of any sort from this girl.

"Eh?" she finally whispered. She looked at me with worry. Dammit, she probably thought I was a strange older guy trying to hit on her. She must have been about sixteen years old, even though she did look a bit more mature for her age. I looked like a total geezer.

"I didn't mean it that way," I suddenly blurted.

"It's alright, Izawa-san," she softly said with a soft smile. "Thank you for your concern. I think I'll get going now."

She took one step from me, and I don't know why, but there was a strange part of me that didn't want her to leave. Why was I so captivated by this girl?

"Wait," I blurted as I saw her running away. I didn't even know why I said that. "Don't go."

She stopped dead in her tracks but never looked back at me.

"Sorry, I have to," she stated. I could tell she was nervous. She was about to keep moving forward until I said something completely out of line.

"I'll pay you," I stated. Why? Why had I said that?

She slowly turned around to look at me with her strangely sad eyes. Holy shit, did that actually work?

"P-Pay?" she repeated. Was this girl that desperate for money? Was that the reason she looked so depressed?

"Yeah," I nervously replied. I had never done this sort of thing before. Paying a younger girl to go out with me? I really felt like the worst, taking advantage of her desperation and weakness, but I really didn't want this girl to leave. My plain, boring life suddenly started feeling a bit more exciting. "So just stay. We'll have tea together, that's it. Is that okay?"

"I… I guess I don't see anything wrong with that," she whispered, looking down at the ground.

After that, we made another appointment to go out again. Of course, I paid her. I knew that it was the only reason she kept coming back. I felt dirty and guilty, but I actually did care about this girl. Ever since I saw her sad and broken face on that rainy afternoon, I couldn't get her out of my head. I wanted to know everything about her; I wanted to fix her.

Slowly but surely, I got to know her a bit better. I learned her favorite subjects in school. I learned what foods she liked and disliked. I learned how strict her parents were about her studies. I learned how much of a gentle soul she truly was.

We met a total of about eight times in the last month; I saw her twice a week. Seeing her really was the highlight of my day. My days in the office didn't seem as dull. My life felt less empty. Things were finally beginning to turn around and get better for me.

In those eight times I had a date with her, I had only seen her genuine smile once- it was on the day that I told her how beautiful she looked. I meant it when I said it. I still remember the cute pink blush that formed on her cheeks. It was the first time I had seen color on her face; it was the first time I had seen her acting human.

That was already a few weeks ago when I said that. I wanted to keep seeing what else would make her smile. I'd hoped that eventually, I wouldn't have to keep paying her to go out with me anymore. In time, I believed that she could truly begin to like me for who I was. I had a lot to offer to her; not just money. I actually was really beginning to like her, and I'd hoped that she would slowly open up and begin to reciprocate those feelings right back.

How sadly mistaken I was.

I'm here now, currently sitting at the ice cream parlor she was supposed to meet me at. I have been waiting for her for over an hour. I sighed in defeat. Somewhere in me, I suspected that this would happen. I just didn't think it would be so soon.

How foolish I was to think that she would keep up with this act for much longer. After all, she was just far too innocent to be involved with this kind of stuff in the first place. I knew that, sooner or later, she would realize what she was doing and would just walk away from it all. I felt guilty for tainting such a pure girl like her. I felt guilty for taking advantage of her in her time of weakness. I had discovered her Achilles Heel and used it against her for my own selfish reasons.

I looked at the small velvet box in my hands and opened it up, a smirk of self pity forming on my face. I opened it and stared at the silver heart-shaped pendant that was inside. I guess it's a good thing that I held onto the receipt. I would have no use for this trinket anymore.

I stared off into the distance and wondered if I would ever see her again. Tokyo was a big city so I highly doubted it. Somewhere in my heart, I really wished her the best, even if it wasn't with me. A beautiful and intelligent girl like her will surely get herself a nice catch.

I sighed and looked above at the fluffy white clouds painted against the beautiful blue sky. It was warm and sunny out, much unlike my first encounter with her. My heart ached just a little as I realized how much my short time with her really affected me.

"Hoshino Aya," I whispered in the air. A breeze tousled my dark hair and I smiled bitterly to myself. "Goodbye, wherever you are."

Fix you

- End.

Authress: Please leave a review, if you so happened to read this story of mine. I'd like to get your feedback, since this was such an odd topic to write about!

To clarify: In the end, Aya didn't show up to the date because that was the moment in which Ran and Miyuu reprimanded her about subsidized dating. The was the moment Ran slapped her & lectured her in public. It was when all three gals became super friends!

I feel a bit sad for my character, Izawa Ken, though. He was a good guy. I hope he found happiness (lol why am I saying this about my own made up character…)