Just adding some notes at the top that are more current! This story is STILL
being written, to those of you who FREAKED out on me when it wasn't
finished. To whom I say "PFFFFFFTTTT". Do I ever finish ANYTHING? It
will get done.... Just not soon. ^^ Enjoy though!
slr_europa@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/slr_europa
AIM :: SeeShelliRun
****************************************************
Teachers Pet 4 / ?
By Sailor Europa
"All right Usagi, I think you're getting the hang of it…"
A high pitched wail ensued.
"Are you kidding me? I've never been so confused in my life!"
"Are you sure?"
The blonde shot daggers through pools of ice at her elder, holding her sharpened
pencil menacingly.
"Kidding."
"I'll bet you were."
Mamoru sighed. At least they were getting along, he mused silently. Behind him
he could hear the small tick of the second hand on the clock above the chalkboard; it was
getting late and he knew it. They were going to have to move thing alongs if he was
going to get any grading done tonight.
"All right Usagi, what say we call it a day, all right?" He leaned back in his
swivel chair and stretched. Running a hand through his now disheveled locks, he sighed.
"I think we both deserve a break."
"Thank GOD." Usagi exhaled, tossing her pencil flippantly in front of her. She
stood swiftly and gathered her books together as Mamoru pulled his blazer from behind
the chair. "I don't think my brain could take much more of this torture."
"You're doing well, Usagi. I'm pleased with the progress you've made in the past
few days." He stated for good measure. It was an honest remark; he was seeing an
improvement, if only a slight one at best. However it was encouraging to see her
concentrate on something and begin to see the fruits of her labor. It had taken their first
few sessions to put preconceptions behind, and now they had settled into a necessary
tolerance of each other.
"Arigatou." She smiled breathlessly, having properly put her books into her bag
and turned to face him. He grinned back, surprised to see her guard down a bit around
him. It wasn't a familiar sight, but it was definitely a welcome one. "But this is hard. I'm
not used to all this juice being sapped from me."
"You'll get used to it. And it just seems so exhausting because it's new." He
placed a fatherly hand on her back and guided her out the door in front of him. Without
another look, she exited the room and a resounding slam of the door announced her
departure.
"Oh man." Mamoru breathed, rubbing his eyes effortlessly. It was an action he'd
been familiar with since he'd began teaching this class. He had at first found the job
inspiring; it made him think and challenged his mind to a point he didn't think was
possible. He had to be on the top of his game in order to perform, and even though he had
never noticed it before, he had a tendency to slack off occasionally, and he found that that
was entirely impossible now. He was on all day long.
However now he was seeing the trials and tribulations the teachers went through
on a day to day basis. Crappy food, horrible hours, lousy pay. And he was just a
substitute! Not to mention the student admiration wore off once they realized he wasn't
going to be a push-over, and the onslaught of disrespect ensued. It wasn't as bad as it
could be, and he knew they were just kids, but it was hard to take this job seriously when
a huge part of it was educating kids who refused to be educated.
And now he had added to the mix his tutor gig with Usagi. He sighed again and
wondered what ever possessed him to offer to do this in the first place. He was 21 and in
college; he did not have the experience to offer these kids much. And now he had pretty
much badgered an unwilling pupil into staying after class for hours each day, only to
wear him out even more. Not to mention it was hard to separate Usagi from the idea that
she really didn't want to be there. He had been torn as to what the right thing to do was;
let her fail on her own because she claimed she wanted it that way, or bite the bullet and
force her to study.
On the one hand, he didn't think he really owed her anything. It wasn't like she
had given him anything but grief from the get-go. And he would only be around for a
limited time; what happened afterwards? He would go back to college and his schedule
would change. Was he supposed to keep tutoring her? Or was that as far as his helping
hand would reach?
Of course, he had to admit that the disagreements the two suffered from were
hardly rooted in anger. It was a tease, and deep down he knew that it was simply a way of
showing affection. He cared about her, but he wasn't sure how to get past the barbs in
order to show her that she had earned a small place in his life. Maybe it was simply as a
semi-friendly debate partner, but there was still a spot she filled that no one else could.
And if he didn't offer to help her, he'd be failing as the friend he considered himself to
be.
Mamoru shook his head.
"Another fine mess you've gotten yourself into Mamoru…."
*****
"All right, that's it for today." Mamoru spoke over the shrill pitch of the dismissal
bell. "I have your graded assignments from yesterday, so don't forget to pick them up on
your way out."
One by one the students mingled towards the front of the room and gathered
around his desk where the mangled pieces of paper had been stacked. Shoots of joy and
corresponding agonizing wails erupted accordingly as the grades were viewed, and
Mamoru simply gathered his paperwork up, giddy at the idea of leaving before 6 tonight.
He hadn't a thing to grade for tomorrow, and he was looking forward to drinking root
beer floats at the arcade until they had to roll him home.
As soon as he was ready, he scanned the few remaining stragglers for the blonde
tornado. He frowned openly, not finding her dumplings anywhere in the room. He
exhaled, a bit disappointed he didn't get a chance to congratulate her on her vast
improvement on the recent assignment. He knew that his feelings of pride were
unfounded; she really was smart, she just didn't know it yet. He had nothing to do with it.
But still, being a self-proclaimed glory hog, he couldn't help but steal a little credit.
The last of the students filed out the door and Mamoru pulled his briefcase
alongside him as he strode out of the building towards the red Honda motorcycle.
Tossing his belongings in the cargo space, he pulled his helmet snugly over his head and
straddled the leather padded seat. He couldn't help but smile as he revved the engine, and
a few impressed pedestrians cast longing looks in his direction. He had spent years saving
for this two-wheeled monster, and he could honestly say it was worth every penny. It was
more than a big help with the ladies, and even though he wasn't insecure about the way
his masculinity appeared to others, he couldn't help but feel like he do anything on this
thing. He felt like such a man on the bike. Like he could climb a mountain or eat fire or at
least bang his thumb really hard and not whimper.
Testosterone with handlebars.
He whipped through the streets of Tokyo like wind, and arrived, adrenaline fully
pumped and ego thoroughly stoked, at the arcade not ten minutes later. He strolled in
through the sliding doors of Crown and made a bee-line for the counter.
"Well, well, well. If isn't Chiba-sensei." Motoki chided, grinning broadly. "Come
to grace us with his presence."
"Not like you deserve it."
"If only that kept you away."
"Shut up."
Motoki chuckled victoriously and leaned up against the back counter, dish rag
thrown vicariously over his shoulder, arms crossed defiantly.
"What can I get for you, sensei?"
"Root beer float. Make it a double." Mamoru answered with a sigh. "It's been a
long day. I deserve it."
"How's it going? You haven't been in here in a while. I assume it's keeping you
busy?" Motoki asked over the whir of the soda machine and Mamoru nodded silently.
"Yeah. I always thought that the assignments students were given were harsh."
He groaned and rubbed his eyes as he thought about his 9 hour cram session last night
over English essays. "It's even worse when you have 30+ sets to pour over."
"I can only imagine. I could never do it. I'm not cut out for the criticism teaching
requires." Motoki observed, shaking his head in wonder. He cast an impressed gaze at his
friend and gave a short nod. "But you've always done well under pressure."
As Mamoru nodded an affirmative, the arrival bell above the glass doors rang,
and within seconds the high squeal of Usagi and her friends drowned out all other noise
in the room. Ignoring Motoki momentarily, Mamoru swiveled around on his chair just in
time to find the petite blonde just 10 feet from him. She was engaged in an obviously
intriguing conversation with Minako, another blonde, in which every three seconds one
or the other of them erupted into glass-breaking peals of laughter.
Usagi's eyes lifted and for a second her gaze locked with his. His spirits rose and
she offered a shy smile in his direction. He gave a lazy wave and a cocky grin, barely
noticing the more-than curious looks from her friends as the new greeting continued. He
knew he shouldn't have felt awkward, but he couldn't shake the odd feelings he had.
Normally the two would have already started a barrage of insults at each other only to
have their companions tear them apart.
And there was a part of him that was just dying to start that up again. He wasn't
sure how to handle this, well, whatever it was that was going on between them. Even
before he had become her teacher, she had been more than an acquaintance, but not quite
a friend. Now he was her private tutor, and for some odd reason she trusted him. Well, to
a point, at least. And to be honest, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He wasn't a very
trusting person, and he did his best to keep everyone at bay. And he had been comfortable
with their situation before. He liked knowing where he stood in her mind, and knowing
where she stood in his.
"Woah, that was new."
Mamoru whirled around to face his friend again, his thoughts completely
disrupted. He titled his head.
"What was?"
"No insults? No out-and-out war?"
"Excuse me?"
"Usagi." Motoki rolled his eyes. "Duh."
"You don't think I'm capable of being civil?" Mamoru asked, trying to sound
hurt. Motoki raised an eyebrow.
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
Mamoru laughed and took a swing at the blonde. Motoki swerved and chuckled
good naturedly before settling down.
"Honestly though, what gives?" He asked, suddenly a bit serious.
"Dunno." Mamoru shrugged, hoping to look like he wasn't wondering the same
thing himself….Wondering why he hadn't been able to call her "Odango" like normal.
"Anything…happen between you two?" He asked in a not so subtle tone.
"Well, she is in my class."
"You're kidding?!"
Again Mamoru jerked a puzzled expression at his friend. Motoki laughed and
shook his head, just trying to keep up.
"No. Why would I be?"
"I just thought you would have mentioned that before hand." He shrugged,
thinking about it for a moment more. "You also seem pretty cool about it, too. I would
have thought your first gripe would be that the blonde tornado was your student."
"I've had time to adjust." Mamoru gave a lop-sided grin. "I started tutoring her
this week, and so -."
"Wait, what?" Motoki broke in, his jaw flapping in the wind. For a second,
Mamoru just stared, obliviously. "Did you just say you're her tutor?"
"Yeah." Mamoru said plainly. "Why?"
"Did you fall and hit your head or something?" Motoki let a little, confused laugh
slip and he just shook his head. "What ever possessed you to do a thing like that?"
"Come on, we both know she isn't a good student. I'm only offering to help. I am
her teacher, after all."
"You've never seemed to care before. Why now?"
"You sound just like her." Mamoru muttered, exasperated, as he set his jaw on his
palm.
"Well, this isn't like you. You always made it plain that you really never cared a
thing about her before." Motoki went back to wiping down the counters and Mamoru felt
his pride begin to swell. Why was it that everyone didn't believe he could be a nice guy?
Was everyone convinced he had a rock for a heart?
"What? Just because I don't confess every little emotion that passes through my
mind, that automatically means I'm so thick-skinned I don't care?" Mamoru sputtered,
standing up in a fury. Motoki immediately stopped and stared.
"Kami, calm down, Chiba. I didn't say that." He shrugged as he approached him
again. "It's just odd, that's all. Can you really blame me though? Don't get me wrong,
I'm glad to hear you do care, especially after all the bad blood between you two." He
blinked. "It's just unexpected."
Mamoru was quiet for a moment, and he stared down at his shiny black shoes
intently. His brow furrowed and he suddenly looked at Motoki, pleading.
"Did I really come off like that?"
Motoki cast a wary glance at the booth where the blonde - in - question was
sitting happily, chatting away with her small clique. He felt slightly sad when he finally
answered.
"Yeah, you did."
*****
"All right minna." Mamoru's tone rose as the student body rose with only two
minutes to spare in the day. The scuffle of books and papers and zippers mellowed only
slightly as a few still loyal females stopped to listen attentively. "I've heard from Haruna-
san that you were scheduled to have a test over the latest chapter in your English books. I
think you've all been doing well enough, so I think that you should be able to handle it,
despite your regular instructor being absent." He paused as a few corresponding groans
and negative comments he pointedly chose to ignore, filled the room. He gave a smug
grin. "I trust you'll all be prepared."
The bell chose that moment to ring and without a moments hesitation each set of
legs sprinted for the exit.
"Usagi!" Mamoru called before the young blonde had a chance to leave. She
turned and Mamoru was a little shocked (and more than a bit happy) to see no vehemence
evident on her face. Had she finally gotten over her doubts about his motives?
"Hai?" She replied, turning on her heel to face him better. He smiled and
motioned her towards his desk.
"I just wanted to congratulate you on the outstanding work you've been doing.
I'm really very impressed." She obviously hadn't been expecting his praise, because he
caught a slight blush on her pale cheeks as she looked towards the floor, stubbing her toe
into the grubby tile.
"Domo. It's been hard, though." She said quietly, head still bent downwards. "My
parents still haven't gotten over the shock of that big '81' on my last essay." She said
suddenly, adding a little giggle as punctuation. Mamoru smiled at the sound. He couldn't
help thinking he liked her much better like this.
"You've worked so hard. You deserve it." He said, a smile flitting onto his lips.
She finally looked up at him and grinned openly.
"Mamoru, I'm sorry for being such a brat to begin with." She started, reverting
back to being slightly embarrassed. She giggled nervously and looked down again.
"G...gomen. For not trusting you."
"Usagi-san, it's OK. You had every right to be suspicious." Mamoru conceded.
She was visibly shocked and didn't try to mask her expression. He sighed, a bit
uncomfortable himself with the idea of admitting his faults, as she had been. He stood
finally and moved towards the front of his desk, leaning against the edge as he crossed
his arms. She took this sign in stride and entered the room a bit further. "I don't blame
you one bit for not being able to overlook my…. Past patterns." He hedged a bit. She
smiled.
"I guess neither of us handled this very well, ne?" She giggled, and once again he
was amazed at how comfortable she was with him now. He hadn't realized how much
more at ease it made him as well; he was surprised he didn't notice when the
awkwardness had disappeared between them.
"Not really." He gave her a cock-eyed grin.
"Are we done then?" She asked, pointing towards the exit. Mamoru blanched. He
had completely gotten off track of what he wanted to ask her during the conversation. He
shook his head, wondering where his mind had been.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about your planned methods of preparing for next
weeks test." He inquired, his tone turning academic once more. Her face fell, and he felt a
small pang in his chest as Usagi's spirits obviously descended. Things had been going so
well; he hated to have to bring the mood down.
"I…I don't know." She admitted, letting a laugh slip. "I hadn't really thought
about it yet."
"I figured as much." He mumbled, half to himself. He caught her sharp eye snap
to attention at the obvious barb, and he immediately chastised himself. 'You just had to
say that, didn't you?' he berated himself. He inwardly sighed. Old habits die hard.
"Aaah….I was just thinking we should set up another session, and then
concentrate specifically on the previous chapter." He took a moment to collect himself,
choosing to deliberately to ignore his indiscretion and hope she could do the same. But in
an instant he saw her defenses back up and she folded her arms, obviously musing over
how he would never change. If Mamoru could have smacked himself without looking
suspicious, he would have.
"You don't think I can do it on my own?" She asked, her tone a bit colder and an
octave higher than before. He inhaled, wondering how he would save his butt this time.
"Iie Usagi, that's not it at all…"
"You just said I was doing really well. Maybe I don't need your help, *sensei*."
She said, practically biting out the last word in sarcasm. He cringed. He was really going
to have to scramble now.
"Is there something wrong with me wanting to help you?" He finally asked,
exasperated. He couldn't shake the part of him that just didn't feel like being tactful; even
if it was going to get his butt in a sling. "Have I helped you so far?"
She hesitated a bit before answering. "Hai."
"Then I think it would be best to stick with that plan, since most of your study
habits prior to tutoring weren't really working out to your advantage." Oooh, he could
have put that better….
"Thank you for pointing that out!" She said in bitter tones, teeth clenched tightly
through her anger. He was at least 20 feet from her, but he could see from the late
afternoon sun shining through the windows that tears had already sprung to her eyes, but
she was making a valiant effort to keep them at bay. He felt a vice like grip snag his heart
and automatically felt wretched. Kami, what was wrong with him, anyway? "Because
having my parents and teachers and friends tell me everyday isn't enough!"
And obviously to keep him from watching her sobs begin, she turned on her heel
and ran through the door like a shot. Before he had a chance to even think, he took off
after her.
She only made it a few feet from the classroom before he caught up, grabbing her
shoulder and spinning her around. Her face was already moist with uncontainable tears,
and she furiously wiped them away, avoiding his piercing glare, her jaw set in a tight
line.
"Usagi…." She didn't respond, and he seized both shoulders in a firm grasp,
forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Usagi, listen to me. I'm sorry." He gave her a small
shake. "I'm sorry, OK? Please don't let your tutoring suffer because of me." He didn't
even bring up the snide comments he had made before or even his less-than-subtle
wording specifically, but he knew she understood.
"I don't understand you, Mamoru." She finally responded, shaking her head. He
could see the inner turmoil he had caused and he almost asked what he could do to dispel
that confusion. She had progressed so well in such a short time; he hated to be the cause
of its end.
And more than that, he had enjoyed his time with her. Despite his initial
misgivings, he found that they really did get along semi-well. And after such a revelation,
he would do anything to keep from reverting back to their unforgivable past. He liked the
way things had been the past week and a half, and he wasn't willing to just let that go.
"I know. I've been a bastard, and I can't take it back. I apologize. But I do care
about your education, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I'll even keep my mouth
shut if I have to. Just don't give up on this." He pleaded, letting go of her upper body,
praying that she wouldn't run when she had the chance. He was relieved when her
shoulders just sagged in confusion. He knew she didn't want to trust him; and by all
means, she shouldn't have to. But there was so much more at stake than his new,
confusing attachment to her; she deserved the chance to succeed. He had to give her that.
"Please Usagi-chan?" He barely had a chance to hear the endearing usage of her
name that he uttered. But before he could second-guess it, she was searching his eyes for
a hidden agenda, and apparently satisfied with what she found, closed her eyes in
acceptance.
"All right….All right." She paused and looked back at him warily. "When?"
"Tuesday. 5PM, as usual." He exhaled, extremely relieved and pleased. He hadn't
realized how long he had been holding on for her answer, but as his pulse slowed to it's
normal pace and he smiled slightly at her. "Thank you, Usagi."
She couldn't find the words to reply, so she nodded with no more emotion than
required, and turned to leave. He watched her retreating form until the large double doors
echoed through the halls as she exited, and then sighed as he leaned up against the wall.
His chest was aching, and he couldn't shake the self-loathing that coursed through
his veins. What was wrong with him, anyway? His motives had become entirely too
personal, and he began to wonder how much of his own heart he had invested in this. He
was willing to do anything to prove himself to her, and he had, up to this point, been able
to convince himself it was strictly for her benefit. But when things had come this close to
dissipating, the sense of urgency he felt was overwhelming; suffocating. He hadn't been
able to breathe.
"This teaching thing is harder than it looks."
*****
"Tadaimai."
"Usa, you're a little late, aren't you? Did you have another session after school
today?" Mrs. Tsukino poked her head out of the kitchen questioningly, signature apron
wrapped snugly around her waist and looked pointedly at Usagi. The blonde shook her
head, and the pigtails danced merrily.
"Iie. I took the long way home. Through the park." She answered half-heartedly.
Her mother didn't catch the flat tone of voice and continued about her business, leaving
Usagi alone to her thoughts. 'I don't think I could take an interrogation anyway.' She
thought glumly, trotting up the stairs less than enthusiastically.
She immediately threw herself onto her worn-in comforter and sighed loudly. Her
tears were all but dry now, however she still wasn't sure she was ready to let the pain go.
She didn't know who she was more disappointed in – herself, for letting him get close
enough to trust, or Mamoru for proving he still was the same self-centered ego-maniac
she always accused him of being.
"Why can't he just pick one personality and stick with it? Why does he have to be
so schizophrenic?" She moaned, pounding her pillow furiously. She sighed, not quite
understanding that she was more confused about why she let him get to her so much. To
consider the odd feelings she had let escape from her boarded up heart while she was
with him was too much, especially now that they had obviously been proven wrong.
He had been so kind while he was helping her – at first she had rightfully been
scared; it's not like he had ever shown anything but disdain for her very existence after
all.
But after a little while, it seemed like he had changed. Set aside the actual school
work and learning, she came to enjoy their few private hours together; even look forward
to them. It even seemed like her fears had been unfounded. She didn't want to admit it,
even to herself, but Chiba Mamoru was a decent guy. Nice even. And who knows? Had
things gone on the same way, uninterrupted, she might have even called him a friend.
Eventually.
'But now….' She sighed, and turned her head to the side, watching the second
hand tick away on her bunny clock. And why did it bother her so much that he appeared
to have multiple personalities? Why did it matter that he thought she wasn't smart? Why
did she like thinking he was impressed by her? Why had this afternoon been such a
gigantic let down?
She groaned loudly and buried her face in her pillow. Too much to think about in
such a short time.
"Life sucks."
*****
Knock knock.
Mamoru rubbed his red rimmed eyes before answering.
"Hai, come in Usagi."
Within moments he watched her blonde-odangoed head poke through the door,
right on time; 5PM, on the nose.
"Konichiwa." She said warily, and he felt a pain, his brain reminding him that he
had caused her paranoia to resurface, and his chest squeezed again.
"Konichiwa, Usagi-san." He said good-naturedly, hoping to ease her fears a bit.
She didn't seem anymore at ease and Mamoru sighed, standing up from behind his desk.
He motioned for her to take a seat in the front row and she quickly set her materials in
next to her and pulled her English text from her bag. He turned to face her but was
accosted suddenly by an overwhelming yawn and immediately surrendered to it. He
stretched fully, and recovered to find his pupil smirking, despite herself. He felt an
ecstatic grin tug at his lips upon finding her more comfortable.
"Tired?" She teased, her apparent disdain for the situation gone for the moment.
"You would be too if you had to grade 150 assignments last night." He remarked
and she made a disgusted face, wrinkling her nose in obvious distaste. He chuckled,
choosing to ignore that slight jump in his pulse.
It wasn't exactly true, either. While he had been up grading all those papers, they
weren't due to be handed back until Friday. However he had been completely ridden with
anxiety over the pending tutor session and his students recent dislike for his company that
he had tossed and turned for hours before finally giving up. The grading had provided a
welcomed distraction, but by the time 6AM rolled around, he regretted not having tried
harder. His nerves were already shot after three weeks of teaching, confusion over these
new feelings with Usagi and now a huge test coming up; the last thing he needed was
insomnia to top it off.
"Ready to get started?"
For once, he didn't try to stop the flutter of his heart when she granted him a
genuine smile.
*****
"I really think you have the vocabulary down, Usagi. That'll help out greatly on
the exam."
It was already the third hour of their meeting, and things had fallen into a
comfortable give and take. Once more he was duly impressed with her work; she really
didn't give herself much credit when it came to school work.
"That's the easiest part. I just don't think I'll do too well on the grammar." She
said glumly, her form slumping forward in her seat.
"Why not? I think you're doing fine with it." Mamoru shrugged and readjusted
himself in the plastic desk he had mangled his form into. Somewhere along the course of
the study session, he had pulled one of the closest desks next to hers in order to see the
book better. Now they sat side by side, less that a foot from one another. She sat her chin
in her palm and shrugged in reply to his comment.
"I'm just not sure I can remember all this information. It's a lot to carry around
until Friday." She sighed and leaned back.
"All you have to do is review a little bit each night." He stated, matter of factly
and she shot him a look, as if he had just suggested she go streaking around the hallway.
"Just a little. To refresh your memory. They even have little questions for that exact thing
in each chapter."
"Really?" She asked, incredulously.
"Yeah." He laughed. "You really haven't looked in this thing very much, have
you?" Once more he could have physically beaten himself up for insinuating such a
thing, but to his great surprise (and relief), she just laughed.
"I try to stay away from these things as much as possible." She retorted, and he
marveled at the way she just let the comment slide. He didn't think that, by any means, it
meant he could keep the insults coming, but it was certainly comforting to know that for
once he wasn't going to have to run after her in a frantic sprint.
"Well, I'm not suggesting that you make it a nightly ritual, but a short review
every once and a while is helpful." He shrugged and she nodded.
"Thanks. I'll do that." She smiled gratefully. He returned the gesture happily. He
had long since given up trying to resist her contagious giddiness. It was futile, anyway.
"Good." He stated, then leaned back to stretch. Once again he let a yawn escape,
and he turned around in his seat after a few seconds to find Usagi watching him
thoughtfully.
"Is there anything more we need to do tonight?" She asked, her eyes darting to the
clock. He thought for a moment and conceded that they had covered just about
everything they needed to. He felt his mood droop a bit. He was glad things were better
between them; he hated to see her go so soon.
"I think we're through." He smiled, hoping his disappointment wasn't evident.
"You should be set." She exhaled greatly and let her back arch over the chair, stretching
her muscles. He watched as the flushed pink skin just below her navel was exposed in the
motion, and he felt his complexion heat up. He couldn't help but stare; she looked
undeniably cute that afternoon. She had taken the time to change from her uniform and
came in jeans and a tight pink sweater with a little bunny stitched on the left shoulder. He
hadn't realized it before, but he rarely saw her in anything but that little sailor costume
from school. Even though she wasn't dressed incredibly maturely, she seemed much
older out of the signature Juuban skirt and blouse. Even with the Odango.
"Mamoru?" She asked, breaking the silence he was enveloped in. Startled, he
looked at her wide blue eyes, now looking directly at him. He didn't allow the shields to
go back up after being lost in thought, and he found a slight jolt of electricity from their
locked gaze.
"Hm?" He replied, finding it was all he could muster as he scrambled desperately
to regain the composure that had mysteriously vanished.
"Uh, I just wanted to…Thank you." She took a deep breath and laughed lowly,
getting nervous. He watched her cheeks flush, and he couldn't stop the tender smile that
crept on his lips. "I haven't said it before, but I do appreciate your help." She furrowed
her brow, eyes still staring at the desk top intently. "You were right; I hadn't done a good
job on my own in school, but I wouldn't let anyone else try to help. Or they would get so
frustrated and just give up." She cleared her throat and forced herself to look up in
genuine sincerity. "So thank you."
"I'm glad you finally let me." He replied honestly, and he realized too late that he
wasn't able to quell the affection in his tone just then. He was appreciative of her
acceptance just as much as she was. "I don't know why you let me, of all people,
though." He broke the serious aura with a chuckle. She though, turned thoughtful.
"You're not a friend." She stated plainly. He turned towards her, obviously a bit
stunned and hurt. She blushed, embarrassed at the way the comment sounded. "I didn't
mean it like that. I just meant that…I expect my parents and my friends to get on my
case; their supposed to care about me. But you weren't and you still did." She shrugged.
Nursing a personal wound, Mamoru stood up and kneeled in front of her desk and
looked her in the eyes once more, withstanding the wave of emotion he felt drowned by
as he did so. He could see her breathing get deeper as they stood there for a while, not
moving. He searched her eyes, looking for something he couldn't quite identify. He
couldn't be positive, but he was pretty sure she was unconsciously doing the same thing.
"Usagi-chan, I hope you got the distinct impression from the past few weeks that I
do care about you and your success." He gave an embarrassed grin in her direction.
"Despite my little bouts with jerkiness. I don't have any ulterior motives in this; I don't
even know what they would be. I only want what's best for you. That's it."
"Thank you." She said shyly, smiling slowly, and with a huge amount of emotion.
His heart beat raced; he couldn't stop to question why. It had become as natural as
breathing. "I know that now." She let her eyes rise lazily to meet his own. "Thank you."
She repeated unknowingly.
"You don't need to thank me, Usagi…" He confessed, letting a small slice of
what he had been confused over come to the surface. He stood up suddenly and she
watched him intensely before he stopped for a moment and then sat on her desk top. "I
have no control over it." She swallowed, not able to break the contact they had made and
smiled nervously, almost afraid to speak.
"Of course you do. You don't have to care…." Her voice was hoarse, and he
could see she was shaking. He didn't know what happened or when, but somehow the
session had changed drastically; he wasn't sure he could go back, where ever they
happened to be now.
He unconsciously licked his lips and smiled, trying to laugh to dispel the mood
they had fallen into it; however it never came. But in the process he found his neck
craning forwards unwittingly.
"Maybe not." He whispered. "But I want to." Without another thought he let his
anticipating lips brush hers, finding they were only a moments hesitation away. He hadn't
realized what he had been looking for, but found it all the same within a second. He
didn't wait any longer to press further, drowning in something he couldn't even identify.
His own breath came quicker and he realized too late what he had done, but found for the
moment he didn't care. He tilted his head to the side and coaxed the kiss deeper; farther.
Her lips were folding into his own, and he praised God they didn't recoil, but responded
by grasping his own greedily. He hadn't known that receiving something he didn't even
know he wanted could have caused the tremors it did. He had pushed the tide of emotion
and attraction back for so long. But now as it washed over him; now that he was
embracing it, he couldn't, for the life of him, remember why he had denied it for so long.
***********************************************
AHAHAHA! I love cliff-hangers. So this one was chalk-full of WAFF; it still had a
cliffie. But a fun one, don't you agree? ^^ It's been a while, but I think TANG finally
came back from her sabbatical. And she came bearing gifts. And a horsewhip to beat me
with. *scowls at her muse* Slave driver…..
FEEEEEEEEDBAAAAACK! FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDBACK!
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