Sometimes I think too much at work. The inspiration hit me for this for no reason
at all, and I was at first going to make this a Sango/Miroku
story, but then I thought that it would fit Momo and Kiley SO well and I’ve
been dying to write a Peach Girl fanfic
so…viola! My story.
This story contains spoilers (as does
this summary, btw), as it takes place in the middle of book eight, after
Super-bitch (aka Sae)
blackmails Toji into dumping Momo. It
begins just after Momo recovers from her illness and comes back to school, only
to find out that she’s in the same class as Sae, Toji
and Kiley. Her little shopping spree
with Kiley beforehand never happened, and neither does anything else in the
story after this point, okay? Okay.
Btw, I’m a complete Kiley supporter (the
boy is just too adorable for words) so if you’re looking for Momo to get back
with Mr. Mamoru-Complex (aka Toji) again…look elsewhere. You have been warned.
And for those of you who don’t get my
little Mamoru-complex joke…you’ve obviously never watched the second season of
Sailor Moon. ^_~
Disclaimers: I do not own the characters of Peach
Girl. They are the sole property of the
spectacular Miwa Ueda, and I am merely borrowing them for the sake of this
story. But I’d be more than happy to buy
Kiley off of you, Uesa-san! Really!
*hopeful look*
*Sighs*
A girl can dream, can’t she? Ah
well. On with the show.
Artistic License
By Quickening
Prologue
Signing Up
Momo stuck her head around the door of the classroom glancing around cautiously. Seeing that the coast was clear, with no sign of Sae or Toji anywhere, she strolled into the room and took a seat at her desk. She was early; class didn’t start for another twenty minutes, and most of the students usually waited until the last possible second before reluctantly taking their seats to begin their learning. She sank into her chair and heaved a deep sigh, wincing when her breath rattled slightly in her throat, making her cough slightly; she still couldn’t quite shake the remnants of the bronchitis that had kept her out of school for nearly four weeks, although she was finally well enough to attend again.
Just her luck that she had come back in time to get her new homeroom assignments, and to find out that she was stuck for a year in the same class as two of the people she least wanted to be stuck with, both Sae and Toji. One, she could handle. Maybe even the other. But the both of them together? Constantly reminding her of the fact that she no longer had the one person she’d most wanted in all her life? She grimaced; she was absolutely certain that Sae had somehow managed to fix it so she would be near Momo at all times to rub her face in the fact that she had finally gotten Toji all for herself. Sae was not lacking in the ability to get away with stuff like that. After all, Sae was the very essence of evil. She probably had psychotic little minion-monkeys from hell to serve her or something, Momo thought darkly.
Her breath hitched again and she swallowed hard against her scratchy throat. She grimaced again and laid her head on her arms, closing her eyes wearily. She shouldn’t have come back yet. She wouldn’t have come back at all, if her mother hadn’t dragged her out of bed and forced her to go. She wasn’t ready to face the world again, especially to face him again. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as she remembered the last time she’d seen Toji, when she’d gotten sick. He’d left her out there. Never mind that it was freezing and snowing and she’d waited for hours for him to give in and open the door and just talk to her. He hadn’t done it and she’d gotten sick. She’d also gotten severely scolded by her parents when she finally stumbled home nearly four hours later on feet that were almost too numb to hold her weight. Of course, her mother had made her take a hot bath right away and fed her heated broth, but by then she’d already caught a cold that had quickly escalated into something a bit more serious. All she could do though was be grateful that she didn’t have to go to school and face the whispers of her classmates and try and put on a brave face when inside all she wanted to do was die.
Kiley had come over just about every day, and although she’d sent him away each time he never was gone for long. If there was one thing she’d learned about Kiley it was that he was persistent, and so she’d finally allowed him in to see her. He’d been awfully subdued (for such a perverted pumpkin), and hadn’t stayed long, but he’d given her a book to read and a beautiful (expensive!) choker necklace as a get-well present, asking her to please come back to school as soon as she got better. He was being so sweet and so un-Kiley-like that she hadn’t the heart to refuse his request. He was genuinely worried about her and she couldn’t help but be touched by his concern. So this was another reason she was back in school, aside from her mother’s insistence. She didn’t have the heart to break a promise to Kiley. He seemed to be the only one who actually cared anymore.
She heard the door open and opened one eye as a figure stepped into the near-empty room. She couldn’t see who it was; the person was all blurry and she was surprised to discover that she’d unknowingly started to cry again. I’ve really got to stop doing that in public, she thought wryly. It’s bound to get embarrassing…
“Momo! You’re finally back! What’s new, Pussycat?”
Momo grimaced at the delighted cry; only one person she knew ever called her pussycat, and somehow she wasn’t surprised to discover that he was in her class, as well. “Hello, Kiley,” she murmured tiredly, not even bothering to look up as the tall young man grabbed the chair to a desk in front of her and plopped down to sit on it backwards, arms crossing over the back and chin propped on his arms.
“Hey…” The playful delight was gone from his tone, to be replaced by concern, and she felt a gentle hand smoothing back the strands of hair that hung over her eyes. “You’re crying again. Do you still feel sick?”
“Just sick at heart,” she replied in a choked whisper. She cleared her throat and forced her head up to look into his concerned brown eyes, squeezing a smile onto her lips. “I’m fine,” she added, making her voice as chipper as possible. “So we’re in the same class, huh? How’d you manage to pull that off, I wonder.”
Kiley blinked at her, clearly not convinced by her less-than-convincing act, but more students were beginning to filter into the classroom and now wasn’t the time or place for a serious discussion. “What can I say? It must be fate,” he replied flippantly. “This must be a sign that we’re meant to be together, eh, Momo?” He gave her his most charming grin, and she couldn’t help but smile back at him, for real this time. He noticed, then, the necklace she wore around her neck, and his smile widened. “Oh, good! You like it then?” he asked eagerly, reaching out to finger the gilded silver cross hanging from the velvet band. His warm fingers brushed against her throat softly, causing her heart to lurch strangely in her chest, and she felt a slow blush begin to creep across her tanned cheeks.
“Uh…yeah. It’s beautiful. Thank you, Kiley,” she stammered, feeling unaccountably relieved when he grinned again and pulled away, turning around in his seat to face the front of the room; the teacher had arrived and the students were all busily taking their seats and pulling out their papers and books, but she barely noticed. She stared at her desk with wide eyes, one hand clutching at her uniform. What was that?! Why had her heart pounded so strangely just then? It was just Kiley, for pity’s sake! She was about as attracted to him as she was to…to her neighbor’s noisy dog!
“Miss Adachi, if you’re quite through memorizing the top of your desk, would you care to join the rest of the class in our discussion of chapter three?”
Momo jerked in surprise at the sound of the teacher’s voice, feeling herself blushing all over again when her classmates’ tittered around her. She glanced around, noticing that Sae was casting her smug look. From just beside the shorter girl, Toji was studiously gazing at his textbook, his expression solemn. “Y-yes, Sir,” Momo stammered, quickly turning away and pulling her book out to open it to the proper section. The teacher must have noticed her embarrassment, because he gave her a pitying look.
“I understand that you’ve been absent for quite awhile due to illness, but I hope you’ll be able to keep up. Perhaps somebody will be willing to catch you up on things so you won’t fall behind.”
“I’ll be happy to help her with that, Sir,” Kiley piped up before Momo could reply. She opened her mouth to protest, hesitated, and closed it again with a sigh and a shrug. She was a little behind, after all, and even though Kiley was a pumpkin, he was pretty smart with stuff like this.
“Very well, I’ll leave it to the two of you to work out a study schedule,” the teacher replied. “Now, class, if you’ll turn to page fifty-two of your textbooks…”
* * * * *
“Momo! Hey, Momo! Wait up!”
Momo sighed as she slowed her walk, waiting for Kiley to jog up. He fell easily into step beside her, gazing down at her with his usual sparkling grin. “So did you survive your first day back at school?” he asked cheerfully. “Say, we need to set up a study session so we can get you caught up with things, right? I mean, you did miss almost two weeks of the new year. Why don’t we head over to my place and…”
“You pumpkin!” she snapped, stopping dead in her tracks and swinging around to glare daggers at him. “What are you thinking about, huh?!”
“Whoa, whoa! Take it easy there, Pussycat!” Kiley waved his hands appeasingly while stepping out of range of her fists. “I was just offering to…”
“I know what you were offering,” Momo huffed, turning on him abruptly to march away.
“Awww…come on, Momo! I was being serious!” Kiley whined as he ran to catch up. “Honestly! I can help you study. You can’t do it on your own, and since Toji isn’t in…the…” He trailed off abruptly, realizing what he’d said too late. Momo had gone still, her posture stiffening. “Uh…Momo?” He gulped and hesitantly stepped closer. “Aw, I’m sorry, Pussycat,” he pleaded. “I wasn’t thinking about…say something, will you? Yell at me! Hit me, even!”
Momo sighed and hung her head. “I’m tired, Kiley. I want to go home,” she murmured, her eyes betraying her sadness. “Can we study another time?”
“…Sure, Momo. Whatever you want,” he replied softly, his eyes regarding her sadly. What would it take to cheer his poor kitten up? He was trying his hardest…but she seemed just as determined to stay in her depressed state. It really wasn’t healthy for her to be like this. She needed to forget about Toji and just get on with her life! But how to bring this up without hurting her more deeply than she was? Or, even more importantly…without her hurting him?
He pouted and looked around, gazing thoughtfully at the numerous shop windows they passed along the street, until a large sign abruptly caught his eye. And just like that, inspiration struck. “Oh!” He stopped dead, one hand reaching out to grip Momo’s sleeve. “I’ve got it!” he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. “Come on, Momo!”
She was startled. “Kiley…what…?” But she didn’t get to finish as her companion pulled her forcefully into the building, which appeared to be some kind of school. “What are we doing in here?” she hissed at him, trying to free her wrist from his grasp.
“They’re holding a drawing class in the evenings here. ‘A Study of Nature’ or whatever that sign back there said. You’re going to sign up for it!” Kiley replied cheerfully.
“I’m what?!” Momo was glaring at him again, which never boded well for his poor, abused body.
“Sign up for the class, Pussycat,” he explained patiently, while keeping a wary eye out for unexpected flying fists. “Art is a great way to express the soul! All your emotions need an outlet…it isn’t healthy to keep them bottled up inside like you are! I know you’re feeling bad about Toj…erm…that-guy-who-shall-remain-nameless, but you can’t keep wallowing in depression. If you sign up for this course, maybe it’ll help you to release some of your frustration.”
“Using you as my punching bag always helps,” she growled dangerously.
He sweatdropped and chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah…but this way is less dangerous. For me, anyway.” He muttered that last part under his breath.
Momo sighed. “Kiley, this course probably costs money, of which I have none at the moment. Thanks for trying to help me, but really, I’ll be okay. So…”
“Ta-da!” Kiley wasn’t listening. Rather, he was flashing what looked like a wad of bills in her face. “Taken care of!” he chirped with a grin. “So sign away! It starts tomorrow night!”
Her jaw dropped. “I can’t let you do that!” she cried. “Besides, I’m horrible at drawing! It’d be a complete waste of money! And I’ve got swimming class and what about studying? I don’t have time to take art lessons!”
“Nonsense!”
he laughed. “I saw those cute little
sketches you did of Toji on your notebook…”
He ignored her fierce blush and prattled on, “and they were really
good! I think you’d be great at it!” He strode over and grabbed a pamphlet off the
front desk, bouncing back to her again as he read through it. “Ah-hah!” he crowed. “This is perfect! The class is only three nights a week, and it
lasts only a month. We can study
together on weekends, and your swimming practice ends at
“My
parents might not like it,” she muttered.
“
“I’ll talk your mom into it. She likes me,” he replied with a grin.
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Heaven only knows why,” she retorted snidely.
He pouted, looking hurt. “That isn’t very nice,” he sniffed. “Come on, Momo. I’m trying to help you here.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “If you insist on me taking this dumb course, then go ahead and sign me up. It’s your waste of money!” He grinned at her and bounded back to the front desk, where the secretary looked up and immediately eyed him with keen interest. Momo rolled her eyes as she wandered away from the desk to study a large painting hanging on the wall. It seemed even middle-aged women weren’t immune to Kiley’s many charms.
She didn’t like to think about why that bothered her so much.
She stood there for nearly ten minutes staring blankly at the painting (which didn’t resemble an actual picture so much as the artist apparently going insane and hurling cans full of paint at the canvas), before she began to grow impatient. She glanced irritably at the desk where Kiley was still standing, expecting to see him filling out a mountain of paperwork or something. But rather than busily signing papers, he appeared to be deep in conversation with the secretary, nodding very occasionally and commenting. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but she could see him flashing the woman his most charming smile, and judging by the flattered look the woman kept giving him, not to mention the occasional giggle (Honestly! A forty-something woman flirting like a teenager. How disgraceful, she thought with disgust), he was pouring on the charm. She smirked slightly. He probably found out how much the course actually costs and is trying to charm his way into a lower price, she thought snidely. Well, she had warned him!
“Kiley, are you done yet?” she called out irritably, determined to put a stop to his shameless flirting before his perverted tendencies got him into trouble.
“Huh? Wha…oh, Momo. Sure! Give me just one moment!” he called back, winking at her.
She rolled her eyes. Forgot she was there, did he? “I’m not getting any younger you know!” she retorted petulantly, tapping her heeled foot impatiently against the marble-tiled floor.
“No, but you’re not getting any less beautiful, either!” he replied as he bounced up to her, tossing her another playful wink. “Well, it’s all taken care of! Come on, we’ve got some shopping to do.” He waved a list of supplies in her face. “This is the stuff you’ll need to take the course, and this…” He shoved a thick pamphlet into her bag, “…is the information about the course. Be sure to read it, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she groused. “And what do you mean by shopping? I’ve gotta get home and like I said, I don’t have…”
“…Any money. Yeah, I know,” he finished for her. “And like I said, don’t worry about it! Consider it my treat, okay? Come on! There’s a great art store downtown that’ll give art students a discount. They’ve got everything you’ll need.”
“I suppose Miss Dye-job over there told you that,” she sniffed, shoving a lock of golden hair over her shoulder.
He blinked at her, then glanced back at the secretary, looking confused. “Who, her?”
“Well, you seemed awfully friendly with her for just signing me up for a class,” she sniffed, trying not to care. “It shouldn’t take ten minutes to write my name down on a sheet of paper.”
His face broke out into a wide grin. “Awww…was I making you jealous?” he teased, bouncing around her. “Don’t worry, Momo. You’ll always be my favorite pussycat!” He bent until his face was a mere inch from her own, gazing at her seductively through lidded eyes. “How about a kiss to prove it?” he murmured slyly, moving in closer still…and was immediately answered by a small, hard fist connecting with the side of his head.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he muttered sheepishly, rubbing the growing lump over his ear as he sought to catch up with her quickly-retreating form.
* * * * *
Some time later, a thoroughly exhausted Momo finally reached her house. In her hand was a shopping bag filled with art supplies, including an assortment of rather expensive pencils, a large sketchbook, and an art satchel to carry everything in (which had not been included on the supply list). Kiley had managed to turn a half-hour shopping trip into a good two hours, insisting on stopping for supper at a small café on the way home, but Momo had to admit that she felt in much better spirits than she had before. Kiley just had a way of cheering her up, no matter how rotten she felt, or wanted to feel. He was like a balm to her frazzled nerves, and that made her a bit nervous. She was trying her hardest not to let the little pumpkin get under her skin…but Kiley was just so charming that even she wasn’t immune. Luckily for her, he’d occasionally slip back into his usual perverted self, thus reminding her quite firmly as to why she didn’t like him like that…but every other time…she had to admit that she enjoyed his company.
She opened the gate to go inside, turning to Kiley to bid him farewell. He was watching her with a gentle look in his eyes, and she hesitated, suddenly feeling very shy. Why was he looking at her like that? It was disconcerting, to say the least. “Um…thanks, Kiley,” she began, rubbing at her arm nervously. “I really do appreciate you trying to cheer me up, and for paying for the drawing course. It…might be kinda fun, after all. But I’ll pay you back as soon as I can!” she hurriedly added. “For the supplies, too. Don’t think I didn’t see how much this stuff cost, so I can’t possibly accept everything and not pay you for at least some of it.”
His smile widened. “Geez, you’re so stubborn,” he told her, but his tone was affectionate. His eyes, though, were serious. “Look, my payment was getting you to smile today,” he added quietly. “Didn’t I tell you once that I always wanted you to smile? It’s been so long since I saw it…” He broke off and gave his head a little shake, then abruptly reached out to pull her into a tight hug. She felt her eyes widen as color began to creep into her cheeks. But strangely, she didn’t feel the urge to pull away. Or to slap him silly, for that matter. “Momo…please don’t be sad,” Kiley pleaded. “What Sae and Toji did to you…it’s horrible. You have every right to want to cry. But if you cry all the time and forget to smile once in awhile, then you let them win, and I know that you’re so much stronger than that. Don’t let them break you, Momo.”
“He’s been so cold, Kiley,” Momo whispered, feeling the tears burning in her eyes and beginning a slow, hot trail down her cheeks. “He won’t even look at me anymore. I’ve always told myself that Sae forced him to break up with me but…but what if…what if he…chose to do it…on his own? What if he really…doesn’t want me anymore?”
Kiley pulled away slightly, just far enough to be able to look into her eyes. A hand came up to cup her chin, and his expression was completely serious…completely un-Kiley-like. “If that’s the case,” he began in the gravest tone she’d ever heard him use, “then the man is a bigger idiot than even I gave him credit for, and he doesn’t deserve you.”
Her eyes widened. “K-Kiley…” She trailed off when his thumb ghosted softly across her lips, making sparks explode in her mind as her heart faltered, then began to race a marathon in her chest. He seemed to draw closer, his hand gently nudging her chin upward so that she could feel his warm breath caressing her mouth, making her weak in the knees. Her eyes slid closed and all thoughts of Toji slipped from her mind as she felt the softest touch, like the brush of warm velvet, against her lips…
And then the tender moment was shattered when a small, brown furry shape abruptly hurtled itself against the iron fence, releasing a frenzy of loud, high-pitched, growling barks that succeeded in scaring about ten years growth out of the pair. They released simultaneous shrieks of terror and leapt a good five feet away from the barking maniac, sprawling unceremoniously on the pavement as a result and trying to force their hearts out of their throats and back into their chests where they belonged.
They lay there panting for long moments, simply staring at each other in bewilderment while the dog continued to yap above them, before Momo abruptly leaped to her feet, veins throbbing on her fists and head as she threw a deadly glare at the barking hairball. “You stupid dog!” she bellowed, whapping a fist across the mutt’s snout. “What the hell are you trying to do, give us a heart attack?!”
The dog yelped and leaped back, and Momo’s shoulders sank as she turned to apologize to Kiley…only to discover in shock that the young man was still sitting on the ground, leaning against the low wall with his arms draped across his bent knees. His head was lowered so that his long hair shaded his eyes, and his shoulders were shaking uncontrollably as he laughed fit to bust a gut. Momo’s eyes widened as she stared at him for a long moment, before sinking down in front of him to eye him worriedly. After another moment she sighed and shook her head. “He’s lost it,” she commented, and above her, the dog yipped an agreement. She glared at it. “You shut up,” she told it sternly. The dog yipped at her and trotted away, and she could have sworn that it was grinning. She scowled after it. Stupid mutt. He’d get his soon enough, she swore. Ohhh yes. One of these days…
Kiley, in the meantime, had calmed himself down, although his amber-brown eyes were still dancing with laughter as he grinned up at her and let her help him to his feet. “Well, that was interesting,” he commented, his voice filled with amusement as he brushed stray gravel from his coat.
Momo snorted. “I swear I’m gonna spike that dog’s food with cyanide one of these days,” she muttered. “Stupid mutt…”
Kiley chuckled, reaching down to pick up her bag and hand it to her. “Well, it’s getting late,” he commented casually. “Better get home so I can actually get some studying in.” He wrinkled his nose. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll probably just play video games or something instead,” he admitted with a laugh. “Well, anyway, it’s been a great time! Thanks for putting up with me. The day’s always brighter when you’re around, you know.”
She was touched, and still reeling from that near-kiss. “Kiley, I…” she began softly, looking uncertain, but before she could continue, he reached out to straighten her coat, giving her a patient smile and patting her on the head like a puppy.
“I’ll see you tomorrow in school, okay?” His tone was gentle, but firm. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about what had nearly happened.
Her shoulders slumped unconsciously, and she felt unaccountably…rejected. “Okay…” she replied softly, trying not to care. She turned to walk slowly to her front door, but Kiley’s soft voice stopped her.
“Momo?”
She hesitated, turned to glance at him over her shoulder. He smiled at her, a gentle, loving smile that warmed his eyes and turned them to the color of rich honey. “Thanks,” he murmured, before turning to stroll casually away, whistling under his breath.
She watched him until he disappeared into the gathering dusk, feeling as though her heart was about to burst with an emotion that she didn’t dare put a name to, before sighing softly and turning back to go inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*sighs*
Ya know, this WAS
supposed to be a one-shot, once-and-done kind of a thing. But we all know how stories like to get away with
us sometimes, and this one has firmly taken the bit into its mouth and
bolted. I have no idea where it’s taking
me, although my basic plot is still in there.
Somewhere. I’m just along for the
ride. ^^;
Don’t worry, I’m still working on
Broken, but I have this nasty habit of starting new stories before finishing
old ones and…yeah. *sweatdrop*
Well, until the next chapter!
Quickening