~*~*~*~*~*~
Tenshi didn't like this change in the spirit of the conversation. She wasn't getting real answers from Neko-chan anymore. It was as if Neko-chan had suddenly decided that the attempt at conversation was worthless. And the ice cream was melting in her cone. Something had upset her, but Tenshi didn't know what it was. She attempted to lighten the mood.
"Koneko-chan�," she started, but knew instantly this was not the right thing to say. Neko-chan was obviously upset by the nickname. *Baka, you took it too far. She'll never want to talk with you again.* She started over. Perhaps distancing the relationship a little would be better.
"Neko-san, did I say something wrong? Gomen nasai."
Neko-chan looked up suddenly, her violet eyes piercing into Tenshi's. *Kami, what did I do wrong now?* "Tenshi-kun, enough with the 'Neko-san' stuff. Call me 'Neko-chan.' 'San' is unacceptable!" Then she smiled, as did Tenshi, both of them relieved that the tension was broken.
~*~*~*~*~*~
As they got back in the car, Neko decided it was her turn to make conversation. "Did Haruka-sama teach you to drive?"
"No, actually, Michiru-mama taught me. She wanted to break me of any bad habits before Haruka-papa taught me them." Neko started to giggle. "Nani?" Tenshi asked, startled.
"Oh, it's just kawaii to hear you call your parents 'mama' and 'papa.'"
Tenshi blushed, which just made Neko giggle more. She no longer worried about their "age difference" as it was. She tried to stop, but she couldn't help it.
"Yeah, well, what do you call Ami-sama and Ryo-sama, then?"
"Okaa-san and Otou-san." She had just about calmed down, when she was hit with another round of giggles. She hoped Tenshi wasn't offended. A quick glance over revealed that Tenshi was still blushing, but she had started to giggle too. It was strange to hear her giggle and it just made Neko giggle more. She decided that they were lucky not to have gotten in an accident. Good thing they'd had this conversation before Tenshi had started up the car.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"So, going to the dance?"
She had bit the bullet. She had asked. She hoped Neko-chan wouldn't read too much into it yet.
"Hai." Neko-chan didn't look all that happy at the topic of conversation, but that just piqued Tenshi's curiosity.
"So, who's the lucky guy who gets to dance with you all night long?"
Her eyes cast down, she replied, "There's no guy. I'm just going to go, I guess. I hadn't really considered not going, what with Mi-chan and Jian-kun going, I just never thought of it."
"Well, what's wrong with the guys at our school? Did they suddenly go blind? Can they not recognize a beautiful, smart, talented girl, who, I might add, is a wonderful pole vaulter, when they see her?" *Careful* she thought to herself.
"You think so?" Neko-chan asked, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.
"Definitely. Hey, I'm going stag too. I mean worst case scenario, you sit around drinking punch all night and wait for someone to figure out that you're worth dancing with. If they don't, you can sit there and make fun of all the guys that don't know how to dance out there."
"Yeah�." Neko-chan timidly answered, "Maybe we could hang out� I mean, since we're both going stag and all�."
*Masaka! Did I get this lucky!?* Tenshi wasn't sure if she was reading too much into it, but she could almost sense that Neko-chan wanted to go to the dance with her.
Suddenly, Neko-chan cried out, "Oh, that's my house!" Tenshi quickly checked behind her for cars and hit the brake. She backed up until she was in front of the house Neko-chan had pointed to and pulled over to get the bike out.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"So, going to the dance?"
Neko had been waiting for this question. It was the question on everyone else's lips, why not Tenshi's. She had hoped to avoid it, but it seemed that even her angel couldn't sense that she didn't want to talk about it. "Hai."
"So, who's the lucky guy who gets to dance with you all night long?"
"There's no guy. I'm just going to go, I guess. I hadn't really considered not going, what with Mi-chan and Jian-kun going, I just never thought of it." She had always just assumed that she and Jian-kun would go together as friends, but things had changed, and it surprised her that she hadn't even considered skipping the dance.
"Well, what's wrong with the guys at our school? Did they suddenly go blind? Can they not recognize a beautiful, smart, talented girl, who, I might add, is a wonderful pole vaulter, when they see her?"
*Did she just compliment me? Could she possibly like me like that?!* Neko's heart filled with hope at the thought that Tenshi thought those things about her. "You think so?"
"Definitely. Hey, I'm going stag too. I mean, worst case scenario, you sit around drinking punch all night and wait for someone to figure out that you're worth dancing with. If they don't, you can sit there and make fun of all the guys that don't know how to dance out there."
She hadn't considered who Tenshi would be going with. It didn't occur to her to ask and now she wondered if that was rude of her. What would Tenshi think?! She glanced at her and realized that she was smiling at her.
Neko chose her next words carefully. She didn't want Tenshi to be scared away. "Yeah�. Maybe we could hang out� I mean, since we're both going stag and all�." She smiled shyly at Tenshi. To her dismay, Tenshi looked a little shocked at the words. She didn't seem to be looking at Neko anymore either.
*I blew it! She figured it out. Kami, why did I push this? I could've just found her at the dance and hung out with her. No, I had to ask first. Why do I feel the need to always ask permission before doing things I think people will disapprove of? First Mom, now Tenshi. I've got to stop doing that! I wish she would say something.* Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed her house.
"Oh, that's my house!" Tenshi quickly hit the brake, and Neko was glad for her seat belt. Tenshi backed up and pulled over in front of the driveway and they both got out to take out the bike.
"Oh, Tenshi-kun. The bike did mess up your car." Neko looked at the marks on the floor from the tires and
