RIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!
"6:30, already?" Mi-chan hit the alarm and turned towards Neko's bed. Somehow Neko had magically materialized in her bed. She certainly wasn't there when Mi-chan was still awake at 2 a.m. "Neko-chan? When did you come in?"
Neko groaned. The last hour of sleep hadn't really been enough to make up for the fact that she had gotten up so early. "Gomen, Mi-chan," she said, avoiding the question. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, thank goodness. For once, I was having a really good dream. There was me and Jian-kun, and it involved some kissing�." She smiled mischievously.
Neko gave her a weak smile. But talking about dreams reminded her about the nightmare she had at Tenshi's. *That had involved Jian-kun too.*
"Neko-chan? Daijoubu ka?"
"Yeah. Let's get ready for school, ne?"
Chibi ran in. "Mom's here, but Dad's at work already. Looks like you're off the hook for now."
"Thanks, Chibi."
Mi-chan looked at them both like they were crazy. "Neko-chan?! What did you do?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chibi ran to his first class. He wasn't late, but he liked to get there early. He was also jazzed from helping Neko keep her secret. Especially since she was going to owe him one.
He turned the hall's corner and ran right into someone.
"Oh, gomen nasai." He cursed himself for his klutziness. Especially when he looked up and saw the gorgeous red-haired girl he had run into.
"Totally my fault. I should've paid more attention to where I was going. Oh, darn. I dropped my books."
"Here, I'll help!" Chibi bent down to help her. "Uh, your accent is beautiful. Where are you from?"
"America. My family and I just recently moved here to Crystal Tokyo. I don't know many people, but if everyone is as nice as you, I'm sure I'll make lots of friends. I'm Carrie, by the way."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Gebriel," he responded as he handed her her last book. "Listen, uh, since you don't know many people, perhaps I could show you around. I know all the cool places. I could show you where people hang out, where the good restaurants are� where people go out on dates�," he ended hopefully.
She smiled. "Are you asking me out? That's cute." His hopes dashed away with her teasing statement� but returned again with her next one. "Well, you play your cards right�." She slinked past him, and gave him a wink before turning the corner.
Chibi about melted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
All day, Chibi looked for the girl he had run into, but he didn't see her anywhere.
Finally, on his way to the locker rooms, he almost ran into her again.
"Gomen. Oh, Keri-san! I didn't see you there."
She smiled warmly at him. "Gabriel," she said, her accent messing up his name, "you are so much the person I wanted to see right now. I've thought about your offer and I've decided that I'd love it if you could show me around town today."
"Honto?! I mean, of course." Chibi was very eager to help Carrie out. That is, until he remembered he had a prior engagement. "Oh, but first I have to go to acrobatics for an hour."
"Oh, you're a gymnast?" Carrie raised an eyebrow at him, looking quite as if a gymnast was exactly what she was looking for in a man. He nodded. "Well, then maybe I'll wait until you're done. You can show me around then, can't you?"
"Hai." Chibi eagerly agreed. Then, with great disappointment, "Oh, except I have cram school�."
Carrie frowned. Chibi didn't seem to be cooperating with her very much. "Cram school? Well, I guess it's good to focus on your academics� although I'm sure you're smart enough not to need it�."
Chibi nodded. He was pretty intelligent, if he did say so himself.
"Hey, couldn't you� I don't know� blow off cram school for a day. I mean, would it really affect your studies at all? I'm sure you could make up any work you missed with no problems." She batted her eyelashes at him.
Chibi considered this. He had never skipped a class for fun. Usually, he tried his best to go to class, even if he had legitimate reason for skipping one. But she was so pretty� and interested in him, which was a plus. "I guess I could skip it today." Carrie seemed to support this decision, so he added for emphasis, "I mean, skipping classes is nothing for me. Do it all the time. What's one more class?"
"My philosophy exactly," she answered in a sultry voice. "And then maybe you could show me some of your acrobatics."
His eyes widened. "Some of my acrobatics? I could probably do that, yeah." He fought to keep his voice from raising an octave.
"Great, I'll see you in an hour then."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko changed quickly out of her Kempo fuku and into her soccer practice clothing. She ran out of the locker room and to the gym, where they were going to scrimmage today (it was too cold to play outside anymore).
Jian-wa had beaten her there. He was already on the court, kicking the ball around with Rouki. Neko stopped and watched for a second. He was so happy. Truly happy. She knew now that the first few months she had known him, he had never really been happy. But he had faked it well. With the convenience of hindsight, Neko could look back at that time and hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, his smile.
That smile was nothing compared to the bright grin he flashed as he looked up and saw her.
"Hey, Neko-chan!" He waved at her.
She waved back, but the wave tapered off as she looked in his eyes. They were bright and friendly, not at all like those in her dream last night.
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