Ala Verity strikes back again!

And once again, her hands are empty of the fics she's supposed to be working on cue awkward shifting and digging of the toe in her very dirty dorm floor.

But never fear! That's what these babies are for: Appeasement! Enjoy!

Written for the UsakoxMamoru second anniversary challenge at Livejournal (see profile for link—ends 3 August 2008!) Hope everyone will take the time to take a look and/or join, because the entries are bound to be excellent this year!

And mind you, these are written under time constraints--just in case anyone's wondering where the rigorous editing disappeared to this time. :)

35 Themed Drabbles—2nd Anniversary Challenge

Ala Verity

1. Paper (Word Count: 478)

"Hey! Watch where you throw your trash, pigtails!"

It started with a wad of paper.

"Maybe if your head wasn't so big, it wouldn't be hit by every single object that came flying its way!"

"Maybe if you didn't try to kill every innocent man who walked by—"

"Innocent? HA!"

It grew with an awful nickname.

"An F? Do you have any brains beneath all that hair, Odango? Hey, that suits you! Odango!"

"Why, you conniving little—"

"Odango, Odango, Odango…"

It thrived with two secret desires.

"You don't have to be so mean about it! What did I ever do to you, you baka? I don't even know you!"

"I don't know—it might just be the fact that you exist that does it—"

—that makes my world go round.

"I hate you!"

—I love you.

It blossomed with endless disappointments and hopes.

"Odango, I—"

"Yes?"

"I…I see that you got another F today. Talk about a waste of an education."

"…Baka! I hate you, I hate you! I never want to talk to you again!"

It strengthened with unspoken vows into an unbreakable bond.

"Mamoru, you—"

"Yes?"

"…Mamoru-baka, you make my head hurt just looking at you."

"Yeah, well, right back at you."

But in the end…

"What is it?"

"Just take it."

"Wait, Odango—hey! Come back here, you little brat!"

"What did you do to her this time, Mamoru? You know that she has a hard enough time in school as it is without your constant insults—"

"It's not that, Motoki."

"No?"

"No." He held up the crinkled sheet of paper in his hand. "Because she…she just got an A."

"Usagi-chan? No way! She—is that really an A?"

"What are you acting so surprised for, Motoki? You look like you never thought Usagi could do it."

"Well, yeah, I know what I—wait, why aren't you looking shocked, Mamoru? I thought you of all people would have thought it was a fluke!"

Right. He was supposed to hate her. He was supposed lie through his teeth and not feel anything.

"…Of course I think so, Motoki! Just because I'm not an emotional aerial like you, doesn't mean I don't think she bribed her teacher. I mean, how else could Odango possibly get such a good grade? She hasn't got a single working brain cell in her entire head!"

"Your apathy never fails to amaze me, Mamoru."

He smiled and shook his head. "No, what's amazing…"

…what's amazing is that she chose to show it to me, Chiba Mamoru…the luckiest man on Earth.

"What's amazing, Mamoru?"

"…Nothing. Come on, Motoki, I'm in a good mood. Let me buy you a cup of coffee and we'll discuss the miracles wreaked by the Queen of Disaster."

…Even in the end, it was still a wad of paper that started it all.

Hope everyone enjoyed the first of the set, because there are sure to be more to come! Don't forget to leave me feedback and, for goodness' sake, go to the Livejournal community and vote for your favorites!

Cheers, Ala