Aurthor's Notes: I started watching Shingeku no Kyojin but recently finished watching Watamote and inspiration just came to me. I liked how they ended with Megumi inadvertently flashing her underwear in Tomoko's face(Tomoko's reaction had me laughing). But seriously, that was a funny season. Tomoko is both a sympathic girl and a crazy bitch at the same time, both are very apealing to me and I loved Megumi's character. Those two are my favourite couple in the series. So here's a one-shot that could easily become more...
"Love is a battlefield!" Actual words.
'I'm hungry.' Thoughts.
Story...
"Her name is Kuroki-san," a girl told her friends. "Kind of cute, don't you think?"
"Uhh... Is she?" one girl questioned.
"She's always determined to do something," the first continued, "I guess you could say, she always catches my eye."
Imae Megumi would never have thought those words would come back to haunt her. She was a popular girl, used to saying exactly what was on her mind and had a carefree and polite attitude towards life; she had her life in her hands: her future goals; her current goals - she could envision everything quite clearly for her age. How did she not see this coming?
It didn't even seem like a big deal in the beginning. She was just stating the obvious, wasn't she? Tomoko Kuroki was a cute girl, wasn't she? Judging by the disbelieving and incredulous stares from her friends, Megumi had suspicions that they didn't buy it. But why? How could anyone not see the girl for what she was? Megumi didn't understand their behaviour; so to make up for the time she hardly knew her fellow student, she started watching Tomoko more closely.
She would always catch glimpses of the girl for many days - Megumi made sure not to stem from her goals - and started seeing a pattern that both startled and surprisingly hurt her.
Tomoko had no friends.
The girl would always be seen alone, meekly muttering to herself and looking on at other's endeavours, being completely ignored by everyone else.
At first Megumi refused to believe what she was seeing, but after third semester began, and the same signs continued to show, she couldn't deny what was obviously bare to her.
It didn't make any sense? Why would a determined girl like Tomoko be treated like a none existent ghost? Even people that would talk right next to her ignored the poor thing. Megumi's kind nature couldn't let that remain evident.
At first, she wondered why she was taking such a great interest in Tomoko. At first, she convinced herself that it was due to her friendly attitude. At first, that was all there was to it.
But overtime, she realised the exact reason why. Her kind nature had played a role in the effort, true, but her heart had been informing her of something more...
She was hopelessly starting to crush on the meek slender girl. The blushes; the increased heart rate; the sweaty palms; the sudden twinge of nervousness; it was all there for Megumi, and it was all because of Tomoko.
Rememeber the saying, 'If you love someone, then only you can see just how beautiful they are'? That's exactly how Megumi felt.
The second year student didn't even know how it happened, or why, but it just did. Maybe it developed discreetly overtime, but when it did hit her, it hit Megumi hard.
Normally, she was the one on the receiving end of such crushes. Guys and girls alike sought her, and liked to state their interests more, but Megumi would always gently let them down, telling them over that she needed to sort herself out first before she can seek a relationship. It wasn't as if they were ugly, quite the opposite, and she didn't even care about looks, but the class rep didn't share anyone's interests or attraction. Her goal was to finish school first and then look for the right person to give her heart to...
Until Tomoko had to come and ruin everything.
It didn't even make any sense. Sure, they shared a hug at the cultural festival - to which Tomoko should still be oblivious to - but aside from that, they hardly talked to each other.
So how did she do it? How did Tomoko pass her defences - defences that negated all attacks - without even any effort?! Really, the raven-haired girl hadn't even lifted a finger and the class rep was already drooling at the thought of her. Megumi had been beside herself at the astonishing revelation - spending days entertaining ruminations.
After three days, and a lot of self analysis - which involved a hard self interrogation - Megumi had come to accept her predicament. It didn't even matter that she was in love with another girl; love was love in the end.
So after accepting her new found feelings, problems started to arise. For one, how could she begin to approach the subject with Tomoko, a girl she hardly knew? She couldn't just outright say it, no... Well, yes, she could - she never lacked in confidents - but due to this being her first real crush on someone, something she was both pleased and uncomfortable with, she didn't want to come off as too strong or too weak, possibly chasing Tomoko away.
Her usual brazen attitude could aid her in losing a potential love interest. Finish high school first? She could easily get the girl and great test scores at the same time; she wasn't known as the class rep for nothing... That's when she realised that she might have fallen a little too deep for Tomoko.
It was ridiculous for her. This had never happened before, not to such a degree, and the more Megumi fought off the feeling, the stronger it got.
After a couple of more weeks, Megumi found herself in positions where she would be caught openly staring at the first year with a small blush on her face, always evading explanation. It had become so bad that she had started to have dreams of Tomoko, to the point were they ceased being innocent.
Megumi Imae had tried and failed to fight off the power of love. It had become too much for her to bear.
She... needed Tomoko. She needed to tell her just how she felt and hoped the first year would have at least some feelings towards her as well. She needed to hold Tomoko, convey to her just how serious this was. She just needed Tomoko, plain and simple. These emotions were constantly alternating, gnawing at her very being, harassing her to no end. Megumi always heard that love was a struggle, but feeling it for herself was entirely different. No, love was no freaking struggle, it was a raging war! Why did it exist anyway?!
'Calm down', she mentally chided, face a mask of content as she walked down the school halls with the lack of friends. Her shoes echoed as they made contact with the tiled floor.
She looked at her watch. It would be recess soon. She had special leeway as the class rep to excuse herself from class if something needed to be tended to. Something indeed needed to be tended to, and although she was a bit ashamed in abusing her status this way, she couldn't control what her heart wanted.
Yep, she was walking to Tomoko's class, preparing to surprise the girl and ask her to lunch. She had convinced herself not to go all in; to take things slow and when she was sure she could drop the bomb on Tomoko, she would.
Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear - only to calm down the nerves - she walked at her leisure, coming close to a class she knew Tomoko was situated in. She dropped her body on the wall next to the classroom's door and exhaled exasperatedly.
Eyeing the bento box in her hands, she nervously nibbled on a bottom lip. Was this really a good idea? Maybe Tomoko had developed a solo attitude and actually chose not to have friends? Megumi really hoped not; it would put all her contingency planning to the gutter.
Before she could muse any further, the school bell rang, signalling the beginning of lunch.
Megumi hurriedly made herself presentable: fixing posture, straightening clothes, creating a friendly aura. She waited patiently as students filed out of the classroom, some looking at her in confusion and wonder. She wasn't here for them however. Her eyes carefully scanned every individual head, making sure not to miss anything that signified Kuroki. When she saw the girl, her legs acted out on their own accord and before Megumi realised it, she was mere inches from Tomoko. The girl had yet to notice her.
"Kuroki-san," Megumi called, getting a surprisingly soft yelp from the short raven-head.
Tomoko turned her head, like a rusted screw, to the voice that called her. Her bag filled and frantic eyes immediately spotted Imae. Woah... Imae?
"Hi," Megumi started when it was obvious that the other wouldn't speak, "I was just walking down the halls and saw you walking out of class. Do you want to have lunch together?"
Megumi gave herself a mental pat on the back for a wonderful performance. However, worry soon started to set in with the lack of response.
"I-I-I..u-u-h-h... m-h" Tomoko sqeaked out with the occasional choke. She suddenly became aware that she had attracted a lot of attention from her classmates. A lot were staring at her in surprise and shock. Whether it was due to the second year class rep actually speaking to her or something else, Tomoko didn't know.
"Are you okay?" Megumi asked, frowning in worry.
"M-M-M-h-" Tomoko mechanically nodded her head, but her body shook and her hands started clamping down on her bento box like a vice.
Megumi's worries were increased tenfold, "Kuroki-san..!"
The girl was gone the moment Megumi blinked.
The class rep pouted. Damn! She let her get away!
Megumi had to disappointedly settle for eating lunch with her friends the entire break. It wasn't as if she didn't like her friends - she liked everyone - but she would have prefered to share lunch with her crush, getting to know the mystery that was Kuroki-san. But Tomoko had somehow found the means to disappear off the face of the planet. Megumi didn't understand. She didn't even force herself on the girl. So why did Tomoko run away from her? Yes, she knew about the girl's shyness, but was it really that bad? Once lunch was over, she began formulating other ways to get close to Tomoko.
She will not be deterred.
After school came agonizingly slow for the class rep - it didn't help that getting close to Tomoko was the thing that dominated her mind, distracting her from school work - but as soon as the bell rang, she made quick work in finding Tomoko, who was approaching the front gate.
"Kuroki-san!" She desperately called, mentally begging for the girl to wait for her. She would not let her get away this time.
Tomoko stopped and went rigid. It was a peculiar behaviour that Megumi noticed often. Not only did Tomoko seem distant, but she seemed scared when the rarity of people even spoke to her. Megumi squashed the pity she had originally felt for the short girl. Tomoko didn't deserve pity; she deserved admiration for being so strong in an unfamiliar environment, trying her best to crush the meek attitude so as even to say the simplest of words to anyone. Megumi cursed herself, pointing out Tomoko's flaws and strengths only seemed to reiterate the love she already felt fluttering inside her.
Tomoko stood like a statue, even as Megumi caught up to her. The day just kept getting weird for the first year.
The raven-haired girl was still unpopular, no one noticed her, the few that did were probably due to something stupid she did. Today had been no different. She had wanted to impress her classmates - males specifically - by increasing her bust size, using toilet paper, but soon realised that she might have applied too much of the sort. Her chest had looked like it was a result of some sort of alien allergy, she hadn't even noticed until she saw her reflection on the class window. It had been too late however, for the gossip she went under was anything but welcoming.
Why did those bitches have it easy?! Short skirts, enticing bods, cute faces and a bad girl style. Why did guys go for that?! Wasn't she pretty?! Didn't she have a unique style?!
She honestly felt very embarrassed, but refused to acknowledge the feeling. With that being said, she was fully prepared for her usual lonely routine. No one could be her friend because, and begrudgingly admitting it didn't make it any better, she didn't know how to talk to people outside her family. Hell, Yuu was the only exception, and even that was a stretch.
So she was surprised immensely by Megumi's sudden appearnce. She hadn't talked to the girl in months, not after that embarrassing moment with the pantie flash. In fact, she had lost interest in using the popular bitch to aid her in her own quest, choosing to squash the idea of the class rep ever helping her or even wanting to be her friend. Maybe Megumi was nice on the outside, but she was probably the same as any of those bitches she knew; the moment Tomoko stumbled on her words or did something embarrassing, she would be subjected to ridicule, which is what happened during lunch.
So why was Megumi back a second time around? Wasn't the first enough? The bitch had already enough gossip material to tell her friends about. 'Oh did you see? That Kuroki girl can't even speak Japanese!' Which would end up with them showing their disgust or laughing behind her back. And to be honest, Tomoko had been through plenty to not distinguish the signs...
Until now.
"Kuroki-san?" Tomoko snapped out of it and looked on to a concerned Megumi. "Is there something wrong?"
This time Megumi watched Tomoko like a hawk, taking note of her stiffness and stuttering; the girl looked like she was ready to bolt at any moment, but Megumi would have none of it.
Before Tomoko could make a run for it - well, she did make to move - Megumi latched her hand to the raven-head's, greatly surprising and horrifying the first year.
'Someone's actually touching me!' Tomoko's mind screamed. The girl continued to stare at the hand that had intertwined with hers in bewilderment. Her breath hitched in her throat; her hair stood on each end. Tomoko couldn't breath.
Upon noticing her hand's attention and Tomoko's face starting to turn a light shade of purple, Megumi couldn't help but blurt out, "I really want to walk you home!"
It was as if time stopped as the two girls realised the gravity of Megumi's words; said girl looking more flushed than she would have liked. She sounded like a boy trying to coax the girl he was crushing on to have him around. 'Which isn't entirely false', Megumi mentally conceded.
Tomoko's body shook, soft wimper's escaping her throat. She was too shocked at the turn of events that all she could do was stare, with crazy eyes, at the class rep.
"Please?" Megumi insisted when she noticed the first year's distress, "I promise not to bite."
It had meant to be a joke, but it only seemed to agitate Tomoko more. She started squirming in discomfort.
"I'm sorry!" Megumi hastely sputtered. "I was just joking, honest!"
It did some good, for Tomoko relaxed, albeit somewhat. Even though she noticed this, Megumi still held the girl's hand gently, like it was the most precious thing she had ever touched. She was lucky that Tomoko seemed distant, otherwise Megumi would have to explain why her face was aflame to such a degree.
"Can..." She was finding it much harder to ask, the nerves slowly starting to get the best of her, but she persisted none the less. "Can I walk you home, Kuroki-san?"
Tomoko looked at the second year class rep in confusion. On the one hand, Tomoko could just make a break for it when the time came... But on the other hand, this was the opportunity she had dreamed about. The popular girl, the class rep, actually conversing with her? It seemed like too much of a good thing to pass up, plus she didn't really know how to deny attention so readily.
The question that remained was why. Why was Megumi suddenly showing up around her? It couldn't be because Tomoko was popular; she had already rebuffed the prospect. So what was Megumi's angle? At the moment it seemed like Tomoko couldn't figure out the class rep's intentions.
"Mhmh" Tomoko mumbled incoherently, eyes darting everywhere as if searching for an escape, but soon nodded her head in confirmation.
Megumi beamed. "Great!" With that, she started dragging the younger girl with her to the gates.
"Kuroki-san, Imae-san..." a man at the gate addressed, looking a bit surprised at the two girls holding hands, but he soon smiled knowingly. "Be careful on your way home."
"Thanks, you too," Megumi replied as she happily walked hand-in-hand with her secret crush.
Tomoko could only sputter nonsense to the guy with a huge blush on her cheeks as she was led away.
The walk was silent, with Tomoko trying and failing to say something, but Megumi was okay with that for now. Baby steps; take baby steps, Tomoko-chan.
The class rep would take discreet glances at her crush - who was doing a bad job of acting oblivious - as she initiated conversation. Even though Tomoko would hardly reply, Megumi found the girl to be extremely cute when she was embarrassed.
One day she would know. Megumi would be sure to let her know.
'I'm sure of it now. Kuroki Tomoko, I'm in love with you.'
Aurthor's Notes: There you have it! If you want more you can let me know. If not, then I hope you enjoyed the read!
