Chapter Two: Anticipation

Thursday and Friday were the longest days ever, but Saturday finally arrived. I made sure to drink a relaxing tea the night before, so I would get to sleep at a decent time; I did not want to be a zombie during my time with Yukine.

Since we would be going straight from school to the park, I made sure my school uniform was perfect – probably the first time since starting high school. Yukine was a lady, if a little on the strange side, and I'd be damned if I was going to be anything less than a gentleman.

Sunohara wrinkled his nose at me as I settled into my desk. "What's up with you? You're all shiny-oh, that's right; you're leaving your best friend behind today, aren't you?"

I smiled as I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, I've never thought of us as friends."

"Hmph." He crossed his arms and leveled his gaze at me. "Seriously, though, I'm happy for you. Losing your mom, and your shoulder…" He gave me a lopsided smile. "You're overdue for some happiness."

I blinked at him in disbelief. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sunohara?"

He faked a jab at me. "Come on, I said I'm serious. 'Course, I'm jealous too, but…" His eyes took on a faraway look. "I'm sure there's a girl out there as sweet as Miyazawa-san, just waiting for me."

"Yeah, probably," I mused. I then showed him my fist and an evil grin. "This is too much mushiness; can I punch you?"

"No!" he cried, crossing his arms over his face. "You're supposed to feel sorry for me for not having a girlfriend!"

"Actually, I don't technically have a girlfriend either."

"But didn't you kiss her at-"

"Yeah…I did, but I shouldn't have."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE?"

"Shut up," I hissed, and kicked him in the shin. "We didn't have that kind of relationship, you idiot," I said as he rubbed his shin. "It wasn't the right time. Now, are you going to let me punch you or not?!"

"No!" he cried, crossing his arms over his face again. "You're supposed to feel sorry for me for not having a girlfriend!"

I settled for kicking his other shin and watching him rub at it. We really did get along well, didn't we?

I raised a hand in greeting as Yukine hurried up to me by the school's main gate. "Hey, Yukine."

"I'm sorry I'm late!" my friend gasped; she appeared to be struggling under the weight of a rather large bag. "Have you been waiting long?"

I glanced at the school clock. "No, not really…are you okay?"

She shook the bag in her hand as she continued to catch her breath. "This…is heavier…than it looks."

"Then I'll carry it," I said, reaching for the bag.

"No no," she protested, still puffing. "It's my responsibility; I'll carry it."

I thumped my chest proudly. "And it's my job to carry heavy things so the lady doesn't have to," I countered.

She said nothing, but gave me a look of gratitude as I took the bag from her. It didn't feel that heavy to me, but I could imagine it feeling heavy to someone her size.

We made small talk for a few minutes until she felt ready for the walk.

"So…you're an honor student?" I asked. I wanted to learn more about her, and I figured this was a good place to start.

"Huh? How do you know about that?"

I glanced over to see her puzzled expression and sighed as I realized that lying should not be an option. "When…Well, Sunohara did a little research into you shortly after he met you the first time."

"How come?"

"He…well, I guess I was curious too…We were trying to figure out why you were in the Reference Room all the time. I mean, we learned why later, of course, but it seemed kinda strange at first."

"I see." A moment later I heard her giggle, so I looked over to see what was so funny. When she saw my expression she giggled again. "I was just imagining what it must have been like for you; I can see how it might have seemed a little strange."

I was fortunate to catch every word she'd said; my chest tightened and my brain went fuzzy at her smile as well as her laughter. If someone could get high off of that, I'd fail a drug test. I quickly cleared my throat. "Uh, thanks for understanding."

"It's okay. Each of us has our own quirks, our own uniqueness…right Tomoya-san?"

"Yeah," I replied, gazing into her angelic face. "Some of us more than others."

"Oh! Look out!" She suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me, and I turned to find my nose barely inches from a light pole. "That was close," I heard her breathe.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Maybe I'd better pay more attention to my walking, huh?"

She giggled again, and I tried not to float away on it. "That might be a good idea."

Fortunately, we made it to the park without any further problems, and we went about setting up our picnic spot.

"It sure is a beautiful day," she commented as she spread out the blanket.

"Yeah," I said as I squinted into the sun. "Hey, are you going to be okay out here? Maybe we should have the blanket more in the shade; I didn't think to bring any sun block."

"Well, it's not supposed to be that hot, but…maybe you're right." She started to gather up the blanket again. "I didn't think to bring any sun block, either."

"Now I feel bad," I said. "You went to all the trouble to make this, and I couldn't even bring something as simple as that."

Yukine held the blanket under one arm and rested her other hand on my chest. "Tomoya-san, when was the last time you went on a picnic?"

I tried to think back, but… "I don't remember any picnics."

"Then just think of this as practice for future picnics." With that, she withdrew her hand, causing a sudden feeling of loneliness.

"Practice, huh?" I mused. Then it hit me: "Wait a minute…future picnics?"

She simply giggled as she worked on laying the blanket out under a nearby tree. It wasn't long before a delicious-looking lunch was laid out on it. Yukine really knew how to cook.

"Wooooowww…" was all could say at the spread.

"I'm glad you approve," she said with a light blush. "I did my best, like I said I would."

"If it tastes as good as it looks, then…" I looked over at her and felt my face grow hot. "I don't know how to finish my compliment," I admitted.

"Well, then…" She clapped her hands as she gave me the cutest smile. "Let's eat and then maybe you can finish it!"

I couldn't help but return her smile. "Sounds good."