A WOMAN SCORNED: PART TWO by Quicksilver a:link{text-decoration : none} a:visited {text-decoration : none} a:active {text-decoration : none} a:hover { pont-weight: none ; text-decoration:underline; color black }
standard disclaimers
AN: This is rough draft... lemme know what ya'll think.
First season romance... done QS style!
Yes, this IS Usagi/Mamoru- just hold your horses! Motoki has NOT YET met Reika.

Earlier parts are available at the EMSL:

http://www.angelfire.com/ri2/ems/index.html
The Archivist is, of course, the wonderful and talented Meredith Bronwen Mallory.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/6250/ (TAATN)
The Archivist is Emrys-sama, who's the Queen of Villains, ne?....
The stuff on Arthropods is from my Biology notes- Professor Wolback can take the blame.



Quicksilver's Quill Offers
A Woman Scorned
"Part Two: Study Buddies"
by Quicksilver



Chiba Mamoru walked through the streets of Tokyo, feeling oddly disjointed and apart from his surroundings. The air was crisp and vital, and he wished that he could see... her. He imagined the highlights that late day sun would cast across her shadowy hair, and heard her laughter instead of remembering her plea. She was out there, he believed. She had to be. Hastening his steps, he hurried to Motoki's home, ready to drop off the notes he had promised. Motoki was a very good student, but even he couldn't afford to miss the first day of classes in ANY class. Motoki and Mamoru had signed up for all of the same classes, hoping to study together. One professor, Chisato-sensei, had interfered with THAT by assigning so-called "study buddies".

Mamoru HATED being assigned a partner. He preferred to work by himself, or chose his own friends. It was honest that forced him to admit that he was very attractive to the opposite gender, and he sometimes hated it. Females would follow him around faithful dogs, and no matter WHAT he did, nothing would discourage them from trailing his every move. Some guys would love it, but Mamoru was a private person by nature.

The moment Chisato-sensei had announced that they were having partners was the moment abruptly stopped dreaming of the double chocolate latte he was going to get as soon as soon as class finished, his stomach tied in knots.. The class had approximately an even male-to-female distribution, which meant he had a fifty percent chance of getting some girl who would spend the rest of the semester drooling after him. Not a pleasant prospect. If he were lucky enough to get a male partner, his partner would most likely become jealous of his popularity with females. Sometimes a guy just couldn't win.

He barely managed to keep from cringing when his name was pulled out with a "Chika Ezura". To his surprise, though, she seemed almost wary of him, which had surprised him. Rather then volunteering to come over to his place, she had pushed for either the library or her apartment, where her roommate would be. He was impressed by her good sense, though he admitted to himself that she wasn't bad on the eyes. She had curves in all the right places, and a long mass of black hair that made a guy's fingers itch to see if it was really as silky as it looked. Her chocolate brown eyes were quite pretty, and he was under the impression that there was a mind behind it. Still... she wasn't his princess. Not to mention that she had sent VERY clear indications that she wasn't interested.

Shaking his head, he knocked on the door to Motoki's place, then let himself in. Motoki had left after their third class, violently ill. Mamoru had collected the homework for their last class of the day, promising to deliver it.

"Ohayo, Motoki!" he called with false cheer, waiting for a reaction. Sure enough, he got one.

Motoki stumbled out of his bedroom into the sitting room, his eyes shadowed and his face waxy. He was wearing a ratty old bathrobe, and the glare he directed at Mamoru was truly classic. It was odd for Mamoru to see his oldest friend not in a good humor, but he figured that Motoki had it coming. "Is there some reason that you're so chipper?"

Motoki practically growled, "or do you just have a death wish I didn't know about?"

Mamoru smiled and handed over the notes he had photocopied for his friend. "I brought you a get-well present," he said.

Motoki's frown deepened, looking almost frightening with the dark circles that were under his eyes acting as accents. "Thanks," he said, scowling as he glanced over Mamoru's precise script. "For some reason, this doesn't make me feel at ALL better," he griped, glaring through the papers. Then his face turned an interesting shade of green, and Mamoru watched as Motoki raced off to the bathroom. In a few seconds, he could here the sound of someone emptying the contents of their stomach. After a brief moment of running water, Motoki returned, looking even more wane then before. "This sucks," he grumbled. "Not only am I sick, but YOU end up being partnered with the hottest babe on campus while I end up with the exchange student from Germany. I can't even TALK to him, much less study with him."

Motoki's eyes brightened. "Tell me what's she's like."

"Chika-san?" Mamoru asked in surprise.

"Who else? Have you asked her out yet?"

Mamoru laughed lightly. "You know I'm not interested in dating just anyone. I'm waiting for someone special," he said softly, trying to convey how important it was.

"She's special! Did you get a good look at her? I mean, a guy would have to be BLIND not to think she's something special."

"She didn't seem interested in doing anything aside from studying. Made it quite clear, in fact," Mamoru said.

Motoki thought for a minute, then looked horrified. "You don't mean she's a lesbian, do you? What a waste!"

Mamoru shook his head. "No! She just gave me the cold shoulder." Motoki's expression of disbelief turned to one of surprised, then to laughter. "Now THAT makes me feel better!" he crowed. "Welcome to the world of ordinary mortals! Tell us, Chiba Mamoru, how does it feel?" "Decidedly odd," Mamoru said, then grinned impishly. "But it's a kind of odd I could get used to. It might be nice having a female FRIEND." "What about Sayako?" Motoki suggested.

Mamoru blinked. "I don't think of her as female- she's too... too SOMETHING. Chika-san is DEFINITELY female. We're going to be studying tonight," he admitted to Motoki grudgingly.

Motoki blinked and groaned. "Life is SO unfair!" he complained. "I'm going to be spending the next evening being sick, while you get to hang out and flirt with one of the hottest girls I've ever seen."

Mamoru laughed him off. "I'm hoping to get a lot of work done, actually. Chika-san seems like she would rather do that as well. But if it makes you feel happier to get envious, feel free to!"

Motoki waved a threatening fist at Mamoru's retreating back. "I'll get even with you for this, Chiba!"

"In your dreams, Furata!" Mamoru shot back, glancing over his shoulder as the door swung shut.

At ten minutes to eight, Chiba Mamoru was knocking on the door of the address Chika Ezura had given him, wondering if this was a prank on her behalf. The building she was in was pricey, to say the least, and she was on the floor below the penthouse. Mamoru was by no means poor, but this region of wealth was beyond what he was comfortable with.

He heard the chain slide and the door swing inwards, and caught his breath as the door opened. The man on the other side looked at him with icy blue eyes that were a match for his own, and Mamoru had a hard time suppressing a sense of déjà vu. He should know the blue haired man who was looking at him like some kind of disgusting lab specimen he wasn't sure how to dissect. "Yes?" the man said in a cool voice.

"Um…. Excuse me…. I was looking for Chika Ezura?" he asked.

The man sighed. "You must be Chiba Mamoru," he said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes," Mamoru said, hanging out uncomfortably, trying not to shift too obviously. Something about the man gave him the impression that he disliked Mamoru on sight.

The man tilted his head, pausing in thought. "I suppose there's no help for it. You might as well come in," he said, turning around. Mamoru slid around the door before it could slam shut, since the man obviously had no intention of being a good host.

"Are you her roommate?" he asked.

"She's my cousin," the man said acidically.

Mamoru blinked. "Oh," he said, unable to think of anything more intelligent. Taking off his shoes, he put on a pair of guest slippers by the door.

"Kae Satoshi," the man finally said.

"What?" Mamoru asked.

"It's my name," he said. "I'll get Ezura," he said. "Ezzy-chan!" he yelled without moving from the living room.

The door swung open, and Ezura stumbled out, still wearing the same outfit she had been wearing earlier then that day. Her hair had been pulled into a high ponytail and her sleeves rolled back, and she was wearing a rather perturbed frown on her face. "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" she demanded, then her eyes widened as she noticed her guest. "I'm sorry for my rudeness," she said, bowing slightly, "but Satoshi keeps doing that!" she said, then blinked. "Sorry again. He tries to drive me nuts."

Satoshi glared at them. "I'll be in my room working with my flowers."

They watched him leave. "Friendly, isn't he?" Ezura said. "If you wait here, I'll get my books. Would you like something to drink? Eat?"

"A soda would be nice," he said.

She nodded. "He's obsessed with those silly flowers," she muttered, then lowered her eyes. "Oops. I bet you like them, don't you?"

"Yes," he confessed. "Especially roses."

She tilted her head. "That doesn't surprise me," she said with an amused smile. "We should start work- I'll get my stuff?" Then she left, leaving Mamoru to look around the apartment by himself. Everything was green. Green curtains, chairs, rugs…. all around was a few very interesting objets d'art, and plants ran riot. Mamoru guessed that Satoshi was probably responsible for them, and his opinion of the rather offensive man rose a few notches. Anyone who could produce plants like this couldn't possibly be all bad. Ezura returned, carrying her biology text and a notebook. Setting them on the table, she headed in the other direction, only to return with two cans of Pepsi and glasses filled with ice. Smiling at him, she sat down at the low table on a mat, motioning that he should take the opposite seat. "I know this sounds horribly rude, but are you a good student?"

"Very," he said frankly, charmed by the stunning smile she sent to him in response.

"That's good," she said. "I wouldn't want you dragging down my grade. To be quite honest with you, I'm not that much of a team player- I tend to be a loner."

He smiled. "Myself as well. How do you want to do this?"

"Well, I think we should each do the reading, and maybe quiz each other on it when we're done. I haven't had much time to look over the material yet."

He nodded his agreement and they started to review there books. Every now and then Ezura would grab the end of her ponytail and twist it between her fingers as her eyes absorbed the knowledge. Finally she set the book down and sat, looking at him. It wasn't a stare of lust (which he was used to seeing), but rather an evaluating one. Mamoru snapped his text shut, intrigued.

"Something interesting?" he asked.

"No, not really," she said. "I was just thinking about how much you and Sa-chan resembled each other. It's rather remarkable, actually."

Mamoru shrugged. He couldn't see it. "So do you want to quiz me first, or should I ask you?"

"Ask me," she said, handing over her text. "I need all the help I can get."

Opening the book he randomly pulled out a review question. "Tell me about Arthopods," he said.

Smiling, she started to recite, almost word for word, the book's definition. "Arthropods range in distribution from the deep sea to mountain peaks, in size from the king crab with its 12-foot armspan to microscopic insects and crustaceans. Despite this unbelievable diversity, the basic body plan of arthropods is fairly constant. Arthropods have a stiff cuticle made largely of chitin and proteins, forming an exoskeleton that may or may not be further stiffened with calcium carbonate. They have segmented bodies and show various patterns of segment fusion (tagmosis) to form integrated units such as heads, abdomens, and so on. The phylum takes its name from its distinctive jointed appendages, which may be modified in a number of ways to form antennae, mouth parts, and reproductive organs."

His eyes widened, and she started to provide information that WASN'T in the book. "Chika-san, I thought you said you weren't sure about this!"

She looked at him. "I'm not!" she said. "I can never remember anything!

Do you mean I got it right?" She sounded surprised, and a touch disconcerted.

He stared into her confused eyes, intrigued. Apparently the woman seated in front of him had no idea of her own intelligence. In spite of himself, Mamoru felt the stirrings of interest. "Everything you said was right, Chika-san. Every little detail."



end of part 2
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