Ch.4 Learning is slowly Loving

The bright reds and yellows shine through the cracks of the window's curtain showering a sleeping Ryoma. This bright light wakes him up and his eyes flutter open registering the scene around him. He rubs his eyes and sits up, then stretches and yawns. He hasn't felt this well rested in months. He places his fingers on his lips, *was that a dream? But it felt as if someone kissed me yesterday night, it felt so real.* Ryoma stands to go to the bathroom but remembers, *the note!*

Ryoma looks at the window and it seems as if the tooth fairy did leave green paper behind, but instead of this paper having currency, it has value in Ryoma's heart. He reaches for the beautiful green note and can't help but smile.

He opens it and reads it to himself, "My beloved Ryoma isn't it obvious why I stalk you? I love watching you and everything you do and are. I love seeing you sleep, eat, watching you when you go to school, when you are with your friends, and everywhere. The reason why I am so obsessed with you is because I love you Ryoma. I am in love with Ryoma Echizen. Haha, well I make time for you. I'm at my job for only about 6 hours and it depends on the day. I have hobbies but I do those on the weekend, like today. Also, I'm a 23 years old man so that doesn't make me much of a pedophile since you are 20. I enjoyed your note; you should write more of those. Ps. you fell asleep with a smile on your face, was it because of me? Also if you didn't know, your lips are extremely soft and delicious. Mmm!"

Ryoma places the note with the rest and blushes lightly as he walks to the bathroom. His stalker was an older man, and he was in love with Ryoma. *That idiot, kissing me while I slept!*

Ryoma looks at himself in the mirror and notices how flushed he was. "What I am doing getting like this over a man I don't even know… I love Fuji sensei, even if that feeling isn't returned." Ryoma sighs and starts brushing his teeth,*Wait didn't my dad always say a broken heart is cured with a new love? Well…this is different! He's a stalker!*

Ryoma sits in his bathtub with the green tinted water up to his neck and plays with the water. He brings his hands up to the surface and makes the water squirt with his palms. Ryoma leans his head against the wall and looks up at the ceiling, "I wonder what he looks like?" Ryoma closes his eyes but groans because every stalker he pictured looked like Fuji sensei. He laughs bitterly, "Unrequited love, huh?"

Ryoma gets out of the bathroom with nothing but a robe on, a dripping wet body, and wet hair. He looked like a god who was just showered with water. He smelled like lavender thanks to the soap he added to his bath. Ryoma closes his door and grabs a towel from his closet, drying his hair first.

"I wonder what I should do today…" He takes off his robe and starts drying his body but has a sudden epiphany, *He may be watching me now!* Ryoma puts on his robe, grabs his clothes, takes his towel, and runs to the bathroom blushing madly. He walks back once fully clothed and screams at the empty room, "You pervert!"

"You are going crazy Ryoma, now you are taking to yourself?" His dad laughs as he walks by his room.

Ryoma glares at him, "Che", and shuts the door with a sigh. Ryoma picks up Karupin who had wondered in his room and looks at him, "I bet he's not even here. I'm turning paranoid aren't I Karupin?"

Ryoma places Karupin on his bed and looks at his desk drawer, "Should I write to him? No…I won't!" He takes a small book bag and opens his door to leave but ends up closing it. He sighs and sits down at his desk and takes the same kind of paper he wrote on yesterday.

He writes, "Dear Stalker, it's nice to know you are not a pedophile. Um…what kind of work do you do that gives you so much time? What are your hobbies? I'm in love with someone else so I'm sorry. Ps. don't kiss me while I sleep! And no…I wasn't smiling in my sleep because of you! Sincerely Ryoma." He folds it into three once more and places it on his window sill.

He stares at the shinning sun and the endless blue sky, "It's a pretty day today, I think I'm going to play tennis…but in the park a few blocks from here."

Ryoma leaves the house with his racket and a small book bag. He walks a few blocks and finally see's the green entrance to his childhood park. He smiles, *It's in good shape, and there aren't a lot of people here.* He walks to a wall build for self practice and serves the ball, causing a black spot on the wall. *I wonder if he is watching me now…*

Ryoma hits the ball to the same spot, "I wonder who he is…do I know him?" Ryoma groans and catches the ball with his hand, "Stop thinking about him!" He quiets down once he notices people are looking at him. He sighs, grabs his things, and walks to a sakura tree. He leans against it and opens his book bag, taking a small book from it. He laughs, *I remember when all I used to do was play tennis, at least now I read here and then.*

"Hi Ryoma"

Ryoma jumps at the voice and goes to turn around, "Don't look behind the sakura tree, stay right where you are…"

Ryoma swallows and opens his book, "I would guess you are my stalker?"

"You guessed right, here"

Ryoma looks at the grape Ponta being passed to him, he takes it, *Beautiful pale hands…* "Thank you"

The stalker laughs, "Wow that's rare, you being polite."

*His voice sounds forced…that's not his real voice.* "Che" Ryoma opens the Ponta and drinks from it.

"Wow you drank from it without even thinking that it'd be poisoned?"

Ryoma spits the soda out, "WHAT?"

The stalker laughs, "People are staring at you as if you were crazy. And no, trust me; I didn't do anything to it."

Ryoma sighs from relief and leans his head on the tree, "Why are you here?"

"My mother and father had sex and then I was born as a human being and-

Ryoma sighs, "I mean here, behind the tree, talking to me!"

The stalker laughs again, "You have such a short temper. I was just seeing you practice and you happened to pick the tree I was hiding behind to rest on"

*Should I ask him? No…he'll think I'm interested. But I am, I want to know more about him.*

"Ryoma?"

"Don't address me as if we are friends"

"Ryoma?"

Ryoma sighs, "Yes?"

"Do you want to know more about me?"

Ryoma blushes lightly, "Yes…"

"Then ask."

Ryoma closes his eyes, "Fine. What's your job?"

"It consists of dealing with young people where I get to torture them in a non-physical way."

Ryoma groans, "How the heck am I supposed to know what your job is with that vague description?"

"You'll figure it out."

"What are your hobbies?"

"I like to treasure moments and take care of unique things."

Ryoma slams his book on the ground, "Too vague!"

The stalker chuckles, "Deal with it."

"Favorite color"

"What you get when you mix brown, white, and just a bit of yellow."

"Blood type?"

"Between A and C"

"Left or Right hand?" Ryoma blushes as he feels a warm and gentle hand hold his right hand.

"Right."

"I ran out of questions? Do you have anything else to add on?"

"I am a rescue circuit."

"What?"

"You'll figure it out sooner or later."

Ryoma argues with himself whether to ask this or not, "How long have you watched me?"

The stalker sighs, "I've been your stalker since about a year ago, but my eyes have followed you around since we were young. I have also loved you since we were small."

"I'm sorry, but I'm in love with someone else…"

"Must be a beautiful girl, who is she?"

"It's a he and his name is Fuji."

Ryoma feels the grip on his hand tighten, "He's your English teacher isn't he?"

Ryoma stares at his lap, "Yes…"

Ryoma feels the stalker let go of his hand, "I'm sorry, I have to go. Bye my beloved Ryoma…"

"Wait!" Ryoma turns around and looks behind the tree, but no one was there. Ryoma mumbles to himself,"…don't leave."

Ryoma picks up his Ponta can and throws it in the nearest trash can. He gathers his things and walks deeper into the park. He had no idea where he was walking to; he just had to clear his mind. Ryoma stumbles upon a playground which was currently empty, and sits on one of the swings. He places his book bag near him and starts swinging.

He laughs at himself, "I'm like a little kid." Ryoma looks at the scenery as he swings, "It seems familiar…"

"Ryoma! Ryoma! Are you okay?"

Ryoma looks up with teary eyes at a boy standing over him, "It hurts…"

The little boy looks at the scratch Ryoma got from falling and looks in his bag for something. He puts a band aid on the cut, "Here all better!" The little boy gives Ryoma a beautiful smile.

Ryoma snaps out of it and stops swinging, "A memory from when I was little?" Ryoma picks up his things and starts walking out of the park. "Who was that little boy?"

Ryoma walks towards his favorite diner to have breakfast, *I need to find out if the stalker was that little boy I knew when I was young.* Ryoma's thoughts are interrupted when he bumps into someone and ends up on the floor. He looks at the person on the floor across from him, *Dammit…déjà vu!*

This time, Ryoma stands up first and starts walking in the direction to his house, "Wait"

Ryoma turns around with a plastered stoic look, "What are you doing here Fuji sensei?"

As always, the usual smile, "I live near here and I was going to have breakfast here." Fuji points to Ryoma's favorite diner, "It's my favorite diner near my house."

Ryoma almost chokes on air, "…how close do you live to here?"

Fuji looks at Ryoma and points in the direction to Ryoma's home, "One block from here."

Ryoma calculates, *that is… 4 blocks away from me. Why does he live so close!*

"Echizen?"

Ryoma looks up and tries to act annoyed, "What?"

"Why are you're here?"

Ryoma sighs, "I live about five blocks from here and this is also my favorite diner."

Fuji smiles, "What a coincidence! Let have breakfast together then!"

Fuji drags Ryoma inside and Ryoma thinks to himself, *I don't believe in coincidences, life just enjoys torturing me!*

If Ryoma alone would cause waitresses hearts to fail, imagine when both Fuji and Ryoma are together in one diner. One waitress dropped the order she was carrying, the other tripped over, and the rest just looked like mindless love zombies. In an epic battle between who was going to served them, one won and walked over to their table confidently.

She smiles flirtatiously at Fuji and Ryoma, "What would you like?"

Ryoma rolls his eyes, "Can I get number one, with chocolate chip pancakes and bacon instead of sausage. Also, can I get a grape Ponta?"

She smiles again and turns her attention to Fuji, "And you would like?"

Fuji smiles charmingly, "May I get the wasabi and butter milk pancakes meal but with wasabi sausage instead of bacon. I would also like a grape Ponta."

Ryoma eyes Fuji sensei suspiciously, "Have you even tasted one in your life?"

Fuji smiles, "Maybe, in my junior high school days. Do you drink them a lot?"

Ryoma smirks, "I practically have Ponta running in my blood; I drink it as if it were water."

Fuji looks at the waitress with their food, "Wow, fast. Thank you."

Ryoma looks at Fuji sensei's plate, "It seems as if you love spicy things…"

Fuji smiles somewhat eerily, "Yes, I love anything spicy."

"Can you pass me the hot sauce?"

Ryoma almost coughs out his food, "Not spicy enough?"

Fuji shakes his head, "Nope, I need more spice."

Ryoma passes him the hot sauce and their fingers accidently brush against each other. Ryoma blushes and stares down at his food.

"Echizen?"

Ryoma looks up from his food, "Hnn?"

"Are you feeling better?"

Ryoma looks at Fuji sensei as if he were crazy, "From what?"

Fuji stares at the fork in his hand, "You've been zoning out in class and you ran out of the class room yesterday. Did I do something to you?"

Ryoma keeps eating to avoid eye contact, "I'm sorry, this has been a hard week. I have family issues which will be resolved soon. I'm sorry for screaming at you yesterday Fuji sensei."

Fuji looks at Ryoma with concern, "Remember you can talk to me about anything. I am your teacher after all."

*Great…the teacher role, that's the only role you'll ever take with me.* Ryoma nods, "Hnn."

Fuji's phone rings, "I'm sorry, let me take this."

Ryoma watches Fuji sensei answer his phone, "Yes? Ah, Hanno how are you. I'm eating breakfast right now with one of my students. What am I doing later?"

*Oh, your dear Hanno called?* Ryoma feels his eyes water, *Please…not again.*Ryoma takes out a few bills out of his wallet and puts it on the table. He gathers his things, stands up, and tries to speak without with voice cracking, "I have to go. Something urgent just came up." Ryoma runs out of the diner, tears streaming down his face and leaving a very confused Fuji eating alone.

Authors Note: MERRY LATE X-MAS!! I hope all of you guys had a great Christmas! REVIEW PLEASE AS A PRESENT FOR ME!! HERE was a present for me…I made it about 250 words longer…hehehe! I hopes you guys enjoyed! This is going to end in about 2 chapters or 3, next chapter is where Ryoma investigates who the stalker is using the clues I OBVIOUSLY gave you guys! Then a hot sex scene between 2 ppl..who..hehehe idk, so that would be 1 chapter or 1 and ½. Then Ryoma's graduation and things happen, so the ending would be minimum of 2 ch and max of 3. SOO for those who actually read this stupid note, you get to have extra info on the fanfic. CONGRATZ! Sooo buh bye!