Alicia Blade
387 words
"Because there are forty-six reasons I shouldn't!" Mamoru exclaimed in irritation, dragging a hand through his hair.
Motoki raised an eyebrow and leaned back in the booth. "Forty-six?"
"Forty-six."
"You've counted?"
"Yes, I've counted."
After a long pause, Motoki shook his head. "How much free time do you have, anyway?"
Rolling his eyes, Mamoru resorted to scowling out the window. "It's something I've had on my mind a lot lately, okay?"
"And you really came up with forty-six reasons?"
"Yes."
Motoki whistled quietly. "That's a lot of reasons."
"I know."
"What kind of reasons, exactly?"
Sighing, Mamoru began to count off on his fingers. "She's too young. There's too much competition. Her father doesn't let her date. We have yet to carry on a civil conversation. She's never had a boyfriend and wouldn't be prepared for… well, me. I don't have the time. She thinks I'm a jerk. Statistically, relationships formed at our age rarely work. I have a job and school to think about. We don't have anything in common. She could have any guy she wants. My reputation would be shot. She—"
"Okay, okay, I get the point," Motoki said, waving is hands for Mamoru to stop, which he did, lapsing them into a silence that contrasted sharply against the noise of the restaurant. A moment later, Motoki took a sip of his water, apparently in deep thought, then set it down and looked at his best friend. "What if I gave you one reason that you should do it, that was worth forty-six reasons on its own?"
Mamoru looked at him speculatively. "If such a reason existed, they would balance each other out and I'd be back to where I started."
Motoki grinned. "Reason Number One: Because you love her, Mamoru."
Mamoru sank into his chair, muttering, "That's not a reason."
"It is too! It's probably the best reason to do anything! Hell, it should be worth forty-seven reasons, easy!"
Shrugging uncomfortably, Mamoru said, "Forty-five."
"Forty-six."
"Fine, forty-six, therefore it's a tie and doesn't matter anyway!"
Motoki sighed. "So I just need to come up with one more reason for you to tell Usagi that you love her and the scale will tip?"
"There are no other reasons."
"Sure there are," Motoki said, winking. "Reason Number Two: Because she loves you back."