T.Anjel: Ah!~ Finally got chapter nine out!~~ I don't think it's all that bad either! And I think there was a review or something about onii-chan. The "o" is added in front of the word to add more politeness, if I'm not mistaken. So Onii- and 'Nii- are the same. Onee-san means older sister. And...yeah~
C-Mage: I'm so, SO sorry! *protrates self before readers* I was away for seven weeks, then I just kept procrastinating! .' Finally, I got an e-mail from Elisa Ang telling me to update, so here I am! ^.^' This chapter is dedicated to Shy-chan from me, for advertising LTLM on her fic (My Sakura under the ID DaShyGurl), and to Elisa Ang, for jolting me into action. I'd forgotten you guys actually hate waiting.... -.-'
Disclaimers: Standard Disclaimers apply.
Summary: Sakura makes a new special friend, and I don't think Syaoran seems all too happy about it.
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 9 – Sakura's New "Friend"
The feeling of hot water running down my back after an hour of sweating and teaching was absolute bliss. I ran my fingers through the locks of my wet hair, letting water through to my scalp. I turned off the shower with a contented sigh and quickly dried myself off with a pink towel my brother gave me three years ago. I wrapped myself with the towel and wrapped a smaller one around my damp hair. I was about to brush my teeth when I heard grumbling and muttering on the other side of the door.
I opened the door to find Onii-chan spatting into the phone while leaning against the wall of the hall. "What the hell do you want, gaki?" I heard the muffled voice on the other line growling back in the same fashion. "Well, she isn't here! Get off…."
"Who is it, 'Nii-chan?" I inquired timidly, finding the smoke emitting from my brother's ears to be slightly intimidating. I strained to see if I could recognize the voice on the other line, who seemed to be yelling and barking out a muffled stream of vulgar words. "Li-san?" I asked slowly, finding the voice to be similar to his.
'Nii-chan grumbled something incoherent under his breath and handed the phone to me. I hesitantly put the phone to my ear. "…Just give the damn phone to her! I called to speak to her and not to your fu…"
"Li-san?" I said, interrupting his small tantrum before he got too far.
"Kinomoto?" he asked in reply. I winced as I heard something crash, and Li-san cursing on the other side. "Sumimasen," he grumbled.
"Hai…," I said, staring questioningly at my brother, who stood five feet away from me, arms crossed, and glaring at the phone as if it were threatening him. I gave him a weak smile before slipping back into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me.
"I just wanted to inform you of when I expect you to have a lesson plan ready," Li-san said robotically, as if he were reading it off a script.
"A lesson plan?"
He seemed to have expected that question, because he immediately answered without a second to lose, "I plan on finishing this chapter and giving a test on it next week on Friday. On the following Monday, I want you to be prepared on teaching the next chapter, understood?"
"Hai!"
"I have the usual worksheets that I hand out every year. Just remind me to give them to you," Li-san said.
I nodded, but remembering I was on the phone, I repeated another, "Hai!"
"And…uhm…that's it."
"Arigatou, Li-san! Oyasumi nasai," I said.
"Oyasumi," he grumbled before turning off the phone.
I clicked the off button on the phone and exited the bathroom, finding 'Nii-chan to be in the same stiff position as he was in before.
"Relax, 'Nii-chan! He just wanted to tell me about some lesson plan I have to prepare," I informed him. He looked at me skeptically before going back downstairs without another word. I grinned and headed to my room, quickly dressing in comfortable clothes for dinner.
The weekend went by quickly as Tomoyo-san and I toured Otou-san and 'Nii-chan around the neighborhood and a couple of small sights. They were only going to stay for three weeks, so I made it my goal to make it as memorable as I could. While at the same time, I had to think about the future lesson plan.
By Sunday night, I was pooped. My energy was drained and the second I was down on my bed, I was asleep.
I woke up the next morning with help from a totally raucous alarm clock 'Nii-chan gave me as a gift when he arrived in America. I turned it off with a groan and trudged off to go about my daily morning routine.
"Ohayo!" Tomoyo-san called from the kitchen, seeing my slouched form drag itself across the halls to the bathroom.
"Ohayo," I called back, my voice cracking as I did.
"Your dad and brother are both still sleeping," Tomoyo-san informed me. "We have to leave in fifteen minutes, or we'll be late for school."
I nodded, my brain informing the rest of my body parts to move in a more quickened pace. After eleven point three minutes, I was down in the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to head on out to school. Tomoyo-san handed me a pink thermos. "No time," she said quickly, heading out of the house before me.
I scuttled out after her, locking the door behind me. I sat myself in the passenger's seat as I always did, and we rode listening to the news.
"I start the art club today," Tomoyo-san said, lowering the volume of the radio. "I'll probably end later than usual today. Do you want to take the car? I'll get a ride from Eriol."
"Okay," I agreed, as she parked in the faculty parking lot. We exited the vehicle, and, after locking it securely, she handed me the keys. We entered the building together and parted at Tomoyo-san's art room. I headed straight for the history room and found Li-san sitting at his desk, hunched over a book. He looked up when I came in.
"Oh. Ms. Kinomoto," he said. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course!" I immediately responded, setting my books down at the usual desk in the corner. I saw Li-san rummage through a drawer and come out with a piece of paper.
"This is a worksheet I was going to hand out to everyone, but I seemed to have run short on copies. Can you make me fifty more copies?" he asked, handing me the sheet.
I nodded. "Anything else?" I asked.
"No. That's it," he replied, and went back into working on the book or whatever he was doing. I was curious as to what he was hunched over, but I decided to keep my mouth closed as he seemed to be abnormally grumpier than usual.
I took the sheet of paper to where I remembered seeing the copier room. I recalled to the best of my ability the exact location of the room. After five minutes of quick roaming, I found a small room with two copying machines, only one of them in use. I smiled at myself proudly and walked over to the copying machine that wasn't being used.
The small amount of pride that welled up in my chest a second ago was gone.
How do these things work? I wondered, peering at the numbers and buttons in front of the contraption. I looked up at the yellowing wall and saw a small laminated sheet of paper pinned to it with instructions on how to use the copying machine. It looked simple enough.
I carefully set the worksheet facedown in the machine, making sure it was between the right set of marked lines. I put down the cover slowly so as not to move the piece of paper from its perfected spot. Next, I thought, peering over at the instructions. Punch in the number of copies I want in the number pad. I pressed the '5' and then the '0'. And start.
"Hoe?" I squeaked in surprise. I looked at the small screen besides the number pad that blinked some red signal. "No paper?" I read on the bottom of the screen. "Oh, no," I mumbled to myself. "Where am I supposed to get more paper?" I looked at the machine and its sides, but found no instructions on how to put in more paper. "Oh, no," I mumbled again. I turned around to see the man who was working on the other copying machine was still there. "Ehm…. Excuse me?" I asked, slightly peering around so I was seen from the corner of his eye.
He turned around and raised his eyebrows in response. I froze for a moment, forgetting my train of thought as I stared at the man in front of me. He was undoubtedly the most gorgeous man I have ever met in America. Excluding those stars seen on television, of course. His hair was a mix of brown and dirty blonde, and his eyes were green tinted with a sprinkle of blue. I found them to be the most amazing part of his perfectly chiseled face and tall, lean body.
I usually didn't gawk at anyone for being so good-looking, but his smile and composure amazed me to my inner being.
"Oh! Sorry," I said, realizing that I was staring. "It was just that, uhm, I was wondering if you knew how to put more paper in the machine."
"Of course," he replied. He let his copying machine run as it spat out paper after paper of the same worksheet. I curiously peered at the papers being printed and saw that they consisted of large letters of the alphabet and guidelines on how to write each letter.
I stole my attention away from the worksheet and watched the man as he gracefully retrieved paper from a pile next to the machine and opened a tray that camouflaged with the machine. He put about a hundred papers in the machine and tapped lightly to signal that he was done.
"That's it," he said. His voice was even sultry and sent small shivers down my spine.
I blushed and turned my head slightly away so he didn't see. "Thank you," I said, heading to the machine and clumsily hitting the start button.
"You're a teacher here?" he asked me, leaving the copying machine to continue his work.
"I'm just a student teacher," I replied, giving him a small smile. "And you?"
"I work at the elementary school nearby," he said. "The copying machine there broke down, so I came over here a little early to get it done. I'm a kindergarten teacher."
"A kindergarten teacher! Do you like kids?" I inquired, finding the man's occupation to be quite interesting.
"I love them," he answered. "They can be a pain, but they're adorable."
I laughed.
"Ms. Kinomoto!"
I turned to the door to find an elderly man there, carrying three large textbooks and a large bag slung over his shoulder.
"Mr. Kane!" I replied, taking the load off of his old arms.
"I'm in a bit of a rush," the history chairperson told me. "Mr. Li requested these extra textbooks and these extra materials. I do hope you don't mind giving them to him for me?" He set down the bag next to my machine. "Thank you, Ms. Kinomoto."
I smiled and nodded. "No problem."
He walked out quickly, letting his elderly legs carry him to wherever he needed to go.
"So, Ms. Kinomoto?"
I turned around as a reflex action to hearing my name. "Yes?"
"And what's your first name?"
"Sakura," I replied.
"Sakura," he repeated, and I found it amazing he said my name without a trace of an American accent.
I nodded. "And may I ask for yours?"
"David Kaplan," he replied. "It's not a beautiful sounding name like yours, but that's what people call me."
I blushed, but managed a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Kaplan."
"Please, call me David. Mr. Kaplan makes me sound old," he said with a chuckle. "And may I call you Sakura?"
I nodded. I looked over at my copying machine which ceased spitting out copies of the worksheet needed for class. "It was nice meeting you, David," I said, swinging the heavy bag over my shoulder and taking the three textbooks and fifty-one sheets of paper in my arms. I was exiting the room when I felt a hand gently take hold of one of my shoulders. I felt too weighed down to turn around. It was going to take too much effort.
"Let me help you with that," I heard David say behind me.
"It's okay!" I quickly said, trudging down the hall, my feet dragging from under the weight. I gasped when I felt the weight lift from my shoulder.
"Let me help you with that," David repeated, coming around in front of me, and holding the strap of the bag. I let him take the bag, but I held firmly to the textbooks. He followed next to me towards the classroom, making small talk.
I still felt a little jittery by him, feeling intimidated by the way he perfectly composed himself without effort. I only laughed lightly or smiled whenever he said something humorous, or I clicked my tongue whenever else was appropriate.
We turned in at Li-san's classroom. He was in the same stiff position as he was in twenty-five minutes ago: hunched over his desk. He looked up when we walked in, eyeing David for an extra long time before saying, "Did Mr. Kane send this?"
I nodded, setting the textbooks down and taking the bag from David's shoulder. "Thank you," I said.
"Anytime," he replied. He looked over at Li-san. "Mr. Li, what a surprise."
Li-san just glared back, questioning him.
"It's been awhile," David said with what seemed to be a smirk. "You're lucky to have such a great student teacher working in the same classroom."
I blushed.
"Don't you have babies to get back to, Mr. Kaplan?" Li-san said, surprisingly sounding very smooth in his insult.
"And that I do," David replied. Even with my fighter reflexes, I didn't see David swoop down and give me a small peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he said and left, leaving me blushing to the roots of my hair while Li-san just glared.
"You two seem awfully close," Li-san said, rummaging through the bag.
"I didn't expect him to. . .," I said, gently touching where the man's soft lips were a minute ago. "Do you know him?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.
"When we were young," Li-san replied, now flipping through the new textbooks. "He and I usually saw each other in fighting tournaments and such. He hated me because I always beat him in the final match."
"Eh?! You were that good?" I asked.
He didn't answer my question, but changed the subject again. "Hiiragizawa called me yesterday. He wants of Daidouji-san and us to plan the holiday dance that comes every year mid-December."
"That sounds like fun!" I exclaimed, already picturing a high school dance in my head.
"It's big to the kids, so we have to organize a committee and everything. But we have time, so it's no rush," Li-san said.
I nodded and took my seat as I heard the bell ring. The day went by as it usually did, Alex and Tony causing their small bits of mischief, Li-san teaching in his usual strict way (he seemed a lot stricter today for some reason), and lunch in the faculty room with the usual teachers and lunches.
By the end of the school day, I remember receiving a couple of compliments of awe from the sparring fight Li-san and I displayed. I thanked them while Li-san just brushed them off with a straight face. I smiled at his stiffness, finding more humor in it than fear. I made sure to bid him farewell before heading towards the parking lot.
The second I walked out of the high school building, I felt my hand being held by someone. I turned and saw David, smiling. I found myself blushing, but managed to stutter, "Hi."
"Hey," he said. "Elementary school ends earlier, so I decided to come by and see what you were up to."
"Just going home and grading homework," I said, remembering the responsibility Li-san decided to finally give me.
"Sounds boring," David said with a laugh, following me to Tomoyo-san's car.
"Not really," I said.
"Look, I was wondering if you were doing anything Friday night?"
"I don't think so," I said.
"Great, you want to go out for dinner then?" he asked, sounding hopeful in his request.
"You mean, on a date?" I asked, hoping he would clarify his inquiry.
"Yeah," he replied.
I felt a slight hesitation tug in my chest, and for some strange reason I was starting to think of Li-san. I pushed his image aside, and I mustered up a smile. "Sounds great."
"Can you give me your address? I'll pick you up at seven," David said, smiling like a little boy.
I took out a slip of paper from my bag and scribbled down the address.
"I'll see you then," he said, pocketing the piece of paper and planting another kiss on my opposite cheek. He jogged out of sight towards the other parking lot.
I got into the car. The only other boyfriend I ever had was a cute guy back in high school. And our relationship only lasted for two weeks. I started up the engine, and I suddenly felt like the grandness of David was gone. He was now just an ordinary man, teaching. How strange it was. Strange indeed.
~*~*~*~*~
T.Anjel: I liked this chapter. The end of it anyway. Thanks for reading!
C-Mage: Wow. Another short chapter, huh? Well, at least we're starting to get into the romance! I've just realized how long this thing is going to be. @.@' Thanks for sticking with it this far, and I hope you'll stick with it to the end! R&R, please!
C-Mage: I'm so, SO sorry! *protrates self before readers* I was away for seven weeks, then I just kept procrastinating! .' Finally, I got an e-mail from Elisa Ang telling me to update, so here I am! ^.^' This chapter is dedicated to Shy-chan from me, for advertising LTLM on her fic (My Sakura under the ID DaShyGurl), and to Elisa Ang, for jolting me into action. I'd forgotten you guys actually hate waiting.... -.-'
Disclaimers: Standard Disclaimers apply.
Summary: Sakura makes a new special friend, and I don't think Syaoran seems all too happy about it.
Learn to Love Me – Chapter 9 – Sakura's New "Friend"
The feeling of hot water running down my back after an hour of sweating and teaching was absolute bliss. I ran my fingers through the locks of my wet hair, letting water through to my scalp. I turned off the shower with a contented sigh and quickly dried myself off with a pink towel my brother gave me three years ago. I wrapped myself with the towel and wrapped a smaller one around my damp hair. I was about to brush my teeth when I heard grumbling and muttering on the other side of the door.
I opened the door to find Onii-chan spatting into the phone while leaning against the wall of the hall. "What the hell do you want, gaki?" I heard the muffled voice on the other line growling back in the same fashion. "Well, she isn't here! Get off…."
"Who is it, 'Nii-chan?" I inquired timidly, finding the smoke emitting from my brother's ears to be slightly intimidating. I strained to see if I could recognize the voice on the other line, who seemed to be yelling and barking out a muffled stream of vulgar words. "Li-san?" I asked slowly, finding the voice to be similar to his.
'Nii-chan grumbled something incoherent under his breath and handed the phone to me. I hesitantly put the phone to my ear. "…Just give the damn phone to her! I called to speak to her and not to your fu…"
"Li-san?" I said, interrupting his small tantrum before he got too far.
"Kinomoto?" he asked in reply. I winced as I heard something crash, and Li-san cursing on the other side. "Sumimasen," he grumbled.
"Hai…," I said, staring questioningly at my brother, who stood five feet away from me, arms crossed, and glaring at the phone as if it were threatening him. I gave him a weak smile before slipping back into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me.
"I just wanted to inform you of when I expect you to have a lesson plan ready," Li-san said robotically, as if he were reading it off a script.
"A lesson plan?"
He seemed to have expected that question, because he immediately answered without a second to lose, "I plan on finishing this chapter and giving a test on it next week on Friday. On the following Monday, I want you to be prepared on teaching the next chapter, understood?"
"Hai!"
"I have the usual worksheets that I hand out every year. Just remind me to give them to you," Li-san said.
I nodded, but remembering I was on the phone, I repeated another, "Hai!"
"And…uhm…that's it."
"Arigatou, Li-san! Oyasumi nasai," I said.
"Oyasumi," he grumbled before turning off the phone.
I clicked the off button on the phone and exited the bathroom, finding 'Nii-chan to be in the same stiff position as he was in before.
"Relax, 'Nii-chan! He just wanted to tell me about some lesson plan I have to prepare," I informed him. He looked at me skeptically before going back downstairs without another word. I grinned and headed to my room, quickly dressing in comfortable clothes for dinner.
The weekend went by quickly as Tomoyo-san and I toured Otou-san and 'Nii-chan around the neighborhood and a couple of small sights. They were only going to stay for three weeks, so I made it my goal to make it as memorable as I could. While at the same time, I had to think about the future lesson plan.
By Sunday night, I was pooped. My energy was drained and the second I was down on my bed, I was asleep.
I woke up the next morning with help from a totally raucous alarm clock 'Nii-chan gave me as a gift when he arrived in America. I turned it off with a groan and trudged off to go about my daily morning routine.
"Ohayo!" Tomoyo-san called from the kitchen, seeing my slouched form drag itself across the halls to the bathroom.
"Ohayo," I called back, my voice cracking as I did.
"Your dad and brother are both still sleeping," Tomoyo-san informed me. "We have to leave in fifteen minutes, or we'll be late for school."
I nodded, my brain informing the rest of my body parts to move in a more quickened pace. After eleven point three minutes, I was down in the kitchen, fully dressed and ready to head on out to school. Tomoyo-san handed me a pink thermos. "No time," she said quickly, heading out of the house before me.
I scuttled out after her, locking the door behind me. I sat myself in the passenger's seat as I always did, and we rode listening to the news.
"I start the art club today," Tomoyo-san said, lowering the volume of the radio. "I'll probably end later than usual today. Do you want to take the car? I'll get a ride from Eriol."
"Okay," I agreed, as she parked in the faculty parking lot. We exited the vehicle, and, after locking it securely, she handed me the keys. We entered the building together and parted at Tomoyo-san's art room. I headed straight for the history room and found Li-san sitting at his desk, hunched over a book. He looked up when I came in.
"Oh. Ms. Kinomoto," he said. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Of course!" I immediately responded, setting my books down at the usual desk in the corner. I saw Li-san rummage through a drawer and come out with a piece of paper.
"This is a worksheet I was going to hand out to everyone, but I seemed to have run short on copies. Can you make me fifty more copies?" he asked, handing me the sheet.
I nodded. "Anything else?" I asked.
"No. That's it," he replied, and went back into working on the book or whatever he was doing. I was curious as to what he was hunched over, but I decided to keep my mouth closed as he seemed to be abnormally grumpier than usual.
I took the sheet of paper to where I remembered seeing the copier room. I recalled to the best of my ability the exact location of the room. After five minutes of quick roaming, I found a small room with two copying machines, only one of them in use. I smiled at myself proudly and walked over to the copying machine that wasn't being used.
The small amount of pride that welled up in my chest a second ago was gone.
How do these things work? I wondered, peering at the numbers and buttons in front of the contraption. I looked up at the yellowing wall and saw a small laminated sheet of paper pinned to it with instructions on how to use the copying machine. It looked simple enough.
I carefully set the worksheet facedown in the machine, making sure it was between the right set of marked lines. I put down the cover slowly so as not to move the piece of paper from its perfected spot. Next, I thought, peering over at the instructions. Punch in the number of copies I want in the number pad. I pressed the '5' and then the '0'. And start.
"Hoe?" I squeaked in surprise. I looked at the small screen besides the number pad that blinked some red signal. "No paper?" I read on the bottom of the screen. "Oh, no," I mumbled to myself. "Where am I supposed to get more paper?" I looked at the machine and its sides, but found no instructions on how to put in more paper. "Oh, no," I mumbled again. I turned around to see the man who was working on the other copying machine was still there. "Ehm…. Excuse me?" I asked, slightly peering around so I was seen from the corner of his eye.
He turned around and raised his eyebrows in response. I froze for a moment, forgetting my train of thought as I stared at the man in front of me. He was undoubtedly the most gorgeous man I have ever met in America. Excluding those stars seen on television, of course. His hair was a mix of brown and dirty blonde, and his eyes were green tinted with a sprinkle of blue. I found them to be the most amazing part of his perfectly chiseled face and tall, lean body.
I usually didn't gawk at anyone for being so good-looking, but his smile and composure amazed me to my inner being.
"Oh! Sorry," I said, realizing that I was staring. "It was just that, uhm, I was wondering if you knew how to put more paper in the machine."
"Of course," he replied. He let his copying machine run as it spat out paper after paper of the same worksheet. I curiously peered at the papers being printed and saw that they consisted of large letters of the alphabet and guidelines on how to write each letter.
I stole my attention away from the worksheet and watched the man as he gracefully retrieved paper from a pile next to the machine and opened a tray that camouflaged with the machine. He put about a hundred papers in the machine and tapped lightly to signal that he was done.
"That's it," he said. His voice was even sultry and sent small shivers down my spine.
I blushed and turned my head slightly away so he didn't see. "Thank you," I said, heading to the machine and clumsily hitting the start button.
"You're a teacher here?" he asked me, leaving the copying machine to continue his work.
"I'm just a student teacher," I replied, giving him a small smile. "And you?"
"I work at the elementary school nearby," he said. "The copying machine there broke down, so I came over here a little early to get it done. I'm a kindergarten teacher."
"A kindergarten teacher! Do you like kids?" I inquired, finding the man's occupation to be quite interesting.
"I love them," he answered. "They can be a pain, but they're adorable."
I laughed.
"Ms. Kinomoto!"
I turned to the door to find an elderly man there, carrying three large textbooks and a large bag slung over his shoulder.
"Mr. Kane!" I replied, taking the load off of his old arms.
"I'm in a bit of a rush," the history chairperson told me. "Mr. Li requested these extra textbooks and these extra materials. I do hope you don't mind giving them to him for me?" He set down the bag next to my machine. "Thank you, Ms. Kinomoto."
I smiled and nodded. "No problem."
He walked out quickly, letting his elderly legs carry him to wherever he needed to go.
"So, Ms. Kinomoto?"
I turned around as a reflex action to hearing my name. "Yes?"
"And what's your first name?"
"Sakura," I replied.
"Sakura," he repeated, and I found it amazing he said my name without a trace of an American accent.
I nodded. "And may I ask for yours?"
"David Kaplan," he replied. "It's not a beautiful sounding name like yours, but that's what people call me."
I blushed, but managed a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Kaplan."
"Please, call me David. Mr. Kaplan makes me sound old," he said with a chuckle. "And may I call you Sakura?"
I nodded. I looked over at my copying machine which ceased spitting out copies of the worksheet needed for class. "It was nice meeting you, David," I said, swinging the heavy bag over my shoulder and taking the three textbooks and fifty-one sheets of paper in my arms. I was exiting the room when I felt a hand gently take hold of one of my shoulders. I felt too weighed down to turn around. It was going to take too much effort.
"Let me help you with that," I heard David say behind me.
"It's okay!" I quickly said, trudging down the hall, my feet dragging from under the weight. I gasped when I felt the weight lift from my shoulder.
"Let me help you with that," David repeated, coming around in front of me, and holding the strap of the bag. I let him take the bag, but I held firmly to the textbooks. He followed next to me towards the classroom, making small talk.
I still felt a little jittery by him, feeling intimidated by the way he perfectly composed himself without effort. I only laughed lightly or smiled whenever he said something humorous, or I clicked my tongue whenever else was appropriate.
We turned in at Li-san's classroom. He was in the same stiff position as he was in twenty-five minutes ago: hunched over his desk. He looked up when we walked in, eyeing David for an extra long time before saying, "Did Mr. Kane send this?"
I nodded, setting the textbooks down and taking the bag from David's shoulder. "Thank you," I said.
"Anytime," he replied. He looked over at Li-san. "Mr. Li, what a surprise."
Li-san just glared back, questioning him.
"It's been awhile," David said with what seemed to be a smirk. "You're lucky to have such a great student teacher working in the same classroom."
I blushed.
"Don't you have babies to get back to, Mr. Kaplan?" Li-san said, surprisingly sounding very smooth in his insult.
"And that I do," David replied. Even with my fighter reflexes, I didn't see David swoop down and give me a small peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he said and left, leaving me blushing to the roots of my hair while Li-san just glared.
"You two seem awfully close," Li-san said, rummaging through the bag.
"I didn't expect him to. . .," I said, gently touching where the man's soft lips were a minute ago. "Do you know him?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.
"When we were young," Li-san replied, now flipping through the new textbooks. "He and I usually saw each other in fighting tournaments and such. He hated me because I always beat him in the final match."
"Eh?! You were that good?" I asked.
He didn't answer my question, but changed the subject again. "Hiiragizawa called me yesterday. He wants of Daidouji-san and us to plan the holiday dance that comes every year mid-December."
"That sounds like fun!" I exclaimed, already picturing a high school dance in my head.
"It's big to the kids, so we have to organize a committee and everything. But we have time, so it's no rush," Li-san said.
I nodded and took my seat as I heard the bell ring. The day went by as it usually did, Alex and Tony causing their small bits of mischief, Li-san teaching in his usual strict way (he seemed a lot stricter today for some reason), and lunch in the faculty room with the usual teachers and lunches.
By the end of the school day, I remember receiving a couple of compliments of awe from the sparring fight Li-san and I displayed. I thanked them while Li-san just brushed them off with a straight face. I smiled at his stiffness, finding more humor in it than fear. I made sure to bid him farewell before heading towards the parking lot.
The second I walked out of the high school building, I felt my hand being held by someone. I turned and saw David, smiling. I found myself blushing, but managed to stutter, "Hi."
"Hey," he said. "Elementary school ends earlier, so I decided to come by and see what you were up to."
"Just going home and grading homework," I said, remembering the responsibility Li-san decided to finally give me.
"Sounds boring," David said with a laugh, following me to Tomoyo-san's car.
"Not really," I said.
"Look, I was wondering if you were doing anything Friday night?"
"I don't think so," I said.
"Great, you want to go out for dinner then?" he asked, sounding hopeful in his request.
"You mean, on a date?" I asked, hoping he would clarify his inquiry.
"Yeah," he replied.
I felt a slight hesitation tug in my chest, and for some strange reason I was starting to think of Li-san. I pushed his image aside, and I mustered up a smile. "Sounds great."
"Can you give me your address? I'll pick you up at seven," David said, smiling like a little boy.
I took out a slip of paper from my bag and scribbled down the address.
"I'll see you then," he said, pocketing the piece of paper and planting another kiss on my opposite cheek. He jogged out of sight towards the other parking lot.
I got into the car. The only other boyfriend I ever had was a cute guy back in high school. And our relationship only lasted for two weeks. I started up the engine, and I suddenly felt like the grandness of David was gone. He was now just an ordinary man, teaching. How strange it was. Strange indeed.
~*~*~*~*~
T.Anjel: I liked this chapter. The end of it anyway. Thanks for reading!
C-Mage: Wow. Another short chapter, huh? Well, at least we're starting to get into the romance! I've just realized how long this thing is going to be. @.@' Thanks for sticking with it this far, and I hope you'll stick with it to the end! R&R, please!