C-Mage: *ducks from tomatoes* I'm really sorry about it taking so long! Excuses are useless, I know, but I'm sure you all know how busy life gets during the school year. Thanks a bunch for putting up with us and for not giving up. ^.^~ Can you believe we're on chapter 12 already? *glomps readers* You guys rock!
T.Anjel: Want a cookie? =D no comment.
Disclaimers: We don't own CCS. We only own David and misc. students. Want 'em?
Summary: Sakura's first day teaching, and David's first day with the self-defense club. o.O
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 12 - Syaoran Relinquishes Command
~~~~~
Ring!
"Hoe!"
My eyes flicked to the door. Good. She wasn't completely late.
Kinomoto burst through the classroom door, resting her arms on her knees and breathing hard, clutching a stack of worksheets. "Go-gomen nasai!" She looked up and winced at the students staring at her quizzically.
I folded my arms on my chest and looked sternly at her. "I'm sure you know my policy on tardiness. Don't do it again." Giving her a final glare, I gestured for her to take over. "If you're ready...?"
"Oh! Yes, Mr. Li." She hastily set down her bag and pulled out her notes. Taking a moment to breathe deeply, she turned to face the class, and I moved to sit in a chair at the back of the room.
She smiled engagingly at the room. "I'm sure you all know who I am...." The students giggled as she blushed. "I'm going to be teaching this chapter to you, so please go easy on me. This is my first time really teaching...." I frowned. Putting yourself down was never the best way to go.
"Is not!" cried a student. I opened my mouth to reprimand him, but remembered I wasn't teaching, and therefore had to let Kinomoto have control. Hm. This might be harder than I thought. "You teach the self-defense club!"
Another blush. "Yes, well, that's with Mr. Li's help...." I coughed. "Oh! Right. The chapter." She looked at her notes. "Who can tell me about the first colony in America?"
"The Pilgrims!" called a student without raising their hand.
"No, Jamestown!" argued another.
Kinomoto smiled. "Actually, you're both wrong. The very first real colony in America was Roanoke. What can you tell me about Roanoke?"
"They all died...?" ventured someone in the front row.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Sakura, delighted. She turned to write on the board. "The settlers at Roanoke all died within a few years of their arrival. Can you tell me what the driving factors for their settlement were?"
Settling in with paper for my own notes, I frowned slightly as I watched Kinomoto chatting with the students. Her teaching method had merit, as it gained more interaction from the students. Granted, only a few really participated, but I could tell they looked more lively than during my lectures. Maybe none would fall asleep today.
The loud shout of the student directly in front of me brought my hand to my temples. Kinomoto's teaching method also was much too noisy for me. I could tell I'd have a headache soon enough.
By the time the next bell rang, Kinomoto had moved through the first part of the chapter and distributed worksheets. "Please have your homework done by tomorrow!" she called after the disappearing wave of students.
I stood up and walked stiffly to the front of the room, remembering her tardiness. "Ms. Kinomoto," I said, stopping by her. She glanced up from organizing her notes.
"Oh! Mr. Li. I'm so, so sorry about being late this morning! I was up late and overslept, and then I had to make some copies.... I'm not in trouble, am I?" She looked just like one of the students in my classes.
"I may not be able to give you a referral for being late, but I hope you're never late again. I'm sure I could come up with some punishment of my own."
Her shoulders sagged under the reprimand. "I promise I won't be late again. It's just...I had to go over my notes...." I held up a hand to stop her.
"I'm not asking any questions as to why, just saying not to do it again." Noticing her eyes sadden, I said, "You did well. Keep it up, and you'll get your credentials easily." She smiled at me.
"Thanks, Mr. Li."
The rest of the day breezed by. Watching Kinomoto teach the same stuff over and over wasn't the most interesting thing ever, so I ended up pulling out a book and reading, glancing up occasionally. As I'd predicted, she was a natural and held the students' attentions easily.
This got me to thinking about my own teaching methods. As previously noted, students had a tendency to fall asleep during my lectures. I had my schedule worked out completely, to the point where I almost had it memorized. Heck, I did have parts of it memorized, but I'd never admit it out loud. Maybe I should change it. ...A little.
During our next free block, Kinomoto was leaving, presumably to gossip with Daidouji, as I called out, "A moment, Kinomoto-san." Looking puzzled, she walked over.
"Hai?"
Unsure how to put it, I cleared my throat. "How would you describe my teaching style?"
Her brow furrowed. "Well...you lecture." She shrugged.
I sighed. "I know that. How would you describe it in terms of the students and how they react?"
She thought for a second. "The students copy down notes. And...some fall asleep." She winced slightly.
I nodded. This was where I'd been heading. "Do you think I should change it?" A slight blush colored my cheeks. I wasn't the type to ask opinions, especially on myself.
Auburn hair swished as she tilted her head. "Hm.... You could try to have the class participate more. No offense, but they kind of...just sit there."
My amber eyes squinted. "You think I should teach more like you?"
She blushed hotly. "If you want. You've been teaching longer...I only started today. But from experience as a student not so long ago, participating helps." Her lips curled up in a smile.
"Thank you," I said, genuinely meeting it. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Now you can go onto meet Daidouji-san, or wherever it was you're going."
"Actually, I'm going to surprise David-kun...."
I glared. Why'd she have to go see Kaplan, anyway? What was there to discuss? "Teachers aren't really supposed to leave the premises until the end of the school day."
Her face fell. "Oh...."
My heart clenched at her sad face. Damn it all. Gruffly, I said, "I guess it's fine...just don't be late."
She lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks, Li-san!" She lightly kissed my cheek and bounded out through the door. Staring after her, I touched my cheek, still feeling the lingering warmth of her lips. The thought of never washing that cheek flitted through my mind, but I dismissed it as unsanitary.
Then I remembered Kaplan. Growling low in my throat, I fought not to throw something and stalked back to my chair.
When Kinomoto returned, she was fairly glowing. "I've set it all up with David-kun for Friday! Is it all right if you two demonstrate together?" I nodded jerkily. "Great!" She plunked down in my desk and started humming as she pulled out make-work.
"Kinomoto-san." She looked up at me. "Please don't move anything." She blushed.
"Un," she nodded.
We settled into our work, but soon enough Kinomoto started tinkering with what was on my desk.
"Li-san?" she asked tentatively.
"...Hai?" I responded, pulling myself into awareness.
"Why don't you have any pictures?" Puzzled, I looked up, and she pointed to the empty space on my desk. "Most teachers have pictures of their loved ones on their desks. Why don't you?"
I growled, "That's not really any of your business."
She blushed and looked down. "Gomen, Li-san," she murmured and returned to her work, pausing to glance up at me every now and then.
Sighing, I put aside my book and looked at her. "If you'd really like to know why I don't have any pictures, it's because there's no reason to. Most of my family's estranged, and those that aren't keep little contact. I gave up a lot when I moved to America." I shrugged, but Kinomoto's eyes softened.
"Gomen ne," she said quietly, so I could barely hear her.
"It's nothing to be sorry about," I reassured quickly, thinking of how lucky she was to have all of her family's support behind her. The Clan had disagreed with my intentions, and so I had moved. I liked to think I was the better for it, but sometimes I had my doubts.
"I wish I could give you a picture for you desk, but that would seem a little silly, wouldn't it?" she said wistfully. "You don't know any of my family, and if I gave you a picture of me...well...." Her resulting blush rivaled some of my best, which was saying something. I coughed nervously, and we sat like that for a few minutes, until Kinomoto slammed her fist into a palm.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Turning a dazzling smile on me, she asked, "How would you like a picture of the self-defense club? It's something important and that you care about, and I'm sure the students would be happy to pose."
"How do you know it's important to me?" I asked, feigning indifference.
She blinked emerald orbs. "You just seem so happy...so at peace whenever we're working with the students, or when you're sparring or practicing a form. I'd think it would be obvious."
Little did she know that she was the first person to catch upon this. No one, not even my youngest sister, knew how important it was to me. Martial arts had been taught to me first by my father, and then by Wei-san, who was almost a surrogate father to me. It was always something I could do to relax, almost like meditation.
"Li-san..." she ventured, when I'd been silent for a while. I startled.
"Oh! Gomen," I said, cheeks tinting.
She smiled. "I can see you're preoccupied, so I'll continue with my work. And...Li-san." She paused. "Arigatou."
"For what?" I asked, puzzled.
"For talking." With that, she picked up her pencil to work for the remaining few minutes of our free period.
~~~~~
The rest of the day came and went, as did the rest of the week. Soon enough it was Friday, complete with all it entailed. The thought of playing 'training buddy' with Kaplan held little appeal to me, and I pondered staying home to get out of it as I lay in my bed early Friday morning. I finally rejected the thought, as I'd never missed a day of school without due reasoning. I doubted Hiiragizawa-san would accept dislike of a co-worker...and Kaplan wasn't even that.
Groaning, I hauled myself out of bed and into the shower, then forcing myself to get dressed and drive to school. It had always amused me to say I went to school Monday through Friday, but no one else seemed to appreciate the joke.
When I reached my classroom, I frowned. The door was unlocked, and the lights were on. I arrived at school early enough that hardly anyone was there, and I certainly never expected Kinomoto to arrive this early. She had a hard enough time arriving to school on time, as it was.
Turning the knob with a sense of foreboding, I pushed open the door and peeked inside. What greeted me was an aggravating sight. Kaplan, fully awake and grinning, was sitting in my chair with his feet propped on my desk. Growling, I entered the room and plopped my bag down on my chair in the back of the room.
"'Morning, Kaplan," I forced out.
"'Morning to you, Mr. Li, and a good one it is, too!" He was positively beaming, his green eyes sparkling. I felt like marching over to him and smacking him good and hard, messing up his precisely-placed hair. He had no right to be sitting in my desk, in my room, bidding me good morning, especially when he was dating my student - My thoughts ground to a halt.
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Isn't this illegal?"
Kaplan shrugged. "I doubt it. I asked the permission of your principal, Mr. Hiiragizawa. He said he'd be delighted to let me in. I'm here to check in on the self-defense club...and Sakura." His eyes went to slits. "Now, I'm the one dating Sakura, so you'd better keep your hands and your eyes off of her, understand?"
Oh, how I longed to knock him out, even if just for a minute. Instead, I snorted. "What Ms. Kinomoto does in her free time is of no relevance to me."
Kaplan nodded. "Good. See that it stays that way. I'd hate to have to beat you up."
Now, this was much more familiar territory. "In your dreams. I always was better than you, and you know it."
Kaplan rose to the bait. "As if. You only beat me that one time because of a fluke!"
"One time?!" I demanded, incredulous. "I beat you in every single match! And I have the documents to prove it!"
Kaplan was just opening his mouth to reply when a sweet "Ohayo, Li-san!" resounded through the now open door and Kinomoto waltzed in. She turned towards the desk and stopped. "Oh! David! I didn't realize you would be here!"
"Neither did I," I grumbled inaudibly.
Kaplan chuckled easily, resuming his suave act. "I wanted to surprise you, honey." He leaned down to kiss her, and I averted my gaze, flushing with anger.
"You certainly did!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Now, I need to put my stuff where you're sitting, so could you please move?" She favored him with a soft smile.
"Of course, my lady," he murmured, standing smoothly. "I'd never dream of being in your way."
"David, stop it," she muttered quietly, thinking I couldn't hear. "Mr. Li's in here." David smirked and nodded his assent.
Kinomoto quickly arranged her stuff on my desk, then turned to Kaplan. "Why are you here so early? Don't you have to prepare for your classes?" I snorted, and Kinomoto shot me an annoyed look.
"I really wanted to make sure I was correct on the club information, but I also couldn't wait to see you again." Even without looking, I could feel Kinomoto blush. Turning his attention more towards me, Kaplan continued, "It's at four, right? In the gym?"
I closed the book I'd been pretending to read. "Yes. Don't forget anything. We won't have time to wait for you to get it."
"I won't," Kaplan rebutted. "Will you need any help with the mats and supplies?"
"I haven't in the past, so I don't see why I should now."
Kaplan and I stared at each other moodily. Finally, Kinomoto broke the oppressive silence by crying, "Hoe! David, if you don't hurry, you'll be late to your class!"
"Ah," said Kaplan, hastily moving in to kiss Kinomoto farewell. "See you both later!" he called jovially, heading out the door and waving.
"I don't get what you see in him," I said, almost to myself. Apparently Kinomoto heard, however, because she responded.
"What is it with you? First 'Nii-chan, then you! Doesn't anyone like David?"
I snorted. "Not likely."
Unwittingly or not, I had just agreed with Kinomoto's 'nii-chan for what would perhaps be the only time in our lives.
~~~~~
At four o'clock on the dot, I arrived at the outer gym doors and unlocked them, hefting in my equipment. What greeted me was a surprise: instead of the dark emptiness I'd grown used to, Kinomoto and Kaplan were bantering while positioning mats. My mood darkened noticeably.
"Why, Mr. Li! You're just in time! For a second there, I thought you were going to be late." Kaplan grinned cheekily.
"I'm never late, Mr. Kaplan," I assured him, growling low in my throat. I dropped off my gear and went to the lockers. "I'll be back in a minute," I called over my shoulder.
When I came back out, Kinomoto and Kaplan were still going at it. Another growl. "I thought we were here to warm up," I muttered, loud enough for them to hear. Kinomoto blushed, but Kaplan responded.
"Terribly sorry, but we've actually been waiting for you...." Oh, how I wanted to slap that insolent smirk off his face. Instead, I shrugged.
"All right, then. Let's warm up."
We went through a succession of stretches, and by the time we'd finished, the usual students were trickling in. When they'd all sat down and written their names on a piece of paper, Kinomoto addressed the group.
"Now, I'm sure you've all noticed the extra teacher up here." Kaplan smiled winningly at the students, causing more than a few to giggle and whisper. "This is Mr. Kaplan, and he works at the elementary school as a kindergarten teacher. I expect you all to show him the same amount of respect you'd give to me or Mr. Li. Okay?"
"Okay," mumbled the students, as they were rarely enthusiastic about anything.
"Now that that's settled, we can begin!" exclaimed Kinomoto, clapping her hands together. "Mr. Li and Mr. Kaplan will demonstrate while I go around to check on your performance. Okay?"
"Okay," came the repeated mumbles. I suppressed a smile.
"All right! First, does anyone remember the front jump kick?" There were a few feeble attempt, but for the most part the students just stood around and looked at each other. Kaplan rolled his eyes at me, but I looked away.
"You almost have it," encouraged Kinomoto. "Mr. Li, could you demonstrate?" I quickly jumped with my left foot, then kicked with my right, then reverted to attention. "Could you all do that?" The group started their fumbling attempts at the jump/kick combination, and Kinomoto started to move through the group, correcting stance, balance, and timing.
"Geez, what are these?" muttered Kaplan to me while he threw out a kick. "They're horrible."
"They're students," I muttered back, kicking as well. "They have the right to learn." Kaplan shook his head in derision.
"They aren't even trying, and they're not paying, either. It's a waste of their time."
I smoldered. He was insulting my students and my fighting ability. "They're just beginning. I'd wager you weren't that good when you started." I snorted. "Heck, you still aren't very good."
A muscle in Kaplan's jaw twitched, and he quickly turned to face me in an offensive stance. "I beg you to reconsider, Mr. Li," he ground out between clenched teeth.
I smirked as I switched to a defensive stance. "It'd stay the same, anyway."
Kaplan glared and lunged at me, throwing a punch at me. I blocked easily. Next, a kick, blocked again. He really was a good fighter, but I was better. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks at me, but I blocked them all.
"Ms. Kinomoto was harder," I taunted, sliding away again. Kaplan yelled something inaudible and went at me again, but this time Kinomoto interceded.
"STOP!!!" she yelled, throwing herself between us. "What do you think you're doing, hm?" She glared at each of us in turn, arms akimbo, hands on her hips.
"Fighting," I supplied, shrugging. Why try to dodge the accusation if it was true?
"And why?" she asked, voice starting to growl.
"Mr. Li insulted my fighting ability," answered Kaplan, sounding suspiciously like a student ratting out another.
Kinomoto turned her fury on me. "I would expect something like that from a child, not from a full-grown adult! Apologize to Mr. Kaplan this instant!"
Grumbling, I said, "Mr. Kaplan, I'm sorry for insulting your fighting ability. You are a good fighter." Kaplan grinned as if he'd won a grand contest. "...But I'm better." Kinomoto's eyes narrowed, but thankfully Kaplan hadn't heard.
"Thank you," said Kinomoto. "Now, Mr. Kaplan, apologize to Mr. Li."
Kaplan choked on his grin. "Why?"
Kinomoto rolled her eyes, as if talking to a child. "Because you attacked him. Never once did he throw in anything but a block."
Kaplan shrugged. "Mr. Li, I'm sorry for attacking you." He turned to Kinomoto. "Can I go now?" Kinomoto looked flustered, but she nodded jerkily. Kaplan gathered up his stuff and kissed Kinomoto on the cheek, then headed out the door.
Sighing, Kinomoto turned towards the students, who were talking noisily, and looked as if she'd forgotten they were there. "Okay, okay, that's done. I'm sorry about that." Emerald daggers shot at me. "I hope you all never act that way. What we're teaching is for self-defense, not petty fights. Understood?" The students nodded. Kinomoto smiled. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the kicks."
I moved away slightly, and Kinomoto turned to hiss at me. "We'll talk later, understood?" I nodded. "Good."
With that, we returned to teaching the group, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad had just happened.
~~~~~
C-Mage: *evil cackle* Hah! Aren't I lovely?! That was too much funny. Comments are appreciated, as always. Thanks for reading and for putting up with us!
T.Anjel: Yum...cookies
T.Anjel: Want a cookie? =D no comment.
Disclaimers: We don't own CCS. We only own David and misc. students. Want 'em?
Summary: Sakura's first day teaching, and David's first day with the self-defense club. o.O
Learn to Love Me - Chapter 12 - Syaoran Relinquishes Command
~~~~~
Ring!
"Hoe!"
My eyes flicked to the door. Good. She wasn't completely late.
Kinomoto burst through the classroom door, resting her arms on her knees and breathing hard, clutching a stack of worksheets. "Go-gomen nasai!" She looked up and winced at the students staring at her quizzically.
I folded my arms on my chest and looked sternly at her. "I'm sure you know my policy on tardiness. Don't do it again." Giving her a final glare, I gestured for her to take over. "If you're ready...?"
"Oh! Yes, Mr. Li." She hastily set down her bag and pulled out her notes. Taking a moment to breathe deeply, she turned to face the class, and I moved to sit in a chair at the back of the room.
She smiled engagingly at the room. "I'm sure you all know who I am...." The students giggled as she blushed. "I'm going to be teaching this chapter to you, so please go easy on me. This is my first time really teaching...." I frowned. Putting yourself down was never the best way to go.
"Is not!" cried a student. I opened my mouth to reprimand him, but remembered I wasn't teaching, and therefore had to let Kinomoto have control. Hm. This might be harder than I thought. "You teach the self-defense club!"
Another blush. "Yes, well, that's with Mr. Li's help...." I coughed. "Oh! Right. The chapter." She looked at her notes. "Who can tell me about the first colony in America?"
"The Pilgrims!" called a student without raising their hand.
"No, Jamestown!" argued another.
Kinomoto smiled. "Actually, you're both wrong. The very first real colony in America was Roanoke. What can you tell me about Roanoke?"
"They all died...?" ventured someone in the front row.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Sakura, delighted. She turned to write on the board. "The settlers at Roanoke all died within a few years of their arrival. Can you tell me what the driving factors for their settlement were?"
Settling in with paper for my own notes, I frowned slightly as I watched Kinomoto chatting with the students. Her teaching method had merit, as it gained more interaction from the students. Granted, only a few really participated, but I could tell they looked more lively than during my lectures. Maybe none would fall asleep today.
The loud shout of the student directly in front of me brought my hand to my temples. Kinomoto's teaching method also was much too noisy for me. I could tell I'd have a headache soon enough.
By the time the next bell rang, Kinomoto had moved through the first part of the chapter and distributed worksheets. "Please have your homework done by tomorrow!" she called after the disappearing wave of students.
I stood up and walked stiffly to the front of the room, remembering her tardiness. "Ms. Kinomoto," I said, stopping by her. She glanced up from organizing her notes.
"Oh! Mr. Li. I'm so, so sorry about being late this morning! I was up late and overslept, and then I had to make some copies.... I'm not in trouble, am I?" She looked just like one of the students in my classes.
"I may not be able to give you a referral for being late, but I hope you're never late again. I'm sure I could come up with some punishment of my own."
Her shoulders sagged under the reprimand. "I promise I won't be late again. It's just...I had to go over my notes...." I held up a hand to stop her.
"I'm not asking any questions as to why, just saying not to do it again." Noticing her eyes sadden, I said, "You did well. Keep it up, and you'll get your credentials easily." She smiled at me.
"Thanks, Mr. Li."
The rest of the day breezed by. Watching Kinomoto teach the same stuff over and over wasn't the most interesting thing ever, so I ended up pulling out a book and reading, glancing up occasionally. As I'd predicted, she was a natural and held the students' attentions easily.
This got me to thinking about my own teaching methods. As previously noted, students had a tendency to fall asleep during my lectures. I had my schedule worked out completely, to the point where I almost had it memorized. Heck, I did have parts of it memorized, but I'd never admit it out loud. Maybe I should change it. ...A little.
During our next free block, Kinomoto was leaving, presumably to gossip with Daidouji, as I called out, "A moment, Kinomoto-san." Looking puzzled, she walked over.
"Hai?"
Unsure how to put it, I cleared my throat. "How would you describe my teaching style?"
Her brow furrowed. "Well...you lecture." She shrugged.
I sighed. "I know that. How would you describe it in terms of the students and how they react?"
She thought for a second. "The students copy down notes. And...some fall asleep." She winced slightly.
I nodded. This was where I'd been heading. "Do you think I should change it?" A slight blush colored my cheeks. I wasn't the type to ask opinions, especially on myself.
Auburn hair swished as she tilted her head. "Hm.... You could try to have the class participate more. No offense, but they kind of...just sit there."
My amber eyes squinted. "You think I should teach more like you?"
She blushed hotly. "If you want. You've been teaching longer...I only started today. But from experience as a student not so long ago, participating helps." Her lips curled up in a smile.
"Thank you," I said, genuinely meeting it. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Now you can go onto meet Daidouji-san, or wherever it was you're going."
"Actually, I'm going to surprise David-kun...."
I glared. Why'd she have to go see Kaplan, anyway? What was there to discuss? "Teachers aren't really supposed to leave the premises until the end of the school day."
Her face fell. "Oh...."
My heart clenched at her sad face. Damn it all. Gruffly, I said, "I guess it's fine...just don't be late."
She lit up like a Christmas tree. "Thanks, Li-san!" She lightly kissed my cheek and bounded out through the door. Staring after her, I touched my cheek, still feeling the lingering warmth of her lips. The thought of never washing that cheek flitted through my mind, but I dismissed it as unsanitary.
Then I remembered Kaplan. Growling low in my throat, I fought not to throw something and stalked back to my chair.
When Kinomoto returned, she was fairly glowing. "I've set it all up with David-kun for Friday! Is it all right if you two demonstrate together?" I nodded jerkily. "Great!" She plunked down in my desk and started humming as she pulled out make-work.
"Kinomoto-san." She looked up at me. "Please don't move anything." She blushed.
"Un," she nodded.
We settled into our work, but soon enough Kinomoto started tinkering with what was on my desk.
"Li-san?" she asked tentatively.
"...Hai?" I responded, pulling myself into awareness.
"Why don't you have any pictures?" Puzzled, I looked up, and she pointed to the empty space on my desk. "Most teachers have pictures of their loved ones on their desks. Why don't you?"
I growled, "That's not really any of your business."
She blushed and looked down. "Gomen, Li-san," she murmured and returned to her work, pausing to glance up at me every now and then.
Sighing, I put aside my book and looked at her. "If you'd really like to know why I don't have any pictures, it's because there's no reason to. Most of my family's estranged, and those that aren't keep little contact. I gave up a lot when I moved to America." I shrugged, but Kinomoto's eyes softened.
"Gomen ne," she said quietly, so I could barely hear her.
"It's nothing to be sorry about," I reassured quickly, thinking of how lucky she was to have all of her family's support behind her. The Clan had disagreed with my intentions, and so I had moved. I liked to think I was the better for it, but sometimes I had my doubts.
"I wish I could give you a picture for you desk, but that would seem a little silly, wouldn't it?" she said wistfully. "You don't know any of my family, and if I gave you a picture of me...well...." Her resulting blush rivaled some of my best, which was saying something. I coughed nervously, and we sat like that for a few minutes, until Kinomoto slammed her fist into a palm.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. Turning a dazzling smile on me, she asked, "How would you like a picture of the self-defense club? It's something important and that you care about, and I'm sure the students would be happy to pose."
"How do you know it's important to me?" I asked, feigning indifference.
She blinked emerald orbs. "You just seem so happy...so at peace whenever we're working with the students, or when you're sparring or practicing a form. I'd think it would be obvious."
Little did she know that she was the first person to catch upon this. No one, not even my youngest sister, knew how important it was to me. Martial arts had been taught to me first by my father, and then by Wei-san, who was almost a surrogate father to me. It was always something I could do to relax, almost like meditation.
"Li-san..." she ventured, when I'd been silent for a while. I startled.
"Oh! Gomen," I said, cheeks tinting.
She smiled. "I can see you're preoccupied, so I'll continue with my work. And...Li-san." She paused. "Arigatou."
"For what?" I asked, puzzled.
"For talking." With that, she picked up her pencil to work for the remaining few minutes of our free period.
~~~~~
The rest of the day came and went, as did the rest of the week. Soon enough it was Friday, complete with all it entailed. The thought of playing 'training buddy' with Kaplan held little appeal to me, and I pondered staying home to get out of it as I lay in my bed early Friday morning. I finally rejected the thought, as I'd never missed a day of school without due reasoning. I doubted Hiiragizawa-san would accept dislike of a co-worker...and Kaplan wasn't even that.
Groaning, I hauled myself out of bed and into the shower, then forcing myself to get dressed and drive to school. It had always amused me to say I went to school Monday through Friday, but no one else seemed to appreciate the joke.
When I reached my classroom, I frowned. The door was unlocked, and the lights were on. I arrived at school early enough that hardly anyone was there, and I certainly never expected Kinomoto to arrive this early. She had a hard enough time arriving to school on time, as it was.
Turning the knob with a sense of foreboding, I pushed open the door and peeked inside. What greeted me was an aggravating sight. Kaplan, fully awake and grinning, was sitting in my chair with his feet propped on my desk. Growling, I entered the room and plopped my bag down on my chair in the back of the room.
"'Morning, Kaplan," I forced out.
"'Morning to you, Mr. Li, and a good one it is, too!" He was positively beaming, his green eyes sparkling. I felt like marching over to him and smacking him good and hard, messing up his precisely-placed hair. He had no right to be sitting in my desk, in my room, bidding me good morning, especially when he was dating my student - My thoughts ground to a halt.
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Isn't this illegal?"
Kaplan shrugged. "I doubt it. I asked the permission of your principal, Mr. Hiiragizawa. He said he'd be delighted to let me in. I'm here to check in on the self-defense club...and Sakura." His eyes went to slits. "Now, I'm the one dating Sakura, so you'd better keep your hands and your eyes off of her, understand?"
Oh, how I longed to knock him out, even if just for a minute. Instead, I snorted. "What Ms. Kinomoto does in her free time is of no relevance to me."
Kaplan nodded. "Good. See that it stays that way. I'd hate to have to beat you up."
Now, this was much more familiar territory. "In your dreams. I always was better than you, and you know it."
Kaplan rose to the bait. "As if. You only beat me that one time because of a fluke!"
"One time?!" I demanded, incredulous. "I beat you in every single match! And I have the documents to prove it!"
Kaplan was just opening his mouth to reply when a sweet "Ohayo, Li-san!" resounded through the now open door and Kinomoto waltzed in. She turned towards the desk and stopped. "Oh! David! I didn't realize you would be here!"
"Neither did I," I grumbled inaudibly.
Kaplan chuckled easily, resuming his suave act. "I wanted to surprise you, honey." He leaned down to kiss her, and I averted my gaze, flushing with anger.
"You certainly did!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Now, I need to put my stuff where you're sitting, so could you please move?" She favored him with a soft smile.
"Of course, my lady," he murmured, standing smoothly. "I'd never dream of being in your way."
"David, stop it," she muttered quietly, thinking I couldn't hear. "Mr. Li's in here." David smirked and nodded his assent.
Kinomoto quickly arranged her stuff on my desk, then turned to Kaplan. "Why are you here so early? Don't you have to prepare for your classes?" I snorted, and Kinomoto shot me an annoyed look.
"I really wanted to make sure I was correct on the club information, but I also couldn't wait to see you again." Even without looking, I could feel Kinomoto blush. Turning his attention more towards me, Kaplan continued, "It's at four, right? In the gym?"
I closed the book I'd been pretending to read. "Yes. Don't forget anything. We won't have time to wait for you to get it."
"I won't," Kaplan rebutted. "Will you need any help with the mats and supplies?"
"I haven't in the past, so I don't see why I should now."
Kaplan and I stared at each other moodily. Finally, Kinomoto broke the oppressive silence by crying, "Hoe! David, if you don't hurry, you'll be late to your class!"
"Ah," said Kaplan, hastily moving in to kiss Kinomoto farewell. "See you both later!" he called jovially, heading out the door and waving.
"I don't get what you see in him," I said, almost to myself. Apparently Kinomoto heard, however, because she responded.
"What is it with you? First 'Nii-chan, then you! Doesn't anyone like David?"
I snorted. "Not likely."
Unwittingly or not, I had just agreed with Kinomoto's 'nii-chan for what would perhaps be the only time in our lives.
~~~~~
At four o'clock on the dot, I arrived at the outer gym doors and unlocked them, hefting in my equipment. What greeted me was a surprise: instead of the dark emptiness I'd grown used to, Kinomoto and Kaplan were bantering while positioning mats. My mood darkened noticeably.
"Why, Mr. Li! You're just in time! For a second there, I thought you were going to be late." Kaplan grinned cheekily.
"I'm never late, Mr. Kaplan," I assured him, growling low in my throat. I dropped off my gear and went to the lockers. "I'll be back in a minute," I called over my shoulder.
When I came back out, Kinomoto and Kaplan were still going at it. Another growl. "I thought we were here to warm up," I muttered, loud enough for them to hear. Kinomoto blushed, but Kaplan responded.
"Terribly sorry, but we've actually been waiting for you...." Oh, how I wanted to slap that insolent smirk off his face. Instead, I shrugged.
"All right, then. Let's warm up."
We went through a succession of stretches, and by the time we'd finished, the usual students were trickling in. When they'd all sat down and written their names on a piece of paper, Kinomoto addressed the group.
"Now, I'm sure you've all noticed the extra teacher up here." Kaplan smiled winningly at the students, causing more than a few to giggle and whisper. "This is Mr. Kaplan, and he works at the elementary school as a kindergarten teacher. I expect you all to show him the same amount of respect you'd give to me or Mr. Li. Okay?"
"Okay," mumbled the students, as they were rarely enthusiastic about anything.
"Now that that's settled, we can begin!" exclaimed Kinomoto, clapping her hands together. "Mr. Li and Mr. Kaplan will demonstrate while I go around to check on your performance. Okay?"
"Okay," came the repeated mumbles. I suppressed a smile.
"All right! First, does anyone remember the front jump kick?" There were a few feeble attempt, but for the most part the students just stood around and looked at each other. Kaplan rolled his eyes at me, but I looked away.
"You almost have it," encouraged Kinomoto. "Mr. Li, could you demonstrate?" I quickly jumped with my left foot, then kicked with my right, then reverted to attention. "Could you all do that?" The group started their fumbling attempts at the jump/kick combination, and Kinomoto started to move through the group, correcting stance, balance, and timing.
"Geez, what are these?" muttered Kaplan to me while he threw out a kick. "They're horrible."
"They're students," I muttered back, kicking as well. "They have the right to learn." Kaplan shook his head in derision.
"They aren't even trying, and they're not paying, either. It's a waste of their time."
I smoldered. He was insulting my students and my fighting ability. "They're just beginning. I'd wager you weren't that good when you started." I snorted. "Heck, you still aren't very good."
A muscle in Kaplan's jaw twitched, and he quickly turned to face me in an offensive stance. "I beg you to reconsider, Mr. Li," he ground out between clenched teeth.
I smirked as I switched to a defensive stance. "It'd stay the same, anyway."
Kaplan glared and lunged at me, throwing a punch at me. I blocked easily. Next, a kick, blocked again. He really was a good fighter, but I was better. He threw a flurry of punches and kicks at me, but I blocked them all.
"Ms. Kinomoto was harder," I taunted, sliding away again. Kaplan yelled something inaudible and went at me again, but this time Kinomoto interceded.
"STOP!!!" she yelled, throwing herself between us. "What do you think you're doing, hm?" She glared at each of us in turn, arms akimbo, hands on her hips.
"Fighting," I supplied, shrugging. Why try to dodge the accusation if it was true?
"And why?" she asked, voice starting to growl.
"Mr. Li insulted my fighting ability," answered Kaplan, sounding suspiciously like a student ratting out another.
Kinomoto turned her fury on me. "I would expect something like that from a child, not from a full-grown adult! Apologize to Mr. Kaplan this instant!"
Grumbling, I said, "Mr. Kaplan, I'm sorry for insulting your fighting ability. You are a good fighter." Kaplan grinned as if he'd won a grand contest. "...But I'm better." Kinomoto's eyes narrowed, but thankfully Kaplan hadn't heard.
"Thank you," said Kinomoto. "Now, Mr. Kaplan, apologize to Mr. Li."
Kaplan choked on his grin. "Why?"
Kinomoto rolled her eyes, as if talking to a child. "Because you attacked him. Never once did he throw in anything but a block."
Kaplan shrugged. "Mr. Li, I'm sorry for attacking you." He turned to Kinomoto. "Can I go now?" Kinomoto looked flustered, but she nodded jerkily. Kaplan gathered up his stuff and kissed Kinomoto on the cheek, then headed out the door.
Sighing, Kinomoto turned towards the students, who were talking noisily, and looked as if she'd forgotten they were there. "Okay, okay, that's done. I'm sorry about that." Emerald daggers shot at me. "I hope you all never act that way. What we're teaching is for self-defense, not petty fights. Understood?" The students nodded. Kinomoto smiled. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the kicks."
I moved away slightly, and Kinomoto turned to hiss at me. "We'll talk later, understood?" I nodded. "Good."
With that, we returned to teaching the group, but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad had just happened.
~~~~~
C-Mage: *evil cackle* Hah! Aren't I lovely?! That was too much funny. Comments are appreciated, as always. Thanks for reading and for putting up with us!
T.Anjel: Yum...cookies