Big apologies for the lateness of this update! See, I've been really upset, my cat had to be put to sleep cos she was really ill, so I haven't particularly been in the mood to write anything.
How depressing. Anyway, we will not dwell, cos we don't wanna see Aliano cry now, do we? Well, hopefully you don't.
On with the story, Usual disclaimers apply, you know the drill.
"Rika-chan," Yoshiyuki said, surprised. "I didn't recognise you, gomen."
"You know each other?" Asked Myaki, somewhat crestfallen. An old girlfriend, perhaps?
"Ah, yes, Rika-chan used to be a student of mine, about twelve years ago," Yoshiyuki said with a smile.
"Twelve years? You really have been here a while, eh, Yoshiyuki?" Watase joked.
Yoshiyuki looked at Rika as Watase spoke. She had become a mature young woman, but now he could see the Rika that used to be there, always smiling at him, making him treats or presents. He also remembered that he had thought perhaps she had had a crush on him, causing him to blush slightly.
He said to her, "I didn't realise you wanted to be a teacher."
"Oh, well, I hadn't actually planned on being a teacher, but I thought perhaps teaching would be rewarding and I get on well with children, so.." she trailed.
"Heh, bet you're rethinking that now," said Myaki.
Watase pushed him in the face sweatdropping, saying, "We're not all like you, Myaki."
The bell rang then.
"Eh? The end of break already?" Myaki asked. "It never last long enough!"
Yoshiyuki said, "I expect to hear that from the kids, but not the teachers." He folded up his newspaper and put it to one side. "It's nice to see you again, Rika-chan," He said, and left the staff room, Rika with a bowed head attempting to hide a blush.
"Myaki, out, you have a class to teach," exclaimed Watase suddenly.
"What? Where am I going? Huh?" asked the startled man as he was shoved out the door. As Watase slid the door shut with a bang Myaki said, "Hey, you've got to teach now too, you know!"
As soon as Myaki was gone, Watase rounded on Rika, who had been watching them with mild confusion and interest. She took a step back from the evil, knowing expression on Watase face as she edged towards her.
"What is going on?" Watase asked her.
"W-Watase-san?"
"I saw you, don't deny it!" Watase cried. "You blushed whenever Yoshiyuki-san talked to you, you like him don't you?"
"Th-that's a bit of a leap, don't you think?" Asked Rika, trying to think of a way to escape.
"You do, don't you?" Watase questioned with an evil glint in her eye.
"Er…" Rika trailed.
"Just admit it and I'll let you go!" Watase cried manically.
"Fine, I like him!" Rika exclaimed with her eyes squeezed shut. After a moment of silence, she opened on eye cautiously. Watase stood there taking deep breaths.
"I'm sorry about that, recently I've been a bit… emotional, and I say or do things that can be scary for other people," she said solemnly. Then, the glint came back as she looked Rika in the eye. "But I was right, you do like him!" Before Rika could say anything, Watase squealed, and said, "Oh no, we have to get to class!"
Grabbing Rika's hand she ran through the corridors towards the classroom. Rika wondered how a seven-month pregnant woman could move so fast, let alone drag someone else with her at that speed.
They arrived at the classroom huffing with all the students looking at them.
"I'm… sitting… for… while… Saski-san… teach…" Watase said between breaths as she collapsed on a chair.
Rika sweatdropped, and then said in a bright and cheery voice to the class, "Right, well, let's get started then, shall we?"
After the class was over, they taught another class before dinner. Watase took Rika back to the staff room, saying it was the only place they could get some solitude.
"You coped very well, you know. I'm impressed, after I just threw you in there to fend for yourself," Watase was saying.
"You make them sound like a pack of salivating lions or something," said Rika, laughing slightly.
"Oh ho, you laugh now, just you wait till you've been here a month. You'll see," Watase said darkly as they entered the staff room. Rika looked around to see if Terada was there, but there were only other teachers that she didn't know.
"Looking for someone?" Asked Watase, the evil glint back.
Rika blushed. "Um, no…" she said, and walked over to the coffee machine. "You want one?"
"Ah, no, shouldn't really have coffee, in my condition. Don't you think that always sounds like a disease or something? 'My condition.' Like I'll die if I even one cup of coffee or 'overstrain' myself," Watase said as she settled down in a chair.
Rika joined her and sat opposite, giggling slightly. Even though she hadn't known Watase very long, she felt that they were going to continue to be friends after Watase came back to work once the baby was born and settled.
"So how long?" Watase asked, sipping on a drink she had gotten out of her bag.
"How long what?" Asked Rika, confused.
"How long have you liked Yoshiyuki-san?" Watase said plainly, although quietly so no one else could hear.
Rika felt her face turn red. There was no point in lying, she decided. For one thing, since she now regarded Watase as a friend, she shouldn't lie to her. For another, pregnant woman were scary when they didn't get what they wanted. Rika sighed, and looked out of the window. "Terada-sensei was our homeroom teacher in the forth grade, so that was when I really started to notice him, I guess," Rika said, trying to fight the blush.
"Yoshiyuki."
"What?" Rika asked, looking back at her friend.
"You can't keep calling him Terada-sensei, for one thing he's not your sensei anymore," Watase said, smiling.
"Oh. Right. Terada-san then," Rika said. She couldn't quite bring herself to call him by his first name, she didn't think she could even if he gave her permission to. Which reminded her… "Hey, Watase-san?"
"Hai?"
"Can I call you by your first name instead?" Rika asked.
"Oh, so that's the way it works," muttered Watase. Then she said out loud, "Sure you can!" She smiled brightly at Rika. "And I'll call you Rika-chan!" She said, grinning.
Rika, who rarely had the honorific 'san' attached to her name by her friends, didn't notice the grin, or the reason behind the 'chan'.
As they sat chatting, getting to know one another better, the door slid open, and neither woman noticed the ginger-haired man make his way over to them until he said, "Mind if I sit here?"
Rika started, and a deep blush consumed her face as she looked up into the smiling face of her old teacher.
"Sure, sit, I just need to go get some water," said Yayoi (A/N:I'm gonna be calling her Yayoi mostly now, cos you know, that's what Rika will be calling her!) and she grinned evilly at Rika before edging away and leaving her alone with Terada. Rika wondered briefly if Yayoi was usually this evil or whether it was a result of her pregnancy.
"So, how are you settling in?" Asked Terada kindly, as he sat next to her. It felt like very close, to Rika.
"Um, okay, I guess. The children seem nice," she said timidly.
"Ha, yes they always seem nice," said Terada, while in his mind, he thought, I've been hanging around Myaki and Yayoi too much.
"A lot of people have been saying that," Rika said, laughing slightly. "It kind of makes me worried."
"Ah, no, we're only joking, of course. They're good kids really, deep down," He said. Deep, deeeeep down, he thought.
"Oh, that's good to know," she replied. Silence covered them, and Rika went back to staring out the window, hoping to hide the slight blush that still lingered on her face.
From around the corner, Yayoi glared. Damn them! I've got to get them talking, somehow. Rika is just perfect for Yoshiyuki, but how do I make him see it? Yayoi sighed to herself. This wasn't going to be easy, especially when she had to take her maternity leave, but at least it would stop her from going out of her brain with boredom. She would call this, Project Lovebirds. All they needed was a push, and, Yayoi decided, the first step in Project Lovebirds would be to get them both on a first name basis…
Huzzah, another chapter! Be grateful! Let's talk reviews! Yaaay!
KrystalSakura: Yes, you are indeed the first one to review this. Thank you! I don't know why either, lol, why aren't people flocking to read this? You should be flocking!
It's true, no one appreciates their love -.-; We'll just have to convert them! Or rather, I will, since you're reviewing…
After you asked me how old she is, I sat down and thought about how old she should be. I started off thinking about 21, but then I thought that she wouldn't be old enough to have her teacher training yet, so I upped it to 24. In case you're wondering, Yoshiyuki (yes, I know, I know, Yoshi, but be patient, there'll be a time for that…) is about 36! It doesn't seem so bad when they're both older, I guess.
No name: Lol, that's all it said, no name. Neway, here I am, updating. And I can't wait to find out what happens either… Inspires confidence, doesn't it? Also, thanks for the cute comment, although I thought this one was less so than the other that I'm writing, but nevermind.
Angela: I know, why aren't more people supportive of the greatness that is rika and tereda? Although, out of the three stories I'm writing at the moment, this one has had more reviews. Did I write something about reviews? I don't remember, heh, bad Aliano! Also, thank you for calling this a gem!
Don't get your hopes up too high, updates will be few and far between, as I'm supposed to be doing my final major project for my foundation degree, which is as scary as it sounds! I don't wanna go to uni! cries like a little girl Don't make me go!
Ahem. Sorry you had to see that. Just a bit nervous.
Neway, I encourage all my reviewers to read my other stories, and even if you think they're naff, best to tell me, so I can improve them. I particularly enjoy writing Coffee Bad, heh, especially when I've had too many e numbers. Do e numbers affect adults? Hmm, I should find out before I use it as an excuse.