Peeps and Paper Balls
#31 Weapon, 805 words

"You better close your mouth before a bird makes its home in there, Odango," I proclaim, moving my hand to pull down my sunglasses to gaze at her with my own eyes.

But I pull it down only a little because I'm afraid to look at her in all of her golden glory. She is so petite and so much shorter than me, yet her presence and aura is larger than life. Every time she looks at me, even when those sapphire eyes glare at me in anger, I feel her shine engulfing and warming every part of my soul. I only wish she could look with more longing in her eyes at me rather than that damn candy.

"It would be more pleasant to live with a bird in my mouth than with you within twenty feet of me!" Usagi retorts, sticking out her tongue at me before returning her gaze to the store window.

Ouch. One for Odango.

"Ah, well then, I take my leave," I reply curtly. I know exactly how to make her jealous. Or feel some kind of strong emotion towards me. I saunter into the candy store, making sure I brush my arm against her back to let her know that I was going to get something sweet.

Revenge.

I pay for my candies and leave the store, glad to find Usagi struggling to not glare at me, knowing very well of my plan to make her angry. For once, her eyes were all on me. This revenge was to let her taste the torments I've had to endure in silence ever since the day she ran into me. All this time, I've wanted to hold her. All this time, I've wanted to make her laugh, to wipe her tears away, to bury her under a fury of kisses. I wanted to be the one who would make her day by buying her a bag full of marshmallow Peeps.

But here I stood, so close and yet so far from the girl sweeter than the fluffy things I was shoving into my mouth. One for Mamoru.

"Do you HAVE to eat those right next to me?" Usagi asks, her voice dripping with torture.

I shrug. "No," I reply coolly before propping myself against the window. "I could just eat these right in front of you."

"Ugh, you're such a jerk, Mamoru-baka," she sighed, turning on her heels. A paper falls from her briefcase, but before I could retrieve it, Usagi spun right around and snatched it off the ground.

"Another failing grade you're hiding from me?" I ask innocently, arching an eyebrow at her. Two for Mamoru.

There was no retort, no witty rebuttal. With a stifled sigh and heavy grunt, Usagi crumbles her paper into a makeshift weapon and throws it at me. Once again, she turned and hurried away. Nil for Mamoru-baka.

I take her paper and flatten it out to its original form. It's a math quiz. A math quiz Odango passed, a fat red 'A+', happy face sticker and all. Two for Usagi.

I run, well walked, after Usagi. Her legs are much shorter than mine. I take in a deep breath before I reach out to touch her arm, and she turns to face me with pools of water at the bottom of her eyes. Ironically, I want to be the one who wipes away her tears after I force them upon her. I feel sad that I've made her so sad, I feel embarrassed I actually ran after her, I feel so many things that words couldn't begin to describe. I feel like such an ass.

"Great job on your quiz, Odango," I say. It was all my voice could muster. I hold out her paper so she could take it home to her parents and receive the praise she deserves. As if she doesn't deserve it everyday.

My eyes watched as she took her paper and those big blue eyes widened in surprise. Usagi opened the paper to reveal a brand new bag of marshmallow Peeps. The pink ones. The Peeps shaped like bunnies.

"I think getting an A would be much more satisfying than eating those disgustingly squishy sugar things, but it still deserves a reward," I say quietly with a sly smile. One for Mamoru.

She smiles at me, a tint of pink dotting her cheeks. "Arigatou, Mamoru," she whispers.

I can't take that smile. It's definitely her most dangerous weapon. I'd rather get pelted with a million paper balls than have that brilliant smile melt every defense I've set up against her. I turn and smile over my shoulder. "Until tomorrow, Odango!" I say with a wave.

Forty for Mamoru. That's exactly how many of the bunny-shaped Peeps I put into that bag.

That is my kind of weapon.