Part Five: Present
Word Count: 527
He numbly stares at the door, his mind exhausted. Three tests, two battles, and one Sailor Mercury later, he is too tired to bother with thinking. That it is his birthday goes by unnoticed; it is also the anniversary of his parent's death and the day he lost everything. There are gifts, mostly from females he does not know or care for, stacked on the table. He doesn't plan to open them.
There is a knock on the door and he drags himself to his feet.
She is standing there, a badly wrapped package clutched to her chest, and she looks like she might cry.
"I bought you a present. Because it's your birthday, right? Motoki told me, I mean not on purpose or anything but he was asking me for advice. People are always saying I give good gifts and I like giving presents, and I thought maybe you would want one? Because it's your birthday. Happy birthday. Um…so anyways I didn't' know what to get because we've only known each other for like a month and I buy gifts for people I've known for only days but we've never actually talked about anything so I didn't know what to get you. Um. And I didn't want to just get, like a card, because you, that says 'I like, just not enough to bother with a nice present.' And that sucks, and then there are people who just buy…pens or ties or things like that, and you know if you buy stuff like that then the person knows you don't really care, the gift's not personal…you have to think about and buy someone a present that they'll like and that you thought about so that they'll know you really like them…er…so I couldn't think of anything so I bought you a wish. Um. You know, when you see a shooting star or a rainbow you make a wish, right? Well , I got one of those crystal stars, a…a…a prism. It's a star, and a rainbow all at once, you can make wishes all the time and not have to go and look for…er…I'm so sorry, this is stupid, I'll go-"
"Breathe."
"What?"
"Breathe, Odango, you're turning blue."
There is a silence as he thinks of her speech, and the amount of thought she's apparently put into one gift, one gift for a stranger who by all rights she should avoid, and feels…odd. He's never put this much thought into a present, ever. Hell, he buys people cards.
He takes the package from her, and when he moves from the doorway she sees behind him those other gifts, and realizes how stupid she must look-not knowing that he is thinking the exact opposite.
"You're a weird girl, Odango."
"Oh, I-wait, Odango?"
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The star hangs in the corner of the room, catching the light and painting little rainbows on the white walls. It swings lightly in the breeze when he leaves the windows open, and it is the only thing in his apartment that doesn't scream of a Spartan taste.
Well, that and the blonde sprawled across the sheets, hair loose, eyes closed, smile soft.
He makes one wish: that she might come see him again.
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