Title: Fantasy World

Pairing: Naoko/Fujitaka

Canon: Anime

She wasn't a little girl anymore, but she doubted he realized that. She was quite obviously young enough to be his daughter, despite the fact he looked so young. His seeming eternal youth was perhaps one more thing that attracted her to him. Another mysterious happening in a world everyone took for ordinary.

Ah, but he didn't take everything for granted. No, he dug out the mysteries that lay beneath. He sought out the same answers she did. He was just like her really. They both read an inordinate amount. They both enjoyed secrets and finding out what was beneath them. And he had always sat as interested as anyone when they had told ghost stories one night, providing a few of his own.

People called her foolish, but she was sure he didn't agree. He understood her. She was positive of it. But like every good scientist, she had to see. Oh, sure, her friends thought she was just lost in a world of fantasy. But she wasn't. She was seeking truth. Truths behind ghosts, enigmas, aliens and any number of fantastical beasts she had treasured in her youth. Many scientists searched for answers like this. She had to rely on books, but, oh, he sought them out personally.

So she found herself signing up for his class almost instantly when given the choice. She wasn't the only among her friends. The Chinese heir was fascinated himself and occasionally the two would study together. But he still had the vantage point since he was dating the professors daughter.
Yet, she had no such advantage. She was just another girl. And her grades were spectacular. Her papers always had poignant little commentaries praising her notes and remarkable intellect. He always found the time to smile at her.

She wasn't alone.

That day she decided. He could give her the answers. He could understand her and help her answer all her questions. He could love her as much as she found herself loving him.

She would tell him.

She waited for him after class, smiling as patiently as she always had done. Today would be the day. Today she would start the rest of her life. With him. It was a good and glorious day.

He came to her, a genuine smile of affection on his lips. She made to speak but found herself incapable for a moment. The wildness of the moment came over her and she was taken with a flush that crept over her features, leaving her momentarily speechless.

"Ah, Naoko-san, I'm so glad to see you. I had been meaning to discuss something with you."

Naoko blinked, startled He was going to be so forward? "Really, Kinomoto-sensei?"

"Yes, indeed. I just wanted to tell you how I'd noticed the marked change in you. When you were a little girl, you had always been so obsessed with the supernatural. Now you seem like a little scientist, thirsty for knowledge." He paused and smiled once more. "You are all grown up now, Naoko-san."

She smiled, breathless. Now would be the time. Unconsciously, she leaned forward, anxious to hear what he had to say. Her heart beating violently, clouding her mind's judgment and ability to function, she barely found it in her to reply, "It had to happen sometime, Kinomoto-sensei."

He smiled and nodded. "I know. And I'm so proud. I feel almost like a father to you and all of Sakura's friends." A beeping noise emerged from his watch just in time to cover the sound of her heart shattering into pieces. "Oh. I have a meeting I'm going to be late to! I'll see you this weekend for Sakura's party, right?"

"Y-yes, sensei," she stuttered to him. He smiled in reply and waved goodbye before turning to leave. Her eyes followed his retreating figure for some distance before they clouded with tears.

"Yanagisawa-san? Why are you staring off into space?"

She turned to face the speaker, careful to not meet his eyes, lest she show her tears to him. Still she smiled boldly. "Oh, no reason in particular."

"You are always lost in your fantasy world," he sighed before turning and gesturing that she follow him to the cafeteria to meet the others for lunch.

"Yes, I do believe I am."

A/N: A bit sadder than the previous ones. All the rest of them had hope or humour. This one is just unrequited love. It was hard to come up with how it was going to work but once I did, well it just flowed like poetry. I like this one. I'm very proud. Even if it is a bit short.