I was actually having a hard time staying focused during cram school, which is unlike me. The only other time was the night after I discovered I was a senshi, or should I say, actually used the henshin for the first time. I had been up most of the night, so wired I was unable to sleep. I wrote in my journal. I paced the house. I was still up when my mother came home from work. She thought I must have a big exam. I was up so late, that by the time I got to cram school I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open. Now, my thoughts circle around Urawa-san. Could Makoto be right about that?
She is more experienced with love matters, and has been trying to counsel Usagi about staying away from Kamen and more towards Chiba Mamoru. So, I would think that she would know, but I just.
"Ami-chan!" Usagi is waiting outside for me, beaming in such a way that makes me wonder what she's up to.
I suppress the query of 'did you finally win and get Rei-chan to listen to Venus?' and instead say, "Usagi-chan, is everything alright?"
"Great," she replies, putting both hands over the strap of her bag and grinning at me.
"What's going on?" I ask.
She takes hold of my arm, "Come on," she says, "there's someone who wants to meet up with you."
"Is now a good time for this?" I manage as I bumped along the pavement with each step I take to keep up with Usagi's enthusiastic bounds.
"You worry too much, Ami-chan," she chides, looking back at me.
I'm afraid we'll wind up wrapped around a telephone pole, or a lamp post if she keeps looking at me, and not where she's going, so I don't say anything else. It's not too far, just to the fountain where we were first formally introduced to Makoto, and I see him standing there, waiting.
I glance at Usagi as she halts, "What are you?"
"Ami-chan," she says, still smiling broadly, "Ryu-kun," she claps her hands together, "I'm truly sorry but I promised Mako-chan I'd help her with something at her apartment, sayonara!" and she runs off, pulling out her cell phone as she does, leaving Urawa-san and myself staring at each other awkwardly.
"Good evening," he says, cautiously.
"Good evening," I answer and bow.
He's still wearing the black suit of his school uniform, and his hair looks as though he's hastily tried to flatten it down upon seeing Usagi dragging me over, "I…didn't know Tsukino-san was going to do that," he says, warily, watching me, "She told me to wait here and she'd be back. I…I thought she was going to the bathroom or something. She didn't get you out of class, did she?"
I shake my head, "Mmm," I take a step towards him, "I just got out of class," I explain.
"Oh," he says, and then shakes his head suddenly, blushing furiously, "I'm really sorry…about yesterday," he goes on, "I'm sorry if I was annoying…"
"It's okay," I tell him, "I…I appreciate the compliment. I…"
"I have to tell you something about me," he says, moving to sit down on the edge of the fountain, "Would you sit with me for a minute?"
"Okay," I follow him to the edge of the fountain, an area of the rim where the water doesn't splash so much over the edge and sit down, putting my bag down by my feet, glancing automatically towards the pink cell phone that's clipped to the top of the bag, to make sure nothing's flashing or ringing and I haven't noticed. It's fine. I relax, a little, and look over to him cautiously.
"I've been trying to pluck up the courage to talk to you for a while now," he says, not looking at me, but looking out towards the courtyard the fountain is in, "I like you a lot…" he says, looking down at his hand which is rested on his knee.
"But you don't even know me…" bursts out before I can suppress it, "I…"
He gives me a shy smile, "I feel like I do," he says, and then blushes, "Please don't misunderstand me. I…I have…" he looks down, "I don't know, maybe –you- won't think I'm weird. I—I have visions, dreams about people, places, things that are going to happen, some times…"
I feel myself grow cold.
"It makes me nervous to talk to people…at my old school they picked on me," he actually looks at me this time, "but it also made me feel like I could talk to you…"
I chew on my lip, "I…I appreciate that," I say, slowly, "but I don't want…I don't want a boyfriend…"
"I knew you'd say that," he replies, with a slight smile.
I look down, "Urawa-san, I-I'm…"
"You're sorry," he nods, looking away for a moment, "I know."
Part of me is a little frustrated by this, "If you knew…" This apparent talent of his is nothing like Rei's power, and why would he have it? It's not as though he would be another senshi…I suppress a laugh at the thought, and look away, trying to clear my mind again.
"I…mostly I was hoping to warn you about something," he says, "I don't know how you'd take it. I didn't have the courage to approach you. I wasn't on your level. I thought if I could be as smart as you, maybe you would listen to me…"
I look back at him, "What do you mean?" I swallow, anticipating the worst.
"I wanted to be able to be as smart as you," he says, again, "but there's no way. I study but it just doesn't stay. I felt that you wouldn't give me the time of day if I wasn't on your level."
Then you don't know me as well as you think you do. I look over at him, "Urawa-san. One of my best friends is Tsukino Usagi," I can't really find any way to say it that isn't going to insult one person or another so I plunge on,
"If I only wanted to talk to people who studied as much as I do…"
He looks over at me, crestfallen, "I wanted to impress you."
"I don't care about things like that," I take my glasses off and start to clean them on a handkerchief, "I mean I worry about my friend's grades because I hope for them to do well…but…" I look over at him. He doesn't seem to be listening. He's thinking about something.
"Urawa-san?"
"This is all really familiar," he says after a moment, standing up, and looking around, he turns towards me briefly, pointing to the water, "We're at the fountain, we're talking, I tell you how I used my gift to cheat on the tests and the this bird…" he traces something in the air with his finger.
"Wait!" I put my glasses back on.
I swear somewhere I heard someone mutter something and look around. I don't see anyone. I have a sort of silly idea that perhaps Usagi is watching from behind a tree or lamp post somewhere to see what's going on.
Urawa doesn't seem to be paying any attention to me or what he just said.
I stand up, picking my bag up and taking a cautious step towards him, "You did what? Urawa-san…"
"I saw this before…" he answers, turning back to me finally.
"No, I mean…" I feel a little numb. Was I entertaining the idea that perhaps I would go out with him? I don't have time for that, and besides…he's dishonest. This is the other reason I've never considered a boyfriend. It's taken me long enough to find friends I could think about trusting, "Urawa-san, I have to go," I tell him, "I have to get home. We have school tomorrow, and…"
"Mizuno-san," he says, turning, "Wait, please…"
"I can't," I tell him, backing up a few more spaces, "You should know, I can't. You che—,"
"No," he says, "I mean, there's a…a thing, behind you."
