Enter Lita

I watch Mouko walk away with a confident swagger. For once I can't say that he looks like my ex-boyfriend or even reminds me of one of them. He doesn't. He's different from any guy that I've ever met somehow. I don't know how but I know that he is. His tawny hair catches the sunlight as he walks outside with the woman he called Taka. I sigh again. He's sooo handsome but not in an ordinary sense. His face looks oddly feline. As if he could actually turn into a cat at any given moment. I laugh and shake my head at my overactive imagination. If I don't watch it I'll end up like Serena. "What? No 'He looks like my ex-boyfriend', Lita?" Rei asks me sarcastically. I snort at her.

"No," I say. "He doesn't." That is met with silence.

"Well now that we've all had a break," Ami says lightly, breaking the uneasy silence. "We should get back to studying." Serena and Mina groan loudly.

"Oh come on Ami!" Serena wails. "Don't you know that too much studying will fry your brain?"

"So what's your excuse Meat Ball Head? We all know you don't study at all." I only half hear Rei's comment, my mind still on Mouko.

"I do to study!" Serena says indignantly. "Just not that much," he voice trails off to almost a whimper. "Why do you have to be so mean to me anyway?" she snaps at Rei. I finally notice that Andrew is standing in the midst of us his head going back and forth between Rei and Serena as if he were watching a tennis match a tense smile on his face as he tries to keep the fragile peace between them.

"Come on, Ami's right," I say cheerfully. Everyone's heads turn to look at me. "Study Buddies at my house. Cookies all around!" That gets Serena's interest.

"All right!" She says loudly. Mina and Rei give me a strange look but Ami just looks pleased to finally be getting somewhere if slightly surprised that I would take her side. Though I don't like to study I don't rail against it as much as Mina and Serena.

"Bye Andrew," I call over my shoulder as I walk through the glass doors with Ami at my side.

"Bye girls," he calls back.

Next Day

I hold my breath as my teacher hands me back my test but release it in a rush when I see the big 98 at the top of the paper. Thank you Study Buddies! The bell rings and I grab my things and my lunch and go to find my usual lunch spot under the trees. I look down at my right shoe as a feel a pebble lodge itself directly under my arch. Great. I frown down at my shoe and wince as my face connects with someone's back. I give a small grunt as pain blossoms in my nose. My test, bag, and lunch tumble slowly to the ground seconds before I slide down after them, my hands clamped over my throbbing nose. "I'm so sorry!" I say, my words muffled by my hands.

"Lita?" I hear. The smooth, slightly accented, tenor asking me sounds familiar. Alarmingly so. I glance up hoping with all my might that the person isn't who I know he is. My eyes meld with Mouko's and he smiles. It's slightly crooked as if only half the muscles in his left cheek work. I suppress a groan and look back down feeling my face flame red knowing that I now look like a tomato. He squats down to gather my things and holds up my test, his index finger tapping the grade. "Smart and beautiful," he says and I glance up at him my face red for a different reason now. He thinks I'm beautiful. "Other than coordination you've got it made." I close my eyes and will the floor to open up and swallow me. Why aren't cartoon's real? "Are you ok?" he asks, indicating my still covered nose. I nod and reluctantly lower my hands knowing that it's red. "Wow," he says with a sympathetic smile. "That looks bad. Did I break it?" I shake my head again.

"It's my fault. I should have been looking where I was going," I say, my voice slightly nasal thanks to my abused sinus cavities.

"So you're not usually so clumsy?" He asks with that same lopsided grin.

"No," I know he's laughing at me but I can't bring myself to get mad. He's too cute. He helps me stand up then hands me my bag, lunch, and test. "You're new here right?" I ask knowing that I would have noticed him by now if he wasn't.

"That obvious?" he asks mockingly. "Or would you have noticed me by now if I wasn't?" I blinked. It was as if he was reading my mind. He steps closer and leans down to whisper in my ear like he did at the arcade. "I hope you would have because it's kind of hard to flirt when the girl you're interested in doesn't know you're here." He pulls back and smiles widely at me. I bite my lip and duck my head as I try not to laugh. I take a deep breath to fortify my resolve.

"Do you have any lunch plans?" I ask finally. He blinks at the quick shift in conversation.

"No." I take another deep breath but can't bring my self to look him in the eye.

"Would you like to eat with me?" I glance up when he doesn't say anything. I see his smile has widened even more. Then suddenly it died. "You have other plans," I say before he can speak.

"No," he says quickly. "I just remembered that I didn't bring anything to eat." He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"We can share mine," I suggest.

"Oh, no. I couldn't eat your lunch." I laugh.

"I always make too much for just me anyway so there's plenty to go around." He looks uncertain for a moment but then his stomach growls and he blinks in surprise. He chuckles.

"Well when the beast speaks I must listen," he says indicating his stomach. I laugh. He takes my test from me then grabs my hand and raises my knuckles to his lips. I feel myself blush. "I would be delighted to have lunch with you Saiai," he says with a smile.

Written by: Lita (MoonPrincess1231)