Beneath the Surface

Friendship

In class the next morning, Tsukune and Moka were thankfully on time. Moka had been there first, her notebook and a pen already out on her desk as Tsukune walked in. A few people he had befriended yesterday waved and nodded to him as he entered and he returned their greetings. He arrived at his desk and placed his book bag down, glancing at the pink-haired girl sitting next to him.

She seemed to be fine this morning. No traces of what happened yesterday lingered on her face.

That's good, he thought, hoping that what had happened would not repeat itself.

"Oh, hi Tsukune!" she greeted him with a genuine smile.

He jumped a little, startled as he realized he had been staring at her. "Uh h-hi Moka!" Bending down he pulled out his own notebook and writing utensils and sat down. He did not look her way again as he was a little embarrassed at having been caught staring at her, nor did he try to bring up the subject of what happened yesterday. After all, he felt that it was something that shouldn't be brought up, especially so soon after the fact.

Moka seemed to notice he was trying to ignore her and she frowned ever so slightly, feeling sad. She was about to ask him what was wrong when the teacher walked into the room. Class was about to begin. She would have to wait until later.

-xxxxxx-

Moka ventured to try talking to some of the girls in class again during lunch. She approached a group of three girls in the cafeteria, all of them brunettes. Even though she had walked right up to them, they did not recognize her presence. At least not until she spoke to them.

"Excuse me," she said meekly, "Would it be okay if I ate lunch with you guys?" she looked down, "I mean... we're in the same class and all... and I want to make some new friends..."

The three girls looked at her, then at each other and then laughed. "Look weirdo, we don't really want to associate with you. Everyone knows you're a freak... what with your pink hair and that strange-looking cross necklace you've got."

"Yeah, no thanks," added another girl, looking her up and down and shaking her head.

The third girl seemed slightly appalled at her friends' treatment of Moka, but she did not want to go against them so she simply shook her head at her and said "Sorry."

Moka wandered to an empty table with downcast eyes and sat all by herself, taking out her lunch and eating silently. The cafeteria was bustling with conversation and activity, yet here she was all alone. She felt like life was being cruel to her. Here she was surrounded by so many people and yet feeling so very alone.

"...Moka!"

Her head lifted up. Is someone calling my name? She could not have imagined it. Or could she have?

"Hey Moka!" a familiar voice greeted her.

She looked around and spotted Tsukune walking over with a tray along with somebody else. They stopped right by where she was sitting.

"Do you... uh.. mind if we eat with you?" he asked.

The other boy leaned close to him and whispered something, though Moka didn't quite catch what he said. Only the word "sorry," was what she managed to hear. And with that the other boy left to go eat with some other people. She looked at Tsukune's face and he could tell he was a little annoyed, but he quickly put on a smile when he noticed she was looking at him.

"Well, I guess it's just me then."

Moka couldn't help but smile. "Thank you..." Again, she add in her thoughts.

He laughed, "No worries, Moka. I don't like it when people eat alone anyways. Besides, I'd... well..."

"Yeah?" she coaxed him, eager to hear what he had to say.

He rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly, "Well, I'd like to get to know you better too... that's all."

She smiled again.

They ate in silence for a while as neither of them really knew what to talk about. It was dragging on so long things were beginning to feel very awkward.

"So you do like tomato juice."

"Huh?" she tilted her head as she sipped on some juice, not hearing what he had said.

"Oh nothing," he chuckled, "I just remember that you said one of your favorite foods was tomato juice... though you later said steak." And before that you said blood... his subconscious reminded him and he wondered about that but didn't bring it up.

She nodded, "Yeah, I love it! It tastes so good."

He smiled, "I guess."

Another moment of silence passed with Tsukune devouring the sandwiches his mom had made and Moka finishing her juice.

She noticed that he seemed troubled, so she asked what was bothering him.

"Don't worry about it! Heh heh... it's nothing, really."

"No, it's okay Tsukune. You can tell me, I really want to know."

He sighed, "Well, I was a bit worried about... I mean, you didn't really eat much. Are you feeling okay? Is your stomach hurting? I can take you to the nurse's office if you'd like." He blurted out that last part really fast and blushed slightly. His mouth had gone off faster than his mind.

She couldn't help but feel appreciative of his concern for her but she assured him that she was okay. "I... I try not to eat too much."

"Oh. I see." He nodded. "Dieting? Trying to keep your figure and all that? I get it."

"Ummm... sure. Yes, that's it."

The bell sounded, indicating that it was time to get back to class. Standing in unison, they cleaned up and left the cafeteria. They walked back to class side-by-side in silence.

-xxxxxx-

Tsukune stretched in his seat and yawned as the dismissal bell finished ringing and decided it would be nice to take a nap as soon as he got home. He was packing his things and readying to leave when he felt a tapping on his shoulder.

"Hm?" he half-turned to see who it was.

Moka had her hands clasped together in front of her chest, her green eyes looking at him. "Hey, Tsukune. Are you... are you busy right now?" She seemed a bit nervous about something.

He thought for a moment, "No, not really. Why? What's up Moka?"

"Would it be okay with you if... we walked home together? I mean, that is... unless you don't want to or if it's too far out of the way or anything. I mean, you don't have to feel obliged.." she looked like she was going to keep talking when Tsukune raised a hand and stopped her.

He smiled, "We can walk home together. You're kind of on the way to my house anyways so it's not out of the way at all." What he really should have said was that she was in fact on the opposite side of the school from where he lived, but he could tell this would make her happy and that it meant a lot to her. After seeing what she endured yesterday, he figured it was the least he could do to help her feel better.

"That's great to hear, Tsukune!" she replied with a smile, reaching for her suitcase and holding it in both hands in front of her she looked back at him. "I'm ready whenever you are."

He gathered his things and they walked out together.

-xxxxxx-

"So tell me, Moka. What's one of your real hobbies?" Tsukune asked her as they slowly walked home together. He adjusted his backpack a little as the way it had been originally was a little uncomfortable.

"A real hobby?" she repeat the question back at him quizzically.

"Well you said in class that a hobby of yours is studying... I mean, that's not a real hobby now is it? Hobbies are supposed to be things you like to do other than studying!"

"Well..." trailing off, she put her right index finger up to her mouth and looked deep in thought. "I do like to cook. And I like watching movies too. Do those count?"

He smiled and nodded, "Mhmm, those count." He placed both hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. "So what's your favorite dish to cook?"

"I... I mean, I like the idea of cooking, but I'm actually pretty terrible," Moka admitted sadly and looked away embarrassed. "I tried to cook eggs yesterday and I really burned them."

"You burned eggs?" he asked in complete surprise. He didn't know it was possible to burn eggs. Overcooking he had heard of, but to actually burn the eggs? How could that possibly happen?

"Yeahh.." she looked down, clutching her suitcase with both hands, "I'm really horrible at cooking."

Tsukune glanced at her, "Don't worry. It just takes time and practice to get better. I'm sure you'll be a great cook some day."

"You think so?"

"Yep! I believe in you, Moka. And you should believe in yourself too, that's most important. Like my dad says," and he set his voice an octave lower, " 'Tsukune, it's great to have other people believe in you, but it's most important to believe in yourself. You can do anything you set your mind to.' "

Moka gave him a happy look, "Wow. Your dad sounds very nice." There was a momentary pause before she added quietly, "I bet your dad is so proud of you."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing!" came the swift reply.

"So what kinds of movies do you like?" Tsukune said, changing the subject. They were nearing her house already.

Moka looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, I really like romantic movies and comedies. But I do enjoy an action flick or two now and then to spice things up!" She smiled and cocked her head to the side as she said that. "What about you, Tsukune?"

She looks so damned cute when she does that! he thought as he looked away, cheeks slightly flushed.

"I definitely love action movies! Especially superhero ones, like The Avengers or Iron Man - my two recent favorites. I do enjoy some good horror movies too, and everyone loves comedies."

There was silence as they finally arrived in front of her home. They stopped and faced each other, unsure of what to do next.

"Uh," Tsukune started, "Looks like we're here! Heh heh.." he rubbed the back of his neck and grinned sheepishly.

"Right," Moka acknowledged, taking a quick glance at her home then back at Tsukune, "Thanks for walking me home, Tsukune! It was so nice of you."

He smiled, "Anytime, Moka."

Their eyes locked and for a moment neither of them looked away, and then they both glanced elsewhere at the same time.

"I better get going," Tsukune mentioned, eliciting furious nodding from Moka.

"Right! Yeah! Good bye!" she said in quick succession. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She paused in front of the gate and looked back at Tsukune, whose eyes were on hers. Acting fast before she lost her courage, she closed the distance between them and gave him a tight hug that lasted a few seconds before she let go of him. The look of surprise on his face did not go away.

"Thanks," she whispered, "For being my friend." With that she went through her gate and then to the front door, fumbling for the keys.

He watched, still surprised, as she walked through the gate and up the steps to her front door before he finally forced himself to turn away and start walking.

She dropped her keys because her hands were shaking. Crouching down, she picked them up again and got the door unlocked. She paused and looked behind her, a small part of her expecting to see Tsukune still there. A tinge of disappointment welled up inside her when she saw that he was not.

-xxxxxx-

Two weeks went by, and it was pretty much the same routine every day - save for the weekends of course. Ever since that fateful first day that they met, Tsukune and Moka always arrived together on time to class. They ate every lunch together and even walked home together. They began to learn more about each other and feel warmer and more open. They were becoming close friends. And that made Moka one very happy girl.

Tsukune too was very happy about it, though his other friends were not so positive about the whole situation.

One Saturday, Tsukune was invited to go to the pool with a few friends of his and he happily agreed to join them. They met up at Tsukune's house and then went off to walk to the local pool, which was only a few blocks away from his house.

Tsukune walked between his good friends Rocca and Saito, to his left and right respectively. Rocca was a very chubby boy who wore loose-fitting clothing that made him look kind of like a bum. In truth, he was actually pretty wealthy since both of his parents were in banking, but because of his weight most people didn't want to associate with him at their school.

Saito was a big and muscular guy. A bonafide jock, to be perfectly accurate, and he was also surprisingly a huge video game nerd. That was partly why he hung out with Tsukune and Rocca, since they too were into video games. The other reason was that he was not as prejudiced and stuck up as most of the other kids at their school. Even though he was pretty cool and accepted in his own right due to his athletic prowess as well as his physical traits, he did not adhere to the prejudiced thinking of his fellow classmates.

The unfortunate truth about their school was that many of the students there operated their social lives through one system: judging other people's worth by what they looked like. It irritated Tsukune and his friends to no end, but there was nothing they could do to change the culture there. The best they could do was to keep to themselves, which often meant that they were left alone and ignored.

"Hey Tsukune, are you still hanging out with that pink-haired girl?" asked Saito out of the blue as they rounded a corner.

Tsukune nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Do you like her or something?" Rocca asked suddenly, elbowing him slightly in the ribs and giving him a smirk.

Tsukune brushed him off, rolling his eyes as he said, "No! I mean, yes I do like her. But as a friend, nothing more. Honest!"

"Oh really?" Rocca teased, "Tsukune and Moka sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-" but he didn't get to finish as Tsukune smacked him on the back of the head.

Glaring at Rocca, Tsukune crossed his arms, "Would you please stop that. I don't want to have to hit you again."

"Ow! That hurt, Tsukune!" Rocca protested, rubbing the back of his head with a pudgy hand.

Turning his attention back to Saito, Tsukune asked him again what he was getting at.

Saito asked him in a serious tone, "How much do you know about her anyway?"

The question was somewhat off-putting because he did not have a ready answer. Tsukune wasn't sure how to respond to that. He felt like he knew her, and yet at the same time he realized he barely did. "What do you mean, Saito?"

Saito sighed and looked over at him, "I mean how much do you actually know about her? Her family? What she does when outside of school? Have you even seen her parents or any relatives at all?"

Tsukune looked down at the pavement as he contemplated that question. How much did he really know about her? He knew that she didn't like to swim, having asked her to join them but she refused adamantly, though also apologetically. He knew some other likes and dislikes. That aside from studying she likes to watch movies or draw. That her favorite color is red. That she liked tomato juice. He hadn't even seen a glimpse of her parents and he had walked her home for the last two weeks. He rattled off in his head a few more such seemingly trivial things about her that he knew and he realized he didn't really know her as well as he had originally thought he had.

He finally looked up, realizing that Saito and Rocca were talking about something else already since he had remained silent for a while. He interrupted them however, "I... I guess I don't know her that well. I don't really know about her family or what she does other than the times we've hung out, and that's mostly been at school." That made him slightly uneasy admitting that.

Saito scratched the side of his head and then rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Ahhh.. I figured as much... plus, as you know, a lot of people don't like her..."

Tsukune snorted at that statement and cut him off, "They don't even know her and yet they dislike her. She's very sweet and nice and friendly. You guys would like her if you'd just give her a chance!" And so damned cute! he thought, not wanting to say that out loud.

"I know, man. I know. Though you shouldn't forget that you don't even really know her and yet you do like her. Honestly, I'm sure she's great because I mean you're a good guy so I think you're a good judge of character but..."

"But?"

"But I've been hearing things about her.."

"What things?" Tsukune asked, confused. He hadn't heard any rumors about her at all, though that might have been because he was so busy between schoolwork, hanging out with his friends, and spending time with Moka, all of which usually meant he was away from most people.

Saito sighed again, almost regretfully, "I don't know how else to say this but.. Some people are saying that Moka is mentally off. That she's hiding something that's supposedly pretty bad, you know? and that's one of the main reasons no one wants to be her friend. She's already got a pretty bad rep, and with you hanging out with her... they might target you next."

Tsukune stopped in his tracks and his friends walked on for a bit before stopping and turning to look at him, surprised and curious looks on their faces. He looked at each of them and as sincerely as he could possibly make it sound, he said. "Look, Saito. When have I ever thought about other people's opinion of me? I don't really care what other people think of me. I'll continue to hang out with her because I want to and because she's great. If they want to spread false rumors about me too, I don't care so long as they don't do anything to physically hurt me or her. Sticks and stones, you know?"

Rocca nodded in agreement, "You've got that right, buddy! I mean, I have the same mindset... so I'll be here for you."

Saito slowly gave a nod as well, though not as enthusiastically. "I know you don't care, and I know it shouldn't matter. And it doesn't. I'm just letting you know what people are saying and what might happen. To give you a heads up, you know? Of course I'll be here for you man, we're friends after all. It's just that... I hope the rumors about her aren't true. Because if they are, well... I'd be really worried if I were you."

Tsukune started walking again, his pace a bit quicker, friends in tow. They started talking about video games as he lost himself in thought, though every so often they would share a look and give him a concerned look.

Who are you really, Moka? he wondered. Saito's words echoed in his mind and he could not help but be unsettled by them.

He made a deicision to get to know her better. He had to. Why? Because he wanted to become better friends with her, and to also quiet down the sudden gnawing of doubts and uneasiness that were clawing at him. She's just a normal girl who is a little misunderstood, that's all, he thought with a little conviction. He really hoped that was the truth.

Author's notes: Two things - 1) this is obviously pretty AU and 2) I haven't read the manga so I'm basing this off of what I've seen in the anime version.

(edited - 6/17/2013)