As We Stumble Along
Chapter 10/?
By Baine
Finished: May 7, 2008
Posted: June 1, 2008
Notes: A special thank you to StarzAngelus for helping me out with the Physics stuff and showing me a webpage from FSU's homepage that had further information as well as the figures for the Refraction Index. Your help was absolutely appreciated!
Again, this is another chapter that I haven't run past a beta, though now, it's more because I feel bad asking for her help! -laughs-
Also, if you have anything you'd like to see happen during Usagi and Mamoru's competition, please tell me! I'm looking for ideas on that one atm, so it's very likely that I can accommodate you. :)
*—(number) Implies that there is a Japanese cultural note regarding the topic at the end of the story.
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As We Stumble Along
Chapter Ten
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Floundering in the water, Umino sank down so no one could see through his clothing. Had Naru seen something she shouldn’t have? Is that why she’d looked so shocked?
He wanted to check and make sure everything was still in place, but he was afraid it wouldn’t be. His bra was custom-made with jelly-inserts, though, so it wasn’t as though he’d have paper hanging out of his shirt or look deflated or something, right? Would it look suspicious if he checked to make sure?
“Umi, are you okay? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...”
Umino flinched as Usagi came up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “It—It’s okay, Usagi,” he ground out, searching the area for Naru, who had disappeared from sight. Swallowing hard, he stood and waded to the ladder, careful not to swim and show off his ability.
Climbing out, he was surprised to find Naru walking over to him, a rainbow-colored towel cradled in her arms.
“Here,” she said, draping it across his shoulders, her face suddenly in close proximity to his own. “I figured you didn’t bring a towel since you weren’t planning to swim, so you can use mine.”
“Th—Thanks.” He searched her eyes for hints of what she was thinking about, but couldn’t decipher what he was seeing.
Returning Umino’s gaze and noticing how near they were to one another, Naru quickly pulled back, a confused look creeping across her face as a pink flush spread across her cheeks. “I’ll, uh—just go check on if the food is ready yet. You can stay here and dry off, okay?”
He nodded in acquiescence, still numb with shock. Had she seen something or not? Why had she rushed off so quickly? Arranging the towel so it covered his chest, he waited for Usagi to emerge from the pool before stating that he needed to go to the bathroom really fast.
Once inside the small room, he glanced into the mirror and accessed the damage. Pushing his hair back into place, he was surprised to see he didn’t look any more masculine than usual. Tentatively touching his chest, he was relieved to find that everything was still aligned properly. His faux pas hadn’t been that big after all. Pressing his forehead to the mirror, he slowly let out his breath, an action that caused the glass to fog over.
Staring into his own eyes, he wondered, “Can I do this anymore? Is it really worth all this stress and worry?”
“Umi, are you okay in here?” Naru’s voice echoed through the small room as the door creaked open.
Pulling away from the mirror, Umino quickly twisted the faucet and began washing his hands. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I was worried. You looked so...lost out there.”
“I did?”
“Yeah. You know, even though you don’t want to wear a suit and can’t really swim due to your shoulder, you could still wade around the shallow end in your clothes. We wouldn’t laugh or anything.”
Umino offered her a weak smile. “Thanks for the suggestion, Naru, but really, I’m fine. I don’t mind watching you all from dry land.”
“Well, if you change your mind later, that’s okay, too, y’know?”
“All right, thanks.”
“Anyway, the food is ready now. What do you say we get out there before Usagi gobbles it all up?”
Umino laughed and agreed before heading back out to face his classmates, no longer sure what he wanted.
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“Hey, Umi, you remember Kokoro’s roommate Rina, right?” Usagi asked, her voice muffled due to the magazine she held near her face.
“Yeah, why?”
“I was thinking—”
“Uh-oh, better call the cops.”
“Har-har. Anyway, you and Rina are the smartest girls in our grade, so I thought it would be cool if we could merge our study-groups together.”
“But Usagi, you hate studying. Besides, they don’t have all of the same teachers we do, so the material might be slightly different.”
“But that’s what will make it fun. We’ll have access to information we may never otherwise know.”
Umino peered down at the girl sprawled across his carpet. “This wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that bet you made with Mamoru a week ago, would it?”
“Ehehe, of course not, silly. Whatever gave you that idea?” Usagi brought her magazine closer to her face and quickly began flipping through the pages.
“Just a hunch,” he replied, amused by the blonde’s antics.
“Well, maybe I just want to do better on tests so I can get Rei off my case. I’m sick of all the dumb blonde jokes.”
“Well, if you want to get better marks, you have to start studying and stop reading—” he tilted his head upside down to look at the title of her magazine, “Love Berry.” *--1
“Hey, the latest fashions are just as—if not more—important than things like ancient history.”
“And there lies your problem, Usa. You have to study the ‘boring’ stuff, too.”
“Whoever invented that rule deserves to be shot.”
Umino chuckled in appreciation. “Are you sure this isn’t about Mamoru?”
“Of course. I never think about that pig if I can help it.”
“So why have you been reading your magazine upside-down for the past twenty minutes?”
“To see the pictures better, of course. This season, upside-down prints are very in.”
“How could I have forgotten?” The corner of Umino’s moth twitched, but he maintained a straight face.
“So, do you mind if I ask Rina about merging our study groups together?”
“If she doesn’t care, neither do I.”
“Oh, thank you, Umi!” USagi sat up with a squeal, her magazine flying to the ground as she sprung to her feet and launched herself at Umino, causing him to fall backward against his mattress.
“Oof,” he grunted, his face turning purple as Usagi’s strong grip cut off his air circulation. “Usagi...can’t...breathe...”
“Ooh, right.” She quickly let go, blushing as she dropped her hands to her side. “Ehehe, sorry about that.”
“No problem,” he replied, sitting up with a grimace and raising a hand to the back of his head.
Looking over at Usagi’s flushed face, he shifted and leaned away from her. It wasn’t every day a gorgeous girl tackled him on his bed—not that he could do anything about the fact.
Struggling to keep his voice from breaking, Umino stated, “So, uh, shouldn’t you go talk to Rina, then?”
“Yeah, she should be in her room now.” Jumping off the bed as quickly as she’d leapt onto it, she grabbed her magazine from the floor and yelled, “Thanks, Umi!” as she sailed out the door in a whirlwind of motion.
Chuckling ruefully, Umino leaned back against his pillow and found the page he’d been on in his textbook. He’d never known being around girls on a prolonged basis could be so...eventful. One thing was for sure: His life had definitely grown more interesting since he’d enrolled at Sakura Kita.
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Cultural Note #1: Love Berry is a fashion magazine in Japan. I chose this one in salute to some of the actresses who filmed PGSM, since a few of them were LB models. ^_^
Author’s Note: Wow, Usagi is turning out to be the least OOC according to anime-standards. This really amuses me because I rarely write Usagi with her anime features—whining, over-eating, silliness/fun-loving, acting innocent when she’s guilty, etc. Of course, anime-Usagi was never so smart, but I have to draw the line somewhere, ne? This is turning out to be quite an experiment for me! I really do enjoy writing this fic. It’s so different from my normal fare, and I’m simply having a blast!
Like it? Hate it? I’m the one to talk to! Hit the little review button or Email ladybaine at gmail dot com today!
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