A Swing & A Miss

There he was.

Kyoko stopped a few hundred feet away, her heart suddenly beating faster. There could be no mistaking him, with his unusually casual dress and the way he sat, with his knees up to his chin on the bench. Ryuuga Hideki. He'd seemed to have almost entirely disappeared, after commencement.

She hadn't realized how much she'd wanted to see him again until now. She'd never even gotten to try to speak with him, before. She didn't know if she'd have the courage now. He was so unusual... what if she wasn't the sort of girl he'd like at all? What kind of girl might he like?

She made up her mind, and began to approach. Whatever kind of girl he'd like, she'd watch him and do her best to figure his tastes out and become that girl.

"Hello," she called when she was close enough. She could see now that he was barefoot, sockless sneakers kicked off and scuffed under the bench. It made her smile - she liked how much he seemed to value such simple pleasures, and his fearlessness in enjoying them regardless of what was socially acceptable. It was exciting.

He seemed to startle slightly - he must have been engrossed in what he was reading. It wasn't a textbook, but a small paperback. It seemed to be in English. "Good day," he responded a little formally, as though trying to decide how to react in a new and unexpected situation.

Well, most of the other students did seem to avoid him. He was just too far outside the norm for most of them. Kyoko felt a little pride in her own fearlessness in that respect.

The pride vanished in an instant as she realized that she had no idea of what to say. "Ah. I... haven't seen you around since commencement... have you been ill?" He did look a bit thin and pale, after all.

He looked up at her curiously, and between his round eyes and dark hair, he reminded her of a young, ungroomed Peter Lorre. Kyoko thought she felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

"Yes," he said after a moment, closing his book and lowering it. His left hand, on his knee, twitched a little, and she thought his grip might be a little tight. Perhaps he was sensitive about the subject?

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry, I only wondered," she said hastily. "I hope you're feeling better!"

"At the moment." He answered more readily this time, as though he'd decided on a course of action. "Takahashi Kyoko, isn't it?"

He knew her name. She was definitely blushing now. "Ah, yes," she responded, smiling to cover her nervousness and bowing a little.

"President of the foreign film club."

Oh. He'd read the materials passed out about extracurricular activities, no doubt. "Yes," she said again, taking refuge in a less personal topic - and struck by inspiration. "I'd wondered if you might like to join us, Ryuuga-san? We'll be watching and discussing some classic American horror films in the third auditorium this Saturday and..." She glanced down at his book. "And as you seem to enjoy English entertainment, perhaps you might have some insight we might otherwise miss."

She was proud of herself again. She'd managed to make it sound like she wasn't asking him to sit in the dark with her.

He tilted his head. "What will you be viewing?"

Her heart beat faster again. Was he truly interested? "Ah. Hitchcock's Psycho, because some of the new members haven't seen it, and The Mummy, with Boris Karloff - the original, not the recent remake. The original is quite different and really rather like Dracula. And the original Night of the Living Dead, if we have time. Though it's really more of a social commentary than a horror film."

Oh, she was in danger of babbling now. This was not good. Her thoughts had gotten hung up on the idea of sitting with Ryuuga and watching the charismatic Boris Karloff attempting to seduce his reincarnated lover, and her mouth had kept right on speaking without her.

"Ah." He glanced down. "I'm afraid I was only curious. My schedule is rather full; I won't be able to attend."

The words genuinely registered as pain in Kyoko's mind. It was her, wasn't it? She'd put him off. "I'm sorry for troubling you," she said quickly, looking down and away herself.

There was a moment's pause, not quite long enough to be an awkward silence, before Ryuuga said, "Perhaps another time. I do like such films."

Kyoko looked up in shock to find him staring up at her, smiling slightly - almost apologetically. He meant it, didn't he? Surely he did. She smiled back at him a little, and forgot to say anything at all.

"It's almost time for class, isn't it?" He asked, gently, almost like an instructor giving a prompt.

"Ah, yes," Kyoko nodded in thanks, hugging her books to her chest. "Aren't you -"

"I'm waiting for someone," he explained, toes curled over each other a little. He looked away from her again. "A friend."

"Ah. Of course. Well." Kyoko bowed, unsure whether to be embarrassed or elated. She really couldn't quite tell how the conversation had gone. "Another time, then."

"Yes."

She moved away as quickly as she could, already replaying the encounter in her mind and trying to sort out exactly what had happened. By the time she reached class, she'd reached the conclusion that he really had, maybe, been a little interested.

She tried to come back by the bench after class, on her way to her next recitation, but a friend's company slowed her down, and there was further distraction - none other than the model Amane Misa was there (she really was just as adorable in person!), talking enthusiastically with Ryuuga and Yagami.

Of course - that had to have been who Ryuuga had been waiting for. Yagami was the only other person to achieve a perfect score on the entrance exams, and they did seem to hang out together. Perhaps Yagami was helping him keep up, given the time he'd missed while sick.

By the time Misa was pulled away by her manager, it was time to head straight for class, or risk being late.

Kyoko turned and waved to Ryuuga on her way, but neither he nor his friend seemed to notice her.

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