Ryuko's Heart

Chapter 5

Ryuko lay on the ground, her ankle twisted in an unnatural position. Tears rolled down her face and she swore multiple times, both from the pain and the fact that she was crying. Mikisugi came running from the school building, looking around frantically until he stopped right in front of her. The trees were bare, and the sky was dark. Ryuko shivered from the cold. Mikisugi lay his jacket across her shoulders and lightly touched her twisted ankle."What happened sweetheart!" He exclaimed, looking into her eyes. He didn't sound sarcastic, he sounded sincere. She was filled with a warmth, she had never felt that way before. "I was chased." She said, her voice cracking. Mikisugi examined her ankle further, and at that point Ryuko jumped out of her seat.

The classroom exploded with laughter when Ryuko had woken up in a panic from her dream and startled Mr. Mikisugi. He came down the isle, glaring at her. "Do you have something to share with the class Miss Matoi, or are you just sleeping in class again?" He grumbled as she didn't answer again. "Lunch detention." He stated firmly, handing her a slip. "You have to eat in here today, and we're going to talk." He stalked back to his desk and sat down with a huff. Ryuko glared and snatched up her bag, headed back to the dorms instead of her next class.

...

After a morning of not showing up to classes, Ryuko walked through the white halls to her lunch detention. She knew if she skipped out on it, Gamagoori would kill her, literally. When she entered the room, her red streak of hair was the only color. All the black and white desks were empty, and Mikisugi was dosing at his desk. She sat in the front row and tossed an apple at his head. It bounced off his blue hair and hit the floor, staining the tile slightly red. He sat up, rubbed his head and looked at Ryuko. "Thanks for waking me up." He said, picking the apple up and biting it. She rolled her eyes and looked out the window.

"So how come you're sleeping in my class. Am I too boring for you?" He questioned, leaning forward in his seat. She shrugged. "What were you dreaming about?" He asked, looking mischievous. Again Ryuko did not reply. He stood up, walking over to her and put a hand under her chin, making her look at him. He stared into her eyes for a brief second and smiled. "Were you dreaming about me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. Ryuko choked on the air, blushing and pulling away from his warm touch. "Like hell." Was all she said. He sat back down and pulled out his lunch. She stared at the floor, ignoring him. 

After five minutes of not talking, Mikisugi stood up again. "Come on Ryuko please talk to me." He sounded upset. She looked up at him, her heart hurt. "Why aren't you sleeping? What's bothering you? You can talk to me." Ryuko had never seen that much emotion in him before so she broke down and talked. "I've been missing senketsu, and I can't stop thinking about that damn box." She snatched his soda off the desk and took a drink. Ryuko felt that was payment enough for opening up and talking to her teacher. "That's mine!" He whined, but let it go. "Well I can't help you with either of those problems, but I'm here all day if you ever need to talk." He said, sitting back down and eyeing his soda. She smiled slightly, and thought to herself it was about time she forgave her teacher for lying to her. After all this time he was the only adult she could trust.