Grown Up- an Ah! My Goddess fanfic

I would appreciate any reviews that have a valid concern about the writing (not the plot). Please be patient. This one is going to have a lot of build-up before they get down to business. I am a romantic like that. So sue me. On second thought, if you manage to watch more than 5 episodes of the series, you are a romantic by definition. Never mind.
Anyway, please review.


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Chapter 2

Sentaro trudged towards his new high school making relatively decent time. Unlike a lot of others he knew, he wasn’t exactly the happiest about this. Of course, this had to do with the fact he was in love. He was in love with Skuld, someone he’d met about the beginning of middles school. She was spunky, sincere, and stubborn. She was considerate, kind, and caring. She was beautiful and smart.
And she was ultimately out of his reach, and probably right now going to her international school, where there were other, more interesting and fitting, boys for her to fall in love with.
And pessimistic though this thought may be, there were a number of reasons for Sentaro to think this. Number one on the list was the fact that she had him totally outclassed. She went to an international school, for one. He’d never actually gotten up the courage to ask which one, but when he’d talked about public school, she had said she didn’t go. Obviously she went to an international one. Probably a good one, considering she made robots in her spare time. She was way beyond him, who had only ever pulled out straight B’s at the most.
The second reason was, he supposed, technically part of his first reason. She was just too beautiful. She had pale, creamy skin, which looked softer than even the clouds, if you could ever feel them. She had cute, pert lips that made her look like she was always wearing just a hint of lipstick, or possibly lip-gloss. Even though he knew she never wore make-up. She had small, dexterous, but elegant hands that begged to be watched while she worked. She had long, shining black hair that was probably soft, begged to be touched, and definitely smelled good.
Reason three was that she was blindingly innocent and trusting about some things. She just trusted him, and every time she did, he loved her more. And hated himself even more than that. He hated that he could never look at her, and as they had grown and grown ever more beautiful, but never could be just content with that.
No, his mind betrayed him by thinking dark, secret, dirty fantasies and thoughts, things that probably wouldn’t cross her mind in a million years. He was content just being around her, but his body demanded more. He hated that, and himself, more than anything in the world.
The last reason was his ‘proof of overall concept’. And that was her family. Having met her two older sisters, both of which were 1. beautiful 2. kind (one in her own, not quite so obvious way) 3. obviously of foreign descent and 4. at least one of them seemed to hold the same kind of overly trusting innocence. In everyone.
Sentaro mulled over this idly as he walked slowly up the hill towards school, kicking a rock. These thoughts were both depressing and infuriating. He wanted her all to himself, and wished to have the chance to do nothing but be with her, and his selfishness just seemed to add to the pile of reasons that he shouldn’t be with her. And why he hated himself. He just wasn’t good enough for her to even pay attention to. Why she had taken notice of him, and even deigned to be his friend, when instead she probably should have just passed him over and moved on, baffled him a little. He put down to his good luck.
Thinking of that made him remember how they met on that deserted riverbed, that day the most blessed, luck day of his entire life. While he dwelled over his first glimpse of her, lying there on the grass, and he floated over her on his bike, seemingly carried by a gust of summer wind, he got the shock of his life.
“Hey, Sentaro-kun!” came from behind him, in a ridiculously familiar voice. Before he could react and look back to see if it really was her, a girl on a bike blew past him in a gust of wind, her long black hair trailing wildly behind her. A quick wave, a flash of her face, nothing he could use to ultimately positively identify the girl as her, and a “See you at school, Sentaro!” and the girl sped off and around the last corner before school.
“It couldn’t possible be Skuld. Could it?” he breathed. No way. Not a chance. She would go to an international high school, right? His heart beat quicker and he unconsciously sped up. As he quickly approached the school gate, he saw the bike, and when he passed through the gate and into the main walkway towards the school, he fell in love all over again, in the most cliché way.
The sakura petals floated around her like they were joyfully dancing in the wind, she turned, saw Sentaro, and smiled. His heart melted, she waved, and he knew that he had lost the hold on his sould completely. She had it now, more than she had before.
And then the realization struck him. He’d secretly dreamed that this would happen, and that this would bring him closer. But more often, he woke up from nightmares of her totally disdaining him after coming to his high school, and meeting someone better, someone she deserved.
A dream or a nightmare? For Sentaro, the nightmare seemed more likely. Now he had to share the sight of seeing her with every guy here. All his fears came boiling to the surface. He’d be unmasked as an uncouth, ignorant, dirty person by her eventually. And then he wouldn’t be able to see her at all. Ever.
He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t want to make her worry. So he just smiled weakly instead.

Skuld was having the time of her life. Here she was, with Sentaro, and nothing could be better. She had been worried about school being boring, but seeing him on the way in on her bike lifted her spirits, and the beautiful sight of the sakura lined pathway blooming delicately confirmed it. School was going to be awesome.
“Sentaro! Come on, which class are you in?” she said as she skipped over to him, as he smiled, if a bit weakly. Well, he was probably a bit in shock. “I didn’t see you during the exams, so I didn’t know if you were actually coming here or not. I’m glad you are!” Skuld knew she was probably beaming like a silly little girl, but she was just so excited. Sentaro looked off to the side a bit and said, a bit crankily. “I think I am in class 1-C.”
Skuld felt her smile grow wider, just a bit, and she replied “Oh! Me too! Come on, we were told to go somewhere for the opening ceremony.” “The gymnasium.” Sentaro muttered. Skuld frowned. “Where would the gymnasium be?”
Sentaro looked at her, a bit surprised. “Isn’t it that big building over there?” he pointed. Skuld just laughed, grabbed him by the sleeve and started dragging him that way. Sentaro stumbled a bit, and then followed. “Why aren’t you in an international high school, Skuld?” he asked as they ran. Skuld was about to answer him ‘what international high school’, and then remembered what Keiichi had told her.
“I know you have received a more than adequate education in heaven. But human schools care about academic background, and they probably would have a hard time accepting paperwork for those schools. We’ve managed to get a hold of some certification from one of the local international schools. Most people will expect you to have gone. So just pretend you have. Don’t lie, just use your memories from school in heaven, and act like they all happened in an international school. As long as they don’t mention powers, of course.”
“That place was boring. This school looks much more interesting.” Skuld said instead, trying to treat the subject lightly. They reached the door of the gymnasium, and when Sentaro started to go off towards where the boys in their class were sitting, Skuld tried to follow until her turned around and hissed. “Where are you going? The girls sit over there.”
That is weird. Why don’t they sit the whole class together? Skuld thought. “Okay, whatever.” She said cheerfully and then went to sit over where he had pointed. School was a bit strange so far, but she felt like it was going to be fun.
Sentaro had other worries. It’s not like we don’t have plenty of time, but we need to let our teacher know we are here. He hung his head and sighed, Not that I know where or who they are. He leaned his forehead against the back of the chair in front of him. What kind of year was this going to be?