"Peeping Toms"
by S. Schumaker


Standard Disclaimers Apply
												

(AN: Whoo-hoo! I am so unbelievably proud of this story! I 
really am! I’ve pretty much got the entire thing already 
written, so I’m really trying to crank out these updates 
for you! Anyway, I’m so glad so many of you readers are 
enjoying it, and even some of you remembering the original! 
That’s so flattering! Just to let you all know, I went 
back and replaced the first and second chapters with 
slightly different ones. It’s the exact same except I’m 
placing the story in Tokyo instead of NYC and am going 
to be using the original Japanese names from here on out. 
Hope this doesn’t confuse any of you! So, I hope you enjoy 
this chapter as much as the others! Please leave me 
reviews, it keeps me writing! Much love to you!)


Chapter Three – A Stalking Opportunity


      I’ve never really considered myself a curious girl, 
but when I watched this gorgeous man across the street I 
found myself extremely intrigued. I don’t know what it 
was about him, but I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away 
from his form. However, even if my eyes seemed glued to 
his every move, they weren’t, unfortunately, able to watch 
him forever. Eventually, I observed him pacing in front of 
the window and then race off to another room of his apartment 
and out of my view. I quickly jerked the telescope toward 
the direction he had disappeared to, only to discover the 
window in that room was covered up by blinds. I sighed to 
myself. I guess my spying was over for the night.

	I stood back up, rubbing at the sore spots that 
had developed on my knees and elbows from my fall and 
continued over to the light switch, re-flooding my apartment 
with bright rays. I moved the telescope to the far side 
of the window, out of the way so I wouldn’t have any more 
clumsy attacks near it. Then, I moved over to one of my 
boxes labeled “cleaning” and opened it up. Inside I found 
an array of cleaning supplies, one for carpets, one for 
tiles and so on. 

	Since no one had been inside the apartment in a 
few weeks, things were looking a little dusty and grimy. 
It needed a thorough cleaning! So, I set to work. I wiped 
down the countertops in the kitchen that was adjoined to 
the living room, and then set about moping up the floors. 
Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly own a mop and had to do 
this entire process on my hands and knees. My bruised up 
knees. What a pain! But, after an hour or so I was 
tuckered out and stopped my cleaning attack. 

	I rested for a few minutes before deciding to start 
unpacking things. I walked over to a book shelf that had 
been left by the old owners and pushed it against a wall, 
deciding that it wasn’t too ugly and would be perfect for 
some of my knick-knacks and picture frames, at least until 
I could buy something better. 
	 
	I headed toward a box labeled "favorites" and 
opened it up. My face burst into an uncontrollable smile 
the instant I saw what lay on top. It was my absolute 
favorite picture of my brother Motoki, my best friend 
Naru, and I. We had gone to a carnival and they had one 
of those booths that allow you to get all dressed up in 
old cowboy clothes and then they take your picture. Naru 
and I were wearing matching "hooker" dresses and Motoki 
was dressed in a cowboy hat and chaps. He stood in the 
middle of us, his head tilted off to one side, pretending 
to be a pimp or something as Naru and I cuddled up against 
him, acting like his "trophies." The picture was so 
unlike us that it was simply comical. I loved it! I moved 
a finger over the picture in admiration before moving to 
place it on the bookshelf.

	Standing back from the shelf, I looked at the 
picture and smiled again, satisfied in its location, 
before heading back over to the box and reaching for more. 
I spent quite a while examining all of my pictures and 
trinkets before finding them a home on that book shelf and 
before I knew it, it was one o'clock in the morning! I 
straightened myself up, smiling as my gaze drifted over 
my progress before walking off to my bedroom, flicking 
the light off on my way. 

	I found my bed that I had shipped already set up 
(thanks to the apartment manager) and grabbed a nearby 
box labeled "linens." After shaking out my pink bunny 
sheets, I began to make my bed neatly. I quickly changed 
into my pajamas and practically tumbled into the bed in 
exhaustion. Tomorrow, I'd set out to look for a job. But 
for tonight, all my energy was being spent dreaming of my 
sexy neighbor with his gleaming muscles and dark, raven 
locks.

	What seemed like only a few minutes later, but 
was really seven hours, a loud, obnoxious ringing filled 
my apartment, waking me from my slumber. I rolled over in 
bed, squinting my eyes against the morning light seeping 
through my window. It took a minute or two before I realized 
the ringing was an alarm I had set for myself on my mother’s 
cell phone the night before. Swinging my legs over the edge 
of the bed, I stood and strode over toward the phone. Due 
to my squinted eyesight, I stubbed my toe on a box near the 
foot of the bed. Hopping one-legged out into the living room, 
I found the phone near the bookshelf and shut down the alarm.

	Stretching my arms up over my head, I let out a 
loud yawn. Wiping the sleep away from my eyes I smiled to 
myself, glancing out the window toward the beautiful spring 
day. I headed back to my bedroom, opened up a large box 
with some of my dressier clothes. I pulled out a blue pencil 
skirt, matching blue blazer, and off-white blouse, quickly 
dressing myself. After brushing my long locks and fastening 
them up into my usual twin pigtails, I looked myself over 
in the large mirror on the back of my bedroom door. Brushing 
some wrinkles out of my skirt, I found myself ready to tackle 
a few interviews in downtown Tokyo. I headed back out into 
my living room/kitchen, made myself a quick piece of toast, 
grabbed my purse, and headed out of the apartment, locking 
it shut behind me.

	Taking the elevator down to the lobby of my building, 
I fingered a strand of my blond hair, a wave of nervousness 
flooding over me. I did have a part-time job back in my home 
town during high school, as a drive-thru clerk at a McDonalds, 
but now it was time to get serious. Today, I was hoping to 
find a real job! A career! Plus, I didn't know the city that 
well. I wasn't really looking forward to bumming around 
looking for employment only to get myself lost. But, a job 
is a necessity for survival, so I swallowed down that nervousness 
and smiled to myself. Once the elevator dinged open, I 
walked to the front desk in my building and grabbed the 
community newspaper, flipping open the classifieds. Searching 
the index, I discovered an entire section devoted to computer 
related fields! Ecstatic, I turned to the correct page and 
began jotting down addresses and phone numbers of hospitals, 
nursing homes, libraries, and even fast food chains that 
were asking for help from people with computer skills!

	Feeling a slight confidence rise up in me, I headed 
out into the street. I waved down a taxi and asked him to 
take me to the nearest subway station, hoping to get slightly 
familiar with the train system and save a little money in 
the process. Only a few minutes later, I found myself 
standing before a metro stop, the metro stop that would take 
me to the rest of my life.

	Heading toward the entrance, I rode the large 
escalator down underground. Once I finally came to the 
end, I heard the loud roar of moving subways all around 
me and decided to head toward the ticket counter. I 
bought myself an all-day pass to ride the Tokyo trains and 
continued inside the metro station, spotting a large city
map hanging on the wall. After I searched out the first 
potential career location on the map and finding the 
correct subway to take in order to get me there, I continued 
further inside the subway station, finding myself standing 
on a long platform completely full with people. The 
platform was littered with garbage and smelled of urine. 
I scrunched up my nose in disgust as I walked down toward 
the end of the platform. Up above my head were flashing 
signs that indicated which trains were coming, where they 
were headed, and how long it would take for them to get 
here. Searching down the train I needed to take, I realized 
I had about a five minute wait and decided to sit down on 
a nearby bench, clutching my purse to my chest.

	A different train soon pulled up to the platform 
and I watched as practically hundreds of people stepped 
off it and hundreds more from the platform boarded. I 
suddenly felt like an out-of-towner, watching as people 
stepped inside the trains, not really even paying attention 
to what they were doing. One man was busy reading a newspaper 
as he stepped inside, grabbing onto one of the long poles 
inside without even looking up from his reading. Everyone 
seemed to understand the system so well and I had no clue 
what I was doing. Maybe, someday, all this would become 
familiar to me too and I wouldn't feel as scared as I did 
at that moment.

	Eventually, the train pulled away from the platform 
and mine came into view. Standing up, I moved closer to the 
edge and waited for the train to come to a screeching stop 
before me. As the doors opened, a few children ran out of 
the subway beneath me before I stepped inside. I found an 
empty seat and quickly sat down in it, thankful that 
another large metro map was posted on the wall nearby. 
I scanned over my upcoming journey as the doors binged 
closed and the train started up. I felt a slight jerk with 
the quick acceleration of the train, and suddenly, I felt 
like I was on some rickety roller-coaster. I had to force 
myself not to scream and hide underneath my seat. The car 
was shaking a lot and it was making so many fast turns. 
Sure, there were windows in the train, but we were passing 
through pitch black tunnels with nothing guiding us. It 
was terrifying! Soon, thank goodness, the ride slowed down 
and I could get off.

	I stepped out into a near identical metro stop 
from the last, thankful to have solid, unmoving ground 
beneath me. I quickly found the stairs and headed up, 
finally being able to get some fresh air and let my heart 
beat slow down. I found myself in a different part of 
town, silently praying that I wouldn't get lost. But, 
then I spotted something that gave me some relief. It 
was a large sign that indicated that a hospital was 
nearby, my first stop. I made my way down the sidewalk 
in the direction of the sign. My eyes soon landed on the 
largest hospital I had ever seen. It was at least twenty 
stories up, if not more, and gleamed beautiful in the 
morning light. I adjusted my skirt and jacket before 
crossing the street and heading inside of it.

	Doctors, patients, and nurses were everywhere! I 
practically had to push my way inside, making my way toward 
the front desk. The desk was encased in a large glass box, 
rows and rows of medical charts in an array of different 
colors lay beyond the desk. A large woman with a hair-covered 
upper lip sat at the desk, busily scribbling something down 
in a chart. I stood before the window, trying to calm my 
nervous heart. After awhile, the woman looked up and 
smiled brightly at me. Her twisted, brown teeth trying 
to welcome me, but really just made me sick to my stomach. 
She slide open a window, and said: "Hello, dearie! What 
can I do for you?" 

	She seemed nice enough, so I smiled back. 
"Actually, I saw your ad in the paper, looking for 
a computer specialist and I was hoping I could get a
n applica-" But, before I could finish, she broke me off.

	"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hun." Her smile disappeared, 
a slight frown taking over.

	"What happened? Am I too late?" I asked, getting 
sad myself.

	She simply nodded at me. "They hired someone real 
late last night. I'm real sorry. Good luck finding something 
else though." She explained before shuffling out of her 
chair and disappearing behind one of the rows of charts. 
My shoulders slumped in disappointment as I headed back 
out into the street. But, I told myself, this was just 
my first stop! Plenty more opportunities await!

	I headed back to the metro station and found my 
next location, a nearby comic store. Hopping on the subway, 
I felt a little better about it. Now, at least, I knew that 
it was a terrifying experience! Soon, the journey was over 
and I was standing out on the street again, another safe 
metro trip behind me. As I entered the comic store, I began 
to get excited! Working in a comic store would be amazing! 
I adored comics in high school and could finally catch up 
on some of my reading if I got this job. I marched inside, 
feeling confident and excited.

	"Hi! I'm Tsukino Usagi, and I saw your ad in the 
paper about needing someone who knows how to network computers. 
Is the job still available?" I asked the young, nerdy clerk 
reading a manga behind the counter. He pushed up his glasses, 
before opening a drawer and lifting out a clipboard. He 
scanned the top sheet on the clipboard, running a finger 
down the list there. Finally, he stopped and read a line 
or two.

	"Sorry, miss. Says here that we don't need anyone 
anymore. Not sure why." The boy shrugged, slipping the 
clipboard back under the counter and picking up his comic 
again, getting reimmerced in it. I sighed to myself, jealous 
of the boy and his current employment. I slumped out of the 
store and once more made my way back to the subway. I pulled 
out my list of addresses and discovered my next stop was a 
nursing home. I nodded to myself and jumped on the next train.

	And, once again, the position was already filled. I 
practically wilted down onto a bench outside of the nursing 
home in utter disappointment, looking over the flowers that 
lined the sidewalk. A bee flew from one flower to the next 
and I sat and watched his progress for a while before I forced 
myself to stand up and headed to my next location. 

	Four hours later, I found myself close to tears on a 
smelly metro station bench sitting next to a sleeping homeless 
man. After getting turned down at the hospital, comic store, 
and nursing home, I proceeded to be turned away from three 
grocery stores, a hotel, two police stations, a library, and
 four fast-food restaurants. I was crushed. My hair was messy, 
threatening to spill out from my pigtails, my blouse was 
getting wrinkled, and my skirt was scratching me like crazy. 
Tokyo had truly beaten me today. Eventually, I got to my feet 
and trudged inside another train, nearly dropping myself down 
in a chair. "Guess I'll just head home." I said to myself, 
feeling miserable.

	As the train started up, I lifted my gaze and began 
scanning over some of the other train occupants. A mother and 
her baby sat nearest to me, the baby making slow cooing sounds 
of comfort. I watched them briefly, a small smile coming to 
my face at the cuteness. Then, my eyes traveled over an older 
man, coughing incessantly. He pulled his sweater a little 
tighter around him as his coughs slowly started to fade away. 
Then, with his back to me, I saw a man about my age standing 
near the doorway of the car. His hair was so dark, gently 
falling into his eyes which were looking through a pair of 
reading glasses. He was reading a large textbook that he 
held in one hand, while his other hand wrapped around a 
pole to keep his balance. As I looked at his figure from 
behind, I couldn't help but get a familiar feeling, as if 
I'd seen him before. I continued watching him while the 
train slowed and began to stop. He shut the book, slipped 
off his glasses and put them into a pocket inside his jacket. 

	As his body turned toward the door and I could 
plainly see his profile my heart stopped. I did know him! 
Well, not really, but I had seen him before. The gorgeous 
man that I had been spying on the night before stood, here, 
right in front of me! It was as if time stopped and all I 
could see was him. My eyes memorized his features, his cheek 
bones, his dark, deep blue eyes. I looked down his body, 
remembering his hard-line stature, protruding muscles. Before 
I knew what I was doing, I rose to my feet and followed him 
out of the subway. Pursuing from a few feet behind him, I 
continued in his trek. Once we made it out of the subway 
station and back to the open air, I blinked as realization 
hit me. I was stalking the poor guy!! 

	Even though I had come to my senses, I continued to 
trail him. It was as if he were a magnet and I was simply 
being pulled to him. We walked a few blocks before he 
suddenly turned and headed inside a large building. I looked 
up, noticing a sign on the outside. It read "Tokyo University, 
Faculty of Medicine." So, my mystery man was a college guy, 
huh? And, possibly into medicine! Well, since I followed him 
this far, might as well keep on going! And so, I did. I raced 
behind him into the building. Looking around for his, now 
very familiar, build, I spotted him standing before a 
bulletin board about twenty feet down. I stopped and took in 
his image again; he really was the most handsome man I had 
ever seen!

	But, before I had fully explored his figure with my 
eyes, he was gone again. He disappeared into a room near the 
board. I jogged down toward where he had been standing; 
looking through the small window of the door he entered. Inside 
was a desk and a whole bunch of scattered papers, some sort of 
office, perhaps? I saw him shake an older man's hand before 
they both sat down and began talking. I watched them converse 
for a while, his back to me again. My eyes landed on his thick, 
charcoal locks. I began to wonder what it would feel like as it 
passed between my fingers. I longed to reach out and touch it.

	And, wouldn't you know it, my observation time was 
once again interrupted when the man inside with him noticed 
me looking in and stood, making his way toward me. I backed 
away from the door, hoping my neighbor wouldn't spot me. 
Suddenly, the door sprang open, and the older man stepped 
out, his face turned toward the sexy stranger. "Hang on a 
minute, Mamoru." The man said to his guest, turning back 
toward me. "I'll be through in about twenty minutes, young 
lady, if you'd like to come back. Otherwise, my office hours 
are posted up here." He pointed toward the bulletin board 
where a small calendar hung. I nodded to him quickly, turning 
where he gestured, feeling completely embarrassed for being 
caught spying.

	As the teacher shut the door and continued with his 
meeting, I scanned over the bulletin board, allowing my face 
a chance to cool. And, suddenly, there it was. The 
opportunity of a lifetime!

	"Wanted: Computer genius to help run campus computer 
labs! Salary pay with benefits! Stop by and see Mizuno Ami 
in Student Affairs office 106b."

	Perhaps my luck was changing for the better! I 
looked around for a campus map and searched down the Student 
Affairs building. Skipping out of the building, I headed 
toward the student affairs office, silently thanking my 
mystery neighbor, who I now knew as Mamoru, for leading 
me to this wonderful opportunity...

To Be Continued…


(AN: All right!! He's actually been spotted!! Wahaha! Now 
comes all the good stuff, well, soon anyway! Also, I just 
wanted to mention that if you leave reviews to any of my 
stories, I will reply to them! I never knew you could do 
that until recently, so review and I'll give you my personal 
opinions and answer questions! Hope to hear from you! 
Take care!!!)