It was a night like any other night, or so it seemed at first. The moon was high in the darkened evening Tokyo sky and the crickets were chirping their familiar tune. The light cool breeze wafted through her hair like invisible fingertips dancing in its softness as she strolled casually down the street on her way home.
“I thought the school dance was a huge success!” she proclaimed joyfully.
“Indeed it was,” Sousuke replied in his usual monotonic voice.
She smiled over at him, her face softened by the moonlight. He had seemed like he had a good time, she thought. A good time for Sousuke. He stood at the entrance most of the time checking everyone for contraband, she rolled her eyes heavenward.
Sousuke just never really got it, the whole teenager thing. He meant well with his over-protectiveness. She had learned to accept his overreacting, she even thought it was kind of sweet sometimes. But she wondered what he thought of all the things he saw his fellow students partaking in. Did he want to be a normal teenager or was that impossible for him?
He had told her very little about his youth in Helmajistan but she could only imagine that he’d seen and done things the average person wouldn’t be able to handle. Yet, he held himself upright and dutiful, unflinching in his responsibilities, never asking questions. And since he had returned to Jindai High, he had only seemed a slightly more relaxed than before. She figured it was because he felt more comfortable piloting the Arbalest now.
“Did you have a good time, Chidori?” he asked breaking her thoughts.
She glanced over at him a small smile on her lips. “Yeah, I kinda did,” she replied. “Did you?”
He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eyes. “The evening was a success. No injuries, no casualties; I did my job.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said rolling her eyes. “You barely did anything but just stand there and stare at everyone with that serious expression you always have,” she said staring down the street. “You need to loosen up, Sousuke. You’re way too tense for someone your age. Be a teenager!”
He suddenly felt very tense by her words. “I do act like a teenager!” he replied stiffly. “Don’t I?”
She laughed soundly shaking her head. “If you’re gonna blend in with everyone here, you’re gonna have to start behaving like a normal teenager. Not all this commando stuff and scaring everyone into thinking we’re going to die all the time.”
“I don’t understand,” he replied as they entered her building. “Isn’t safety the most important objective of any mission?”
“That’s just it, Sousuke! This isn’t a mission!” she exclaimed as they walked up the stairs. “You need to learn how to relax,” she added with a giggle.
Relax? he thought as they reached her floor. He didn’t feel tense in the least, yet...she was a typical teenager—she was what he would call a specialist. Her assessments could only be accurate of him and he decided to trust her opinion.
“Will you show me?” he asked as they arrived at her door.
“I don’t know, Sousuke,” she replied slipping her key into the keyhole. “I have tried with you before and failed many times. I just don’t think you can do it.”
He straightened slightly in his stance, his shoulders back, his chin raised proudly. “I will do whatever you wish me to do. I will make it my duty to act more like a normal teenager.”
“Rule number one,” she said with another girlish giggle. “You can’t go around talking like that. You sound weird!”
He relaxed again letting his shoulders slump forward lazily in defeat. “I do?”
“Yeah,” she said opening her door turning around to face him. “You’re gonna need a lot of work. Come on,” she said dragging him inside.
She pulled him into the living-room and made him stand in the center of the room. He looked rigid and confused and she could only imagine what he was thinking. “First, let’s do something about how you dress,” she said tugging at his shirt playfully. “You walk around in these frumpy clothes everyday. We’ll have to go shopping tomorrow and get you something better.”
“My clothes are efficient for my purposes,” he said blushing slightly when she didn’t let go of the front of his shirt.
“But they are ugly!” she exclaimed with a mocking tone. “You need some color.”
“Color does not blend well with your surroundings,” he reminded her. “If I perhaps needed to camouflage myself—”
“You’re a lost cause,” she muttered about to walk away.
“Chidori, wait,” he said reaching out grasping her arm lightly.
It was an innocent touch but the warmth of his fingertips brushing against her skin made her every nerve jump alive instantly. She felt a quick rush of heat surge through her middle and her cheeks flushed red. Why did she always get like this when they were this close?
He stared down at her watching that familiar blush cross over her delicate face. For some strange reason he kept embarrassing her without even trying. All he did was touch her arm, he thought. What did he do wrong?
“I will do whatever it takes,” he proclaimed whipping his shirt off quickly and tossing it on the floor.
Her eyes flew open in shock. “What are you doing?” she cried swiftly turning away, her face burning even redder.
“My shirt lacks the required colors needed to blend into society,” he said with pride.
She knelt down and grabbed his shirt in her hands and thrust it into his chest...his bare chest that she’d never seen before. Her eyes froze unable to look up, her mouth drying instantly and her throat constricting. Put your shirt back on, she wanted to whisper, but her mouth wouldn’t form the words. Her head started spinning and her pulse jumped swiftly.
Before she could stop herself, her fingertips loosened and brushed lightly across his skin. She couldn’t stop herself as they softly tickled, seeking something she couldn’t explain. It was amazing being able to indulge for just one second what she had wanted to do for months now. Just a few more seconds, she thought.
His first reaction was to grab her hand and pull it away. But the instant his hand touched hers he froze feeling a sudden dizzy sensation take over him. He had heard Kurz and the other guys talking about something similar to this before but he had never understood it until this very second. What had Kurz said he did? he asked himself staring down at her lowered face.
With speed he impetuously pulled her into his arms, leaned down and kissed her full on the lips.
She didn’t have time to react! All she could feel were his strong arms holding her close, the length of his body pressed against hers, his warm lips sealed possessively against hers. His hand splayed across her hip edging her closer and she felt a surge of fear and excitement run up her legs.
Just as she was about to push him away, her conscience finally audible over her own curious urges, he reared back his eyes sated and heavy. Her breath was uneven and her chest was heaving slightly. “What did you do that for?” she whispered surprised to find her voice.
“Is that not what teenagers do when they like each other?” he asked. “I see them in the park kissing all the time.”
His words echoed in her mind. But her state of shock still had not worn off enough to grasp that what he just did was more mechanical than anything. The second she realized it, she broke free of his hold and stepped back taking a few moments to regain her composure.
Suddenly, she reached out and whacked him over the head with her fan. “What is wrong with you?” she screamed. “You don’t just kiss a girl like that! That’s sexual assault, you idiot!”
“I...I’m sorry!” he replied straightening in his stance, feeling extremely nervous now.
“And you don’t just kiss someone for no reason!” she added with crossing her arms over her chest indignantly.
But he hadn’t kissed her for no reason, he thought. Something just told him it was the right moment. He had thought it felt right but apparently his judgment was off...again. “I thought...maybe...you would like to kiss,” he admitted, sweat beading on his forehead.
Her anger faded instantly. “Why would you think that?” she asked trying to disguise her embarrassment.
“You were touching me,” he said his cheeks flushing red.
Her eyes flew open in shock. She hadn’t expected him to say that. “I was?” she asked feigning ignorance.
He looked down at her his own shock evident in his eyes. “I am sorry!” he exclaimed with fear. “I was mistaken! It won’t happen again!” he added rushing from the room.
“Sousuke, wait!” she said as he opened the door.
But he didn’t wait; he disappeared before she could stop him.
To Be Continued...
