Just a quick, (well, not-so-quick) oneshot! R&R please, 'specially because it's my first one. Advice, nice criticism, and just telling me how much you liked it (or didn't like it) please! Thanks!

Disclaimer I don't own these characters. Nope nope nopey nope, not mine! .

The sun, it's so warm on my skin…Kaname Chidori sat in a reclining beach chair by a pool. She smiled and looked over to her best friend, Kyoko, and laughed as she made a face and started drinking more of her smoothie. She's so happy! But something seems wrong here… what is it? Kaname's brow furrowed in concentration and slowly Kyoko started to disappear. "Kyoko?" Kaname watched in wonder but wasn't frightened, come to think of it, she didn't really feel anything at all. She looked around, and then smiled, thinking, Ah! Sousuke should know what's going on. Rising to meet him she watched with awe as he took a closer step to her than he normally did, not breaking her personal bubble but definitely his own. Everything around them seemed to disappear into blackness, no, did disappear. That's odd, she thought lazily. Then her breath caught in her throat as Sousuke leaned in close to her, his arms were suddenly around her waist. She looked up at him expectantly and he bent his head to the side of hers, his lips to her ear, and whispered, "So it becomes 2x plus 10y equals 22, figure it out." She took a step back,

"What?" She mumbled.

"-dori." Kaname watched sadly as Sousuke also started to disappear the way Kyoko had. She again nit her eyebrows together in concentration, he still kept disappearing. "Ms. Chidori?" Where is his voice coming from? Her eyes snapped open suddenly. "Ms. Chidori? Are you ok?" Sousuke Sagara's face was close to her and somewhat concerned, but not overly so. Kaname blinked twice, then sat up as she remembered where she was. She looked around. Study hall. Kyoko sipped on a juice box and raised her eyebrows expressively.

"I fell asleep?" Her voice registered her surprise, but wasn't very loud.

"Apparently so. You see, I was helping Ms. Tokiwa here with problem number 14 and you must have found me boring." He said swiftly and truthfully. Kaname couldn't help but laugh; at least I don't talk in my sleep, she blushed slightly, that could've been bad.

"Sousuke, you're not boring, you're just… um," Kyoko tried to be nice but the fact of the matter was that he had been a bit boring. She admitted to herself that she had just kept playing dumb so that he would figure out what the equation should be. Then all that she would have to do was solve for the x and y. Instead, he had dissected the word problem until all that was left, had it been an animal for a science class, were little scraps and pieces. "Er… Different?" She smiled and quickly began working on the problem.

Kaname, who had finally stopped giggling after being shushed by the librarian looked down at her paper. "Half finished," she sighed a little then looked at Sousuke's, it was done, as usual. "I hate you," she muttered under her breath as she hankered down to work harder on number 21.

Sousuke, while still helping Kyoko, would occasionally glance over to see Kaname, half bent over the table, calculating in her head while chewing on her pencil and gazing down at her paper in concentration, and smile, feeling a warm punch to the gut that didn't hurt, but somehow made him euphoric as it's warmth spread through him and gave him a bit of a dizzy feeling.

Stretching and yawning, Kaname shut her bag and stood up as the bell rang for the end of the day. "Thank God it's a Friday! I can't wait to get down to the mini-fair going on by the Odaiba Ferris wheel! I saw the stuffed animal that Aya's boyfriend won for her last night and it's so cute! A light pink puppy, all furry! If they have one in blue I want to win one!" She punched the air in emphasis with a grand, confident smile, "and I will!"

Kyoko stood also, after placing every thing in her bag, "I'm excited too, but I've heard about weird stuff happening to girls at fairs. I'm a little scared about it just being the two of us, aren't you Kaname?"

"Oh, we're not going alone!" She said with a smile as she grabbed Sousuke's arm while he tried to push his chair in. She tugged him over roughly, his eyes widening for a millisecond. "Right Sousuke?"

"No need to ask, Ms. Chidori. You know that I will always be there if there is even the slightest possibility that there would be danger. It is not a problem." He straightened himself once she let go. Kyoko and Kaname walked ahead as Sousuke went back for his bag.

Kaname turned her j-pop music up loud as Kyoko helped her choose what to wear for the night.

"Do you really think he'll notice at all?" Kaname bit her lip, "He's not exactly… well let's just say romantic, for now, because he's definitely observant."

Kyoko smiled at her, "Yeah, he will! And even if he doesn't," she went on in her happy, chipper voice, "you could just give him a good whack with that fan of yours!"

They both laughed a bit, then got back to business. Finally setting on light blue cotton capris, slightly high-heeled white sandals and a white shirt with blue trim. Once they were both ready to get going, and satisfied with their different looks, Kaname called Sousuke.

"Ms. Chidori? Is something wrong?" Sousuke's voice was concerned but at the same time somewhat excited, as if he wanted something to happen.

"No, Sousuke, I'm fine. Phones are actually commonly used for just idle chat, not always just a call for help." She shook her head even though he couldn't see her, idiot…

"Oh, would you like idle chat then?" She could almost picture him reaching for his dictionary, "I could try."

"No, I don't want to talk right now. Kyoko-chan and I are ready, are you?"

"Ready for what?"

"Sousuke…" Her voice was low and semi-ticked off. "Don't tell me you forgot that you are taking Kyoko-chan and I to the mini-fair tonight." She gripped the phone as one hand rested on her hip and her body language shouted a smack down. He pictured the horrid white fan.

"N- No! Of course not. I'll be over in a matter of seconds."

"I'm counting!" He hung up and she smiled, placing her phone back in its cradle. Kyoko looked at her questioningly. "He's on his way."

They walked into the mini-fair half an hour later, and on Sousuke's dime. Kaname's eyes lit up as she saw the booth where the pink puppy had been won. She scanned quickly, no blue, she thought to herself dejectedly. I guess I can settle for the yellow one, but that's disappointing…

"Over there!" She piped up cheerfully, pointing in the direction of the game. "I want to play that one!"

The three headed over. It wasn't long before Sousuke was out of money and Kaname still stuffed animal-less.

"COME ON! This game is rigged!" She stomped and huffed a bit, "I completely hit that stupid bottle smack on and the ball just bounced off! BOUNCED!" Sousuke took a step back in fear of the fact that Kaname was mad enough to hit someone, and it couldn't be the vendor of the little game.

"Uh, M-Ms. Chidori. Let's not worry about it, shall we? It's not that fun of game anyway, let's ride a ride or play another game maybe. One that's a little less challenging?" That did it. Kyoko winced a little as Sousuke went flying past her a couple steps. She looked up to see Kaname still standing at the point where her fan had collided with Sousuke's head.

"Maybe we should ride a ride!" Kyoko chimed in that happy voice again, "I've been looking at that one for a bit."

She pointed and, as Sousuke stood up and walked back over to join the group, rubbing the point of impact, Kaname turned to look at the 'X-animate.' The ride looked like a merry-go-round on steroids. It had the general round and round feature, but instead of going up and down, the animal would occasionally drop to one side, or flip. Needless to say, it was a ride of surprise. She smiled excitedly.

A while later, after they had finally run out of their tickets, they sat at a food hut, munching on various sushi items and fried rice. The ongoing conversation they had carried on about each ride after they got off had finally dwindled and died and they ate in a bit of silence.

"Y'know, I really wanted to win that stuffed dog." Kaname broke the silence, "I tried really hard too but the stupid bottle wouldn't break, even though my aim was dead on!"

"Well, it could just have been that you didn't throw hard enough," Kyoko wondered aloud as she chewed on a piece of sliced steak.

"Or you were just inadequate for the game's standards," queried Sousuke, "It is a possibility that you may not have thought hard enough." He didn't notice the white flash until it was too late; his head throbbed as he picked himself up off the ground again, back into a sitting position.

"What's that supposed to mean? And answer well, you're standing on thin wires here." Kaname held up a shaking fist as she closed her eyes.

"Actually, Ms. Chidori, I'm sitting on a sturdy bench," his answer was rather puzzled, but he moved on, "I was simply speculating that you might not have taken into view all aspects of the problem at hand. That you didn't go into playing it wisely. A simple math equa-" Sousuke cut off as Kaname stood, emptied her tray and stalked off into the crowd. He looked at Kyoko, confused. She shrugged.

"Never, I repeat, never insult a woman's intelligence," she smiled, "Oh look, there's Hana-chan! I think I'll go talk to her for a bit, maybe you can find Kaname? I have my cell phone if you need me!" She winked, emptied her tray and caught up with a girl that Sousuke had seen around school before.

He stood and clenched his teeth. After getting rid of his trash he walked in the direction Kaname had gone, though at a faster pace than her, knowing she wouldn't get far. She didn't let me finish, he thought to himself, I was simply going to tell her that it would have been easier if she tried not to think at all. That in fact she was over-thinking it by thinking about it at all.

He commenced his search. He looked left and right, he weaved through the crowd, he asked a couple people if they'd seen her or not, no luck. Panic struck him, what if the KGB had waited for just this moment! What if she was by this time no where in the park but being dragged through the lines of cars to be stuffed in a trunk and driven off to some test clinic. He put his hand on his gun and lifted it out of its concealed chest holster inside his jacket, but kept it low and hidden. Kaname… where are you!

Kaname walked fast and ended up at the Ferris wheel entry line. She hated it when Sousuke undermined her intelligence. It was like he didn't see her for how truly intelligent she was, and just when they were having a good night too! She sat on a nearby bench. She began to think about what had ticked her off so much.

It's not like he was saying anything directly mean to or about me, I guess… but he did have this small smirk. Yes it was tiny but I've grown to notice it whenever he's about to tell me something I'm going to know is right… But why did that make me so mad? I should go back, it's not like he really did anything wrong, he's probably really confused and Kyoko's probably chatting with him too- She was startled out of her silent reverie and minor jealousy when a man sat down next to her. She looked up.

"Hey there pretty lady! What are you doing in a place like this alone? Someone like you should be with her friends, or even a boyfriend!" He wasn't much older than her, maybe four or five years, at most seven. He smiled; his face was cute, boyish, but still matured. Blonde hair and fair skin gave him away for a foreigner, but he was strikingly good at speaking Japanese. He wore sunglasses.

"Yeah, well, the friend is with the boyfriend who just made me totally angry," she shared forlornly. Sure I bent the truth, but what's he gonna do, ask Sousuke if he is or isn't my boyfriend? She mused. "How about you, why don't you have someone with you?" She looked up and then realized the man was no longer smiling or wearing his sunglasses. His eyes gave away a small spark of something she couldn't quite place. Is that anger?

"That's not right, a man should never make his lady mad. I bet you I could make you happy! Let's go somewhere, what do you say?" He winked at her suggestively as his eyes took on the familiar gleam of lust.

"Um, no," she said swiftly, now worried. Quickly standing up because she was uneasy, she continued, "I should probably go find my bo-" The mans hand clamped around her mouth quickly as the other pinned her hands behind her back with hasty talent.

His breath warmed her skin and she was immediately repulsed as he breathed into her ear, "Now be a good girl and I won't hurt you. Let's take a walk."

She began to struggle as adrenaline pumped through her body. She tried to stomp on his feet and kick at him, but he was much stronger than she was. He backed her with difficulty behind the bench, then turned her around. She froze as she saw nothing but trailers and alleyways. The adrenaline kicked in yet again and they didn't get far before she bit his hand. He didn't flinch or even curse; He simply tightened his grip and forced pain to a pressure point in her wrist. She went limp in his hands.

Sousuke reached the Ferris wheel and asked yet another person, still concealing his weapon well in the crowd, as to the whereabouts of a beautiful young girl with a lovely smile. Finally! He thought as the sands of his fear were washed away by a powerful wave of relief when the game-tender smiled in acknowledgement.

"Not even 4 minutes ago," he answered, pointing, "She went that way. Last I saw though, she was headed towards that bench. Hmm." He scratched his head then waved a quick goodbye to Sousuke as he headed over to collect money from a new gamer.

Sousuke walked quickly towards the bench. She's not there anymore… Kaname, now where are you? He had about a yard to go before he'd reach the bench when he suddenly felt the chill of his fear seep down is back. He saw Kaname's body limp in the arms of some blonde man as the man backed around one of the trailers where extra game prizes were saved. Sousuke jumped into action, jumping the bench then into a sprint. Suddenly he was flung backwards by a sharp pain to his throat. He looked up from his spot on the ground, once again, and saw that a security guard of the fair had clotheslined him. He gasped.

"Sir, where did you attain that firearm?"

Sousuke blinked then looked down at his hand, which held the gun tightly. "What do you care where I got it at?" he asked angrily, I don't have time for this. Kaname's in trouble! Sousuke stood, peeved and not wanting to deal with some idiotic security guard, who couldn't even do his job right. "Look, let me through and you will be spared."

Kaname slowly came to, as her eyes wafted open lazily. She remembered a handsome young foreign man, she remembered… She jolted, felt the ties on her wrists and ankles. She wasn't tied to anything, but she couldn't move regardless. She cast about wildly with her eyes, trying to shout for Sousuke, but nothing would come out.

"Oh good! You're awake! This wouldn't have been any fun at all if you had been asleep. Of course, you still won't be able to do much but feel, seeing as the pressure point I hit has you semi-paralyzed. Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

Even though the man was handsome, when the maniacal grin crossed his face Kaname inwardly cringed. Sousuke! Sousuke where are you! I need you!

The man knelt next to her and to her horror and disgust he pressed his hand against her breast as he lowered himself into what seemed like he was going to kiss her. She clenched her eyes shut and clamped her mouth. Sousuke won't come, and it's your fault Kaname, she yelled at herself, just pretend it's him. Just think of him and this won't hurt as much. Oh Sousuke... I need you! Suddenly warmth filled her body from her stomach out, the same warmth she always felt whenever she was close to Sousuke and could smell the mixed scent of his cologne and soap. She loved that smell. She breathed deeply again, and again the smell was there. Good, at least my imagination works better than my thinking abili- the weight on her chest was removed, and even though she'd felt the man's breath on her mouth, close enough she probably could have tasted it, that was suddenly gone too. She opened her eyes when she heard the thud. Sousuke stood above her, a look of utter disgust on his face as he lowered his leg from the kicking position he was in. He glared at the man who was now cowering in a ball. He walked to the man in one purposeful step and picked him up by the collars of his shirt, only the mans toes could reach the ground.

"What man needs to paralyze a woman just to get what he wants? What kind of man is so desperate that he lets lust lead his life? If you are that man I hope you never find happiness. Don't ever touch Kaname again, or you won't know what happened to you until it's too late. You sicken me." Sousuke punched the man hard in the jaw then turned around. He looked at her, the worry in his eyes still evident. "Are you ok?" She blinked because it was all she could do. He crossed to her, knelt, and gently picked her up. She would have smiled.

He leaned her against his chest, which was warm and tensed. She liked the feel of his strong arms around her, the muscles in his chest pressed against her body. She looked up at Sousuke with wide eyes, My knight in shinning armor, my prince charming, my-, her head fell back as he turned around swiftly. SOUSUKE! You idiot…

Later, after Sousuke had untied her and managed to get them on the Ferris wheel, he positioned her next to him and leaning on him because she still had no control of her body. Since they couldn't talk, he reflected on what had happened. He'd almost snapped, almost lost his cool and panicked when that security guard hadn't shut up and kept questioning about the gun. "Cocky" he grumbled under his breath, Kaname glanced up and inwardly snickered.

The fear that had wracked Sousuke had never stung quite that much before. I've been through battlefield after battlefield, been near death, been Death for others, and still I became afraid of even the possibility of Kaname being taken from me. And when I saw that man with his hands on her. Sousuke clenched his fist. What was that feeling? I've never been so blind to everything around me, never wanted to hurt another being that much in my life! I don't think I've ever punched someone with that much fury before either. Why did I want to rip him apart?

Kaname's hand reached over and grabbed his balled fist. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Sousuke looked down at her, surprised, she was still leaning on him, "I thought you were paralyzed?"

"I was for a while, but I like leaning on you," she smiled warmly as a slight blush tinted her cheeks, "I like your smell, so I didn't move once I figured out I could"

He blinked, "K-Kaname I…"

She sat up then, but kept hold of his hand, which had unclenched itself. She intertwined her fingers with his, but kept her gaze down. "Thank you, Sousuke. I was so scared, but all I could think was that I needed you to be there. You may be a little weird, and I might sometimes get embarrassed to be around you, but I always know you'll be there for me and that makes me stronger. Thank you for being the one who was in my foremost thoughts when I thought that guy would… would…"

"It is not a problem." He gently coaxed her head up with his fingertips under her chin. He looked her in her eyes, the lights of the mini-fair rides glistened in them. He untwined his fingers with hers and looked straight ahead. She frowned a little, but knew he was uncertain about behavior in this situation, so she snuggled closer to him and lay her head back on his chest, her arm across his waist. He hesitated, but then lay his head atop hers, "I was afraid also. I was…" he considered, "worried about you." She smiled and snuggled into his chest more. He sighed, "I like your scent too."

They met up with Kyoko later. She smiled knowingly while she walked a couple steps behind the two as Kaname chatted on and on with Sousuke's occasional input of a grunt or nod. Just as they left the fair, Sousuke found and won a fluffy stuffed puppy. It was blue.

END

Well, there it is. I hope it wasn't excruciating to get through. I'm not sure I like what I did, but if you do, sweet! (Then again, I've never been known to like my own work.) Constructive critiscism is welcome, VERY welcome! . Review please, even if you didn't like it, let me know so that I can change things and make my future stories more enjoyable for everyone! Thanks for reading even if you don't review! XD