She was hopeful, for what seemed to have happened back on the Tengu Mountain. She vaguely remember the soft ruffles of her clothes on Tomoe's kimono, at the sound of his soft, almost unheard of voice returning the loving words she breathed to him. It all make sense now, how it is always peaceful before a storm, the amount of peace she found within her recent encounters with Tomoe seemed smooth, too smooth one would even say. Even Mizuki warned her about the danger of falling in love with a Yaokai. What a stupid girl he'd take me for… Another naive human falling for the charm of the powerful demon…
Three hours ago
Nanami roamed around the shrine after a dreadful day at school. To be honest she wasn't THAT dreadful seeing how Ami and Kumaru finally got their acts together and show affection for each other, she's almost positive that they're going to get married in the Shrine. Oh, what a beautiful love story that will be remembered. Speaking of love…
"TOMOE! Where are you? I don't want shiitake mushrooms in tonight's dinner please!" Nothing,the shrine was muted of any living existence but for the sound of swooshing of leaves from the trees in the garden, She slowly made her way to the garden, and sat against the sakura tree, one that Jiron force her to bring back from the Mountain. Mizuki used some sake to make the small branches grow into the tree it is now. Despite Tomoe's constant whining about the tree messing up the garden, she knew deep down he liked the oddly different white sakura amongst the hundred other pink sakuras, and today there was one right at her reach.
"Nanami-sama." The fire demons greeted,
"Where's Tomoe and Mizuki casually asked Nanami.
"Oh… they went to the Demon World to run some errands, and Tomoe said don't wait up." Nanami nodded.
After dinner, Nanami returned to her quarter silently, passing through the corridor next to the garden. 'What a beautiful night this is' she thought to herself.
"NANAMI-SAMA!" Mizuki slammed into Nanami from behind.
"Mizuki you're back!" examining the new found rosiness on the almost translucent skin of the snake Familiar, "Mizuki have you been drinking?"
"*hic* No *hic*." Mizuki slurred, "*hic* Okay maybe… *hic* But at least I'm not such a manwhore like Tomoe *hic*"
"What do you mean?" asked Nanami,
"Tomoe sent me back so he could spend his time with the dancers in the strip club!" Nanami was at awe. Perhaps he wasn't that into me after all.
2 months later
Nanami woke up on her own, made breakfast, got dressed, and prepared the prayers for the shrine. It had been 2 months since Tomoe left to run 'errands'. The shrine was relatively clean thanks to the little Tengu that came to visit few days ago. She kept convincing herself that Tomoe will come back, he's perhaps only held up with something… or it could be someone… she shook her head and got on with her routine, but she can't help but reminisce on the similarity this post to her upbringing of an empty household with a drunken father. How ironic that she felt alien revisiting to the routine she abandoned 3 years ago. 'I've gotten too comfortable with the feeling of content that I forgot to be thankful.' She thought to herself.
"I'd like to introduce you to this new student that transferred from Osaka" The teacher announced, signally the tall, light blond guy.
"Hi I'm James Garner."
"Please be seated next to Miss Momozono."
"Nice to meet you I'm James." Nanami snapped out of her daydream as James offered to shake her hand.
"H...Hi! My name is Nanami." she spoke in broken English, James smiled.
"It's okay, you can speak Japanese to me. My mom is Japanese and I grew up in Japan." Nanami sighed in relief.
"Oh good coz my English is not that good." she muttered under her breath.
James chuckled,"You're a straightforward girl aren't ya? I like you." Nanami blushed at his flirty comment, but more at the face that said that, for that he had the exact same face as a certain Fox Familiar.
"No James you really don't need to do that," Nanami blushed furiously, with James only inches from her face, her eyes unconsciously drifted to trace the shape of his lips.
"I don't need to, but I want to." said James with a smile that could fight off a cloudy day. His hands gathered around Nanami's small waist, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
It has been a while the two have gotten close, to James Nanami is like a little sister, a best friend if one might say. Her clumsy behaviors and Barney-like attitude just ignites the protectiveness in him, calling him to gather her hands and keep her close. On the contrary, Nanami find herself drawn closer and closer to the blonde, and simultaneously begin to forget about a certain someone. It has been nearly 6 months since she had last heard from Tomoe. She knew that he did come by every once in awhile, from prepared meals and dustless counters, it was as if the shrine had became a nodus for the fox familiar in general. She thought to herself that silly crush should go away anytime soon.
"Nanami? You're doing that spacing out thing again." said James,
"Oh," the land God recomposed herself, "Yup, see you tomorrow." and turned her back against James, failing miserably to hide the reddened face.
She knew this is irrational. To have fallen in love with someone else with the same face only months after, but if there's something one cannot get hold of, it is a fluttering teenage heart.
"Actually," called James from the end of the steps,"would you mind if I stay the night at your place? My parents just went on a surprise business trip all of a sudden." Nanami froze at her step, conflicted whether or not to let James in the Shrine. Sure, she has told him everything about the Gods and Youkais and stuff, seeing that James is also a seer, but living together with your crush is a completely different thing.
"Umm… I will have to check with Mizuki," Nanami scratched her head,already picturing the emerald eyes of Mizuki piercing through the blonde God.
"Is there going to be a problem?" asked James, slightly worried at Nanami's uncertain response.
"No, no, no!" retorted Nanami immediately, "You know what, follow me." with that she led him into the Shrine.
Lucky that Tomoe have left over some spare Yukatas that just so happens to be the same size as James. After a few quick introduction, she was glad that none of the terrible scenarios she have previously imagined took place. Mizuki got along surprisingly well with James seeing as the Garner family used to worship the River Goddess and was one of the few families that still pays respect to the passed Goddess even today. Needless to say James' polite and charming demeanor caught the hearts of the fire demons nonetheless.
"Pfft." sighed Nanami as James had finally settled in, his hands circled her waist from behind and his head rested on top of her head. He was a towering 6'3" whilst Nanami rest at 5'3", perhaps due to his American background such intimacy was dismissed as normalcy, and secretly loved, by Nanami as a gesture of ambiguity.
"Eeep" squealed Nanami at the cold fingers that sent tingles up her spine, "JAMES!"
Her squeals does nothing but cause him to hug her tighter, "It's so cold Nanami."
"AND?!"
"You're so warm, so just bear with me." puppy dog eyes! How can he use that against her with the full knowledge of her intolerance to them. This evil human/God/ being.
"Fine! But watch where your hand goes okay? You pervert!" she said as she gave up trying. Slowly but certainly they began to drift off to sleep.
That night, with the chorus of their soft snores, a certain someone stopped at the sight of the enlarged blankets. He was unfazed at first, but that was before Nanami's classic blanket-kick that revealed a certain someone else sharing a bed with her. His eyes saw red when he register the stranger's tight grip on her waist and the way she fit in his embrace like puzzle pieces, the way her body used to fit in mine, Tomoe thought to himself. It's true that he had been avoiding to meet her after learning about the silly crush she have for him. He knew it would be impossible to fall for an immature teenage Land-God-Wannabe, and so he chose to distant himself as much as possible, hoping that this crush would be over in no time. It looks like she had moved on, he thought to himself. He was getting exactly what he wished for, achieved in an even less amount of time than expected, but what he was feeling could hardly registered as happiness. Rather it was a sour tugging at his heartstrings, blood boiling in his system to rip those arms from her and beat the stranger senseless. Tomoe was jealous. With an attempt to creep up to her and move those arms away, he was thrown off guard by Nanami's soft moan, "Mmhmm". He was startled, terrified that she would have been woken up by his not-so-delicate touch, he couldn't stand an extra minute looking at the two piece together as if they were meant to be. As he was expecting yet another sleep mumble telling him to stay, instead his name was replaced by some other alien name, "James". It has to be an understatement to say that Tomoe was furious.
The following morning Nanami woke up in an empty bed. Same as her usual routine she washed and got dressed. What's different than normal days was the smell of bacon and eggs that filled the Shrine with warmth.
"So that's when my Sleeping Beauty normally wakes up." said James,
"You made breakfast?" feeling the water in her mouth, "Can you move in permanently?" James didn't answer but smiled and pinched her nose lightly.
It was 6 am, much earlier than her usual wake time, but it was nice to wake up to cooked breakfast on a lazy saturday. Like you used to when Tomoe is around. She was no longer flustered by the idea of Tomoe, perhaps it was the perfection from the man sitting before her, she smiled to her breakfast.
He smelt something from his room, breakfast? Nah, Nanami could not cook, he thought to himself.
"No! Get your fork off by plate you dumbass! I don't want those mushrooms in my omelet!" her soft voice protested, and he couldn't help but peeked out to see for himself.
It was him, the stranger from last night, in HIS apron, using HIS cooking utensils, serving HIS master. The worst part was, he was feeding HER with HIS OWN fork! They basically shared an indirect kiss! It was so ridiculous he caught himself marching to the dining room and standing before the couple in fury. Her face was red and his hands were again hugging her tight. The playful look on the stranger's face dropped as he stood up and meet Tomoe's gaze.
"I'm James, I presume you are that cousin that Nana mentioned that no longer live here anymore?" Nana? Why in the world of demons and gods was this 'James' calling her Nana? He looked towards the blushing brunette, confused,but only to find her scooting closer to this 'James'.
"Yea, this is Tomoe." answered Nanami, James had this suspicious glare on his face,
"Nana, stay where you are, I think Tomoe and I should have a talk."
With that the two men walked out into the garden.
To the absolute truth in Tomoe's heart the person he would like to speak to was not the one currently staring eye-to-eye 3 feet away. Needless to say the similarity between the two rest beyond facial features. Both stood in a sort of dominant demeanor, with their hands crossed firmly before their chest, neither broke the silence that beholds the whistling of the wind.
"Alright, "James said, "I believe it is my part to begin,"
Tomoe just stared blankly, obviously aware that a certain brunette would be listening from behind the thin blinds,
"Why are you here?" the question caught the fox demon off guard,
"What do you mean why am I here? I live here if that girl have not already told you so." Tomoe spat, the blond boy is marking two strikes on his book,
"No but why now?" Jame persisted, "In case you're not aware, she seemed pretty broken hearted when you suddenly left her out of the blues like 6 months ago. Just as she is recovering, you just have to swoop in and tear everything down again don't you?" From the way veins are popping out of his arms, James was infuriated,
"I do not have to answer to you, this is my home and I shall come and go as I will. Beyond that, who gives you the audacity to question my actions anyways." Tomoe scornfully glared. "If anyone were to be questioned it would be your relationship with Nanami and just why do you think you are in a position to challenge me." A light purple glow began to spark from Tomoe's hands and Nanami began to see the severity in their little 'chit-chat'
As the two were going head to head, for James' safety Nanami stepped in.
"James," she purred, "can you make me pancakes, I really want pancakes…" her slender arms latched onto his muscular ones and practically dragged him away.
"PANCAKE?! Little missy you're NOT having cake for breakfast!" Tomoe yelled as the couple descended into the kitchen and that weird feeling emerged again: that sour feeling that seemed to have emerged from his core, stretches out like a spider that rips his heart from inside. He was confused by this resurfacing feeling, knowing that distance had not done him good but wrecked him all over again. He was a dead man the moment he stepped into her room last night.