Disclaimer:Kamichama Karin chu does not belong to me.

Warnings: n/a

A/N: Shingen love ♥ because he's just that cool. Written a couple of months ago, so it's old. Er…

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Observations

He counts each step she takes.

one, two, three, four…

She's beautiful, smart, and determined; qualities (amongst many) he admires in her, and probably the very reason he fell for her in the first place. She is the sort of girl one doesn't see often (which is only his point of view, so it is biased), and that is why he feels drawn to her.

There's something… something he can't truly put into words, but definitely there, and that is why. In many ways, she's different from the other girls he has associated with; there's just something else there. A presence – feeling? – that he is compelled towards, and wishes to touch. He wants to solidify its existence and know, but it is a useless gesture, and he is left in its midst.

Shingen has tried – many times – to explain it to Yuuki, but he usually finds himself forming incomplete sentences that, when pieced together, make no sense. The other boy just smiles and nods politely though, when Shingen finds himself starting another spiel about her; they both know he'll get nowhere, but at least he tries.

And, perhaps, that's all that matters.

five, six, seven, eight…

Rika is many things to him; when he watches her, with each passing day, since their first, fated meeting (at least, that is what he truly believes, although her expression says the opposite). There's a mystery around her that seems to call for attention, and he sees it. Acknowledges it.

She is someone devoted and strong, and the sort of person who will fight with their own strength, never asking for someone else's help until it seems useless or if they offer first. A person who believes what she is doing is right, and that in the end, it will be alright.

Although he sees it, and has watched her battles progress, he knows he isn't much use at all. He can watch – observe – help in any way possible, but he is still not one of them. He can't be, could never be, but it will not stop him from trying.

nine, ten, eleven, twelve…

It's strange, though, when he meets the boy with the mismatched eyes – Nishikiori Michiru? – to pass on the tickets to the hot springs to 'assist' them. For some reason or another, he can see himself in those eyes. The enthusiasm, the want to help… no, the need to help, for the sake of those they care about.

They may be on opposite sides of the battlefield, but they are definitely doing it for the right purposes. While Nishikiori may be doing it for Hanazono Karin and that other group; he, Tsutsumi Shingen, will do all he can to help Karasuma Rika and Kirio, because he can.

thirteen, fourteen…

He's alive and willing to help; he may be a hindrance in the end, but his heart is in the right place. He is an observer and one who will try to piece together the shattered picture he has been given, and he will continue to hope.

No matter what happens next, Shingen will continue to count each step Rika takes, and admire her for who she is.

fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…