When A Girl Gets Frisky… (Part 1)
by BrDPirateMan
It was hard for Neku to sleep tonight.
He was excited, and rightly so. Tomorrow he and his girlfriend Shiki were going on their very first date, and boy was he nervous. Under his blanket he was trembling like a dry leaf.
This date, he felt, simply had to go perfectly. His friends tended to stick in a group and do everything together, which made it hard for just the two of them to hang out. There were times when he tried to get together with Shiki for a while, but nothing would work according to his wishes.
If Neku and Shiki had noodles at a ramen shack, Beat would probably be there eating, and he'd spot them and get them to join him, ruining their chance for peace. They might bump into Rhyme while taking time off at the local park; she did like quiet places. And as for Eri? Shibuya was her oyster, so she was everywhere – 'nuff said – almost like she was magnetized to their very presence. Even a leisurely stroll through the streets would end up with all five friends walking together.
And that was precisely what got the couple fed up to the teeth. Was there ever a time when they could have even five seconds to themselves? Make no mistake, though: Beat and company were a sensible bunch. They just weren't sensible enough to leave them alone.
Then, like lightning from the sky, a miracle happened.
During one particular weekend, these three idiots disappeared one by one. Although this certainly hinted at a macabre turn of events, the truth was anything but. Beat and Rhyme went on a family trip, while Eri went to Osaka to visit some cousins of hers. Everyone was still alive, of course, but none of them was in Shibuya.
Their absence was temporary and they would return soon, but the most important thing for the couple was that they were absent. Now they could finally go on that first date they had always wanted without any further disturbances.
"The timing couldn't be better," said Neku. "We've got the whole weekend to ourselves. And they wouldn't be around to bother us."
Shiki was as excited as he was. "Yeah. Finally some good news!"
"I'll say!" He clasped her shoulders gently and looked her in the eye. "Okay, there's no time to lose. We must immediately make our plans for the date…"
"No need for the mad rush," she laughed. "We've got two whole days, right? It's Saturday now, so let's spend today outlining the itinerary for the date."
"Oh, you got a good idea going there. We can take the whole of today making our preparations. Then tomorrow, it's showtime."
Seeing that he understood her, she smiled at him. "I know we're inexperienced in romance but I do know that first dates ought to be… magical. Ha ha… Do I sound overly dreamy to you? I just want it to be something special to look back onto in the near future and say, 'Remember our first date? We sure had fun'."
Neku could feel himself blushing all the way to his ears. "I… I agree. Okay, we'll brainstorm for now and then spend the rest of the day psyching ourselves up for tomorrow!"
"For someone who normally keeps a cool head," chuckled Shiki, "you sure are high-strung. Loosen up… It'll be fine."
They felt it would be better to not be so greedy about their date. As Shiki had put it, sometimes the best things in life were the simplest. This first outing into the world of romance would be nice and easy, not too heavy. Love was best taken at a slow pace.
The two quickly threw together a plan. Nothing too complex: just sundaes at an ice-cream parlor, followed by a walk in the park, and if time allowed it, maybe even a movie. Not the most terribly exciting thing ever, but it was effective and they were satisfied with it. Dating would be better in time to come when they were bolder and more comfortable with the very concept.
Finally, a golden opportunity to spend alone time together undisturbed! Both boy and girl were ecstatic. They wished for nothing more than the day to be over and for Sunday to come around.
But returning to the main event at hand… Neku was still having trouble sleeping.
He was excited, to be sure, but he was also very apprehensive. "Would everything be okay?" was the question he kept asking himself. It was hard to blame him for this. As a newbie where dating was concerned, his fear was well-placed though mostly unfounded.
Eventually, after asking himself that same question for the 248th time, somehow or other he managed to doze off.
XOXOXOXOXO
He stared at the alarm clock in shock.
Today was Sunday and it was also the day of his much-awaited date with Shiki. He was supposed to meet her at the Statue of Hachiko at 10 am.
Neku had just woken up by himself. Apparently the alarm didn't go off for some reason, and what time was it now?
10 am. Sharp.
"Aaaargh! I'm late!"
This wasn't happening. First date and he was already running late! That was taboo! He flew around his home like a tornado. Having breakfast and getting dressed up were done at supersonic speeds. And when he was out of the house at last, he tore down the streets like he had lost his mind. Never mind if anyone thought he was a lunatic.
As he did a Carl Lewis through the city, all he could think of was, Shiki's going to be mad at me. She must have been waiting at the Statue of Hachiko… I made her wait for so long! Why didn't I get a new alarm clock? It wasn't working all that well to begin with. Argh, I just hope things wouldn't be so bad…
The Statue of Hachiko loomed into view, and Neku promptly made a beeline for it. Even with his speed, the matters of the morning like breakfast and such had taken time, and it was now 10.20, meaning that Shiki had been waiting for him for at least twenty minutes. Twenty! You don't make your date wait for that long and expect to get away with it! He shuddered to think how badly she would scold him.
However, when he arrived at their meeting place, Shiki was nowhere to be seen. At first, he was puzzled. Then a horrible thought occurred to him…
She must be so furious at me, he thought, that she decided not to wait for me anymore… She left by herself! This is the worst!
He leaned against the statue, pondering over his mistakes in despair and thinking about how he could have easily avoided all of this. There was nothing he could change now, so he felt that at the very least he should think up of the best and most sincere apology and tell Shiki that he was sorry for being a fool. He was so wrapped up in his little cloud of gloom that he didn't notice that someone was peering into his face at close proximity.
When he happened to look up and see the face of the unknown visitor, he jumped in shock. She was so near! Wait… she?
"Sh-Shiki? !" He rubbed his eyes and took one good stare to be sure, but it really was her.
She giggled softly at his reaction. "I was wondering what you were up to, brooding like that. Did you wait long? I'm sorry if you did… I only just arrived."
"R-Really? Oh, I… I see." Relief washed over him. "I only just got here too, so – uh? !"
Shiki saw how he was now staring at her with a look of incredulity and was puzzled. "Neku? What's wrong?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it wrong… But what's with those clothes you're wearing? !"
He was confused and startled. Shiki was a shy girl with a conservative dress sense. Apart from her school uniform, one would rarely see her wearing anything out of the ordinary. Her usual ensemble of green blouse and black capris was something of a trademark of hers. Neku had known her long enough to know that she was generally uncomfortable with anything else.
So why was she now in a crop top and mini-skirt? The short sleeveless jacket she had on didn't do much to cover up what little decency she had left. It was almost like she transformed into a completely different person. He could barely recognize her, all the more so because she even ditched her old glasses for a pair of trendy ones with rectangular lenses.
"Oh, these?" she said, every bit nonchalant. "Ahaha… To tell you the truth, Eri was saying just the other day that I should broaden my horizons in fashion, so now I'm taking her advice for once."
"Ah, um, I see…"
She looked away briefly and rubbed the back of her neck, seemingly embarrassed. "H-How does it look on me, Neku?"
Her new look was refreshing though a little jarring. He was used to seeing Eri flaunt her body freely in public, but Shiki doing the same thing was a bit strange. She was cute and pretty but he never really thought she could make the cut for sexy material. Never once did he even imagine her to dress up like a pin-up model. Still, she didn't look bad – maybe even a touch desirable – and she definitely knew her stuff. He only hoped that his hormones wouldn't go too crazy.
"It's fantastic, Shiki," he praised. "It's a different look, but I like it."
"Hee hee! Glad you do! I made these clothes myself, just like I did with Eri's. As a matter of fact, they are essentially Eri's clothes, but with a different colour palette. I mean, I love green." Feeling slightly cheeky, she added, "Anyway, mine are better, of course."
"Y-Yeah… I think so too." Neku tried his best to act cool, but he was so surprised by her new appearance that he ended up more sheepish than anything.
"Thanks! Well, today's the day. Our first date! Excited?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" With the issue of her bold choice of apparel out of the way, it was time to move on to the most important matter at hand. Yes, the date that both had been looking forward to with so much anticipation!
"I'll be counting on you, Neku. Let's go and have fun, shall we? After all of the setbacks we've had to endure, we truly deserve this."
He let out an involuntary gasp when she curled her fingers around his arm, much like how a bride would hold onto the groom's arm. This was something he didn't prepare himself for, and while he had goosebumps everywhere, he sure wasn't complaining!
"Something the matter?" she breathed.
"Um… uh, it's no big deal… L-Let's go get us some sundaes, eh?"
"Hee hee… You're cute."
Cute? She just called him cute. They had been going out for some time now, but she never really said things like that. Neku found it strange, but otherwise he paid it no mind. In any case, what she said made him feel great inside, so it was all good in the end.
Neku quickly saw something that he had never seen before. As they were walking down the streets, he saw a goodly number of eyes riveted their way. People were actually looking at Shiki, noticing her presence, and without a doubt it had to be because of her flashy clothes. Pedestrians whom they walked past turned back for second glances. Guys were practically ogling, while girls stared in awe. He even thought he caught a glimpse of someone surreptitiously snapping photos of her with his cell phone.
He wasn't used to all of this attention Shiki was getting, and he was getting seriously embarrassed for both of them, even though she clearly wasn't. For someone who had just taken her first baby steps out of her comfort zone, she sure was acting pretty cool about it. Was this a good thing or bad, he wondered?
The last straw came when they passed by a couple of thugs, lean in build and making a sordid first impression. They had been eyeing Shiki intently, and once the couple had strolled past, they started talking all manner of frightening things. Neku didn't really hear what they were saying all that much, but he did pick up the part where "that chick'll be ours for the taking once we slit the throat of that spiky-haired punk."
"Neku?" said Shiki. "Neku! Slow down! Wh-What's the rush?"
"Sorry, no time to explain," he gulped. "Things could get hairy if we don't get a move on!" He was this close to tearing her arm off from dragging her with him in a mad dash through the streets.
"I know the ice-cream parlor is famous for its chocolate fudge twirls but they wouldn't run out of seats so quickly. It's only half past ten in the morning, after all…"
Neku wanted to believe they were rushing there to find a place to sit. He really wanted to believe it…
XOXOXOXOXO
"Safe!"
"…Safe?"
"Yeah," said Neku. "Both of us."
Shiki giggled. "You must really have a maniacal liking for sundaes."
That's not it, he thought, that's not it at all… He had been running the whole way to the parlor, with Shiki in tow desperately trying to keep up with him (she must have been a most amusing sight struggling to do so in her new kitten heels). Now that they were relatively safe and sound at their destination, he hoped that the hoodlums he was so scared about had already lost sight of them.
"Hey, Neku," chirped Shiki, "let's take that corner table. It's more private over there."
She was right. The table that got her attention was tucked away in a corner. The seats were the huge bench types that were fixed to the floor and had high backs which could provide some concealment. Private indeed! Ah! At last the two of them could share their most tender moments together with impunity.
It would be some time until their food came so they took the time to get comfortable, being the lovebirds that they were. But as they got to talking it was obvious that something was bothering Neku in some way, and Shiki noticed.
"Neku? What's the matter? Are you okay?"
"Oh! Um… I-I'm fine, Shiki! Really, I am!" He tried to disperse any doubts she might have had, but it only got her more worried.
"You can tell me, Neku. We're going out, you know? A couple should be ready to listen to each other."
He noted the kindness in her words and smiled. "Thanks, Shiki. Well, it's nothing much to be honest. It's just… I'm gonna need to get used to your new look."
Shiki's face fell a little in disappointment. "You… You don't like it after all?"
"N-No… It's not like that at all!" Neku was starting to panic a little seeing that he had upset her. "I love how you look. But seeing you wear something so, uh… sexy… out of the blue gave me a bit of a surprise, is all."
"Yeah," chuckled Shiki modestly. "It's quite embarrassing for me too, actually."
Confusion was etched into his face. "But while we were walking just now in front of so many people, you seemed fine…?"
"Um, see, Eri's pep talk helped me plenty! She said that if I ever get the jitters wearing stuff like this in public, all I had to do was imagine that everyone was a potato. Because potatoes have no sense of fashion, you see?"
"I… I don't see how that last statement makes sense… But oh well." He gave her a broad smile. "You seem to have gotten over your anxiety, so it's not a bad thing. Even if your ways of venturing into new territory are somewhat unorthodox, I still say it's all good. The world ends with you, right?"
"Yeah!" She beamed at him brightly, making them both feel a lot better. Then, with a deep red colour on her face, she muttered, "…I sure feel naked though."
In a sense, thought Neku, you are…
He had to admit she had a lot of guts to work the sudden transition from plain Jane to eyeball-melting knockout. Was this the beginning of a new Shiki? Perhaps it was best that he started to get used to this, but judging from how he was secretly liking her bold new dress sense, it wouldn't take very long at all.
However, something about the old Shiki was still appealing to him…
The sundaes did not disappoint. The couple found a hearty snack in them and had high praises for the parlor, and now they were washing it all down the throat with soda. Yes, they were happy. Not only was the parlor the place to go to satisfy their sweet tooth cravings, it was also useful for couples who liked dating in peace. Our hero and heroine were sure to mark this place as a suitable spot for further dates in the near future.
"…Oh, it was a total riot, Neku. And… and to top it all off, Beat even had to freak out over it non-stop, which made him look even sillier. The things he does! And then – Neku, you're not listening!"
"Buh? ! S-Sorry! I kinda spaced out for a bit!"
Shiki, in a display of mock annoyance, said nothing and cast a narrow-eyed gaze at him.
"Whoa… Shiki?" gulped Neku. "I'm sorry… Um, please don't kill me. You wouldn't, right?"
"Depends," she replied, though she was secretly enjoying this. That was when a deliciously evil idea came to mind. Inwardly she smiled and decided to go for it. But to get to that, she first had to ease her foot out of her shoe…
"Ahaha… Anyway, Shiki. I'll listen real good right now, so what was that about Beat and nnnngghh? !"
She propped her head on one arm and continued to gaze straight at him, though she was starting to smile.
He was cherry-red in the face and sweating buckets. "Uhhh… Shiki? ? ?"
"Mmm?" was her purposely lazy reply.
"I… I know you l-love me as much as I love you, b-but…"
"But?"
"C-Could you not, um, play footsie with me right now?"
Oh yes, that was what she was doing. Playing footsie with Neku. Trailing her toes up and down his shin with her bare foot. Having a whale of a time watching him squirm. How she loved seeing him get all tense and agitated. Beat's personal brand of flakiness was funny, but for her, Neku was at his funniest when he was forced into a tight spot with nowhere to run.
It just so happened that he was wearing the baggy white cargo pants he was so fond of. This left his entire shin exposed for her to molest with her foot. Good stuff, even if it was a mite disturbing.
"Shiki, er, are you listeneeEEEE? !"
She had just ratcheted up the tension up a fine notch by snaking her toes further up this shin. Watching him stiffen up like a dead body in response to her actions was funny.
"What's wrong?" said Shiki nonchalantly. "The soda's good, right?"
"I-It's kinda ticklish…"
She grew a broad smile of mischief. "The soda is ticklish?"
"No! Listen… c-could we not do this right now? My hair is seriously standing on end. I mean, if… if you really are keen on this, y-you could do it when no one's around, at least… I dunno…"
Seeing that he had been pushed to his limits, Shiki decided enough was enough and finally let him go. It wouldn't do to have Neku collapsing from the mental strain of being felt up like that. As soon as she pried her toes away, he looked visibly more relaxed, though still shaken.
He breathed a sigh; whether of relief or to release the heat that had been boiling from within, it was unclear. But his face was a brilliant shade of red and that violated leg of his was tingling. "Whew… Wh-What was that all about, Shiki?"
She didn't answer his question directly, instead going for an ambiguous reply, "Hee hee… Neku, you really are cute." It was suggestive enough to twist his insides into ribbons.
"Um… okaaay…" He didn't know what to make of that. Was he supposed to feel happy and celebrate, or feel outraged like he had been groped on the train?
…
Author's note: There is a good reason Shiki is acting out of character here. Everything will come to light in the later chapters.