You've probably noticed by now, I did use an excerpt. That's because it's, and I quote, "What cool kids do". I know. A quick disclaimer, I do not own anything, Baka and Test belongs to someone else and I forgot to look up the name. Procrastinator's creed: I'll do it later. Anyway, read ahead. I'm pretty sure no one reads the intro anyway...which is why I feel safe admitting that here.

She wasn't sure how it happened. To be completely honest, she wasn't even sure it was real. Maybe it was a dream, maybe she hadn't done something terrible to deserve being stuck in an elevator with him. How had this happened? Why had the universe decided to dump her in the most unconventional predicament with the most unconventional person? Who had decided that she needed to be taught a lesson in the form of class F pervert Kouta Tsuchiya?

The sunlight warmed easily through the curtains, making a home against her face. With a sigh she pulled herself up in bed, a quick glance out the window proving her theory correct. The line between spring and summer was blurring and the cloudless sky was merely proof. Tossing the covers aside she pulled herself to her feet stretching slowly. The late morning light spurred a light feeling in her stomach.
'Today will be a day just for me' she decided. She would make it up to Hazuki with a gift and she'd cook a special dinner for her parents.

The mall wasn't her first choice but somehow she'd ended up here. It probably had more to do with the barrettes Hazuki wanted being here than anything. The convenience of having everything in one place was a plus but she was in no hurry to leave the beautiful afternoon behind. Inside the large building was cool and other shoppers milled about, shopping bags in hand. 'Not many' she noted. It would be easier that way. She hurried through the shops reveling in the peaceful environment created with the scarcity of shoppers. The produce stores she realized were not as empty as the rest of the mall. The population had clustered into the stores to collect foods for a day out with their families. For a minute Minami was tempted to join them. Her parents were busy doctors, they could be paged in for a number of reasons. Better to stick to her plans. Striking with precision she grabbed a number of fresh fruits and vegetables, adding various other spices and mixtures and a liter of juice that looked like something Hazuki would enjoy. The clerk was a kind older woman.
"Beautiful day isn't it?"
Minami nodded as the woman glanced curiously at her selection.
"I was planning on making a special dinner tonight for my family. Most of what I need is at home" She explained.
The woman nodded in understanding.
"You should take one of these too" the woman said, holding up a thin, long water bottle "it's very hot outside and it's always good to drink a lot of fluids in warm weather"
Minami nodded and thanked the woman adding the small water bottle to her bag at the older lady's suggestion. The older woman however waved away the cost, shooing her playfully with a hand. Minami laughed and waved as she began to make her way to her last stop. She would need to take the elevator for this one. She calmed the knot in her stomach, going through the process in her head, paying attention to nothing but her cues to board and exit and the bright buttons.
The shop was small and clustered but she knew it had to be one of Hazuki's favorite places in the world. It was brimming with things that young girls like her sister and occasionally, Minami, admitted, older girls like herself simply adored. The barrettes were small with little foxes smiling wide with little emerald eyes. It had taken all of Minami's energy to drag her, fussing, away from the adorable little pins. She had pouted the entire ride down in the elevator and Minami almost applauded her effort to pout so persistently. Imagining Hazuki's face Minami requested to have them placed in a small gift box. Surely a little extra was worth the surprise. Satisfied with the surprise for her sister Minami was on her way again. The elevator buttons lit up under her fingers and she waited for the small ping that would cue her to board. The elevator came quicker than expected. The doors opened and she saw dark hair.
"Tsyuchiya?"
He looked surprised as well. Looking for an excuse she gestured her hand down and he nodded. She sighed internally slowly climbing into the elevator. They were only on the tenth floor. They would be there in no time. She preoccupied herself with looking out the small slit of clear glass in the side of the elevator. She could see a jumble of traffic, a particularly large truck could be heard honking its horn before attempting to drive around the mess, swerving into a pole. The pole doubled over, landing on the truck and she gasped as sparks threatened to start a fire. Hearing her gasp Tsuchiya followed her line of sight, eyebrows raised. Before he could open his mouth the elevator began to shudder and Minami clung to the handrail nervously until the elevator came to a complete stop. She waited for the small ping, imagining in her mind that the fact the elevator stopped was mere coincidence. When the ping didn't come she looked down. She was afraid to glance at the level indicator. If they weren't on the bottom floor than chances were that they would be in here for a while. Steeling herself with the clench of her fist she glanced up. It was worse than she'd feared. The arrow had stopped halfway between the four and five. Even if they could manage the doors themselves there was simply nowhere to go. Checking the botton panel again she hit the first button again hoping against odds that it had simply been restarted. With nothing to show for her efforts she turned to the unmistakable red button to call for help. She pressed it twice, the sound of loud static came through on the panel speaker.
"Hello?" Minami tried.
No response. Panicked now.
"Hello? Hello?"
Only static.
"Please, we're stuck in the elevator between floors four and five-"
"I don't think it's working" A soft voice murmured behind her. She whipped around to face him. He looked down at her curiously, taken aback by her panicked state.

Perhaps she had been too dramatic. Being in a confined space with him surely wasn't as bad as the confined space itself. She took deep breaths concentrating. She took a look outside to the dimming evening. 'This can't be happening' she panicked. Running her hand haphazardly through her hair she turned to the glass window. 'Deep breaths' she reminded herself.
"...Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
She almost laughed. "Yeah fine, great, peachy, why ask?"
How had she fooled herself into thinking that these things were safe? How had she let Hazuki and Mizuki convince her that elevators were safe? She remembered that idiot Aki mentioning offhandedly that they only hung on a wire. She let herself slouch to the floor in the corner.

He hesitated, a confused look fixed on his face. Looking to her discarded bags, he rummaged through them until he found the small water bottle. He held it out to her gingerly. She took it from him slowly, hands shaking. Weak, shaking hands twisted the cap in vain. He knelt in front of her, reaching carefully to twist the cap for her. She gave him a shaky smile avoiding his intense gaze.
"Are you...?" He began
"Fine, I'm great, doing okay, swell, A ok over here"
"No" He said shaking his head. Realization flickered to her face and she looked down, breathing deeply.
He said nothing. "I've never known anyone...I don't-" He stopped.
"It's okay. Really, I'm fine" She said quickly.
He looked at her carefully. She smiled halfheartedly, patting the place next to her. He settled next to her, giving her as much space as possible in the tiny elevator.
"So how did you end up here on this beautiful day?" She asked, closing her eyes. Shivering slightly, she pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them lightly. He held up a bag.
"New lens for my camera"
"What happened to the old one?"
He hesitated before continuing "...I fell out of a tree"
She pulled herself upright to look at him. He looked down at his shoes in an attempt to hide the unmistakable pink tint that dotted his cheeks.
"I'm kinda scared to ask what you were doing in a tree" She admitted.
His head shot up, color gone.
"It wasn't like that. I was on my way...somewhere and there was a cat stuck in a tree. There was this little girl and, well, I climbed the tree to get it but on the way down my camera strap got snagged and I fell backwards. The lens look all the damage so..." He shrugged.
"You saved a little girl's cat? That's really-" An image flickered to her mind of Hazuki holding her beloved Kou and proclaiming that the nicest boy had saved him. "Wait. Was the cat black with a white patch of fur on his chest shaped like a bow-tie?"
He looked at her strangely. "...How did you know?"
"You saved my cat. My sister likes to dress him up so he hides from her." She remembered being worried that he had run away because he'd never been gone so long "Hazuki said someone saved him...thank you" She shivered at the thought of losing her dear little companion.
"It was nothing. I thought the little girl looked familiar...are you cold?" He asked noticing her shiver.
She was cold but she would never tell him that. Before she could say anything he had shrugged off his sleeveless outer sweater and wrapped it around her hunched shoulders. It was warm and smelled like him. A clean, fresh scent with a tinge of chemical she could assume was a cleaner he used on his camera. She was thoroughly dazed. Did she actually know Kouta Tsuchiya at all?
"...You're actually a decent human being" She realized. Quickly covering her mouth as her thoughts turned into noise.
He frowned "...Thanks?"
"No," She exclaimed, waving her arms "that's not what I meant!"She looked at her hands, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them closer to her.
"It's just that we've never really talked much and you're always taking those perverted pictures and" Her eyes turned to daggers as she glared at him "I did have a bit of a grudge after you sabotaged me"
"That was perfectly justified and you're always busy physically assaulting males and that doesn't exactly make you approachable if you happened to be male" He pointed out.
The urge to punch him rose in her chest but deep down she knew it would only prove his point. Instead, fist clenched, she offered him the water bottle. He looked surprised, taking it gratefully. She watched as the water level dipped noticeably.
"Why didn't you say you were thirsty?"
He looked down embarrassed, shrugging.
"Afraid to ask the violent girl within arms reach for some water? Those fears seem unjustified"
He looked at her, eyes wide, before letting out a low noise that she would assume was a chuckle. He held the half empty water bottle out to her. She took it looking down at the bottle in her hand.
"...Just for the record, y'know, I'm not actually that violent..." Why was she telling him this? Why did she care what he thought?
He seemed to understand "People aren't always what they seem" He offered cryptically. She let herself smile. Maybe he was right.

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