Something a Genius Couldn't Figure Out
Yaya is mature.
Would you believe me if I said that?
…
Of course not.
Kairi is smart.
Do you believe me now?
…
Of course!
In fact, the boy is not only smart! He's a genius- a prodigy! Everyone knew this. If he were to speak, even the heartless Mashiro Rima would listen; the calm and collected Fujisaki Nagihiko would gape in awe…
The sweet, bubbly Yaya would stop, look down and sigh.
Amu once claimed that the girl was probably just jealous because the center of attention was the intelligent spectacled boy, and not her. Tadase said that she probably didn't have enough cookie and sweets intake for the day.
The King, Queen, Third Jack and Joker didn't seem to think too much about it. Kairi, however, knew that there was more to the Ace's hostility.
After the Guardian meeting one day, he decided to follow her. The girl was alone. As she made her way through the dirt-covered path of Seiyo's grounds, she dragged her feet and slumped her shoulders- a posture that the typical happy-go-lucky Yaya would never make. He picked up his pace then caught up to her. Instinctively, he grabbed her shoulder then turned her around, making her face him.
"Ace"
Slap
Kairi stared, bewildered, as Yaya slowly let her hand down.
"Don't touch me!" She spat.
He wasn't sure if it was just him but for a second, before the sunset, the brunette's orange eyes seemed to glisten.
'Tears, perhaps?' Kairi wondered in the midst of his shock.
"Kairi, you idiot…" She whispered before turning her back to run away.
A million things ran through Kairi's mind as he watched the Ace's retreating figure- one of these things being why?
Why was the Guardians' Ace treating him like that?
Why does he feel so strange? Hurt? I mean, it's no surprise that his cheek stung, and that he felt bad about being slapped. The fact that it was Yaya, however, made him feel devastated. It made him feel…a thousand times worse!
Maybe it was because it's very rare to see the girl angry, or even serious?
"How strange…" He murmured before bringing his hand up to the throbbing cheek
The next day was a day Kairi had dreaded. He was going to see her again. Needless to say, he wasn't very enthusiastic about it, especially after being slapped. Still life goes on; time is never on your side. The night and classes passed him like a breeze and before he knew it, he was seated at the Jack's chair inside the Royal Garden, a cool hanky planted on his reddening cheek.
Tadase was absent that day, for he needed to treat his ill grandmother.
Kukai was busy training for an incoming game.
Amu was probably daydreaming somewhere.
Rima and Nagihiko were probably caught up in their own bickering.
And Yaya…normally, the girl would be late due to being driven away by several distractions. However, given her previous state, he doubted that she would be her usual peppy self.
Slam
He was right.
Clash clash clash
Yaya's orange eyes widened as she watched the ever-proficient 'iinchou' clumsily stand, the chair he sat on tipping over in his haste. Kairi gazed at the chair for a second, pondering whether or not he should waste time to fix it. However, eventually, he turned his head to the girl, locking his eyes with hers.
She stood against the sunlight so everything but her big, bright eyes looked somewhat like a silhouette…
-and her hair...
He didn't know how to explain it; it most definitely did not shine like the eclipse but at that moment, those ginger locks appeared to be ablaze.
"Ace!" Kairi yelped, almost pleadingly, as he watched Yaya turn her back. 'Darn it! She's going to leave again!' He thought as he quickly sauntered after her. Yaya continued to keep a brisk pace while the boy tried to follow, making sure to stay a few feet behind.
"Leave me alone!"
"I will, Ace. Eventually! First I'd like to know why you're treating me like this!"
"You don't need to know!"
"But I want to!"
"Why?!"
"I want to see you smile again!"
Those same ginger locks flopped as the Ace came to an abrupt stop. Slowly, she turned to Kairi, her flushing face making her look somewhat like a tomato wearing the uniform and twintails.
"Uh…" He trailed off, not really knowing what to do about the sudden awkward silence engulfing the school grounds.
"The truth is…" Yaya started, looking at the setting sun, "Yaya doesn't even know why she's mad at Kairi…"
Right after she said that, Kairi felt himself click and mentally tip over. Does that mean that he got slapped, ignored and glared at for nothing?!
"For some odd reason…" Yaya shifted her gaze, her eyes suddenly locking on his. "Yaya started to feel all giddy around Kairi. Then he- you were ogling at Amu-chi again…"
He didn't know why, but suddenly, he felt his stomach flip. He took a step forward, just as Yaya took a step back, a deathly stare making its way to her face.
"Kairi, I decided to ignore it. I decided to act all normal and happy but…" She clenched her fists then turned away. She hiccup a bit, her small pigtails bobbing with every shake of her shoulders. "-you said 'Ace should act more like Joker' and 'It's time for Ace to stop acting so immature' and 'Ace should try to be useful to the Guardians-" Yaya paused, a lump suddenly finding its way to her throat. "-just…like Joker…"
"Ace…"
In the midst of her sobs, Yaya managed to glower at him. "How many times must I tell you to call me Yaya?!"
"Y-Yaya…" He softly murmured. Slowly, he took a step forward. To his relief, Yaya didn't step back nor flinch. She just continued to stare at the boy, an expression not quite her own plastered across her face.
"I'm sorry…"
Step
"I always compare you to people-"
Step
"'always saying that you should stop being yourself…"
Step
"However, I would like to know why it bothered you so much…"
Step
They stood before each other now- eyes-to eyes, chest-to-chest, with Yaya slightly tilting her head up so she could clearly see Kairi's cerulean eyes.
"You never minded people's snide remarks before so…why mind my comments now…?"
"That's because you're Kairi" She whispered before roughly shaking her head. "Kairi's different from everybody else!"
'How?' Kairi thought. 'What does she mean?'
He tried to ignore the strange flops and turns his stomach made, and failed- appalled by how none of these symptoms were not familiar to him. The strangest thing was that it only occurred around Yaya…
Those head warming flushes…
Those uneven breathings…
What did those symptoms mean? It most definitely was not fever for he did not feel the slightest bit feverish. Also, his temperature will only stay high whenever the Ace was around; once she's gone, he's immediately reverted back to his previous healthy state.
"I'm…afraid that I don't quite understand what you're trying to tell me A- uh…Yaya…"
Yaya frowned. "Of course you wouldn't. But if it were Amu-chi right here now, you'd completely understand. You'll be all 'YIPEE' and 'WOWZERS'. Sadly, it's only Yaya here…" She narrowed her eyes and continued in a hushed voice, "-typical, boooring Yaya…"
"You're not typical! Nor are you boring!" Kairi flushed. Then, he paused before raising his brows. "By the way, what do 'yipee' and 'wowzers' mean?"
Yaya released an exasperated sigh before lazily placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Nevermind. You'll understand when you're older…"
"W-wha…?"
A small smile slowly lit its way to Yaya's face.
"I'll see you at the Royal Garden-" She said as she walked away, strands of her soft locks quickly brushing against Kairi's neck as she turned her head. Kairi gulped, wondering why the symptoms were getting more extreme after he got a soft whiff of her floral fragrance.
He watched as she stopped midway then looked at him- a warm, alien smile lighting up her face, "Okay, Kai~ri?" and with that, she was off.
The boy then breathed a few seconds after the girl left, making a mental note to check his medicine book that evening.
Still…no matter how much research he made, he would never find the answer to these feelings until later in life…
Afterall, there are some things in life that even a genius couldn't figure out…
Hardiharhar. So…uh…like I said. I'm sort of…kind of busy with school now so I'm finding it difficult to update 'Her Secret' and 'The Curse' but…there's no harm in making a cheesy, fluffy, innocent Kaiya oneshot, right?