The Men's Section
It's kind of funny how often Asuka managed to drag me out shopping. Not that I'm complaining of course! Asuka is a sweet girl and I like being around her, but being alone with her is kind of…awkward at times.
Okay, I need to pause here for a second before I say anything else. Just so you know this is between you and me and no one else. If word of what I'm about to say got out to anyone (read: Yuuki) I wouldn't just need a new place to live, I'd need a knew way to breathe because he'd probably rip my throat out. And he wouldn't be nice about it either. That being said—and trust me when I say the last thing I ever want to do is threaten or hurt anyone—I'd be rather…disconcerted…if word of this were ever to get back to Yuuki.
So like I was saying, Asuka is a sweet girl. At first she reminded me a lot of my sister, Hikaru. They both have young, kind voices and auras that just radiate innocence so it's all but impossible to dislike them or be upset. Especially with Asuka. She just tries so hard to be helpful and the like that you can't help but love her.
That's not to say I love, love her or anything! At least, I don't think so…But I do like her a lot. Probably more then normal actually. I definitely like her, well not more then Hikaru, but definitely different. After all, I'd never imagined what it would be like to kiss Hikaru or hold her hand while we walked through Gald. And I've thought both of those things about Asuka.
The incidents involving Dzhyuma just made everything worse. Before then it was so much easier for me to just pretend she was another little sister but shouting out my disapproval of Asuka's so called date when her brother (adopted or not) obviously had no objections did seem rather suspicious; even to me and I'm—as Shen Lon so kindly put it once—socially retarded. And even then it didn't connect fully until Dzhyuma said he couldn't tell whether or not I was his rival.
Yeah, I can be a bit slow. Sorry about that.
But what does any of this have to do with me shopping with Asuka?
Well, that's how our day ended after several long hours of searching for Marron. Some fluffy, fat cat that Asuka was determined to save.
It was actually kind of fun, if only because I was able to spend time with Asuka without Yuuki breathing down my neck every few seconds. But hey, it's not my fault his sister's adorable. And if anything it's his fault that I first started noticing Asuka wasn't just some little girl I could pass off as a younger sister; I mean, it was Yuuki's fault I looked up her skirt that one time in the sewers.
Gah! I should not have remembered that! Now Asuka's going to think I'm sick and if she presses her forehead against mine again like she did when I first met her there's no way I'll get away without kissing her.
Not that I would regret kissing her, but I'm sure whatever Yuuki would have to say about it wouldn't be that endearing.
So anyway, after finding Marron Asuka got her first paycheck ever and, Asuka being Asuka, the first thing she wanted to do was to do something nice for her precious big brother. And seriously, can a girl be any more adorable then when she's doing something for her brother?
Come to think of it Hikaru's pretty cute when she's doing stuff for me…Note to self, never let Hikaru shop for me with a boy. Ever.
We ended up going back to the same shop that Asuka bought my clothes from a few weeks ago and the second we walked into the store I couldn't help but feel a bit…suffocated. And not because the store was crowded, oh no, It was actually the complete opposite. Aside from me and Asuka the only one there was the store attendant but that doesn't exactly count.
Okay, so there was a window but it was mostly blocked by clothes anyway.
"So what do you think I should get?" Asuka asked, her wide eyes and bright smile in place as always. "Do you think he would want a jacket or a sweater? It is starting to get kind of cold…"
"I'm sure he'd like anything you get for him Asuka," Kai said. "After all, it would be from you right?"
"Hmm…I guess that's true," she said. "But I'd really like it to be something he'd like even if it wasn't me that got it, you know?"
There she was being cute again.
"Right," I agreed. "Maybe if we just browse for a bit you'll find something that just…jumps out at you?"
"That's a great idea!" Asuka said. "You wait here and I'll be right back!"
I watched her flit around the store humming to herself with that adorable grin on her face and I couldn't help but smile. She really was too much sometimes. And by the look on the attendant's face, I wasn't the only one in the store that thought so. He pushed himself away from the counter, a half dazed half determined expression on his face that I remembered seeing on Dzhyuma's face more times then I care to remember and it only took me three seconds to intercept him.
There was no way I was letting him near my Asuka.
Uh…I mean, Yuuki wants me to protect her and stuff so that's what I was doing. That's all.
It didn't mean anything that I had put my arm around her waist and glared at the guy until he finally got the hint and backed off. And like I said earlier, I may not love her but I do like her and that's got to count for something, right? Right.
"What's wrong Kai?" Asuka asked, her waist turning oh-so-easily against my side and I quickly dropped my arm.
"N-nothing, Asuka," I said mentally rolling my eyes at the stutter. "So did you find anything?"
"I did find a few things," she said pointing to a rack where she had set aside a few of her choices. I knew she was torn between them both before she even held them up. One was a soft purple-ish sweater that I was pretty sure Yuuki would hate and the other was a soft yellow button down.
Now before you get upset or think I'm disgusting or something like that just remember that even though I can be a bit shy with girls sometimes I am still a boy. A teenage boy.
The second I saw that yellow shirt I had a…vision? That's not the exact word I'm looking for but it will work for now. I had a vision of her with her short hair ruffled from sleep as she rubbed at her eyes with too long yellow sleeves, a shy but happy smile on her soft, soft lips as she spoke.
"Good morning, Kai…"
Oh man did that make a wonderful image.
"Kai?"
"Huh?" I said, jerking out of my thoughts and forcing myself not to look around for Yuuki. He wasn't there and even if he was it's not like he could read my mind. "Sorry Asuka, I was lost in thought, what did you say?"
"I said I have some things," she said, holding up the purple sweater. "Do you think this would look good on Yuuki?"
No, no I didn't. Not at all.
"Um, I think it might be a little too flashy for him." I said instead and she turned back to the rack to pull of the yellow shirt.
"How bout this one?" She asked and I couldn't help myself. She was to innocent to understand the implications anyway.
"I think that would look good on you." I said.
"No, Kai," She said, sounding almost exasperated. "Don't be silly, this is the men's section!"
'That's the point,' I thought but instead we just laughed.
In the end Asuka settled on a light blue sweater that Yuuki would have probably picked for himself, if he'd been there and when we got up to the register I asked her to wait while I got something too.
"Why are you getting that one Kai?" Asuka asked when I set the yellow shirt on the counter.
I fidgeted a bit and I'm sure I was blushing just a little as I paid, trying not to look at her when I answered.
"I just thought it made a nice picture."
"Picture?" Asuka said, understandably confused. "What do you mean by that Kai?"
"Don't worry about it Asuka," I said. "It's not important."
Not yet anyway.
But don't you ever let any of this get back to Yuuki! Remember what I said, I may not like making threats or hurting people, but I'd be very disconcerted if any of this got out.
Especially to Yuuki.
Kaliea: Yeah, so I was watching E's Otherwise this evening and I came across this little exchange in episode 13 and I just couldn't help myself. The look on his face and the way he said it…he was practically begging this little fic to be written!...Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to review!