An idea I got, which then led to an excuse to write some stuff.
Which also diverted my concentration from updating already existing fics to this one.
(Oh yeah, this fic shall take place around January to February. Just because. ^ O ^)
"I've got something we can do today!"
Ene's loud, enthusiastic voice had cut through the low, soft murmurs that had been filling the Blindfold Gang's lair, like crystal glass shattering- it sounded so sudden, and near-startling in Kido's ears. Everyone's heads had subsequently shot up and had turned to look at Shintarou's phone resting on a makeshift stand on the coffee table. Kido felt a surge of relief flow through her instantaneously.
The Sunday midday was astonishingly boring; Kido had woken up late this morning and had expected a chaos of noise, blurry movements of physical attacks and broken glasses on the wooden floor. What she had not expected was near-complete and utter silence, everyone had been seated still and quiet on the floor, couches or chairs, buried in concentration with whatever they were doing.
She could hear the crumpling of the thick fabric of her clothes as she trudged over to the kitchen, the clear sound of running water as it impacted against the cold, metal surface of the sink and the near-indistinct sound of Shintarou's foot tapping to a somewhat soothing rhythm. Faintly, in the background, she could also hear Seto and Mary exchanging a few words, before drifting back into silence.
Kano, Kisaragi nor Ene had uttered a single word since Kido had gotten up besides a simple "Good morning, Leader!" which was purely frightening, almost making Kido wonder if each and every of them had been taken away by last night's chaos and replaced with near-carbon copies of themselves. God, what is this, She had thought in despair and horror as she stared at the previous scene presented in front of her, as she downed the glass of water. The water in the cold, winter morning, felt like thick sludge dribbling slowly down her dry throat.
"Well, what is it, Ene?" Kido asked first, quickly. Never in life, had she been eager to have some form of chaos this badly.
Ene grinned cheekily, like a small, mischievous child who had just done something naughty and wasn't afraid to tell it. "A social experiment is what it is." She announced proudly, and pulled up an image on the phone, that filled the screen with fine text that seemed to go on, on and on.
"Huh?" Everyone had said in a most-likely-never-to-be-happening-again-unison. Ah, perhaps that's why Ene was quiet today, Kido thought, as she examined the text displayed on the screen.
"Let me explain!" Ene exclaimed, her glowing blue eyes had lit up brighter in amusement and excitement. "There's this little hypothesis that's been floating around the net and I found it interesting so I thought that perhaps we could put it to a little testing! In the spirit of the upcoming Valentine's Day in February!"
Suddenly Shintarou groaned, and placed his hands on his eyes, falling back abruptly against the soft, cushioned backing of the couch. "Oh god, please don't tell me its the one I think you're talking about."
"Shintarou?"
"It's..." Kido thought she could see Shintarou's cheeks turn as red as his jacket, which was startling against his pale skin. His dark eyes seem to gleam ever so slightly as he peered at the other members through the gaps between his thin, long fingers. "Oh god, I can't even say it." And with this, Kido began to get increasingly uncertain of Ene's unexplained, proposed plan- as Kido hated to admit it, since it meant cracking the cool exterior she had built for herself- she was almost akin to Shintarou in terms of uncertainty, awkwardness and fear.
Ene cleared her throat, and announced, in a loud, dramatic voice that resembled a TV game show host, "Ladies, Gentlemen and Master, I present to you: The Super Duper, Heart-thumping, Pretend To Be a Couple With Someone You Have No Feelings Towards experiment!" and the sound effects of sparklers and studio applause boomed through the tiny phone speakers. "Well, er, if you want the less fancy version, it's: 'Hypothesis that if two people who feel no infatuation, or any feelings of love towards each other, act as a couple and engage in intimate, romantic activities, those feelings will be changed to love. Oh, also you have no choice but to participate in this."
Kido's mouth could only dropped in awe at both the length of the name of the said social experiment, and the literal meaning of said social experiment. "E-Excuse me?"
"You heard me! A totally intense, lovey dovey social experiment to test whether you would gain feelings for someone if you pretended to be couple with them! And speaking of which, we have the perfect amount- all we'll do is leave out little, pipsqueak Hibiya, in which he shall have the luxury of overlooking this fun experiment!" Shintarou's despairing groans got louder, Seto had nearly dropped the mug he had held in his strong hands, Mary squeaked and hid behind her thick locks of hair in embarrassment of what she was going to do, Konoha tilted his head slightly in confusion, Hibiya looked too stunned by the social experiment itself to retaliate against his newly given nickname, but Kano remained uncharacteristically unfazed by the challenge. "So how about it kids? Oh don't worry, I'll be participating in it too, since I'm pretty sure that you guys don't want any homosexual activity going on, unless one of you is actually homosexual, then feel free to come out right now!"
"What?" Everyone had said again, in an 80%-chance-of-never-to-be-happening-again-unison.
"Huh? Oh, no raging homosexuals who want to confess their sexuality right here and now? Oh then let's get cracking on with it! By the way, Kano was busy writing all the names down on pieces of paper, helping me prepare this momentous moment!" And almost instantaneously, like a statue that has come to life, the book in Kano's hands suddenly disappeared, and had been replaced by a bucket filled with scrap paper and eight straws, and the uncharacteristic stoic look on his face had been washed away by a cat like grin, and mad laughter. He wiped the tears that were appearing at the corner of his eyes, and moved to fist bump Ene via the phone screen.
"Kano! We thought you went weird or ill! That's why we didn't want to say anything this whole morning!" Seto yelled and threw his hands up in the air, muttering un-Seto-like words under his breath. Ah, now this is beginning to explain this midday's events, Kido thought, relaxing slightly.
Kano grinned, and placed the bucket down on the coffee table, "My bad! Well, anyways it was kind of funny seeing all of you not trying to talk- thoouuuugh Shintarou, you seemed to be enjoying the silence." Shintarou turned to stare at Kano, and opened his mouth to protest, but Kano waved at him to keep quiet. "So, Hibiya, would you like to do the honors of letting us pick straws to determine the four who will then choose the names of their boyfriend or girlfriend?"
Hibiya grumbled as he reached inside the bucket for the straws, pulling them out hastily, wrapping his tiny fingers around the marked and unmarked ends of each of them. "Alright, now go choose." He said, holding them out, his cheeks dusted slightly with red, "I'm guessing the marked ones will be the ones who will choose their blah, blah, blah, blah, blah- wait wouldn't this mean that if you can't get someone who has a marked straw-"
"No need for loophole identification, Hibiya. The last two people to pick can then choose each other through lots if that'll make you feel better."
In an instant, all eight members of the Blindfold gang had surrounded the small child, their hands (or rather, the screen Ene was displayed on) lingered over the straws they were going to choose. Konoha's hand had immediately dived down to his straw, picking up immediately to reveal an unmarked end. Suddenly the remaining seven hands grabbed or 'dibbed' the straws like predators to its prey, each of their faces colored with their reaction. Kido gulped at the straw, her shoulders sagging in relief when she found out that her straw wasn't marked as well. Mary's, Kisaragi's were also not marked.
"God, let's get this over with quick," Shintarou whimpered while having a completely red face, and quickly fished out a name from the bucket with his eyes shut tight. "Oh god, oh god, oh god." When he unfolded the paper in his hands, he made a loud choking sound at the back of his throat. "Ene, you considered homosexual relationships but you didn't consider INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIPS?" he screeched, dropping the scrap paper of the table, with his sister's name, 'Kisaragi Momo' scrawled messily on it.
Kido glanced at Momo, who's face went ashen, her dark brown eyes as wide as dinner plates, "Oh hell no! I love you, brother, but NO."
"Oh dear- er, well are you guys by any chance possibly unrelated to one another?"
"Excuse me?"
Ene smiled, and pulled up a series of book covers and a supposed movie poster, "You know, like this book series that got turned into a movie recently about some girl who finds out she's got some powerful, angelic, heavenly warrior blood in her, and she falls in love with this dude who also turns out to have some powerful, angelic, heavenly warrior blood in him, and then they are all lovey dovey, then they find out they're siblings, and then they find out that they weren't related at all-"
"ENE. I've been with Momo for all my life, I've seen her when she was just born, and nothing like what you just described can happen!" And Shintarou threw the paper back in the bucket, and picked up another one, in which he began to blush even redder, that possibly, Kido thought, that it was redder than his jacket. He fumbled with the paper in his hands, and stared straight at Mary, who then squealed when she realized- "M-M-Mary, I, uhhhh... yeah." And the two looked like they could pass out from blushing too hard.
"My turn!" Kano said with a wide grin, as wide as the Cheshire Cat's from Alice in Wonderland. He danced his fingers in the air as he was determining which scrap paper he should choose from the bucket. Kido felt her head go slightly dizzy and light, oh god I hope he doesn't choose- "Ohhh... my." He said suddenly, and Kido took in a deep, sharp breath, pulling her hood over her head, tugging it over her face. "Kisaragi Momo!"
Momo looked even more ashen than she did when her own brother picked her name, Kido noticed, watching as Momo slumped against the couch behind her, her hands placed on her eyes like what Shintarou had being doing previously, and groaned almost in a similar way to her big brother. Oh poor Kisaragi, Kido thought silently, praying for the best for Momo, knowing that Momo in particular, wasn't exactly fond of Kano despite her friendly, cheerful exterior. She didn't act unkindly to him despite those feelings, which was something Kido had to praise Momo for.
But with this, there would only be four names left in the bucket for either Seto or Ene to choose. Then the outcome would be obvious. Kido glanced over at Konoha who seemed very unfazed by the event, but entranced by staring at pile of straws on the table.
And when Seto began to move closer to the bucket, Kido had inhaled even sharper than she did when Kano was choosing. Her stomach began to feel fluttery, like when she was introducing herself to her classmates for the first time in junior high school, where she stood in front of the whole room, and all eyes were on you, dark and judging as whatever you did or said would be taken into account and would determine your fate in school.
Except all eyes were on Seto; Ene's and Kido's partner for god-knows-how-long for this experiment would be determined, and then they would have to act... like that.
Seto, rubbed the back of his neck, before gently picking up and unfolding the piece of paper quietly. When he saw the name imprinted on the paper, he smiled, and turned to face the person, the piece of paper turned towards her, where her name, 'Kido Tsubomi', was written in black ink, startling and impossible to not notice.
Kido then let out the breath, that she didn't know that she was holding.
Konoha on the other hand, actually paid attention, and began to walk over to Ene, poking the screen and staring at Ene as she barely managed to hide her happiness with a wavering frown, on getting Konoha as her partner.
"Well then! We've all got our partners- so! For one month, till Valentine's Day, we'll act as couples with our partners, and let's test out this hypothesis, shall we?"
I'm slightly nervous about this.
Mainly shall be SetoKido (because I love SetoKido and this is a perfect excuse to write about it and other pairings.)
_(:3 JL)_ Review? Favorite it? Ignore it? Laugh at it? Up to you but, thank you for reading up to this point of the page!