The Object Of My Affection…
Just another plot less one from me. Ban/Himiko.!
DISCLAIMER: Except for this story, I own nothing. about the story, that is.
————————
She wondered too much these days.. too much for her taste that is, so it unsettled her.
She wondered about her life, it's meaning. …Pondering over what fate had in store for her next…it seemed that destiny liked to toy with her. First, it cursed her beloved brother and herself to a horrible death..(Or was it the afterlife? She truly didn't know, and after her brother Yamato's death, had ceased to care. After all, to die was a surety..so why wrangle over what took place after that? )…Then it let her see her brother die at the hands of his then best friend...the very man who casually walked into her life one morning, took her brother's soon after, and then walked right out. The reason? She didn't think she was likely to find out. The one who knew didn't seem inclined to give it either.
She often wondered if that was how things were meant to be with her….thought about what ifs and supposes...
"Hmm…"
As the wind caressed her short thick green hair, the purple-eyed tenant of a cheap apartment in a narrow street wondered (there she went again…) for about the 10th time that past hour, why the hell she'd decided that sticking her head out of a window into the shadows of a lonely night, would distract her or clear her head of clearly unwanted thoughts –thoughts about a certain blue-eyed, porcupine haired, pig headed, cold, arrogant, sarcastic, yet 'if-you-tilt-your-head-90ºdegrees' handsome somewha…WHAT!
(Now where on earth did that come from?)
'I did not just think that!'Her hands had flown immediately to cover her mouth..As if..As if she was afraid she had said too much….what if someone heard her thoughts, even worse..What if he heard them…(yeah right!)? She mentally chided herself on her foolishness even as a slight, 'visible-only-if-you-look-carefully' blush started tainting
her tanned features. Her brain dimly registered the latter part..so she blushed some more..
She'd just thought of him as …wellnever mind what she thought .The main point was that, the thought of him had made her blush (since when had that started …?). She shook her head violently… She needed sleep.. definitely, desperately needed it..right away too..The last hit she took to her head had to have had dislocated her brain or done somethin'similar…no other reason why, of all people, (to her perfectly 'yes-I'm-normal-thank you', completly sane mind), he should even begin to look remotely err…emm…cute..(eeyuk!)
And thanking the stars that Jagan-masters weren't gifted with super-sonic hearing or mind reading abilities..she finally went to bed.
——————
You see, it wasn't akin to Kudo Himiko's nature to wonder too much. She always prided herself on being the levelheaded one, the practical, no-nonsense person who had learned to deal with any crap life dealt out to her.
And ...she did not wonder beyond certain limits – which would be- the next job and it's payment,dinner,groceries, buying a do- it-yourself-handbook on How–to-get-revenge-on-Jagan masters, lunch,rent,some more revenge.. etc etc..
These days.however most of her thoughts were consumed by a certain blue-eyed spike-head…and strangely thinking of him made her feel warm inside…unlike the bloodlust she used to feel earlier..
Thoughts of him left her primarily confused. Firstly she didn't think it normal to fall…ahem! forgive your only brother's murder. (Even if he happened to be a friend from her past), besides her thoughts of him also left her feeling….alone. Orphaned. (Oh! who was she kidding'? She knew she was one). But loneliness was a thing she swore never to feel…after all she didn't let herself feel it for over three years…then why now? Was it because, then, she had been driven by revenge?… Still.. Why for God's sake over him..? And once again she refused to accept the answer her heart gave her..
———————
" Nooooooo…" Himiko groaned. Not again, not now…not on a Sunday . She, Kudo Himiko, the self-acclaimed practical, levelheaded blah blah blah etc etc. had run out of stock…namely Food.. (With a capital 'F'). In the middle of the afternoon…just in time for lunch. And she was ravenously hungry..
It wasn't that she didn't have any money. Nope, not that at all. Her last job had earned her quite a bit…. it was just that she didn't know any supermarkets that kept itself open on Sundays to sell groceries to people who realised they hadn't any, at half-past 3 in the afternoon…
Well… the city was scattered with cafés and restaurants, they could fetch her a bite…
Yup !that was it! She'd treat herself to a nice, expensive lunch…just this once…
Just as she was about to reach for her helmet, her phone rang…
Picking it up she recognised Hevn's voice at the other end of the line, reminding her of an appointment that she had with her that very day…couldn't it be postponed?. no? ..oh yeah!..she had accepted a part payment from her client-to-be…oh! All right she'd be there in ten minutes…
It was only the second the receiver hit the phone, that she realised exactly where the meeting would be held…and namely and obviously more importantly, who would be there (because of equally strange eating habits…) Sure, she could grab a bite from HONKY TONK, but the fact that Ban would be there didn't make it easy… for the past 2 weeks she'd successfully managed to steer herself clear of places the Jagan master frequented (not that he noticed or anything…).
The thought of having to sit through a meal,.much less a meeting with him around and all her confusing feelings enveloping her made her lose her appetite…
'Well,' she corrected herself wryly, as her stomach gave a rather realistic growl 'almost lose my appetite.'
Still, the next 5 minutes saw the above said purple-eyed figure, out of her house and on her way, in a flurry of weird noises and smoke that only her so-called motorbike could make.
———————
'Why did it always happen, that you realise you're not supposed to be somewhere, only once you reach that certain 'somewhere'…' Himiko's musings were rudely cut short by what sounded like a frog with a fog horn stuck in it's throat, but was actually the GB team welcoming her in a volley of snorts , smirks and uncontrolable laughter with Hen in their midst, yelling something like " don't just stand there.." (Or was it "don't just stare". After all, one could never be too sure….)
As her brain caught up what she had just thought, it sent a shiver of panic through her spine and a deep blush to her cheeks to keep it company…had she been staring at Ban all this time? ALL THIS TIME! How long had she been standing at the door anyway? She hesitantly looked at Ban. Which turned out to be a mistake in itself 'coz, soon enough her brain asked 'DOOR? What door?' Great! it seemed like her brain had diluted itself into corn-flour mush And liked the feeling too…Just Bloody. Fantastic!
Deciding that it'd be safer if she took her seat without further ado, the ever practical young girl walked swiftly towards the last table, in seemingly confident strides, even as she fervently prayed under her breath, that the very sight of a certain Jagan Master wouldn't reduce her, into a blushing heap of nothing and thus further bruise her already smarting pride.
"Took you long understand what you'd find fascinating, in this darn place, to stare at for 5-minutes straight" was all that her object of affection said, peering at her arrogantly from beneath his purple glasses.
" We were worried about you Himiko-san, that's all" Ginji gave her a warm smile. Finally! A nice welcome…
"Yeah! You were staring first at the door, then at us, like you'd seen a ghost or something and finally you go red in the face! What is with you? Are you right in the head?" it wasn't that she cared about that no-chest stick insect or anything but, lately Hevn had started worrying that the presence of Ban was being unusually contagious to Himiko. She was not usually found within a mile of him, but her absence for the past two weeks, her reluctance to go on jobs with him and the look she gave Ban just then had Hevn thinking whether Himiko might back out…it gave her nightmares about her pay check. They desperately needed someone with brains and talent on this mission and Hevn had serious doubts if the GB's on their own qualified for the former.
"Well, aren't you the caring one, Hevn!", Himiko retroted.
"It's not often that we see you lose your marbles…or blush" Ban smirked at her, leaving flustered and with dinosaur-sized bouncing butterflies in her tummy.
"Well I ….I wasn't blushing you know…just thinking….ehhh! R-e-a-l-l-y ! I . was . not blushing.(a toss of that green head)You should know by now Ban, that I don't blush."(another toss followed by a turning-up of that pert little nose) And just to prove it, she glared at all of them…really hard. One of them actually had the audacity to glare back.
So, thus began the 'I glare, you glare, everyone glare' game. Himiko glared at Ban. Ban glared at Himiko. A frustrated Paul glared at them both which put a sudden stop to it for fear of being kicked out. Thus, half the meeting continued without too many interruptions or weird happenings, except perhaps for the increasingly 'reaching enlightenment' look that was etching itself around the blondie's face. Nobody paid it any attention, as such looks always ended up in less-than-enlightening comments like " Hey Ban-chan, did you know that the Statue Of Liberty looks like Ms.Clayman, in a gown, holding an ice-cream cone…." Or something similar.
Then when they had reached the important part of the conversation, the bomb fell.
" Himiko-san…"Ginji's voice was earnest and seemed to imply that a lot of thought backed up whatever he was about to ask . "Are you in love? ". Somebody, it seemed had obviously switched-on a under-usual-circumstances-nonexistent bulb in Ginji's head. "…coz that's why girls blush,…and you're a girl.." and after a pause. "Right..?"
"NO!" Himiko had apparently only registered the 'are you in love bit' and startled everyone with her bellow including the couple who had entered HonkyTonk (and exited equally quickly).Paul death glared at her while the others stared. She blushed .Again .And then some more .Darn blue-eyed stares behind purple glasses .She cursed their owner in her mind.
" No? your not a girl?" Ginji cried out morosely reverting to his chibi form, his eyes mirroring his obvious confusion "but you have to be…didn't you say so yesterday Ban-chan? ".He received his answer in the form of a thwack on the head. He was about to protest with his usual wail when another thought stuck him.. "If Himiko-san's a boy, then that means Kazu-chan must be a girl…then Ren-san's in love with a girl 'cause she doesn't know he's a she and that she's in love with a she and not a…"
Here, his ramblings were cut short by a furious Himiko who stated at the top of her lungs to a bewildered Ginji , an equally amused Hevn and a strangely red faced Ban that she was indeed a girl and that she could prove it (ahem!) but that she wasn't in love.
"You know" Hevn said conversationally, after the indignant and undignified outburst , "In order to deny charges like these, you should learn to keep your voice down….and stop blushing…else one gives the game away…like you just did" Was Hevn smirking at her to…? God! Ban was becoming contagious to the general population.
"Yaaaaaaahooo! Himiko-sans in looooveee…" Ginji sang. Himiko was trying hard not to blush and knew it wasn't working…DAMMIT! Where was Natsumi when one needed her . She knew perfectly well that the cheerful , pretty waitress could draw the
Thunder-Emperor's attention from anything or anyone like a flower did to a bumble bee.. A very, very idiotically cheerful, 'sometimes-they-on-a-switch-in-my-head', electrical bumblebee. Unfortunately for Himiko, Natsumi had a day off from her usuall 'coffee and sandwich coming right up' schedules.
The rest of the meeting was spent with Hevn trying to explain their newest mission (seems like they were working together again), with Ginji singing, Himiko exerting herself not to blush and Ban doing everything he could to 1) pound a singing Ginji 2) not meet Himiko's line of vision and 3) be excessively, out-of-the-way uncooperative .It finally ended with Ginji overdoing the high note and an almost suicidal Paul kicking them out.
————————
Himiko's brain registered the intake of fresh air and mentally signalled that it was time to leave….best leave when no one was looking. She didn't want to incur the café owner's wrath any more than she already had.
Hevn had left, complaining of a headache and threatening never to bring them another mission, a chibi Ginji was pleading with an angry Paul who was also threatening dire consequences like-no more free food, pay the bills and (cruellest in Ginji's eyes) never ever see Natsumi again….
Her brain had smugly noted that Ban, being nowhere in sight, her cheeks could finally have rest. Her heart had, however reminded her that, she was disappointed he wasn't there to bid her good-bye (as sarcastic and cold as it would be). She quickly made her way towards her motorcycle thingy, when Ban's voice, unnaturally strangled…caught up with her.
"You aren't, are you…?" he asked, looking like he'd swallowed a lemon.
"Aren't what?" Himiko shot back, to confused and exasperated to blush…really that boy…errr.. man, should stop talking in riddles.
"You know…."Ban scratched his head, looking slightly lost for words….(Ban! Lost for words…what's the world coming to?)
"Obviously I don't…care to explain?"
"Well…areuinluvlikehesaidowat" His voice had gained momentum.
"Huh!"
"Are you in love…?"There it was, no mistaking it… The strangled voice again ...and Good Heavens! Was it jealously she saw sparkle in those arrogant eyes? …Himiko almost wanted to laugh…would have to, if only the question didn't imply so many things to her highly love-sick mind.
Instead she retorted " What's it to you…. it's not like you care or anything…besides you took away the one person who did" Harsh Himiko….she knew it was a double edged thrust, but just because she forgave him, didn't mean she didn't want answers. Besides, somebody had to pay for making her blush.
She looked up to see emotions fleeing through his eyes .She even thought she identified a few before he closed himself again. Pain. Anger Regret…and jealousy. She almost saw the old Ban then….
For a minute, Ban stayed there quietly, looking at her strangely…like he was seeing her for the first time or something. But, he seemed to regain his composure quickly enough, because he answered her with his signature smirk… " It would irk me to know you got someone before I did…"
If that was an excuse, he had learnt to cover up well. If it wasn't….no, just the very thought made her tingle all over. Not to mention blush. Besides there was time, later on to think of such things. So, Himiko became Himiko again and merely glared.
And Ban merely became Ban again and walked off, flexing his wrist dismissively as farewell.
————————————
This author passively notes that Himiko would have had a good nights sleep, instead of her usual fitful one, if she had known how much Ban's heart sped up at the sight of her. But, this author further doubts she'd have been pleased, that his first romantic confession was in a fit of angst-ridden drunkenness, induced through consumption of 150 bottles of alcohol, in a dark, narrow alley to a half open garbage can!
—————————
This author would like to thank each person who reviewed individually, but is unable to do so because it is 1'oclock at night (or is it morning?) and her extremely tired body is being yanked by the ear, to bed, by an extremely strong mother, in a grip to rival THE ROCK!
Good night.