His friends here are unorthodox, to say the very least. These kinds of people, he knows, don't just randomly get together to be friends in any normal settings. This has to be the weirdest ring of friends, and admittedly, they were forged through some mighty odd trials, and they went through some things that may have driven them crazy had even one thing gone differently.
But they didn't, and now they're so integrally a part of each other that he cannot imagine a life separate from these guys, can't bear the thought of being torn apart. They would die for each other in a heartbeat, and dive into stupid, dangerous situations without a second thought. Then, if the situation is ever reversed, they chew each other out for their recklessness and then all go home for some heartwarming dinner together because the together is what matters.
So excuse him if he's reluctant to risk tearing that apart and making everything awkward. A part of him – the teenage boy that wants a girlfriend that he can get a little handsy with on dates and maybe share sweet kisses to remember fondly – really wants to ask Kimiko out, to tell her exactly how she makes him feel and let her see a different side of him in their relationship together.
But another part of him – the larger, more logical and sensible part – is scared of confessing that there is a slow, heated feeling pooling in the core of his stomach when he thinks about her, and how her silky black hair and beautifully slanted eyes always makes him pause and admire them (discreetly, of course). Because that might ruin the fun they have bantering with each other over video games, or comfortably snuggle with each other in times when they fly the Dojo Express to the next Shen Gong Wu through some really cold skies.
There are other pretty girls out there, he tells himself. And there are. He's got to admire that about this world. It's so large and diverse, and there are many fish in the sea. Many pretty girls, of so many kinds. Tall, dainty, blonde, redheaded, sweet, cool, flirty, sly . . . .
Sometimes he convinces himself that there is a girl who might be good for him, who he can get close to without losing the camaraderie that he has with Kim. A pretty girl with some kind of quirk that he finds attractive, that he's eager enough to flirt with and try to impress with some kind of skill he has.
Sometimes he almost forgets the reasons as to why he loves Kimiko. They can be friends, can't they? And he can meet another girl and maybe keep the best of both worlds?
Those pretty girls are special in that brief moment when they catch his eye, like a sparkly-scaled fish that he finds beautiful.
They never last long enough, though, because Kimiko is always there, and she was not one born to fade into the background. She is the Dragon of Fire, and her element shines through her. She is the flame eternal, burning bright, casting light and standing out. It is not in her to bend, to allow for others to outshine her. She has more than just a pretty face, she has a spitfire personality that makes her seem so much bigger than she really is.
And then he remembers, oh yeah, that's why. Because Kimiko Tohomiko is beautiful in every way and he is head-over-heels, undeniably in love with her, and no amount of trying to friendzone her will ever change that.
How can all the fish in the world's ocean even compare to a dragon of fire?