The moon illuminated the city at night, shining brightly and intensifying the snow that completely littered the streets all around. The streets were all but empty with the exception of just a few bystanders who made their way along the streets, trying to reach home as soon as possible.

Thankfully at this time of the night the snow had let up considerably, and had ceased its aggressive assault and thus making it much easier for people to discern where they were going.

Moving along the pavement next to the road where Kirei and Marie, the party had long since finished now and everyone had retired back home to get some rest, he only just needed to escort Marie back now. As the two them made their way across the street Kirei tried to strain himself to say something. For some reason an awkward silence had completely enveloped the two them.

For once it was Marie who spoke before him.

"Hey" Marie said without looking away from the street.

"What is it, Marie?" he asked while giving a toothy grin. It took her moment before she actually said something making him wonder what exactly was on her mind.

"This town, I really like it here" she said as she turned to him with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, it's certainly got a really welcoming feel to it. I don't ever feel like people here will judge me like those in bigger cities" he said as looked towards the sky thoughtfully.

"I wouldn't mind living out my life here, if I'm ever allowed to leave the Velvet room" she said. Picking up on her words he somewhat tempted to ask what her exact circumstances with that clean dressed elderly man with the shocking protrusion of a nose, but decided not to press her out of consideration.

"Hey?" said Marie.

"Yes"

"I've got a question" she said somewhat uncertainly.

"Ask away".

"Why do you do all this stuff for me?" she asked with serious look as she halted her steps and stared at him

"What do you mean?" he asked feeling slightly taken aback by her sudden stop.

"I mean, you're a persona user, you're constantly investigating the events surrounding the mid-night channel while trying to maintain a steady performance at school… Yet you take time to stay and help me, like my problems are just as important" . A part of him wanted to weasel out of giving her straight answer by making up some weak joke but the seriousness in her question made him think twice.

Now that she mentioned it she was right. He was busy, yet he always sub-consciously made time for her. Looking back he believed it had more to do with his fascination towards the two figures in the Velvet room than an actual desire to really befriend her. She was distant and a bit on the condescending side. So when Margaret asked him to take her out he was a bit perplexed as to what exactly they would do or go.

But over the short time they spent together, he found himself liking her. He found himself wanting to help her regain her memories. It was spontaneous, he hadn't even realized until now that he had actually become so close to her.

"Well, were friends aren't we?" he answered with a sheepish smile. Judging by her silence it seemed she wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"…Friends, right" she muttered. He could sense a shift in her attitude and couldn't help but worry if he said the right thing or not. The next thing she did made his heart skip a beat.

Turning to him she placed her palm on his chest, she then proceeded to run her fingers around it with a look that suggested she was deep in thought. He could feel the heat rising in his face despite his best efforts to keep a straight face. Raising her free hand she grabbed the fabric of his coat and rested her forehead against his chest.

Well, this was without a doubt the most intimate thing he had ever experienced. He had never dated before and as such he wasn't sure how to react. The feeling of her soft long fingers on his chest only made it more difficult to keep a straight face The dark haired girl remained silent the whole tome without saying a single word, seemingly content with her position. Part of his body was urging him to speak up but another part was telling him to remain silent, perhaps because he was enjoying the level of closeness they were sharing.

Wait! What was he thinking? This was Marie, he didn't view her that way, did he? It seemed like a lifetime had passed when he finally composed himself well enough to speak without sounding flustered.

"Um, Marie? Is something bothering you?"

"Hmm?" she replied without moving from her spot.

"You seem a little out of it"

"... I'm fine, its just… I've got something to tell you" the girl said hesitantly as she tightened her grip on his clothes.

Pulling away from him she looked Kirei straight in the eye. Her green orbs meeting ocean blue eyes, and he could see a great deal of emotion from them. Fear mixed with determination

"What is it?"

"Well I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now but, I couldn't work up the courage until now… I feel relaxed around you, like I don't have to worry about anything. At first it wasn't something I gave too much thought, but then it started growing…" Marie seemed to lose her will to speak momentarily and diverted her eyes away.

Wait! The way she was speaking, where was this going? He decided to stop his thought train before he jumped to any conclusion. When the girl eventually brought back her eyes to face his he hoped she wouldn't notice his nervousness.

"Look… I'm not very good at being up front but I'll try to just say it to you straight… I'm in love with you, Kirei" Marie grumbled out the last part but he heard her nonetheless.

Shock went through his body amplified by his already strong heartbeat. Marie just confessed to him, a love confession, and from her of all people. What was he supposed to say, it was just so out of nowhere. He needed to respond before she got any ideas.

"W-What? Are you serious?" he blurted out without thinking.

"Please don't make me say it again" she replied as she pulled her hat down to hide her Blush.

There was no hint of teasing in her voice, she was being honest here. He was certain of it, but the real question was whether or not he felt the same way. She was cute, he always knew that but up until now he had never actually viewed her in a romantic light.

As though time itself had frozen to watch them, the streets became completely silent. He looked over at Marie and noticed how anxious she appeared, and so to try and calm her down he folded his arms and assumed his more laid back demeanour.

"Marie. I don't really know what to say, I'm touched-" raising his right index finger he pushed her chin up so she could see his face while hoping she would calm down, and hopefully not twist finger for invading her personal space, again. "-. Well since you're being honest here I guess I'll do the same".

"I like you Marie, but I don't really know if I like you that way… But I suppose you've made a good point, I don't really know why but I feel a more at ease with you than with my other friends"

"You do?"

"Yes I do. Maybe it's because you served as a good distraction from Shadow's and school work, maybe It was just curiosity… But regardless I want you to know that I think you're a very special and irreplaceable friend, and always will be" he said with a embarrassed grin.

Jeez, what was he saying, if kept this up he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face the next time he saw her. But judging by the look she had he felt urged to carry on anyway.

"I don't know how I feel about you… But I'm willing to explore this together. If it's alright with you?" he said with his voice slightly cracking at the end. Laying out his feelings like this was emotionally exhausting but he was willing to try for her.

"…Jeez, why do you always know exactly what to say?" Marie said as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeves. He would have been alarmed if not for the casual manner in which she said it. Suddenly she started snickering slightly.

"What so funny?".

"Nothing special, this just isn't how I imagined you're reply. According to the poem I read, you're supposed to straight up accept and fight my many admirer's in a duel to the death" she said with a small giggle. "But you're a little too skinny for it".

"Ah, no thanks, I'm not too good at duels to the death. Thanks for the mental image of myself in Chainmail though, that's not leaving anytime soon" he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"So you really accept me then"

"Hmm?"

"You know, the confession"

"Oh, yeah, I accept" he replied reassuringly. But now that he had accepted her as a 'girlfriend' he wasn't too sure of what to do next. What did couples do anyway? "Let's try taking it slow, it'll help us both get a proper feel of what dating feels like" he suggested.

"Well in that case can we try, holding hands?" the girl suggested as she outstretched her palm towards him. Feeling slightly timid all of a sudden he couldn't help but sense Izanagi let out an amused laugh from within him.

"Great, now even my persona thinks this is funny" he thought as he took her hand in his and felt her soft fingers lock around his knuckles.

"Well this is going to take some getting used to" Marie said while trying to hide her blush under a smile, but failing miserably.

"I don't know, I think I could get use to this" he boldly stated. What? It wasn't everyday he got to tease Marie like this, could you blame him for exploiting this opportunity. Unsurprisingly the temperature on her face rose a little.

"…That's good, me too" she said as she grabbed his elbow with her free hand and stood closer to him. It was an eerie feeling, being so close to a girl, but he took it in stride and smiled back.

"Well then, shall we head back to the Velvet room?" he asked.

"You're kidding right, no way, I want us to head to the to that Tateyama restaurant down the street" she said as she pointed to three story restaurant across the street with said title.

"Um, I 'm guessing you've got like hundred thousand yen in that bag if you're expecting to dine there". His entire allowance combined with his pay from his part time job wouldn't amount to half the needed amount to pay for a meal there. Pouting slightly at his words Marie replied.

"I'm not saying we should eat anything there, there's just a really interesting machine there I'd like to use" she replied.

"Umhmm, and this can't wait till tomorrow?"

"No" Marie said flatly as she yanked him along a detour on a detour to the famed restaurant.

"This is going to be a long night" he thought as lowered his head in resignation and allowed her to drag him along.

1 week later.

"Not over there!"

"Sorry"

"I can still feel you're hand rising up. Show some restraint"

"Sorry"

Was this how real couples acted, he was pretty sure the answer was no. They were attempting to be intimate at the moment, but he wasn't really sure if this was how it was supposed to work. It was Marie's suggestion that if they tried to do things like cuddle or make out he might suddenly realise how he felt. But this was just too awkward to be really helpful.

They were both sitting on the couch in his bedroom facing each other with Marie's arms wrapped around his shoulder. The position wasn't exactly comfy and he wasn't too sure what to do with his hands. He had tried placing them around her waist but found himself having to lower his lower shoulders in a strange angle. So instead he tried rubbing her stomach, which for some reason she seemed to like.

Being the proud Heterosexual male he was he tried to push his luck and slowly raised his arm up to her chest. Unsurprisingly she noticed midway.

"This isn't as easy as I expected… Kirei, cut it out" she said when she felt his arm rub close to her chest again. "Why is my chest the only place your hands are interested in?"

"Sorry, I'm a guy. I can't help it" he replied unashamedly. Unamused Marie pushed his hand off her.

"Screw it, skip the foreplay and let's get right into it" Marie said

"I hope that wasn't innuendo"

"No it wasn't. You and you're diseased mind"

"Hey, isn't that proof that I'm starting to love you?"

"No, its proof that you're a pervert"

"Same difference"

"What's that supposed to mean?". He was about to retort but remained silent when he saw her fingers twitch for the briefest moment into a fist. Probably best to not tease her too much. "Whatever. Just close your eyes, I want to try kissing" she said somewhat impatiently.

His very first kiss, would it be as passionate and blissful as people made it look on television, he had to admit he was curious. Though this wasn't at all how he'd imagined it. Jeez he could only imagine the trouble he'd be in if uncle Dojima found out about this… Wait did this mean he was rebel now.

He pulled out of his train of thought when he saw Marie's face arching closer to him and closed his eyes. This was it the moment his whole life was building up to, the kiss. He could her breath on his face and knew she was close. It seemed like an eternity passed as he sat there, feeling the sweat on his back from nervous anticipation. And then their skin met… But not in the way he expected.

He was pretty sure she just kissed his nose. Opening his eyes Marie instantly backed up and turned away from him.

"Did you just, miss?" he asked with a half amused look.

"Shut up. I just got nervous okay!" she yelled back without turning back

"We don't have to do this you know" he said with an understanding look. "You don't have to force yourself"

"I'm not forcing myself, it's just my first time" she said as she placed her palm on his chest and pushed him onto his back.

"Alright then" he said even though he wasn't convinced. Taking off her hat she proceeded to Crawl on top of him and position her face right above his. He could tell she was feeling embarrassed by the red on her cheeks and the sweat forming on her, not that he was faring much better since he could feel the burn on his face. Figuring he needed to do something before she fainted he offered an encouraging smile.

Lowering her head slowly he instinctively closed his eyes. When their lips finally met he made sure to stay perfectly still and alowed the feeling to register. Her lips where soft and unmoving but at the same time tender. Her lips remained unmoving for a moment and then she proceeded to kiss him again. Nudging his face forward he returned the gesture. After a few awkward minutes of exchanging shy pecks on each other's lips they found themselves getting into it and before he knew it the kisses became deeper, more passionate. Almost as though a fire had been lit from within them

Raising his arms and wrapping them around her back he let her rest her full wait on him. The light feeling of heat radiating from her thin figure felt good. Feeling comfortable he disengaged from her lips and instead left a trail of kiss along the base of her neck. Thankfully Marie seemed to like it and smothered him with grazes around his face. They both got so swept in the moment that they both jumped slightly when they heard a light knock on Kirei's door.

"Kirei are you alright in there? I heard some noises" said Dojima's voice. Feeling his senses return he responded back swiftly.

"I just fell over, it's nothing at all" he responded while hoping his uncle wouldn't become suspicious.

"Are you sure you're alright, Nanako said she heard a strange moan"

"Yeah it hurt a lot, but I'm okay now" he responded. He knew Dojima didn't buy it but thankfully he decided to back off and went back downstairs. Turning his head back to Marie who kept silent during the whole exchange he noticed that she was still lying on top of him.

"We should probably end things here for today" he said

"I suppose you're right, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble" she conceded despite the clear pout on her face. This in turn made a teasing smile to appear on his face

"Moaning huh? I guess I must be pretty good at this" he said causing the girl look away in shame

"Shut up, jerk. I got a hickey thanks to you. Jeez, what would Margaret say if she saw this" she said as she rubbed her neck.

"Hey don't act like it's all my fault, you gave me a hickey too" he responded evenly. She didn't grace him with a reply and diverted her gaze to his television. He was enjoying the feeling of closeness they were sharing and he was quite tempted to just stay that way, but the rational part of him urged him to speak up.

"Much as I enjoy being you're personal sofa, I think you should get back to the Velvet room before My uncle comes back" he said. Turning back to him Marie frowned.

"I suppose so" she said as she lifted her body off him straightened out her clothes. Standing up he grabbed her hat which lay discarded on the floor. As a show of affection he ignored her outstretched hand and placed the hat on her head himself.

"So have you decided yet?" she asked.

"On?"

"The confession, it's been a week Kirei. And I want to know you're answer". Right, the confession. He hadn't forgotten, but he was fairly certain of how he felt.

Admittedly, it was more than just Ignorance regarding matters of the heart that made it hard for him to give a straight answer. He was also a little scared of making commitments of any kind. He was far too blunt and sarcastic, surely she would have preferred someone more understanding and polite.

And after a whole week of going out to various places together he couldn't deny he felt something for her. He wanted to be with her, he wanted her to depend on him, but there was still that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that someone like him would end up hurting her in some way.

"Marie, if I may ask. What exactly is it about me that you like?" he asked. Raising her head up to look at him she fixed him with a slightly surprised look.

"I, well do you really need to ask. You've been there for me all this time, because of you I'm not hung up over my memories anymore" she said while looking deep into his eyes. Almost as though she could see into his soul.

"But even so, I'm not exactly the most sensitive or charming guy"

"Who cares, charming and sensitive is overrated anyway"

"Even thou-" he began when she cut him off.

"It doesn't matter what you say to me Kirei, I'm in love with you and that's not something I can just wish away" she said as she stroked his cheek. Smiling back at her he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of sincerity in her voice.

"And I thought I was the one who didn't mince words" he muttered with an amused smile. "Thank you Marie. I think I-"

"Big Bro you should come back down, dinners almost ready" Nanako said from the hallway. Turning over to the door he told Nanako he'd be down in a second before turning back to Marie.

"I guess that's my cue then" he said as he kissed her lightly as a farewell gesture and watching as she disappeared in a flash of blue dust before him.

Since it likely wouldn't be wise for him to keep them waiting and run the risk of making his uncle any more suspiciously he immediately exited his room and joined the rest of the family for dinner.

I suppose there's not much point in calling this a short story anymore since every time I write a chapter it turns out there still a while to go before I get to the end. Well at any rate there's not much left to go until I reach the end. It shouldn't take more than at least two more chapters, no guarantees though.

Well then, until the next chapter comes please read and Review. It'll help me update faster.

-Vertero out.