"Can I look now?" Tsukushi squints one of her eyes open a crack.
"No, not yet. We're almost there." Since they had driven off from the school, Tsukasa had ordered Tsukushi to close her eyes until they reached their destination.
Tsukushi fidgets in her seat, anxious about the secret location Tsukasa is taking her to and nervous about his driving skills. She lets a few more minutes pass before she complains again. "Doumyoji, are we there yet?"
"No, not yet." He thinks and then quickly asks, "Why don't you call me by my first name? You call Rui and even Akira and Soujirou by their first names. We've been together for about five years now. Even that Hisakawa girl calls me by my first name."
"You're right", she opens her eyes to look down at her hands as she fiddles with them. "We should be able to call each other by our first names." She looks up at Tsukasa. "Then you have to call me by my first name too."
"Deal. Now, close your eyes again until I tell you to open them. We're almost there", he pauses, "Tsukushi." His cheeks turn rosy as he says her name.
She giggles at him. "Tsukasa", she closes her eyes and let's his name roll from her tongue as she mentally takes a hold of the significance of that single word.
Within five minutes, Tsukasa parks the car and kills the engine. "Keep your eyes closed just a little longer."
Tsukushi sighs and waits as he gets out of the car and makes his way over to her side to help her out. He firmly grasps her hand and guides her slowly and gently so she won't hurt herself. She hears the unmistakable ting of an elevator and sure enough, when Tsukasa stops her, she feels the slight lurch as the elevator coasts down. Based on the noise level when the elevator doors open, Tsukushi guesses that they are on street level. Tsukasa pulls her hand slightly as they get off the elevator and start walking again.
Tsukushi soon loses track of all the directions they had come from when Tsukasa says, "Open your eyes."
She does as she's told and is shocked by where she is. "I remember, this is where we had our first 'technical' date. It was right after Shizuka went to France and Rui followed after her. You have no idea how bad I felt when I found you shivering there after waiting for four hours. Then we got stuck on that elevator trying to get to a café and you came down with a fever." She snickers, "I was such a finicky girl back then. I thought the worst things were going to happen on that elevator."
"Being choked with a leek is not my idea of a good time either so why don't we redo our first date. Check your watch."
Tsukushi looks down at her watch, "I don't have to be anywhere else today but you already know that… It's exactly one o'clock. You remembered the exact time we were supposed to meet too?"
"I was out here for four hours; of course I remember the time. Shall we?" He holds his arm out for her.
She nods and takes his arm and leans up next to him enjoying herself in the moment. They walk down the street pointing out places from their first date.
"Wow." Tsukushi stops and stares at the newly built building. "This is the place where we got stuck in the elevator. They did say that is was going to be demolished." She turns to Tsukasa and grins. "I think this was where I saw you had a cute side."
"I don't have a cute side", he says and blushes at the same time. "I'm the tough Tsukasa Doumyoji. I take orders from no one."
"I seem to remember you followed my orders perfectly that day when you had a fever. You let me keep the leek around your neck and, if I remember correctly, you responded with a 'Yes ma'am'."
"You don't have to be so credible."
"I think you mean 'critical'", she smirks at him. No matter how much time had gone by, there were some things that he couldn't change.
"Don't laugh at me", he yells.
"You're not even home a day and you're already yelling."
"You're the one making me yell", his voice rises louder.
"I didn't tell you to start shouting", she matches his tone.
They stop and glare at each other and a few seconds pass and calm them both down.
"I'm sorry", Tsukasa mutters.
Tsukushi shakes her head, "I'm sorry too. We both need to work on our anger issues." She changes the subject hoping to improve the mood again. "You should have heard my mother yell at me when I came home that morning. A teenage girl out all night without telling anyone and having run off earlier that evening is not something my mother approved of."
Tsukasa beams at her, "Your mother wouldn't even know if you did that now. Plus, I don't have to have you checked into Hisakawa until tomorrow…" He leaves his sentence hanging open and raises an eyebrow hoping Tsukushi catches his meaning.
She does. She tilts her heads to the side and teases him, "I guess I can help you unpack."