3. Personal Bubble

Tomoe maoned and let his school bag slip off his shoulder and into the hallway. He was tired and he had a right to be. He was up late last night and now he was studying in a new term. You'd think he could get a break of some sort.

"TOMOE! get you bag out of the hallway!" Mikage scolded and watched Tomoe grab the bag and throw it into his room.

The white fox stomped in his room and flopped on the bed; letting his body pain ebb away at the softness of the mattress. It was nice... Until a certain brunnetter headed girl hopped on the bed and nearly on top of him as well.

Tomoe looked up and grunted as Nanami sat on him; It was another position that they didn't see to be wrong. They were friends after all; but..

They were older and Tomoe wished she would at least wear something other than a skirt when she sat on him like this.

"How was school?" She chimed with bright eyes and Tomoe moaned.

"Painful and irritating. Now get off." The fox shoved her off and she plopped back on his bed with a Oof! He rolled his eyes and then closed them to fall asleep as he desired.

Sadly Nanami kept talking,

"How is Everybody!?"

Tomoe looked at her and propped his head in his hand, " They are fine, Mizuki asked about you and so did that Senior. Um.. " He thought for a moment, Hoping to get Nanami to scream at him in a teasing manner. " I believe it was.. Jiru?"

Nanami glared at him and wacked him on the head; Tomoe, of course, Chuckled and laid back. Jiru confessed to Nanami not to long ago; but she turned him down and said she wasn't ready for relationships.

Tomoe was kind of proud of the decision. Nanami wasn't ready for things like that; She acted like a child all the time and he wondered if she would ever grow up. He mused with this idea and Nanami waved a hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Tomoe.."

The fox blinked and then looked at her blankly, " What is it?"

Nanami's eyes sparkled with excitment and Tomoe wondered what it could be this time. She was always doing something odd or saying something absolutely out of place. She was covered in bruises and he couldn't help but feel his stomach turn with pain.

"Lets watch a movie! Mom's at Work and Your dad is out doing prayers!"

Tomoe was abou tot say no but the ook on her face made him freeze up. She was so excited and probably didn't want to be alone after getting beat by someone she trusted.

"Fine.. He growled out and Nanami giggled happily. She gripped his hand and pulled him out the door.

They finally sat down on the couch in the living room and Nanami squeeled with happiness. She pushed the play button and the movie started right up. Tomoe rolled his eyes and slumped down in the couch, not wanting to really watch anything. He was tired!

He also noticed how Nanami kept glancing at him every once in a while. Finally he couldn't take it and he jerked his head her way, " What?"

She blinked and leaned towards him. He paused...

"What?" He asked again and his back pressed agaisnt the couches arm. Nanami poked his face and he blinked in confusion.

"Does your cuts hurt?" Nanami pouted out.

Tomoe glared at her and sighed, " They are fine.. Now get your hands off my face."

Nanami shook her head as if to say 'No' then she rubbed a mark and Tomoe rolled his eyes.

"They are fine. Your worry to much."

Nanami looked at him and sighed, " You worry too."

Tomoe paused, This was true; but he didn't want her to think about his worries. Crap, he didn't want her to think about her worries! She was so innocent to those things that it bothered him completely.

Nanami fingers slipped up the foxes face and hit his hair. He froze up as her fingers brushed across the edge of his ear.

He could not believe this girl.. No matter how many times he told her not too.. She did it anyway.

'N-Nanami!" Tomoe gripped her wrist and pulled it away from his head, " I told you not to touch me there!"

She pouted and her eyes grew wide, " But they're fluffy!"

He growled and released her wirst, " It is Erotic! I have told you this many times! Its almost like me if I touched something personal of yours!"

Nanami gasped and put a hand over her chest and shrunk away from him. Tomoe rolled his eyes.

"Nanami, I did not mean that." He grunted, His ears weren't THAT personal. He just wanted the person he liked to touch them; when he had a person he liked that was..

"P-Pervert." Nanami sulked and yawned, Tomoe shook his head and looked at her.

"Your the one with the filthy ideas, Shame on you." He said in a mocking tone and slouched perfectly on the couch.

Nanami rolled her eyes and leaned back on the cushions. She propped her feet up and let them rest in Tomoe's lap. He glared at her and she stuck out her tongue.

Thats when she started to yawn and rub her eyes; Tomoe swore she was just like a child. He rolled his eyes and continued to watch the movie. Nanami hiccuped and he looked at her again.

She was almost asleep...

"Nanami." Tomoe muttered out.

"Hum?"

"FIX YOUR SOCK!"

Tomoe groaned and looked at her stocking. It was halfway down her leg again and he hated lookings at it. Why didn't she wear socks that came to her ankle like any normal person? He glanced at her leg and swallowed.

"I'm to tired... You do it." She moaned and yawned again.

Tomoe blinked and he slowly looked at her leg, then at her and back again.

"What?" His voice was quiet and maybe muffled slightly. He wasn't going to touch her! It wasn't something he was used to; but he didn't get it..

Nanami never told him to do such a thing. Their friendship wasn't like that. It was clean and pure. So why was his stomach churning?

"Go ahead and fix it; I trust you. " Nanami sighed and let her eyes close halfway. She really was on the verge of sleeping huh?

Tomoe winced and his ears flattened rather quickly on his head. Now he really did feel like a pervert; what he didn't understand was why he was freaking out over something so trivial. he groaned and turned on the cough so that he could face her, He climbed on the bottom of her legs so that he could grip the sock and pull it up.

He reached forward and gripped the cloth, slowly leatting his hands raise it to its thigh height. His fingers brushed across her leg and he yanked his hands away.

There he fixed it.. But why.

Was his heart pounding so harshly in his chest? He blinked and shuddered. Tomoe winced as he crawled off her legs.

They evaded eacth others Personal bubble; and he hated the feeling that was tugging at him. He glanced at his friend and noticed she was fast asleep. Her eyelashes brushed against her skin and her lips formed a pout.

The fox swallowed and let his hand trail up her face...

It was brusied and he wouldn't doubt that she was covered in them. Her legs were; Did they hurt? He growled when he saw a small gash on her forehead,

How could her own father do this to her? She was so kind.. And sometimes irritating. He cringed at the thought and smell of the alcohol the man was drinking. He didn't have anything against the beverage but; He caused his mother lots of pain..

Mikage never drank and neither did his mother; but the one woman he looked to? She was gone because of it..

He swallowed and let his thumb stronke over the girls cheek; hoping to ease any of his friends pain. She had eased his.. When they were little.

She was always there. So why couldn't he be there for her?

He continued to stroke her cheek but for some reason let his thumb trail to her lips. It brushed against them and he suddenly froze.

They were soft...

Tomoe froze up and then stood; his heart was racing. No way... There was no way! IT was just his sense of protection towards her. He recomposed himself and went to the kitchen to get some tea.

He gulped it down and then leaned over the sink, His heart was still pounding and a whine came out of the foxes mouth. It slipped though the air and he winced.

He looked over at the trash can and spotted the old bear bottle shards, Tomoe lifted his hand and brushed it against his scared face, It hurt like crazy but he would't tell Nanami that. It wasn't worth telling her.

He winced an sunk down so that he could sit on the floor. He always had helped Nanami when they were little; So why...

Why couldn't he have protected her this time?

At School

"WHAT!?" Mizuki screeched and Tomoe yelped at the pain in his ear. He glared at him annoyed and Kurama chuckled behind his hand.

"So Nanami is living with you because of Family Issues?" Kurama asked suddenly.

Tomoe nodded and turned a page in his book; They were making a big deal out of nothing. It wasn't anything bad or wrong. What was so wrong with two friends living together?

"You guys are finally living together, " Kurama clucked his tongue, " Should have seen it coming, After all these years and-"

"What are you saying now, Tengu?" Tomoe spat out annoyed. He didn't know where Kurama was going with that sentence but he didn't care. Kurama looked at him and shook his head.

Kurama and Mizuki suspected after all these years that there would be feelings that were way more than friendship; Tomoe never showed any emotion though so They had no clue. The fox looked at him and Kurama sighed,

Mizuki laughed and patted Tomoe's back making the fox even more confused, " Don't make your move just yet Tomoe-kun!" He giggled, " Nanami might just faint!"

It suddenly clicked in Tomoe's head were they were coming from. He slammed his book shut as his darkened, " You Fools! Me and Nanami are frineds! Nothing more.." He clenched his fists and shoved his book in his school bag.

""Oh, Someones defensive about the, 'Crush, Topic!" Kurama cheered, " When you get defensive than it usualy means we're right!"

Tomoe glared at him, " There is nothing there. She is childish and stubborn." He fumed and flung his bag on his shoulders, " Now That I have made myself clear, I'm going home."

He stomped towards the door as Kurama and Mizuki laughed the entire time.

"Tell Nanami Hi for me!" Kurama cheered,

Mizuki nodded, " And Give her a kiss from me!"

They both started laughing again when Tomoe took out his book and threw it at Mizukis face. All you heard was an 'Oof' as Tomoe walked out of the classroom; fuming at his so called friends ideas...