Disclaimer: Only my OC's have come from the jumbled inner workings of my mind; the rest does not belong to me, no matter how I wish otherwise.
Chapter 9: Confused
Two weeks later
Sajin felt as though he were living a double life.
His days were spent almost entirely with Takara, whether they were in the office or in other parts of the Seireitei. Once he had heard that being around a person you are interested in romantically makes you nervous. He felt something when he was with Takara, but it felt more akin to unease than nerves.
His evenings were spent with Amaya. She continued to teach him "the ways of wooing," as she put it. Sometimes they talked for hours. Other times they spent in comfortable silence. Sajin was comfortable around Amaya in a way he had never been comfortable with anyone before, not even Kaname. And that scared him.
Takara and Amaya were as different in appearances as they were in personality. Takara was like the sun, shining with her golden, striking beauty. Amaya was like the moon, glowing with a more modest beauty that was only a faint reflection of her stunning personality.
Amaya truly was beautiful. She may not have been as well endowed as women such as Takara, but there was an undeniable attractive quality to her dancer's physique. Sajin found himself wondering why he had not noticed her before.
The most prominent physical difference between the two women was their eyes. Takara's eyes were like those of a deadly predator. They were always cold and focused. Amaya's eyes were always full of emotion. They were grey, the exact color of the sea after a storm. Depending on her mood, Sajin fancied he saw traces of green or blue in her eyes. Also, Amaya's eyes sometimes took on a far-off, distracted look.
"Amaya?" Sajin called softly to her one evening for the third time.
Finally she looked at him. "Sorry, Sajin. I spaced out there for a minute."
"What were you thinking about just now?" he asked her.
A moment's pause before she replied quietly, "You."
"M-me?" Strange, he had never stuttered before.
"I was wondering, since things are going so well, when you were planning to ask Takara to the ball."
Sajin inhaled sharply. "I suppose I should do it as soon as possible. I just have no idea how I am going to ask."
Amaya quirked one side of her lips upward. "That is what you have me for. Pretend I am Takara. Now, ask me to the ball."
Sajin cleared his throat. "Will you go to the ball with me?" Amaya just looked at him. "Will you do me the great honor of attending the ball with me?" Amaya still did not move. "Go to the ball with me. My heart will simply refuse to beat if you will not." This was said in the most dramatic manner he could muster. He even got down on one knee and took her hands into his.
Amaya broke down and laughed. "What woman can refuse begging?" She sat down in the grass beside Sajin. She looked down at their hands, which were still joined together. "If it were me, I would be happy enough with just being asked that the delivery would not really even register in my mind until much later." She turned his hands over and began tracing circles over his palms. "I cannot pretend that I know what Takara will be expecting."
"How do you know she will be expecting anything?"
Amaya rolled her eyes. "Everyone is expecting you to ask her. There may even be a betting pool as to when."
That should not have surprised him. The Soul Society was infamous for its gossip and betting pools about said gossip.
Sajin parted from Amaya early that night to seek Takara out.
She accepted his invitation without delay.
AN: Thank you for the reviews! This chapter seems a little gloomy, too, but don't worry, I think the next one will brighten the mood a bit. I know the dream chapter seemed weird, but it will come into play later (if things go as planned that is...).
