Chapter 10

Kunimitsu stuck his feet up on the table, much to Kagura's annoyance.

"Get your muddy feet off the table, I just cleaned it!" she yelled, smacking him with a mop.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!"

She grabbed a rag and wiped away the grime that was left on the coffee table adorning the nicely furnished sitting room of the dojo.

"Alright, I'm finally done with all of the cleaning. Are we finished yet with this stupid game?"

"Hey now, we agreed upon a whole day. I beat you in our match last month on New Years, are you going to back out of a deal?"

"Hmmph," she huffed, plopping down next to him on the couch. "Wasn't a fair fight."

"Please, Shishou-san was more than impartial, I'd say he even wanted you to win. But I still beat you, fair and square."

"That's a load of crap, I call rematch."

"You want to lose again?"

Kagura glared at him with a fiery look that would terrify anyone else.

"So what's next on your list, now that I'm stuck doing your dirty work today?"

"Well, it is almost lunch…" he prompted, smirking in her general direction. She scowled, and got back up off the couch. Five minutes later she returned with a thrown-together bento. He appraised her lack of artistry with a loving smile, choosing to ignore the fact that having her slave over him the entire day may result in an opposite outcome of that he desired. But he had a plan, and he'd be damned if anything stood in his way.

"Let's go out somewhere-" he started, only to be interrupted by a sudden flash of light, followed shortly by a sharp crack of thunder. Hail immediately proceeded to plummet from the sky.

"What is with this weather?" Kagura asked, leaning outside to confirm the sudden change.

"Well, shit." Kunimitsu muttered to himself, his plans for the day suddenly dashed.

"What were you saying before?"

"Nothing."

Kagura returned to her spot on the couch and there was nothing except the sound of Kunimitsu's chewing filling the room. She sought the remote and found it, turning on the boxy cube of a television they had tucked into the corner of the room. Immediately, she became absorbed in the anime on screen.

"How many hours do you spend watching this show?"

"Shhh. I haven't seen this one yet." She whispered, keeping her eyes fixed on the television. Kunimitsu took the chance to turn his eyes toward the screen.

"I can't stop…loving…Ryuuji…I want him to be with Minorin…. But even so it hurts….it still hurts more than anything!"

"TAIIIIIIGAAAAAA!"

Kunimitsu had had enough, and burst out laughing.

"Really, Kagura? Shoujo?"

Kagura remained silent until the title sequence began.

"This," she said, tilting her head toward the screen, "this is what real romance is!"

"This is an animated tv show."

"This is what every girl wants! See him?" she pointed at a blue-haired guy on the screen. "And her?" She pointed at a tiny girl who seemed to have it out for the world. "They didn't even know each other to begin with, and they fell in love without even meaning to! Neither of them expected it, it's just…"

"Perfect?" Kunimitsu asked, wondering himself how the hell he had fallen for the rough-and-tumble girl sitting at his side.

Kagura sighed, "Perfect." She agreed.

"This isn't realistic at all! They just come to the conclusion at the same time that they like each other? Nothing is that convenient!"

"It's romantic!" Kagura yelled, standing up and throwing her arms into the air with passion. "It took them so long to realize it, but at the end it was worth all the trouble they went through! This is what real romance should be like!"

"You wouldn't know real romance if it hit you in the face." He scoffed. "If people acted on their emotions instead of keeping them to themselves, they wouldn't have had to go through any trouble in the first place."

"You don't know the first thing about emotions! What you're saying is that if you liked someone, you would just walk up to them and say 'I love you, please and thanks?' I'll believe it when I see it."

"Then kiss me."

"Exactly. You'd never say that to anyone, it just sounds ridiculo-"

"Kiss me." He repeated, smiling up at her with all the confidence he could muster.

Kagura stared down at him, confusion plastered across her face.

"Are you trying to mock me? Jeez, Kunimitsu, you don't have to go that far to prove your point."

"I'm being serious! I'm asking you to kiss me." He chuckled, getting up to approach her. "You have to do everything I ask today, right? Well, I'm asking."

She stared at him, and reacted in the only possible way she knew.

"Idiot! You can't force me to do that! Screw you!" she threw the remote at him, ran out of the dojo into the trees around the property, and ignored the hail plummeting around her. Kunimitsu followed her to the door but stopped, seeing that she was already out of sight. He leaned against the doorframe, watching the unforgiving storm outside reflect his inner turmoil. He was oblivious to the footsteps that approached behind him, and jumped at the weight of a hand placed on his shouder. Kazuma stood next to him, staring off into the trees, with a pitying smile painting his face.

"Shishou?"

"Honestly, Kunimistsu, did you expect anything else?"

He handed him an umbrella, patted his back and turned around, retreating into the kitchen.

"We'll see." He replied, opening the umbrella and running into the gale outside.