Chapter Ten: Kizuna (Bonds)



Aya-chan giggled, teasing Omi still about the concert that had taken place four days ago.

"You looked so terrified and kawaii at the same time... how do you pull it off?" She asked, making him blush harder.

"Aya-chan..." He drew the name out and scowled at her. (I'm sure she could pull it off a lot better than I could... She's kawaii looking all the time...) He shut that thought out of his head before it could continue, his blush deepening for a moment. He shook his head. "You're as bad as Yoji. Always teasing me..." He gave a half whine making her smile.

"Gomen Omi-chan..." (Chan?) His brain sort of stalled on the addition to his name. He glanced at her and saw a small blush start on her cheeks. (Oh.) He looked down and thought of something to say.

"Want to get some ice-cream before we head to the apartments?" He asked, hefting the grocery bag that he had been carrying into his other hand so he could fish out some money from his pocket.

"Are you sure? Is it okay I mean?"

He gave her a smile. "Sure? It depends... Are you hungry? If it's a yes... then yes I'm sure..." She smiled a bit shyly at that and he wondered if that was the wrong thing to say. "There's a good ice-cream store over there..."

"Okay..." They walked in companionable silence, letting him... giving him time to mull over the last few moments. Had she been teasing about his height when she had called him Chan? It was a possibility... one that made sense since they were about the same height.

It was a possibility ... one that was better than the others that ran through his head.

He gave a little smile.

He should stop the thinking and leave their friendship where it was. It was already too precious for him to believe that it was true. He hadn't really ever pictured in his mind that he could get close to Aya's little sister.

And yet...

Since she had woken, they had been getting closer than he ever would have thought. That was fine. He enjoyed the friendship. She seemed as fascinated, or almost as fascinated, as he was by computers sometimes, and that gave them something to talk about that he couldn't talk about with very many other people. She seemed to understand him.

And there was a darkness behind Aya-chan's sweetness that hadn't really been noticed before. Omi had never really thought about it, but he couldn't help wondering if maybe the small girl knew him better than he'd given her credit for.

As they walked down the street, side by side in silence, he couldn't help but think that the thought frightened him a little bit. The thought of her knowing him...

What could she possible know really?

That answer was far to easy for him to find. It was the thought of her finding out who he really was... Omi shook his head. He shouldn't have been ashamed of it. It shouldn't have bothered him. It wasn't his fault who's house he'd been born into. He'd been raised away from it and his past was still so fuzzy at times. But...

But the truth was that he knew A--Ran far too well.

Ran... that didn't feel right... and yet when he was near her, he always seemed to force himself to think of who he had always known as Aya that way.

It was just one of the affects she had to have on him.

And lately, she'd been having just a little too many of those effects on him...

Omi shook his head rather forcefully, causing Aya-chan to glance up at him, looking down from the birds that had been flying over head.

"Nani, Omi-chan?"

"Eh? Nani?" He blinked innocently and she swatted at his head.

"You're so... frustrating sometimes!" She declared with a pout as he avoided her attack skillfully and laughed at her defeat. "I will get you one day!" She muttered.

"Maa maa Aya-chan. Violent aren't we!?"

"Now who's teasing who?" Aya-chan deepened her pout and looked at him as she paused in her steps. She planted her hands on her hips.

"Uhm... the ice cream shop is like... two feet away?" Omi muttered a bit lost. (Now I understand why Yoji was saying that you should always let women win arguments...Jeesh.) She stayed standing there, an eyebrow arched as she waited for him to agree with her... or something. "I might be frustrating..." He finally started. "But you're just as stubborn as your dear older brother!" He muttered and grabbed her hand to pull her the rest of the way.

"AIE!" Aya-chan squeaked, trying to jerk her hand away. "I'm being abducted by a pop idol!"

Omi squeaked and dropped her hand. "Shh!!" He hissed. "You don't want a flock of psycho girls chasing us around again, do you? You remember what happened when Yoji started shouting about agency's and being pop idols! I thought we were going to die!"

The honest fright on Omi's face didn't seem to affect Aya-chan as she burst into giggles again. "True... and I really don't want to share you right now anyway, so the rest of your fans will just have to wait."

She looped her arm through Omi's and started towards the ice cream shop as Omi's mind went instantly entirely blank.

(Oh... dear...)

He stood blinking but managed to pull himself out of the shock, and tried to ignore his own flaming face as he placed the order for Aya-chan and managed to pick something for himself.

Thankfully, the rest of the walk was once more taken over by their companionable silence as Aya-chan watched the world around her, seeming fascinated by all of the small details that Omi so usually missed. She giggled as a pair of squirrels chased each other across their path and darted up the nearest tree, shouting at each other, and he saw her eyes taking in the details of the wind in the grass.

She still hadn't let go of his arm and at one moment she forced him to stop as she watched a man walking his dog through the trees, the animal turning his nose towards them as he panted.

"Look," Aya-chan said simply, "he's smiling!"

Omi blinked, watching the animal, and was shocked to find as he stared at the golden lab it's face did seem to smile back at him with the same kind of intelligent innocence he saw in the eyes of a child.

Omi shook his head and looked away.

What was he doing??

They moved away and soon reached the front door of what he was starting to consider a new home. Aya-chan pulled at his arm again making him stop and look at her. The smile and the innocent look that she had always given him was sort of fading as she regarded him his in sudden fierce seriousness.

"Omi-chan?" She started tentatively.

"What is it?" He asked gently.

"You... Take care of yourself okay? If fans harass you again... call me.. I'll protect you from them!" The seriousness had almost vanished as she blushed and looked away, her tone way too light to be natural.

"...Arigatou Aya-chan." He whispered as she opened the door, letting go of his arm and letting him go in first since both of his hands were filled, one with his ice cream cone and the other with the groceries.

Aya-chan grinned, closing her eyes for an instant before shutting the door and then giving him a little hug from behind, causing Omi to freeze in his tracts. "Iya, Omi-chan," she said softly. "Arigatou for the ice cream."

Then before he could react, she danced away, her ice cream come to her lips as before she called out a greeting to the others.

"Ohayo!!!" Her sweet voice rang through the house as Omi stood in his frozen shock.

(Naaanniii... what is this?!?!)

He shook his head and forced his thoughts out of his mind before stepping into the kitchen and almost running into Aya... (Ran...)

For a moment, Omi's mind went entirely blank as his face blanched. "Sumi masen, Aya-kun... Ran... erm... demo... ano... we just... I just... ran into Aya-chan on the way here, and we stopped... and... erm... ano... hai. We just stopped for ice cream, and... hai, I'll put these away now... hai... erm... hai hai."

Ran blinked at him, but before he could say anything, or respond to Omi's sudden stuttering speech, Omi had retreated into the kitchen and dumped the grocery bags on the counter.

What was wrong with him!? He shook his head sharply. It's not like he and Aya-chan had done anything wrong... it was just... the thought of A-Ran knowing they were out there together... that... he just... Omi shook his head. He didn't understand.

A hand came into his view and suddenly both hands were free as Yoji took his ice cream and started eating it.

"Oy Omittchi... had a little date today?" He took another bite as Omi just stared in helpless... terror? Embarrassment? "Meh I prefer chocolate mind you... vanilla's a bit too boring for me." He placed the cone back in his hands. "Kawaii couple your sister and him make, ne Aya?"

"Y...YOJI!" Omi snapped. "What... is wrong with you today?" Yoji raised an eyebrow.

"Oh look... he's blushing." Ken looked up from whatever he had been doing and frowned.

"Yoji... Omi is always blushing. Leave him alone..." (Thank you Ken-kun... the voice of reason for once..)

Omi still couldn't dare to glance over his shoulder to where he knew Ay.. Ran was standing. He swallowed hard.

Aya had an icy glare fixed on Yoji.

Omi swallowed hard again and tried to make his retreat.

"Oi!" Aya-chan called, slipping into the room. (HELP!) Omi skidded to a stop instantly and back peddled into the kitchen, hoping it didn't look too unnatural. "What are you guys all doing hiding in here?" Aya-chan demanded, coming up to her brothers side.

Aya glanced down on her, looking a little uncomfortable with the barest of smiles that he managed to force to cross his lips. "Did Manx send a message with you?" He asked.

Aya-chan glanced up and Omi from his corner saw the flash of hurt that flew threw her gaze before she grinned up at her older brother. "Actually, yes, she did, she wants to get together with you guys again before the next concert. She didn't say why..."

And that was an easy message to tell them exactly why.

A mission...

Omi closed his eyes briefly.

(Perfect.)

Yoji grinned. "So did you at least have fun on your little date with the chibi Aya-chan?"

The look Ran shot him could have killed him had he been looking at Ran...

Aya-chan rolled her eyes. "You baka, Omi-kun and I just happened to run into each other." She shook her head. "You just think everything's a date because you've been so hard up lately."

Yoji's jaw dropped as Ran blinked and Ken burst out laughing.

The smile that could have come over Omi's lips didn't quite make it. (Omi... kun??) He couldn't help but wonder if the switch had been subconscious or intentional...

She didn't look back at him.

Omi made his escape. She didn't look back. She didn't see him... she didn't acknowledge his presence.

(It's nothing.) He told himself. (She is just a really really nice person... it's nothing. And if she knew who you really were...) He cut the thought off and shook his head sharply. What did it matter? It was nothing.

Then why was his heart still beating so hard...