~*What the Heart Wants*~
Kise paced around in front of the school nervously. Ever since that night, he'd been trying to get a hold of Mira. He'd seen all the missed txt's from the night of the festival only a few minutes after he and Yuri had shown up. Kise had been hoping the two girls would get a chance to talk to each other to try and clear the air. Unfortunately, Mira had twisted her ankle. She hadn't left her apartment all weekend long and refused to answer Kise. He was pretty sure she was mad at him again for ignoring her. Which is exactly why he stood at the gate waiting for her patiently with a small bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"Kise-kun?" Yuri called out from behind him. "What's wrong?"
"Mira's mad at me again. She won't answer my txts or calls." Kise sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair and gripped his bangs tightly in frustration.
"I see." Yuri giggled when she spotted the flowers. "Oh, I think that's her and her friends now."
Kise turned to see Jason and Kanika walking together. Mira was nowhere in sight. Kanika had a look of surprise on her face as Jason zoned out. Or, at least he had till he'd spotted Kise. Disgust and anger crossed his face. Kise hadn't seen Jason this pissed off since the first time they'd met. The punk openly glared at Kise, not doing anything to hide his hatred for the blond. Kise wondered what he'd done to incur his wrath this time as he looked from Jason to Kanika.
"Ichinose-chan, where's Mira?" Kise tried to ask Kanika. Jason roughly bumped shoulders with Kise, causing him to wince from the impact as he was forced to turn around and look at Jason who merely glanced over his shoulder at him.
"She wants nothing to do with you right now. Either of you." Jason shifted his gaze to Yuri who began shaking like a mouse under the gaze of a tiger.
Jason clicked his tongue ring in annoyance before turning and walking away. Kise couldn't understand what was going on. Why was Mira not at school? Was her injury that bad? Was she avoiding him? Kise pulled his phone out, only to stare at the screen. Mira hadn't answered any of his messages so far. If Jason was this pissed off that meant that Kise had done something to hurt Mira. She wouldn't respond to him now. It was then he felt a light tug on his sleeve to see Kanika looking from him to Yuri.
"Kise-senpai…what is Takeshita-chan to you?" Kanika asked softly with wide concerned eyes.
"What do you mean?" Kise said softly. Unable to think clearly at the moment.
"We're just friends Ichinose-chan. Nothing more. I promise." Yuri managed to speak again now that Jason was far enough away from her.
"Is this true?" Kanika looked back to Kise who nodded. It was all he could do at the moment.
"Ichinose-chan, what is going on?" Yuri asked for Kise who couldn't seem to vocalize his thoughts right now.
"Mira saw you two together. Twice." Kanika stated for the second years. "She saw you wrap an arm around Takeshita-san's shoulders once, and then you two were spotted together at the festival after Mira had tried to get a hold of you to find out where you were…"
"Oh no…." Yuri held a hand to her mouth, looking to Kise who caught on to what Kanika was implying.
Mira had seen the two of them. Alone. Together. Kise hadn't thought anything of his actions. But to Mira…it looked like something else. Something intimate. The fact that he hadn't answered his phone and had been seen with Yuri at the festival had only added to Mira's assumptions. But why should that make her so angry at him? Why was Mira refusing to speak to him because of that? Kise tried to put himself in Mira's position and imagined her with some guy. The two of them. Her ignoring his messages for said guy. Even if there was nothing romantic between the two, he knew what it looked like.
"She thought I was on a date?" Kise asked Kanika who nodded softly.
"But that's not what happened! Kise saved me from some guys from my old school the other day! And at the festival we were looking for West-chan so that I could apologize to her." Yuri rushed out, fear in her eyes as Kanika weakly shook her head.
"Mira feels betrayed. Hurt. As if you led her on with your actions." Kanika explained. Kise's eyes widened at this bit of news. "Mira won't be at school for a few days because of her ankle. I think you should try to clear the air before she comes back."
Kanika left Kise standing there as he tried to process the bomb that she'd just dropped on him. Kanika hadn't said it outright, but he knew what she'd suggested. Mira liked Kise. And he could've potentially screwed everything up. Kise knew Mira had trust issues. She had just started rebuilding everything that had been broken by her past demon. She had even started to develop feelings for someone. Kise knew better than anyone that once you started to like someone you started to go down a slippery road. Did the person you liked like you back? If they did, would you two start dating? And if it led to dating, could you put your faith in that person to stay true to you? There were so many things that could go wrong with relationships. It was why Kise had pretty much sworn off dating until he was out of high school unless the girl was something amazing. He hadn't wanted his life to turn into a hot mess all because of a relationship. He'd known Mira had the same idea as him. It's why she'd made the rule of his fans staying quiet or being banned from practice. They were an unnecessary distraction. Basketball had been all the two had needed. Until now.
"Shit." Kise dragged a hand down his face as he headed back to class when the bell rang.
The boy had no idea as to how he could even go about fixing any of this. He could understand why Mira felt like she did. Kise had held her. He'd touched her in an intimate way. He'd flirted with her. He'd worried for her more than what was expected. He'd shown all the signs of being interested in Mira. And she'd caught him alone with another girl. Not once, but twice. And on the second occasion he'd ignored her txt's and it'd seemed like he was on a date. That only made things worse.
'I have to find some way to make this right.' Kise swore to himself.
This was easier said than done. With Mira ignoring him, Kise had to try and find a way to talk to her. Asking Jason for help was out of the question. And Kise knew that Kanika was already in a sticky situation between the two, so he wouldn't put any pressure on her to act as the go between. This left the other options. Kagami or one of the other guys close to her. Kise immediately ruled Kagami out. That was one can of worms he didn't want to open right now. He could ask Kuroko but the shadow would guilt trip him and tell him he probably deserved it. Aomine didn't exactly have a delicate touch and would let Mira know that Kise wanted to talk to her. Midorima wouldn't wish to get involved. Akashi….Kise shivered at the thought of telling Akashi that Kise had potentially caused Mira harm.
'Screw it.' Kise sighed to himself as he pulled his phone out and messaged Kagami.
'Hey, I heard Mira is on leave because of her ankle. Is there anything I can do for her?' It was an innocent enough message to get some kind of information out of the tiger like boy.
'You can try. Her friends are taking turns staying with her during the week. Something about she can't be trusted to rest on her own.'
'Great. As if things weren't bad enough as it is.' Kise slammed his head on to his desk, causing those in class to look at him.
The week went by slowly. Between his guilt, his fear of facing Mira and her friends, and the daggers Jason kept throwing at Kise, the only peace he was able to get was at practice. And even then it wasn't much of a reprieve since Mira wasn't there. Kise couldn't help but think back on what he'd done. In his mind he didn't see anything wrong with helping out Yuri. Especially after she'd told him what had caused her to lash out at Mira to begin with. Naturally Kise wanted to protect and help her. He had three sisters himself. His instinct to protect females was naturally high. He'd never thought about how anyone else would perceive his actions. Honestly, he hadn't cared. It's not like it was anyone's business. At least it's what he kept telling himself. He'd always hoped Mira would return his feelings once he'd realized how he'd felt for her. The one person whom he wanted to protect above all others, was the one he'd hurt in the end. Funny how trying to protect one person would hurt another. And by letting things drag on this long he was only adding to what Mira already feared.
"No more." Kise growled as he grabbed his gear and ran out once practice was over.
Kise dug through his wallet and saw that he had enough to afford a cab. He quickly flagged one down and rattled off Mira's address. He would face whatever waited for him at Mira's place. He had to set the record straight now. No more silence. No more grey areas. He would tell Mira how he felt. Kise made a fist as he promised to do whatever it took to regain Mira's faith and show her just how important she was to him.
The cab pulled up just as Jason was walking to the front of Mira's apartment building. Kise paid the driver and hopped out. He steeled himself against Jason's glare as the punk squared up to him. Kise would be lying if he said he didn't fear Jason. But if he had any hope of patching things up with Mira, he had to get past the guard dog first. Kise took a deep breath before taking a few steps towards Jason.
"Look who finally decided to grow a pair and show up." Jason taunted.
"I came to set the record straight with Mira. If you have anything to say or anything you want to do then do it. I've waited long enough to speak to her. I'm not waiting any longer." Kise narrowed his eyes, his conviction clear as day in his golden orbs.
"You know, I'd love nothing more than to slug your pretty face. But Mira wouldn't like that. It would almost be worth facing her wrath just to beat the shit out of someone who caused her so much torment." Jason spat. The punk was seething. It was almost like the first time the two had met. Only difference now was that Jason was holding himself back because he didn't want to anger Mira.
"You think I don't already feel like shit? I know I fucked up okay? No one is more blatantly aware of that but me. If it'll make you feel better I'll give you a free shot later. Just let me talk to her first." Kise moved to push past Jason who was surprised by Kise's words. The Kise he'd first met all those months ago would've backed down. The fact he was standing up to Jason showed just how serious Kise was and how determined he was to speak to Mira to try and set things right.
"Heh. You might not be as spineless as I thought. And I will be claiming that free shot." Jason snickered as he wanted to see how things would play out. Before either of them could move though…. "Huh?" Jason checked his phone to see a message from Malacai. His face fell immediately as he glared at the screen. He reached out and grabbed the back of Kise's collar to stop him from entering the building.
"What the hell?!" Kise shouted at Jason who shoved his phone into the boy's face.
"Mira's not here." Jason grunted. On the screen was a txt from Malacai saying that Mira was with Himuro at the moment. And there were sad emoji's attached to it. "She's out on a date."
Kise felt like he'd just been sucker punched in his gut as all the air left him.
_._._
Mira glanced over to where Himuro was getting them snacks from a street vendor as she sat on the ledge of a water fountain. She wondered again if this was okay. Part of her couldn't help but think Himuro was only doing this to help cheer her up after what she'd seen the night of the festival. His sudden confession that night had taken her off guard. So much so that she'd agreed to a date with Himuro before she'd even realized it once he'd gotten her home. Not like she couldn't use the distraction. All week long Kise had been texting her. And Mira had been ignoring each and every one. They were basic texts. How are you doing? Are you okay? Can we talk? Mira knew it was cowardly, avoiding him like she was doing. But the images of Kise and Yuri kept popping into her head and it only brought back all those crushing feelings again. Maybe a night out is what she needed.
"Here." Mira snapped out of her daze when Himuro pushed a crepe right up to her face.
"Thanks Tatsuya." She smiled softly before nibbling on the treat.
"Are you okay?" Himuro asked gently. Of course, he would know something was on her mind. Asides from her friends, he knew how to read her best.
"Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind. So much has happened so quickly. I'm still trying to take it all in I guess." Mira shrugged her shoulders. There was no point in lying to Himuro. He'd figure it out eventually.
"I'm partially to blame for that. I'm sorry for springing my confession on to you so suddenly like that. But my feelings are genuine Mira. That, I can promise you." He gently placed his free hand on her shoulder.
"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one as well." Mira laughed weakly. "Tatsuya…"
"I know. It's been over a year or so and you probably don't feel the same anymore. But just give this a chance okay? If you don't feel the same after our date then I won't pressure you into anything else. I promise." He gave her that stunning charmer smile that was so infectious it made her smile as well.
"Okay. Deal." Mira nodded happily before taking a huge bite of her crepe.
Doing as she'd promised, Mira tried to enjoy the date. The two went to the movies and laughed at the poorly done horror flick that left most of the audience terrified. They headed to the arcade to play games together, their competiveness naturally rising up as they fought for the top score on all the games. They even ended the evening with a small dinner at an outdoor café where Mira was allowed to rest her ankle with ice on it. It was throbbing a tad after all the walking they'd done that day. Himuro had offered to pay for a cab to take her home, but Mira had waved the thought away. All in all it had been a good day. Mira had enjoyed herself with Himuro. She was reminded of why she'd been attracted to him to begin with. But something had felt off all day. And Mira was pretty sure she knew what.
"Mira? Are you okay?" Himuro asked as they stood out front of her apartment building.
"Tatsuya…..I'm sorry." She hung her head, a little afraid of the expression on his face. "Today was great! Really….I just feel like something is missing."
"I see. I had a feeling you seemed distracted." He smiled softly before leading her to the nearby square planters so that they could sit.
"I just don't feel the same for you as I did back then. Or rather, I can't think about anyone but him at the moment. It's not fair to you when I can't honestly respond to your feelings when I'm not even sure of my own. I know I like Kise. That much is clear. Until I sort out just how deep these feelings are…." Mira shrugged her shoulders in defeat. She felt a feather light touch on her ear as Himuro brushed a loose strand back into place. She glanced up to see Himuro giving her the same tender look he always did.
"I understand. And I appreciate your honesty." He smiled softly. "Yes, I like you and I will always care for you. I want you to be happy. I know I could make you happy. But like I said earlier today, I won't pressure you into anything. If you need me as a friend for now, then a friend I will stay. If you want something more later on, all you need to do is say so. My feelings for you won't change no matter what."
"Tatsuya…." Mira wrapped her arms around his neck and couldn't help the few tears that sprang forth from her eyes. What had she done to deserve someone like him in her life? Mira sniffled lightly as she looked up at him with an awkward smile on her face.
"Come on. Let's get you upstairs before Taiga has my head for keeping you out too late." Himuro laughed as he knelt down in front of her.
"It's you. You're the only one asides from my friends he wouldn't kill for keeping me out so late." Mira giggled as she climbed on. "Thank you."
Himuro smiled to himself when he felt Mira rest her head on his shoulder. He'd known when he'd confessed that it would take Mira time to decide. As the saying goes though, one must strike while the iron is hot. Kise had already messed up twice now. Himuro's presence was now bigger in her mind. He may've let her go once before, but not this time. This time he was going to fight for the girl he cared for. If Mira didn't choose him after it all that would be okay with him. But Himuro would be damned if he just rolled over for someone who he thought didn't deserve her.
Finally! I was in the middle of fieldwork for the past few weeks and couldn't do anything! Gah! It feels good to knock out a chapter again.
So in this one Mira went on her first ever date. *gasp* I know shocking huh? I did make mention of a small love triangle happening, but fear not faithful shippers! This story is far from done! Seriously, I have at least another ten chapters minimum planned for our favorite red head. For now I can't wait to hear what my lovelies have to say! Enjoy!