"I better not," a voice says.
Karai tenses up. She feels a twinge in her heart and a cold prickle wandering down her spine.
She was right. There is someone on this rooftop. Yes, she knew it the moment she got up here, she knew it the other night, but now having proof, that's something totally different.
"What?"
The word is out of her mouth before she can bite down her lip. And she has to give it to her that it doesn't sound scared. It sounds more a bit annoyed. And that's something she can work with. Also, it brings back some confidence and makes the cold prickle disappear.
"Show myself, I mean," the voice continues.
It's a calm voice, Karai realizes, a young voice, a male voice. And there's something else to it, Karai can't really name.
"Why's that?" she asks. "Because you're some nerdy freak still too shocked by the fact that you made it up all the stairs by yourself instead of playing World of Warcraft all night?"
Karai doesn't know where this comes from. It doesn't make much sense. Or any sense, for that matter. But it makes her feel better.
"Shouldn't you be jumping around in glee because you finally did some exercise?" she continues.
There's a smirk on her face, and that's something else she doesn't know where it comes from.
Actually, she should be scared, she should try to get away, but instead, she's trying to tease or rather insult someone who prefers to hide in the darkness, for heaven's sake!
But no, the more she goes into teasing-mode the more the fear disappears.
And then she remembers that this has always been her strategy.
When in doubt, always make fun of someone. It might get you into some serious trouble, but you at least had some fun before. And if it doesn't, well, you had some fun, right?
Her smirk deepens.
There's a soft chuckle coming from the guy in the darkness, but it doesn't sound that amused. There's more to it, but Karai isn't sure she wants to know what this more is.
"Oh, you have no idea," he says.
His voice is coming from her left now, and if it weren't the same voice, Karai would have thought that there's someone else on this rooftop.
She turns into the direction of the voice.
"Wow, for some nerdy freak you're moving fast," she says.
"As I said, you have no idea."
This time, his voice is coming from behind her.
The cold prickle down her spine is back as she wheels around.
She didn't even hear him move.
"Would you stop that!?" she says, covering her fear with a good portion of annoyance and anger. "You're frigh … you're making it hard to talk to you!"
"Sorry," he says, but she somehow has the feeling that he doesn't mean it.
She positions herself in a way she thinks might make her facing him. Her muscles feel tense.
She could deal with a nerdy freak, that's for sure, but this guy is doing things she can't react to properly.
But again, when in doubt, try to have some fun, right?
She forces her mouth into a smirk, and feeling it in this familiar position gives her a confidence-boost.
"Show-off," she says.
Another soft chuckle is the reply. And this time, it sounds like a normal chuckle with nothing else to it-
There's a moment of silence and Karai isn't sure if he has left.
"You seem to come here often," he says then, and Karai is relieved although she doesn't really know why.
"Wow, a nerdy freak, a show-off, and a stalker, you're quite a combination," she replies. "Also, the question you were looking for is 'Are you around here often?'"
"No!" he says quickly, and Karai is pleased to realize his voice is coming from the same spot now. "I am no stalker, I am just … around here often, and I saw you training on that rooftop."
Karai snorts, but decides not to say anything.
"That's ninjutsu, right?"
"Yes!" Karai replies quickly and she wants to slap herself right away when she realizes how happy that sounded. "I mean, yes, it is," she adds in a bored voice. "Whatever."
"You're good," he says, and it makes the smirk on Karai's face turn into a smile.
"Thanks."
"Although you do need some more training."
And the smile disappears as Karai twists her mouth.
"What does a nerdy-freaky, show-off-y, stalker-y guy like you know about ninjutsu?"
"More than you think," is the reply, and his voice, it sounds so confident and secure and something more that makes Karai's heart miss a beat.
There's another moment of silence.
"I have to go now. My family's waiting for me."
"Oh?" Karai says. "Do I have to add 'mama's boy' to that list?"
"Uhm, no, I don't … no."
There's something in his voice, a little hint of hurt, and it makes Karai feel bad, only a teensy-tiny bit, but still.
"Can I see you again?"
"Now you got that question-thing right," Karai teases him. "And I don't know. I would like to ask the same, but now that I think of it, I don't see you, you know."
"It's for the better," he replies, and again, there's a hint of hurt, but this time, it doesn't make Karai feel bad, but instead she feels sorry for him. Again, only a teensy-tiny bit, but still.
"So, can I?" he asks again.
"Sure, why not?" she replies with a shrug.
Karai can't say why, but she knows that he smiles.
"Bye."
"Wait! What's your name?"
"Leonardo." His voice is already farer away than she could have imagined him to be in that short amount of time.
And then she knows that he's gone, and Karai is left on that rooftop thinking that it was good that he didn't tell her his name, because, really, Leonardo? That's some amazing teasing-material.
