Thanks so much to all of the reviewers – you guys are so sweet! I love to hear that there are others who support this (admittedly somewhat crack-y) pairing. One of my New Year's resolutions is to finish this fic – so it will definitely be done before the end of the year C:
Chapter 13
The pistol-Weapons stared in disbelief at the blue-haired Meister sprawled in an awkward heap amid the fallen autumn leaves. A bright red maple leaf clashed horribly, stuck in his brightly colored hair.
Liz rolled her eyes, "Are you seriously supposed to be a ninja?"
Nonplussed, he jumped up, "Of course – and I'm the best there is!" he boasted loudly, turning to point a finger at them obnoxiously. "You can ask anyone!"
Even from across the clearing, Tsubaki would have had to have been deaf not to hear those idiots yelling. And sure enough, Liz saw the brunette scan the treeline in their direction, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she focused in on them. Liz linked arms with her sister and waved to Black*Star with the other, "Just remembered we've got a meeting so see ya!"
Held firmly in tow, Patty waved back, "Bye bye!" she called happily.
There was no mistaking that voice. Tsubaki sighed, realizing just what – or should she say who – caused the earlier crash. Before she could even reach the outskirts of the forest, her errant partner burst out of the foliage.
"Tsubaki what are you doing?" he demanded impatiently.
Irritation teased the edges of her already frayed nerves, "I was eating lunch, Black*Star," she stated with forced calm, pleased that her voice sounded normal.
"Yeah, I know that! Why were you having lunch with him!"
The irritation resurfaced in full force, tinged with a hint of… anger? It was really unlike her to be so emotional. Usually she was able to deal with Black*Star's antics with merely a touch of resigned bemusement. She retreated inward and sought composure. "Well, I offered to watch Angela while Mifune worked and so I brought some snacks to share – you're welcome to –"
"Worked!" he interjected mid-offer, "What are you even talking about Tsubaki? What is that guy even doing here? And why were you fraternizing with the enemy!"
She sighed again, the rapid-fire questions rapidly eating away at the iota of calm she'd recovered. "Black*Star if you'd shown up for class even once in the last week you'd know that he's a new teacher here. And he's not the enemy!" Her voice sounded loud, even to her own ears, "You know as well as I do that he's a good person and she's a very sweet girl…"
Suddenly exhausted and more than a little embarrassed, she didn't even wait for him to respond before she took off, not really sure where to, but desperately needing some space.
o.O.o.O.o
It didn't take more than a few minutes of aimless walking for Tsubaki to realize she'd overreacted; badly. The words had just sprung from her instinctively, without even considering why Black*Star was so concerned. Even though it was his fault for skipping class, she knew that deep down he only had her best interests at heart.
So why had she been unable to see that before? A tiny voice in the back of her mind suggested it might just have something to do with the exact timing of Black*Star's interruption, but with only the faintest of blushes pushed that notion firmly away.
It had just been bad manners, she told herself firmly.
Nothing more.
So why did she still feel so disappointed?
o.O.o.O.o
Not only was Angela clearly upset about leaving in such a hurry, he knew she was also picking up on his dark mood as well. As a result, but the time they got back to the apartment, Mifune was convinced he had the world's crankiest child on his hands.
She whined the entire way back.
Angela rarely whined.
She even took to pouting when they finally got home.
Angela never pouted.
He tried talking to her a couple times but she pointedly ignored his entreaties. Finally, energy spent, she fell asleep on the couch in the main room.
It was clearly his fault she was upset, he knew that.
It was becoming a pattern; an unacceptable and completely irresponsible pattern of behavior. The problem was he didn't know how to correct it.
Oh, he knew how he should fix it – he should keep their interactions to a minimum and always be completely professional.
It was what he should do.
It was what was proper.
His brain understood.
It was the rest of him that wouldn't cooperate. The thought of severing the delicate, but very real, ties on their relationship made his stomach churn and his head ache.
He knew he should be polite and professional but aloof.
And he most certainly should not be thinking about what he'd like to be doing on a patchwork quilt on a hill next to a playground.
o.O.o.O.o
As the sun grew gradually lower the temperature began to quickly drop and Tsubaki was forced to return home. Any reluctance was now due simply to embarrassment over how she'd behaved earlier; the anger had been a fleeting rush that quickly burned out.
She tentatively pushed on the front door, its familiar creak greeting her despite her caution.
The lights were off, save the small nightlight in the kitchen, its dim glow not offering much in the way of illumination.
Suddenly thirsty after her long walk, she filled the kettle and set it to boil. Her tea quickly steeped, steaming gently as it released its essence. Just holding the large mug was calming, its warmth and familiar scent relaxing her almost immediately.
Though Black*Star's bedroom had been dark when she arrived, Tsubaki heard a shuffling and then uncharacteristically slow footsteps coming down the stairs.
He looked uncharacteristically subdued, hair slightly damp from an apparent bath and his feet bare. Some of the turmoil she'd managed to soothe thrummed at the edges of her mind and she waited for him to make the first move. After a few long beats of silence he finally seemed to get the hint.
"I'm real sorry, Tsubaki, I shouldn't have yelled at you."
The apology was mostly directed towards the wooden floor and it didn't exactly encompass the entirety of the incident, but it had been honest nevertheless.
She sighed, setting her mug in the sink. "It's okay Black*Star," she assured him, "I know you are. And I shouldn't have yelled either. I've just been…" It had been such a long day and she was all at once aware of how completely exhausted she was. "You know, nevermind, don't worry about it."
"But Tsubaki, I am kinda worried – I've never seen you get upset like that before…"
Her shoulders sagged a bit but she waved a hand casually, "You shouldn't worry about me, I guess I've been a bit lonely but I'm okay." She didn't add that the recent absence of her partner and Meister had also made her feel a bit useless and therefore helping Mifune with Angela had become extremely important to her… on a number of levels.
"What! How could you be lonely with me around?" He punctuated the idea by jamming his thumb into his chest.
She raised an eyebrow pointedly and he seemed to deflate a bit. "Okay I might have missed a couple classes, but what more can they really teach someone as Great as me!"
It was nothing less than she'd expected and she shook her head, edging past him to retreat to her room.
"Tsubaki wait!"
One hand already on the stairwell, she turned just her head around.
He hung his head, "If it means that much to you I'll go to class…" he muttered.
"Every day?" she challenged skeptically.
"Er, well, yeah, every day! And we'll train too! Just as soon as I finish this one last move - but then every day I swear!"
Too tired to argue she managed a weak smile, "Okay Black*Star. Goodnight."
As she quickly changed clothes and slid into bed it occurred to her that she really ought to be more sad or upset than she was. But somehow, with pleasant thoughts of a picnic on a hill, she peacefully drifted off to sleep.
A/N:
So I finally sat down and outlined the rest of the story – I almost can't believe it but the end is in sight! And yeah, Black*Star is a little OOC but the whole story is technically AU, so I'm trying not to worry too much about it ;)
And as always, un-betaed since my husband hates reading romance stories, lol