AN: Thanks for the reviews!
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The next day around 5pm, Sora patiently waited by the bus stop closest to the Kaleido Stage.
Ken had been about to get on it, but he noticed that Sora was there and went behind a tree. She was dressed in a mid-thigh flowery skirt with a white short-sleeved top on. Her feet swung idly, the tie up wedges with the knotted bows on either sides of her ankles lightly bounced as her feet moved. She hummed a tune; not knowing that Ken was nearby.
After the failed Frisbee attack, Ken was anxious.
Is there something I can do right now? Sora was here, without Leon or one of their friends about to distract her from what Ken had to say. Should I do it here and now?
Would it be so easy to just admit his feelings in this moment of time?
Be bold, be confident, he told himself. He spotted some flowers in a bush close to him and he picked one, but then decided to look at his dating book. Flowers, flowers... There had to be a section about them. His thumb halted the movement of the pages as he got to gifts.
"Stuffed animals, chocolates...flowers!"
'Red flowers, especially red roses, are generally the universal symbol of romance, love, and passion.' Ken looked up from the book, not seeing anything red around him. Drat! He ran his finger down, looking at the notes. 'Warning: If you want a woman to take you seriously and keep her thinking of you romantically, avoid yellow flowers. They generally stand for friendship.'
He looked at his other hand, where a bright yellow flower was between his fingers.
Aghast, he dropped the flower as if it were diseased. Ok, I'm avoiding yellow.
He turned around, looking for any other flowers about. Yellow, yellow, yellow...orange - too close to yellow! - yellow...
He frustratedly gripped his hair. Ok. Forget the flowers. It would have been a nice touch, but if yellow was the only thing around then he was better off without them.
Unfortunately for Ken, he had been debating about this for too long. When he stepped out from behind the tree there was a bus at the stop and Sora was greeting Leon. Ken frowned as she gave him something and then gaped when she not only kissed Leon's cheek but licked it as well.
What is Leon teaching her?!
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Leon's cheek tingled from where she kissed it - in her curious way.
He looked down at the wrapped gift, his words not quick to come. "I did not get you anything."
She smiled. "That's ok. I saw this and thought you might like it. Go ahead and open it!"
He looked at her encouraging face and then back down at the smiley wrapping paper. Carefully, he undid the tape, making sure not to rip the wrapping paper. She giggled as he meticulously undid the paper, but did not say anything. When he finished, she held her breath and looked at his face.
He looked at the giant sand castle on the cover of the book and idly he flipped through it, seeing different designs.
"I thought it would be something fun to do together," she said when she couldn't handle the silence anymore. "Not that you can't do it on your own, but," she shyly twisted the hem of her shirt, "I would like to try a few designs with you too, if you don't mind."
"...I don't know what to say," he murmured, baffled that he truly did not know what to say.
His insides were loose, but tight, squirming but still. He had so many thoughts and feelings that they were all crammed inside his head, making him feel really weird.
"Thank you," he finally managed to say, that one thought staying in place.
"So you like it?" she tentatively asked.
Somewhere in his mind, a message was sent into his legs to step forward and another to his arms to move. Within two seconds, she was against him as his arms were around her in what he realized was an embrace.
Her cheeks burned red, not having thought that he would hug her but liking it just the same. Her own arms slipped around his torso, the flat of her palms lying along his back.
She's embracing me back.
His face felt warm. A bit embarrassed, he bent his head down to her hair and covered most of his face with her locks.
Soon, they let go of each other.
"I apologize," he murmured. He overstepped the boundary with his impulsiveness, invading her personal space.
Me, impulsive. Good lord, has he truly lost his mind?
She tittered. "Don't apologize. I like hugs." With a shy smile, she added, "You're a good hugger, so don't worry about repeating it."
He inclined his head, simultaneously hiding the still visible red on his face.
"Shall we go?"
She linked her arm through his. "We shall!"
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AN: Too much sweetness! Someone call a dentist! XP