Heyaaaa! I've got reviews again, and I welcome claryfairchildmangaka to One Note At A Time! ;-) I love you guys so much...
Thoughts.
Singing = boy
Singing = girl
Singing = both
Enjoy!
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Friends Or Foes?
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"I told you to let me go!"
"And I told you that I couldn't!"
Before I could react, Ranmaru leaned in and kissed me. My eyes widened as he pulled away and placed his forehead against mine.
"I can't. Not now, nor ever"
…
"CUUUUUUT!"
Two days sooner
::
I glanced at Ranmaru with curiosity, wondering what he was doing here.
Well, if we've both been called together in Saotome's office, it must mean we're going to work together. I can't tell if it's a good or a bad thing, though.
"Good, good!" exclaimed suddenly the Director, arriving from one of the open windows. "You're here!"
Well, obviously.
"Mr. Kurosaki, Miss Arya… the two of you have been requested to be the main characters of a romance musical movie!" he announced with grand theatrics.
"Sure"
"Tche"
...
...
...
Romance movie!?
"WHAT!?"
I stared at the script in my hands with horror and fascination at the same time, unable to decide whether or not I was excited to shoot the movie or if I should just turn down the job.
But Ranmaru isn't turning it down…
My pride wouldn't allow me to pull back.
"Romance movie?" repeated Haruka, to whom I had just finished explaining.
"The guy is part of a popular rock band but the drummer leaves, so they need to find a new one in time for the concert coming up. The new girl's somewhat of a recluse, but she can play, so she wants in. The guy refuses, since she's a girl, and I'm a little scared to be honest because the chemistry between the two characters is awfully similar to the one I actually have with the jerk. One would think they wrote the damn thing just for us..."
I shuddered a little a the thought, making her giggle.
"I'm sure it won't be that bad" she tried to reassure me. "You worked together before, right?"
"Not exactly" I tapped my chin. "We played together in the street, back before my interview, and also at the Rock Festival, but that's that"
"You spar quite often, though"
"Haruka, there's a difference between working together and beating each other up"
She offered a sheepish smile, making me laugh despite my situation. Then, I glanced back at the script, before letting out and heavy sigh and letting myself fall on the bed.
"Well, nothing to do about it" I stifled a yawn. "I'm sure we'll manage. We're both pros, after all"
"I'm convinced you'll be great!" she assured.
I smiled at he confidence, wishing I possessed the same.
Romance never was my thing, but it might be another way to improve my acting skills. Plus, I learned my lesson from last time: feel the emotions, don't fake them, right? Still, the damn kiss at the end will be awkward…
In the end, I just shrugged and decided to roll with it.
Maa, whatever. It'll be a pain with or without anyway.
We both sat at opposite seats in the limousine. He put on his headphones before letting his gaze wander outside. Myself plugged my earphones, before opening the book I had brought with me.
Not really noticing, I started humming under my breath.
"Shut up"
I raised my eyes to the Senior, who was half-staring, half-glaring. Not exactly appreciating receiving orders, I forgot about being an adult and pulled my tongue at him, before humming louder.
So mature, Ary, so mature.
This time, the glare was full. Then, he grunted and looked back outside.
Before he started humming too, even louder.
Well, this is going to be a loooooooong ride.
I stared up at the hotel with a certain awe. I knew we were going to live with loads of luxury, being the main characters and all, but damn.
"Close your mouth, squirt. You're embarrassing"
My good mood instantly disappeared. We had managed to ignore each other after our little humming issue, but of course he had to start acting like a jerk again.
"And you're an annoying douche, what's your point?" I huffed back.
He was about to reply when the moviemaker and director of the shooting arrived from pretty much nowhere with a big grin stretching under a heavy mustache.
"Ah, such youthful spirit!" he exclaimed happily. "That's exactly what we're looking for! Such hard-working youth, keep up the good work! Keep the best for the shooting, though, won't you?"
Is he blind or just stupid? We weren't acting!
Apparently asking himself the same thing, Ranmaru just scoffed as I crossed my arms over my chest.
What a drag…
"Oh hell no"
A voice in the back of my mind snickered at our united deadpan, but I couldn't bring myself to really care at the moment.
"Communicating rooms, really?" I whined, making my way inside.
"Shut up" he gritted his teeth, apparently not happy with the situation either.
It was gigantic, and very luxurious with everything one would need and beyond, but both of our rooms were facing each other.
At least we don't share the bathroom.
"Damn it"
At the Senior's curse, I looked over to where he was, and facepalmed.
I so jinxed it.
Because of course there only was one bathroom. A ginormous bathroom, but one nonetheless. I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming.
"Well, nothing we can do about it" I then remarked, heading for one of the rooms. "Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours. How does that sound?"
"Manageable"
With that, he went in his room, but not before I could clearly catch the 'though I'll probably won't see you either way, pipsqueak' before it was fully closed.
Fuming, I entered mine and threw my bags on the side, before letting myself fall on the bed with an heavy moan of despair.
Scratch the drag from sooner, this is going to be pure hell.
When I woke up the next morning, it took me a few seconds to remember everything that had happened.
Romance movie with Ranmaru. Common apartment.
With an heavy sigh, I dragged my feet to the kitchen, intent on getting breakfast, and was kind of surprised when I found the Senior already up. At the sound of my arrival, he took his attention away from the frying pan in his hand for a second, and gave me a quick onceover before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You look like shit"
"Well, can't be fabulous 24/7, can I?" I replied, stretching my limbs.
He snorted at my retort, adding nothing else and returning to his cooking. For a second, I was tempted to ask him if he could make me something too, before shaking my head and grabbing some bread in the cupboard. We both kept silent, apparently none of us feeling like fighting so early in the morning.
Guess it'll be our status quo moment of the day.
I spread some peanut butter on my toast, before going to sit a the table and started eating, wishing for a second that we had some strawberries.
"You can't seriously eat that for breakfast" Ranmaru snapped.
I stared at him for a moment, confused.
"Dude, I can't cook to save my life. Trust me, that's the safest breakfast I can manage"
A loud 'tche' followed and, next thing I knew, a fuming omelet was placed before me as he scooped my dear toasts away. I gaped as he quite literally threw my precious breakfast in the trash can.
"What the hell, man?"
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" he scolded. "If we're going to work together, I can't have you collapsing in the middle of the shooting just because you were too dumb to get some real food"
"Don't I feel loved" I drawled.
However, I started eating nowadays. I couldn't exactly start filming with an empty stomach either, could I?
My eyes widened at the amazing taste.
"How can you be such a jerk yet cook like some damn God or something?" I protested.
He bowed with a smug smirk, apparently very satisfied with himself, and I flicked some of the omelet at him with a slight scowl. For only answer, he returned to cooking his own breakfast.
Well, guess morning is our truce.
I opened the door to get in the bathroom, only to freeze for a second, before slamming it shut with a mortified expression.
"I'm so sorry! I forgot!" I yelled to the man still inside.
There was an acknowledging grunt, and I went back in my room with an heavy breath, just glad he had had a damn towel around when I entered.
Note to self: next time, knock on the damn door.
The bathroom incident forgotten and the breakfast truce far off in our memories, we were now on the set where we would start filming. It was a private school, and the headmaster had agreed to let us shoot there –it would promote his establishment, after all- while pretty much all of the students accepted to be figurants.
No doubt it's to oogle the jerk, though. How he has so many fans with a face like his, I'll never know. Probably the eyes…
"Ready?"
"Hai!"
"Three, two, one… go!"
I glared at Ranmaru, who glared back.
Currently, we weren't acting.
"Kids, kids-"
"We're not kids!" we both barked at the moviemaker, who recoiled.
I retuned my glare to the Senior once more, who sneered at me with a straw between his teeth, ice tea in hands.
"What the hell was that?"
"Ad-lib, genius" I spat, crossing my arms. "Something you should know about"
"Your ad-lib's worth shit!"
"So is your attitude, yet do you see me complaining?!"
"Alright, you two, break it off!" the man, called Rikei, stepped in once more. "Sheesh, when Saotome-san told me you'd fight at each occasion, he wasn't kidding… are you sure you're up for romance?"
"We're pros" I instantly replied, calming down a little. "What happens behind the camera won't happen before it. We know what we're doing. Well, I do, at least"
"Know what you're doing?" instantly scoffed my partner, sipping his cold drink. "You're improvising half of the time, and the rest is sheer, God damn luck!"
I grew colder at that, facing him with all my might –which wasn't much, considering he was way taller than me- and narrowing my eyes.
He implied I have basically no talent in acting, didn't he!?
"What's that supposed to mean, jerk?" my voice dropped dangerously low.
Unaware of the danger, he leaned down to my height, as if mocking me.
"What do you think, squirt?"
Instantly, I pulled back my fist before slamming it straight to his face. He caught it before it could make contact, much to my disdain, but I used his smug momentum to make him loose his balance and threw him on his back, making him harshly hit the ground. At the moment, though, I couldn't bring myself to feel bad.
"Don't engage in battles you can't win" I spat.
However, as I made my way towards the exit, something very cold ran down my back.
He did not…
I shuddered, feeling his ice tea dripping down on my skin.
He did!
"That's it, you're dead!"
"Bring it on!"
Quite needless to say, we were done shooting for the day.
After the staff team managed to break off our fight, we came back to the hotel, tension almost palpable but none of us uttering a word. As we entered, I saw him nursing his side, and I distinctly recalled having gotten a particularly nasty hit there.
Bruising, isn't it?
But now, I was starting to feel bad. The both of us had acted like true children that couldn't agree on anything, but I had been the one to open the physical hostilities.
He instantly went in his room and slammed the door. I cringed a little, lightly touching my shoulder for a second.
Though, I didn't get out of it uninjured either.
If it was his kick or myself having stretched too far, I would never know, but I would have to let it rest for a while if I didn't want to aggravate it.
… maa, whatever. He got it worse anyway.
But that brought back my guilt in full.
With a silent curse at my stupid conscience, I went to the bathroom to gather the medical kit, before going to knock on his door. As soon as I did, though, he started playing his bass.
Loud.
"Damn, stubborn asstard…" I muttered under my breath.
I wasn't giving up, though. I felt bad, and I wanted to apologize, and I was going in there to at least offer him some ice, whether he wanted it or not.
I thought for a moment. The door was obviously locked, and he wouldn't be the one to open it. I could try breaking in, but that would only make him madder. Plus, I didn't have an hairclip with me.
The window!
Running back inside my room, I opened the window and peered outside. We were at least twenty meters above ground, but the edge of the decorative balcony was large enough for at least two people to walk on, and Ranmaru's window wasn't far.
Yosh! Let's go!
I put the medical kit in my bag, before placing it on my shoulders tightly. Then, stepping out carefully, I stood on the edge. I took a few seconds to enjoy the wind blowing, before slowly but surely making my way to my goal.
Not even a minute later, I was there. Ranmaru was on his bed, still playing. I knocked as loud as I could, and it was enough to draw his attention. His eyes widened when he spotted me, and he instantly dropped his bass to open the window.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" he exclaimed, and I instantly slipped inside.
"You wouldn't let me in" I shrugged, getting the bag off my shoulders.
He glanced back outside, taking in the height I had just braved, before sending me back an incredulous look.
"Have you… did you just come through using your own window!?"
"Yes"
We both stared for a few seconds, before he sat back on his bed with a shake of his head, muttering 'crazy' under his breath. Taking it as a good omen –he hadn't kicked me out, yet-, I pulled the medical kit out of my bag before sitting next to him. He instantly stiffened when I grabbed the hem of his shirt.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Raping you, obviously" I replied, sarcasm dripping from my voice.
He glared a little, and I sighed, running my fingers through my disheveled hair.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I started the fight, and it was childish of me to react that way. Now shut up and let me at least apply some ointment, or you're going to have a really nasty bruise for the next few days" I ranted.
He blinked, then scoffed and grabbed his bass once more, playing more quietly this time around. Seeing as he didn't protest anymore, I took that as permission and lifted the hem of his shirt again, revealing his side.
Just as thought, it was turning to a greenish blue.
Damn, did I hit him with the chair or something? Pretty sure he escaped it, though…
I took the ointment from the medical kit, before applying it as gently as I could. His fingers faltered on the strings for barely a second, though if it was because of the pain or the coldness of the medicine, I wouldn't know.
When I was done, I put a bandage on it, before closing the medical kit with a satisfied sigh.
"You're welcome" I rolled my eyes when he said nothing.
"You're the one who gave it to me in the first place" he retorted as I got up.
"Yeah…" I cringed. "Oops?"
This time, a slight smile tugged at his lips.
Well, guess he forgave me after all.
"Come on" he suddenly ordered, getting up.
"Uh?"
He grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him. I bit back a groan when I felt the uncomfortable pull on my somewhat injured shoulder, but didn't say anything and simply followed. He threw me my shoes, putting on his own.
"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, puzzled.
"Just come on" he huffed.
I was tempted to give him the finger and go back to my room, but something hold me back. So, deciding to just roll with it, I quickly put on my own shoes before following him outside.
It was warm, enough so that we only had our jackets on. There were many, many people outside, but none seemed to recognize Ranmaru or I, even though there were a few stares here and there.
Then again, this place is a little recluse to the rest of the world. It's small, but calm. Nice, somewhat. Boring, but nice nowadays.
I blinked in surprise when he leaded me into a café with a sympathetic ambiance.
However, I decided not to comment on it, and simply followed his example as we sat in one of the boot, facing each other. The waiter soon brought us some water, and I finally decided to ask.
"So, what are we doing here?" I sipped on my drink.
"If we want this to work, we'll have to do it together" he replied instantly. "Fighting like we did on set cause unnecessary trouble to the crew and we slowed everyone down today"
"Agreed" I sighed at that, leaning back in my seat. "So, you're proposing a truce of some sort?"
He nodded firmly, and I didn't even have to think about it, knowing it was the best course of action.
"Alright" I nodded. "How about that? We can fight as much as we want off set, but act like the pros we're supposed to be when shooting. We owe this much to them, for putting up with our antics"
"Seems feasible" he hummed. "Morning is off limits too"
"Noted"
With that, we fell silent, and the waiter came to take our commands. Once he left, though, I couldn't stop myself.
"You're paying"
"What?"
"You dragged me out here, so you're paying" I repeated.
"Tche"
I wasn't one to leech off from people like that, but annoying him was fun.
Plus, free food is free food, no matter who it comes from.
We lasted exactly five days like that.
He made breakfast for the both of us, seeing as me in the kitchen would equal to World War Three, before we went to the set for the shooting. As agreed, we didn't fight on set. We would send some jabs at each other, but both of us never took it far enough, not wanting to incommode the shooting crew, who was making great efforts to make our life as comfortable as possible.
Then, since we usually ended around three or four, we would either pick a fight –holding off for a whole day isn't as easy as it sounds- or go back to the hotel and do our things while ignoring the other. As for supper, we either ate whatever he made or what was brought by room services.
Of course, peace never lasted long.
It was the seventh day of the filming. We were in a class already full of real students who had agreed to figure in the movie –then again, who wouldn't?- and the staff members were doing some last minutes preparations. However, as soon as I sat to the desk assigned to me, I was surrounded by a group of five male students.
They were cute, I'd give them that. However, the sheer arrogance lightening their faces made me sneer a bit. However, being a professional, I simply smiled at them.
"Can I do something for you?"
"How about we do something for you, sweetheart?"
Fuck my life.
"Or not" I deadpanned, placing a few books on the desk. "You should go back to your assigned places. We're about to start shooting"
"Aw, don't be like that, angel" smiled another, leaning too close to me for my liking. "You're interested, it's pretty obvious"
Interested in hanging your damn intestines to the ceiling like fucking Christmas lights, yes.
"I'm really not" I assured. "Now back off. I don't like people invading my personal space"
"Ooh?" a third raised an eyebrow, lacing an arm around my shoulders. "Too… intimate, perhaps?"
I clenched my fists. I couldn't hit any of them, or the school might forbid us to keep filming here. So, I was about to use diplomacy once more when the boy was forcefully pulled away from me. I turned a surprise glance at Ranmaru, who was staring impassively at the five of them.
"What do you think you're doing, brats?" he asked coldly. "Get to your places already"
"H-hai!"
They instantly left, and I was about to thank the grey-haired man when he turned a somewhat heated glare at me, bringing down the sloght feeling of gratitude I felt towards him.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, you ask them" I retorted, annoyed. "They're the idiots who came hitting on me, you know? And why are you acting that way? I can take care of myself, thank you very much"
"Yeah, obviously" he snorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I slammed my hands on the desk, getting up to face him despite the glances sent our way.
"You're a girl" he shrugged.
I gaped at that for a few seconds, unable to come up with an answer, before good resolutions flew by the window as anger overtook.
"I thought you were many things, Kurosaki Ranmaru, but certainly not some- some chauvinistic pig! One would think you'd be of the firsts to know that I can defend myself without any problem, what with all the times I kicked your fucking ass!"
"That's not the point!" he retorted in the same tone, visibly growing annoyed too. "You don't- you're a girl! You wouldn't understand!"
I clenched my fists, very tempted to break his nose just to prove my point, but hold back when I realized all the stares directed our way.
We promised we wouldn't cause them any trouble.
Taking a deep breath, I swallowed back my insults and pride for the moment, promising myself to let it all out later, and shot him a cold stare.
"You ought to listen to your own advice" I proposed, voice like ice shards. "Get lost"
He opened his mouth to reply, before actually taking a step back and going to his own place without another word.
I clenched my jaw.
Never thought he'd be sexist, of all things.
Ranmaru was not a happy camper.
He had to make a romance musical with the STARISH female pipsqueak. Then, he had to deal with her attitude. Her temper shorter than she was –which was quite a feat, if you asked him- got him fired up, for some unknown reason, and situations to which he would usually answer with calm or a gruff turned to real nuclear explosions around her.
Don't take him wrong, though. He didn't hate the girl, or even disliked her, for that matter. In fact, to some extent, he could find some respect for her. After all, she was an excellent drummer and knew her rock –which instantly put her in his good books, of course-, she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and was honest, sometimes painfully so –two qualities he could genuinely admire, it wasn't often that you found that kind of people in their industry- and she was also fun to rile up, if he was to be honest with himself.
What he didn't particularly appreciated was how easily she could see through him. It felt like she could read his mind, and the fact that she wasn't even afraid of using his ow n thoughts against him scared him. She was a great listener, and her words were always right, from the few he had heard, but how she could understand so much from one simply look, one single statement, made him feel transparent and, frankly, it bothered him.
He had sported a mask for the most part of his life, mainly when his band broke apart. Hell, everyone did. But then, she came along, and everything suddenly got very complicated. She didn't care about appearances, saw through the lies as if the truth was public knowledge all along, and he always felt wary around her, on edge. Sometimes, having someone like that was refreshing, fun, almost peaceful. Other times, he fell back in his old, protective habits and built back his walls lazily, just enough so as not to let her in.
It was an endless game where there could be no winner, where one step ahead meant three strides backward.
Since the arrival of STARISH, he had started to open up to his new group, and he was more and more showing the real him to QUARTET NIGHT. His world, which at first only kept himself and his music, started letting others in. Reiji had been first and, much to his annoyance, Ai and Camus had been close seconds. Ren and Masato had somehow managed to get a pass too.
But not Arya.
No, Arya forced her way through without an ounce of effort.
Ranmaru didn't like change this much, not when so brutal and certainly not when he was the main concerned. So, for the younger girl to so easily break through his barriers was quite disarming and confusing.
"If I ever had to choose between my friends or my career, they would always be my first choice, without an ounce of hesitation"
That's what she told him the day after the Rock Festival. He had been stunned at that time, easily understanding what she meant that way: she already considered him her friend, like all the others at the Agency.
And now?
Now, he was stuck. He had too choose whether to fully accept the friendship offer and just roll with it, or he could instead push her away again and be done with the whole annoyance.
The man sighed heavily, letting himself fall on his back on the bed.
What to do…
He had to choose soon enough, he knew that much. He couldn't keep this up forever, or he'd have wrinkles before age. Plus, the longer he waited, the harder it'd be.
He slapped his hand against his face with a groan.
Why am I acting that way? She's just some stupid brat with idealistic dreams and a serious ego issue. Why should it matter?
But it did matter, and it only aggravated him even more as the answer slowly became clear in his mind. In the end, he had chosen a long time ago, but merely decided not to acknowledge it.
But now, I fucked up, he admitted to himself, thinking back to sooner's events. She's not weak, I'd be the first to know. I didn't mean to sound so sexist, but she had to understand that sometimes, diplomacy isn't the best course of action. Had I not intervened, they would have kept on insisting. That's how guys like these worked, and girls often fail to realize that just saying 'no' won't work on their kind.
He groaned again, feeling a headache coming.
She sure is a pain in the ass, isn't she? Damn squirt.
I was humming under my breath, tapping my drum sticks on whatever in my reach, humming a soft tune under my breath.
My anger had died down, only to leave place to disappointment and somewhat bitter understanding. I knew he did that to help out, but his comments on me being a girl and how he implied I couldn't take care of myself wasn't something I took too well. I always forbid myself to be weak. The weak don't last long in this kind of industry, after all. So, when he said that, I just… snapped, a little.
He probably hadn't even meant it that way either. Stupid feminism impulse.
"Breaking The Habit, uh?"
I jumped, not having heard him open the door, and shot him a slight glare. While I wasn't one to usually hold grudges unless having a very good reason, I was still pissed and, honestly, a little hurt at his earlier comments. Having my sparing partner, of all people, telling me I'm not strong enough, wasn't exactly praising.
"Something to say?" I raised an eyebrow, my tone cool.
"The cold shoulder, really?" the man drawled, leaning on the doorframe. "Gonna sulk for a little longer or you coming with me?"
Without leaving me time to answer, he left. I was extremely tempted to 'sulk a little longer' and stay in my room, when he called from the hallway.
"I'm paying!"
Well, I cursed under my breath, before following after him. Free food is free food.
"A karaoke bar?" I blinked in surprise.
"You've never been to one before, have you?" he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"How'd you even know that?"
"Heard you talking about it to the red-haired girl" he shrugged.
I hummed, easily remembering that one particular conversation. Tomochika had made a very big deal about me not having gone even once to a karaoke bar ever since I came to Japan, so I wouldn't be surprise if the whole agency knew.
"Come on"
I trudged after him inside, trying my best not to gawk at the uniqueness of the building we had just entered. It was small, compared to some I had seen back in the city, but with a homey feeling, of some sort. There were many people chatting animatedly around, but not enough to feel like you were choking, and the music wasn't too loud either.
We took a table not far from the stage were some girls were performing, and he called for two drinks. When they were brought a moment sooner, he decided to talk.
"I'm sorry"
"For?"
I knew he'd apologized. Hell, why else would he have brought me here? However, while it might seem a bit pushy, I wanted him to apologize while knowing what he did wrong. Else, he wouldn't learn and might do it again.
He made a face at my question, but seemed to get the idea behind it. However, the answer wasn't as easy to find, if the glint of wonder in his eyes was anything to go by.
"For… intervening?"
"Nope" I shook my head, crossing my arms behind my head. "I'm thankful that you did, actually. Couldn't get the guys off my back"
"The girl comment?"
"In part" I nodded, hiding a smile.
He's actually trying. Could it be he finally warmed up to me? About damn time too…
"I… don't know" he finally admitted, allowing a scowl to grace his lips. "What did I say?"
"That I was weak" I retorted.
He blinked, taken aback.
"I never said that"
"You implied it when you said I couldn't take care of myself because of being a girl" I recalled calmly.
"But I never-"
"I know! But just… tell me if I get it wrong: I'm glad you stepped in when you did, I really am. However, after you sent them away, you reacted that way because you thought I was just letting them walk on me and thought I didn't understand that just words wouldn't work on them. It annoyed you, because you know me better than that, and then thought that maybe, being a girl, I wouldn't understand the simple concept that guys like those didn't understand the meaning of 'no' and took it on yourself to protect my dignity, or whatever you call it. However, when you tried to explained, it came out as a sexist remark and we then we both lost our cool at that"
He stared for a long moment, before the corner of his lips twisted in a smirk.
"You really are something, aren't you?" he grumbled without any venom.
At that, I allowed myself to smile back.
"Meh, I try"
With that, I raised my glass to his.
"So, friends?"
I was ready to see him just scoff at me and down his drink, or maybe do the toast at least without saying another word, but he actually hit his glass against mine, not even looking away.
"Guess so"
I felt strangely… happy, at that.
So he really is acknowledging me, then. Good.
"Aw!" I exclaimed giddily, throwing my arms in the air. "You finally came out of your tsundere phase! I'm so proud of you!"
He rolled his eyes at that, mumbling what I caught to be a 'damn brat' under his breath, and I grinned cheekily.
"If I'm a brat, then you're the old man"
"I dare you to say that again, squirt" he narrowed his eyes at me.
"O-l-d m-a-n" I drawled each word.
"Asking for a fight?"
"Maybe"
After a second, he chuckled while I just laughed, falling back in my seat.
"We should spare when we get back, though" I mused. "Don't want your joints to get too rusty, or you might catch arthritis"
He clicked his tongue, and threw some water at me. I made a face, about to send some back, when an hand fell heavily on my shoulder.
"Hello, dearest. Haven't seen you around before"
Are you fucking serious!? Now, of all times!?
I turned to the boy next to me. He was sporting a wolfish grin and was still intruding in my personal space.
"Back off" I ordered flatly. "I'm really not in the mood for this"
"Aw, come on! I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind sharing you for a dance or two" he leaned closer to my face, but I instantly pushed him away.
"Get lost"
But it was pretty obvious he wasn't going to. Taking a quick glance at Ranmaru, I saw him pretty much ready to jump in. Our eyes met for a second, and I shook my head in a negative motion.
Let me handle it.
He narrowed his eyes, before sighing soundly and sitting back down, however not fully relaxed.
To a certain extent, he seemed to answer.
Well, I could live with that.
I faced the other boy once more, getting up. Then, taking him by the arm, I pulled him through the dance floor, ignoring his rather… unsavory, remarks, to say the least. Then, leaving him before the stage, I went to the DJ near to get a mike.
If my words won't reach, then maybe he'll understand a song.
Warmth emanated from the stone around my neck, fully supporting the idea.
Satisfied, I then climbed on stage as a few cheers broke around, making me smile despite the situation. If there was one thing to know about the people of this town, it was that they were terribly nice, with a few exceptions, of course.
"Hey, is everybody having a nice evening?" I asked, earning a louder round of cheers. "That's good! So, right now, there's a certain boy in the assistance… that song is all for him!"
I could see said flirt grinning madly, probably thinking I had fallen for him or some bullshit like that, and I sent a discreet wink to Ranmaru, who wasn't that far, before some music echoed from the speakers.
Let's go!
Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like
I can always see them coming, from the left or from the right
I don't want to be a priss, I'm just tryin to be polite
But it always seems to bite me in the
Ask me for my number, yeah, you put me on the spot
You think that we should hook up, but I think that we should not
You had me at "hello", then you opened up your mouth
And that is when it started going south
Oh!
Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips
Stop your staring at my hey!
Take a hint, take a hint
No you can't buy me a drink, let me tell you what I think
I think you could use a mint
Take a hint, take a hint
T-take a hint, take a hint
If the boy was deaf or just a plain idiot, I wouldn't be able to tell. He was clapping and cheering along with the rest, probably still not understanding it was addressed to him alone.
Maybe he had a drink to much, I mused.
I guess you still don't get it, so let's take it from the top
You asked me what my sign is, and I told you it was "stop"
And if I had a dime for every name that you just dropped
You'd be here and I'd be on a yacht
Oh!
Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I'll punch you in the lips
Stop your staring at my hey!
Take a hint, take a hint
No you can't buy me a drink, let me tell you what I think
I think you could use a mint
Take a hint, take a hint
T-take a hint, take a hint
The guy tried to climb on stage to join me, but I pushed him back down in the dancing crowd. They caught him, laughing, themselves understanding.
Take a hint, take a hint
I am not your missing link
Let me tell you what I think
I think you could use a mint
Take a hint, take a hint
Take a hint, take a hint
The bar erupted in loud whistles and applauds, and I bowed once before giving back the mike to the DJ, who winked and gave me a thumbs up before starting his music again. Then, more or less easily, I made it back to the table.
"You just have to get attention, don't you?" Ranmaru remarked as soon as I sat.
"Can't help being amazing, can I?"
He snorted at my reply and was about to add something, when his eyes narrowed on something, or rather someone, behind me.
"Let me guess: he's still here"
He didn't even have to answer. However, as I turned around to this time give him a straight piece of my mind, Ranmaru punched him straight in the face. I blinked as the boy slumped on the floor, but anyone could easily guess it was more because of the alcohol than the hit.
"I could've taken take of him" I pouted a little.
"I know"
I stared in surprise at the Senior for a second, before shaking my head and drinking the rest of my water, another smile stretching my lips.
Guess he learned after all.
"I told you to let me go!"
"And I told you that I couldn't!"
Before I could react, Ranmaru leaned in and kissed me. My eyes widened as he pulled away and placed his forehead against mine.
"I can't. Not now, nor ever"
…
"CUUUUUUT!"
I pulled away from Ranmaru as the moviemaker and the rest of the staff applauded the good work. The shooting was done, now, and the musical would come out in a few weeks at most.
"Well, guess that's done" I remarked, stretching my arms. "I had fun, though. It was nice working with you, jerk"
"Whatever, squirt"
I laughed at he shoved his hands in his pockets with an aloof expression, though the satisfaction brought by a job well done was obvious in his eyes.
Wait a second. Wasn't that… yes, it was!
"Eh" I realized, a little late. "That was my first kiss"
It didn't really matter that much to me. First or last, a kiss was a kiss in my mind, and the statement was more of an offhanded remark than anything else. However, Ranmaru's face broke into an expression where mixed horror, fascination, wonder, confusion and… wait, was that fear?
How one can show so many expressions, I'll never know.
"What?"
"That was your first kiss? Why didn't you say anything!?"
"Dude, it's a kiss, big deal" I rolled my eyes.
"You don't understand" he practically seethed. "Your oh-so-precious friends are going to skin me!"
I opened my mouth to comment about how ridiculous that sounded, before backing down, deep in thoughts.
Actually… knowing them, they probably will.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, I guess" I finally answered.
He facepalmed, making me laugh as I spun on my heels to go get some ice cream from the machine the staff had set a few days ago. I was feeling up for something sweet right now.
Still, for what it's worth… it was a nice first kiss.
Omg! I had so much fun writing this chapter! The song is Take A Hint from the TV Show 'Victorious'.
So, some might believe she overreacted, or that Ranmaru was just plain stupid, but let's see it both ways. For Ranmaru, Arya is a strong woman, so when he saw her 'letting' the boys walking all over her like some damn piece of meat, it angered him to no end, for he knows that she's worth much more than that. And, when he had to explain to her, well... he was still stuck in his tsundere phase, so he couldn't talk without hiding eveyrhting under some rather sexists comments.
For Arya, he basically said that she was weak because she was a girl, something that mustn't be exactly fun to hear, and even more from a guy she spars with very often. He was basically saying she wasn't worth anything despite her best efforts. When she calmed down, she realized it wasn't how he intented to say it, but the hurt was still here.
Otherwise said, they're both imbeciles, but that's how you loved them.
And... ah ah! Pretty sure you hadn't expected their first kiss to be like that, uh? Oh, I love myself so much at times...
Reviews are love, I really expect some feedback for this chapter!
PS: Who got a little heart attack when reading the first sentences of the chapter? ;-)