Storm
He looks… looks so… distinguished. And… he seems so serious. Slowly and shyly, Uriko shifted her head slightly, glanced off to the side, catching the eyes of a few of her school peers, noting the knowing grins on their faces. Shrugging a bit at them, she looked away and tightened her grasp around her dancing partner's neck, pressing her soft cheek against the crisp black material of his suit. She felt heat radiating from his lean body, bringing a soothing feeling to her own, and the comfort ensued a dreamy smile to brighten her features. His warm palm was resting on her back, his fingertips still continuing to circle upon her bare skin, and she sighed breathlessly when she felt his lips gently brush across the side of her forehead, near her temple, where her prom date had kissed just a day ago…
"Ahem, excuse me!" A high-pitched voice squealed from over her shoulder, jolting the feline up from her comfortable position, and she stepped away from her zoanthrope compatriot, turning around to identify who was speaking.
"Wendy…" the cobalt-haired ninja mumbled, removing his arms from Uriko, but stood closely by her side. "You're back."
"Damn right I'm back!" the girl's vivid green eyes were flickering with visible annoyance. "But I bet you sure as hell wish I wasn't, so you could keep on dancing with her!" She pointed an accusing finger at the aforementioned.
"Am I not allowed to dance with other people?" He inquired coolly, fixing a nonchalant look at her. "You are not my keeper, Wendy. I have free will."
"Yeah, whatever, but, but, with… with her!" She continued jabbing a digit in the other female's face, who moved backwards to avoid being touched.
"And what is wrong with Uriko?" Kenji asked calmly, raising a brow in amusement at the scene unfolding before him. "I could be dancing with another girl aside from her; but would that really make much more of a difference?"
"Yes! Yes, there is a difference!" Wendy countered in a low hiss, glaring at the Kenpo student; thankfully, the other teenagers around the trio paid no attention to their dilemma. "Her, her, her! It's always her! Uriko's freaking always number one to you, isn't she?? The apple of your eye, Kenji-kun! Why don't you just stop giving us girls hope, and go out with her already, so at least we know you're taken and wouldn't keep on trying to get your attention!"
…Eek. Uriko blushed in embarrassment when she saw that a few people had noticed what was happening between the three, and turned their heads in the direction with curious eyes. Oh God please let this be over quick, let this be over quick…
"Do you have something against a guy and a girl just being nothing more than best friends, Wendy?" the mole zoanthrope inquired, crossing his arms over his chest, avoiding commenting on her earlier exclamation. "I have no interest in dating. Why can't you and your friends take the hint? I'm young, I have to concentrate in my school studies and prepare for my future; you and your popular crowd can't even plan what you're going to have for lunch next week! We're just one year away from graduating, which will come up sooner than some may think, and you're worrying about which girl at our school is going to date me?"
He paused to shake his head. "It's time to grow up and stop fawning over petty issues like this, Wendy. To be honest, when I started this school in my freshman year, I anticipated being alone until the day I graduated; I never intended befriend or get close to anyone. But," he gazed at the auburn-haired girl standing next to him with fondness shimmering in his dark irises, "that apparently changed. And I'm not unhappy with the results. I am pleased that I have a best friend, and I couldn't care less that she's of the opposite sex, just as long as she is there for me when I need someone, and she has been."
Kenji… Uriko tilted her chin up to look at him, her mouth slightly parted in surprise at his public, revealing admission, and felt wetness prick at the corners of her eyes. A fast-paced, noisy song had started up a minute ago, and had fortunately drowned out most of the conversation they were exchanging, so that any inquisitive ears surrounding the trio presumably had not heard everything.
But the popular redhead did not seem fazed by his declaration, and instead twisted her lips into a cold, knowing smile. "Best friend my ass, Kenji-kun. If any of my friends did of the things you did, or looked at me the way you do to her, then I'd give myself a nice, fat reality check slap. I don't care what you say, how you try to deny it, but I know now that you do like her, you just don't wanna admit it, or maybe you're scared to."
All of a sudden, as if hit by a mood change, Wendy flashed him a bright, cheerful grin that was evidently fake, and announced aloud, "I'm soooo sorry Kenji-kun, but I just can't be with you anymore; I've got way too many other admirers to pay some attention to! I'm sure you understand!"
His eyes widened and his lips thinned into a line, obviously agitated by her exaggerated show to defend her own reputation, while dealing damage to his pride. She never cared about him, but instead loved the hunt, the conquest and adrenaline rush of pursuing him, and after she got what she wanted, he would probably be discarded for another candidate. He nodded, finally realizing her initial intention, and felt a surge of anger rise in his throat that he was so foolish in not realizing that earlier. Flames of ire leaping in his bleak pupils, Kenji fought the insistent, inward urge to wipe the smug look off her face, and bit at her icily, "Sure, Wendy. I understand perfectly."
"Alrighty then!" she chirped cheerfully, reaching over and squeezing his arm firmly with a sly wink, "Ciao!" Turning around, she immediately waved to a friend, and rushed over in the direction, leaving him as if his presence of little importance had never even been there in the first place.
The dark-haired ninja gazed toward where the redhead disappeared off to for a full minute, before instantly pivoting to one side and pushing his way into the crowd of dancing teens. Gasping softly in shock at what just happened, Uriko shook herself out of the stunned state and started to follow her zoanthrope compatriot, weaving through the cluster of students. He walked so quickly, and she soon realized that he was heading for the double door exits of the hotel, as if he direly wished to leave the place right at that moment. She quickened her pace, gripping the thin strap of the small black kitten purse in one fist and splaying her other hand over her chest in effort to jog.
"Kenji!" She called to him while he stepped outside into the breezy, diamond-sparkled night, but did not obey her command and continued strolling away from her. "Hey Kenji, wait up!!"
"What do you want?!" The sixteen-year-old male snapped, whirling to face her. "Why did you follow me out here? Don't you want to go back inside with your sweetheart, Dakinasha??"
"I… um…" she glanced down briefly, then nervously met his eyes. "Th-thanks for sticking up for me back there… you know, with Wendy. You really didn't have to screw up your reputation for me though-"
"That little show wasn't for your sake, my dear," he drawled coolly with sarcasm tainting his words, hazy brown irises flashing defensively at her. "I just happened to figure out what buttons of Wendy's to push in order to tick her off, and thankfully, I was right so now she's off my back. I don't have to deal with her anymore, and I couldn't be more elated." He hissed lowly, "But don't be getting a big head in thinking that performance of mine was all for you, because the world doesn't revolve around Uriko Nonomura."
Her vision grew blurry, but she hurriedly blinked the tears back. "I-I never said you did that all for me, I was just thanking you for… for coming to my defense when Wendy was lashing out at me about… about our friendship." The Kenpo student clenched the hand on her chest into a shaky fist, being careful not to wrinkle her formal prom outfit, while her body trembled with emotion. "B-but then you go and… and say those things…"
He sighed heavily, and raised his arm to touch her shoulder, but she stepped back from him, partially circling around and starting to march away, the flat bottoms of her low heels clicking as they came into contact with the concrete ground. Gritting his teeth in frustration with her and himself as well, it was he this time that trailed behind the retreating figure of his companion. Sensing his presence right behind her, she broke into somewhat of a run, as her shoe wear made it difficult to stride very quickly. Persistently, Kenji continued following her, catching up to her shivering form with no trouble, yet when he attempted to stop her by taking a hold of her elbow, she threw his comfort off. "Uriko…"
"Leave me alone, quit following!" the feline exclaimed, pivoting to face him while resisting the urge to slap him across the face since she was so annoyed at his sudden change of attitude. "What's with you and your mood swings lately? You're angry one second, and comforting the next, why, Kenji? Why do you keep changing like this, from Dr. Jerkill to Mr. Hyde? And if you try to blame this on hormones or something, I'll shove you down on your butt."
His lips quirked into a slight smirk and his eyes twinkled at her teasingly as he chuckled, reaching his arm across and barely brushing his fingers against her cheek. "Now that is the former passionate-emotion friend of mine with her fiery temper whenever she feels is necessary to portray them, if I remember correctly."
"Whatever…" she mumbled under her breath. …I wish I could go home now.
"Don't deprive yourself of deserved credit," he told her matter-of-factly, snagging a stray strand of her long brown bangs and gently tucking it behind her ear. I should get going soon… I have no desire in remaining at the prom until it ends; there is no possibility that I can last to midnight's arrival.
"Stop with your sweet words," she murmured, jolting in surprise when a clash of thunder sounded from above and rain pelted downward from the dark gray clouds lingering in the area overhead.
Looking up, Uriko blinked when a wet drop landed near her right eye, and immediately lowered her face, making a run back for the secure shelter of the hotel. The chilly wind encircled her body, biting at the vulnerable bared skin of her back, and a flicker of a wince was all the signs she showed of discomfort. Ducking his head down, her schoolmate followed her example, pacing right by her side, not wanting to ruin his suit on his very first time wearing it. As the two proceeded over to the tall, looming building, the raindrops fell harder, the forcefulness making it seem as if little pebbles were descending from the sky.
"This is great, just great," the auburn-haired student complained breathlessly as she shook her head, sending sprinkles of water spraying all over the place while her hands absentmindedly brushed the water droplets off of her dress. She entered the hotel through the front door instead of around the side where the prom event was located, and when her companion portrayed a curious look, she explained, "I don't want to go back to the prom anymore than you do, trust me."
"…But why?" he inquired, raising a brow at her while a suspicious glint lingered in his pupils as he snorted in disbelief. "After all, I'm sure you wouldn't want to abandon your friends in there, as well as your precious date, or maybe I should refer to him as your beau instead."
"Oh, hush up already," she hissed, feeling a bit impatient with his snootiness. "If you despise me so much, Kenji, then tell me to go and I will, all right?? But don't make me stand here and put up with your little attitude problem! I'm trying to offer my company so that you won't be alone - quit trying to drive me away unless you really mean it, unless you really want me to leave you here. By yourself. For who knows how long, until that stupid storm outside ends." She glared at the wetness slicking the hotel windows, as if angry at the interference preventing her from leaving and returning to her residence. "Hey, what about your car, did you put the roof-"
"-Down?" Kenji finished her question, then allowed a partial grin to grace his lips. "For once, Wendy's complaining actually did something good; while I was driving to this hotel, she kept moaning about how the wind was messing up her hair or whatnot, so she made me put down the roof." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Hm, I suppose that earlier episode was fortunate, for now that a storm has hit, the interior of my convertible can remain intact."
"Uh huh, sure, as long as your car is okay, you know." There was a slight teasing edge to her tone of voice. "But I wonder how long the rain is gonna last. It'll be over in twenty minutes tops, right?"
"I don't know," he answered, stealing a quick look at the clock. "It's almost ten o'clock. Hopefully the storm will be gone by fifteen after, but there's no telling of or control in the weather's strange patterns."
She sighed, and strolled over to one of the many chairs in the lobby of the hotel, plopping down onto the soft, royal blue cushions, then placed her elbows on the armrests, motioning for her companion to do the same. After he had sat down next to her, the sixteen-year-old female unzipped her purse, and took out a small rectangular carton, tilting toward his face. "Wanna play cards while we wait?"
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile, he nodded in agreement, and she listed a few choices as she dealt out the appropriate number of cards. The two spent an unknown period of time enjoying the games with each other while wet drops splattered across the outside of the large windows of the building. There was little need for conversation, and only the hotel receptionist witnessed the ongoings between the pair, like the furtive glances they would shoot each other occasionally. An innocent brief touch of his arm from his school peer would make the ninja flush faintly, and he'd quickly try to rid of the emotion, hiding his inner thoughts within the safe sanctuary of his mind. Sometimes, non-verbal expression was the best form of communication for the duo, even though there would always be that inward inquiry wondering what the other was thinking.
"Grrr! You beat me this time!"
Kenji laughed softly, throwing the girl a confident smirk as he chimed in, "Yes, finally, after how many other rounds? About thirty? You're a lot better at Speed than I am, and to actually win you just a single round is amazing and a rare result to witness, that's for sure."
"Hrmp, I let you win that time and you know it," she retorted, but stuck her tongue out and winked at him to show that she was kidding.
"Oh?" A grin formed over his lips. "Not willing to admit that perhaps you are not unbeatable, as you have claimed numerous times before when it is clearly obvious that it's indeed the opposite?"
"Aw, be quiet, Kenji!" She scolded playfully, flicking a card that flew straight into his nose, then giggled joyously. "Teehee, got ya!"
"Brat," he kidded with a low chuckle, then his eyes happened to catch sight of the clock that hung upon the wall again. "Hey, look at the time… it's already a little past eleven…"
With a surprised expression, Uriko followed his gaze and discovered that he was right, but a quick glance at the windows informed that the storm still had not ended, and it was getting late. "So, what're we gonna do…? I mean, it's going to be midnight before we know it…"
He shrugged, then cautiously suggested, "Well, worst comes to worst, we could rent a room here overnight if the storm is still going on by the time it's twelve. Better than trying to drive all the way home with slippery roads; I don't want to risk getting into an accident or anything of the sort."
"But you have to have a credit card to rent a room at hotels, Kenji," she responded, giving him a slightly skeptical look. "Unless you suddenly got one this morning or something, I don't think you have a credit card…"
"My brother lent me his - with a spending limit, of course," the cobalt-haired teenager informed her with a wry grin, reaching his hand into his pocket for a black leather wallet, and flashed her the card securely tucked in its plastic pocket. "Maybe it's a good thing that he and Alice are out of town right now, that way, they won't be here to worry about us not coming home if we should have to resort to staying overnight at this hotel."
The feline sighed quietly, turning her head to glance outside, where sheets of rain were still pouring down from the sky, and she could make out the slick wetness gleaming from the streets. The few people that were strolling along the sidewalks all had umbrellas prompted up over their heads and even that protection did not save their clothing from being doused with water. Averting her attention back inside, the sixteen-year-old peered down at her formal red attire, brushing her fingers across the smooth, satin material. Her lengthy auburn bangs fell upon her forehead, grazing briefly against her eyelids, and she pursed her lips upward, blowing them away from her face.
"You know what people are gonna think if they find out we rented a room together overnight." She phrased that as a statement instead of a question, but then gazed at her companion and inquired, "Wait, or do you?"
He ground his teeth inside his mouth, managing to answer, "Yes. I am not as naïve as you assume me to be."
"All right then." The Kenpo student arose from her seat, gathering the stray playing cards together and tucking them back into the little box. "Just so you know the risks; now, are you still willing to rent that room?"
A cool, emotionless smile grazed his expression and he stood up as well, fixating his light brown eyes at her, intimidating the girl to take a small step backwards. "Is there a reason why you are acting so tentative about staying in a hotel room overnight with me? Are you afraid that I will try to coax you into bed, Uriko?"
She gasped softly at his bluntness, and turned her face away as if she were unfamiliar with the very notion of his presumption, but her blushing reaction betrayed her emotions. "Kenji! What a thing to ask!"
"Worry not, my dear." Kenji assuredly her apathetically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation as he started walking toward the front desk, his wallet in hand. "I won't do anything to you. I'm just trying to provide you shelter, a temporary place to stay; it's not necessary that you have to make wild assumptions that question my character, now is it?" He then muttered to himself underneath his breath, "I'm not Dakinasha, after all."
With a heavy sigh that wracked her body, the female teenager ducked her head and followed after her zoanthrope compatriot, and despite his mocking words, she was unable to deny the pounding of her heart that grew fiercer. A suspicious yet wicked little part of her mind anticipated and pondered what could happen between them if they did in fact rent a room together. Staying overnight alone in a hotel room on prom night… She shook her head aimlessly, trying to convince herself that nothing would happen, since this was Kenji after all, who treated her with no more interest than that of a friend. You never know… the voice within whispered spitefully as she halted when arriving right beside the ninja, and she bit her lip a little in nervousness, and could not deny the premonition that insisted this night was going to be more meaningful than she gave credit for.