Chapter 16: Awkward Moments
"Everyone packed and ready?" Freya asked them the next morning.
"Yep!" Eiko replied as she shot out the door towards where the Hilda Garde 3 was parked. (hm…parked…)
"W-wait for me!" Vivi cried as he tried to follow her. He almost made it out the door without tripping…but alas…he tripped in the doorway and his hat went flying.
"Whoa! I think you lost this, kiddo," a voice came from outside. Tristan came in and helped Vivi up. "Careful, wouldn't want to hurt yourself you know."
"Th-thanks," Vivi mumbled as he put on his hat and straightened it. He then ran off after Eiko, who had been waiting a little farther away.
"So, Tristan, what are you doing here?" Freya asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh I just wanted to say good-bye…" He looked around.
Freya grinned. "Heh, she's not here."
He looked at her startled. "Uh, er, what?" He looked down. "So, uh, where'd she go…?"
She grinned again. "She went out for a walk. Wanted to take one last look before we left."
"Aaaaahhhh…I see. Thanks Freya!!" he shouted as he bolted out the door.
She turned back to her room and smiled to herself. "Heh…kids these days…"
"This one is pretty…"
Miranda leaned down and plucked a beautiful white flower.
"I'm sure Garnet will like them, Miranda," a muffled voice said behind her. "But…don't you think this is enough?!"
She turned around and laughed. Chris was struggling to hold all the flowers they had gathered already.
"Haha…lets put them down and arrange them into a bouquet or two," she said as she relieved him from his load.
He sighed in relief. "Thanks! Those thing were starting to prick me!"
"Laugh out loud!" she laughed as she started to arrange them. "Thanks for helping, Chris. I probably wouldn't have gotten as much without you helping to carry them!"
"Hmph…probably would have gotten twice as much…" he muttered.
"I heard that!" she yelled as the shacked him upside the head.
"Ow! Geez, sorry!" he grumbled and turned his back to her, his arms crossed. "You're not my friend anymore…"
Here we go again…she thought. "Aw come on!"
He kept his back toward her. "No."
"Grr…why not?"
"Because…"
She bopped him on the head. "Come on!!"
"Ow!! Hey watch where you're hittin' people! I sometimes why we're even friends," he said jokingly as he got up and dusted himself off. He turned around expecting to see her, but only saw empty space. "Miranda?" Now where did she go…? He spotted the flowers on the ground and picked them up. Hope I didn't say something wrong…He looked around. "Oh great! I lost her! Freya is going to kill me…Miranda?! MIRAND??!!"
His only response was silence. Chris looked around frantically and found an area of broken brush. "She had to go that way!" He ran forward and plunged into the thick underbrush. "This has to be it!" He kept going on and soon saw the end of the trail. The sound of water falling soon reached his ears as he stumbled into an opening. Miranda???" He stopped short and sighed in relief. There she is, thank the stars!
Miranda was standing on the edge of the basin of a large waterfall. She seemed to be lost in thought and Chris was debating whether or not to go over there when he tripped on a root. Miranda turned around surprised then covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Chris looked up sheepishly. "Eh…hiya!"
She shook her head then walked over to him. She held out her hand. "How you tripped, I'll never know."
He took it and hopped up. "Eh…hehe…" he laughed nervously. "Oh yea! You, er, left these," he said as he handed over the flower.
She blinked. "Thanks."
"No problem." He looked around. "Nice place."
"Yeah…I heard the water falling. That's why I ran over here."
Thud!
Miranda turned around and looked around. She then looked down and saw Chris on the ground. "Did you trip again?!"
Chris got up. "No…I just fell over anime style…"
She blinked then shook her head laughing. "Only you, Chris…only you…"
He grinned. "Heh…but you got me worked up for nothing!"
"…Worked up?"
He looked down. "Er…yea…thought I hurt your feelings or something…" He looked at her embarrassed.
She gave him a soft smile. "Aaawww! Aren't you a caring guy!" she exclaimed as she hugged him.
Chris turned bright red for a moment then pushed her away. "H-hey now!"
She laughed at him. "You should see yourself! Haven't you ever been hugged by a girl before?'
"Well, yea, but I didn't li-" He covered his mouth then turned around red again.
She looked at him quizzically. "You didn't what?"
"Uh…forget it, haha!" He said turning back around laughing nervously. "It was nothing! Nothing at all!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Riiight…well we'd better get back."
"Yeah! They're probably worried, heh!"
She looked at him for a moment then shook her head as she walked back into the woods. What a nut case…
Chris followed her, mentally admonishing himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid…you almost blurt it out you idiot! He heard another voice answer in his head, I know, I know…but I guess I now know that I do like her… At that he looked up and stopped. "Hey…Miranda?"
She turned around and looked at him expectantly. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No, no! Everything's fine!" he said nervously, his head behind his head.
She blinked. "Then what is it?"
"Uh…who do you like?"
She nearly fell over. "Is that all? Well like what I've been telling you, I'm not telling."
"Aaaawww!! Come on! Can't be that hard! It's not like I'm going to tell."
"Why do you want to know so much," she said a little huffily as she turned back around and continued walking.
"Because I want to knooooow!" he pleaded after her. "I have to stay up to date you know."
"What, so you can see who's taken and who's not? Forget it."
"! That's not what I meant!"
Miranda was laughing inwardly. "Riiight…and I thought you were different from all the other guys."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She started laughing. "On the defensive, eh?"
"Grrr…I'll find out soon enough!"
"Hah! It'll be as easy as tracking down Martians in another universe."
He stopped and grinned. "Are you challenging me?"
She continued walking. "I'm not challenging anyone to anything. I'm just stating that you CAN'T do it."
He ran to catch up with her and walked alongside her. "Sounds like a challenge to me."
She waved a hand dismissively. "Think what you like."
"Hey guys!"
The stopped short and saw a figure heading toward them.
"Oh, it's Tristan," Miranda said. "Hey," she greeted as Tristan came up to them.
"Howdy. The others are waiting at the airship. They're getting kinda impatient."
"Oh, well then we better hurry then." She looked around. "Er…where are they exactly?"
Tristan smiled. "Heh, I'll show you guys a short cut. Follow me!" He walked off the path into the woods, his tail swaying from side to side as he hummed a tune.
Chris and Miranda followed close behind him, Chris formulating a plan. I'll figure out who she likes…but I have to tell her that I like her soon or that Tristan might…he shuddered involuntarily. I don't know why but I get this bad feeling from that guy…
Miranda glanced at him and noticed him thinking deeply. Hm…guess I won't bother him…must be thinking of a way to get me to tell him who I like. HAH! Ain't gonna happen buddy, no siree…She smiled little to herself. I can hold out. What can he do?
They were so into their thinking that they almost ran into Tristan who had stopped short. He motioned them to stay silent as he drew his sword. He crept toward some bushes then suddenly jumped back as a bandersnatch leaped out. He grinned. "Is that all? Well then…" He brandished his sword and went into a battle stance. "I'll take care of this."
"You sure about that?" Miranda asked worriedly.
Tristan grinned at her. "This is just too easy. Watch."
And watch they did. As it charged at Tristan, he raised his word, sidestepped the charge, then brought the blade on the head of the monster, slicing it in half. Not a sing drop of blood had landed on Tristan. He wiped his blade on the grass clean as the bandersnatch disappeared into thin air.
"That was awesome!" Miranda exclaimed amazed. "It looked like you did it in one swift motion."
"Practice. That's all it is."
"Show off…" Chris muttered under his breath.
"Do you think you could show me??" Miranda asked, not hearing Chris.
Tristan smiled. "I'd be glad to! You'll be one of the best swordsmen in Gaia!" he said as he put an arm around her.
Chris was about to clobber him when Tristan did that but stopped short when Miranda moved his arm off her.
"Er…if you would kindly not that, I would feel much more comfortable." She said a little curtly.
Tristan smiled. "Heh…sorry about that!"
"You'd better be…" Chris muttered. "Come on Miranda…" he said as he walked ahead.
She blinked. "H-hey wait!" she yelled as she ran after him.
Tristan walked behind them, frowning a little. Hm…so Chris apparently likes her…that's not going to work…the master will not be pleased…
They soon reached the awaiting Hilda Garde 3. Freya came out and waved them over. "Hurry up! Everyone has been waiting for you!"
"Coming!" Miranda called back. She then turned to Tristan. "Would you like to come with us?"
Chris looked up. "What?!" he exclaimed. "What about the others' say?!"
Tristan grinned, looked at Chris bemused. "Freya said that I could tag-along if I wanted to when she told me to find you guys."
Miranda tried to calm Chris down. "Take it easy," she muttered, "he's a good fighter…"
"But! But!" Chris protested.
She smiled at Tristan. "One moment…hehe…go ahead and board, we'll be on in a minute," she said as she pushed Chris into a group of nearby trees.
He blinked. "Ok! Don't spend too much time though!" He boarded the air ship and went to tell Freya.
Miranda turned Chris around and looked at him. "This is very unlike you, Chris, is something wrong?" she asked.
He looked away. "…No…"
She blinked then grinned. "…Are you jealous?" she asked leaning forward a little.
He jumped back. "Wh-what?! Me jealous?! HAH!"
"Riiiight…then you shouldn't mind him coming."
"But the way he acts around you! Don't you feel uncomfortable?"
"Er…"
He looked at her shocked. "Unless…unless you don't mind that kind of behavior!!!"
She stared at him in disbelief. "Chris! I can't believe you could even think that I would like that! I absolutely despise that kind of way unless I liked the person, which I don't, so therefore, I DO feel very uncomfortable."
"Oh…ok."
"But! He is a good fighter, and that would help us greatly during our journey."
"…I guess so…"
She gave him a smile. "So come on. We've delayed long enough."
He smiled back. "Ok."
They finally boarded the airship. Kristin yelled at Miranda for taking so long.
"Yeesh…sorry!" Miranda had said.
The engines roared to life and they headed toward Burmecia.
Author: AAAHHH!!! SO LATE! VERY LATE!!! Well I have up to chapter 21 + written. I had done that over my spring break vacation to Spain so be happy -.- Well a lot of things are going to happen so hang on tight! Hopefully I'll have typed up to chapter 21 by the end of next week. And guess what? I'm going to Japan this summer! :D well I'll keep working!