At last, Ayato and Haruka have admitted their feelings!  I hope that you enjoy the second part of the piece!

AvatarEnd: I'm glad that you've liked my story so far, hope you like the rest of it, too. Thanks for your encouragement!  I appreciate reviews, they let me know people are reading, and keep me motivated! 

Discliamer: RahXephon and its characters are the property of their respective owners, this piece is not for profitable purposes.

Chapter 24: First Date

"Look at me, Kamina-kun, here I am crying about something that makes me so happy, how silly I am."

I smile at her and, after she puts the music box on the table, I reach over and hold her hand.

"I certainly don't think so, Mishima."

She smiles and wipes away her tears with the other hand.

I stand up and walk over to her side with my arm outstretched. She takes hold of my hand and stands up.

Still holding her hand, I say, "Mishima, I was thinking, well, it might be nice if we, well, wandered around in the district, you know, looking in the stores, and well..."

"I'd love to go on a date with you, Kamina-kun," she responds brightly.

With that, I say, "Here, I'll carry the gift Mishima."

"Thanks, Kamina-kun."  I take my hand away and carefully place the music box back in the bag and hold it in my left hand. To my surprise, Mishima takes hold of my right hand, and smiles.

"Let's go!" She shouts as she points outside.

"Ok, Mishima."

I open the door and she walks through, and I follow.

"Where would you like to go first, Mishima?"

Before I know it, she starts running.

She finally stops in front of what appears to be a clothing store.

"Let's go, Kamina-kun!"

I smile and say, "Sure, Mishima."

As we enter, we separate and she starts looking at what the store has to offer. I remain standing near the door, not sure what to do.

Already holding three outfits, Mishima comes back to me and asks, "Is something wrong, Kamina-kun?"

"Oh, no, of course not, I just figured I'd wait while you pick out some outfits to try."

She laughs and I give her a confused look.

"I should have been clear when we come, I want us both to try stuff on, I think it would be fun, don't you?"

"Oh, ok, sure, that sounds good, Mishima."

"Let me know when you've found some clothes, and then we can model for each other!"  Mishima says excitedly.

"No problem."  With that, she runs off again, and I smile as she comments to herself about how 'pretty' or 'cute' outfits are.  I wander over to the men's section, and after a little while, find a couple outfits I think look good.  I go back to the women's section, and see Mishima loaded down with outfits. She gives me the thumbs up sign and we go to the respective dressing rooms to change. After I finish, I come out and wait for Mishima. She comes out soon afterwards in a yellow t-shirt with some buttons near the collar, a pair of jean capri pants, and a yellow bandana in her hair.

I smile and say, "That looks great on you, Mishima!  Very pretty."

She blushes and says, "Thank you, Kamina-kun!"

However, I notice her facial expression changes to one of disgust. Why?

"Oh, Kamina-kun, what were you thinking?"

What is she talking about?  She comes over and points at my outfit as she shakes her head no, "Kamina-kun, an orange shirt and black pants?"
"What?"

She pats me on the back and says, "Don't worry, Mishima Haruka is here to help!"

Still confused, since I think the outfit looks fine, I shrug as she runs off again, but this time to the men's section.

She comes back soon with a pair of blue jeans and a short sleeved light blue shirt with a stripe that is a slightly darker blue on the inside and white on the sides, which runs the length of the sleeves and horizontally across the chest and back.

"Here you go, Kamina-kun.  I know that blue is your favorite color, so I'm sure that you'll like this."

"Ok, Mishima."

So, as Mishima waits, I go in and change and come out.  Mishima smiles and claps, "Ah, that's so much better!"

I blush and put my hand behind my head, "I see."

She suddenly grabs hold of my hand and walks me to a mirror.  I smile at the reflection of the two of us.
"See, what'd I tell you, Kamina-kun!" she says looking at me and smiling.

After trying on a few more outfits, we decide to visit some of the other stores.  We walk together, holding hands. One of the first ones we see sells disposable cameras, one of which Mishima proceeds to buy. We take picture of each other as we walk along, and even ask passer-bys to take pictures of the two of us together. We go into a candy store, where I buy Mishima some Pocky, which we eat as we continue on our way.  The next place we find is an arcade, and Mishima and I play a car racing game for a few rounds, laughing as we see each other often going off the road and crashing into the side.  At a flower stand, I buy Mishima a sunflower, which she excitedly accepts.

After walking some more, I spot a café nearby, and realize I'm feeling sort of tired and thirsty.

"Mishima?"

She looks at me and says, "Yes, Kamina-kun?"

I point to the café and say, "Would you like to go there, Mishima?"

She looks where I'm pointing and says, "Sure!"

With that, she races off again, but this time I'm not caught off guard. 

We both order coffee and go to one of the tables outside and sit down.  We take some more pictures before drinking in comfortable silence.

Mishima puts down her cup and says, "I've had a really nice time today, Kamina-kun.  This is my favorite birthday of all."

"I'm so glad that I could share it with you, Mishima."
"But this wonderful day, it's only the beginning, isn't it Kamina-kun?"

"Of course, Mishima, I'm looking forward to many more times like this, the two of us together."

"So am I, Kamina-kun."

She smiles and the two of us finish our coffee.

Realizing it's late and that Mishima has to go home, we collect our belongings and leave the café, once again holding hands as we walk back to Mishima's home.  As we walk along, I wonder if she would mind if I kissed her good bye, I'd really like to.  As we arrive at her house, she holds both of my hands in hers.

"Thank you again, Kamina-kun, for today."
"It was great, Mishima."

I notice her leaning forward, so I move in towards her, still nervous but determined.  She closes her eyes, and, for the first time, our lips touch.

After a few seconds, I pull away and smile.

Mishima smiles while she blushes and says, "I'm so glad my first kiss was with you, Kamina-kun."

"The same goes for me, Mishima."

We stare at each other again, Mishima then says, "I'll talk to you later then, Kamina-kun?"

"Sure, Mishima."

As she is turning to go, she says, "I love you, Kamina-kun."

"I love you too, Mishima."

She then smiles and makes her way to her house.

After she enters, I walk away, thankful for this day and all the others I will spend with Mishima.

Next Chapter

Asahina