Chapter 3: Is it a date or is it fate?

Sagara awoke to see Tessa standing in the kitchen wearing an apron. He groaned slightly; his back hurt a bit from sleeping on the couch. Hearing his groan Tessa turned with a bright smile.

"Ah, Sousuke-kun, you're awake. I've almost finished making us breakfast."

"That's not really necessary Tessa," Sagara quickly said, standing and moving to help her.

"No, I think it is. Besides I have to do something for you since you are letting me live here." Tessa said sternly, cutting off Sagara's argument with a wave of a knife under his nose. "Just relax and let me make breakfast okay, Sousuke-kun?" Tessa said with a bright smile. Seeing that Tessa was enjoying herself, Sagara reluctantly left her to make breakfast. Feeling his protesting muscles and his tiredness, Sagara took a shower while Tessa was still busying herself in the kitchen.

Tessa heard the running water and fought the urge to go and peek on Sagara. She knew that he would know if she started peeking, what she needed was a valid excuse to go into the bathroom. 'This isn't quite how I had hoped it would be,' Tessa thought sighing heavily. She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard the running water stop. She was even more startled when she saw half-naked and still dripping wet Sagara walk from the bathroom and go into the bedroom. He only had a towel wrapped around his waist, and his hard muscled body gleamed. Scars from numerous conflicts criss-crossed his body, creating patterns and designs. His hair was in that ragged cut that Tessa found irresistible, and before she realized what she was doing she had taken several steps after Sagara. Shaking her head and blushing furiously she banished those thoughts from her head, 'There'll be plenty of time for those thoughts later on, after he's used to me being around. Who knows? Maybe they might just come true!' Tessa thought excitedly.

After breakfast, Sagara took Tessa on the promised trip around Tokyo. He was wearing loose jeans, and a red singlet over which he wore a black shirt with the buttons not done up. Tessa was wearing a mid length blue skirt with a pale blue sleeveless top that also exposed a lot of neck. Sagara had begun to sweat when he had first seen Tessa in these clothes. 'Ca…Tessa certainly has grown' Sagara caught himself thinking, his eyes on one piece of her anatomy.

"And, do I look good, Sousuke-kun?" Tessa asked, doing a little whirl, blushing because she knew where Sagara's eyes had looked. 'He actually reacted to me!'

"Eh…" came Sagara's trademark response.

Tessa was enjoying making Sagara sweat, so she pouted as she said, "Don't I look good?"

"Ugh…"

"Are you saying I look bad?" she asked, fake tears in her eyes.

"Uhm…"

"You're soooo cruel, Sousuke-kun," she said exaggeratedly, turning her back on him.

"No, you look good Tessa," Sagara finally managed.

"Yaay!" Tessa said with a little hop, before latching onto Sagara's arm.

"Uhm…" Sagara stared, uneasy at the close contact.

"Do you have a problem, Sergeant?" Tessa said dangerously.

"Uh…no. No problem at all." Sagara said quickly after seeing the dangerous glint in her eyes. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, but how will we travel, I haven't got a train ticket yet…" Tessa pouted.

"It's not a problem." Sagara said calmly, leading Tessa to the garage.

"YAAAYYY!" Tessa yelled from the back of the motorbike.

Sagara sweat dropped, "Do you think you could keep it down a little, Tessa?"

"But this is so much fun! Faster! Faster!" she squealed. Sagara sighed but went a little faster, cutting through traffic and generally being a hazard on the road.

Sagara pulled up outside the park where he usually met with the gang he was part of. "Uhm…this is…" Sagara started, trying to think up a good cover story.

"Ohh, this is a nice park," Tessa cut in. "Can we catch a boat on the lake?" she asked, grabbing his arm as soon as they had disembarked from the bike.

"Ahh…Tessa, I think it is a good idea that you let go of my arm." Sagara said, squirming slightly under all the gazes that they were attracting.

"Why? Don't you enjoy it?" Tessa asked teasingly, oblivious to the stares.

"No, it's not that, but people may think that we are…" Sagara struggled.

"We are what?" Tess asked, knowing what Sagara was trying to say.

"Uhm…" came the certified Sagara lost for words reply.

"Well?"

"Uhh…"

"I'm waiting," Tessa said impatiently.

"That we're a couple," Sagara said quickly.

"That's a good idea, I'm glad you suggested it!" Tessa said, snuggling a little bit closer.

"I didn't mean it that way, Tessa!" Sagara quickly exclaimed, trying to withdraw his arm.

"But I want to take it that way!" Tessa said angrily, still clutching his arm with no intention of letting go until Sagara gave in. Somehow Sagara had the feeling that he was betraying Chidori by just having this silly conversation.

"Tessa…" Sagara began

"NO! It's Tessa-chan from now on!" Tessa said.

"Tessa…chan," Sagara said after an internal struggle.

"It's the perfect cover, Sagara-kun, it allows us to say why I'm back and living with you without getting into awkward situations!" Tessa interrupted.

"Well…" Sagara started.

Tessa cut him off again, "And it's also an excuse of why you always guard me and things like that!"

"Fine!" Sagara said tiredly, and then grinned, "I could never win an argument against you, Tessa-chan."

"You learn fast!" Tessa said proudly, then grinned evilly, "But we are going to have to practise doing some things that couples do!"

"Like what?" Sagara said edgily, he was starting to feel like a trapped animal.

Tessa quickly took out her mobile, "First you need to have my number on your phone and vice versa," Tessa said, obviously enjoying herself. They traded numbers before Tessa continued, "Secondly you need to get used to holding hands with me, or me holding your arm, you can't start sweating and acting weird every time I do that!" she continued.

"Uhh…" Sagara said, trying to take in the flood of commands. The flood didn't stop until they reached the boat rentals where Sagara hired a boat and paddled them out to the middle of the park lake.

Tessa reached into her backpack and took out two obentos, which were filled with food.

"Itadakimasu!" they both said, as they ate the delicious lunch that Tessa had prepared for them. Half way through the meal, Tessa put down her chopsticks, and turned an uncharacteristically serious face towards Sagara.

"Sagara-kun, I must apologise."

"What for Tessa-chan?" Sagara asked.

"I'm being difficult with you, but you don't complain, just go along with it. Without complaints or arguments or any of that."

"It's not a problem." Sagara said, waving the apology away with his chopsticks.

"It is a problem, I really want this to work out…" Tessa quickly blushed and cut off her sentence. Sagara caught her meaning. He had learnt a fair bit about human behaviour since he had left Mithril a year ago. He had finally understood all those secret glances and blushes that she had sent his way over the years. He was flattered, but couldn't help shaking the feeling that he was doing something wrong. She was, after all, his commanding officer and such a relationship should not exist between Captain and Sergeant. 'Although that may be what she found so exciting about me…' Sagara thought glumly. He did like Tessa, in the same way he liked Chidori, but for entirely different reasons. Tessa was caring, shy, cute, quiet and gentle, almost the opposite of Kaname. Kaname was loud, brash, bold, and violent but was forthright and honest in most things. Tessa was a girl you protected; Chidori was a girl you were protected from. Sagara was torn. Now that Tessa was no longer his commanding officer, now that both of them were not military personal but civilians Sagara was worried about how their relationship might change.

"Like I said, it's not a problem. Not for me. I like you the way you are." Sagara said, 'Was it too much?' he immediately thought, "Ahh…sorry…" Sagara started, but when he caught sight of Tessa's beaming face the rest of the words died in his mouth.

"Thank you, Sagara-kun. That means a lot to me." Tessa said, slightly breathlessly.

"Besides I'm used to just going along with what girls say, Miss Chidori trained me well!" Sagara said with a laugh.

Tessa glared at Sagara, "Sagara-kun, another rule, don't mention Chidori around me unless it's something to do with school or about a life and death situation!"

Sagara sighed; getting those two to get along seemed to be an impossible task. Sagara however stashed it under the 'Things that may happen, but more likely is Jesus' rebirth tomorrow!" heading in his mind.

"Let's go to an amusement park!" Tessa said brightly, and Sagara paddled them back to shore.

"I must admit that I do not fully enjoy amusement parks, they seem rather boring compared to some of the situations I have been in," Sagara stated.

"Oh, just try and enjoy yourself," Tessa said as they remounted Sagara's motorbike.

A shadowy figure watching the two raised a radio to his lips, "She has just left the park, someone is with her, but he doesn't seem to be anyone important, and he is not on the files; maybe her boyfriend."

Tessa and Sagara stood before the entrance to Uorakuen theme park. "It's been a really long time since I've been in a theme park!" Tessa exclaimed, holding Sagara's hand.

Sagara looked around, remembering the last time he had been here, he had been watching Kaname in a date with another guy who was an old senpai of hers, and the mixed feeling he had had. He also remembered the stunt he had pulled with the Fumo suit when the yakuza had attacked Chidori; he hoped nothing like that happened this time.

"What are you thinking about, Sagara-kun?" Tessa asked, when she noticed the distant look in his eyes.

"Ehh…I was just thinking what ride I wanted to try first" Sagara quickly said.

"I think I should be in charge of that! If I let you, you'd probably just take me on all the roller coasters and things like that!" Tessa said with mock anger, before leading the way into the theme park.