Continued...

"Would...would you like to go for a drink sometime?"
Kai was mentally beating himself up. How could he, Kai Hiwatari, have stuttered like that, and what's worse how could he have done it in front of another person whilst saying that!
Kai stood there awkwardly. He really was at a loss as to what to do.
"Erm...sure." The girl replied. She took a napkin out of the holder on the bar and wrote something.
"This is my number." She said, smiling as she handed Kai the napkin.
"Well. Goodnight then." He said quickly to the barmaid as he picked up his jacket and slung it over his shoulder.
"Goodnight." She called to Kai's retreating back. "And by the way... My name's Jiraya!"
...

Chapter 5.

Kai stood with his eyes closed just letting the hot water run over his face. Last night was now just another memory to him. He still couldn't believe that Ray had thought that he and Sarah would have anything in common, although the night hadn't been completely bad...
Kai stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy white towel around his waist. He walked into his room and over to his neatly organised desk. On the desk was a solitary pale green napkin with a phone number scrawled over it. He picked up the napkin and looked at it. He didn't really know why he wanted to look at it, he just did. He guessed that it was because he still couldn't quite believe what had happened the previous night. Kai put down the napkin and got dressed. He had a certain someone to see later on and he had no intention of being late.

"Hey Kai...Hey!... You don't look happy." Ray finished his sentence a little tentatively. "Did you not like Sarah? She's nice. Honest. Well I thought she was. Kai?... Kai?"
Kai advanced on Ray who was looking a little frightened now, seen as Kai wasn't actually replying to any of his questions, but was instead getting closer and closer to Ray.
"Come on Kai. It can't have been that bad..." Ray now had his back up against a wall with Kai mere inches away from him. "Kai?" Ray squeaked almost inaudibly.
"Ray...I..." Kai began, but after seeing the look of terror in his friend's eyes, he decided that Ray had been punished enough. It really was amazing the effect that Kai's glares could have on people, even on people who weren't usually scared easily. Kai instead decided to do something that ended up frightening Ray even more. He stepped back from him and... stuttered...
"Erm..."
A look of genuine fear and then concern crossed Ray's face as he peered into the face of his usually cool and collected friend who appeared to actually be... if it was even possible... nervous?
"Kai? What's wrong?" Kai could have backed out there and then but something told him that Ray might be the only person whom he could talk to about this.
"I need your help with something." Kai said, trying desperately not to look pathetic, which was how he felt at that present moment in time.
Ray paused for a second absorbing what his friend had just said. Kai needed his help? Kai needed anyone's help? Ray looked once again into Kai's face and decided that it must be serious if he had had to come down to the level of a normal person and ask for help.
"Ok. I'll help you. Let's go inside, I'll make some coffee and we can talk."
Ray always had this way of making people feel comfortable, no matter what the situation. It probably had something to do with being a teacher of young children and the fact that Ray always had had a very kind and generous nature. He was a good listener and everyone knew that. It was these qualities that made him so good with the kids at school. He never talked down to them; he always treated everyone he met with the same respect.

"Here." Ray placed a steaming mug of black coffee in front of Kai who took a very tentative sip at it, as it was a little hot even for him. Ray sat opposite Kai with his own mug of very milky, sweet coffee.
"So what is it you'd like help with?" Ray asked in his most soothing voice. Kai's head was telling him to just shut up and go now. He couldn't believe he was even considering this. It just wasn't like him, but he had to understand it.
"Last night was... not how I expected it to be. Sarah was definitely not my type."
"Ok. I thought she might have been alright. She's always very nice at work, but never mind, at least you tried."
"Hn."
"Well, that's obviously not what you need help with, but I can't imagine anything you would ever need my help with." Ray looked at Kai quizzically. He seemed to be struggling with words today and it was not like him. Well sort of not like him. Kai didn't usually say much, but that wasn't because he didn't know what to say. It was because he just didn't say much.
Kai looked down into his coffee and sighed.
"I met someone."
Ray almost spat his coffee all over the table in shock. Had Kai just said what he thought he'd said? Kai had actually met a girl? And he wanted to talk to Ray about it? He quickly regained his composure seeing the look in Kai's eyes clearly saying that he really didn't want to be having this conversation.
"Do you like this someone then?"
"I don't know. I don't even know why I asked her out. I don't understand."
Kai again looked into his coffee and sighed.
"It's alright Kai. It's not a bad thing to ask a girl out. It just shows you're human. You have feelings; you've just not been willing to show them until now." Ray chuckled softly at the, dare he say it, fear in his friend's eyes. He clearly didn't know what he was getting into, and this was when Ray suddenly realised why Kai was having so much trouble talking; why he was here, having this conversation with him.
"You've never asked anyone out before have you?"
Kai didn't say a word. He simply looked at Ray; his usual stalwart expression on his face.
"You've never been with a girl before?" Ray suddenly understood his friend's problem. He was scared; scared of letting go, of actually feeling. He'd spent so long being closed off to others that he didn't know how to open up. Ray began to wonder what was different about this girl that Kai had decided he wanted to open up. They say that when you meet someone, you know there and then what they are going to mean to you. Was this what had happened to Kai? Ray wasn't sure but he had a feeling he was going to find out...