Yay! It's summer time! :) So glad to be done with school.
Here is the long-awaited, long-promised KaoEmi chapter. XD And it's super long (over 5000 words!) as an apology for the delay lol. Thank you everyone who followed and faved! And of course, review reply time!
NinjaOfSilence: Lol, thanks for the feedback! :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Rabbit: Thank you for the review! ^-^ I hope you'll like this chapter, even if Ryuu isn't in it much.
AnimeBestie: You're back! :D Yay, I'm glad you laughed! Thank you for reviewing!
Lotti: Hi! Thank you so much for your sweet, kind review! :) And the feedback - great and so helpful! When you say better paced, do you mean it could be slower or faster? I'll go into the darker, angstier stuff then. ^-^ And I'll do my best to address the other things you brought up. Thanks again!
GlassyTheRosePen: Lol, this time for real. There is KaoEmi for real this time. U And yeah, the meeting was kinda pointless. ;_; I'll try to watch out for stuff like this. Thank you for the feedback! Hearing your opinions helps me see the story from a different view. And thanks for the lovely review as usual! :)
Joliegold09: Thank you for the review! And for reading! :D I hope you'll like this chapter!
JadeCrispy: Aw, I'm glad I could make you smile. ^-^ Mission accomplished! I agree on what you think of the HikaRyuu ship. I prefer avoiding cliches too, but it'll depend on reader preferences. Thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Hello! Yes, some other readers also mention that the story has no "stakes" or threat in it. I'll do my best to fix and change this, but no guarantees! o Thank you for the review!
Otaku's Melody: Lol, I'm so sorry for the delayed KaoEmi. ^-^ Thanks for the input! And thank you for reviewing! :) I hope you like the chapter.
kagomeuchiha057: Hi! Lol, a fujoshi's ultimate dream come true. XD Thank you for the review! Hope you enjoy this chapter.
The Stalker (Guest): Hello, stalker! :) I was motivated to update after reading your review lol. This story is not abandoned. I rarely abandon stories as lively as this one, and if I did, I would notify my readers. ^-^ I usually update once every 2 weeks, that's why. Thank you very much for your kind review! I hope you'll continue stalking my story lol.
Onwards to the KaoEmi!
Haruhi and Hikaru were enjoying themselves now, busy picking out gifts for Kaoru. Emi chomped on her bottom lip while watching.
He's so lucky! I wish I was there instead! Why Hikaru-kun? Kaoru-kun, set me up with Fujioka-kun too!
"Let's go home then," Kaoru said. "It'd ruin it if they discovered us right now."
"Finally!" Ryuu said, springing to his feet. He grabbed Tamaki, who was wallowing in a pool of tears and jealousy. "Let's go back!"
As everyone turned to get in the car, Emi stopped in front of a display case. There was a sleeveless, white summer dress on a manikin behind the glass. Pretty!
Kaoru stopped beside her. "What are you looking at, Emi-chan?"
She glanced at him and smiled. "Ah, nothing. Let's go."
He stared at the dress, before pointing at it with his thumb. "Did you want to get that? It's from a pretty famous designer store."
"Ah, no no." Emi shook her head. It's not like the dress would look good on me anyway.
"Hurry up, Kao-chan, Emi-chan!" Honey called, standing by the open car door. Everyone was already seated inside.
"You guys go back first," Kaoru said.
"Eh?" Emi said.
"Okay!" Honey hopped in the car without a second of hesitation.
"Wait, what?" Emi watched as the car pulled away. Uh-oh, Ryuu is going to freak. He's gonna come running back here all angry and concerned.
"Come on." Kaoru took Emi's hand with a smile. "Let's check out that dress."
"Wait- Huh, what? Why?"
Air conditioning washed over them as they entered, and a worker greeted them by the door. "Could we try that dress on over there?" Kaoru pointed at the display case.
Wait, I still don't get what's going on. Why is Kaoru-kun doing this? Why is he holding my hand?
The worker returned with the dress, and Kaoru dropped Emi's hand. "Okay, go try it on now," he said, pushing her towards the closest changing room.
"Wait, what? Kaoru-kun!"
He pulled the curtain shut for her. "Hurry up, Emi-chan! Don't keep me waiting."
Emi stared at the dress in her hands, and then at her reflection in the mirror. "B-But, Kaoru-kun-"
"But what?" His voice carried easily inside the changing room.
"I-I don't look good in dresses," she said quietly.
"What? I can't hear you," he said. "Will you just hurry up?"
Emi frowned. Then she pulled her hoodie off and donned the dress, keeping her short-shorts on. She looked at her reflection. Yup. It doesn't look good on me. I look so awkward! Anyone can tell that I'm so not fit for this. I don't have the curves for this kind of pretty dress. My waist isn't small enough, and my hips aren't big enough. Plus my upper arms are a bit flabby. Gah this is so embarrassing!
"Done?"
"No! I'm taking it off!" Emi said.
"Why?" Kaoru pushed the curtain aside.
"Gya!" A small squeak escaped Emi. "Uh, Kaoru-kun, what if I wasn't dressed-"
"Why are you still wearing your shorts? Take them off," he said.
"Eh-" Emi shook her head. "No. Dresses don't fit me, Kaoru-kun. I don't look good in them. You can tell too right? I'm just too much of a tomboy for them-"
He sighed. "You don't use any makeup right?"
She shook her head, staring at her sandals.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Cause my mom always told me that I'm a natural beauty and that I shouldn't rely on powder and stuff to make myself pretty. And I don't really know how to use makeup."
"Have you considered getting contacts?" Kaoru reached for her glasses.
Emi quickly stepped backwards. Her hands came up to ward his hands away. "Ye-Yeah. I don't like them. They're uncomfortable and weird."
"Then why don't you pick glasses that are more stylish? These are big and bulky. Kinda like Haruhi's, actually."
Eh? Fujioka-kun wears glasses? Emi's momentary surprise was enough for Kaoru to snatch her glasses off. "Ah! Kaoru-kun!"
The whole world turned blurry. Even Kaoru was just a smudgy blob of two colors: peach and auburn.
"Give it back, Kaoru-kun." She tried to keep her voice level and calm, as she waved her hands around. She wanted those glasses back now, but she couldn't quite tell where they were. Were they in his left hand or his right? Or-
He stepped back outside of the changing room. She heard the curtain close.
"Take your shorts off. You do fit dresses, Emi. I'll show you."
Is he crazy? We aren't in a shoujo manga! There's no way he can do one of those magical transformations, where he turns one nerdy-looking girl into some beauty. Emi thought while taking her shorts off anyway. Besides those mangas are stupid. Just cause a girl looks nerdy, with pigtail and bangs and big glasses- Wait! That is totally me!
She looked at her reflection, but couldn't make anything out. She was barely an inch away from the mirror before she could see her face better. I am one of those nerdy girls. But it's not like those girls aren't cute. They just didn't know how to wear their hair. Me, on the other hand... My skin isn't great, and my eyes don't take up half my face. And I'm not super skinny the way they are. Oh this is so embarrassing.
"Done?"
Emi turned and pulled the curtain aside. "Yeah."
"Okay." Kaoru led her to a seat. Emi could just make out some brush in his hand as he kneeled in front of her and began applying makeup on her.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Where'd you get this makeup?"
"I just bought it," he said. He tilted her head to the side.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Cause I feel like it," he said.
What? You just feel like prettying someone up? Out of the blue? "Oh, I have nothing to do, so I'll just make you pretty."
"Plus, I did drag you out here even though you like Haruhi," he said. "So, this is like to makeup for making you sit through that."
Was that pun on purpose? "Then you should pretty up Tamaki-senpai too," Emi said.
Kaoru laughed. It was a pleasant sound. Kinda cute, actually. "I wouldn't want to even if he paid me."
"Yeah, you wouldn't be able to pretty him up much anyway," she said.
"Well there's not much for me to do with you either," Kaoru said. "Close your eyes."
Emi did. Why am I letting him do this? Am I hoping for some magical moment where I open my eyes, and I've turned into a hot model that all the guys want? Haha, I wish. I'm too awkward and clumsy and not-curvy for this. And I think I'd rather see all the guys going after one guy. Argh, why did Fujioka-kun have to be a girl? It totally shattered my love web and turned it into a boring, cliche reverse harem.
"Why would you think you don't fit dresses when you fit bikinis?" Kaoru's voice was warm.
"Dresses are different," she said. "And I don't fit bikinis. I just didn't want to be wearing a one piece when everyone else was wearing a bikini."
She felt him touch her hair, running his fingers through them.
"What are you doing?" she said, eyes shooting open. Her hands curled into fists on her lap, while she tried to calm herself down and relax.
"Chill," he said. She felt him pulling her hair and twisting it around. She turned and tried to get a good look.
"Hey! Stay still, Emi." She faced forward again, staring partly at Kaoru's chin and his shirt. After a while, she heard a hair tie snap into place, and then he sat back. "Okay. I'm done."
Emi looked at Kaoru, but of course all she saw was a blurry version of his face. "Can I have my glasses back?"
"Sure." He handed them to her. "Why don't you get better glasses?"
She slid them on and relaxed once she saw the world return to its crystal clear way. "Too lazy to."
Kaoru smiled, standing in front of her. "You're a lazy person? I never would have thought so." He held a hand out to her. "Come on."
She took it and let him pull her to her feet. Then she stepped over to the full-length mirror.
OMG! I look so different! Like a model right from a magazine that's been photoshopped beyond recognition!
Haha! As if.
Emi could tell it was her in the mirror. She didn't look all that different except for the fact that Kaoru had pinned her bangs to the side, braided her hair into a short, neat plait, and her eyes looked bigger.
The power of makeup! If you can wield it properly, you can take over the world! Mwahahahaha! Okay I'm going crazy.
"What do you think?" Kaoru sounded pretty proud of himself, and Emi could see why. Yeah, it was her in the mirror, but she was cute. She looked like she fit the dress, not as awkward as before.
"What did you do?" she asked. Her hands went to her face. Her skin was smooth and glowing.
"Just some makeup." He smiled.
The power of makeup! If you can wield it properly, you can - what's even more extreme than taking over the world? Destroying it maybe? Oh! Take over the entire universe!
"Are you magical?" Emi said.
"Huh?" Kaoru chuckled. "No. It's just a skill. I can teach you if you want."
She stared at her reflection, at the girl that was her but wasn't at the same time. "No. I think I like my nerdy look actually." She smiled. "But this is nice every once in a while."
"Let's go then," he said.
"Go where?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She had been planning on changing out of the dress.
"Let's go have some fun." Kaoru slowly smiled. "Didn't I tell you that I was a nice and fun person?"
Yeah. Sure. So?
They checked out other stores. Kaoru gave her some pointers on fashion, what he'd learned from observing his mom at work, and helped her pick out some dresses that would suit her. They went and got some drinks from a store and walked along the streets, enjoying the nice weather and the refreshing atmosphere.
"So do you still like Haruhi?" Kaoru asked as they walked towards no particular destination.
"Yeah," Emi said.
"What?" He turned to her, a confused look on his face. "But now you know she's a girl."
She nodded, and then mirrored his confused look. Then realization dawned on her, and she said, "Ohh. Ryuu didn't tell you? I'm bisexual."
Kaoru gaped at her, still walking forward. Emi had to grab his arm and pull him aside to avoid running into another passerby. "You might want to watch where you're going, Kaoru-kun."
"You're bi?" he said, now glancing between the road in front of him and the girl beside him.
She nodded. "Although I've only ever crushed on one girl."
"What do you like about girls though?" Kaoru asked.
"Whatever you guys like about them," she said. "They're cute, friendly, smell good. But I guess my tastes in girls are different than my tastes in guys."
"What do you mean?"
"I like nice guys. Nice, sweet, gentle, not too loud and crazy guys. But girls… I think I like cute, but loud and outgoing girls, who are fun to be around and just kind of drag you along with their pace. Do you know what I mean?" Emi said, glancing at him.
"I guess," he said with a shrug. He didn't see how she could have two different types depending on gender.
"So Fujioka-kun doesn't quite fall into my type if she's a girl," she said. She sighed. "What a shame."
"So do you still like her?" Kaoru asked. Emi was their first guest to find out about Haruhi's gender and, as a regular guest, clearly had a crush on the Host.
Emi shrugged. "Maybe. Well Fujioka-kun has always seemed more distant. Actually, all the Hosts feel kind of distant. You guys are celebrities at our school. Sacred, untouchable. But now that I know she's a girl, I feel like she's even farther away. Fujioka-kun isn't gay is she?"
"I don't know. She did say once that she doesn't really care about her gender," Kaoru said.
That means I still have a chance! Emi's eyes lit up.
"So then, why don't you like being called Emi-san?"
The light instantly died away. Kaoru was surprised by how quickly it was replaced with a cloudy, darker expression. He was starting to wonder whether or not he should have asked.
"Someone used to call me that," Emi said, sipping her drink. "Still does, actually."
"Who?" He couldn't stop the word from slipping out of his mouth.
She stared at the concrete in front of them, considering what to say. "His name is Kei Sasaki. He's a classmate from middle school. And he's my ex-boyfriend."
Ex? Kaoru almost spit out what he was drinking.
"You are really full of surprises," he said with a small chuckle. "You have an ex? Oh wow. How'd that happen?"
Emi shrugged. This was one of her least favorite topics. "He asked me out in our second year. I said yes. We dated and then we broke up after our third year cause I was going to Tokyo, and I didn't want a long-distance relationship."
There was more to the story. Kaoru could see that, but he decided not to prod any further. It was a landmine topic, something that he had to tread carefully around.
So he just looked ahead and said, "Hm."
"Do you like Fujioka-kun?" Emi asked.
"Eh?" He glanced at her. "No. Not yet. I think. Uh... I don't know."
A wolfish smile crept up on Emi's face, before she was reminded again that Haruhi was a girl, so Kaoru having a crush on Haruhi was normal. Maybe even expected.
Argh! Why did I have to find out? I'm starting to regret coming. No! It's okay, Emi. Just think of Fujioka-kun as a guy! A guy who is an amazing trap! That's right. So the KaoHaru ship can still sail.
"But even if I do like her," Kaoru said. "Well, I suppose it'll take time before Hikaru falls for her."
"You mean Hikaru-kun doesn't like her right now?"
He nodded. "He likes her, but not enough for it to be considered, well, love."
"If you had to choose between Fujioka-kun and Hikaru-kun, who would you pick?" Emi had always wanted to know the answer. If the twins were both crushing on the Haruhi, what would they do? Sacrifice their love for Haruhi for each other? Or vice versa?
"Hikaru," Kaoru said without missing a beat.
Oh wow. She smiled.
"What about you?" he asked. "Ryuu or Haruhi?"
"Eh?" Emi's mouth dropped open.
"If you had to pick between the two of them, who would it be?"
Emi knew she probably shouldn't have to think about this question. She knew the answer. It was always family above friends and friends above boyfriends and girlfriends.
"Ryuu, of course," she said, but she had wanted to entertain the thought a bit longer. What would her life had been like if Ryuu hadn't been born? If she wasn't a twin, a part of a pair? "Kaoru-kun, what's it like being an identical twin? Is it annoying when people mix you and Hikaru-kun up?"
"Yeah," he said. "But I'm used to it."
"So how come you and Hikaru-kun have such different personalities? You're a lot more mature… and nice and sensitive."
Kaoru smirked at her. "We're not as different as you think, just like how we're not as alike either. Hikaru can be nice and sensitive. He's just unobservant and rash, and he doesn't think things through. I'm not too sure either why our personalities are so different… But look at you and Ryuu. The two of you grew up in the same environment and you two are very different."
Except they hadn't grown up in the same environment. Emi couldn't tell him that, because then she'd have to explain her whole stupid life story and she did not enjoy doing that. Identical twins were treated the same, weren't they? Unlike Emi and Ryuu, where the differences between the two were smack dab there in the face, and so people could easily treat them differently. It would have been surprising if they had very similar personalities.
"Do you have something to say to that?" Kaoru was beginning to understand how to read Emi's face. Her expressions were usually quite controlled and neutral, but slight nuances in her face could be detected. A small frown, some eyebrow wrinkling, eyes locked on the road in front.
"No." She shook her head and gave him a smile.
A low rumble stopped the two on their walk. Glancing up, they saw the storm clouds nearing, covering the sun. "We should probably start going back, huh?" Emi said.
"Yeah." They turned around and began going back the way they came. "Should we call a taxi?" Kaoru asked.
"Wait, I want to get Honey-senpai something. There was this one dessert store… it's not too far from here."
"Oh okay."
They found the dessert store just a block away, tucked in between some office buildings. "Are you sure you don't want me to hold that?" Kaoru pointed at the bags Emi was already holding, full of the clothes they'd picked out.
"Yes, Kaoru-kun," she said, trying not to roll her eyes at him. "You can carry the pie to sooth your gentlemanly needs."
"Sooth what?" he said with a laugh as he held the door open for her.
"See? Holding the door for me is another way for you to sooth your gentlemanly needs."
He followed after her into the store, a quaint little place with only a few other customers. There were shelves of bread and cookies too, alongside the display case full of cute chocolate cakes, fruit pies, tarts, and more.
"Honey-senpai likes strawberries right?" Emi crouched in front of the case.
"Yeah, but why are you getting something for Honey-senpai in the first place?"
"He's letting us stay at his place," Emi said. She pointed at the strawberry pie. "One of these please," she said to the worker behind the counter. "Oh, and that fudge one too. Thank you."
"That's a good point," Kaoru said. After buying the desserts, they headed back outside and began hunting for taxis, continuing to walk back the way they'd came.
Another rumble brought their attention back to the darkening sky. Then it started to pour.
"Wah!" Emi said. "Shelter! Shelter!" She searched the area for a place to hide from the rain. However, the usual convenience stores that could be found anywhere in the city was no where to be found here in Karuizawa.
"Should we call for a car?" Kaoru asked.
"Shelter!" she said.
"Okay! Shelter!" He grabbed her hand and they started running. They ran past houses, apartment complexes, and empty little offices, in search of some place where they could escape the rain that was falling faster and harder. A store, a gas station, any place at all.
How come I never noticed that we were so far from town? Emi thought. She held onto Kaoru's hand tightly, keeping up with his fast pace. But this is kinda fun.
He threw his shirt's hood up and glanced at Emi. "You okay?" he called over the rain.
She nodded with a small smile. For a moment she regretted the fact that she hadn't changed out of the white dress, but then she went back to not caring. It was actually fun; she'd never done something like this before. He smiled back before facing forwards again. "Oh! How about that?" Kaoru pointed at a bus stop down the street.
"Okay!" They dashed into the small booth, letting out relieved sighs. "Oh wow. I'm drenched now." She stared down at the dress she was wearing and was glad to see that it wasn't the see-through kind of white cloth.
"Same here," Kaoru said with a laugh. He ran a hand through his bangs and water droplets flew out, some splashing onto Emi.
"That was a really sudden downpour," she said, peering out into the mist. She checked the bags in her hand and was glad to see that the clothes weren't too wet. "How's the pie? I'll call and get us a car." She pulled her cell phone out from her small sling bag.
"Looks fine to me," he said, after looking through the bag in his hand.
"Oh crap."
Kaoru smiled. Her word choice was quite interesting. "What?"
"I'm out of batteries," she said, turning to him with a frown.
"It's okay. I've got mine." He pulled his own phone out. Luckily there were batteries and a decent signal. He called Tamaki.
"Hey Tono," he said when the guy picked up. "Could you send a car over? We're at… um, bus stop number 31… Yeah. Thanks." He hung up and looked at Emi. "Car's coming."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Do you have a handkerchief?" Kaoru asked.
"Yeah." She dug hers out of her bag and handed it to him.
"Glasses." He held his palm out.
"What?" she said, staring at his hand then his face.
"Take them off." He pulled them off for her.
"Hey! Kaoru-kun-"
He stared rubbing the handkerchief around her eyes. "What are you doing?" Emi tried to squirm away, so Kaoru grabbed her arm to hold her still.
"The mascara is running. I should have bought waterproof makeup," he said.
Eh? Wait, seriously? But doesn't running mascara look really creepy? Emi frowned. "Um."
"Don't worry. You didn't look too freaky," Kaoru said, as if he knew what she had been worried about. It sounded like he was smiling. Emi couldn't quite tell without her glasses.
"I-I wasn't-" Her cheeks began to burn. "Nevermind. Thanks, Kaoru-kun."
He finally finished cleaning off all the mascara and handed her the handkerchief and her glasses back.
"All good now," he said. Emi nodded, tucking the handkerchief away. Then they just sat and waited for the car. They were the only ones there.
This is like so cliche, Emi thought. This would be perfect for a romantic moment. Like, if only Hikaru-kun were here instead of me. And the two could cuddle each other for warmth and-
"Achoo!" Emi sneezed.
"Are you cold?" Kaoru asked, rubbing his own hands together.
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"If you're cold, just say so," he said.
Kaoru-kun is really nice. She decided to tell him that.
He laughed. "Thanks."
They fell silent again, watching the rain fall and fall and fall.
This would be like the perfect opportunity for me to go all flashback-mode time! And I'd spill out all of my wonderfully dark and angsty past to Kaoru-kun and he'd be all sympathetic and sweet and stuff and then we'd be like "Oh!" and fall in love or something. Wait no, usually it's two people who are clearly going to get together by the end of the manga stuck in an awkward yet great opportunity moment. But Kaoru-kun and me? Yeah, that's not gonna happen.
"So what's it like being a twin for you?" Kaoru asked.
"Not much more different than for you," she said.
He looked her in the eye. "Except for the fact that you two are different genders and you guys aren't mirror images of each other."
What does he want me to say? Does he really want to hear my stupid, angsty past? Emi shrugged. "Ryuu is extremely short-tempered, over protective, and just a bit crazy, so we fight a lot more than you and Hikaru-kun. And it's probably because he doesn't really understand me. He doesn't get what it's like…"
She stopped. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him this. It was too personal, too much of herself being laid out in front of Kaoru.
"What's what like?" he said.
Emi didn't want to continue, but she'd already started. And maybe it'd be nice to say it to someone. "Like you said, we're different genders and not mirror images of each other. I don't know why, but people just naturally like Ryuu. He has charisma, I guess, or something about him that people like. And me, I'm socially awkward, but Ryuu can just talk to whoever he wants. It's so easy for him to say what's on his mind, while I'm always trying to think of something to say. So, he doesn't get it."
Emi kept her eyes on the rain and the plastic wall that kept the rain out. She was afraid to look at Kaoru and see what his reaction was. Pity? Boredom? Apathy?
"What else?" he said. His voice was quiet.
She turned to him and saw that it wasn't pity or boredom or apathy on his face. Kaoru looked interested and curious, and maybe a bit sympathetic.
Emi smiled. The light didn't quite reach her eyes. "Basically Ryuu and I don't really see eye-to-eye so we fight a lot. Bicker, really. We never get anywhere with our fights, because neither of us know how to see from each other's perspective."
"But if you're aware of that, then how come you can't see from his perspective?" he asked.
"Because I just - I don't understand why he thinks it's his responsibility to take care of me, to protect me. And I don't get why he doesn't like it when guys flirt with me. I can take care of myself just fine, but for some reason he doesn't get that. And I don't get how he doesn't get that."
"Isn't it just cause…" Kaoru had to think for a moment. "He loves you, so he wants to protect you. He knows you can take care of yourself, but he'd rather protect you himself."
Emi's eyebrows furrowed. "What-?"
"Didn't your ex feel the same way?" he said. "Wouldn't you? Towards Haruhi, or whoever you really love. You know that they can take care of themselves, but you just can't help worrying, or in Ryuu's case, being super protective."
She tried to consider things the way Kaoru explained it, and she could begin to understand where he was coming from. "Have you ever felt that way?" she asked him.
"Yeah." He smiled. "So many times with Hikaru."
Aww. Emi nodded. Maybe he had a point there.
"Anything else?" Kaoru glanced at her, an expectant, small smile on his face.
"Eh? Not really," she said, shaking her head. Then she sneezed again.
"Seriously, are you cold?" he asked. The smile disappeared, replaced with a more concerned look.
She shook her head again. Someone must be saying bad things behind her back… except that logic really didn't work in real life. "Are you?"
"I had a hood on," he said, gesturing to the hood. "So I'm fine." He looked up at the gray, cloudy sky. "I wonder how Hikaru and Haruhi are doing. I hope they found shelter."
Seriously he loves his brother so much. It's just so adorable! Who cares that my love web was destroyed if it means I can enjoy the HikaKao ship? Ahh the ship is real! Just kiss already! Kiss and hug and-
Emi sneezed a third time. She was starting to wonder if she was going to get sick, but she didn't believe her immune system was that wimpy.
Then she felt something warm on her hand. Kaoru had his hand over hers on the bench. What is he doing? Why is he doing this? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
But his hand was warm, and Kaoru had a sweet smile on his face. So Emi smiled back. They sat there some more, watching the rain and whatever occasional car roared by.
She was starting to feel the effects of getting wet. Her hair was completely drenched, and the cool wind from the rain wasn't helping. Emi found herself shivering just a bit. Crap! Crap! This is not good! Pull it together, body! You can do it! I believe in you! I am not getting sick during the summer! That only happens to idiots! And I am not an idiot. Do you hear me, body? I am not an idiot, so don't you let those bacteria and germs and viruses get through my iron defenses and make me sick!
Kaoru stood, interrupting Emi's thoughts. Still holding her hand, he pulled her to her feet. "Seriously, if you're cold, then just say so," he said, as he wrapped his arms around her.
Wait. What? What is he doing? Why is he doing this? What should I do? What should - Wait, haven't I already thought this? Deja vu, man!
But Kaoru was warm. Really warm, and he was causing her face to heat up.
OMG. What should I do? Just stand here? Okay, I'm gonna be as still as possible. Yup, yup, as still as a statue. Jesus I didn't know Kaoru-kun was capable of this. Why am I blushing? So much doki doki going on here! I hope he can't hear my heartbeat.
They stood there like that in the peace of the rain. Just the two of them and no one else.
Yup, this is totally what would happen in a shoujo manga, except between the two MCs who are, you know, gonna hook up by the end of the manga.
Her face was half buried into Kaoru's chest. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to calm herself. Oh my God. I can smell him! Okay, that was not my intention. I hope he doesn't think I just tried to smell him. But… he smells like the rain: cool, refreshing, kinda sweet. What the heck? Karuizawa can even make someone smell refreshing!
But, ugh, I'm wishing that this were Fujioka-kun instead. I'm sorry, Kaoru-kun.
"Hey, Kaoru-kun," Emi said, an idea coming to her.
"What is it?" His breath tickled her ear, and she had to struggle to keep herself from giggling.
"Do you… Do you think I should give up on Fujioka-kun?"
Kaoru was silent for a moment. "Maybe," he said.
Maybe? That's not helpful. I want some solid advice here.
"I don't think it'll happen," he said. "Between you and Haruhi. Sorry."
Oh. Emi relaxed in his arms. "No, you're right. Thanks."
Then a car pulled up and Ryuu came running out of the car, opening an umbrella along the way.
"Emi!" He burst into the bus stop, the umbrella getting caught in the doorway. He saw Kaoru hugging her and started freaking out. "Gah! Gah! What are you doing? Kaoru, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Spurred on by Ryuu's reaction, Kaoru pulled Emi closer while grinning. "Can't you see? We're staying warm through body heat."
"Gah! Gah!" Ryuu kept screaming.
"Will you please calm down?" Emi said, gently pushing Kaoru aside. "Come on. Let's go back. Is Fujioka-kun back yet?"
"No, not yet," Ryuu said. He stared at her outfit and the makeup. "What are you wearing? What happened to your hair?"
"Kaoru-kun did it for me!" She couldn't help the smile.
"Okay, okay. Let's go." He grabbed Emi's arm while keeping a wary eye on Kaoru as the three got into the car. There were towels waiting on the seats, and Ryuu bundled her up in them.
"Ryuu, this is too much," she said.
"You're gonna get sick," he said.
"No I'm not. Have faith in my immune system."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know your immune system or how strong it is," he said.
She rolled her eyes and let him hug her to keep her warm. She caught Kaoru's gaze as they rode back, and she knew that he understood what she'd said about Ryuu.
Emi smiled at him. "It was fun, Kaoru-kun."
"Really?" he said, smiling back.
"Yeah." Her smile grew wider. "Maybe we can do this again."
"Sure."
So what do you think? Can you see the ship sailing? :) Is Kaoru OOC? Was it cute? Fun? Weird, strange, wth? Share your thoughts please!~
As for the HikaRyuu Yes-No debate: Currently, more readers have said they'd like HikaRyuu to happen. I'm still accepting votes, and yes, I've recorded reader names of who "voted" for what.
Some alternatives to HikaRyuu: Ryuu crushing on Haruhi (my original plan), Ryuu crushing on an OC, and/or Ryuu ending up dating an OC. So please tell me what you think! :D
Thanks for reading! :)