Plenoptic

A.I.: n., artificial intelligence, especially one that is robotic or computer-based.

"Azuma Mika. Now tell me you don't like the sound of that."

"I don't like the sound of that."

"Ack. You're too literal, you know? Fine, then I'll just be Taka Fukuda."

"This is Japan, idiot. You can't take my name. And you have to be 'Takahiro' if you're going to hang around me."

"Huh? Why? No one calls me by my full name except my stupid boss."

"Because I refuse to become 'Taka and Mika,' that's why."

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's asinine!" Said Mika ran her hand through her hair, mussing her fringe before pushing her glasses a little higher up her nose. "You know what our couple amalgam would be? Taka! Or Mika! Now will you please shut up? Sensei wants to see this by tomorrow."

"You didn't finish it a week in advance?" Taka rolled onto his back, stretching widely. Between the lush grass and the warm sunshine overhead, he was feeling about ready for a catnap. "That's not like you, Mikkun."

"I told you not to call me that." The dark-haired girl sitting beside him kicked him in the side, readjusting her laptop and fiddling with her glasses again. "I've been busy lately."

"A boyfriend?"

"Are you an idiot?"

"A colossal one!"

She huffed out a sigh, shaking her head. They spent several minutes in companionable silence; Mika surmised that Taka must have fallen asleep and let him doze. The bright sunlight was making her feel a little sleepy herself, but she chased weariness off with sheer force of will these days. The sprawling front lawn of the University of Tokyo was packed with students milling about, most relaxing in the aftermath of their exams. She envied undergraduates immensely; since graduating with her first degree, her workload had only increased.

"When's your defense?"

She jumped a little, looking back down at Taka, who was awake and watching her with a smile.

"Were you just watching me type?"

"Yep. You're cute when you look diligent."

"I don't look diligent, I am diligent." She sighed, running a hand through her hair again, to annoy him if nothing else; he always complained that she'd go bald if she kept it up. She wouldn't mind- one less thing to worry about when she rolled out of bed in the morning. "It's in two weeks." Mika glanced down at him, teeth worrying her lower lip. "Any chance you'll be around?"

"Dunno." He lifted his eyebrows, pushing himself up onto his elbows and grinning at her. "Want me to be there? I won't understand a word of it."

She flushed darkly, taking off her glasses and polishing them on her shirt. "No, forget it."

"I could bring a bullhorn and cheer for you."

"Definitely forget it."

"Tell me again what you're studying? My friends keep asking and I keep forgetting."

"Self-adapting software and AI. How do you forget that?"

He snorted, poking a finger into her nose. "We're not all brainiacs." He lay back down, folding his arms behind his head. "I do admire you though, Fukuda. I was flunking out of high school when you were halfway through university." He shot her a wide grin, his trademark, as far as she was concerned. "You're incredible. We'll have crazy smart kids."

She sighed, shaking her head and looking back down at her computer. "Can't you even give me a compliment without referring to the matrimony that isn't going to happen?"

"I'll marry you if it's the last thing I do, Mikkun."

"Enjoy your long life of unfulfillment."

"I will!" Taka closed his eyes, pushing his boots off lazily and stretching his legs. "Hey, can I tell you something?"

"I'm guessing you'll tell me regardless of how I reply."

"It's the reason I keep asking you to marry me."

"Sheer, unadulterated stupidity?"

"That, too." He opened his eyes, smiling up at the sky. "My friend died two months ago."

Her fingers, busily clacking away at her keyboard while they spoke, halted for the first time all afternoon. Mika looked down at him, pushing her glasses up onto her forehead and frowning.

"What?"

"He died in the line of duty." Taka mock-saluted a passing cloud. "His name was Hibiki."

She took her glasses off, folding them on top of her laptop before lying down, turning her head to look at him. "I'm sorry."

"Me too. Hibiki was a good guy. I thought I was going to die myself when I told his folks. His mom's really great. She makes these waffles-"

Mika rolled over, leaning closer and pressing a kiss to his cheek before withdrawing quickly, burning crimson. He turned his head, blinking at her in surprise.

"What was that for?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, pointedly avoiding that insanely blue gaze. "It seemed like something a normal girl would do."

Taka smiled, reaching for his companion and ruffling her hair. "You're a normal girl, Mikkun. Just an insanely smart one. And thanks." He blew out a sigh, reaching for her glasses and putting them on his own eyes. The world blurred into a smear of colors at once. "Man, your vision is terrible."

"You think I don't know that?"

"If I die like Hibiki," he began- he always changed the topic fast enough to give her whiplash- "I just want you to know how much I wanted to marry you."

She frowned, brows knitting together, fingers itching to push through her hair, but she resisted just this once. "But why?"

"I just told you why."

"No, I mean- why are you so determined to marry me?"

Taka snorted out a laugh, poking her. "Isn't that obvious? Because I'm madly, head-over-heels in love with you."

She flushed, snatching her glasses back. "Well, you've never actually said that. You just always ask me to marry you."

He laughed harder, rolling over to face her. "You're really intelligent, Mikkun, but you're emotionally dumb."

"You're dumb! What kind of moron skips the 'L' word in favor of a marriage proposal?"

"This one!"

Mika sighed, rolling onto her back and running a hand through her hair. "Honestly...I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"Marry me, duh."

"Taka!"

He grinned, startling her when he rolled over on top of her and propped himself up on his elbows, ducking his head to kiss her gently. "Sorry I never told you I loved you."

"It's okay," she said faintly, her cheeks little more than a continuous splash of crimson. "Can I get back to work now?"

"Yep." Her boyfriend flipped off of her, stretching widely and yawning while she sat up, pushing her glasses a little higher up her nose and opening her laptop again. "You're blushing, Mikkun."

"Oh, shut up."

"Marry me?"

"Not on your life."

Taka smiled, closing his eyes, enjoying the sensation of warm sunlight on his skin. "I'll ask again tomorrow."

Mika sighed, a hand in her hair, scratching beneath her bangs before running her fingers through the full, dark length. "I'm sure you will."

I LOVELOVELOVE Taka.