CHAPTER 9 – THAWING ICE
The next morning, Keir found him self woken up by the little Haro, and rubbed his eyes. He groaned, "Blue-chan, go away."
"Wake up, wake up, its time to wake up." Keir rolled over on his side and put the pillow over his ears, but after five minutes he realized the thing wasn't going to go away and as he started to wake up, he remembered the events of the previous night. The little ball was not one of his mother's own Haros but rather the only thing left behind by a mysterious girl. Keir didn't even know where to begin though, he could walk by the same place where the girl had left it behind last night or he could just hope the girl would be looking for it and find him. She would look for it surely, or if it was anything like his Mother's Haros it might seek its own owner out.
He walked to school the little thing bouncing and bobbing in front of him, as he felt someone latch onto him. Jaina gave him a look and said, 'Morning, Keir," she looked down at the little Haro and squealed, "How adorable, it is for me?"
Keir gave a small smile, "I am afraid not, and it isn't even mine. I found it and I am sort of in the process of finding its owner, hopefully."
Jaina bent down to pick it up and gave a scream; Keir looked down and immediately saw that the little Haro had clamped its mechanical jaw on Jaina's pale hand, a soft voice rang out as if calling to it, "Haru?"
"Haru, haru," it let go and rushed into the hands of a figure that caught it. He immediately locked eyes with Shinju, who had the Haro clamped firmly in her hands possessively. Keir said, "Shinju, is that yours?"
"Ye," she seemed to change her answer halfways through the statement and said firmly, "No, it is my sister's. She will be happy to have it back."
"Right," Keir said slowly, "Hey, I didn't know you had a sister."
"I don't. She is the daughter of my exchange parents. She loves her Haru, so she will be happy to have it back. Thank you for finding it, I'll take it from here."
Jaina; however wasn't seemingly finished and looked furious to see the ivory haired woman who had disgraced her the previous day, "Hey, that thing very nearly ate my hand."
"Don't be foolish it is a machine and incapable of such an action, and if it was living I think it would have quickly revised its opinion that you would make an appetizing meal. Good bye."
He pulled on the auburn girl shoulder and she looked back at him, Keir shook his head, "Leave her, it isn't worth it to pursue the subject any further especially since we will be late to school if we dawdle anymore."
He held up his watch and watched as Jaina's face turned to horror and she instantly ran to keep her perfect attendance record safe. Keir however walked in the shadow of the silver haired girl. She was leaning against the fence, singing in a melodious alto voice, as he got closer she stopped and said, "What?"
"You have a beautiful voice, do you like to sing?"
"What does it matter to you? Do you always stalk newcomer girls like this?"
He grinned, "Not stalking, I just like to make friends."
"I thought I had established that I don't desire to make friends, friends complicate things."
"Things like what?"
Her emerald eyes suddenly looked taken aback and troubled, she stuttered slightly before recovering, "Well, things in general, you know."
"I know? I don't think so, I might know if you explain it to me."
"Well, it is sort of hard to explain."
"Well, than it is sort of hard to understand."
"You are the most infuriating man I have ever met."
The blue Haro jumped in front of her, tripping her and Keir reach to catch her, wondering why their meetings always seemed to end up with one of them falling. He was surprised when he felt something warm press against his lips and saw that both of them had fallen, their lips touching together awkwardly. Her on top of him, he saw a scarlet flush rising in her face, as she quickly got off of him. "I am so, so sorry. I am such an idiot. I assure you that wasn't intentional. I better leave before I cause any more trouble."
The girl left as Keir got up, he couldn't believe that they had ended up kissing. Shinju's accidental kiss had been very different from Jaina's willing one, different in a good and distinct way. Suddenly Keir realized it was his turn to flush, he wasn't falling for the newcomer was he? He could not believe himself, and suddenly he lamented it in the fact even if he got on Shinju's good side and told her, he would still have to get free of Jaina. Keir wondered if he could get advice and unfortunately the only person he could think of was his friend, Ryn. He skipped first period entirely and later in the day found out that it had finally earned him what he had been avoiding: a detention session with Mrs. Harms. He finally caught up with Ryn at lunch, and also managed to avoid Jaina after Technical Writing class. Ryn smiled and said, "Rather odd you have been looking for me, you are troubled, and I can tell at a glance, what did you do to get yourself in trouble?"
"I think I am falling for someone."
"Jaina?"
Keir shook his head and his friend looked at him, "NO?!! Than who? No offense, but you are really getting in above your head if you intend to try to dumb Jaina and pick up a new girl."
Keir misheard it and exclaimed, "I am not falling for the new girl."
The blush he had told otherwise and Ryn looked at him shocked, "You like Shinju? You fancy her? You really are jumping into a precarious position if you want to go after her that is assuming you escape Jaina's clutches."
"Please, Ryn, don't tell anyone, especially not her."
"Jaina or Shinju?"
He thought for a moment, "Either of them. Please keep silent. I just need to sort this out. I don't know what I am thinking, it seems like I keep doing things on the spur of the moment, and I am always regretting them and second-guessing myself. Maybe I am having a simple crush but,,,,:
"Why don't you quit it while you are ahead? She is going to be leaving at the end of the year anyways, and from what I have heard 85 of long distance relationships end in failure. Be a good boy, stick it out with Jaina until she picks up another guy, and go for a nice ORB maiden and make her your Queen like a Prince."
Keir glared and smacked his friend, "Don't give me slams on my status and stop making a fairy tale of my life, or I'll do worse than smack you."
"Well, annoying or not, I have to go to History with the Ice Queen ironically. I'll tell her you send your regards."
Keir made a lunge for his blue haired friend however he evaded him and ran off in the direction of the History room. Keir stood there thinking that 15 chance of success was better than 0, before he turned and walked in the other direction wishing he could figure out what the hell was wrong with him. His attractions to the girls were totally different. He was attracted to Jaina because of her beauty but Shinju though far from able to compare with Jaina was easily spirited enough to make up for it. She followed her heart, and seemed to have her mind on matters that counted.
He smacked himself and hurried to his class, last thing he needed was to be late for class and earn more time after school. He gave a sigh wondering how he should explain his lateness to his parents in the scenario that they got home early enough to notice his absence. Keir sat through all his tedious classes only more disheartened by the fact he had to spend even more time after school doing absolutely nothing since his homework for the day had been completed in Study Hall which was before his computer class. He thought maybe he could reassure Shinju that the accident had been just that but he decided against it, with his luck he would probably end up saying that and a lot more, like how he didn't regret it happened one bit. Jaina shook her head when she heard and gave a smile before leaning up to kiss him squarely on the lips. A throat cleared and Shinju was seen and by her was Ryn wearing a broad smile, Shinju looked thoroughly annoyed and walked past giving Keir a glare that baffled him. This morning they hadn't really parted on bad terms, awkward yes, but not enough to make her mad at him and suddenly he realized the possibility, was she jealous of Jaina?
Jaina left and Ryn gave a glance at the two angered maidens that had just passed by and left, "What did you do? You were not stupid enough to tell them both were you?"
"Of course not, I don't know what I did though."
"Well you're screwed if you have two women mad at you, and when they hate each other as much as Jaina and Shinju do you can kiss your chances good bye."
"Thanks Jerk, and I still have detention to cheer me up yet."
Ryn laughed out loud, leaving Keir confused, "What?"
"I really feel bad now but if you are lucky you won't have to deal with why I am laughing. Bye."
He left and Keir was about to go after Ryn when he did not and rushed to detention. Mrs. Harms the detention teacher's eyes flashed as he entered the room, he however was too stunned when he saw, "Shinju?"
The ivory siren flashed him a glare, "What?"
Mrs. Harms however put a stop to it before any conversation could begin, "Mr. Yamato, take a seat. No talking any of you, get out assignments or something to work on."
Keir took the seat in front of Shinju that was open and Mrs. Harms glued her eyes on them for a while before going off to discipline a few others who seemed to think they could elude her gaze while the heat was on them. Keir was about to start on his homework when he felt a kick in the back of his seat. He looked back to see a note stuck there and he quickly grabbed it as Harms eyes darted to them, after a moment she looked away, Keir hurried to open the note. Scrawled in a hurried writing was a simply question,
You are not going to leave me alone are you?
Keir swallowed and quickly wrote, not really planning to, why? Then he slid it across the floor back towards Shinju's desk. She conveniently dropped her entire pencil case and she bent down avoiding the glare and gazes she received as she went a very convincing shade of pink.
Shinju lowered her eyes to read the response before she scribbled in one of her own. She stopped a moment to think of a new way she could pass it back to Keir. As she shifted her seat, she knocked her desk against Keir enough to make something drop from his desk. Keir looked back at her and bent to pick up whatever dropped from his desk and as he bent down she shifted the note towards him using her foot to push it into the place of his vision. Keir noticed it after a moment and took a hold of it, he unfolded it and read.
After Hell, we can talk; I will give you at least that. I am sure the both of us have questions and want answers.
Keir wondered what the hell she meant but she was somewhat right. He had to admit she was inventive to continue to sneak notes past Harms when she was already in trouble. The remainder of detention went slowly until finally they were all dismissed. Shinju quickly walked out, a reading book that she had been reading stuck under her arm. Keir folded over his laptop, stuck it into his bag, and ran out after her avoiding Harms nasty gaze. In the hallway Shinju was standing by a window up a flight of stairs leading to the second floor, the wind blowing her frost-colored tresses before they rested gently upon her shoulders. "So you wanted to talk with me?"
She turned around, her eyes peered at him, "Yes, you have your girl so why do you insist upon bothering me, you are only pissing me off and making her jealous and I don't care to be on her bad side of get anymore bad attention from her. She is quite frankly a pain and for her she starts the trouble with me over you. It has been that way since the very beginning, yesterday."
Keir was taken aback, "Shinju, I never meant to be a nuisance to you, I guess I just realized you were not very loose about things and I hoped I could get you to not be so serious and have a little fun while you are away from your academy. We may have rules that are expected to be followed but we don't have near the schedule and lifestyle you are going to get at Copernicus. I thought that maybe you wanted to have a good time, get to know people, you know things that bring a smile to a person's face since you never seem to wear one."
This time Shinju looked taken aback as though Keir had just squarely smacked her in the face with those words. Keir almost felt himself gaping inside his mind though on the outside he was gazing at Shinju obviously awaiting a rebuttal or comment. Keir actually couldn't believe he said what he said, he thought to himself you idiot, you could have worded that a lot better.
"I had forgotten what it meant to have some real fun; it has been so long since I have made friends that I had declined it. The world seems so hard to get along with, and I always feel like I am swimming against the current."
"You don't have to, Shinju. It is easier to allow the current to carry you and to face whatever obstacles are in front of you than to try to plod your way against the world and everything in it. I hope you will think on it."
Keir looked at his watch, it was already late and since it was Daylight Savings Time it was already getting darker. He smiled a sincere friendly smile, "Let me walk you home, it is getting dark. At night the Underworld of ORB can be quite dangerous in its own right."
Shinju looked at him a moment, as if trying to discern where the conversation gone and how it had gone that way. She suddenly gave up, looking into his smiling face. Though she didn't realize it at first, her face had taken on a visage she had thought forgotten: the warmth of a smile.
A/N: Gah!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!! I am so sorry this chapter took so damn long, I have been job hunting like crazy, my parents have been making it impossible because they are always stealing the internet/computer, and not to mention it just took a while to write this chapter because both Shinju and Keir suck in the fully explaining themselves and their emotions dept. Anyways, more civil moments are going to dominate a few chapters and than we will move on to some chapters which the conniving sneaky snake, Micol. Hopefully Kora will make her first appearance soon after such a long time. Yay!!!!