The Red Queen Chapter 2: Kerosene
Kaida stretched her arms behind her head, letting a piece of paper slip into the collar of her shirt, against her neck. She slumped in her seat, watching the white board with clear eyes. There was a moment before the paper disappeared. She heard it being unfolded, then Suoh snorted.
Kaida hid a grin at the ceiling. She felt amazing that day. Lighter, the weight that always rolled in her stomach had changed. It wasn't gone, but it lessened and it lifted her spirits.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw it pass over to Kusanagi. He glanced at her, one brow arched.
"What are you, twelve?" he folded the paper and slipped it into his shoe.
"No," Kaida flashed her teeth at him, "I'm a super spy, and I have to keep practicing. Duh."
"Of course you are," he drawled, "How could you be anything else when you look like-"
"Izumo! Is there something you'd like the share with the rest of us?" Honami asked from the front of the room. For all her voice was sharp her smile was amused. She was a nice woman, who would let you do whatever you wanted as long as you didn't get caught.
"Just that we have the prettiest teacher in Shizume City," he said, smiling sweetly.
Honomi shook her head and turned back to the lecture.
"Flirt," Kaira accused, making a face at him. Kusanagi winked at her.
It wasn't long after that Honomi dismissed them and left the room. The teenagers milled around, some bolting straight for the door. Kaida sat on her desk, turning so her feet were on the chair and she was facing Suoh, who had fallen asleep at some point.
She fished out her lunch box, flipped it open and pulling out half of a sandwich. The rest of it, some baby carrots, cabbage, and a few strawberries, she set down next to the sleeping red head's hand.
"You're going to spoil him," Kusanagi warned.
"That's fine," Kaida replied, biting into her sandwich. Everyone else who had stayed in the room gave them a wide berth. Besides her and Kusanagi no one wanted to be near Suoh. He didn't give many visible signs of how he was feeling, but when his temper snapped there was more than a few broken bones to go around.
Kaida wasn't afraid of that. Her Grandfather was a King, she was a Clansmen, and now a Strain. What had she to fear from a normal human?
She looked away from Kusanagi and found Mikoto staring at her. At her arm, where the sleeve had fallen down to reveal angry purple bruises, starting to turn green.
"What happened?" he asked. Kaida made a face and pulled her sleeve down.
"Nothing," she replied, shoving the rest of the sandwich in her mouth. She tried to tuck her hands out of sight but Suoh grabbed it first. He wasn't rough, but his hold was too strong to be gentle.
Kaida sighed. "Seriously, Suoh, it's nothing," she insisted. He pushed back her arm. The skin was tender and the bruise, when not covered, reached all the way to her elbow. In all honesty the bones should have broken, but she had reinforced them with Gold at the last second.
"Mikoto," he corrected. Kaida startled, staring at his amber eyes. They burned into her and for a second she saw something else, something wild and fierce and immensely threatening. She was looking into the eyes of a tiger, not a man.
She smiled, just a little.
"Mikoto," she repeated, testing the name. "I really am okay. I got into a scuffle."
"Since when do you fight?" Kusanagi asked, leaning in to see her arm. Like this, he and Suo- Mikoto, blocked off the rest of the classroom. They were a barrier between her and the others. Kaida's smile grew larger.
"I fight sometimes, when I have to," she shrugged. The smile didn't slip off of her face.
"You like to," Mikoto said. It was preposterous. Kaida's mouth opened to deny the allegations, but she found that she couldn't.
"Why would I?" she said instead. "It's messy, and sweaty, and bloody. And it only ends up in pain."
"You know," Kusanagi said, "Lying to yourself is bad practice. "
Kaida rolled her eyes.
"Shut up and eat your lunch."
She looked out the window, where a boy with pale hair was looking up at them. He grinned when he caught her eyes and waved his hand high above his head. Kaida shoves a carrot into her mouth.
Weird.
