Paradoxical Composition
By: irish d' salmon luver
Author's Ramble: Oh, surprise! I don't' keep my promise from the last chapter. My procrastination just get the better of me :D
Well, as fanservice, I give you more distinguish ShunXJulie fluffs. Hope this will appease your hunger. Beware of the OOCness though :p
Disclaimer: If I own Bakugan, Fabia would be FABIO. (S)he would be the most handsome chara ever in Bakugan series, even surpassing Shun *fangirl mode ON*
XXX
Chapter 07: Of Foods, Drinks, and Personalities
Shun never planned to sit together with the silver haired girl at the café. With just the two of them.
But here she was, waltzing her way into the café and took her seat across him. He was more irked than surprise to see the café's door opened and revealed none other than Julie, his Brawler companion. He was hoping to get some peace in this small, cozy café, enjoying a cup of coffee in this beautiful afternoon, but his peaceful moment was abruptly stopped as a pair of indigo eyes stared intently into his amber orbs.
"What a coincidence to meet you here, Shun!" the girl smiled widely at the silent boy.
"I never knew you come to this kind of peaceful place like this café, Julie. I thought you always go to crowded and noisy places like the malls or clubs," Shun blatantly spoke, sarcasm was apparent in his voice.
Julie decided to just brush off his sarcastic comment. Instead, she just smiled wider that Shun was afraid her face would split open. She took a look at the menu and after read it for a while, she called a waiter.
"One cappuccino and ginger cookies, please," she said as she flashed one of her most charming smile to the waiter. Shun rolled his eyes as the young waiter blushed a little while repeating her orders and then off he went.
"Do you always flirt with anyone at any place?"
Julie looked at him with confused eyes, "Eh? Does smile count as flirting? I always smile to everyone, you know? I just want to make good impression."
The older boy just sighed and then he sipped his coffee. The warm liquid gave him comfortable feeling, but soon it had to be ended. He wanted to finish his coffee and get out of that place as soon as possible so that he wouldn't spend the rest of his precious time with this bubbly and loud girl. So Shun finished his drink and stood up.
"Sorry Julie, I'm going now."
"Huh? But I just ordered cookies! I can't finish all of it by myself and it would be a waste to throw out such delicious treat, so I thought to eat it together with you! I even went to such length as to order ginger cookies rather than my usual chocolate dipped cookies, cause I thought you prefer something with stronger flavor than sweet."
Shun gritted his teeth to hold the anger escaped from his lips, "Then why did you order it in the place if you can't finish it all?"
"I thought to hang out together and have a conversation with you. It's a rare occasion to meet you here, and it's better to have something to eat while we talk," Julie winked cutely at the boy, but Shun just shrugged it off. She might have charmed the waiter but she couldn't charm him easily, though he had to admit bitterly that Julie was indeed charming. At least his anger lessened.
Shun took a deep breath and released it slowly. He was ready to sacrifice his precious free time to accompany this bubbly girl, not because she was begging him oh-so-nicely, but because of the cookies. He hated if people threw away good food, and obviously he didn't want to see such delicious treat to be thrown away. This café indeed made the best cookies he ever tasted.
Not too long, Julie's order was served. Julie gave a "thanks" to the waiter (the same waiter who took her order, and he blushed again) and then took a sip of her cappuccino. The silver haired girl looked at the silent young man in front of her and held out her hand, a gesture to offer the cookies to Shun. Shun eyed the cookies and the girl, and after a good length of pause he finally took one and put it inside his mouth. The girl before him smiled warmly at the sight and took one cookies for herself.
"Say, Shun, do you usually come to this place?" she bit her cookie.
"Not really… I seldom come here, just when I have some free time between brawling and my ninja training," he swallowed his cookie.
"Hmmm… well, I also rarely come to this place. It's, like, I only come here when I need to clear my head from insignificant thoughts, so it's, like, a real coincidence to meet you in this place, so don't think of me as stalker, will you?" she slowly took another bite from her cookies.
"How surprising. I seriously think you as one before, seeing you were stalking me all day and ambush me in doom dimension when you thought I was Masquerade," he noted sarcastically again as he took another cookie from the plate.
"It was, like, a long time ago! And I admit that I was dimwit back then. But then, when will you ever get stalked by a pretty girl such as I?" she swallowed the last bite of her cookie and licked the crumbs from her fingers. Shun didn't know if it was intentional or not, but she looked almost seductive. Almost.
"But I have to admit, you pulled out unexpected trick back then. My gramps still amazed that he was beaten with a plastic mallet by ordinary girl," he said with a small grin as he chewed his cookie.
"Please, can we just, like, end that topic? You made me sound like super girl with special skill," she looked at her left side while held her hair to cover up her face. Did she just blush?
"I'm afraid I can't. Seeing you flustered like this just lift up my spirit," he couldn't hold back his smirk as the girl looked back at him with her mouth opened up as if she wanted to protest, but she stopped midway and closed her mouth again, her face was red. He watched her as she slumped at the table; her hand picked up a cookie and held it against her full lips as she licked the cookie slowly.
'She must do it on purpose,' Shun thought as he felt heat rose up to his cheeks.
Julie licked the cookies again and then threw it inside her awaiting mouth, finished it in one go. She licked the crumbs around her lips and she took another and another and another cookies. Shun eyed the girl, at loss of what to say to her. If he made a remark about how she looked like a glutton who ravaged the cookies, she might get bad mood and stormed off the café. But if it didn't get well, she would just become sullen and started crying and threw tantrum like a drama queen she was always been.
Finally the girl stopped taking and eating the cookies and a smile came back to her face, thought it was just small and almost transparent smile.
"You know what, Shun?"
"Hnn?"
"I always thought that ginger cookies are just like Alice. They are sweet but not overabundant, and they bring warmth inside. Just like how our dear Alice will always console us when we have problems and after we talk to her, we will feel warm because of her kindness."
Shun smirked, "You got nice interpretation there. So that's why you tried to look for her console by gobbling down the cookies?"
Julie pouted at his remark.
"I just wanted to strike a new conversation. But you just have to ruin it, did ya?"
"And what exactly is your point of this "new conversation"? Do you want to associate our friend with food?"
Suddenly Julie's eyes sparkled. Shun knew for this moment he just stepped on a land mine.
"That's it! That's totally the point! Let's compare the others with foods or drinks! Let's see…" she spoke happily as she flipped through the menu. The ninja sighed as he grabbed another piece of cookie. He almost got chocked as the girl shrieked while she held up the menu at a certain page, almost slammed it onto his nose.
"See this, Shun! Don't you think that Runo is just, like, a very hot chocolate? She might burn your tongue if you don't blow the surface properly, but when she finally cools down, you will get the warm and sweet taste in your mouth."
"Typical tsundere," grinned Shun. Julie looked at him quizzically, "What's tsundere?"
"When a person is though and rude at the surface, but all sweet and soft deep down inside. Usually he or she won't admit when he or she likes someone, but he or she might show up him or her tender side at unexpected time."
The girl blinked, "That's so… totally Runo."
"I told you."
Julie stared off-space for a while. And then, almost like she was in a trance, she mumbled, "What kind of food is Dan?"
She looked back at Shun. They kept staring of each other in silent, before finally spoke at the same time.
"Meat."
Silence again.
Julie took another sip of her drink, before smiled widely to Shun.
"Oh well, next! Marucho! What food do you think of when you see him?"
Shun took another cookie and throw it into his mouth before answered, "It's obviously honey. He looks plain at first glance, but his sweetness complimented foods and drinks and to have him everyday will get us healthy because of his positive attitude. He also will not rot, and his innocence will stay even when he reaches adulthood."
"Hooo, it's seems you're so sure he will always stay innocent," Julie smirked as she drank her cappuccino and realized that it was almost empty.
"You're not sure then?"
"Of course I'm as sure as you are. He's the least corrupted from everyone of us. And you admit he's sweet."
"Is he not?"
"He's very sweet. I won't argue on that. Now on with the topic…" she trailed off as she reached the cookie plate to get the last piece of the cookie, and her fingers brushed off with Shun's as the boy also wanted to get it. Julie quickly pulled her hand away and drank the remaining of her drink instead while Shun took the last cookie and eyed it. He then broke the small cookie into two pieces and offered one piece to the girl. Julie widened her eyes as she looked between the young man, the cookie, and the young man again.
"I don't want you to ogle me when I'm about to finish the cookie, so here is your share."
Shun smirked as he saw the girl blushed and pouted those plump lips of hers. She accepted the cookie nevertheless.
"How cocky. I'm the one who ordered it."
"And you asked me to help you finish it."
"That's—!" she was ready to retort back, but stopped and took a deep breath. She glared at him, but finally ate her share of cookie, Shun followed her action.
"Anyway, back to the topic, I think that you are like vanilla ice cream, Shun."
Suddenly Shun was coughing. He chocked some crumbles that went the wrong way in his throat. His left eye twitched as he eyed the tan skinned girl who looked back at him with worry and confusion. She clearly didn't realize how ridiculous her description of food on him.
He, Shun Kazami, of all things to be compared with food, was a vanilla ice cream? He expected something sour like pickled plum or maybe a bland green tea. He was a classic example of traditional ninja in modern lives, after all, just like how green tea was associated and taken as Japanese tradition for some people.
So why vanilla ice cream?
"Well, you see—" she stated, "it's obviously because you're cold."
One black eyebrow arched.
"Cold, but you taste sweet. And you also smell great. But again, you'll melt if you're exposed to heat for some times. So, we have to eat you—lick or even biting—as soon as possible, in order to enjoy you the best. You are such a nice, sweet, yet cold treat that will torture our teeth and numbs our taste bud."
Indigo eyes closed in reverie.
"But even though it's already melted, you still carry the sweetness within you. No, in fact, when the ice cream melts, we can taste the true sweetness that isn't numbed by the cold. That's just like you, right?"
Amber eyes widened. The violet orbs opened themselves again to look back at him; plump, glossy lips smiled playfully.
"Beneath your cold demeanor, you're a sweet, caring person. Sometimes we can't get your sweetness and care because you're too cold and your actions hurt us. But when it's all late, when the ice cream is already melting, we just realize how kind and sweet you are."
Silence hung heavily between them. The ex-Subterran Brawlers broke the eye contact, her cheeks flushed and she randomly flipped through the menu. Shun blinked, once, twice, and thrice, and then bowed his head. He felt something that was unfamiliar, something unknown inside him. It felt like his body temperature rose suddenly and someone—or more than one—was punching his stomach. He didn't like this feeling; it was too alien for him. The girl before him always done this to him; he would felt too much emotion; from annoyance to anger to exhaustion to desperation to happiness to disgu—
He was happy. He was happy to hear her thought about him that it felt too much for him to muster and it was sickening him. The thought of her, looking up to him, and noticed his real self, was too nauseating for him. Because he was happy that this girl, whom he used to despise so much, was understanding him.
"Hey…" her soft spice rang up. Shun looked up at the said girl. She was still looking at the menu, examining the drink section. She didn't meet up his gaze.
"So that you know what I thought about you, what do you think of me?"
The question got him off guard and he almost baffled and embarrassed himself as Julie quickly added, "What kind of food—or drink—you're comparing me with?"
Suddenly he breathed in relief. Of course it was still about that topic.
He glanced at the menu she held. Suddenly one of the drinks caught his eyes and he smirked.
This is just like her.
"Well," Shun began as he leaned back to his chair and crossed his arms, "you remind me of lemon."
Julie brought her eyes to the older boy; a dumbfounded look crossed her face.
Lemon? Why something like sour fruit? Why doesn't he pick something cuter, like, strawberry? Strawberry's also sour, but she has prettier color! Eh, wait, that's not the point, the point is why he picks something sour? Why not something sweet?
"Lemon is… sour."
You don't say!
"But it has a nice color. With such a bright, yellow color, it's easy to be distinguished amongst other fruits. Just like how you always stand out between us, with your bright and bubbly personality."
Julie didn't really sure she like the 'bubbly' part, but she just kept silent, urged the ninja to continue with his speech.
"And then we cut open the lemon into slices, and seeing the slice and smelling the scent of lemon are making us want to taste it. The look and the scent are so alluring to us, so we taste it without doubt, only to be surprises by the sour taste. We immediately spit it out, and held out our tongue, but as we get used with the taste, we somehow come to like it."
Shun peeked the younger girl. Her eyes were wide open, taking every word from him seriously.
"Your bright personality allured us, but after knowing you better, you're pretty… annoying."
The grayish purple orbs suddenly glared in anger. He just smirked. He really liked to annoy this girl. Maybe because she annoyed him sometimes. Or maybe it was given.
"You're bubbly, like to cling to other people, tend to fall into some trouble, likes to meddle with people's business, cry when you don't get what you want, pushing your ideals to other people…But as we put up and get used to it, your existence become something irreplaceable within us."
Julie blushed. She didn't want to because she would look ridiculous, but her face felt so hot and she was sure she was red. Shun glanced at the girl, a small smile formed within his thin lips. He leaned forward, his fingers reached out for the menu she was holding, and pointed at a picture of a drink in the menu. Julie eyed the picture he was pointed at.
"A… lemon… tea?" she asked hesitantly.
His smile just went a bit wider and he looked so stunning with such kind-hearted smile. A rare side of Shun Kazami, that not every one had the privilege to see it. And it fluttered Julie's heart to see him smiling sincerely like this.
"The tea is The Brawlers without you. We are already content with just the five of us. A bit plain, or you can add some sugar for a bit of taste, and you can enjoy the life with just a cup of tea."
His smiled vanished slowly. Julie tried to reach for his hand, but hesitated and just laid her hand a mere inches before his.
"But as you drink it everyday, it becomes a dull taste. No excitement, no spark, just… nothing."
Suddenly he reached out and covered her small hand in his much bigger one. More heat rushed up to her cheeks and Julie could just watch the young man nervously, her mouth agape.
"That's when you come to our life. Just add a slice of lemon and drops of its juice, the flavor becomes… tasteful and refreshing. The tea becomes something new."
The smile reappeared on his face. The same warm, kind, and sincere smile he'd showed to her before. Julie felt like she was at her limit; she was all flustered and to think she was supposed to be the proactive one.
"You completed The Brawlers. You completed our lives. Yes, sometimes you were a bit annoying, sometimes you were too bubbly, but now, our life wouldn't be the same without you."
It was no good; she was on the verge of crying. Shun noticed her glazed eyes, and reached out to his pocket to get a handkerchief. While still held her hand within his, he wiped the unshed tears on her sun-kissed cheeks and her indigo eyes.
What Shun has said really warmed her heart. She was always conscious and afraid that her extrovert and bubbly personality were bothersome to her friends, but she was too afraid to change herself. And then being told by the silent ninja, whom she thought always despise her from being so loud and obnoxious, that she completed the lives of her friends, she felt a huge burden was being released and she never been felt so relieved. She gripped the hold of his hand and shut her eyes, tried to hold back her tears, or else her make-up would smudge.
After some minutes passed by in complete silence, Julie finally calmed herself down. It was lucky that the café was empty, save for the both of them and another couple at the different corner. Julie reluctantly pulled her hand from Shun's grip and grabbed the white handkerchief from his hand, and examined the damage she had done to that thing. There were smudge of powder, foundation, and mascara…. It was going to be hard to be cleaned off.
"Sorry I ruined your handkerchief," she sighed heavily. Shun covered his lips, tried to hide his sneer at her casual remark. As closing act, the girl blew her nose into the cloth. Shun couldn't help but wrinkled his nose at her.
"Yuck."
"I'll wash it."
"Be sure to return it."
"Will do. What about another meeting here, next week? Same day, same hours?"
He thought for a while before answered, "Okay."
They fell into comfortable silent, saved by some sniffs and hiccups of after-cry-effect of Julie. The sniffs and hiccups subsided soon, leaving the girl parched and her throat demanded something to drink. She took the menu and browsed through it. After some minutes, she smiled as she tapped her finger at the picture that was pointed by Shun before.
"I'll order a hot lemon tea. What about you, Shun? Do you still want to order something?"
Shun smirked at the question.
"I'll get vanilla ice cream."
XXX
A/R: There you are, another chapter of this ridiculous story. It's the longest chapter of Paradoxical Composition, I really enjoyed writing this (while I tried so hard to hold back my drools as I wrote the food/drink comparison part), and I hope you enjoy it too :D
I still don't have any idea for the next chapter, maybe you guys can help me? Just write down a random thing you have in mind, and maybe I can make out something from it. Be creative, be challenging ;)