Not much to say here again. I'm running out of important things to say at the beginning of these chapters now. I'm just glad I'm making progress. And this story seems popular amongst more than a few people. I'm glad for that.
Chapter 3: You Don't Have to Be Perfect...Kizuna and Remon's Case
"Why does it seem like...whenever we're together, we're never really...together?"
Natsume Remon sat at a table the next day, thinking to herself, absentmindedly spinning her teacup on the coaster and thinking of Kizuna. They had known each other for a while now, it seemed, and they had grown closer within the last few years. But Remon found herself questioning their friendship, whether they were only getting closer as best friends...or if it was something else. She hugged herself gently, staring into the last few dregs of her tea, and sighed.
Kizuna, of course, was a playful girl whom she automatically became good friends with the day that they met. They were with each other all of the time, of course...but Kagome usually didn't allow them any time alone with each other. And, even though Remon didn't admit it to herself...it got under her skin that Kagome was always around. She didn't think that there was a single moment that they weren't in the presence of a dozen people. Sometimes...Remon wanted to be alone with Kizuna.
She sighed a bit, putting her teacup away, and went to go find Chikaru. She usually had the answers to these kinds of things, even though Remon didn't really understand. She supposed it was because she was secretly dating Shion. She found it ironic that she, Kizuna and Kagome were the only ones who knew about their relationship. And they hadn't told anyone yet. It made her wonder why Chikaru would entrust a secret that big to three young girls.
Remon found Chikaru sitting at the bar alone, sipping a light order of Sake. She sat next to her and Chikaru greeted her.
"Ohayou, Remon-chan," she said, cheerfully as usual. Remon smiled back.
"Ohayou."
"You seem different today."
"I do?" Remon adjusted her glasses and watched Chikaru. How did she know these things? Sometimes Remon thought it was quite creepy that Chikaru could tell when she was thinking about something or stressed.
"Of course. I can tell by your eyes and your facial expression. So what's up, ne?"
Remon sighed, breathed in and out slowly, and went into her explanation. "I really don't know if...well...let me start with the problem. I'm...I'm attracted to Kizuna-chan."
Chikaru nodded and waved her hand, telling her silently to continue.
"But I don't know if she's only pretending to flirt with me, or if she really likes me back."
Chikaru nodded again, tracing her chin with her finger in thought. "I see...that's a problem, isn't it? So this is why you came to me? Do you want my advice?"
Remon nodded sheepishly. "I would take care of the problem myself, but I'm too shy when I'm talking about my feelings to the one I like."
Chikaru nodded once more and smiled. "It's natural that you would feel that way, Remon-chan. I don't blame you one bit. Now...what do you plan to do about it?"
"'Do' about it? What do you mean by that, Chikaru-senpai?"
Chikaru giggled at her, and Remon blushed lightly. "Well, I mean you have to declare that you love Kizuna."
Remon stumbled over her next words. "W-when did I say that I loved..."
"Oh, come off of it! You know you love her, Remon-chan. Kizuna-chan just doesn't understand that, ne? She thinks of you as a best friend, nothing more. But that's only because you have never told her that you think of her as more. The only way that you will get your feelings across is if you tell her directy. Trust me, it's the only way." Chikaru smiled. "You love her, right?"
Remon nodded, her face turning red. "H-hai...I do...I just want some time alone with her for once..."
Chikaru nodded understandingly, as she always did. "Of course you do. I could tell that you were always being held back by Kagome-chan. But don't be upset with her...it's not her fault. Although, I know that she noticed your feelings for Kizuna-chan. Kagome-chan is very in-tune with other's emotions, you know. Just be sure to tell her your feelings, and you'll be fine. I promise you will."
Remon nodded and gave Chikaru a heart-filled hug. "Arigatou, Chikaru-senpai."
--
Later that day, Kizuna found herself in the company of Remon, just Remon, as they headed off grounds to a nearby ice cream shop. Kizuna blinked at Remon, studying her, of course. They had never done something like this before, they were usually surrounded by a lot of other friends. It made Kizuna slightly nervous.
They sat in a small booth in the shop, both avoiding each other's gaze. Remon felt stupid, she knew she should say something. She opened her mouth, but Kizuna automatically cut her off, as she usually did.
"You know? I always wondered how they make ice cream."
"Come again?"
Kizuna and Remon looked at each other. They both knew that this was going to start a meaningless conversation, as it always did. It was almost as bad as when Kizuna had brought up whether the Purple People Eater ate grape-flavored humans, or just humans thrown in a pool of purple food coloring.
"Ice cream," Kizuna said, this time slowly, spacing the words. "I wonder...how they make ice cream."
Remon rolled her eyes. "Of course, they put in cream and sugar and flavoring and food coloring and they churn it."
"Like they churn butter?" Kizuna made some motions that looked like she was working a butter churn, and Remon giggled and shook her head.
"You ask too many questions."
"A wise man once said," Kizuna started, raising a finger in the air importantly, as though making a speech. "that no one can ever ask one too many questions. Questions get you answers, right? So if we don't ask questions, we'll never learn anything. Do you get where I'm coming from?"
"Right, I understand where you're coming from. But can't we get through one day without saying something incredibly stupid?"
Kizuna narrowed her eyes, and Remon's heart skipped. Kizuna had never looked at her that way without joking.
"So you're saying that everything I say is incredibly stupid?"
"No!" Remon cried, her eyes widening. "Why would I say something like that?! I was just saying...maybe we should try to have...an intelligent conversation for once."
Kizuna blinked and stared at her, as though she were from another planet. Not once had they ever had an intelligent conversation, aside from studying for their many tests together...in which no studying availed. They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Kizuna shook her head and looked out the window again.
"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend Natsume Remon?"
Remon laughed a bit and chanced challenging that question. "She's been replaced by a mature teenager."
"Bullshit."
"Where?"
They laughed. They would never stop being the same, they would always be immature. Remon, however, knew when to be mature and when not to be. Kizuna leaned against the leather seat of the booth and looked outside again.
"Well, at least this has been a refreshing outing."
"Refreshing?"
"Of course," Kizuna said, grinning. "I mean, we've never been alone before, right?"
Remon shook her head. So Kizuna had noticed it too...she should have known that she wasn't giving Kizuna enough "intelligent" credits.
"Okay, Remon. I might be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. What did we come here for, really? What's with going for ice cream so suddenly?"
Remon sighed and turned red. Either that, or it was very warm in the ice cream shop. "You know me too well. I just wanted to spend time with you, that's all."
"We're together all the time..." Kizuna said, but her voice trailed off as she looked at the table. She suddenly realized what Remon was saying and walked over to her side of the booth table, wrapping an arm around her. Remon was slightly shocked and she looked away from her.
"Remon-chan, I'm sorry..."
Remon sighed a bit, still looking away. Kizuna sighed as well and rubbed Remon's head, messing up her hair.
"Hey, I'm not perfect, you know."
Remon grinned at her and poked her ribs. Kizuna twitched and squirmed away from her, laughing. "It's fine, Kizuna-chan. You don't have to be perfect."
"I know," she said, smirking as their ice cream came. "But I can always try to be."
"That's better than being perfect," Remon said. They grinned at each other, and Remon went back to her side of the booth to eat her ice cream.
"Good," Kizuna said, digging into her triple-fudge ice cream. "Even if you wanted me to be perfect, I wouldn't be."
"Why?" Remon asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Because," Kizuna said, looking up at her and smirking. "Perfect people don't make their best friends buy their ice cream."
Remon laughed a bit, shaking her head as the waiter came with their bill. "Oh, really? I suppose that means I'm not anywhere near perfect, either." Remon winked at Kizuna's baffled face as she went to the bathroom, purposely taking a very long time. It was there in the hallway that she thought about what Chikaru said, and shook her head. They didn't need to be lovers, they were already perfect as best friends. And at the moment, Remon realized that she didn't need anything more.
