A/N: And now a break from our regularly scheduled AkuShi to swap over to Saïx'ss POV While I love Saïx, I'm also not the best at writing from his perspective. *sweatdrop* This also references one of the prequel-stories I haven't posted yet; I'll try to have that up soon. Um… what else to say? This takes place the next day, except for the first little bit that happened while Axel, Xion, Kairi, and Aqua were hanging out in the last chapter.
Enjoy!
"Saïx, you cannot help her if you cannot understand her. Perhaps you should consider leading by example, as Aqua does."
"Are you suggesting I go on a date as well?"
"I simply do not want you to miss out on opportunities in your youth. If you are truly disinterested you should not participate, but you cannot guide Xion down a path you have not traveled."
"…And if I were to take that path with her?"
"I would trust you to watch out for your sister. You have admirable focus, and while Aqua does as well, I would also like your perspective in this situation."
"You… would like me to accompany them tomorrow?"
"I am giving you the opportunity to accompany them tomorrow."
"…There is one girl I could ask…"
XXX
Circumstances have improved in the three years since I made the mistake of reading that page of Xion's diary. Axel has matured (somewhat) and stopped asking out every girl he meets since Larxene dumped him, and Xion is (also somewhat) more mature and of proper dating age. She was right; I can't stop them. It's not my place to make her decisions, but this still feels as if that old nightmare has become reality.
At least Father has permitted me to go with them tomorrow. He most likely intended us to go as a group, but Aqua only has so much room in her minivan, and it'll be in my best interests to follow along unnoticed.
After all, Axel would know for sure I was only there to keep an eye on them if he saw me with Jasmine Sultana.
XXX
The next morning in the school courtyard, I slip away from Roxas, Xion, and Axel. It's not very difficult since they're in a heated discussion about what they want for Christmas (mostly video games in Roxas's and Axel's case, and Xion's still indecisive) and why I need to "get off my workaholic butt and pick out a Christmas tree already." Axel only pauses for a moment to ask where I'm going, and I mutter an excuse about borrowing a book from Aqua. I walk away before he can grow suspicious.
The courtyard is fairly large, but every group has its own territory marked by months of standing in the same place each morning, so locating Jasmine is simple. She's sitting on the same picnic table as always with her friends, Belle and Megara, on either side of her. Normally Mulan would also be with them; she must have begun her Christmas vacation early. …When did I notice such trivial details?
"Hey! Who do you think you are, walking up to my girl like that?" Gaston calls from behind me. Keep walking, he could easily be talking to some other unfortunate soul… Unfortunately, he grabs my shoulder and forces me to face him.
"Did you hear me? Nobody walks up to girls like Gaston!" He yells in my face (I can smell the four dozen eggs he ate for breakfast on his breath) as his diminutive sidekick, Le Fou (fitting, as it means "the fool" in French), backs him up.
"Darn right! You tell him, Gaston!" I'm fairly certain he only backs that antagonist so he won't be targeted for his small stature.
"Nobody talks in the third person like Gaston, either," I state calmly. While he's busy working up a sneer, I easily escape his grip. Father's martial arts lessons have been useful in many instances like this. Not that I would use any of my offensive techniques on school property, but I can diffuse most unpleasant situations.
"Are you picking a fight, Scarface?" He stabs a finger into my chest, not even making me flinch. I back up a step, holding up my hands in the way one would pacify an animal.
"Of course not. I intended that as a compliment," I lie smoothly, seeing the students curiously gathering around us in my peripheral vision. "And I wasn't approaching Belle, not that you own her or could prevent me from seeing her if I so desired. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a different girl to speak with."
He shouts something as I walk away, probably something insulting, but I've already slipped through the crowd and am only a few feet away from Jasmine's table. Now I have the problem of that crowd seeing me with her – if rumors that I've asked Jasmine on a date find their way to Axel's ears, things would quickly become complicated.
"Maybe that's why guys rarely talk to us," Belle says to Jasmine and Megara. "Sorry, girls."
Megara snorts. "It's not your fault Gaston's a possessive stalker. Herc could knock that oaf's lights out any day of the week, anyway."
I clear my throat once I'm in hearing range of their conversation.
"Hello, Saïx," Jasmine says with a little wave. Thankfully the cold weather means she's bundled up in a thick coat, instead of more revealing or distracting attire. "What's important enough to bring you here when Gaston's playing Lord of the Courtyard?"
"Change of scenery. The concrete's always grayer on the other side," I say dryly, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "I need to speak with you." Obviously. "In private," I add.
Unsurprisingly, her friends immediately begin to laugh and whisper to each other, but Jasmine only smiles in a smug manner.
"Hmm, I don't know…" She sing-songs, though I can tell she's already made up her mind. "Is there something you want to say that Belle and Meg can't hear?"
Normally I'd exchange banter with her, but I don't have time for it today. "Yes."
"Go on, Jasmine," Belle says. In a whisper she continues, "Maybe he has a certain something to ask you."
Megara scrutinizes me, looking highly skeptical. I cross my arms. Is all this nonsense worth it to watch over Xion and Axel?
…Yes, it is. I trust Axel to teach her well, but she is still my sister, and… I simply want to be there in case anything goes wrong. Or in case anything goes right.
Jasmine finally smiles and gracefully steps down from the table. "I'd be happy to speak with someone who fought his way past Gaston just to come see me," she says teasingly.
"I did not fight with anyone. He was hardly an annoyance, anyway," I say. Still, I'm thankful Axel's been formulating a plan to prank him, which will no doubt get us both in trouble. Under the circumstances, however, I may still enjoy it.
"Such modesty, Saïx." She laughs, enjoying making me feel awkward as usual.
I lead Jasmine to a deserted corner of the courtyard that would normally be brimming with students, but luckily many more than Mulan have begun their Christmas vacations early.
"You're being awfully cryptic today," she comments. "Not that that's unusual for you."
"I suppose it isn't," I mutter mostly to myself.
She puts her hands on her hips, though she's still smiling a little. "And the reason is…?"
I clear my throat. Just ask her the question, there's no reason this should be difficult. Axel always made it look so simple. Maybe I should've listened to his advice when he tried to make me interact with her before…
"Would you like to go ice skating with me tonight?" I ask, trying to maintain eye contact. Normally my eyes are the ones that make others shy away, but her brown gaze is so strong it's difficult even for me to hold. Jasmine is quite an interesting girl.
For a moment her feminine features flicker to faint surprise, and then her smile widens. "Is that a date, Saïx?"
Axel would torment me for eternity if he saw how pink my face must be now. "If you would like it to be. But I am not asking to be your boyfriend." Better to make that clear now than later.
"I wouldn't expect you to." She looks highly amused, but she puts on an expression of wariness to mask it. "Any reason for the sudden change of tune? You wouldn't even be my partner in Trig yesterday."
Axel told me I would regret brushing her off so many times. He's insufferable when he's right.
I sigh. "Forgive my rudeness, Jasmine. You were rather… distracting. I work best on my own; I was not trying to offend you."
Which is honestly true. I never meant to hurt her feelings, and she is intelligent enough to be a good partner, but I can't handle constant interaction with her and still complete my assignments. Even when we're not doing group work, it's quite difficult to focus on Trigonometry with a beautiful young woman in the desk next to me… Not that I like her in that way, but even I will admit her appearance is attractive. I suppose there are worse options for dates.
Jasmine covers her mouth with her fingertips and giggles slightly. "You, the one person I know with a Focus of Steel, can get distracted?"
"I…" No answer. None that would save a bit of my reputation, anyway.
"You sure hide a lot behind those pretty tiger eyes of yours," she says.
"…What?" I take a step back. This conversation is quickly moving even farther away from my comfort zone, and she still hasn't given an answer.
"You don't have to be so shy, Saïx." Where did she get that idea?
"I'm not shy," I deadpan, pulling together my composure. "You never answered my question."
In response, she leans forward into my personal space and kisses my cheek.
I blink. Then, not knowing what to say, I blink again. …What? Is this normal?
"The bell's about to ring. Give me the details in first period, okay?" She smiles at me one last time before walking back to her friends in a dignified manner.
I turn away and hastily wipe off a sticky trace of lip gloss. I've always thought kissing to be such an odd expression of affection, and yet that wasn't entirely unpleasant…
XXX
"Hey, Saï!" Axel yells from across the cafeteria, waving like he's trying to flag down an airplane. We sit at the same table ever day; he has no need to draw my attention…
I sit down and unpack my lunch. Even though he goes through the lunch line, he still gets to the table before I can make it here from the choir room, especially since on this particular day Jasmine insisted on walking with me to my locker after class. I don't mind her company that much outside the classroom, but there's still the issue of rumors spreading.
"Did you pass your Chemistry exam?" I ask.
He takes a smug bite of greasy pizza. "Heh, I bet I'm the only one in my class who did."
Now it's my turn to look smug. "And who do you have to thank for that?"
"My best friend who cares enough to look out for my future. I probably don't thank you enough for that," he says seriously.
I smile a little. "You don't, but you're welcome."
He laughs suddenly while I unwrap a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. "Hey, you'll never guess what I heard today."
I freeze, just for a moment. "And what would that be?"
"It's stupid, but I overheard Meg saying you actually asked out Jasmine Sultana." He laughs harder than the time he caught me watching Power Rangers with Vanitas, and I make an annoyed grunting sound. Thankfully he doesn't believe it, but still…
"Rumors." I shake my head in feigned disgust.
"That's all it is, right?" He looks me straight in the eye, and I see a tiny speck of doubt there. I've never been able to keep secrets from Axel.
I snort. "Sure, because there's a void in my life I feel the need to fill with pointless drama," I say sarcastically. "Ridiculous." Hopefully I sound convincing…
"Girls aren't all bad, man!" He flicks a pepperoni towards me from across the table, which I push away with a napkin.
"Says the one who's only kept one girlfriend for longer than a week, and that one had severe anger issues." I roll my eyes, glad that I've managed to deflect the conversation.
He looks away. "Not this time." His voice… is that devotion I hear in it? "You still trust me, right? Saïx?"
Guilt squirms in my chest. "How could I not trust my best friend?"
"Yeah… I trust you too, Saïx. Get that memorized." He taps his temple, leaving a smear of pizza sauce.
"You might want this." I pass him a napkin, and he laughs.
But I still can't shake that feeling… How could I not trust him?
A/N: Yup, first kiss in a story that's supposed to be mainly AkuShi, and it's SaiJaz. Go figure. The "tiger eyes" comment is a reference to Raberba girl's fic, "Eyes Like a Tiger's".
I'll probably focus on the spin-off stories before I post the next chapter, which will probably be Xion's POV. I have a chapter of SaiJaz from Jasmine's POV that I had to write to figure out how this chapter would turn out, a chapter with Saïx and Vanitas that should clarify something from the beginning of the chapter, and I'm working on "The Larxene Incident" and how Axel reacts to it. It amuses me how much other characters have tried (and usually succeeded…) to push their way into a fic that was meant to focus on AkuShi. *sweatdrop*
