Chapter 7

"Syusuke," Yumiko called up to her brother from the bottom of the stairs. He popped his head out of his door and glanced curiously down at her older sister.

"Is something wrong?" he asked sweetly.

Yumiko wore a worried expression on her face, if not with the tiniest hint of amusement on it, and in her hand was her deck of tarot cards. "Be careful when you go to school tomorrow, ok?" she asked, resulting in a pleasantly puzzled expression from Fuji.

"Jaa, if nee-san says so," he replied. "Nee-san's card reading abilities are always most accurate." Then, he retreated back into his room, falling backwards onto his bed with his hands tucked under his head. Presently, his cell phone started to ring, so he reached out and flipped it open, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. "Moshimoshi?" he asked, making himself comfortable on his pillow.

Kurumi's little wail came from the other side of the line. "Waah! Syusuke-onii-chan, onee-chans are being mean!" There was a jumble of incoherent words in the background while Fuji just listened with wide-eyed surprise. He heard Kurumi let out a yelp, then retort hotly to one of her sisters, so he assumed that the phone was yanked from her hand.

"Kurumi-chan! Is everything alright?" he asked worriedly, to see if she still had hold of the phone, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

The voice that came from the other line was not Kurumi's voice, so it looked like the grade-schooler had lost the battle. "Ne, Fuji-kun."

"Yeah, Aa-chan?"

"About your date with Kurumi…"

"Ah… is something wrong with it?" he asked, keeping his voice light and cheerful. He could almost feel the dangerous aura emitting from the girl, even though they were on opposite ends of the street. "If you're afraid that I'm going to abduct her, I can assure you that I have nothing of the sort planned." His lip curled upward slightly in amusement when he heard the low grinding sound on the other end.

The answer came in a dangerously sweet voice. "I'm sure that if you kidnapped Kurumi, I would be the least of your troubles."

He chuckled, turning himself on his bed so that he could lean against the wall. "Ah… true, true." But then he frowned slightly as a new thought popped into his head. "Last time Kurumi took me on one of her 'dates', she picked the places, so I thought it would be only fair that I pick where we go this time," he found himself telling into the receiver. "But I'm really not sure where I should take her." Truthfully, he didn't know much about the young girl's preferences, other than that she liked the co-play stores that he had promised himself that he would never, never step into ever again.

Never; it was embarrassing as it was.

There was a moment of silence, before the sound of muffled giggles could be heard. "Kurumi likes aquariums," Asa quipped up when her giggles subsided. "You could take her to that aquarium that just opened. It's right across the street from that huge tennis stadium. You know… the one that has a dome that opens and closes?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know where it is." He had passed it once or twice when his sister picked him up in her car to have him help her run a few errands. It looked quite nice, with its sign painted a brilliant aquamarine color, decorated with chibi images of fish and jellyfish and dolphins. The whole place conveyed an air of cuteness, but still managed to seem scientific, which was seen almost as soon as you stepped into the lobby. He would have to see if he had enough pocket money to buy two tickets tomorrow.

"Well, then, I'm glad we cleared that up," Asa said brightly. "Good night."

He listened to the steady beeping of the phone as she hung up, before saying softly, "Good night," himself. Setting the receiver back into its cradle, he lay back on his pillow and stared at his ceiling. It wasn't long before he had dozed off, one hand draped over his chest as he slipped into a peaceful slumber.

***

At nine o'clock the next morning, the doorbell to the Ijuuin house rang. Kurumi shot down the stairs, all dressed and ready to go, to answer it. Their mother had allowed her to put on a little makeup, so Kurumi, Narumi, and Asa had experienced a bit with mascara and blush. Kurumi had wanted to use the lipstick, but both Narumi and Asa finally managed to dissuade her from the tube of dark red lipstick.

"Good morning, Syusuke-onii-chan!" Kurumi said happily as she threw open the door.

Fuji's smile was as gentle as usual as he dipped his head forward slightly. "Good morning, Kurumi-chan," he replied, and then scrutinized her face with a critical eye. Kurumi wearing makeup was a rare sight to see, although she looked quite nice in it. A thin, carefully applied line of eyeliner accentuated her stormy blue eyes, while the faintest bit of blush added color to her cheeks. It went well with her shirt, a light blue one with a white line in the shape of a sword going down its side and a pair of long pants. "You look nice," he complimented, and the sixth grader flushed happily, cheeks becoming steadily pinker.

"Mascara is so hard to remove…" Kurumi and Fuji turned to look into the house as Narumi and Asa came down the stairs. "Remind me never to use it ever again," Narumi complained. Asa was holding a compact disk in her hands and frowning at it, moving a sponge that was half stained brown with the makeup between her fingers.

"All this work just to look pretty," she mused. "But Narumi… if Kurumi looks nice in it I'm sure you would, too." She suddenly glanced at the door and flashed a quick smile. "Good morning, Fuji-kun."

"Good morning." He turned his attention back to Kurumi. "Saa, Kurumi-chan. Let's go."

Kurumi gave a faint wave to her sisters and hurried down the walkway after her 'date'. "Ne, ne, Syusuke-onii-chan!" she said brightly as she caught up to him. "Where are we going today?"

"The aquarium," he answered, and was rewarded with an extremely bright smile. Asa was right about the aquariums.

"Awesome! It's the new one, right?" He nodded and she laughed, latching affectionately onto his arm. "I haven't been there yet. I heard it was really nice though." And on and on she chattered while they walked to the bus stop.

Narumi turned to Asa with a twinkle in her eyes before fishing two tickets to the aquarium out of her pocket. "Ne, nee-chan," she said. "Why don't we go, too?" If not for spying on Kurumi, then going to see all the sea creatures was nice, too.

An enthusiastic nod was her answer. "Let's go, then!"

***

"Wow!" Kurumi's eyes were shining as she took in the vast multitude of colorful fish that were swimming in their tank. "Ne, Syusuke-onii-chan, don't you think so?" She turned expectantly to the boy, only to find him looking in the other direction, a slightly surprised expression on his face. "Syusuke-onii-chan?" she ventured forth.

He started, before pasting his usual smile on his face. "Of course," he said, although Kurumi noticed with a huff that his voice was vague and he seemed distant. Why did her Syusuke-onii-chan have to be like that, today of all days?

"Ne, ne, Syusuke-onii-chan," she whined, tugging enthusiastically on his arm until he turned to her. "Let's go see the seals. Maybe they'll let us feed fish to them!" She tugged him down the walkway and he had no choice but to follow. By the time noon rolled in and they stopped at the café to grab a few bites to eat, Fuji found himself exhausted after having to escort Kurumi to all parts of the aquarium. And this comes from a tensai at tennis, he thought with an amused smirk on his face.

Kurumi was munching a burger happily when he chanced a glance upwards and saw four familiar figures seating themselves at a table not too far away. This group consisted of Momo, Eiji, Narumi, and Asa. Eiji seemed to be sporting off some new trick of his with a spoon and a fork and Narumi was giggling at his antics. Momo was busy immersing himself within the pages of the menu. Asa had her nose in the map of the aquarium. He heard a few snatches of her conversation, something along the lines of seals. When Eiji and Momo paused in their actions to give him a triumphant glance, he frowned slightly. So that explained his uneasy feeling in here; he was being tailed by the two of them. Why did this remind him of the first time he had met Kurumi?

"Excuse me for a second, Kurumi-chan," he apologized to the girl sitting opposite of him before standing and making his way over to his friends. Eiji saw him coming and gestured to an empty chair besides him. Fuji perched there and surveyed him and Momo for a few moments. "Don't trust me on a date?" he finally asked, a hint of a tease creeping into his voice. Or was it something darker? It was hard to tell; Fuji could make his voice sound carefree and innocent whenever he liked.

"Nah," Eiji said lightly, popping a French fry into his mouth and offering one to Fuji. He refused politely, sitting in a way that stated that he was waiting for his answer. Eiji had no choice but to answer, which he promptly did, after swallowing his French fry. "It's not often Fujiko goes out on a date. You need a girlfriend." He was so blunt and to the point that Fuji was surprised. By this time, Narumi had excused herself and had taken her plate to sit with her younger twin sister, the two of them maintaining a lively chat as they finished their meals.

"I see," Fuji finally relented after a few moments of silence, in which Momo had finally decided what he wanted (traditional cheeseburger, go figure) and was taking large bites out of, an expression of pure bliss on his face. He would have said more but the twins came up, having finished their lunches and put away the trays.

"Ne, Syusuke-onii-chan," Kurumi began, "Narumi and I are going to check out the dolphins, so you can stay and chat with your friends."

At this, Fuji opened his mouth to protest, but Narumi beat him to saying anything. "We'll set up a rendezvous time," she stated briskly. "How about three o'clock in the penguins' area?" He nodded once and the two girls headed off, heads together as they discussed some topic.

Eiji stood hastily, dragging a protesting Momo up as well. "We'll go see the dolphins, nya!" he said happily, and dragged away his kouhai. Surprisingly, Momo still managed to retain his grip on his half-eaten cheeseburger as he went. Fuji allowed a faintly bemused smile to steal across his face until he glanced sideways. Blue eyes regarded him calmly while Asa finished the rest of her lunch, stacking everything neatly on her tray before standing up, as well.

"Have you seen the seals yet?" she asked, pointing to a spot on the map. He shook his head. No, he hadn't gone there yet. Her face brightened considerably. "Great! Then would you like to come with me?" Seeing no other way out of the matter, he stood, giving a simple, "Of course," and the two of them filed out of the café area.

One large, gentle, brown eye looked at Fuji from the other side of the glass. The seal it belonged to turned its head so that if could stare at him with its other eye, and he chuckled despite himself. Besides him, Asa let out a soft breath, murmuring, "It's so adorable, ne?"

"Hai." Adorable and playful, he thought, watching it perform a somersault underwater and then heading up to the surface for air. It came back down shortly afterwards, to stare at them curiously again.

'Why don't you come in?' it seemed to be asking as it waved a flipper at the two humans.

"Because I don't see a way that I could get in the tank," Fuji answered the animal. "I also don't think the keepers would appreciate it if I hopped in." Asa gave him a curious look before returning her attention to the marine animal.

"You're… talking to it?" she asked softly.

"You can talk to anything," Fuji stated matter-of-factly, "Even plants. They all listen to you. Whether they answer or not is a different story."

"I see…" A slight moment of pause, then, "Is Yuuta-kun coming over for Christmas?"

Fuji tipped his head to one side, smiling eyes watching the lap of the water against the glass. "We don't know yet. He's supposed to call either okaa-san or nee-san later today." He suddenly frowned. "Either way, I'll have to get him a present. The only problem is, I haven't gotten him one yet." He sighed; it looked like he would be out to haunt the shops tonight. While on the topic of presents, he also realized he had to buy one for his sister. His present to his mother had already been planned out. Oh, decisions, decisions! What would he get Yumiko?

"I'm wondering… would you like to help me with this idea for Kurumi's present?" The request surprised him, and he turned to her to notice her glancing at a wristwatch. "Are you free tomorrow after school?"

"We have to practice for that play," he reminded her. She frowned; she had completely forgotten about the play. "After the practice, then," she consented. "Are you free, then?" He nodded as they started walking towards the penguins' area. "Have you ever been to the cosplay shop? You know, the one where you can pick out a costume and then take those little sticker pictures?"

He twitched. "That place?" was all that he could offer. Although, somehow, he found himself agreeing as they met up with her as they met up with the rest. "Did you enjoy spending time with your sister?"

Kurumi nodded. "Hai! Thanks for taking me to the aquarium today, Syusuke-onii-chan!" She hurried off after her sisters who were already waiting for her at the entrance, jackets on to fend from the cold. Fuji sighed inwardly. He couldn't believe it. He would have to be paying that store another visit in the so very near future.

Although… if he could drag a few of the Regulars with him, then perhaps he could have some fun embarrassing them. Satisfied, he trotted out of the door to head home, giving a nod to the rest of the group. He would have to hurry if he wanted to have a good plan ready to convince a few chosen Regulars to come with him tomorrow.

A/N: My, my... first Author's Note. =) Personally... I don't really like this chapter. I think it just rambles on and on about basically nothing. I did always want to see what would happen if Fuji was ever dragged into that co-play store again, though, so I guess this serves minimal purpose in the satisfation of my own strange mind. Heh. So I'm sorry if you thought this chapter was a really crappy piece of work, but I seriously can't do much more revising to it (already tried... epic fail).

And I think Fuji is a tad bit OOC... or maybe that's just me. *frowns*

~Sileny