Phantasy Star Portable – Kotone
Chapter 12
Saturday found Ethan Waber hiding behind a door in a frantic attempt to hide from Laia. He'd been helping the bitch all week, damn it, and he wanted to relax! The sounds of steady footsteps registered, and a young woman looked at him oddly as she walked in. He waved at Kotone, and pressed a finger to his lips as Laia came into view.
"You see Ethan?" Laia asked desperately. "I need help with my little terrors." Kotone stared at her flatly.
"Perhaps he is on a mission?" Kotone suggested dryly. "Or he's hiding?" Kotone rolled her eyes at the older woman's theatrics. "I only know Mr. Waber in passing. If you don't mind, I need to warm up or Mr. Hyuga will hurt me." Laia nodded, distracted.
"Yeah . . ." Laia left. Kotone nodded at the older teenager politely, taking the time to stretch out. Ethan admired her as he waited a reasonable time until after Laia left to open his mouth, hands dangling over his knees.
"Mr. Waber?" He sounded wryly amused. Kotone flushed.
"I don't have permission to call you by your first name." Ethan sighed. As old-fashioned as her teacher. It was actually rather endearing.
"Well then, call me Mr. Ethan." Ethan chided slightly. Kotone sighed, but nodded. She pulled out her Double Saber, and Ethan watched interestedly as she practiced on her own. "How good are you at that?" Kotone blinked, and looked at her weapon.
"Mr. Hyuga said that I would have to pursue training on my own," She supplied hesitantly for him. Ethan nodded.
"That means you're pretty damn good." Ethan got up and summoned his own. "I know some skills if you want help." Kotone brightened and nodded.
Hyuga watched Ethan brightly detail out how to use two Double Sabers at a time. Hyuga grinned at the clear delight Ethan took in teaching the young woman. He'd have to tell Nav that Ethan would have done just as well.
"Stealing my student Ethan?" Hyuga asked wryly, dumping the boxes of food onto the table. "Breakfast Kotone." Kotone cheered brightly, bouncing over at Ethan's nod. She happily opened a box and dug in. Ethan smiled sheepishly back.
"Just repaying a favor. She saved me from Laia," Ethan informed him, sitting at the table. Kotone pushed a box towards him and kept eating. Hyuga snickered at his student's single-minded attitude.
"Mm. Are you sure? She looks pretty focused on eating right now." Kotone glared at her teacher slightly, before returning to her food. Ethan smiled a bit at her.
"Pretty sure. Why didn't you tell me about her? She's got moves I don't know!" Kotone stopped eating long enough to answer.
"You know things I don't," She pointed out, starting on her third box. Ethan laughed.
"Touché," Ethan agreed, grinning shamelessly. "But seriously?" This was directed towards Hyuga.
"I do need to teach my student," Hyuga pointed out wryly to his friend. Ethan winced.
"Okay, so I get a bit enthusiastic –" The brown-haired boy ignored Hyuga's snort. "But it's not like there's a lot of people who use a Double Saber!" Kotone filched a fifth box without their notice. "What?" Hyuga snorted again, nudging his box of half-eaten food to his pupil's side.
"Nothing. Do you want to spend Saturdays with us?" Hyuga offered, watching Kotone light up delightedly. Ethan shrugged, rubbing a shoulder.
"What do you do on Saturday?" Hyuga grinned at him, and instead recited the entire list of work they did during the week and the occasional visits.
". . . and I need to get her a visual exam." Hyuga grinned brazenly at his open-mouthed shock. Kotone polished off her ninth box. "Slow down sweetie," Hyuga chided gently, tapping her hand. "It'll still be here." Kotone nodded and slowed down. Ethan's mouth hung open. What the hell did that girl do on weekends to be so hungry!? "She gets a bit . . . affectionate with other men." Hyuga answered his unasked question while Ethan stared. No. NO. Not another Hyuga! Hyuga snorted at his student's outraged glare. "You started it by making the joke to Tonnio honey." Ethan relaxed a bit. A joke. He could live with a joke.
He hoped so.
A week later
Ethan watched Kotone practice interestedly, occasionally pointing out a flaw here and there. Hyuga was busy on a mission and he had offered his services before Laia could rope him back into helping again. Ethan rubbed his shoulder, whistling sharply enough to stop her.
"Alright, I've got a fair idea of what you know." Ethan didn't add that she should have dropped dead from her work ethic. "Has Hyuga started on the Crescent Moon for twin sabers?" Kotone shook her head.
"We only started on it with two-handed blades." She mumbled. "He wants me to take my learning slow." Ethan nodded.
"It's a good choice," Ethan agreed happily. "I've seen plenty of GUARDIANS who simply think raw strength can beat the knowledge in countering attacks." He summoned his twin blades, and held one in reverse grip. "Are you ambidextrous?" Kotone shook her head.
"Lefty," She corrected gently. Ethan shrugged, swapping his positioning of the blades. Ethan was ambidextrous, as well as Hyuga, though Hyuga had cultivated it through hours of practice. That tidbit was relayed to Kotone, who promised to work on it.
And she did practice. Ethan watched her from the doorway as she stubbornly tried to get it right.
"You're a diligent one, aren't you?" Ethan asked dryly, startling the tiny little thing. For a second, he felt slightly guilty, watching her hands flinch up slightly in a small, childlike attempt to defend herself. "Here, let me help," Ethan offered to her a touch ruefully. Thankfully, the way she lit up made up for the nagging feeling of guilt in his stomach. He smiled back, trying not to think of how her smile made his stomach jump rather excitedly.
Hyuga watched Ethan's hands as they lingered a moment too long on his student's, and he shook his head in amusement. It was about time Ethan got himself interested in women. For a time, he assumed Ethan was gay. Hyuga laughed brightly, and thanked Ethan for teaching his student.