A.N:
This chapter takes place two years after the first chapter of this story a little before the events of the anime and Manga.
Chapter 2: I Wish You Would
Two years later
Draken was in high school now and with Toman's reputation growing so did his and that came with many admirers.
Emma had been hanging out with him at a local arcade that both he and Mikey frequented and she noticed that a red head was staring at Draken from across the room. The girl was pretty and looked to be around Draken's age and the girl's eyes kept following him as he hung out with Emma.
This seemed to be happening more often now that they were older and Emma was well aware that she wasn't the only one who thought that Draken was attractive.
Draken didn't seem to notice though, but Emma was all too aware of the girl's lingering gazes as she whispered to her friends about him. Emma ignored this as the other girl's eyes landed on her this time as she whispered to her friend again before they both started laughing. Emma rolled her eyes and Draken gently pulled her arm.
"Earth to Emma, are you good? I just asked if you wanted to take photos like twice."
Emma smiled. "Wow Draken you asked me to take photos first. I'm surprised you usually act like you don't like them." She teased.
"I don't, but since you seem a little out of it today. So I'll do it for you." He said. Emma loved the strips of photos that she had collected with him over the years. To her those photos are proof of the bond that they have as friends.
"And I want you to smile in at least one of the pictures or I won't let you have breakfast the next time that you come over." Emma threatened seriously.
"Emmaaa." He groaned in protest.
"You're free to do whatever you want." She gave him another smile that looked all too similar to how Mikey smiled. He was definitely seeing the family resemblance today so Draken didn't dare not to smile in at least one of the pictures.
He actually smiled twice and Emma's face lit up as she retrieved the strip of photos from the front of the booth and Draken couldn't help but secretly admire her as she did so.
How she examined each photo and her smile got bigger when she was looking at the pictures that she liked the best. Draken didn't usually like talking pictures but if it was with Emma he made an exception. He just preferred seeing pictures of his friends having fun, he liked remembering them rather than looking back at himself.
"These came out great." Emma handed him his strip of photos and he placed them in his pocket. "I hope that you put these somewhere safe. I won't forgive you if you lose the things that me and you get together."
Draken blushed slightly. "Yeah, yeah I do keep them."
"Really?" She laughed. "I was just teasing you, but I'm glad that you keep them even though you don't like to take them."
"Pictures are more for people who have families Emma since it's just me I don't really have much of a point keeping these kinds of things. No one's ever going to look back at these except for me so there's not really much point in taking pictures of myself."
"I would, Draken, wouldn't you say that you're like family with me and Mikey? Sure we're not really related and I'm happy about that but when have you ever spent a single holiday or birthday alone since you met us? Family isn't just blood." Emma lightly tapped her fist to his chest "So don't talk like that anymore."
Draken smiled a light blush creeping over his cheeks because of how touched he was by Emma's words.
"What are you talking about, you're glad that we're not really related?" Emma turned her head quickly.
"I already have enough brothers that's all, let's go play galaxy wars again maybe you'll beat me this time"
"Or we could shoot hoops again. Maybe you'll beat me this time." He challenged.
"Hoops is not fair and you know it, how tall are you again? Have you reached 6ft yet?"
"5 11." He smiled.
"No more hoops today. I don't even think that you're actually good at basketball. You're just tall so it's easier."
"Nope, I was good since I was in elementary school."
"I don't believe you."
"Fine then how about we play ski ball since we're both good at that and whoever wins ski ball the loser has to do anything that the winner says for an hour." Draken said.
"Bring it, you're going to be taking more smiley pictures with me, Draken I can't wait." She smiled, determined to win.
"Nope you're going to be playing hoops with me for the rest of the day and then I want ice cream."
"Let's do ice cream regardless of who wins, loser pays." She smiled
"Deal." He said.
It was always so easy to hang out with Draken. She especially loved days like today when it was just the two of them or when he came over and he sat next to her as they watched scary movies with her brother. Emma wasn't even scared of scary films but when Draken was around she always said that she was and asked him to hold her hand as they watched, to which he always did, not knowing the truth which always made Mikey and Baji tease her later.
They competitively played ski ball and Emma won two out of there rounds so she was officially the winner to which she excitedly celebrated as Draken gloomed in defeat.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
"Come on, it's photo time." She smiled. "We're going to have so many nice ones today too you have to do any pose that I tell you."
"Okay." He said defeated.
"Since I won, you have to be excited about it too. You have to do what I say those are the rules." She reminded him.
"Okay." He changed his tone and sounded more excited now to which she laughed at his quick change.
"This is what you wanted." He said.
"I know, I just didn't think that I would get this far."
They took their photos in a total of 5 different sessions and now they were going to go get ice cream but before they could leave the arcade the redhead from earlier approached them with her friend.
"Hey Draken, I didn't know that you liked to come here too." The girl said smiling at him and he responded curtly.
"Sometimes." He said in a short tone.
Did Draken know this girl? Emma thought. She looked like she was around his age and now that she was closer Emma could tell that the red head was a lot taller and slimmer than her. She also looked older than her as well. She gave Emma a displeasing look before talking to Draken again.
"I didn't get to talk to you much at school today, have you been thinking about what I asked you yesterday."
"What did you ask me yesterday?"
She laughed. "You're so funny, you probably just don't want to say in front of your sister here." The girl, over exaggerated.
"I'm not his sister." Emma corrected her immediately.
"Then what are you, sorry you just look so much younger than us so I can't see you as his girlfriend you have to be related in some way right?" The redhead asked.
"Nope." Draken grabbed Emma's hand and her face got red at his next words. "Emma is my girlfriend so I'm going to have to say no to what you asked the other day Mina." He said before pulling Emma out of the arcade.
She silently followed him as they walked to the ice cream shop that they liked. As her mind raced contemplating on what to say to him. He hadn't said a word as they walked and he was still holding her hand. She didn't know what to say either.
Did he feel the same way that she did? He was two years older than her so Mina had been right about her looking younger which had always been a concern of hers. Did he not care either? But once they got far enough away he bowed his head and apologized to her.
"I'm sorry Emma, I just got tired of Mina always asking me out and she wanted to know what we were so I just told her that we were together. I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."
"Make me uncomfortable?" She repeated.
She has had a crush on him since she was 10 but she never really thought that he'd see her as anything other than his best friend's little sister until she got older.
"Draken I wasn't uncomfortable."
He stood up straight again so that they were looking at each other.
"Really, you're not mad? I know the last thing you probably want is for people to think that you're dating a gang member."
"And why would you think that?"
"Girls usually like the type that they can bring home to their family."
"But you've already met my family." She stated matter of factly she wasn't seeing his point at all.
"What I'm trying to say is that I didn't mean it back there. So don't be mad at me."
"So you just wanted that girl to think that we were dating so she'd leave you alone. Does she ask you out a lot?"
"I think yesterday was the 7th time." He said absently.
"7 times!?" She said and he laughed.
"I know." He laughed. "She's crazy. Did you see how she was looking at you back there? I could never like someone like that." He said and Emma smiled.
"And who is someone that you would like Draken?" She asked as they started walking to the ice cream shop again.
He looked forward for a second. They were almost to the ice cream shop.
"I don't know probably someone tough and a good cook but I doubt that anyone could cook better than you Emma." He said honestly.
"I don't think that you'd find a girl who could cook better than me either." She blushed.
Why was he so studpid she was right here. She was tough, she could cook.
They arrived at the ice cream shop and they ordered their ice cream. Draken paid as those were the rules of the bet. Emma ordered birthday cake ice cream while Draken ordered chocolate chip and they sat outside the store on a bench eating ice cream.
"You know Mina might tell your whole school that me and you are dating now. What are you going to do if everyone at your school thinks we're together? We go to different schools so it probably won't affect me too much." Emma said as she sat next to him.
"Let them believe what they want as long as you don't mind. If it ever becomes a problem for you then I'll just say that you dumped me. I wouldn't want you to have to be tangled up with me in that way Emma."
"Why are you talking like that, tangled up with you or tied to you in that way? Why are you being so negative about it?" She asked, annoyed at how he was describing what a relationship with him would be like.
He gave her a sad smile. "Emma you don't understand. I'm a delinquent, I don't have a family or any kind of future security. Why would I want to drag one of my closest friends down by being attached to me right now?"
Emma was quiet for a long moment after he said that and he thought that she finally understood what he met. His shoulders slumped and he ate more of his ice cream as he relaxed now that she understood.
"I see , I didn't know that you were worried about those kind of things." She said with a serious face as she considered his words while thinking about what to say next.
"I'm almost 16. I'll be an adult pretty soon. My carefree days will be over soon so I need to think about stuff like that."
"But you're not an adult yet, you shouldn't worry about that stuff right now. Yeah those days are coming but they're not here now. Right now you should just enjoy these moments and worry about being happy now because you won't get this time back. Let the people close to you decide if they want to be tied to you or not. I bet that's what Shinichiro would have said if he were still here." She said.
"That sounds like him." Draken said and they finished their ice cream before heading back to Emma's place and that was when Emma realized.
Draken would never tell her if he liked her. Hell he has no clue that she even liked him with the way that he was speaking today.
Why was he okay with other people thinking that they were together anyway when they could just actually be together. She seriously wanted to change his thinking about all of this. Shinichiro's death had taught her that everyone only has so much time with each other before they're gone. Draken shouldn't be overwhelming himself with negative thoughts.
Emma pulled herself out of her thoughts as they were walking before taking a deep breath.
"Draken, you still have to do what I say since I won." She said confidently though she was screaming inside at how nervous this was making her.
"Yes. You can get back at me now if you want since I told people we're dating." He said.
"I want you to kiss me." She said seriously.
"What?!" He had not been expecting that at all and it was written all over his face.
"You heard what I said, kiss me since you wanted to say that we're dating. I want you to kiss me."
"But we're not really dating." He said.
"What if we were, would that really be so bad? You always act like this and that isn't for you and like you wouldn't be good at this sort of thing but I've liked you since the day that I met you. To be honest I was glad when you told that girl that I was your girlfriend even though it was fake because that's what I've wanted for a long time." Emma said finally telling Draken the truth that she kept to herself for more than two years now. Her face heated up as she did so but she never broke eye contact as she told him how she's always felt and he could tell that she meant every word.
She had meant every word but that still didn't make him believe her right away. She had to just be saying this to make him feel better. Though they weren't related Emma was like family she even said so herself.
"Emma, what are you saying?" His face heated up now too.
"Hey I won the bet so do what I asked you to do. If you honestly don't feel anything after doing so then we can forget about this whole thing." She watched his face change as he contemplated what to do before he got closer to her and her heart stopped as he placed his hands on her shoulder and she tilted her head up in anticipation.
This was going to be her first kiss. Her first kiss with Draken!
She closed her eyes and she felt his lips press against her forehead. She opened her eyes frustrated with him for tricking her and he pulled away with a sigh.
"Hey, I just asked you to kiss me."
"I did, you didn't say where."
"You knew where I meant."
"Emma, if I did that things would be hard. Do you think Mikey would like his best friend dating his little sister?"
"He already knows." She said annoyed.
"And he never told me?!"
"He's good at keeping secrets."
"Well I learn something new almost everyday." He said in a colder tone.
"Why do you sound so mad?" Emma laughed.
"Emma, we can't be together. I'm sorry if I led you on today and confused you about how I feel but I honestly just see you as a friend." He said and Emma looked at him for a long time before speaking again.
"Okay Draken then we won't date for now." She smiled as if he didn't just reject her.
"What do you mean for now?" Their eyes met again as he spoke.
"I already thought that you might say no. So for right now, you just knowing how I feel is enough for me. After you think more about how you feel, let me know and then I want you to give me a real kiss." She said, They were at her house now so she just went inside before he could say anything else.
He was going to have some words with Mikey for keeping this a secret from him for so long.
"Yeah I knew that Emma liked you. She's liked you for years. I'm surprised that you didn't notice." Mikey said when Draken asked him the next day.
"Years?!"
"Yeah it was annoying sometimes, I'm guessing she told you. Do you like her Kenny?"
"Well I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? You better not have made her cry." Mikey said seriously.
"I told her that I didn't feel the same but she didn't seem upset with me. She said that me just knowing how she felt was enough for her. I didn't think that Emma would like me and I never thought about her this way before. Was she upset yesterday after I told her that I didn't like her?" Draken asked with genuine concern.
"Well she just seemed normal. Whenever you two hang out alone she comes home really happy and won't stop smiling."
"She does!?"
"Why are you so shocked? She told you that she likes you."
"I know but I don't think that I really believed her."
"Kenny, you should think about whether you like Emma or not. She likes you a lot so you should let her know if she has no chance."
Draken had been thinking about this all night and having his best friend confirm all of his questions he knew for sure now.
"I think that I do like Emma."
"Good." Was all that Mikey said.
"But I can't date Emma right now. I have to show her that I can be more than just a delinquent. I'll have to graduate high school and get a job so she knows that I'm serious then I'll be able to date her. I want to be someone that she can depend on and that means becoming someone with a stable future."
"You don't have to wait until then. Emma likes you the way that you are now. I'm sure that you can still do those things if you're together."
"I know but I think that if I do all those things it would be worth waiting for. Then I'll ask her out."
"You two just do what you want. I don't want to be in the middle of anything" Mikey said.
"Believe me, I'll keep you out of it." Draken smiled.
A.N:
Thank you for reading next update Friday or Saturday.