"Why are you here and with other people at that?" Markus said grumpily as his gut instincts proved fully correct and the good meal spoiled now. "This isn't a place most people walk into just because." He grouched to the group before him.

Just as Ai was about to retort Ruby spoke up. "How dare you're being so rude to her!" She squealed at Markus. "She's just here for lunch and meeting you was a simple coincidence as well!" She retorted to Markus.

Markus raised an eyebrow at Ruby, and just as either Ai or Miyako were about to speak up for her, Markus replied to her rather seriously, much to their respective shocks, including that of Aqua and Ichigo.

"Your friend approached me several times of her own volition and decided to annoy me with her presence." Markus said bluntly as Ai felt an invisible arrow strike her as being regarded as annoying. "As for why I'm rude to her, why would I want to be polite to anyone I do not wish to interact with?" He pointed out.

Ruby didn't have anything to say to that as what Markus said did make sense, and she could only pout cutely at Markus in anger. The pout was enough to put Markus in a good enough mood that he started chuckling a bit, as Aqua stepped up to speak.

"Were you perhaps trying to avoid Ai because you stole her stuff?" Aqua asked bluntly as Ichigo choked on air and Ruby looked to her brother in awe at his intellect. "Most thieves or criminals aren't big on meeting their victims." He added in.

"I did not steal Ai's stuff or pouch, I simply looked around it to find out who it belonged to." Markus corrected Aqua. "And then I reimbursed her for the tickets I found inside with money, so that's more of a monetary exchange than theft." Markus pointed out.

"Anyways." Ichigo interrupted so Aqua and Ruby don't start another argument with Markus. "To answer your question Markus, we came here because we were told there was a surprisingly good Chinese Restaurant around here and wanted to come by." He said carefully.

Markus gave Ichigo a look that made him gulp a bit. "This place is deeper into the Chinese Block, most Japanese people can't stand foreigners well enough to enter a neighborhood that they know literally little about, and most Chinese people like to keep themselves." Markus said crisply and logically. "If you're going to lie, think about the contexts of your lies." Markus said as he rolled his eyes.

"Busted~!" Ai giggled at Ichigo as he looked red at how utterly foolish, he looked. "Maybe you should leave the lying to someone who excels at lying like me next time~!" Ai chimed at Ichigo.

"I would trust your words even less than the old man's terrible lie." Markus said brutally as he caused both Ai and Ichigo to flinch at those words and even Miyako couldn't help but wince at what she heard.

"You're so brutal Markus." Ai whined at such words from him as Markus rolled his eyes again, clearing not caring and causing her to become whiney in his opinion.

"And you're still as annoying as ever, so we're even." Markus said briskly. "If anything, the one with the best chance out of lying is Miyako, as she strikes me as being smarter than the old man and less fake than Ai." He said casually, unaware of the impact of his words.

"Wait what?" Miyako blinked in surprise as both Ai and Ichigo winced again albeit for different reasons this time.

"Yeah, but honestly speaking? This is starting to eat up my time, so eat or whatever, I'm going back to my lunch." Markus said as he went back to eating, completely trying to ignore the way that Ai, Ruby, and Aqua were staring at him.

He tried to eat in silence, even as the group next to ordered food and started eating, but the way the trio continued to stare at him was starting to become annoying now.

"Is there something you want?" He said in controlled irritation as he stared back to Ai, who now smiled at him turning his attention to her.

"Yes actually, do you want to spend some time together?" She asked as Markus blinked at that in legit surprise as everyone else's eyes at the table widened at that.

"…And pray tell why do you want to spend time with me of all people despite the fact that I am annoyed by you, and you clearly live a different kind of lifestyle than I do?" Markus asked.

"Because you interest me." Ai started off as she ignored the surprised group of people gasping at her. "You interest me in so many ways that I have started to think about my own life and actions and started to think about things that I never really thought before."

"So, you want to hang out with me because I interest you?" Markus asked slowly as he stared at Ai.

"Well, that and the fact you are a surprisingly insightful person Markus, and I hope to broaden my horizon by getting to know you by spending time together." Ai said.

Her serious words surprised Miyako and Ichigo as they wondered just what on earth did Markus and Ai speak about that convinced her as such. And it wasn't just them as Aqua and Ruby were also curious as to what the two talk about for Ai to react like that.

Markus took the time to actually think about it, at first, he thought Ai was just fucking with him in some way, shape, or form. But the more he looked into Ai's eyes…no pun intended. He saw a familiar look in them, a familiar look in her eyes when she asked about his beliefs on love.

As much as Markus wanted to deny it, he couldn't help but be interested in wondering what Ai was like underneath that plastic exterior she put on. But on the other hand, if he gets involved with her in anyway, his free time will surely decrease if he does hang out with her.

So really there was only one reasonable reply he can give to this.

"Absolutely not." Markus said with a beaming fake smile, that caused nearly the entire group to seemingly stumble while sitting.

Ha!

As if Markus was going to give up any free time just to hang out with an Idol! Markus likes a good mystery but he preferred having no headaches thank you very much!

'What is with this guy?!' Aqua thought in irritation as his eyes twitched at the man known as Markus, and it wasn't just his eyes twitching, it was also Ruby's eyes twitching as Markus just bluntly said no to Ai without any issue or whatsoever.

"Ehhh? But why though?" Ai whined as Aqua stopped glaring at Markus to focus on Ai, who looked…actually kind of put down by that, that was confusing to him.

"Well, there are multiple reasons as to why I do not wish to hang out with you." Markus said clearly to Ai. "The first reason being is that you annoy me." He said bluntly as Ai winced and Aqua felt blood rushing into his fists at that.

"The second reason being, is that it would take away what few free moments I do have and I cherish my free time as a working man." Markus then added in, and…Aqua could see a point to that, everyone's got to rest at some point.

"Third reason is, meeting someone like you would be extremely troublesome considering your status right now, and I rather not get knifed by a psycho just for interacting with you." Markus then deadpanned as everyone winced at that. It was kind of an open secret that celebrities have to deal with crazy fans and Markus did not want to deal with that.

"Fourth and most important reason I believe so far, is that I'm a rude guy by nature to those I don't trust and even come off as caustic." Markus then said bluntly to the group, which caught Aqua off guard by what Markus said.

He seemed…well aware of his flaws from the look of it, not many people are capable of understanding their own issues and flaws and can be so open about it without issues.

"I would make a terrible conversationalist and acquaintance to make. You can do better than someone like me to talk to on a rather consistent basis." Markus said to Ai gruffly.

They all blinked at how Markus was acting, and it seemed like…Markus was trying to push Ai away because he's not a good guy?

Ai took that in a completely different way though as her eyes sparkled at Markus.

"Ah~! You're just being a Tsundere!" Ai chirped and both Aqua and Ruby had to hold themselves back from laughing as Markus's eyes started twitching at that. "It's okay to be shy to strangers, don't worry we will become good buddies!" She chirped at Markus.

"…In what possible way am I a Tsundere to you?" Markus grumped as Aqua and Ruby now giggled at the expression Markus was making at them.

"It's easy, you're cold on the outside but when it really matters, you're actually kind of nice." Ai said with a smile that felt…different to Aqua. "After all, if you really didn't like me, then you wouldn't have indulged talking to me like right now or those other times."

Markus scowled as his annoyance was quite visible to Aqua, which he was clearly willing to take as a win for Ai from Markus. Take that you rude Thief!

"And the fifth reason for me as to why I do not wish to interact with you, is because whenever I deal or interact with people, I rather them being rather honest or upfront about themselves." Markus said in annoyance, and much to Aqua's shock, saw Ai flinching at that.

"Excuse me?" Ichigo spoke up as he gave Markus a strange look as Markus continued eating.

"Like I said, I'm only willing to put up with people that are more honest or aren't so plastic." Markus said giving Ai a look that she seems to be shying away from. "In this day and age, honesty and truth are rare currency that people see as worthless, as such most bonds are surprisingly frail." He said to him.

Now Aqua was confused, Markus continued to confuse him, first he was grumpy about seeing Ai again, then he talked about reasons why he didn't want to hang out with Ai. 'The crazy man.' Then he got teased as being a Tsundere by Ai, and now he was talking about the merits of honesty.

"You are really unique." Ai spoke up as Markus and everyone else turned to her and she had a difficult to read expression. "You are like nobody that I have ever met before, it's…exhilarating to meet someone like you, you stand out and don't accept things as they are." She exhaled.

"Okay?" Markus said in genuine befuddlement. "But what does that have to do with me of all people? People aren't exactly pure copies of one another, they have their own beliefs, lives, events, and circumstances that makes them different from one another." He pointed out to Ai.

Markus, being a foreigner from what Aqua can tell, was understandably confused. Most Western Nations and the like espouse personal identities and the self of a person, Japan differed greatly from most Western nations as a result. In that they focus more on the collective and the group, rather than the individual.

The nail that stuck out gets hammered or replaced eventually. And right now, Aqua was starting to figure that his mother, Ai, is very interested in getting to know Markus for reasons unknown to him.

"Because most people aren't like you." Ai said with a different expression. "You're one of a kind, and I want to get to know you better because of how different you are." She said before she took a breath and continued on. "You're like a breath of fresh air, unlike anyone else, and I want to get to know you better because of that."

This was…strange, Ai never really cared to know someone of her own volition like that, and yet despite that, it was one of many smaller changes that Aqua started to notice about Ai. Randomly she would just smile at them and just spent time with them, or she would just hug and kiss them at times.

All of this started to happen after Ai met Markus, and all Aqua could wonder was what kind of influence did Markus have on Ai.

There was something going on there and Aqua did not know how to feel about Ai's interaction with Markus.

Ruby did not get it, she could not get it, why was her mother, the most wonderful and greatest idol in all of existence so focused on trying to get to know Markus? He wasn't even a fan or someone who can appreciate her skills or prowess as an Idol for crying out loud.

And yet despite that, Ai seemed intent on trying to get to know the weirdo known as Markus, whom as far as Ruby can tell, was just a run of the mill handyman working in Chinatown. As far as Ruby cared, he was a nobody, that just happened to luck out in meeting the greatest Idol ever multiple times.

Yet despite all those meetings that many would dub to be a gift from the divine, Markus showed absolutely no appreciation for Ai. Which caused her to huff and puff angrily as Ai seemingly invested in interacting with Markus, despite him being too low for her.

"I just don't get it." Ruby spoke up as Markus blinked and turned to her and seemingly gave her his fully undivided attention, and now Ruby could admit being under Markus's gaze, albeit still wearing those shades to cover his eyes, was a bit of a different experience.

It was like being under the gaze of someone firm and unyielding but also power. "Get what little one?" Markus asked Ruby, as his words allowed Ruby to find her words to speak again.

"Why is it that you have something against Ai that you don't want to spend time with her? Many people would want to spend time with her. And here you are, with Ai wanting to spend time with you and you're saying no to her." Ruby said to Markus.

Markus blinked at that as he heard what Ruby said and hummed at that. "Like I mention before, I'm not exactly fond of Ai, previous meetings haven't had the best of results in my personal beliefs." He said to her.

"But Ai said you're a Tsundere for her." Ruby pointed out as Markus's eyebrows twitched in both annoyance and anger at that, amusing her. "So, by that reasoning, you actually do want to spend time with her."

Markus raised an eyebrow at Ruby as she finished explaining her reasoning. "Smart girl, you two must be proud of her as her parents." Markus said to Ichigo and Miyako, who could only smile a bit with a bit of a strained look on their faces.

"Thank you, we try our best with Ruby and Aqua, just like any decent parent would." Miyako said as Ichigo nodded as Markus hummed at that and turned back to Ruby and giving her his fully undivided attention.

"As for your question Ruby, maybe some part of me does want to hang out with Ai, but there's also a part of me that doesn't want to." Markus said to Ruby. "And to be speaking rather honestly, I'm not invested in willing to get to know Ai." He said bluntly to Ruby.

Ruby didn't get it at all as she tilted her head in confusion trying to figure out why anyone would want to not spend time with someone as amazing as Ai.

"Like I said early on, there's plenty of issues for someone like me to hang out with someone as famous as Ai, and frankly speaking, the idea of dealing with potentially dangerous stalkers makes it a rather unenviable desire, especially since I can get hurt still." Markus explained.

"But you look so strong though!" Ruby protested. "Your muscles look pretty well and you could probably defend yourself." She said to him. "Not to mention you are kind of big." She added in.

"Muscles and size don't mean much if you can't use them properly lass." Markus pointed out to her. "And true I could fight back if I wanted to, but fighting's not always the right answer, at the very least you have to learn to pick your fights and win the fights you can do." Markus said to her.

"Hey, don't teach Ruby on how to get herself into trouble now." Ichigo said in annoyance at Markus for his words as Markus simply shrugged and that annoyed Ichigo even more. "I swear you Westerners are quick to jump for a fight." He groused.

'Racist!' Was Ruby's thoughts as she pouted at Ichigo, sure Markus may have been a heretic in not liking Ai, much less not wanting to hang out with her. But you have to be polite as this was a civilized nation!

And contrary to what Ruby expected, Markus was calm. "I was not trying to get herself into trouble or trying to jump into a fight." Markus corrected Ichigo. "I was simply telling her the best ways to go about life itself, life itself is a fight, a fight to put food and water on the table, a fight to stay in your job, a fight to be able to pay the rent, and so on." Markus clarified better as Ichigo started to calm down.

"You could have worded what you say better, kids are impressionable at that age." Ichigo grumbled as Ruby pouted, she wasn't that impressionable!

Markus nodded at that. "I will try to be more delicate with my words next time." He said to Ichigo as the man grunted and both men rubbed their eyes under their shades.

"Why do you wear shades?" Ruby asked suddenly to Markus, who seemingly recoiled back at what Ruby asked. "The first time I saw you, it was dark and yet you still wore shades, and right now you're still wearing shades, so why are you wearing them right now?" She asked bluntly.

And now Ruby got to see something interesting, Markus actually looked uncomfortable now, meaning he's got something to hide behind those shades. And it wasn't just Ruby, but also Aqua, Miyako, and Ichigo that looked kind of interested in it.

"It's a bit personal." Markus said somewhat nervously as Ruby noticed another strange emotion that came from Markus, which was fascinating.

"Do you have a fake eye or something?" Ruby asked, causing Markus to look confused.

"What? No, I don't." Markus answered back.

"Some scar?"

"No."

"An eye missing?"

"Not really."

"Did you shave part of your eyebrow off?"

"Why would I even do that?"

"So, your eyes are perfectly fine then." Ruby concluded as Markus looked flustered at that.

"Listen here, Ruby, it's a bit personal and Hey!" Markus tried to explain only for Ai to jump in, the only person who had not reacted to Markus's desire to hide his eyes. "Give those back." He demanded.

"Ah pish posh, your eyes are perfectly fine, quite lovely if I do say so myself, no need to hide them." Ai smiled…warmly? As she gently pushed Markus back into his seat as Ruby got a proper look at his eyes.

And at seeing them, Ruby gasped at the sight.

"They're so pretty!" She said in an instant, as she bore witness to Markus's dual-colored eyes, one was ruby red, and the other was aquamarine blue…just like herself and Aqua.

They were exotic and captivated her in a way she didn't think was possible to be captivated, they were warm, so warm and full of life.

Yet they held sadness that come only come from living a rather difficult life with some rather defining moments to mark them permanently.

Ruby was now starting to understand why Ai was so interested in Markus with eyes like those. They were a mystery to be solved and explored.

Markus could not help but stop the wince that appeared on his face when his eyes were fully exposed and he did not appreciate Ai showing off his eyes to everyone else at the table. All of whom, were now staring at his eyes in abject interest.

"Can all of you please stop staring into my eyes? It's making me rather uncomfortable." He groused out, and his words seem to bring back everyone back to reality, as they look sheepishly at their actions.

"Ai." Markus said sounding very annoyed, causing the Idol to flinch as she smiled nervously at him. "Give me back my shades." He ordered and Ai quickly returned it to him, which he took quickly and applied it back on, causing him to relax.

"Why do you have to cover up your eyes though?" Ruby soon whined at him. "Your eyes look so pretty." She said innocently to Markus who could only wince in his eyes at that. "I think it's a shame you don't show it off enough."

Normally he would be very annoyed with what Ruby was questioning him about, especially since his eyes are very much a sore subject for him still, but Ruby was a kid. So, she clearly had no idea that his own eyes were a very sore topic for Markus to deal with.

"I don't like it to show it off, because people always gawk at them, Ruby." Markus said to her, as she looked confused. "People are always fascinated by what they never seen before, or rarely seen, and my eyes, being unique as they are, attracted me a lot of attention that I disliked greatly." He explained to her.

"But why though?" Ruby asked. "Isn't it great to be the center of attention? You will get to be surrounded by people and you will never be alone no matter what." She then added in to Markus.

For some strange reason to Markus, there was something to Ruby's words that made him think carefully about the way he will phrase his answers to her. He didn't know why but…there was something about Ruby that told Markus, that deep down, the girl was lonely to some extent or what not.

"Some people are different than other people Ruby." Markus said seriously to her, causing her to tilt her head in confusion. "Some people like the color blue while others like red, some people like rice while others prefer noodles, and there are some people who love being around people, while people like myself prefer personal space." He said to her.

"So, you prefer the solitude or like to be alone then?" Ruby then asked. "Is that why you cover up your eyes?"

"Not exactly." Markus said as he shook his head. "I do like spending time with people, but it's just that my eyes have always attracted attention no matter where I go, some of that attentions have been from people that are obsessed with my eyes to a certain extent." He said to Ruby.

"Meaning what?" Ruby asked.

"Ask your family when you get older." Markus replied as Ruby pouted at the answer. "But let's just say there are some people in the world that are not exactly right in the head and love collecting certain parts and the likes." He said, giving the three adults an idea as to what he means as they started to pale a bit, at the answer.

"Oh, good lord." Ichigo muttered as he stared at Markus in surprise as both Miyako and Ai covered their mouths in shock as Ruby looked confused and Aqua…seem to be getting it? Markus was kind of worried about that now.

"Yeah, I was a target for such a reason and that's exactly why I don't like attention to my eyes, can't help but think my eyes are an ill omen for myself at times." Markus muttered, sounding tired.

"…But even so, your eyes are beautiful." Ai spoke up, getting Markus's attention. "While it's true it may have brought you pain in the past, your eyes a defining feature of who you are, and to hide away such beautiful eyes in my opinion is kind of sad." Ai said to Markus as he blinked.

That was…the first time anyone has every expressed sorrow about not being able to see his eyes again.

…Markus didn't know why but…there was something to Ai's words that didn't feel fake, if anything, she sounded absolutely serious about her beliefs in the value of Markus's eyes.

Maybe it wouldn't exactly be such a bad thing to spend some time with Ai of his own volition when he thought about it like that.

Ai couldn't help but stare in fascination at the way Markus's expression shifted so rapidly into many types of expressions over the course of their time together here so far. She had seen him annoyed, calm, collected, sad, scared, warm, surprised, touched, and far more. She didn't think someone could go through that many emotions in such a short time.

And yet, it was at that last expression he made when she said what she thought honestly about his eyes that interested her. Markus's expression started to calm down with her when he said that, as if he no longer needs to worry something about her when she said that about his eyes.

Yes, his calm look was a much better look on his face, seeing it scrunched up in irritation, annoyance, anger, or fear, didn't suit Markus's face. He looked better when he was smiling, relaxing, or being calming.

"You know." Markus spoke up to her. "I still find you annoying to some extent." He said bluntly as everyone around him struggled not to facepalm or trip on nothing as Ai felt an arrow strike her heart as still being regarded as annoying.

"So cruel." Ai muttered with actual small tears forming in her eyes, even now, Markus was still so blunt with her.

"But you know what they say about clouds and silver linings." Markus then continued as Ai blinked and stared at him as Markus had a strange expression on his face. "Hanging out with you might not be so bad when I think about it." He said looking…now that she looked closer, he was kind of shy!

"Say what now?" Ichigo muttered with wide eyes.

"That's new." Miyako blinking.

"Hahaha, Markus is a Tsundere!" Ruby laughed playfully as Markus's eyes twitched at that.

"Oh, now he's okay with hanging out with Ai?" Aqua muttered.

"So, you want to spend some time together as friends then~!" Ai said excitedly as she focused mostly on the fact that Markus was okay with spending time with her now.

Markus shrugged. "We do have to decide when and where to meet beforehand though, because let's face it, we're both busy people so we got to plan out in advance before we actually start hanging out so we avoid any trouble." Markus pointed out.

Ai nodded at that, she was an Idol and being an Idol was a demanding job and she also had to take care of Ruby and Aqua as well, it wouldn't be good of her to ignore her kids to spend time with Markus. No matter how much he fascinates her.

"Another thing that needs to be established is personal boundaries." Markus said seriously. "I like my personal space and it would not make for a long-term acquaintanceship if boundaries are violated and the likes all the time without issue." He added in.

Ai nodded at that. "That sounds fair." She said casually as Markus gave her an irritated look as she giggled sheepishly as she remembered the first time, she violated his personal space and did that against just now, to let others see his eyes.

His beautiful dazzling eyes, each eye color representing the eye colors of her most treasured people, Ruby and Aqua. She couldn't help but think it was fate for her to meet Markus when she thought about it like that.

"Well at the very least we established the basic boundaries." Markus grunted as he then decided to inhale the rest of his meal and then sighed as he finished it. "I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but I will be looking forward to seeing how our time spent together will go now." Markus said gruffly.

"And I look forward to every meeting we will have from now on Markus." Ai beamed happily as she then grabbed Markus's hand and started shaking it, much to his own surprise and to her amusement if she does have to add in as well.

On the sidelines, Aqua, Ichigo, Miyako, and Ruby were just watching the whole transaction happening, all of them with mixed feelings about it. But for some strange reason unknown to them, mainly Aqua, Ichigo, and Miyako, Ai had wanted to speak and meet with Markus and get to know him better.

Ai on the other hand, couldn't care less, she got what she truly wanted, a bond to build upon with Markus. She finally got that now, and with Markus's own unique perspective, she can finally get a different and more unique aspects on how emotions.

Now though, as an acquaintance of Markus, she now had better access to his mind and perspective, she can now set up meetings with him any time she wants.

Ai couldn't stop the genuinely bright smile from forming on her face as she finally found herself wedging a foot in the door of who Markus is.