Sparks Fly

[Densetsu Karu]

What was at first deviance seemed to become... something more. Aizawa's acting was suddenly thrown off as a legitimate fluster began to surface. Her composure in her little scheme was falling apart, and it seemed Karu wasn't the only one who noticed. Fuukami asked him, with a hint of treachery in her voice, what he liked most about the girl. The moment had come. He was caught off-guard; he did not expect it so soon.

"Well, I find her attractive and her personality lovable," Karu explained, cringing inwardly as he uttered the words. It felt like somebody else was saying the words, not him. He needed to get it over with. The time was now, he must not put it off any longer. It had all lead up to this, what must be done must be done. "I see something enlightening within her."

He looked right at Aizawa, exchanging expressions. He could see a confusion in her eyes, a doubt about her motives. In his own face, she may see a fake smile extending from cheek-to-cheek, or a devilish spark in his eyes. She may even see the hesitation in his brow. But, this was it, now, or never. His face felt hot, his own arms felt out of place. Slowly, without warning, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. It was not hidden, they were not alone, everybody at the table could see it. And he did not care what they thought of him because of it.

Seconds passed, seconds that felt like hours. Then, as abruptly as he had initiated the kiss, he released her. He could not believe what he had just did. His heartbeat was shockingly fast and his face was still hot. His little prank turned out more impactful on himself than he had expected, but that is what it was, a prank. He didn't really love her. He couldn't, not this soon, not after only meeting her twice.

He could barely think cohesively in the flux of feelings running through his brain. At least one thing came to mind: his plan was partially complete. Next came the reactions.

[Aizawa Shou]

The flustered moment had passed. The young woman's pulse had returned to normal. Her heart had resumed it's normal pace, lazily pumping blood and oxygen around her body. She still felt... Warm. Yet she felt something else, she was happy. Acting aside, this attention and display of affection was a welcome bonus.

"Well, I find her attractive and her personality lovable,"

Shou bit her lower lip upon hearing those words, looking for something, anything else to focus upon so she wouldn't have to look at the boy beside her, who moments ago, had coiled her up in his arms. She clutched her chest, lest her pesky heart start pounding out a percussive rhythm again.

"I see something enlightening within her."

Biting down on her lip harder, Aizawa was fighting back the blood flow in her face, amassed at the gate, ready to deliver a blush attack. She needed to inhale deeply, getting more fresh air into her brain to help her think straight. She'd only met this boy, by chance, mere weeks ago, and had decided to make him someone else's problem. However, that someone else was not around. She was left stuck with someone she frankly considered a little annoying. She didn't have anything like this in mind when she said "play along".

Her gaze met his. It was too much. Shouko was embarrassed. The worst was yet to come. He started to lean in closer to her. Caught unaware, she felt something on her face. It was him. He had kissed her. Those normally wide, devilish eyes had shrunk considerably.

"Mmph!" She mumbled, finding herself breathing against the boy's face. Her first kiss. It didn't happen anything like how she had imagined it to be in her head. She was staring straight at him, her eyes refusing to close. Then, he broke it off. He broke it off. Why didn't she push him away?

Her lips quivered, her entire face lighting up like a beacon. She never felt quite so small and vulnerable right now. Karu had kissed her, out of the blue, and in front of all those people. He was brave. She couldn't help but think if her cousin was more like him, then he wouldn't need her help.

"Y-you... I... Everyone else just... Saw," Shou began, trembling now, "Y-you idiot!"

Shou swiped Karu on his arm, her brow arched dangerously, teeth bared. The predator was about to strike. There was no escape for her prey. A good slug on the face would sort everything out. Yes, that would be a very fitting response to this jerk taking advantage of the situation.

Her small hands came up, and Shou grabbed the sides of Karu's head, threatening to rip it clean off. She was growling lowly, and any one of these people here could tell that things weren't going to end well for the boy. She pulled her own head back, ready to head-butt the poor soul.

Instead, she kissed him, and threw her tiny arms around his chest. breaking off her own lip lock, she rest her head against his shoulder.

"Orei... Thank you Karu-kun." She whispered.

[Fuukami I. Iryna]

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTT!!!

Any ice tea remaining in my mouth bursts out like a firing cannon, and I cough violently for God knows how long. What... on... Earth... just happened???

The boy toy kissed Aizawa Shouko out of the blue, on the l-l-lips! How can that pitiful-looking average-Joe like him be so bold? And did he realize that they are not in a karaoke box's private room, but a bloody cafeteria??? Now I can feel more than a hundred stares directed towards us, like being ambushed by a horde of snipers with those laser-thingies on their guns. And then there's some enthusiastic murmuring:

"Eh, what happened?"

"They are going out?"

"Seriously?"

"Kyaa, they look cute together!"

Pretty much something among those lines...

My rival's face is like a huge tomato now. I have to admit, it's a once in a lifetime experience, seeing her like that. However, she, and the cosmos, seem to have not done toying with me yet.

She... she had the gall to kiss back at him! What the heck is she thinking??! Did she just acknowledge that there are people watching her, and that will spark all sorts of rumors around school? And if this is merely an act, does she really have to... sacrifice her f-f-first kiss like that? The first kiss is a sacred thing that you only give to someone you truly love, that's what I've read from a magazine. How can she throw it away so easily? Have she no decency? That's... that's totally... un-lady-like!

Suddenly my left hand feels wet, and when I look at it, my can of ice tea is flattened in the palm of my hand. My face feels like a steam engine now, due to a strange mashup of feelings inside my head. I tried to finish the last piece of meat bun in my mouth, but it just tastes like distilled water now. Still, I have no choice but to chew and swallow, in order to finish my lunch.

[Densetsu Karu]

Aha. Embarrassment, shock, and even a trace of fury: the exact reactions he has wanted. Aizawa's scheme had backfired, but she had not completely lost... yet. Suddenly, Karu realized he had underestimated her. While her initial reaction was predictable, he did not expect her to resort to violence. She smacked his arm away, grabbing hold of his head. He had been playing with fire, and now he was going to be burned. Her eyes were fiery, her grip strong. He braced himself for a beating-- but instead felt her face up against his; in a moment he was in a lip-lock with the girl for a second time that day. This time, however, it was he who was caught off-guard by the kiss.

Was this a legitimate display of affection, or an addition to his acting? The possibility of the former scared him; he was not prepared to get into a relationship, and even if he was, he only just met the girl. His desire of getting into a relationship at that exact moment was zero. There was also the gossip. Oh, dear lord, the gossip! People just couldn't stop talking about x dating y. Karu could hear it everywhere he went, snatches of such conversations here and there. It sickened him to his core. Why did it all matter? It was all pointless!

Speak of the devil... he could hear the mutterings of the students around them as they pointed and whispered to one another. What began as a bold prank was becoming another subject of chatter. In no time at all, the story will have spread like wildfire, unstoppable in its burning through the minds of students one-by-one. However, he didn't care about what they thought, because their opinions didn't matter to him. It was Aizawa he was worried about; he mustn't let her think he really had such affections for her. It was an act, and he had to keep it that way. His eyes scanned the table for an opportune tool of escape.

He spotted it, his own lunch, a bowl of udon. It was probably still hot, but not too much to be scalding-- perfect! Casually, he made as to get something out of his handbag, then "accidentally" bumped his bowl, spilling around 40% of his udon on Aizawa. Frantically, he stood up, faking shock, and said, "Oh, Shou-chan, I'm so sorry!" Then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Why don't we get you cleaned up?" He grabbed a handful of napkins and tugged on her arm to emphasize his point.

[Aizawa Shou]

Shou had already broken off the rather rapid lip lock with her kohai. Her normally devil's grin-clad face was flooded with a sea of red. It was embarrassing for her to keep up this charade. The two kisses were fraught with mixed emotions for the teen, unsure what to make of it. To grab the first guy that showed affection (fake or not) for her. It seemed both desperate, and sudden.

Regardless, there would be a new score of rumors floating around in the mighty ocean that was the student body. It was completely unavoidable. If it were any consolation, perhaps it'd draw attention from the rumor surrounding her cousin, and his student president friend Tomoyo. Something about that fellow junior girl rubbed Shou the wrong way. Another pretty face to distract him from Kyou. Another wrench in the works.

Already people had started whispering, and it looked like her eternal rival could barely contain her stifled laughter. At this rate, she didn't care. She had enjoyed her first kiss, even if it was from a relative stranger. Behind her very visible flushed face, she wore her trademark Cheshire cat grin. Until the young man spilled a considerable portion of his udon on her uniform.

"Oh, Shou-chan, I'm so sorry!"

Just what on Earth was he thinking?! Shou was rather livid. If he was trying to look for some kind of excuse to excuse them from the table, he was not being very subtle about it, voice dripping with false shock. She wondered if he even knew how difficult it was to get stains out of the uniform. Especially considering that it was her doing the stain removal. She was rather proud of her skills. Jun was quite a messy eater.

"why don't we get you cleaned up?"

"Uh, sure... Let's go. Mizuki, Chizuko, I'll see you later... Fuukami-san. i'll see you at practice." She explained, following Karu onto her feet. She would be sure to give him a well-deserved slug on the arm for staining her uniform. Maybe she'd make him have it dry cleaned. She hadn't quite decided.

[Fuukami I. Iryna]

...

Finally done with the meat buns.

Now, I have to wash my hands, in order to get rid of the spilled ice tea. I never realized that those hands of mine could have such a powerful grip. Is it due to the widely believed "hidden potential" of each human being, which can only be unlocked in certain conditions? If only I could unlock more potential in skating to win against that girl. Well, the upside of flattening that can is probably making its upcoming recycling process a little bit smoother.

Now the newly formed couple and hot scoop of the day just made a mess of themselves and scooted off. Sure, one can spill his or her own food from time to time, but this... is too convenient. They probably couldn't handle the intense pressure building up in this cafeteria. Well, that's what you get for pulling an outrageous stunt like that, and soon they have to reap what they sow. Hah, maybe the teachers will give them a field day about that, since they are more than eager to protect the school's "morality", and will pick the easy targets. In fact, if the bigwigs really care about this school, they could have done something about the real jerks here, like the infamous soccer team. But now, I have to get out of here, or I'll be flattened by the sheer pressure of rumors, which can be even more powerful than a hydraulic press.

After leaving the chaos of the cafeteria behind, I dashed into the nearest restroom to do all the necessary washing. Then, I notice a pair of familiar figures moving through a hallway nearby. Alright, let's see what they're up to. You cannot outsmart me anytime you want, Aizawa Shouko. And maybe someday, I'll get a guy of my own (w-w-why does that white-haired guy pops up in my mind?), and you'll see I'm not the one to be trifled with.

[Densetsu Karu]

"Uh, sure... let's go. Mizuki, Chizuko, I'll see you later... Fuukami-san. I'll see you at practice," Aizawa said, after giving him a look that could kill. He wondered, not for the first time, what she was thinking. Was she embarrassed, or angry? Did she hate him for initiating the exchange of kisses, or was it enjoyable for her? He tried to picture himself in her shoes, but he couldn't.

"Well, Fuukami-san, it was nice to meet you," he said, flashing another smile at Aizawa's rival. Then he took Aizawa's hand, and gently pulled her along as they left the cafeteria. Once they were out in the hall, he peeked into a nearby classroom, and finding it empty, led the girl in. "Wait here."

He had snatched a few napkins before leaving the cafeteria. Removing them now from his pocket, Karu went into the bathroom and poured a little bit of water onto several of them. Hopefully they would be enough to dab and dry most of the liquid out of her uniform. Unfortunately, it would probably stain and he would have to suffer later, but that was a small price to pay for the amount of fun he'd had.

Coming back into the classroom, Karu handed Aizawa the napkins. "Use these to wipe off your uniform." He crossed over the blackboard, examining it, thinking of what to say. "I hope you've learned your lesson." He finally settled on condescending. It was unlikely for her to actually learn anything here. Aizawa seemed like the type to get enraged or embarrassed instead of learn from the experience.

His mind switched to Fuukami. Why were they rivals? "Why are you and Fuukami-san competing?" he asked. If this was a serious rivalry, than this meant it wasn't over. Fuukami would probably seek some sort of petty revenge, on Aizara and possibly him.

[Aizawa Shou]

Before she knew it, Shou was being dragged off, against her will. Spur of the moment kisses, and accidental spillages aside, this lunchtime was nothing short of a total disaster. Her intricately lain web of social landmines dug up instead of blowing up, in Iryna's face. She didn't appear to be jealous. It was most distressing.

"Wait here."

Shou didn't have much choice in the matter. Where would she run to? The young girl tapped her foot impatiently, holding the stained material away from her body before it soaked in, and started dampening her undergarments. She wasn't kept waiting for very long, as Karu had returned momentarily, with damp paper napkins for her.

"Use these to wipe off your uniform."

Shou took the makeshift cleaning products, and began to dab around the affected area, making no visible progress. Her uniform was stained, and she couldn't very well take it off. She had no spare, or vinegar to get rid of the stain entirely. At best, she'd be left with a dark, wet patch on it, and would have to make do with that.

"Nameru... You couldn't spill water on it, could you? This is a pain to get out. Wet paper won't help much." She huffed, tossing the used napkins aside, scowling at nothing in particular.

"I hope you've learned your lesson,"

Shou's eyes fired open. Lesson? Did he really talk down on her? Who did he think he was messing with? Shou grit her teeth, on the cusp of delivering a painful boot to the boy's nether regions. He'd screwed this up, and made her confused. He kissed her, stole her first kiss. Something that was supposed to be romantic. Then she kissed him back, if only to keep the ruse up. She could feel the veins in her head throb with every heartbeat. The volcano was ready to erupt.

"Why are you and Fuukami-san competing?"

"Huh?"

Shou immediately forgot about causing grievous harm to the boy, and rob him of any offspring courtesy of her brown loafers. It was a valid question, but not one the junior felt necessary to give an answer to. At least, not to someone she didn't know well.

"If you must know, it's because I'm better than her," Shou started, turning away from the boy, and his prying eyes, "I'm better than her, and she doesn't like it. I don't really care frankly. All the money in the world can't buy skill. She's just jealous that she can't, and won't beat me."

[Fuukami I. Iryna]

"I'm better than her, and she doesn't like it. I don't really care frankly. All the money in the world can't buy skill. She's just jealous that she can't, and won't beat me."

Aizawa Shouko... Surely I can't beat you right now, I still have to improve myself. But, money? I can use money to buy many things I want, but I never even think about it when skating. I decide to skate... in order to prove that I can achieve something by myself, by my very own strength, my very own body, and get all that my beloved mother couldn't. And she has the gall to say that I use money to buy skill? Who the hell do you think I am? Some rich kid fooling around on the rink to fulfill her curiosity? I'm always the first one to come to practice, and the last one to leave the rink. I take it to the max, no, more than the max every day. I CAN, and WILL, beat you someday, Aizawa Shouko. You don't know me, and you will see what I'm truly capable of. You will look down on me NO MORE! God sent you to challenge me, but you are not going to break me.

On the other hand, whatever that boy toy is to you, I will have a much kinder, better-looking guy than him. Iryna-chan's natural innocent charm will prevail over that violent vibe of yours (if there is somebody who is masochistic enough, maybe he can suit you).

[Densetsu Karu]

Maybe his condescending comment had gone too far. The girl had that look again, in her eyes. That look like she wanted to kill something. It was the same expression she had had back in the cafeteria before nearly attacking him-- instead she had restrained herself and returned his kiss. However, even if she did decide to attack him now, he was sure he could defend himself. She was pretty small, after all.

Ah, it seemed it was not necessary. Karu's question about Aizawa and Fuukami's rivalry had deterred her from attack. She replied in an unclear way, stating something of Shou being better than Fuukami. Better in what? In all ways of life, in a particular skill? He decided that it didn't matter. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep. He didn't need to fool around with girls and kissing any longer. Unfortunately, it was only after lunch, so he would have to endure the rest of the school day before he could return home. What a bother, what a pain.

Karu addressed Aizawa's disdain for his decision of liquid to pour onto her. "I'm sorry to say that using water had not occurred to me at that moment," he said. It wasn't a good excuse, but it was the truth, and it didn't really matter either. She would probably try to get back at him, if she was as predictable as she had been that day. He stood there for a moment, feeling slightly awkward. His pulse was so slow in comparison to several minutes ago. But there was nothing left to say, so he decided to leave. "Alright," he muttered under his breath. He turned to leave, and declared, "I'm leaving." Then, he walked to the door without a second thought.

[Aizawa Shou]

Today was a day full of firsts for Aizawa Shouko. In the silence that follow, Shou found herself thinking about the kiss. She pressed two small fingers to her lips. She could still taste the katsudon, and the tingling warmth of the sensation. She did enjoy it, even if it wasn't a love-filled passionate kiss with her first lover.

Finding herself shuffling about, as the two said nothing, she dabbed the wet spot as dry as possible. She didn't have PE today. So her plan to simply remain in her gym uniform, (as revealing and as chilly as the shorts were) was tossed aside. With nothing else to do, she stood, like a miniature statue, staring at her feet, and then, he spoke.

"I'm leaving."

Hesitant to ask what she wanted to ask, Shou bit her lower lip, plucking a spot of skin from it with her teeth before she moved forward to stop him.

"Wait," She squeaked, audible enough for the boy to hear, "I've been thinking. I haven't been very fair to you. I thought you were just another foreigner who's parents decided to come back."

Shou continued to shuffle about the floor. Her cheeks were lightly tinged with a rosy pink. It was most embarrassing for her to want to say it, to admit it. When she'd first met the freshman boy, she was determined to offload him on her more tolerant cousin. Now, she was regretting it. So, she was doing what had to be done.

"First off. You're going to take my jacket," Shou began in her authoritative voice, unbuttoning, and removing the sandy-colored coat, revealing her form-fitting sweater, "and I get yours."

Shou walked up to him, her face reddening as her curves were exposed in the hugging sweater, and thrust the stained uniform jacket out to him, refusing to make eye contact. She brought her other hand around to point a finger at him, his sentence ready. It was time for him to serve it.

"Second, I'm coming with you after class to make sure you don't screw it up... Then you... Then you can take me out somewhere for this hassle you've caused me." She announced, speeding up her rate of speech close to the end. She'd done it. Indirectly asked the boy to take her on a date. She was hiding behind her harsh, judgmental tone, masking the truth. This was a difficult thing for her to do, as such affairs of the heart were rather embarrassing for the young woman to deal with.

"I'm free on Saturday. I live with my cousin Jun downtown. We're near the shopping complex. If you wait by the bus stop, I'll come meet you, and then we can go somewhere." Continued the junior, holding the jacket up, and closer to the boy's face to prevent him from seeing her blushing face. He'd no doubt rub it in, and then receive a just whack on the head for his troubles.

[Fuukami I. Iryna]

Ah, so it has come down to this, huh?

From what I've heard so far, looks like my archenemy has made a move on the boy toy. Asking him to wait at a specific location, and go together from there. So, to sum it up, she was asking him to go on a date.

A guy and a girl getting together through bizarre situations, and grows closer as the story progresses. Oh, how original.

Still, even though I don't want to lose to that girl, I seriously have no experience in approaching a guy and asking him out. I'm too used to getting approached by members of the opposite sex. They lend me textbooks, butter me up, follow me around like dogs following their masters, fill my shoe locker with lots and lots of envelopes. But that's all there is to them. I never regard them more than slaves. If I ask them to jump, they will probably say: "How high?".

And then there's a white-haired guy that I somehow always want to see ever since the entrance ceremony. I... I just couldn't keep my eyes off him. He looks so... special, unlike the other boys in this school. I feel like a piece of iron, being pulled by a strong magnet. I hardly have any chance to see him, since he's in a different class, but whenever I catch a glimpse of him, my mind... becomes rather weird. That out-of-this-world feeling, which I have never experienced before.

Wait, wait, wait! I'm here to spy on the violent girl and her boy toy, so why did that guy pop up in my mind again?!! Iryna-chan, you have to focus on your opponent to analyze her closely and find her weaknesses, not daydreaming! Even though I'm confident at my natural beauty (it would be great if I was just a little bit taller, though), I have to see whether that coarse-mannered girl has any tricks up her sleeves. After all, knowing is half the battle.

[Densetsu Karu]

"Wait," he halted in his tracks, still staring at the classroom door. What did she want now? Was she going to explode at him or something? "I've been thinking. I haven't been very fair to you. I thought you were just another foreigner who's parents decided to come back." Huh, an apology; how unexpected. The fact that she was still going on about the foreigner thing did detract from it a bit, but at least she was sincere.

"First off. You're going to take my jacket, and I get yours." He heard the barely-audible sound of her unbuttoning her jacket while he was still lost in thought. He felt her approach from behind. Slowly, he turned around, first thing in his sight being her jacket. He let it hang in her arm for a moment, trying to catch her eye but failing. Karu couldn't help but notice the form-fitting nature of her sweater, but quickly averted his sight. He looked at the blackboard instead, seeing it but not really focusing on it.

"Second, I'm coming with you after class to make sure you don't screw it up... Then you... Then you can take me out somewhere for this hassle you've caused me." Huh? Did she just ask him out on a date? Like, a relationship-related excursion? He definitely didn't need, or want, a girlfriend at this stage of his life. It would solve literally none of his problems. He visibly sighed, the consequences of his actions finally reaching him.

He regretted this whole chain of events. This was a mess by his own doing. At this point, he was a hypocrite; turning her into his toy for his selfish games. Not only that, but his actions would likely create rumours about him that would come back to haunt him later. He had gotten too carried away. Still, he had at least entertained himself, somewhat... The question of whether it was worth it would have to be pondered later.

"Sorry," he said, inhaling sharply. "I'm going to have to pass."

Before she could respond again, he slid out the door and dashed down the hall, hoping he would never have to come across her again.

[End]