Jian-wa stood outside Mi-chan�s auto-shop class, waiting for her to leave so he could walk her to the locker rooms. In his arms was a bunch of blood red roses. He had seen the way Neko�s eyes had lit up yesterday to find Tenshi outside Japanese literature with just a single rose. And more importantly, he had seen the responding look in Tenshi�s eyes: the look that had known at that moment that Neko wasn�t mad and that she still loved her, for better or for worse.
He hoped to feel the same thing when he got the pleasure of giving Mi-chan these gorgeous roses.
Glancing at his watch, he began to tap his foot impatiently. Where was she? They had Kempo after all, plus it seemed like the whole class had already left. Had he missed her?
Then he heard some melodious laughter from inside. He peeked in to see Mi-chan and some guy he didn�t know still hanging around the classroom.
�Come on, Hyakurou-san!� she scolded him playfully as she attempted to get back the wrench that he held just out of her arm�s reach. It was obvious from her expression and the fact that she hadn�t actually forced the tall, blonde bombshell to give it back, that she saw this as an entertaining matter, not a serious one.
�Now, Michiru-san, what�s with this �Hyakurou� stuff. You know that you can call me �Roku.��
�I�m not calling you anything until you give me that wrench back,� she shot back.
He smiled as if he had won and handed her the tool. �Then call me, already. I know you�ve been wanting to.�
Jian-wa was all ready to burst in there and lay into this guy for flirting with Mi-chan, but he stopped short as Mi-chan flirted back. �Oh, you do, do you?� she questioned him, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
He leaned closer. �Yeah, I do,� he answered confidently.
Jian-wa couldn�t take anymore. He turned on his heel and stormed away, discarding the flowers in the nearest trashcan. It wasn�t as if he didn�t know that Mi-chan still flirted with other guys� but to actually see her�? Especially today, when he had wanted to make another attempt at being romantic�. He couldn�t believe how much it was tearing him up inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Roku moved in closer, completely self-assured as he answered her flirtations with some of his own.
But Mi-chan knew this was as far as she could go. Flirting was fun, but she did have a steady boyfriend after all. �Sorry, Roku-san, but I�m not available at the moment.� She spun around and made sure to make good use of her hips as she walked off. She didn�t really want to completely blow him off. He was fun to flirt with. Before she left the room, she glanced over her shoulder and gave him a wink. �See you tomorrow,� she sang, and then ran off so she wouldn�t be late for Kempo.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jian-wa caught Neko outside the Kempo room, reading the sign put up by one of the administrators. �Kempo�s been cancelled, I guess,� she informed him.
�Oh,� was all he said.
She looked over at him and saw that he was upset. In an effort to cheer him up, she suggested, �Ne, ne, Jian-kun, until soccer practice, let�s, you and me, hang out like we used to last year.�
He was able to give her a small grateful smile, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Mi-chan came upon the scene.
�Ne, what�s going on?�
�Kempo�s been cancelled.� Neko observed Jian-wa as he glowered in Mi-chan�s direction, but she could tell that Mi-chan didn�t have a clue yet that Jian-wa was upset. �Ano, on second thought, I�m going to go find Tenshi. Um, yeah�.� She ran off, leaving the two of them to talk.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
�That sucks about Kempo,� Mi-chan said, still oblivious to Jian-wa�s mood. Suddenly inspired, she grabbed his arm, suggesting, �Hey, maybe you and I could spar anyway- Ne, what�s wrong?�
*Hmph, she finally noticed.* He pulled his arm away. �Nothing,� he grumbled. She wouldn�t understand anyway � she had proved that numerous times on this subject.
�What? Come on, Jian-kun, what�s up?� When he didn�t respond, she pleaded, �Don�t be like that!�
He looked into her eyes and was surprised to see how truly upset she was. He grudgingly admitted, �I saw you flirt with that Hyakurou guy.�
Her eyes widened. �You saw? Demo� you know I didn�t stop flirting. I told you I wouldn�t, and you said� well, you didn�t object!�
Jian-wa crossed his arms in front of his chest. �Well, maybe I�m objecting now,� he stated.
Mi-chan�s face suddenly filled with hurt and anger. �That�s not fair,� she told him. �You can�t expect me to change just like that. That�s who I am! So if you don�t like that, then you can�t honestly say you like me for me.�
He sighed. The truth was he did love her, with his entire soul. He just couldn�t get past the picture of her smile as she flirted with Roku. �Look, Mi-chan, you know that�s not what I�m saying. It just hurt a lot� to see you like that with another guy�.�
Her eyes softened. �I�m sorry you saw that. I would never have done so if I knew you were around. But you have to trust me. Jian-kun, you�re the only guy in my heart.�
Her words made him smile despite himself. That was actually sort of romantic, and Mi-chan didn�t often express herself that way. �Yeah, alright,� he conceded, and she rewarded his endorsement with a grateful kiss. Actually, it was one of the nicest kisses in a while, and he couldn�t help but return it with enthusiasm.
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