S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction ❯ Scryed Askew ❯ The Date (2) ( Chapter 5 )

Scryed Askew: Part 5 - The Date (2)

By Robster80

 

Opening notes:

 

Disclaimer: I do NOT own S-Cry-ed, period! Not the characters, the name, or anything. It belongs to TV-Tokyo, Bandai, Tokyopop (Manga), etc.

 

 

By the time Cherise and Kazuma were done shopping for new clothes, it was past twelve noon and they were hungry. They had visited several stores by this time, and tried on several outfits before they finally found something fit for Kazuma. It was a long-sleeved deep blue shirt with three buttons at the neckline, a pair of jeans, and even some comfortable black boots. He wore them out of the store and had his regular clothes in a bag that he carried as he and Cherise went back out into the city. His glove was still on his right hand; he refused to take it off.

 

Cherise hadn't been left out of spending money at the previous stores, either. The last two stores they had visited she ended up buying new earrings with blue stones in them (after Kazuma told her she would look good in them), and some new underwear. Quiet giggles escaped her lips as she remembered Kazuma watching dumbfounded as she had picked out the aforementioned underwear. Given that he was living with a little girl instead of a woman, he had no idea how different women's panties and bras were to men's briefs and boxers. Also, he was a bit embarrassed by some of the looks some of the other shoppers, mostly the females, given to him as Cherise asked for his opinion on what she picked out.

 

Trailing them all the while, Cougar was barely able to hold his laughter from watching Kazuma's face flush when Cherise picked out her lingerie at the last shop. He could tell that his “little brother” had mental images of seeing his date wearing just her underwear before him. Still, it pleased him that Kazuma remained a gentleman and resisted his primal urges. My little Kazuya's growing up.

 

Still, there had been several close calls during the shopping trip. At every store that Kazuma and Cherise visited, Cougar found Tachibana and Cammy there as well. It took all his speed and cunning to prevent Tachibana from seeing Cherise and her date: tripping him up around corners, dropping items that Cammy liked in front of her so she'd have Tachibana look at with her, and even pushing people in front of them long enough to block their path. Each time Tachibana and Cammy left the store, Cougar would sigh with great relief and pray they wouldn't be at the next store Cherise would take Kazuma to. All his running around made his feet feel like they were on fire and his head was hurting from all the scheming done to ensure the date's safety.

 

Back to the present, Cherise said to Kazuma “I don't know about you, but I'm famished. Want to stop and get a bite to eat?”

 

“Count me in,” Kazuma replied with a smile. “I'm pretty hungry myself. So where do we go from here?”

 

Cherise thought it over quickly. Fancy restaurants were out of the question since Kazuma lacked the necessary manners to dine in a place like that. Another problem was that serving the food took too long, and Kazuma wouldn't be able to wait, let alone herself. Then, her eyes caught sight of a familiar building further up the street. “I got it,” she said as she led Kazuma by the hand. “There's an outdoor food court nearby, and they have a wide selection of meals, from fast food to buffets.”

 

“Sounds good. But, what's a buffet?”

 

“You'll see.”

 

Still hiding as he followed then, Cougar checked his watch. Cherise had the right idea, he realized; lunch sounded excellent, and the food court had a lot of meals he himself enjoyed. “Might as well grab a burger myself.” He took off down several alleyways that he knew would get him to the food court ahead of Kazuma and Cherise. There had been times he didn't like what the cafeteria at HOLY headquarters served, so he would rush all the way to the courts for his meals to go and run back with plenty of time to spare.

 

When he arrived out in the open, however, he saw at one of the tables in the dining square the last person he had ever wanted to see that day. Sitting by himself, surrounded by watermelons, was Urizane. Granted, it wasn't as bad as Ryhou being there at that moment, but Urizane was one of the few other members of HOLY that Ryuhou considered his friends. If the pudgy, watermelon-obsessed Alter-user got even the slightest look at Cherise with another guy, he would be sure to tell Ryuhou about it and fast.

 

Cherise, Kazuya, you're both going to owe me BIG for this. With a deep breath, Cougar practically jumped over to Urizane's table. “Wellll, if it isn't Urizane,” he said in a voice louder than normal. “What brings you all the way out here?”

 

“Felt like having watermelon outside,” Urizane replied after swallowing a huge chunk of watermelon, seeds and all. As usual, the rim of his mouth was stained red form the juices of his favorite food. The way he looked at Cougar, he didn't seem to really care for the man's arrival, but he didn't seem to want him to leave in a hurry. “What about you, Cougar?”

 

Sitting in the chair opposite of Urizane, Cougar shrugged before he spoke. “Well I was supposed to meet somebody an hour ago, but it seems I've been stood up.” This earned him an accusing stare from Urizane.

 

“You weren't on a date with Cherise now, were you?”

 

Bolting up from the chair, Cougar slammed his hands onto the table, shaking the two watermelons that were in front of Urizane. “How many times do I have to tell everybody?! Cherise and I are just friends! God, ever since I brought her to the city after rescuing her from a group of punks, people think we're an item. I swear, the next person who asks me that question, I'm gonna punch them in the nose.”

 

“Even the Commander?”

 

“Damn right.” Letting out a long sigh, Cougar once more sat down. “Look, the only girl I got my eyes on now is Miss Minori-.”

 

“Mimori,” Urizane corrected before taking another bite.

 

“Whatever.”

 

As they talked, Cherise and Kazuma approached the food court. However, both were able to hear Cougar's voice, and stopped short of coming into view of Urizane, whom Cherise immediately saw. She grabbed Kazuma and forced him against the wall along with herself. “What's the matter?” She heard him ask with concern.

 

“Urizane. The fat guy Cougar's talking to over there, with the watermelons. He's close with Ryuhou.”

 

Kazuma leaned out enough to get a good look at the man Cherise described. Leaning back, he said, “Great. Lemme guess: if he sees us, he'll blab about it to Ryuhou.”

 

“I'm afraid so.” Cherise was about to suggest they find somewhere else to get lunch, but her stomach let out a low growl. Realizing she needed food and fast, she then got an idea. “Wait here, and keep out of sight. I'll get us lunch to go.” She took Kazuma's hand and gave it a light squeeze before she walked off, heading for one of the vendors. With great care, she kept out of Urizane's eyesight and reached one of the vendor counters, which happened to be the one serving fast food.

 

Kazuma remained hidden until Cherise came back. She was carrying two small paper bags plus a basket with two cups. She checked over her shoulder, and saw that Urizane had not seen her. “Okay, so where to now?” Kazuma asked. He knew that with Urizane nearby, they couldn't risk eating in the food court.

 

“There's a park bench nearby with a nice view of the ocean. Some couples go there to eat when there's not enough free tables around here.”

 

“Great,” Kauzma commented while taking one of the bags from Cherise, and then one of the cups. “Lead the way.”

 

It took a few minutes before they found the bench and sat down. As he opened his bag, Kazuma took a long glance out at the ocean. It was the first time in what felt like forever since he had seen the ocean, and it looked much different from the city than out in the wastes. It didn't seem very natural, but it still amazed him. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a teriyaki burger wrapped up in paper.

 

Cherise had already taken two bites of her burger by the time Kazuma unwrapped his own. “These are the best burgers in town,” she said after swallowing the last of her previous bite. “If they were healthier, I'd eat them every day. How's yours?”

 

“Delicious,” Kazuma exclaimed before taking a bigger bite than his previous one. “Though Kanami's cooking is the best, but I'm not telling her that.”

 

“Why not? I bet she'd like to hear you say so.”

 

“Because she tries harder for the next time; it motivates her. If I say her cooking is good every time, she won't put of much effort into it.”

 

“I think I understand.”

 

“…She knows about you, Cherise.”

 

Cherise nearly choked on her meal when Kazuma suddenly told her this. “She does?! How'd she find out?”

 

“Same way Kimishima did - Kanami found my box under my bed and curiosity made her look inside it. Scared me half to death when I saw her looking at your letters and photos.”

“How'd she take it?”

 

“Better than I thought, actually. She told me she's accepted that she's just like a kid sister to me; and she's glad I have someone other than Kimishima to call… my friend.” He had been reluctant to say that. Looking back, he wondered if Kanami had only said what she did to ease his mind but secretly hoped that one day he would see her as more than a kid sister. But a part of him scolded this kind of thinking. Kanami was mature far beyond her years.

 

She knew he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, but Cherise didn't like how Kazuma had called her just “a friend.” However, she kept a neutral expression to hide her feelings. Then again, how could they be more than friends if this was the first time they could really hang out together, she realized. At least now, with the ID Cougar had provided to Kauzma, they could see each other a little more rather than stick to exchanging letters.

 

Suddenly, Cherise felt something on her right hand, which she let sit beside her on the bench. Glancing down, she saw that Kazuma had placed his hand over hers. Looking at his face, he kept staring out at the ocean while eating with his free hand. However, she saw that his face was bright red. Her face turned pink as well, but her lips formed a smile and she relished in the contact between them.

 

 

***************************************************************** ***********************************

 

 

“I see you're by yourself today.”

 

Ryuhou looked up form his tray to witness Mimori sitting opposite of him at the table. “As are you,” he replied emotionlessly. “Usually Cougar joins you for lunch.”

 

“Yes, it's strange, but I saw him leave early today. He said he was going to see an old friend.”

 

“I see.”

 

Mimori took one bite of her salad before she spoke again. “And I haven't seen Miss Adjani today yet, either.”

 

“I didn't ask you that.”

“But I know you would have. It's written all over your face.”

 

“Are you jealous, Miss Kiryu?”

 

“Mimori. Call me Mimori.”

 

“…I'll take that as a `yes' then.”

 

Slamming her hands onto the table, Mimori bolted form her seat. This caused almost everyone else in the cafeteria to look her way, but she was so mad at Ryuhou that she didn't care. “Dammit, Ryuhou Tairen, why are you so cold to me?! If it's because you're after Cherise Adjani, I got news for you - she has a boyfriend and is absolutely not interested in you!”

 

“Are you finished? I prefer my meals to be peaceful.”

 

Mimori was so upset, words failed her. Seeing Ryuhou sitting there eating as if she wasn't there at all was just too much for her. She picked up her tray. “You know what? You're not even worth the aggravation.”

”Then I suggest you leave, and I mean return to the Mainland.”

 

“Up yours, Officer Tairen.” Having said enough, Mimori walked off in a huff.

 

“You didn't handle that well at all.”

 

Ryuhou looked up, and then bolted from his seat to give a salute to Commander Zigmar, whom had just commented to him. “Sir!”

 

“At ease, Tairen. I came to remind you about HOLY officers and romantic involvements.”

 

“Sir, I know it well.”

 

“Then perhaps you should consider retaining your relationship with Miss Kiryu instead of pursuing one with Officer Adjani. Adjani is a fellow officer, while Miss Kiryu is not.”

 

“But-.”

 

“Also,” Zigmar added while raising an eyebrow, “need I remind you that Miss Kiryu is the daughter of one of HOLY's most prominent backers form the Mainland? A woman's scorn and a daughter's love are two terrible things, my boy. Just some food for thought. Carry on.”

 

Ryuhou watched as Zigmar walked away, and then sat back down to finish his meal. Why couldn't everyone mind their own business when it came to whom he should date? At least Cougar was somewhat on his side about Mimori; however, this was only because Cougar expressed interest in the girl, not to get her to return to the Mainland.

 

Cherise had to be lying about having a boyfriend; Ryuhou had never seen him at all. A part of him still wondered if Cougar had been pulling everyone's leg as was actually dating Cherise when they both openly argued that they were nothing but coworkers. Maybe Cougar inquiring about Mimori was just a cover to hide the secret. But Ryuhou shot that notion down. No girl in her right mind would be interested in a man like Straight Cougar, unless she shared his passion for speed.

 

Unable to finish his meal, Ryuhou decided to head for the gymnasium to work off his frustrations. And if that didn't work, he'd go off and find Cherise. After all, the city wasn't very large.

 

 

***************************************************************** ***********************************

 

 

Cherise and Kazuma laughed as they came out the exit of the roller coaster they had just been on. Cherise had brought them to the theme park as Kazuma had inquired about it when he saw the coaster's rails towering over a nearby section of the city. The coaster was the fourth ride they had gone on together, and by far the most fun they had experienced yet.

 

“Man, I thought I was going to fly right out of my seat,” Kazuma said, feeling a bit shook up form the ride.

 

“Yeah, me, to,” Cherise added. “But it's my favorite ride here. The long wait in line is worth it.”

It was then that they noticed the sun was beginning to set, and Cherise checked her watch. She frowned. “I hate to say it, but we'd better get back to where Cougar wants to meet us.”

Kazuma frowned as well. He was having too much fun for the day to be over. “It's that time already?”

 

“By the time we get there it will be, but only if we leave now.” Sighing, Cherise then held out her hand to Kazuma. “At least we can enjoy walking together along the way.”

 

Nodding with a smile, Kazuma took Cherise's hand and followed her out of the park and down the city streets. As the sun descended lower in the sky, the lampposts all began turning on to light up the darkening city. There were fewer people walking around as Kazuma and Cherise made their way to where they began their date earlier.

 

Suddenly, Cherise stopped at one of the store windows. Here eyes had caught a pair of women's gloves on display; they were blue at the palms with black fingers. They would be almost perfect to match Kazuima's glove on his right hand. “Oh wow! Those are so nice.” Cherise reached into her purse and pulled out what was left of her money. However, she noticed she didn't have enough to meet the price listed beside the gloves. Her smile faded and was replaced by a sad frown. “Oh well. Maybe next time. Sorry about tha-.”

 

But Kazuma wasn't there when she turned around to face him. Looking up and down the street, she then turned and saw that he was inside the store, buying something at the register. Had he seen the gloves she had been looking at?

 

She got her answer when Kazuma later left the shop holding a small bag. He held it out to her. “Here, Cherise,” he said, “these are for you.”

 

Almost mechanically, Cherise took the bag and reached in. What she pulled out was a pair of gloves exactly like the ones she had been staring at for she didn't know how long. “Kazuma… but-.”

 

“I had enough left over from what I had save dup for those, but the clerk had to help me count the money to be sure. To be honest, I meant to get you something before we started our date, but Cougar-.”

 

Kazuma was cut off as Cherise grabbed him in a fierce hug. He hugged her back as she said, “Kazuma you're so sweet! Thank you!”

 

“AHEM!”

 

Startled, Kazuma and Cherise quickly separated before facing Cougar, who stood before them. The sudden panic they felt was replaced by relief that it wasn't someone else from HOLY.

 

“I wondered where you two were,” he said while pointing at his watch. “You were ten seconds late in meeting me.”

 

Cherise then checked her watch, which said 6:42. “No we're not!”

 

“Okay, you weren't. But Ryuhou's out looking for you, Cherise, so I had to find you first and, sorry to say, cut this date short.”

 

“Spoilsport,” Kazuma remarked under his breath. This earned him an elbow in his ribs from Cougar.

 

“The last thing we need is Ryuhou to find out abut you, Kazuya. Now say your goodbyes while I go get the car. Don't move an inch, I'll be right back.”

 

As Cougar took off running, both Kazuma and Cherise sighed heavily. Neither of them wanted to end the date like this. Finally, after a brief awkward moment of silence, Cherise handed Kazuma one of the bags she had been carrying. It contained his clothes from earlier in the morning. “I had a great time, Kauzma. Really, I did.”

 

“So did I, Cherise. I'll try to save up more money so we can do this again. …Before I go, could I… see you in those gloves?”

 

Smiling, Cherise removed the tags form her new gloves and then put them on her hands. She then held them up to Kazuma, showing them off a little. “How do they look?”

 

“Beautiful, especially on you.”

 

“Flatterer. …I'm going to miss you.”

 

Kazuma then hugged her just as Cougar pulled up in his vehicle. But before he let go, Cherise kissed him on the lips briefly. She wished it could have been longer, as did he, but they both knew that their date was now officially over. Slowly, they pulled away from each other, holding hands until the last moment. Cougar had to get out of the car and throw Kazuma into the passenger seat so they could get going. Cherise waved up until Cougar started the car and took off at super speed. After starting her way back to HOLY headquarters, she was half a block down when she jumped off her feet let out a cry of happiness. Her gloved fists were pumped into the air in mid jump.

 

“WOO-HOOOOO! I LOVE THAT MAN!”

 

 

***************************************************************** ***********************************

 

 

“I'm home,” Kazuma said, almost in a daze.

 

Kimishima and Kanami rushed out of the kitchen to see Kazuma dropping off two bags by the wall. They were a bit surprised by the new clothes he wore. “Welcome home, Kaze-kun,” Kanami said. “How was your date?”

 

“From the looks of him,” Kimishima commented, “he had a good time.”

 

Kazuma said nothing, but scooped up Kanami in his arms and swung her around a bit before he kissed her cheeks and then set her down. “If you haven't started dinner yet, don't bother saving some for me. I'm not really hungry. Well, I'm going to bed. See you in the morning, you two.”

 

Kanami and Kimishima stared in shock as Kazuma carried his bags out of the room and to the stairs. Whatever happened during the day, he had completely changed. It was almost frightening.

 

“I stand corrected,” Kimishima said after a long period of silence between him and Kanami. “He had a great time. He's not even hungry, and we ate hours ago.”

 

Kanami made up her mind. “I think next time, I'm going along with him. I want to meet this Cherise Adjani for myself.”

 

This made Kimishima worry a little. “Kanami, you're not going to try and break them up, are you?”

 

“Of course not, Kimishima-san. …I'm going to give her my blessing to marry Kaze-kun.”

 

Kimishima fell backwards on the spot. A loud thud was heard form upstairs, indicating Kazuma had overheard Kanami's words as well. Seeing as her joke worked, Kanami burst into laughter.

 

 

***************************************************************** ***********************************

 

 

“Cherise, where were you today?”

 

Seeing Ryuhou rush up to her as she was about to enter her room, Cherise still wore a smile on her face. “Hello, Ryuhou,” she replied casually. “I was out on a date.”

 

“Date?” Ryuhou repeated in disbelief. “With whom?”

 

“My boyfriend, of course.” She then held up her hands, still wearing her new gloves. “He bought these for me. Before we said goodbye.” I may never take these off.

 

“…I see.”

 

“Sorry, Ryuhou, but I'm going to turn in. I've been on my feet almost all day. See you in the morning. Also, whatever you said to Miss Kiryu today, you should know that I saw her talking with Cougar when I got back. I think she was asking him out on his next day off.” She then went into her room and closed the door, locking it behind her.

 

Ryuhou stared at the door, still in disbelief. Why didn't I just forget the gym and gone looking for her?

 

 

End Chapter 5

 

 

Author's note: A plethora of sincerest apologies, everyone! It's been quite a while since I last updated this story, and I offer no excuse for delaying it for this long. Real life work has gotten harder for me at my job, especially since I got a new manager and we both have to train seasonal hires for the coming holiday season. Also, I've been busy with my PS2 a few nighst. No, not with FFXII. The game in question is Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories.

 

I hope you all enjoyed this 2nd part of Kazuma and Cherise's first date, and sorry if it feels a bit rushed. Chalk it up to me having not been a lot of dates myself. Yeah, yeah, I'm pitiful. What else is new?

 

Anyway, before I say goodbye for now, I got a little treat for you: a preview of what's to come in the next chapter! Enjoy!

 

 

Cougar sighed as he entered the room monitoring the latest batch of HOLY's prisoners being put through what he called the “spin cycle.” All unruly Inners were placed in tubes and taken for a high-powered spin on a centrifuge inside HOLY's base, and it was his turn to monitor their progress. If one had been left in too long… well, it wasn't pretty for even Cougar.

 

Coffee cup in hand, which had been provided by Mimori of all people, Cougar strolled over and sat in the chair in front of the controls to the monitors. There were screens for each prisoner, up to at least thirty in all, and one for the whole machine. One of the lower screens on the control panel indicated a diagram of the centrifuge and a connecting pipeline that was used to load and unload the prisoners. Another screen listed the new arrivals by a name consisting of two letters and four numbers.

 

“And let's see who our lucky contestants are today…” Cougar's eyes glanced down at the list and then up to the correct screen so he could get a look at the latest prisoners. He began taking a sip of his coffee when he spied one of the latest listees: NP3228. He paused to swallow the mouthful of black liquid in his mouth, and licked his lips.

 

“Miss Minori… I mean, Mimori… You made some damn good brew. Now, where was I? Oh yes. NP3228…”

 

Cougar began taking another sip when he glance dup at the screen showing the matching prisoner. The person he saw had fiery red hair and a very familiar-looking face. His eyes nearly popped out of his hand and through his sunglasses, and he quickly spat out his coffee away from the control panel. Jumping to his feet, his mug falling to the floor and spilling its contents, he got a good look at prisoner NP3228.

 

“Oh shit. Kazuya!”

 

 

End of preview

 

TTFN - Ta-ta for now!

 

-R80