Super GALS Fan Fiction ❯ Silence for Naught ❯ Midnight Confessions ( Chapter 2 )

AN: Dear fanbrats who don't like this pairing: I've been writing alternative pairings in the Inuyasha and Harry Potter fandoms for years. Your whining is amusing and makes you look dumb. Don't like; don't read. Simple as that.

 

 

Silence for Naught

 

Chapter Two: Midnight Confessions

 

Leaning against the railing of his front porch, Ran crossed her arms and gave him a scrutinizing look.

 

“Kotobuki,” he said, his voice more breathy than usual. He really had to work on that. “I can't fathom why you're here.” He turned from her gaze and concentrated on unlocking his door. “I thought the problem with Aya was taken care of.”

 

“Of course it was, stupe! I'm here for a different reason!”

 

“Oh? Couldn't it have waited until morning? I'm really tired.” His voice intoned exasperation, and he hoped that maybe a bad temperament on his part would drive her away.

 

Of course, this was Ran he was talking about.

 

“I came to talk to you about that ruckus you caused with Tatsukichi, Oto-pii!” Now she was just being childish, and he could feel the flair in her voice. She was on a mission, and there was no stopping her at this point.

 

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He really wanted to avoid this conversation.

 

“Could you please stop calling me these stupid names?”

 

“Rei-pyon …” she goaded.

 

“Otohata-kun,” Rei corrected.

 

“Rei-chan,” she cooed sweetly, yet he could tell her tongue was spikier underneath.

 

“Rei-san,” he corrected again. “Say it with me, Kotobuki-san.” The extreme formality he used with her name annoyed her greatly. She stomped her foot and flailed her arms in a tantrum.

 

“Are you teasing me?”

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing … Ran…chan…” he said huskily, standing coyly in his open door. The endearment caught her a bit off guard, but than she snapped back into reality and glared at him. He smirked at her, but irritation tensed in his face.

 

`Oooh,' Ran thought observing him. `He really wants me gone. He's hiding something. He isn't just tired - I know it.'

 

“You're avoiding the issue, Otohata-kun,” she said coolly, and then she thought behaving just a smidgen would get her some answers from him.

 

He waved his hand and shook his head in response. “Stop that already. You know what you're allowed to call me,” he said, turning the conversation back to the honorifics. He honestly didn't care what she called him, but he didn't care for her pet names in pubic - especially not when she didn't mean them and used them to get something.

 

She tapped her fingers on her arm and gave him an expectant look. “The issue here, Oto-chi …” Lightly she tapped her foot too. He inwardly smirked at the certain appeal of her determined pout.

 

Damn, this girl had too many fascinating facial expressions that he couldn't keep up with them all. His heart began to pound faster at the sight of her.

 

“There is no issue,” he simply said, frowning and then beginning his retreat into the house. “Goodbye, Kotobuki.”

 

And before he could leave her there and totally close the conversation, Ran grabbed his sleeve and pulled him backward. She peered into his face with beady eyes and said roughly, “Call me Ran-chan.”

 

Then the game became “who's-teasing-who”, and her forcefulness was making it difficult for him to subdue his rising excitement.

 

Finally, he felt his silenced feelings were all for naught and that maybe it was time to tell her everything.

 

Or maybe he could keep his feelings, and scare her like he did the first time they met.

 

But the `scaring' wouldn't be far from the `feeling', and in the end he hoped it worked out in his benefit, snuffing out any future awkward tension between them.

 

So he grabbed her arms and pulled her forward into his chest. Ran yelped, miffed and surprised. She froze when she felt his hot breath on her face and eyes peering deep into her own. He cupped her jaw with his hand.

 

“What is the issue here, Ran-chan? Why did you come to my house, alone, and at midnight?” With Ran still frozen, Rei braved another action, and with his other hand, he traced the outline of her hip. “Are you sure you're not the quintessential ko-gal, Ran-chan?”

 

At first there was a pregnant pause, and then her vigor returned and she slapped him away. “Don't start that again, you jerk! You know why I'm here.”

 

“Yes, yes,” he sighed again, feigning indifference. “It has something to do with Tatsuki, but I can't figure out what the hell it is because I really didn't know anything about you two having a skirmish tonight, so can we just get to the point?”

 

“That's what I've been trying to do!” She flailed her arms again. “Gees, if you would stop playing around …”

 

Then, Rei chuckled, and it caught Ran off guard. She smoothed her hair awkwardly behind her ear and sighed.

 

“Anyway, Tatsukichi was upset because of you, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

 

“So? And what did I do that caused him to be upset?” Rei scoffed again, shifting against his doorframe and looking away disinterested.

 

Ran had about enough of Rei's attitude at this point, and she became very close to blowing her top and causing a scene in front of his neighbors. Instead, she came over and yanked his head so that he would look at her - really look at her without the chance to avoid her gaze.

 

“Oto-chi, Tatsukichi thinks you like me, and that I like you. So where would he get an idea like that?”

 

Deep eyes peered into her own and his face was finally sincere, calm, and without a trace of malignity. “I don't know why he thinks that. Maybe he's insecure?”

 

It was a valid excuse, and Rei became uncomfortable for the first time ever to this grip that Ran had him in. With fiery stern eyes, Ran looked at him in a way that burned into his soul.

 

“I don't think so.”

 

“I do.” And Ran could have sworn he was moving closer, and although Gal-instinct was to fling unwanted drudge within her personal bubble away, she couldn't move to stop Rei from getting closer.

 

“Do you like me, Oto-chi?” She licked her lips as her voice came out scratchy, awkward and forced.

 

“No.” His mouth was very close to hers.

 

“Tell me.” Her nostrils flared and fortitude swelled in her eyes like never before.

 

He stopped his lips millimeters from hers. His breath was so close; she could feel the dampness in its heat. His nose unexpectedly rubbed against hers.

 

Rei didn't know what he was doing. He felt like someone else had taken over his body and all his decisions and had forced him forward - to her without care or cause to slam on the brakes. And such a thought depressed him, for he was not the type of guy to be whirled around and grabbed up in a sea of primal emotions. He was cool, collected Rei, and whom this monster was taking over and making advances on Ran - he didn't know.

 

He snapped out of it, and saw that he was very close to Ran's face - within a motion to kiss her no doubt. Disgusted with himself, he would have liked nothing more than to sweep her up and kiss her, throwing her inside his house and giving into primal urges on the comfort of his living room couch.

 

“It doesn't matter anyway,” he finally said, and his voice broke Kotobuki out of her own daze.

 

“What doesn't matter?” she snapped. He looked away again, free of her strong grasp and forcing himself into a serene, Zen-like expression. However, she could tell in his eyes there was so much disappointment, regret - even shame.

 

His feelings - his stupid, annoying feelings had caused all this. He felt awkward now with Ran in front of him, and he hated it.

 

“I apologize for my boldness…”

 

“Oto-chi…”

 

“I should be getting to bed now …”

 

“Oto-chi...” Her voice was stern, but seemed to purr in his ears. He braved a motion and turned to look at her. When their eyes met, she knew something had changed.

 

She didn't want anything to change with her friends - least of all with Otohata.

 

So before he could suck her up in his misery cloud, she did the one thing that first came to her mind.

 

She punched him - square in the stomach. He coughed and cried on impact, more shocked than pained at her action.

 

“Don't you dare give me that sad, boo-hoo lip again! Do you hear me? And if you try that again I'll punch you to the moon! I am not some willy-nilly tan ko-gal to go from one guy to the next!”

 

He retained his balance and stood up, expecting to see anger on her face for him coming on to her. Instead, she was smiling at him in good nature. She cocked her head and pointed a faux nail at him.

 

“Do you understand me, Rei-chan?”

 

He chuckled, and felt stupid for his behavior. He was grateful at least, that Ran was covering it with her no-nonsense attitude. He should have expected it anyway, since Ran Kotobuki didn't give into romantic endeavors - not any of the sorts.

 

“I know,” he finally said, still rubbing his bruised gut.

 

“Well, then,” Ran coughed away the uncomfortable air. “I better not see this weird attitude of yours tomorrow. Got that?”

 

He nodded, and Ran beamed at him.

 

“Now, that's settled…” Ran peered inside of his house. “Do you have any cookies or candy in there? All that tension made me hungry!”

 

Stunned and mildly touched at the turn of events, Rei couldn't help muse that such actions of hers just made him like her even more.

 

TBC…

 

 

AN: Wah…the chapters just keep coming…