Kiss Quarrel~
"Where shall we go now?" Yumi asked, as they walked out of the dark theater into blinding afternoon light.
"I don't know, are you hungry?" Kaito asked.
Yumi made a gesture of ambivalence. "Not hungry, but maybe a drink..."
"Let's go to the park, then, and have some tea." Kaito recommended.
As they walked, Yumi thought over the days leading up to this one. Kaito known that she’s still in love with him, Kaito fell in love with her again too, and they become lovers with a title, not just what they’re calling, M.U. Her heart beat a little faster at the memory of the words that set it all off.
"What are you thinking about?" Kaito asked, smiling.
"Nothing," Yumi lied.
"Oh." Kaito looked a little put out at that, his smile fading. "Can’t you still believe that you’re now my girlfriend?"
Yumi sighed. "ahm yes. Err~ maybe im just being flattered."
"I know," Kaito's voice was sad. "Me too."
Yumi opened her mouth, and then closed it. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she turned towards Kaito and blurted out, "I..."
"Yumi, I..." Kaito's mouth was half open, staring down at the younger girl. He closed his mouth, and nodded. "Go ahead."
Yumi couldn't take her eyes off Kaito's mouth. "I want you to know that I love you, pls-."
"Yumi…," Kaito cut off Yumi. "I will not hurt you, I really love you."
***
After a month…
Kaito thought, he had no idea it would go this far. It was, to be honest, a dare. And not even a dare for him, specifically. He had been in the classroom and a few of the boys had been joking with one of the others, and someone joked that on a dare, he should try to get a kiss from his ‘best friend’ that is Yumi. And then one of the boys said he'd do it, and so did the other two and they promised to report back the next day.
They didn’t know that Yumi is not just his best friend, but his girlfriend. Kaito and Yumi still not ready to tell them the truth. They’re still afraid. Kaito was loved by so many girls in the school, wandering what they can do once they knew that Kaito already had a girlfriend.
Kaito, who had been finishing up his homework, hadn't thought about the dare at all until he had arrived at the Ichihara Mansion to find Yumi alone. And it just popped into his head, to try and steal a kiss from Yumi.
Kaito considered as he entered the room. How would he do it? He could always go with the "look over there!" gambit, but that was lame. How about sharing food...or maybe just...
Kaito walked over to the table, dropping her schoolbag onto the chair and leaning over Yumi, kissed her quickly.
It was nothing, just a quick brushing of lips, a buss, a peck. But Kaito's eyes were filled with blood and his heart was bursting out of his chest as he pulled away.
Yumi's face was pale, her hands covering her lips. "Kaito?"
"I'm sorry...I," he took a step back. He knew, absolutely, that what he had just done was the worst thing in the world he could have ever done. He knew it was wrong, they are just few weeks’ lovers and then a stolen kiss already? Heck!
Standing, Yumi faced him, with watery eyes.
***
They were alone in Yumi's room sitting together at the table, working on homework.
"Isn't it funny," Kaito had joked, "that our first kiss was just because of the dare and take note, its stolen" he almost laughs.
Yumi had looked at him strangely. "That wasn't our first kiss, though."
"Of course it was. The first time we kissed." Kaito looked up at the ceiling. "I want to remember it."
"That was not," Yumi emphasized the word, "my first kiss."
Kaito disagreed. "I kissed you - you were involved."
"But I never kissed back."
"Yumi. Don't you think that the distinction is a little silly? It was the first time our lips touched. Therefore, it was our..."
"No, it wasn't." The usually gentle Yumi had a surprisingly firm tone. "And it's not silly. Is it silly to want to think of my first kiss as one that I actually participated in?"
"Well, yes. Most girls call it their first kiss when someone else's lips and theirs' touch."
"That's not what *I* consider a kiss." Now Yumi's face was a little dark and Kaito could tell that she was angry. Very angry.
"I'm sorry, Yumi, I..."
"No, that's not good enough. You think it's all right to take a first kiss without a person's consent? How would you feel if I had done it to you and walked around telling everyone that that was your first kiss?"
"I..." Kaito took a deep breath. "I wouldn't be...no, I know, I wouldn't mind."
"Well I do."
"Yumi, I'm sorry if I offended you."
Yumi pulled her legs away and stood abruptly, "That's not the point. I can't believe that you, of all people, would be okay with a 'first kiss' being taken without being returned." Her hands clenched. "I'm surprised - and a little disappointed in you, Kaito." Her lips tightened. "I think maybe you should go home."
Stunned, Kaito stood. "If you feel that strongly about it, I will." And he had.
***
Yumi and Kaito’s relationship was spread at their whole class. Some get disappointed specially those who likes Kaito. But some was just happy like their close friends, Hiruka, and Koji.
The next few weeks were horrible. The first kiss argument had spilled over into every interaction. Kaito and Yumi’s disagreements divided their class on any number of issues, from the color of the backdrop for the school play, to the approval of a new club. Both sides refused to back down and repeated attempts by Koji and Hiruka to play peacemaker. Only when they’re teacher had demanded that they find a way to work together properly, had tempers cooled a little.
But only a little.
Where before they had arranged their schedules to meet anytime they could, now they were avoiding each other like the plague.
Why they had fallen out, no one ever learned. Rumors were rampant, of course, and creative. Koji had come right out and asked, but all Kaito would say was that he and Yumi had "disagreed." Rumor focused on why they didn't then split; as if that would have been the normal course that any reasonable person would take in the situation.
Kaito was angry. That he would admit. He couldn't understand why Yumi would discount that first kiss - even if it had been one-sided. It was if she herself was being discounted.
Yumi, impenetrable, as always, made no other reference to the matter. No one would ever come right out and ask her what the fight had been about. Hiruka came the closest, but failed in the end to get a satisfactory answer.
***
It was Yumi who had started it, and it was Yumi who ended it.
Once again alone in the Ichihara Mansion, she looked up as the door opened. Kaito entered, met Yumi’s eyes and nodded.
"Are you busy this weekend?" Yumi asked - quite out of the blue, "I thought we'd go to a movie together, if you'd like."
Kaito thought about it for a moment. "I'd like that." Then burst into tears. Yumi ran over, put her arms around her boyfriend, and they cried together for a while.
And then it was all over.
***
The park was busy, but they found a place to sit on the edge of a wall looking out at a fountain. Each had a crepe in one hand (chocolate for Yumi, mixed fruit for Kaito) and a can of ice tea in the other.
"It was totally my fault," Yumi said. "I'm sorry."
"I was insensitive," Kaito suggested, trying to shoulder some of the blame.
"No," Yumi shook her head. "There was something I want you to know." She looked away, her voice small and a little quivery. "I get angry with that first kiss argument because..."
Kaito gaped. "because?."
"im just afraid to have my first kiss, because I know that im not your first kiss, but now I understand it. Im sorry” Yumi continued.
"ooh.. its ok, im sorry too, for being your first kiss.” said Kaito.
"that’s fine, you’re my boyfriend after all” added Yumi.
And then it all made perfect sense.
"Yumi," Kaito said, smiling. "Can we make a deal?"
Yumi nodded, unsurely.
"Finish up your crepe, drink your ice tea and come with me." Yumi bit into the ice cream crepe, moaning as the inevitable brain freeze hit. They ate quickly and steadily, drank their tea and threw away the refuse. Taking Yumi's hand, Kaito led the way to the subway, laughing.
When they arrived at Kaito's home, they were both laughing. And they laughed as they removed their shoes, greeted his mother and politely refused the offer of tea.
When they were alone at last, Kaito took Yumi’s hands in his own.
"Here's the deal. We start over, right here, right now. And we don't fight anymore."
"Deal," Yumi agreed.
Hand in hand, they moved towards each other.
For their very first kiss.
~End
-Judihime
