A/N: Chapter one for you! I do not own Kyoukai no Kanata.

Chapter 1

The last time Akihito had been this nervous around Mirai Kuriyama was that week she had stalked him through the halls in order to get close enough to run him through with her blood blade. Of course, he figured that having her reject his confession would be as painful a stab through the heart as it was with her sword. He'd live, no matter the outcome. After all, he was immortal.

He was slightly more concerned that their friendship wouldn't recover as seamlessly but no matter how much he valued Kuriyama-san as a friend, he honestly didn't know how much longer he could go before the torture of having her so close fried his brain completely and he did something stupid without an explanation.

Like grabbing her. And kissing her. Fervently.

At least if he told her how he felt, she would know. He thought they both deserved that.

Which found him on this horribly hot Friday morning, his hair curling more than usual in the humidity, and he purposely left his shirt untucked, the first button at his throat open, the tie loosened so that it hung pathetically against his chest. The shower he'd taken that morning was clearly a waste of time; sweat had already perspired at his hairline and he knew that with his nerves already edgy, today had the potential to be absolutely miserable or absolutely exhilarating.

When he walked into the school, he made for his classroom, taking the long way as he cruised down the halls toward the first-years wing. It was normal routine for him, but his stomach was full of butterflies nonetheless. She was easy to spot in the throng of students who conversed with their friends in the halls before classes. Not because she was usually standing off to the side by herself - though that was something - but because she was Mirai, and the aura she carried with her was like a siren to him.

"Ohayou, Kuriyama-san," Akihito said brightly with a smile as he approached.

Her tired gaze swept up to meet him and behind the dazzling, perfect pair of glasses perched on her up-turned nose, purple bags sagged under her honey-colored eyes. It must have been a long night of youmu hunting. He hid his mirth at the lazy death glare she seemed persistent on wearing.

"I'm tired and it's hot," she grumbled, her hands fidgeting absently with the hem of her skirt. "This is unpleasant."

His eyes flashed with amusement and the longer he stood here beside her, the less nervous he felt. Things were just easy with her. "Long night, huh? You look relatively unscathed."

She sighed loudly, clearly noting that she was entertaining him. It made her already sour mood darken; she was not trying to be funny. Maybe if she showed him that ugly scratch she got last night he wouldn't be so amused. He always was fiercely sober when it came to her injuries. "Relatively," she snorted, hiking up the edge of her skirt to show the bandage that wrapped around her upper thigh.

Too late, she realized how inappropriate her actions were and felt her bitterness become engulfed in embarrassment. Suppressing a squeak, she tugged the article of clothing down abruptly and quickly looked up to gauge Akihito's expression. Her blush went from cotton candy-colored to watermelon when she saw the strange look in his eye. A shiver of heat ran down her spine.

He could feel the warmth of her blush across the space between them but that might have had something to do with how hot it was inside the school, or even the fact that his skin was suddenly flushed with a pinkish hue. His mind was sluggish as he looked up from the end of her skirt, eyes fixated on her wide-eyed gaze. Absentmindedly, he licked his lips.

"S-s-sorry," she stammered, mentally berating herself. This is what happens when she doesn't get enough sleep! Was she light-headed because of his unwavering stare or because she was still anemic? She wasn't sure, though the fact that the first idea had even surfaced in her head only made her feel dizzier. Why did he have to look at her like she was the only person in the world?

Akihito shook his head, finally snapping out of his reverie. A smile pulled at his mouth as he tried to pretend that the blush on his face was merely a figment of his imagination. "I-it's okay. Uh, you're okay, though, right?" He reached up to wipe the perspiration off his forehead with the back of his wrist. Though he had seen a large portion of her skin that he hadn't been prepared for, he was free from the wandering thoughts to wish that he could have been there. Idiot. It's not like you can protect her. "I mean, it doesn't hurt too bad, does it?"

"N-n-no," she said quickly. Her eyes darted toward the door of her classroom. It was clear to him that she was uncomfortable; he didn't want to let her go, but he had to get to class soon too. "I sh-should get ready for class, S-senpai."

"Me too," he admitted.

She bobbed her head in a jerky manner and reached up to clench the strap of her bag before darting past him. He watched her go, wishing that his eyes would stop caressing her curves so delicately, wishing that she was just another girl in glasses, knowing that could never happen.

A surge of pleasure coursed through him when she paused in the doorway of her classroom and looked over her shoulder, blush still burning on her face, eyes timidly appraising him. "I'll see you at l-lunch, right?"

His heart thumped hard against his ribcage. "Of course." They almost always ate lunch together.

She nodded resolutely and then darted out of sight. Akihito inhaled deeply and leaned against the wall for a moment to collect himself. Every moment of the past few minutes flashed through his mind with crystal clarity, amping up his blood pressure. Christ, what had prompted her to lift up her skirt? He could have pretended it was any normal morning if she hadn't done that.

"She's going to be the death of me," he muttered, tightening his fist around the strap of his book bag before pushing away from the wall.

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Akihito had planned to carry out his mission at lunch since they usually avoided the noisy cafeteria scene. He'd spent the entire morning in class thinking about what he would say to her, how he would smile, maybe take her hand if she was giving off the right vibes. Lucky for him, Mitsuki was dealing with things regarding Nase family being the head of this district in the Spirit World, so Akihito and Mirai would be alone. It was really the perfect setting.

But when lunch rolled around and they were sitting at a deserted table in a quiet room down the hall from the mess hall, he found himself struck absolutely speechless. How was it possible that even with the heat in the air, he could still feel her electrically close as they sat side by side? Flustered and increasingly nervous, all he could do was shove his meal into his mouth while she ate, unsuspecting of the hurricane going on in his mind.

Mirai had all but forgotten her embarrassment of the morning, instead focusing on the way her senpai had looked at her after both realizing what she'd done. A warmth spread in her chest as she chewed her food silently. She'd been troubled by his penetrating gaze at first, but her memories of it always more than made up for whatever humiliation she'd inflicted upon herself.

It'd been a long time since she'd found someone like Akihito Kanbara. The last person that she'd given herself to so fully had been Yui Inami. . . She shook her head passionately. No. She would not go down that track today. Mirai knew that Akihito left her with such lasting hope and happiness for her future that she wanted to bask in it, not remember everything she'd done to not deserve him.

Maybe a part of that had to do with the fact that she realized he needed her, too. It wasn't just about her happiness, but his, and she knew that they had an understanding that sometimes overwhelmed her massively.

She noticed the way he was intently staring off into space and shifted her body toward him as she finished off the last of her meal. He had been acting rather oddly lately. A little distant, but always warm and very lenient with her sour moods. Her heart stuck in her throat remembering that night almost a week ago when he'd walked her home after school and touched her face so gently. She felt herself go fire-engine red.

Naturally, that was the moment Akihito tuned back into his surroundings, probably called back to the present by Mirai's inquisitive eyes on him. His curiosity piqued when he saw the fierce blush on her face and raised an eyebrow, his own inner turmoil disappearing for the moment. What on earth was she thinking about?

"Senpai!" she squeaked, turning her face away abruptly.

He shook his head and chuckled under his breath, grateful for the distraction. "Why are you blushing, Kuriyama-san?"

She slid her glasses off her nose and proceeded to obsessively wipe the lenses while keeping her eyes away from him. "I-I-I'm not blushing! It's really hot in here!"

It was toasty but nowhere near that hot. He watched in amusement as she furiously continued to clean her glasses and plucked them out of her hands after watching her for several moments. "You're going to break them if you don't stop."

She scowled in indignation. "Give them back."

He took this opening to tease her. "How can you possibly expect me to entrust the life of your precious glasses to you when you treat them so roughly?"

"Stop saying weird things," she said, reaching across his body for the spectacles. With a smirk, he pulled them just out of reach, causing her glare to darken. "Senpai."

Suddenly, his stomach felt full of jitters, his throat dry, as he understood that this was it. This was precisely the moment he'd been grasping for when the lunch hour started. He swallowed thickly and managed a cagey smile. "I'll give them back on one condition."

She was abruptly aware of how close she was to him after trying to snatch her glasses back out of his fingers. Her cheeks pinked and her eyes caught on part of his throat usually hidden beneath his uniform but she didn't move as she looked up to meet his gaze. "What condition?"

He shifted nervously and looked down, his face blooming with unexpected color that Mirai found endearing. "Ahh. . .a-are you free tonight?"

She stared. "Yeah? What does this have to do with my glasses, Senpai? I need those to see, you know."

Her shortness with him was just the push he needed. After all, he was confident about what he wanted and there was no reason why he shouldn't show her that. "Then perhaps if I gave them back you'd go to see a movie with me."

He held his breath as his words sunk in; her honey eyes widened. There were several - several - long moments of silence before she gasped quietly. "A-are you a-asking me out?"

"We could eat dinner first, of course," he said, unable to help the blush on his face. "W-we could go where ever you wanted to go."

She thought her heart was going to burst it was beating so fast, the thrill of happiness urging her to do something stupid like throw herself in his lap. Her fingers played with the ribbon on her uniform and she bit her lip, still mindful of how close she was to him. She shifted slightly and became hyper-aware as her knee bumped against his.

"I'd like th-that," she mumbled after a stretch of stillness. His answering smile was euphoric and she was blinded by it; she thought for a moment that she'd do anything for him if he was going to smile like that.

"Seriously?" he asked, the joy apparent even to his own ears.

She fixed him with a look. "If you give me back my glasses, yes."

With an excitable laugh, he made to kiss the bridge of her lenses before sliding them back onto her face, watching with pleasure as she blushed again. She did that a lot around him.

"You're so creepy, Senpai," she huffed through the explosion of color on her face. Traitorous body.

"Uh-uh," he said, dipping his head toward her slightly. She was struck by how warm his eyes were, how light and happy and carefree that he seemed just because she had happened to agree to a. . .a. . .date. "You should try using my name, Kuriyama-san."

She scooted away from him and began cleaning up her lunch so as to pack it away. It was getting close to the end of the break, and she still had to use the bathroom before returning to lessons. "You said one condition, not two, Senpai," she reminded him, adopting a decidedly playful tone while keeping a serious expression. As serious as it could get through the pink of her cheeks, of course.

He watched her hands as she placed her empty lunch box back into her bag, understanding that it didn't matter what she called him as long as she always addressed him with that tenderness in her voice. "Fair enough."

She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you after class."

He smiled at her, the butterflies in his stomach trying to fly free. "Kay."

She blinked and then turned on her heel, dashing off toward the bathrooms. After she turned the corner, Akihito heard her yell in surprise and the distinct sound of a chair scraping across the ground and toppling onto the tile.

"I-I'm fine!" she insisted, probably knowing instinctively that he was already half-way out of his chair. Soon, her footsteps could be heard dashing off down the hall, leaving Akihito to laugh to himself. One of the most powerful Spirit World warriors he ever met and she turned out to be a gigantic klutz.

It's not like it was a big deal, anyway; he wanted her just the way she was. Comfortable silences and sour moods and clumsy feet in all.