Why Not

Chapter 11: Kanata Shares

"Kanata…"

His head weighs like a ton. Kanata winces his eyes trying to focus his eyes to the lashing sound his hearing right in front of him. He sees a figure coming closer to him and he can't believe his eyes that the figure astonishingly looks like Akira. He blinks once more but suddenly the image has changed from a brunette girl into a blonde girl dressed in black leather with a whip on hand.

"Are you ready for your punishment, boy?" the blonde said.

"Oh hell no…" now he sees her clearly.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Kanata wakes up in a cold sweat.

"Saionji! Hey! You're awake. You dozed off in the tub!" Kanata shook his head, "Wha-what the hell? Wait a minute, did you--" Miyu only coughed and blushes hard and turns her back. Kanata suddenly felt faint again. "What are you doing here?"

"You're not the only one who wants to take a bath, too you know." She retorts back gruffly.

"So, uh, what were you moaning about just now?"

Kanata gathers up some tub water that he is in and splashes it on his face. He tries to remember vaguely the last image he dreamt but can't help but to blush as the image progresses to a more 'heated' scene. Miyu takes another glance and sees Kanata looking at her but immediately snatches his look away fro her.

Some sort of an idea comes across Miyu's mind.

"AHHH! SAIONJI NO ECCHI!"

"Ecchi!" Kanata grabs his towel and quickly covers himself.

"You barged in here knowing that I am the one who is indecently exposed and now you call me a pervert?"

"Screw you, bitch! As if I give a damn about that naked rundown bark of log you call a body." Miyu yells.

"Oh yeah? Let me tell you that leather suits aren't exactly your thing!"

Both are silent for a few seconds…

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Shut up! Like somebody would be sick enough to be interested in that childlike body of yours!"

"Ah! What did you say?"

"You heard me, you damn chick! The only ones who might even find you attractive are either blind or desperate. Even Seiya was neither but the bastard still dropped your ass off on the damn gutter." Kanata barks bluntly.

Miyu can't believe how much trash talk Kanata can dish out. What he said didn't composed much offending words like a plus size sword stabbing her but the way he said each one was like a thousand needles poking annoyingly altogether through her heart.

Kanata's smirk didn't last long as he sees Miyu just standing there clenching her fists quietly. He is about to say her name when…

"Do you kiss Akane with that filthy mouth of yours? Oh wait, no you don't. You haven't even got the chance because she left your punk ass to marry someone who is more decent and kind unlike some grumpy and rude jerk like you." Miyu replies with a cold tone then leaves the bathroom.

Kanata just raises an eyebrow in shock of what he had heard but with so many emotions flying through the room, he can't decide which one to apply so he settles for the bastard and rude jerk mode.

"Don't let the bathroom door hit that puny ass on your way out" Kanata orders Miyu, but he received a speeding soap bar hitting him between his eyes instead of another insult from her.

The bar of soap didn't do much pain on him, however, when he hears crying and sobbing sounds from the door, those didn't fail to leave an effect on him.

"Aw, GODDAMNIT!"

Inside her room, Miyu dries her eyes from all of the tears she shed earlier. She knows he didn't meant what he blurted out. Heck, she didn't meant what she said to him as well. They were both angry. However, it is a known fact that when things are subconsciously blurted out bluntly, most of them are true.

He said Seiya left her because he thinks he found her not that interesting

She said Akira left him because she wants a nicer and a kinder guy.

Miyu walks towards the mirror and checks her self out.

"Man, I really need to get out of these cheerleading uniform. But I wanted to take a bath first before I go home and change into something more comfortable. It's getting a little warm in this top."

Since Miyu figures that Kanata is still on the bathroom, she thought of removing just her top and let her upper torso breath a little more. She comes to the window are and shuts the window closed and covers it up with the drapes.

Knowing that the cost is clear, she is now ready to take the uniform top off her.

She forgets one thing. She didn't lock the door. As evidence, Kanata comes in with still nothing on but that towel wrapped around his waist. His real intention was to check if she is alright and probably apologize for what happened earlier. He was more worried about how she is feeling than getting dressed, so it seems.

Now his jaw is slacked open to see Miyu already half way through on removing her uniform top, exposing her belly and the lower end of her bra in front of him.

Kanata hides behind the door quickly before more flying things are sent towards him. "I'm sorry! I should have knocked first."

"It's okay."

He wasn't expecting that.

"What?"

"I said it's okay. You can come out now. Though, I wish that you could have atleast be dressed before seeing me taking my clothes off." Miyu stands up and decides to keep her uniform on for the meantime.

"You're not angry?"

"Well I can't say that I am not. I mean you can't blame an undressing girl feel the least uncomfortable being seen by a guy with just a towel on. Although, as you said earlier, I have a childlike body so I don't have the anatomy that a fully developed girl should be making a big fuss about when seen."

Kanata feels guilty about that ofcourse.

"About that, I'm sorry about what I said earlier." Kanata stands away from the door with his head facing down. "Forget about them coz I don't meant every word of it."

"Well to be fair I didn't mean what I said too. So please go and put something on coz you're starting to creep me out." Miyu places her hands unto his shoulders and pushes him out but to no avail she was unsuccessful. Kanata stood firmly on that spot, holds her hands, and wrapped his arms around her, making her hands being held at her back.

"Remember when I said that I don't like seeing my students wearing something like that?" he whispered.

"You mean this cheerleading uniform?" Miyu can't stop blushing.

"For the record, you don't have a childlike body. It's just that, I really don't like seeing you moving around in it. It brings out your curves that it is stimulating; especially the guys back at the game. It also upsets me when I see them drool over you and the other cheerleaders jumping and bouncing."

"Are you trying to tell me that this turns you on and you get jealous when the guys like to see me in it this get up when you choose not to?"

"Don't quit your day job. But yeah it rattles me."

"Then can I say that you admit that I look good wearing such semi-revealing clothing?"

"I'll admit that you look great, but I really would like to advice myself not to be caught with you alone wearing such a thing."

"Because?"

"Coz I am afraid that I will loose control and I would tend to hold you like this then do something stupid."

"Like what?"

As his fingers stretch to envelop her cheek, he sees her eyes process the moment briefly just before he closed his eyes and kisses her. There is a feeling in his gut, something sharp and tight that trembled when he touches her, and all the breath is drawn from his body. And then she is kissing him back, moving her mouth against his repeatedly. Caught in an under-toe, he does what feels right, whatever increases that feeling that is making the surface of his skin shake and shiver. He raises both hands to her head, pressing her hair softly against her ears, as he kisses her, not thinking much of anything. Her hands are on his bare chest, elbows lowered, and as he drops his arms to wrap them around her waist again, his mouth brakes automatically away from hers as he pulls her too close to kiss, instead enveloping her in his embrace. She stays small against his chest and then pulled away.

"I don't know what Seiya was smoking back then but he doesn't know what he is missing." Kanata whispers in her ear.

"You know I don't know what made miss Akira to change her mind about you. Clearly she too doesn't know what she is missing." Says Miyu. "You can be nice and sweet when you want to. Can you be a more like that?"

"No, I am uptight and obnoxious."

"You forgot the word pedophile."

From the way her eyes glimmers, he thinks she mean to say something, but instead they kiss again. He touches her face and the kiss is brief, but it is followed by another and a caress of her neck. She continues to smile at him.

""Can I change or even take a bath first? I've been wearing this suit for almost forty-eight hours."

Half listening, he kisses her again. Her lips taste like sweet berries. He couldn't get enough. Eventually, she shuts up and melts into him, her arms soft against his body; her lips searching his with the same sensuous need that make his knees feel weak.

"Perhaps you be this stimulated if I change into something else."

"How about just taking it off right now and see if it makes a difference?" Kanata kisses her neck.

They trail right on top of Miyu's bed, still on a dead lock. He then relaxes one arm and softly kneads through her hair with the other hand, conscious of the way she is relaxing into him and happy to hold her. He is tempted to stroke her body, just gentle touches up and down her sides and across her stomach, but he didn't. Wannya settles himself at the foot of the bed, closing his eyes in a restful slumber. Outside, the night's darkness deepened and the world got quieter.

As Kanata tries to take her top off, Miyu stops him right there. "What time is it?" Miyu murmurs suddenly, her voice pulling him out of something close to a slumber.

Kanata paused before he answered, knowing where she was going with the question. "Almost eleven."

Miyu sits up. "Saionji, I really have to go home."

He let her up, breathing deeply as her weight left his body. His clothes were plastered to his chest, molded by her shape, but he sat up too, shaking them out. Miyu sits with her back straight and her legs and knees pressing together, fixing her hair with her arms over her head.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" he whispered.

She freezes one hand on the doorframe. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were piercing. "Saionji… no, I can't do that." The finality in her tone is the way he always remembers her, strong in her convictions, firm in her executions. But she was always quick to leap to conclusions, and her solidarity didn't put him off.

"Just stay over," he elaborates. His tone is quiet, a bare murmur of a suggestion, not quite a plea, not even a petition. "You're safety is assured with me here than outside at this hour."

Her gaze softens, as she comprehended what he means. She stares at him, emotions swimming in the depths of her eyes. "No, I… I'm not even your girlfriend. I can't stay over again. It wouldn't be right."

"Just to sleep, like you did a few times before." he continues. "I could give you a some spare pajamas and you're all ready for bed. We could sleep and I'll take you home in the morning, as early as you want."

She brings a hand to her chest, half clenched. He can see her thinking, turning the thought over. To sleep with him AGAIN in his bed, just sleeping, while he holds her like he had been holding her just now… all night.

"No," she says finally, dropping her arm, and he hears the renewed conviction, stronger and more reasoned than her first decision. "We are getting way too close again and right now we are letting our emotions get the best of us. I don't think I should."

She is right. He couldn't' have said it better himself. What was he thinking? He only has a towel on and now he is asking her if she could stay and 'just sleep over' just for the night?

"It's okay," he tells her quickly, and gets up. "I'll take you home now. I'll just get dressed."

He heads towards the door, silent, and feels her eyes following him. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No," he says, frowning over the silver knob on the door. "Of course not." He pauses. "I don't understand why you can't stay, but I'm not mad."

It's been ten minutes since Kanata left Miyu's room to change. Miyu decides to take the bath as soon as she gets home. She feels a little uneasy leaving the math teacher like that.

:Knock knock:

"Coming." Says Kanata who is now dressed casually. "Are you ready to go,

Kouzuki?"

"It's not that I don't want to stay with you, Saionji," she explained as he opens the door and guides her inside the room. "It's just… You're not committed to me or anything. And I just don't feel right about…"

"Why do I have to be committed to you for you to sleep over?" he interrupted.

She bit her lip.

"Never mind," says Kanata. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. If it makes you uncomfortable, that's all I need to know. I just thought it would be nice. I don't mind driving you home."

"As long as you're sure…"

She was always so concerned. He smiles at her. Touching her face, he brings her in for a kiss, reassuring her that he is not upset, that nothing has changed. "I'm sure. It was just a suggestion. I'm sorry for everything that have happened tonight."

Miyu stood up and covered his mouth with her hand, "Stop trying to get the last word in." She then sat on the bed; Miyu feels the bed sinks in beside her, confirming Kanata has just sat down.

"You know, ever since I found about Seiya's real intentions back then I never really made a leap into guys. It was that awkward for me to start one." Miyu lays her head there under her palms as a pillow.

"Not even crushes?" he inquires yet looking at the outside of his window

"Well yeah but I began thinking that crushes come and go sooner or later so I just suppressed most of them most of the time."

"But you're having suitors now." He voices those words flatly.

"I know but like I said before, there are two things that I'm not really in jive with right now."

"Remind me."

"Guys who I either like me and of course Teachers that can't get off my case, silly."

Kanata couldn't help but to make a little snicker about her words. It's true rather. With all of the time he has known her, he did observed those two things in particular.

"Yet still…"

"Hm?"

Miyu gently sits-up once again and the sudden shift of the bed makes Kanata averts his gaze now to her. "I'm currently inside a guy's apartment, who is also to be a teacher."

"Do you feel that awkwardness whenever I'm here?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I'm going against what I believed in all this time doing all of these physical contact with a guy who happens to be a teacher as well" She smiles at him jokingly.

"…….."

"……."

BLUSH

"OH MY GOD, MAN! IT"S JUST A JOKE!"

Soon the two starts laughing at it but it quiet down after a few seconds. Honestly, it was really this easy to rattle him, which gives her the satisfaction.

But she did sound like she means it after she has said that. It's pure madness really that both of them are allowing the other to do those trivial matters of physical intimacy of their situation. It's just frowns her that she endangers her teacher who is the first male friend that ever shown real compassion for her.

Well, maybe a little much "real compassion" if you think otherwise.

"You know…" he pauses. Miyu looks at his face, a mixture of happiness and sadness. "What?" she laid her head on his shoulder. "Akira has once told to me this particular story way back when we were kids. In fact, it was one of those moments that I really felt for her."

Miyu doesn't know why Akira comes to all of these all of the sudden but one thing that she knows, that Akira is the reason Kanata is like now today, as she is now thanks to Seiya.

"Please look after Kanata for me" indeed Akira has asked her for such a favor and she agreed into it. Though with all of the things that have happened, she cant helped but to feel a bit jealous, no, threatened that Kanata is still bound to Akira, for he has not yet moved on. Not like she cares.

She is just scared for him, that if he keeps remembering, it will eventually consume him. "What is it all about?" Miyu really wants to hear the same story that made Kanata fall for his best friend. She didn't have the time to talk with Akira the last time, although she wants to know more about the person because it seems that Akira already knew so much about her.

Back then, she wants to choke out the answer from her, "Why?" but as comically as it sounds, she couldn't do that to Akira. Besides, Kanata will only have another Bitch Fit if she did for being too nosey. And yet, Kanata endangers himself willingly for confronting Seiya about what he did to Miyu. She just whirled all of that inside her mind waiting for him to speak, until he did eventually.

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it for the first time, virtues and vices floated around and were bored, not knowing what to do.

One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever. Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea: "Let's play hide and seek!"

All of them liked the idea and immediately Madness shouted: "I want to count, I want to count!" And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started to count: "One, two, three..."

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding. Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon, Treason hid in a pile of garbage. Fondness curled up between the clouds and Passion went to the center of the earth. Lie yelled that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake, whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking. And Madness continued to count: "... seventy nine, eighty, eighty one..."

By this time, all the vices and virtues were already hidden – except Love. For undecided as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Madness kept on counting, "...ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven..." Just when Madness got to one hundred, Love jumped into a rose bush where he hid. And Madness turned around and shouted: "I'm coming, I'm coming!" As Madness turned around, Laziness was the first to be found, because Laziness had no energy to hide. Then he spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake and Passion at the center of the earth. One by one, Madness found them all - except Love.

Madness was getting desperate, unable to find Love. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness: "You only need to find Love, and Love is hiding in the rose bush."

Madness grabbed a wooden pitchfork and stabbed wildly at the rose bush. Madness stabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop. Love appeared from the rose bush, covering his face with his hands. Between his fingers ran two trickles of blood from his eyes.

Madness, so anxious to find Love, had stabbed out Love's eyes with a pitchfork. "What have I done? What have I done?" Madness shouted. "I have left you blind! How can I repair it?"

And Love answered: "You cannot repair my eyes. But if you want to do something for me, you can be my guide."

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

She feels like crying. No. She already is. Kanata notices a few drops of her tears marking on his shirt. Kanata wraps his arms around her and put his head atop her, "I'm so sorry Kouzuki. If I can do anything..."

"Hold me close." She whispers snuggling closer to him, "That's all I need."

Kanata clutches on tight to her. He had never seen her afraid, and right now it just feels like he is being torn apart inside.

"That's how I fell for her." Kanata let a smile graces his lips, "I was really in a pretty bad state back then but somehow, she was there for me, and without really saying it to me directly, she have said the things that I wanted to hear."

"You must have really cared for her." Miyu says quietly. Kanata only nods. She heard enough. She envisions the story inside her mind and catches the very thought of everything that it stood for. "Have you forgiven her yet?"

"Of course. She's still my friend after all." Kanata murmurs at her. Miyu feels him trembling. It must have taken a lot of composure to remember the whole thing after all these years, and then tell it with a straight face. "Did you ever regretted having your bad memories with her?" she asks, hoping that he could answer for the both of them. She wants to know now at this point, about how one can emerge from the very root of all the bad memories she has to put up with Seiya because somewhere in between, she did almost fell in love with him. She wants to believe back then that Seiya would be the one to understand.

"I did, once, when the very thought of she forgetting about me knocked."

"I see…"

"But…"

"But?"

"But I always think... that I will always cherish all my memories to the end. Even if they're sad memories that hurt me so deeply, Even if it's so sad that I wish I'd forget about them forever. If I can bear them and not run away from them, then someday... someday, it will make me a stronger person."

Miyu lifts herself to look at his face once more. She thinks that he might be crying as well. He just faces the window and stares at the dark evening sky, solemnly.

"I want to... believe that. I want to believe… I do believe… no memories should ever be forgotten forever. Honestly, I didn't want Akira to forget about me. But… that's just my selfishness... it's a secret, ok?"

He did answer… He did answer for the both of them willingly. She is just thankful for that at the moment.

"Alright Saionji lets make a pact." Miyu pulls away, "We'll never ever be in the same room when your naked and I am in my cheerleading out fit."

Kanata pouts, "Awww but that was so much fun." She smacks him on the arm then holds out her finger, "We get way too emotional."

Kanata rolls his eyes, "Fine."

"Deal," he agrees knowing doing that wouldn't be hard.

Miyu retracts back and smiles coyly. "What's the matter?" he asks her.

"I have a better idea. How about a kiss to seal our deal?" she asks him cutely. Shaking his head, he grinned wondering if she would ever give up on him. He is really going to jail, much worse most probably hell.

"Fine," he agreed wanting this pact to go into effect because it would hopefully lessen her unpredictable nature. He stands up and hoist her with him from the bed. Moving her arms into his unbuttoned shirt, she wraps them around his torso tiptoeing. Bending his head, he watches her eyes slid shut, before closing his.

Gently their lips touch in a soft kiss sealing their deal. When she moves her hands from his torso to around his neck, he holds her body drawing her closer to him. The kiss intensifies, as they get lost in each other's sweetness, the cold air fading to the back of their minds.

Unconsciously he draws her closer to him, holding protectively on her small form. The other kisses they shared were intense but never felt anything like this. Maybe there was a difference because he actually CONSENTED this one, which is very wrong to begin with, not to mention that all of their past mishaps.

It only ended for a mere second before he gave her another kiss. Miyu follows him sharing another lip lock before small pecks. Breathing heavily, they stare into each other's eyes. Kanata's heart racing. "Wow," Miyu whispers wanting more of that and then some.

"Yeah," He agrees making her laugh. He knows if he didn't let go of her soon, he might steal another kiss, which wasn't a good idea. Smiling wickedly, she gives him one last kiss before reluctantly removing her hands from his neck.

She wraps her arms around him resting her head on his chest. In turn he wraps his around her, trying to keep her warm. "What do you want to do?" comes her muffled question from his chest. "Take me home or stay?"

"It's up to you" he replied when she lifted her face to look at him. "I take that you are already planning on staying somewhere aside from your house. Konishi or Tenchi's?"

"Are you okay?" he chuckles shaking his head. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to spoil your fun earlier…"

"No you did, and it's okay. I deserved it really. I mean GOD knows what might have happened if you didn't." he assures silencing her. "Come on, I think it's time for dinner. That Fat Cat of yours might be livid by now," he states making Miyu shake her head a bit unsurely.

"Okay, but before that, shower!"

Together they walk off determined to start fresh. Miyu is going to show him that she is the thing that Akira wasn't. And she has a lot of time to pull it off with or without outside interference. She has to make the best of this because it is probably the only chance to change his perspective in life.

Kanata is thinking that he'd gotten himself deeper into the mess he is trying so badly to get out of. Ethically, He had failed royally as a professional, that much he already knows. He never thought that this kind of thing would actually happen to him on account of that he always has the rightful principles when he decided to take the job.

It is just sad however to think that he only has this much self-control upon him whenever she is around and that also he already knows. He can't help but to curse his instincts always getting the best out of his reason.

Miyu sees Kanata's eyes. They have that of shimmer that says 'I'm deep in thought here' or 'I'm planning to do something but I don't know how to begin'.

Kanata is just frustrated on how things end up like this on his life. It's not like it is inevitable for all of the inappropriate hugs and kisses could have been prevented yet both of them didn't made much effort for things to be avoided.

He doesn't know 'what happened". But soon his question was answered right then when his trance is broken as the girl's hand tightens her grip on his and looks at him. He noticed that her lips where figuring 'what happened' but he didn't paid attention to what she had said.

Now he knew what happened.

"You happened."

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

Tsuzuku