God, It Has Started The Wrong Way Round

Smile for Me

Tomoe really, really didn't want to wear a kimono.

He stood, dumbfounded, staring down at the garments before him.

Kimono. Hakama. Haori. Haori-himo. Obi. Socks. Sandals. He was getting real tired of having the traditional names running through his head. Tomoe groaned as he continued to survey the clothes.

The kimono was made of rich cobalt silk and the obi and hakama were both dark gold. The haori was a shade lighter than the kimono and the subtle shadows of butterflies fluttered at the hem. The haori-himo was a burnished gold, and the socks and sandals were both white. Tomoe sat down firmly on a chair. He didn't even know how to put the damn clothes on!

Looking around him, Tomoe caught sight of the clock. There was still an hour left until the swamp prince came to greet them. Plenty of time. Too much time, actually. He didn't need to get dressed yet.

What should he do?

Take a shower? Maybe he'd get a drink? It sounded like the best option. Although he didn't show it, Tomoe was a little nervous. Just a little. He didn't know what the so-called 'prince of the swamp' would be like, and he didn't know what to expect.

Bumbling idiot?

An all-too-cheerful, happy-go-lucky fool?

Hentai pedophile?

He hoped it wasn't any of those. Maybe it was just his overreactive imagination. Maybe he was a nice guy.

Well, considering his luck, that was probably too far fetched.

Tomoe sighed as stood up, stretching leisurely as he did so. The warm light of the sun filtered in through the translucent walls, bathing him in a fiery glow. He yawned and messed up his hair a little, before yanking the sliding door open and stepping into the hallway. He turned and began making his way towards the kitchen.

That was his mistake.

Tomoe should have definitely taken a hot, relaxing shower.

Instead, a violet blur streamed towards him, slamming into him full force as his eyes widened and the wind was knocked out of him. The impact sent him sprawling to the floor with a weight pressing onto his chest. He closed his eyes when he tried to brace himself.

He failed miserably.

When he hit the ground, his head got knocked first. The pain rocketed through his whole body from that point, leaving him gasping for air. It took him a few moments for him to open his eyes.

Oh god, the stars are chasing each other around my head.

Groans and mewls of panic were heard somewhere around his chest as Nanami struggled to get up. Tomoe slid his eyes back closed; he was content where he was, thank you very much.

Something warm (and fairly heavy) pressed onto his upper torso and he struggled to breathe. That something turned out to be Nanami's hand as she pushed herself up above him, her breathing ragged.

She must have run into me. Such a clumsy fox.

Tomoe breathed in deeply (no, he was not trying to capture her alluring smell, not at all) and opened his eyes. At the sight of her, violet orbs narrowed into slits. She stared wide-eyed at him for a few moments, before finally noticing their position. She flushed, face burning red, lips fumbling for an excuse.

(It was most definitely not cute. To Tomoe, anyway.)

Scrambling up, Nanami stumbled backwards before bowing deeply.

"S-Sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going! It won't happen again."

She didn't wait to hear his - most likely - breathless reply before dashing out of the hallway and into the garden, presumably to tidy it up. Well, that's what Tomoe would've thought, if it weren't for the fact the she'd already done so a few hours before.

He shook his head, then immediately regretted it as the stars continued to fly around his head. Groaning, he sat up as slowly as possible and tried to stand up. He must have suffered some sort of brain damage from the fall.

Ah, what had he been going to do again?

神様はじめました

Nanami panted for breath as she sprinted into the garden, still shocked from her encounter.

Oh, that was close.

Too close for comfort, in fact. That should never had happened. It had done bad, bad things to her heart. She gulped as she felt the traitorous organ jump and flip, skid and slide. She shut her eyes and shook her head furiously, clutching at her chest.

It took Nanami a fair while to get her mind back on track.

On track...Right, she had to prepare for the swamp prince who was coming to greet them. A wide grin spread across her face. The swamp prince, Kotarou, and his guard, Kei, were some of the better youkai. Nanami was good friends with both of them, well, she had been until she'd become the familiar of Mikage shrine. Since then, she hadn't see them. She couldn't wait to see how they'd been.

Nanami smiled at the darkening sky. Fox-fire lanterns sounded like a good idea.

神様はじめました

Tomoe hissed as the haori-himo squeezed his chest. Wow, he never imagined that he'd be this hopeless. He stood in a tangled mess in the clothes that Nanami had given him. The kimono, hakama, haori, socks, and sandals were all in place, but it was just the obi and haori-himo that he was having trouble with.

Big trouble.

The tasseled rope-like garment was wrapped around his chest, half strangling him. He let out a grunt as it tightened further around him. This thing was worse than a necktie. And that was saying a lot. Tomoe struggled for the next few minutes until the door slid open noisily, and Nanami stuck her curious head in.

They both froze, staring at each other. Tomoe's haori-himo was still wound around his torso.

Suddenly, Nanami snorted, a pale clawed hand coming up to over her mouth as she did so. Shortly after, she was on the floor, breaking down in peals of side splitting laughter Tomoe glared at her from where he stood.

"What?"

"Pfft- you look...so - hah - hilarious! Bwah haha!" Her voice shook as the words struggled to leave her mouth.

Tomoe's glare deepened as he looked on, silently roaring at her to shut up. Well, he could command her to, but his man pride wasn't willing to let him sink to lower levels.

A few moments later, Nanami was panting and smiling at the ground, her laughing fit over. It suddenly occurred to Tomoe that he'd never seen her smile because of him before. There was that one time that she nearly started laughing at his when that witch had trapped him, but that was different. That time, she tripped, and ruined it. This time, it was a real, true smile.

Caused by yours truly.

A sly grin slipped onto his face as his studied Nanami's. Her eyes twinkled softly, instead of blazing with the heat of anger or battle. Delicate pink lips were turned upwards, with the barest hint of a shiny white fang poking out the side. Her nose was slightly scrunched up, and a glowing blush fanned out from her cheeks.

Safe to say, it was cute.

Way too cute.

Tomoe held his breath and looked away before he could get a nosebleed. It was the same moment when Nanami looked up at him and grinned, fangs and all.

"I'll help you with your clothes. I am an expert in these things, after all." Pride lanced through her words as she stepped closer to him and began untangling the haori-himo. Silence reigned as she fixed up Tomoe's obi and haori-himo to undeniable perfection, smiled again, and walked out of the room.

When she was gone, Tomoe sighed in relief and wiped his nose.

Well, at least she didn't notice that little drop of blood.

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Just saying, I know nothing of traditional Japanese clothing or how to put it on. I'm just going with the flow.