Distant

Chapter 9

Kiyoshi took quick glances of Natsuko from behind the bookshelves, 'Just go up there! Just go...' He kept telling himself. Finally he walked up to her and dropped his book in front of her.

"Oops, do you think you can pick that up for me?" He asked her with a grin.

She laughed at him, "Sure, why not."

"Oh~ thanks! You're too nice..." He laughed out as he took his book from her, "So? What you looking at?"

"Just a book to read..." She said as she busily looked through the shelves.

Kiyoshi followed her as she walked around. He looked around and scratched his head, feeling super nervous, "So uh..." He couldn't form anything beyond that.

"Uh...what?" She looked over her shoulder to him real quick with a grin, "You're being weird, also, aren't you usually on the rooftop sleeping like..."

Natsuko pretended to check a watch on her wrist, "...right about now."

He scoffed at her, "What? So you want me to leave?" He said jokingly.

"No no...of course not." She said turning to him, "What were you saying though?"

Once again he couldn't gather the courage to ask her and he found himself distractedly looking through the books, "Whoa~ look at this book!"

"Tch...tell me!" She said, snatching the book away from him.

"Okay okay...", he said with a roll of his eyes, "Would you...I don't know...maybe like to walk to the café with me tomorrow?" He adverted his gaze to the floor.

Natsuko just stared at him for while, she turned back to the books. It was obvious that she wasn't looking for a book anymore and she was just using it as an excuse. Kiyoshi looked at her expectantly, "Well?!"

"Hm?" She said as she continued to look for a book, not even looking at him.

He stared at her incredulously before grabbing her by the wrist to make her face him and pushing her against the bookshelf. He leaned in close, so close that his lips touched the shell of her ear. It sent shivers down her spine and she gulped as her eyes shut closed, "Do you...or do you not want to go to the café with me after school tomorrow?"

"I...I don-don't know. I have literature club tomorrow after school and we're working on our pieces for the show so..."

Kiyoshi let go of her, "Another day then, hm?"

Natsuko nodded as she just stared at him return back to normal. He seemed like a child almost as he randomly picked books out and asked her if that's the one she wanted. Her heart was beating so fast though that she barely heard anything he said.

'What's going on with me?'

~~~~~

"So, this girl? Hm...she's a nobody?"

"What do you want Tatsuo...?" Kiyoshi asked as he stood in front of Tatsuo sitting at his desk.

He suspiciously eyed his older brother. Tatsuo laughed at his younger brother, he took a file out and threw it on the table.

Kiyoshi cautiosly grabbed it, "What's this?"

"Take a look." Tatsuo said with a grin.

Kiyoshi opened the file. Inside were pictures, he looked at each and every one. Picture after picture of Natsuko doing random things from walking, eating, talking with her friend, and the last few were a few shots of Kiyoshi and her eating lunch together and walking together. There was even a picture of Kiyoshi brushing her hair back while she slept on one of the AC vents. Slowly he began getting frustrated as he threw the pictures on Tatsuo's desk, "You're wasting your time with her. She's nothing to me, just a kid at my school. Also, why have you been stalking me?"

Tatsuo scoffed at him, picking up the pictures of Natsuko and putting them back, "I'm not stalking you! I'm just...making sure you're keeping your head straight."

"What the fuck does that even mean?!"

Tatsuo gasped, "Kiyoshi, your language!"

"Stop playing Tatsuo! Don't meddle in my relationships, don't bring an innocent person into this!"

Tatsuo spun around in his chair looking at a picture of Natsuko talking with her friend, "I don't blame you brother, she is quite cute. Hey, I'll take her if you don't want her."

Kiyoshi slammed his hands on the desk, "Don't bring an innocent person into our kind of world."

Tatsuo glared at him, "I should be the one saying that...not you little brother."

Kiyoshi's heart pounded, "What do you mean?"

He clicked his tongue at his younger brother, "Don't lie to me, I know when you're lying."

Kiyoshi was fuming, he was about 99% done with Tatsuo. His brother may be an idiot but he was truly manipulating. Tatsuo was deceiving, Kiyoshi was scared of Tatsuo's abilities to do wreckless things. One wrong move and everything can go down south real quick or someone may get hurt.

Kiyoshi walked out and slammed the door.

This was the reason why he didn't want ANYTHING to do with the organization, they were conniving. Always trying to get into people's head, trying to mess with people and get what they want. He knew what Tatsuo's tactic was. Tatsuo was just trying to get into his head, trying to throw him off by threatening him.

The only way he would be able to keep away from Tatsuo and his tricky little game was to let go of Natsuko but he couldn't...not if Natsuko was starting to get his attention. She was starting to stir up emotions that he locked away deep within his heart. If she was able to do that then how could he just let her go...he couldn't, not if curiosity was tugging at the subject so strongly but he understood that the more he hung out with her the more dangerous it became...

'I'll never let harm come your way...I'll protect you. Even if it means letting you go...'

-TBC-