reunion!!!

wow

this is in all lowercase because i copy-pasted it from my docs haha. also i hate this ship because it makes me feel like kei seems weak but she's not but i WROTE IT ANYWAY!! i'll talk more at the end... if you care...

ok so this is like a weird universe(?) in which: this happens. lol. chiyoko is with kei as well and everything is happy and great and

   kaneda was back.
   in a short moment rich with excitement and love, their eyes met and their hearts pounded! then, he was gone again.
   but his absence in this time is different. there has been a warmth in kei's stomach since he'd smiled at her so happily as they saw each other. for now kaneda will return. now, kei can meet him again and dig into his day, his emotions.
   she loves him.
   in her desperate need to not be foolish, kei tries to keep her feelings at bay. she reminds herself that her burst of love was most likely contracted from their recent rejoice. yet, she can't ignore the butterflies.
   somehow, despite kei pressuring herself to keep her feelings to a minimum, she doesn't really recognize them as romantic. in fact, they may not be. the joy is real, and she knows he's special to her, but for now she just needs to see him.
   kaneda had gone to bed a while ago, which was understandable. kei only saw him a few times. kaisuke had spent the most time with the other boy while kei was busy with her plans. she wasn't sure what the other two were discussing but it was obvious that, given the situation, it had to do with tetsuo.
   and she didn't really care. kei could hardly focus on anything outside of miyako and the espers' safety. added to that, she has to train. as a medium, kei must practice the art of possession and prepare to battle tetsuo one on one. it was stressful to the point of overwhelming, but she was forced to shove those feelings aside as well and do her best.
   kei wandered the partially broken building to find where kaneda slept. she jumped over wires and holes in the floor. machines beeped and moaned and the smell of cigarettes was prevalent and itchy, yet calming in a complicated way.
   kei's loose overclothes found their way down her shoulders as she walked through the few halls. wrapping the top rags around her waist, she sighed. then, her eyes rested on the door along the wall, just ahead of her. she quickened her pace until she could peek inside.
   there he was.
   kaneda was laying on a pile of sheets with one over his midsection. his limbs were spread in an unconscious attempt to air out in the warm, small room.
   kei smiled.
   carefully and mechanically, she stepped to his side and rested by his head against the wall. kei looked down at him, her eyes enjoying his features.
   the room was surprisingly quieter and blocked out some of the whirring outside. it was relaxing and she was glad he wasn't forced to put up with the noise as he slept.
  slowly, then, kei picked up her hand and used it to gently push some hair behind kaneda's ear. he stirred.
   "kaneda," she whispered. just quietly enough for it to be mistaken to be for herself.
   she thought about just being patient and letting him rest, but she was a bit too stubborn at the moment.
   "kaneda," kei said a bit more loudly. the young woman shook his shoulder.
   kaneda flexed his fingers. "i was sleeping," he mumbled. kei beamed at his voice. he turned his head away from her.
   "i know, but i want to see you."
   kaneda opened his eyes and met her kind gaze. his eyes studied her gently illuminated face and he grinned sleepily. "oh, hi..."
   kei giggled a bit, pulling her knees to her chest.
   "what's up?"
   she was silent. "i missed you," she said simply.
   kaneda grinned a little harder. "aww. really?"
   "i'm glad youre back."
   "don't get all emotional," he said. he sat up against the wall, smiling at her.
   his eyes looked deep. kei stared back.
   "i missed you, too," he finally said but by then kei had already forgotten her previous compliment. "i mean, how could i forget your face?"
   kei found her cheeks getting warm. she smacked his leg gently with her hand. he laughed, but kept staring at her. her heart began to flutter disobediently.
   finally, kei leaned forward and pushed a kiss into his cheek. kaneda didn't move, just closed his eyes. she held herself there for a bit before relaxing her mouth. she didn't move back, though.
   kaneda, taking advantage of their proximity, adjusted his position so that their lips were almost touching. kei let him do it, her heart jumping to her stomach as his breath tickled her lips.
   if her eyes hadn't been closed so nervously tight, she would have seen him staring down to find her hand and gather it into his own. their fingers intertwined. her other hand gripped her knee. how embarrassing that kaneda made her so nervous!
   then, easily, kaneda filled the space between them and kissed her. he kissed her... she melted into him and put a hand to his cheek and his grip on her tightened.
   she leaned back and pressed her forehead against his. she stared at his long lashes and he grinned with his crooked teeth. hmm.
   "i love you," she whispered.
   his smile faltered. "what do you mean?"
   "i don't... know."
   he chuckled, maybe a little nervously, and his face was flushed. "well..." he leaned back completely and she watched him anxiously. his sweaty hair bounced from his forehead. "i love you too."
   she didn't smile. "w... what do you mean?" she repeated.
   he rubbed his eye sleepily then put his hand on his chin. "hmm... i want to kiss you again."
   kei blushed and looked away.
   that encouraged kaneda on, now having the upperhand. he leaned forward and looked at her with an edge of flirt. "and i always thought you were gorgeous... and had a strong way about yourself."
   "alright, alright..." she shifted around.
   "and i want to protect you."
   kei looked over at him slowly and he held her gaze. now he began to squirm, after having been so mushy.
   "me too," she said honestly.
   "well..." kaneda swallowed. "not to be," he laughed, "so romantic, but... you should stay with me."
   "how so?"
   "you should lay by me tonight."
   she squinted suspiciously. "that's strange."
   "you think so?"
   silence.
   kei sighed. "i'm busy."
   "really?"
   "a bit."
   "are you avoiding me?"
   "no!"
   "then make time for me."
   kei stared at him. she wanted to, she really really did. "i..."
    "make time for me! i'm here, now." kaneda leaned against the wall and watched her. "and you're here and... i don't know when i'll be alone with you again."
   kei swallowed and looked at the doorway. "i want to."
   kaneda grabbed her hand and she quickly looked at him. "then do it, kei!"
   her eyes studied him for a while. his face was so soft, just like she remembered it. and his hands... she looked down at where he held her. his hands were still rough, he still had his short nails bitten and torn to length.
   she kept staring.
   she had missed him so much.
   she still missed him.
   kei closed her eyes. "okay."
   kaneda beamed as she scooted closer to him. they both lay down silently, kei pulling some sheets loosely over her legs. then, kaneda threw his arm behind her and hugged her.
   "oh," she gasped.
   kaneda loosened his grip and kissed her head. kei felt herself sink into the floor, into him, and she felt so safe.
   "thank you," she said for some reason. she didn't know why, but it felt right.

[author's note] OKAY SO HAHA: like you don't have to read this but:
this ship is Complicated for me okay like i want it to be good ? but in the end, no matter how i write it, i see them splitting and I'm Sorry, i want kei to be Happy, but kaneda is rlly focused on tetsuo and i always see kei's seemingly romantic love for him to have been a misunderstanding from a mixture of gratefulness/excitement/infatuation/and even forgetfulness if i do allow myself to shit on kaneda so much. but i want this ship to work ... even tho i'm not big on That Het™. but anyway haha