Kenji Tanaka

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮-𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

We spent the rest of the day shopping at the mall. I found him several t-shirts, jeans, shoes, button up shirts, etc. We now sat at a café enjoying a nice meal and coffee. Even though he no longer wore his kimono, many women would look over and stare at him. I narrowed my eyes. "So annoying." I thought. I placed my cup down with a little more force then was probably necessary. Kenji looked up at my sour expression and said,

"Are you upset with me?"

"No, not with you. But don't you feel like we are not alone?" I asked glancing to the side. The two girls sitting at the table next to us quickly turned their heads away from us.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Just ignore them."

"Easy for you to say, they are all looking at you."

"Well, I can see a lot of men starring at you as well."

"What? No they aren't." I looked around and sure enough they were. My face turned red.

Kenji chuckled. "Well, I'm not surprised, you are quite beautiful. If only you didn't cover your eyes, they would shine even brighter." Kenji took my glasses off and put them on. He smiled trying to enchant me. My breath caught for a moment. He looked even more handsome with the glasses on. I averted my eyes. He tilted my chin up. His eyes were warm. His smile gentle. My heart pounded. My body heated up. I had this sudden urge to kiss him right there and then. A moment later he let go of my chin, his face growing serious. "He was thinking of her just now, wasn't he." I thought to myself.

"Well, anyway," he began. "Don't sell yourself short. You are a very beautiful woman."

He smiled. I blushed. I checked my watch for the time and said, "Well, it's getting late, so let's head home."

"Alright, maybe tomorrow we can stay out later."

"Actually I have studying to do, I have finals next week." Kenji frowned at the rejection. "Oh, but after words we can do stuff, okay? Until then you can go out on your own with Chia and Zen." He glared at me after I suggested such a horrible thing. "Or not. Up to you." I said with a nervous smile. I grabbed the bags and headed toward the car. Kenji quickly took the bags from me. "Um thanks," I quietly said.

"Of course. After all they are my clothes."

The next few weeks came and went fast. My finals were finally over and I now lay in the couch in my most comfortable clothes. "*sigh* I'm beat. I don't think my brain can hold another piece of information." Kenji sat on the floor drinking a Japanese drink listening to me talk. I haven't asked him about his past love since that day at the Washington monument. I didn't want to make him angry or upset.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" Kenji saw right through me. "How did he know? Am I that easy to read?"

"You looked like you had something on your mind." He sipped his drink waiting for my reply. I took a deep breath and said, "Well, I want to ask you more about the woman you loved, but you don't have to tell me anything if you don't to." I smiled nervously.

"Oh, is that all," he said downing the rest of his drink. He placed the cup on the table, propped his head in his hand as he lay on his side, and said, "Her name was Akari, she was the daughter of a poor farmer. She was a human and that didn't sit well with my father. I met her when she was six years old. It started out innocent, but as she grew older I started to see her in a whole new light. We started to see each other more and more. She was eighteen when I last saw her two hundred years ago."

"So the reason why you didn't love the witch was because you loved Akari. I'm so sorry."

"For what?"