Wake Up Your Heart: Asuka/Jim
Title: Wake Up Your Heart
Author: cheeky_eyes (and I fail far too much to link. ^^’)
Character(s)/Pairing: Asuka, Jim. Tomorrowshipping, or at least my attempt at it.
Rating: G
Notes: Besides finally, nothing much to say except this was harder than I thought it would be. And now reading through, there are probably more I could add. Go figure. Also I have finished my Yubel one, I just need to type it up so that too should be up soon.
Summary: She was independent, he respected that, but they both knew no one could do it alone. That’s why when he offered his hand she took it.
xxx
1) ‘“This is Karen,” Jim introduced enthusiastically. Asuka gave the crocodile a suspicious glance, before looking up at Jim’s earnest face. On his back Karen gave a mellow growl, but instead of being afraid Asuka extended her hand.
“Hello Karen, I’m Asuka.”
2) It always impressed Jim that she had never really been afraid of Karen. Wary sure, but who could blame her? Sometimes he forgot not everyone could interpret her growls like he could (Johan’s reaction during the opening ceremony was a classic, and funny, reaction) so when she smiled instead of backing off during their introduction he knew he should get to know her better.
3) 'Tomorrow Girl.’ It must be an idiosyncrasy, either that or the way Jim referred to other people was an Australian thing, but she doubted that. But she did have to admit she was impressed that he’d grasped the pun of her name so quickly as Japanese had to be at least his second language. It didn’t annoy her as much as if one of the other boys had started to call her that but the fact it was just Jim’s way may have had something to do with that.
4) She often saw him around the Obelisk Blue dorms, and every time she saw him he would cheerily greet her and inevitably make her late for whatever she’d been doing. This was also something she didn’t really mind
5) They certainly didn’t spend as much time together as Johan and Juudai did (and it defiantly wasn’t possible for anyone to spend anymore time then those two did) but they soon got to know each other almost as well as those two had by the time Cobra’s dis-duels had begun in earnest.
6) She was independent, he respected that, but they both knew no one could do it alone. That’s why when he offered his hand she took it.
7) It would forever amaze her that Fubuki hadn’t caught onto what was happening earlier. If anyone was going to know before she did she would’ve placed large amounts of money on it being him, given his tendencies to play matchmaker. But somehow Jim managed to eclipse even her brother and what they shared was apparently so natural not even her brother had thought twice about it.
8) What Jim never told Asuka was that he’d been the one to warn off Fubuki himself, claiming to be fully capable of nurturing the relationship on his own. The reversal of roles would always make him smile as Fubuki had been rather good natured about it, saying something about a conflict of interest with Manjoume anyway.
9) “So what is it?” she asked curiously, peering at the device in his hand. Jim followed her glance down.
“It measures electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere and registers any abnormal levels,” he replied as she nodded, actually following him.
“So you think that’s what made Kenzan and Karen act weird,” she asked. He nodded as she frowned and continued speaking.
“Jim, aren’t electromagnetic waves just light?” She paused again. Light, of course, that made more sense than probably should if it were true.
“Yes, but also UV, X, micro and radio waves are included in that. This device only measures the lower end of the spectrum though, so micro and radio waves. And no, I don’t know which part is responsible.”
10) The water had risen above her head and she knew she didn’t have much time left. Frantically she looked around as a moment passed in what felt like an eternity. Despite her situation she felt calm but when the wall collapsed she almost had a heart attack she was so relieved. Truthfully she would have been glad to see anyone at that point, but she was especially glad it was Jim who appeared from the other side.
11) She wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring tiredly at the darkness, but when Jim sat down next to her it became more then irrelevant.
“Couldn’t sleep either huh?” he asked, strangely enough as he had been standing guard so she hoped he hadn’t been sleeping. Unless he was referring to the low whisper that filled the room, she decided she defiantly needed more sleep.
“Not really,” she whispered back as Karen curled up next to them.
“Do you want to come stand guard with me then?” he asked as Karen gave a sleepy glare. Clearly he was going to make her move.
“Sure,” Asuka replied gratefully as they got up. Wordlessly she followed him back to his post, feeling safer then she had in a while.
12) He had been angry with Juudai at the time. Surely it wasn’t that hard to wait for ten or so minutes, no matter what he thought he saw. However, as angry as he had been, he could see why Juudai had run off. Especially as he had believed Johan was right there. If it had been Karen there he would have done the same in a heartbeat. No, what angered him the most was that he hadn’t been there to help her when she had needed it. She may not have been alone, but he had been close by. While he been watching he wasn’t sure if he could forgive Juudai for breaking his promise, the only reason he did was because he knew who to be angry at.
13) For a long time she had been only able to see Manjoume in the bubble world, and even then they hadn’t been close enough to speak. The sadness she had felt while in the Dark World hadn’t gone away, and she was grateful that for part of the time she could slide into unconsciousness. Given the twisted nature of the world it was therefore no small miracle that some indescribable amount of time later Jim arrived fairly close to her bubble. Again too far away for speech to be possible, but his presence was more than enough to help her through.
14) After Juudai had returned things settled down rather quickly, as they usually did, and the Transfer Students began to prepare for their return to their own academies. It hadn’t been intentional, but Asuka and Jim spent a lot of that time together alone.
15) He’d forgotten someone. He didn’t know how he knew but he could tell. There was someone important that he should remember, even more than the other déjà vu feelings he’d been having lately. Karen felt it too, but she seemed to remember what he’d forgotten. No one else at South Academy felt it, so it clearly had to be linked to Juudai, and tomorrow?
16) It wasn’t until a few years after graduation that they really started dating. It was a complete coincidence that they met up again for it was such a small town that only a really small world would allow the coincidence. She was happily teaching by this stage and exploring America during one of her breaks while he was on exchange with his wildlife conservation firm when they bumped into each other on the street. Instantly they had hit it off and within the month they were dating.
17) Rei had been the only one to notice them together and put two and two together to make at least six of it. When she confronted Asuka about her suspicions Asuka only had to mention Martin and Juudai for the whole matter to be dropped. However Rei did notice that at no point did she ever deny any possible feelings.
18) She had never kept their relationship a secret from anyone, she had simply not told any of them. Nor did she really have too. Juudai, shockingly enough, was one of the first one to figure it out (by the good grace of simply being among the first to see them together) though she always suspected that Yubel may have helped him reach the correct conclusion.
19) However their relationship only became official once Fubuki heard about it. He only had to take one look at them to figure it out and from that moment it felt like the whole world knew. Jim didn’t really care who knew one way or the other but it was a big deal to Asuka for it marked a new chapter in her life. She had come a long way from the teenager who would only consider marrying dueling.
20) He knew he would one day propose to her, after all they had been together for five years now and he certainly wasn’t going anywhere. However in the end she beat him to it, for she defiantly could be headstrong once she put her mind to it. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.