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[LOG] Shopping Time Part Two
When: October 21st
Who: Niou, Hanamura (Niou!Sakaki)
Where: In town
Rating: PG? IDEK
What: A redhead’s date with three men. ^_~ [ Part One]
“Of course my lady,” Niou said with a flourish as he slung the bag over one shoulder and took Hanamura’s hand in his. He walked them down the streets until they came across a nice looking restaurant that only had one other table occupied, a pair of women who appeared to be mostly done their meal. “I told you it wouldn’t be busy,” Niou said and let go of Hanamura’s hand to hold up to fingers to the waitress to indicate that it was just the two of them.
Due to the number of free tables, it didn’t take them long to be seated and given glasses of water to sip at while they perused the menu. “If I can trust you to order for me, I can go freshen up in the bathroom,” Niou suggested.
As requested from the attendant, they were seated at one of the more removed tables in the corner of the restaurant. With every step they took toward their table, Hanamura grew more and more nervous and she was sure Niou knew, what with her gripping his hand like her life depended on it. When she took her seat across him, she was practically frozen.
She could only nod to Niou and point at the menu to the waitress for their order. Her eyes followed him until he he rounded a corner. When Niou comes back, he’ll be Sakaki. Was she ready? No, but it was happening regardless. She’d had a lot of chances to back down but she couldn’t. Despite the resentment she felt toward Sakaki, she was still... curious to know how he looked like after ten years...
Niou took his time carefully changing his appearance to that of Sakaki’s and then dressing fastidiously as he knew his mentor would. Leaning into the mirror to put a few stray locks into place, Niou thought that he made a fine Sakaki. And not wanting to leave his date waiting any longer, he shoved his own clothes back into the garment bag and slung it over his shoulder as he walked out of the bathroom.
Given the way Hanamura and Sakaki had been acting about each other and Sakaki’s general disposition he thought to go with smug bemusement and go from there. “Hanamura, my dear. I hoped you ordered us something good,” Niou, as Sakaki said. He easily shifted his garment bag from his shoulder to a spare chair before pulling out his own and making himself comfortable in it. He really hoped that Hanamura wouldn’t forget it was him inside of Sakaki’s appearance and stab him with the salad fork.
For one terrifying second Hanamura could swear her heart had stopped beating when she heard the voice of the man she was staring at right now. She felt dizzy and winded, and she unconsciously clutched the table napkin as if it were the reason for all the misery she had gone through. Fortunately, before her lips could curl in a bitter smile and she could utter a biting remark, Hanamura felt the minute pricks behind her eyes and the flashing of Niou’s real, undisguised appearance. Right. This was Niou. This was going to be problematic - how much could she reveal to her student without giving out too much information?
Now that she could think logically (for the meantime) and she had passed that brief second of panic, she could appreciate the impressiveness of Niou’s transformation. “Yes, something good.” She said as she watched Niou as Sakaki take his seat across her. Hanamura wasn’t completely sure about the likeness to the current Sakaki but the one before him was almost what she remembered. “You look great,” she complimented the disguise, of course, not the man he was imitating. “One little thing, though…” In spite of herself, she leaned forward to get a closer look at Niou’s impression of Sakaki’s eyes, her heart beating triple time, to tell him what gave him away. “He calls me...” Sirène,”...Aoi.” She said, her lips curved into a wistful smile.
Niou gave an amused laugh, even though he cringed mentally at his own mistake. Of course two adults how had some torrid affair would call each other by their first name. But that mistake would be easy to brush off and correct. “I haven’t forgotten, Aoi. I just wasn’t sure you’d still allow it. And I certainly would hate for you to try and drown me in a water goblet before the appetizers have even been served.” He was determined not to break character unless Hanamura signalled that he should or called an end to this charade. It was the least he could do to thank her for taking him shopping for the day.
Hanamura sat up in her chair, straightening out the crumpled napkin on her lap. She had to blink a number of times so her eyes could adjust to the actual images in front of her again. After locking eyes with Niou, her vision flickered for a moment before showing her student’s real beautiful blue eyes. No looking directly at him for an extended time then, she concluded. She was impressed that his mutation was still giving her trouble but she was slightly annoyed at present. That emotion was irrational, however, so she shook it off.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes a split second longer than a blink as she savoured the sound of her name uttered by him. She couldn’t decide if it was the length of time since last hearing it or the resentment she was feeling but somehow, something was off. Of course, her heart argued, it could be because he isn’t Tarou. Her mind shot back, Certainly not. You’re just imagining things.
Sighing, she said, “You don’t have to worry about a thing,” catching herself at the last minute before Sakaki’s first name could slip from her lips, she smiled. “I don’t think you’re in danger of anything liquid related. Unless you’re not in the mood for some wine?”
“Is that a warning that the wine list is rather horrifying?” Sakaki asked reaching over for the leaflet that held the wine list on the table. Niou didn’t know much about wine but judging by the prices he figured they wouldn’t stand up to Sakaki’s rich tastes. “It seems that we’ll have to save drinks for another time. I wouldn’t subject either of us to this selection.” He put the paper back and leaned back against his chair once more looking at Hanamura. He’d noticed during class and throughout the day that Hanamura would look at him in a way that seemed to be studying and analyzing him and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was seeing. Perhaps it had something to do with her powers, the one that didn’t turn her into a most likely beautiful mermaid.
Pressing the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut, Hanamura willed her eyes to relax along with the rest of her. This shouldn’t be difficult, it was Niou. Even if he were the real Sakaki, she could at least be civil with him, right? So far, Niou had been doing a good job -- she just hoped he wouldn’t say something that would set her off, or at least if he did, that she wouldn’t snap at him.
In spite of herself, she looked at the Sakaki across her once more, this time squinting her eyes a little and blinking more often so they wouldn’t get more strain than necessary. “I know you’re very particular with your liquor, Tarou,” she bit her lower lip and sighed at the fluttering in her stomach just by casually saying that name out loud. How much of a teenaged school girl can she get? “But how about you?” She raised her brows at him, hoping he understood that she was asking if he as Niou wanted to get some wine. She didn’t know whether her student drank liquor or not but it was polite to ask, right? She did request for his company today, the least she can do was to provide everything he may want, never mind the fact that he may not have been allowed a drink if he was in his original form. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” she added with a wink, already perusing the listings of vodka, but promising herself that she will only drink a little (maybe a glass or two, three tops), not wanting a repeat of the other day’s drinking session with a bottle of vodka.
“I appreciate the offer,” Niou said. And he did since it wasn’t every day he had someone willing to buy him alcohol but it still wasn’t a good idea. Not when he had to maintain Sakaki’s image and personality to play this game with Hanamura. “But I’ll be driving later. You’re welcome to indulge on my behalf, though.” Niou didn’t think that would be a problem for Hanamura but hoped she wouldn’t indulge too much as he didn’t want her forgetting that he wasn’t really Sakaki.
Oh, yes. “I’m sorry, I forgot myself for a moment.” Idiot, she chided herself. Of course they’d brought her baby and there was no way in heaven and hell that she’d risk her car.
Hanamura contemplated on how to continue their conversation. However would she talk to this person sitting across her? She didn’t know how much Niou knew about Sakaki so she couldn’t exactly ask him about his life in the past ten years they’d been apart... and it’s not like she was grossly interested -- it just was something someone would have asked. Thankfully, the food arrived then; she was given a few more moments to think of something to say while the servers arranged their table.When they left, however, she still didn’t have anything.
“Uhm... let’s eat then.” She gestured toward the plates in front of them with a sheepish smile. “I hope they’re all right.”
“It’s not a problem. I find I’m forgetting myself, too,” Niou said. He paused for a moment as the dishes were all placed in front of them and busied himself with taking in the food. “It looks delicious. But it’s not the food that’s distracting me, Aoi. It’s you. I think I’ve forgotten how beautiful you are... or perhaps you’ve grown even more beautiful over time.” He looked at her a bit longer and he was sure that Sakaki would admire her beauty. Even as himself, he found Hanamura a lovely looking lady. And he bet she had a nice and fiery personality to match her hair, too.
Before she could stop herself, she let out a mirthful laugh, much livelier than she could remember laughing since, maybe even before, coming to this place. She didn’t know which of Niou’s words she found funny but whatever it was, it finally broke the tension she had been feeling. “Such a flatterer.” She shook her head, mostly at herself, and then beamed at him. “Makes me think that you’re up to something.”
“Would it be so bad if I was?” Niou asked. He was feeling quite pleased about making Hanamura laugh and was hoping to keep up the fun and mischievous feeling around the table. “But either way, it’s not flattery. You truly are a stunning woman.” He gave her a toast with his juice and took a sip before pondering his food and what to start with. It really did look delicious.
“No, not really. But if you were,” she levelled him a teasing gaze matched with a sultry voice, “I’d like to remind you to be creative and do something I haven’t seen yet so I can give you a reward instead of a punishment if it was something bad.” For a moment there, in light of the lifting of that heavy weight she had been carrying since Sakaki instead of Niou came back to their table, she seemed to have forgotten that this wasn’t really him, nor was this years and years ago when everything was perfect. Her instinct suddenly took over and chided her to stop this friendly interaction with the man sitting across her but... wasn’t this what was supposed to happen? Wasn’t this, as she had called it, a dry run so she can be civil when she actually came face to face with the real Sakaki? She shook her head once again, and decided she would just enjoy Niou’s company, regardless if he looked like the man she used to love. “Come now, Tarou. Tell me something I don’t know.” She grinned at him.
“What about if it’s just something you haven’t seen in a while instead?” Niou asked not sure what Hanamura would have seen in the past. “As for something you don’t know... well that’s a challenge. Unless of course, you’re looking for school gossip. I’m afraid to say that I’ve become quite the hub of information since I took on a TA.” Niou was sure that Sakaki had his own ways of finding out the comings and goings of some things in the school but he was also sure that Sakaki’s general knowledge of it all had grown since he started lessons with Niou.
“Well, then,” she began while forking a bite of her meal, even as she narrowed her eyes again when Niou’s true image flashed before reverting to appear as Sakaki. Such a problematic ability he had on her eyes. As it was, even though she prefered the imitation of the pair she was gazing into at the moment, she did like the sight of those wonderful blue eyes. “That’s fine, I suppose.” Against her will, sadness still coloured her voice as it sounded wistful, almost longing. Almost, she would insist, if anybody asked. “It’s been years since I last saw you after all.” She laughed at the mention of gossip. “That is what time has made you, Bakaki? You might need a new hobby if you now spend your time gossiping like an old lady.” Hanamura was comfortable enough now that she didn’t even notice she had used her pet name for Sakaki.
Niou filed away the nickname under ‘interesting information that may be useful later for teasing’ and gave her a put upon horrified look. “Oh most certainly not. But you can’t have a TA like mine without being subjected to all of the gossip whether you want to hear it or not. Though I do admit, as a teacher, it is helpful to know of some of the rumours that are circulating. You’ll find it’s always nice to have a bit of an upper hand with inside knowledge when it comes to mutant students.” Though Niou doubted that the real Sakaki ever had too much trouble when it came to discipline and getting unruly students to pay attention. At least if they weren’t immune to his powers. But he also knew that Sakaki did get some joy out of knowing plenty about his students and using that knowledge to his advantage as well. Sakaki after all was nowhere near being an angel. “Though I am open to new hobbies if you have any suggestions. Or perhaps old hobbies revisited... the nights are quite long in winter here, it’s good to have something to occupy yourself with,” Niou said letting more than a little innuendo seep into his voice.
“I suppose you have a point,” she conceded. “Information is information whatever the means used to acquire it, and I find it amusing to imagine you sitting in your office, getting your daily dose of rumours.” She blinked a few times when she focused too long on Niou, dazzled once again by his real eyes. “Your TA is wonderful. You should find other ways to use him other than a connection to the gossip mill.” She teased. Hanamura’s face suddenly felt warm at what her ‘date’ had implied. Oh, were they talking about this already? Even though her heart was rebelling at the turn of their conversation, she did decide to relax and have fun, didn’t she? Surely there was no harm in humouring Niou. He looked like Sakaki on the outside, as well, so it should be all right, shouldn’t it? She laughed inwardly. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Even just an imitation of Sakaki could still rattle her like before, it seemed. “Well, old or new, it’s always fun to do things to or with someone else, isn’t it? Especially, as you said, on long, cold nights.” She grinned and gave him a wink.
“Oh don’t worry about that. I take full advantage of his skills and keep him quite occupied,” Niou said as he thought about all the tedious tasks that Sakaki had him doing as well as their much more pleasant training sessions. “Exactly. And with my TA taking care of lesser matters, I find my time much more free for other pursuits during those long cold nights...” Playing a flirty Sakaki was harder than it looked, especially when he was talking about himself as Sakaki but he liked the way Hanamura reacted to the banter so wanted to do his best to keep it up. It was nice to make a lady feel appreciated and desired.
“That’s good to know,” she nodded solemnly as she took another bite. “Resources, especially people, should be used to their full potential.” That was what she was doing with the metamorph at the moment -- employing his help and his special skills so she could gain some information and practice interacting with Sakaki. Because of this ‘rehearsal’ she was only feeling a fraction of the unease she had initially felt. That was probably mostly because this was Niou -- she was certain facing the real one would probably land her back to square one -- still, she would take any help she could get, especially from a willing one. She just hoped that what they had been doing -- what was still to happen, and the reason this was happening -- wouldn’t be circulating in the school anytime soon, or ever. She probably wouldn’t care except it would just complicate things.
Hanamura sighed and smirked. This would probably haunt her someday but whatever. “Maybe you need something red and hot to keep you warm.”
Niou leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table as he looked at Hanamura. “And are you as hot as I remember, Aoi?” He trailed his eyes along her and gave an appreciative Sakaki smile that looked more like a smirk but it was Sakaki so it couldn’t be helped.
She raised an eyebrow at the look Niou gave her. It might not have been exactly how Sakaki used to look at her, but it amused her and she liked it all the same. She set her fork down and took a sip of her vodka, relishing the taste and some good memories with Sakaki, and basking in the borrowed attention from the pair of eyes she currently had her own locked with. “What do you think?”
“I think you may be too hot to handle. At least without some care,” Niou said. Fiery redheads were sexy in Niou’s book but also came with a warning that read ‘quick to anger’. He thought Sakaki was a braver man than he was for not only dating Hanamura in the past but apparently doing something to break up with her. “But I find myself not minding the extra work when I know the end result will be more than worth it. Are you worth it, Aoi?” Niou asked looking into her eyes.
It was certainly easier to be bold when you were acting as someone else.
“You should know,” she grinned and winked at him. She continued eating while stealing glances in his direction, ignoring the flashes of Niou’s true image every now and then, not because the teen was not good to look at (far from it) but she wanted to savour this moment that she knew might not happen for a while, if at all. At what he had just said, however, Hanamura froze, her fingers tightening their grip around her fork and steak knife. Her eyes flashed in Sakaki’s direction and for an extended moment, she forgot this was her student just pretending to be him. Her gaze hardened and her steel grey eyes burned, and she straightened up in her seat, all ready with a retort. After a few more moments of staring him down however, thankfully before she could even utter “You didn’t think so,” Sakaki’s form blurred and she saw Niou again. Her rage quickly turned inward and melted into a consuming heartache as she lowered her eyes onto the table. Fighting the sting in her eyes, she said in a soft voice, “You tell me.”
“I don’t know yet,” Niou said hedging his bets a little. He felt he may have overstepped with his last comment but he wasn’t sure exactly where he went wrong or how to fix it. He was doing this to help Hanamura feel more confident about Sakaki and to have a good time out, not to make things worse. “I’ve changed a lot over the years and I can only assume you have, too. But I rather suspect you’ve only become more worth it over time.” He reached over and took a sip of his water, still looking over at Hanamura. She really was quite stunning, time had certainly not been an enemy to her and she had brains to boot. Sakaki would be an idiot to keep on the bad side of this fiery woman.
“Hmm...” Hanamura set her utensils down and leaned back in her seat, letting out a shaky breath as she calmed herself down. Still without looking at Niou, she said, “Have you now?” She didn’t know to what extent the boy was familiar with Sakaki, however, so she didn’t feel the need to ask at the moment. Niou could also tell her something that might give her more reason to walk out, drive home and lock herself in her room, and she didn’t want to show her student how immature and impetuous she could get. “Maybe, maybe not,” she raised her head, after a pregnant pause, to gaze back at Niou when she was confident most of the traces of her wretched past was gone. “You’ll just have to find out for yourself.”
“I look forward to it,” Niou said and then gestured to the food. “We should dig in before it gets cold. Besides, I find reminiscing and deep reflections go better over a shared bottle of wine in front of a fire, don’t you?” Niou shuffled the plates around on the table to make sure that Hanamura would be able to easily reach any of the dishes she hadn’t sampled yet and gave her a small smile.
Hanamura answered his smile with one of her own. “Let’s.” Virtually losing her appetite at the sudden surge of resentment earlier, it only took a couple more bites before Hanamura pushed her plate away. She called for the waiter and ordered white wine (the vodka could wait until she got home); Niou was driving anyway -- she could have a glass or four. Still, she just ordered one; it wouldn’t do well to show anyone, let alone a student, what an alcoholic she can become when faced with stress. “Are you sure nothing for you?”
“It would be a shame to leave your car here,” Niou said. Besides, he could grab a drink a lot more easily than he could a sweet ride to drive in so the choice was a fairly easy one. “Are you finished already?” Niou asked as he noticed that Hanamura wasn’t eating anymore. He hoped he hadn’t upset her that much.
“Order something else if you wish, then.” Her smile was genuine enough, although there were still a touch of sadness to the curve of her lips. “And yes, I’m done.” But with what? The food? This charade? Sakaki? Yes? Maybe? Uh... Hopefully? At least she could say a definite yes to one of them. “Is there anywhere else you would like to go after lunch?”
Niou thought if there was anywhere else he wanted to go in town and decided that he was fine. He already got more than he expected and he had Fuji’s new cactus friend in his possession so he was good. “No, I’ll be fine to return after lunch.” He looked over at Hanamura’s and then his own which was once piled high but had since been reduced by a healthy teenage appetite. “You should try to eat a bit more Aoi, unless my company is that unpleasant for you.” If it was, Niou would be more than willing to switch back to himself or any other person.
Ah, there was her name again... Hanamura’s smile widened, curling in one corner a little bit. “You’ve always been a thorn in my side, Tarou. Now, more than ever.” She shook her head, giggling softly. She was so confused which one she was actually addressing anymore, Niou or Sakaki, but the confusion kind of lessened the unease that had built up again. “And I’m fine. I must be craving something else.” She winked at him, then took a sip of her wine. It tasted bland, but she supposed she had been so used to better ones that those of less standard would always fall short, true for both in wine and people. “I just need to drop by at another, uh, spirits store. Supplies, until my order arrives.”
“Perhaps some dessert?” Niou thought about where the liquor store was and smiled. “There’s a divine pastry shop just a few stores down from the store you want to go to. Perhaps a few pieces to go.” Obviously his company wasn’t doing much to help Hanamura’s appetite but maybe if she brought it back she’d be able to enjoy it on her own. And Niou thought he could get Hanamura to buy a few pieces to share with some of his friends.
Hanamura never said no to dessert. It was one of the few sure signs that there was something up with her when she avoided sweets. They mostly never fail to cheer her up so she was only eager to check this place out. “That would be wonderful, Ni-- ah, Tarou.” Was she getting tired? She thought that that last flash of Niou’s real image had been longer. Or was it because her eyes were getting used to him that she could see through his disguise more easily? Curious.
She finished her drink and the next one quickly enough. Calling for the waiter, she paid for their meal. “How about that dessert, then?
“Let me show you the way,” Niou said coming up behind Hanamura to help with her chair. “Shall I change first though?” He asked leaning in to whisper it question in her ear. He knew that Sakaki was making Hanamura uncomfortable but he also understood that that was more or less the point of this exercise. Still, he would offer her the chance to back out now that lunch was done.
It took Hanamura a moment to decide. If she wanted to be as comfortable and civil with the real one, the logical choice was to let Niou continue to disguise as Sakaki. That would, however, mean risking getting seen with him, not that it mattered to her... right? She shouldn’t be bothered, and well, she wasn’t. Just that she should not do something that could incite rumours. “If you don’t mind, be yourself? Or well, a version of you.” She set her chair in order and continued. “Change here or in the car, if the shop is quite a walk away.”
“Here is fine. I’ll be right back,” Niou said before grabbing his garment bag and excusing himself to the washroom. He changed his clothes and appearance quickly before returning to Hanamura’s side looking like he did before his short jaunt as Sakaki.
“Let’s roll. There’s cake with our name on it,” Niou said and gave a wink before holding out his arm for Hanamura to take. It may have looked odd for Hanamura to come in with one man, dine with another and then leave with the first man, especially if the staff had watched Niou enter and leave the bathroom, but Niou wasn’t the one to be bothered by what other people thought. In fact, he rather enjoyed messing with people’s heads.
It was such a relief to see Niou’s other form but somehow disappointment seeped in and made her smile a little sadder. Well, it wasn’t like that she didn’t know this was coming and it wasn’t like she was completely comfortable as well, but it had been so long that Sakaki sat across from her that the few borrowed minutes meant more to her than what she had foreseen. She took a deep breath and fell in step with Niou, a brighter smile in place. “What do you mean cake? Cakes.”
Niou gave a laugh at that, “A slip of the tongue, I assure you.” He liked the way Hanamura thought. And it meant he could bring a couple back to the school to share with Yukimura or perhaps a twin or two. But until he returned, he’d give Hanamura his attention and try to make their shopping date have a few more smiles and laughs to it. It’s the least he could do for a pretty lady who treated him to so many things today.
“I should hope so.” And cakes it was that they bought. Just like with the flower shop, Hanamura had contracted the bakery to send her sweets whenever she fancied them and when she was not in the mood to make them herself. Their haul was even more than the clothes and the sight of the stacks of cakes and other pastries considerably cheered her up that she almost considered not stopping by at a spirits store. Almost. However, she knew that after what happened today, after “being with Sakaki,” she would only need the numbing effect of alcohol.
“All set?” She asked as she finished getting things in order.
“All set,” Niou said once more loaded down with bags as they walked back to the fancy car he’d get to drive again. He wasn’t sure how the day had worked out for Hanamura, but it had certainly been a good one for him.
Sliding into the passenger seat, Hanamura slid a hand on Niou’s arm. It had been a very interesting day indeed. She still could not tell whether their experiment would produce positive or negative results but she was glad she did it, and Niou humoured her. “Thank you, Niou.” She smiled at him openly. “Now remember, not one scratch.”
Who: Niou, Hanamura (Niou!Sakaki)
Where: In town
Rating: PG? IDEK
What: A redhead’s date with three men. ^_~ [ Part One]
“Of course my lady,” Niou said with a flourish as he slung the bag over one shoulder and took Hanamura’s hand in his. He walked them down the streets until they came across a nice looking restaurant that only had one other table occupied, a pair of women who appeared to be mostly done their meal. “I told you it wouldn’t be busy,” Niou said and let go of Hanamura’s hand to hold up to fingers to the waitress to indicate that it was just the two of them.
Due to the number of free tables, it didn’t take them long to be seated and given glasses of water to sip at while they perused the menu. “If I can trust you to order for me, I can go freshen up in the bathroom,” Niou suggested.
As requested from the attendant, they were seated at one of the more removed tables in the corner of the restaurant. With every step they took toward their table, Hanamura grew more and more nervous and she was sure Niou knew, what with her gripping his hand like her life depended on it. When she took her seat across him, she was practically frozen.
She could only nod to Niou and point at the menu to the waitress for their order. Her eyes followed him until he he rounded a corner. When Niou comes back, he’ll be Sakaki. Was she ready? No, but it was happening regardless. She’d had a lot of chances to back down but she couldn’t. Despite the resentment she felt toward Sakaki, she was still... curious to know how he looked like after ten years...
Niou took his time carefully changing his appearance to that of Sakaki’s and then dressing fastidiously as he knew his mentor would. Leaning into the mirror to put a few stray locks into place, Niou thought that he made a fine Sakaki. And not wanting to leave his date waiting any longer, he shoved his own clothes back into the garment bag and slung it over his shoulder as he walked out of the bathroom.
Given the way Hanamura and Sakaki had been acting about each other and Sakaki’s general disposition he thought to go with smug bemusement and go from there. “Hanamura, my dear. I hoped you ordered us something good,” Niou, as Sakaki said. He easily shifted his garment bag from his shoulder to a spare chair before pulling out his own and making himself comfortable in it. He really hoped that Hanamura wouldn’t forget it was him inside of Sakaki’s appearance and stab him with the salad fork.
For one terrifying second Hanamura could swear her heart had stopped beating when she heard the voice of the man she was staring at right now. She felt dizzy and winded, and she unconsciously clutched the table napkin as if it were the reason for all the misery she had gone through. Fortunately, before her lips could curl in a bitter smile and she could utter a biting remark, Hanamura felt the minute pricks behind her eyes and the flashing of Niou’s real, undisguised appearance. Right. This was Niou. This was going to be problematic - how much could she reveal to her student without giving out too much information?
Now that she could think logically (for the meantime) and she had passed that brief second of panic, she could appreciate the impressiveness of Niou’s transformation. “Yes, something good.” She said as she watched Niou as Sakaki take his seat across her. Hanamura wasn’t completely sure about the likeness to the current Sakaki but the one before him was almost what she remembered. “You look great,” she complimented the disguise, of course, not the man he was imitating. “One little thing, though…” In spite of herself, she leaned forward to get a closer look at Niou’s impression of Sakaki’s eyes, her heart beating triple time, to tell him what gave him away. “He calls me...” Sirène,”...Aoi.” She said, her lips curved into a wistful smile.
Niou gave an amused laugh, even though he cringed mentally at his own mistake. Of course two adults how had some torrid affair would call each other by their first name. But that mistake would be easy to brush off and correct. “I haven’t forgotten, Aoi. I just wasn’t sure you’d still allow it. And I certainly would hate for you to try and drown me in a water goblet before the appetizers have even been served.” He was determined not to break character unless Hanamura signalled that he should or called an end to this charade. It was the least he could do to thank her for taking him shopping for the day.
Hanamura sat up in her chair, straightening out the crumpled napkin on her lap. She had to blink a number of times so her eyes could adjust to the actual images in front of her again. After locking eyes with Niou, her vision flickered for a moment before showing her student’s real beautiful blue eyes. No looking directly at him for an extended time then, she concluded. She was impressed that his mutation was still giving her trouble but she was slightly annoyed at present. That emotion was irrational, however, so she shook it off.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes a split second longer than a blink as she savoured the sound of her name uttered by him. She couldn’t decide if it was the length of time since last hearing it or the resentment she was feeling but somehow, something was off. Of course, her heart argued, it could be because he isn’t Tarou. Her mind shot back, Certainly not. You’re just imagining things.
Sighing, she said, “You don’t have to worry about a thing,” catching herself at the last minute before Sakaki’s first name could slip from her lips, she smiled. “I don’t think you’re in danger of anything liquid related. Unless you’re not in the mood for some wine?”
“Is that a warning that the wine list is rather horrifying?” Sakaki asked reaching over for the leaflet that held the wine list on the table. Niou didn’t know much about wine but judging by the prices he figured they wouldn’t stand up to Sakaki’s rich tastes. “It seems that we’ll have to save drinks for another time. I wouldn’t subject either of us to this selection.” He put the paper back and leaned back against his chair once more looking at Hanamura. He’d noticed during class and throughout the day that Hanamura would look at him in a way that seemed to be studying and analyzing him and he couldn’t help but wonder what she was seeing. Perhaps it had something to do with her powers, the one that didn’t turn her into a most likely beautiful mermaid.
Pressing the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut, Hanamura willed her eyes to relax along with the rest of her. This shouldn’t be difficult, it was Niou. Even if he were the real Sakaki, she could at least be civil with him, right? So far, Niou had been doing a good job -- she just hoped he wouldn’t say something that would set her off, or at least if he did, that she wouldn’t snap at him.
In spite of herself, she looked at the Sakaki across her once more, this time squinting her eyes a little and blinking more often so they wouldn’t get more strain than necessary. “I know you’re very particular with your liquor, Tarou,” she bit her lower lip and sighed at the fluttering in her stomach just by casually saying that name out loud. How much of a teenaged school girl can she get? “But how about you?” She raised her brows at him, hoping he understood that she was asking if he as Niou wanted to get some wine. She didn’t know whether her student drank liquor or not but it was polite to ask, right? She did request for his company today, the least she can do was to provide everything he may want, never mind the fact that he may not have been allowed a drink if he was in his original form. “I won’t tell if you won’t,” she added with a wink, already perusing the listings of vodka, but promising herself that she will only drink a little (maybe a glass or two, three tops), not wanting a repeat of the other day’s drinking session with a bottle of vodka.
“I appreciate the offer,” Niou said. And he did since it wasn’t every day he had someone willing to buy him alcohol but it still wasn’t a good idea. Not when he had to maintain Sakaki’s image and personality to play this game with Hanamura. “But I’ll be driving later. You’re welcome to indulge on my behalf, though.” Niou didn’t think that would be a problem for Hanamura but hoped she wouldn’t indulge too much as he didn’t want her forgetting that he wasn’t really Sakaki.
Oh, yes. “I’m sorry, I forgot myself for a moment.” Idiot, she chided herself. Of course they’d brought her baby and there was no way in heaven and hell that she’d risk her car.
Hanamura contemplated on how to continue their conversation. However would she talk to this person sitting across her? She didn’t know how much Niou knew about Sakaki so she couldn’t exactly ask him about his life in the past ten years they’d been apart... and it’s not like she was grossly interested -- it just was something someone would have asked. Thankfully, the food arrived then; she was given a few more moments to think of something to say while the servers arranged their table.When they left, however, she still didn’t have anything.
“Uhm... let’s eat then.” She gestured toward the plates in front of them with a sheepish smile. “I hope they’re all right.”
“It’s not a problem. I find I’m forgetting myself, too,” Niou said. He paused for a moment as the dishes were all placed in front of them and busied himself with taking in the food. “It looks delicious. But it’s not the food that’s distracting me, Aoi. It’s you. I think I’ve forgotten how beautiful you are... or perhaps you’ve grown even more beautiful over time.” He looked at her a bit longer and he was sure that Sakaki would admire her beauty. Even as himself, he found Hanamura a lovely looking lady. And he bet she had a nice and fiery personality to match her hair, too.
Before she could stop herself, she let out a mirthful laugh, much livelier than she could remember laughing since, maybe even before, coming to this place. She didn’t know which of Niou’s words she found funny but whatever it was, it finally broke the tension she had been feeling. “Such a flatterer.” She shook her head, mostly at herself, and then beamed at him. “Makes me think that you’re up to something.”
“Would it be so bad if I was?” Niou asked. He was feeling quite pleased about making Hanamura laugh and was hoping to keep up the fun and mischievous feeling around the table. “But either way, it’s not flattery. You truly are a stunning woman.” He gave her a toast with his juice and took a sip before pondering his food and what to start with. It really did look delicious.
“No, not really. But if you were,” she levelled him a teasing gaze matched with a sultry voice, “I’d like to remind you to be creative and do something I haven’t seen yet so I can give you a reward instead of a punishment if it was something bad.” For a moment there, in light of the lifting of that heavy weight she had been carrying since Sakaki instead of Niou came back to their table, she seemed to have forgotten that this wasn’t really him, nor was this years and years ago when everything was perfect. Her instinct suddenly took over and chided her to stop this friendly interaction with the man sitting across her but... wasn’t this what was supposed to happen? Wasn’t this, as she had called it, a dry run so she can be civil when she actually came face to face with the real Sakaki? She shook her head once again, and decided she would just enjoy Niou’s company, regardless if he looked like the man she used to love. “Come now, Tarou. Tell me something I don’t know.” She grinned at him.
“What about if it’s just something you haven’t seen in a while instead?” Niou asked not sure what Hanamura would have seen in the past. “As for something you don’t know... well that’s a challenge. Unless of course, you’re looking for school gossip. I’m afraid to say that I’ve become quite the hub of information since I took on a TA.” Niou was sure that Sakaki had his own ways of finding out the comings and goings of some things in the school but he was also sure that Sakaki’s general knowledge of it all had grown since he started lessons with Niou.
“Well, then,” she began while forking a bite of her meal, even as she narrowed her eyes again when Niou’s true image flashed before reverting to appear as Sakaki. Such a problematic ability he had on her eyes. As it was, even though she prefered the imitation of the pair she was gazing into at the moment, she did like the sight of those wonderful blue eyes. “That’s fine, I suppose.” Against her will, sadness still coloured her voice as it sounded wistful, almost longing. Almost, she would insist, if anybody asked. “It’s been years since I last saw you after all.” She laughed at the mention of gossip. “That is what time has made you, Bakaki? You might need a new hobby if you now spend your time gossiping like an old lady.” Hanamura was comfortable enough now that she didn’t even notice she had used her pet name for Sakaki.
Niou filed away the nickname under ‘interesting information that may be useful later for teasing’ and gave her a put upon horrified look. “Oh most certainly not. But you can’t have a TA like mine without being subjected to all of the gossip whether you want to hear it or not. Though I do admit, as a teacher, it is helpful to know of some of the rumours that are circulating. You’ll find it’s always nice to have a bit of an upper hand with inside knowledge when it comes to mutant students.” Though Niou doubted that the real Sakaki ever had too much trouble when it came to discipline and getting unruly students to pay attention. At least if they weren’t immune to his powers. But he also knew that Sakaki did get some joy out of knowing plenty about his students and using that knowledge to his advantage as well. Sakaki after all was nowhere near being an angel. “Though I am open to new hobbies if you have any suggestions. Or perhaps old hobbies revisited... the nights are quite long in winter here, it’s good to have something to occupy yourself with,” Niou said letting more than a little innuendo seep into his voice.
“I suppose you have a point,” she conceded. “Information is information whatever the means used to acquire it, and I find it amusing to imagine you sitting in your office, getting your daily dose of rumours.” She blinked a few times when she focused too long on Niou, dazzled once again by his real eyes. “Your TA is wonderful. You should find other ways to use him other than a connection to the gossip mill.” She teased. Hanamura’s face suddenly felt warm at what her ‘date’ had implied. Oh, were they talking about this already? Even though her heart was rebelling at the turn of their conversation, she did decide to relax and have fun, didn’t she? Surely there was no harm in humouring Niou. He looked like Sakaki on the outside, as well, so it should be all right, shouldn’t it? She laughed inwardly. She didn’t know what to think anymore. Even just an imitation of Sakaki could still rattle her like before, it seemed. “Well, old or new, it’s always fun to do things to or with someone else, isn’t it? Especially, as you said, on long, cold nights.” She grinned and gave him a wink.
“Oh don’t worry about that. I take full advantage of his skills and keep him quite occupied,” Niou said as he thought about all the tedious tasks that Sakaki had him doing as well as their much more pleasant training sessions. “Exactly. And with my TA taking care of lesser matters, I find my time much more free for other pursuits during those long cold nights...” Playing a flirty Sakaki was harder than it looked, especially when he was talking about himself as Sakaki but he liked the way Hanamura reacted to the banter so wanted to do his best to keep it up. It was nice to make a lady feel appreciated and desired.
“That’s good to know,” she nodded solemnly as she took another bite. “Resources, especially people, should be used to their full potential.” That was what she was doing with the metamorph at the moment -- employing his help and his special skills so she could gain some information and practice interacting with Sakaki. Because of this ‘rehearsal’ she was only feeling a fraction of the unease she had initially felt. That was probably mostly because this was Niou -- she was certain facing the real one would probably land her back to square one -- still, she would take any help she could get, especially from a willing one. She just hoped that what they had been doing -- what was still to happen, and the reason this was happening -- wouldn’t be circulating in the school anytime soon, or ever. She probably wouldn’t care except it would just complicate things.
Hanamura sighed and smirked. This would probably haunt her someday but whatever. “Maybe you need something red and hot to keep you warm.”
Niou leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table as he looked at Hanamura. “And are you as hot as I remember, Aoi?” He trailed his eyes along her and gave an appreciative Sakaki smile that looked more like a smirk but it was Sakaki so it couldn’t be helped.
She raised an eyebrow at the look Niou gave her. It might not have been exactly how Sakaki used to look at her, but it amused her and she liked it all the same. She set her fork down and took a sip of her vodka, relishing the taste and some good memories with Sakaki, and basking in the borrowed attention from the pair of eyes she currently had her own locked with. “What do you think?”
“I think you may be too hot to handle. At least without some care,” Niou said. Fiery redheads were sexy in Niou’s book but also came with a warning that read ‘quick to anger’. He thought Sakaki was a braver man than he was for not only dating Hanamura in the past but apparently doing something to break up with her. “But I find myself not minding the extra work when I know the end result will be more than worth it. Are you worth it, Aoi?” Niou asked looking into her eyes.
It was certainly easier to be bold when you were acting as someone else.
“You should know,” she grinned and winked at him. She continued eating while stealing glances in his direction, ignoring the flashes of Niou’s true image every now and then, not because the teen was not good to look at (far from it) but she wanted to savour this moment that she knew might not happen for a while, if at all. At what he had just said, however, Hanamura froze, her fingers tightening their grip around her fork and steak knife. Her eyes flashed in Sakaki’s direction and for an extended moment, she forgot this was her student just pretending to be him. Her gaze hardened and her steel grey eyes burned, and she straightened up in her seat, all ready with a retort. After a few more moments of staring him down however, thankfully before she could even utter “You didn’t think so,” Sakaki’s form blurred and she saw Niou again. Her rage quickly turned inward and melted into a consuming heartache as she lowered her eyes onto the table. Fighting the sting in her eyes, she said in a soft voice, “You tell me.”
“I don’t know yet,” Niou said hedging his bets a little. He felt he may have overstepped with his last comment but he wasn’t sure exactly where he went wrong or how to fix it. He was doing this to help Hanamura feel more confident about Sakaki and to have a good time out, not to make things worse. “I’ve changed a lot over the years and I can only assume you have, too. But I rather suspect you’ve only become more worth it over time.” He reached over and took a sip of his water, still looking over at Hanamura. She really was quite stunning, time had certainly not been an enemy to her and she had brains to boot. Sakaki would be an idiot to keep on the bad side of this fiery woman.
“Hmm...” Hanamura set her utensils down and leaned back in her seat, letting out a shaky breath as she calmed herself down. Still without looking at Niou, she said, “Have you now?” She didn’t know to what extent the boy was familiar with Sakaki, however, so she didn’t feel the need to ask at the moment. Niou could also tell her something that might give her more reason to walk out, drive home and lock herself in her room, and she didn’t want to show her student how immature and impetuous she could get. “Maybe, maybe not,” she raised her head, after a pregnant pause, to gaze back at Niou when she was confident most of the traces of her wretched past was gone. “You’ll just have to find out for yourself.”
“I look forward to it,” Niou said and then gestured to the food. “We should dig in before it gets cold. Besides, I find reminiscing and deep reflections go better over a shared bottle of wine in front of a fire, don’t you?” Niou shuffled the plates around on the table to make sure that Hanamura would be able to easily reach any of the dishes she hadn’t sampled yet and gave her a small smile.
Hanamura answered his smile with one of her own. “Let’s.” Virtually losing her appetite at the sudden surge of resentment earlier, it only took a couple more bites before Hanamura pushed her plate away. She called for the waiter and ordered white wine (the vodka could wait until she got home); Niou was driving anyway -- she could have a glass or four. Still, she just ordered one; it wouldn’t do well to show anyone, let alone a student, what an alcoholic she can become when faced with stress. “Are you sure nothing for you?”
“It would be a shame to leave your car here,” Niou said. Besides, he could grab a drink a lot more easily than he could a sweet ride to drive in so the choice was a fairly easy one. “Are you finished already?” Niou asked as he noticed that Hanamura wasn’t eating anymore. He hoped he hadn’t upset her that much.
“Order something else if you wish, then.” Her smile was genuine enough, although there were still a touch of sadness to the curve of her lips. “And yes, I’m done.” But with what? The food? This charade? Sakaki? Yes? Maybe? Uh... Hopefully? At least she could say a definite yes to one of them. “Is there anywhere else you would like to go after lunch?”
Niou thought if there was anywhere else he wanted to go in town and decided that he was fine. He already got more than he expected and he had Fuji’s new cactus friend in his possession so he was good. “No, I’ll be fine to return after lunch.” He looked over at Hanamura’s and then his own which was once piled high but had since been reduced by a healthy teenage appetite. “You should try to eat a bit more Aoi, unless my company is that unpleasant for you.” If it was, Niou would be more than willing to switch back to himself or any other person.
Ah, there was her name again... Hanamura’s smile widened, curling in one corner a little bit. “You’ve always been a thorn in my side, Tarou. Now, more than ever.” She shook her head, giggling softly. She was so confused which one she was actually addressing anymore, Niou or Sakaki, but the confusion kind of lessened the unease that had built up again. “And I’m fine. I must be craving something else.” She winked at him, then took a sip of her wine. It tasted bland, but she supposed she had been so used to better ones that those of less standard would always fall short, true for both in wine and people. “I just need to drop by at another, uh, spirits store. Supplies, until my order arrives.”
“Perhaps some dessert?” Niou thought about where the liquor store was and smiled. “There’s a divine pastry shop just a few stores down from the store you want to go to. Perhaps a few pieces to go.” Obviously his company wasn’t doing much to help Hanamura’s appetite but maybe if she brought it back she’d be able to enjoy it on her own. And Niou thought he could get Hanamura to buy a few pieces to share with some of his friends.
Hanamura never said no to dessert. It was one of the few sure signs that there was something up with her when she avoided sweets. They mostly never fail to cheer her up so she was only eager to check this place out. “That would be wonderful, Ni-- ah, Tarou.” Was she getting tired? She thought that that last flash of Niou’s real image had been longer. Or was it because her eyes were getting used to him that she could see through his disguise more easily? Curious.
She finished her drink and the next one quickly enough. Calling for the waiter, she paid for their meal. “How about that dessert, then?
“Let me show you the way,” Niou said coming up behind Hanamura to help with her chair. “Shall I change first though?” He asked leaning in to whisper it question in her ear. He knew that Sakaki was making Hanamura uncomfortable but he also understood that that was more or less the point of this exercise. Still, he would offer her the chance to back out now that lunch was done.
It took Hanamura a moment to decide. If she wanted to be as comfortable and civil with the real one, the logical choice was to let Niou continue to disguise as Sakaki. That would, however, mean risking getting seen with him, not that it mattered to her... right? She shouldn’t be bothered, and well, she wasn’t. Just that she should not do something that could incite rumours. “If you don’t mind, be yourself? Or well, a version of you.” She set her chair in order and continued. “Change here or in the car, if the shop is quite a walk away.”
“Here is fine. I’ll be right back,” Niou said before grabbing his garment bag and excusing himself to the washroom. He changed his clothes and appearance quickly before returning to Hanamura’s side looking like he did before his short jaunt as Sakaki.
“Let’s roll. There’s cake with our name on it,” Niou said and gave a wink before holding out his arm for Hanamura to take. It may have looked odd for Hanamura to come in with one man, dine with another and then leave with the first man, especially if the staff had watched Niou enter and leave the bathroom, but Niou wasn’t the one to be bothered by what other people thought. In fact, he rather enjoyed messing with people’s heads.
It was such a relief to see Niou’s other form but somehow disappointment seeped in and made her smile a little sadder. Well, it wasn’t like that she didn’t know this was coming and it wasn’t like she was completely comfortable as well, but it had been so long that Sakaki sat across from her that the few borrowed minutes meant more to her than what she had foreseen. She took a deep breath and fell in step with Niou, a brighter smile in place. “What do you mean cake? Cakes.”
Niou gave a laugh at that, “A slip of the tongue, I assure you.” He liked the way Hanamura thought. And it meant he could bring a couple back to the school to share with Yukimura or perhaps a twin or two. But until he returned, he’d give Hanamura his attention and try to make their shopping date have a few more smiles and laughs to it. It’s the least he could do for a pretty lady who treated him to so many things today.
“I should hope so.” And cakes it was that they bought. Just like with the flower shop, Hanamura had contracted the bakery to send her sweets whenever she fancied them and when she was not in the mood to make them herself. Their haul was even more than the clothes and the sight of the stacks of cakes and other pastries considerably cheered her up that she almost considered not stopping by at a spirits store. Almost. However, she knew that after what happened today, after “being with Sakaki,” she would only need the numbing effect of alcohol.
“All set?” She asked as she finished getting things in order.
“All set,” Niou said once more loaded down with bags as they walked back to the fancy car he’d get to drive again. He wasn’t sure how the day had worked out for Hanamura, but it had certainly been a good one for him.
Sliding into the passenger seat, Hanamura slid a hand on Niou’s arm. It had been a very interesting day indeed. She still could not tell whether their experiment would produce positive or negative results but she was glad she did it, and Niou humoured her. “Thank you, Niou.” She smiled at him openly. “Now remember, not one scratch.”