Friends Are Forever With You(Hiroe/Kaito)

Hiroe smiled, another shade of red forming in her cheeks as he embraced her again. It was nice to receive such heartfelt gestures from what she viewed to be an act of friendship she would repeat a thousand times over. He had proved himself to be a wonderful and reliable friend, worthy of receiving that Haori. Anyone that supported ought to be rewarded handsomely for their efforts. Nothing more, nothing less.

Wrapping her arms around his waist to hug him in return, Hiroe would gaze up at Kaito with observing eyes, maintaining her upbeat smile as she waited for him to speak. What graced her ears - a whisper so quiet as to be almost inaudible - had fell forth from his lips.

God, I could kiss you right now.

H-huh? Had she just heard that correctly? Her eyes blinked a few times, tilting her head in what could only be described as a double take. No way... he was too stoic to say something like that. Of course, that is what she wanted to believe but the minutest detail in Kaito's movement and the clasping of his hands against his move had, more or less, confirmed his guilt in the matter. The faint shade of red now grew ever brighter, her entire face now appearing as if it glowed with the shine of a ripe and fresh tomato.

To wit, HIroe was a woman who was commonly known around her peers as a trash talker. She would always talk about the cute boys in the academy like any young and gossiping girl in a school setting would. It was one of her few joys she indulged to ease her tension after a long day of classes. When faced with something like this, however? She was little more than a fish on dry land, longing to return to the ocean that had abandoned them.

Blushing profusely now, Hiroe realized she had to take back her dominance over the situation. How dare he make her flustered! She wasn't some inexperienced maiden who didn't know how to conduct herself around a man! Pouting softly, she would gaze at him for a few moments before she crossed her arms, turning away, though one eye still remained gazing at him, challengingly even.

"F-first kisses only come after first dates... if your lucky. Take me out first and then you can get a kiss from yours truly. H-hpmh!"

Well, at least he wasn't the only one who was turning red. Silently cursing himself at such a stupid slip, Kaito turned his back to her to hide his growing embarrassment, taking the occasional glance over his shoulder back at her as he tried to calm himself down, not only from embarrassment, but also to keep himself from laughing a little at the situation.

Looking over his shoulder as he eventually turned back around, he watched her pout, before offering up what felt like a challenge. He found himself smiling softly as the natural color slowly returned to his face. Turning to face her properly, he crossed his arms and took a few steps forward, leaning down, teasingly close to her face. To him, it felt like her response was something of a game, and he had every intention to one-up her. It was cute to see her blush and stammer, and something tugged at him to play along.

"Well, I'll just have to take you up on that, now won't I?"

Despite the light tease of his posture and position, his expression remained soft, kind, yet whimsical. It was in these quiet moments, away from the lectures, practice, studies, the pressure and prying eyes of his peers that revealed the truth behind the usual stone-like eyes of a student like him.

"Would a little outing to, maybe, the forests and rivers of the Rukon be acceptable for you?"

Moving back into an upright position and taking a few steps back, then sitting down on his bed, he held his head up with his hand, with it supported by his leg as he watched her and waited for her response.