Kaze: Rebels

Not-So Perfect Timing

Seth POV

     Ariel and I left immediately after the meeting. As we strolled down the sidewalk, I kept an eye out for anyone who knew us. If someone would've  recognized us, especially from the science community, I steered us away. It wasn't that I wanted to be rude. I just needed the next few minutes of my life to be perfect while I asked Ariel on a date, and getting little snubs from older scientists in the area wasn't my idea of perfect. "Um... Ariel?" I asked, touching her shoulder. "Hold up a bit."

     "Yeah, what's up?" She turned towards me and grinned. She was wearing the sweater I loved. The red color matched her natural red highlights and the beautiful turning leaves, and it hugged her body perfectly. It left just enough to the imagination. I sighed. "Seth?" I snapped back to reality. She was giving me a funny look.

     "Oh, I just wanted to..."

     "Hey, look!" She shouted. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along. She pointed and laughed at the sky a above. "That cloud looks like a guy getting beat up!"

     "Or, just a friendly fist-bump." I offered.

     "To the face?" She asked.

     "We must be looking at different clouds." I smiled sheepishly. "So, anyway, as I was saying, would you like to maybe go out to dinner with me sometime?" I asked.

     "You mean like a date?" Ariel asked.

     "Uh, uh..." What do I do? I don't know! Ugh, come on, say something, anything! "Yes." I slowly nodded while my brain melted down. Did I actually just say yes?!

     "Oh, uh, okay." She shrugged. "Do you know where or when you wanna eat?"

     Okay, new question. Keep the ball rolling! "How about... That new place!"

     She gave me a confused look "What new place?"

     "You haven't been to the new place?" I asked, as if there actually was a new place. "It's really popular right now! I guess I'll just have to take you!" She gave me that look she gives you when she knows you're failing. Uh oh.

     Retreat! "I'll meet you at the door to the HQ at 6 wear something nice I gotta go bye!!" I shouted running off. I heaved a mighty sigh of relief. Great. All I have to do now is find a new restaurant. And a sweat-proof tux. I added, noticing the pit stains on my sweater vest.

     "Nice vest, greenhorn." A passing scientist double my age smirked as he passed me. I sighed and let my shoulders sag.

     Just when I was about to bang my head against the wall behind me, I heard something hit the ground in the road around the corner. I turned to find Ariel passed out on the ground. "Ariel!" I yelled, rushing to her aid. I grabbed her by the armpits and dragged her out of harm's way.

     "Ugh..." She groaned and pushed herself up. "I'm good." She gave a smile.

     "What happened?" I asked, checking her over for injuries.

     "Oh, I just found this weird rock in the road." She held up another shard of Kasumi's Aura Stone!

     "Ariel, let me see that!" I said, making a grab for it.

     "Nope! Not happening! It really is very pretty, and if it can show me a memory of Kaze fighting someone, that's one more fighting technique to learn from!"

     I sighed. "Who was he fighting?"

     Ariel shrugged. "Dunno. I was mainly focusing on the fighting style. Kaze's pretty fast, and so was his opponent!" She grinned, then sagged a little. "That little encounter drained every last bit of my energy, though. Let's go back and rest a bit before our date."

     "You still wanna do that?" I asked.

     "Sure, but..." She turned back to face me and winked. "Let's just go out for Chinese instead. We'll go to the new place next time, once a new place actually opens."

     "I, well, in my defense..." Ariel had already grabbed my arm and was pulling me along down the path to the HQ.