Business
as Usual Sidetrack
wherein Jin and Fuu discuss important
matters a year before BaU begins
by Laura Bryannan
They
were together on his couch, and she was happily snuggled in the
shelter of his arm, head on his shoulder. The credits were rolling
and it was getting late, but she did not want to go back to the dorm.
All summer his behavior had been distressingly consistent. During the
time they spent together he was his usual charming and affectionate
self, but made no attempts to get closer. It was enough to make a gal
doubt her charms.
“I've been here for six weeks and you
still haven't kissed me,” she complained. “I'm not just a
little sister to you, am I?”
Jin cleared his throat.
“No, Fuu, you're not.”
“So why, then?”
she asked. “I thought for sure this summer, now that I'm all
grown up, we would....”
He sputtered. “All grown
up!?! Fuu, you're fifteen. You're just a baby.”
“Were
you a virgin at fifteen?”
“Well, no, but that's
different. I'm a guy.”
It was her turn to sputter.
“That's totally sexist! Why is it different?”
“I
don't know why it's different, but it is,” he insisted. “I
didn't make up the rules, I just know they exist. And besides,
himawari, even though I don't think of you as a little sister,
I'm not....”
“Stop!” she cried. “I
know, I know, you don't have to say it. You and Yuki. I guess I grew
up enough to get a clue about that. He's handsome, alright, but who
cares? I don't understand what you see in him. He's so obnoxious and
stuck-up, and I think he hates me, too.”
“You
dislike each other for the same reasons,” Jin told her.
“Besides, he only teases you because you give him such
satisfying reactions. You're a smart girl, Fuu. You know that, and
yet you still let him provoke you.”
“Oh, pooh on
Yuki!” she fumed, and then, more gently, “do you really
love him, Jin?”
“Love, hime?” He
sighed, smiling wistfully. “Yes, I love Yuki. I owe my sanity
to him, as well as whatever social skills I possess. He was one of
the most important influences in my life and he'll always be a part
of me. We're no longer together, however. I've left him. It didn't
occur to me to mention it....”
“You left him?!?”
The hope she felt didn't quite drown out the confusion. “But if
you're not with Yuki anymore, why won't you turn to me? Is it because
I'm a girl?”
Jin gazed at her tenderly. “I don't
believe so, but I honestly don't know. I'm still trying to understand
it all myself. You will ever have my heart, himawari, but my
body seems to pull me in other directions.”
She didn't
care. Jin was hers. He'd been hers ever since she could remember, the
beautiful, mysterious boy who was the most fascinating puzzle. She'd
spent her entire life trying to figure him out and wasn't ready to
give up, so she could be patient...and persistent. “I still
want to give you my virginity.”
“Why, Fuu?”
he asked sincerely. “Knowing what you know about me, shouldn't
you wait for someone who's passionate about you to come along?”
“Passion is for shoujo manga,” she stated
sensibly. “I love you, Jin. And I know you love me too,
in the ways that matter, anyway. You've been there for me longer than
anyone, my oldest and dearest friend, so I want you to be the first.”
“First what, hime?” he asked gently.
“Surely not your first kiss.”
She looked down,
blushing furiously. “Well, no...not that.”
He
chuckled. “You're far too cute for me to believe you've never
kissed a boy.” But then he turned to her, his tone a little
more serious. “How many boys, Fuu?”
She met his
gaze, eyes flashing. “How many lovers have you had?”
she challenged.
“Touché,” he laughed,
amused as always by her spunkiness, and reflected for a moment. “I
can count them on one hand,” he replied honestly.
She
looked relieved. “So can I!”
“Are you
certain this is what you want, Fuu?” he asked. “I'd be
proud to do it. You're sweet and fresh and very delicious, I'm sure,
and I have wondered what it might be like to be with you,
but....”
“You have?!?”
“Yes,
hime, of course I have, but you deserve better for your first
time.”
“I want my first to be with someone who
loves me...who cares enough to be gentle and...um...make me ready.”
She was blushing again. “You meet all the criteria, mister, and
then some. I know you'll teach me well, you always have. Please,
Jin.”
He looked thoughtful, eyes inward, then smiled
mischieviously. “If I add my name to your roster of kissed
boys, can you still count us on one hand?”
“Yes!”
she said proudly.
“Good.” He hugged her closer,
pulling out the old-fashioned sticks so that her hair tumbled to her
shoulders. “Shall we begin, then?”
“Oh,
yes!”
end