2 Chapter 2

Cissi was surprised but did not let it show until after the kiss was done. She started to analyze it and break it down. What could this possibly mean? She watched him for any clues that he might give off,but his face was the same as it always was. It wasn't until she looked into his deep forest floor colored eyes that she saw the storm within them. It was her only clue.

She remembered that he always had a stoic look on his face. It had been one of the things she thought about him was almost perfect. It wasn't that he wouldn't smile; it was he couldn't. He was always cracking some sort of lame dad joke,which would make her smile and laugh often too hard and too the point of choking. He was the only one in her life that could do that.

“What?” she asked as she looked up to him.

“I am sorry.” He said as he tried to look anywhere but at her. “I really should not have done that.”

“What I don't understand is why you did that?” Cissi asked as she looked for something to hold on too that would make her feel like she wasn't a mistake. That something about her was good and desirable. The thing about having two older sisters that were beauties in their very different ways was that left a person doubting everything about themselves. Cissi may look more like Rin with her blond,light brown hair and blue-green eyes,but she was quiet and studious,unlike both of her sisters.

Sasuke looked at her and then away and then back at her as she stood there with her heels somewhat glued to the floor. She wasn't going anywhere,and Sasuke knew that. The line had been crossed,and he could not uncross it. The woman standing in his dining area was the one thing in the world he wanted to completely protect,cherish,and hold,but the fact she was so young was the thing that made him push her way time and time again. Everything had changed in those few moments,and he knew it. He could no longer just think of her as his friends daughter. He had not only crossed that invisible line,he had run a mile over it.

“An experiment.” He said softly.

“An experiment?” she asked as she looked at him.

“Cissi,I really don't have anything else to say other than I am sorry. I should not have done that.” He stated.

“I understand,” Ciss said,defeated and dejected. She picked up her bag and turned for the door.

“Where do you think you are going?” he asked as he was right against her back in a quickness Cissi had never seen.

“Home,Sasuke.” She said as she was forcing the tears not to fall. “I don't want to be a bother to you.”

“Goddamnit.” He said under his breath,and she heard it,which made her flinch slightly as she thought she had done something.

“Cissi go sit down,” Sasuke said.

“It's okay.” She said stubbornly. “Look,we can just forget about it. As of right now,it didn't happen. I won't bother you again.”

“Ciss,go sit down now,please,” Sasuke said as he pushed on the door so she could not open it. “We really do need to talk about this.”

“No,Sasuke,we don't,” she said. “Now,let go of the door.”

“Ciss,we do.” He said,not letting his weight off the door. She turned around,and the line that he had self-imposed disappeared completely. He saw the hurt and confusion in her eyes,and he knew he was the cause of that. He broke in two. The weight he was pressing on the door disappeared as he finally lost the battle with himself,and his hands fell to her sides and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her again.

When he was done,she was breathless,and he looked at her. “We do have some things to talk about,sweetheart. Like how we have changed from this moment. Please don't go. It would be really weird if I have to go and ask your parents to let me talk to you.” Sasuke said as he looked into her blinking eyes.

“Wait for a second. I,you,I am so confused.” Cissi said.

“This is something even scientist can't explain,” Sasuke said. “I wish they could,but we do have to talk a few things out. Things have really changed and taking a new dynamic between us. You are not just a friends anymore.”

“Then what are we?” cissi asked as Sasuke took the bag off her shoulder and placed it on the ground.

“That we have to discuss,” Sasuke said as he then took her hand so gently in his and lead her to the living room. Cissi looked around,and like him,everything was in its place. He was neat and simple when it came to his things,much like she was as well. She wondered if that was because of his influence or it was something that they just shared.

“This is awkward.” He said as they both sat. “I don't think I was very prepared for this to happen,so I haven't really gone over it in my head.”

“Sasuke,this isn't a presentation,” Cissi said with a slight laugh that had him almost ready to crack a smile.

“I remember when both Yukimura and Masamune were dealing with their feelings. It was interesting to watch how they both handled in it a way that was right for them. They had been skirting around your sisters for years to the point everyone knew except your sisters. We are not like that. So anything that they did would not work for us. The fact is,Cissi,you are nothing like your sisters,and I am not like Yuki or Masa.” Sasuke started. “This between us is not like what they have. This is new. It is like finding life on Mars.”

“Leave it to you to bring science into this,” Cissi said with a smile.

“It is,” Sasuke said with what looked to be a small break in his shell. He was trying to smile,she realized.

“Sasuke,just talk any way you need too. I think we do have to clear the air between us.” Cissi said.

“And just like that,you leave me speechless again,” Sasuke said. “Let's start at the beginning then. When your parents met,we all watched from the sidelines. Kit and Mitsuhide were surprisingly good together much like a water molecule. They made each other strong,and the bonds were as tight as one of those. They grew as people because of the other. It was good to watch and observe,but that meant also watching the four of you grow and watching all of you grow up. You were all young except maybe Rin who was closer to our age. Yukimura is my best friend. Watching him float around your sister and still try to remain completely independent from her was also intriguing to watch.”

“That was hilarious to watch. He did try so hard.” Cissi said with a smile remembering how her brother in law had been for years around her oldest sister.

“The same as true for Masamune. though when he finally admitted the truth to himself,he acted much like himself completely and all in. Gabbie really did not have a chance against him.” Sasuke said. “What was left was to watch and see the outcomes. That also left you in the spotlight a bit more. I didn't want to ever admit that to myself that I didn't want to have to observe you in that position.”

“What position?” Cissi asked.

“Circling around another person to find your new element.” He said as he looked at her. “I did not want to say anything because well,this is again for lack of a better term awkward. You are the third child in the original four,but not only that,you were only twelve when we first met. I was not twelve or even close to that. Then to factor in,you are the child of two of my friends and co-workers. That was even more things to make me stay away from you. But I couldn't. I knew you could damn me to a special purgatory of watching you find someone else and make that new element. Cissi,I am nearly twelve years older than you,and to be honest,parts of me still believe you are too good and too young for me to even try something.”

“You thought about this?” Cissi asked.

“Everyday.” He replied. “Knowing you were going to get into graduate school soon and then you would leave I was dreading it for me but so happy for you. Watching you follow your dream and then finally get close to it,I could not have been happier for you. I just didn't want you to leave.”

“Sasuke,I thought we could talk about nearly everything,” Cissi said softly.

“And we did,nearly everything,” Sasuke said as he touched her hand. “That kiss was never supposed to happen. I just couldn't stop myself right there,though.”

“Do you have to plan everything?” Cissi asked.

“I try too,” Sasuke said.

“You do realize that there are things that science can not explain. Like how black holes work,and where do they go to?” Cissi said,and Sasuke looked at her with widened eyes. “This feeling is like a black hole,Sasuke. Neither of us can explain it,but that doesn't mean it isn't there. It can be all-consuming and the destroyer of worlds but at the same time naked to the eye.”

“How very much like you to cut to the chase and bring up a black hole. I feel like I have slipped into one.” Sasuke said.

“I think in a way we might have,” Cissi said with a smile. “I do understand what you are saying. I understand it all,Sasuke. One thing you have to remember is I am not a child anymore. Though I am still nineteen,as mom says,we were never our ages. When our father left us with her,I was only two or something like that. She never treated us like little kids,and for that,I am grateful. I am years ahead of other nineteen-year-olds but in other ways I am far behind them as well.”

“I try to remember that,” Sasuke said as he looked into her eyes. “Now,the question is,what do you want to do?”

“What I want to do?” Cissi asked as she was slightly confused.

“Do you want to continue down into this black hole,or do you want to end your journey right here?” Sasuke asked. “Either way won't be easy for either of us.”

“Sasuke,do you really even have to ask?” Cissi asked as she looked into his eyes. “You haven't been just my science experiment counselor in a very long time. You have been a friend. I don't care about your age or the fact there is a decade in between us. I guess we go deeper into the black hole.”

He let out a contented sigh and tried to smile. “Just don't do that.” Cissi laughed,and he leaned forward as he kissed her again softly.

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