Chapter 10: Sing

"That was weird," I said out loud. Kioshi is usually not like that. He was acting really strange. I wonder what's wrong. I'm a little concerned, but there's no point in thinking about it now. I turned off the light and drifted to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up with the sun shining through the blinds. I got dressed and headed into the kitchen. Everyone was sitting at the table, including Kioshi.

"Good morning," Rin greeted.

"Morning." I replied. The smell of freshly cooked egg rice filled the air. I took a seat next to Keiichi. "Good morning," I said to him. I looked over at Kioshi, who was sitting across from me. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit and I looked away. "What's wrong with me?" I thought to myself.

I glanced over at Kioshi again. He was staring at me. I quickly looked away and continued eating. I felt his gaze on me, but I didn't look at him. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. What is this feeling? I don't understand.

After breakfast, I went to my room to get ready for school. I grabbed my bag and headed out with Keiichi, Rin, and Kioshi. "You know, you two don't have to come to school with me anymore. It's weird." I told them.

"We're just making sure you get there safely," Rin said.

"Yeah, we're just looking out for you." Keiichi added.

I sighed and continued walking. I could feel Kioshi's gaze on me again. I turned to look at him and our eyes locked. I quickly looked away and kept walking. I could feel my cheeks heating up again. "Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking," I repeated over and over in my head.

We reached the school and I went to class. I took a seat and waited for the teacher to arrive. I could hear people whispering and giggling. I looked over my shoulder and saw Aya and her group of friends looking at me. I turned back around and ignored them. I could hear them laughing and talking about me. I clenched my fist and tried to ignore them.

"Hey Himiko." I heard a voice say. I looked up and saw Nami.

"Nami? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I just wanted to check on you." she laughed. "You haven't answered any of my messages so I figured I'd stop by."

"Oh, sorry. I've just been really busy lately." I told her. I feel bad for ignoring her messages. I didn't realize I'd even gotten any from her. She sat on top of my desk and smiled at me.

We chatted for a while before class began along with Keiichi and Rin. "I'm so glad you're okay." Nami said. "Those girls need to be taught a lesson."

"Yeah, well, they're not worth my time." I told her.

"That's the spirit!" she cheered.

I smiled at her and we continued talking. I was happy to have someone like Nami around. She was so positive and cheerful. It made me feel better about myself. Eventually class started so we went our separate ways for a bit.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly and soon it was time for lunch. I sat with Nami and the others, and we talked some more. We were having a good time until Aya's friends came over to us. "Hey, Himiko." one of them said. Rin immediately stood up and glared at them.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We just wanted to talk to Himiko." the other one said. "Yeah we just wanted to apologize."

Apologize? I looked at them in confusion. 

"We were only being mean because of Aya."

"We're sorry. We didn't mean to hurt you."

I was surprised. I never thought they would actually apologize. "Why are you apologizing now? You could have not said anything." I asked.

"Aya's mom passed away suddenly. Her family left the country."

"She's not coming back to school anymore. We're really sorry."

I looked at them and sighed. "It's fine." I didn't know what else to say after that. They all left and I sat there dumbfounded. I didn't know what to think. I was happy that they apologized, but I was also unusually sad for Aya. I didn't know why though. I hated her. I hated her so much. But I felt bad for her.

"Hey, Himiko." Keiichi said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I told him. "I'm just surprised that they apologized."

"You should have seen your face." he laughed.

"Shut up." I said, playfully punching his arm.

"Ow! That hurt!" he whined.

I laughed and continued eating, wondering what Kioshi was up to. "What classroom is Kioshi in anyway?" I asked.

"Beats me." Rin replied. Keiichi just shrugged his shoulders. I took another bite of my food and thought about it. I'll just ask him later.

After school, I walked home with Keiichi and Rin. We talked about random stuff and laughed. It was fun. When we got back to the apartment, we went our separate ways. I went to my room and started doing homework.

I was in the middle of my math homework when I heard a knock on my door. "Come in." I said. The door opened and Kioshi walked in. "Hey." he said.

I stood up quickly and nervously. "H-Hey..Hey." I stuttered. I didn't know why he was there but then I suddenly remembered. "I forgot about training. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm not here for that." he said.

"Oh, okay." I said, sitting back down. "Then, what's up?"

I could feel myself beginning to sweat. He walked over to me and stood in front of me. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked away. "W-What?" I asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night." he said.

"Last night?" I gulped. Oh god, please don't talk about that. Please don't.

"Yeah, about the hug." he said. "I'm sorry about that."

I bit my lip nervously. I didn't know why I didn't tell him to get off or something. I didn't understand my feelings at the moment.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." I said. I laughed nervously. "I don't mind hugs." I said awkwardly. I mentally face palmed myself.

He laughed. "Okay. I just wanted to apologize."

I nodded. "Alright."

There was a moment of silence. He didn't move away from me and neither did I. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest and I was getting nervous. "S-So..How about that training?" I laughed nervously.

He smiled and chuckled. "Sure, if you want to. I could use a good fight."

I looked away, my heart fluttered. I think I'm going crazy. "Okay. Just give me a sec." I gathered all of my homework and put it away. "I'll come find you after."

"Alright," he said.

He turned around and walked away. "Okay, calm down Himiko. He just gave you a hug and apologized for it." I took a deep breath. 

I looked over and noticed my reflection in my mirror. My face was extremely red. I'm so confused. I took a few minutes to calm myself down. Once my face went back to normal, I stood up and went to look for Kioshi. 

I found him in the living room, watching TV. He turned and smiled at me. I walked over and took a seat next to him. "So what are you planning to teach me?" I asked.

"Well, since you already know how to throw a punch and dodge an attack, we can work on some basic self-defense."

I nodded. I knew what he meant. He turned off the TV and motioned for me to head out with him. We left the apartment and went to the park. It was empty, except for us. 

We walked over to the grassy area where we had a clear view of everything. I watched as Kioshi took off his jacket, leaving him in a white t-shirt. 

My eyes scanned over his toned muscles and his chest. His shirt was tight around him and his biceps looked bigger than usual.

He put himself in a defensive position and gestured for me to do the same. "So, we'll start with simple hand to hand combat." he explained. I nodded.

He slowly threw a punch towards me, but I quickly caught his fist and pushed him away. "Good. Keep up with it." he said, throwing a second punch. This time, I wasn't fast enough, and it hit me square in the stomach. "Shit." I winced, clutching my stomach. 

Kioshi smirked, taking a step forward. "Come on, you're better than this. Focus." I growled and launched myself at him. He sidestepped to avoid me. I threw a punch towards his head. 

He ducked underneath me and grabbed my arm. He threw me over his shoulder, but I flipped over and landed on my feet. "Nice." he said. I grinned, pleased with myself. I threw another punch at him.

I aimed for his shoulder but he moved to the side and grabbed my fist, stopping it. I pulled my hand back, freeing my hand. "Come on, you can do better." he said. I smirked.

I lunged towards him and aimed a kick to his stomach. He grabbed my foot and lifted me into the air. I flipped backwards and landed on my feet.

"Very impressive. But can you block my punches?" he asked.

I grinned and threw my fists up. I was ready. I watched as Kioshi slowly threw a punch towards my head. I blocked his fist with both of my hands, pushing his hand to the side.

He grinned and threw a kick towards me. I dodged it by ducking. "Very good." he said. I smirked proudly. I launched myself at him and aimed another punch at him, but he blocked it and grabbed my arm.

"You're too slow." he said.

He flipped me onto the ground and held my arms behind me. "Come on." I groaned, wincing in pain.

He let go and helped me to my feet. "That wasn't so bad." he said. "Let's keep going." I nodded and we continued practicing. We did that for a while, until he said, "Alright, that's enough."

He wiped sweat from his forehead with his jacket. "You did great. You're definitely a fast learner."

I smiled, wiping away the sweat that dripped down my neck. I was panting heavily. "Thank you." I replied. He smiled, but his face looked different than before. It was almost...dreamy. "What's wrong?" I asked him, snapping out of my trance. He shook his head.

"Nothing. I just... I just haven't fought with anyone like that in a long time. You were very impressive."

My face flushed red at the compliment. "You... You really think so?"

"Yes, I do."

I smiled and looked away from him. I felt like I was on cloud nine. It felt like we were the only ones here.

"Come on, let's go home." he said, walking away.

"Oh, okay."

We started to head back to the apartment. It was dark when we reached the building. Kioshi walked up the stairs, while I followed closely behind him. "Thanks for the training today." I said.

"Don't mention it." he replied, not looking at me.

We walked inside and I immediately headed to my room. I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to pass out in bed. I took off my shoes and crawled into bed.

"Himiko," a voice called.

"Yes?" I replied, turning to see Kioshi in the doorway. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, I was just wondering if you're feeling okay." he replied.

"I'm fine." I said, rubbing my forehead. My head started to ache all of sudden. Kioshi's eyes were fixated on me and I could feel my heartbeat quicken. 

He pulled out a bottle of aspirin and handed it to me. "Take it," he said, putting two tablets on his palm.

I grabbed them from his hand, swallowing them and washed them down with some water. "Thank you." I said. He smiled at me, then left the room.

"Kioshi," I called, following him down the hall. I grabbed his wrist. He stopped and turned around to face me. "I wanted to thank you." I said.

"For what?" he asked.

"For training me and being here with me. I really appreciate it."

Kioshi looked at me. His dark eyes were staring into mine. My heart fluttered again and my palms started to get sweaty.

"You're welcome." he said. "Get some rest." He walked away. I stood there for a few moments, watching him disappear from sight. I turned back around and headed towards my room. I shut my door behind me, took off my clothes, grabbed a towel, and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I needed to relax.

I stood there for a long time, just letting the hot water run down my back. I felt refreshed, yet I was exhausted.

After showering, I dried off, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. I turned off my lights, closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

***

"Himiko! Wake up! You're gonna be late for school!" Eito called out. I opened my eyes, yawned, stretched my arms out and looked around.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

I was laying on my bed and it felt like I'd been hit by a bus. My back hurt. I winced in pain as I tried to stand up. I staggered forward and caught myself.

I looked at my reflection in my mirror. My hair was sticking up all over the place and my eyes had dark circles underneath them. I sighed and pulled out some clean clothes, threw them on, brushed my teeth, washed my face and combed my hair.

"Hey! You coming or what?" I heard Eito yell.

"Yes!" I called back, grabbing my schoolbag and hurrying out of my room. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed an apple off the counter. 

Rin and Keiichi turned to me and said in unison, "We're not going."

I looked at them confused, then shrugged my shoulders. "Fine by me. You two aren't supposed to be there anyways." I took a bite of the apple and chewed it slowly. "Besides, I have Kioshi."

The both of them looked flabbergasted. "W-What?" Rin said, completely stunned.

I flashed them a grin and looked at Kioshi; gesturing for him to head out the door with me.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes." I nodded, walking past the other two and heading to the door. Kioshi followed me out the door, leaving Rin and Keiichi behind.

We made our way down the street to the train station. "So, how does your head feel? Do you feel better?" he asked, glancing over at me.

I rubbed my head. I still had a bit of a headache. "I'm fine. Thanks." I smiled up at him.

The train ride was long and we were both quiet the entire time. The train was crowded. People were pushing and shoving their way past everyone else, but I managed to get a seat. 

When we arrived at school, we made our way to our classrooms. "Kioshi, I forgot to ask, but what's your class number?"

He paused and thought about it. "Um...4-A. Why?"

"I-I just figured we could eat lunch together or something. We don't have to if you don't want to." I said shyly.

"Okay. I'll be sure to look for you then." he said with a smile.

I smiled back at him, feeling my cheeks warm up. I felt butterflies in my stomach. We went our separate ways to our respective classes. 

For most of the lesson, I was thinking about Kioshi and our training from yesterday. My head felt heavy, like I couldn't concentrate. The teacher's words just became gibberish to me.

"Miss Suzuki." the teacher called out. I quickly snapped out of my thoughts.

"Y-Yes?" I stammered.

"It seems like your mind is elsewhere, Miss Suzuki. Do you mind answering this question on the board?" He asked.

I stood up and made my way towards the front of the room. I grabbed a piece of chalk and started writing on the blackboard. Once I was finished writing, I stood back and waited for him to tell me the answer.

He looked at the board and shook his head. "It's correct." I smiled proudly to myself and sat back down in my seat. 

"Okay, we'll stop there for today. Please review your homework tonight. It's time for lunch." the teacher announced, gathering up his papers and putting them into a folder. 

Everyone else started chatting away as they brought out their bento.

"Miss Suzuki, I'd like to talk to you for a minute in the teacher's office." the teacher said. I nodded and followed him out of the classroom.

He led me down the hall, into the office and closed the door behind us. He sat down in his chair. I sat down opposite him, putting my lunch bag on the floor.

"You can relax, Miss Suzuki. I'm just checking in on how you're doing since you're new here. I can't imagine how it must feel for you. Moving all the way from China to Japan must be very difficult. Is it going alright?" He asked, giving me a sympathetic smile.

"Eh?...Ah, i-it's great. I'm adjusting well." I said with a smile. Did Seiji tell these people I'm from China? You can't be serious.

He nodded. "Good. I'm glad to hear it." he said. "If there is anything else I can assist you with, please let me know." he added.

I nodded and grabbed my bag, getting up to leave. "Oh, and Miss Suzuki," he called after me. I turned to look back at him. He was smiling kindly at me.

"It's a good idea to try joining an extracurricular club." I smiled at him. "Okay."

I bowed and headed back to my class. I saw Kioshi standing by the door. I smiled and walked towards him. "Hey," I said.

"Hey," he greeted me back. "Ready to eat lunch?" He asked.

"Mmm!" I nodded. We went to the roof; it was deserted and peaceful. I took out my lunch, which contained some rice and veggies. 

I watched Kioshi pull out a small bag with bread wrapped in plastic packaging. I watched him as he took a bite out of the fluffy contents. He caught me looking at him and smiled. "So how is your head?" he asked.

I looked away, blushing a little. "It's fine. Still hurts a bit." I said, rubbing my forehead.

"I thought you could handle it." He laughed. I gave him a look and punched his arm.

"Ow, hey, easy." He said with a smirk.

I took a bite of my rice, avoiding looking at him. "It's not a big deal." I mumbled. "Besides, I could handle it."

"Alright," he chuckled. "What do you say to a rematch tomorrow? After school?" I looked over at him.

"Easy peasy." I said with a smirk.

"With swords." he added. I froze, completely shocked at his sudden statement. "W-What?"

"You heard me." He repeated. "You, me, sword fighting. After school tomorrow."

"Wooden swords, right?" I asked, my voice sounding uncertain.

"Real ones." He spoke. I glared at him. "Woah, woah, woah." I said. "There is no way in hell that I'm fighting you with real swords. I've only trained with wooden ones."

"And now you get to use a real one. That's the only way to get better, Himiko." He said. "It'll be a learning experience. It's better to do it with the real thing."

"How am I supposed to beat you if we're fighting with real weapons? You'll probably cut off my hand."

He chuckled at me. "I wouldn't do that. I'm just trying to help you." I glared at him again and crossed my arms over my chest. "It's a bad idea." I stated.

"I disagree." he said simply.

"Oh, well excuse me. What if I get hurt? I could die."

He rolled his eyes and smirked at me. "That's highly unlikely. And I told you, I wouldn't hurt you." He replied, giving me a playful grin. I scoffed.

"Fine, fine. Whatever." I said. I went back to eating my lunch, trying to ignore his gaze. He chuckled, and then went back to eating his bread. 

I finished eating my food and started to feel sleepy. My eyelids started to flutter, as if they were going to fall off at any moment. "Himiko?" Kioshi said.

"Mmm..." I mumbled. My eyes shot open as I snapped out of my trance. I looked at Kioshi. He had an amused expression on his face.

"Did you just fall asleep?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"N-no..." I mumbled.

"Yes, you did." he replied with a grin. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class." He grabbed his bag and got up from the bench. I grabbed my bag and got up as well.

Kioshi and I went our separate ways for class. I spent most of my time staring off into space. When the final bell rang, I packed up my stuff and headed for the door.

The school day ended quickly, and I hurried off to meet up with Kioshi. I ran through the courtyard to the exit gate. "Hey, Himiko! Wait up!" a familiar voice called out to me.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to see Naomi running up to me. I waited for her to catch up. She caught up to me and stopped a few feet away from me, panting slightly.

"Hi Naomi," I said, smiling at her.

She smiled back. "Wanna go out with me? I was thinking karaoke." she asked, still a bit out of breath.

"Sure, but..." I trailed off. I really wanted to walk home with Kioshi. I know it's weird, but I really enjoy being with him. He's a cool guy. I guess we've gotten pretty close lately.

"Oh, come on. Don't you wanna come with me?" she asked.

"Just give me one sec." I spoke. I took out my phone and pulled up the contact for Kioshi. I typed in a quick message letting him know I'd be with Naomi and hit send. "So where is karaoke place?" I asked.

She grabbed my wrist and pulled me in the direction of the place. "It's right this way." she said. We walked for a few blocks before getting there. "We're here!" Naomi cheered. I looked up at the building, it had a big neon sign on top. It was definitely a karaoke place.

I nodded. "Nice," I said.

She dragged me inside and we walked over to the receptionist's desk. "We'd like to reserve a room for 2 hours please." Naomi said. The receptionist looked up and gave us a nod. "Follow me." he said. He led us down the hall, and we stopped outside of room number three. "Here it is. You have 2 hours."

"Thank you!" Naomi said, grabbing my wrist again. We stepped inside the room, closed the door behind us and sat on the couch. I looked at the wall to see a big screen on the wall, with a list of songs.

"Do you want me to choose or you wanna go first?" Naomi asked, handing me a microphone. "Uh...I'll pick." I replied, taking the mic. I scanned over the song choices. There was everything from anime themes, pop songs, and some ballads. I decided to go with a ballad called Night Flower. I pressed the button for the song and the TV screen lit up with lyrics.

The music started and I began to sing the lyrics. The song was really beautiful, and it really matched the way I felt right now. 

'What words should I start with?

To you and me who are at odds with each other

The moon hidden behind the clouds without an answer.

I am resentful, a fleeting morning is coming.'

Naomi seemed surprised that I sang it so well. I continued to sing the rest of the song, closing my eyes as I did. 

'If I wander on a night without you and wander again

The night is coming when we can sleep peacefully together.

If I have you somewhere in my chaotic everyday

Smile with your eyes closed.'

When the song finished, the TV screen went dark. I opened my eyes and saw Naomi staring at me, wide-eyed and open mouthed. I avoided her gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"That was so amazing!" Naomi said, grinning at me.

I felt a little relieved to hear that. "Oh. Thanks." I smiled at her. I gave her back the mic, and she looked through the song choices. She settled on a song called Tsukematsukeru by the popular pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. I chuckled and sat down to watch her perform.

Naomi's voice was that of a cute idol and her voice suited her well.

The hour we spent at the karaoke place was enjoyable and we left after it ended. It was getting late and it was dark out, so we hurried home. "We should do this more often." Naomi suggested as we walked.

"Definitely," I agreed. The wind picked up and started to get cold. I shivered a bit as we made our way down the street. "Is it getting colder?"

Naomi looked up at the dark sky. "Yeah, it might start snowing soon. I heard it might be the coldest winter we've had in years." she said.

"Hmm..." I mumbled. We kept walking for a bit until we arrived in front of a bus stop.

"Well, see ya tomorrow, Himiko." Naomi waved at me, turning around to leave. I waved goodbye and she left. I sat down on the bench at the stop and waited for the next bus to arrive.

The wind had started to blow hard and I shivered as I huddled closer into my coat. I buried my nose in my scarf and closed my eyes. It felt nice.

Eventually. the bus came and I got on and went to sit in a seat. The ride back home wasn't too long and it went smoothly. When we arrived at my stop I got off the bus. I pulled my phone out and saw a new text message. It was from Rin. I unlocked the screen to read it.

Where are you? - R.

I typed out a reply to him and hit send. I sighed and shoved the phone in my pocket. It's too late for that now. The walk home was short, and the building was right next to the stop. When I entered the apartment, I screamed, "I'm home!"

Rin came out of his room, running towards me. "Finally! Where the hell have you been? It's almost eleven!" He said angrily.

"Relax, I was with Naomi. We were at Karaoke. I didn't realize how late it got. Sorry." I said, heading for the kitchen to grab some water.

"Next time tell somebody! I thought something happened." he said, crossing his arms. "I can't lose you too."

"What do you mean 'too'? I'm here and I'm fine." I said, taking a sip of the water.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Nevermind that, I'll talk to you later. Get some rest." He said as he headed for his room. I stared at him as he left the room and closed the door behind him. He must mean my parents.

I sighed and finished off my drink. Thoughts about my time with Naomi sprung into my mind and I smiled. I enjoyed it and it was really fun. Maybe I'll join a singing club. I grabbed the empty glass and put it into the dishwasher. I walked towards the stairs, heading for the upper floor of my home.

When I got into my room I put my school stuff on the bed and laid down next to it. I felt a buzzing from my pocket, meaning I had a text. I checked my phone and saw the text was from Kioshi. My heart fluttered as I unlocked the screen to read it.

Did you have fun? - Kioshi

I smiled at his text; I liked it when he messaged me. But I enjoyed talking with him in person even more. Instead of keeping our conversation going over the phone, I asked him to meet me in the living room. I grabbed a blanket from my bed, put it around me and went out to wait for him.

After a few minutes I heard footsteps and the creak of the floorboards. Kioshi stepped into view, he had his hands in his pockets and was dressed casually in sweatpants and a shirt. He smiled when he saw me, walking towards me and plopping down on the couch. I did the same, sitting down on the other side of the couch.

"So, did you have something important to say?" Kioshi asked, looking at me.

"Not really," I said, wrapping the blanket tighter around myself. "I just wanted to chat." I said.

"Okay, I'll bite." He said. "How did Karaoke go?" he asked. I smiled. "It was really fun. And Naomi seems to have a cute voice." I said, chuckling slightly. "She sang a song by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, if I'm remembering her right." I added.

"And how were your singing skills?" He asked. I felt my cheeks turn red as I smiled shyly. "Oh...I...I did well, I guess. She seemed to enjoy it." I said, avoiding his gaze.

"Well I'll have to hear it for myself." Kioshi said.

I shook my head, smiling nervously. "I-it wasn't that good, I'm sure you wouldn't like it..." I mumbled. Kioshi laughed slightly, smirking at me.

"Are you nervous, Himiko?" he asked me in a playful tone.

"I'm not!" I said defensively. Kioshi smirked again. "Alright, then let me hear it."

I let out a breath. "Okay, but don't expect anything." I said quietly, taking out my phone and trying to find the instrumental of the song I had sung earlier. I held the phone up so Kioshi could see the screen, which displayed the song title Night Flower.

"I did this with Naomi. We were at karaoke for about an hour." I said. "Go ahead and start it." I told Kioshi, pressing play on the music video. The music began playing and I took a deep breath and began singing along with it.

'What words should I start with?

To you and me who are at odds with each other

The moon hidden behind the clouds without an answer.

I am resentful, a fleeting morning is coming.'

By now, I had closed my eyes, enjoying the moment as I sang. Kioshi stared at me with a surprised look on his face, his jaw had dropped. He had not expected to hear this beautiful voice coming from me.

'Sleepless night, another day, another dawn

The night is coming when I no longer have bad dreams.

If I have you somewhere in a precarious day

Save me hug me.'

The music came to a close as I finished singing the final line. I opened my eyes and looked away from him. "Like I said...it was just alright." I said softly. Kioshi didn't answer for a minute. Finally, he spoke up.

"Himiko...you sound amazing." Kioshi said.

"Uh, thank you. I guess." I mumbled, looking away again. Kioshi looked at me and smiled.

"Seriously, your singing voice is really great. It's beautiful, you know that?" he asked me.

"I...uh..." I trailed off. Kioshi smirked at me, "See, you are embarrassed." he teased. I felt my cheeks turn red. I didn't want to admit that he was right, but it was obvious. Kioshi chuckled again.

"I'd love to hear it again," he said, staring at me. I stared back at him, and I noticed the look in his eyes, it wasn't one of malice or amusement. He actually wanted me to sing for him. "You should sing for me more often." he suggested, grinning at me. I felt my heart start racing as he gazed at me, a small smile on his lips.

"Well..." I trailed off. I looked away and stared at the floor. Kioshi leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes as he let out a yawn.

"Well, what?" Kioshi asked. I sighed and sat in silence for a bit.

"Well...I guess I could, maybe..." I muttered. "You really want to hear my voice again?" I asked.

Kioshi looked up at me. "Of course, why wouldn't I? Your voice is beautiful, it's like music to my ears." He said, grinning.

"It is?" I said, surprised. "It's nothing special..." I mumbled.

Kioshi stared at me with an intense gaze, as if he were trying to read my mind. "You really are a modest one aren't you?" he said, chuckling lightly. "It's quite admirable actually." He said, smirking at me.

My heart pounded in my chest at the sight of his smile. His smile was beautiful, and it was infectious. It made me want to smile as well.

Kioshi looked up at me as if waiting for something.

I smiled weakly back at him. Kioshi continued to stare at me, and it felt as if his gaze was boring holes through my head. I broke eye contact with him and stood up quickly.

"G-Goodnight." I stuttered out, my eyes locked on the ground. Kioshi raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly.

"Goodnight, Himiko." Kioshi said, waving me off as he stood up and headed off to his bedroom.

I quickly ran off to mine.

I climbed into the bed, pulled the blanket over myself and buried my face in my pillow. I could not believe it! I had sung to Kioshi! I'm an idiot! Why did I do that! My thoughts were racing at a mile a minute. My face felt hot as my heartbeat rapidly. I groaned as my stomach started to hurt from the embarrassment.

I guess I just needed to let my feelings out and the only way I could do that is to sing. But what if he doesn't really like my singing voice?

He's just being polite, that's all.