“
I understand.” And he did. His mom might not be much of a mother, but she always worked hard to provide for him. It was thanks to the work she did that they could afford to live so comfortably.
Ms. Swift’s smile was proud, but also somewhat sad. “You always were a very mature and understanding boy. I’m very proud of you.”
“
M-Mom.” Kevin turned his head away from everyone in the room. He wasn’t embarrassed by his mom giving him praise in front of Lilian. No. Certainly not. And the heat spreading across his cheeks was definitely not a blush either. No way.
Denial: It’s a powerful defense mechanism.
***
When breakfast came to an end, Kevin carried his mom’s suitcase to her car.
Ms. Swift clasped her hands behind her back, gazing at the two youngsters as they stood next to each other. Standing a respectful distance from the group, Kotohime observed the proceedings with the cool gaze of a samurai.
“
Well, I suppose this is where we part ways for now.”
“
Yeah.” Kevin shifted uncomfortably. “I guess it is.”
“
If I can’t make it home for Christmas, I’ll try to make it up to this summer, okay? Maybe we can go to Mexico or something?” Her eyes glinted at Lilian and Kotohime. “Your girlfriend and Kotohime are invited, too.”
Kevin’s face burned at his mother’s words. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered. Naturally, his words were ignored by all three females present.
“
A trip to Mexico?” Lilian clasped her hands under her chin, her eyes visibly sparkling. “That sounds like so much fun!”
She could just imagine it; her and Kevin walking down the beach hand in hand, the water lapping at their bare feet. Lilian would eventually start a water fight with Kevin, who would retaliate by chasing her. He would catch her and pull her to the ground, which would end with her on her back and him on top. Then he would stare into her eyes, inexplicably drawn into the depths of her emerald gaze. Slowly, he would lean down to kiss her, and their kiss would be filled with passion. And that passion would soon turn into a raging bonfire as they began stripping each other of their swimsuits, which would end with her beloved ravishing her body right there on the white sandy shores, for hours on end.
Several seconds later, Lilian became a slack-jawed, drooling idiot. Kevin, Kotohime and Ms. Swift stared at the girl with matching “what the fuck?” expressions. Kevin waved a hand in front of the redhead’s face, but received no response.
“
Is it wrong that I am disturbed by this?” he asked. A second of silence followed his question before it was answered by Kotohime shaking her head.
“
No. No, it is not.”
“
Good.”
***
Several miles from Kevin’s apartment was a large park, complete with playground, soccer field, tennis courts and a concession stand. Two Olympic-sized swimming pools were open during the summer months, though they were closed right now since it was fall. In the mild weather filled with falling leaves, it was the perfect place for Kevin’s and Lilian’s picnic.
Carrying a basket in one hand and a small cooler in the other, Kevin strode down a grassy hill to the soccer field. Lilian traveled by his side, and behind them, exactly six paces away, the ever-attentive Kotohime strolled with one hand resting on her katana.
“
I’m so excited that we’re finally going to have our picnic,” Lilian beamed. She looked so ecstatic that Kevin couldn’t help but smile.
“
What are you getting so excited about? It’s just a picnic.”
Lilian’s rebuttal came in the form of a very powerful pout.
“
It’s not ‘just’ a picnic. It’s our first picnic together.” She turned her head to fully look at him, her face emblazoned with a brilliant smile that made the world seem a lot less dreary. “That makes it special to me.”
Well, geez, what could he say to something like that? And just how could this girl say something like that with such sincerity? Feeling like the world’s biggest jerk for being so indecisive was bad enough. Her making comments infused with so much sweetness that he nearly choked on the fluff was like throwing gasoline on an already raging conflagration.
“
A-ah… I-I see.”
“
Ufufufu, you’re so cute when you act embarrassed like that.”
…
and she just butchered the entire moment with a rusty spork. Nice.
“…
I really hate it when you laugh like that.”
“
Sorry, Kevin. It’s—”
“
If you mention how it’s a part of your character concept, I’m going to start ignoring you.”
The soccer field was quite large, about the size of two football fields, Kevin judged. Well-maintained grass lay trodden under their feet as they walked. Several dozen yards away, a group of children were running around, playing what looked like a game of tag.
They chose a shaded spot underneath a tree that had already lost most of its leaves to fall. Kevin laid a blanket down as Lilian pulled Tupperware and plates from the basket. Kotohime watched from nearby, her back against the tree and one hand casually gripping her katana.
When they finished setting everything up, Kevin couldn’t keep from marveling at Lilian’s spread. He picked up one of the sandwiches arranged on a disposable tray; a croquette sandwich stuffed with ground beef, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce and spinach, with some kind of light dressing.
“
You really went all out today,” he whistled. “This all looks amazing!”
Lilian’s smile could outshine the sun, while the gentlest of blushes tainted her cheeks a lovely shade of pink. “Thank you. I had to get up a bit earlier than normal to make the bread and cook the beef, but I think it was well worth the effort.”
“
It looks delicious.” It smelled delicious too. The scent alone was enough to almost make him drool.
Lilian leaned over in anticipation as Kevin took a bite out of the sandwich, watching with the eyes of a hawk—or a girl who’d just made her beloved a sandwich. Even Kotohime studied him with more attentiveness than normal, her expression indiscernible and scrutinizing.
“
So how is it?” Lilian asked.
Kevin didn’t answer at first, busy as he was savoring the flavor. When he pulled the sandwich away, it was only to stare at the food in awe.
“
This… this tastes incredible. It’s even better than some of the sandwiches I’ve eaten in France.” And the French knew how to make their sandwiches.
The words were like a panacea for the redhead. Lilian’s eyes shone with a brilliant luster, like gleaming twin stars. Truly, nothing made her happier than a compliment from the young man she’d chosen as her mate.
“
I’m really glad you like it. I also made a potato salad.” Lilian popped open the lid to a red container, spearing something that looked delicious onto a fork, which she then presented it to Kevin. “Here, try some.”
“
A-ah.” Kevin leaned back a bit as Lilian brought the fork to his mouth. “I-I can feed myself, you know. You really don’t have to do this.”
“
I know that, silly, but I want to do this for you.” There was no pout this time, just Lilian’s delightfully curled lips as she held the fork near his face. “I enjoy doing things like this for you, so please, just open up and say ‘ah,’ okay?”
Dang. How could he say no to that? This girl really knew how to push all the right buttons, and it didn’t even look like she was trying.
“
W-well,” Kevin mumbled, “If you want to… then I guess it’s okay.”
“
Thank you.”
“
B-be gentle please.”
“
Ufufufu, don’t worry, I will. Are you ready? I’m putting it in.”
Still leaning against her tree, Kotohime began twitching.
“
You two are far too innocent,” she mumbled, watching as Lilian fed Kevin. She paid careful attention to her charge. The way Lilian’s eyes lit up as Kevin opened his mouth, and even went so far as to say “ah” for her, really was a sight to see. She would have found it adorable, were it not for her dislike of Kevin. The boy simply reminded her too much of another human she’d once known; a young man who’d rescued her from certain death and earned her unwavering loyalty… and her love.
It would be best not to reminisce about the past, Kotohime
, the woman admonished herself.
“
Would you like some food as well, Kotohime?”
The words startled her. Kotohime hadn’t even realized that her charge was there until a tray of sandwiches was practically shoved under her nose.
“
Thank you,” Kotohime said graciously, leaning her sword against the tree and daintily grabbing one of the sandwiches. Ara. It really did taste good. She could understand Kevin’s reaction a bit better now. “You really have become quite the chef,” she complimented after a few more bites.
“
I just followed the directions in the book,” Lilian said modestly.
“
You would be surprised by how many people can’t follow simple directions,” Kevin commented as he finished off his second sandwich. “My mom can’t cook even when she’s following simple instructions. The last time she tried cooking anything other than TV dinners, she nearly burned the apartment down. Heck, the last time she tried cooking a TV dinner, it exploded in the microwave.”
“
That’s not a very nice thing to say about your mother.”
“
I love my mom,” Kevin told Lilian, who’s adorable pout made him want to squeeze her cheeks, “but I’m not going to lie and say she’s a good, or even halfway decent cook. Didn’t I tell you? The whole reason I learned how to cook was because I didn’t want to keep eating takeout every night.”
“
No, you didn’t tell me that, actually.”
“
Oh,” Kevin said, right before he shrugged, “well, now you know.”
“
Right…”
After they finished eating, Kevin and Lilian cracked open some sodas from the cooler and enjoyed the carbonated beverage alongside the afternoon breeze.
Coach Deretaine would have a fit if he knew I was drinking soda.
The thought amused Kevin, but he didn’t think it for long as a voice called out to them.
“
Kevin! Lilian!”
As one, Kevin and Lilian looked over to see Lindsay and what appeared to be her entire soccer team walking onto the field. The tomboy’s black sport shorts wrapped snuggly around her toned hips, and the old sleeveless shirt she wore looked ready to fall apart at the lightest touch. A soccer ball was tucked under her left arm as she jogged up to them.
“
Hey, Lindsay!” Lilian greeted her former rival for Kevin’s affection. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“
This place has the best soccer fields for a friendly scrimmage,” the tomboy answered, her grin widening when she saw how close the two were. “Look at you two, getting all cozy with each other. You look like the perfect little couple.”
While Kevin blushed and Lilian radiated inconceivable amounts of joy, the tomboy’s attention shifted to the beautiful woman in the kimono. Kotohime struck an intimidating vision of incomprehensible loveliness, as per the usual. Her kimono that day was dark blue, and depicted a colossal wave like the kind people saw during storms.
“
Good afternoon, Kotohime.”
“
Good afternoon, Lindsay-san.”
Lindsay didn’t think she would ever get used to the way Kotohime added a Japanese suffix to her name. It didn’t even sound right with her American name.
“
I see you’re polishing your… katana.”
Indeed she was. Sitting in
seiza
underneath the tree, Kotohime had removed her katana from its sheath and was laboriously, maybe even lovingly, polishing her blade with an almost tender caress.
It was all kinds of creepy.
“
It is a very important process that you can never do too often," Kotohime responded, the
Uchiko Ball
in her left hand caressing the gleaming blade as if it were a lover. “The surface polish of a katana is just as important to the act of cutting as the geometry of the blade itself. It is especially important for the durability of the edge and surface friction of the blade. It would be very bad if I went into battle with a dull and unpolished katana, and my blade became stuck within the flesh, muscle and bone of the person I was gutting.”
Upon finishing her explanation, Kotohime looked up from her work to see Lilian and Lindsay hiding behind a very frightened Kevin. All three of them were staring at her with wide-eyed expressions of pure terror.
Kotohime tilted her head in adorable confusion. “Ara? Was it something I said?”
***
After meeting Lilian and Kevin, Lindsay managed to somehow rope the redhead into playing a game of soccer, claiming they were one player short and needed her to play with them.