The Way You Make Me Feel (Kouji)

[Takchawee Ominotago]

"What a bastard," Tak growled to herself, trying to sort her belongings and get them back to where they had been previous to having been moved to Chester's. True, he had warned her he was going to take out her stuff if she didn't get into the car with him at the beach, but she was still angry at him. Fortunately, nothing was really broken, but her clothes were messy and her hygienic products were in disarray. As she tossed a shirt into her drawer, she let out a small puff of a sigh and threw her hands in the air, before stomping over and flopping on her back onto her bed. That was about the last of the stuff, and she should be happy that it hadn't been worse, but there was still something about the situation that just upset her. Maybe it was the fact that she had been kicked out in general. Not that that would probably stop her from going back, but it would take a bit of effort.

Damn him for being so intoxicating to her. At least Cam had showed up and provided some relief, although it was mostly just the carnal kind. Which was fine and all, but sometimes, much as she disliked to admit it, sometimes she just wanted a hug. It made her feel weak, but it was the truth. She rolled over onto her stomach, sighing again. Maybe, if she was lucky, someone would bother her and she could take her frustrations out on them. That might make her feel a little better.

Unless, of course, it was someone (or rather, the one person) she cared about. Only his presence would be welcome.

[Kouji Yajima]

Kouji walked down the hall, his hair dripping wet and his Adidas duffle hanging off his shoulder. He had just finished showering after soccer practice and was heading back to his dorm to drop off his stuff. He wasn’t sure what his plan was for the rest of the day, but he figured he’d busy himself one way or another. Just as he turned a corner, he ran into another student on the soccer team. Apparently, it was a good thing they had bumped into one another, for the guy told him that ‘the hot chick you always hang out with was stomping down the hall’. In response, Kouji groaned, mumbling how that ‘hot chick’ had a name, and that he better learn it.

Nonetheless, he listened to his teammate’s advice and immediately headed towards Tak’s dorm. He was surprised to hear Tak was around the dorms; she had told him that she was moving in with Chester, so he wondered if that had something to do with her bad attitude. Oh Chester, how Kouji disliked him. He wouldn’t let Tak know that, but Kouji was jealous. Not to mention, Chester had a bad reputation as it was, so he disliked the idea of Tak hanging around such a jerk, but he wasn’t going to go around telling Tak who she could or couldn’t hang out (or do whatever) with. That just wasn’t his style.

He entered the dorm without bothering to knock – he was there enough to be welcome without having to by this point. “Tak?” Kouji called out, heading to her dorm and opening the door to find his best friend on her bed, looking bothered. He stepped inside and immediately walked over to her, sitting on the bed and placing a hand on her back. “You okay?” He wasn’t one for easing into the conversation when it came to Tak. If she wasn’t okay, he wanted to know why and what he could do to help.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak was actually considering texting Kouji, because he was the only person that would probably actually care how she felt. It was sad, but it was the truth, and it was her own fault. But just as she began to reach over to that damn phone that Chester had replaced her own with, her door opened, and there stood the one person she wanted to see. Her eyes immediately lit up, although she couldn't muster a smile, not quite. "Kouj," she murmured, watching as he sat down next to her and placed a hand on her back. His touch was enough to make her feel a little better already. His gentle kindness was just... Contagious. And in so many ways, so much better than what she usually pursued in guys. Again, her own fault. She just didn't think she was capable of being that way to anyone. Even if Kouji did have a tendency to bring out just a tiny bit of the best of her.

"'m fine," she sighed, obviously not. "Chester just.... Oh, we got into a fight, like usual, and he kicked me out." She shrugged, adding,"It was my own fault too, I didn't listen to him when he threatened me." She looked up at her best friend, hating to lay the burden of her rants on him, but who else would she go to? "It's probably for the best, you know? It's not... Exactly... A healthy relationship." She had told Kouji about what they had done, thought not in great detail, but enough for him to know the gist of it. Had she known how strongly he felt towards her.... She might feel bad about sharing so much.

But she didn't, and she shared anyway. He always listened with such patience and understanding, although she knew how much he disliked the redhead. If she had a better heart, she might take some of his advice against Chester, but... She had a certain desire that she wanted satiated, and she hadn't found anyone else to replace it yet. "Do you maybe... Wanna go do something? I need to get out of this place," she added, motioning to her room with stuff still sort of out of place.

[Kouji Yajima]

Kouji frowned, running his hand lightly up and down Tak’s back to try and comfort her a bit. Of course it was a Chester problem. If Kouji had it his way, he would go up to Chester and have a few words with him, and possibly a couple of fists would be thrown into the equation as well. “Threatened?” Kouji growled. Nobody threatened Tak without having to deal with Kouji. Although he was a pretty carefree guy, Kouji wasn’t afraid to confront people when they hurt those close to him, and Tak was the closest person he had, so he was extra defensive when it came to those matters.

Hearing the story was painful, but Kouji listened intently. He couldn’t say he particularly enjoyed listening to some parts, especially those that suggested intimate moments, but he knew that Tak needed to get it off her chest. He would take on any amount of pain if it eased Tak’s suffering just the lightest, so hearing a few awkward details wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

Once she finished, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. “I think… you might want to stop hanging out with him.” He tried to not sound biased, but he was even more angry at Chester now than ever before. He wanted to take away Tak’s pain and throw it at the redhead in tenfold. Kouji hated being angry, but at times he couldn’t help it. More than anything, he felt the want to cheer Tak up. Without warning, he learned forward and pulled Tak into an embrace, nuzzling the back of her neck affectionately. “Yeah, of course.” He said softly in her ear, “What do you want to do?”

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Kouji's gentle hand rubbing Tak's spine sent a warm feeling through her. It was amazing how much the touch of a friend could make someone feel better. Oh, if only she knew how strongly he felt about her. "Yeah... I mean, it's really my own fault, I guess. I should have listened to him in the first place. But I'm just so damn stubborn, you know?" She let out a little hiccuping laugh, seeing little humor in the situation. She hated herself for being so upset about the entire thing, and would never let Chester know how much his actions effected her, but she knew Kouji would never tell a soul. He was the one person in this entire school, maybe the entire world, that she trusted completely.

She really needed to stop being so blind. Why the hell was she attached to people like Chester when someone so perfect for her was always right by her side? Maybe it was her own low opinion of herself that kept her from pursuing a healthy relationship. She didn't think she had a low view of herself, but then again, she didn't feel like she deserved a relationship like that. She was too unpredictable, too wild and insatiable. She didn't want to have anyone feel like they needed to commit to that. Least of all Kouji. He was too wonderful.

She smiled slightly and looked up at him at his opinion. "That's a good idea," she agreed. "Unfortunately, I kinda know something about him and Cam that-" she halted, eyes widening. Had she promised not to tell just Cam about Chester's feelings? Or anyone in general? Whatever the case, she had nearly slipped and told Kouji about the hold she had over the redhead. "Anyway," she cleared her throat. "He kinda can't let me too far out of his sight - he's paranoid. So even if I did stop hanging out with him... I doubt that would keep him away." She hated the feeling of lust that rose within her thinking about their 'meetings' - her own desires made her sick sometimes. But then Kouji's arms were around her and she felt his soft touch on the back of her neck, and she gave him her first genuine smile of the day. She rolled over and pulled him closer, hugging him tightly and giving his cheek a kiss before pulling back slightly. "You know what I want to do?" she asked, quickly deciding. "I want to get a bunch of junk food, and go on a hike, and find somewhere beautiful and warm and sunny and just sit and cuddle until the sun goes down. Does that sound reasonable?"

[Kouji Yajima]

Kouji let out a sigh. He really hated seeing Tak upset; she was so chill and carefree, so when she was upset, Kouji shared her feelings. “He doesn’t have control over you, you know. You can do whatever you want.” He gave a bit of a pout, but smiled at her when she turned around. He really wished that Tak would realize how wonderful she was and how guys like Chester didn’t deserve to hang out with her. Then again, Kouji also thought that he didn’t deserve to be able to be with Tak – she was sort of untouchable. Kouji was grateful to be considered Tak’s best friend though, and although he didn’t consider himself totally worthy, he selfishly wouldn’t leave her side unless she told him to.

Kouji raised an eyebrow at the mentioning of Cam. He wasn’t sure what was going on between the three of them, and if Tak didn’t openly tell him, he assumed it was a pretty big deal. He wouldn’t push it though, because he figured if Tak wanted to or could tell Kouji, she would. Once Tak turned around, he pulled her into a tighter hug, as if hugging her would protect her from Chester and everything bad in the world. “Hmm?” When it came to Tak, there could be a number of things she wanted to do. She never failed to surprise him, although her answer was pretty normal – and it sounded like a lot of fun. “Then what are we waiting for?” He sat up, pulling her up with him. “We could hit the grocery store, and not too far from there is a trail we could take. It leads to a nice place I wanted to show you!”

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Unfortunately, Tak's upset really was her own doing. But Kouji was sweet and loyal enough to look past that. "Yeaah, you're right," she agreed, furrowing her brow. "So next time I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind." ... And probably her body. Dammit. She really needed to learn self-control. "Thank you, Kouji," she added in a murmur, her eyes softening again. It was so hard to be upset around him. "I don't know what I would do without you." Geeze, he really was starting to effect her. She tried to figure out whether her softness bothered her or not, and thought that as long as she could keep up a facade of aloofness and lack of her true emotions around other people, then she would welcome the change. Just around him, she could really be herself.

It stunned her for a brief moment, and she tried to put it out of her mind for now. She was so used to putting on a fake face, or taking everything with a grain of salt and ignoring what people thought of her, she realized Kouji's opinion of her mattered. A hell of a lot.

She was VERY tempted to tell Kouj everything. What would be the harm? She made a decision then to tell him when they were away from Hammel. If she asked him not to say anything to anyone, she knew he wouldn't. Maybe he could help her out with her situation. If anyone could, it was him. "That sounds wonderful," she sighed happily, allowing him to pull her up and wrapping her arms briefly around his neck before reaching for his hand and walking towards her dorm door. "A place that you wanted to show me?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow and smiling slyly. "I look forward to it." Yep, the old Tak was coming back already.

Since neither of them drove, they were limited to their bikes to get to the store. Tak made sure to grab some money she had made fortune-telling on the way out, enough to get a junk food feast, and then they were off. The wind was a bit chilly, and Tak had been dumb and worn shorts and a very low-necked shirt, so the cold breeze made goosebumps rise on her arms and chest. Nevertheless, they got to the store in one piece, and Tak made sure to lock their bikes before going inside. "What should we get?" she asked, making a beeline for the unhealthy aisle.

[Kouji Yajima]

Tak seemed to be cheering up, at least a bit, and Kouji grinned. “That’s right. You tell him.” He replied, completely oblivious to what she was actually thinking. If anything, he was taking it as in she would stop sleeping with Chester, and that was a very good idea in Kouji’s mind. He felt a little bit of him melt at her thanks. He was happy to help her in any way that he could. His eyes brightened and he gave a nod, “No worries. That’s what I’m here for.”

He couldn’t hide the giddy smile that took over his face when Tak held his hand. Little things like that made him happy. Some people think that relationships are all about sex, but Kouji loved holding hands and cuddling, because those moments were just as special to him. He hated how guys would go around talking about nothing but how they wanted to bang hot girls, because although he knew it wasn’t manly to say, he thought that he can’t the only guy in the world who really didn’t think with (just) his penis.

Fall was certainly on its way, and it was a bit chilly. He shook his head, noticing the goose bumps on Tak. Without a word, he slid off the jacket that he bought with him and tossed it on Tak’s shoulders. He wasn’t trying to be particularly cheesy there, but he was bigger than Tak, thus he could take the cold a bit more than a tiny girl like Tak could. “Ever hear of a weather report?” He teased innocently, giving her a grin to insure she knew he was just joking. They walked into the store and headed directly for the isle that practically read ‘heart attack’, but that was where the gold was. “Hmmm, well, I vote for some ketchup chips.” Although they weren’t too common, he knew that this particular store had sold them. It was an acquired taste, but he thought they were tasty.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Now that Tak thought about it, Kouji was really the only boy she just held hands with. It was somehow more intimate in some ways, although she saw it just as a sign of their friendship. It was like a physical union of how close they were, and Tak would gladly hold his hand or cuddle with him all day, even if it wasn't 'manly' of him. She made such a huge mistake going after guys that did just think with their manparts. She would realize this eventually. But for now, she was happy just to be close to her Kitten.

As Kouji offered Tak his jacket, she gave him a lopsided grin and shrugged her shoulders into it, tugging her arms through the sleeves. "Are you sure you won't get cold?" she asked, finding herself actually enjoying the soft texture of the cloth against her skin. It smelled like Kouji, too, which she found comforting. She snorted at his comment, rolling her eyes. "I like to pretend fall isn't here," she sighed. "Why can't it be summer forever?" She linked their hands together once more as they walked to the aisle. From any outsider's point of view, they would definitely look like a couple. But Tak was all ignorance as they scanned the food. "Hmmmm, I haven't tried those before," she commented, catching sight of the bag. "Why not?" She grabbed it and handed it to Kouji - his arms were longer and therefore able to hold more than hers - as she looked for more to buy. "Ohh, Oreos are always a must," she told him, getting a package. They proceeded to go down the aisle until they added Doritos, gummy bears, and a bottle of rootbeer to the mix. Enough to give a whole classroom a sugar high. Soon they had purchased the items and exited the store, each of them carrying a plastic bag. "So! Where is this trail you speak of?" Tak asked. The sun was getting lower in the sky, but they still had a good couple hours of daylight left.

[Kouji Yajima]

Oh, how Tak looked absolutely adorable in his jacket. “Wait, hold on!” Kouji reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small digital camera. Although he wasn’t into photography as much as Tak was, he liked taking pictures with his little camera, just to remember the fun moments. He extended out his arm and leaned in closer to Tak. “Cheese!” Click. “There, now we may proceed.” He had a large number of photos of him and Tak, they were just fun to have and he wanted to keep as many memories of them together that he could. The background to his phone and computer were also pictures of them together.

“They’re yummyyyyy.” Kouji happily took the bag into his free arm, assuming that he would be the grocery cart for this trip. He could carry an awful lot too, so it wasn’t really a problem. He didn’t need to give much more input than the chips, for Tak had a similar taste in food as Kouji. It was hard to go wrong with junk food. He sneakily paid for the items before Tak had a chance to and grabbed the plastic bag. The cashier gave them a warm smile and clearly thought they were a couple, but Kouji was sort of oblivious to how it looked to others. To him, it was just a normal evening with Tak.

They left their bikes at the store, and Kouji started leading them towards the lake. “It’s right over this way.” Once they got closer to the lake, he found a trail that looked like it wasn’t often traveled down. “I was going for a run a couple days ago and accidentally stumbled across it.” Within about twenty minutes, they reached a clearing. “Ta da!” There was a giant rock that was flat at the top and perfect to sit on, and the view showed the lake, which was looking beautiful with the sun hovering over it.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

Tak rolled her eyes as Kouji reached for his camera, but made sure to give a big, cheesy grin as he snapped their picture. She let out a small laugh. "What was that for?" she asked, not that she minded. She just wasn't sure what had prompted him to do it then. Maybe it was because it was one of the rare occasions her arms and upper chest were actually covered. Or something like that. She had her own camera tucked into her bag, hoping the sunset would provide some nice colors for some photos. Or if nothing more, she could just take more cheesy pictures of the two of them together. She had tons already, but there would never be enough.

"Heeeey," Tak began to complain as Kouji paid, but she knew it was pointless. She thanked him by giving his side a hug and pressing her lips against his shoulder. "You didn't have to do that. I finally actually have some money!" It wasn't a lot, but it was something. She paused, before adding quietly,"Thanks, Kitten. For everything." Who else could put up with her enough to cheer her up out of a sour mood, get her out and happy once more, AND go out of their way to make her feel wanted? No one that she knew of. She was such a lucky girl.

Hands still linked (he felt like a lifeline to Tak right now, she was not going to let go easily), Tak nodded curiously at his explanation. She had been to the lake plenty of times, but she hadn't seen this trail before. "Let's go!" she said, and they set off. It was a pleasant walk, not too long or arduous, just enough to get her heart rate a little higher. It was a welcome feeling - exercise always made Tak feel better. And exercise with Kouji? Even better. Once they reached their destination, she let out a soft,"Ooooh," pausing to look at the view. "This is gorgeous, Kouji!" she exclaimed, immediately tugging him towards the rock and finding a place to rest in the middle, with a perfect view of the sunset over the lake. Once settled, she pulled out their food supplies, immediately ripping the bag of chips and Oreos open and digging into them with relish, regardless of how unmannerly she was acting. She knew Kouj wouldn't mind. She sidled up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder, munching on an Oreo. "Those are pretty good," she commented, motioning towards the chips. Her mind, however, was drifting back to what she had decided to tell Kouji once they got there. "So, um, you know how I mentioned Cam and Chester earlier...?" she began slowly.

[Kouji Yajima]

Kouji looked at the display on his camera and smiled happily; they both looked like big dorks – just how Kouji liked it. “Just ‘cause.” He shrugged, having no particular reason besides wanting the photo and memory of them together. He laughed when Tak whined about him paying. He really didn’t think it was a big deal, “Then save it. You can treat next time, kay?” Yeah. That was a lie. Ah well. Kouji looked down at Tak when she thanked him, and he wasn’t quite sure what to say in response. He was just happy that Tak was starting to feel better; her happiness was all the thanks he could possibly need or want. Kouji gave a goofy grin and leaned down, plopping a light kiss on her head."Don't worry about it." He mumbled into her hair.

He was happy to see her excited reaction once they reached their destination, and he let her pull him to a spot to sit down and start munching. “I thought you’d like it here. I don’t know why this isn’t a popular spot.” He grinned over at her. Tak’s eating habits were, if anything, absolutely the cutest thing on the planet. Kouji was a messy eater, and didn’t have the best table manners. He was polite, yes, but he wasn’t afraid to talk with his mouth full or stuff his face. Kouji grabbed a handful of ketchup chips and shoved them into his mouth, sending crumbs everywhere. “A’en’t ‘eh goo’?” he swallowed quickly, laughing a bit before grabbing an Oreo… or three.

Once the topic changed, Kouji slowed down his eating and turned his gaze from the lake back over to Tak. “Yeah, why?” He had a gut feeling that this was a serious situation, so he turned his entire focus to Tak. She wouldn’t have had held off talking about it earlier if it wasn’t.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

"I'm keeping you to that," Tak told him about paying next time. "Dinner, tomorrow. I'm paying." Oh yeah, she was stubborn, so it would be interesting to see who won out on this one. But she still had a big grin on her face as Kouji leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "You're the best," she concluded quietly, ruffling his hair when he pulled away.

"I don't know why either!" she replied, running her hand over the smooth rock underneath them. "But I know I'm not going to tell anyone about it. This will be our special place." She shot him a grin. Nope, nobody, including Cam or Chester or anyone else, would find out about this. Tak would be sure of it. Maybe she had gotten her eating habits from him, because they were both eating in a similar fashion, and she was sure any outsiders would frown upon their gluttony. Oops. It was fun, so why the hell did it matter? She brushed off a stray crumb (or five) from his shirt, and got an idea. It was getting chillier, and even Kouji was sure to be getting cold. She pulled her arm out of one side of the jacket and wrapped it around to his side, so they were both inside of it. It was a tight squeeze, but it worked. She snapped open the gummy bears, viciously tearing off the head of a green one before popping the entire thing in her mouth.

She continued to chew as she thought of the best way to go about telling him. She could feel his gaze directed intently at her, but she kept her eyes on the ground. "Um, when I first met Chester, I kinda... Found out something about him that I shouldn't have." She wasn't going to specify how - he should know her ability well enough to know that intimacy gave her stronger readings from a person. "He kinda... Um... You can't tell anyone this, okay?" she asked, looking up with pleading eyes. "He... He's kinda obsessed with Cameron." She didn't want to say in love because the idea of the cad being in love was absurd to her. "And well.... That's why he's so paranoid about keeping me around. Because I know something no one else does." Well, now someone else did. She let out a breath, realizing she had been shaking slightly. "I promised him I wouldn't tell Cam."

[Kouji Yajima]

Kouji pouted, knowing within that time she would remember. “But paying for dinner is more expensive than snaaaacks.” He’d just have to sneak in and pay anyway. He might have to deal with a cute, whining Tak, but that was perfectly okay with Kouji. He grinned, liking it when Tak complimented him; it made his heart beat a little fast every time she did it. “Hey, watch the hair!” He joked, still grinning as he ran a hand through his hair, which only resulted in messing it up even more. Ah well.

“Yup, this is our special place.” Kouji looked out at the lake again, letting out a content sigh. He liked the idea of having a secret place that only they knew about. He wasn’t sure what he’d think of Tak ended up bringing Chester or Cameron out there and doing only God knows what. It’d probably ruin it for him. She did honestly believe that Tak wouldn’t share this place with anyone else though. He laughed when Tak brushed the crumbs off of his shirt. It was good that he had her to take care of him sometimes. He would be lost without her, no doubt. He grabbed a few gummy bears and threw one into his mouth. Gummy bears were special – you could only eat one at a time.

Kouji wasn’t sure what to think of what Tak had told him. He didn’t personally know Cam or Chester, but he didn’t seem like it was a big deal for Chester to be infatuated with Cam. Then again, Tak had said obsessed. Obsessed wasn’t always a good thing. He frowned, hoping that Tak knowing about this wasn’t as bad as it was starting to seem. “If he tries to hurt you, tell me, okay? Or even if you think he will.” Kouji stated, a sort of seriousness washing over his face. Kouji was very rarely serious about things, but he was not going to let Tak get hurt. He nodded, “I promise I wont.” He held up his index finger and crossed it over his heart.

[Takchawee Ominotago]

"Yeaaah, but you aaaalways pay for things," Tak told him, wrinkling her nose at his expression and copying his whine. "Please let me treat you. Just this once. Then you can go back to smothering me with things. Deal?" She grinned, giving him a nudge. She didn't actually expect him to keep paying for things - even if she knew he wouldn't mind. "But I loooove your hair," she teased, pulling her own over her shoulder to run a hand through it. She loved hair in general - not to mention, hers had a habit of making sex a lot more interesting. But she wasn't about to tell Kouji that.

"We should give it a name," she agreed, thinking for a moment while she chewed. It was sacred now, and she liked to pretend that once they claimed it, no one else would be able to come there except for them. "Hmmm. Tanka Iya Leciya Mni," Tak declared. "Great Rock over Water." Okay, it wasn't the most creative of names, but her native Lakota language made everything feel more special anyway. She watched him pop a gummy bear into his mouth, before she grabbed a red one and bit off its head. "You're eating them wrong," she told him solemnly. "You need to decapitate them first, otherwise they'll come to life in your stomach and eat you from the inside out." She nodded wisely, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

Tak was sort of relieved that Kouji didn't seem overly concerned about the situation, but the loyalty she sensed from him was enough for her to know that he wanted to make sure she was okay. At his question about Chester hurting her, she tried to pretend that he... Well, hadn't already. "Um, yeah, okay," she agreed, sort of lying between her teeth. Well, it wasn't like she had tried to stop him, right? If anything, he was doing what she wanted. She smiled faintly as he crossed his finger over his heart. "Thanks, Kouj," she murmured. She gave his side a hug. Then, without thinking, she tugged on the front of her shirt as a fold in the fabric was irritating her, accidentally exposing the lower flesh of her chest, nothing overly revealing, but definitely showing more than what was normal (for most people). In the process, there was a brief flash of a c-shaped red mark on her skin, before she hurriedly pulled the hem of her shirt up again. Crap. Kouji didn't need to know about that. Alex, Chester's butler with biological manipulation, must have missed that spot when he was healing her last time.