Blissful Ignorance

7th Step: Grade Results

THAT... THAT... THAT... THAT STUPID OTAKU JERK... IDIOT... MORON... CLUELESS, DEMENTED MILITARY MANIAC!

Ugh....!

Setting me up like that! Making me look like a moron... making me jump to conclusions... Agrh...!

?YOU idiot!? I barked, fuming.

When he didn't respond, I became a little concerned, but soon enough he opened his eyes, though still very much disoriented.

He groaned slightly, rubbing his head... both where I had hit him, and where he hit it himself when he hit the floor.

?Kaname...? he groaned. ?That really... really... hurt, Kaname...?

I stomped angrily. ?Good!? I exclaimed. ?It was supposed to!?

Groggily, he stumbled to his feet, and still unbalanced, he tumbled to the side. Immediately I went to his aid, catching him in my arms before he ran into something and injured himself further. Stupid otaku... only I was supposed to hurt him!

?Sousuke...!? I said, holding him tightly against me as he weakly hung in my arms. He was still seeing stars, probably.

?Kaname...? he whispered.

?Yeah...?? I asked with concern.

?Perhaps I should reconsider my request...? he mumbled.

Without thinking it twice, I released him and he once again tumbled to the ground.

?You idiot!? I snapped. ?Say something that stupid again and I you'll wish the only thing I did was hit you with the frying pan!?

He groaned again when he hit the floor. Unmobilized, he remained in the floor for about 15 seconds before he decided to stir again. Groggily, he got on all fours and blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the haze in his eyes.

Sighing, I knelt in front of him, regretting using that much force on him. I really should be careful more often.

?Sousuke...? I said, taking his face into my hands, making him look at me.

?Kaname...? He mumbled, still hazy.

?You stupid moron... why didn't you say I was that girl you wanted to go out with??

?I... I did... Kaname...?

?Yeah, but at the very LAST minute!? I huffed. ?You had me swallowing tacks for a very long time there!?

He squinted, apparently trying to make out my face. I sighed again. ?I'm sorry, Sousuke... I didn't mean to be so harsh... but sometimes... sometimes you just... you, you... you really tick me off!?

?I apologize, Kaname...? he muttered, slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings. Slowly, he straightened and still kneeling, leaned back until he sat with his legs under him. I copied his actions, and there we were, looking at each other.

?It's... it's alright,? I said sheepishly. ?I should be the one apologizing for hitting you so hard. Will you forgive me??

Now clearly aware of his surroundings, but still grimacing due to the pain, he smiled softly. ?It's alright, Kaname... perhaps I've should've said something sooner.?

?Yeah, you should have!? I retorted indignantly. ?Humph!?

?I will keep that in mind.? He looked at me quietly.

I looked at him as well. But... I couldn't help myself for much longer. I sprung myself at him, squeaking in delight, throwing my arms around him happily. ?Oh, Sousuke... you moron!? I gushed, holding him tightly.

He returned my embrace just as tightly, pulling me against him wantonly. Truly, I couldn't recall being this happy. Before I could confuse him any further, I spoke happily.

?Yes, Sousuke... you can be my boyfriend... and I can be your girlfriend...?

I pulled back enough to look at him. Immediately I noticed another growing lump next to the one he already had... yup... courtesy of me... I had clobbered him earlier, after all. I grimaced slightly, but decided no to say a word about it.

?Affirmative,? he voiced, returning my gaze. ?We shall be boyfriend and girlfriend,? he added with a robot-like tone.

I couldn't help but to giggle at his otakuness. ?Yes... we shall,? I voiced and returned to holding him to me.

We remained like that for what seemed like an eternity, until he decided to slightly pull back. I looked into his eyes, only to be struck by that deep serious gray gaze of his. We contemplated each other's gaze until before I could realize it, my hand dug behind his head and pulled him towards me. He seemed a little shocked at first, but refused to protest, seemingly deciding to simply follow my lead. When our faces were mere millimeters away I moved forward until, finally, my lips brushed against his gently, tentatively.

I felt his stiffness and further shock against me, his lips remaining unmobilized. I decided to drive on, hoping he would get the hint. Eventually, he did.

His lips parted slightly against my own, allowing me to feel bolder and deepen the kiss. I moaned softly when his lips started moving, his kiss mirroring as much ardor as I displayed, pleasantly surprising me, and him as well. I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him even closer to me. He grunted just slightly, the sound electrifying every cell in my body, not to mention the fact that he greedily pulled me tightly against him as well.

Our very first make out session extended for several minutes until finally, I decided to come up for air. Reluctantly, I pulled back and slowly opened my eyes to see he was also slowing opening his eyes.

?Sousuke...? I whispered.

?Kaname...? he whispered in return.

?You just don't know how long I've been waiting and wishing for something like this to happen...? I said quietly.

He smiled. ?I... I... many times I found myself wishing the same thing, Kaname,? he admitted shyly, causing me to smile lovingly at him.

?Took you long enough,? I retorted jokingly.

?Affirmative,? he agreed.

I brushed a few hair strands away from his face, and continued to pet his hair softly. ?If you could only know how much in love with you I am...?

He also mirrored my actions, but proceeded to do something that shocked even me. He brushed his lips against mine gently. Since when had Sousuke become the kissing expert, anyway? Well... not that I was complaining!

?Based on all the intelligence I've gathered, and the things I've been feeling ever since I can remember... I'm in love with you too, Kaname...?

I couldn't help but to grin and place a lingering kiss against his lips. Take that, you stupid otaku... try matching that! ?You make me happy, Sousuke...? I said quietly after our lips parted.

?I'm very pleased to hear that,? he mumbled quietly.

I smiled, and pulled him against me, pulling him tightly against me. ?I don't ever want you to leave me, Sousuke... never ever...?

?Understood,? he voiced. Before I could get comfortable in his arms again, he spoke again. ?We should at least get off the floor, Kaname...?

I smiled, pulling away. ?You're probably right,? I agreed, but didn't let go of his hand.

I stood up first, and he followed suit, but not without wobbling a bit. Instinctively, I held him by the shoulders, helping him keep balanced.

?Kaname??

I looked to that serious face of his questionably. He fidgeted a bit, but gathered enough resolve to continue.

?Can I have an aspirin... I have this horrible pounding headache...?

I couldn't help but to chuckle a little embarrassed, and led him to the couch where I forced him to sit.

?Sit tight... I'll be right back.?

Quickly, I retrieved the pill and a full glass of water and... an ice pack. I returned to the living room where I had left him, where he sat patiently waiting. Without a word, I handed him the glass of water and a couple of aspirins. He drank them obediently, and I sat next to him, my legs tucked under me. Then, brushing a few of his hair strands from his forehead and I pressed the lightly wrapped in a towel icepack over the two bumps on his forehead. He flinched at first, but didn't say anything, taking a deep breath, he relaxed against the coolness of the pack.

He then turned to look at me with those silver pool of his, taking my breath away... stupid otaku... why did he have to be so handsome. Tentatively, he lifted his hand and caressed my cheek, exploring the new privileges and liberties he now had with me. I willingly leaned into his touch, closing my eyes and sighing contentedly. I too explored these news liberties. I leaned into him, pressing my body against his and resting my head against his shoulder. This therefore made him wrap one of his arms around my shoulders and gently hold me to him.

I sighed again, a pleased smiled in my face. ?I love you, Sousuke...?

Oh, crap... I didn't just think that... I actually said it, didn't I?

I looked up from my very comfortable position and looked into his eyes.

?Uhh...? this time, that wasn't Sousuke.

He returned my gaze, surprised and somewhat at a loss of words, and?not surprising?stiff again. He cupped my cheek in one of his hands. ?You do...??

I grimaced in fear. ?I... I do...?

I looked intently, waiting for his reaction. What was he thinking that very moment? Why did he just sit there looking at me like an idiot? Say something, for God's sake...!

?Kaname...? he rubbed my cheekbone with his calloused thumb. ?Thank you.?

Thank you? Thank you?! That's not what you're supposed say when someone tells you they love you, you moron!

?You're welcome... for what, though??

?For... loving me...?

Yeah... okay... stupid otaku...!

?Oh,? I said quietly.

He leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead and held me tightly to him, my head resting against his chest. His heart beat at a slow and steady pace at first, but all of a sudden, its rate increased a notch or two.

?I love you, too, Kaname...?

Those words, and the sound effects of his heart had my own heart thumping loudly on my ears. I straightened and looked into his eyes with a smile. I leaned in and gently stole another kiss from him. ?Thank you...?

?You're welcome... for what?? came his even tone.

I grinned. For being amazing, for making me so happy, for being you.... ?For loving me.?

Without a word, he gently nodded and pulled me selfishly to him again.


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Author's Note: So there you have it! BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET! The very last chapter is up next?or I might end up breaking it up in two. I haven't decided yet... since I haven't finished yet. We'll see. Though without a doubt, there will be some very steamy scenes in the near future. In the mean time, I ask for your patience... I was only able to update so fast because I had already written the previous chapters and all I needed to do was proof read. In any case, if you're into ?intimate scenes? I promise it's not going to be anything gross... I'm personally not much into ?gross? stuff, but a little loving can never go wrong, right? Right? I plan to make it a very romantic and loving scene?bordering mushy, probably, but I'll do my best not to do that. Anyway... till next time.

I love romantic sex scenes - it's why I can't write straight-out smut myself. Gotta put it in context somehow.
I was going to wait until you have everything up to review, but I figured maybe I should go ahead. I thought the back-and-forth between Soususke and Kaname here was very fumoffu-ish - with her hitting him one minute, and loving the next. It's just like Sousuke to put her on edge like that (making her think he wants someone else) without meaning to.

Hey, TaleWeaver!

Thanks for posting your comments!

Yeah, now that you mention it, it kind of is "Fumoffuish"! I should be posting the end sometime soon this week, so it is not a problem. Perhaps by then I'll get to see what people have really thought about the story. There are some really great writers out there--yourself included, for I've read your work--so I know the standard for FMP fanfics is very high.

But then again, I also wanted to do my own thing. The one thing that a lot of people tend to do with Sousuke especially is that they portray him a little too clueless, and even though he is, he's not as much as people seem to think so. I wanted to try something new. In many of the stories, it has always been Kaname making the first move on Sousuke, but the truth is that he likes her just as much, so I decided to explore the route of him actually asking her out... which is unthinkable to a lot of people, but why not? He's human too... as much of an otaku he can be. There's a difference between being completely dense and just innocent, and I think Sousuke is just more of the latter. To me he's just someone who's driven more by instinct than prior knowledge when in difficult situations.

But that's just me! If people don't like that, they are more than welcome to send flames! Ha!

Best Regards,

Perpetual

P.S. That love scene is definitely a go, so you'll be reading that soon as well

Good point, about the difference between 'ignorance' and 'innocence'; personally, I think not enough writers get the fact that at the bone, Sousuke's an absolute savage, underneath the military discipline. That's why he has such trouble with the real world - he's not just battling the rigid rules of the military mindset, but the simple black-and-white view of the savage. I don't mean that as an insult, either - in many ways it makes Sousuke a better person than most of us. His actions are always straightforward, without the casual deception of everyday life.

It's also what allows him to be the lover Kaname needs - after losing her mother (and to an great extent, her father and sister) Kaname needs someone devoted to her exclusively. Which Sousuke is. On the other side... not to diss Tessa, but I really don't think she can handle the responsibility of being loved by someone like Sousuke. Holding the leash of a wolf isn't something to be taken lightly. To have someone willing to kill for you because they love you, is a fearsome burden. I'm working on a story exploring this - when I post it here (or my lj) look for 'master of what is mine own'.

Excellent! I get to read another of your stories! I'm glad you agree with my own little analysis of Sousuke's personality, and I must say that I agree with your opinion as well. Indeed, Tessa, as much as I admire her for all her talents and will, is not the one for Sousuke. Maybe because we as followers of the story have most of the time been exposed to the Sousuke + Kaname possibility, instead of Sousuke + Tessa... but even so... I truly believe that Sousuke and Kaname were truly made for each other... these two characters, when pushed to their limits, can be very fierce and passionate, and though it is never said openly, I think that's the reason why the are attracted to each other so much. Also, their sense of loyalty and honor is also very high, something they greatly admire about each other. Most importantly, from Sousuke's part, I think that one of the things he likes the most about Kaname is that she can actually keep up with with him in emergency situations, even without combat experience, while Tessa just seems to drag him and slow him down. He knows that Kaname could make a magnificent "soldier" if she were to ever consider this idea. And like you said, Kaname is kind of like a "one-man-show"... she definitely needs someone who can devote his whole life to her, who is willing to do the unthinkable for her, and the only one who can do that is Soususke.

Actually, it'll be a lot more than 'another' ! I signed up for Sousuke and Kaname at both 30 kisses and 30 lemons - I may not post all of them here, but I probably will at mediaminer - and definitely at my lj (nessataleweaver.livejournal.com).

You're right about them being made for each other. They're not just matched in the weakness/strength ratios (one being strong in the areas where the other is weak) but they each have the capabilities and talents to keep up in the most extreme situations in the other's life. These two are mated for life, (and capable of not just handling, but thriving on it) and have been since the first time they laid eyes on each other. Now, we just gotta wait for * them* to figure that out - and admit to it!

Mind you? I think that Sousuke's a warrior, not a soldier, for all he refers to himself as one.

Haha... you're so right! He is more of a warrior, even if he doesn't realize it. Yes, indeed, all we have to do is wait and see what happen... that Shouji Gatou is taking forever! Man... publicity... got it love it!

I'll be looking forward to your stories, though.