"Kina, I'm going to kill you!!" Zion growled, staring up at a person she hadn't seen in years-- and wasn't sure if she wanted to see again. Shaking her head angrily, she turned to leave.

Just then, Nicholas' eyes widened with recognition. "Zion?"

Zion winced. Here it comes, she thought. He's going to ask me what I'm doing here, and then kick me out again. . . Her eyes squeezed shut, and she waited for the rejection that she knew was coming.

But it never came.

"Wow! It's been forever! You look great!" the bishonen exclaimed. His arm reached out and pulled her back to him, forcing her to make eye contact. "Seems like you just crashed down from heaven," he drawled, grinning.

Zion felt her face growing warmer and warmer. Idiot idiot idiot, her mind caroled. Get a handle on that, would you? “I know," she managed to get out. "I-I’ve missed you a lot, but I. . . um. . . didn’t mean to show up here. . . um. . . I’ve got to go. . .” She averted her gaze again.

Oh, very smooth, she congratulated herself. Now he really knows what you mean.

"Wait a minute! We haven't talked for so long! I've missed you a lot, too." He pulled off his sunglasses so that he could see her more clearly.

"I really have to be going now. . ." Zion muttered, still avoiding his eyes. She knew that if she did look into them, she'd be caught all over again.

“No! Wait, stay for a while," he insisted, refusing to let her arm go. "I’ve been thinking about my life, and since you’ve left things have changed a lot. . . . We've got a lot to catch up on. Why don’t you come on in and have something to eat and we can chat?” he suggested. When she still wouldn't look at him, he frowned slightly and let go of her arm. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, though, that same hand had moved to her face and tilted it up to look at him. She didn't have time to resist.

The effect on her was the same as she thought it would be. Looking into those eyes, the eyes that she remembered so clearly now from the years long past, memories surfaced inside her and refused to be pushed aside. She couldn't deny that she wanted to talk with him, so. . . why exactly was she being so stubborn, anyway. . .?

"C'mon, what do you say?" He flashed a crooked smile at her.

"S-sure. . ." Zion stammered. Her cheeks were bright pink and she had a stupid grin on her face, she knew. But at that moment, she really didn't care.

Before the door closed behind her, she caught a glimpse of Kina smiling brightly at her and turning with Yue to leave. It didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Nicholas asked her casually once they were both settled in his living room.

"Oh, nothing really," Zion answered, getting herself situated in the purple armchair in one corner of his living room. "The usual school stuff. . . studying, stressing over finals, helping Kina avoid her stalker. . . yeah, nothing too interesting."

Wolfwood raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even going to ask about that one."

"Ah, there's not really much of a story behind it. Some creepy guy got really interested in Kina but she's married to Yue and so he started stalking her but something happened and now he has amnesia and is being treated somewhere up north," Zion finished.

The black-haired man across from her stared blankly at her for a second. ". . . Is amazing lung control something they teach you at that school, or is that just natural?" he finally managed to say.

"Oh, it's natural, I guess," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

". . . Nevermind." Wolfwood suddenly frowned again. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?" He patted the sofa cushion next to him. "Come over here," he offered. "I don't bite. . . hard." The last word was accompanied by a wink.

"Um." She blinked. "OK." She got up, straightened her baby T-shirt, and hesitantly sat down near him.

"That's better," he grinned. "So, what do you want to eat?"

She shrugged. "Whatever you've got is fine."

"Right, fried grasshoppers it is, then." He made his way over to the kitchen.

A giggle escaped her throat. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

He looked indignant. "I have so! I've gotten much handsomer."

Zion rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What are you really going to make for lunch?"

"Well. . . I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich."

"Sounds great. Can I help?" She half rose out of her chair.

"No, no." He motioned with one hand for her to sit. "You just keep talking to me, OK?"

"OK, OK," she laughed. "So what have you been doing? I told you, but you never told me."

"Same as you, the usual stuff. Doing homework, taking finals, hanging out with friends, dazzling the ladies with my charm. . . the usual stuff."

"Riiiiiiight." She glanced around the room. "You've got some nice furniture here! This place is a lot better furnished than last time I saw it." She winced internally. Furnished. Great word there. Now he'll think you're showing off.

He didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, it's amazing what you'll find at garage sales, isn't it?"

"You found all this at garage sales? I'm impressed. The best I can do at those things is usually getting a couple softcover books that I read once and then forget about."

Nicholas laughed. "Well, some of us have the gift. Some of us don't."

"My training is incomplete." Zion mock bowed. "Teach me, sensei!"

"Much fear I sense in you," the bishonen replied, doing his best Yoda impression.

"Oh, you caught me. I'm awfully afraid of secondhand junk."

"Cure that we shall have to."

"Just as long as we cure your Star Wars obsession, too."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in much the same way. Once the ice was broken, the two proceeded to smash it into about a thousand pieces by making up for all the lost time. They probably would have continued for a much longer time had Zion not glanced at her watch and yelped.

Nicholas jumped a little from where he was starting the dishwasher up. "What's wrong now?" he teased.

"I SO have to get home! I have a bunch of chores to do!" Zion quickly got up from the couch. "Sorry to eat and run, but I really really really have to get home now," she said a little more calmly.

He pouted. "Aw. Really?"

"Really."

"Well. . ." He pretended to think it over. "OK."

"It was nice seeing you again," she assured him as they walked to the doorway.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's do this again, OK? Say, same time next week?"

"Sure, why not?"

He opened the door for her. "And Zion?" His face took on a serious expression.

Her heart started beating a little bit faster inside her chest. He's going to tell you that he hates you, said the side of Zion that had been bothering her earlier. She pushed it aside and found the courage to ask, "What?"

"Next time you come, I promise you. . ." Nicholas put a hand on each of her shoulders. "We will cure your fear of secondhand junk!"

Zion cracked up. "Sure, Nicholas. Whatever."

He brought his face down so it was close to hers. "Seriously though," he said softly, "It was nice seeing you again." Then he grinned, pulled back, and stepped back inside the house. "See you next week?"

"R-right," she stammered.

He shut the door.

The girl disbelievingly brought one hand up to lightly touch her face. He had been so close. . .

Just when Zion thought her flush had gone away, it came back with a vengeance.

As soon as Zion got home, she raced to her computer. Grabbing the laptop, she jumped onto her bed and pressed the startup button. Drumming her fingers impatiently on the keyboard as the iBook booted up, she prayed that Kina would be online. The excitement was bubbling up inside her, making her feel like some kind of carbonated soda, and she needed to talk to someone soon!!

After what seemed like forever, Zion's desktop(complete with Hamtaro wallpaper) popped up onto the screen. AOL Instant Messenger automatically started up. Sneaking a look at her buddy list, Zion grinned. Kina was online! Her fingers danced over the keys as she typed out a quick greeting.

ohsoblu18: hiiii!

lilangel724: hey, sup?

ohsoblu18: i think u know

lilangel724: ya

lilangel724: i take it u had fun?

ohsoblu18: yeah! .

lilangel724: well? i want details!

ohsoblu18: there's not much to tell

lilangel724: sure there is! spill!

ohsoblu18: we talked

lilangel724: and?

ohsoblu18: and that's all

lilangel724: O.O

ohsoblu18: what?

lilangel724: all that time and not even a romantic interlewd

lilangel724: enterlude?

lilangel724: how do u spell that? --;;

ohsoblu18: interlude

ohsoblu18: and no, there were no interludes.

lilangel724: o

lilangel724: well, i guess it must have been nice 4 u to see him

ohsoblu18: ya

ohsoblu18: we agreed to see each other again

lilangel724: so that means there's hope

ohsoblue18: yeah, i guess so.

lilangel724: O.o

ohsoblu18: what?

lilangel724: there is NO WAY it is 5:00 already

ohsoblu18: it is??

lilangel724: ya

lilangel724: > i gotta go study some more

ohsoblu18: aw

lilangel724: i took an hour break

ohsoblu18: whatcha studyin for?

lilangel724: calculus >(

lilangel724: big test comin up

lilangel724: plus i'm worried about finals & stuff

ohsoblu18: oh. k.

ohsoblu18: ttyl! see you tomorrow

lilangel724: see ya!

Signing off of AIM, Zion closed the cover of her laptop and set it on the floor next to her bed. She didn't try to stop the idiotic grin she had been hiding anymore, and it spread across her face like wildfire. It was kind of funny, in a way. She had been so nervous about seeing him again, and once it was over, she wanted more. Strange, she thought. Then she gave herself over to the waves of happiness washing over her, and she flopped backwards onto the mattress. She stayed like that for a long while.

Then she remembered the vast amount of chores that had yet to be finished, and she jumped up and began working like a woman possessed.

Anything but Ordinary Akugi!

Wolfwood: "So, what do you want to eat?"

Zion: "Whatever you've got is fine."

Wolfwood: "Right, fried grasshoppers it is, then."

Zion: "Mm! Yum!! I haven't had those in, like, forever!!"

Wolfwood: O.o