Fandom The Fox and the Butterfly

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Yusuke Kitagawa had no qualms about leaving his Sensei's shack late at night after a long session of painting. He needed to stretch his legs, intake some cool, night air, and most importantly: wander to a convince store to buy a bite to eat. He hadn't stopped his painting marathon all day, not even to grab himself some sustenance. By the time night had fallen and he realized the emptiness of his stomach, he also realized that there was not a single speck of food to be found in the house. He usually did the shopping and Sensei was nowhere to be found.

So he gathered what little money he had and left without cleaning a splatter of paint from his hands. He stepped out the creaky front door of his modest living quarters, thinking to himself how bothersome the need for food was at times like this. He had to come up with another beautiful painting soon and needed to stay at home so he could focus. Sensei required his assistance, and fast. Time was running out...

Still, it would be negligent of him to remain peckish when he needed pure inspiration to flow through his mind. A rumbling stomach would surely hinder the creative thought process! It would just be a quick trip to the convince store and he would be back momentarily.

It was strangely quiet that night as he walked. Those who roamed the streets spoke in hushed tones and he could only hear a faint jingle from the keys that hung on the right side of his pants. He was slightly disappointed since he liked listening in on the conversations of others, but decided that maybe it was better this way. He had a tendency to get distracted and didn't want to be held up for long when he really needed to return home as soon as possible.

Upon entering the store, the young artist's eyes scoured the shelves for something cheap. Eventually, he bent over to pick up a canned food item on a lower shelf, causing navy locks of hair to tumble into his eyes. When he lifted back up, Yusuke flamboyantly flicked his head to the side to clear his vision of the locks and found his eyes connecting with something that caught their attention. Or, more acurately, someone.

Standing a few feet in front of him was a young woman who glowed with an angelic light in his presence. This female was unlike any other he had set eyes upon, a divine image of grandeur that captivated every cell in his body. The world seemed to stand still as he witnessed this goddess and, without realizing it, he dropped the canned food item in his grasp. It plummeted to the floor with a clank that loudly echoed throughout the store. But the sound was deaf to Yusuke's ears. All he saw was her, this mysterious beauty that invoked something in him he hadn't felt for the longest time: a pure, passionate wave of inspiration. The teen felt his hands involuntarily twitch, aching for the feel of a pencil or a brush between his fingers. Oh, if only he had brought a sketchbook with him! He wanted--no, he HAD to capture this radiance on canvas! But wait... this girl seemed familiar somehow? Not that it was important. This female would be the catalyst for his magnum opus!

Overwhelmed with passion, Yusuke stared at the other teen, taking in every detail he could about her. If she were to catch him in the process, he probably looked a tad creepy. Thrilled as he was, however, Yusuke completely forgot his manners. He instead calculated how he could approach and ask this girl to model for him. Oddly enough, in his excitement, he failed to realize that this female actually attended the same school as him. She was an acquaintance whom he hadn't gotten a good enough look at until now.

 

[chimilk]

Unusual as it was for Maria Sumioka to be out shopping so late into the night, it was her own absentmindedness that lead up to it. She had overheard some of the other girls in her class' clamoring about some delicious new candy they bought at a local convenience store, but as per usual for Maria, the mental note she made to go and pick some up before heading home had vanished from her mind completely the very moment she left the classroom. It wasn't until she was was done doing various chores around the house, that she thought to check the time at all, and suddenly remembered to do what she should've done many hours ago. Much of the shopping she did was done with her little sister at her side, so it was a rare sight to see her in any stores or shops without a small child at the hip. But Mai's bedtime had passed some hours ago, so the tiny girl was already sound asleep in bed long before Maria had left.​

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Tonight seemed to be a nice, calm one, in stark contrast to the busy, noisy daytime that she was used to. The mildly cool wind blowing through her long, platinum hair as she walked was a pleasant feeling. She was used to hearing the loud chatter of people she passed by during the day, so the quietness of the night was relaxing. Yet, at the same time, she felt some unease. Perhaps it was because she wasn't quite accustomed to the atmosphere of the city at night? Or maybe she just wasn't used to going shopping alone? Regardless, Maria wasn't looking to stay out long. Just a quick, simple trip to the convenience store and back, nothing more.​

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The sound of her black heels clicking against the floor as she entered seemed to echo a bit throughout. Aside from herself, the store was near empty. Adjusting the strap of her purse, she made her way over to one of the shelves, dark eyes glancing about in search of the candy her fellow students were making such a fuss over. Apparently, the candy was to be available only for today, then never sold again. If it really was as good as the girls were saying, then there was a very good chance they've already sold out by now. Maria let out a small sigh, a finger to her chin whilst she meticulously looked over some of the other shelves. Suddenly, her eyes stopped on a pink and white bag with a strawberry on the front, and large, bold lettering that stated it was available for a limited time only. Oh, thank goodness! She couldn't help but smile at her luck, picking up the bag of candy and hugging it to her chest. It hadn't crossed her mind in that moment to think someone may have been staring at her while she was doing this. That is, until the loud sound of something hitting the store's floor caught her attention.​

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Following the noise, Maria's eyes trailed up from a can rolling around on the floor, to a familiar looking young man standing a mere few feet behind her who, for whatever reason, seemed to have his gaze locked on her. She could feel her cheeks begin to burn a bit, a slight blush creeping up across her face. Wasn't he from her school? Weren't they even in the same class together? How long had he been staring at her? Long enough to see her happily hugging a bag of candy? All sorts of questions were rushing through her head in the moment their eyes met, but she pushed them all aside for now. Maria may be a bit of an airhead at times, unbeknownst to her, but keeping her composure, even in the oddest of situations, was something she excelled in. With a gentle smile, she turned to face him, taking a few steps towards him to bend down and pick up the canned food laying by his feet.​

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''Here you go.'' Maria held the can out to him, the corners of her lips still curled into a small smile. ''You dropped this, didn't you?'' She had a calm, mature voice, not quite befitting her age, sounding more like a grown woman than a teenager. Her overall appearance was much the same, to the point where she was often mistaken for being an adult when not wearing her school uniform. ''We go to the same school, don't we? We're even in the same class, I think, but we've never spoken before.'' At least, she didn't think so. She didn't really talk with her classmates much, let alone anyone else at school. Not that she didn't want to, but her classes took up much of her time and focus, with little room left for making friends.​

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In between her talking, she didn't seem to notice that he was still staring at her, unresponsive to her words. Once she'd noticed, however, her smile had gone, and expression changed to one of concern. ''Are you not feeling well? If you live around here, I could walk you home.'' Now she was starting to sound like she was talking to a lost child, but Maria was genuinely concerned. The thought that the way she was speaking to him may have been taken as an insult did not occur to her whatsoever. It was just a natural thing for her to act like an older sister to most everyone she meets, no matter how much it may or may not irritate them.​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Failing to notice the apple of his artistic eye embracing the bag of candy, Yusuke continued to stare at her like a deer in headlights. It was only when she would step toward him with the can in her hand that he finally reacted. "Ah," he began to say, slightly parting his lips. The artist blinked a few times, as if waking from a dream. "How clumsy of me," he added with no concern in his voice. He no longer cared about the original reason he had come to the store. Yusuke now had a more important task at hand. He wanted, no, needed this young woman!

Forgetting himself, Yusuke reached out with a pleading look and grasped the young woman's hand. "Never mind that," he stated, his gray eyes beginning to shimmer. Her questions meant nothing to him. He was dead set on following his passion. "As soon as I saw you, I knew... you are the woman I need." Without meaning to, he tightened his grasp on Maria's hand. He looked at her with anxious longing, as if he was worried she might slip through his fingers at any moment. He absolutely could not let go of this opportunity.

"So please," he continued, "Wont you..." Yusuke trailed off, continuing to beg his classmate with the eyes of a longing puppy. His voice came out in a bellow when he would finally ask Maria his question, awkwardly echoing through the quiet store. "...model for my next art piece!?"

chimilk

 

[chimilk]

Maria's expression softened upon finally hearing the navy haired young man's voice, relieved to see he was fine after all. Had any other girl noticed his intense gazing, chances are they would've been quite unnerved by it, to say the least. Not so for Maria, who instead felt concern for him, rather than herself. It was simply the overbearing big sister inside her taking control, as usual. She hadn't noticed his voice lacked any concern whatsoever, being content that he merely spoke at all, instead of just stare. Though her lips parted to speak, all that she could manage was a small gasp, feeling his sudden grasp on her outstretched hand. The can she'd been holding fell to the floor, its loud clank as it hit the tile once more deaf to her ears. His abrupt touch put poor Maria into a momentary daze. ''I...you're...'' She was struggling to say something, feeling her heartbeat begin to quicken.​

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''The...the woman you need?'' It was so strange, she hadn't a clue what he meant, yet these words made her heart beat so fast that it might burst out of her chest. His gray eyes locked with hers, she was unable to do anything but listen as he went on, a lump beginning to form in her throat the moment he paused. Maria had never felt this way before. Why? What was it about this situation that made her so terribly anxious? So much so, that her normally impenetrable composure broke completely? It frightened her, truly, to think of what he was going to say next, feeling his grip on her hand tighten.​

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And then, he said it.​

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''...Ah.'' Did she...hear that right? No, she definitely didn't mishear him, especially not with how loud he'd said it. Without another word, she quickly raised up the bag of candy she'd still been carrying in her other hand in front of her face, blocking it from his view. ''I almost died...'' Maria's voice was shaky, barely above a whisper in volume, a fierce blush spread all across her face. She kept her eyes shut tight for a few moments before exhaling deeply, making a desperate attempt to collect herself before daring to face her classmate again. ''Did you really have to do all of that?'' Mildly irritated, she peeked out from behind the bag, before lowering it enough to reveal her face in its entirety. ''I don't know why, but you really scared me for a minute.'' Although she was much calmer now, she couldn't seem to get rid of the deep red tinting her cheeks. ''You want me to model for you? If you think it'll help you, I don't really mind, but...'' Maria paused, blinking once before continuing. ''...I'm Maria. Maria Sumioka. Can you tell me your name too, please?''​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Naive as he was when it came to the feelings of others, Yusuke hadn't a clue that his actions had actually made his classmate anxious. The one and only thing he cared about was the eventual answer she would give in reply to his question. In passing, however, he did wonder why she had questioned his actions. Was it not natural for one to express their passion to others? With an innocent tilt of his head he asked, "What did I do exactly...?" Yusuke recognized the look on her face all too well. It was an expression he often saw on his Sensei's face: mild irritation. In addition to this look, she informed him that he had scared her as well. How?

"You needn't be afraid of modeling," Yusuke concluded as the reason behind her fear. Surely he had done nothing himself to startle her. "You can trust I will only look upon your fine form for the sake of art," he added before realizing she had asked his name. "Oh, forgive my lack of manners. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. I'm a second year at Kosei High." In his excitement, he stepped closer to Maria, forgetting that ordinary people valued their personal space. "Sumioka-san, was it?" Her name sounded familiar, but he still couldn't place where he had heard it before. Right now, he was just too thrilled to pay much attention to any aspect of her person that had nothing to do with her aesthetically pleasing appearance.

"You really will agree to model for me? I would have given you time to consider it, but I will gladly accept a 'yes' if you intend to answer me now," he stated, eyes sparkling as he spoke. He could just picture the magnificent creation his hands would be able to make with Maria as his subject. His inspiration had been lacking for quite some time now and he had very few pieces to call his own anymore. He donated most of his paintings to Madarame-Sensei, most of which were subpar representations of art, in his opinion.

chimilk

 

[chimilk]

Seeing him tilt his head in such an innocent way as he questioned what exactly he'd done to agitate her made Maria feel a tad guilty for getting irritated with the male. It very much reminded her of a child being scolded, and then not understanding what they even did to deserve it, a situation she'd experienced firsthand many times before with her younger sister, back when Mai was much smaller. Maria exhaled, calming herself further before shaking her head, looking at him with a gentle smile. ''No, never mind. It's not something you should worry about.'' Perhaps she may have overreacted a little. He was only asking her to model for him for art, after all. Something very innocuous, and it was quite clear to her now that startling her in such a way hadn't been his intention at all.​

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''Hm? Oh, no, I'm not afraid of modelling at all...'' Maria reassured with a blink, some confusion mixed in with her otherwise mild tone. Certainly, it was something she would never have even considered to try before, but the thought of doing it did not frighten her by any means. ''Yusuke-san, then? It's nice to meet you.'' Ah, so they really were classmates. His face looked so familiar, she was so sure she'd seen it somewhere before at school. ''I'm sorry, I've seen you in my class before, but this is the first time I've actually talked to you...'' Dark, pinkish eyes glanced to the side, a tinge of embarrassment in her words. Looking back at Yusuke's face, she noticed it was now much closer than before, surprising the girl enough to freeze her for a moment. So close! Way too close! Please, for goodness' sake, back up a little bit! ''Not again...!'' Maria whispered under her breath, although given how close to her he was right now, chances were he'd hear her no matter how quiet her voice was. A familiar warmth crept up upon her cheeks, using the bag of candy once more to conceal her reddening face.​

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Feeling her heartbeat grow quicker and quicker with each passing second she listened to him speak, she summoned the courage to peek out from behind the safety of the bag and look at him. When her eyes met with his, so very close to her face, she swore her heart skipped a few beats. Was she...going to die? No, she needed to stay calm! ''Y-yes, I'll model for you, I promise I will!'' Maria managed to reply, voice meek and shaky, but audible. ''I'm sorry, I really have to go home now. We can meet after school, tomorrow.'' Near immediately after saying this, she hurried away from him as fast as possible over to the doors, almost in a panic. Suddenly, she halted halfway, turning and setting the candy back on its shelf, before turning to Yusuke and bowing, eyes shut and cheeks a deep red. ''Please be careful on your way home, Yusuke-san!'' Leaving him with that, she practically bolted out of the store, nearly tripping on her way out.​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Maria's dismissal of his question left Yusuke even more confused. Nevertheless, he didn't bother to figure her out. His main focus, at the moment, targeted art alone. Besides, if he tried to figure out the social cues of every individual he came into contact with, Yusuke knew he would end up with a massive headache. It was a shame, but the mannerisms of other people were far more difficult to understand--even if people watching was a favorite hobby of his.

"Very well, I am most pleased to know this," Yusuke replied, happy to hear she wasn't afraid of modeling after all. "You attend Kosei as well? How marvelous! It shouldn't be difficult for us to meet then. Pleased with her response, the artist's head was in the clouds. He failed to discern just how nervous his actions were making his muse. The teen opened his mouth to ask Maria for contact information, only to see her flee the premises like a timid mouse.

"Wait, Sumioka-san!" he called out, attempting to follow her out the door only to realize she had gone. "What an... odd girl," he thought aloud before turning to walk back into the store. He was mildly disappointed he could not converse with her further, but decided he could simply track her down tomorrow at school. With that thought in mind, the boy purchased what he had originally come to the store for and returned home.

The next day, upon arriving at school, the artist made his way to class. He sat himself in his usual seat, absentmindedly wondering where he might be able to locate Maria. As he began to ponder these thoughts, she walked into his own classroom. Yusuke blinked in surprise. Even though she had informed him yesterday, he hadn't realized that they actually shared the same class. Feeling badly about this, the boy rose to his feet and approached Maria, quickly bowing his head at her.

"Forgive me for missing your radiance all this time! I hadn't a clue we were classmates! How foolish of me!" he apologized, forgetting to keep his voice down. Thankfully, class hadn't started yet, but it was still likely that his voice would catch the attention of others.

chimilk

 

[chimilk]

As Maria's emotions were overwhelming her to the point where she was struggling with her own two feet not to flee right then and there, the girl hadn't the thought to hear her classmate out any further than she already had, scurrying off like a startled little mouse before he had the opportunity to ask her anything else. The panicked girl was a ways away by the time he tried to chase after her, so his calling her name did nothing to deter her. It was only until she neared home, that she finally stopped to catch her breath, soft pink lips parting to exhale. Maria was still for a moment, brows furrowed and right index finger poking her cheek in thought. ''Oh!'' She exclaimed, expression in a mere instant shifting from one of minor shock, to utter disappointment as she was stared downward, dejected.​

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''I didn't buy the candy...''​

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Waking up the next day, Maria began her usual routine of making breakfast for herself and her sister, then heading off to school. As usual, Mai followed alongside her, the 7-year-old holding tight onto her older sister's hand. They would eventually part upon reaching the elementary school Mai attended, with Maria giving the meek, tiny girl one of her newest handicrafts, which was always some type of cute, stuffed animal. This time, she'd made a black and white cat with a little yellow scarf, and big, blue eyes. It was an adorable plush, and Mai was overjoyed to receive it, hugging the cat with a large smile before excitedly thanking her big sister, waving as Maria continued on her way. Making stuffed animals was a strong passion of Maria's. Whenever she saw something cute, she would make it her mission to recreate whatever positively squeezable thing caught her eye, in the form of a nice, soft plush. Much of her personal favorites she gave to Mai, with the hope that maybe having something nice to show off at school would help the shy girl make more friends.​

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Maria gave a slight bow and polite smile to those she passed as she approached the high school, heels clicking against the pavement. Many of the fellow students she passed wore the standard uniform, without any modifications. Maria, on the other hand, had altered her own uniform somewhat. The blazer she wore was a tad oversized, falling off her shoulders. It was left unbuttoned, showing the sleeveless, knitted white turtleneck she wore underneath. Tied around her neck was the usual black and white bow seen on the girls' uniforms, along with the pleated black skirt, which was a bit longer than the standard length, reaching closer to her knees. Matching the blue of the blazer were blue heels, worn with translucent black stockings. One of the pockets near the bottom of her blazer was open, revealing a small, pink stuffed rabbit with its little arms hanging out from the pocket. The other pocket beside it was still buttoned, concealing her own small, personal stash of sweets and candies. Like her mother when Maria was a child, she suffered from lethargy at times, and sugar helped to alleviate the symptoms quite a bit, so she always made sure to carry around something sugary wherever she went.​

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Adjusting the strap of her schoolbag, Maria entered the classroom, preparing to go and seat herself until she happened to notice the face of a familiar young man among the seats. Just as her mouth opened to greet him, he suddenly sat up and approached her, bowing his head and apologizing. ''Yusuke-san...?'' The sheer volume of his voice had startled her somewhat, blinking at the male. ''Oh, please don't worry about it, really. You don't need to apologize to me,'' Maria reassured him, shaking her head. She was always very quiet at school, keeping to herself and concentrating only on her studies, so she didn't stand out much at all among the other students. Being aware of this herself, she really saw no need for him to ask forgiveness over such a thing. ''I'm sorry about what happened last night, I really didn't mean to run away like that...'' A hand on her cheek, Maria frowned, embarrassed by the memory. It did not occur to her, amidst their conversing, that others may have been listening in, and how odd those words might've sounded to anyone other than herself and Yusuke.​