Juego de Amor

Red and Green
"Splash..." Was the sound that was heard as the woman dipped a rag into the water. She moved it along her arm, humming gently to herself.

It was a calm day for Shunsatsu, as he walked down the grassy path of the afternoon sky. It was one of the moments where he could fully enjoy himself, without the need of Ahatake and Akiko around. They were busy doing other stuff after all.

Body so full of cheer, he whistled a random tune from his heart, and it sounded similar to a bird's chirping.

The young woman continued with her delicate washing and changed her tune slightly as felt a sudden treble in the air. "Spiritual Pressure. Rather calm too."

Immediately, Shunsatsu turned an abrupt right, deeper into the forest. He stopped his tune, however, as soon as he heard familiar humming coming from a slight distance away. A skeptical look crossed his face, and his curiousity got to him, as he stepped slowly, in order to insure his stealth.

"It's coming this way. I think I've felt this certain one before." She merely walked into the lake and resumed bathing, humming her cheerful tune.

Only one step away.

His hands slowly reached for the bushes that lay in his reach, gripping the leaves and pushing them aside. He narrowed his eyes, searching for the source that lay just so definite in front of him.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

A girl, standing in the depths of a large lake, bathing in a carefree manner and humming that oh-so-familiar tune. So far, she didn't seem to notice his prescence, her back turned to him. He silently cursed that fact, as he couldn't see her face enough for a good recognition.

Who was she?

Asuka turned around and saw him hiding but didn't act like it, and kept humming. "Cute boy..." She thought. "Wonder what his personality's like."

"Wait!"

His eyes widened a bit, as he saw a bit of her face turn in his view, but it immediately disappeared as soon as it came. Instinctively, he ducked behind the tree he was hiding behind, eyes widened and heart pounding a bit.

"Shit, she spotted me!"

"Shy as well." She thought. "Strange I think I know him." She got up of the water and reached for the towel to dry off. Then she put her clothes back on. "You can come out now."

Her tone...didn't seem angry. Nor did was it embarrassed. His heart relaxed a bit, and he let out a sigh of relief, the weight of stealth coming off of his shoulders. Putting on a small smile on his face, he twisted his feet, stepping out of his hiding spot coolly and carefully. "Tch... no point in hiding myself if you're just gonna sense me out either way..." He mused.

She smiled. "You don't do a good job of hiding your spiritual pressure. A infant could spot you."

"That so...?" Folding his arms across his chest, he walked forward, feet stepping lightly and crunching the grass below them. "Well, I could say the same for you. You should hide yourself better when using a lake as your bathtub."

"You have a point there." Asuka replied. "What's your name? I am Asuka Natsumi."

"Shunsatsu Kuroda." He did a short bow, out of courtesy. "Pleased to meet you, miss."

"The pleasure's all mine." She replied. "Your name...sounds familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

After standing straight, Shunsatsu put a hand to his chin, putting on a thoughtful look. "Hmmm.... let's see.... were you....." With a snap of his fingers, he pointed over towards Asuka in probably realization. "from the Shinigami Academy?"

"Yeah." Then her eyes lit up. "YOU were Shun-kun weren't you?"

Shunsatsu chuckled heartily. "Heh... my classmates always loved to tick me off with that one..." He replied, grinning lopsidedly.

"But I remember you. You weren't the most forward person around, but you were a genius. It'd be hard not to remember you."

"Tch..." Shunsatsu shrugged slightly, in an embarrassed sort of manner. "I'm no genius...I'm just the guy who was paying attention while everyone else threw spitballs."