FSE

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I sat at one of the benches in the school's field. No one was really around, nor did that bother me, i was just trying to finish my work before the end of the day so i could have the rest of the weekend to myself. The sun was nice and warm against my back, as i was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Thankfully my school allows a dress code like this, unlike some of the schools which require uniforms. It make me feel a little more relaxed at least. I took a deep breath, and look up for a second, seeing all the other student's talking, playing, or walking around with their friends. Somewhere deep inside me envied them. I haven't made any friends since starting at this school... not any that stayed with me, at least. I sighed again, and then went back to my homework. there was only one more class to go to after break, so hopefully i could finish this before then.

"What're you working on?" Someone asked from over my shoulder. I screamed, completely shocked. "Oh i'm sorry, i didn't mean to scare you! well... at least not that badly."

"Ni-Niari...? Why do you want to know?" I blushed, slightly confused. Niari's always been someone i've looked up to. I'm not sure why, but she looks like she has a lot of fun all the time, and she still, as far as i'm aware, gets good grades.

"I'm just curious. Do you mind?" She asked.

"N-no, not at all." I said. She giggled softly, i'm not sure why, but i blushed. "It's my physics homework. I'm... hoping to get it done before the day ends."

"Physics? Cool. I never really understood the stuff. I honestly prefer to keep my alphabet out of my maths." She said. I giggled.

"I guess i can understand. Once you know what the letters mean, it's pretty simple though."

"I'm sure, but it's not what i'm interested in. I'm more into the mechanical kind of things, engineering and such."

"Oh, I see."

"Hey, maybe in the future, i'll be making something that you've planned out with your physic-sy stuff." She laughed, and i did along with her.

"Maybe."

"You have a nice laugh, by the way, it's very... cute. perfectly matches you."

"Th-thanks... Niari...." I must have blushed bright red. "I... mmm...."

She laughed at me. "Don't worry about it. You look cute when you're blushing too. Hey, maybe we could go do something over the weekend?"

"S-sure!"

"Cool! Let's swap numbers, i'll call you."

"O-okay!" With that, we ended up giving each other our phone numbers.

"Awesome, i'll see you around, okay?"

"Alright!"

"Great. oh, and by the way, the bell's gonna ring about... now." She said, and the bell rang.

"Crap, i'm not ready!" I then started to hurriedly pack my things into my bag as Niari walked away laughing. My heart was racing faster than than ever before. Once I was packed, I started running full tilt on all fours towards my final class for the day. I guess i'm not finishing my work before the end bell.

The rest of the day seemed to drag along slower than anything i've ever experienced. I was completely distracted by Niari having asked me to go out with her on the weekend. The final bell scared me half to death when it rang. I scrambled to get my things together, and quickly left the class. Whether i was called or not, i didn't hear. I left the school grounds soon enough after that. My whole walk back home, i was smiling, wondering what kind of things Niari and i might do together. I made it home again after a few minutes of walking. Ayin and Imisa were already home apparently.

"Hey Iria, what's got you so happy?" Ayin asked as I walked.

"Yeah, you're never this happy when you get home unless you've aced something. Is that what happened?" Imisa asked.

"Niari asked me out on the weekend!" I giggled, blushing a little.

"Really? That's cool." Ayin congratulated.

"What? When?" Imisa asked at the same time. "You have some explaining to do."

"There's... not really much to it. I Was in the middle of my homework when she walked up to me. she asked what i was doing, said a few nice things, and then asked if we could do something on the weekend."

"Lucky you!" Imisa laughed, slapping my on the shoulder. I blushed. "Maybe she'll be able to draw you out a little more, so you're not always so reserved outside the house." She giggled.

"Whatever. I'm going to my room, i need to finish some things before tomorrow." I said.

"Alright then." I went into my room then. When i closed the door, and looked inside, i sighed at the current mess it was. About half of the floor was white with papers which had fallen down, and I haven't gotten to cleaning yet. Yet again, i ignored them, and finished my work at my desk. It took the better part of half an hour, but i was relieved when i finished. I spent the rest of the day cleaning my room.

I woke up the next morning with my blanket on the floor, and my arm over the bedside. I didn't get a very nice sleep, and i planned on sleeping in this morning, but i was startled by the sound of my cellphone getting a text. I grumbled a little, but then remembered that it could be Niari. I got out of my bed instantly, and scrambled to get it. I was excited to see that is was in fact, Niari texting me.

"Hey, you awake?" It read.

"Am now." I texted back.

"Great. I've been trying to think of a place to go together, and i think i found the perfect place."

"Oh? Where?"

"It's a nice little restaurant called Derassi's, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Okay then. Where should I meet you?"

"Umm." This was cut into two texts. "Give me your address, i'll pick you up."

"You have a car?"

"Yeah, my pride and joy."

"Alright then. It's 5469 Esherin road."

"Awesome. I'll be there in around 20 minutes."

"Okay, i'll see you then."

"See you." I let out a long held breath. I was excited to go, but i knew that talking to her in person would be a hell of a lot harder than over my phone. I tried not to think about that for now though, but soon enough, that 20 minutes was over. Niari still hadn't arrived though. I sat on the couch, worried about whether she would come or not. Around ten minutes later, i went back to my room, and sat on my bed. Who am i kidding? No one like Niari would want to ask me out. No one at all would.... I lied down on my bed then, and started crying.

"Iria...?" Ayin walked in. "Is something wrong?"

"No...." I sniffed.

"Yes there is, or you wouldn't be crying." He walked over to me, and sat on my bed. "Come on, tell me.

"Why... Why can't i make any friends...?" I cried.

"Iria...." Ayin pulled me up to sit next to him, and he hugged me tightly. "Imisa and I are here for you."

"I know... but you're my brother and sister... it's not the same."

"Are you saying we're not your friends?" He chuckled.

"No...."

"C'mon, i'll treat you to something."

"Iria! Your date is here!" Imisa called from the other room. My heart must have skipped a beat. I shook my head, and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Or... not." Ayin laughed as i broke away from him. I Went to the window by the couch again, and saw Niari getting out of her car. I shied away from the window, and instantly ran to the bathroom to check myself in the mirror.

"Iria, you look fine." Imisa giggled.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Positive, now go meet her." Right then, there was a knock at the door. I walked over, and hesitated to turn the knob, but i opened it quickly enough.

"H-hi, Niari." I swallowed.

"Hi Iria." She giggled. I could hear Ayin and Imisa giggling behind me. My ears folded back. "Sorry i'm late, i couldn't find this street."

"Th-that's alright. Where were we going again...?"

"Derassi's, it's only a few minutes from here. Shall we go?"

"Sure."

"Alright then. I'll have her back after lunch." She said to Ayin and Imisa.

"Alright. Careful though, she might not last that long." Ayin said. I growled back at him.

"Okay then." Niari laughed. Leave it to my brother to go from kind and caring to a joker in less than a minute. "You can be a little feisty when you want to, can you?" Niari asked me as we left the house and closed the door.

"What?"

"You know, the growling? I didn't know you had that in you." She giggled.

"Umm... i guess so." We walked up to Niari's car then. It... wasn't exactly the prettiest thing in the world.

"Alright, here's my car. It's not exactly a looker right now, but i assure you, it'll look great soon enough."

"Okay...." I got in the passenger side, and she went around the car to the driver side.

"Try not to touch too much, the whole thing might fall apart if you touch the wrong thing." She said as i was about to poke a strange spot in the dash. I recoiled my hand, and tensed up. "I'm just kidding." She laughed. She started up the car, and drove up the street. "So, how's your morning been so far?"

"Umm... I don't really want to talk about that right now...."

"Umm, alright." I looked out the window. "So were they your brother and sister?"

"Yeah."

"They seem a lot different than you."

"They always have been... I've always been more introverted, while they're outside making friends all the time."

"How many friends do you have?"

"Umm... none...."

"Not even me? I can be your first."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. But why don't you have any other friends?"

"Well... i have some friends, but i never really talk to them, so they're just... people i know now. I'm always alone at school and stuff, doing my work."

"Ah, i see. Well, that's not exactly a bad thing. What kind of grades do you get doing that?"

"A's... sometimes B's...."

"Well, helluva lot better than me."

"What are you getting?"

"Pfft, if it's over a C i'm happy. I've never really enjoyed school that much."

"Oh."

"But yeah, good for you. We're almost at Derassi's now, i promise that you'll love it. Maybe afterwards we can even go for a walk or something, you're fun to talk with."

"Really?"

"Yeah, in a way. You're a lot more interesting than a most of my other friends. All they ever talk about is how nice their life is, and how everything revolves around them. You, on the other hand, talk like no one is the center of something."

"Thanks."

"Alright, here we are." Niari said, pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant. We soon enough got out of the car, and she led me inside. We were quickly seated at a table. There were no individual tables, so we ended up getting a booth instead. I sat on one side, expecting her to take the other side, but she sat right next to me. I felt slightly uncomfortable, mainly because i felt that i would do something wrong with her so close to me.

"Niari...?" I asked.

"Mhm?" She said, looking at a menu.

"Why... why did you ask me out here?"

"Well... I don't really know. I just felt that you needed someone with you. Is that alright?"

"It's alright...."

"Every time i see you at school, you're always sitting alone in the corner of the classroom, or by yourself at a bench outside. I felt that i needed to reach out to you." She put her hand on my shoulder. "Honestly... i was kind of worried about you. You seem like such an innocent girl, and I don't want someone like you to be alone."

"Thanks... Niari...." I said, blushing again.

"You're also very cute, and i wanted to grab you first before anyone else." She giggled.

"Pfft, aright."

"Now, c'mon, make sure you have something to order when the waitress gets back." She giggled. After that conversation, i started to feel a lot more comfortable around Niari. The food was great, and I told her that after we left.

"I knew you'd love it! C'mon, I know a place where we can relax for a little bit, after that, i'll take you home, alright?" Niari offered.

"Okay. Good thing i finished my work before this." I accepted.

"Ha, alright." we got back into her car, and after a few minutes of chatting and driving, we eventually arrived at a park. It was very wide open, and had plenty of trees.

"C'mon, let's go." She said, getting out of the car, followed by me. "I love this place. I come here every so often, normally when i need a break, or some peace from things that happen in life."

"It's really nice."

"I know. and I know all of the greatest spots too, c'mon!" She playfully grabbed my hand, and pulled me to jog along with her. I blushed, but was soon enough going along with her. She showed me several, childishly fun spots to be in, like a bush that seemed to be hollow in the inside, a little cave behind a small waterfall, and an old treehouse that someone built a while ago, which was still usable, but was never touched. Eventually, she brought me to a large tree with a huge canopy. The trunk must have been 3 meters across, and maybe 25 high. She sat down against the base of the trunk, and ushered me to do the same. I sat next to her, and crossed my arms over my lap.

"C'mon, not like that." Niari said.

"What? How else am i supposed to sit?"

"Like...," She grabbed me, and pulled me right up close to her, "This!" she giggled. I blushed brightly. She hugged me playfully. I tried to sit up again, but she kept me where I was. "C'mon, Iria, just relax for once, i won't bite you." She giggled again.

"Okay...." I sighed. I managed to at least make myself comfortable. My heartbeat still raced though, and I couldn't actually relax. A few seconds later, Niari shifted, letting us get into a nicer position, which made me happy. She then touched my chest, which surprised me.

"Iria, calm down, seriously. Your heart is going so fast!" She called out. I swallowed. "C'mon..." She turned me around gently, letting me lie down on top of her, and rest my head on her chest. "Listen to my heart, Iria. If you want to sit by yourself, then tell me, but I want you to know that i'm not here to spite you in any way." I sighed, and heard her heartbeat. She started to stroke her hands through my hair and down my back. I closed my eyes, and my ears folded back. Whenever i opened my eyes again, I expected to see the white fur of my brother, or sister... but i saw Niari's black fur. It didn't take long for me to accept that this is actually happening, and when I did, i fell asleep.

"Iria...? Iria, wake up!" Someone whispered. I slowly opened my eyes, slightly grumpy that i was woken up.

"Huh...? Where am i...?" I asked, blind with sleepiness.

"You're in the park with me, silly. You fell asleep."

"Who...?"

"Look up." The person lifted my chin so i could look up at her. It was Niari.

"Oh... Hi...." I yawned.

"Hi." Niari giggled. "So, how're you doing?"

"I'd be better if you let me sleep a little longer...."

"You're too adorable, Iria. I'd love to sit here with you for a little longer, but i should take you home now. We've been here for a few hours now, and i'm sure you're brother and sister are wondering why you're gone for so long."

"Fine...." I sighed.

"C'mon girl," She grunted, getting both of us standing, "alright... let's get you home." We started walking out of the park, and towards Niari's car in the parking lot. "So... how did you enjoy that?" Niari asked as we entered the car.

"It was amazing. Can we do it again sometime?"

"Of course we can! But on one condition. I want you to keep up with your school work. I don't want to be a cause of you starting to fail classes."

"Ha, alright then."

"Anyways, We can go out again tomorrow if you'd like? I've got nothing planned."

"Sure."

That was the start of our relationship. Almost every day, and nearly every weekend, we spent a couple hours together or more. I became comfortable around her, and also very safe, and protected by her company. Eventually, We came across another first.

A few months after our first date, we were lying against the tree together once again. IT had become our favorite spot to be during the summer. The leaves were bright green, along with the grass, and about a dozen birds sang lovely songs from the canopy. We hugged each other close as we cuddled there, now perfectly comfortable with each other.

"Iria...?"

"Yeah...?"

"There's something i've been wanting to do with you for a little while now... would you like to try it?"

"Sure."

"Alright...." She let go of me, and sat up for a second before sitting on my knees. I looked at her curiously, wondering what she was doing. She then smiles at me, and i returned it. She reached out to me face, and brushed away a lock of stray hair. Before I could protest then, she leaned forward, and pressed her lips to mine in a kiss. My eyes widened as hers closed. I felt my heart flutter, and a blush rise to my face brighter than any other i've had in my past. I then closed my eyes, and returned her kiss. She brushed my cheek with her hand after she pulled away.

"I... wow...." Niari stammered a little, scratching her neck.

"Niari, I... that was...." We both looked at each other in silent awe for a long moment. I, for once, broke the silence, and hugged her. She hugged me back. The amount of joy coursing through me was unlike anything i've ever felt in my life. I started to cry. "Thank you... for being with me."

"Anything, Iria...."

That was the day my life changed completely. I became confident. My whole day brightened whenever i saw Niari, and i'm sure she felt the same. But even with our relationship past that point, there was still some moments of distrust, like when i was first able to drive.

"Okay, Iria...," Niari started. "Put the key in-"

"I know how to start a car, Niari." I giggled.

"Alright, okay." We were sitting in Niari's car, but this time, for the first time, i was on the driver side, while Niari was in the passenger seat. I started up the car, and Niari uselessly tried to instruct me on how to use her car. I didn't blame her for it, since the thing was practically her baby. She'd force me to stay far behind other cars, and to stay off of busy roads though. The whole time, Niari's face was filed with a mix of fear, distrust, and discomfort.

"Do you want me to pull over and let you drive?"

"No, no, just... just get to the cinema."

"Alright then." I giggled. I drove her car perfectly fine, but she constantly reminded me of every specific detail anyways.

The days before I first went into space were simple. I graduated school, we fell in love, we bought our first house.... But now with everything that's happened, that delicate life was put in danger more than once. But we both stuck with each other through the whole thing, coming out with no more than a couple scars, our love for each other never faltered once. We've both been broken, and we've both fixed the other. I can't imagine living without her anymore... not seeing her face in the morning with me in her arms, and her in mine....

* * * * *

"Yes... Yes I will Niari! Yes!" I cheered, my eyes filled with tears as i accepted the flower with more joy in my heart than i've ever felt before. Niari started to cry with joy too as she placed the flower in my hair between my two right ears. I jumped into her, wrapping my legs and tails around her waist, and my arms around her neck, and i kissed her.

"Come on, love... let's go back home." Niari said softly into my ears.