Avoiding the Expected

[miyako]

Satou Miyako could hardly keep a straight face, as she casually emerged from the ladies toilets. Well, why shouldn't she be constantly grinning with successful glee? Deception was a card she loved to play, and it rarely ever lost her the game. Today, was the perfect example of that. Her father, Satou Ichiro, was now under the firm belief, that she had arranged to study with Caden for the majority of the afternoon. They shared a lot of classes afterall, so it all made perfect sense. Though, it was a saturday...as if she'd be studying, you might say. You see, in her father's aging eyes, she was a mature and hard-working girl, so such a request was beleived to be normal and therefore, well rewarded? Now, although Caden was still pretty new to the job, he had somehow passed the fortnight trial, meaning Ichiro had granted him an extra inch of trust. Course, he still had a long way to go but, Miyako was certain she wouldn't need to worry about that ever happening. He'd be gone by next month; and just that thought alone made her wicked smile widen.

So, she had left the new family house at noon exactly, relaying to her father false details about meeting Caden outside the nearest city mall. The chauffeur had dropped her off, but she knew the driver would wait around the corner since already, Caden was late. Strike one, and a successful one on her part. The news would be immediately relayed back to her father, which would not bode well for Caden if she could keep up her ploy of the innocent, perfect daughter. And like that innocent and naive daughter, she had grown tired of waiting around, and ventured inside the mall without the required company. Strike two. One strike left.

As expected, the mall was busy, but Miyako had made a beeline to the ladies. Now, anyone who had witnessed her go in, would not recognise her any longer. Her mid-long, silky black hair, had been scraped up into a high ponytail. Stylishly, large, lime green aviator sunglasses covered her eyes, and she'd even applied glossy pink lipstick to her pout. Gone was the box-pleated, boring beige skirt, hemline to the knees of course, and gone was the plain white, short sleeved blouse. Those were replaced by a far shorter skirt, pink in colour, and though it had barely enough material to cover her rear, she wore black cut-off leggings underneath. Then a simple black, short-sleeved t-shirt, with a girly design in bright pink printed on the front and back. The outfit was completed by green fashionable sneakers, little gold stars printed over the ankles. All in all, she looked like she'd just stepped out a fashion shoot for some, top range clothing store.

Again, as expected, passers by seemed to like this change in her appearance. From behind those designer shades, she would inwardly grin as eyes turned her way. Course, she'd copied the outfit from an outrageously stylish girl she'd seen back in Tokyo. It wasn't that she didn't want to be recognised, though she was sure that would now be the case. Miyako wanted to be herself, only, she wasn't really sure yet who she was. She wasn't sure what she wanted to wear, or how she wanted to be perceived. Only, she wanted this day to herself so badly, and by whatever means neccessary, she was going to damn well get it.

Snaking her way though the crowds of people, her old clothes stuffed in her gym bag, Miyako followed the sounds of girly chatter and chart music, to one of the many teenage hangout points. A small little kiosk selling soda, milkshakes, and smoothies. Hesitating for a moment, she casually looked over her shoulder, though it was hard to recognise anyone in such a crowded place. That, she reminded herself, was her vantage point. Now, all she had to do, was relax, and join the small queue. Perhaps she'd embark on a little window shopping, maybe buy a new outfit, but as long as she was home by 5 o'clock, everything would be just, 'swell.'

[cade]

Caden was trapped in a mass of twisted sheets, his hair tasselled under the pillow he used to hide himself from the morning sun while he continued to sleep. He didn't know or care that it was half past noon. His mind was wrapped in a peaceful dark sleep. that is, until the cellphone in his pocket began to ring. Even the loud shrill noise did not manage to wake him up until the third time it chimed into his dream. His teal eyes groggily opened, looking down to the glow in his pocket from under the sheets. It's Saturday, doesn't anyone sleep in anymore.. The phone was brought up to his ear and flipped open.

"What ya want..?" He asked, uncaring of who was on the other end since they had woken him up. A sudden barrage of Japanese slammed into his ear, making him wince as he pulled his cell phone away from his ear and moved up, stretching the sleep from his muscles. "Tokai, if yea wan' me to understand you'll 'ave to remember I ain't Japanese." He grunted and pushed the sheets off him, sliding out of his bed with his pants and shirt already on him. It payed to take a shower and dress before going back to bed.

"You are late! She even went into the mall without. Where are you?!" Caden was still trying to work through what he was trying to get across. It didn't quite register. It was a Saturday, he wasn't working. Why was he being yelled at? "It's Saturday, what d'ya want me to do, watch 'er sleep?" Another blast of vocals. "Fool, fool, fool. She scheduled to study. You are to pick her up from mall. Why is she not there?" It made sense then. He knew she was going to be trouble, but he didn't really have much choice. "I'm just a little behind, I'll be picking 'er up soon."

Caden walked to his dresser and opened the top drawer of his mothers hand me down hope chest, which he used to store his clothing, and pulled out the second set of keys to his mom's car. He already knew this would be coming eventually, nothing good lasted too long. Although that was just the pessimist in him. After pocketing the keys he bounded his way across his room on one leg, trying to pull on his second sneaker on while still moving toward the front door. "Mom, I'm goin' to the mall. Don't know when I'll be back."

[miyako]

"Come on, you're holdin up the line here!"

A very indecisive girl stood at the front of the queue, hand resting on her chin as she re-studied the menu, again, for the third time. Afterall, though there wasn't that much on offer, was she feeling like strawberry today, or blueberry? Maybe even treat herself to chocolate, or would it be better to go vanilla? The older guy and his toddler of a kid were standing a few spaces back, and speaking for the entire queue which, had consistantly grown by now. While the little boy kept complaining to his daddy about being thirsty, the father vented his growing frustration for all to hear. Someone else huffed; even the salesboy rolled his eyes and fidgeted. Miyako, however, was loving every second. She knew damn well she was being a pain in the ass but, that was the point. It was entertaining, better than watching television, and she was the star of her show.

"Miss...are you ready to order yet?" The poor boy, who probably went to her high school, really wanted to skip to the next customer in line. But when he'd tried that two minutes ago, Miyako had jumped to make her order at last, only to suddenly change it and start asking him various speedy questions. Were the milkshakes made with fresh fruit? Was it skimmed, semi, of pasturised milk? Was the fruit freshly picked that morning, or frozen? Did they do soya milk instead? And after all that...

"Uhm...I have just orange juice." Her accent was fairly strong, but her grammar almost perfect, usually. But right now, she was playing up to her agitated audience, as the annoying tourist. The pimpled boy tried his best not to sigh...she'd already made and cancelled that order before. If she pulled the prank again, he'd call the supervisor.

"You're sure this time?" His voice cracked, and from beneath those stylish shades, Miyako arched a neat black brow.

"Hai, hai! This here very bad, bad service." He could only stare in disbelief, as she shook her head at him and tutted. Bad service!? He wanted to strangle the little brat! As did half the queue but, he liked his saturday job, and wanted to keep the regular earnings.

"Okay well, that'll be two dollars please." And this is where she made her mistake. See, Miyako wasn't used to making purchases. Her clothes were gained through other people buying them for her, and everything she wanted otherwise, her father would provide. So she dug deep into her bag, took out a wad of cash, and begun to count through until she found the lowest note there, a twenty dollar. She already displayed her money though; shown any onlooker just how rich she was. Even the boy behind the counter was a little shocked by her indiscrepancy. Hesitating slightly, he took the note, checked it wasn't fake, and then handed her the change. Flashing a cheeky, toothy grin to the next customer, Miyako even had the cheek then to whip out a polaroid camera and take a snapshot to remember that moment by.

"Say cheese!" She squealed, the flash making several people groan and blink their eyes. It was her getaway; a way for her to disappear back into the crowds...orange juice in hand. But she'd hardly walked far when she felt an hand at her elbow, tugging her to one side, her footing controlled by this, random stanger. At first, she'd thought it might be someone she knew, but no. Looking at the side of the young man's face, she already knew she didn't recognise him.

"Let GO!" And in an instant, she'd pulled her arm towards her body, and was already starting to run, shoving past between a pair of laughing students. But something, or rather someone, had grabbed hold of her bag, nearly causing her to fall over as she played a tug of war over it. Obviously, no doubt they had seen the money she'd carelessly flaunted, and now, they wanted it. With security closeby too, they wanted to grab it fast, and if Miyako didn't get that extra strength needed to her vantage, she was going to lose.

"It's mine!! Go AWAY!!"

[cade]

Caden arrived at the mall and the term fashionably late sprung into his mind. Despite his amusement at the thought, there was a very serious chance of him being outright fired or worse because of it. From what he could tell, he was about forty minutes late, maybe a little bit less. Showed how much that watched after the girl, for whatever reason.

It took him ten minutes to filter through half the stores. Girls of every decent walking around gabbing, but he doubted she would be with any of them. From what he could tell, she didn't make many friends. Either because she had only just moved to the area, or she was simply didn't even bother.

But his trivial thoughts slid away as he finally made it to the middle of the mall, the food court, where a comotion was just starting. A very oddly dressed girl of asian decent was taking someones picture. Whoever it was was not very happy about it. He was fairly sure it was her at that point, but he would have to do something about it anyways as someone else in the line decided they would try to take her purse.

Sighing heavily Caden moved forward, watching the two playing a game of tug of war over the purse. The security somehow managed to not notice yet, so he was going to step in. Stepping between the two he grasped the strap of the purse and pushed strongly to the right, in the girls direction. Whoever was trying to steal it wasn't ready for him to do something like that, and stumbled forward. At which point he slammed his fist into the males jaw and sent him into the ground hard. "Let me guess, lass. Yea decide ya'd like to play with ta' locals for a spell. An' found they liked yer money. Aye?"

[miyako]

With the sudden extra force on her side, the thief wasn't the only person to stumble. Though he would stumble forwards to meet a nasty blow, Miyako had stumbled backwards a few steps. She hadn't recognised whoever helped her in that split-second, but the moment she heard that scottish accent teamed with that very slight californian drawl, she didn't have to think hard about who had come to the rescue. He'd gotten there too soon...but then again, she hadn't planned on almost being mugged either.

One irritation at a time though, because first, she wanted to deal with the floored thief. Okay, so Caden had pretty much dealt with that issue, and the commotion, though brief, had been witnessed by too many people. Even if the bugger wasn't smart, he'd still know that defeat, and a speedy escape, was his best bet. Miyako wasn't satisfied with just the right hook in the jaw though. Just to add insult to injury, she tipped the remaining contents of her drink over the guy's head, before finally turning, and tossing the emptied plastic cup over her shoulder, hoping it hit him.

"Baka!" Her high-pitched voice shrieked, but she was staring at Caden from beneath her shades as she declared the idiot. "Thank joo!" Of course, she was hoping he hadn't recognised her. "Me take sou-van-ear! Say cheesey!"

Her camera was already aimed in no time, the picture taken with a bright flash. Once again, Miyako was fleeing, squeezing between a gang of teens to mingle in better with the crowds. It was all a big joke to her, and hell, with Caden here now, it was turning out to be pretty fun.

[cade]

Caden watched the potential thief drop, knowing he had made too much of a fuss, but the fact was assault against a thief wasn't going to be a high priority on any ones mind. His worry was more directed toward the girl, who erased any doubt he had that it wasn't her fairly quickly as she walked forward and tipped the last of her drink over the thieves head, and finally tossed the cup over her shoulder, hitting him in the stomach.

When she tried to pass herself off as a tourist with a high pitched shriek he was on gaurd. No woman was that annoying unless they were trying to do it on purpose. And Miayko had quite a habit of doing it on purpose. Which meant she was planning something under the assumption he didn't figure it out yet. So he already raised his palm and sighed as he closed his eyes, hearing the clicks of her shoes as she tried to step away, but he knew where she was from when he closed his eyes. So he reached out and caught her arm, pulling her back a bit as he stepped forward. "We 'ave a study date. Yea goin' the wrong way."

[miyako]

Miyako had expected Caden to stop her, only she didn't realise he'd be doing so that quickly. Even though they'd known each other about a fortnight now, she still often underestimated his reflexes. She underestimated him in general. The little tug on her arm stopped her from going anywhere fast though, and she lifted her brows as she realised her father's little henchmen were quick on the ball, as usual. Caden had been informed of the study day, and the fact that, according to what Miyako had told her father, he had been late getting to 'work' on time. He wasn't falling for the tourist trick either, but that didn't mean she was going to stop annoying him with it.

"Hai," she drawled the word like he was dumb, her tone changing during the end of the word, as if speaking to a child. But her smile faded into her more usual, serious expression, one she was sure he was used to seeing her wear. Actually, she was pretty peeved that he'd even recognised her so fast. It wasn't like she wore these types of clothes to school; even she had hardly recognised herself in the mirror.

"Daddy knows you stood his daughter up. Bad boy, very bad boy." She put her fingertips to her lips as she giggled, a forced laugh, hardly anything natural about it. Then, Miyako tilted her head to the side slightly. It was a little creepy, but she intended it to be that way. "Oh no. He won't be happy with you later. I'm hungry...you better buy me some food. You better take good care of me today, or I'll tell daddy all sorts of things."

[cade]

Caden felt that Miayko didn't move further anymore than she already had. Instead as the stars lifted from his eyes he saw her looking back at him as she stepped forward, drawing out a 'hai' to annoy him. There was no other reason to use it. Sighing lightly he brought one hand up to his forehead, rubbing firmly as he looked down at her. Was too early in the morning to deal with her. And he had no intention too. "Yer' a bit mouthy lass." He said with a sharp tint on the end of his tongue.

The hand on her arm stayed in place for a moment, but as he slid to the other side of her shoulder it slid away, but just to her side. He then stepped forward smoothly, making the movement quick, and looped his arm completely around her waist and held her to his side, effectively lifting her off her feet as he walked off. "We'll see about gettin' ya' some food at me house. As you said, we're a tad late for study." He said with an annoyed, yet amused, grlint in his eye as he walked off past the crowd.

[miyako]

Miyako was deciding how she was going to torment Caden next. Maybe say she wanted pizza, before changing her mind to something healthier, like a sandwich. Then she'd tell him she wasn't hungry afterall.

Her plan failed though, and in a way she could never have predicted. While she was still gaping in astonishment after Caden dared to say she was mouthy, she felt her breath momentarilly halted, as a strong arm lifted her from the stomach with a swift jerk. She'd been stumbling over a response, but anymore pressure under her ribs and he might've easilly winded her. That wasn't the case though, and she presumed it wasn't his intention either. Any damage to her and he'd be in the worst trouble he could imagine.

"Aaai!" She shrieked in her high-toned voice, this time not acting. "What are you doing!?" She attempted to fidget, but he had a suprisingly tight hold on her without doing her any injury. Amusingly, her cheeks had flushed in pure shock. Males weren't allowed to handle her like that; what was he playing at? "D-Dozo! Put me down!"

Her flustered state made her variate between Japanese and English, but the crowds of people didn't care what they saw. She wasn't crying to help and really, they just looked like friends messing around. An old lady even muttered something about young people these days and lack of manners in public. Miyako had never felt so embarressed in her life before though, but at the same time, didn't know what to do with herself.

[cade]

Caden wasn't sure how she would react, but the fact was, he wasn't going to be jerked around like anyone else she played with. And he showed that quite well by refusing to give her a choice in what she was going to do. Although speaking his mind was just to satisfy the fact she woke him up on a Saturday. His arm around her was not to hurt her either though, it did little more than serve as a sling to hold her in place without crushing her, as he easily could since she was roughly 5'4 and 98 something pounds. Although he never got her measurements, it was as close of a guess as he wanted to take.

Her shrink brought an inward smile to him, feeling her fidget but his hold merely needed to move just a little to stop her from escaping. He continued to walk off through the mall, smiling politely to the older woman. His attention was drawn down as she used the term Dozo. His surprise deepened, as well as his amusement, when he saw that her cheeks had flushed. With a small small he shook his head. He continued to go forward anyways, having no attention of letting her down.. at least not yet.

[miyako]

Miyako was not happy. Not only had her game been ruined, but it seemed Caden wasn't listening to a thing she said. From the two weeks of knowing him, she'd already concluded that he wasn't like her last bodyguard. While he would kiss the ground she walked on, this one would rather make her decisions for her with the excuse that, 'it was for her own good.' He didn't obey her orders, current situation being perfect proof of that, and to top it off, he felt he had the permittance to pick her up in public!

Exhausted with her efforts already, Miyako heaved a heavy sigh filled with agitation. Tired of struggling to no effect, she kept still, a heavy scowl on her face as she felt like a child being carried through the mall. He was going to pay for this. Ruining a day she'd planned all week so effortlessly! She'd make him pay all right...she'd make him study algebra and calculus, then go through the most difficult physics equations. Yes, she was going to make his saturday a living nightmare, and she was going to enjoy it. Just like he was currently making these few minutes of her time in the mall her own nightmare.

[cade]

Caden walked until he reached the outside of the mall, his car parked another hundred yards or so away, thanks to the fact he just needed the first parking spot he could get too. While the door closed behind them he gently shifted the scowling Miayko to her feet, but didn't let go completely, instead he kept his hand in place on her waist to ensure that she didn't try to take off. He knew he could catch her, but he made enough of a scene with her by knocking someone to the ground and then carrying her off.

He lead her to the car lazily, having no desire to speed it up or slow it down. Either way he was going to be stuck with her for quite a while. "So what ye' play'in at? First I was woken up told that I was late. Then yer' being mugged in a mall. You have no sense at all, do yea?" He asked with a small grunt, sighing heavily as he pulled the door open for her, and nudged her carefully toward the seat.

[miyako]

The bodyguard infuriated her. Did he have no scruples? Didn't he care how sensitive his position was? That the slightest wrong move, and he'd be fired...literally. Miyako didn't understand him. Course, she hadn't understood why her father had found it neccessary to hire some untrustworthy student in the first place. It was worrying, the fact that he wouldn't play into her hands like a ball of putty. Worrying, and equally annoying.

Caden managed to carry her, rigid like a plank of wood, to the carpark, and for once Miyako was glad she chose to wear shades. The fashion accessory did it's job in shielding her eyes from the luke warm sun's rays. It was a mild autumn day of october. Ahead of them, tons of cars were bunched in the close knit spaces, sharp sunrays reflecting off the paintwork sheen like blinding spots of light.

Finally though, she was dropped to her feet. Curiously, Caden's arm remained around her narrow waist. Miyako glared up at him, while he encouraged her into taking pace alongside him, silently. What was with this guy? She returned his silence with her own, inwardly fuming, while they seemed to slowly pass car by car, by car.

When he finally spoke, stopping by his own modest junk on four wheels, her grip tightened on her sports bag, the same one that contained the plain outfit she'd arrived at the mall wearing. Her response came in the form of that same bag, slamming against his torso, combined with a cry that sounded like a child throwing a tantrum.

"YOU have no sense!" She hit him again with less effort, "you dare make me embarress again, and I have you fired on the spot, before you can say sushi!" And again...before she dropped down clumsilly into the passenger seat, hugging her bag to her chest and looking straight ahead, ignorantly. Still sulking and fuming, she then mumbled under her breath, her foot kicking at the bottom space of the car, infront of the seating.

"And you drive junk car!...Nante hidoi hito."

[cade]

Caden grunted lightly as she slammed the bag into his chest, mostly because it was a surprise, after all it was a bag filled with what felt like cloth or a pillow. It was little more than an annoyance, another tantrum Miayako decided he deserved. He just let her hit him again though, no real point in stopping her. "Why would ya' say sushi if you we're gonna fire me?" He said, looking quite confused, but simply closed the door behind her and went around.

As he opened the door he saw her mumbling, the back held to her chest as she kicked something he couldn't see at the bottom space of the car. With a heavier sigh he slid into the drivers seat. "If ya' 'ave a problem with ma car then tell yer' pappy to give me more money." He responded with a faint smirk, turning on the car and checking the rear view mirrors to make sure no one was behind him as he pulled out.

[miyako]

Using Caden as her own human punching bag had vented some of her anger, but it didn't help that he was there to just replace one irritation with another. Miyako ignored his first comment, snapping her head to the side that didn't face him, to stare out the window instead. But he persisted, and she could barely believe the nerve of his suggestion! Was he joking? He had to be...he better be!

"Wha-Nandayo!?" Frowning, she turned to face him, annoyed by the smirk he wore. He earned enough money, and it was irritating enough to know he was getting paid to pick her up in public like that. He was getting paid to freaking...embarress her! But maybe she could use this to her vantage? A soft but clearly malicious smile weaved it's way onto her face, her features changing as her eyes seemed to light up with mischief.

"Tell me. What are you going to do, when my father asks you, about today? That you were late." She giggled, finding glee in the situation she'd caused. Even though he'd gotten to the mall a little quicker than she'd anticipated, she was still a little curious about why he hadn't reacted yet. They'd never made any arrangements for saturday, and he was acting like it didn't bother him. Miyako didn't understand. "

You should have listened to me. I said I was hungry. I did not...I do not remember to say I wanted to leave. And," she scowled. "I'm not going to your stupid stupid house!"

[cade]

Caden had pulled out of his parking spot and was weaving his way around the large circle of the mall. He forgot the entrance he used to come in, so he was waiting to see which one registered as the one street he came in on. He looked over to her as she giggled at her conclusion, a small shrug all that he gave for the moment. He hadn't thought about it, but the fact was, he found her trying to hide from him and she was still wearing the clothes. That was what he was planning on using.

"Let's start this puppy off then shall we? I was expected ta find ya in a diff rent dress. I wasn' late, I just couldn't find ya." He offered with a small smirk, his body shifting as he reached over and pulled his seat belt across his chest, and pushed it into place. "So ya want to go to yer' home and talk to pappy now. Or ya wanna go to me house and study like ye said?"

[miyako]

Miyako watched Caden's actions carefully, as he manouvered the car to do his bidding. It wasn't like she was checking to see if he was a good driver or anything. Her father had already tested him on that. On the contrary, she'd always wanted to drive, or at least, see what it was like to control a car. Her father had never allowed it though. He'd said she had no need to drive when she had others to do it for her. Pretty lame excuse if you asked her. As he put his seatbelt on, she waited a moment to see if he'd order her to do the same, like her father would. When he didn't, she did so anyway, a light frown etched on her features. She just didn't get this guy at all.

"Nani? It's saturday. I want to have some fun." That was her plan all along, she just had a strange way of going about it. Afterall, it wasn't like she could just ring up Caden and ask him to hang out with her. For one, her father would want to know why, and secondly, she didn't want him to think he was her friend or anything. Miyako didn't think she needed friends. Friends were just people who got in her way...people who took her for granted. She knew that, if she didn't have so much money, those people who befriended her back home, wouldn't have looked twice. Oh and thirdly, she chewed on her lower pout, when she realised she'd need to do something about the way she was dressed before going home.

"Take me somewhere fun." She grinned and sat back, looking rather smug with herself. "That is an order. From employer."

[cade]

Caden raised a brow slightly, and then frowned lightly as he slowly took his car to the side of the row and parked. A yellow line was on the side walk around the mall, he would have to make it quick, but he didn't want to take long anyways so it was fine. "A moment. You, like, dragged me lazy arse outa bed on a Saturday afternoon to have fun?" Brushing his hand against his forhead he sighed and shook his head. "Fine then. We'll just be goin to my home. I have a book I needed to read anyways, that'll be fun."

[miyako]

"Nani!? You are, going to make me sit there...while you read a book?"

Miyako double blinked, gaping directly at him. She couldn't believe her ears; reading was his idea of fun? Or was he being sarcastic? Strange boy. Though, as much as she actually loved to bury her nose in a good book, she didn't want him to know that. Funnilly enough, now that he'd mentioned that, she actually wanted to see what his room was like. A scottish-American boxer who loved to read...imagine that! She started to wonder if he had Beethoven or Mozart posters on his walls or something.

"Okay. Then...I'm using your stuff." Simply because she hadn't brought any of her books with her. Miyako couldn't take it anymore though....she had to ask. "You are serious? You mean, you think books are, fun?"

[cade]

Caden simply shrugged and smirked as she gaped at him. He had no problem with the idea, but he was fairly sure it wasn't what she had in mind. "Yes, I was think'n that reading would do. We're scheduled to study, arn't we?" He then chuckled leaning back a bit more and looking to him, his body shifting just slightly tot he side so he could look her over. "We'll, ye get a better idea?"