Michiru wished to hear more about Shirou's past and decided to remain silent as he reflected aloud. Unfortunately, when his eyes met hers after a brief silence, they looked clear and alert, no longer lost in memories. The moment was gone and his next question sent her brain for an unexpected loop. He made a play.
"Are your parents thinking of moving to Anima City when human habitation is legalized?" Shirou asked, nodding for her to move a piece, making Michiru's head spin at the thought. The merging of two worlds, her past and present, seemed impossible. Her parents would hate it here, she knew. It would break her heart if half of her rejected the other, so she'd believed they should remain separate. And besides, what would they think of...? She stole a look at the wolf regarding her a few feet away.
Shirou was peering at her in that mysterious, secretive way of his. Did he think she didn't notice his eyes boring into her, unfathomable emotions flickering across his face? What was he thinking?
"No, I don't think so," Michiru finally answered, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding. 'My two worlds... my two identities, can't currently coexist,' she thought. "They're not really city people." she finished then squealed excitedly as she jumped one of his checkers pieces.
"My job would otherwise be three times as difficult, if they're anything like you," he scowled at her as she took his piece.
"I'm nothing like my parents, for your information," she laughed loudly at his sour expression.
"Ha! I guess you can't predict everything!" she mocked.
One corner of his lips turned up, "You're so gullible..." and Shirou jumped three of her pieces. His eyes glinted mischievously as he scooped up his prisoners and watched her jaw hit the floor.
Shirou felt at home in Michiru's room. She rarely sought him out first, so they often ended up having short conversations on the rooftop or in her room when Shirou needed to talk to her. Originally, he knew she wanted someone to open up to and he enjoyed helping her sort out her thoughts, even though they often disagreed and argued. Recently, however, Michiru had become rather popular and had many friends with whom to share her thoughts and concerns. While he was also more busy with matters of the state, Shirou didn't gain any extra friends. He ended up sharing his thoughts with Kuro on the rooftop when Michiru was gone, sometimes with the Mayor, if work was involved. Shirou was sure that if Nazuna wasn't on tour, Michiru would be out with her instead of with him tonight. He smiled to himself, feeling selfish.
Shirou also won the second game of checkers, but declined to play a third, noting Michiru's evident exhaustion. Her cheeks were slightly pink under the fur and her eyes sagged heavily as she stifled a yawn. "Ok, I'm gonna call it for tonight, Shirou. We'll have to play something that's more challenging for you next time," she glared at him through tired slits, admonishing him with a look.
"I don't know how to play video games..." he offered, smiling sheepishly.
She thought for a moment, "That is very interesting. Unfortunately, I don't own any..." she shrugged. "We'll figure out something."
Shirou dusted himself off and adjusted his clothing around his ample fur after helping Michiru clean up their game. He retrieved his trench coat and stuck his arms inside, preparing to leave and looked around for anything out of place. His tail swished.
The sound of the coat's fabric brushing against his pants, of keys jingling somewhere deep inside its pockets, and the vision of him patting himself to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything before remembering to grab his present, shrouded the tanuki in deja vu. Her ears rang as time slowed and she watched him grab the gift box and collar, turn to her to grunt a farewell, and open the door on his way out.
A small, clawed hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve.