:CE: AU ZetsuRui

Crocodile

Another argument ended in vain for Rui, she couldn’t win. The ‘comebacks’ she was shouting at the opposition were useless, and she knew that. It was arguing for the sake of arguing. In public they tolerated each other but alone there was no-one to prevent their arguing. The two argued about the most stupid things; what colour something could be classed as, the type of food something was, whether the alligators or crocodiles in the local zoo were better. If they could find something to argue about, they would do so without hesitation.

In a sense, they were connected. They always seemed to know what the other was thinking and what their view on something was, the latter being what usually began the constant bickering. It was as though their brains were in sync with one another and despite the arguing, they were able to work extremely well together on assignments, their differences being set aside for the duration of whatever they were doing.

“It’s an alligator,” he would say calmly, Rui shaking her head and scowling at him.

“He’s a crocodile. How many times do I need to tell you that, idiot,” she would reply, only leading to a chuckle in response from Zetsu.

“Definitely an alligator,” he smirked, and Rui frowned again, knowing he was only trying to rile her up. She looked at the little animal again and smiled softly at the memories he held for her in return for her holding him dear to her, and thought to herself about how different her life would be without him there to talk to. “You know I’m right, Rui.”

“Wrong.”

Zetsu chuckled as Rui turned back to him and began pacing around her room, Mokuzu still on her mind along with the boy leaning against her wall. Why did he always have to tease her about the animal? Why couldn’t he just be quiet and forget about him for once instead of deliberately going out of his way to annoy her? His logic had always confused her. She glanced at the boy and watched him laugh at the animal staring at him, and he reached out to stroke his scales, which she was surprised he didn’t get his hand bitten off for since anyone else would have. She didn’t understand Mokuzu’s logic either though who could blame her; he was a crocodile. He stood, surprisingly calm, as Zetsu stroked his scales and spoke to the animal, the words of which Rui wasn’t registering so much as staring at the boy, and grinned at it, knowing Mokuzu liked him.

“Rui?”

His question snapped her out of the trance she had been put in against her will and she blinked, meeting the eyes in front of her as she blushed a light shade of pink, looking away towards the window and pretending there was something more interesting outside.

“Yes?” she didn’t hesitate to answer the question and was responded to by another chuckle as Zetsu looked past her and followed her gaze outside, softly shaking his head as he smiled. It was no secret to him that Rui stared at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, and it was even less of a secret that she blushed whenever he ‘caught’ her, despite the fact he was aware of her doing it the entire time she did. What she didn’t know, however, was that he glanced at her when she wasn’t looking. He stared at the back of her head when they walked down the street and wished for her to turn around and catch him so that she would clue on to what it was like for him.

“Nothing. I was just checking that you were okay, you seemed a little out of it.”

His excuse wasn’t entirely true, and both he and Rui knew it, and Rui also knew she had been caught staring at him; and as embarrassed as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to speak and nor could he. The silence continued pacing through the room for a few minutes before Rui sighed and looked down at the floor, any courage contained within her being flowing away as the silence ensued, an awkward aura emanating from both parties in the room as Mokuzu watched them both with keen eyes, willing something to happen.

“You know, there really isn’t anything of any interest on your floor, Rui,” Zetsu teased, easing the tension away from between them to further annoy the girl, her eyes snapping up as she failed to think of a witty remark.

“It’s more interesting than looking at you,” she retorted, knowing fine well that Zetsu would just grin and reply. And that’s exactly what he did.

“Think whatever you want. I know you cannot resist me,” Zetsu boasted playfully, Rui smiling at his successful attempts to make her feel a better. Again she was questioning his logic though. How come he was the one who was making her feel down yet, at the same time, he was the one patching her up again, and was always the one making her feel better? Logic ceased to amaze Rui, as did Zetsu, though she accepted that it wasn’t meant to be answered, and was there to be questioned. “And by the way, Rui,” Zetsu began, and Rui blinked, looking up at the boy who had moved to stroke Mokuzu once again.

“He’s definitely an alligator.”