"You've almost got him Suzume-san

Fish Wish

Chapter 1

"You've almost got him Suzume-san!" yelled a determined young man. He stood behind a young girl with silky, pink hair tied back with a strawberry-colored bow. Her bangs stuck to her forehead that was now sweaty. She was trying for the fifth time now to catch the goldfish before her. She wouldn't have cared at first yet with her short temper; she grew frustrated that she couldn't catch the damn thing. She clenched the wire stick in her hand and glared at the same fish circling in place as if it were mocking her.

It was July 7th. The day of the star festival, Tanabata, and Suzume was spending some of her time hanging out with her best friend Kaede, Kenta. He had his fists up to his chest and a look of determination on his face as he cheered her on. His green, lotus patterned yukata swished back and forth as he moved his arms about and his short, amber hair swayed a bit as the summer night wind played with it and the lanterns above the hut caused it to shine brilliantly.

Aoi, Suzume sat kneeled before a large, plastic box that contained many different species of small goldfish swimming about. It was a well known game during this festival. One would be able to take home a goldfish if they can manage to catch it with the hoop stick with rice paper in the middle. It appeared pretty easy, but it really wasn't. If you even managed to catch the fish, it could easily fall through.

Suzume glared down at the fish and clenched her teeth.

"You're not getting away this time fish!" she growled between her clenched teeth. And like a ninja she swooped down, her pink, sakura petal patterned yukata became slightly wet as it touched the top of the water, and swooped the goldfish up. She held it up high and watched as it wobbled about on the paper, gasping as it couldn't breathe.
"Got yah!" She yelled and grinned wider as Kenta cheered behind her.

The old man who was in charge of the attraction smiled and nodded, then turned around got a bag full of water.

"Here you go miss. Congratulations." He said with a kind smile.

Suzume returned the smile, then dropped the fish into the bag. She bowed at the man, thanking him and then turned heel.

"Let's go Kenta. I want to show my parents and Sora-chan." Suzume said with both her mouth and eyes grinning. Suzume thought of her four year old sister who adored fish. Her parents had tried and failed a few times before to catch her a goldfish. Boy was she going to be happy to see what her just big sister caught.

The old man at the stand watched the two friends walk away. He looked down at the dozens of goldfish swimming in the plastic box. So…they're all gone now huh? He thought to himself. He brow furrowed, his two gray caterpillars for eyebrows merging together on his forehead, as he looked back up to see Kenta and Suzume were now gone. What a lucky young woman.

A few days passed and the festival had ended. But Suzume's summer still had much adventure to come.

July 10th was marked the day of a concert of Suzume's favorite j-pop band. It was July 9th and possibilities of getting a ticket was very slim, pretty much impossible.

Suzume sighed as she sat at her desk, doing her summer homework. She was trying her best at the algebra problems before her but the thought of the concert evaded her concentration. She looked over at the small sized fish tank and watched as the goldfish, which Sora nicknamed Fish-Fish-chan, danced about.

She got up with a sigh and walked over to the tank. She bent down so she was face to face with the fish. The goldfish stopped swimming and looked at Suzume.

Suzume blinked and tilted her head to the side, the goldfish then tilted its body a bit.

"That's weird," she whispered, "It's as if he-" she was stopped by the sound of her name being called by a familiar voice.

Kenta suddenly burst into the room, a grin stretched across his face.

"Suzume!" He yelled again, this time into her ear.

"Ack! Kenta! Goddamnit I heard you outside my door the first time! What is it!? What the hell are you doing here?" She said, rubbing her left ear that he had yelled into and then crossed her arms.

Kenta kept grinning, "My my watch your language Suzume-san!"

"Whatever just tell me already why you're here, I was trying to do some homework."

Kenta patted her on the shoulder, and then brought her into a headlock, bringing her head to his chest. "Take a guess."

She blinked with a look of annoyance on her face. "What you finally get a brain transplant? Your parents finally realize that when you were born someone must've switched your brain with one that belongs to a squirrel?"

"Nooope! Guess again."

She sighed and noticed his other hand was hidden behind his back. "What do you have?"

Kenta opened one eye and looked down at her. "You reaaaaally want to know?"

Suzume growled and tried to reach for his arm, "Yes! Now let me seee!"

"Alright!" He yelled, almost bursting her eardrum again and held up two pink pieces of papers in his hands.

Suzume gasped at the papers and almost fainted.

In the grasp of her best friend's hand was two tickets to the concert she was longing to go to.
"H-how?" She only managed to mutter.

Kenta grinned at her, "Bought it from a friend. He sorta ripped me off but I figured it was worth it since I knew how much you wanted it."

Suzume sighed, "You're such an idiot. Having to waist so much money on me like that."

Kenta let her go, and she dropped to the floor immediately.

"Well if you're going to be that way you'll have to owe me."

"What? Back in yen!? I don't get my allowance for another week and I wanted to save this money I have now for a new bike!" Suzume whined slumping against Kenta's leg.

"Fine…not in yen. How about…" Kenta said and pondered. He had his forefinger and thumb to his chin and hummed a few "hmmm" as he looked around her room for an idea. He looked forward and saw Fish-Fish-chan swimming about in his tank.

"Perfect!" He said snapping his fingers and pointed at the tank. "You will have to kiss your goldfish you won at the summer festival!"

"Whaaaat!?" Suzume said, standing quickly. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shook him. "No way! Not in a million years! Are you crazy?"

Kenta smiled at her. "Nope! But fine. If you won't do it I'll just ask another friend to go with me." He began to leave her room but she stopped him with a loud "wait!"

He grinned but didn't turn around yet.

"I-I'll do it…" she said. Looking at the ground with her arms shaking at her sides, she couldn't believe she was going to kiss a fish. The scaly, slimy creature that swam in its own feces; the fish of all species...she had to kiss.

Kenta turned around with a kind smile. "Great!"

Suzume moaned as she grabbed the fish scooper and scooped the fish up.

"Sorry little guy," she said as it wiggled about in her forefinger and thumb. "I don't want to do this as much as you don't." She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and quickly pressed the fish's face against her lips.

After that, time suddenly had become slow. It felt like she was kissing this fish for hours and then suddenly she wasn't. In a poof of smoke the fish was gone. She felt him wiggle and break free. He lips were still locked to lips but not those of a fish, but those of a young man. Suzume didn't break free. She stared at two pairs of blue irises, looking equally as shocked as she was. Her face was aflame by how handsome they were and from shock at the same time. Kenta, who had fallen backwards from the sudden poof of smoke and appearance of the boy before Suzume, crawled up against the nearest wall and began to shake with fear. What in the hell was going on!?

Finally the two broke apart. Suzume's hand right away found it's way to her lips. "Who…who…who are you!?" she managed to spit out.

The boy, who stood at equal height of Suzume, wearing a tan hoodie, light colored jeans, two blue stripes on his cheeks, two pointed, oddly shaped ears, and now hidden eyes behind his long, orange bangs smiled at her.

"I'm Kaito." He said with a warm smile still upon his face. Suzume's face stayed flushed at the sound of his calm voice and his warm, welcoming smile.

"I'm your wish granting goldfish." He answered.

Suzume blinked. "…what?" Is this some sort of dream!? She pinched her arm really quick and flinched. She felt it. This…wasn't a dream. It was really happening.