Keiko sat, staring plainly at her desk or, most specifically, the sheet of paper on top of her desk. Ever since Keiko had entered the prestigious all-girls school, Daichi, she had been burdened with the masses of homework from each and every one of her classes. This week, though, Keiko was lucky.
As time neared the two-week trimester, her classes have been more focused on the tests that come before the break. Plenty of studying has been put in play for all the girls at Daichi as most of them stay up performing one-night cram sessions to make up for their lack of productivity put forth in school. This, however, was not Keiko. She always spent most of her time studying on week days after school and sometimes on weekends, so one-nighters were not needed.
Keiko sighed and ran her free hand through her hair. Although the load of homework carried home by the girls of Daichi was relieved enough so that their back wouldn't ache by time they reached home, it did not mean that the few pages received were lacking in difficulty. As a matter of fact, Keiko was positively sure the difficulty has increased, dramatically.
Keiko was having a bit of trouble completing the homework scheduled for that weekend, she could find no explanation in any book she had, nonetheless any of her school text books. Shaking her head, Keiko leaned back in her chair, certainly defeated and tired of sitting around trying to find an explanation for it. Keiko gathered her papers and stacked them in a neat pile at the corner of her desk, determined to find the answer to that problem later, and if not, at least ask her teacher about it on Monday.
Keiko stood up from the chair in front of her desk and pushed it in, stretching her numb legs and arms as she walked to her bedroom door. She sat for three hours completing homework, most of it spent on just that one damned problem. Shaking her head at her sometimes pesky persistance, Keiko changed and proceeded downstairs, determined not to spend her entire Saturday cooped up within her room working on homework.
Keiko reveled in the silence of her home for a bit, enjoying the peaceful quietness she normally does not experience, having Yusuke for a lover and all. Keiko's parents were not home today, but instead spending time overseas on a trip to Europe in which Keiko imposed on them a bit for their anniversary.
It was a cloudy day outside, cool and windy. Normally Keiko would hate weather such as this because it usually meant rain, but today it did not look that bad and Keiko was feeling unusually light-hearted and relaxed. Walking up to home phone positioned on a nearby wall, Keiko checked the voice mail just incase someone had called and she had missed it. To her surprise, someone had.
Keiko listened to the message and immediately called right back, even though the message was from an hour earlier. Keiko waited for the phone to go through all four rings or eventually pick up. The rings stopped at two and immediately went to voice mail. Keiko was startled when the phone rung obnoxiously into her ear just as she was going to speak. Hurriedly, Keiko answered.
"Moshi-Moshi?"
"Kon'nichi wa Keiko-chan. You sound startled."
"I was, the phone rung expectantly into my ear," Keiko explained.
"I'm sorry. I heard the phone go to voice mail and thought I had missed your call by sometime. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Iie, do not worry."
The other line made a sound that almost sounded like cough, but Keiko was sure it was an ok.
"So what did you want to talk to me about Keiko-chan?"
Keiko smiled and began to lean against the wall by the phone, shifting some of the weight off of her feet and onto the wall.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to meet at the park, Nena-chan. There is nice weather outside."
"Yes, it is such a wonderful day. How about we meet at the park in fifteen minutes. We can have a picnic outside."
"That sounds great. I will see you then."
"Of course. Ja."
"Ja."
Keiko hung up the phone and pushed herself up from the wall and went down stairs. The park was not far away and Keiko would have enough time to maker her fair share of lunch before having to leave. Keiko smiled as she started the stove and moved to get everything ready to cook. While she was waiting, though, she searched for something to hold the food, something that would fit the occasion also. Keiko had to quit searching to start making the afternoon meal, although some time in the process finding a cute little picnic basket to hold the contents.
Once finished cooking, Keiko pulled on some shoes and pulled the basket off of the counter top, locking up shop and home before leaving on her walk to the park. Keiko admired the weather on her way, loving the feel of the cool air against her skin instead of the normally hot summery weather. It was a nice change indeed.
Keiko turned onto the sidewalk that lead into the park, meeting up half way with Nena and together they searched for a nice place to relax. Nena spread a blanket out over the soft grass and moved the baskets containing the food onto them. Nena had brought baked sweets and some disposable plates and chop stick to place the food on while Keiko had brought real food items.
"Here you go, Keiko-chan."
Keiko smiled and accepted the plate containing food from her friend.
"Arigatoo, Nena-chan."
Nena just smiled as she piled her share onto her plate and sat back.
Keiko and Nena looked up and watched the clouds pass by, reveling in the cool air of the day.
"Nature is always beautiful when outside."
"I agree," Keiko spoke, knowing that Nena was talking about all the luscious green trees that surrounded the park.
Kurama, a friend of Yusuke's automatically conjured within her mind when any talk of nature was in play, knowing just how much the red-haired kitsune loved the outdoors. Keiko never had any reason as to why Kurama was the one to come up. Keiko knew people who were surely more fond of nature than he was, but only Kurama came to mind.
After Nena and Keiko ate, they laid back and relaxed on the blanket they sat upon, feeling full and content. Keiko was almost asleep when Nena spoke, bring her to consciousness once again.
"How are you and that delinquent boy? Is your relationship going well?"
Keiko thought it odd that Nena was the one to bring up Yusuke, she usually was never really into romance or love and certainly not dating as much as any other girl she's seen. Keiko brushed off the thought and proposed to herself that she's a friend and just concerned about her well-being.
"Me and Yusuke, you mean?"
"Hai."
"Everything is going fine, great actually. He has a job during the week, so he isn't around much."
Nena nodded, a gesture that was within Keiko's perephial vision.
"That sucks," Nena commented.
Keiko agreed. It did suck, especially since Yusuke was the one thing that Keiko cared about the most in her life now.
Silence ensued the pair as Keiko and Nena relaxed underneath the trees and sky. Keiko could smell the light scent of rain, signalling that it wouldn't be long until a downpour, but Keiko didn't care at the moment and dismissed it. Keiko was way to relaxed to care about anything now, especially a bit of rain. Keiko was close to sleeping again when another question came from Nena. This one surprising her out of her trance-like state.
"Is Yusuke treating you right?"
Keiko turn her head towards Nena and looked at her face. Nena's eyes were closed and her face blank but relaxed, almost completely stoic. Turning back up to the sky Keiko nodded, knowing full well that Nena couldn't have seen it.
"Yes, of course. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," was the reply she got.
Keiko would not pry a response out of her, no matter how unhappy with the current one she has.
Another silence ensured, this one not as trance-like and awkward like the other's had been, but on the verge of it. Keiko closed her eyes and laid there for a few minutes before sitting up and stretching her limbs awake.
"It is going to rain soon, Nena-chan. We should start home. It would be best if neither of us caught a cold, don't you think?"
"Yes," Nena opened her eyes and sat up, her face remaining stoic. "Of course."
Nena stretched and pushed herself off of the ground, helping Keiko to pack up the containers and dished used for lunch and throwing away anything disposable. Keiko had just bid Nena goodbye and started walking away when Nena called out to her. Keiko turned and made eye contact with Nena, who was still facing her direction.
"Hai, Nena-chan?"
"Tomorrow night, would you like to see a movie with me?"
Keiko smiled.
"Hai. I would love to."
Nena nodded and turned, starting on her way home.
"Ja ne, Keiko-chan."
"Ja ne."
Keiko turned back around and started on her way home, a small, content smile spreading across her face as she did. Keiko was happy with how the day went. Sure it started out frustrating, but Keiko was able to forget about all that and move on.
Keiko was not even half way home when light sprinkles started to flutter down from the sky in a mist. Keiko didn't mind but as the rain drops started to gradually drop faster, get bigger and multiply, Keiko was soon worried that she would be completely drenched before reaching home and even more worried about Nena since she lived farther away from the park than Keiko.
Banishing all worries from her head, Keiko decided to walk faster, but soon her walk turned into a fast-paced jog as she hurried to get to her front door or even the bust stop by her home where she could at least wring out her clothes and wait out the storm.
Keiko pushed herself to go faster, but the pavement was too slick with water and Keiko tripped, her basket and it's contents falling and scattering everywhere. Keiko pushed herself to get up, but immediately found herself tumbling down again and grasping tightly as her ankle.
Pain shot up Keiko's leg and she clutched her burdened ankle closer to her, praying that she had not injured it badly. Keiko leaned against the brick wall that lined the yard of a house and squeezed it tightly, using it to pull herself up, bu to no avail, any and all movement only irritated the wound more than it already was. Groaning, Keiko leaned against the wall with her ankle clutched in her lap, waiting for the pain and, hopefully, whatever swelling there was to die down.
Keiko waited almost thirty minutes and any pain that was still in her leg only intensified as her leg proceeded to go numb. Keiko had given up any hope of getting home before the start of the evening and only hoped that her exposure to the horrible weather would not give her a cold. Keiko felt stupid and vulnerable sitting on the sidewalk with her things scattered about her and an injured leg.
"Keiko-san?"
Keiko looked up into green eyes that stared down with concern into hers. Groups and strands of red hair slid smoothly off the surface of the brown rain coat worn by none other than the red-head.
"Kurama-san," Keiko spoke, looking up she what she hoped was a sincere smile instead of an awkward look of pain. "Kon'nichi wa."
"Kon'nichi wa," Kurama replied in return, his eyes scanning over her body in, what Keiko thought to be, genuine concern.
Crouching down, Kurama slipped off his rain coat and wrapped it around Keiko before placing his hand on her shoulder and reaching for her leg, looking into her eyes while doing so.
"Let me see."
Keiko let go of her leg and Kurama softly squeezed his hand between her ankle and thigh, taking care not to cause her anymore pain then needed. Pulling his hand away from Keiko's shoulder, he reached down to the leg of her pants and tugged it up softly.
Keiko watched and hissed in pain when the rough denim of her pant leg moved roughly over the source of her pain, revealing what had to be the biggest swell she had ever seen on an ankle. The skin was big and puffed beyond the norm and decorated in a hue of blue, black and purple which slowly dispersed into a sickly greenish-brown color towards the upper ankle and foot. Kurama pressed his fingers into Keiko's ankle causing her to howl and retract her ankle from him.
"I'm sorry, Keiko-san, but I can't help if you don't let me see your ankle."
Kurama's smooth voice cascaded over Keiko's body, sending shiver down her spine, but she shook her head.
"Kurama-san, you are doing much more than looking."
Keiko met Kurama's eyes and sighed, releasing her leg over into Kurama's care, who in turn proceeded to examine it. Keiko clenched her fists when pain shot through her leg. What was only a minute or two, however, seemed like hours to Keiko.
Kurama let go of her leg and shook his head, retracting his hands away from her ankle.
"You seemed to have injured it pretty bad, Keiko-san. It seems to be fractured."
Keiko groaned and leaned back onto the brick wall, feeling defeated.
"Kurama-san, will it be better by tomorrow?"
Kurama shook his head.
"I am afraid not."
Keiko sighed, she had looked forward to tomorrow with Nena, it seems now, though, that her Sunday is shot.
"We should get you to a hospital, Keiko-san, or at least somewhere you cannot conduct a cold."
Keiko nodded and Kurama helped Keiko up and led her off. Keiko was limping and all too soon the pain in her left ankle became almost unbearable. Kurama set Keiko down on a bench under the shelter of a bus stop. Keiko instantly knew it was the one close to home and sat down, relieved. Kurama took a seat next to her. It was then that she remembered her basket.
"Kurama-san! My things, we just left them there on the side-walk!"
Kurama smiled lightly at Keiko.
"No need to worry, Keiko-san. Hiei took care of it."
Keiko looked at Kurama oddly. She hadn't even known that Hiei was with him, nonetheless did she notice that her things were gone, but now that she thought back, she didn't see her things laying all around the side-walk when the started on their journey to Keiko's house.
Keiko nodded and leaned back onto the glass that was keeping Keiko from getting anymore wet than she was.
"Are you feeling better now, Keiko-san?"
"Hai..demo, Kurama-san, let's wait out the storm. The last thing I need is anymore injuries."
Keiko smiled awkwardly at her weak attempt at a joke. Kurama, though, only nodded and crossed his legs, leaning back into the glass at the bus stop.
Keiko held in a sigh that was about to escape and looked away. No matter how much she socialized with Kurama, which was not often, she could never find herself comfortable enough to start a normal conversation and keep it up. Kurama, to her, seemed to be unapproachable and Keiko honestly didn't know how to break that.
Keiko looked at Kurama out of the corner of her eye and cleared her throat, bring Kurama's attention over to her. Kurama started until she was ready to talk.
"Kurama-san,...when will my ankle be better?"
"Not for a long while. You seemed to have fractured it pretty bad."
"Oh."
"May I ask why you want your ankle to get better so badly, Keiko-san?"
Keiko smiled awkwardly.
"I am supposed to be meeting someone tomorrow night."
"Yusuke?"
Keiko's eyes narrowed.
"No."
It was short and sweet and to the point.
"Oh, I'm sorry for bring Yusuke up. I just-"
"No, I'm sorry Kurama-san. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just mad at Yusuke."
"I see."
Silence came between Keiko and Kurama and they sat there, waiting out the storm. It wasn't until Keiko spoke that the silence was broken.
"Kurama-san, I..."
Kurama looked at Keiko, waiting patiently for her to put her words into a sentence.
"Did you overhear anyone talking about me after that night?"
Kurama looked a bit surprised at her question, but Keiko really wanted to know.
"I mean, I know some, most, people did not like what I had done."
Kurama looked down, as if in thought before opening his mouth.
"No-"
"Be honest with me, Kurama. I know you have good hearing," Keiko interrupted, forgetting the suffix at the end of his name.
Kurama sighed.
"Yes. Almost everybody expressed their dislike for your actions that night and, to my knowledge, some are still mad about it."
Keiko looked down, a sense of hurt touched her emotions. Keiko was quiet and Kurama was beginning to think that he should have not said anything when Keiko spoke.
"Are you angered by what I did, Kurama-san?"
Keiko was looking out into the rain, her expression blank and resembling Nena's towards the end of their time together today.
"I refuse to take any side," Kurama said honestly. "It is not my place to interfere."
Keiko nodded, relief washed over her now, knowing that Kurama did not judge her.
"It seems as though the storm has receded."
Keiko looked up. Only a few sprinkles fell from the sky.
"It does."
Kurama stood up and walked the small space over to Keiko, helping her up from the bench. Keiko leaned onto Kurama and they both started on the short walk over to her door step and, once there entered her home where Kurama treated Keiko with the help of the first aid kit kept in the kitchen.
Kurama was pulling his raincoat back on by the door when he heard Keiko's voice.
"Kurama-san, thank you."
"For what?"
"Waiting out the storm with me."
Kurama smiled genuinely before turning around and exited the Yukimura house.
Keiko smiled lightly, knowing that she did not resolve the issue of Kurama's unapproachableness, but she felt a bit better knowing that he would not judge her. This fact would make getting to know him a lot easier.
Keiko looked down at the small seed in her hand, tossing it around and examining it. It was the closest to a pain-killer Kurama had on him. Kurama had said to no move around so much, but kami knows that his directions will not be taken to mind. Keiko smiled and tucked the seed into a wet pocket in her jeans.
Oh yes, Keiko was sure there will be a blooming friendship between them, especially after tomorrow night. Keiko just hopes that he won't scold her too bad, like he does her annoying boyfriend.
As you can see this is not really a one-shot about friendship, in fact I am seriously considering making a sequel to this or making this into a story or at least adding another chapter to this because, in my eyes, this seems like a chapter or a one-shot leading up to the ultimate friendship with Kurama, like Keiko so desires. But I am not sure yet. Please, you guys, review and tell me what you think. I would like criticism on this little piece of work so maybe later I can update it or remake it entirely. Any who, R&R and enjoy.
~Biko-Biko