Author's Notes: I'm sure that I'm not the only one to have noticed the lack of multi-chapter stories in the Harukanaru section of our beloved Fanfiction. I'm spreading out my interests from merely writing Rurouni Kenshin Fanfictions, but Harukanaru one's as well.
Support the writers writing Harukanaru fanfictions; we all seem to be starving for reviews!
(I apologize in advance to all those who like ran and may be offended by her bitchiness.)
Happy Valentine's Day!!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harukanaru…or Yasuaki…aww snaps
Words to know: Kakigouri – Japanese shaved ice
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Kakigouri
By Peachie-Chan
Chapter 1: Day One – Just a Doll
"Please!!!" A pretty ebony-haired girl pleaded as she grabbed onto the hand of a short redheaded girl, who's emerald-green eyes looked away from the girl who had attached herself like a leech to her arm.
"No" she replied flatly.
"Why not?!" The persistent girl snapped angrily as she released her, hate and loathing quite evident in her cold brown eyes, glaring viciously at the red head who gently massaged her wrist and brushed whatever germs she could from her clothing. The pale skinned girl had a feeling that no matter how much she brushed off, washing her simple red and white striped tank top and blue jean shorts and cleansing them from evil would no doubt be necessary if she wished to wear this outfit again in the future.
"Ran-san…you don't even like me and have made my three years of high school a living hell with your nasty rumors, name calling, and numerous other things I won't waste my time adding to the list! Why pick me?! Did you decide that it suddenly was 'Mess with Akane's First Day of Vacation' Day?! This is probably one of your sick tricks and even if I were to think about your favor seriously, do you have any idea how psychotic your little 'favor' sounds?"
Eighteen year old Ran Morimura, daughter of some uber rich business mogul, beautiful with creamy white skin and always dressed like someone who had just walked off some fashion runway, had been the most foul being in existence to commonly normal Akane Motomiya. The ebony haired young woman had tormented her without end as if it made her feel superior to call her "Charity case," "Pauper," and "shmoo." (Yet Akane had yet to figure out the significance of the meaning of the last insult.)
Akane held great feelings of dislike for this girl who called her shmoo. Loathed her even more when earlier that day when she out at a convenience store attempting to purchase the dish soap her mother had asked her fore, had Akane found Ran spying on her from the magazine aisle.
When she left the store, Akane took notice that the infuriating girl dressed in a white flowing dress and giant brimmed white hat and tied up sandals was indeed following her. No matter where she escaped to…SHE was there. When Akane hid in the nearby shrine, there was Ran praying! In the shopping district? There she was gnawing on a cucumber! It was as if she had placed a tracking device on her and was hell bent on ruining her three precious weeks of summer vacation.
"I should record this conversation and use it as proof of your insanity."
Ran scowled and placed her hands on her hips.
"What's so crazy about it?"
Akane started laughing in disbelief and plastered a ditsy look on her face.
" 'Akane-chan I can call you that, right? Hee hee! My Papa bought me a doll, can you teach him how to feel?'" She mimicked as she twirled a strand of her cropped red hair before glancing back at Ran with a critical glance. "Has it ever occurred to you that a doll is an inanimate object?"
Akane smiled in delight at the silence that Ran was providing. Grabbing the plastic bag with soap that had fallen to her feet, she turned and began to walk towards home.
"Now please excuse me, but shmoo has to go"
Ran did not follow.
---
Kakigouri is a bowl of shaved ice flavored with the various syrups of one's choosing. Akane's green eyes looked down at the Styrofoam bowl with a scoop of ice flavored with her three favorite syrups. Blueberry, cherry, cream soda. She idly stirred the treat; she felt horrible. The kakigouri tasted bland today. Was it guilt? Surely it wasn't guilt at being rude towards Ran.
As she took a spoonful to her mouth, Akane realized what truly bothered her. What had Ran meant by 'doll?' No matter how devilish she was, certainly her father hadn't bought her some sort of sex slave…or slave in general.
"She probably doesn't even want to deal with the doll and is trying to pin it down on someone else. Though she could also be trying to find someone else because Ran knows very well that teaching someone about feelings like love and compassion is beyond her capability knowing."
"Kaki…gouri."
Akane glanced up at who had softly uttered the word from her spot on the she currently sat on in the park. What she saw caused Akane's grip on her cup to slacken.
"Kakigouri" the young man repeated.
Akane's mouth dropped slightly in awe as her bottom lip began to quiver.
He appeared older than those young men at her school, leaving Akane to assume that this young man was no older than twenty-one. What really threw Akane off was that he was so good looking that he was almost to the point of being beautiful. He had lovely green hair that probably fell to his low back, yet he had neatly arranged it in a bun on the side of his head, leaving a small portion free. For such a humid afternoon, he was certainly dressed strangely in a rather thick-looking black yukata. One would generally assume that his most bizarre feature would be his dual-colored eyes; one amazing amber, the other a deep forest green. This was all easily overlooked by the fact that half of his cream-colored face was a mysterious shade of gray.
Was it a skin condition?
An infectious disease?
Even though he was a complete and utter stranger who looked down at his kakigouri with a blank expression, something about this man sparked interest within Akane, resulting in her asking him a very stupid question.
"What flavor did you get?"
From his position a few feet away from the bench, the man's eyes widened ever so slightly at having heard someone addressing him. He turned his attention towards the girl who had spoken, his face as expressionless as a blank slate.
"Lemon."
"Juria!"
Oh god no.
Akane felt herself slouching over as not to be recognized by the black haired girl who was no doubt running towards them, followed by a procession consisting of her butler and driver. For two hours, Akane had assumed that she had outrun her.
'If I pretend I'm not here, she won't see me.'
Ran smirked at Akane's slouched figure as she approached the two, signaling the two men to remain at a safe distance away. Akane slowly sat up straight seeing as she could no longer ignore the girl, eyeing the cardboard box in the butler's arms.
"I see you've met Juria, Akane."
Akane stiffened and felt herself gritting her teeth in frustration at her failure at successfully disappearing. Ran had somehow planned the meeting; she had to have planned it. It had to have been the moment she caught hold of her hand that she planted a tracking device on her arm. That at least the theory she was sticking to.
"So I have"
Ran came closer till she was a few mere millimeters away from the doll named Juria, her hand trailing slowly along his pale cheek in a rather suggestive manner that quite frankly made Akane want to vomit. Yet Juria had no inkling of disgust on his face, something that brought much concern to Akane. All he did was keep his eyes fixed on Ran.
"As you can clearly tell Akane, Juria was born with no feelings whatsoever. He is therefore not a human, just a doll created by man."
Akane leaned back comfortably against the bench and let out a snort as she gazed up at Ran with mild interest.
"I can't figure out what you are more pissed about, the fact that Juria isn't affected by your feminine willies, or the fact that your just bitter that your father brought you a boy doll when judging by the name you gave him, you wanted a girl."
"I find Juria to be a beautiful name" Ran replied hotly as she roughly grabbed Juria's wrist and practically dragged the poor man with her towards her two escorts.
Akane's eyes widened slightly as his eyes wandered over towards her for the briefest of moments. Guilt swept over her like a wave on the ocean. How could she even begin to think of leaving that man in the tyrannical hands of Ran, who would no doubt secure him a future of having as many emotions as a rock? If Juria truly were a doll, he'd be forced to remain by Ran's side for days on end. Even expressionless Juria did not deserve such a bleak future.
"Wait!" Akane found herself calling out, knowing very well that she had been ensnared in Ran's plan when she caught a glimpse of her smirk as she paused, a victorious look in the eyes.
"Yes Akane-chan?"
"Let's say I do accept this…what's in it for me?"
"I'll pay you."
"How much?"
"You got a teacher for Juria."
"Excellent! Now I can go to Okinawa without having to drag silent man with me," Ran sighed with relief as she pushed the doll in the red head's direction.
Akane found herself scowling in displeasure at Ran as she gently took hold of his hand.
"What do you mean Okinawa?!" Akane asked loudly as she stood up. "I thought that this was a teaching-thing, not a pet-sitting service!"
Hailing her butler over, Ran giggled lightly as the man approached them with the cardboard box.
"You think I want him on my vacation? Ha, that's a laugh! My mother invited me to come to the beach house and he's the last thing I want to worry about, so I might as well pay someone to take care of him and break the seal while they're at it!"
The butler finally reached them Akane and unceremoniously dropped the box at her feet before making his way back towards the driver.
"Wah?! Seal?"
"That's right, I have no use for Juria until the seal on him has been broken."
Akane was dumbfounded as Ran laughed in delight at the look of confusion on her face as she ran off to reunite with her attendants.
"Have a nice vacation, Akane-chan"
And then she was gone, leaving redheaded Akane in such a state of shock that at some point in time, her fingers had slackened so much on her kakigouri that it fell to the ground, nearly hitting Juria's box of belongings and making a sort of mush sound.
Juria's eyes rested on the spot where Ran had stood a moment before, gently removing his hand from Akane's.
"I do not like that girl" he said flatly.
Akane slowly looked up at him, still in a state of shock.
"Why's that?"
"It's either her way or nothing."
The third year high school student in reality wanted to listen to Juria's complaints, yet the one thought that kept plaguing her mind was how she was going to tell her mother when she showed up at home with someone she claimed to be a doll at home and brought up the point that said doll needed to stay for three weeks. No doubt she would be grounded for even suggesting it.
Akane bent down slightly and lifted up the rather light box and cautiously looked inside. From what it looked like, there were only three articles of clothing in the box, each more bizarre than the other. A simple white sleeping yukata, a half-white half-black yukata, and an identical yukata to that one except with a large yin and yang sign printed on it. Looking up, Akane flushed slightly at having pried into Juria's personal belongings…but it brought an interesting question to mind.
Just what kind of doll was he?
"Well…I guess I'll just take you home then…"
Without warning, he skillfully removed the box from her hands and began to follow the path through the park that would lead to the street, leaving Akane to hold his kakigouri for him.
"W-wait! Juria-san!"
Juria stopped and waited patiently for Akane to reach him before starting once again and kept moving until they reached the end of the park, he stopped as if waiting for her to tell him the next direction.
"It's fine! I can carry the box, Juria-san!"
"Mondai nai" he responded as he allowed Akane to lead the way across the street down a residential block.
'Not a problem?!' Akane felt her head begin to ache as she played through her mind all the problems of the current situation. Slowing down to walk side by side with the man, Akane smiled up at him and felt she could at least attempt to solve one problem. Juria only looked back at her to show he was paying attention to her.
"Does Juria-san not like his name?"
Immediately the man nodded.
"Yet it is the name my mistress gave me, therefore I cannot complain."
"But it bothers you?"
"No."
"But you don't like it?"
He nodded.
"Can I try at coming up with a better name for you?"
"If you wish."
Akane thought carefully for the next few minutes as they walked several blocks and still she had not thought of a name that would properly suit him. She slowly came to a halt in front of her modest home and felt the panic begin to eat away at her gut. What was she going to tell her mother? How could she introduce him without resorting to calling him 'Doll-san?' May a glimpse into his history would aid Akane…
"Seeing as I can't come up with a name on my own, why don't you tell me about yourself? Surely you had a life before Ran!" She suggested enthusiastically.
"I am the creation of a great onmyoji named Abe no Seimei. I was given the name Abe no Yasuaki and was created because no human fitted master's requirements to be his apprentice. No one in this country can surpass me in my skills except my master. I had been content with my life in my Master's manor in Kyoto…I was called away to a shrine to perform an exorcism in a shrine near by and that was when my mistress saw me. She consulted my master and asked if she could purchase the beautiful doll that she had seen. Abe no Seimei thought my mistress would be the person who could give me what I am lacking, but…"
Akane was in awe, and not because of the mention of an onmyoji, which she had learned that that particular type of priest no longer existed. The doll correctly named Abe no Yasuaki seemed like a man of few words, yet he was now correcting every wrong that he could about himself with the given opportunity. Sensing that this was a rare occurrence, Akane remained silent and smiled in keen interest.
"But?"
"I knew my master was sorely mistake the moment she found out I was a man and made me sleep in a closet."
A closet?
"A closet?"
Yasuaki nodded as he leaned against the wall that kept Akane's home and small front garden separated from the other houses.
"Please allow me to address you by your proper name, Yasuaki-san!"
He nodded in gratitude.
Akane carefully studied Yasuaki's lean frame and wondered if she should dare ask the question that would no doubt open a can of worms. Already Ran forced him to sleep in a closet, who knows what more torture she may have put him through.
"Did Ran feed you at all?" She asked slowly, clearly more cautious than her previous question.
"According to my mistress, dolls do not need to eat."
Akane resisted the urge to scream at the newly presented information, choosing to grab Yasuaki and lead him towards her house instead. Up the three steps and onto the small landing, she cursed under her breath as she sifted through her pockets in search for the keys. Yasuaki watched her hands with mild interest as they shook so badly that she dropped the keys nearly four times before being able to successfully open the door and drag him in with her.
"Yasuaki-san must be starving!" Akane cried as she slammed the door closed behind them, quickly kicking off her black flip-flops and donned her designated slippers.
"Mondai nai" Yasuaki replied as he carefully removed his black boots and arranged them neatly by the other shoes. Akane handed him a pair of slippers for him, slightly irked at how he took his time and never let go of his box of belongings, never once acting like he was hungry.
Quickly shaking her head, Akane struggled to pry the small container of kakigouri open as she led Yasuaki into the kitchen. She sat him down at the kitchen table and slammed the frozen treat in front of him as he gently set his box on the floor beside his seat. The green-haired young man watch as the teenage-girl angrily scooped a large portion onto the tiny plastic yellow spoon and to his surprise, forced it into his mouth. The sudden action brought the first reaction Akane ever saw on the doll's face. Surprise.
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
"Not a problem? Not a problem?! Starvation is a BIG problem Yasuaki-san! Please just sit here and eat that!" Akane cried as her eyes darted around the kitchen in search of the most filling thing she could feed her guest.
"Akane? Are you home?"
The teenage girl swore under her breath as several bowls of instant ramen fell on her head after having opened a high cupboard door.
"Yes! I came back earlier than expected!" She called as she stood on the tips of her toes and forced some of the ramen back on the shelf, leaving one behind on the counter.
Yasuaki was surprised to find that what he had been fed had been strangely refreshing and cooled him down considerably, resulting in him indulging in more spoonfuls of the shaved ice. After several more spoonfuls, his expressionless returned once more as he focused his attention on the small container, rather than towards the middle age woman now entering the kitchen.
"Who's your friend, Akane?" The redheaded woman smiled kindly at Yasuaki as he looked up at her, having finished the kakigouri and now busied himself with sucking silently on the small plastic spoon.
Akane, who was busy pouring boiling water into the cup of ramen, nearly screamed and dropped the teapot at the sound of her mother's voice. Looking over her shoulder, she offered her mother a shaky smile.
"Ah! Mom! This is Yasuaki-san!"
"Hello there Yasuaki-kun. I'm Shizuka Motomiya, Akane's mother" Shizuka smiled as she introduced herself.
A moment of awkward silence passed as the doll stared blankly at the older woman, causing Akane to panic silently at his lack of motion.
'Say something Yasuaki!'
Carefully removing the spoon from his lips and discarded it into the empty container, Yasuaki finally bowed his head in acknowledgement, much to the younger girl's relief.
"Good afternoon, Motomiya-san."
Shizuka smiled in delight and turned toward her daughter, nodding in approval before turning back towards Yasuaki. Akane suddenly found herself worrying over that look. It was true that she had never brought a boy home…but surely her mother didn't assume this boy was a potential boyfriend! Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, Akane quickly rushed over towards the table and laid them in front of Yasuaki as she grabbed the finished kakigouri.
"So how do you know Akane-chan?" Shizuka asked gleefully at the beautiful boy who sat at her kitchen table.
Akane nearly tripped over herself on her way to the trashcan.
"My mistress introduced me to Motomiya and told me that she would take care of me while my mistress is away on vacation" Yasuaki replied plainly as he reached out for the chopsticks and split them in half. "Thank you for the meal"
Shizuka was positively baffled by the young man's explanation. She unsurely looked over towards Akane, who looked as if she lost all feeling in her legs and was now using the counter to support herself.
"Mistress?" The older woman squeaked out.
"Uh…uh…Yasuaki-san is a monk!"
"Onmyoji" Yasuaki corrected as he slurped his ramen.
Akane's face flushed in embarrassment as she looked up at her mother with a pleading look.
"Yasuaki-san is from Kyoto and a psychotic classmate of mine has enslaved him for who knows how long and hasn't fed him and forced him to sleep in a closet!" Akane rambled, hoping this would be enough to convince her mother into allowing him stay.
Shizuko's green eyes scanned Yasuaki intently as he paid no mind to her and continued eating his ramen, not concerned at how the woman was looking down at his box and tugging lightly on his sleeve to test the thickness.
"If he's the result of such abuse…I want to sleep in a closet as well!" Shizuko commented as she affectionately patted the onmyoji's hand. "And who treated you so badly?"
"Ran Morimura. She tricked me into taking care of Yasuaki-san while she's on vacation for three weeks. Can he please stay here?" Akane pleaded.
"If it is too much trouble, I will return to the Morimura mansion" Yasuaki replied as he finished his ramen and politely laid his chopsticks neatly across the rim of the cup. "Thank you Motomiya, it was delicious."
"He thinks a cup of ramen is delicious, how can we allow him to go back to that family?!" Akane questioned as she came towards him and rested her hands on Yasuaki's shoulders.
Shizuka thought carefully about the matter, yet truthfully was not convinced. Akane had only met the young man that very day and she was asking for him to live in their home. Yet something about the onmyoji tugged at the woman's heartstrings. The man was clearly not cared for properly, and his non-expressive face seemed to radiate a sense of loneliness.
"Please Yasuaki-kun, I'd be more than happy to welcome you into our home" Shizuka responded with a kind smile, Akane clapped her hands in delight.
"Aren't you happy Yasuaki-san?" Akane asked eagerly as she looked at the man with a smile.
Yasuaki stared blankly at Akane, who's smile faltered. It was almost like an accusing sort of stare as if questioning whether or not she had forgotten the terms in why he was with her.
"I truly appreciate your kindness, Motomiya-san" Yasuaki thanked, bowing his head it gratitude.
Akane realized that her question had been ignored.
---
"Yasuaki-kun really likes cleaning, doesn't he" Shizuka laughed as she made her way back up the stairs to the second floor. "Goodnight Akane! Yasuaki-kun!"
Akane was beyond grateful to have her mother head off to bed, leaving her behind to remain lounging on the couch, which looked into the kitchen. Yasuaki had offered to do the dishes and seemed to be somewhat enjoying it, much to her surprise. His face had softened considerably and his mouth was no longer set into a harsh line. Was it the simple rhythm of water washing over dishes that soothed him? Though as relaxed as he seemed, Yasuaki's eyes were heavy-lidded as if he pondered something carefully within his mind.
"Yasuaki-san?"
"Yes, Motomiya-san?"
"What are you thinking about?"
It was a simple question; Yasuaki understood that it was; yet it had always been his least favorite to answer. The young green-haired man had always found himself becoming slightly irritated with himself at never being able to properly convey to those who asked. It was his worst defect that made Yasuaki always ponder whether he was a broken creation.
"I cannot properly express it."
Akane smiled in understanding. Yasuaki had paused in his washing, yet soon continued with the task, as he looked over his shoulder at her, slightly curious as to how she would react to his lack of sharing.
"I understand! I hope that one day you'll be able to share your thoughts with me."
Yasuaki watched Akane, stunned.
"Even though I am a doll…"
"Stop that nonsense! Yasuaki-san has wants and needs just like everybody else. To me, you're already human!" Akane exclaimed with determination. "I'll make sure that you can properly express your feelings by the end of these three weeks so that you'll be able to scream out what you feel at the top of your lungs!"
Yasuaki turned away from her and focused on the dishes once more.
"You set your goals rather unrealistically."
"You bet!"
Akane smiled in silent victory as Yasuaki held back any retort and glanced up at the ceiling. Holding her hand up to the light, the teenage girl thought carefully. She saw them the whole day with Yasuaki, the briefest flecks of emotions so slightly that she had assumed she had imagined them. The feelings were there, Akane was certain of that. All she would have to do is find a way to coax them out.
Yasuaki felt nothing; he was empty of feelings as Abe no Seimei had told him. It was that aspect of his being that made him non-human. Yet one day he would certainly find the one person who could make him feel, make him whole. Akane Motomiya was a clumsy girl who possessed as much grace as a hippopotamus…and yet…she treated him with kindness…what he was most foreign to.
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It had been a sunny humid day in Tokyo, sometime in late June and summer vacation had just started. Akane Motomiya had spent a good portion of her day running away from the girl she loathed, only to run into a new problem. Asking the doll a question as he stared down at his kakigouri had sealed her fate.
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AN: So? What did you all think?! I'm sorry that the story got cut off, but now I updated the proper material!
Please send a review to let me know that you enjoyed this story!
Till next time