A/N: The first chapter mostly consists of Teru's narration and her internal monologue at varying times. :)
On this wonderful day there was nothing more I would've longed for than the mere joy of us two silently walking through an enchanting rainbow-colored landscape of blooming flowers during spring while letting the birds sing the anthem of our everlasting love; exactly the amount of corniness that is necessary to make up for all the days we have missed together. I can't escape the cage of memories in which I am trapped when I take a glance at the blue daisy painting in the living room. To me, blue daisies are like raindrops that descend to the surface of earth only to be absorbed again, disappearing for the moment. Raindrops also give me strength and hope, because even though those tiny little drops might vanish, they enter the cycle of recreation, ascending again and forming new clouds.
This leads to the conclusion that Kurosaki should become bald, after all. I mean, perhaps he would start to realize that his constant grabbing for cigarettes is a threat to his health and if he does not quit smoking, one day his hair will never grow back, meaning that they would not enter that cycle of recreation that I mentioned earlier concerning raindrops. I am also running out of money, another perfect excuse to buy shaving cream for him, pretending that I could not afford anything else. Or maybe I should just secretly shave his hair the night before his birthday while he sleeps peacefully and deep, waiting for the next morning to arrive only to surprise him with the funkiest wig in world's history. I wonder if he would choose to actually wear that wig. Maybe I should also buy some popcorn, because in any way I would probably be entertained by his reaction.
My current problem is that this Mr. Kurosaki actually left for some of his IT-stuff. And I miss that apparent navel-hater a lot, too much, to be honest. Whenever I see a janitor lately, it makes me think of him. And when that happens I just want to go home and crawl under my blanket and cry until I have a little lake of tears in my room. Sometimes I feel like he lives in a different world far away, and as if time is standing still until he comes back. Even talking with Riko does not help me. Nothing seems to fill this void within my heart, and I am drowning in numerous complicated feelings. My only choice is to wait until he returns at the beginning of my summer break.
At least that is what I thought at first until I changed my mind. That blondie keeps everything a secret, really! He did not even tell me where he had to go and for some reason he is not answering his phone. Sometimes I believe that it would be easier to guess the thoughts of a killer whale than Kurosaki's. My most recent plan is to go on a search for Kurosaki during my upcoming winter break. It should be some kind of surprise, actually. And I feel like he is in trouble. I have not talked with anyone about that, but somehow I think that it is not necessary. To put it in other words, in two days my journey for my beloved and troublesome boyfriend will begin.
Two days went by and now that I have packed all of my stuff, I only need to buy some shaving cream on my way. I cannot face him with empty hands, after all. I hope that I am mistaken and Kurosaki is alright. Maybe it is my reoccurring anxiety that is making me worry that much? Anyways, for now I am heading to Tokyo, the place where he should probably be. The train station is quite far away and if I don't keep running, I might have to wait another thirty minutes.
Luckily I just arrived on time and I am the last person to enter the train. Forty-five minutes have passed and I finally reached my destination, one of the most popular train stations in Tokyo. I am not sure whether I will have enough money to go back home, but for now I am not too concerned about this problem. My first experience outside of the train station is already strange as there seems to be some drunken guy who apparently does not realize how peculiar he is behaving. Maybe I should have picked a different time to look for Kurosaki, because it is currently 9 pm and I am all by myself.
Actually, I do not really know where to go now. But a genius hacker like Kurosaki might go somewhere where IT experts are demanded.
I took out my phone and researched famous buildings for Information Technology in Tokyo, and I found some results. Coincidentally one of the most known ones was only several walking minutes away, according to my cell phone. Without thinking too much about it I just went the same direction that led to the building while I was also daydreaming.
Kurosaki was officially my boyfriend, but my regular daydreams never went further than kissing or hugging. Also, the most romantic act we did so far was making out, which was, of course, already a huge achievement for me. But that day there was this daydream in the back of my head, one of a new kind. I thought about Kurosaki doing quite perverted things with me. For some reason I started to feel guilty, maybe because I was not ready yet.
While attempting to forget all of those kinky thoughts, I entered the building that was surrounded by security staff. It looked like some kind of hotel too. In order to avoid wasting time I just asked the person at the front desk if there was a guy working here called "Kurosaki Tasuku." To my surprise, the woman replied promptly without even looking his name up. I guess that IT expert is a little celebrity here. The woman did not tell me his exact location in the hotel, probably because of security reasons, but she still allowed me to go further into the building. I was so happy to hear that he was here that I could have cried waterfalls, but instead I held it back and checked every floor.
After twenty-three floors and a growling belly, I finally spotted my handsome guy. At that moment, I wanted to explode from happiness, but at the same time, I had this familiar feeling that I usually have before I take important exams. I knew exactly that this was nowhere close to an exam, but I could not control my feelings. They became more intense and mixed up the further I approached Kurosaki. He was wearing a fancy suit, quite a rare sight, but definitely a pleasure to see.
The blondie turned around, and he looked right into my eyes. His expression was priceless; I wish I could have taken a picture of it. Instead I pretended I was annoyed while I was also pouting, and without saying anything, I just pulled out the bottle of shaving cream from my bag and put it in his hands. He kept staring at me silently, as if there was some kind of supernatural being standing right in front of him or an alien from a different galaxy. He did not seem to be too busy at that time, and honestly, I felt like he was glad to see me. I was also relieved to know that he was safe, my biggest fear vanished in a blink of an eye. Strangely, he did not begin a conversation, but instead he just picked me up and brought me to one of those hotel rooms and started asking me one question after another.
"Ok, first of all, how did you find me? Also, how are you planning to go back this night? It's already 10 pm, and I can't come all the way back home with you."
His reaction somehow disappointed me, but I also understood his concerns. Additionally, I just suddenly showed up while he was at work without even announcing my visit, so it was logical that he would be kind of upset. I knew it was not the smartest thing to do, but I did not regret my actions at all.
"Well, I felt like visiting you. Also, my winter break just started so it was the perfect time to see you. And I somehow had the strange feeling that you might be in danger. I don't understand why you keep things so secret sometimes, I mean, you can at least tell me."
I could clearly see how anxious Kurosaki was, but I did not anticipate that it would bother him to the current extent.
"So, as you know, I have to deal with dangerous people sometimes, and I don't want them to harm you in any way. That's why I think it's better if they just don't know anything about my personal relationships. My private cell phone is turned off and hidden for this specific reason. Also, they could eventually blackmail me, and you know what happened last time with Jack O' Frost. I really don't want you to be in danger again. You know that you are the most important person to me. But since you're Teru, I'm totally not surprised to see you here."
To tease him a little bit, I just showed him my navel as some kind of response. At that time I was just overjoyed to hear that I was the most important person in his life. It does not happen too often that this blondie states his feelings so directly. Instead of reminding me to keep my navel covered (and he usually does that, probably not even being serious), he tickled my belly this time. I did not expect him to do this, but I felt like I was in heaven.
"Teru, you really have some nerves. I guess I can't let you go home alone at this time anymore, so the best thing to do is to keep you here in my room. Just stay here and don't go out yet. As I said before, I don't want them to know too much about you, to keep you from possible danger."
Actually, I somehow hoped he would suggest a "sleepover" and I felt like a volcano within me would erupt at any moment from excitement.
Kurosaki received a call on his cell phone for work, and he instantly had to leave the room. He patted me on my head before he left. I could feel his patting even after he was done, almost like some kind of phantom symptom.
Curiously I looked at his Mahjong board, wondering if he plays it all alone. I remembered that he usually plays it on his PC, but maybe he collects Mahjong boards as a hobby. That crazy Kurosaki, I would even expect him to collect secret pictures of my navel. He is probably too afraid to admit his forbidden fetishes. I hope that he'll lose every pack of cigarettes he has, that cheeky smoker!
I was in the mood to explore the area, even though Kurosaki told me not to. If I just silently take a little walk around here nothing will probably happen.