A/N: I´m from Finland and English isn´t my mother´s language, so if there are mistakes it´s because of that (I tried to do my very best translating this, though). Please read and review :)
In shelter inside your jacket
Arashi walked towards the park with hands in his pockets. The sky had been grey all day and in the afternoon it had started to rain. The weather couldn´t have been any more autumnal. Arashi´s spiked blond hair saturated with hairspray fought towards pouring rain. He walked onwards with his head down, looking at tips of his wet shoes and shoulders drawn up to almost reach his ears. Ice cold water flowed from his hair to his back and inside his worn out leather jacket. New safety pin in his lip felt odd, cold like all the other piercings. He wasn´t used to it yet.
Just a moment earlier Arashi had stood at the stairs of his friend´s home. He had promised to Miwako´s mother that he would find her younger daughter, who had just left the house angry and upset. Miwako hadn´t been delighted hearing that soon she would have to move to live with her bigger sister Mikako and her family.
Arashi recalled the words of Miwako´s mother as he turned to the pathway leading to park.
-As she left Miwako shouted that we are horrible parents abandoning her. We thought this would go better... Mikako is now very busy with Happy Berry and needs someone to babysit so we thought this would be the best solution. Miwako is already a big girl, after all, and not only has she Mikako to take care of her but also you and Hiroyuki.
Arashi thought that the last sentence would have sounded better without the two last words.
Miwako must have taken the news very hard, the boy thought. Arashi himself would be only happy to have some privacy soon. But Miwako was different. And he had to admit that America was quite far away.
Arashi´s dad had always been most of the time abroad performing, so to him it seemed a natural decision from Miwako´s parents to go work in America. Miwako had stronger relationship to her parents, though. As evening star she had always been her parents´ baby. Maybe even a little spoiled.
Miwako´s mother had been really worried because the weather was cold and Miwako hadn´t even taken her coat when she had left.
Mrs. Kouda had greased Arashi so greatly that he had gotten all embarrassed.
-Thank you so much, Arashi. I bet you know better from where to look for her. Dad didn´t find her though he looked for her for two hours. Miwako is so lucky to have you! It´s good that we don´t have to worry about her while you have always took so good care of her.
Arashi really knew exactly from where to look for Miwako. Already as a child Miwako had had that habit to go under the elephant-slide in park nearby to cry when she was upset. She had learnt that from Mikako, who had done the same when she was younger. Years ago Mikako had taken Miwako to that park to play and told her about the elephant-slide, and from that on Miwako had always sought comfort from the same place as her bigger sister when she was sad.
Arashi found it a little weird that Miwako´s mom and dad didn´t figure to look for her from the park. He guessed Miwako just told him things she didn´t tell to her parents.
Arashi stood by park and saw a tiny figure under old, pink elephant-slide. He thought it would be better to call her out so that she wouldn´t take fright. It could be that Miwako wouldn´t recognize him trough rain and would mistake him to some freaky stalker if he just appeared next to her.
-Hey, Miwako! I knew I would find you here!
Miwako raised her head as she heard a familiar voice. Arashi dawdled to her.
-Is there space for me too? He peeked under the slide.
-There is space just for one Arashi here, Miwako answered with a quiet voice and forced a little polite smile on her face.
The boy crawled under the slide next to his friend. There wasn´t too much space under the elephant, but at least they were in shelter from rain. Arashi had to place his long legs in uncomfortable position and hunch a little. Once again Arashi wondered how tiny Miwako really was.
From Miwako´s red and puffy eyes he knew that she had been crying.
-Your mom is worried. And so was I, when I didn´t see you at school and you didn´t inform me anything. You have to get a cell phone so that I can catch you up.
-Miwako is very sorry for making Arashi worried.
Miwako sounded sad. She glanced at Arashi and her eyes widened as she took a better look at him.
-Arashi has a new piercing!
Arashi grinned. She had noticed.
-It is cool and looks very good on Arashi. Did it hurt?
-Nah.
Arashi lied. In fact he had squeezed the arms of piercing chair like crazy.
-Arashi must have heard from mama that Miwako has to move.
-Yeah.
They sat quietly until Miwako´s tummy growled so loud that Arashi could hear it trough rain patter.
-Geez, have you eaten anything today?
- Miwako has had a tummy ache all day. Miwako doesn´t want to eat, she replayed sounding like a little child.
-You have to eat something.
Arashi dug a small paper bag containing hazels and dried fruits from the pocket of his leather jacket and handed the bag to her.
-Now you tuck in.
-Thank you, Miwako said as she took the bag from Arashi.
-Hey Miwa, have you taken your medicine?
-Of course Miwako took her magic medicine. It helps as always, it doesn´t hurt so much anymore.
As a proof Miwako took a tiny glass jar from her handbag lying in ground next to her and showed the jar to Arashi. Arashi smiled. Miwako picked a handful of fruit chips from paper bag and handed it back to Arashi. He dug a couple of hazels to eat and then put the bag back to his pocket.
-I think it´s nice that you move.
Miwako put down the piece of banana she had been going to eat and gave a surprised glance at her friend. Arashi rubbed his neck as always when he got confused.
-I mean... Then you´ll live much closer to my place...
Miwako nodded. She hadn´t even thought about the whole thing from that side. She had just mourned her parents abandoning her and leaving to overseas far to America so that Miwako would hardly ever see them. On top of that, she would have to babysit extremely lively little Alice everyday, and Tsutomu would without a doubt set her a way too early curfew.
The worst part was that Miwako wouldn´t be living in the same apartment with her childhood friend and huge crush Hiro anymore. Because of moving Miwako would see Hiro much less in the future than she was used to. Miwako would see him mostly in school, and next year they would go to different schools and Miwako would hardly ever see Hiro anymore. What made the girl most sad was that all this had to happen just when Hiro had started to show those small marks of crush towards Miwako. Or at least Miwako thought so.
Hiroyuki Tokumori had always been kind, polite and thoughtful towards Miwako. Lately she had noticed something new in a way that Hiro looked at her, talked to her and treated her. Miwako couldn´t precisely say what it was that had changed, but there was this whole new tension between them. Miwako had been happy noticing Hiroyukis long gazes and polite compliments which included some deeper and delicate messages that were mentioned just for Miwako to get. At the same time, new feelings were also very complicated and confusing.
Miwako thought it was awful to become an adult. Everything was changing so fast. She would have still wanted to be a carefree third grader going to school with Arashi and Hiro all hand in hand and playing with them for all day. They couldn´t play anymore, they were too old. A couple of years ago their games had turned to just hanging out. Miwako missed her childhood. Everything had been so simple back then.
Miwako observed the punk rorcker sitting next to her. Safety pins, earrings, chains, pins, studs, loads of hairspray and those familiar features under that all. Expressive mouth that Miwako liked to see smiling. Beautiful brown eyes lined with black kajal pencil and dark eyelashes. Black nails and long fingers that groped guitar chords in the air without himself even noticing. Arashi gazed out in the rain and tried to overlook the fact that Miwako was staring at him, which started to feel a little disturbing.
Miwako liked Arashi very much, almost as much as Hiro. Or maybe even as much. Miwako wasn´t sure. Boys were as different from each other as they could be, and Miwako liked whole different things in both. Because Miwako had been living in the same apartment with Hiro for all her life, she had spent a little more time with Hiro than with Arashi.
Miwako hadn´t really happened to think that she would be living closer to Arashi from now on. In fact, Miwako hadn´t lately remembered Arashi at all. She had only been thinking about Hiro and his little marks of crush, and also her own warm feelings towards him.
When she thought about it, Arashi had been somewhat strange lately. Quiet and introvert. At bad mood, but not that kind of bad mood that he would shout mean things to everyone but in different way. Sort of gloomy. He hadn´t really spoken to Miwako and Hiro lately, he had just hung around with them being quiet and somewhat sad. Not until now Miwako paid attention to worry about her friend.
-Is something troubling Arashi? Arashi has been so quiet lately.
-Nah, I´m okay, he just acknowledged shortly.
Miwako could have alleged that Arashi hadn´t been "okay" lately. Miwako would have wanted to know what was wrong with her friend, but she also knew how hard it was to him to talk about his feelings.
-Miwako is happy that Arashi came to see Miwako. It was really kind from Arashi!
Arashi didn´t say anything, he just smiled.
-Did Arashi see Hiro today?
Arashi´s whole character of went all gloomy all of a sudden. He turned his head away from Miwako but she had time to see the two little dimples appearing in his forehead as he puckered his brows.
-I didn´t.
-Oh...
Miwako stated to herself that although she would like to know why Arashi turned all tense when it was about Hiro, it really wouldn´t be polite to ask. Something seemed to bother Arashi and Hiro, which Miwako found terribly sad. Boys had always been best friends… What could have come in between them?
Arashi turned to look at Miwako and she got almost frightened at how irritated he looked. His brown eyes were gone all frenzy and the safety pin in his lip was sticking out in really weird angle.
-What about you then, are you and Hiro together?
Rain got harder around them.
Miwako got all confused and just stared at her friend for a good while before she achieved to shake her head. Was it just her imagination on did Arashi really look so hurt, even mortified?
Arashi looked her in the eyes for a moment with his mouth slightly open, like he was going to say something. Nevertheless he changed his mind and turned his head away. Miwako could easily see how overwrought he was by watching his chest billow under the leather jacket in time with his breathing.
Miwako didn´t know what to think about. There was a total mess inside her head. A strong intuition inside her claimed something that Miwako could hardly believe. She didn´t know how to feel or how she should have felt. At least she felt unreal, like she had been dreaming. Her life seemed to be quite tangled all of a sudden. Miwako found herself staring at nape of Arashis neck and fighting towards tears.
For a moment they didn´t say anything.
-I think I haven´t told you that I´m going to move soon, too.
Arashi voice was already a little more calm than a minute ago.
-Whaaat? Don´t say you´re moving far away!
Miwako was shocked. Recent disturbing thoughts shifted to somewhere background to be handled later.
-Nah. I´m gonna get my own flat. It is even less distance from Mikako´s and Tsutomu´s house to there than to our house.
Arashi´s closed eyes and small smile told Miwako that he was a little flattered about her reaction.
-Wow, Arashi will have an own apartment! Miwako can help with decorating and furnishing and that kind of stuff, though Arashi has a good sense of style. Can Miwako come to visit Arashi often?
-You can come every day if you want to. The flat is right next to Yazagaku.
-Then next year Miwako will come every day after school to visit Arashi!
-In fact, we can even go there after school together. You see, I decided to apply to Yaza Arts, too. Fashion design.
-But... Miwako thought that Arashi wants to apply to conservatory? I mean, Miwako knows that Arashi is also interested in clothing but Miwako thought that music is more important to Arashi.
-It is. But I don´t really need an education to music, I can perform without going to schools. I can do well enough already, he stated with proud in his voice.
-Yes, that is true! Miwako is happy! Arashi will come to same school with Miwako! Now Miwako knows that Miwako will not be left all alone in her new school. Miwako has been worried about not getting any friends at new school but now Miwako will not have to worry since Arashi will be there with her every day!
They smiled to each other and then just sat there quietly watching the rain.
Miwako started to rub her arms. She had gotten so emotional that she hadn´t noticed how cold she was. Her red and white ruffled Happy Berry-dress had gotten all wet in rain. Only then Arashi noticed that Miwako was shaking a little.
-Are you cold? You should dress up properly when going out, Miwako! Let me give you my jacket…
Arashi started to take his leather jacket off.
-No! You don´t have to! Miwako doesn´t want Arashi to get cold.
-Well then... you´ll come here, Arashi said bossy and raised his arm.
Miwako looked at him astonished with eyes widened and question on her lips.
-If you don´t take my jacket, then you´ll come here. I´ll keep you warm until this damn rain stops. And don´t you dare to protest, I don´t let you to catch a cold.
Miwako guessed Arashi was right. She moved closer to him. Arashi wrapped his other hand around Miwako and covered her with his jacket.
-Damn, you´re all frozen! Come on, you can put your hands inside my jacket to warm up, or soon they have to be amputated.
Arashi blushed as he noticed what it sounded like. Miwako obeyed Arashis command and wrapped her hands around Arashi inside his jacket. It really was warmer to be close to him, Miwako had already been quite cold. In that weather Arashi´s body felt almost hot in Miwakos hands trough the fabric of his t-shirt.
Arashi was really tall and thin. At least 40 centimeters taller than Miwako, almost two meters. When had he gotten so tall? And so grown up, she wondered. It felt like yesterday that Arashi had been just a little prankster.
And when had Miwako been that close to Arashi? Well, she hugged him once in a while, like for example a month ago when Arashi had his birthday. But it was a different thing.
-Do you feel alright there? Arashi asked quietly.
Though Arashi was protective, it was rare that he said things like that. Very rare in fact.
-Yes, Miwako answered.
Miwako didn´t know why she did it, but suddenly she leaned her head towards Arashis chest. The fabric of t-shirt felt soft towards her cheek. Arashi smelled good, some men´s deodorant. His heart was beating fast. Miwako wondered if her heart was beating as fast and if Arashi could notice it.
Arashi wrapped also his other hand around Miwako, pulled her gently towards himself and laid his head down to her pink hair. For some reason Miwako felt tears come up in her eyes again, though she wasn´t upset anymore. She noticed that at that moment a dim picture of Hiro in her mind felt quite meaningless. Did she like Arashi more after all?
They were like that for a long time, without saying anything. Rain drops hit the back of elephant-slide and poured down as two solid water curtains from both sides of them, covering them to their own little world. Miwako had never felt something like that. It felt like everything in that moment was sort of... right. Like she was supposed to be there like that.
-Your hair smells like strawberries, Arashi stated quietly.
-And Arashi smells just like a rock star, Miwako answered.
-Well, I am, Arashi teased.
Well, Arashi was. Miwako thought about all those girls that admired Arashi and asked autographs from him and shouted his name when he was performing. Those girls would without a doubt be awfully jealous to Miwako if they knew how close to Arashi she was at that moment.
Arashi had never acted that way before. Or well, acted that way towards her. She had sometimes seen Arashi cherish his cat surprisingly tenderly, and Miwako remembered how she had thought that cat had to be very special to Arashi. Although Miwako knew that under his rough cover and all that temperament Arashi was sensible, emotional and very caring boy, even tender and vulnerable in his own way, this was really something new to her.
Miwako´s intuition grew stronger and stronger. Arashi hadn´t wanted to take Miwako close just that she wouldn´t catch a cold. His behavior told about something more.
It felt like it wasn´t Miwako´s own will but something that could be called an "instinct" when her hands started to gingerly caress Arashi´s back trough his t-shirt. If Arashi´s heart had beaten fast earlier, now he was seriously near to get a heart-attack.
-Are you… still cold? Miwako heard Arashi asking over her head.
He had to cough a little to clear his throat before his voice ran normally, and even after coughing Arashi´s voice sounded a little quiet and raspy some way. Miwako hoped that he wasn´t catching a cold because of her.
-Not anymore. Can Miwako still be here like this for a little while?
Miwako raised his head.
Arashi looked back at her.
There was something new in Arashi´s eyes. She had never seen him so... unarmed. Neither had Miwako got stuck in his eyes that way for so long time ever before.
Eventually Arashi leant his head and slowly bent down closer to her.
Miwako didn´t know if it was Arashi´s soft and warm lips, taste of hazels, cold safety pin, his arms around her, scent of manly deodorant, Arashi´s heavy breath on her face or all that at the same time, but at that moment there were shivers running under her skin that were like electric shocks and she felt everything else disappear around her. In her world there was just that boy that she had known forever and whom she had started to see with different eyes just a few minutes ago.
Miwako didn´t want to think about rationality or irrationality of the moment nor did she want to think about the mess in her head. She only knew that what happened at that moment felt better and more right than anything else in the world.
After a long kiss Arashi searched for some kind of signal from Miwakos big eyes that would tell him if the girl had liked the kiss as much as he had or if he should apologize.
Miwako swept those thoughts away from Arashis mind by drawing his head gently closer and kissing him, making her own motion this time.
How did it come to this? Miwako didn´t have any other rational explanation for what had happened and what happened just at that moment than that Arashi was sweet and she liked him and that Arashi liked her too, more than she would have guessed. And anything else didn´t even matter.
Soon a little shock stroke trough the wonderful moment when Miwako noticed that it was getting dark already. Mama had to be awfully worried. Miwako drew her hands from underneath Arashi´s jacket and rose to her knees.
Arashi rubbed his neck. He was a little disappointed that stupid rain had decided to stop at the worst possible moment.
-I should take you home.
-Miwako doesn´t want to...
-Me neither. But I promised to your mom to take you home as soon as I find you, and it has been quite a long time already.
Suddenly neither Miwako nor Arashi knew what to say and how to be, which was funny because they had been together the biggest part of their lives. So much had happened just a moment ago that both were a little befuddled. Arashi scrambled up and stretched his hand to Miwako. She picked her handbag from ground, clung to his hand and stood up.
-Now you take this for our way back.
Arashi started to take off his leather jacket.
-Can´t Miwako come inside Arashi´s jacket anymore? Arashi and jacket is much warmer than just Arashi´s jacket.
Arashi laughed.
-Well okay, this time. It seems I have to be careful not to spoil you too much!
Miwako giggled and pressed herself towards Arashi.
She didn´t know what she would think about everything the very next day. She wasn´t sure if she would regret everything next time Hiro would be standing in front of her, or if he wouldn´t mean so much to her anymore. Arashi could as well precede Hiro and Miwako wouldn´t have any remarkable feelings towards Hiro from that on.
Why she had to be so mercurial? Miwako got worried. What if her feelings wouldn´t stay the same? She couldn´t command her own feelings or force herself to like someone or not to like someone.
Miwako realized that for Arashi those moments under the elephant-slide could have meant so much that Miwako couldn´t care about Hiro´s long gazes or compliments anymore, not to mention about answering Hiro´s feelings. Miwako couldn´t be with both of the boys at the same time, and she didn´t want to break Arashi´s heart. And Arashi had always had so awfully jealous character...
Miwako started to have a feeling that some kind of storm was somewhere ahead.
Her bad premonitions ceded as she noted that the boy walking by her side was humming and smiling unusually cheerfully. Arashi kissed top of Miwako´s head and made her giggle.
Something huge had happened and there was no turning back from that point, she had crossed some kind of line with Arashi. She was a little more grown up now and though she hated becoming an adult she had found something good about it, too. At that moment she wanted to be Arashi´s girl and she was happy.