The first drink burned.
Ayumi, at first, didn't understand why people drank this stuff. The taste was awful. But he told her to trust him.
School sucked. The day was awful. All Ayumi wanted to do was go home.
She looked out the window and watched the rain fall down. It didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon.
The teacher continued on, but she didn't hear a thing he was saying. It seemed like time was moving so slowly.
So she watched the world outside the glass window. The wind pushed and pulled the trees. Street signs wobbled. Only a few cars were out on the road.
While her mind drifted away, she didn't even notice the bell ringing, signaling the end of class.
From afar, Yoshiki watched the blue haired girl lose herself in her thoughts. Her eyes matched the whether. Lost in the storm around her.
She wasn't even fazed when the loud bell rang. Students all rushed out of the classroom with excitement. He overheard bit of conversation from bypassers. Plans for after school between a group of friends, discussions of school work and projects. But he was barely paying attention.
"Shinozaki," He said softly as he approached her.
A hushed voice pulled her away from her thoughts. The voice belonged to Kishinuma.
"Kishinuma. What's up?" She asked, oblivious to the empty classroom around her.
"You seemed like you were kinda spacing out there. The final bell rang," He said with a questioning tone. He always wondered what went on in her head. What kind of thought crossed her mind.
When he mentioned the final bell, she looked around. And empty classroom. Even the teacher was gone.
'How did I not notice that?'
"Oh…" She replied, eyes cast down.
"Don't worry about it Shinozaki," He said with a small smile on his face.
Ayumi looked up into his grey eyes. He had changed so much. She was really proud of him.
"Hey, Kishinuma , can I ask you something?" She said with a slight tint of red to her face.
"Sure."
"What are you plans for later?" She said standing up and collecting all of her things.
"Uh, probably nothing. Today and tomorrow are my days off. Why?" He asked with curiosity.
"We should do something. With my parents being out of town for some business thing, and Hinoe off with her friends somewhere, it gets boring at my house." She said looking down at her bag. Her bangs covered her eyes as she studied the embroidery on her school bag.
"Yeah, we should. It's raining pretty hard out there, though. You're more than welcome to come over to my place. It's not much, but it's better than nothing," He said with light in his voice.
She looked up and smiled. "Sounds good to me! I'll just drop this stuff of at my place and then we can head over there."
"Alright Shinozaki. Let's head over there before we get locked in this place," He replied jokingly.
The apartment wasn't much. But it was nice. It had character to it.
They stepped inside and took off their wet coats and muddy shoes. It was nice and warm inside.
"Well this is it. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll see if there's anything I can make in here," He called as he made his way into the kitchen.
She looked around the small living area as he left the room. A small couch and loveseat were placed under a large window. Acrossed the room was a small television that sat on a wooden stand. Above that were a few pictures. Looked like old family photos. They were all smiling in the picture.
'Kishinuma looks awfully young in this photo.'
As Ayumi studied the pictures, Yoshiki turned the corner from the kitchen. He came up next to her and looked at the old pictures.
"I think I was probably 8 in that picture. My sister was 6 at the time. It's the only family picture I have. Probably the only one we took together," He said with no emotion in his voice.
"It's a lovely picture," She replied.
"Anyways, I'm no chef so I guess we'll get order something," Yoshiki said taking a seat on the couch.
"What? No, don't worry about it. I'll cook for you," She said, turning to him.
"You sure? There isn't much in there," He scratched the back of his head nervously.
"I'll figure something out," Ayumi hummed as she made her way into his kitchen.
Her food was amazing. He hadn't had a home cooked meal in a while. There really wasn't much, but she made do with what she had.
After the small mess was cleaned up, the two of them found themselves sitting in the living room. Making normal conversations, laughing. Just being normal.
"Hey Ayumi," Yoshiki asked with a smirk on his face. "I want you to try something."
He stood up, still wearing a grin on his face, once again entering the kitchen.
'What is he doing?' Ayumi questioned to herself.
He returned with a large glass bottle encased in a wrinkled brown bag and a decorative little glass. He placed the two items on the coffee table in front of them.
"What is that?" She asked with slight worry in her voice.
He ignored her question and poured the small glass halfway with the strange clear liquid. The smell gave away it's identity.
"Is.. is that liquor?" She asked with a shocked expression. She had never drank alcohol before. She always thought she was better than that. Drinking had never caught her interest.
Continuing to ignore her questions, he brought the small glass to her.
"Drink it." He said.
"No, I'm okay. I do-"
"Just drink it. You'll be fine. I'm not doing this to pull a move on you. I just want you to try it. I know damn well you've never drank liquor before," He spoke with a stern voice.
"I don't know…" She said. This was completely foreign to her. She had never given too much thought into alcohol.
"You're safe here. Like I said, I'm not going to try anything. That isn't my intention. There's no school tomorrow. You're more than welcome to stay here. I have an extra bed mat in my closet.," He spoke with reassurance.
"I guess… I'll try a little bit." She said with a slight shake.
So with all her courage, she took the shot glass from him.
"Now, hold your breath. And drink it all at once. I'll even get you a soda to chase it down," He said, trying his best to comfort her into this new idea.
She took a small breath, and held it there. Closing her eyes she tipped the glass back and drank it all down.
The first one burned. Not like a sunburn, or a burn you get from touching a hot stove. It was a strange warmth that settled in her stomach.
"You want to chase it down with this?" He said, holding out an opened soda can.
Nodding she took a few sips of the bubbly drink.
'That helped with the taste,' She thought.
"So… What do you think/" He asked with a small glint in his eyes.
"It's.. Interesting." She said with a slightly sour expression.
Half the bottle was gone, and Ayumi finally understood why people drank this odd drink. Her mind was a little fuzzy, and her body was off balance. Her face was red. But she kept smiling like an idiot. The taste got better the more she drank. She stopped needing the soda to chase down the liquor.
They had some of the weirdest conversations during their time together. The alcohol made the environment more comfortable. It was easier to say what she was thinking, instead of hiding it.
The bottle was passed from one person to the other, still in the brown paper bag. The shot glass was no longer needed as they drank from the bottle like it was water.
"This stuff… is still weird," Ayumi said with a bubbly voice.
"I guess when you really think about it, yeah it is," Yoshiki replied amused at the tipsy girl next to him.
"I like it," Ayumi said.
All Yoshiki could do was laugh. This was absolutely priceless to him.
"Why are you laughing Kishinuma? What's so funny?" She said with large eyes.
"You, Shinozaki. I'm loving this," He replied with a wide grin on his face.
"Am I funny?" Ayumi asked slighting swaying where she sat.
"Yes. But it's a good thing," He smiled looking her in the eyes. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot and her cheeks were getting redder with every swig she took.
"Good," She smiled back at him.
The bottle was now gone, and she was unable to stand up. Yoshiki had to hold her up and carry her to bed. At his side, she just kept laughing and saying things that were too slurred to understand.
He brought her to his bed and layed her down. He brought the blankets up to her side. Then he started to walk away.
"Kishinuma, where -hic- are you goin'?" She said sloppily.
"I'm just getting you some water. I think you're going to need it," He said softly. "I'll be right back, I promise, okay?"
"Okay," She said getting comfortable on his bed.
He returned shortly with a glass of ice water and a packet of crackers. What he saw made him smile. She was already fast asleep,, cuddling his pillow like a teddy bear. He place the water and crackers on the nightstand quietly.
Softly, he brushed a few fallen strands away from her face. She looked so calm and relaxed when she was sleeping, Then he stood up and made his way to the living room, retrieving a few blankets and pillows. From there, he set up a half-assed bed on the couch. Getting comfortable, only one thing ran through his mind.
'That was completely worth it.'