I was originally going to do a Tasuki x Chichiri fic, but I really don't feel like it, so…
I was originally going to do a Tasuki x Chichiri fic, but I really don't feel like it, so…
I BRING YOU A HOTOHORI AND NURIKO FIC INSTEAD!
YAY!
::confetti::
I don't own anything.
Uozumi
PREMISE
Li "Hotohori" Xing-Shu and Tiao "Nuriko" Liu-Chuan are paired up for a simple Sociology project in which you spend one week at one students' house together, then the next week at the other students abiding by the other family's rules, etc… The idea is to see what it would be like to be a part of a different family, and then write about how your family's contrast and resemble each other. I couldn't think of a better name for this fic, so I named it after the project.
Enjoy.
WARNING
This fic contains yaoi, which means a homosexual relation ship between two males. If you do not like such a fic, please do not read this and tell me how horrible I am for writing this. If you subject yourself to things you do not like, then tell the author that you do not like it, it is not the author's fault that you read it anyway.
The Brother Project
Chapter One
The wind was billowing around him, threatening to undo the simple ponytail that held his pristine hair into a windblown mess. Placing his sunglasses on, the youth inspected his red convertible, then looked up at an anxious man ten years his senior. Watching the man squirm slightly, the youth finally smile cordially, then thanked him for his wax job before sliding into the front seat and turning on the motor.
Glancing at his watch, he smiled to himself, knowing that he was right on schedule and would arrive ten minutes before the ten minute bell, giving him enough time to make sure everything was in order for his day at school. He found school intriguing in some subjects and boring in others, yet the young man of eighteen managed to keep his grades in the High Honor Roll stature, also aided by many Honors classes.
Skillfully, he navigated his way to school, obeying all rules, and ignoring all the stares. The young man was from the Li family who had a monopoly on the electronics agency and had enough money to send him to any school he wished, but the young man decided that he was happy just going to the local private school.
Sliding into his parking spot, he got out, running his fingers through his stunning, glistening cinnamon locks, then shouldered his bag. The mid-March morning was warm and brilliant, vibrating that the day was going to be one of the better days of his life.
"WATCH OUT!"
His hazel eyes fixing on a multi-colored mess heading his way, his brain registered it was a person and skateboard just in time for them to become one on the ground illustrating the Chemistry term entropy. Groaning, the young heir began trying to discern whose arm was whose as the skateboarder threw out garbled apologies as he scrambled to his feet, extending a hand.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention and I hit the speed bump, and recovered, but you were there, and –"
Taking the apologetic senior's hand, the victim rose to his full height, a commanding seven inches taller than his assaulter was. "It's quite all right. You aren't hurt, right?"
"I should be asking you that!" his maroon eyes canvassing his peer, the boy in a backwards baseball cap with an impressively long braid thrown over his left shoulder during the fray furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "You don't seem to have bruised or cut yourself."
"Who are you?"
"Eh?" glancing up to meet the hazel eyes that were studying him as though they couldn't put a name to the face, the boy replied, "Liu-Chuan, but everyone calls me Nuriko."
"I'm Xing-Shu, yet you may call me Hotohori," the stylish young man shook his disorganized peer's hand.
"Hotohori? Like the star of the Hydra constellation?"
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing, just something I learned at home from Mom – Anyway," Nuriko looked around, "I have to go find someone."
"Who?"
"Oh just my dimwitted sister; she left her school satchel at our house again. See?" Nuriko indicated the satchel across his chest, his book bag over his shoulders.
Hotohori raised an eyebrow, "You must be very skilled to have a weight on your left side while you're skateboarding."
"Yeah, something like that," Nuriko hit his board with the tip of his sneaker, then caught it in his hand. "It's the only way to get to school."
"Then how did your sister get here?"
"Oh she got a ride from Tasuki-chan."
"Tasuki-chan? Never heard of him."
"You haven't?!" Nuriko's jaw dropped as they entered the school, "He's only the captain of about every team he's on!"
"You mean Chun-Yu Hô?"
"Yeah, although we all call him Tasuki."
"I noticed that it's always on his the back of his Ultimate Frisbee shirt," Hotohori turned down the senior hall, then raised an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"
"Locker."
"So you're a senior?"
"Yeah, I think we have a couple classes together, although I'm usually lost in my own little world 90.526 of the time."
Hotohori smiled at the percentage. Nuriko was very unique. First he had long hair, skateboard, and wore his Pittsburgh Pirates hat backwards, but then he was dressed in clothes you could find at Kohl's, not Hot Topic. Shaking his head at his generalized stereotypes, Hotohori paused at his locker, noting that Nuriko was across the hall from him, a large "NURI-KUN" sign adorning it. By the looks of the colorful swirls most likely a girl had made it for him.
"Like the sign?"
"Eh?"
"I saw you admiring it," Nuriko shut his locker, zipped his bag, carrying his sister's in his hands instead of over his shoulder. "If you want, I could ask Kang-Lin to make you one."
"No, it's quite all right," Hotohori nodded, scanning the contents of his locker. Satisfied he had everything, he turned to see Nuriko was leaning against the locker to his right as though waiting for him.
"Where you going first?"
"Government."
"I'm going to Econ, just next door," Nuriko gestured down the hall. "I'll see you around, oka –"
"NURI-CHAN, IS THAT MY BAG?!" in a swirl of a pink sweatshirt and whitewash jeans, a girl about his height tackled him, snatching up the satchel. Rummaging thought her bag, she smiled up at him, "Good! Everything's here!"
"You act like I would take something out!"
"You did it once before!" the young girl, her wavy hair done up in a bun, crowed, then blinked, taking in the young man to her brother's right. "Nuri-kun, who's this?"
"This is Hotohori," Nuriko smiled, "I just ran into him this morning."
"Mom told you to not hit speed bumps with your skateboard!"
"What makes you say I did that?"
"Well considering that there's a gash on his arm…."
Nuriko blinked as he and Hotohori noted the red mark on the sleeve of the fashionable dress shirt.
"Damn," cursing slightly, Nuriko sighed, "We should probably assess it before we take you to the nurse."
"But, wouldn't it be better to take –"
"No, not necessary unless it's infected."
"But –"
"Don't worry," Nuriko pushed Hotohori towards the restroom all we have to do is clean it and see if blood poisoning is a possibility."
"Blood poisoning?" Hotohori stared.
"Let's go!"
"It was nice knowing you, Hotohori!" Kang-Lin called after them, then squeaked as the one-minute bell rang.
"Please don't apologize again, Nuriko. The nurse looked at it, and said it'll be fine."
"But –"
Hotohori looked over at the young man to his left in their third hour class, "All they had to do was wash out the gravel, sterilize it, and then bandage it."
"Precisely why I'm apologizing! It must have hurt like a –"
"Okay, class, settle, we're beginning a new project today!" the young Sociology teacher clapped his hands, a bright smile on his scarred face. "Now, before you start protesting, I'm happy to announce that all your parents have agreed to it in advance, so no worries! Also, your partners have been picked after discussion with them as well so two best friends who practically live at each other's houses won't get each other!"
Nuriko slid down in his seat, "Why do I have a foreboding feeling?"
Hotohori raised an eyebrow. The prelude to the assignment sounded intriguing to him. He loved Sociology and Psychology, which prompted him to consider becoming a Psychologist, but he still wasn't sure if he wanted to cement the idea yet. He had been accepted to a local college, but he still hadn't decided on his classes, so there was still time to consider all of his options before committing himself to something.
"Alright, I'll assign the partners before we begin," his long bangs bobbing, the man in his mid-twenties quickly began reading the names off in alphabetical order according to the first partner in a group. "…Mr. Li and Mr. Tiao…"
"Mr. Li?" Nuriko glanced around, his naturally pale face contort into nervous apprehension. He knew that last name all to well, but was the heir to the electronics conglomerate really in his class? He knew that he went to his school, but still….
"Nuriko, are you okay?"
"Eh?" jumping, Nuriko turned to Hotohori, smiling disarmingly, "Oh, nothing, nothing at all, I – I just don't know who – yeah, I don't know who this Li guy is."
"Really?" Hotohori's eyes widened. He never fathomed Nuriko to be the nervous, insecure type, let alone that someone didn't know who he was. Didn't this young man own a computer?
"Y – Yeah."
"Oh, don't worry, Nuriko," he smiled, "it's me."
His come-hither eyes growing about as large as his pupils shrunk, Nuriko twitched, then fell out of his desk.
"Mr. Tiao, are you all right?" their teacher snapped from his listing.
"Y – Yeah, just peachy," Nuriko groaned, then sat back in his seat, giving his teacher the same smile that he had given Hotohori moments before, "Nothing's wrong, Mr. Ri."
Studying his student a moment, Mr. Ri raised an eyebrow, then read the last group before clearing his throat, "Now that you all have your partners, please move so you can sit beside each other."
The class obeyed, then waited for the next odd instruction.
"Now introduce yourself to your partner, and tell them how old you are, who you live with, stuff like that."
Nuriko turned to Hotohori, his maroon eyes returning to their normal size and expression, "You are the heir to Li Electronics?"
"Yes."
"My God – that means that I –"
"Please don't apologize again, Nuriko."
"But –"
"Come on, let's do as Mr. Ri instructed, and then we'll discuss it as we do that."
"All right, who's going first?"
"Well, I met your sister, got any other siblings?"
"Sometimes I wish I didn't, but I have an older brother," Nuriko sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I mean he's one of the most loving and caring older brothers anyone could have, but…well…."
"What? You don't have to continue."
"Oh, it's okay, he's just the biggest pansy, wuss – you name it, this side of Jupiter."
Hotohori smiled, noting that probably came from the same place as the "I'm usually lost in my own little world 90.526 of the time" comment.
"What about you?"
Hotohori blinked, "Eh?"
"What about you? Got any siblings?"
"Yeah," his hazel eyes darkening, Hotohori sighed, "Three brothers, two sisters, all older than me."
"Yeah, my brother's twenty-five, and my sister's going to turn sixteen in July – can you believe it? – Sixteen!" at Hotohori's expression, Nuriko's eyes softened, "What is it?"
"Nothing," shaking his head, Hotohori inquired, "Why do you board to school?"
"Oh, well, our brother still has the car since he works at Dad's shoe/sports store, you know, Wawasee Lake Sports Outlet?"
"Yeah, I know of it. That's your family's?"
"Since 1895, although it's not anywhere near Lake Wawasee."
"Where's that?"
Nuriko's jaw dropped. "Only eight hours from here up near Cromwell, Indiana."
"Indiana? That's a large leap, moving your business to Ohio."
"Yeah? Well, our uncle's running the original store up north, and we instantly got business when my parents moved out here in the sixties just after getting married since no one here really knows where a Lake Wawasee is. Although now most of the town knows since everyone comes to our shop for their sports equipment, or shoes."
"Really?"
"Really, really."
"Interesting…."
Falling into a lull, Nuriko glanced around, taking in the other students. "I wonder what's going down. I mean, look at these partners. Two boys, two girls…parental permission – this can't be good."
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know, it's just, I've heard tales that our teacher can assign what seems like easy projects, but they're sort of embarrassing, or really hard in the end."
"Like what?"
"I never asked them to elaborate."
"Okay, class! Now to tell you what you'll be doing after school today and for the next two weeks!"
"'After school and for the next two weeks?'" Hotohori blinked.
"I told you, Hotohori; this can't be good."
"Alright," Mr. Ri caught his classes attention, then explained, "From today until Monday evening, you shall be spending all week with your partner at their house, living under their family's rules, etc…, and experiencing what it's like to come into a life you might never have experienced otherwise. After that week is up, you shall trade off, and spend the next week until that next Monday evening with your partner at their house as a trade off so you can experience the same.
"I have contacted all of your parents, and they have all willingly agreed to this project, and have set up who will stay with who first. This is an exercise in understanding others around you in your own community, and you shall write a paper that contrasts and compares your family to the other. I don't expect any two families to be exactly the same, so I do not expect a paper that says, 'Our families were identical and I felt as though I was truly home both weeks.'
"I'm looking for substance, and critical thinking. It's a reflective assignment, and a sociological assignment, thusly it's appropriate for what we will be studying for the next two weeks. There will be no length limit on this paper, I'm looking for what you got out of it, not how you can write a three-page report; understand?"
Mr. Ri surveyed the stunned looks, then smiled, "Any questions?"
More silence.
"Good, I wish you all a good experience."
The bell dimly echoing around the crowd, some bolted from their partners and the room, others walked out jabbering with each other, and still others sat in stunned confusion.
"Nuriko? The bell just rang."
"Really."
Hotohori nodded, "Where are you going next?"
"Chem AP."
"I'm going to Physics AP, just next door."
"Cool," numbly Nuriko rose, then slung his book bag over his shoulders, "Let's go then." Walking up to the door, he felt something hard connect with his nose. Glancing up, he blinked, then frowned, "Tasuki-chan, you and that binder are going to be the death of me."
"Well maybe ya should jest grow, Nuriko," the junior smirked.
Rolling his eyes, Nuriko sighed, "What are you doing here? Mr. Ri only teaches seniors this year, and somehow I doubt they'd let you take an advance chorus."
"Look, ya transvestite, I'm here cuz I'm his aid, an' –"
"Mr. Hô, please allow Mr. Tiao and Mr. Li to go to their next class. You will most likely see them later on today."
Pursing his lips, Tasuki shot Nuriko a glare as the older boy smiled in a "teacher's pet" sort of way before disappearing into the crowded hall with Hotohori behind.
"Why d'ya think he teases me all the time, 'Chiri?"
"Because you give him a reaction, and don't call me ''Chiri,' you know better."
Turning to the older man, Tasuki nodded, "Sorry, Mr. Ri."
Hôjin "Chichiri" Ri smiled at the young man, "Good. Now I need you to get me copies of a handout for next class…"
"Seriously?!" two copper colored orbs blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, seems Hotohori's going to be around for a week," Nuriko leaned back in his seat as his sister studied him from across the lunch table. "I mean today's your –"
"It's soup day!" crowing, a sophomore girl with a ponytail to the left side of her head happily set her tray on the lunch table, smiling, "How are you guys?"
"Peachy," Nuriko sighed.
"What's wrong, Nuriko?"
"Well, Miaka, it's like this…."
"Wow! Really?"
"Yeah," Nuriko nodded as Miaka mused it over.
"Then that means that he'll be over for –"
"Yeah, I know. I would really have wanted it to start next week, or even Tuesday, but he'll be over tonight."
"That sucks."
"Not necessarily," Kang-Lin caught their attention, "I mean, they did say that you two would have to get used to being a part of each other's families, so today is a good day for it?"
"But, Kang-Lin –"
"Don't worry!" the fifteen-year-old girl winked, "I don't think you have anything to worry about Nuri-kun!"
"K-L's right!" Miaka smiled, "Who knows? Maybe he's your soul-mate or something!"
"You know, Miaka, I really didn't need to hear that," Nuriko sighed again, staring down at his sandwich. The last thing he needed was even to consider that Hotohori could be his "soul-mate."
To be continued…