A/N: Wow. I haven't even finished my other two fics (which, by the way, have been in hiatus for well over nine months), but I couldn't help starting this one. I live in Louisiana, so hurricanes and serial killers just come natural to me. A horror novel I read inspired this and I kept thinking about it and hallucinating so I thought I'd put it down on paper. This is my first Eiji fic, enjoy!
(If anybody is confused about the Japanese, scroll to the bottom of the page for translations.)
Natsumi never expected to be excited about going to a hospital. But as soon as she stepped into the examining room, her heart skipped a beat. Sitting on the opposite end of the room was a boy around her age, wearing a white tee and navy shorts. He had broad shoulders and heavy calves. He had strangely foreign hair—it was curly on the ends, and it was a reddish brown color (she figured he dyed his hair), but his best feature definitely had to be his surprisingly large eyes. The boy had a cast around his arm and was sitting by a desk, talking to a male doctor.
A pretty nurse came up to her and shook Natusmi's hand. "Konnichiwa," she said. "You must be Natsumi. Saa, what a pretty girl you are. I promise this will take less than five minutes."
"Okay," Natsumi said, smiling. As soon as the nurse turned around, she glanced behind her. The boy's back was facing hers, and she wasn't even sure if he knew she was there. She twisted her body back to face the nurse.
"All right, then," said the nurse. "I want you to tell me, are you on any medication right now?"
She stuffed a clump of wet, black hair behind her ears. Natsumi had just showered that morning, and her hair still smelled of apricots. "No."
"Do you have any allergies or any symptoms that I should know about? Asthma, maybe?"
"Not that I know of, nope."
"And your parents—how is your dad?"
"He swims everyday and goes to the gym six times a week."
"Good, good," said the nurse, scribbling things down on a piece of paper. "What about your mom?"
"She doesn't do either, but her voice can outdo his muscles any day."
The nurse laughed. For sure the boy knew of their presence by now. She fumbled in a drawer and took out a ball of cotton, along with a bottle. "Okay. Are you good with needles?"
Natsumi has, in fact, a bad reputation with needles. But she had to keep her calm. With the cotton ball, the nurse rubbed anesthetic on her arm. Natsumi started to panic slightly when the needle showed up. But she couldn't make a sound, otherwise the boy would hear her. She closed her eyes; blood oozed from the skin fracture. "There, all done," said the nurse, and she delicately placed a Band-Aid on the wound.
It's over, Natsumi thought, a smile breaking across her face. And it wasn't even that bad. Had it always been this painless? She thanked the nurse, and only when it was time to go did she glance back. But the boy who was sitting there was gone. He must've exited through the other door. It was the same kind of sensation as walking in broad daylight, wondering why a dream had seemed so realistic the night before. The only person who was sitting by the big desk was the doctor, who was leaning over and writing things on his clipboard.
That night, Natsumi couldn't get the boy out of her head. It was the same with the next several days. She felt incredibly silly thinking about some guy she just happened to spot at her hospital appointment, but as weeks passed by, he started to dissolve like a distant memory. Life just kind of went on as usual, and she returned to her regular routine of going to school and then packing her things for her daily nighttime dance classes. If she had free time, she would go out with her friends; occasionally, she would curl up late at night by the swimming pool and read a good book.
One night, right after spring break ended and she was back at school again, her parents announced that they were going out of town.
"We're going to Chiba for five days," her father said. "You think you can take care of yourself?"
"I've been doing that for the past three years," Natsumi replied, smiling up at her dad's wide nose. She always had to look up whenever she talked to her dad; he was enormous, with his proudest achievement being his thick body. It was the kind of figure that made people look twice.
"It's only for five days; I trust you," said her mother. Her mom liked talking in semicolons.
"Relax, I'll take care of everything. What is there to do, anyway? Make toast, wait at bus stop, go to school, come back. Don't worry."
Her dad grabbed the bags and headed for the car. Before her mom followed him out the door, she said, "Remember, all the dinner you will need is in the fridge; if you ever run out, just stop by Tanaka-san's house, she lives right across the street."
"I know, I know," said Natsumi. "Have a safe trip!"
It was on the third night of living by herself that the earth split open and chaos entered all of Southeastern Japan.
...
The Night the Lights Went Out in Tokyo
LIGHTNING flashed.
Thunder boomed.
Outside the dark kitchen, the wind howled and made the windowpane rattle. And there it was, like a demon from hell—a pair of eyes, staring at me from the window. Wide, white orbs with wet bangs hanging from a thin scalp.
Startled, I screamed and my cup slipped through my fingers, breaking into a hundred pieces as it flew across the floor in all directions. The sky was abruptly white with lightning, and by the time it was dark again the face had disappeared. I put a hand to my chest and tried to breathe, tried to be realistic. It's probably just an evacuee checking to see if there was anyone in the house.
"Phone, phone," I whimpered, reaching for my cell phone. But there were still no bars on the screen; how can there still be no signal? The electricity's out, but no signal? Just how heavy is this storm? The image of the face still loomed in my mind, so I climbed upstairs and stood in every room until I got a signal on my phone. I finally got two bars while standing on top of the toilet seat.
My mother screamed at the top of her lungs when she picked up. "Oh, my goodness! Honey, it's Natsumi! She's calling! Okay, okay, are you okay?"
"I think I am," I said quietly. "But the lights are out. I think there's this heavy rainstorm or something."
"Don't you ever watch the news?" my mother asked, addressing me like an idiot. "There's a category four hurricane!"
Hurricane? The one week my parents go out of town and there's a fucking hurricane?
"It's even worse here in Chiba. The meeting's been canceled and—this is all so sudden! We're doing our best to drive back but there's too many people evacuating and the interstate's jammed." All of a sudden my mom is not annoyed with me but she sounded like she may cry.
"I'm all right, Ma. Really, I am. There's...a few winds coming in, but that's all."
Just as I said that, my neighbor's cat, Mikkan, flew past the second-story bathroom window.
"Really?" said my mom, sounding really relieved.
"Un, don't worry about me. Try to get here as soon as you possibly can," I said reassuringly, but what I really wanted to do was cry.
My dad got on the line. "Nats, it's me. Listen, we'll be there in several hours. If it starts flooding"—heart stoppage—"just take all the canned goods and head to the attic."
My dad said flooding! "Please tell me you did not just say that. You did not just say it's going to flood," I said dangerously, my voice reaching a high pitch that now gave away my calmness.
"I'm not sure if it's going to flood or not, but it might. Okay?" My dad added the 'okay?' when I did not respond for a while.
"I'm not going inside the attic," I said eventually. I get the chills just thinking about spending the night in there. "It's dark and it's creepy and I'm pretty sure that colony of roaches has multiplied threefold. No way."
"Don't panic. What about going to your neighbors' houses? Wait, no. Don't set a foot out of this house, you hear me? Lock all the doors and windows. If we're not back home by tonight, we'll definitely be back the next morning. Holy! Son of—" I cringed when the breaks slammed on the other line. He started to sound a little grainy, and soon all I could hear was static. "Dad? Dad, I think we're breaking up," I shouted, standing on the cold toilet in the darkness. "Dad? Ma?"
But the signal broke. I tried calling back but it didn't work. I needed some more information about this hurricane. A category four was bad, very bad. Frantic, I tried calling 9-1-1. It still wouldn't work. Next I called the local radio station, and miraculously, it worked. I heard a man announcing something in a static voice:
"...Bodies dumped in the canal near Route 30. The victims were five women who were raped and stabbed multiple times with a serrated knife. He is tall, has medium-length black hair, and is wearing a brown coat. Police are still investigating. Right now, a little south of Tokyo, reported winds up to 130 miles per hour, and the people in the district should immediately evacuate. But safely, should he show up..."
Oh, God. A shiver went up my spine. I snapped the phone shut, feeling nauseous. I lived only a few miles from Route 30. It's an understatement to say that I'm freaked out right now. What kind of person would wait until everyone's running away from Tokyo, then take that opportunity to rape them and kill them? Horrifying images of women flashed in my mind. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. Miserable and afraid, I climbed back the stairs cautiously, dreading my luck and fearing for the worst. The only sound besides the creaking of the stairs was the wind. Once safely downstairs, I slowly picked up the bits of glass that were lying on the kitchen.
I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from outside.
About a million possibilities rushed through my head at once and I backed up against the coffee table. Serial killer? Child abductor? Rapist!But after a couple of helpless seconds of just shivering, the fear subsided. An overwhelming rush of compassion took over me. Somebody was out there, frightened and soaked, needing my help. Hastily, I threw out most of the glass and put a coat over my sweater. Glancing back at the window one more time, I unbolted the lock and was pelted with rain that stung against my cheeks.
"Hello?" I called, staring out at the driveway. The streets were empty; nobody greeted me.
But then I saw someone. Barely visible in the roaring rain. A tall man was running right towards me and I was pinned to my spot with fear. With a jerk of my wrist, I stepped back into the house and slammed the door shut, barely breathing and afraid to breathe. Someone started pounding on the door by the time I had locked all three of the locks. I stood there, frozen, with my heart pounding against my throat. It wasn't until I heard a young boy's voice that I calmed down.
"Anybody in here!" he called.
I looked through the peephole and my pulse quickened.
It was the same face of the boy I had seen at the hospital! It had been four months since I got my shots, and I hadn't given him another thought for a while. His gigantic eyes were staring back at me, urgent. I cleared my throat and unlocked all the locks with numb fingers. His hair was pasted against his face, and he was panting. A Band-Aid was stuck on his cheek, and he was definitely not the guy I saw from the window; he couldn't be the Hurricane Killer. I couldn't help but notice that his uniform was all soaked; droplets of water were lying on his eyelashes. His cast was gone. He smiled and I swear I could've melted to my knees despite the situation I was in—he had a boyishly, devilishly attractive smile. I smiled back.
"I'm from Seishun Gakuen," he said. How come that sounded so familiar? Oh, right. I had visited there once for a basketball game. "Can I come in?" he asked, not moving from his spot.
"Of course!" I said, wondering why God had sent a schoolboy and a hurricane to my house at the same time.
I stepped aside and he walked in, dripping water all over the living room carpet. "Gomen nasai," the boy said. "Kikumaru Eiji desu." He held out his wet hand and we shook. "I usually walk home from school, but the main road was completely destroyed so I tried every house in the area but no one seemed to be at home, so..."
"Oh, there's no need to explain," I said. But truthfully, I wanted a full explanation: Why are you here? Who are you? Instead, I offered to walk him home later. "I know another way around the main road. As soon as the wind dies down, I'll take you there. How come your school lets you out so late?"
"Iie, I stayed after school for tennis practice." I stared at his tennis bag that was slung over his shoulder and asked, "Do you want to put that down?"
Kikumaru Eiji put his tennis bag and backpack down by the staircase and something weird happened: his backpack moved. "What the hell is that?" I asked, alarmed, jabbing at his bag.
"Oh!" he said, and reached into the backpack to pull out a wet and shivering kitty. I recognized it immediately.
"Mikkan!" I took the tabby from his arms. "It's the neighbor boy's pet. Where did you find her?"
I don't exactly know how to describe this boy's voice. It was...higher? Higher-pitched than most guys' voices, and he talked with a halting speech as if he's in a hurry. He had to take a breath every once in a while to continue talking. "I was running down the street and I see this shadow crouching under a cat, so I go inspect it and she jumped into my backpack." He was still smiling. Man, I hope I looked okay; normally I don't want people to see me with my hair wet because I think I look like an otter. And I didn't even know if my makeup had evaporated from my face. But I should keep directing the conversation to him. "You're all wet. You know what? I have some of my dad's clothes upstairs, if you wanna..." My voice trailed off.
"That would be great! Arigatou. What's your name again?"
"I'm Sato Natsumi, yoroshiku. Here, come with me." Still clutching onto the tabby (and wearing my mother's hideous coat with shoulder pads that made me look like a football quarterback), I climbed up the stairs and led him into my parent's master bedroom. "O-K, Sato-san," he said, and followed me silently. I put the shivering cat in a nice laundry basket and started fumbling in my parents' closet.
"Nya, this is an awesome house," Eiji said, looking around. Whoa. He uses the word nya! Just like Mikkan.
"My grandparents used to live here, but then they moved so me and my parents moved in," I said. He acknowledged this piece of information with a noise to indicate that he was still listening. He wasn't awkward at all, standing in a stranger's dark bedroom. Me, on the other hand...I was super nervous. I clawed at my dad's shirts.
He put his hands on his hips as he stared out the window. "You shouldn't go outside, it's like a swimming pool out there."
"Maji? Wow. So it really is starting to flood." I took a hanger off the rack. "Wait, Eiji, would this work? I know it's a bit big, but it might fit."
He thanked me as he took my dad's shirt and old jeans, and I walked out of the room to let him change. I stood in the hallway, nervous. Kikumaru Eiji. Seishun Gakuen. My brain whirred. At my school, I was friends with a lot of boys; however, I wasn't exactly talented in the dating field. I always do stuff wrong, like purse my lips and crack my knuckles when I'm around a boy that I really like, and I'm so paranoid that he wouldn't like me back so during conversations I don't say anything unless he does first. Most of the boys gave up on me that way. All my guy friends say that I've got to be more confident, and that I give off a certain air of coldness during my group dates. Huh. But what do they know? Their idea of "chivalrous" is waving the air off my face after they burp. Still, I wanted to dial their numbers and ask for advice.
He came out of the room and stood there in my dad's long-sleeved white shirt and faded blue jeans, and I had to laugh. He started laughing, too. I admit that I was still kind of staring at him, and I noted that he was really tall, a whole head taller than me, and he had the world's cutest laugh. I remembered this American song called Cupid's Chokehold, where the boy describes the girl's laugh as the cutest laugh he ever heard.
She's got a smile that'll make the most senile, annoying old man bite his tongue (Not done)
She's got eyes comparable to the sunrise and it doesn't stop there (Man, I swear)
She's got porcelain skin to the core, she's a ten and now she's even got her own song (Moving on)
She's got the cutest laugh I ever heard, and we could be on the phone for three hours (Not saying one word)
I sang this song in my head as we went down the stairs. I looked back to check if he was following me, and he was, but he was clutching onto the waist of the pants with both hands.
"Ne, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, nothing," he said, fiddling with it. "It just, you know..." He stretched the jeans' waist out in front of him as hard as he could, and it was twice as big as his waist.
"Sorry. Ano, I could find you a belt. Maybe that would work?"
He begged me with his big kitten eyes. "Nya?"
I tried every rack and every drawer, but I couldn't find a men's belt anywhere. So I took him into my room (there were still Chinese takeout boxes under the bed, I hope he didn't notice), pulled out a pink belt, and handed it to him. He just stared at me.
"I think I look attractive enough, thanks."
I giggled. "Do you want it? Or would you rather change into one of mypants?" At this, he took the belt.
We came back downstairs and he hung his dirty clothes on the handrails to dry. We heard mewing and I suddenly remembered about the cat; I ran upstairs and came back with her in my arms. "Ne, do you want to take off your coat?" he asked, taking Mikkan from me.
"I think I should," I said, and I took it off. He sat on the couch, petting the cat and trying to dry her off. Mikkan was starting to calm down. "I don't know when the rain's going to go away."
"I heard about this on TV," he said, "but everyone said it wasn't going to be a big deal. Nya, now look at what's happened!"
Eiji spotted something interesting and got up. He took a framed photograph of my parents and me from the mantelpiece, eyes bulging and eyebrows perky. I assumed he was staring at my dad because many people had similar expressions when seeing my dad for the first time.
"Sugoi," he said, still staring at the photo. It was a good thing that my dad's largeness distracted him from my CCC—childhood chipmunk cheeks. The picture was taken eight years ago when we were at the Philippines for summer vacation, and my dad was holding up an alligator in the air like a trophy. "Was your dad a professional wrestler?"
"Ha, ha. He used to play rugby in England. Eto..." I did some calculations in my head. "...He's thirty-four in that picture. But if it's possible, he's probably even bigger now than he used to be."
"Rugby," echoed Eiji, pronouncing the English word in his Japanese accent. He sounded impressed. "I would hate to play against your dad."
"It always fuels my dad's ego when people say that," I nodded, grinning. He put the picture back thoughtfully and sat back down. I didn't know if I should sit next to him, so I just sat on the dining table and stared out the window. The rain didn't look like it was ceasing. "So, Eiji, did all the other kids in your school leave already?"
He pondered this for a while, his legs vibrating (I guess restlessness is a part of his character?). "Most of them," he said eventually. "Some of my friends, though, I don't know what happened to them. I hope they're okay."
"Wow, that's terrible," I said. I tried to picture his friends, but when I did, I imagined equally big-eyed and long-haired boys.
"Which school do you go to?"
"Mimura Gakuen. We had school today, too, but I think most club stuff were canceled."
"That's smart. Nya, my school should've done that." He didn't sound bitter at all. In fact, he had a rather childish way of speaking with his eyes. Whenever he was smiling, his eyes lit up. Whenever he was sad or thinking thoughtfully, his eyes met the ground. Now his eyes were energetic. "Ne, do you have a phone?"
"I do, but there's no signal," I said. "Do you need to call your home?"
"Ah, mendokuse. I lost my phone in the storm."
The clock was ticking in the background. I felt like I was thirteen and I was upstairs in my bedroom talking to an especially gorgeous guy when my parents thought I was helping him with his English homework. I'm naturally self-conscious, but I don't know why I would ever feel this way with a boy who used the word nya. "Well, I think my parents are coming home soon. I'm sure my dad can fix the lighting and everything."
"How soon is 'soon'?" he asked. By now, my eyes had adjusted to the semidarkness. I could tell that his hair was still ruffled, but they were starting to dry and the curliness was starting to return. "They should be home either by tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning," I said. Then I realized something: what if he can't go home tonight? What if he had to stay overnight? Where would he sleep? Now I was glad that Mikkan was with us. I was about to ask if he'd mind if he slept on the couch should the hurricane continue through the night, but then I screamed.
"What's wrong?" Eiji rushed over to my side. The house that's across from ours, Tanaka-san's, was partly destroyed by a tree that had uprooted in the last split second; it crashed against the roof and tore the bedroom window away. The branches whipped in the wind like insane arm gestures and there was now a huge hole in the wall, so big that I could see Tanaka-san's bedspread and nightstand. Eiji also exclaimed in surprise.
Still transfixed by what had just happened, I mumbled something about going inside that house.
"Nya! Are you crazy?"
"But an old lady is in there."
Eiji was quiet. We both stared out the window at the crumbling house. Then, he motioned toward the door. "Put your coat on," he said.
"Are you coming with me?" I asked, although I knew he would.
He must've thought that was really funny because his face spread into a toothy smile as if to say, who do you think you are? He held the coat open for me, and I shrugged it on. It was one of those moments where you realize how different boys are from girls, but in a good way. He took my hand, opened the door, and led me outside.
It must've been at least nine at night, and the road was completely dark except for a streetlight at the end of the block. My neighborhood was one of those rich neighborhoods where all the houses are only a few years old and all look kind of alike; the houses, like mine, are painted an eggshell-white color and are designed to be more contemporary than traditional Japanese houses. I kept in close distance to him—or, rather, he kept me in close distance to him by holding my hand—and I was immediately amazed at how athletic he was. It was as if the sky was a kid blowing down at Eiji and me, who were just two ants trying to make our way across the pavement. I could've been knocked off my feet if he wasn't walking in front of me.
My feet were freezing. I was wearing a pair of rubber boots and it wasn't nearly tall enough—smelly, brown water entered and swam around my bare toes. I kept imagining that they were rainwater mixed with sewer water. Can you spell "gag"?
But I must admit, even though I felt like a janitor who was knee-high in somebody's toilet, it was really nice. I stared at his back, I felt his hand on mine, and I had the urge to hug him right then and there.
I scolded myself. Eiji's not doing this for you! Idiot. He's only doing this because you made a fuss. And plus, what are you getting excited about? You both could literally be blown away right this second, and drown in a ditch. But because I was fifteen and a virgin, this was practically the most romantic thing any boy, knowingly or unknowingly, had done for me. I wanted it to last for at least one more hour, and I never wanted the rain to stop so he would never let go of my hand.
He looked back at me, squinting, his bangs in his eyes. "Are you okay back there?" he shouted, and I nodded.
We made it across the street in what felt like thirty seconds (damn) and Eiji pounded on the door. When nobody answered, he tried to open it and surprisingly, it was unlocked. Tanaka-san's living room smelled of lemons and leather. I closed the door behind me and he let go of my hand. It felt cool without his palm. I rubbed it, saying, "Tanaka-san?"
"Do you think she's here?" he asked, looking inside the kitchen.
"She should be. Nobody comes to visit her besides her daughter." After we had inspected the first floor, he suggested we go upstairs. When we went upstairs, he walked in front of me still. The thing I like most about boys is the width of their shoulders, because it made me feel petite. Kikumaru Eiji had distinctly wide shoulders for a Japanese person.
(I keep noticing these things. Why? Why?)
But we found her.
She was upstairs, lying unconscious in the spare bedroom. This room was obviously for her daughter when she came to visit. She was a woman of maybe seventy and she had thinning silver hair and heavy, wrinkled eyelids. Her medication was lying on top of a desk, and that was the only clue we had. We could hear the wind and rain coming in from the hole in the other room. I thought of Tanaka-san's frequent heart attacks, and hoped that she didn't have one just now. Eiji rolled up his sleeves and laid the woman on her back, on the carpeted floor. I watched quietly.
"She's alive! She's alive," he said, gesturing to me. I put my fingers on her wrist, and sure enough, there was a pulse. I smiled with relief and looked at Eiji. He was also smiling.
With a grunt, he put her on his back. "Keep close, nya," he instructed before we went outside. I took off my coat and put it around Tanaka-san's body. Kikumaru Eiji moved with great agility even with 100 pounds on his back, and this time, I closed my eyes and let him lead me the entire way. Otherwise, I didn't know if I could stop myself from hugging him and thanking him. When we had got back to my house, he laid her gently on the guest bed. I checked her pulse again, and she was still breathing. We went downstairs, and Eiji picked up the kitty in his arms. "Eiji, you were amazing."
He beamed and did a little courtesy bow. I laughed.
He said, "No, Natsumi-chan, you're the angel for taking me in."
Did he just call me Natsumi-chan? "You need another change of clothes. I think I do, too."
"Make sure the pants fit this time, onegai."
My feet squeaked the entire way upstairs and I dumped the annoying boots in the laundry basket. The only suitable things for Eiji were a black button-down shirt and black pants (the ones that you wear with a suit and a tie—do they have a name for those?), and I picked out one of my dad's soft sweatshirts for myself. It went down right above my knees. But I thought this was too, ano, slutty so I put on a pair of my jeans for good measure. After I had finished dressing, I opened the door and handed him the bundle of clothing. I told him that he could just throw the wet clothes into the basket.
I waited out in the hall again, leaning against the door. It was so quiet that I could hear Eiji changing.
After some thoughtful thinking, an idea hit me, and I bounded down the stairs and flipped on my cell phone; it was one of those music phones that my dad got for me in the States. Eiji came downstairs. "Natsumi-chan, I kind of used one of the guest towels—is that okay? Oi, what are you doing?"
I was still fumbling with my phone, but my face lit up when I found what I was looking for. I clicked on the little text on my phone screen, and the whole living room was filled with the first few lines of Cupid's Chokehold by The Gym Class Heroes.
Take a look at my girlfriend, she's the only one I got
Not much of a girlfriend, I never seem to get a lot
It's been some time since we last spoke
This is going to sound like a bad joke
But mama, I fell in love again
It's safe to say I have a new girlfriend
And I know it sounds so old
But cupid got me in the chokehold…
Eyebrows raised, Eiji asked, "Is this...? This isn't Japanese."
"Nope, it's English. My parents got it for me when they were on a business trip in America. Do you like it?"
"It's a little weird but I like it."
"Oh, and you know what I just thought of? We have some candles upstairs. It's not exactly light, but it could work."
My brain was working a mile per minute. Wait, why did I suggest we go get candles? I went to the master bathroom and grabbed a box of purple candles from under the sink. I sat on the cold tile floor for a moment, afraid to go back downstairs. Why did I suggest we go get candles? And why did I put on music? Does he think I'm trying really hard to get him in some mood or whatever? No! Nooooo! This mustn't happen. I got up and stared at myself in the mirror.
My eyeliner was running and most of my makeup was gone. The girl staring back at me had a heart-shaped face, thin lips, and eyes that were almond-shaped and large but not nearly large as Eiji's. Should I redo my eyes? I thought, but I decided against it. I put the candles back and fixed my hair a little before heading back downstairs.
The song had ended and to my horror, the next song on the play list that was playing was a song called I'm in Love With a Stripper. Er.
Eiji was sitting at the dining table, humming. "No candles?"
"I couldn't find a lighter, and I can't even work a lighter, so I thought we wouldn't need them after all." I pulled up a chair and sat next to him.
Eiji laughed. "Iiyo," he said. "I can see you just fine." My dad's shirt was gigantic on Eiji, and the collar was uneven—one side of it hung loosely over his shoulder while another tugged at his neck. He was sitting in a way that only a boy would, with his legs spread apart and his palms on his knees. He started vibrating his legs again.
I had made a good choice not to return with the candles, because a) I wouldn't want him to see my face like this and b) I definitely didn't want him to catch me blushing. My heartbeat was running faster, I could feel it. I tried not to glance at him, because if I did, I would stare at him. He was that good-looking.
"I like this song," he said.
"Really?" Eiji really doesn't know any English at all. I lucked out this time. "What do you like about it?" There were a million other things I could have said instead but I didn't say them. Mikkan had fallen asleep on the windowsill, lying on the puddle of curtains; she was curled up in a big orange ball. Eiji was staring at her, a kind of stare that a mother would give to her newborn baby; except, in his case, in the place of a serene smile was a curly grin.
"Hmm. The beat, I guess."
It was true. Although the lyrics were a little messed up, this song was actually my all-time favorite song. It was about this guy who fell in love one night at a club; it was absolutely nostalgic. We just kind of sat there, staring at the rain beating on Tanaka-san's destroyed house, and listening to T-Pain sing: She trippin', she playin', she playin'/I'm not going nowhere, girl I'm stayin'/I'm in love with a stripper... Eiji even whistled one part of the harmonica tunes.
"The rain doesn't look like it's stopping," Eiji said during the chorus. He licked his lips, which were closed for some time.
"Un," I agreed. Maybe my friends were right. I have this curse where I can only say the things I want in my head.
"This song is really nice," he said again.
This time I thought of something to say. "You know, if you like it I could give you the CD."
He waved his hand. "Nya, that's okay."
"No, really. I have a ton. Hold on." I went to my room and came back with a CD. I handed it to him and watched as Eiji studied the cover.
"Nya, look at what he's wearing. Do people in America dress like that?"
"I don't know, I've never been there before. But I really like their music. Sometimes, my dad or mom go there and they bring back really nice things, like CDs and DVDs."
"I'm hoping I get to go there one day. For tennis, I mean."
Then it hit me. This guy, this boy with the curly red hair, had been on the news! A year ago, he and his team had been good enough to get into the nationals. The memory was very vague but I definitely remembered. My perspective of him changed immediately. "You're THE Eiji-kun. You're a celebrity!" I exclaimed.
He blushed, smiling. "Not a celebrity."
"But you went to the nationals. With your Buchou, Kunimitsu-something."
"Natsumi-chan has seen us play?"
"No, no, but I saw you on the news. Oh, my God." I put a hand to my chest. No wonder he was carrying a tennis bag! And that would explain why he didn't budge in the storm! How come I haven't thought of it before? "Wait, so did you break your arm in a match or something?"
"Was that on the news, too?" He sounded surprised.
"No." Oh, shut up, Natsumi. "I mean, yes. It was."
"Nobody ever told me that. But, I did. I had to wear a cast for five months." He rubbed his elbow where he had apparently been injured before. "See? There's still a little scar here."
"But, during that time, did you ever go to, like, doctor's visits?"
He nodded. I honestly wanted to jump up and scream. Now the pieces all fit! He's not just a normal schoolboy, he's some kind of super-being/tennis god who went to the nationals. It was like a different person was sitting across from me now. The Kikumaru Eiji was sitting across from me! Wait until my friends hear about this, I thought, knowing that they would be equally impressed--and as for the girls, they would be insanely giddy.
I'm in Love With a Stripper ended and another one started playing. "What song is this?" Eiji asked. He sure doesn't act like his fame gets to him, though. I like him even more.
"It's called Bubbly. It's relatively new."
He laughed. "This one's in English, too! Do you have anything on there that I can understand?"
"Tough luck, but maybe." I reached for the phone. He grabbed my hand and said, "No, it's okay, I like this one."
He let go; I folded my hands in my lap.
Has Eiji ever had a girlfriend before? Did he know how lucky she was? She's pretty fucking lucky. Does he know that by me spending time with him, I wasn't able to think about anything else but my looks, my speech, and most importantly, my gestures? I didn't think I would ever find out the answers to any of those questions, but I knew one thing for sure. He's made me lose sight of who I was: a schoolgirl with layered black hair who took dance lessons, loved to waste money for the sake of fashion, and made a big fuss about everything that came my way. Now, sitting in this room with him, I am simply a girl who is falling for his actions and silly intentions; I'm acting like I'm not fazed by everything he does, but the truth is that I'm amazed beyond recognition.
"Eiji?"
"Mm?" He looked at me, smiling. How strange. I had taken him in, and I pretended as if I was doing him the favor by giving him shelter, but if he ever finds out that he was in fact the one who was saving me, I should hope that the room is still dark.
"It's eleven. Do you think you might have to sleep here tonight?"
"If Natsumi-chan doesn't mind, nya, I think I will."
I grinned. "Natsumi-chan doesn't mind. You can stay in my parents' room. But, let's wait a little bit more to see if it'll stop." I knew it wasn't going to, and that was the only reason why I said it.
Later that night, just as I had predicted, the rain did not end. And I was thankful for it. Before we went to our separate rooms, Eiji gave me a big hug. Even though I smelled of hurricane water, he smelled of toothpaste (bananas, to be exact...did he brush his teeth at school?). As for the cat, I made a nest of towels and pillows in the bathtub and she was resting in there. I was having a really nice dream where Eiji took me to Seigaku's tennis court and told me to find something that "was green and has really patchy skin." I found a turtle and handed it to him, but he shook his head no. I told him that the turtle was all I could find, so he led me to a big bush. "But a bush doesn't have any skin," I said. And all he said to me was, "Look underneath." I found a crocodile lying under the leaves, staring up at us.
Then I woke up. Not because I found the dream scary, but because I was restless. Eiji was probably sleeping soundly in the room next to mine. I sat up and recounted the night's events. Eiji and I had probably spent about four hours together (and still counting), but I already like him a lot. I had such a nice time with him that I was even able to forget about the face in the window and the Route 30 serial killer.
I turned on my phone and was really glad to see two bars on the screen. Instead of calling my parents right away, as I should, I called my friend Minami.
She picked up on the second ring. "Natsumi?"
"Hey. Are you asleep?"
She yawned. "Nope, I wasn't. The rain keeps on hitting the gutters on the damn roof and I can't fall asleep. Can you hear it in the background?"
"Kind of. But listen, listen. Guess who walked into my house today?"
"TV reporter?"
"No."
"Chieko?" Chieko was a pretty girl at our school that we both hate, because she wore no undergarments under her uniform.
"Ew, no. If she did, I would have told her to put on some panties before she walked in."
She laughed. "The president, then?"
"No. But he's somebody famous."
"You mean, like...?" She kept on guessing but never got it right. So I shouted in a tiny voice, "Kikumaru Eiji!"
"Who is that?"
"Okay, I don't blame you, I forgot his name for a while, too. But do you remember about ten months ago, how they were talking about the tennis nationals on TV?"
"I... I don't remember. At all."
"Oh, forget it," I said, smiling. "But get this. He's fifteen, tall, and has really, really big eyes."
She gasped. I'm a horrible person. I felt a little guilty for gossiping about how pretty he was, but everybody at school knows that I've got a big mouth. And it was true. "Kuso," said Minami. "I get stuck with my parents, and you get to be in a big, dark house with Kikumaru-whoever. What was his name again?"
"Kikumaru Eiji. Minami, I've been dying to talk to you for so long."
"I'll look him up once the electricity comes back on. But what was your day like? Tell me all the details."
I was about to tell her everything in a loudmouth fashion, but I was interrupted when the doorbell rang.
Yes, that's right, the doorbell. I looked at the clock. The doorbell was ringing at two in the morning? All of a sudden my heart sank. It was my parents.
I put on a light jacket and walked past Eiji's door, which was closed. I didn't want to wake him up to meet my parents. Ironically, just earlier today I wanted them to be home at once, but now I resent their coming home. I was just rehearsing in my head about what to say to them when they found a boy in their room, but when I looked into the peephole, it was too dark to see anyone.
I stood there for a minute, deciding if I should or shouldn't open the door. My mom would definitely call me before arriving, right? I opened my phone and checked to see if there were any missed calls, but there were none.
The knocking continued, and I could hear Eiji stirring in his bed, so I opened the door. Standing in front of me was a man. A skinny guy, probably in his early twenties. His raven-black hair was wet, and he was carrying a black backpack on his shoulder. He was shaking terribly, but broke into a big smile when he saw me. "My God, arigatou. May I please come in?"
"Ano...sure," I said. Instinctively, I gave him a welcoming smile that hid my surprise. Who the hell is he? The guy was shaking so hard that I took the quilted throw from the sofa and covered his shoulders with it. He looked like he just caught pneumonia.
Why did you come to my door? I wondered. "What on earth are you doing at two in the morning?"
Still shaking, he said, "I was on my way to pick up my aunt when the storm knocked my car over." I must've looked horrified because he said, "It was a really small car, though. And it was pretty old, too. But I tried every house on this block, and..."
"...Mine was the only one that wasn't vacant?" I finished for him. "Eto, somebody else told me that too. In fact, he's upstairs sleeping."
"Oh," he said, staring behind my shoulder at Eiji's bags. Then he held out a hand. "My name is Honda Yamato. Arigatou gozaimasu."
We shook. His grip was stronger than I expected. "I'm Sato Natsumi. It's no problem, do you want to sleep over?" What a bad choice of words. I must've sounded like a 12-year-old inviting him to a sleepover.
"If you don't mind," he said, smiling meekly. "I was working at Tokyo University, I work there as a professor. So I thought I would go pick up Suzuki"—I supposed that was his aunt—"after work when the rain died down, but it never did, so I went out at around midnight." He put his wet bag down and fumbled inside it for a moment, then extracted a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. He put them on, and he really did look like a professor. (A little bit on the nerdy side, I must admit. He had his shirt tucked inside a pair of pants that hiked up to nearly his waist.)
"But you look too young to be working as a professor."
"Arigatou," he said, and smiled. He wasn't shaking so hard now. "But I'm actually twenty-seven. I just mainly do substituting."
I stared at the engagement ring on his finger. "What about your wife? Is she okay?" Normally, when my parents' friends come over, my parents would do most of the talking and I would just sit quietly. I felt like a grownup talking about these things with a fellow grownup. I stared up the stairs and was glad that Eiji hadn't woken up.
"Oh, I'm divorced," he said. "I just wear the ring because...well, I can't take it off,'' he finished lamely. Aww.
"That's good, though," I said. He reminded me of one of those geeks in those movies, where he had only dated one girl in high school and now even though he's a successful doctor/lawyer, he can't get rid of his ridiculous prom tux because it reminded him of that one dance with that one girl.
"How is it good?" he said, curious. Honda Yamato had strangely open eyes, as if he was talking at you instead of talking to you.
"I mean it's good that you didn't get rid of your ring," I said. "Otherwise...how long were you married?"
"Three years."
"Otherwise, those three years would've been wasted."
"Wow. How old are you, by the way?"
"I'm sixteen," I lied. It can't hurt to say that I was one year older than my actual age, right?
"I remember when I was sixteen," he started. I hope he doesn't do one of those parent-y lectures where they say, when I was a kid... blah, blah, blah. I relaxed when he didn't. "You have a really nice house here."
"My parents are supposed to be back tomorrow morning, but for now you can sleep on the couch." I was housing an athlete in the master bedroom, a lady on medication in the guest bedroom, a lost professor in the living room, and a homeless tabby in the bathroom all by myself. I should get a Nobel Peace Prize.
"So, does it matter?" he asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Does it matter which couch I sleep on?" He motioned at the three couches.
"Oh, no, I don't care. You can just pick one for yourself."
"I promise I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning," he said, taking the cover off his shoulders and using it to dry himself off.
That was when I noticed. I watched him dry off, and I noticed things that I hadn't paid attention to before, like his height and how long his limbs were. His wiry hair. Even though he was in his twenties, he was already losing a patch of hair in the corner of his hairline.
I eyed him, trying to figure out why I felt the way I did. There was something in the way that he moved that made me uneasy. As he took off his outerwear and put it on the armrest, my blood ran cold because the color of his coat was brown.
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A/N: That's the end of Part 1. The next part will be the final one. And gomen for all the songs; I'm a RnB freak, so I put a lot in but I love each and every single one of them. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think! Constructive (NOT destructive) criticism is welcome.
Translations
"Konnichiwa." - "Hello."
"Kikumaru Eiji desu." – "My name is Kikumaru Eiji," or "I'm Kikumaru Eiji."
"Yoroshiku" – "Nice to meet you."
"Iie" – "It's not that," or "It wasn't like that."
"Gomen"– "Sorry"
"Gomen nasai" – Formal way of saying gomen, like "I'm so sorry."
"Arigatou"– "Thanks"
"Arigatou gozaimasu"– Formal way of saying arigatou, like "Thank you" or "Thanks so much."
"Un" – "Un"
"Maji?" – "Seriously?" or "Are you serious?"
"Onegai"– "Please"
"Sugoi" – "Amazing" or "Awesome"
"Mendokuse" – "How troublesome" or "That sucks."
"Iiyo" – "That's okay" or "It's fine" or "It's no big deal."
"Ano" or "eto" – "um" or "uh"
"Kuso" – "Damn" or "Damn it"
"Ne" – this word is put at the beginning/end of a question when someone is trying to get attention, like "Hey/look, do you think these pants make me look fat?" or "No, otherwise I would have told you not to buy it, don't you think/wouldn't you agree?"