How High
All disclaimers applied.
"Yamato."
"Hn." He strummed the strings of the guitar, mumbling under his breath. Probably crafting a new song. Inwardly, I giggled with glee. I couldn't wait to listen to a new one of his even though I still hadn't had enough with the songs he downloaded into my i-Pod seven months ago. Hikari was frustrated and talked on and on about the values of feminism and whatnot, but I just asked her if she were done recording Takeru playing basketball with my video cam. Secretly. To each her own holy water. Hehe.
"Yamato."
"Hn." He didn't look up. I appreciate the attention he pays to his music, which I worship, but hey, some attention here too.
"Answer me."
"No."
"Why not?" I pulled the cover up to my face. My eyes were hurting, thanks to the heavy dose of sunshine my friends piled on me by pulling the pink curtains back. God, I love sunshine, really. But the purpose of buying pretty curtains is to shield people from the hot sun, especially when they were down with something, something like a fever. I thought they care about me.
"You call Jyou, Jyou-san."
"So?"
"Hikari, Hikari-chan."
"Get to the point," I grumbled.
"Taichi got a suffix."
"Yeah, Taichi-baka."
"I want a suffix."
I laughed into the cover. I couldn't believe it.
"You're just, hehe, a year older. I'm not going to call you, hic, Yamato-san haha!"
"You're sick. You can't get out of bed. I could easily cut off your food supplies. Now, call me."
"Yamato-chan," I giggled.
"Sora's making ramen. Again."
"Yamato-chan."
"Tonkotsu ramen."
"Shucks."
"Not my name."
"I hate you."
"My name."
"Never."
"I'll do something. You'll never forget."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"Taichi." Oh, no. I know what he was referring to. It's about that time we all went to Kumo Lake and I drank a bit shoucu, well, too much. Yamato was the sole witness of the crime and through my hazy eyes, I still remember how he laughed. He didn't laugh much but that night, his laughter rang on and on. No way am I going to let Taichi know what I did.
"You promised."
"You trust me?" He looked amused. Well, not really. He did make me cry once and I would rather not relive it.
"Umm."
"Just say it."
"Yamato-san," I screamed into my cerise bed sheet, thumping the pillow. "There."
"Hn. What?"
"Don't play that too loud."
"That?"
"Your guitar. Not too loud. Poor eardrums."
"Hn." I lifted the cover off my face and watched as he placed the black guitar carefully on the white-and-pink tiled floor. I tried to get it all pink, but Daddy put his foot down. He said he'd had enough of seeing pink things and he wasn't going to endure pink floor. Mean.
"Hey..."
"Yeah?"
"Roses." I pointed at his guitar. There was a pair of red roses elegantly drawn on his guitar. I never noticed them before, either at his Teenage Wolves gigs or at the park close to all of our homes where we usually hang out. The fat rosebuds dominated one half of his soundboard while the emerald stem sprawled across the body. It was romantic. "Sora?"
"Yeah." He picked it up and carefully laid it across his chest. Before I could protest, the door flew open and the roses I had pinned to it rattled long after the attacker had walked in.
"Yo." Taichi grinned as he brandished forth the pill in his right hand and the glass of water in his left like a pair of swords. "Torture time."
Sora floated in behind him. "Taichi, dear, please do try not to shove it into her throat. I'm tired of her screams."
"Sora, help me." I whimpered as I pulled the sheet up to my face again. I gave Taichi the full force of my glare. Yamato stayed silent as he plucked a couple of strings. The melodies were like crooning wildflowers that fell lazily from the sky. It was warming, like the towering ray of sunshine that lay sprawled across my bed.
She smiled at me. "Sorry, sweetie, but your mother was firm. She wants you to finish all of it." I glared at her.
"Yeah. She told me to do whatever it takes." Taichi's grin broadened dangerously. "Your mum is so cool. You don't mind me finishing off the ice cream, cool?"
"Yamato." Since the idiot was obviously desperate to persecute me, I turned to Yamato, pleading with my eyes. "Please. Don't you want to help a pretty damsel in distress? I called you Yamato-san."
Taichi snorted. Yamato shrugged carelessly. He plucked a string.
Bastards.
"C'mon, sweetie, you just have to swallow it."
"Sure, sure. It doesn't crack open your throat or anything. It just tastes really bitter."
"Taichi." Sora lightly smacked Taichi's arm.
"Ouch."
"Sorry. Does it hurt?"
"It's OK. You can do it lots."
"You know that I-"
"You lovey-dovey couple, it's still no."
"Yo. Just open your big mouth," Taichi skulked closer with that big grin on his face, threatening me with the glass of water and pill. Yamato was concentrating at his guitar, his eyes narrowed. Certainly no help from that quarter. Never mind. I can handle Taichi. Guys are easy.
I kicked Taichi in his you-know-what. He, deservedly so, lay whimpering on the floor. Sora pursed her lips and took the glass of water and pill from Taichi. She managed somehow to give him a pat on his head, which I don't think he deserves at all. Well, he still hadn't taken my advice to crop his hair so that he would look like Robert Pattinson instead of Taylor Lautner.
"How's Mimi?" Takeru's golden head peeked in. Raucous laughter from the living room buzzed into my bedroom. Oh, the fun my friends have without me.
"She's fantabulous. I'm not." Taichi growled from the floor.
"Oh. That's bad. Want some ramen?"
"Please."
"Get it yourself," the blond cheerfully chirruped, winked at me and closed the door, all the while humming an X Japan song. That's one ally down. Shucks.
Sora gently poked my arm. I inched away from her as she crept onto the bed. Her knees pinned down my legs. I was trapped. Well, Sora might look feminine and girly, but she can rip a guy apart. Like that one time when a pervert tried to grab her waist. She just kicked him from here to eternity. My best friend was really strong, and I'm proud of her. But sometimes, I find her strength to be a big liability to me.
Like now.
"Ouch, Sora, that hurts. Get off!"
"Just one tiny pill, sweetie, and you'll get better."
"No."
"Just one tiny pill, dear."
"I said no."
"What part of one tiny pill don't you understand, dear?"
"What part of no don't you know, Sora?"
"Eat it." She was starting to purr. The red lights were flashing. Dangerous.
"You can't. Force. Me. It's illegal. I can sue you," I struggled, trying to get her off of me. Somehow, even with the glass of water and pill in her hand, she still managed to trap my arms with hers. And her arms looked so slim and toned.
"It's for your own good, my best friend."
"No. I'll choke," I muttered through gritted teeth as Sora flaunted the pill in front of me like a prized candy. Sorry, but it's so far off.
"Silly, you won't."
"I'm fine. I don't need it." Well, my temperature was a bit too high, but I can live. Like, I can sweat it out. No need to eat that... thing.
"Take it, honey."
"It's illegal to force a minor to swallow a dangerous substance as you can make the said minor addicted, not like I would ever take tens of those everyday-"
"Mimi, oh Mimi, open your lovely lips just one tiny centimetre."
"Oh, haha, you're making me sweat now." I tried to elbow Sora in the ribs, but well, you know that's not worth the trouble. Ever since she took tennis lessons every day, she's been invincible to any of my daily attacks. But it's nice to let off some steam.
"Oh, getting combative now, are we?" Sora's eyes flashed as she pinned down my elbows to the bed. "I'll crack open your mouth if that's what it takes to get you better, love."
I yanked her red hair. Her small scream echoed throughout the room. Well, you want to play dirty, girlfriend. A tiny thought nibbled at my conscience, saying I did that for more reasons than one. Hey, she's trying to force me to do what I hate most. Also, I've lived through fevers before without ever going near a pill. Ever going near a pill without screaming, I mean.
Yamato rose from his seat, carefully leaning his guitar to my dressing table. He flicked the strand of blond hair away from his eyes, muttering, "Troublesome." Who's he trying to emulate, Shikamaru?
"Sora. Give me." His words were both final and tired.
Sora unlatched herself from me, handing the glass of water and pill to him. I stared resolutely at him, crossing my arms. Did he think he can make me swallow that thing with his handsome face or threats of no food? Well, think again. No way would I swallow that damned thing, not even if someone bribes me with Anna Sui.
"Fruitless, dude, fruitless. She won't eat it." Taichi whimpered from the floor, massaging his you-know-what pitifully. Yamato ignored him and held the pill in his hand as he crept closer to me. Sora distanced herself from the chaos that all of us knew would be unleashed if Yamato tried to wrench open my mouth. I held the sheet in front of me like a shield, daring him to do the unthinkable.
"No." I growled. His blue eyes stared back at me, the sun glaring behind his back. Maybe I was mistaken, but there was an amused glint in his blue eyes.
"Hn." He threw the pill into his mouth and, pulling my head to his, he kissed me.
I was surprised. My nerves shivered as his soft hands held both of mine in his. His cool forehead rested on mine, a contrast with my warm skin. His hair brushed my nose and his lips were strangely soft and warm. A fleeting taste of burned cherries grazed my lips, so sweet yet so noxious. I opened my mouth to protest and he dropped the pill into my mouth, nibbling my lower lip.
Yamato drew away and pulled my head back. The pill easily slid down my throat. A careless smile.
"Heh." He let go of me and walked to get his guitar. For once, Taichi didn't have anything sarcastic to say. Sora just chuckled as she nudged Taichi out of my bedroom before her. She closed the door with a smile, the roses on the door rattling softly.
Me? I pulled the cover up to my eyes as my cheeks heated slowly. Also, I didn't want him to see me tasting his leftover.
"What do you want?" He strummed the guitar softly.
"Um." I swallowed. The pill tasted bitter but I didn't mind. I grabbed the glass of water Sora'd left on bedside table and sipped. "Tobira."
He had already started to play the song he wrote. "Aren't you ever tired of this?"
The song began to envelop the air in its warm embrace. Sunshine stroked the dark places. I wonder if I could do a duet with his band...
"It's evergreen."
Later in the night, he had gone to the living room to sleep with the rest of the gang. He had rested his hand on my forehead before he left, to feel my temperature. His fingers were long and cold. I pretended to sleep.
When he closed the door quietly behind him, I snuck stealthily out of bed. I grabbed my bright red Sharpie and gingerly rested the guitar on the floor, so the back will be facing me. I held back a sneeze as I scribbled my best handwriting at the bottom corner of the back. After a few minutes of sticking out my tongue in concentration, I proudly held up my masterpiece. Finding it to my satisfaction, I crept back to my bed and slept soundly.
Early in the morning, I woke up at the sound of light footsteps. Long, cold fingers rested on my forehead. A low chuckle. I pretended to snore. His lips touched my forehead lightly. The light footsteps drew away and I heard the sound of the guitar being picked up.
"April rose, dusky lady of the mountain chain." A low murmur. "Hn."
I grinned, stifling my laughter by pressing my nose to the bedsheet. Well, here's to getting better and getting even with Sora for being allowed to draw on his treasured guitar. Now I've left my mark on it too.
A/N: Revised. Writing on Summer Heroes while juggling this too. It's continuing. Hope you like it. A cookie if you review. ;)