A/N: Horimiya is one of my absolute favorite mangas out there, which is currently being translated per chapter by Dragonfly Scans. The title is a portmanteau of the main characters' last names: Izumi Miyamura and Kyoko Hori. Story is by HERO and the art is by Hagiwara Daisuke. I checked out that HERO has already finished his own version of the story, and Daisuki recreated the drawings. At least that's what I understand from my research. I love HERO's story, but I prefer Daisuke's drawings. Horimiya is such a refreshing manga that I am surprise very few people read it, and someone has not attempted to put entries on this category.
The manga is not your typical school life romance where the hero is such a hunky, mysterious guy that makes a lot of girls swoon, and the heroine is the same old clueless girl that's pretty unpopular until she gets the hero's attention. No.
Rather, we meet Kyoko Hori, a nice girl who is one of the most popular students in school. When you think of popular, we always associate that she is friendly, outgoing and is always in the front of doing the latest trends students nowadays do. But Kyoko's case is special. As soon as school is over for the day, instead of going out with friends and catching the latest movie or shopping, she becomes like a second mother to her younger brother, Sota. And she excels in all kinds of housework, including cooking and laundry.
Meanwhile, Izumi Miyamura is the quiet student that often tends to stay in the background. He never speaks too much, has no friends, sports longish hair and glasses. Most of the students think he's some kind of closet otaku. But what they don't know is that his body is covered in tattoos and he has several facial piercings. After school or during weekends, he spends his day sporting several earrings and wearing grungy (or at least I think it's grungy) and displaying his tattoos. Surprisingly, he looks really, really good when he puts up his longish hair in a ponytail. Not like a model-good looking kind of way, but more on a rockstar-type look.
The manga is slow, takes its time establishing each of their characters' patterns and habits and does have its simple, squeal worthy moments. I hope that while reading my first entry on this category, you will be encouraged to check it out and support it.
This one-shot entry is just something that was filling my mind while I am on vacation. I wrote it for two hours straight. Even though I am tired from the lack of sleep, I don't regret wasting two hours on this. It is all worth it.
Grammar mistakes? Let me know, drop a review.
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"Kyoko!"
"Oh!" Kyoko Hori clutched her chest, surprise expression coloring her face. "Izumi! You scared me!"
Izumi Miyamura, tucked his longish hair carelessly behind his ear as he immediately took the heavy bag of groceries from the girl standing outside the supermarket.
"I did?" he scratched his head with his free hand, puzzled. "I thought I mentioned this morning I will drop by to see Sota."
"You did." Kyoko scrambled to balance the other bag of groceries on her arm and hitching up the shoulder strap of her book bag securely. "But I went ahead when I heard that sensei has asked you to stay over to help him with the lab equipment?"
"Yup. I finished them quickly. Besides," he began to lead the way to where Kyoko live taking the opposite direction of the road, "I need to give something to Sota. And I'm looking forward to the mushroom chicken soup you planned to make." He eyed the clear plastic container of mushrooms peeking from the bag of food he was carrying. "It's mushroom isn't it?"
Hori giggled, "Yeah. You and Sota are so much alike. He has been pestering me for the soup yesterday."
"Can't blame him. Your cooking is awesome!" he answered, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for the green light to turn on so that they can continue walking.
He maneuvered his way around his classmate, so that he stood nearer to the road, effectively blocking any harm that might come their way. Lately, he has been unconsciously acting protective toward Kyoko Hori. It was only until another classmate, Toru Ishikawa, pointed out what he was doing.
"I've seen how you acted when Hori-san is around." Toru said accusingly. "You act like her boyfriend or something."
"I do?" he frowned, unable to believe it himself. "Are you sure?"
Toru slapped a hand on his own forehead and groaned. "So clueless. I hate you sometimes." Toru still have not recovered from the crushing rejection he received from Kyoko.
From that day onwards, he began to look out for himself on what he was doing that prompted such remarks from Toru.
Whenever he sees Kyoko carrying heavy things like gym equipment and thick reports the teachers requested her to collect, he always offered to help her carry the stuff. Or recalling the time that she forgot her wallet, and he overheard her borrowing lunch money from Yuki Yoshikawa, Kyoko's bubbly and hyperactive female classmate. He immediately removed some crisp bank notes, tapped her on the shoulder and pressed the money on her hands before she could say anything else. Of course, Kyoko tried to protest that she already made arrangements with Yuki, but he waved it away. He almost always has dinner in the Hori household every weekdays. Giving her the money does not seem enough to cover the cost of his dinner he has everyday at their home.
And then there was that incident when she accidentally tripped on the gym equipment lying around in the open field. He was sitting under the shade of some old acacia trees, when he saw her and a group of their female classmates making their way to the baseball field. He was already on his feet, rushing to Kyoko's side even before she tripped. He remembered the scattered gym equipment when he himself passed by it a few minutes ago. And he wished he could have thought of gathering them in a neat pile before thinking of quenching his thirst first. The thought of kyoko tripping on it and breaking her delicate neck send shivers running down his spine. He would gladly give up his precious tattoos just to see her safe.
Kyoko tripped, scrapped her knees badly when she tried to break her fall. He had carried her all the way to the nurse's office when she had difficulty standing up because of the pain. He may look lanky, but his muscles are actually toned and well developed, as he always helped out in the family bakery, lugging heavy things and kneading bread. So carrying her is no sweat.
Now that he recalled these small incidents, he can understand why Toru made the observation. One way or the other, he couldn't stop himself from getting involved when it's about Kyoko Hori.
He felt the raindrops on his shoulders and head before he heard the sound of rumbling thunder.
"Oh no!" Kyoko looked up.
He did the same thing, tilting his head up to see the normally blue skies had quickly turned ominous with dark-grey clouds heavy with the amount of water it has absorbed.
A drop landed on his nose.
"We'd better hurry." He said, taking a larger step ahead.
Soon, the raindrops turned into a torrential downpour, forcing him and Kyoko to run the remaining distance to her house. By the time they reached the front steps, they were completely drench, and the paperbag of groceries they were holding is ready to disintegrate.
Kyoko quickly fitted her key into the lock and opened the door wide to let themselves in. The entrance inside the house was quickly pooled with water dripping from their uniform.
"Oooohh..And I just waxed the floor yesterday." Kyoko said glumly. She turned to face him, dumped the groceries on his free arm and said, "Wait here." She rushed further inside, dropping her book bag and ran up into the hallway leading to the bedrooms and disappeared.
He nodded. The topcoat of his uniform felt heavy with all the extra weight of the moisture absorbed from the rain. His clothes continued to drip as he waited for Kyoko to bring a towel to dry him off.
Heavy footsteps rang out through the house.
"Here," she suddenly appeared, still wearing her wet uniform, a pink towel draped on her own shoulders. She unfolded a thick towel for him, placed it around his head and shoulders, before taking the groceries from his arms so he can dry himself properly.
He caught the outline of her bra, which was showing through her uniform, as she turned on her back and headed straight to the kitchen to dump the groceries.
Kyoko Hori always looked great with whatever she wore, but he thinks he liked her best when she is wearing their school uniform. It suited her perfectly. And he didn't even know she possess such a toned and sleek body underneath that uniform. It was probably thanks to all the housework she often does.
Izumi shook his head. What the hell is he thinking about? This is Kyoko Hori, his classmate. The most popular girl in school. How dare he thinks such things about her.
Taking the towel from his head, he buried his face on it, liking the faint flowery smell. It reminds him of Kyoko's uniform. The scent smelled the same because she's the one who does all the family laundry.
He tried to stifle his groans with the towel. Better dry yourself fast before you start thinking of anything else!
"Uh..Kyoko? What about Sota? Does he have an umbrella?" he called out, when he remembered why he was there in the first place. Sota asked for his opinion on what comic book is good.
"Eh, didn't he tell you? He went to the dentist today with Mom. He won't be back until 6. I thought that's why you helped sensei. Because it would be a while before they come back." She answered, strolling back to the entrance hallway.
"Oh." His face was blank. He totally forgot about it. He shrugged. Whatever, he can just wait for him, right? He can do his homework and ask Kyoko for help. And then he frowned slightly. What the hell?
They are both alone. In the house. The only reason he is always visiting this place was because of Sota most of the time.
He slowed down the trail of his thoughts. Most of the time it was because of Sota. But now..he mentally counted how many times he went over even when the reason is not Sota. And the number of visits he made just to hang out with Kyoko is more than the number of visits he made for her brother.
"I'm gonna go and get change. You can take a quick hot shower at the toilet over there," she pointed at the closed door. "I took out some of Dad's old clothes for you. I'll go take my own shower upstairs." She gave him a friendly wink, before making her way up the stairs.
"O-kay.." Izumi Miyamura could only nod his head, as he followed Kyoko Horimiya until she disappeared in her room.
He locked the door securely behind him before glancing down at the clothes he was holding, which was folded neatly. Another Kyoko touch. She even managed to put in an extra towel, since the one he had used is already soaking wet. Most likely, Kyoko will insist he can use the washer to clean his clothes and wait for it to dry. Thank goodness it's Friday. Otherwise, it would take an eternity to finish washing the uniform.
He stripped his wet uniform, kicking them away from his feet. He peered at the mirror in front of him, his eyes automatically trained at the number of piercings on his face, before seeing the group of tribal tattoos running down the left side of his body.
He loved his piercings and tattoos. But it never occurred to him that girls might not go for his kind of thing. Kyoko Horimiya looked like the kind of girl who will always go for cool-looking poster boys with neat and perfectly groomed bodies. The type of boys that always graced the covers of magazines.
Izumi paused. Did he just categorized his classmate under girls who might not go for him? He gave a shudder of annoyance. What made him think that way?
Shaking his head, he stepped into the shower cubicle, adjusted the tap mixer for the right temperature and turned it on. The warm water soothed his cold skin. He did not realize he was shivering slightly until the hot water hit him. Running hands all over his body, he rubbed them vigorously, trying to revive the circulation under his skin. He spied several bottles of shampoo and body wash lined up on a metal shelf beside him. He took one and sniffed the contents. Not liking the strong scent, he snapped the top shut and reached for another.
The apple scent of the fourth bottle stopped him in his tracks.
It smelled exactly like Kyoko every time he comes up behind her shoulder, to peer at the contents of the pot of whatever delicious concoction she whips up in their kitchen. In his mind's eye, he could see the silky body wash liquid spill from her shoulders down to her flat stomach until it reaches her…
He felt his body stiffen slightly. No good. He groaned to himself. Why does fifteen-year-old boys like him have such hyperactive imaginations? And why do they always get super excited over small things?
Hormones, he thought hollowly. Hormones, Izumi. Get a grip of yourself.
He quickly finished washing.
As soon as he dried himself off with a fresh towel, he donned the clothes Kyoko prepared for him. His mind flashed on scenes where her slender hands were running smoothly over the clothes, as she folded them neatly into a drawer.
He peered down at himself. The jogging pants she gave him were thick enough, but without underwear, he could feel his family jewels slapping his thigh so freely. Not to mention that they were in a semi-erect state. The slight bulge in front of him made his skin blush with embarrassment.
Damned it. He swore. How can he go out of the bathroom like this?
Think of other things, he commanded himself.
What's the Pythagorean theorem again? C squared is equal to A squared minus B squared? Or was it plus B squared divided by A squared?
Nope. Don't think about math.
Biology?
The thought of mating animals and human sexual intercourse began to flood his mind that he blanked out for a moment.
Stop, stop, stop!
He should just recite his multiplication tables.
By the time Izumi peered cautiously from the bathroom door, he had managed to calm himself down. He took one last look down and breathed a sigh of relief. His private pet stopped being unreasonable and went to sleep.
Gingerly, he tried walking normally, and found that they don't slap so much on his thighs, as opposed to when it is on its high alert state.
He was about to sit on the sofa to wait for Kyoko to finish, when the phone pealed loudly. He almost jumped out of the sofa before he realized how ridiculous he must have looked.
He picked up the phone on the third ring without even thinking. Girls like to take long showers. Most likely, Kyoko is still in the middle of hers.
His private pet stirred slightly.
He gave a suppressed groan.
"Kyoko?"
A decidedly female's voice said at the other end of the line.
"Um.. N-no.." he said tentatively. "This is..This is Izumi Miyamura speaking."
"Oh! Izumi, how are you?"
It was Kyoko's mother.
He breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there, he thought it was Yuki.
"I'm fine. We finished buying groceries. And Kyoko will be coming down any minute. Should I call for her?" he asked.
"Oh, no. No need. Will you tell her to delay cooking dinner slightly? Sota and I are running late. There was some accident in the roads tonight, so I parked the car first and waited for most of the rain to finish." Yuriko said. The sound of rain in the background can still be heard over the phone, along with a cacophony of voices. She probably went into the department store to pass the time or something.
"Sure. I'll pass the message."
"Thanks so much Izumi. You will eat dinner with us, yes? You can stay and accompany Kyoko until we get back?"
"Of course, Yuriko-san" he reassured her.
"You are so sweet. I wish my husband is as sweet and caring and sensitive as you." She laughed gently.
Yuriko did not say goodbye, but cut the line abruptly after the last sentence.
He stared at the phone before carefully placing it back on its cradle.
Shrugging, he stood up and began to make his way up to Kyoko's room, intent on delivering the message in case he forgot all about it. He can be that forgetful sometimes.
The first door to his right was Sota's room, and it was the first he can see as soon as his foot landed on the top steps. He automatically went to the left, because that's where her room is.
He lifted his hand to knock when he noticed it was slightly ajar.
"Kyoko?" he said softly.
No answer. He was about to try knocking again when a flash caught his eye, on the space left between the door panel and frame.
Kyoko stood in front of the full length mirror, naked. Well, she has just finished pulling up a pair of white cotton panties to her waist, and her bra was already in place.
And she looked extraordinarily beautiful standing there, her long wet hair, a deep chestnut brown hanging nearly to her waist. Soon, it would curl up gently in waves that he loved touching and playing whenever he felt like twirling his fingers through the strands. Her hair is super silky even though she always tied it up in a severe bun whenever she is in a cleaning mode.
His fingers twitched.
Continuing to stare, his eyes roamed on all the precious curves which was normally hidden underneath her uniform: those long legs, the flaring hips, her small waist, the curve of her breast hidden by the bra..
Izumi Miyamura swallowed, feeling his groin stir to life.
The Kyoko Horimiya of his private dreams looked even more delicious standing there in her semi-naked state.
Kyoko took a steep forward and peered intently into the mirror, studying herself. The towel she had used pooled at her feet. She did not give any indication that she saw him, nor was she aware that she left the door to her room slightly open.
He took a shuddering breath to calm the racing of his heart.
"Hmmm.. I should not have done it."
His ears pricked at the words she had just said.
Kyoko was talking to herself in front of the mirror.
She pirouetted slowly, and he caught a flash of red on her stomach.
A small tattoo of a rose.
He caught his breath.
Kyoko Hori has a tattoo?
The mind boggles.
He took a step forward, careful not to make any noise. His hand gripped the edges of the doorframe as he strained to get a clearer view.
A small red rose, just peeking from the waistband of her panties.
She sighed, when she glanced down at her body, her breast jutting down sharply, as her fingers smoothed the skin where the tattoo was drawn.
A single red rose with a slender green stem. It was brilliantly done, and so perfect.
"But it's so pretty." Kyoko sighed, before turning on her back and looking at it on the mirror. "I should have consulted Izumi about it first. But what's done is done."
She continued to stare at it for the longest time. "I wonder what he's gonna say when he sees this?" she finally said.
Eat your heart out Ishikawa. Izumi thought somewhat wickedly. Oh, Toru would probably get a nosebleed and die from losing too much blood.
And I'd probably kiss it, Izumi swallowed painfully, aware of the rock-hard state of his nether regions. What a way to get a stomachache!
He retreated when he saw her opened her wardrobe and picked out a shirt and short from the pile of neatly folded clothes inside.
Hurrying down the stairs, he locked himself into the bathroom again, pulling the old jogging pants down to relieve himself. He hated feeling like a pervert, but damn it, he doesn't regret catching her like that. If only for the sake of accidentally finding out that he like her tattoo. Plus the fact that he was already falling hopelessly in love with her.
By the time Kyoko started making noises in the kitchen pulling out pots and pans to prepare their dinner, Izumi had gained enough control over his hormones and cleared his head.
He took his time cleaning the evidence of his desire for Kyoko, by washing his uniform to rid it of the smell of his seed. His uniform will never be the same again. But he ain't throwing this pair away when he get home. He'd probably clean it as best as he could and bury it somewhere in his closet. It would remind him of the time he discovered a lot of things about Kyoko and himself.
"That took you long enough." Kyoko said, her skin already flushed from the heat of the stove she turned on to boil some water. "You are even slower than me in the shower."
He smiled brightly. "I cleaned myself thoroughly, because I have less time to do it after gym class. I hope you don't mind." Their friendship was already at the point when showers, gym, changing clothes and body fluids like perspiration and sweat no longer became embarrassing topics for them. He wondered whether such a time will come when their conversation subject will turn to kissing, dates, cuddling and even heavy petting.
"That's alright." She said, waving a wooden spoon at him. "Do you want to use the washer to clean your clothes too?" she gestured at the door leading to the laundry room.
The mention of washer brought an unexpected twitch on his lips, as he struggled not to smile too knowingly in front of her. Yes. Now that he accepted the fact that he is indeed falling in love, it was such a liberating feeling to know that they would suit it each.
It would be only a matter of time on how and when they can move to the next level of their strange relationship. Already, he is anticipating on how they will settle into the comfortable pattern of being boyfriend and girlfriend. It would probably be the same like this; only their conversations would be punctuated with a few stolen kisses here and there.
Toru would probably kill him right now if he knew what goes on in his mind.
He blinked, then realized that Kyoko has placed her hands on her hips, eyebrows shot up, her expression curious.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Nothing." He answered innocently.
She frowned slightly. "I don't like that smile. It's like you have just discovered something."
"I just had an epiphany, that's all."
She stuck out her tongue. "I bet it's a new design of a tattoo." She muttered under her breath.
He grinned widely, "You're right. I'm thinking of getting another one." A red rose. On his stomach. The same place where yours is located.
At the mentioned of the word tattoo, Kyoko's face blushed.
Well, well, well.
"I'll show it to you as soon as I can. We can go to the beach with Sota to celebrate." He suggested.
She nodded. "Sure." Then hesitated before adding. "Actually, I need to show you…something.. But I guess it can wait until then." She rushed, before turning her back on him and began to wash the vegetables on the sink.
"Of course." He nodded, standing up from the stool where he was sitting. "Let me throw my clothes in the washer and I'll help you chop the ingredients."
"Uh-huh." She nodded.
He whistled as he went to the laundry room, already making plans to see his favorite tattoo artist tomorrow.
He'd give it a week to let the tattoo heal before showing it her. And then maybe, he can tell her how he really feels about her.
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A/N: I hope I could post more one shots on this category in the future.
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