1.
"Itachi, you sure about this?"
He shook his head and sighed. Kisame groaned and leaned back in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Then how about not moving in with a stranger? Mikoto is going to cut me up if she hears that this happened under my watch!" The train barely made any noise as it moved along the railway at an astonishing speed.
Itachi's mouth twitched, "Then shall I call you sashimi from now on?"
Kisame took a large sip from beer, "I'm serious, what if she turns out to be a serial killer…or worse…she is actually a he?!" he shuddered as an embarrassing childhood memory emerged from the deepest pits of his mind.
"Since your priorities are in the right order, I'm grateful to have you as my friend."
The so called friend waved his hand nonchalantly, "Your mother already strongly believes that we're getting married soon," a sly grin spread on his face, "then again, the ladies love this kind of kinky stuff."
The remark seemed to pique Itachi's interest, "Speaking of kinky, why are you coming all the way to Tokyo with me?"
Kisame groaned and struck a dramatic pose, "Mikoto's influence is eternal. "Better make sure Itachi isn't molested by that stranger!" she said, as if this Tomoko is possessed by demons. Knowing your mother, she's probably crafting a voodoo doll already."
He wished to throw away the empty beer can, but couldn't find a bin nearby. 'Damn trains' he muttered and put it on the seat in front of him. Itachi shook his head, "Don't worry about mother, she's just annoyed because I decided to move without letting her know five years in advance. Most likely she thinks that I set this entire scenario up to elope with my lover."
"Eh, you have a lover, Itachi? And you never introduced me to a hot babe?"
"Oh yes, I do have a lover. She has a pair of wings and red eyes, and on every full moon she slits her wrists, and dances naked under the moonlight on the bodies of freshly plucked virgins."
Itachi's face remained straight throughout the entire sentence, as if he was talking about the weather. Kisame took a few seconds to process the info before he burst out laughing, his chuckles booming and bouncing against the walls. The pair stood out no matter where they went. Kisame was nearly two meters long with a strong muscular built, making him look more like a gang leader than a lawyer-in-training. Itachi, on the other hand, had the delicate features of a model, topped off with his long hair. A result of gruelling laziness rather than an aloof attitude, but it seemed to catch the attention of many.
The pair had been friends since middle school, despite their differences. A rumour went around that the pair were lovers, despite Kisame's numerous girlfriends. He got horrible grades in most subjects because of the lack of interest, but passed his law school entrance exams with a perfect score. Itachi excelled in his studies, but lacked passion for anything else besides writing. A few months ago his first book was published, a book he spent three years writing.
The sales were below average. It sold about a thousand copies across Japan. Itachi was quite sure that about half of them were bought by her mother…not an impossible scenario if you thought about it long enough.
Devastated, but determined to pursue his career in writing he used his savings to move to Tokyo, hoping that a change of scenery might help him.
In reality, his ego took quite a blow and the overflowing stream of ideas was reluctant.
Kisame poked his shoulder, "Don't worry," he said with a grin, "You'll settle in Tokyo in a week or two and then boom, a new book."
Itachi was about to protest, but decided against it. Kisame could tell from just looking at him that Itachi was worrying. Nothing too frantic, but the grim seed was etched to his heart. If writing doesn't work out, he could enter college, any subject he wished, but there would be no love towards the subject.
Ignoring the protests of her overprotective mother, Itachi decided to move in an apartment with a stranger. They had only sent two text messages to each other. Both of them were looking to save some money and nothing else.
Itachi: I'll be arriving tomorrow, around three o' clock.
Tomoko: Ok. I won't leave the ap.
That's the sparkling meeting of the two. Kisame highly disapproved the decision, "What if she's ugly as hell? Is that going to stimulate your genius?" he demanded. Despite his seemingly shallow attitude, Kisame did care about what went on beyond the good looks. He was notorious for sleeping around, but there were also rumours about two girls that he stuck with for a year each.
Itachi jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kisame towering over him, with Itachi's bags in his hands.
"Man, do you expect me to carry all of it?" he asked. Itachi snorted and grabbed the biggest one, "It'd be nice of you as my seme lover…Kiseme…"
The nickname earned him a rough slap against the back, causing Itachi to stumble forwards, "Don't use that disgusting name, or I'm telling Mikoto that you made that ugly hag pregnant."
"Which ugly hag?" he asked innocently as the two stepped on the platform. Kisame rolled his eyes, "Whatever, let's just find the right train and grab some pizza. I don't feel like eating real food tonight."
"But pizzer is the future!" demanded Itachi. The comment bounced right off Kisame who knew better than to encourage Itachi when he was in his trolling mood.
It was easy to rummage through the crowds with Kisame's large stature that scared people away. The pair got lost twice while trying to find the right train, but eventually they found the right one and with some swearing and grunting they managed to get themselves and Itachi's bags onboard. During the train ride Kisame kept eyeing the women on board, trying to pick out the perfect one.
"Maybe I'll move to Tokyo as well. When you release another book you'll become rich as hell so we can buy a penthouse together. Or…you'll buy one and I'll move in," he mused while staring at the sky. Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes, "If you're fine with eating only pizza and dango, then yes."
"Forget it!"
Itachi had printed out a map of the neighbourhood. Kisame peeked over his shoulder and snorted, "So you marked the pizzerias of the area already? Hey, there's one right next to you apartment? Itachi, please don't go fat!"
The comment was ignored and they silently made their way through the hot streets. Kisame's worries about Itachi's waist were pointless; he rarely gained any weight, unless it was because of muscle mass. The apartment was only twenty minutes away from the train station and it wasn't long before they were trying to make it up to the fourth floor with three boxes of pizza and four bags. It was long past three o' clock and Itachi was simply hoping that the Tomoko girl hadn't simply ditched the place.
Kisame knocked on the door with his head, because both of their hands were full. There was a long silence before the door was opened by a short girl. Kisame got a good look of her for five seconds. She was slim, but looked like she worked out. Her hair was quite long, not unreasonably, but very well kept. Otherwise, she didn't look very special.
Her eyebrow twitched at the sight of Kisame, who was unsure if it was fear or irritation.
"You're late! The pizza cooled down already,"
Those are the legendary first words of Suzuki Tomoko before she eyed the boxes of pizza in Itachi's hand and she burst out laughing. She shook her head and grabbed the boxes, "I'll help you with those at least."
Tomoko opened up the door wider for the pair to enter as she made her way to the living room.
"I took the liberty of choosing the bedroom on the left, they're identical so unless you have some kinky paranoia then it should be fine!" she said over her shoulder and dumped the two pizzas next to two identical pizza boxes. The layout of the apartment was simple. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom right near the entrance and the living room-kitchen fitted into an average sized room in the centre.
Itachi and Kisame took off their shoes and headed to the door on the right. Kisame closed the door behind him before releasing a sigh of relief.
"It is a she indeed!" he breathed happily. Itachi rolled his eyes, "What did you expect? A hairy hikikomori?"
"…maybe…she seems like a potential babe. Not my type, her boobs are too small, but her ass is nice."
Itachi couldn't help but to chuckle at Kisame, "Please don't sleep with my roommate." He threw himself onto the futon and closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Kisame shrugged nonchalantly, "That's why I said 'potential babe'. She seems a bit scary." He jumped when there was a loud rapping against the door before Tomoko opened it with a grin, "Will you both have beer?"
They both nodded slowly and Tomoko closed the door at a gruellingly slow pace.
"She heard me, didn't she?" whispered Kisame.
"She heard you."
Kisame shrugged, "Whatever, get up before I carry you."
"I read your book, Itachi," said Tomoko before she grabbed another slice of pizza. Kisame wasn't sure if he was surprised by the amount of food the tiny being could fit or that she knew about Itachi's writings. His eyes locked on his friend immediately, waiting for his reaction. It seemed as if she was holding that statement back for a while, but the alcohol had a tiny effect on her.
Itachi didn't seem openly aggravated by Tomoko's confession. That was a good start, at least.
"What did you think about it?"
She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, constructing her answer, "Well," she began, "I think it would've been more popular if you used a gay couple. First of all, you portrayed a more metaphorical relationship, but it would've been more intense and controversial if you used gays. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some fan who drools over yaoi manga all day, but it would've caused a wider discussion. Otherwise…" her lips curled to a smile, "it was great. Earned a place on my shelf."
Kisame nearly coughed on his beer, "Are you insane, why would anyone fuel the yaoi flames in this world even more?"
"There's a difference between racing tolerance and breaking boundaries and straight out fan service," Tomoko insisted. Her eyes lingered on Kisame for a few moments before she turned her gaze elsewhere.
Itachi seemed taken aback by her response, "I guess…thank you. Really I came to Tokyo to write…"
Tomoko chuckled, "You've got guts, really. Talent as well, make sure you remember that."
"Hey, where am I going to sleep?" asked Kisame suddenly. It was getting late and he wasn't sure if he could catch the train any more. The time had flown and the amount of beer cans around them grew without anyone noticing.
Tomoko shrugged, "I don't think this place comes with extra futons. You two can share or something."
Itachi chuckled, "And fuel the rumours even more? I'll sleep on the floor tonight."
Her eyebrow rose before she burst out laughing, "Are you going to take a bullet for the man as well? No need, I'll lend you my futon tonight. I have to go to work now anyway."
Tomoko got up, seemingly unfazed by the alcohol she had consumed over the hours and left the company of men. She came back a few minutes later with the futon and blankets and dumped them into the corner of the room.
"Don't go into my room. Ever. That's my only rule for coexisting with you."
A grin spread over Kisame's face, "Why? Is there a BDSM dungeon hidden there?"
Tomoko shrugged, "Nothing that radical. Though I wouldn't mind being tied up every now and then," she added with a wink before disappearing again. Kisame was left baffled and it was Itachi who laughed first.
When Tomoko emerged again fifteen minutes later, it was hard to recognize her for a second. The short girl in slacks emerged with an elegant hairdo and a dress from the twenties brushing against her skin.
Kisame observed her while she put on her shoes and coat, "Just where the fuck do you work?! Are you a prostitute? You'll get raped for sure!"
Tomoko flashed him a grin, "None of your business, also don't forget to lock the door."
The door slowly shut behind her before Kisame groaned and rubbed his eyes, damn alcohol making him sleepy again.
"She's a prostitute, for sure! Damn, and it all looked so promising as well!"
Itachi shrugged lazily, "Doesn't really matter, does it? She seems too balanced for a prostitute. There's no cynical attitude towards men or anything."
"Then a lesbian? What the fuck was that about your book?"
Itachi paused for a moment to yawn, "But she was right. I planned on writing about two guys at first…Now I regret that I didn't do the right thing..."
His eyes slowly shut and his breathing grew slow and rhythmic. Kisame sighed, "You're leaving me with yourself and this mess to clean up?" he muttered quietly under his breath.