A Tangled Web
"What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive."
Chapter One
Walking down the busy sidewalk was no trouble for Mikagami. It seemed to him as if he were merely a leaf on the surface of a flowing brook. Maybe because he was in a slight hurry. Yet no face in the crowd escaped him. Meguri Kyo Za could be anywhere and if his face was among this crowd, he would surely not miss it.
It was uncharacteristic of him to be late. He could hear the voices of Recca and the others asking their foolish questions on why he was tardy in his head already. He knew them all too well. He had even dared to consider them his friends. He shook his head and quickened his pace to rid his mind of the intrusion.
Finally his path led him past the city sidewalks and into a park. If the picnic had not been Yanagi's idea, he would not have bothered with coming at all. When Yanagi had called him personally to invite him, the word yes fell from his mouth before he had time to think twice. She did something to him that the others couldn't do. She made him miss his sister even more, yet at the same time he felt at peace being near her. He had even fancied the idea that he loved her, but he knew it was merely misplaced emotions for Mifuyu. Recca Hanabishi held her heart and clearly she held his.
Mikagami wouldn't even fool himself thinking he could come between that hold.
It wasn't hard to find where the others were. He watched them for a moment, knowing his presence was unknown. Domon was holding Ganko's hands, letting her climb his legs and turn flips. It seemed amusing enough for them both. Kaoru and Fuuko seemed to be happy playing Frisbee. Of course, to the untrained eye, one could not even see the Frisbee as fast as they were catching and throwing it. Yanagi was seated on the edge of the picnic blanket, busy making a crown out of the clover beside the blanket. Recca was lying down, his head resting in Yanagi's lap, watching and talking with his dear Hime. Mikagami watched as Recca sat up smiling at Yanagi and she placed the crown on his head. He bowed his head to her and Mikagami snorted softly.
Recca's smile faded quickly as his head turned to look straight at Mikagami. Mikagami only shook his head, stepping closer to the group. "Hanabishi, will you ever learn to sense when you're being watched?" he asked coolly.
"I knew it was you," Recca tried to cover.
Mikagami snorted once more before pulling off his boots and sitting down cross-legged on the blanket. "If you lose your skills, what good will you be to Yanagi-san?"
"Lose my skills?! How can you say that, you idiot! You know how hard all of us continue to train everyday! You're the one who doesn't practice to his full potential! We haven't seen any of those fancy moves you pulled at the tournament since then!" Recca yelled, holding his fist into the air.
"Recca! You moron! We agreed not to mention the tournament in public!" Fuuko shouted, her game with Kaoru obviously over.
"But Fuuko, you just said it yourself..." Domon said.
Mikagami smirked as they all continued to argue. At least no one had asked why he was late. He raked his fingers through the hair that had fallen into his eyes. He felt eyes on him and he turned to see the quiet Yanagi looking at him.
"I just wanted to get everyone together and have a nice picnic," she said to him. "Why do they have to argue so much?"
"Because they're friends," he replied before looking to the others and raising his voice. "Shut up, all of you! Yanagi-san has made us a picnic, I won't have you disgracing her generosity with your idiocy."
All of their faces fell as they turned to look at him. "Oh right, Mi-chan, but it's okay for you to disgrace her by being half an hour late?" Fuuko asked.
"Damn!" he thought. He had walked into that one but he kept a straight face. "I have my reasons."
"Oh really?" Recca urged.
Mikagami nodded. He looked to Kaoru. Kaoru's eyes widened. Had Mikagami really did what he'd asked? Kaoru feared the others finding out about his request, and quickly knew the subject had to be changed. "Did I forget to tell you guys he said he'd be late? I got in trouble at school, and my teacher wanted to call him and talk with him. He was late because he wanted to be home for the call," he said, fabricating a story quickly.
"Ah, I see. Mikagami's being a dutiful older brother type, eh?" Domon asked.
Leave it to Domon to buy into things so easily. Mikagami shook his head ever so slightly at Kaoru. There was no doubt about it; the kid had intrigued him since the first time they fought. His incredible skills, his speed, his genius mind... Kaoru reminded Mikagami of what he had been like as a child. But his sister's death had ended his happiness along with his childhood. Kaoru's still lived on. Even though Kaoru had been betrayed by his "older brother" Kurei, he still fought for what he believed in. Mikagami respected Kaoru for that and could not let the kid live on the streets as an urchin. Mikagami had more than enough wealth to take care of himself, so he had taken Kaoru in. He was now more or less Kaoru's older brother. The responsibilities played more like a father figure though. Kaoru was a troublemaker after all. Not all trouble could go unpunished. Why Kaoru accepted his authority was beyond him.
"What did the teacher say?" Yanagi asked, concerned.
"Nothing, really," Mikagami spoke truthfully. He refused to tell the lie Kaoru told.
"Must be something he can't say in front of Kogenai. Must've been something very bad!" Ganko said.
"Something very bad indeed kept me from being here on time. My sincerest apologies, Yanagi-san. I
hope it isn't any real trouble."
Yanagi nodded, smiling. "It's forgotten already, Mikagami-senpai!"
"Can we eat now?" Domon asked.
Ganko, who now lived with Domon, pointed a finger in his face. "Don't be so rude!"
"Of course we can, now that Mi-chan is here. Right, Yanagi?" Fuuko asked, holding her rumbling tummy as well.
Yanagi nodded as she opened the basket. Soon everyone had a plate of hot dogs and tuna salad. Potato chips graced some plates and Yanagi had promised cupcakes to those who finished their plates. An ice cooler full of homemade lemonade filled their cups and everyone seemed happy enough.
Mikagami listened to everyone carry on about their day at school. It interested him slightly since he was no longer at school. University time had been put off until Kyo Za was dead. He had enough money so that he would never have to work a day in his life but he knew he could not live that way. He was just putting it off for a while. He had his family's oath to honor after all.
"Yanagi-neechan!" he heard a child's voice call. A boy no older than 8 years came running over.
Yanagi smiled at him as he hugged her. "Kitaro-kun!" she said.
"Eh? Who's this?" Recca asked.
"Oh, he's one of the children from the class I aid in sometimes. He was the one who drew the awesome dragon picture on my wall at home! His name's Hukitaro, but we just call him Kitaro," Yanagi said.
Recca nodded. "That dragon is very well drawn, Kitaro! Would you draw one for me sometime? I'm very into dragons!"
Mikagami snickered.
"Is that your boyfriend, Yanagi-neechan?" Kitaro asked.
Yanagi nodded once. After the tournament, neither one of them had a problem admitting it. "What are you doing here by yourself? You should not be in the park alone!"
"I'm not alone! We're playing hide and go seek! But she can't find me!" Kitaro laughed.
"Who's she? Your mother?" Recca asked.
"No, she's my nanny. She's fun!"
"Kitaro! Are you bothering these nice people?" a girl's voice called out. Mikagami looked to see a girl
around his age. She wasn't dressed in the school uniform that Yanagi, Fuuko, and Ganko wore. Instead she wore an outfit looking very much like his own. A white shirt with a navy blue blazer matched well with her gray slacks and black boots. Her black hair was pulled into a long tidy braid and large green eyes seemed to sparkle in the day's remaining sunlight. He was sure he had never seen her before. Surely a girl as beautiful as this would have stuck in his memory. "Oh, it's you!" she said, looking to Yanagi.
"It's okay! My friends and I were just having a picnic. It's so rare that we all have the time to get together anymore," Yanagi said.
Suddenly Kitaro was looking at Mikagami. "Can I have a potato chip?" he asked innocently.
He looked at the kid, a bit surprised. Why had he asked him for a chip when he clearly had no chips on his plate? He opened his mouth to say something to that effect when Ganko hopped over, offering a handful of chips and batting her eyelashes at the kid. Mikagami's face, along with Fuuko and Domon's, fell.
"Have some of mine. They'll taste better than Mikagami-kun's!" she said sweetly.
"Kitaro! Now you quit that! You wouldn't want to spoil your supper!" the girl said.
"Oh, it'll be okay, won't it? Why don't you two sit down and join us? There's plenty of food!" Yanagi said.
Domon glared at Yanagi. Obviously he wasn't happy about sharing the food.
"Well, thank you, but I was gonna take him to a restaurant," she said.
"Well, this is for free! How much better can you get?" Recca asked, taking another bite of his hot dog.
"I want hot dogs!" Kitaro shouted, already grabbing a plate and sitting down between Yanagi and Recca. Ganko was quick to move her seat next to his.
Yanagi smiled at the girl. "Is it okay?"
The girl sighed and nodded slowly, falling down to her knees and sitting back on her heels between Mikagami and Yanagi.
"I must have missed your name. I'm Kirisawa Fuuko," Fuuko said, offering the girl a plate.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Hiromasa Miname. I'm Kitaro's live-in nanny," Miname said, smiling shyly.
"Ishijima Domon," Domon said.
"Koganei Kaoru. Nice to meet ya, neechan," Kaoru said, actually using the manners Mikagami had tried to bestow upon him.
"Hanabishi Recca, Hime's ninja," Recca said with a grin. Yanagi blushed.
"I'm Ganko, from Kitaro's class, remember?" Ganko said, and Miname nodded.
Miname turned to face Mikagami. "My name is..." was all he got out of his introduction.
"Mikagami Tokiya. I've heard a lot about you," she said, smiling slightly.
The smile bothered Mikagami a bit, as if it weren't genuine, as if malice were held behind it. But Yanagi was giggling and Miname looked sharply to her as if to hush her. Yanagi covered her mouth and Miname turned back to Mikagami. The color had faded from her face.
"You're looking to far into this, stupid," he chided himself mentally.
"Did I miss something?" Fuuko asked, looking confused.
"I've... seen Tokiya around and had asked Yanagi-chan about him a few times," Miname replied quietly.
Realization that the girl had a crush on him hit Mikagami and he had to fight the arrogant grin from his face. "I hope you've only heard good things. Coming from Yanagi-san I can be assured it was." He picked up his lemonade and took a drink.
"And what do you care is it was good or bad?" Fuuko asked. Mikagami's eyes widened as he looked at her. She wore an insane grin on her face. "Huh, huh, Mi-chan? What do you care?" Was she trying to... embarrass him?
"Fuuko-chan, please!" Miname said, a deep blush setting into her cheeks. The fact that she was so nervous and tense instead of giggly and flighty impressed Mikagami. She was just about as embarrassed as he was yet she was holding her composure well.
"Grr," Fuuko snarled. She threw a chip at Mikagami. He let it hit his face undaunted. "She saved you this time, Ice Man! You owe her one!"
"He owes me nothing! I... I..." she stammered. Her green eyes seemed as if they were pleading for him to... To... He wasn't sure. He watched with slight confusion as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry!" she said, standing quickly.
"Miname-san," was all he could think to say before she ran off. Kitaro grumbled and grabbed his hot dog, chasing after his nanny. Mikagami felt the urge to rise and follow after her and had moved his plate from his lap to the blanket before he thought about what he was doing. He wanted to go after her... He shook the thought from his mind and looked to his friends. They were all staring after her as well.
Finally Recca looked to Fuuko. "Blew that, didn't you?"
Mikagami's eyes narrowed, the previous scene fading from his mind. "Blew what?"
"Huh?" Recca laughed a bit, and a stupid grin came to his face. He scratched the back of his head.
"Wha... What do you mean?"
Mikagami could feel the tension in the silence that had fell. Something was going on. He knew only one person among them would not beat around the bush or act stupid. "What sort of game is being played here, Yanagi-san?"
After locking her big brown eyes with his big blue ones for a moment, her mouth forming a perfect little 'o' shape, she clenched her fists and began fuming. "Rec-ca-kuuu~uuun! I could just... ugh!"
The outburst had not surprised him as much as it would have a year ago. She often got annoyed with Recca.
"Yanagi-san?" he asked again, intent on getting an answer.
Yanagi turned to him and took his hand, holding it between her own two. "Don't be mad! Please! This was Recca's idea and mine. See she was so shy and she wanted to meet you so badly. Recca didn't think that you'd talk to her at all!"
"Hmph." So this picnic had been arranged for the purpose of him meeting Miname? Yanagi was still gripping his hand and in that moment he believed she had calming powers over him as well as healing powers. She herself looked ready to cry and there was no way in hell he was going to let himself be the cause of it. "Next time, leave Recca's bird-brained ideas out of it. If you had called me and asked me to meet someone, I would have willingly done so. You need not play elaborate games with me, Yanagi-san."
"And the moment you realized she just might like you, you would have walked off after making some snide, cold-hearted remark," she said quietly, casting her eyes downward and releasing his hand.
Mikagami felt as if he had been slapped and slapped hard. He wished desperately that he were hearing things. The lump in his throat and the fact that Yanagi had spoken the words prevented him from his usual comeback. If Recca had said it he would've just let the comment go after giving one of his signature icy glares. He didn't care what Recca or the others thought. But Yanagi. He felt everyone's eyes on him, They, too, knew what her words meant to him. They knew he was hurt.
Yanagi began to cry. "I'm sorry that my words hurt! I'm sorry, but they're true!"
He could sit there no longer. "I'm going home," he announced, standing up. He felt sick. "Koganei, you know your curfew for school nights. I expect you home by eight."
He heard them all calling for him to wait and to come back. He could not face them, though. He had to keep walking.
"He's not as cold as you might think he is!" he heard Koganei yell. It took all his power not to whirl around and scold Koganei for yelling at Yanagi. He heard the sound of footsteps running, and soon Koganei was by his side.
"I didn't know it was a set-up until I got here. Honest, you've got to believe me. I'd never lie to you, bro." The kid looked so serious. Tokiya remembered how many times the kid had been betrayed by people, lied to by people, and understood why he was saying this completely.
"I believe you. Just leave me be for a while."
Kaoru nodded and ran back to the others.
Mikagami's hands went deep into his pockets and he wished it wasn't such a long walk home. Nothing could erase Yanagi's words. Worst of all, he knew they were true.
~~~~~~~
Lying on his red satin-covered bed, watching the ceiling fan whirl around slowly, Mikagami had finally calmed himself. He had once again mastered the calm cool ocean in his mind, becoming one with it. The fan created the ocean breeze and he felt at peace.
Three phone calls from Recca had passed. He had let the machine get them, with Recca getting angrier every time. "Mikagami, are you there? Come on, it's Hanabishi. Pick up the phone." "I know you're there dammit. Pick up the phone!" "Damn you! You uppity snob! Yanagi is upset because of you! Pick up the phone!"
The grandfather clock downstairs began chiming. He heard the front door open and slam shut. At least Kaoru was home on time. He heard the kid racing up the stairs and knock on his bedroom door. Without waiting for an answer, Kaoru inched the door open, peeping his head inside.
"Bro? Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" came the reply.
Kaoru entered the room. "She insisted on coming here. She swears she's not leaving until you've talked with her."
Mikagami sat up. "Who?"
"Yanagi-neechan. She's downstairs."
Tokiya closed his eyes and sighed. He knew he had to face her else he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. He rubbed his face get out of his stupor.
"Bro?"
"Go downstairs and take her to the study. I'll be there shortly," Mikagami said.
Kaoru nodded and ran back downstairs.
"I must teach him some patience. His haste will be his downfall one day," Tokiya thought. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and reached up to pull the ponytail holder from his hair. It fell around his shoulders as he stood and walked to his adjacent bathroom. After washing his face with cold water and brushing his hair out, he walked downstairs to his study.
Kaoru stood in front of where Yanagi was seated. Their conversation abruptly halted when Yanagi saw Tokiya. She stood up and he noticed she was holding something wrapped in foil.
"I'm sorry to drop by like this, but you wouldn't answer your phone. We need to talk, right?" she asked.
He nodded after a moment. "Right. Koganei, I'm sure you can find some homework to be doing, or a video game to be playing." He looked at the green-eyed boy.
"Sure. I'll be in my room then, bro. 'Night, Yanagi-neechan!" Kaoru ran from the room.
"Mikagami-senpai, I feel absolutely horrible. I should not have said what I did to you," Yanagi said.
Tokiya folded his arms. "You had every right to speak the truth. What you said was true, so I can't hold it against you."
Yanagi opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She lowered her eyes. "I. wasn't sure if. if you'd cook or not. I saved you some tuna salad, since I know how much you like it when I make it." She lifted her eyes and offered him the plate.
He took it, grinning vaguely. He set it on the desk behind him. "Thank you for thinking of me." He watched as she gripped her hands so tight within each other that her poor knuckles turned white. She seemed to be shaking as well. "Yanagi-san." he faltered. But the gentle way he had called her name was enough. She began crying again and this time she felt no shame in throwing her arms around him.
He held her to him tightly to reassure her that he didn't hate her. "I understand why you set the whole ordeal up completely. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It just really shocked me to see that you know me so well that you can predict my actions and those actions shame you. Those words stung. I can forgive you for hurting me, but not for saying them."
After a few moments, she calmed down but stood with her head against Tokiya's chest. After another moment, she stepped away from him and he offered her a handkerchief. She took it wiping her eyes. "So you're not angry with me? You don't hate me?"
"I could never hate you, nor stay angry with you for long. I was hurt, but I'm a man. I can take it."
Yanagi nodded. "I was only trying to help Miname. She's really a nice girl; she's just so shy. But now Recca and I have blown any chance she had with you. She called me after the picnic, and she said she was so embarrassed that she could never face you again."
"Her chances blown? Not necessarily so. Would it make you happy if I were to go to her to let her know that I don't blame her?" He folded his arms glad Fuuko was not there. She'd read his true intentions so clearly that she'd laugh at him forever.
But Yanagi, however, couldn't read him THAT well. She smiled. "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. Only if you'll come with me, though." That seemed innocent enough.
"Of course I will! Oh, Tokiya! Thank you!"
Mikagami's eyes widened a bit as she hugged him once more. Had she just called him. Tokiya? He guessed it was all right, as long as he never had to hear her scream that name in a matter of life or death.
"When can we go?" she asked.
"How about now?"
~~~~~~~
Alone with Kitaro in her new home, Miname had finally gotten a hold of herself thanks to the bit of Kata her brother had once taught her. It brought her so much peace, and always helped her figure out the right answers to things. The answer her latest problem had come to her finally. She took a deep breath and was about to dial her benefactor's phone number. She had to tell him she could not do this.
How unbelievably cool, calm, and collected Mikagami Tokiya was had unnerved her. She didn't expect him to be incredibly good-looking either. There was no way her mission could be accomplished the way things were going. She had made an ass of herself in front of him and now he'd never want to see her again.
Her finger touched the first number on the phone and the doorbell rang, making her jump. She heard Kitaro yelling that he would get it. "NO!" she yelled, hanging up the phone and running after the kid. She caught up with him in front of the door and swept him up into her arms, tickling his rib cage. "How many times have you been told you are not old enough to answer the door alone?" she asked him. If she really did have to leave due to a failed mission, she would miss Kitaro. He was such a sweet kid.
He was giggling and laughing as she set him onto his feet. "Too many. But I can answer it! Honest!"
Miname shook her head at the boy. "Get behind me and you can help me answer it." The doorbell rang again as Kitaro scrambled, now hiding behind her legs. She opened the door, still smiling because of the boy. Her smile froze at the site of Yanagi and Tokiya. She felt Kitaro clutching her leg.
"Good evening, Miname-san. I hope it's not too late to be paying a visit," Tokiya said.
Miname's eyes went to Yanagi. "I appreciate your help, but really. I can't do this. I didn't want you to bring him here."
"Relax, Miname-san. I asked her to bring me. I wanted to have a few words with you."
Miname tried to forget how cool his voice sounded, and how incredibly handsome he looked with his hair down. It made her sick to even think that she saw him the way she was trying to get him to see her. Did he say he wanted to come? He wanted to talk to her? Maybe she had not failed as badly as she thought.
"I told you it would be okay! Can we come inside?" Yanagi smiled brightly.
Miname regained her composure and nodded her head. "Of course. Please. Come in, I'll start some herbal tea." Kitaro ran down the hallway as she stepped aside to let them in.
"We can't stay that long, but thanks anyway." Tokiya was looking around at the house.
Was this really Mikagami Tokiya? Was this really the man that was the true master of Hyomen Ken? Miname nodded at him and led them into the living room. They were all seated cross-legged on the floor when Kitaro came back.
"Go brush your teeth and get into your pajamas. Choose a book and I'll be there in a little while,"
Miname said to him. He nodded and ran off. She looked down at her folded hands in her lap, deciding to play the shy, embarrassed girl a bit longer. Maybe that was why he was there.
"I'm in the understanding that you were kind of forced into the whole picnic idea by Yanagi-san and Hanabishi. I don't blame you at all. And if my friends, namely Fuuko, embarrassed you, I apologize for their actions as well." Mikagami's voice seemed as calming as the water that she knew he mastered.
"Thank you. That makes me feel a little better," Miname said truthfully.
"I didn't want you to feel bad about meeting me. I wanted to assure you that you didn't make a bad impression as Yanagi has told me you thought you did. In fact I'm very flattered by this whole situation."
Miname suddenly realized that what she had heard of this man's arrogance was correct. She decided to show him that she wasn't just another whiney little girl. "I'm sure you are." Her eyes met his finally. She could see the shock on his face momentarily before it returned to that passive look he seemed to always have. "I, on the other hand, feel as if my heart's been shown to you, as if you know my true intentions and can now toy with me as you please. That's why I feared seeing you again." She wanted him to have to look away.
Mikagami held her gaze, as if accepting her challenge. "Playing cat and mouse is not my style. I promise you that I don't play games and I will not toy with you and your emotions. Maybe some of your intentions were revealed, but I am not stupid enough to think that intentions can't change."
Miname gulped and after his eyes seemed to flash, she looked away. He was serious. Dear god, what did he know of her true intentions? He couldn't know anything of them. She bit her lip.
Mikagami stood up. "I must be getting home. It's a long walk from here, and I must see Yanagi-san home first."
Miname stood up as well after Yanagi stood. "Thank you for coming by, Tokiya. Thank you as well, Yanagi. I feel much better now."
She walked them to the door and they left. She leaned against the closed door with her eyes shut and her heart beating fast. "Can I really make him fall in love with me? And can I do it without falling for him as well? Oh brother. Please help me." She sighed heavily.
After reading Kitaro his night-night story and going to her own room, she decided to put off the phone call for at least a week. Something might develop. She had to give it a chance.
~~~~~~~
Nearly a week had passed since the day he had met Miname. Tokiya groaned and turned over in his bed to look at the clock. The red light read 1:47am. He watched as it turned to 1:48, trying to amuse his insomnia by counting 60 seconds and seeing if the clock changed with his counting. Kyo Za had taught him that was a good way to train your patience and a good substitute for counting sheep. At least it kept his mind from thinking of Miname. for a few seconds.
1:49. "Dammit!" he cursed aloud. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his face. Why could he not forget her face, and those green eyes that seemed to be burning inside? He had met beautiful women before and forgotten them within a few days' time. Miname, however. His dreams had been plagued with her. He had woken up with the reminder that he was a man at least twice that week, all because of Miname. He could not even sit and brood over Mifuyu's death without seeing Miname's fiery green eyes staring into his that day at her house, daring him to. to do something.
He snatched up his phone and dialed Fuuko's number. He had to talk to someone and he didn't want to talk to someone as young as Kaoru.
"Hello?" came the groggy response.
"Fuuko. Did I wake you?"
"Mi-chan. Again? This is the third time this week. Something's bugging you if you call me three times in one week, especially at such an indecent hour!" She sounded annoyed.
"I'll let you get back to sleep," he said, ready to hang up.
"No! You've done woke up me now! I just want to know what's wrong with you!"
He closed his eyes. Opening up to her wasn't as bad as he had thought it was. He had talked with her extensively about his sister before. But he wasn't sure he was ready to tell her about whatever this was happening to him due to Miname. "I can't sleep."
"What? You want me to sing to you?" Fuuko laughed. She could be so silly this early in the morning.
"There's. something. I can't get off my mind, Fuuko. I'm losing concentration and that's even bothering me more."
"Mi-chan? This doesn't sound like you! What's on your mind?" Fuuko sounded like she came out of her sleep stupor and got serious.
Mikagami swallowed. "Remember. Remember Miname?" He held the phone away from his ear because Fuuko's laughter came out loud and clear.
"I'm hanging up now," he said, feeling blood rushing to his cheeks. He had his finger on the button.
"Do it and I'll be over there within five minutes. Talking about this sort of thing over the phone would be much easier for you, no?" Her laughing had ceased, but he could still sense the grin on her face.
"This shames me and you're laughing."
"Why does it shame you, because you've actually got a crush?"
After a moment's hesitation, he answered, "Yes." His voice came out bitter. It was the first time he had admitted that it was in fact a crush, even to himself. He was too good to get something like a crush.
"Why?"
"You know damn well why! I have no time for petty romance. I can't possibly." He was cut off by
Fuuko.
"Mi-chan! Ain't got time. I can't I can't I can't. You oughta listen to yourself sometimes. For someone so self-assured as you are, you sure are pessimistic."
"I simply know my limits. Making time for romance is not something I can't do."
"Yeah, okay, whatever. I've known you for how long now? I know you make time for what you want. A year ago, you wouldn't have had time for anyone but yourself. Now look at you. You've called at girl at. What time is it anyway?"
"1:53."
"You've called a girl at 1:53 in the morning because you can't sleep. You've made friends when you thought you didn't have the time to. We know you care about us, just the same way we care about you. You wouldn't have had time a year ago to make sure Recca took care of Yanagi. A year ago you wouldn't have taken in a brat to your home and let him call you brother. A year ago you wouldn't have given a tomboy like me the time of day. But you just did. Where do you think you'll be in a year from now, Mi-chan? Is it so horrible to think you might be in love in a year from now?"
His eyes widened. Had she said. love? He sighed and let his anxiety at the word go. "What if.
What if my revenge kills me?"
"We'd all be sad. Very sad."
"I meant Miname."
"Like I said, we'd all be sad. Did I forget to mention Miname now hangs out with Yanagi and me at school? But anyway, I don't think your revenge will kill you. I believe you are stronger than that. But damn, you really can't see beyond your revenge, can you?"
Mikagami gave one of his rare sighs. He fell silent afterwards.
"Recca and I actually have a bet going. Recca thinks you'll choke when the time comes. But I know you'll carry through and kill Kyo Za." He could hear the grin in her voice.
"Psh. I assure you that I won't choke." He could hit Recca for even thinking it, much less saying it and betting on it.
"I know you won't. I'd help you if I could, even. I want him dead too, you know."
Mikagami's eyes widened.
"You know how much I hate people killing others for stupid reasons or no reason. You'd be just as great of a master if she were still alive. You'd have gotten better to give her something to be proud of. She didn't have to die. Kyo Za should die for killing her and ripping your innocence away from you."
Those words struck a nerve with Tokiya and it struck hard. She was completely right. His eyes closed as he let the pain of missing his sister wash over him. His sister, taken from him when he did not have the power to save her. Her death, ending his days of happiness and turning him into a 10- year old man bent on revenge. Those deep pools of green eyes had been daring him to fall for her. "Dammit! Fuuko, I can't even think straight without seeing her in my mind!"
Fuuko was giggling again.
His eyes opened and blinked with near anger.
"Would it be so bad if you called her up or something?"
"I'm not good at meager conversation." One of his hands held the phone, the other was lost in his hair, gripping hard. "What the hell would you do if a guy asked you out on a date? You'd be just as clueless as I would be!"
Fuuko kept laughing. "You're so funny, Mi-chan. Don't worry about me, this is about you. Look, you're coming to the midnight festival at the amusement park tomorrow right?"
"Ugh, is that tomorrow?" He had promised Koganei they would go. The amusement park would stay open until 3am. Recca's dad would be putting on a major firework show as well. Rides, games, and food would be half-price and Koganei's allowance was burning a hole in his pockets. "Yes, I'll be there."
"Then call her and invite her and Kitaro. Say that we're all gonna be there. That way it won't be so bad. You won't have to talk as much."
"And I'll get to see her again." Fuuko was laughing again, harder than before. He hadn't meant to say that last part aloud. " Oh shut up!" he added. That made her laugh even harder. "I can't take her to the festival. You and the others will laugh at me."
"Since when does that bother you?"
"It will bother her and that will get me angry. If she would even go."
"Okay, I'll talk with everyone and dare them to even look at you funny."
"Isn't this the same kind of scheming that took place before at the picnic, where her and I both ended up with hurt feelings?" He let go of his grip on his hair, feeling a bit more at ease. He was twirling a strand around his finger like a schoolgirl. He caught himself and stopped, frowning at his actions.
"Then let's tell the truth. Call her up, tell her you can't stop thinking of her, that you want to go out with her, blah blah blah. Tell her you can't assure her that your friends will behave, but you'll show her a good time."
"The truth shouldn't be that hard, right?"
"Right. Oh crap! Here comes Daddy. I'll call you back!" Fuuko said, and hung up the phone in his face.
He hung up as well and lay down in his bed. Her dad didn't like her on the phone that late at night, and she had often hung up in his face to play like she was asleep. It was a few moments later when the phone rang, and he answered it quickly. Simple things awoke Koganei.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay. I should let you sleep now anyway. Sorry for waking you." It was the closest to a thank you she would get.
"Night, Mi-chan. Best of luck."
"With what?" Playing dumb came naturally to him sometimes, even though he didn't like doing it.
"With your shnookems!" she laughed. Kissing noises followed her words.
Mikagami shook his head. "Goodnight, monkey." He hung up before she could make a comeback. He waited a moment, expecting her to call back. She didn't, so he put the phone back on its base. He had to admit he felt a little better. At least someone knew what he was going through. He lay back on his bed, Miname's face in his mind. Sleep caught up with him slowly, her face never fading.
~~~~~~~
After showering and brushing out his long hair the next day, Mikagami sat on the edge of his bed and picked up his phone yet again. He was going to call before breakfast but thought a full stomach might make the call easier. After breakfast, a shower seemed like the right thing to do before calling Miname. He was now thinking that drying his hair should be done before he called. He'd already memorized the number that Yanagi had given him a week ago while walking her home.
Surely if he were to ask a girl out she'd say yes. After all, he was Mikagami Tokiya. "Foolishness," he said aloud at his thoughts. He wasn't that damn vain. Miname would definitely turn him down if she wanted to. Yet it was ridiculous to sit there and act like the world was about to end if he called. He dialed her numbers with determination on his face.
One ring. Two. "Hello?" It was her. He hadn't expected her to answer the phone.
"Miname-san?" he asked, just to make sure.
"Tokiya?"
He willed his heart to slow down. She had recognized his voice. Why did that make him happy? He shook his head. "Yeah, it's me. How are you?"
"I'm. fine. And you?"
"I'm alright. Have you heard about the midnight festival at the amusement park tonight?"
"Yeah. Yanagi-chan mentioned it."
"Were you planning on taking Kitaro?"
"His parents don't want him out that late. He doesn't even know about it."
"Then. Were you planning on going?"
"Well, I'm not sure. Yanagi-chan and Recca asked me to go. They said you'd be there and I didn't want to make things difficult for you. I told them I'd go if you asked me to." Her words were coming out softer and softer. Then she got louder suddenly. "Not like a date or anything! Just, well, you know," she said.
"Yes, I know. And I'm asking."
"Really?" She seemed surprised.
"Really."
She gave a small laugh. "Okay then. Sure. What time should I meet you there?"
"Koganei and I will be by your home at seven-thirty. Does that sound fair?" His nervousness was settling. A grin threatened to form on his stoic face.
"You don't have to come all the way out here, I can walk just as well as you."
"I'll have none of that. We're taking my car and we'll be by at seven."
"Oh! Okay then. See you at seven then." She hung up the phone without giving any more warning.
Mikagami hung up as well and fell back onto his bed, letting out a huge breath. "Forgive me, Oneechan," he said as the green eyes overtook his mind again.
~~~~~~~
"Hurry up, Bro! We've got to be there at 7:30! Do you realize it's 6:45? We've still got to go pick up that girl!" Kaoru yelled, pounding on Tokiya's locked bedroom door.
Tokiya didn't respond, pulling his hair up into a high ponytail. He could hear Koganei stomping as he paced, trying to make a point. Since when did Kaoru care about being on time? "Kids," he thought, "Never there when there's work to do, always on time for fun." He had not told Kaoru they'd be taking his Jaguar XKR convertible.
He had bought the car for himself on his eighteenth birthday. Koganei had only had the pleasure of sitting in it. Only Yanagi and Fuuko had been taken for rides in it. It had been used only five or six times since it's purchase. He realized the only reason for taking the car that night was to impress Miname. He grabbed his keys from the dresser and made sure his Ensui was safe in his jacket pocket.
"Can I just leave without you?" Kaoru asked as Mikagami opened the door.
"Would you really leave your dear 'Bro' behind?" Tokiya asked as the boy looked up at him. He had seated himself on the floor. Mikagami made his way to the stairs not waiting for an answer.
"No, but we're gonna be late now! Way late!" Kaoru jumped up, rolling his eyes and the silent response he got. He followed Tokiya down the stairs. "God! What is that smell? Are you wearing cologne, Bro?" An icy glare from Tokiya confirmed it. "Sorry."
Kaoru bounded past him at the bottom of the stairs and headed to the front door. Tokiya headed for the kitchen to get to the garage. "Aw man! Now what? Come on!" the boy said, obviously annoyed.
Mikagami snorted and touched the garage door. The keys unlocking it helped Kaoru understand what was going on. "YES! The CAR!!!" he shouted, running to the kitchen to join Mikagami in the garage.
Tokiya absently ran his fingers over the smooth black paint on his way to the trunk of the car. A push of a button popped the trunk. "The Anki goes in there. The leather interior takes no chances."
Kaoru looked at Tokiya then decided not to argue and obliged.
They got into the car and buckled their seatbelts. Tokiya started up the car and handed Kaoru the remote controls to the radio. "Nothing too loud and none of your hardcore punk rock."
Soon they were on their way to Miname's. Kaoru was begging Tokiya to let to the top to the car down. "On our way back after we drop Miname-san off," Tokiya promised. His hair most likely would not sit well in the wind caused by the top down. He caught himself gripping the wheel tightly a few times then chiding his stupidity. "It's just a girl," he kept telling himself. "Just a girl."
"Tonight's gonna be the best!" Kaoru said, grinning wildly.
Tokiya found himself wishing he had the kid's confidence in the night. Before reaching Miname's house, he pulled the car over and turned down the radio. He looked at Koganei.
"You all right?" the kid asked.
"One teasing remark and it's your allowance for six months. Got me?"
Kaoru frowned. "You know damn well I wouldn't do that to you. I even called Recca and Fuuko and threatened to kick their asses if they give you any funny stares. I'm rooting for you on this one."
"At least one of us is," Tokiya muttered, looking in his rearview before pulling back out onto the street.
~~~~~~~
Miname blotted her dark red lipstick and then began to fiddle with her hair again. It had already been pulled back into a fishtail braid with a few strands purposely hanging down. She stood before her mirror once more, hoping her white t-shirt and blue jeans were not too casual for Tokiya's tastes. To make sure it wasn't, she pulled on the diamond ring and necklace her father had bought her mother long ago. "There, that's better," she thought. She looked high class casual.
Since her room was in the front of the house, she heard the car drive up. She looked at her clock to see it was 7:30 on the dot. "Damn," she cursed aloud, checking her purse to make sure her knife was well hidden within. She doubted she'd be able to do it on this night but it was better safe than sorry.
The doorbell chiming sent her scrambling to check her hair once more before running to the door. She stopped and composed herself telling herself she could do this. She opened the door and was greeted by Mikagami Tokiya. A very, cool, calm, collected-looking Mikagami Tokiya. One that looked as if he had spent just as much time getting ready as she had. Although she had promised herself not to look into those icy baby blue eyes of his because she had been thinking on them all week, she was doing it anyway.
After a moment she watched as his eyes took a quick glance over her attire. His expression didn't change one bit and she was left wondering if he was satisfied or digusted with her. "Hi there," she finally said.
"Hello." After a moment's silence, he took a step backward. "Are you ready, or should we give you more time?"
Miname shook her head. "I'm all set. Thank you for inviting me, by the way." She stepped out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind her. Kitaro's parents had taken him out for pizza. She had no curfew. She had only been asked that she not come back drunk and that she be quiet when she came in. She had assured them she didn't drink and promised to be very quiet upon her return.
Tokiya led her to his car. It looked very expensive and would easily be the finest car she had ever had the chance to ride in. She wondered about the license plate that read "RAHEL818" but she didn't ask as he opened the passenger side door for her. The boy that lived with Mikagami occupied her seat. He looked up at her. "I don't mind sitting in the back," she said.
"Six months, Koganei." The words made no sense to Miname, but it sent the boy into a scowl as he climbed into the back seat. She turned to see Mikagami's eyes had widened. She smiled gently when she realized that Tokiya had done so because Kaoru's feet had touched the leather. He blinked and shook his head, his stoic expression back on his face.
Miname carefully climbed into the car and Tokiya shut the door behind her. She buckled up and turned to look at the boy. "Hello, Kaoru-kun!" she said, hoping that was the boy's name.
He grinned broadly, showing off two little "fangs." He looked like a little devil. "Good evening, Miname-neechan! Ready to have some fun?"
She nodded and turned around as Tokiya's door opened and he got in. He adjusted his rear-view mirror, catching Kaoru's eyes and giving him a menacing stare. Kaoru turned to Miname and winked. She was sure he would be a lady-killer once he reached that age. She turned back around once more and they were on their way to the amusement park.
~~~~~~~
The night was going well in Mikagami's eyes. So far no one had made fun of him or Miname for being on a date of sorts. Miname seemed to be having fun, throwing him shy smiles every now and then. The rides has been okay although he found himself a little more than worried while on the Ferris Wheel. The damn thing HAD to stop while he and Miname were on top of it, with Recca and Yanagi sitting in the seats behind them.
"Hey Mikagami!" Recca had yelled.
Tokiya ignored him knowing he was going to ask him if he knew what he was supposed to do at the top. But he heard him yelp as if Yanagi had pinched him like she did so often nowadays. Miname had smiled at him and looked up at the sky, the stars masked by the bright carnival lights.
Kaoru and Ganko had gone back to ride their favorite rides as the rest went to the gaming booths. Yanagi noticed a dart stand with a teddy bear as one of the prizes and begged Recca to win it for her. Mikagami watched in amusement as he spent nearly the entire contents of his wallet, never once hitting the bullseye. "Such bad aim for a Flame Master," he chided.
"Why don't you give it a shot!?" Recca yelled, on the edge of being furious. A smile from Yanagi sent him grinning and fiddling with the back of his cap though.
"Perhaps I will," he said, stepping forward.
"I was next in line!" Domon said smoothly, literally pushing Tokiya aside. "I'm gonna win that bear for Fuuko!"
Fuuko's face fell. "I don't even want the bear." she muttered. She saw the hurt look on Yanagi's face. "If he happens to win it, it's yours," she assured her. Yanagi smiled and hugged Recca upon hearing that news.
Domon threw his darts but they hit the board so hard that nearly half of the dart was embedded in the board.
Mikagami shook his head as he took out his wallet, glancing upon the picture of Mifuyu and feeling a pang in his chest. He took a deep breath, quickly pulling his money out. He could sense the eyes of his friends on his wallet, trying to see the picture as well. Without acknowledging that he knew, he paid for four darts.
"Only four? Your friends went through at least 12 a piece. Are you that confident, sonny?" the man running the booth asked.
"Always, of course. And I'm not your sonny." He looked at the four dartboards, each with a prize hanging above it for hitting the bullseye. Calming his mind he raised his arms, rapidly firing off each dart. After each throw, he said a name. "Yanagi-san, Fuuko, Miname-san, Ganko." After he said the name, the dart would strike the bullseye with a sharp thump.
"Whoa!" Fuuko laughed.
Yanagi stood with her eyes wide. Mikagami turned to Miname to see her biting her lip to keep from grinning. He felt a small satisfaction knowing he had impressed her.
The man didn't seem too happy with Mikagami as he handed the prizes to him. As they walked away, the girls were all smiling and Recca and Domon were fuming with their hands shoved deep in their pockets. He really hadn't done it to make Recca and Domon look like idiots yet again. The smile on Yanagi's face when she huggled the bear was one reason. The way Fuuko had fumed over the stuffed monkey he handed her after commenting on how fitting it was for her to get the monkey was another. He saved the hippo in a ballerina outfit for Ganko. The dozen plastic red roses seemed almost perfect for Miname. The way she had smiled with those beautiful green eyes and sniffed them as if they were real was definitely going to plague his mind.
As they walked along heading towards the open field where people could sit to watch the fireworks show, they passed the House of Mirrors. None of his friends knew where the anonymous contribution to repair the House had come from. It had made Mikagami mad to hear that some thought Mori Kouran had made it. He wanted to take back his donation upon hearing that, but he didn't. It was his fault partially, after all.
"Hey, Mikagami! It's the place where I whipped your ass!" Recca laughed.
Mikagami looked at him. "Think you could do it again?" he asked, in a cool, daring manner.
Recca stopped in his tracks. "Is that a challenge?"
"No! Stop it before I kick both your asses!" Fuuko said angrily.
Mikagami snorted audibly and kept walking. He heard Recca kick the ground behind him. Friends or not, they were still highly competitive.
"I was scared you were gonna kill me that day, Tokiya-senpai," Yanagi said as they began walking again.
"I never would have hurt you. I just thought that Recca knew something about my sister." He stole a glance at Miname, wondering if they had told her about Mifuyu. She looked down into her roses though, acting as if she didn't notice his glance. He could once again hear his voice screaming for his sister in his mind. A hand on his back nearly made him jump.
Fuuko leaned in towards his ear and said very quietly, "Stop the brooding, you're making her feel bad."
He nodded and turned to look at Recca. He seemed to have forgotten the scene altogether as Yanagi was making him hug and kiss her new bear. He seemed happy to oblige until he saw Mikagami looking at him. Then he quickly handed her back the bear and acted as if nothing was happening.
"Would you care for a soda or some juice, Miname-san?" he turned back around asking as they passed a drink stand. She looked up at him and nodded.
When everyone had finished their juice, Kaoru and Ganko came running up behind them.
"I don't feel so well," Ganko said as Domon lifted her into his arms. She put her head onto his shoulder, her face looking a bit green.
Kaoru grinned. "I told her she couldn't take the Loops of Fury again! She wouldn't listen!"
Mikagami handed the hippo to Domon. "See what Mikagami won for you?"
She took it quietly, clutching it to her as she closed her eyes.
"We're gonna be late for the show if we don't hurry," Kaoru said.
They headed to the field again, Domon holding tightly to Ganko and walking carefully so that she would not get sick.
~~~~~~~
The field was crowded with people lying on their blankets, looking up at the now visible stars waiting for the fireworks. Domon's backpack had carried three blankets for him and his friends. Yanagi lay with her head on Recca's chest, making an odd L shape with their bodies. His arm draped around her midsection, holding her hand tightly. On another blanket, Ganko lay very still in Domon's arms, half-asleep. Fuuko lay with her hands behind her head and Kaoru was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. Mikagami and Miname lay alone on the last blanket. Fuuko was near Mikagami, though. Miname had lain down close to him, so close that he could feel the warmth of her arm next to his, yet they weren't touching at all. The feeling was making his heart speed up a bit. He had to calm himself.
"Hey Recca, your dad's late with the show," Fuuko said.
Recca groaned a bit. "He's probably distracted. Mom is helping him with everything, after all."
"I've had a lot of fun tonight, Tokiya," Miname said quietly.
Mikagami turned to look at her. Her green eyes and straight face met his for a moment before turning back up to the sky. The first boom occurred and the sky was filled with orange and green shimmers. He turned his attention back up to the sky. His mind wasn't on fireworks though. She was actually having fun with him. No, it had to be his friends. It couldn't be him.
The "oohs!" and "aahs!" of the crowd seemed almost silly. The firework show was nothing short of beautiful. Mikagami's mind was on Miname still. He realized that he should do something. He just wasn't sure what. Kissing her was out of the question, especially in front of everyone. Kissing!? What the hell was he thinking? He had no time for that sort of thing. His heart was set on his sister's revenge. There was no time for petty romance. Was there? The anger that had built inside him seethed just as quickly. It was a good 15 minutes into the firework show. It was supposed to last for 20 minutes. That was when he felt the heat of her arm on his again and his hand began to move on its own accord. Before he realized it, his fingers were touching hers, twining themselves into her hand where no one else could see. Very few times had his heart beat as fast as it was now. Then she squeezed his hand.
He turned to look at her slowly, forcing himself to at least try to calm down. She looked at him with her calm looking face again. He realized her heart must be beating just as fast as his. Maybe her mind wasn't on the fireworks either. Maybe she... felt what he felt. "How can she feel what you feel, you idiot?" he chided himself as he risked a few more moments looking into those eyes.
Then she smiled at him. It wasn't one of the smiles that she had been giving him all night, it seemed more genuine. With this smile, he knew he was the cause. It wasn't the halfhearted smile he had been getting all night. It wasn't the smile that seemed to be hiding something. This smile comforted him greatly... the same way Mifuyu's smile had.
This wasn't right. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Is something wrong?" Miname asked. That was when he noticed that he was squeezing her hand. Yes, there was something wrong. Why was he holding her hand? Why was he feeling things towards her? Things that he had set aside for his sister? He eased up on her hand a bit without answering her and she looked back up at the sky, that perfect smile gone.
Soon everyone was sitting up, cheering and clapping after the grand finale of the firework show. Miname held tight to his hand. One part of him didn't mind at all, the other was wondering what the hell he was doing. Then Fuuko glanced at them. Miname pulled her hand away quickly and sat up. Mikagami avoided Fuuko's gaze. They all stood up and began folding the blankets and packing them back into Domon's backpack.
"Shall we play around some more or go home?" Fuuko asked, stretching.
Recca yawned loudly as if in response.
"Yeah, I need to take Ganko home. She's beat." Domon patted her head.
"Yanagi and I are going to find my dad. We'll see you guys later. It was fun!" Recca called, grabbing Yanagi's arm and pulling her off to where his parents were.
"I should be going as well, then," Fuuko said. She waited until it was only her, Mikagami, Kaoru and Miname left. She then hugged Tokiya, his eyes getting wide. "Night, Mi-chan. Thanks for the monkey."
"Kirisawa.," he growled.
"Come on, Mi-chan. You know you love me." Fuuko was smiling wildly and batting her eyelashes at him.
"Never," was his reply as he turned to Miname and Kaoru, ignoring Fuuko and her antics.
Fuuko laughed. "Goodnight then, Mi-chan. You too, Miname. And Kaoru." She was left standing alone as the others walked off, heading for Mikagami's car.
~~~~~~~
Mikagami was glad his engine was a quiet one as he turned off his lights before pulling into Miname's driveway to make sure that he woke no one up. It was a little past one in the morning. Kaoru was in the backseat, feigning sleep.
"I really did have fun tonight, Tokiya. The firework show was." The smile appeared faintly.
"Wonderful."
"Thank you for a wonderful night as well, Miname-san. I hope that. I hope that it means I can see you again." He wondered how lame his words sounded.
She nodded. "Of course it does. Call me sometimes, okay?"
He nodded and gripped his steering wheel. He realized this was the part that the two people on a date usually kissed but he wasn't ready for that. Holding her hand was that night's victory.
"Goodnight then, Miname-san."
"Goodnight, Tokiya," she said, opening her door and getting out.
He watched her walk up to the door and unlock it. She turned and waved at him before going inside.
"God, she's beautiful," he said aloud, forgetting Kaoru was in the car with him for a minute.
"Yeah, she is. You deserve someone like her," the kid said.
Mikagami sighed and put the car into reverse as Kaoru climbed into the front seat. "Did I do well?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm kinda proud of ya. I'm gonna give you some pointers though. Women are complicated,"
Kaoru laughed.
Mikagami shook his head and kept driving.
~~~~~~~
Miname closed the door behind her and leaned against it quietly. She was trembling. The guy that was said to be cold as ice was melting for her. She feared she was melting for him, too. Dear god what was she thinking? She was supposed to kill him, not fall for him as well! She clutched the dozen roses knowing that they'd last a lifetime. Falling for the Mikagami Tokiya that was the true inheritor of the Hyomen Ken was not what she had wanted to do. She wanted him dead. But the way he had made her feel felt so real and it had been a long time since she had been that happy.
She finally moved to her bedroom, quietly getting into her nightdress and slipping into bed. On her nightstand the roses sat in a vase. She closed her eyes, clasping her hands saying a prayer to her guardian before laying down to sleep. "Give me the strength I need to go through with my plans. Don't let me be a disappointment to you or to the master. Let me be able to kill him like the evil wretch that he is. Don't let me be blinded by his beauty and smooth ways. Help me face the truth about the bastard."
She reached up and turned off her light, laying down completely and falling asleep. Fireworks, Ferris Wheels, and what Tokiya did not do to her at the top of the Wheel filled her dreams.
"What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive."
Chapter One
Walking down the busy sidewalk was no trouble for Mikagami. It seemed to him as if he were merely a leaf on the surface of a flowing brook. Maybe because he was in a slight hurry. Yet no face in the crowd escaped him. Meguri Kyo Za could be anywhere and if his face was among this crowd, he would surely not miss it.
It was uncharacteristic of him to be late. He could hear the voices of Recca and the others asking their foolish questions on why he was tardy in his head already. He knew them all too well. He had even dared to consider them his friends. He shook his head and quickened his pace to rid his mind of the intrusion.
Finally his path led him past the city sidewalks and into a park. If the picnic had not been Yanagi's idea, he would not have bothered with coming at all. When Yanagi had called him personally to invite him, the word yes fell from his mouth before he had time to think twice. She did something to him that the others couldn't do. She made him miss his sister even more, yet at the same time he felt at peace being near her. He had even fancied the idea that he loved her, but he knew it was merely misplaced emotions for Mifuyu. Recca Hanabishi held her heart and clearly she held his.
Mikagami wouldn't even fool himself thinking he could come between that hold.
It wasn't hard to find where the others were. He watched them for a moment, knowing his presence was unknown. Domon was holding Ganko's hands, letting her climb his legs and turn flips. It seemed amusing enough for them both. Kaoru and Fuuko seemed to be happy playing Frisbee. Of course, to the untrained eye, one could not even see the Frisbee as fast as they were catching and throwing it. Yanagi was seated on the edge of the picnic blanket, busy making a crown out of the clover beside the blanket. Recca was lying down, his head resting in Yanagi's lap, watching and talking with his dear Hime. Mikagami watched as Recca sat up smiling at Yanagi and she placed the crown on his head. He bowed his head to her and Mikagami snorted softly.
Recca's smile faded quickly as his head turned to look straight at Mikagami. Mikagami only shook his head, stepping closer to the group. "Hanabishi, will you ever learn to sense when you're being watched?" he asked coolly.
"I knew it was you," Recca tried to cover.
Mikagami snorted once more before pulling off his boots and sitting down cross-legged on the blanket. "If you lose your skills, what good will you be to Yanagi-san?"
"Lose my skills?! How can you say that, you idiot! You know how hard all of us continue to train everyday! You're the one who doesn't practice to his full potential! We haven't seen any of those fancy moves you pulled at the tournament since then!" Recca yelled, holding his fist into the air.
"Recca! You moron! We agreed not to mention the tournament in public!" Fuuko shouted, her game with Kaoru obviously over.
"But Fuuko, you just said it yourself..." Domon said.
Mikagami smirked as they all continued to argue. At least no one had asked why he was late. He raked his fingers through the hair that had fallen into his eyes. He felt eyes on him and he turned to see the quiet Yanagi looking at him.
"I just wanted to get everyone together and have a nice picnic," she said to him. "Why do they have to argue so much?"
"Because they're friends," he replied before looking to the others and raising his voice. "Shut up, all of you! Yanagi-san has made us a picnic, I won't have you disgracing her generosity with your idiocy."
All of their faces fell as they turned to look at him. "Oh right, Mi-chan, but it's okay for you to disgrace her by being half an hour late?" Fuuko asked.
"Damn!" he thought. He had walked into that one but he kept a straight face. "I have my reasons."
"Oh really?" Recca urged.
Mikagami nodded. He looked to Kaoru. Kaoru's eyes widened. Had Mikagami really did what he'd asked? Kaoru feared the others finding out about his request, and quickly knew the subject had to be changed. "Did I forget to tell you guys he said he'd be late? I got in trouble at school, and my teacher wanted to call him and talk with him. He was late because he wanted to be home for the call," he said, fabricating a story quickly.
"Ah, I see. Mikagami's being a dutiful older brother type, eh?" Domon asked.
Leave it to Domon to buy into things so easily. Mikagami shook his head ever so slightly at Kaoru. There was no doubt about it; the kid had intrigued him since the first time they fought. His incredible skills, his speed, his genius mind... Kaoru reminded Mikagami of what he had been like as a child. But his sister's death had ended his happiness along with his childhood. Kaoru's still lived on. Even though Kaoru had been betrayed by his "older brother" Kurei, he still fought for what he believed in. Mikagami respected Kaoru for that and could not let the kid live on the streets as an urchin. Mikagami had more than enough wealth to take care of himself, so he had taken Kaoru in. He was now more or less Kaoru's older brother. The responsibilities played more like a father figure though. Kaoru was a troublemaker after all. Not all trouble could go unpunished. Why Kaoru accepted his authority was beyond him.
"What did the teacher say?" Yanagi asked, concerned.
"Nothing, really," Mikagami spoke truthfully. He refused to tell the lie Kaoru told.
"Must be something he can't say in front of Kogenai. Must've been something very bad!" Ganko said.
"Something very bad indeed kept me from being here on time. My sincerest apologies, Yanagi-san. I
hope it isn't any real trouble."
Yanagi nodded, smiling. "It's forgotten already, Mikagami-senpai!"
"Can we eat now?" Domon asked.
Ganko, who now lived with Domon, pointed a finger in his face. "Don't be so rude!"
"Of course we can, now that Mi-chan is here. Right, Yanagi?" Fuuko asked, holding her rumbling tummy as well.
Yanagi nodded as she opened the basket. Soon everyone had a plate of hot dogs and tuna salad. Potato chips graced some plates and Yanagi had promised cupcakes to those who finished their plates. An ice cooler full of homemade lemonade filled their cups and everyone seemed happy enough.
Mikagami listened to everyone carry on about their day at school. It interested him slightly since he was no longer at school. University time had been put off until Kyo Za was dead. He had enough money so that he would never have to work a day in his life but he knew he could not live that way. He was just putting it off for a while. He had his family's oath to honor after all.
"Yanagi-neechan!" he heard a child's voice call. A boy no older than 8 years came running over.
Yanagi smiled at him as he hugged her. "Kitaro-kun!" she said.
"Eh? Who's this?" Recca asked.
"Oh, he's one of the children from the class I aid in sometimes. He was the one who drew the awesome dragon picture on my wall at home! His name's Hukitaro, but we just call him Kitaro," Yanagi said.
Recca nodded. "That dragon is very well drawn, Kitaro! Would you draw one for me sometime? I'm very into dragons!"
Mikagami snickered.
"Is that your boyfriend, Yanagi-neechan?" Kitaro asked.
Yanagi nodded once. After the tournament, neither one of them had a problem admitting it. "What are you doing here by yourself? You should not be in the park alone!"
"I'm not alone! We're playing hide and go seek! But she can't find me!" Kitaro laughed.
"Who's she? Your mother?" Recca asked.
"No, she's my nanny. She's fun!"
"Kitaro! Are you bothering these nice people?" a girl's voice called out. Mikagami looked to see a girl
around his age. She wasn't dressed in the school uniform that Yanagi, Fuuko, and Ganko wore. Instead she wore an outfit looking very much like his own. A white shirt with a navy blue blazer matched well with her gray slacks and black boots. Her black hair was pulled into a long tidy braid and large green eyes seemed to sparkle in the day's remaining sunlight. He was sure he had never seen her before. Surely a girl as beautiful as this would have stuck in his memory. "Oh, it's you!" she said, looking to Yanagi.
"It's okay! My friends and I were just having a picnic. It's so rare that we all have the time to get together anymore," Yanagi said.
Suddenly Kitaro was looking at Mikagami. "Can I have a potato chip?" he asked innocently.
He looked at the kid, a bit surprised. Why had he asked him for a chip when he clearly had no chips on his plate? He opened his mouth to say something to that effect when Ganko hopped over, offering a handful of chips and batting her eyelashes at the kid. Mikagami's face, along with Fuuko and Domon's, fell.
"Have some of mine. They'll taste better than Mikagami-kun's!" she said sweetly.
"Kitaro! Now you quit that! You wouldn't want to spoil your supper!" the girl said.
"Oh, it'll be okay, won't it? Why don't you two sit down and join us? There's plenty of food!" Yanagi said.
Domon glared at Yanagi. Obviously he wasn't happy about sharing the food.
"Well, thank you, but I was gonna take him to a restaurant," she said.
"Well, this is for free! How much better can you get?" Recca asked, taking another bite of his hot dog.
"I want hot dogs!" Kitaro shouted, already grabbing a plate and sitting down between Yanagi and Recca. Ganko was quick to move her seat next to his.
Yanagi smiled at the girl. "Is it okay?"
The girl sighed and nodded slowly, falling down to her knees and sitting back on her heels between Mikagami and Yanagi.
"I must have missed your name. I'm Kirisawa Fuuko," Fuuko said, offering the girl a plate.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Hiromasa Miname. I'm Kitaro's live-in nanny," Miname said, smiling shyly.
"Ishijima Domon," Domon said.
"Koganei Kaoru. Nice to meet ya, neechan," Kaoru said, actually using the manners Mikagami had tried to bestow upon him.
"Hanabishi Recca, Hime's ninja," Recca said with a grin. Yanagi blushed.
"I'm Ganko, from Kitaro's class, remember?" Ganko said, and Miname nodded.
Miname turned to face Mikagami. "My name is..." was all he got out of his introduction.
"Mikagami Tokiya. I've heard a lot about you," she said, smiling slightly.
The smile bothered Mikagami a bit, as if it weren't genuine, as if malice were held behind it. But Yanagi was giggling and Miname looked sharply to her as if to hush her. Yanagi covered her mouth and Miname turned back to Mikagami. The color had faded from her face.
"You're looking to far into this, stupid," he chided himself mentally.
"Did I miss something?" Fuuko asked, looking confused.
"I've... seen Tokiya around and had asked Yanagi-chan about him a few times," Miname replied quietly.
Realization that the girl had a crush on him hit Mikagami and he had to fight the arrogant grin from his face. "I hope you've only heard good things. Coming from Yanagi-san I can be assured it was." He picked up his lemonade and took a drink.
"And what do you care is it was good or bad?" Fuuko asked. Mikagami's eyes widened as he looked at her. She wore an insane grin on her face. "Huh, huh, Mi-chan? What do you care?" Was she trying to... embarrass him?
"Fuuko-chan, please!" Miname said, a deep blush setting into her cheeks. The fact that she was so nervous and tense instead of giggly and flighty impressed Mikagami. She was just about as embarrassed as he was yet she was holding her composure well.
"Grr," Fuuko snarled. She threw a chip at Mikagami. He let it hit his face undaunted. "She saved you this time, Ice Man! You owe her one!"
"He owes me nothing! I... I..." she stammered. Her green eyes seemed as if they were pleading for him to... To... He wasn't sure. He watched with slight confusion as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry!" she said, standing quickly.
"Miname-san," was all he could think to say before she ran off. Kitaro grumbled and grabbed his hot dog, chasing after his nanny. Mikagami felt the urge to rise and follow after her and had moved his plate from his lap to the blanket before he thought about what he was doing. He wanted to go after her... He shook the thought from his mind and looked to his friends. They were all staring after her as well.
Finally Recca looked to Fuuko. "Blew that, didn't you?"
Mikagami's eyes narrowed, the previous scene fading from his mind. "Blew what?"
"Huh?" Recca laughed a bit, and a stupid grin came to his face. He scratched the back of his head.
"Wha... What do you mean?"
Mikagami could feel the tension in the silence that had fell. Something was going on. He knew only one person among them would not beat around the bush or act stupid. "What sort of game is being played here, Yanagi-san?"
After locking her big brown eyes with his big blue ones for a moment, her mouth forming a perfect little 'o' shape, she clenched her fists and began fuming. "Rec-ca-kuuu~uuun! I could just... ugh!"
The outburst had not surprised him as much as it would have a year ago. She often got annoyed with Recca.
"Yanagi-san?" he asked again, intent on getting an answer.
Yanagi turned to him and took his hand, holding it between her own two. "Don't be mad! Please! This was Recca's idea and mine. See she was so shy and she wanted to meet you so badly. Recca didn't think that you'd talk to her at all!"
"Hmph." So this picnic had been arranged for the purpose of him meeting Miname? Yanagi was still gripping his hand and in that moment he believed she had calming powers over him as well as healing powers. She herself looked ready to cry and there was no way in hell he was going to let himself be the cause of it. "Next time, leave Recca's bird-brained ideas out of it. If you had called me and asked me to meet someone, I would have willingly done so. You need not play elaborate games with me, Yanagi-san."
"And the moment you realized she just might like you, you would have walked off after making some snide, cold-hearted remark," she said quietly, casting her eyes downward and releasing his hand.
Mikagami felt as if he had been slapped and slapped hard. He wished desperately that he were hearing things. The lump in his throat and the fact that Yanagi had spoken the words prevented him from his usual comeback. If Recca had said it he would've just let the comment go after giving one of his signature icy glares. He didn't care what Recca or the others thought. But Yanagi. He felt everyone's eyes on him, They, too, knew what her words meant to him. They knew he was hurt.
Yanagi began to cry. "I'm sorry that my words hurt! I'm sorry, but they're true!"
He could sit there no longer. "I'm going home," he announced, standing up. He felt sick. "Koganei, you know your curfew for school nights. I expect you home by eight."
He heard them all calling for him to wait and to come back. He could not face them, though. He had to keep walking.
"He's not as cold as you might think he is!" he heard Koganei yell. It took all his power not to whirl around and scold Koganei for yelling at Yanagi. He heard the sound of footsteps running, and soon Koganei was by his side.
"I didn't know it was a set-up until I got here. Honest, you've got to believe me. I'd never lie to you, bro." The kid looked so serious. Tokiya remembered how many times the kid had been betrayed by people, lied to by people, and understood why he was saying this completely.
"I believe you. Just leave me be for a while."
Kaoru nodded and ran back to the others.
Mikagami's hands went deep into his pockets and he wished it wasn't such a long walk home. Nothing could erase Yanagi's words. Worst of all, he knew they were true.
~~~~~~~
Lying on his red satin-covered bed, watching the ceiling fan whirl around slowly, Mikagami had finally calmed himself. He had once again mastered the calm cool ocean in his mind, becoming one with it. The fan created the ocean breeze and he felt at peace.
Three phone calls from Recca had passed. He had let the machine get them, with Recca getting angrier every time. "Mikagami, are you there? Come on, it's Hanabishi. Pick up the phone." "I know you're there dammit. Pick up the phone!" "Damn you! You uppity snob! Yanagi is upset because of you! Pick up the phone!"
The grandfather clock downstairs began chiming. He heard the front door open and slam shut. At least Kaoru was home on time. He heard the kid racing up the stairs and knock on his bedroom door. Without waiting for an answer, Kaoru inched the door open, peeping his head inside.
"Bro? Are you all right?" he asked quietly.
"Why wouldn't I be?" came the reply.
Kaoru entered the room. "She insisted on coming here. She swears she's not leaving until you've talked with her."
Mikagami sat up. "Who?"
"Yanagi-neechan. She's downstairs."
Tokiya closed his eyes and sighed. He knew he had to face her else he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. He rubbed his face get out of his stupor.
"Bro?"
"Go downstairs and take her to the study. I'll be there shortly," Mikagami said.
Kaoru nodded and ran back downstairs.
"I must teach him some patience. His haste will be his downfall one day," Tokiya thought. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and reached up to pull the ponytail holder from his hair. It fell around his shoulders as he stood and walked to his adjacent bathroom. After washing his face with cold water and brushing his hair out, he walked downstairs to his study.
Kaoru stood in front of where Yanagi was seated. Their conversation abruptly halted when Yanagi saw Tokiya. She stood up and he noticed she was holding something wrapped in foil.
"I'm sorry to drop by like this, but you wouldn't answer your phone. We need to talk, right?" she asked.
He nodded after a moment. "Right. Koganei, I'm sure you can find some homework to be doing, or a video game to be playing." He looked at the green-eyed boy.
"Sure. I'll be in my room then, bro. 'Night, Yanagi-neechan!" Kaoru ran from the room.
"Mikagami-senpai, I feel absolutely horrible. I should not have said what I did to you," Yanagi said.
Tokiya folded his arms. "You had every right to speak the truth. What you said was true, so I can't hold it against you."
Yanagi opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She lowered her eyes. "I. wasn't sure if. if you'd cook or not. I saved you some tuna salad, since I know how much you like it when I make it." She lifted her eyes and offered him the plate.
He took it, grinning vaguely. He set it on the desk behind him. "Thank you for thinking of me." He watched as she gripped her hands so tight within each other that her poor knuckles turned white. She seemed to be shaking as well. "Yanagi-san." he faltered. But the gentle way he had called her name was enough. She began crying again and this time she felt no shame in throwing her arms around him.
He held her to him tightly to reassure her that he didn't hate her. "I understand why you set the whole ordeal up completely. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. It just really shocked me to see that you know me so well that you can predict my actions and those actions shame you. Those words stung. I can forgive you for hurting me, but not for saying them."
After a few moments, she calmed down but stood with her head against Tokiya's chest. After another moment, she stepped away from him and he offered her a handkerchief. She took it wiping her eyes. "So you're not angry with me? You don't hate me?"
"I could never hate you, nor stay angry with you for long. I was hurt, but I'm a man. I can take it."
Yanagi nodded. "I was only trying to help Miname. She's really a nice girl; she's just so shy. But now Recca and I have blown any chance she had with you. She called me after the picnic, and she said she was so embarrassed that she could never face you again."
"Her chances blown? Not necessarily so. Would it make you happy if I were to go to her to let her know that I don't blame her?" He folded his arms glad Fuuko was not there. She'd read his true intentions so clearly that she'd laugh at him forever.
But Yanagi, however, couldn't read him THAT well. She smiled. "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. Only if you'll come with me, though." That seemed innocent enough.
"Of course I will! Oh, Tokiya! Thank you!"
Mikagami's eyes widened a bit as she hugged him once more. Had she just called him. Tokiya? He guessed it was all right, as long as he never had to hear her scream that name in a matter of life or death.
"When can we go?" she asked.
"How about now?"
~~~~~~~
Alone with Kitaro in her new home, Miname had finally gotten a hold of herself thanks to the bit of Kata her brother had once taught her. It brought her so much peace, and always helped her figure out the right answers to things. The answer her latest problem had come to her finally. She took a deep breath and was about to dial her benefactor's phone number. She had to tell him she could not do this.
How unbelievably cool, calm, and collected Mikagami Tokiya was had unnerved her. She didn't expect him to be incredibly good-looking either. There was no way her mission could be accomplished the way things were going. She had made an ass of herself in front of him and now he'd never want to see her again.
Her finger touched the first number on the phone and the doorbell rang, making her jump. She heard Kitaro yelling that he would get it. "NO!" she yelled, hanging up the phone and running after the kid. She caught up with him in front of the door and swept him up into her arms, tickling his rib cage. "How many times have you been told you are not old enough to answer the door alone?" she asked him. If she really did have to leave due to a failed mission, she would miss Kitaro. He was such a sweet kid.
He was giggling and laughing as she set him onto his feet. "Too many. But I can answer it! Honest!"
Miname shook her head at the boy. "Get behind me and you can help me answer it." The doorbell rang again as Kitaro scrambled, now hiding behind her legs. She opened the door, still smiling because of the boy. Her smile froze at the site of Yanagi and Tokiya. She felt Kitaro clutching her leg.
"Good evening, Miname-san. I hope it's not too late to be paying a visit," Tokiya said.
Miname's eyes went to Yanagi. "I appreciate your help, but really. I can't do this. I didn't want you to bring him here."
"Relax, Miname-san. I asked her to bring me. I wanted to have a few words with you."
Miname tried to forget how cool his voice sounded, and how incredibly handsome he looked with his hair down. It made her sick to even think that she saw him the way she was trying to get him to see her. Did he say he wanted to come? He wanted to talk to her? Maybe she had not failed as badly as she thought.
"I told you it would be okay! Can we come inside?" Yanagi smiled brightly.
Miname regained her composure and nodded her head. "Of course. Please. Come in, I'll start some herbal tea." Kitaro ran down the hallway as she stepped aside to let them in.
"We can't stay that long, but thanks anyway." Tokiya was looking around at the house.
Was this really Mikagami Tokiya? Was this really the man that was the true master of Hyomen Ken? Miname nodded at him and led them into the living room. They were all seated cross-legged on the floor when Kitaro came back.
"Go brush your teeth and get into your pajamas. Choose a book and I'll be there in a little while,"
Miname said to him. He nodded and ran off. She looked down at her folded hands in her lap, deciding to play the shy, embarrassed girl a bit longer. Maybe that was why he was there.
"I'm in the understanding that you were kind of forced into the whole picnic idea by Yanagi-san and Hanabishi. I don't blame you at all. And if my friends, namely Fuuko, embarrassed you, I apologize for their actions as well." Mikagami's voice seemed as calming as the water that she knew he mastered.
"Thank you. That makes me feel a little better," Miname said truthfully.
"I didn't want you to feel bad about meeting me. I wanted to assure you that you didn't make a bad impression as Yanagi has told me you thought you did. In fact I'm very flattered by this whole situation."
Miname suddenly realized that what she had heard of this man's arrogance was correct. She decided to show him that she wasn't just another whiney little girl. "I'm sure you are." Her eyes met his finally. She could see the shock on his face momentarily before it returned to that passive look he seemed to always have. "I, on the other hand, feel as if my heart's been shown to you, as if you know my true intentions and can now toy with me as you please. That's why I feared seeing you again." She wanted him to have to look away.
Mikagami held her gaze, as if accepting her challenge. "Playing cat and mouse is not my style. I promise you that I don't play games and I will not toy with you and your emotions. Maybe some of your intentions were revealed, but I am not stupid enough to think that intentions can't change."
Miname gulped and after his eyes seemed to flash, she looked away. He was serious. Dear god, what did he know of her true intentions? He couldn't know anything of them. She bit her lip.
Mikagami stood up. "I must be getting home. It's a long walk from here, and I must see Yanagi-san home first."
Miname stood up as well after Yanagi stood. "Thank you for coming by, Tokiya. Thank you as well, Yanagi. I feel much better now."
She walked them to the door and they left. She leaned against the closed door with her eyes shut and her heart beating fast. "Can I really make him fall in love with me? And can I do it without falling for him as well? Oh brother. Please help me." She sighed heavily.
After reading Kitaro his night-night story and going to her own room, she decided to put off the phone call for at least a week. Something might develop. She had to give it a chance.
~~~~~~~
Nearly a week had passed since the day he had met Miname. Tokiya groaned and turned over in his bed to look at the clock. The red light read 1:47am. He watched as it turned to 1:48, trying to amuse his insomnia by counting 60 seconds and seeing if the clock changed with his counting. Kyo Za had taught him that was a good way to train your patience and a good substitute for counting sheep. At least it kept his mind from thinking of Miname. for a few seconds.
1:49. "Dammit!" he cursed aloud. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his face. Why could he not forget her face, and those green eyes that seemed to be burning inside? He had met beautiful women before and forgotten them within a few days' time. Miname, however. His dreams had been plagued with her. He had woken up with the reminder that he was a man at least twice that week, all because of Miname. He could not even sit and brood over Mifuyu's death without seeing Miname's fiery green eyes staring into his that day at her house, daring him to. to do something.
He snatched up his phone and dialed Fuuko's number. He had to talk to someone and he didn't want to talk to someone as young as Kaoru.
"Hello?" came the groggy response.
"Fuuko. Did I wake you?"
"Mi-chan. Again? This is the third time this week. Something's bugging you if you call me three times in one week, especially at such an indecent hour!" She sounded annoyed.
"I'll let you get back to sleep," he said, ready to hang up.
"No! You've done woke up me now! I just want to know what's wrong with you!"
He closed his eyes. Opening up to her wasn't as bad as he had thought it was. He had talked with her extensively about his sister before. But he wasn't sure he was ready to tell her about whatever this was happening to him due to Miname. "I can't sleep."
"What? You want me to sing to you?" Fuuko laughed. She could be so silly this early in the morning.
"There's. something. I can't get off my mind, Fuuko. I'm losing concentration and that's even bothering me more."
"Mi-chan? This doesn't sound like you! What's on your mind?" Fuuko sounded like she came out of her sleep stupor and got serious.
Mikagami swallowed. "Remember. Remember Miname?" He held the phone away from his ear because Fuuko's laughter came out loud and clear.
"I'm hanging up now," he said, feeling blood rushing to his cheeks. He had his finger on the button.
"Do it and I'll be over there within five minutes. Talking about this sort of thing over the phone would be much easier for you, no?" Her laughing had ceased, but he could still sense the grin on her face.
"This shames me and you're laughing."
"Why does it shame you, because you've actually got a crush?"
After a moment's hesitation, he answered, "Yes." His voice came out bitter. It was the first time he had admitted that it was in fact a crush, even to himself. He was too good to get something like a crush.
"Why?"
"You know damn well why! I have no time for petty romance. I can't possibly." He was cut off by
Fuuko.
"Mi-chan! Ain't got time. I can't I can't I can't. You oughta listen to yourself sometimes. For someone so self-assured as you are, you sure are pessimistic."
"I simply know my limits. Making time for romance is not something I can't do."
"Yeah, okay, whatever. I've known you for how long now? I know you make time for what you want. A year ago, you wouldn't have had time for anyone but yourself. Now look at you. You've called at girl at. What time is it anyway?"
"1:53."
"You've called a girl at 1:53 in the morning because you can't sleep. You've made friends when you thought you didn't have the time to. We know you care about us, just the same way we care about you. You wouldn't have had time a year ago to make sure Recca took care of Yanagi. A year ago you wouldn't have taken in a brat to your home and let him call you brother. A year ago you wouldn't have given a tomboy like me the time of day. But you just did. Where do you think you'll be in a year from now, Mi-chan? Is it so horrible to think you might be in love in a year from now?"
His eyes widened. Had she said. love? He sighed and let his anxiety at the word go. "What if.
What if my revenge kills me?"
"We'd all be sad. Very sad."
"I meant Miname."
"Like I said, we'd all be sad. Did I forget to mention Miname now hangs out with Yanagi and me at school? But anyway, I don't think your revenge will kill you. I believe you are stronger than that. But damn, you really can't see beyond your revenge, can you?"
Mikagami gave one of his rare sighs. He fell silent afterwards.
"Recca and I actually have a bet going. Recca thinks you'll choke when the time comes. But I know you'll carry through and kill Kyo Za." He could hear the grin in her voice.
"Psh. I assure you that I won't choke." He could hit Recca for even thinking it, much less saying it and betting on it.
"I know you won't. I'd help you if I could, even. I want him dead too, you know."
Mikagami's eyes widened.
"You know how much I hate people killing others for stupid reasons or no reason. You'd be just as great of a master if she were still alive. You'd have gotten better to give her something to be proud of. She didn't have to die. Kyo Za should die for killing her and ripping your innocence away from you."
Those words struck a nerve with Tokiya and it struck hard. She was completely right. His eyes closed as he let the pain of missing his sister wash over him. His sister, taken from him when he did not have the power to save her. Her death, ending his days of happiness and turning him into a 10- year old man bent on revenge. Those deep pools of green eyes had been daring him to fall for her. "Dammit! Fuuko, I can't even think straight without seeing her in my mind!"
Fuuko was giggling again.
His eyes opened and blinked with near anger.
"Would it be so bad if you called her up or something?"
"I'm not good at meager conversation." One of his hands held the phone, the other was lost in his hair, gripping hard. "What the hell would you do if a guy asked you out on a date? You'd be just as clueless as I would be!"
Fuuko kept laughing. "You're so funny, Mi-chan. Don't worry about me, this is about you. Look, you're coming to the midnight festival at the amusement park tomorrow right?"
"Ugh, is that tomorrow?" He had promised Koganei they would go. The amusement park would stay open until 3am. Recca's dad would be putting on a major firework show as well. Rides, games, and food would be half-price and Koganei's allowance was burning a hole in his pockets. "Yes, I'll be there."
"Then call her and invite her and Kitaro. Say that we're all gonna be there. That way it won't be so bad. You won't have to talk as much."
"And I'll get to see her again." Fuuko was laughing again, harder than before. He hadn't meant to say that last part aloud. " Oh shut up!" he added. That made her laugh even harder. "I can't take her to the festival. You and the others will laugh at me."
"Since when does that bother you?"
"It will bother her and that will get me angry. If she would even go."
"Okay, I'll talk with everyone and dare them to even look at you funny."
"Isn't this the same kind of scheming that took place before at the picnic, where her and I both ended up with hurt feelings?" He let go of his grip on his hair, feeling a bit more at ease. He was twirling a strand around his finger like a schoolgirl. He caught himself and stopped, frowning at his actions.
"Then let's tell the truth. Call her up, tell her you can't stop thinking of her, that you want to go out with her, blah blah blah. Tell her you can't assure her that your friends will behave, but you'll show her a good time."
"The truth shouldn't be that hard, right?"
"Right. Oh crap! Here comes Daddy. I'll call you back!" Fuuko said, and hung up the phone in his face.
He hung up as well and lay down in his bed. Her dad didn't like her on the phone that late at night, and she had often hung up in his face to play like she was asleep. It was a few moments later when the phone rang, and he answered it quickly. Simple things awoke Koganei.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's okay. I should let you sleep now anyway. Sorry for waking you." It was the closest to a thank you she would get.
"Night, Mi-chan. Best of luck."
"With what?" Playing dumb came naturally to him sometimes, even though he didn't like doing it.
"With your shnookems!" she laughed. Kissing noises followed her words.
Mikagami shook his head. "Goodnight, monkey." He hung up before she could make a comeback. He waited a moment, expecting her to call back. She didn't, so he put the phone back on its base. He had to admit he felt a little better. At least someone knew what he was going through. He lay back on his bed, Miname's face in his mind. Sleep caught up with him slowly, her face never fading.
~~~~~~~
After showering and brushing out his long hair the next day, Mikagami sat on the edge of his bed and picked up his phone yet again. He was going to call before breakfast but thought a full stomach might make the call easier. After breakfast, a shower seemed like the right thing to do before calling Miname. He was now thinking that drying his hair should be done before he called. He'd already memorized the number that Yanagi had given him a week ago while walking her home.
Surely if he were to ask a girl out she'd say yes. After all, he was Mikagami Tokiya. "Foolishness," he said aloud at his thoughts. He wasn't that damn vain. Miname would definitely turn him down if she wanted to. Yet it was ridiculous to sit there and act like the world was about to end if he called. He dialed her numbers with determination on his face.
One ring. Two. "Hello?" It was her. He hadn't expected her to answer the phone.
"Miname-san?" he asked, just to make sure.
"Tokiya?"
He willed his heart to slow down. She had recognized his voice. Why did that make him happy? He shook his head. "Yeah, it's me. How are you?"
"I'm. fine. And you?"
"I'm alright. Have you heard about the midnight festival at the amusement park tonight?"
"Yeah. Yanagi-chan mentioned it."
"Were you planning on taking Kitaro?"
"His parents don't want him out that late. He doesn't even know about it."
"Then. Were you planning on going?"
"Well, I'm not sure. Yanagi-chan and Recca asked me to go. They said you'd be there and I didn't want to make things difficult for you. I told them I'd go if you asked me to." Her words were coming out softer and softer. Then she got louder suddenly. "Not like a date or anything! Just, well, you know," she said.
"Yes, I know. And I'm asking."
"Really?" She seemed surprised.
"Really."
She gave a small laugh. "Okay then. Sure. What time should I meet you there?"
"Koganei and I will be by your home at seven-thirty. Does that sound fair?" His nervousness was settling. A grin threatened to form on his stoic face.
"You don't have to come all the way out here, I can walk just as well as you."
"I'll have none of that. We're taking my car and we'll be by at seven."
"Oh! Okay then. See you at seven then." She hung up the phone without giving any more warning.
Mikagami hung up as well and fell back onto his bed, letting out a huge breath. "Forgive me, Oneechan," he said as the green eyes overtook his mind again.
~~~~~~~
"Hurry up, Bro! We've got to be there at 7:30! Do you realize it's 6:45? We've still got to go pick up that girl!" Kaoru yelled, pounding on Tokiya's locked bedroom door.
Tokiya didn't respond, pulling his hair up into a high ponytail. He could hear Koganei stomping as he paced, trying to make a point. Since when did Kaoru care about being on time? "Kids," he thought, "Never there when there's work to do, always on time for fun." He had not told Kaoru they'd be taking his Jaguar XKR convertible.
He had bought the car for himself on his eighteenth birthday. Koganei had only had the pleasure of sitting in it. Only Yanagi and Fuuko had been taken for rides in it. It had been used only five or six times since it's purchase. He realized the only reason for taking the car that night was to impress Miname. He grabbed his keys from the dresser and made sure his Ensui was safe in his jacket pocket.
"Can I just leave without you?" Kaoru asked as Mikagami opened the door.
"Would you really leave your dear 'Bro' behind?" Tokiya asked as the boy looked up at him. He had seated himself on the floor. Mikagami made his way to the stairs not waiting for an answer.
"No, but we're gonna be late now! Way late!" Kaoru jumped up, rolling his eyes and the silent response he got. He followed Tokiya down the stairs. "God! What is that smell? Are you wearing cologne, Bro?" An icy glare from Tokiya confirmed it. "Sorry."
Kaoru bounded past him at the bottom of the stairs and headed to the front door. Tokiya headed for the kitchen to get to the garage. "Aw man! Now what? Come on!" the boy said, obviously annoyed.
Mikagami snorted and touched the garage door. The keys unlocking it helped Kaoru understand what was going on. "YES! The CAR!!!" he shouted, running to the kitchen to join Mikagami in the garage.
Tokiya absently ran his fingers over the smooth black paint on his way to the trunk of the car. A push of a button popped the trunk. "The Anki goes in there. The leather interior takes no chances."
Kaoru looked at Tokiya then decided not to argue and obliged.
They got into the car and buckled their seatbelts. Tokiya started up the car and handed Kaoru the remote controls to the radio. "Nothing too loud and none of your hardcore punk rock."
Soon they were on their way to Miname's. Kaoru was begging Tokiya to let to the top to the car down. "On our way back after we drop Miname-san off," Tokiya promised. His hair most likely would not sit well in the wind caused by the top down. He caught himself gripping the wheel tightly a few times then chiding his stupidity. "It's just a girl," he kept telling himself. "Just a girl."
"Tonight's gonna be the best!" Kaoru said, grinning wildly.
Tokiya found himself wishing he had the kid's confidence in the night. Before reaching Miname's house, he pulled the car over and turned down the radio. He looked at Koganei.
"You all right?" the kid asked.
"One teasing remark and it's your allowance for six months. Got me?"
Kaoru frowned. "You know damn well I wouldn't do that to you. I even called Recca and Fuuko and threatened to kick their asses if they give you any funny stares. I'm rooting for you on this one."
"At least one of us is," Tokiya muttered, looking in his rearview before pulling back out onto the street.
~~~~~~~
Miname blotted her dark red lipstick and then began to fiddle with her hair again. It had already been pulled back into a fishtail braid with a few strands purposely hanging down. She stood before her mirror once more, hoping her white t-shirt and blue jeans were not too casual for Tokiya's tastes. To make sure it wasn't, she pulled on the diamond ring and necklace her father had bought her mother long ago. "There, that's better," she thought. She looked high class casual.
Since her room was in the front of the house, she heard the car drive up. She looked at her clock to see it was 7:30 on the dot. "Damn," she cursed aloud, checking her purse to make sure her knife was well hidden within. She doubted she'd be able to do it on this night but it was better safe than sorry.
The doorbell chiming sent her scrambling to check her hair once more before running to the door. She stopped and composed herself telling herself she could do this. She opened the door and was greeted by Mikagami Tokiya. A very, cool, calm, collected-looking Mikagami Tokiya. One that looked as if he had spent just as much time getting ready as she had. Although she had promised herself not to look into those icy baby blue eyes of his because she had been thinking on them all week, she was doing it anyway.
After a moment she watched as his eyes took a quick glance over her attire. His expression didn't change one bit and she was left wondering if he was satisfied or digusted with her. "Hi there," she finally said.
"Hello." After a moment's silence, he took a step backward. "Are you ready, or should we give you more time?"
Miname shook her head. "I'm all set. Thank you for inviting me, by the way." She stepped out of the house, shutting and locking the door behind her. Kitaro's parents had taken him out for pizza. She had no curfew. She had only been asked that she not come back drunk and that she be quiet when she came in. She had assured them she didn't drink and promised to be very quiet upon her return.
Tokiya led her to his car. It looked very expensive and would easily be the finest car she had ever had the chance to ride in. She wondered about the license plate that read "RAHEL818" but she didn't ask as he opened the passenger side door for her. The boy that lived with Mikagami occupied her seat. He looked up at her. "I don't mind sitting in the back," she said.
"Six months, Koganei." The words made no sense to Miname, but it sent the boy into a scowl as he climbed into the back seat. She turned to see Mikagami's eyes had widened. She smiled gently when she realized that Tokiya had done so because Kaoru's feet had touched the leather. He blinked and shook his head, his stoic expression back on his face.
Miname carefully climbed into the car and Tokiya shut the door behind her. She buckled up and turned to look at the boy. "Hello, Kaoru-kun!" she said, hoping that was the boy's name.
He grinned broadly, showing off two little "fangs." He looked like a little devil. "Good evening, Miname-neechan! Ready to have some fun?"
She nodded and turned around as Tokiya's door opened and he got in. He adjusted his rear-view mirror, catching Kaoru's eyes and giving him a menacing stare. Kaoru turned to Miname and winked. She was sure he would be a lady-killer once he reached that age. She turned back around once more and they were on their way to the amusement park.
~~~~~~~
The night was going well in Mikagami's eyes. So far no one had made fun of him or Miname for being on a date of sorts. Miname seemed to be having fun, throwing him shy smiles every now and then. The rides has been okay although he found himself a little more than worried while on the Ferris Wheel. The damn thing HAD to stop while he and Miname were on top of it, with Recca and Yanagi sitting in the seats behind them.
"Hey Mikagami!" Recca had yelled.
Tokiya ignored him knowing he was going to ask him if he knew what he was supposed to do at the top. But he heard him yelp as if Yanagi had pinched him like she did so often nowadays. Miname had smiled at him and looked up at the sky, the stars masked by the bright carnival lights.
Kaoru and Ganko had gone back to ride their favorite rides as the rest went to the gaming booths. Yanagi noticed a dart stand with a teddy bear as one of the prizes and begged Recca to win it for her. Mikagami watched in amusement as he spent nearly the entire contents of his wallet, never once hitting the bullseye. "Such bad aim for a Flame Master," he chided.
"Why don't you give it a shot!?" Recca yelled, on the edge of being furious. A smile from Yanagi sent him grinning and fiddling with the back of his cap though.
"Perhaps I will," he said, stepping forward.
"I was next in line!" Domon said smoothly, literally pushing Tokiya aside. "I'm gonna win that bear for Fuuko!"
Fuuko's face fell. "I don't even want the bear." she muttered. She saw the hurt look on Yanagi's face. "If he happens to win it, it's yours," she assured her. Yanagi smiled and hugged Recca upon hearing that news.
Domon threw his darts but they hit the board so hard that nearly half of the dart was embedded in the board.
Mikagami shook his head as he took out his wallet, glancing upon the picture of Mifuyu and feeling a pang in his chest. He took a deep breath, quickly pulling his money out. He could sense the eyes of his friends on his wallet, trying to see the picture as well. Without acknowledging that he knew, he paid for four darts.
"Only four? Your friends went through at least 12 a piece. Are you that confident, sonny?" the man running the booth asked.
"Always, of course. And I'm not your sonny." He looked at the four dartboards, each with a prize hanging above it for hitting the bullseye. Calming his mind he raised his arms, rapidly firing off each dart. After each throw, he said a name. "Yanagi-san, Fuuko, Miname-san, Ganko." After he said the name, the dart would strike the bullseye with a sharp thump.
"Whoa!" Fuuko laughed.
Yanagi stood with her eyes wide. Mikagami turned to Miname to see her biting her lip to keep from grinning. He felt a small satisfaction knowing he had impressed her.
The man didn't seem too happy with Mikagami as he handed the prizes to him. As they walked away, the girls were all smiling and Recca and Domon were fuming with their hands shoved deep in their pockets. He really hadn't done it to make Recca and Domon look like idiots yet again. The smile on Yanagi's face when she huggled the bear was one reason. The way Fuuko had fumed over the stuffed monkey he handed her after commenting on how fitting it was for her to get the monkey was another. He saved the hippo in a ballerina outfit for Ganko. The dozen plastic red roses seemed almost perfect for Miname. The way she had smiled with those beautiful green eyes and sniffed them as if they were real was definitely going to plague his mind.
As they walked along heading towards the open field where people could sit to watch the fireworks show, they passed the House of Mirrors. None of his friends knew where the anonymous contribution to repair the House had come from. It had made Mikagami mad to hear that some thought Mori Kouran had made it. He wanted to take back his donation upon hearing that, but he didn't. It was his fault partially, after all.
"Hey, Mikagami! It's the place where I whipped your ass!" Recca laughed.
Mikagami looked at him. "Think you could do it again?" he asked, in a cool, daring manner.
Recca stopped in his tracks. "Is that a challenge?"
"No! Stop it before I kick both your asses!" Fuuko said angrily.
Mikagami snorted audibly and kept walking. He heard Recca kick the ground behind him. Friends or not, they were still highly competitive.
"I was scared you were gonna kill me that day, Tokiya-senpai," Yanagi said as they began walking again.
"I never would have hurt you. I just thought that Recca knew something about my sister." He stole a glance at Miname, wondering if they had told her about Mifuyu. She looked down into her roses though, acting as if she didn't notice his glance. He could once again hear his voice screaming for his sister in his mind. A hand on his back nearly made him jump.
Fuuko leaned in towards his ear and said very quietly, "Stop the brooding, you're making her feel bad."
He nodded and turned to look at Recca. He seemed to have forgotten the scene altogether as Yanagi was making him hug and kiss her new bear. He seemed happy to oblige until he saw Mikagami looking at him. Then he quickly handed her back the bear and acted as if nothing was happening.
"Would you care for a soda or some juice, Miname-san?" he turned back around asking as they passed a drink stand. She looked up at him and nodded.
When everyone had finished their juice, Kaoru and Ganko came running up behind them.
"I don't feel so well," Ganko said as Domon lifted her into his arms. She put her head onto his shoulder, her face looking a bit green.
Kaoru grinned. "I told her she couldn't take the Loops of Fury again! She wouldn't listen!"
Mikagami handed the hippo to Domon. "See what Mikagami won for you?"
She took it quietly, clutching it to her as she closed her eyes.
"We're gonna be late for the show if we don't hurry," Kaoru said.
They headed to the field again, Domon holding tightly to Ganko and walking carefully so that she would not get sick.
~~~~~~~
The field was crowded with people lying on their blankets, looking up at the now visible stars waiting for the fireworks. Domon's backpack had carried three blankets for him and his friends. Yanagi lay with her head on Recca's chest, making an odd L shape with their bodies. His arm draped around her midsection, holding her hand tightly. On another blanket, Ganko lay very still in Domon's arms, half-asleep. Fuuko lay with her hands behind her head and Kaoru was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest. Mikagami and Miname lay alone on the last blanket. Fuuko was near Mikagami, though. Miname had lain down close to him, so close that he could feel the warmth of her arm next to his, yet they weren't touching at all. The feeling was making his heart speed up a bit. He had to calm himself.
"Hey Recca, your dad's late with the show," Fuuko said.
Recca groaned a bit. "He's probably distracted. Mom is helping him with everything, after all."
"I've had a lot of fun tonight, Tokiya," Miname said quietly.
Mikagami turned to look at her. Her green eyes and straight face met his for a moment before turning back up to the sky. The first boom occurred and the sky was filled with orange and green shimmers. He turned his attention back up to the sky. His mind wasn't on fireworks though. She was actually having fun with him. No, it had to be his friends. It couldn't be him.
The "oohs!" and "aahs!" of the crowd seemed almost silly. The firework show was nothing short of beautiful. Mikagami's mind was on Miname still. He realized that he should do something. He just wasn't sure what. Kissing her was out of the question, especially in front of everyone. Kissing!? What the hell was he thinking? He had no time for that sort of thing. His heart was set on his sister's revenge. There was no time for petty romance. Was there? The anger that had built inside him seethed just as quickly. It was a good 15 minutes into the firework show. It was supposed to last for 20 minutes. That was when he felt the heat of her arm on his again and his hand began to move on its own accord. Before he realized it, his fingers were touching hers, twining themselves into her hand where no one else could see. Very few times had his heart beat as fast as it was now. Then she squeezed his hand.
He turned to look at her slowly, forcing himself to at least try to calm down. She looked at him with her calm looking face again. He realized her heart must be beating just as fast as his. Maybe her mind wasn't on the fireworks either. Maybe she... felt what he felt. "How can she feel what you feel, you idiot?" he chided himself as he risked a few more moments looking into those eyes.
Then she smiled at him. It wasn't one of the smiles that she had been giving him all night, it seemed more genuine. With this smile, he knew he was the cause. It wasn't the halfhearted smile he had been getting all night. It wasn't the smile that seemed to be hiding something. This smile comforted him greatly... the same way Mifuyu's smile had.
This wasn't right. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "Is something wrong?" Miname asked. That was when he noticed that he was squeezing her hand. Yes, there was something wrong. Why was he holding her hand? Why was he feeling things towards her? Things that he had set aside for his sister? He eased up on her hand a bit without answering her and she looked back up at the sky, that perfect smile gone.
Soon everyone was sitting up, cheering and clapping after the grand finale of the firework show. Miname held tight to his hand. One part of him didn't mind at all, the other was wondering what the hell he was doing. Then Fuuko glanced at them. Miname pulled her hand away quickly and sat up. Mikagami avoided Fuuko's gaze. They all stood up and began folding the blankets and packing them back into Domon's backpack.
"Shall we play around some more or go home?" Fuuko asked, stretching.
Recca yawned loudly as if in response.
"Yeah, I need to take Ganko home. She's beat." Domon patted her head.
"Yanagi and I are going to find my dad. We'll see you guys later. It was fun!" Recca called, grabbing Yanagi's arm and pulling her off to where his parents were.
"I should be going as well, then," Fuuko said. She waited until it was only her, Mikagami, Kaoru and Miname left. She then hugged Tokiya, his eyes getting wide. "Night, Mi-chan. Thanks for the monkey."
"Kirisawa.," he growled.
"Come on, Mi-chan. You know you love me." Fuuko was smiling wildly and batting her eyelashes at him.
"Never," was his reply as he turned to Miname and Kaoru, ignoring Fuuko and her antics.
Fuuko laughed. "Goodnight then, Mi-chan. You too, Miname. And Kaoru." She was left standing alone as the others walked off, heading for Mikagami's car.
~~~~~~~
Mikagami was glad his engine was a quiet one as he turned off his lights before pulling into Miname's driveway to make sure that he woke no one up. It was a little past one in the morning. Kaoru was in the backseat, feigning sleep.
"I really did have fun tonight, Tokiya. The firework show was." The smile appeared faintly.
"Wonderful."
"Thank you for a wonderful night as well, Miname-san. I hope that. I hope that it means I can see you again." He wondered how lame his words sounded.
She nodded. "Of course it does. Call me sometimes, okay?"
He nodded and gripped his steering wheel. He realized this was the part that the two people on a date usually kissed but he wasn't ready for that. Holding her hand was that night's victory.
"Goodnight then, Miname-san."
"Goodnight, Tokiya," she said, opening her door and getting out.
He watched her walk up to the door and unlock it. She turned and waved at him before going inside.
"God, she's beautiful," he said aloud, forgetting Kaoru was in the car with him for a minute.
"Yeah, she is. You deserve someone like her," the kid said.
Mikagami sighed and put the car into reverse as Kaoru climbed into the front seat. "Did I do well?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm kinda proud of ya. I'm gonna give you some pointers though. Women are complicated,"
Kaoru laughed.
Mikagami shook his head and kept driving.
~~~~~~~
Miname closed the door behind her and leaned against it quietly. She was trembling. The guy that was said to be cold as ice was melting for her. She feared she was melting for him, too. Dear god what was she thinking? She was supposed to kill him, not fall for him as well! She clutched the dozen roses knowing that they'd last a lifetime. Falling for the Mikagami Tokiya that was the true inheritor of the Hyomen Ken was not what she had wanted to do. She wanted him dead. But the way he had made her feel felt so real and it had been a long time since she had been that happy.
She finally moved to her bedroom, quietly getting into her nightdress and slipping into bed. On her nightstand the roses sat in a vase. She closed her eyes, clasping her hands saying a prayer to her guardian before laying down to sleep. "Give me the strength I need to go through with my plans. Don't let me be a disappointment to you or to the master. Let me be able to kill him like the evil wretch that he is. Don't let me be blinded by his beauty and smooth ways. Help me face the truth about the bastard."
She reached up and turned off her light, laying down completely and falling asleep. Fireworks, Ferris Wheels, and what Tokiya did not do to her at the top of the Wheel filled her dreams.