Whenever Wherever
Ichigo Momomiya stood on the threshold. She twisted her hands nervously. The last time she'd asked her father rejected her soundly. The time before that he'd brushed her off. But this time would be different, she decided. He'd see things her way and let her do it. He had to. Ichigo stopped twisting her hands and let them hang at her sides. She crossed the threshold to the den, where her father was reading a thick book of some kind or another.
Ichigo walked behind her father and placed her arms around him in a gentle hug. "Hello Father dearest," Ichigo said sweetly. Her father sighed. "What do you want this time?" He asked. "Oh, nothing much," Ichigo said lightly. Her father looked up at her and resignedly asked, "Is this about what I think it is?" "Maybe, it depends on what you're thinking," Ichigo replied. "Well, I might as well know what you want sooner than later," Her father replied with a mock sigh.
"Father, I'd like to travel out of the country," Ichigo requested. Her father laughed heartily and replied, "But where would you go?" Ichigo looked off into the distance and seemed unfocused on the present as she replied, "Somewhere. Anywhere. I long to leave Tokyo and travel elsewhere. I want to see the world while I'm young enough to enjoy it."
Her father shook his head. "No. I have said no before and I will say it again. You will not travel as long as you live in my house. It's a dangerous world out there for young girls such as you," Her father said as he picked up the book again. "Oh but father, please. I've never wanted anything more! I only want to travel, to see the world! And it's not as though we do not have the money for it; your business has made us rich as kings," Ichigo pleaded. Her father shook his head again. "It's much too dangerous for a young teenage girl out there to be traveling alone," Her father replied in a tone which said, 'and that is the end of this.' Ichigo fumed and stormed out of the room.
She stomped up the stairs to her room and slammed the door, making sure a loud bang resounded throughout the house. She sat on her floor amidst her homework, glaring at the thick books and scattered papers. Hot tears threatened to run down her cheeks. But she held them back. No sense in letting them fall if no one was there to appreciate them. So Ichigo sat amidst her homework, glaring at nothing in particular and thinking of many plans to escape or to get revenge on her father.
Ichigo sat brooding in her room when her mother called her down to dinner. "I don't want any!" Ichigo yelled back. Ichigo wrathfully picked up a pencil and opened up her geometry book. She glared at the problems and scribbled down the answers. Her mother called her again to welcome a house guest. "I'm not coming down!" Ichigo yelled. She opened her literature book and glared at the numerous and pointless questions. When she finished scribbling the answers for those, Ichigo did feel somewhat calmer.
Ichigo quietly opened her door and silently stalked down the stairs. She made her way through the kitchen and pilfered a dinner roll from the bag on the counter before heading to the den and turning on the stereo. Ichigo sat down on the couch munching on her dinner roll as her music played. The tunes of rock and roll came on and Ichigo slowly relaxed.
Through heavy metal, rock and roll, and Mozart Ichigo listened, quietly munching on her dinner roll. Ichigo was feeling rather drowsy as the Beach Boys came on and thought about heading up to bed and sleeping. She held the remote up and was just about to push the power button when a voice from behind her said, "But I like this song."
Ichigo jumped, surprised and turned around. A light skinned boy with green hair stood behind her. "Who're you?" Ichigo asked. The boy laughed. He couldn't be much older than her, if he was indeed older. "Didn't they tell you?" He asked. Ichigo shook her head. "They never tell me about these kinds of things," She pouted slightly and closed her eyes, listening to the music. "I'm your great aunt's ex-roommate's grandson, the houseguest who's going to be staying here for a few days," The boy replied. "Oh. You. And I was asking for a name," Ichigo prompted. "Oh. Sorry. My name is Kisshu," The boy replied. "And I think you're kind of cute," he replied, brushing her cheek with his fingers. Ichigo blushed and he withdrew his hand.
"So where are you from?" Ichigo asked. "I'm from across the ocean, from England," He replied. Ichigo nodded. "The little island?" She asked. "It's bigger when you're on it," He replied, making a half hearted attempt to defend his 'little island.' Ichigo nodded. "What's it like over there?" She asked. Kisshu opened his mouth to reply when her stomach growled.
Kisshu smiled. "Guess you're a little hungry," He commented. Ichigo nodded. "I never had any dinner," she confessed. "I'm going to go get something to eat," Ichigo continued. Kisshu nodded. "Mind if I come along?" He asked. "Sure," Ichigo gave permission as she got up from the couch. The pair walked out the door and into the adjoining dining room and from there to the kitchen.
Ichigo pulled out a plate from the cupboard and set it on the counter. She turned around to the fridge and pulled out some leftover taco meat in a Tupperware container, a bag of graded cheese (which she stacked on top of the leftover taco meat), and a small packet of lettuce. She closed the fridge door with her foot and laid the ingredients on the counter beside her plate. "What're you making?" Kisshu asked, looking on with interest. "It's an American meal my aunt gave us. She calls it Taco Salad," Ichigo replied. "How did she find out about it?" Kisshu asked. "She likes to travel and sometimes she brings back recipes," Ichigo elaborated. Kisshu nodded as Ichigo scooped some of the taco meat onto the plate.
She looked around looking for the paper towels. "Do you see the paper towels?" She asked Kisshu upon not seeing them. "There they are," Kisshu pointed to a ledge above the stove. Ichigo reached up and her hand was barely able to grasp it. "Here, allow me," he said and reached up, grabbing the paper towels with ease. "Thanks," Ichigo said and took them from him. She pulled one off and laid it on top of the meat then put the meat in the microwave. Ichigo shut the microwave and set it for thirty seconds. "So do you usually eat this . . . taco salad?" Kisshu asked. Ichigo shook her head. "Nah, it's pretty new," She informed him. Kisshu nodded. The microwave beeped and Ichigo pulled out her meat. She set the plate on the counter and opened the bags of cheese and lettuce, pulling out some of both and setting them in neat piles next to the meat. Ichigo closed the bags and put them back in the fridge. "That is taco salad?" Kisshu asked, looking at it suspiciously. Ichigo shook her head. "Not yet," she replied and grabbed a rolled up bag of corn chips. She pulled some out and placed them in between the cheese and the lettuce. "Now it is," Ichigo said happily. She grabbed a fork from one of the drawers below the stove and headed back to the den.
She sat down on the couch and Kisshu stood behind her. "Here, sit beside me," Ichigo said, patting the cushion next to hers. Kisshu sat down next to her. "So what do you want to talk about?" Kisshu asked. "England," Ichigo decided. "What shall I tell you about England?" Kisshu asked. "Anything, everything," Ichigo vaguely replied as she used the fork to scoop some meat onto a corn chip using her fork and putting some cheese and lettuce on top of the meat. "Well, there are the cities and the countryside, which do you wish me to speak of?" Kisshu asked. "Start with the city," Ichigo decided. She put the chip with everything on it in her mouth as Kisshu began to speak.
"England sounds like a great place," Ichigo commented with vivacity. Her empty plate lay on the coffee table in front of the couch and she and Kisshu sat closely, facing each other. "Well, it's my home," Kisshu replied. "But how can you speak Japanese so well?" Ichigo asked. "Because my mother is Japanese and that's all she ever spoke to me. I know English from my father and school mates. She taught me to read and write in Japanese and to speak fluently and taught me the customs," Kisshu explained. "Well, I've got to go to bed right now. But I'd like you to know that you're not as bad as I thought you were," Ichigo replied as she stood. Kisshu nodded. "Where's the guest room?" He asked. "Next to mine. Come on up and I'll show you," Ichigo invited. Kisshu nodded and took the opportunity.
Ichigo and Kisshu picked up his luggage from the entrance hall and Ichigo led the way to the stairs. The two climbed up the staircase in silence. Ichigo walked down and past her room. She pushed open a cherry wood door to reveal a sparsely furnished room. "Well, here we are," Ichigo announced and set some of his luggage down by the bed. Kisshu nodded. She crossed the wooden floor to the door. "Arigatou, Ichigo," He thanked her. Ichigo paused at the threshold. "How do you know my name?" She asked. "Your parents told me," Kisshu replied. Ichigo nodded. "'Night Kisshu," Ichigo said and left the room. Ichigo shut the door behind her and walked over to the bathroom, thinking about what Kisshu had said and how he had treated her. It was nice she decided, very nice. She stripped and turned on the warm water before stepping into the shower.
Kisshu had changed into his pajamas and tossed his two duffel bags in a corner. He was sitting on the edge of the bed when a melody floated in from Ichigo's room. "Le lo lo le lo le . . . le lo lo le lo le . . ." Kisshu closed his eyes and listened to Ichigo's voice. "She's got good lungs," He murmured to himself. He shuffled himself under the quilt of the bed and laid his head on the pillow, listening to Ichigo's singing.
Kisshu woke up late the next day. He was in no rush when he got up and out of bed. Nor was he in a rush when he dressed and went down stairs. He wasn't in a rush when he ate breakfast. However, he paused when Mrs. Momomiya came in and asked, "Kisshu, aren't you supposed to be in school?" "There is school today?" Kisshu asked. Mrs. Momomiya nodded. Kisshu jumped up, knocking over his chair in the process, and pounded up the stairs for his backpack. Since he hadn't fully moved in, he was able to find it with ease. He grabbed it and rushed down the stairs, slipping down the last two and landing on his butt. He winced, but sprang back up and rushed for the door where he had left his shoes. He slipped one on, but accidentally knocked the other across the floor and so he ran after it. He slipped that one on and flung open the door. "See 'ya later Mrs. Momomiya!" He called and rushed out, slamming the door behind him. "But Kisshu! Do you know—" Mrs. Momomiya stopped when he slammed the door. She'd thought that he just might want to know where the school was. Kisshu sheepishly poked his head back in a few moments later. "Um . . . where is the school?" He asked.
Ichigo sat in her first period class with Minto. They were passing notes about Ichigo's new "house guest." Is he hot? Minto wrote and passed to Ichigo. On a scale of 1-10 he's a 9. Ichigo slipped the note to Minto. Minto's reply came over Ichigo's shoulder. That's a first. Where is he? Minto had written. Ichigo smiled and wrote, I think he's still at home. Ichigo looked up at the professor before slipping the note back. Minto read it and Ichigo wrote down some notes the professor had written on the board while Minto wrote her reply. She lightly tapped the back of Ichigo's chair with her foot and Ichigo put her hand back for the note. Isn't he supposed to be here? Ichigo wore a slightly puzzled expression. I thought he was, but he was still sleeping when I left. Ichigo slipped the note onto the corner of Minto's desk and then proceeded to copy more notes the professor had written on the board. Minto had just passed the note back to Ichigo when they noticed someone coming in. He had lush green hair and was dressed in a rumpled uniform . . . That's him.
Ichigo and Minto watched Kisshu without trying to look like they were watching him (which is much harder and less successful than you'd think). Finally the bell rang. Ichigo and Minto casually walked up to him as he got ready to walk out the door. "Hey Kisshu, where've you been?" Ichigo asked. "I over slept," Kisshu replied as he walked toward the door. Ichigo and Minto followed. "Kisshu, do you even know where you're going?" Ichigo asked. "No, not really. However I have a very good sense of direction, so you don't need to play tour guide," Kisshu said. "Unless of course you're actually worried about me," Kisshu teased, leaning in toward Ichigo. Ichigo was offended at this and slightly embarrassed. "I couldn't care less about you," She replied and pushed around him, stalking into the hallway.
Minto and Kisshu hurried after Ichigo. "Aww . . .Ichigo, I didn't mean to make you mad," Kisshu pleaded. Ichigo sighed. "It's ok," she replied and turned to face him. "But you better not tick me off again," She threatened, waving her finger in his face. "You're cute when you're mad," Kisshu responded after a second. "Flattery will not work next time," Ichigo told him. "But you are!" Kisshu said again as he followed Ichigo down the hallway. "Where's your next class?" Ichigo asked, suddenly changing the subject. Kisshu pulled out a folded and slightly crumpled paper and handed it to Ichigo. Ichigo's forehead creased and she showed the paper to Minto who burst out laughing. "What's so funny?!" Kisshu demanded. "You have all the same classes as Ichigo," Minto said between fits of laughter as she surrendered the class list to Kisshu.
Ichigo walked into her next class and sat near the middle of the room. Kisshu sat down next to her. "So what exactly is this class?" Kisshu asked. "This is science," Ichigo replied with a sigh. One of her least favorite classes, now to be taken with a most annoying someone. The room slowly filled up and Ichigo caught murmurings of conversations, circulating mainly around the "new kid." Retasu, Ichigo's other best friend, came and sat down on Ichigo's other side. "Hey Ichigo. How was the weekend?" Retasu asked. Ichigo shrugged. "A new member has been added to my house," Ichigo replied. "Really? You're parents finally adopted that little girl from India?" Retasu asked. "No! They still haven't decided about that. But he has joined my house," Ichigo said pointing to Kisshu. Retasu looked at him and studied him for a minute. "Hi?" Kisshu offered.