Day 2 and we're still going strong. Thank you to Lavender Empress and Scraplord for reviewing! It means a lot to me, it really does.
Anyways long weekend so yay! More time to write. Enjoy.
Do I like her?
It was the question he had been asking himself all day. School was easy for him anyways, which opened his mind up to think about other things.
Like Oboro.
Similar to the previous day, it was scorching hot, only adding to the amount of sweat Takumi was producing, both from the heat and the thought of talking to her again.
He stopped outside the place again, mentally steadying himself for what lay within. He placed his palms on the warm glass, pushed (of course he wouldn't forget this time) and he was immediately met with a blast of frigid air.
"Close the door, we don't want to let any hot air in," Oboro called from the back. Takumi turned around and pulled his sister in with him, careful to shut the door. His cheeks were burning from the sight of her. Gods, this is crazy!
"Sakura!" A girl, looked about Sakura's age with long, blonde locks, ran up to the two. "Come play!"
"Oniichan?" the pinkette looked up at her older brother with questioning eyes. He nodded slowly, wanting to delay his arrival as much as possible. The pair of girls ran off. He slowly walked up to the table where she was sitting.
"Takumi!" He glanced up. It was Hinata approaching him. Thank the gods. A buffer-
"I'm going to help Reina with her work this time, you watch the kids with Oboro. I reckon she thinks you two can do okay without me." Hinata smiled lopsidedly. "Have fun!" He walked back into one of the back rooms.
Have fun!? Takumi thought furiously. HAVE FUN!?
"Takumi?"
He was going to have to face it sooner or later.
"What's got you down Takumi?"
He managed a sigh and flopped into the chair across from Oboro, trying to hide his blush. "Oh...nothing." Only you.
He looked back. She was staring at him in obvious interest. He closed his eyes, willing his face to cool down and preparing himself a second time. Okay, if this is going to work, I need to push my feelings away and talk to her like a sane person.
He turned his body towards her. "I'm fine. How about you?"
"Good…"
The silence between them stretched like like the taut bowstrings in Takumi's archery classes. C'mon, say something! "So, you said your parents are tailors?"
"They were tailors," she corrected with a bitter smile. "They're dead now."
Dead? His eyes widened. Sh-shit! Why am I so stupid?
"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to bring it up."
"That's alright." Her expression was stoic, but her voice sounded a bit shaky. "It happened when I was young...I don't remember much. I learned everything I know about tailoring from them."
She gave a watery smile. "I shouldn't get too mopey, though. What's happened has happened, there's no point dwelling on the past when I have the present to live through."
"Hey! You two!"
Takumi swiveled his body, trying to find the source of the yell. It was Reina from the back room, her office. " He pricked his ears, waiting for the rest of her message. "If you're done flirting, then get your butts in here!"
Takumi could practically hear his ears blowing steam. Gah! Flirting!? She was talking about her dead parents! He didn't know what Oboro was feeling, but he would bet his bow that it was the same as him.
As they got up to follow, Takumi decided to chance the question. "We...we weren't...flirting, were we?"
"Of course not. I was talking about my dead parents!" she joked sarcastically.
So she's prone to mood changes, he noted. Am I like that? That was what he was told constantly by his mother and Hinoka, that he was in those stages of his life, his hormones were kicking in and voila! unpredictable mood swings. At least it's something we have in common, he consoled himself.
They walked in silence for the rest of the short way.
They were met by a slightly surprising scene when they entered the room. Hinata sitting on a chair, his playful attitude somewhat dimmed down, and Reina behind a desk with a somber expression and crossed arms.
"Hinata? Did you do something wrong?" Oboro quipped with a smile. Takumi was wondering exactly the same thing.
"This will only take two minutes. After this, I need you three back there like nothing has happened. Got it?"
Takumi gave a slow, slightly confused nod. Oboro was the one who spoke up. "What is it?" Her tone was more serious now.
"I just got this." Reina's voice was hard. She held up an envelope. Not anything special, just an envelope. "Here." She held it out to Takumi, who warily accepted it.
Hoshidan Royal Bank. "Can I open it?"
"It's already opened," Oboro pointed out. "Let's read it." She took the envelope from his hands. He stiffened at the contact but he didn't think anyone noticed.
He could see her eyes moving back and forth, occasionally frowning at what was on the page. Her eyes widened and he could take it no longer. He slid around her and started reading over her shoulder, trying to ignore the fact that she smelled pleasantly of lilacs. Nope, he didn't care about that. Not at all.
Dear Reina Yugiri,
It has recently come to our attention that you have been neglecting your rent for the past two months. As you may recall, we already gave you two chances to pay it back, which you assured us you will. You may also recall that you did not follow through on this assurance. As a result, we are afraid we will have to take back the property you rented in two weeks' time. You may re-rent it when the time period of one month has officially passed.
Regards,
Hoshidan Royal Bank
"So - does that mean - ?" Takumi questioned.
"We have two weeks," Reina answered grimly. "As you can see, we can barely afford a new paint job. You three are all the staff we have."
"All the staff?" Oboro's voice had taken an alarming turn. "What - the kids!" she turned tail and rushed back to the open area.
Reina whistled. "Only two minutes. Anyways, don't let the kids know." She directed her command at both boys, Hinata simply nodded while Takumi asked, "So you'll end the business? Don't people pay you for this?"
She laughed bitterly. "I guess my kindness was my downfall. I wanted to do this out of my heart, not because I needed cash. We've been running on loans and whatever I make at my part-time job. Also," she added, pointing two fingers at both boys, "don't breathe a word of this to anyone. No one needs to know the details of this. Although…" she relented, "it wouldn't hurt to get a few more people around here to help. You two are on recruitment duty. Find one or two people each to come after school and help out. You're dismissed."
Hinata stood up and followed Takumi out of the older woman's office. Once they were out of earshot, they started to discuss the situation.
"So...this old place is going down." Hinata didn't sound excited, in fact, it was the contrary.
"Yeah...it's a shame. Six pairs of parents relied on this," Takumi replied, trying to make a joke out of it. Just to lighten the mood.
Hinata lifted his head and turned towards Takumi. "I thought you'd be…" he paused, as if searching for the right word. "Happy? Glad? You never wanted to do this, right?"
"About that…" Takumi began, knowing it was true, "I...sorta changed my mind."
"Changed your mind?" Immediately, Hinata's mood lightened considerably. Takumi could almost feel it; he was standing right beside him. "What made you? Or, should I say who made you?"
Takumi flushed scarlet. Gods, does he know? "What makes you think that?" he asked, ignoring Hinata's ever-growing smirk.
"Ha! You should have seen your face!" Hinata doubled over in laughter. Oboro, tending to one of the children's needs, looked over. Hinata dying of laughter, Takumi brighter than a tomato. She shrugged and turned back.
"Just kidding, Taki. But the way you reacted, I can't help think so." Hinata slapped Takumi on the back again, but with less force.
Taki was what people had called him in kindergarten. Apparently Takumi was too hard for a five-year old to pronounce so that's what most of his classmates had called him. It had lost its use after a while, but Hinata still called him that sometimes just to annoy him.
"Well, you thought wrong."
Hinata was still chuckling. "Whatever you say, bro."
Takumi just rolled his eyes. Why did he put up with this again? Oh yes, Hinata was his best friend.
Deet-deet-dee-
Takumi's hand flew to his watch without thinking and turned off the alarm. "Six o'clock," he murmured. As if on cue, the door to the outside world opened. A tall man walked in, he looked about Ryoma's age. He had mid-length blond hair and carried himself with an air of confidence.
Probably a model child and student like him too, Takumi inwardly grumbled. He was about to get a shock though, because who would step about from behind him but...Leo.
Gods, Leo.
Takumi saw enough of him at school, why did he need to run into him here? They were self-sworn enemies, they constantly annoyed each other to the point that some people even said they were - gasp! - friends. Unconceivable!
But right now, all Takumi wanted to do was to get home.
He quietly whispered "bye" to Hinata, prepared himself for contact and tapped Oboro and the shoulder to say bye, and grabbed Sakura to slip out unseen and unnoticed. She just had time to say a hurried goodbye before she was grabbed by Takumi.
He didn't see what they were there for (although Leo and his brother looked a bit like the girl with blonde locks Sakura was with earlier) and frankly, he didn't care either. His older sister was waiting outside in their car as always. He walked briskly out, ignoring the blast of sudden heat and practically threw themselves into the car.
"Why in such a hurry?" Hinoka questioned shrewdly.
"Leo" was all Takumi said. She tilted her head to one side. "Aren't you guys, like, best friends or something?"
Takumi sighed. Exactly what he meant. "Firstly, Hinata's my best friend. Secondly, I hate that blond jerk!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, little bro. So, Sakura, how did it go?"
Takumi slowly zoned out as his sisters' banter turned to less interesting topics. He didn't get long to though, it was a smaller town after all. They were too tired to walk back on most days though, which is why Hinoka came to pick them up. She usually stayed at school after it ended though, and it was just on her way back home. Plus it was more dangerous to walk back home later in the day. At least that's what their mother said, and no one wanted to make her disappointed so everyone listened to her.
Before long it was dinnertime. Everyone had finished washing up and the entire family was gathered around the dining table.
"Pass the rice, Takumi, please," Mikoto asked her son from across the table.
"Hnh? Oh, right." Takumi grabbed the vegetables instead and tried to give them to his mother.
"That's the broccoli, Takumi," his mother sighed. Hinoka snickered but Takumi didn't notice.
"Is it just me, or does he look preoccupied these days?" Sumeragi, their father, whispered to Mikoto.
"I don't know, dear, I don't know."
Reina's last name: Yugiri (derived from her Japanese name, Yuugiri. I was lazy.)
Hopefully I will get the next chapter done pretty soon.
