Too Young
Chapter the Second
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
There was this nagging feeling biting at the back of Yamato's thoughts all the way over to band practice. It wasn't in Hikari's nature to be cold, it was a task for her to be mean. He shouldn't have played off what she said so carelessly, he should have stayed and made her tell him what was wrong.
Yamato sighed, pushing open the door to the auditorium. By some stroke of luck (or maybe just a family connection), the Teenage Wolves were allowed to use Odaiba's theatre for two hours up to four days a week. The room was great for playing in; the music didn't bounce off the walls back at them, confusing the sound.
Ryouki looked up from his drums. "Tsk, tsk, an hour late."
"Well maybe if one of the people in the band told me about band practice I would have been here. Going through two third parties is not the most effective way to do things."
Yutaka and Akira snickered at each other.
"Yeah, yeah," Ryouki replied, "whatever. Let's just make this hour count."
Yamato rolled his eyes, annoyed. He took his guitar out of the case and met the group on the stage. An hour of practice was going to feel more like ten minutes, Yamato enjoyed it so much. He always became completely absorbed in the music, freeing his mind from the angst of reality.
As it turned out, an hour did pass as quickly as ten minutes would have. The group was half-way through their last song when the door was nudged open. Yamato's fingers froze against his guitar as he watched Sora try to creep in unnoticed.
"Ryouki, I thought you explained to her that this is a closed session. Didn't we already ask you to talk to her about waiting outside?"
"Relax, Yamato," Ryouki answered coolly. "It's five after; technically we've been done for five minutes."
Yamato just glared at Ryouki. He didn't feel much like arguing at the moment. He pulled the guitar strap over his head and set the instrument in its case. The other members followed suit.
Sora skipped up, hands behind her back, looking tentatively at Yamato. "I'm sorry I interrupted," she said smoothly, pouting out her lip slightly. "I keep asking Ryouki if I can come here to watch, but apparently visitors are too distracting."
Yamato snorted. "Sora, we don't let anyone stay and watch. It's practice, not preview day. You don't get special treatment."
"I used to."
Before you cheated on me? "Well, the rule as it is now stands. Have Ryouki play for you at his place."
"Ignore him, babe," Ryouki said, jumping off the stage and wrapping his arm around her waist. "You can come watch us next week."
The two exchanged glares for a moment.
"I don't want to cause trouble," Sora stated, seeing that Yamato was still a long way away from forgiving her.
"Nonsense," Ryouki chided, "it's no trouble, right Yamato?"
"Whatever," Yamato muttered, "watch, don't watch, I don't particularly care what you do." Yamato picked up his case and walked around to the stairs, not giving them another glance.
"Yamato, wait," Sora called after he had nearly reached the door. She ran to catch up to him. "Can we talk?"
"What is there to say?" he asked, his voice icy.
"I made a mistake," she began.
"I've heard this before."
"What can I do to make you forgive me?"
"It's a little late for that."
"We've been friends for years, Yama, doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"We stopped being just friends three years ago, didn't that mean anything to you?"
Sora stayed silent, filled with pain and regret that she didn't know how to convey to Yamato in a way he would understand. She had hurt him, he was angry; those were the facts, plain and simple.
Yamato pursed his lips. He knew he couldn't walk out with things as they were. "Sora—." Yamato's phone rang.
Yamato really hated cell phones. They always rang at the most unappealing times. It was like some cosmic force was out to ruin lives via cell phones. Still, he found himself digging into his pocket for the damn ringing gizmo.
"Yeah?"
"I'm calling in a favor."
"Hey, Taichi, it's nice to hear from you. I'm fine, thanks for asking. Yourself?"
"Seriously, Yamato, I'm calling in a favor."
Yamato sighed. Taichi wasn't usually this irritating. "What do you want?"
"Spend the night at my place. The team is doing some stupid 'bonding' thing and everyone is spending the night at Ichiro's place. I'm the captain so I can't not go, but I really don't want to leave Hikari home alone. She might not be there when I get back, but if you're there, you can keep an eye on her. Crash on the couch or in my room, watch pay-per-view, eat everything in the kitchen, I really don't care. Just make sure she stays at home and out of trouble."
"Fine, whatever, just remember this the next time I call in a favor."
Yamato shook his head, agitated. "I have to go," he said, the desire to speak to Sora having expired during his brief conversation with Taichi.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Hikari stood nervously, rubbing her right arm and shifting her weight from one hip to the other in an unconscious effort to calm her body. She knew that Taichi would be finishing his football practice within the next half hour, and would be home not long after.
If she was out again when he returned he would strangle her, no doubt. Hikari shifted her weight again and looked at the clock. She'd been there for an hour already. Where was he?
She heard a cough, a forced clearing of one's throat, from behind her. Whirling around at once, Hikari saw that Doctor Mitusi had appeared.
"Hikari, was it?"
She nodded.
"Nurse Fuji said you were waiting for me."
She nodded again.
"You've been here for an hour?"
Another nod.
"Not very talkative, eh?" he joked softly. "Well let's go to the room and see if that doesn't allow for more than a yes-or-no answer."
Hikari followed Doctor Mitusi into one of the patient rooms, eyeing left and right as she closed the space between herself and the door. He gestured for her to take a seat up on the bed, which she did, hopping up and drawing her knees to her chest in one fluid motion.
"What can I do for you, Hikari?"
Hikari stayed silent for a few moments. Doctor Mitusi sat on a chair against the wall opposite her, waiting patiently for her to speak. Again Hikari found herself thinking that this man had a kind face; something about him told her she could trust him.
"I…need to get tested," she said, turning red with embarrassment.
Doctor Mitusi nodded. "That's a simple enough task. I'll need a urine sample and a blood sample. Anything else?"
Hikari felt insulted. He spoke as though it was no big deal, as if it had been an irresponsible mistake, like leaving the lights on in the car. "No," she answered, trying to keep her voice from reflecting her annoyance.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Her head jerked up, surprised. "Talk about it? What do you mean?" Was it that obvious?
"Sometimes talking about it, taking some of the weight off your shoulders, it tends to help." Doctor Mitusi studied the young girl's features. She looked scared. "Why don't we start with the samples? I'll get the materials for the blood one, and the bathroom is through the door behind you."
Hikari found herself nodding again.
The doctor flashed Hikari a quick smile as he stood and exited the room. He wondered if the fear he saw on her face was caused by regret, for not being prepared. He didn't think so. Her eyes told him that this situation was not brought on by any consent of her own. "Poor girl," he mumbled aloud, gathering the supplies necessary to draw blood.
He returned to the room after two minutes and Hikari was sitting at the chair with a swinging piece of plastic that could be brought to lie flat out in front of her.
"Smart girl," he said, pulling up his chair in front of her. "Let's see your veins."
Hikari held out her right arm and pulled up the sleeve to her navy hooded top. Doctor Mitusi flicked the inside of her elbow a few times, nodded, and tied the elastic band around her bicep.
Hikari winced as the needle sank into her skin. This was the first time she'd been poked with a needle without her mother or Taichi there, she realized. The thought made the pain worsen.
"It will be a few hours before we'll have the results."
"I'll wait," Hikari said.
"Okay, I'll see what I can do to get them processed a little quicker."
Hikari stood and navigated her way out and around the plastic desk of the chair. "Thank you," she said as he held the door open for her.
She took her time getting to the seats in the waiting area, knowing she had a couple hours to spare before she could leave. There was one magazine that looked slightly interesting, and she spent almost an hour perusing it, reading all the articles that were scattered between the advertisements.
When she reached the back cover, she laid it back on the little table next to her. A number of brochures were lining the wall above it. She glanced at them, reading the titles to herself.
How to Manage Gastritis, An Overview of Contraception Techniques, STIs, Eating Healthy in University, What to do if You or Someone You Know is Raped…
Hikari turned away and sank into her chair. Maybe she would just sit quietly for a while.
"Hikari?"
Hikari's eyes widened. Oh no.
"Hikari! Hey!"
"Hi Jyou, what are you doing here?"
"I intern here for one of my classes. What brings you here?"
"I, uh, well… I was looking to see if I could volunteer here. I figured it would look good for my applications if I had some more volunteer activities."
"It's good to be thinking ahead, it will help," Jyou said, "although you might be a little too young for the clinic to use you."
Hikari could see Doctor Mitusi approaching them. "Was anyone looking for some volunteer help?" she asked before he had a chance to speak.
Doctor Mitusi's face scrunched in confusion before he realized what she was doing. "Unfortunately, no. You don't have anything, or well, there isn't anything for you to do. Hello Jyou, it's good to see you."
"You too, Doctor Mitusi, I'd better get back to work now, though. Good seeing you Hikari."
She gave him a weak smile as he turned and continued on his way. "Thank you for finding out so quickly."
"Ah, well, you know, I didn't want you to have to wait here for hours, it's late enough as it is."
Hikari nodded, "thank you."
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Yamato found the key to get in nestled among the seven packs worth of gum wrappers in his book bag's front pocket the same time he reached the door. The kitchen clock chimed ten times as Yamato was removing his shoes. His hair was still damp from the quick shower he'd taken before packing up and heading out from his apartment. "Hikari?" he called.
No answer.
He threw his book bag onto the couch as he made his way to the hallway. He wondered if she had gone to bed early. "Hikari," he called again, just outside her door. It was just barely open so Yamato knocked and used the force of his knuckles to open it more.
It was empty.
"Shit." Yamato smacked his forehead, frustrated. He drew out his cell phone and called her, only to hear the phone vibrate on her bed. "Shit."
Yamato debated calling Taichi but decided to wait a while. He returned to the living room and hopped over the back of the couch. He flipped on the television; Taichi had left the cartoon station on. Yamato shrugged, it would do.
It wasn't until halfway through a second episode of Power Puff Girls that he heard a key at the front door. Yamato quickly switched the channel and crossed his arms, fixing his stare at the entrance.
Hikari walked in noiselessly, slipping out of her shoes and setting the key on the kitchen counter as she headed to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. She didn't see Yamato.
He coughed to get her attention.
Hikari jumped and dropped the unopened bottle to the ground. Yamato pulled back the right side of his bottom lip. He hadn't meant to scare her. "Where have you been?"
Hikari's heart was pounding. For a second she had thought… no, she was just overreacting. "I went for a walk," she said, forcing her voice to be level while her pulse still thundered in her ears. "Why are you here?"
Yamato let his arms drop. "Taichi is out for the night. He asked me to come here and eat his food and watch TV and—."
"Look after me?" she finished for him. She shook her head, "typical," she muttered. She reached down and retrieved the water bottle before walking towards the hall.
Yamato climbed over the couch. "Hey wait. Taichi's just worried, you know?"
Hikari bit her lip. "I know." She turned and looked up at him. "I'm sorry… about earlier."
She looked so sad staring up at him; Yamato couldn't understand why or how to change it. He put his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer. "It's cool," he said placidly, "you can make it up to me by helping pick out which movie Taichi is buying me tonight."
He could tell she was debating saying no, but she gave him a half smile in compliance. "Fine. I just have to change."
Yamato sauntered back to the couch feeling victorious. He flipped the station from what he'd absently put it on (a special on farm animals giving birth) to the movie channels. Hikari joined him and sank down onto the couch, out of her jeans and into sweatpants and a hoodie that was obviously not her size.
"No chick flicks," Yamato warned, almost getting a smile out of her. They spent the next few minutes debating between two movies, where Yamato did all of the debating and Hikari just shook her head at his indecisiveness.
Finally he decided on an action adventure film over a horror movie. Hikari got up and made him some popcorn while waiting, which he gratefully devoured in the first nine minutes.
Forty minutes into the movie the doorbell rang. Yamato growled in annoyance, pressing down hard on the pause button before going to answer. "This had better be good."
Yamato yanked the door open. "Takeru?"
"Yamato? What are you doing here?"
"I practically live here."
"Oh." He paused awkwardly. "Is Hikari here?"
"Let me see." Yamato turned his head and spoke to Hikari. "Takeru's here, do you want me to let him in?" He studied her features before turning back to Takeru. "She's not here right now. I can tell her you stopped by."
He began to close the door, blocking out Takeru's protests, but Hikari had jumped up and now put her hand on his wrist to stop his movement. She eyed him disapprovingly before stepping outside the apartment.
"Five minutes and the movie goes back on," Yamato called as he collapsed back down.
Hikari closed the door behind her. "Takeru, hi."
"Sorry it's so late, but I thought I'd bring you the work you missed." He pulled his book bag off his back and squatted down to open it on the ground.
"Thank you."
"You'd do the same for me," he shrugged, pulling her books out all at once and standing to hand them to her. As she began to take them he noticed something that drew her attention also.
She was wearing his hoodie.
Takeru couldn't help but smile, and Hikari couldn't help but be embarrassed. Neither spoke of it.
"Are you going to be in school Monday?"
"Yes."
"Are you going to talk to us?"
"…I don't know."
Takeru shut his eyes for a moment. "Hikari, we've been friends for years. Whatever is going on, you can talk to me."
"I'll see you Monday." Hikari opened the door and went in, leaving Takeru out in the hall. "Thanks," she added, not looking at him before shutting the door.
