Chap 02 – whistle while your wife does dishes in spanish

The rain began gaining speed. Yukina watch the drops streak down the window as she sat against the bed, waiting for Lisa to get dressed. As usual, she was taking forever picking out an outfit, which left Yukina to examine her room. It had been a few years since she'd been in Lisa's room, and things were different. Everything used to be blindingly pink. It would hurt her eyes every time she set foot in it. And messy. It would often hurt her feet every time she set foot in it because she would step on some needles or trip over a doll arm or easy-bake oven. Getting Lisa to clean up anything used to be as tedious as getting teeth pulled by the dentist.

Now everything was a lot less cluttered. No more blinding pinks, and no more obnoxious boy band and visual kei posters on her walls. Those posters were replaced by a few Roselia posters and various photographs of the band and her other friends. The biggest one was of her and Lisa under a waterfall, wet and only in their bathing suits, both of them smiling. That had been taken shortly before her father began having music troubles. Life had felt so much simpler back then…

She frowned. Lined up against the wall were beige, white, and pink pillows. In the middle was the same cat cushion Lisa owned for ages. Leaning over she grabbed the cushion and hugged it close to her chest, nibbling the one worn ear. Ah, the same bite marks. Finally letting her guard down, she let her shoulders droop and watched as Lisa walked in from the bathroom in a bra and a pair of purple sweatpants, hairbrush in hand. "Hey, do you think the others would mind if I just walked around like this?" she asked.

"Yes," Yukina said flatly. "Don't just go around flaunting everything to everybody."

"Hmm, I'll just slap on whatever, then."

Lisa pulled a simple white shirt with a frill around the chest area over her head and flopped sideways on the bed, dangling her legs over Yukina's shoulders. Yukina set her chin on top of the cat cushion, her eyes lazily meeting Lisa's as the brunette began brushing her hair. "Mom and Dad'll probably feel more at ease knowing I have company over. I could brag that Roselia's going to host its first-ever American block party!" she joked, grinning. Then, a few seconds later, her face momentarily dropped. "By the way, are you sure we didn't have band practice today?"

"If we did, Sayo would've finished the job and cut your arm off."

"Ahaha, don't joke like that…" Lisa redirected her gaze, knowing Yukina was only half-joking. "You don't think anyone would mind if I actually ordered pizza, do you? I don't think I have anything in the house to cook for five…"

"You live here. Do as you please."

"Ooh, so cold, Yukinaaa~ I'll order after I finish brushing my hair."

Her toes pressed and wiggled against Yukina's shoulders, and Yukina pressed back in return, idly chewing on the cat cushion. Pizza wasn't her favorite food in the world, but it wasn't a bad option. Pizza Hut's seafood mix pizza, complete with shrimp, squid, and vegetables, made up for all of that cheese. The others wouldn't mind, either, even Sayo, who was notorious for being a picky eater.

Grrr….

Yukina stared deadpan at her stomach. Now that she thought about it, she forgot to eat lunch earlier. So much for good band dieting…

She sighed into the cushion. One moment her eyes shut; the next Lisa poked at her shoulder with her big toe, and she yawned. It was too easy to get comfortable in this house. Standing up, she stretched her arms and leaned against Lisa, who was finishing fixing her ponytail. It was about time they joined the others.

When they descended the stairs, Yukina wondered if maybe they should've taken a little more time. The other three members of Roselia were sitting on the couch in front of the TV, watching some foreign drama. Ako and Rinko were on either side of a grumpy-looking Sayo, each squeezing one of her elbows. Their eyes wide and sparkling, the girls looked deeply immersed in the dark-haired woman with a gun. It was always hard to tell what Sayo was thinking, considering she usually had that sour look on her face, but she wasn't shrugging off their touch. If anything, Yukina suspected, Sayo was probably the most interested in the drama.

While Lisa went into the kitchen to place the order, Yukina grabbed the remote and turned down the volume. Immediately the girls' attention snapped to her. She blankly stared back, placing a finger over her lips. "Lisa is ordering dinner for us," she said in a low voice. "We can discuss this week's plans then. What are you watching?"

Ako nearly burst out of her seat, fists balled in excitement. "Yukina-san! This drama is everything we need to recreate in our next PV! I don't know exactly what's happening, but it's everything!" She gestured to the TV, then turned her head and looked at Rinko. "Rinrin, do you know anything that's happening?"

Rinko pointed to the TV. "I think she's about to kill someone."

BANG! BANG!

Yukina covered her ears, wincing. On the TV the dark-haired woman stood over a man, who laid in a puddle of increasing amounts of blood. She was cackling. Sayo pressed her lips together, grimacing. "Is she really going to do nothing besides gloat and leave his body there? She's going to end up in jail with that kind of boastful attitude."

"But she's the main character! Main characters in dramas always win in the end!" Ako countered.

Sayo leaned forward, pressing her hand against the couch. Yukina had a gut feeling that this wasn't the first drama she'd ever watched. "Or they die, Udagawa-san. Do you ever think about the consequences of any action? Laura could've handled Javier's affair with her neighbor in at least three or four ways, but she chose to kill him so she can elope with his younger brother, Jesus. Now, do you really think the court is going to side with her just because this was rooted in a case of infidelity?"

"…you speak Spanish, Hikawa-san?"

"…my sister is more fluent than I am. This summer she and Lisa are supposed to go to Nicaragua for some volunteer work."

Ako grabbed her arm, sparkles in her eyes. "Will you tell me all of the dramas you and your sister watch?"

"W-What? I don't watch dramas…with her…"

There was a short pause before Sayo excused herself, stomping towards the kitchen. Ako followed after her, cheeks puffed and mind buzzing. Sayo was a lot more transparent than she realized. Not particularly interested in getting engaged in a conversation about dramas, Yukina sat next to Rinko, glancing at the TV. Another man had joined the woman in her apartment. Were all dramas this intense? "Rinko," she greeted. "How are you today?"

Rinko's eyes widened, bewildered, as if she started speaking Spanish herself. They were still working on improving their one-on-one conversations, but it was a long process. "Minato-san. Good."

"Good." Yukina reached for her hair, glancing down at the table. Why didn't Lisa have a cat yet? Conversations were a lot easier when there was a cat. "Have you done anything fun lately?"

"…r-read some strategy guides. Me and Ako-chan went on a raid a couple of weeks ago, but, ahhh, our guild was underpowered. We have to compensate for our lack of members. There's also a lack of experienced tank players right now. There's a promising new tank player in our guild, Bunny-san. Ahhh, but she's very…distracted. She stops to fight everything…"

Yukina began nodding absentmindedly, losing herself in Rinko's technical talk. She was not very familiar with gaming. There was one time in elementary school where she had a virtual pet, but it didn't end well. Lisa had to hold her back from jumping off the bridge and saving Mr. Whiskers. Ever since that incident, she couldn't help but feel a little queasy when it came to video games. Rinko's knowledge, while incomprehensible, was vastly underrated.

Rinko was about to shift the topic to a different aspect of the guild when her voice faltered and trailed off. The other members of Roselia. Lisa's good arm was around Sayo's shoulders, and Sayo's face was still a slight red as she walked stiffly over to a chair. Were conversations about dramas always this intense? Ako followed them, a smirk on her face as she sat next to Yukina. Yukina thought at first to ask what was going on, but then Lisa sitting in her lap brought her back to the initial topic. "Did you order the pizza?" she finally asked.

"Yep! Even got some Coke if any of us need a little carbonation~" Lisa sang, dangling her feet over Ako's knees. "We should have some mats and extra blankets in the closet so everyone can sleep comfortably tonight, too. It's been so long since I've hosted a sleepover. Ladies, we should have a nice pampering session tonight!"

"We're not here for a casual party, you know!" Sayo snapped.

"This was short notice, though, Sayo-san…"

Lisa flinched as Sayo hopped out of her seat, ready to give the reprimand of her life, but Yukina stopped the irritated blue-haired girl with a stop motion of her hand. She rested her head on Lisa's chin, sighing. "Let's talk about what to do this week over dinner. Does everyone know their schedule?"

The other girls nodded. Yukina leaned back, shutting her eyes and letting silence overtake the group. Aside from Lisa, Roselia's members were pretty introverted and tended not to make a lot of conversation. Pulling on Lisa's hair, she winced. It was still damp. She wished she'd brought the cat cushion downstairs. It would've been a comforting item in this time of chaos.

Outside, the rain grew louder. Someone turned up the drama's volume to drown out the sound, but knowing the weather made Yukina uneasy regardless. Ever since she was a child, she never liked the rain much. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around Lisa's waist, digging her nails into her stomach. Lisa wasn't a cat nor was she a cat cushion, but she was the most convenient at the moment.

And at least she smelled nice…

Lisa shuffled in her lap. "Yukina, can you be any gentler?" she whined.

"This is your house. You can pick anywhere else to sit at any time."

No response except for the weight of Lisa's head shifting onto Yukina's shoulder. It couldn't be helped. She was better off settling in and getting comfortable than forcing Lisa to budge.

Since she didn't know Spanish, the drama's words became a blur to Yukina's ears. One word merged into two. Two words merged into five. Five words merged into several sentences, and those sentences merged into the atmosphere…

When she opened her eyes again, she realized a blanket was over her. Oh, so she had fallen asleep. Rainy days usually made her sleepier than usual. The blanket was warm and heavy, too, perfect for napping. If she had just a little restraint, she would poke her head underneath the covers and indulge in a longer nap.

No, she was the leader. She had to check on the others.

Rubbing her eyes she reassessed her surroundings. The television was off and she was the only one in the room, making her feel a sudden pang of loneliness. Gone was the ease she had at slumber. There was also a different scent in the room. Instead of smelling Lisa, she smelled something fishy and fried.

Ah, so the pizza had arrived.

She yawned and walked to the kitchen. The smell grew stronger and stronger until her nostrils were smothered in seafood mix. Inside, the girls were huddled around the table, waiting to be served by Rinko. Ako was the only one who was currently eating, a piece of pizza dangled over her mouth as she sat on top of the kitchen counter. Well, at least she had a plate on her lap.

Yukina shuffled in and stood next to Lisa, who smiled at her. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Mm. Pizza just arrived?"

"Yep. We can plan out this week once everyone is served."

"Mm."

Leaning against the wall, she yawned again before taking a seat next to Sayo, who was the only one with a fork and knife. (As much as she wanted to follow in Sayo's footsteps, eating pizza with one's hands was substantially easier.) Lisa sat on the other side of her, awkwardly placing the plate on the table with one hand. Rinko and Ako joined last, pulling up a couple of chairs from the other room. Ako was admittedly cute with pizza stuffed in her cheeks, still chewing even as she brought her chair into the kitchen.

After giving thanks to their food, Yukina looked longingly at the pizza in front of her. She wanted to indulge in the food, having not eaten lunch earlier, but she knew that once she began eating, she would become distracted from other important matters. This was a night of two pieces, perhaps even three. Her stomach was a warrior, but it also had to be a disciplined warrior. Business first. "Everyone, phones out."

There was a short pause, followed by the shuffling of phones and purses. Ako even ran to the living room to fetch her phone from in-between the couch cushions. When everything was settled, the phones were positioned in a circle, turned on and showing everyone's schedule.

And only then did Yukina allow herself a small nibble of pizza. It was delicious.

There were a lot of activities. Even without their daily band practices, which would have to be drastically minimalized due to Lisa's injuries, Roselia's members' schedules were packed. There were clubs, committees, chores, study groups, gaming time…Sayo had one long row at the same time each day mysteriously blacked out, and Rinko's was occasionally boxed in with giant letters that said RAID. And there was also Lisa's job…

How could they fit everything in one day?

Ako leaned over the phones, pressing her hands over the table. "Hmmm, we're all pretty busy this week. It looks like the only one who can look after Lisa every day is Yukina-san."

Everyone looked at Yukina. She was mid-bite. Next to her Lisa waved her good hand in dismissal, sweatdropping. "Ahaha, I really don't need 24/7 watching. I'm capable of doing most things even with my arm like this."

Sayo pointed across Yukina's plate, narrowing her eyes. She hoped Sayo's elbow wouldn't get into the pizza. "Oh, no you don't," she growled. "We're watching you to speed up the recovery process as fast as possible, Imai-san. Without constant supervision you'd probably sit here all week just watching dramas after your duties."

"I…don't see the problem with that, Sayo-san?"

"No exercise!" Sayo exclaimed. "No practice! No self-discipline! When you come back to band practice, you'll forgot to play your own bass! Every time we fall behind lately is because you half-ass whatever consequences are given to you!"

splap

Yukina looked down at her pizza and frowned. An elbow-shaped dent was now imprinted in the middle of her slice. Sayo's…elbow was also still in the slice. "Sayo."

"Sorry. I'm sorry."

Sayo stood up abruptly and threw her napkin onto her plate, leaving the kitchen without another word. Yukina was about to go after her, but Lisa grabbed her arm, shaking her head. "Why don't we give her some time to cool off? I'm the one who inconvenienced you all."

Sighing, Yukina nodded. She looked at her plate and passed it over to Ako, who slid the rest of the half-eaten piece into mouth. The singer never did have much of an appetite when she felt tense or when there were arguments at the dinner table. Ako aside, the others felt the same way. Nobody could eat with the soured mood hanging over them all.

Soon they cleared the table, and Yukina awkwardly stood next to Lisa while the brunette scrubbed at the dishes with one arm. Rinko had wanted to help her, but Lisa gently pushed her into the living room, telling her and Ako to tell her any important details in whatever drama was on the TV at the moment. She'd be fine; it might've taken her a little longer to wash the dishes by herself, but she wanted something to do.

This left Yukina watching her, hugging herself while she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Her thoughts were racing, unsure of what to do next. She wanted to talk to Sayo, but she was afraid the guitarist would snap on her next. Somehow, someway, she blamed herself for Lisa's arm. Since she was both Roselia's leader and Lisa's friend, she should have been stricter on Lisa's activities. It was true that Lisa was sloppy and reckless and scatterbrained…often. One time she even had left her bass on the bus ride from work….or did that happen twice?

But Lisa was a hard worker and very kind. Surely that deserved minimal credit?

Suddenly the dish Lisa was washing was snatched out of her hands. Sayo leaned over to also take the sponge, trying her best to awkwardly smile. "Accidents….happen," she finally muttered. "If you break another bone, make sure it's not another arm."

Lisa smiled, taking a step back. "That shouldn't be a problem, Sayo-san."

Sayo nodded, turning to Yukina. "And Minato-san," she continued, frowning. "You can't blame yourself for this dummy's recklessness. Don't you dare think you can take care of Imai-san by yourself, either. You can barely do any housework. Imai-san's all of Roselia's problem."

"Y-yes…"

She didn't know who it was that laughed first, but soon the dishes stood in the sink while all three of them were sent into giggles. Sayo tried to hide her face with a dishtowel, but her body shook so hard that neither of them were fooled, although they were taken aback. The guitarist typically never showed positive emotions around anyone else. Nevertheless, she kept giggling so much that finally she had to excuse herself, warning the others that if they tried to finish the dishes, she'd make their next practice hell.

Yukina wouldn't have minded a difficult practice. On the other hand, she was afraid of breaking the dishes…

Perhaps she didn't think this idea of taking care of Lisa this week through enough…


"I don't mind sleeping downstairs."

"You're fine~ you're already laying down."

Yukina continued staring up at the ceiling, tracing the cat and pawprint stickers in the air with a finger. They were supposed to glow in the dark, and she was looking forward to seeing that in action. Next to her Lisa was unsuccessfully trying to brush her hair with her left hand, grumbling to herself. It was a lot more difficult when her hair was dry. "I guess taking care of myself is gonna be harder than I realized. It just had to be the right arm," she murmured, sighing. "Maybe I could cover up my hair with a hat while my arm's broken. I can't go out with my hair all frazzled."

"Let me."

Lisa's eyes widened, but she handed Yukina her hairbrush and sat up straight, a light pink touching over her freckles. Yukina grabbed the brunette's hand with one hand and began brushing with the others, ignoring her sudden yelps of pain. Brushing someone else's hair felt relaxing…normal. Normally she would feel a lot more repulsed touching someone, but with Lisa it felt like an everyday motion.

Well, they used to do this sort of things a lot more often when they were children. She had just distanced herself…

They stood silent for a few minutes while Yukina continued brushing Lisa's hair. During the process Lisa scooted herself closer and closer until her hair practically tickled Yukina's nose, and she had to stop herself from sneezing everywhere. But she didn't mind the closeness. It was a little more difficult brushing someone else's hair at this distance, yet there were less chances of pulling out clumps of hair. And Lisa's shampoo still smelled nice…

She wasn't bothered by the closeness, but she did feel her hands getting sweatier than usual…

Abruptly she tossed the brush onto the bed and laid back down, focusing on the ceiling cats. Lisa leaned over on her good arm and smiled. "Thanks for helping out, Yukina. I really do appreciate it."

"It's nothing. What would you do without us?"

"You're right. What would I do without you?"

Yukina blushed and promptly rolled to her side, silently turning off the lamp. Under the covers she could hear Lisa stifle her giggles, and she bit back every urge to kick her friend in the shins like she did when they were kids. What would I do without you? What did that even insinuate? That the other Roselia members' were minimal compared to hers? Or…perhaps there was more reading between the lines than she realized?

Or maybe…Lisa was making fun of her?

Impossible. Lisa would never do that.

Still, though, she gave a swift kick to the ankles and pressed the cat cushion to her face, shutting her eyes. Maintaining friendships was hard.


I think I can fairly pace myself to have monthly updates (could be sooner but I have frequent bad mental health days, so I don't like being too committed). Hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I am, though. C: