Chapter 2
Why do you Care?
Lol… I got the reviews way faster than I expected! Well here's the next chapter… I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty Pop or any of its characters and I never will sadly.
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"Damn that Mussy-head!" Narumi yelled irritably as he punched a random locker violently, causing his hand to throb and the fan girls around him to shriek annoyingly, worsening his dark mood. He felt his hand pulse in time with his heart, as blood boiled through his veins, hot, dangerous, and recklessly. "What the hell is her problem?? How could she not tell anyone??"
He had asked her that exact question the night before at her house when he had heard the grave news.
Kiri responded the exact way she responded to everything.
With a blank, nonchalant look and a monotone voice.
"Why should I?" Is it anyone else's business but mine?"
Screw that arrogant attitude!
It was really starting to infuriate him, the more he thought about it, the harder he clenched his fists to control himself. Narumi continued to
fume as he gathered his books from his locker roughly, only to be attacked from behind by Kei.
"Dammit Kei!! I am so not in the mood for your crap right now!!" he hissed, bonking the energetic boy on the head as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"Narunaru! Narunaru!! You won't believe it!! Kiri's at school again!! It's been forever!!"
Narumi's head snapped towards the direction of a young 17-year old girl, whose signature bob was unmistakable.
Messy yet neat.
Poofy in appearance yet perfectly cut.
The most aggravating hair style he had ever seen.
Just like her attitude.
"Hmm…," Kei said as he tugged on Narumi's shirt. "I wonder why she's been gone from school for so long? It's kinda weird. She never used to miss school before… just skipped class…"
"That's because—,"Narumi stopped himself abruptly and mentally slapped himself as he remembered the other things she had said to him the previous night.
--
"Don't you dare tell anyone," Kiri muttered in a ghost of a whisper, almost inaudible to human ears.
"And why the hell not?!" Narumi yelled back impulsively. He hated being told what to do. "I can tell whoever I want! It's not like you can stop me!"
Kiri's lazy demeanor changed only for a moment, the drastic change from such a serene face to a dangerous one, shocking. It was enough to make Narumi jump back in surprise and shudder, the icy glare she was giving him, seemingly harsh enough to kill.
"Let me ask you this. Do you really think it would be right to? It's not even your secret to tell. It was never any of your business. You weren't even supposed to know."
Narumi couldn't respond to that as he continued to stare at her.
She was completely right.
It wasn't his secret to tell.
He had no right.
No matter how much he wanted to or how angry he was, it had nothing to do with him in the first place.
His silence seemed to satisfy her enough as a reply but she continued to speak as she looked at the clock lethargically.
"Hmm… shouldn't you be going now? It's getting late. Sorry Narunaru but I'm not really in much of a mood to deal with you right now."
Before he could retort back he was pushed out of the beauty salon, the last image visible being Kiri picking up the telephone and mumbling, "Hello… Dr. Higa?"
--
Because of what? Kei asked curiously as his grip around Narumi tightened, his childlike demeanor reflecting innocence.
"N-nothing," Narumi muttered sheepishly, embarrassed by his lack of honesty.
A chill ran down his spine as an arm wrapped casually around his shoulder, for he knew who it had to belong to.
"K-k-kazuhiko…"
"I'm quite interested too, Narumi. Please explain why Koshiba-san has been away from school for so long. And how you know."
"I-it's because… because… because she uh…. Caught a case of ugly!"
A silence passed between all of them as they absorbed Narumi's poor excuse half-heartedly.
"Of ugly?" Kazuhiko repeated heatedly.
"Oh look at the time!" Narumi interjected. "I really have to get to practice!! Later guys!" He ran to the SP room as fast as he could without looking back, his friends staring at him with bewilderment and confusion.
"What the heck was that?" Kazuhiko muttered.
"I think Narumi caught a case of stupid!" Kei laughed.
As the last lights of day began to fade into blackness, Narumi remained slumped on his desk, recalling his lame actions and sulking over them.
"A case of ugly? Couldn't I've thought about anything better??" he mumbled aloud to no one in particular. "I wonder if they suspect what's really going on."
This thought continued to nag at him until he thought his brain would explode.
What would they've done if they knew?
Would they've been able to handle it better than me?
Would they make her feel better?
Would they've been better than me?
Am I so useless…? What can I do? It's not even my business…
And with that, Narumi somehow managed to sink himself into an even deeper depression than before. Kiri was all he had been thinking about for hour after hour. It was making him sick. He felt like a lovesick puppy.
"That's it. I need to get over this bullshit. It's not even my business anyway. She doesn't want my help. I need to forget about her," he said to himself. It was almost as if he was trying to convince himself that this was the right thing to do.
The most noble and only choice. Choices like these would make him the top beautician in Japan, not getting distracted by others and focusing on the goal.
But if this was true, why was he finding it so hard to believe?
Why did he feel so filthy? No better than the very dirt he stepped on? How could this feeling even haunt him in this sort of situation?
"Uh!! I need to forget that Mussy-head!! It's too complicated!! My head hurts!! Dammit!!"
Suddenly slurred voices leaked into the SP room ominously. Fierce, haunting, and drunk beyond all recognition.
"Hey little girl. Where are you going?" one laughed messily.
"Yeah have some fun with us!!" another one piped up.
"Those guys are totally hammered," Narumi thought distastefully. "And on school campus?"
"I better get out of here before I run into them…"
"Hanging out with a bunch of drunks is not my idea of fun," a calm, cool female voice answered.
Narumi's eyes shot open.
That voice…
It had to be…
"What did you just say??" another guy slurred violently. "You wanna see drunk, babe? We'll show you drunk, right after we make you our whor--!!
His words were interrupted as Narumi's fist crashed brutally into his face, followed by a kick to the gut and a few hissed curse words.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU BASTARDS THINK YOU'RE DOING??" Narumi yelled standing in front of Kiri fiercely. "GETTING DRUNK ON SCHOOL GROUNDS AND ATTACKING A GIRL!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??"
The three guys that surrounded them took a step back in surprise. They all held large, brown bottles, that smelled musty and thick with alcohol, the same smell that was reeking off their breath. "What the hell do YOU think you're doing, pretty boy??" one of them shrieked as he waved the
bottle around recklessly. "Trying to take away our toy?? Do you have a death wish??"
"Yeah, we'll destroy you!!" the tallest guy slurred. He swung his bottle, smashing it square against Narumi's head, the crunching sound sickening and disturbing. Narumi staggered backwards as the other men snickered, Kiri shouting his name as she ran towards him.
Her loss of composure only lasted for mere seconds though, as she watched his foot connect with the same guy's face. The crunching noise it made was even louder than the bottle, and ten times more sickening. The guy fell to the ground with a thud as Narumi slowly rose to his feet, standing in front of Kiri once again.
Kiri, eyes wide and amazed, watched as blood slowly trickled down the left side of Narumi's face, dripping to the floor in thick crimson dots.
"Touch this girl," he huffed chillingly. And I'll never forgive you. "You'll be the ones with a death wish."
The men shook in their fear, their attitudes taking a total transformation as they lifted up the guy Narumi had kicked harshly in the face, muttering about how his nose and cheek were broken. They ran away, and a minute later, Kiri and Narumi were completely alone together.
Narumi sank to the ground with a sigh of relief.
His heart was racing and the ruby liquid that poured out of his head wouldn't' stop.
"Narumi," Kiri whispered, gently reaching for his bleeding forehead.
He slapped her hand away angrily as he tried wiping away the blood, only managing to smear it. He hadn't even noticed that she said his name properly.
"What the hell are you doing here by yourself you idiot??" he yelled as more blood leaked down his face in mere seconds. "Do you even know what those guys would have done to you if I wasn't here.?? They could've … could've…"
Narumi shivered at the thought.
Kiri normally would've made a sarcastic remark to Narumi's obnoxious yelling, but the blood that was pouring out of his head in a steady flow was distracting. She could only nod as some of it dripped on her hand. It was all her fault. Kiri slowly reached out again and touched Narumi's cheek as she whispered, "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm so sorry…"
Narumi's eyes widened as his face turned bright red, causing blood to streak down his face even faster. "W-w-well… o-okay… I-I mean n-no one was hurt so…"
"You were hurt…," Kiri mumbled.
Narumi's blush deepened.
She looked so cute.
Her normally calm face was tinted with concern and worry.
He felt so dumb. Why did he always have to look like an idiot in front of her? As blood continued to stream out of his forehead, Kiri's face suddenly blurred. His own face slumped into her hand, and Kiri's eyebrows raised ever so slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"I'm getting… dizzy… I think I'm losing… too… much…. blood……"
Kiri gasped as Narumi collapsed into her arms, limp, unconscious, and bleeding heavier than before.
"Narumi!!"
This one is a little longer and another cliff hanger lol. This time before I update I must receive 20 reviews! Actually that's a little cruel lol... why don't we shoot for 15 then? Does it really even make much of a difference lol? So tell me what you think of my writing!
