Hello, It's me again. I'm trying to get this story started before I stop updating so often. I hope this chapter is lengthy enough to get some character development in. Again I'm worried about in character, out of character. I hope it's alright to you though.
His mother looked up from her magazine. It was normally her job not to interfere, but the situation clearly called for both parents. His father simply lifted a hand to his wife and waved her off. As the man gladed at the paperboy, a shiver ran down Minako's spine. Ryoji sensed this, as a pang of alarm stained the azure of his eyes. Stepping in front of his partner defensively, this was actually helping their act. "Father, I'm not going to let you hurt him! I love him!" He elaborated with a pound to his chest on the last line. Meanwhile Minako stood there regretting the decision she made today. Ryoji's father approached him. He had inherited his blue eyes from his father. The same amazing and exquisite shade of blue challenged Ryoji's eyes. However he wouldn't back down now. He had come too far.
"Alright, I guess you'd only make Ms. Takeba miserable with your insecure homosexuality and distaste towards women. I never saw it coming though. Weren't you always gushing about every girl you met?" His father was going to pry as much information as he could, and try to get him to crack under pressure. He knew his son was some playboy Casanova. He was practically a toy to the women who surrounded him at the outings he went to. He loosened his tie lightly, as he saw this turn into a screaming fit.
"I guess you just never realized how proud I tried to make you. Who wouldn't want his son to be well worded, and wonderful with other people?" Being in a fit of emotion, Ryoji kept his eyes firmly locked against his fathers. Minako watched the scene over Ryoji's shoulder. The blue eyes that were so soft, and inviting on Ryoji, burned with an incredibly cold sting on his father. However Ryoji continued his onslaught and stood strong. "It was probably because I was too self-conscious to hang around people of my own gender. After all, you're much more tempted when something is within your reach." His father shut his eyes, and breathed out. He paced around his son dangerously; however Ryoji continued to shield the person he knew as Minato. The scarfed boy knew what trouble he could have gotten his new found friend into, and it was his responsibility to make sure he stayed out of it.
The more he paced, the more he lowered his head. "You're still going to defend this common queer? Alright, earn your own pay. Live on your own. I want nothing to do with you. Stay in the place we gave you until now, but you're on your own." He paused for a moment, to look up at the other boy who he never learned the name of. The eyes were burning into her own red ones, causing her to look away. "I don't know who you are, nor do I care. Get out, the both of you. I never want to see you back here. You caused enough trouble!" The male's voice escalated from a low seething to a full blown angered shout. Minako figured this wasn't the kind of person to lose his composure very easily. Ryoji swallowed, and grabbed who he thought was a boy's wrist and pulled her out of the room. Letting the weighted doors swing shut, he tightened his grip on her wrist and ran. He ran from his father, and his problem all with a simple lie. Practically dragging Minako behind him, who had an issue running because her shoes were a few sizes too big, he stopped once outside of the overly ornate, elaborate, no longer welcoming, home.
Minako just stood there dazed. Not having any idea what had just happened or what she was part of caused a gigantic lack of words on her part. By now the sun had long set, and they were deep into the evening hours. Ryoji simply smiled, embraced the person he thought was a boy. Once having settled his head on the smaller being's shoulder, he whispered. "Thank you." He paused for a little bit, thinking of what more to say. "I think it'll be safe to drop the act soon. Just play along for a little while longer. We're going to my place to celebrate." He breathed in, and exhaled. It was his first real breath of air as a freed bird. "Besides, it's a little dangerous to be late walking home at night, and with a stature like yours… I could easily see you getting hurt." At this point Minako was wondering how comfortable with his sexuality he really was. Considering the lie he just told, and the act he was still putting up.
"Err uh… No problem. I just felt like it was the right thing to do I guess. That and you asked so nicely." Ryoji pulled away, and she began walking off, wanting to end this extremely strange chapter of her life. So many things were swirling in her head. How much longer would she have to keep up this act? What would happen if he found out what she truly was? What if he actually was a weirdo? At that point her thoughts were straying too far. Something slid against her hand, causing her to snap out of her thoughts.
"Just walk like this until we're back safely at my place. Then we can both drop this act." Her fingers twitched a little before settling down. Just like the first time. Oh how strange this all felt to her, however it probably felt as strange to him as it did to her. The train ride, and walk combo was awfully quiet. Minako figured he was thinking about what he should do next. The raven haired boy seemed to have gotten what he wanted. Mochizuki was some giant industry. They specialized in manufacturing. He was probably being forced to do something he didn't want to do. What were his words? I can't marry Ms. Takeba… It resounded through her head again. She figured he was in some arranged marriage, which was probably the case. However she wouldn't settle on anything until she actually knew the reason he had decided to make up such a story.
The automated train system announced that it was their station. They were back to the corner where she sold papers at… in drag. These stupid clothes were what got her into this situation. She had to pull her hair up, and hide it in her newsboy hat. The baggy pants hid any sort of feminine curve, as well as the shirt and the jacket serving the same purpose. All of this so she could sell newspapers? It was more trouble than it was worth.
Upon seeing the complex, Minako's head reeled back, her hat almost coming off. Snapping it back down, and readjusting the hat, she continued on. The fact that she had to remain in disguise put her a bit on edge. Afterall, he was claiming to be gay, with someone who he thinks is a man. You can't necessarily claim you're a homosexual with a woman, now can you? Once they were inside the complex, he dropped his hand, and put on the gentlest smile she had ever seen anyone sport. It caused her to be taken aback, and to drop her stare. The elevator resounded, causing her to snap her head up, and back at Ryoji. He could definitely read her body language and see just how nervous she was. The raised shoulders, the lowered head, and above all the tenseness, it was all a sign that something was wrong. He simply cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Hey, come on. We're going to the top floor, alright? We're home free now. I promise nothing bad will come of this to you"
The elevator ride was just as awkward. Minako ended up counting how many little rose patterns were on one stripe of the wallpaper. The wallpaper was filled with little rose patterns separated by pin stripes. Contrary to his parents', this place was much more western styled. Much of the furniture lying about in the halls had a gilded trim, making this complex look more like a top tier western hotel, than a place to live. The same notification resounded that the elevator had come to a complete stop. "The door to my place is at the end of this hall, you can tell which door it is because it's the only one."
Ryoji pulled out his keycard, and unlocked the door. This struck Minako as a little odd, and reminded her even more of a hotel. "You can go right on in, just be careful, I thi-" Minako had already entered upon hearing 'you can go right on in.' A girlish scream was heard, followed by silence. The scarfed boy, who was in the process of taking off his jacket, froze in his tracks. It's as if time stopped. The blood in his veins matched the icy gaze his father had earlier.
Calm down Ryoji. There's probably a perfect explanation for the noise Minato just made… There was. As 'Minato' began to pull herself up, their hat had come loose completely, relinquishing the hold that was on her brown hair. "Oh man, what did I just trip over….?" She stated, in her full female voice. Being completely disoriented, she forgot to keep her male faux voice in use. Her hair was now messily sprawled out upon her shoulders. It was painfully apparent to anyone who looked at her, that she was indeed a girl.
Ryoji was extremely rattled at this point. He just stared at the girl that was on the floor. The girl who he thought was a boy this entire time finished rubbing her head and looked up at him. "Oh, my… I'm sorry! I meant to tell you earlier, but you just seemed so pleased I couldn't say no. I was going to tell you though." Minako hissed inwardly, and clutched her head. She knew she was in for a world of hurt.
Ryoji on other hand seemed a lot more relieved now than flustered. "Who would have thought such a pretty girl as yourself could have played the role I needed so desperately." He threw his jacket over his shoulder and kneeled down to offer the girl a hand. Still in a state of panicked shock, she took the hand and allowed herself to be pulled up. Not only did he pull her up, but he placed his other hand over hers. "My how lucky I am…" He cheered. His blue eyes softened, to the point where it warmed Minako's heart. Her own lips even curled into a smile. That smile of his was extremely contagious.
Finding her voice, she snapped back to reality, and the true situation. She was a in a strangers house. Said stranger claimed to be a homosexual for her. Said stranger is also or was part of one of the biggest corporations in the country. This seemed like far too thick of a mess to continue stepping in. "I… I think I should actually head home now. As wonderful as you are, I feel like I've been meddling far too much in things I shouldn't be." Ryoji looked disheartened, but would continue to press on just a little bit.
"Are you sure you can't stay. I mean it is rather late, and I would feel horrible if anything were to happen to you. If you were to go home though, I would accompany you, and we'd go our separate ways. Upon the closing of the door, we'd close the door on whatever friendship we would have had. Or you can stay the night, like a pair of good friends." He sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "I know this seems terribly fishy to you, but I feel like it was destiny that I met you today. As soon as I saw you, it clicked. I felt like I could use your help no matter how bad the problem was."
Her back had been turned as he had said this. She turned around to face him once more. Cocking her head a little off tilt, she really did wonder where this would end up. Surely she was better than selling newspapers on a street corner in drag to make ends meet. With a hint of determination to convince herself she stated, "I guess it couldn't hurt. You seem like a proper enough individual." With that Ryoji closed the door when they were both situated inside. Minako's eyes widened. This was not an apartment was it?
"It was a gift from father." He said peering around. To him it was a usual sight, but to her it must have been a brand new experience.
"S-Sorry, I don't get out much, Oh, I guess I never told you. My real name is Minako. I had a stage name to sound more masculine. Honestly, this promotion was going overboard from the start." Wandering around, she took the place in. Western styled like the rest of the building, it was clearly apparent that he didn't pick out anything in the house save a few misplaced trinkets. The floors were cherry wood, and the walls were a cream color. It gave it an antique sort of feeling, which was far from her new found friend's personality. Something stood out. In the midst of this warm color scheme was something that was shining with a cold light. It was a silver box. She couldn't guess to the slightest what was in it, and decided not to even question it. Afterall, she figured she'd be back.
"My, so late already!" Ryoji pointed out. This caused Minako's eyes to dart around to find a clock. It read 12:20, or somewhere around that time. It was an analog clock, and those weren't exactly 100% accurate. "Say Minako, what do girls usually do when they're over at each other's houses?"
Minako looked off to the side thoughtfully, trying to recall the things she did as a child. It was normally the typical stuff you'd see on television. "We talked about boys, did each other's hair, fortune telling, painted each other's nails. It was actually not all that fun." Ryoji's ears seemed to perk upon the mention of fortune telling.
"Minako, can you read fortunes?" He adjusted his scarf, as it was getting a little crooked. The brunette nodded, with a look of confusion. She didn't think this was so much of a big deal.
"I do palm reading," She answered. Judging by the excited light in Ryoji's azure eyes, she grasped his hand. Her eyes scanned over the hand with a hint of experience. It seemed as if she had done this more than a couple of times. Ryoji stared down at his own hand, trying to make sense of it as well. "Well let's see… Your head line is extremely healthy. I take it you do a lot of thinking? It's as it sounds, head is mentality. It doesn't imply intellect, but more of how much you use your head."
Ryoji nodded, and continued to listen before interjecting. "What does it say about my love life?"
"Hold on I'm getting to that. You're so enthusiastic for such feminine of a subject." She paused. It finally struck her how feminine his hands were. Actually, they were more so elegant. Ryoji's fingers were long and would be perfect for an instrument, soft too, as if they never worked a day in their life. It was severely distracting, and making her self-conscious. Minako noticed her own hands, and how dejected they were in comparison. Upon regaining her senses, she simply said "Oh your love life is long and strong. It looks like you'll either have many good relationships, or one long life partner."
Ryoji's contagious smile made its appearance, although Minako could not guess which of the reasons he was excited about. Exhaustion taking over, she plopped down on the couch. Ryoji seemed alarmed for a moment. "You do know a guest as heartwarming as you should stay in a bed just as warm?"
"Ryoji, it's been a long day. I don't feel like getting up. Besides, your couch feels better than my bed at home," She waved an arm haphazardly, almost swatting him in the leg.
"Would it be alright if I carried you then, Miss Minako?" He offered, putting a hand to his chest in an unintentional sign of earnesty.
"Don't trouble yourself…. I'm alrea….." The girl who was still dressed in her drag from earlier today was unintelligible.
Ryoji had left shortly after being denied, only to return with a quilt. "Good night Minako." He said that loud enough so she could possibly hear him subconsciously. Topping it off with a whisper, "…Thank you." He left.