Here's the next one :)! Hope ya enjoy :D InuiXOC


[Beetles and Juice]

"Kari, come inside! It's too cold out there!" my lab partner and best friend Kathy nagged at me.

"Oh come on, don't you just love the breeze?" I flicked my magenta-brown hair and closed the door to the hotel balcony. "If we're going to stay in Hokkaido, might as well as enjoy it!"

Kathy rolled her eyes. "One problem Kari, it's winter! Besides, we'll be here for two whole weeks. Now get your butt over here and check out the specimen. I can't believe your Uncle let us take it!"

"Fine." I grumbled. "Kat, I don't see the point in this. Why don't we just check it out at the lab with all the other interns tomorrow?"

She scoffed. "With all the others? No. Don't you see? We're going to be a step ahead of the rest!"

"Sure." I took a seat at the computer and clicked on a game of virtual tennis as a migraine began hammering at my head. "Look Kat, because of this international internship our University is holding, you've gotten too crazy! Loosen up a bit and have fun." I laughed.

"Shh." She shooed me with her hand and then pushed up her glasses.

"Hey." I leaned back on my chair. "Why wear glasses? You should get contacts like me!"

"Shh!" she shooed me again. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was our American classmate Kent. "Hey, Kent!" then I put a finger in front of my lips. "Let's talk outside." I dragged him out the door after looking back at Kathy.

Before I could even ask, he laughed and then dragged me to the courts. "We need you on our team right now!"

"I don't know." I smiled worried. "My skills have probably rusted and—" he stuffed a racket into my handed and pushed me past the metal fences. "Aw, heck." I grinned. "I could use a good workout!" I gripped the handle tight, setting my feet apart. My opponent stood tall, about 6"1', spiky black hair, pale skin—probably a visiting Japanese— wearing a white T-shirt, and a blindfold?! I stood out of posture and laughed. "Hey Kent!" I called out from behind. "He's blindfolded? How could you lose?"

"Don't underestimate him! He's better than he looks." Kent clenched the gates. "And you can't lose!" he gulped. "Because my life is on the line!" he darted his gaze to a beer glass with thick silver contents. "That thing got all the other boys too, you must definitely win!"

"Revealing my eyes would be too great a burden on you." The man swung his racket. "Because I'd win."

"Now now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." I stared at the glass and giggled. 'Some people have the same hobby.' I grasped the ball in my hands, throwing it up high and hitting it gently. Before I could even blink the ball flew right pass. "You must be a woman." He stood up straight. From the height that you hit, speed on the ball, and technique; you are a middle aged woman, probably native, and in your mid twenties or so."

"Well Mr. Obvious, I'm a man!" I giggled and hit the ball again with all of my strength. He struggled a bit to hit it back. For awhile, it went on like this, until we both began to break out in sweats. "Well," I breathed hard. "seems like your speed has fallen. Say, why are you doing this anyways?"

"I could say the same." He inhaled. "I'm doing it for fun. This place needs some lightening up. Besides, nothing could ever go wrong with my Ultra Mega Special Improved Deluxe Penal Tea. This time, I've added a water beetle found only native in Hokkaido." He grinned.

'Sure!" I bit my lip. "I've heard that one before." It couldn't be. Part of me thought in the back of my head. But just as he grabbed the ball in his hand and began to serve, I squint my eyes shut. "WAIT!" The man refrained from serving. Slowly, I opened my eyes, thankful that he was blindfolded. I could tell that move from anywhere. "I give up!"

Kent's eyes widened as the other man inched his head away. "What!? How, why, w-what?!" Kent ruffled his dark honey hair.

"Don't worry!" I held up my palm. "I'll take the Penal Tea!" Goosebumps rose on my skin as I grabbed the cup and gulped it all down. It was wet, slimy and smelled like nothing I've ever smelled before. I wiped my mouth with my arm and slammed the cup back down. "Hmm." I tasted my tongue before walking to the gates. Then I looked at Kent who looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "Tastes like peppermint!" I smiled and ran back to my room.

"Peppermint?..." the other player pulled down his blindfolds, revealing dark green eyes. He blinked twice trying to adjust to the vision. He looked around towards the voices where he saw Kent on the floor looking despaired and the back of a girl running in the direction of the hotel. Grabbing Kent by the shoulders, he asked. "Who was that just now?!"

Kent flinched as he wailed at the mastermind monster. "Ah! T-that was K-Ka-Kariko Nakahara! She's a student like us!"

"Kariko. A student." He whispered disbelievingly. Then back to Kent, "What room is she in?!"

"Ah!" he screamed. "4th floor, room 328! Why what's it to you?"

He smiled. "Inui Sadaharu, remember it, and if you meet her again, tell her I'm looking for her." He sped off in the direction she went with smiles. Thinking on it, her curly Magentic hair looked to have gotten longer as well.

I ran as fast as I could. It would be bad if he saw me now. Everytime I think of him, I just feel conflicted, but even to myself I asked 'What for?' There was no real reason, I just felt the way I did. Deep down, I know I still feel for him, but it won't be the same with him. A small high school fluke like this shouldn't have meant much. I mean it wasn't even a relationship. Yet, why did I feel the need to run and hide? The fire had been put out, or it had never even been lit in the first place.

"Back already?" Kathy said monotonously as I nodded my head. I grabbed a pillow and rested my head, thinking that perhaps this would make my headache go away. "Hey there was a call for you." Kathy took a bite out of a cracker. "Professor Snyder said to give him the specimen back." She handed me a tube. "He said meet up with him as soon as you heard the message."

"My uncle?" I took a look at the clock reading 9:30. "Well, better jet, before it gets any later." I grabbed the key and stuffed it in a pocket. "Don't wait up; I'll probably come home late." I looked across the hotel park to the laboratory, seeing that the lights were all turned off. What could he want in this time of night?

Inui knocked on her door. His palms were getting sweaty. Nervousness wasn't usually easy to see in him, but tonight, he had it written on his forehead. On his way here, he thought of the many things he could say to start the conversation. It would have been a humdinger for her to guess who he was at sight. So why hadn't she said anything? Perhaps she had forgotten all about him, after all it was when they were young. She even probably left because she couldn't stand him. He disgusted her. The very thought made him sad and more nervous. Maybe she didn't want to talk. Maybe he should just turn away now, but it was too late. "Yeah!" Kathy shouted. "If it's you Kent, Kari went to the lab! And if it's not, sorry Kari!" she could be heard laughing to herself in the room. Inui made a dash once again. It was bad timing that he had just missed her, but this would give him a chance to make himself less nervous.

But he had himself completely fooled. The closer he drew to the lab, the more he sweat. Then suddenly, a loud glass breaking noise could be heard. Immediately, he pulled out a phone.

When I opened the door to the lab, all was quiet, all was dark. "Hello? Proffesor Snyder?" I shouted. "I'm here for—"

A hand covered her mouth. "Shut your filthy mouth." The sliver of the silver pressed against her neck made her shiver. "Hey." The man grabbed my cheeks and turned me to face him. His face in a dirty shave, he flashed his teeth with a gold tooth. "You're pretty cute. Never mind about killing you, how bout' we share a room together?" he licked my ear.

"That's it!" I jabbed him with an elbow in the stomach. And then I made a run for it. "Get away from me creep!" I kept running until I saw my uncle tied up in a chair. "Mhhh!" he shouted with his mouth taped. And then, I was caught again.

"I change my mind, how bout I throw you in a ditch instead." He laughed in my ear. "Now give me that specimen." He took the tube out of my hands and shoved me to the floor. "At last." He held up the glass to the light. "With this discovery, I can be famous!" he cackled to himself for several minutes. "Now." He looked to me, taking a gun out of his leather jacket. He pointed it to me. "Now, it's time—"

"For you to get lost!" Inui jumped in serving him Waterfall style with a racket. His body hurled halfway across the floor breaking glassed exhibits.

"Haru!" I ran to hug him. The tears began to fall and I began to realize how much I had missed him. He tossed aside his broken racket and hugged me as well. Not a moment later, lights of flashing blue and red came swerving by. We untied my uncle, where he explained everything. That man was also another scientist who heard of my Uncle's discovery about regeneration cell that would cause a new technological revolution.

On the stairs away from the noise, we sat quietly. He was first to talk. "Sorry about not coming sooner."

I smiled politely. "Sorry about breaking your racket."

He did the same. "Sorry about smashing all those exhibits."

I arched an eyebrow and laughed softly. "Sorry, about leaving you behind." He became quiet as he looked into my eyes. "I…no excuses, but it just was all so sudden when we moved back to America, my sisters and I. And I did…" I looked down embarrassed, feeling heat roll on my cheeks. "I did try to contact you, but the service was out of order."

He gave a hearty laugh, one that really made mine thump with joy. "I'm happy." He tilted my head to face him. "My family and I bought a house up in Shinjuku, so you probably called then."

He pulled me closer to him as I gazed into his beautiful green eyes. "You're not wearing your glasses anymore." I caressed his cheek. Why had I even thought of running away from this? Maybe my head hadn't been screwed on right this whole time with him.

"You too." The warmth of his breath tickled my nose. He ran his hand through my hair. "It's gotten very long." I nodded. "And, you've become more beautiful too..." his deep voice trailed off as he sealed my lips with a warm kiss. Peppermint. I smiled inwardly. The flame hadn't died, it simply needed beetle juice.


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-HB123