My Ex-Best Friend
"The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her"
~Marcelene Cox
Chapter 2
'I'm sorry guys… But I don't feel so good right now… I think I'm coming down with something… I don't want you guys to catch it too… so you go on without me…'
Yes, a well thought out reason for not going. They're bound to accept it if I give them my best puppy-dog-look and give a long letter of apology the next day. No, strike the last part. I'll just stick to a normal apology.
Yes, that sounded pretty right. A normal apology and it'll all be fine. They'll accept it and I'll pack my bags and get the next train out of this freaking city and head back to my peaceful home in Heiomachi.
I took in a deep breath as I stared at the buzzer outside the apartment. I pulled out of the piece of paper that held Nanami's address and checked it once again in case I got to the wrong place. It was the right apartment alright. I checked the number and pressed the apartment number "7" on the intercom and waited for a reply.
"Hello!" the voice of my orthodontist of a friend's buzzed through the intercom, "is that you Miyu?"
I hesitated for a while.
"Hey Nanami…" I faltered.
"Come right up!"
It was the unmistakable voice of one of my other friends, Aya Konishi.
I hesitated again.
I was pretty positive about my explanation on why I won't be able to come to their shopping-spree but at the sound of their voices, I wasn't very much sure I'd be able to lie to their faces. I'd better say it through the intercom itself. It'll save the effort of going through turmoil of hesitation and conscience all the way up to her apartment.
"Listen guys…" I started, trying to remember back to the well-thought out explanation but suddenly I seem to remember nothing.
"Save your breath!"
It was Christine.
"Yeah, we know what happened at the shop," Nanami's voice sounded, "just come up so that we can talk… or not talk about it!"
"How… how did you know?" I flabbergasted.
"Just come on up," said Christine, "We'll explain…"
~My Ex-Best Friend~
"Tell me again why we have to shop for your new house's garnishing with only a week left till your wedding?" asked Nanami coldly as she lifted an odd looking china vase and used the scanner in her hand, which shot a horizontal red light on the price tag of the vase, with a revolted look in her eyes, "and shouldn't your fiancé help as well?"
"Well, I think there are a few things missing in that house… and, Takeshi couldn't make it cause he has some work to do," said Christine with a beautiful looking china plate on her hand, "and I don't think we'll need that vase, you know Nanami…?"
Nanami cocked her eyebrows and said, "deal with it Hanakomachi…!"
Christine sighed.
"But you could've gone sooner, right?" asked Miyu lightly as she looked around the huge shop wondering what would look nice in Christine's new house (or should we just call it what it really is: a mini-Palace?).
"Well actually, we planned on doing it last month…" said Christine, now a little too much interested in the patterns of the plates whilst her two other friends except the blonde looked at her with raised eyebrows, "but we ended up spending the entire day together at my place…"
Aya stuffed a giggle with the scanner in her hand while Nanami just rolled her eyes.
"What?" asked Miyu innocently, unable to grasp the real meaning of Christine's simple statement.
"Honestly, you don't understand?" asked Aya, looking at Miyu.
Nanami however was staring at the crimson Christine and said, "Geez… in the middle of daylight? What are you guys…? Animals…?"
Miyu turned bright crimson as she finally understood what the three girls were talking about.
"Shall we not talk about it anymore?" asked Christine, moving away towards the floor rags and looking at them cynically, with still a tinge of crimson on her cheeks.
Nanami merely rolled her eyes and went back to tagging all odd stuff on Christine and went about to find some more.
"Hey Aya…" called Miyu, finally.
The young writer turned to the blonde and asked, "What is it?"
"You guys haven't told me how you knew about what happened at the shop…" she pointed out, hesitatingly.
"Kanata told us of course," said Aya smiling.
"Oh," said Miyu. Well, she had guessed that far. But there was still a nagging feeling inside of her that she couldn't put her finger on. Rather, she went about to scanning the amazing shop for what to buy.
She found a lot of stuff that she really liked but was still a little faltered to tag it on Christine. So at the end of the shopping, Nanami had cost Christine nearly a fortune for merely nothing but junk but the latter didn't mind but threatened that she'll do the same for her one day.
It was nearly nine and they had bought almost everything. They had ordered the furniture, the drapes and all that would be needed almost immediately on getting into her new home—which Nanami had pointed out almost a hundred times—which would already be furnished. But Christine didn't pay heed to any of her friend's wails.
They had also got the ordered bridesmaids' dresses for the three.
And finally, they had only one thing to buy—the most important.
"You look so beautiful, Christine…" whined Aya as she looked at the pink-haired, who was standing on a small podium with mirrors covering one side.
"You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen…" said Miyu, almost close to tears as she saw her friend dressed in a very beautifully decorated pearly-white wedding gown which was specially designed and ordered for her wedding.
"I know…" said Christine, looking at herself in the mirror, also close to tears.
"Quit it you three…!" blanched Nanami, "you're gonna make me throw up!"
"That's not a very nice thing to say to a soon-to-be-bride!" flared Christine, raising her eyebrows at her maid-of-honor.
"Enjoy it while it lasts…" said Nanami, testily.
Christine glared at her. "How did she become Chris' maid-of-honor, anyway?" Miyu asked in a whisper to Aya, who stood there, examining the scene with interest, "with the two bickering all the time?"
"Oh that…" said Aya thoughtfully, "after you said no, we tossed a coin…"
"Very well thought-out decision," said Miyu, with a sincere look in her eyes.
Aya smirked.
Nearly ten minutes later, after they had the gown packed and paid, Miyu asked her friends painfully, "can we go now?"
"Not yet!" said Christine, grabbing Miyu's shoulder, with a glint in her eyes.
"What?" asked Miyu, "there's still more?"
"Yup!" exclaimed Aya.
"Yeah…" said Nanami, smirking, "we're going to teach you how to raise your self-esteem when you have guy-trouble…"
"But I don't have guy-trouble…" Miyu pointed out the obvious.
"Yea… yea… tell it to someone who believes ya…" said Nanami and dragged Miyu back to the dressing rooms grabbing a wedding gown on the way.
"No. no. no. no," said Miyu, "I'm not going to try out wedding gowns!"
"Why not?" asked Christine.
"Yea… we do it all the time!" said Aya defensively.
"But its weird!" said Miyu, repulsed.
"I know…" muttered Nanami under her breath.
"C'mon Miyu…" urged Chris, jumping lightly with her hands on the blonde's shoulders, "try it… Trust me, you'd love it!"
Miyu looked at the beautiful wedding dress in her hand and then looked at her three friends and then with a sigh made towards the dressing room going, "oh alright… but you guys owe me big time!"
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" asked Nanami under her breath in Aya's ear to which the latter merely smiled.
Fifteen minutes later, Miyu emerged out of the dressing room in the long pearly-white sleeveless wedding dress which was decorated with flowers and frills at the very end of the gown. Holding on to the lower-part of the gown with both her hands, she walked slowly and carefully out of the dressing room and searched for her three friends who seemed to have suddenly disappeared.
Assuming they were just in the ladies-room, she walked onto the podium and examined herself in the mirror, crimson in her cheeks. She twirled lightly and looked at herself from all sides, going steadily pink. She looked about if anybody was watching and then realizing that the coast was clear, she let down the dress and smiled at her image on the mirror.
Although, she hated to admit it, her friends had been right. This really did make her feel better.
"I really wanna get married to someone right now," she muttered, breathing out heavily.
"Well, I seriously wouldn't want to be that guy…"
She turned swiftly to see a handsome brunet leaning on the wall, his arms crossed and a teasing smirk running along his lips and his auburn orbs twinkling up at her.
"Kanata?" she gasped.
"Hey Bridezilla!" he greeted with another smirk and then nodding at her added, "I see you're all set up to destroy another city…"
Anger rushed through her veins and before she could think about what she was doing, she grabbed an empty cardboard box which was lying innocently and then at a sprint started hitting the brunet.
"You. Idiot" she said, hitting him at the end of every word, "how. Dare. You. Call. Me. Names. After. What. You. Did!"
"Ow… that hurts…" he cowered and backed away.
"You jerk!" she cried and came closer to hit him again but this time, sensing what was coming, the brunet grabbed the cardboard box in a swift movement.
"Miyu, listen!" he started but he was unable to continue for the blonde in the bride's dress, took a sudden movement and started punching him with her fist wherever she could find space.
"Ow…!" cried Kanata in pain, "seriously, where did you get all this strength from?"
"You moron!" she continued on her rampage, tears now rolling down her emerald orbs, "I thought you were my Best Friend! How could you leave me…? How could you just-?"
He grabbed both her wrists suddenly and with a serious look in his eyes, said, "I'm sorry…"
She heard him but she was too angry to forgive him that easily.
"Let go, you jerk!" she struggled to break free from his grasp but he was just a little [*ahem*] too strong for her.
He forced her to look in his eyes so that he could show how sincere and genuine he was and said in a croaky voice, "I'm sorry… I know I'm such an idiot for leaving like that… I'm really sorry…"
"Me too!" she snarled.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said lightly, but added off-handedly, "except maybe perhaps hitting me…"
"No stupid," she snapped, glaring at him, "I meant I know you're an idiot too!"
"Oh," he said thoughtfully.
"Let go…" she muttered, threateningly, "or else…"
"Or else what?" he snorted, despite himself, and then looking up and down asked incredulously, "you goanna marry me…? Please no… that would be the worst punishment ever!"
"You idiot!" she shouted and wrenched her wrists away from his grasp.
"Miyu…" he started again, the smirk being replaced again by the sincere look.
"Save it!" she snapped pointing her index finger at him furiously, "Not only did you just leave… you never came back!"
"Hey!" he retorted finally, frowning lightly, "that's your fault!"
"How would it be my fault?" she asked angrily.
He relaxed lightly with a sad look in his eyes and then turning away from her muttered, "because… because you said I shouldn't come back…"
Despite herself, Miyu found all her fury ebbing away at the sight of her ex-best friend looking gloomy all of a sudden. He turned to look back at her and said in a croaky whisper, "that day… it went all wrong," he smiled sadly, "I was planning… well I was planning to ask you to come with me…"
"Really…?" she asked in a light whisper.
He was planning to ask her to come with him? To Tokyo…?
He turned away from her gaze again and continued, "r-really… but you were in too much fury to listen to me…"
She looked down, unable to take in what the brunet was saying. Six years… she had wasted six years.
"I'm sorry…" he said, bowing lightly his hair covering his eyes, "I should've explained… I-"
"I'm so sorry Kanata!" she cried suddenly, "I should've let you speak… I should've asked you why you were doing it! It's my entire fault… I'm sorry"
Tears rolled down her cheek as she forced herself not to look at the brunet.
"I'm sorry too…" he muttered.
She looked up at him.
There was an awkward silence.
"Why don't we just forget everything…?" he asked lightly.
"Six years Kanata…" she smiled through her tears, "hard to forget…"
He smiled back and wiping away her tears asked, "Why don't we start over…?"
She glowed with happiness as he backed away after wiping away her tears, "you serious…?"
"Friends…?" he asked, extending his hand with a smile.
Her smile widened and taking his hand finished, "…Forever!"
His smile seemed to flicker for a second but a wide smirk appeared across his lips as he said, "you know… you haven't changed much…"
She frowned lightly.
"Mentally…" he said smiling as he tapped her forehead lightly and then looking at her up and down added with a smirk, "and physically…!"
She flared and then snapped, "What would you know!"
He smiled widely.
Her anger disappeared again and smiling she said, "Idiot…!"
She pounced and hugged him tight, her arms wrapping around his neck.
After a second of shock, he hugged her back.
"I missed this…" she said, squeezing him tighter.
"I missed us," he breathed.
"Finally!"
The two let go at the exclamation from their short-haired orthodontist who was standing a few feet back at the dressing rooms, with their two other friends coming out of the dressing rooms, pleased at their two friends getting back together.
"You know…" said Kanata, raising his eyebrows, "it's impolite to eavesdrop…"
"Oh quit it..!" said Nanami, "we got you back with your best-friend!"
Kanata sighed and said, "Who am I kidding…? Eavesdropping… that's what women do… Sorry for calling you girls impolite… I forgot that that's what you all are…!"
The four women glared at him from all four angles.
He waved a white flag going, "Sorry…?"
"Anyway…"
"I'm so glad you two are friends again!" exclaimed Christine and rushed towards the blonde and hugged her.
"Me too!" piped Aya and joined the hug.
"Hey… I wanna join too!" exclaimed Nanami and the four girls hugged.
Kanata took a careful step away from the four girls but not for long.
"C'mon Kanata!" called Miyu smiling.
"Yeah… join the looove…" smirked Nanami.
"I think I'll pass," said Kanata with a strained smile.
"Oh come on!" called Christine.
"I'm in the middle of a bridal gown shop with four other women…" he pointed out, "if people see me in the middle of a group hug with you girls, they're gonna think I'm gay…"
"Like you care…" snapped Miyu with a smirk.
Kanata sighed and joined the group hug going, "I'm sure I'm gonna regret this somewhere in the near future…"
He broke away fairly quickly and said, "Well, I gotta go… Akira's still at my apartment… I've gotta drop her off…"
The girls waved as he turned to leave but he stopped mid-way and then turned and taking one long step hugged Miyu lightly.
Breaking away he said to her thoughtfully, "Miyu, I think you have to change…"
"Oh!" she looked down and realized that she was still wearing the wedding gown, "you're right… I totally forgot…!"
"Yea… moreover, think about the poor girl who has to wear it not knowing it was once worn by a monster," he said seriously.
"You-"
"I'll see you tomorrow…" he said with a huge smile and then made his way out of the shop waving at the four girls.
Miyu smiled as she watched him leave, her heart extremely light and her spirits high.
"I think we should leave…" suggested Aya, "I have an important appointment in the morning…"
"Yeah… let's go…" Christine added as Nanami yawned looking at her watch.
But Miyu was too happy to take notice of how sleepy and tired she was. After all, it's not as though you get back with your Best-Friend after six years, everyday, right?
~End Chapter 2~
A/N: I'm extremely sorry about all the mistakes I made in the last chapter. I hope I don't do it in the future… So, how did you all like this one? Please let me know… ;-)