Here's the next chapter everyone! (Finally!)
Kai's kitty-Hey! Yeah! Rei plays his role as 'one of' the fathers well. He can't spoil Makoto since Takao's already took care of that!
Everyone was dressed in their P.E. uniforms because today is the most competitive day of the year! The Sports Fest!
Some were doing some last minute preparing and checking for the Sports Fest with decorations and along with booths, tents, and cleaning the track field. Others were stretching to prepare for the events.
The teachers gathered their students to encourage them and get them into spirit for today. All the students were pumped up and excited, but no one is more excited than Makoto.
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"Go! Tai GO!" Makoto shouted from the side for the 400 meter race. Tai was panting as he ran but he took a deep breath and shouted, "SHUT UP!!!" with an anime vein.
"Come on! Sensei promised us juice if we win!" Makoto shouted when he reminded Tai who pushed himself harder.
"You can do it, Tai!" Cam also cheered.
"Go Tai! Get us this win!" Minkah shouted.
Tai caught up to the person in the lead: Mary Mizuhara.
She gasped when she saw someone caught up to her and then pushed herself harder as well.
"Go Mary!" Rin shouted from her side along with the rest of her class.
It was the final stretch.
"TAI! Gr…someone say something to make him mad!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Tai! Makoto said you're a shrimp that will get beaten by a 5-year-old because you're weak!!" Minkah shouted. Makoto's jaw dropped,
"I didn't mean use me!" he shouted at Minkah with an anime vein. Though it worked when Tai looked like he was blowing off steam when he finished the race in first place but what really scared everyone the most was when he kept running as he chased after Makoto.
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"You can do it, Cam!" Makoto shouted for Cam and her partner for the 3-legged race that was about to start. Makoto then noticed Rin as one of the racers. She noticed his glance and smirked. Giving him a look saying 'You can't win.'
"…GO CAM!" Makoto shouted even louder.
The race started and Cam and her partner tripped and fell on the first step.
The whole class groans and sweatdrops.
"Let's give it all we got!" Makoto shouted to the class when the Tug-of war was next.
"HAI!" the class replied.
Sun Class vs. Moon Class:
The classes started pulling on the rope.
"Pull! Pull! Pull!" Makoto shouted to his class.
"You heard the guy! PULL!" Tai added.
"Wow, Makoto's got a lot of energy today doesn't he?" Mark asked out loud. He was sitting next to Rin, who was also his next opponent.
"Yes, he is. The Sports Fest is his favorite time of the year. That's when Makoto really shines. He's good at everything and he really rouses his team up," said Rin.
"Wow…a good beyblader, and a complete athlete! His team must be lucky to have him on his team! They might win this whole thing."
"…" Though Mark quickly took back his words when he saw Makoto's class get dragged to the other side…
"Next up, is the boy's gymnastic team!" The announcer shouted into the mike.
"Go for it, Makoto!" Tai encouraged.
"You can do it!" said Cam,
"You can win this with your eyes closed!" said Minkah and pats him on the back.
"I probably can!" said Makoto with a grin.
The whistle blew. Makoto flipped onto his hands letting his partner hold his legs up.
"This is cake-walk!" Makoto thought.
"Makoto does gymnastics?" Mark asked as he watched.
"Yeah, he's really flexible, it really surprised me!" said Rin.
"Whoa…he's pretty good!" said Mark when Makoto showed his stuff with other stunts done with other members of the boys' gymnastics' team.
Makoto's class cheered when they saw how much Makoto brought their score up.
"We're not far behind from the Metal class!" said Tai.
"And I plan on winning!" said Makoto excitedly.
"Yeah!" Makoto and Tai agreed with a high-five.
Makoto got a deserved break as he watches the cheering contest.
Scavenger Hunt Race:
"Go Minkah!" Makoto shouted when the signal to start went off.
Minkah dashed for the tables and took a piece of paper.
"A star?" Minkah raised a brow. And then a light bulb went off. He ran for Tai,
"Come with me!"
"What?"
"Just come!"
"Do it Tai!" Makoto shoved Tai forward.
"What does he need Tai for?" Cam asked,
"Who knows? Minkah knows what he's doing!" Makoto replied.
Then both sweat dropped when they saw Minkah was aiming for Tai's forehead with the star-like shape on just like DJ Daichi. That later passed when the class cheered when Minkah brought their score up even more!
"We're not doing too shabby!" said Tai looking at the score.
"What?!" Makoto exclaimed as he stared at the scoreboard.
"What's wrong?" Cam asked,
"The Water Class is ahead of us?! So is Metal!" Makoto exclaimed.
"Wow, you take this day pretty seriously…" said Minkah.
"Hey…"
"Hm?" Mark looked up from his shoe after tying it when Gou called him.
"Yes?"
"Look…" Gou held up a piece of paper.
"What?! 20 Faces is going to come?!"
"Those participating in the cook-off to raise their class' points, please come to the competition now."
"Makoto! It's up to you!" said Tai,
"You got it!"
The rest of the class cheered on Makoto as well, for Makoto was, after all, their secret weapon for everything.
Makoto arrived at his station and looked at what he had to work with.
"Just like old times huh?"
Makoto looked to the cooking station to his left to see Rin there.
"Yeah! Sure is!" Makoto replied.
"But this time, I'm going to win!"
"Not going to happen! I will always be the best cook out of us two!"
"Oh really? Guess what Mark told me? 20 Faces is coming to steal the best meal. I think it would be an honor to have my food stolen by 20 Faces," said Rin.
"I guess it would!" Makoto replied as he grabbed an apron and puts it on with Rin doing the same.
"Welcome everyone! Now our chefs will have a certain amount of time to make a dish out of the theme we're using. And our theme is…Rice cake gumbo! Chefs! Are you ready?! Get set! And…GO!"
Makoto puts the handle of a blade between his mouth and got to work.
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Minkah asked,
"You should've seen Makoto in last year's cook-off…" said Tai with Cam nervously nodding.
"Over on this side we have Makoto and Rin! Both are washing a fish! How convenient and a coincident they're doing the same thing!"
Makoto and Rin quickly exchanged glares before turning their attention back to their dish.
When the fish was done, Makoto dropped the blade from his mouth and grabbed it to cut the fish while Rin had to reach for the knife which puts Makoto in the lead by a few seconds.
"GO MAKOTO!" his friends and classmates cheered on.
Gou was bored stiff waiting for 20 Faces.
"Come on, Gou, why you don't watch Rin and Makoto-Kun face off! They're really getting attention!" said Mark with excitement. Gou blinked a couple of times.
"…Makoto…?"
Gou slowly turned his head towards where most of the crowd has gathered.
"And TIME!"
Gou leaned foreword to try and see Makoto but there were too many people crowded in that area.
"And now, these dishes will be represented before the judges!"
There was one judge from each class participating plus one teacher. The scores varied between chefs until it was Makoto's turn. Makoto smirked; he's got this in the bag!
The judges revealed their scores. 10 flashed before Makoto.
"And we have a perfect score!"
Makoto's class roared as they cheered loudly.
"Beat that!" said Makoto when Rin was up next.
Rin presented her dish and waited patiently without worry for her score.
"We have another perfect score! This is amazing! A tie between-Ahh!"
Things on the ground started to explode with smoke coming out of them. A lot of people started to panic, others tried to breathe.
The smoke kept coming. Some used their clothing to breathe through the smoke. Everyone was wondering what was going on!
The smoke started to clear and a small hot hair balloon was seen in the air with a rope attached to it. Hanging from the rope was 20 Faces hanging upside-down and being pulled back up by something inside the balloon and with him he was stealing the two prized-winning dishes!
A lot of people screamed with a few being calm.
"It's 20 Faces!" Mark exclaimed. Gou watched in amazement as 20 Faces slipped in the balloon with both dishes.
"Catch you guys later! Thanks for the meals!" 20 Faces waved as he pulled on the string in his hot-air balloon to go higher.
"Makoto? Makoto!" Rin shouted but Makoto was no where in sighed. Everyone was trying to get the Festival back in order after what happened and Rin was trying to find Makoto.
"Makoto!" Rin shouted once more.
"Did something happen to Makoto-Kun?" Mark asked. Rin turned around to see Mark and Gou.
"I can't find him! That's the problem!"
"Really? Hey, come on Gou, lets help look," said Mark.
"I would if…"
"If what?" Mark asked and Gou for once, looked embarrassed.
"……If I remembered what he looked liked…"
"……"
"……"
Rin raised her hand did the one thing no other girl on the entire campus would ever do in their lives.
SMACK!
Max's jaw would've dropped to the ground if that were possible. Gou Hiwatari just got slapped by a girl!!!
"I can't believe you! You FORGOT what Makoto looked liked?! You're a horrible person! I'm telling you right now: HORRIBLE!"
"R-Rin, calm down," said Mark.
"No wonder Makoto always feels so down whenever you're mentioned! Apparently you don't appreciate him do you?!"
"R-Rin, please stop…people are staring…" said Mark with a sweatdrop.
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Makoto came out of the locker room and quickly went to find his friends and class who were getting ready for the class relay race.
"Makoto! Where have you been?!" Tai scolded,
"S-Sorry! When uh, 20 Faces came I…um…panicked!"
"I can see that…" said Tai and continued to stretch. Minkah pulled Makoto to the side.
"That was awesome Makoto!" Minkah complimented,
"Oh, thanks!"
"But you missed the greatest thing ever!"
"What?"
"Gou got slapped by Rin! It was so funny!"
"Wha-What?!?!"
"What? Don't you think it's funny?"
"NO!"
"…Okay then…get ready for the race then!" said Minkah and patted Makoto's back.
Cam was really nervous as she held the stick/baton in her hand. She got in position to run. The gun went off and Cam bursts into a run with her eyes closed. When she opened then, she wanted to cry to see she was already behind everyone!
Cam pushed herself to run faster. When saw Tai up ahead, she was relieve and almost slowed down some more but remembered her goal and ran as fast as she could to hand the baton to Tai to let him take over.
"Go Tai! I'm sorry!"
Tai bursts into a run and was gaining distance. Tai quickly passed a couple of students and was glad to see Minkah up ahead. Minkah started a run and Tai passed the baton over.
"Go for it! Get it to Makoto!"
Minkah ran faster and passed even more students. But he wasn't fast enough to catch the students from the Metal and Water classes. Minkah pushed himself to run faster.
"I'm so sorry!" Cam cried,
"It's alright! Minkah is fast! And Makoto's our anchor! We're sure to win!" said Tai with big confidence.
"Almost there Minkah!"
Minkah realized he was closing in on Makoto when he heard Makoto. Makoto started his run and Minkah passed the stick over.
"It's up to you! Go Mako!"
Makoto quickly gained speed as he rushed to gain lead.
A lot of girls screamed at once.
"EEEK! MAKOTO-KUN'S SO COOL!!!"
"Whoa, he sure if popular for someone not one a class board," said Minkah after the earsplitting screech from the girls.
Makoto didn't hear his fans; his mind was only on the race. He was surprised to see Mark was the last runner for the Water Class but he wasn't surprised to see Rin ahead of Mark. There was no way he's losing here to Rin. Makoto ran faster to quickly gained distance.
"Hey Makoto-Kun," Mark greeted when the two were neck and neck.
"Sorry, can't talk!" Makoto pushed himself harder and got ahead of Mark just by a few inches.
"You know…I like competition too!" said Mark as he gained lead again.
"Not going to happen!" Makoto exclaimed as he ran ahead of Mark once more.
"I have to catch up to Rin! And fast!"
Makoto's competitive attitude doesn't fail him when Makoto started catching up with Rin.
"Makoto! Where have you been?" Rin asked between breaths.
"Can't talk! I'm going to win!"
"No you're not!"
The two ran as hard as they might for the final stretch.
Gou was still rubbing his cheek as he pushed through crowds to see the race. His class had low points anyway so no bother trying anymore so Gou just decided to sit out of everything but he promised his Class Board he'd watch them compete. When he finally got passed everybody, he only felt a wind when two figures passed by.
"What the…?" Gou turned his head towards the finish line.
Makoto dived foreword for the extra stretch and passed the finish line first. His class cheered loudly as they ran up to Makoto. Minkah handed him a water bottle and helped his friend stand. Makoto breathed heavily as he leaned on Minkah. He smiled and gave a thumbs up to his classmates.
Rin was furious she lost to Makoto in something athletic. She didn't mind losing to Makoto in activities like cooking but this?! This was unacceptable!
Rin took in a deep breath.
"Oh well…there's always next year," Rin thought and smiled for Makoto.
"YES! We won!" Makoto and his friends exclaimed at the same time when they saw their scores.
"WE DID IT!"
"I-I believe most of the thanks should g-go to Makoto…" said Cam shyly,
"What?! What about me?!" Tai shouted,
"But Makoto was in almost every race. Even the swimming one…" Cam reminded.
"Damn…" Tai cursed when the class started crowding around Makoto.
"Okay, like I promised! Juice for everyone!"
"Thank you, Sensei!" the class replied.
"Wow, Makoto-Kun, you really are talented!" said Mark when he walked over.
"Yup! Sure am!" said Makoto with a grin.
"Now…do you think your class can win the beyblading proportion of the festival? The winning class gets a trophy," said Mark.
"…Really?" Makoto asked,
"Yeah! Hope your class participates! I want to face you!" said Mark and Makoto got his competitive attitude back.
"You're on!"
But before the Beyblade portion, the folk dance was to begin to end the official Sports Fest.
"Come on guys!" Makoto waved on his way over to the circles.
"No way! Can't make me!" Tai crossed his arms. Minkah just shrugged and followed Makoto. Cam shyly followed them as well. Boys on the inside and girls on the outside. Makoto took Cam's hand for his first partner.
"Eeek! Makoto-Kun is taking part in the folk dance!" a girl shouted. The next thing everyone knew, a lot more girls joined the circle to get their chance at Makoto…
"Welcome to the beyblade tournament! Battles will be either tag-team or best of 3 singles. The styles will be chosen randomly as well as the match-ups! But while we're waiting for everyone to get ready, let's give a big welcome to a special guest! The one and only: DJ DAICHI!"
Tai started choking on his drink,
"My dad's here?!"
"Awesome!" said Makoto.
"No it's not! He's only going to embarrass me!" Tai shouted.
"Hey, Makoto, want to be tag-team partners?" Minkah asked,
"Okay!"
"Hey! Wait a minute! I wanted to be Makoto's Tag-team partner!" Tai butted in.
"I asked first!"
"Does it really matter? You can both be my partners! No rules said we couldn't switch between rounds…" said Makoto.
"I haven't beybattled in so long, I'll take either of them so long as it can help me battle!"
Makoto was nervous for once when the first round came.
"Oh…I hope I didn't forget how to launch…" he thought nervously. But when the time came, Makoto launched his blade and all the feelings from his previous battles all came back to him! Yes! He can beybattle!
It was nearing the final rounds. Mark and Rin were pitted against each other in this battle.
"I don't know who to cheer for…" said Makoto.
"No offense to Rin but…go Mark-Kun! Show them water power!" Minkah shouted.
"Oh boy…" Makoto shook his head.
"With Makoto-Kun in our class! We're unbeatable!"
"Yeah! Makoto-Kun's amazing!"
"He's the coolest!"
"He's so dreamy!"
"I know! He's so cute!"
"So handsome too!"
"What a dreamboat…"
Some girls in the class continue to giggle among themselves.
"They can't possibly be talking about Makoto…" Tai thought when he overhears the girls.
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"Rin-Chan! Are you friends with Makoto-Kun?" one girl with her friends from Rin's class asked her.
"Huh? Yes, I am," Rin replied.
"Wow! D-Do you think you can introduce us to him?"
"Huh…?"
"Makoto has no idea that he gains popularity every Sports Fest…" Rin thought and sighed.
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Girls in the Water class were also talking about Makoto.
"That Makoto-Kun is amazing!"
"Yeah! He wins every race he's in! No wonder his class won today's Sports Fest!"
"And he's such a cool beyblader too!"
"He's so strong!"
"What a man!"
"Wow, athletic, talented, and popular with the girls," Mark thought as he overhears girls talk.
Makoto popularity even spreads to the calm and collected Fire Class…
"That Makoto-Kun is quite a guy."
"I know! He's good at everything!"
"I heard Makoto-Kun doesn't have a mother. So he cooks and cleans the house instead of the mother he doesn't have."
"No way! Really?! Aww, Makoto-Kun's so sweet!"
"He really is! He's so nice!"
"He's really handsome too. I wonder where he got his good looks from."
"Those EYES! I can't stop looking at them!"
"No! His silky hair!"
"You've touched it?!"
"No, but I've heard it was nice and soft and silky. Plus! It's so shiny!"
Gou's eyes wandered over to the group of girls in his class.
"…Makoto…"
Makoto was up for the next battle against the water class. Tai won the first round so when Makoto wins, they'll advance to the finals.
"I can't believe Rin lost. Mark-Kun must be good!" Makoto thought as he stepped up for the battle.
"Are you ready to beybattle?! 3-2-1-GO SHOOT!" Daichi shouted.
Makoto and Mark launched their blades.
"Go Makoto!" Tai shouted.
"You can do it!" Minkah added.
"You're the best Makoto!" Cam cheered.
In the seats of the beyblade stadium, was the Metal class.
"Go Big Brother Markie!" Mary shouted, "Avenge us!"
"What do you mean? We lost to your brother's team!" Rin reminded.
"Oh yeah. But that's not the point! If I can't win with my class then Big Brother Markie has too! GO WATER CLASS!" Mary shouted.
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"You're good, Makoto-Kun. But I'm better! Now! Water Viper Fang!" Mark shouted as a water rose in the form of a snake.
"No way! I've come too far for this! Go! Thunder Vortex!"
Makoto's attack created a tornado forming a dragon created by wind and lightning.
The attacks clashed.
"You're finished!" Makoto shouted,
"What makes you say that?!"
"Hello?! I have electricity on my side!" Makoto reminded. Mark blinked and looked at the battle. The lightning followed the water path down to his blade.
"Ah! No! Genbu!"
"Alright! Go my dragon Seiryu! Finish this!"
Mark jumped up to catch his blade that was sent flying. Then he dropped it when he felt a shock go through his body.
Makoto's class went wild for another win.
Mark bent down and picked up his blade again and sighed.
"Hey! Mark-Kun!" Makoto reached his hand out for Mark to take.
"That was awesome!" said Makoto with a smile and helped Mark to his feet. Mark returned the smile,
"You got that right! Hope to have a rematch soon!"
"You got it!" Then the two shook on it.
The crowd applauded for them.
"Makoto, you should take a break, you've been in every single battle," said Minkah handing Makoto the water bottle again and Makoto drank what was left.
"It's fine! I can last another round!" said Makoto after he finished drinking his water.
"You have so much stamina and energy. Then again, being 20 Faces must help you stay in shape a lot," said Minkah,
"Oh yeah! Defiantly!"
"Hey, I just heard that our final opponent is the Fire Class. In other words, it's Gou's class. And Gou's their main blader," said Minkah and Makoto didn't move for the next few seconds.
"…What?"
"I said it's-"
"I know what you said! I just didn't want to believe it! I can't face Gou!" Makoto wanted to panic.
"Why not?"
"I just can't!"
"Just tell me…"
"Gou's talked with 20 Faces! They've met face to face more than once! If he sees me up close he might realize who I am! Or more accurately: Who 20 Faces is!" Makoto exclaimed when he grabbed Minkah and then started worry-crying on him.
"Wh-what? How could you let that happen?! Okay, calm down, we'll figure something out," said Minkah and pulled Makoto off him.
"What can I do?" Makoto asked, "I can't let my class down plus I want that trophy in my classroom! And I want to win! But I can't let Gou know the truth!"
"Hmm…well I have an idea but…" Minkah looked worried.
"Whatever it is! It's something! Get me out of this Minkah! Please!" Makoto wailed.
"Calm down! Okay, are you willing to miss this battle?" Minkah asked.
"Minkah! You can't just say I don't want to battle! I'll look like an idiot!"
"I didn't say you were going to say that. I meant for a different reason," said Minkah,
"Like what?"
"Well…don't hate me for this."
With a swift kick to Makoto's left ankle, Makoto hit the floor.
"Minkah…I can't believe you did that to me…" said Makoto as he lay in the bed of the Nurse's office.
"Hey, it worked," said Minkah, "No one hates you for it because it wasn't your fault," said Minkah.
"Why? What did you tell DJ Daichi?" Makoto asked,
"I said you accidentally tripped over my foot when I was stretching. I think I'll be getting most of the hate," Minkah explained pointing at himself.
"Thanks...so about the battle…"
"It ended up being tag-team. Tai and I battled. Except…"
"Except?"
"…We both got creamed by Gou alone…" Minkah mumbled.
"What?! So our class won't have a shiny trophy?! Damn it!" Makoto angrily shouted.
"Sorry…"
"Sometimes I just hate being such a great thief!" Makoto anime cried.
"H-Hey, look at the bright side. We won the actual Sports Fest," said Minkah trying to calm Makoto down.
"But Beyblading is my favorite part!" Makoto whined.
"Come on Makoto, I'm sure-"
The door slid open at that moment.
"Makoto!" Cam cried. Cam, Tai, Rin, and even Mark came into the room.
"Are you alright?" Rin asked,
"Yeah…" Makoto replied.
"Minkah! Why did you have to be at that spot?! Makoto could've won for us!" Tai shouted Minkah.
"I told you I'd get the blame," Minkah whispered to Makoto as he continued to he 'scolded' by Tai.
"It's okay, Makoto-Kun, don't feel bad," said Mark.
"Yeah…I guess…" said Makoto.
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Gou walked around the school until he reached the Nurse's office. He let himself in and looked for the bed that was most crowded,
"Hey! Rin! Mark! Is it true that he got hurt?" he called as he walked up to them. Makoto and Minkah nearly froze stiff.
"Gou! Yeah, Makoto-" Rin was cut off,
"What are you doing here?" Minkah asked, stepping in front of everyone.
"To see if it was really true," Gou replied.
"Oh really?"
"Yes. And I'm not the only one. The only reason you guys were allowed in here was because you are friends with him while standing outside is the rest of the school," Gou pointed behind him. Minkah listened carefully and he could hear mostly fan girls standing outside.
Makoto took this chance and pulled the covers over his head.
"Makoto? What's wrong?" Cam asked.
"Nothing! I uh…feel like being left alone!"
"Is something the matter? Don't tell me you're that upset over losing and missing the battle," Rin asked.
"I said no! Uh…please leave?"
"…" His friends exchanged looks.
"Well alright, Makoto. Tell you what, I'll come by your place with something sweet!" said Rin and headed for the door.
"I'll make you lunch tomorrow, okay Makoto?" said Cam also taking her leave.
"Hey, you better get better! It's only a little sprain right?" Tai asked and started to leave as well.
"Hope I see you tomorrow, Makoto-Kun!" said Mark cheerfully and followed the others.
"Want me to stay behind Makoto?" Minkah asked,
"N-No it's okay!"
"Alright then, see ya!"
Gou waited until everyone left. Then he walked up to Makoto's bed.
"Hey…you know you can't breathe very long under there right?" Gou asked and reached for the covered. Makoto covered himself even more.
"No! Leave me alone!"
Gou blinked in confusion.
"Makoto-Kun? Hey, it's me, Gou," he said and started to move Makoto's body a bit to try and get him to come out from under the covers.
"No!" Makoto even tried to muffle his shouts so his voice isn't recognizable.
"Makoto?"
Gou can't help but feel like he's done something wrong; that Makoto is not showing his face to him on purpose.
"Come on Minkah! Go!" Makoto shouted.
"Shut up! I never agreed to this!" Minkah shouted back. Minkah was giving Makoto a ride home on his back; Makoto was carrying both of their bags though.
"Oh come on, Makoto, you sure you can't walk?" Minkah asked,
"Well I can, but I'll be limping. Because you KICKED ME SO DAMN HARD!"
"Minkah-Kun, may I ask why you're giving my son such a treat?" Rei's voice asked them which made the two realized they've arrived at Makoto's front door, but they didn't like the way Rei asked that question.
"Oh! Kon-San! Good evening!" Minkah greeted and tried bow but he was already in a bowing position. Makoto got off of Minkah's back which made Minkah feel so relieved.
"Otosan! I'm sorry I'm late! There was a little 'accident' at the Sports Fest," said Makoto on one foot.
Takao appeared at the door behind Rei upon hearing that.
"Ah! Makoto! Are you alright?! What happened?! Did someone do this to you on purpose?! Oh Makoto! Come here! It's alright!"
"T-Takao, calm down. He's not dying…" said Rei with a sweatdrop.
Takao already has his son in his arms in a protective hug.
"Thank you so much for helping him out, Minkah! Want to come inside?" Takao asked. Rei sighed,
"Takao, I can't help but feel that you forget which one's your own son…"
"No, it's okay, Kinomiya-San! I need to get home too! See you tomorrow, Makoto!" Minkah waved as he picked up his bag.
"Say hi to your father for us," said Rei,
"Will do! Bye!"
Takao helped Makoto back into the house and Rei picked up his son's school bag.
"It's not that bad, it looks more like you hit it against something really hard. It's just a bruise," said Rei looking at Makoto's foot while he was sitting in the kitchen eating his dinner.
"Oh thank god! I thought he sprained it or something! That's what Daichi told me today when he called!" said Takao and sighed in relief.
"I'm okay! Really!" said Makoto with a smile.
"Good. And by the way, I tasted the food you stole today. Rin's was pretty good," said Rei.
"Really?! How I was mine?" Makoto asked. Rei stood up and picked up a wooden spoon and hits Makoto on the head with it,
"Terrible!"
"OW! OTOSAN! You can't mean that! We tied during the competition!" Makoto protested.
"Maybe. But if both of your dishes were presented in front of great chefs such as myself or even Olivier, I'm pretty sure we'd both say that Rin's dish was better," said Rei.
"Otosan!" Makoto whined. Takao hugged Makoto from behind,
"Oh Rei! You're so cruel! You don't have to be a critic in everything!" said Takao,
"I'm not being cruel. I'm just giving him something to work for. You, on the other hand, spoil this poor child," said Rei.
"I'm not spoiling him! I'm just loving him!"
"Maybe a little too much…" said Rei showing him the distance with his fingers.
"He's my only child, Rei! What do you expect me to do?! Besides, those rules you give to Makoto, it's not like I would follow them if I were him," said Takao.
Rei sighed.
"Takao, and yet I wonder how you're always so selfish…"
"What was that?!"
"Oh nothing, dear Taka-Chan."
"Don't 'Taka-Chan' me!"
Makoto was silently eating his bowl of noodles, for he, was used to this. 'Fighting' over how to raise him occurs every now and then. It's only embarrassing if this happens while a friend is over which actually has happened before…
Even though Makoto rarely see his parents actually fight anymore, he's still a bit concerned about how much his parents really have in common, and how much different they really are, than people let on.
Makoto slurped his noodle as he thought to himself silently.
"Makoto! What have I told you about your table manners?" Rei asked with a stern voice.
"But Rei/Otosan! I thought the Chinese believed that if you don't chew your noodles, you live a longer life! So it's okay to slurp!" Takao and Makoto whined at the same time. Rei groaned and shook his head.
"Takao, what have you been teaching our son?"
Are you one of those people that have parents like this? No, I don't mean if your parents are the same gender, I mean what my parents are doing right now. They both have completely different reasons and ways on how to raise me. I don't mind most of the time, but sometimes it gets a bit out of hand….
Makes me wonder if there are other families like this. Since I don't know what having a mother feels like, I sometimes don't understand things that other kids would. Gou's a good example. I've seen him get touchy about his mother before. Though as I grew up, I started to understand why. She's very pretty and really nice to me. She would pat me on the head and treat me to things too. And I've always thought if that touch was what a motherly touch felt like. Makes me kind of wish she was my mother. I even pretended she was my mother when I was little. What if I did have a mother of my own? Would I be raised differently? Do I want to be raised differently? So many unanswered questions in this world. I want to grow up and have a family. I want a kid or two, son or daughter, doesn't matter to me because I'll love him or her. But my only concern is them sharing the same experience I had when I was little…
Even now, I'm still afraid to go to bed at night without saying "I love you" to both of my parents.
"It's after the Sports Fest! Let Makoto stay up late with us!" said Takao, in a whiny voice
"Takao, it's not New Years!"
Makoto helped himself upstairs towards his room.
"I wonder...what if Gou did find out who I am? Will he hate me or actually like me anyway? Dad didn't care that Otosan was a thief. And Otosan didn't care about Dad's low grades…I don't care that Gou's been cold to me…my heart is still warm because of him. Will he not care that Makoto and 20 Faces is the same person? I felt Gou's touch today. I miss it so much. I am 20 Faces. I am Makoto. Can Gou accept that? When I do tell him the truth? I want that more than anything."
Makoto reached his room that was only a few steps from the stairs.
"Otosan! Daddy!" Makoto called to get their attention. He smiled at them,
"Goodnight! I love you!"
Both of his parent's expression softened up.
"Goodnight, Makoto. Sweet dreams," said Rei with soft smile.
"We love you too!" Takao added with big grin.
Makoto limped his way to his room and closed the door behind him and headed for his comfy bed knowing he can sleep soundly tonight.
Takao grabbed a hold of Rei's arm.
"Come on! You've had a rough day, let's put on a movie and cuddle on the couch!" said Takao excitedly pulling Rei along. Rei sighed, but smiled,
"Oh alright…anything you want, my Taka-Chan."
Next:
Makoto as 20 Faces tries to bring up the courage to tell Gou who he really is but fails. Gou on the other hand, failed more than once to try and see Makoto again.
Also when Minkah invites everyone to a party at his place, they have a little scare contest. What's Makoto's worst fear besides being shot down in rejection by Gou? Well his childhood of course!
Notes:
-Note that what I put here isn't all that happen at a Sports Fest. A lot of other events/races took place too. Like the basket ramble, ball rolling, obstacle course, girls/boys cavalry race (I should've put that in here), and the all school 10k marathon. Bread eating contest, costume race, this other race that I don't know the name of. Then there's the 400 meter race with everyone participating.
-'Hai' is 'yes' or 'Ok' or 'alright' and etc…in Japanese.
-Genbu. That's Draciel.
-Seiryu. That's Dragoon. Yeah, Makoto has Takao's not Rei's. Well he can't own both! Well he CAN, but I think I'll stick with this decision until further notice. Maybe I'll have them have another kid or something. What do you guys think?
Please R and R! Thank you!
