Author's Note: I think for some reason this story is beginning to be screwed up. Haha. By the way, things inside the [] are supposed to signify reference from the so called present of this story, and I wrote M and R as a symbol of who says which, because I thought it would be misleading if I don't put something as some kind of reference. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really had a hard time thinking about what to write after chapter 2 and by the way, tell me what you think about this one please! :D
Chapter 3: Rain
He opened a piece of paper, written on it was his assigned seat. His classmates were already settled, but he was just standing there, watching as a classmate was trying so hard to find someone who he can exchange his seat number with. He was desperate wanting to get rid of the accursed seat number he unfortunately picked. His seat number indicated that he would be seated beside Mikoto. No one wanted to seat beside Mikoto, this was a relief to his other classmates that they weren't unfortunate enough to be seated beside him. His seat was on the last row, he was looking at the window, oblivious of what's happening to his surroundings. He didn't care whether no one wanted to sit beside him or not, all he cares about is that all of them would piss off.
"Please change seats with me".
"Sorry I can't help you."
The squabbling noise came from two boys. Reishi fixed his glasses and went up to them.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Please, can we exchange seats? I don't want to seat beside him!"
Reishi turned towards Mikoto's direction. The other man's eyes were distant. Reishi sighed and took the piece of paper from the hands of the guy who was practically pleading him.
"Thank you so much Munakata-san!"
Reishi looked at the piece of paper.
Seatmates huh?
Reishi dragged his seat beside Mikoto's. Mikoto was still looking outside, not caring about what turmoil he's been causing the class. Reishi straightened his seat and sat, eyes transfixed on Mikoto. He sighed, fixed his things, and pulled out his notebook and pen to ready it for the lecture. It was no use, he could feel the tension in the classroom. He didn't have any choice but to do this. Once he was able to put them out, he put down his bag on the side. Reishi turned towards Mikoto again to attempt to talk to him.
Nevermind. I might as well work on some puzzles.
Reishi, pulled out something inside his pocket and spread it on his desk and lay it on top of his notebook. He leaned on his left hand and began writing something on it. Mikoto turned to look at what he was doing but he was too focused to notice the other man staring. Mikoto was leaning on his elbow, his face resting on the palm of his hand. He was bored, but as he lay his eyes upon Reishi playing his puzzles, he could see how Reishi's eyes sparkled. The guy loved puzzles with a passion.
What a weird guy.
"Do you happen to be interested in puzzles too?"
Reishi asked without turning to look at Mikoto. Mikoto was taken aback. He just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. Reishi talked on and on about puzzles and about how amazing they were. All Mikoto could muster up was a groan, or a sigh to indicate he was still listening to him.
Ha..This guy just won't shut up.
"You're Suoh Mikoto right? How do you write your name?"
Reishi asked, and this time, he put aside his puzzle and looked at Mikoto. Mikoto wasn't looking at him, he was look at the board and then when he heard Reishi asked about his name, he looked at him with a blank expression. The just stared at each other for awhile.
"Ha?"
Reishi fixed his glasses and asked again.
"I have nothing to say."
Mikoto replied with a straight face, looking away from Reishi.
"Oh, so your brain is so puny that you can't even remember how to write your own name. That explains it all. You're all muscle and no brain."
"You know, you make it sound like a compliment. Munakata."
Reishi stomach churned.
"Don't say my name using that vulgar voice of yours. How did you even know my name?"
Mikoto smirked. He raised his legs and laid it on top of his table, his back was leaning in an awkward manner with respect to his chair.
"Sit properly will you!"
"I can sit in any way I want."
"Ah.. I hate that about you the most."
Reishi mumbled.
"What did you say?"
Suddenly the teacher came in and all of them were asked to stand. After the class, it was time for lunch. Izumo fetched Mikoto and brought him his bento. Mikoto was looking bored that when he saw Izumo he stood up right away and went towards him. Reishi was fixing his things, putting them inside his bag. He laid his bag on top of his table, grabbed his lunch and his wallet and went outside. Mikoto and Izumo were still talking when Reishi passed by the two of them. When Reishi walked passed them, Mikoto caught a glimpse of him and somehow stared into the direction he was walking towards. When Mikoto snapped out of it. He told Izumo that he would be eating alone. The other man said he was thankful because some girls invited him to eat with them. Izumo left with a happy ambiance. And Mikoto began to think whether he was being a burden to him. He shrugged the thought of this and walked towards the stairs. He decided to eat on the rooftop.
There were a lot of thoughts on Mikoto's mind, he walked lazily towards the step, and when he was finally in front of the door, he twisted the doorknob and entered. At first he was doing what he usually does, finding a nice location to eat and then he caught a glimpse of someone just meters away beside the door. It was Reishi. The guy was eating alone, his legs were crossed and his lunch was spread in an orderly manner on top of a mat. The guy even brought tea. For some reason Mikoto felt like he was watching a traditional tea ceremony, only that the guy wasn't sitting the traditional way. He was pissed, not because Reishi looked so dashing and so well breed while eating his lunch like a young master but because he didn't like sharing his personal place with anyone. He walked towards Reishi and sat in front of him in an awkward manner.
"What are you doing here?"
Reishi pretended he didn't hear him and just continued eating his lunch.
"Oh so that's what you're playing at eh?"
"Stop it, I came here first to eat my lunch in peace. If you want trouble, just go somewhere else. Somewhere I can't see you."
"I guess it can't be helped. I'm eating here also."
"Do you always talk like that?"
"What about it?"
"Nothing, I just thought of how annoying your voice is."
"Ha.." Mikoto said with his usual husky and lazy voice.
"You know, you really do have guts saying that to me. You're the first person who pissed me off after a long time."
Reishi stopped in the midst of eating; he dropped his chopsticks and bowed his head. Mikoto didn't notice this change of mood.
"Ma, I couldn't care any less."
Reishi picked up his utensils and put them on his bento box. He was sweating. Mikoto asked him what he was doing. He stood up, fixed his glasses coolly and told Mikoto he was done eating so he's leaving. Mikoto just stared at him while he was walking away. Mikoto didn't particularly find that behavior suspicious, since Reishi was gone, he sat comfortably and ate his lunch. After eating all of it, he went towards the railings. He closed his eyes as he the air reached his lungs. He opened them and looked down at the students who were walking below. He caught a glimpse of Izumo with girls. Just as he said, he really did got himself invited by girls, girls Mikoto wasn't familiar with. Mikoto sighed and looked directly ahead of him. He looked at the sky, it didn't seem like it was going to rain.
Reishi was heaving; he was clutching the side of his chest.
"What's wrong with that guy? Acting all friendly all of a sudden?"
He breathed in deeply. His head was a miss, being classmates with that man isn't a very good idea, even worse is being his seatmate.
"Are you okay Munakata-san?"
Reish heard a voice but he was too tired to turn towards it. He blinked a couple of times, took a deep breath and told the person that he was okay. What a pathetic way to end up in. He closed his eyes and calmed himself. To experience panic attack just by being with that hooligan is so irritating that he's embarrassed at himself.
"Can you please help me stand?"
"Oh yes."
Reishi wasn't aware that the person who was helping him was the same person who's been in love with him since middle school. The girl was looking, and as she helped Reishi stand up, Reishi tripped and ended up being to close to her. She blushed and swallowed a lump on her throat. Reishi apologized. There were just a floor below the rooftop. So when Mikoto went downstairs he saw the both of them.
"Flirting, you rarely see nerds flirting."
Mikoto walked passed them when suddenly the girl called his name.
"Suoh-san can you please help me? Munakata-san seems to be having a fever. Can we escort him to the infirmary?"
It took all the courage of the girl just to speak to Mikoto without stuttering. Mikoto stopped and looked back at the girl. The girl closed her eyes to prepare for the worst. She could hear Mikoto's footsteps, with every step she felt her heart was about to burst out of fear.
"It's fine, I'm gonna get him there alone."
Reishi was a little pissed off at the thought of this man accompanying him to the infirmary. But what's worse is that he hated himself for being sick coincidentally after he just happened to be with Mikoto. Mikoto entered the infirmary and told the nurse that Reishi was sick. He lay him in bed and covered him.
"What an idiot you are for being sick."
"Forgive me, I never predicted this to happen either."
"But you looked well when we were eating at the rooftop".
"Silence!"
I can't believe this guy.
Reishi looked at the ceiling trying to avoid having eye contact with Mikoto. After awhile, the light from the room was covered by Mikoto's shadow when he sat on Reishi's bed. Reishi was pissed. He asked Mikoto if he could stop blocking the light and just leave him alone in the infirmary. Mikoto just looked at him with his droopy eyes and after awhile grinned.
"You don't need to act all tough when you're sick."
"Well, you're not as barbaric as they say you are"
Mikoto was silent. He stared outside of the window and stood up. He went to talk to the nurse and left Reishi. Reishi closed his eyes.
"Stupid, why did I even got sick for no reason?"
The following morning. ..
Reishi was feeling better. How he behaved yesterday remained a mystery even to himself. He was embarrassed to be indebted to Mikoto. He was anxious at seeing the man, he wasn't ready to be ridiculed by him yet. He took a deep breathe and entered the classroom but when he did, there was no sign of him. Just after he put his bag on his table he heard a shout outside and murmurs of people. As the student council president, it is his duty to maintain peace and order in the school. He ran towards the window and looked at what was the commotion all about. He saw a throng of people crowding over two people. He caught a glimpse of Mikoto. His face was blank and cold. The other part was spouting words that seemed to not move or make Mikoto react at all.
Those eyes.
Izumo was standing there watching. Mikoto seemed kinda pissed, his hands were clenched as his opponent was saying things that Reishi couldn't fathom. He rushed outside of the classroom and asked the students he passed by about what happened. They told him there was a fight outside.
Suoh.
He ran as fast as he could to stop the two from fighting. But when he got there, the man fell into his knees. Mikoto had punched him hard in the stomach and he was now heaving for air. Mikoto lifted him by the collar.
"Stop it!"
Mikoto turned towards the sound of the shout. He released the guy he had by the collar and put his hands inside his pocket. Reishi was angry, he walked up to Mikoto and pulled him by the collar, their faces were too close to each other, their eyes holding each other's gazes.
"What is up with you? Fighting in school this early in the morning?"
Reishi turned towards the man who fell on the ground.
"And you! What did you do to anger him?"
Reishi sighed and released Mikoto.
"The two of you, go to the disciplinary office before this incident goes to the teacher. Let's get the disciplinary committee talk to you two."
Reishi walked away angrily when suddenly his right wrist was grabbed. It was Mikoto. His eyes had the look of someone who's out to get someone. He sighed. His left hand lay on top of Mikoto's hand which was gripping his other hand. He used this hand to stop Mikoto's hand from squeezing his hand too much.
"I'll go with the both of you. Don't fret."
And then the three of them went to the disciplinary office.
After that incident, Mikoto didn't stop at having fights. He would usually go to school with a bruise on his face. As his seatmate, Reishi would sometimes worry. And when the day came when he went to school with his the number of bruise on his face increasing. Reishi grabbed him and dragged him to the infirmary. He forced Mikoto to let him tend to his bruises. Mikoto didn't like the idea. He pushed him and walked away just like that. Reishi didn't bother to force it upon him and just sat on where Mikoto supposed to sit and sighed.
"What a troublesome guy."
One afternoon, Reishi went home a bit early from than usual. It was good that he was able to finish the work from the council earlier. The environment was almost painted sephia because of the light emanating from the sun. Night isn't far from replacing day. He went home, bag on his shoulders. It was still 2 blocks away from the bus stop when suddenly it began to drizzle. This confused him, there weren't any dark clouds in the sky but it was drizzling. He looked up at the sky to make sure it was really drizzling. It's a pity he didn't bring any umbrella with him so what he did was he used his bag as one. The drizzle wasn't that bad but Reishi was too particular about his uniform being soaked wet that he rushed towards the bus stop. And when he finally reached the bus stop, he saw Mikoto alone standing beside the stop sign.
Suoh.
And when Reishi stopped to look if it was really Mikoto he saw, rain began to pour. He didn't notice the clouds that mirrored the color of the sun replaced by nimbus clouds. Mikoto was standing there oblivious of the rain. Reishi too, just stood there staring at Mikoto and how much he stood out. Raindrops flowing from his forehead to his chin, his clothes starting to stick to his skin, his face looked as if he didn't care whether he would be sick or not, Reishi paused to look at this, he realized how the rain and Mikoto complemented each other.
[R:Yeah right, this was like that day under the rain. The way you gazed at the sky was like something that was taken from a painting and brought into reality. As the rain coalesced with your skin vehemently soaking you to your toes, you just stood there. And there I was stunned at the way you and the rain fitted each other. I had hoped for you to notice me at that time, for you to stop looking at the sky and turn towards me. Turn to look at me with those steely eyes of yours that gets me everytime. You were beautiful, and that beauty is embedded deep within me. I can't seem to fathom you. You were always the only thing that didn't get into plan. You always made me lose myself.]
Reishi snapped out of his reverie and ran towards Mikoto. He asked him what he was planning by getting himself soaked. Mikoto smirked and responded in an insolent and rude way. Reishi fixed his glasses and dragged Mikoto to shelter from the rain.
"I like being soaked wet. You didn't have to drag me here."
Mikoto said in a taunting way, turned towards Reishi and grinned. Reishi on the other hand turned away the moment their eyes met, avoiding Mikoto's gaze.
If I look at you.. at this rate I'll…
"I gotta go. The bus is about to arrive at any minute now."
Mikoto groaned.
[M:What I really wanted was for you to stay there with me as the skies were crying. I never knew why until that day.]
"It will aint it?"
Mikoto got something out his pockets it was a box of cigarettes.
"Oh right, they're soaked."
"You smoke?"
"Ha."
"I can't believe you. Just don't smoke at school or else I'll be forced to punish you."
"I don't care."
[M:I don't regret anything, albeit we drifted apart. But what I'm scared of is for me to overlook things and forget what's really important. Just like that time. I just spent them half-heartedly that when I look back at those times now, it feels as if they're just bits of illusions my mind made up. The warmth that you gave me even feels like a fleeting dream. And whenever I close my eyes, I can't help but to try to focus so that I could feel them all over again, but then if I don't it will all just end up as nothing. End up like ashes being thrown in the wind, I won't be able to know or even remember them as if they never happened, lost in oblivion. Even this rain is familiar. The rain reminds me of your kisses, soft, strong, forceful, gentle. That's why I love the rain, it's like experiencing your kisses all over again.]
[R:Maybe if we could just go back to those days, I would've appreciated them more. The day that we first interacted, the way your eyes looked and the way you said my name was like a lullaby to my ears. I wish we could've been together for much longer. I wonder what you're thinking? Do you even pause for awhile and look back at those times?]
It sounded like a threat. But those words melted away and felt as if washed away by the rain. The memories of those times seemed to continue to haunt their thoughts. People tend to overlook things, they think that the things that their eyes can see can always remain the same. They don't know that things change. Young people are always preoccupied by petty things, and they think that in the end all things would go into plan. But the fate is too cruel, the things that we thought would always remain, are also the things that easily change.
Reishi didn't know Mikoto smoked and on top of it all, the guy doesn't care a little bit about being caught smoking. Well, at the most part, Mikoto might not be stupid to smoke in school and get himself expelled or suspended. Sometimes, Reishi wonders the things that could've happen if Mikoto just followed what he said obediently. Would they have ended up like that? Would they even have grown closer? It's no use thinking about the things of the past. But there are plenty of things in this world that makes us remember the things that we try our hardest to forget.
TO BE CONTINUED
