Koichi: Hey, everybody! As you can see, 61wisampa, or easier Wisdom, is still not here. She was busy making this PowerPoint presentation for I think an interschool quizbee. She puts me in charge whenever she's busy.
JP: You know, come to think of it she has been busy for the whole two weeks.
Tommy: Yeah, you're right. Last week, she's been going home really late because of some competition she's going to.
Takuya: Yup, and when she went home after it, she seemed so depressed. I can't even talk to her!
--Flashback
Me: * on the corner of the room with dark aura around*
Takuya: Hey, so how was the contest thingy?
Me: Talo…
Takuya: What?
Me: Talo. TALO! Talo kami, okay?
Takuya: You know I can't understand tagalog…but I have a feeling of the result…
--End
Koji: Yeah, and after that, she's been studying for her late exams every night.
Mica: And after that she was busy with this celebration in their school 'cause their org will be the one hosting it.
Zoe: And her only free time was today due to the cancellation of classes. Pretty impressive…
Me: Aloha guys! * walks in* Miss me?
Mica: I guess you could say that. You've been busy for more than two weeks.
Me: Yeah sorry about that. Also to the readers, sorry for the late update. I was just really busy for some time because…
Koichi: No need for explanations. We already told them why.
Me: Aw…thanks guys. I didn't know you care that much.
Koji: Yeah, sure.
Me: Now let's get this story started! I DO NOT OWN DF04…
IV. Surprises Part 1
Monday morning…
"Man, why do I have to wear these stupid weights?" Takuya grumbled as walked down the stairs after taking a shower in the morning. He had just gone through another morning workout with Zoe and mind you, he did not enjoy it. "It's bad enough that I have to wear these all the time but she wants me to wear it during our training too? Talk about torture…"
He kept a frown on his face while trying to walk down the stairs without falling. The weights may help his physical fortitude but it sure was making it a lot harder to walk. Every step made his ankles hurt so he doesn't want to move as much as possible.
He silently cursed to himself when he almost tripped again. The weights really affected his balance in a bad way. When he was finally in the kitchen, his frown changed into a smile as he greeted his parents and his brother good morning. "Morning, guys,"
"Good morning son," his father greeted without looking away from the news paper he was reading. He had a cup of coffee in front him.
"Morning Takuya!" his brother greeted with an enthusiastic smile while waiting for their mom to lay out the breakfast.
"You're just in time," his mom told him, "Breakfast is ready," she said while putting the waffles on the table.
"Sweet," Takuya said as he eagerly sat down to eat. Then, before Shinya and Takuya had finished eating, his dad stood up and took his now empty cup to the sink.
"Well, I guess I better get going. I have some errands to run." He said before giving his wife a peck on the cheek, "Bye guys," he waved as he exited the kitchen to the door.
"Bye dad!" Shinya waved.
"See ya later," Takuya said with a mouthful of food.
They heard him drive off to work while they finish their breakfast. Then, their mom announced, "Okay boys, I have a case later this afternoon so I won't be home 'til dinner. Can you take care of each other?"
"Sure thing!" Shinya answered.
"Don't worry Mom, I'll take care of Shinya," Takuya assured, "Plus, I think we're old enough to be left alone after school."
Their mom smiled to them, "Okay, I'm counting on you guys,"
"I guess I better get to school too," Takuya announced as he stood up and took his plate to the sink. He picked up his bag and headed to garage, "Bye guys,"
The two of them both smiled at Takuya as they watched him go to the garage. Then, Shinya turned to his mother, "Do you think he'll find out?"
His mother shook her head, "No, I don't think so. He's too much into rules to actually try and break them."
--
In the garage, Takuya was about to take his bike when he saw that his dad's car was still parked there with a car cover. His eyebrows creased with confusion because he knows his dad went to work in a car and that his mom's car was there too.
He walked back to the door and called his mom, "Mom, did Dad buy a new car?" he asked through the open door.
"Yes, but he didn't want anyone touching it so he covered it." He heard his mom answer, "He said it was a really expensive sports car so he doesn't want it to be scratched."
"Oh," he said in understanding, "Okay, thanks mom!" he called before closing the door again and getting his bike to school.
--
"Really?" Takuya asked Zoe, "She did that?"
They were both riding to school on their bikes and were currently having a conversation. It's about what Zoe's mom did.
"Yup," Zoe replied happily, "Mom's friend already said yes. Now, all you have to do is tell them okay, get the thumbs up from your parents, and pass that test! You'll get your license a few days after your birthday!" Zoe was grinning ear to ear as she said that. She was excited of the thought that her best friend was finally going to take the driving test. She took the driving test three months ago after her birthday but she rarely drove a car after that. They can't afford buying a new one anyway and her mom always took her car to work.
"Wow," he whispered in amazement. He was turning sixteen on Saturday, which was five days from now. He didn't expect Zoe's mom to give him a present too. He was like a part of their family…and so is Zoe to the Kanbara's of course. "Wait, why is your mom giving her present to me already? There's still five days to go before Saturday."
"'Cause mom won't be here," she replied in a sad tone, "She's leaving for a business trip in two days and she won't be back for a week."
"Oh…So you'll be alone at home for a week?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered with a sigh, "But I can take care of myself. I'll just be in your house more often so beware."
He chuckled once, "Don't think I'd forget that."
--
It was third period in school and Zoe, Mica and Koji just got in their class. There were still a few minutes before the bell rings so they decided to open a conversation.
"What are you going to give on Saturday?" Mica asked her two friends as they sat down.
"I was thinking of something that he actually needs," Koji answered, "but when I decided what I would give him, I realized it was to expensive for me to buy alone so I asked Koichi if he could help me out. We decided we should just join forces and buy him a decent gift together."
"I still haven't decided yet," Zoe stated with a slight frown, "I want to give him something that he could take anywhere."
"Well, I asked my mom to help me with my present," Mica told them, "My gift would be so sweet!" she grinned happily.
Just after they said that, the bell rang and their teacher went in. it's still five days but they're already planning a surprise. He is their best friend after all.
--
On the next day…
Takuya and Zoe just got home and since they don't have any homework today—a miracle from God!—they were planning on starting their training early. They were standing on the porch, all dressed and ready to train, but of course, Takuya's complaining again…about the weights, I mean…
"Aw, c'mon Zoe," he whined yet again.
"I told you," Zoe looked squarely at him, "No."
"Please?" he started to do his puppy dog eyes—imagine that…hahaha!
"No! N-O, NO! Now quit whining because that'll help you, you know."
"How? By permanently preventing me to be able to walk through injuring my ankles to the point that I will never recover?" he asked. Zoe glared at his response, "Have you ever worn these things? I feel like a prisoner dragging my own heavy metal chain ball."
"Oh c'mon! It's not that bad." Zoe insisted.
"Again, my question. Rewind…" he pretended that he was holding a remote, pointed it to himself and pushed the imaginary rewind button then said, "Have you ever worn these things?!"
"Ahem," a loud sound of someone clearing his/her throat made them stop their bickering. They both turned their heads to where the sound came from and they found Takuya's mom looking at them. "Are you two quite finished with all your argument?"
"Yes ma'am," both of them replied.
"Good," Mrs. Kanbara smiled at them, "now, if you won't mind, can you skip today's practice? Ayame called me and she said Takuya could try the practice driving test today."
"Really? Mom called?" Zoe asked.
"And she said I could try the practice driving test today?" Takuya too asked, "Right now?"
"Mm hmm," his mom nodded. "That's if Zoe allows you to go," she then looked at her son's girl friend…I mean, friend…that is a girl… (hehe)
Before Takuya could even turn to face Zoe, she already answered, "Of course he can go! We can just continue this tomorrow."
"Very well then," Takuya's mom smiled, "I suggest you change into something more appropriate, Takuya. We'll leave in a few minutes." And with that, she left the two teenagers.
Takuya turned to Zoe, "You approve all of this?" he asked disbelievingly, "What happened to your step three: Start today?"
"Takuya, Takuya, Takuya," she shook her head disapprovingly at his response, "Looks like you forgot what step five is."
"You never told me a step five," he answered her.
"Really?" she asked, "Okay then, Step Five: Be happy!" she held up five fingers this time. "In training, it would be best if you enjoy yourself too, or else you might get too depressed by it and you'll end up in worse shape than before."
He stared at her for a moment, "You know, you're not really following step five," he stated. She raised her eyebrow as a question, "For torturing me like this?" he put up one foot and showed her the hellish weights.
"Oh, quit complaining!" Zoe huffed, "Why don't you just go and change?" Takuya smirked at his friend's expression.
Takuya, Zoe and Mrs. Kanbara went to the driving test. Like what Mrs. Kanbara said, Takuya will just take a practice driving test so he would be ready for the real thing. I don't know if that's allowed in Japan, but their parents sure have a lot of connections.
As for Takuya, don't worry about him crashing the car because he already knows how to drive. He just doesn't have a license yet because he's not old enough. Okay, now back to the driving test, Takuya just finished his practice driving test and was just getting off from the car that he drove.
"Nice work Takuya," the driving tester said, "You're really good at driving. When you turn sixteen, just come back here and do what you did earlier. You'll get your driver's license."
"Thank you, ma'am," he said politely before walking to where his mom and Zoe was. Before he reached where they were, his mom walked towards him and told him that she was going to talk to the driving instructor.
When he reached Zoe, she has a huge smile on her face. "Wow, you were great! I didn't know you could drive so well."
He then grinned, "I am known to be good at a lot of things,"
Zoe playfully hit his head, "Show off," she said as she too smiled.
--
They were driving home from the driving test in a comfortable silence as the soft music from the radio played. None of them spoke until Takuya's mom did…
"So Zoe," she started, "Your mother told me that she'd be going tomorrow and you'd be left alone for a week."
Zoe looked at her friend's mother, "Yeah, but don't worry, I'll be fine on my own," she answered politely.
"Actually, your mother asked if you could stay in our home until she comes back," Mrs. Kanbara said, "I already agreed and you can sleep in Takuya's room."
"Oh? Well, you don't have to do that, and I don't want to be a burden to you guys."
"Aw, c'mon, Z!" Takuya, who started paying attention to the conversation sometime ago, replied, "Don't be shy about it. You're like a part of the family now, so it's no problem, really."
"But where will you-" she asked.
"Don't worry Zoe," Mrs. Kanbara interrupted, "We'll just move the spare bed into Takuya's room, so you will have something to sleep in."
Zoe smiled. She can live alone and she can do anything she wants, but living with your second family would be better. "Alright, thank you, Aunt Yuriko."
--
"Is this everything?" Takuya asked as he carried Zoe's bag.
"Yup," she said, "I'm not staying here forever, you know. I only need a few things."
He chuckled, "Yeah, and I'm guessing this is your definition of few," he showed the huge suitcase to her which was supposed to last only for a week. If you ask me, it would last me for two to three weeks.
"I'm a girl, what do you expect?" she told him, "Unlike guys who can stand wearing the same shirt in a week, we women actually have a sense of fashion."
He grinned at her, "Sure," he agreed mockingly, "C'mon, let's get your things to my room."
And with that, they both headed up stairs into Takuya's bedroom where Mr. Kanbara just put the extra bed in place. They moved Takuya's bed to the left side—from the door's view—and Zoe's temporary bed to the right, separating them was Takuya's bedside table with a lamp and an alarm clock.
"Wow, this is really nice," Zoe breathed as she saw the purple bed covers and comforter. It was obviously her favorite color, so she really loved it.
"So how long are you staying, Zoe?" Takuya's little brother Shinya, asked her when he suddenly entered the room with a smile on his face.
Takuya and she turned to look at Shinya, "Actually I'll be here for about a week, Shinya," she smiled back, "That's when mom will be back from her business trip."
"So you'll be here for a while?" he asked again, his face brightening.
"Yeah,"
"Great!" he said with a smile, "I wonder how it feels like to have a big sister."
"Not sure there, buddy, but with Zoe as your big sis, it'll probably be a nightmare," Takuya joked, smirking at his best friend.
"Hmph," Zoe crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her friend, "Well, if having me as a big sister is a nightmare, I bet having you as a big brother would be like hell," she smiled victoriously, thinking she won, but not yet.
"Really?" he asked mockingly, "'Cause according to Shinya over here…" he walked over to his younger brother and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm the best brother ever," he then head locked Shinya and ruffled his hair, "Ain't that right, buddy?"
Shinya grinned, "Got that right!" he agreed in a second.
Zoe tried to frown at her loss but couldn't help but smile in the sight of the two brothers. She hated to admit it, but Shinya was right…Takuya is the best brother ever, older or younger. Even though Zoe was three moths older than him, Takuya served as the older brother she always wanted to have. He was always the one to protect her when she needed it and he helps her as much as he could. He was a big brother to her for a long…that may only be until a few more days.
She didn't realize it, but she was starting to fall in love with her best friend, with her brother image, with Takuya. She wasn't sure yet, but she has experienced feelings she hasn't felt before whenever she looks at him. She still wasn't certain, but she knows there's a chance that it may happen.
"Okay, that's everything," Mr. Kanbara said when he was finished with the redecorations, "We'll be going now," he said as he walked towards the door.
"You can unpack your things now, Zoe," Mrs. Kanbara told her sweetly, "You can put all of your things in there," she pointed to a drawer beside the bookshelf.
"Okay, thank you," she smiled at them as she watched Mrs. Kanbara tell Shinya to come with them downstairs. Then, her eyes fell on her best friend who was also watching them leave. "Uh…Takuya?"
He looked at her and mumbled, "Hmm?"
"Why aren't you going down with them?" she asked.
"I'm helping you unpack," he said like it was obvious.
She raised her eyebrow at him. "No thanks, I can do it myself." She said in attempt to imply to him what she really meant.
"Oh c'mon, let me help you," he insisted then walked towards Zoe's suitcase.
"Takuya," she stepped in front of him which caused him to stop, "You do know I'm a girl."
He looked at her a bit questioningly and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I think I've known that ever since I first met you," he replied slowly, still not getting what she meant. This is one of the times that Takuya becomes really dense.
"So, you would know about my clothing?" she continued.
"Yeah, I guess," he replied, still not understanding what she was saying.
She sighed at her friend's sometimes dumbness and decided to get straight to the point, "Have you ever considered my underwear?"
He blinked…then he started blushing slightly when he finally realized what she was saying, "Uh…hehe…" he started scratching the back of his neck, "…Right, I'll just leave you here on your own," he said while he retreated towards the door, "Bye," he mumbled quickly before running downstairs, disappearing from Zoe's sight.
She sighed at her friend's dense mind, but then smiled in amusement. "That was better than TV," she giggled before closing the door and organizing her things.
--
After Zoe was done with her things, they all had dinner together, just like a family. Right now, they're finished with dinner and washing the dishes, and Takuya and Zoe were heading upstairs to Takuya's—now temporarily their—bedroom. When they went in, everything was neat and organized, but Takuya spotted something a little bit odd…
"Why is there a 'No Opening' sign on your drawer?" Takuya asked Zoe as he examined the drawer with a couple of Stop signs, No Trespassing signs, and a big No Opening sign on the middle.
"I don't want you rummaging through my clothes, especially not my underwear," she said casually, "Let that serve as a reminder for you."
"Aw c'mon, Zoe," he said with an eye roll, "You know me. I'm not a pervert." He told his best friend as a fact.
Zoe: That is so not true! He is so totally a pervert!
Takuya: What? I am not!
Me: Hey! Why'd you guys interrupt the chapter?
Zoe: That is a lie! You're totally a pervert! You opened the door while I was changing in the digital world! * ignores me*
Takuya: I thought we all know that it was an accident! I didn't mean that! Besides, that was years ago! * also ignores me*
Me: GUYS! SHUT UP BEFORE I LOCK YOU UP IN ANOTHER CLOSET!
Takuya and Zoe: …
Me: There! Now on with the chapter…
Zoe shrugged, "Hey, you may have changed while we were growing up. That's part of puberty you know."
He chuckled and walked towards his bed, "Yeah sure, whatever you say," he sat down on his bed, leaning back on the bed frame, and taking his glasses and laptop.
She smiled at her friend. She stared at him and noticed that he looked cuter and smarter with those glasses. When she realized what she was thinking again, she started to blush. Thankfully, Takuya had his full attention on what he was doing and didn't even notice her staring at him for a few moments. She shook her head to try and remove those awkward thoughts she was having. Unfortunately, it didn't work, so she thought of another way to keep her mind off things.
"Hey, Takuya," she asked.
"Hmm?" he responded without looking at her.
"Can I take a shower?"
"Sure, just don't forget to take your clothes with you," he reminded, "Or else you'll have no choice but get some with only a towel on," he teased.
Suddenly, a pillow hit Takuya on the face, which was thrown by Zoe. "You are such a pervert," even with her words, she was smiling at her friend, taking in the joke.
She took her clothes and headed towards the bathroom, leaving Takuya smiling as he watched his friend go.
--
After Zoe finished taking a bath, and doing other stuff they usually do before going to bed, not to mention, putting sleeping clothes on, they finally decided to go to bed…but not yet sleep.
"Really?" Zoe asked as she giggled.
Takuya laughed with him, "Yeah, the sound was so loud that all of us looked at him and saw him having face to face with the floor."
"I thought Koichi liked Literature, how come he slept at that subject?" she mused.
"Well, he did tell me that of all of Shakespeare's plays he watched, he liked Macbeth the least because of all the brutal and not so pleasant scenes," he answered her, "Not to mention, the choreography on the scene of Macbeth and Macduff's fight was so corny. They looked like kids playing wrestling on a playground."
"Yeah," she agreed with a giggle, "But what really disturbed me was when they showed Macbeth's head," she cringed, "I can't believe they put his head on a pole like it was barbeque."
"Got that right," he agreed, "It was as if they were watching a soccer game when they showed Macbeth's head to the people like it was a trophy."
"Uh-huh, I remember, Mica screamed when she saw Macduff behead Macbeth," she giggled once, "Just like with Koichi, we all looked at her."
He laughed along, "I would love to see that."
"I know. But another unpleasant scene was when Macbeth went to the witches and she was surrounded by a lot of old naked women." She said with a shudder.
"Ugh, don't remind me. I had to cover my eyes that time. It was just so…yee…" he too quivered at the memory.
"Yeah, well I guess you liked the scene with Lady Macbeth, didn't ya? The one when she finally cracked?" she teased.
"Hell no, she wasn't even pretty. She looked like she was locked up in a cage for years."
"Yeah, I guess. Good thing she died in the end. She was the reason why Macbeth killed Duncan in the first place anyway. She deserved loosing her sanity like that."
"I'll say," he concurred. He suddenly took a glance at the clock and saw that it was getting pretty late, and they still have training tomorrow morning. "It's getting late. I think we should get to sleep."
Zoe too looked at the clock, "Yeah, you're right." She finally settled on her bed to be in a more comfortable position. "Goodnight, Takuya."
"You too, Zoe. Sleep tight," he replied.
Before closing her eyes to sleep, she said one more thing, "And Takuya?"
"Yeah?" came his response.
"Thanks again," she said, slightly blushing when she felt this tingly feeling at the thought that he would be the first person she'll see in the morning, "For everything."
He smiled at her words, "No problem."
Me: So? How was it? The first part, I agree was totally boring. I can't think of anything that part…
Tommy: I loved the scene in Takuya's bedroom! * laughs*
Koji: * also laughing* Yeah, that was good. Takuya was turning back to his own dumb self.
Takuya: Hey! I am not dumb!
Me: I can't agree more, Taki. But neither are you very smart.
Takuya: Not helping…
Koichi: Why is this chapter called Surprises Part 1? There weren't any surprises.
Me: Exactly. It's Surprises Part 1 because you don't know what the surprise is so the surprise would be a surprise!
JP: Come again?
Mica: Hey, if this is only part one, where's part 2?
Me: I'll post it next time I update.
Zoe: Yeah, and I bet that would be at least two weeks from now.
Takuya: Maybe longer…
Me: Are you implying that I'm slow in updating?
Zoe: Nope, just saying that you can't update any sooner than that.
Me: Yes, I can! Remember last chapter?
Zoe: That was because you had a week vacation. I bet you wouldn't be able to update in a week.
Takuya: I agree.
Me: Is that a challenge?
Takuya: A bet actually.
Me: What's at stake?
Zoe: What do you want?
Me: If I win, I'll dare you guys to tell your true feelings for each other!
Takuya: Uh…
Zoe: If we win, you'll do one thing we want! Anything we tell you to do!
Me: You're on! * Me and Zoe shake hands*
Koji: This is bound to be interesting.
Tommy: I wonder who'll win.
JP: I'm having the feeling that Taki and Zoe are gonna win.
Mica: I think Wisdom will.
Koichi: Since they're having a bet, I'll end it here… tune up for the next update.