The Search
Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Konnichiwa, minna-chan! Skippy... he'll be okay, I promise. I am using original names, Ryuuen is just a one of. If you remember, he was referred to before he actually featured, so I had to call him something recognisable. Akira isn't hurting anyone on purpose and... well, just read this chapter. Chibi, I agree, the image of Nuriko/Tomo is scary... but they definitely won't be together for long. As for Mia throwing up, that comes from my own experience. (Christmas at my house is crazy.) Zettai, I'm thinking about doing just that. I love Nuriko/Hotohori almost as much as I love Tomo/Nakago, and it will be part of the story somehow, you can guarantee it. That Japanese story comes from fact, unfortunately. Never drink sake with Japanese people, they think getting you drunk is extremely entertaining.
The cool late autumn sun shone through Akira's window, leaving an array of shadows all over his bed. He rolled over, hoping to get a few minutes extra sleep.
No such luck.
"AKIRA, GET UP YOU BRAT!" his mother's voice screeched from the kitchen. Her American accented Japanese was harsh and grating at such an early hour. The blonde boy covered his ears with his hands. His mother had the most annoying voice he'd ever heard in his life. Sometimes, when he was in less than charitable moods, he hardly wondered why his father had left.
"GET UP!" Mrs Roberts yelled again.
"I'm coming," Akira muttered, climbing out of bed. In a whisper, he added. "Not that I really want to."
He pulled off his nightshirt, and grabbed a pair of jeans from his cupboard, which was ordered by colour, type and whether he liked the garment much. Akira slipped on his only clean shirt, an ancient black one that had been through the wash with a tissue and had little white dots as a result. Sighing, he walked down the hallway, feeling the tatami mats tickle his bare feet slightly.
He was met by his mother. She appeared to be in a horrible mood, and her blue eyes, so like her son's, flashed dangerously.
"Brat, I'll be at work today. Don't do anything at all, especially not contact that stupid fag. If you do, your life will not be worth living. Do I make myself clear?" she growled.
Akira nodded mutely. He was afraid of his mother when she was like this, and although she never had carried out any of her threats and hurt him, he knew she was totally capable of it. She studied judo and karate, and once had even taken kendo classes. Akira was terrible at all fighting.
"I can't hear you," said Mrs Roberts in a sickly sweet tone. "Want to say it again?"
"I... I... I will not do anything at all," Akira stuttered, looking at the ground.
"Better. Bye brat," Mrs Roberts said, slamming the door behind her.
Akira couldn't help but smile when she had gone, relieved she had not yelled more. His mother had always been like this, to others if not to him. When she had discovered his relationship with Tobias, she had exploded. Akira shuddered at the memory, his mother had called him some unrepeatable things.
This reminded him of his earlier phone-call. The words had hurt. The insults were hard to take in themselves, but it was something else that bothered Akira.
Tobias had someone else. The blue-eyed teenager hardly blamed his former boyfriend, after all, he hadn't been contacted for half a year. However, for some reason it still hurt. Akira couldn't help but think Tobias' new love had to be wonderful. Better than me, an idiot who can't even speak properly, he thought.
Akira shook his head to break away from the dark thoughts. He had been more than a little lonely away from Tobias, but he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't leave home, because he had no money and nowhere to go. Even if he contacted Tobias, he'd just be screamed at again. That and his mother would undoubtedly find out, you could only sneak out at one in the morning once.
He grabbed the remote, and turned on the television. Flipping through soap operas, news programs and a documentary on the reproduction of a rare species of marsh frog, and more soapies, he yawned loudly, a habit he had picked up from Mia.
"This is boring," he said in English, then laughed. "I wish he was here..." Akira added in a sad tone. "But he doesn't love me, at least not anymore... maybe he never did..."
Akira shook his head again. He hated those thoughts. He decided that a little soap opera watching would at least put him off thinking. He flipped the television on again, and started watching a version of "Days of our Lives" dubbed in Japanese.
Meanwhile, in Australia, Tobias Henderson was also deeply bored. There were no videos, not even a My Little Pony that Mia had watched when she was three. Apparently his grandmother had seen fit to throw it away.
"Well, isn't this exciting?" Mia asked him dryly. His grandmother had her friends over, a bunch of extremely dull old ladies who, after telling Tobias and Mia what intelligent and good-looking children they were, had started having a conversation about the latest gossip.
Tobias snorted. "Riveting," he said. "As much as I want to hear about the male nurse at the home's relationship with his girlfriend, I think I'll go and sit in our room."
"Sounds like a good option," Mia said. She and Tobias both got up and walked down the hall.
Sitting down on the bed, Tobias stretched luxuriously.
"This is just as boring," he commented. "Anything interesting to talk about?"
"Well, I don't think so. Hey, wait a minute. What about Japan?" Mia asked.
"It's a country that's in Asia," said Tobias.
"Oh, very witty. I meant, what's happening about it? You talked to Ryuuen, right?" inquired Mia.
"Uh... no," admitted Tobias. "Don't look at me like that!" he protested. Mia had raised her eyebrows.
"Well, Tobias, why didn't you?" she asked.
Tobias laid back on his bed. "Well... I know that I'm going to have to dump him for this to work... and he's going to hate me," he said to the ceiling.
"He's not, Tobias. He puts up with all the crap you go on with already. Ryuuen loves you. He'd probably be hurt, yes, but he won't hate you and he will come to Japan," argued Mia.
"He really does love me, doesn't he?" Tobias mused. "I wish he didn't..."
Mia shook her head. "Tobias, you have no idea. Ryuuen can't help it. Could you help loving Akira?"
"No... I couldn't... ah, now that brings back a few funny memories," said Tobias. He laughed lightly.
"What funny memories?" Mia questioned. "Actually, there's a lot of stuff you never told me. How did you get together, for one thing?"
"Can I answer the first question first?" said Tobias.
"Of course," Mia replied.
"Well, it was a few days into Akira's trip here... and I was showing him my Ching stuff... and he said something about Tomo in Japanese, obviously he recognised me. You have to understand that at the time I didn't want to be gay. So, when I thought he sounded beautiful in Japanese, I was more than a little annoyed at myself. I shook my head, actually. Then he gave me this adorable look, I think he was wondering what I was thinking about, and I thought he looked like an angel. I didn't want to think that either. So I told myself to shut up... aloud," Tobias explained, now looking at Mia.
"And poor old Akira thought you were talking to him?" asked Mia.
"Yes, he did. He looked it up, and then stormed off in a huff. I remember a little then, when he's angry he's a lot like Nakago," Tobias answered. "I also thought his walk was sexy, which it definitely is..."
Mia nodded. "Definitely. He's so confident... or he was when he was here. Apparently, according to one of the other exchange students, he was a loner at school. Still is, only now he's all depressed and sits down looking at the floor instead of laughing to himself like he used to," she said.
"You mean he might be missing me?" Tobias asked hopefully. He wanted Akira to still love him.
"He is," Mia said. "Well, that's what Makoto said, anyway. He's that rich boy."
"You mean that one with the brown hair and pretty eyes?" Tobias asked.
"Yeah, him. He's really cute, actually. Has all the girls and some of the guys after him," Mia commented.
'He's bi?" Tobias asked, interested. "So's Ryuuen, actually."
"I guess he is, seeing as he's currently dating a guy... but I really wouldn't think about matchmaking, Tobias..." Mia warned.
"Oh, Mia. That's not fair," Tobias complained.
Mia rolled her eyes. "I think you'll be doing enough for yourself. Hey, you didn't answer my question before, how did you get him?"
"How? Well... he got rid of Killer for me... you have noticed that the guy leaves me alone now? Well, that was Akira. He didn't fight him, but he just 'allowed' the guy to fall over into a puddle. He helped me up (Killer had already pushed me over)... ah... that was the first time he ever held my hand..." Tobias had a dreamy smile on his face "Sorry. Uh.. back to the story... I realised exactly how incredibly sexy he was then, and I gave up fighting my feelings. That night was the night I confessed to you, and afterwards I went to take a shower - "
Tobias was cut off by Mia. "He didn't walk in on you, did he?" she asked.
"NO!" Tobias cried. "Uh... that would have just been embarrassing. I heard him yell something in Japanese, and thinking he might be hurt, pulled a towel around my waist and ran to his room. He was sitting there, looking a little distressed. Then he looked at me... uh, for a little *too* long."
Mia snicked at this. "You mean he perved on you," she commented."
"I suppose so. Not that I really minded. He... well, basically we ended up kissing."
"How... cute," Mia remarked. "I'm seriously surprised you didn't take it further, being half-naked and wet and all."
"I was an innocent little boy at the time. We ended up talking a lot about our pasts," Tobias explained.
"So that was the morning you were all psycho, wasn't it?" Mia asked. "Well, Akira was too, really."
"Yes, it was. I couldn't think about anything else but him, and how good he felt, and what a good kisser he was," Tobias said.
"He is? How adorable. What else is he good at, hmm?" inquired Mia.
Tobias blushed. "A lot of things," he said finally.
Mia smirked. "Not embarrassed, are you?" she asked snidely.
"Of course not," Tobias laughed. He got up suddenly. "Hey, I think those ladies are gone now. Do you want to go and talk to Grandma?"
"Alright," agreed Mia.
Author's note: Makoto... I think I gave enough clues here for you to figure out who he is, right?
Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi.
Konnichiwa, minna-chan! Skippy... he'll be okay, I promise. I am using original names, Ryuuen is just a one of. If you remember, he was referred to before he actually featured, so I had to call him something recognisable. Akira isn't hurting anyone on purpose and... well, just read this chapter. Chibi, I agree, the image of Nuriko/Tomo is scary... but they definitely won't be together for long. As for Mia throwing up, that comes from my own experience. (Christmas at my house is crazy.) Zettai, I'm thinking about doing just that. I love Nuriko/Hotohori almost as much as I love Tomo/Nakago, and it will be part of the story somehow, you can guarantee it. That Japanese story comes from fact, unfortunately. Never drink sake with Japanese people, they think getting you drunk is extremely entertaining.
The cool late autumn sun shone through Akira's window, leaving an array of shadows all over his bed. He rolled over, hoping to get a few minutes extra sleep.
No such luck.
"AKIRA, GET UP YOU BRAT!" his mother's voice screeched from the kitchen. Her American accented Japanese was harsh and grating at such an early hour. The blonde boy covered his ears with his hands. His mother had the most annoying voice he'd ever heard in his life. Sometimes, when he was in less than charitable moods, he hardly wondered why his father had left.
"GET UP!" Mrs Roberts yelled again.
"I'm coming," Akira muttered, climbing out of bed. In a whisper, he added. "Not that I really want to."
He pulled off his nightshirt, and grabbed a pair of jeans from his cupboard, which was ordered by colour, type and whether he liked the garment much. Akira slipped on his only clean shirt, an ancient black one that had been through the wash with a tissue and had little white dots as a result. Sighing, he walked down the hallway, feeling the tatami mats tickle his bare feet slightly.
He was met by his mother. She appeared to be in a horrible mood, and her blue eyes, so like her son's, flashed dangerously.
"Brat, I'll be at work today. Don't do anything at all, especially not contact that stupid fag. If you do, your life will not be worth living. Do I make myself clear?" she growled.
Akira nodded mutely. He was afraid of his mother when she was like this, and although she never had carried out any of her threats and hurt him, he knew she was totally capable of it. She studied judo and karate, and once had even taken kendo classes. Akira was terrible at all fighting.
"I can't hear you," said Mrs Roberts in a sickly sweet tone. "Want to say it again?"
"I... I... I will not do anything at all," Akira stuttered, looking at the ground.
"Better. Bye brat," Mrs Roberts said, slamming the door behind her.
Akira couldn't help but smile when she had gone, relieved she had not yelled more. His mother had always been like this, to others if not to him. When she had discovered his relationship with Tobias, she had exploded. Akira shuddered at the memory, his mother had called him some unrepeatable things.
This reminded him of his earlier phone-call. The words had hurt. The insults were hard to take in themselves, but it was something else that bothered Akira.
Tobias had someone else. The blue-eyed teenager hardly blamed his former boyfriend, after all, he hadn't been contacted for half a year. However, for some reason it still hurt. Akira couldn't help but think Tobias' new love had to be wonderful. Better than me, an idiot who can't even speak properly, he thought.
Akira shook his head to break away from the dark thoughts. He had been more than a little lonely away from Tobias, but he also knew that he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't leave home, because he had no money and nowhere to go. Even if he contacted Tobias, he'd just be screamed at again. That and his mother would undoubtedly find out, you could only sneak out at one in the morning once.
He grabbed the remote, and turned on the television. Flipping through soap operas, news programs and a documentary on the reproduction of a rare species of marsh frog, and more soapies, he yawned loudly, a habit he had picked up from Mia.
"This is boring," he said in English, then laughed. "I wish he was here..." Akira added in a sad tone. "But he doesn't love me, at least not anymore... maybe he never did..."
Akira shook his head again. He hated those thoughts. He decided that a little soap opera watching would at least put him off thinking. He flipped the television on again, and started watching a version of "Days of our Lives" dubbed in Japanese.
Meanwhile, in Australia, Tobias Henderson was also deeply bored. There were no videos, not even a My Little Pony that Mia had watched when she was three. Apparently his grandmother had seen fit to throw it away.
"Well, isn't this exciting?" Mia asked him dryly. His grandmother had her friends over, a bunch of extremely dull old ladies who, after telling Tobias and Mia what intelligent and good-looking children they were, had started having a conversation about the latest gossip.
Tobias snorted. "Riveting," he said. "As much as I want to hear about the male nurse at the home's relationship with his girlfriend, I think I'll go and sit in our room."
"Sounds like a good option," Mia said. She and Tobias both got up and walked down the hall.
Sitting down on the bed, Tobias stretched luxuriously.
"This is just as boring," he commented. "Anything interesting to talk about?"
"Well, I don't think so. Hey, wait a minute. What about Japan?" Mia asked.
"It's a country that's in Asia," said Tobias.
"Oh, very witty. I meant, what's happening about it? You talked to Ryuuen, right?" inquired Mia.
"Uh... no," admitted Tobias. "Don't look at me like that!" he protested. Mia had raised her eyebrows.
"Well, Tobias, why didn't you?" she asked.
Tobias laid back on his bed. "Well... I know that I'm going to have to dump him for this to work... and he's going to hate me," he said to the ceiling.
"He's not, Tobias. He puts up with all the crap you go on with already. Ryuuen loves you. He'd probably be hurt, yes, but he won't hate you and he will come to Japan," argued Mia.
"He really does love me, doesn't he?" Tobias mused. "I wish he didn't..."
Mia shook her head. "Tobias, you have no idea. Ryuuen can't help it. Could you help loving Akira?"
"No... I couldn't... ah, now that brings back a few funny memories," said Tobias. He laughed lightly.
"What funny memories?" Mia questioned. "Actually, there's a lot of stuff you never told me. How did you get together, for one thing?"
"Can I answer the first question first?" said Tobias.
"Of course," Mia replied.
"Well, it was a few days into Akira's trip here... and I was showing him my Ching stuff... and he said something about Tomo in Japanese, obviously he recognised me. You have to understand that at the time I didn't want to be gay. So, when I thought he sounded beautiful in Japanese, I was more than a little annoyed at myself. I shook my head, actually. Then he gave me this adorable look, I think he was wondering what I was thinking about, and I thought he looked like an angel. I didn't want to think that either. So I told myself to shut up... aloud," Tobias explained, now looking at Mia.
"And poor old Akira thought you were talking to him?" asked Mia.
"Yes, he did. He looked it up, and then stormed off in a huff. I remember a little then, when he's angry he's a lot like Nakago," Tobias answered. "I also thought his walk was sexy, which it definitely is..."
Mia nodded. "Definitely. He's so confident... or he was when he was here. Apparently, according to one of the other exchange students, he was a loner at school. Still is, only now he's all depressed and sits down looking at the floor instead of laughing to himself like he used to," she said.
"You mean he might be missing me?" Tobias asked hopefully. He wanted Akira to still love him.
"He is," Mia said. "Well, that's what Makoto said, anyway. He's that rich boy."
"You mean that one with the brown hair and pretty eyes?" Tobias asked.
"Yeah, him. He's really cute, actually. Has all the girls and some of the guys after him," Mia commented.
'He's bi?" Tobias asked, interested. "So's Ryuuen, actually."
"I guess he is, seeing as he's currently dating a guy... but I really wouldn't think about matchmaking, Tobias..." Mia warned.
"Oh, Mia. That's not fair," Tobias complained.
Mia rolled her eyes. "I think you'll be doing enough for yourself. Hey, you didn't answer my question before, how did you get him?"
"How? Well... he got rid of Killer for me... you have noticed that the guy leaves me alone now? Well, that was Akira. He didn't fight him, but he just 'allowed' the guy to fall over into a puddle. He helped me up (Killer had already pushed me over)... ah... that was the first time he ever held my hand..." Tobias had a dreamy smile on his face "Sorry. Uh.. back to the story... I realised exactly how incredibly sexy he was then, and I gave up fighting my feelings. That night was the night I confessed to you, and afterwards I went to take a shower - "
Tobias was cut off by Mia. "He didn't walk in on you, did he?" she asked.
"NO!" Tobias cried. "Uh... that would have just been embarrassing. I heard him yell something in Japanese, and thinking he might be hurt, pulled a towel around my waist and ran to his room. He was sitting there, looking a little distressed. Then he looked at me... uh, for a little *too* long."
Mia snicked at this. "You mean he perved on you," she commented."
"I suppose so. Not that I really minded. He... well, basically we ended up kissing."
"How... cute," Mia remarked. "I'm seriously surprised you didn't take it further, being half-naked and wet and all."
"I was an innocent little boy at the time. We ended up talking a lot about our pasts," Tobias explained.
"So that was the morning you were all psycho, wasn't it?" Mia asked. "Well, Akira was too, really."
"Yes, it was. I couldn't think about anything else but him, and how good he felt, and what a good kisser he was," Tobias said.
"He is? How adorable. What else is he good at, hmm?" inquired Mia.
Tobias blushed. "A lot of things," he said finally.
Mia smirked. "Not embarrassed, are you?" she asked snidely.
"Of course not," Tobias laughed. He got up suddenly. "Hey, I think those ladies are gone now. Do you want to go and talk to Grandma?"
"Alright," agreed Mia.
Author's note: Makoto... I think I gave enough clues here for you to figure out who he is, right?