A/N: Hi hi. It's been a long time since I've posted. Gomen. Haha. I'm still stuck with all my revision for the up coming major major exam.
Hmm… I've the reviews and seems that some of the readers have some queries about 'Koi.' Well, gomen for not explaining earlier on. 'Koi' as we all know refers to a breed of fish. 'Koi', on the other hand, also refers to someone that you love, more specifically, your lover.
So since this fishy business (pfft…gets whacked by kurobane) is cleared, let's get on with the plot….
8 years ago…
The morning sky was turning grey, covering the gloomy sun. Children in the streets whined as their mother's dragged them back home. Some cried and had to be carried home. The school holidays had come, much to every kids joy, but the rain just had to ruin everything.
Bang! Little Fuji and Yumiko, who were playing chess, jumped in fright as the sliding door in the living room slammed shut.
"Yuuta…" Yumiko sighed looking up from the chess board to her little brother who had just came from the yard, "How many times have okaasan and otousan told you not to slam the sliding door?"
"I'm sorry." Yuuta bowed his head in guilt as he walked over and sat at the table to have a look at the chess game.
Chess always seem interesting whenever his sister and brother played it. There seemed to be endless possibilities to how the game can turn out. Sometimes Yumiko-neesan would win… sometimes aniki would win. How they win, Yuuta didn't know, but he would sit there and stare at the board as if chess was a magical game. The best part was that when they were taking a break from chess, he could play with the little horsie piece and the castle-looking one. However, that day was different. Yuuta sat in his seat, prodding at random pieces.
"Yuuta," a puzzled Fuji asked as Yumiko started to put the chess pieces back in place to start another game, "Is there something bothering you?"
"Ne… aniki, neesan" Yuuta whined as he swung his legs above the ground, "Why doesn't that girl next door come out to play with us?"
"You mean our new neighbour?" Fuji cocked his head to the side, trying to remember.
"Yea! That one!"
"Yuuta… it's not 'that one'." Yumiko moved a pawn to start the game and turned to her brother "She's the daughter of otousan's friend. I can't quite remember her name. Only seen her once. She's quite shy actually so she doesn't really talk."
"Hontou?" Yuuta squeaked as he wiggled up to kneel on his chair. He couldn't see the pieces clearly. He was too short. He hated his height and had always imagine himself to be taller than his aniki.
Fuji moved his piece and waited. He drummed his fingers on the table and with the other hand, played with his straight hazel hair. "Ne, how come we didn't know?"
"Because you two were out somewhere playing when they came over for lunch." Yumiko stopped to think, "It was that day when both of you were punished when you came home. You were made to pluck out all the weeds in the yard, remember"
"Oh." Her brothers replied in unison. They remembered the bugs and worms that popped out from under the stones. 15 worms, 6 crickets, 7 lady bugs, 4 beetles… and the salt that they tried to threw over them and see which kind it had an effect on. Yet they also remembered something else. They remembered peering through the gate and watching their new neighbour's kid happily reading an English book in her living room. Yuuta and Fuji thought it was so cool! English! She knows English! Maybe she could teach them too!
However, for the past 2 months, she never did talk to them. In fact, they never really got close enough to strike a conversation. When they tried to ask her out to play, she darted back into her house. That was all she seemed to do at the sight of any approaching person. She didn't seem to communicate with anyone else except her parents. Most of the time, they would just see her playing in the yard with a beach ball or riding around her house… alone. They did saw her at the playground once. She was seemed to be contentedly sliding and climbing back up the slide. Yet again, she was alone. There was little that they knew about her apart from her refusing to play with anyone.
"Ne… maybe she's weird." Yuuta casual blabbed out, drawing circles on the table with his fingers, "aniki, let me drink your orange juice, please." He leaned across the chess board to reach for the glass of juice.
"Okay." Turning to a spot away from the mark left by his brother's lips, Yuuta, with both hands, tilted the cup back to drink.
"Yuuta, don't be rude… Maybe she's just too shy to talk, that's all.…" Yumiko pinched Yuuta on the cheek and ruffled his short chestnut hair, making him spill a little of the juice on the table, "Now please go and get a cloth to clean it up." Yuuta jumped off the chair and scurried into the kitchen to get the table cloth.
"And don't run and jump around in the house! You might trip and fall! That Yuuta…" Yumiko sighed before turning her attention to Fuji, "Next time, if you see her, try to make friends with her. She looks lonely."
Fuji jerked up in retaliation, "But"
Yumiko had it all prepared before hand. Before he could rebut, she smiled, "Try, or I'll tell okaa-san that you've been eating sweets in your room."
"B-But that's blackmail!" Fuji stuttered. He didn't like people who keep mum and refuse to talk. He just felt uncomfortable with them. It was as if they didn't like him or silently asking him to 'go away'. Though she looked happy when she was playing, something about her just makes him sad… but he just couldn't put a finger on it.
"Too bad. I'm you sis." Yumiko reached for the white knight piece on the board and shifted it to the left, "Ah… checkmate."
A few days later, the sky had cleared up after the heavy storm the day before. The Fuji brothers decided to head to the nearest public tennis courts to play that morning. They were excited, especially Yuuta, because their plans to play the week before were put off due to a series of heavy downpour. Innocently, they ran all the way there with their junior rackets and two cans of tennis balls and started hitting right away. The vicinity of the blue-green court was filled with the melodic sounds made from the impact of ball and rackets and the pitter-patter of small feet. They weren't that good at that time so it was normal that they missed the ball occasionally. Nevertheless, they sticked out their tongues and laughed their heads off their mistakes before having fun again.
Time passed quickly and what seemed like 30mins was actually 2 hours. They got tired and decided to take a break on the old wooden bench. Fuji bent down to grab their bottles which had their names written on it in their own handwritting. Yuuta insisted on getting the same bottle as his brother and writing his name on it in the same fashion, copying his brother as closely as possible. Though both looked similar and had "Fuji" written on it, Fuji knew exactly which one was Yuuta's. It was the one where "Fuji" was in scribbles. Yuuta suddenly shifted closer to his brother, tugged at his shirt and whispered, "Ne, aniki! Isn't that the 'weird girl' from next door?"
Fuji lifted his head and right in his line of vision, he saw a girl, in a white shirt and denim shorts, sitting on the dully-painted parapet just across the court. As soon as she realised that she had been spotted, she jumped off the parapet and made a run for it.
Try, or I'll tell okaa-san that you've been eating sweets in your room.
"Matte!" Fuji gave chase, leaving his brother behind on the bench, startled.
It had been 15 minutes and Fuji had not returned. Little Yuuta sat at the bench, hugging his racket. He startled shaking. He was left all alone. Aniki went off. Aniki left him. Just like what aniki and Yumiko-neesan said would happen if Yuuta-chan was naughty. Maybe aniki found out that he had jumped up and down on his bed, trying to be superman or ultraman. Maybe Yumiko-neesan had found out that he stole a can of coke from the fridge and had asked aniki to bring him out and leave him outside so that he can't go home. Gawk! Didn't that happen to Hansel and Gretel! Didn't that happen to Snow White? Oh waita minute… Snow White was brought out to be killed. Gasps! Maybe the killer is coming… Maybe…maybe…
"I'm sorry… sob I'm sorry! Aniki don't go. I prom-mise sniff that I won't be naughty agai-n! I promise…I promise.. sob sob…"
"Yuuta, why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"
Yuuta felt a soft and gentle hand trying to wipe the tears off his face. He opened his teary eyes and saw his brother in front of him. Yuuta lunged forward to hug him.
"I thought you weren't coming back!"
"Don't be silly. Now if you could please help me get my bottle."
Yuuta, still trying to recover from the shock, looked up from Fuji's chest and saw him grabbing onto the wrist of a girl. That girl. She was trying relentlessly to struggle out from the vice-grip grasp of Fuji.
"Don't worry. Just sit down." Fuji motioned her to the chair, "I'll take care of your knee."
She stopped struggling and stared at him for a moment with a confused expression before settling down on the bench cautiously. Yuuta handed over the Fuji a bottle. Fuji took it quickly and slightly pushed up the khakis of the girl. Her knee was bleeding. She had taken a fall during the chase and scrapped her knee, jeopardising her escape. It was only because of the fall that Fuji was able to catch up as he found her sitting on the floor brushing the debris off the wound.
Fuji positioned uncapped the bottle and positioned it above the abrasion that was oozing with blood. "Okay, this will sting a little…", he warned her and tipped the bottle and an orange liquid gushed out onto the bloodied wound and splashing on the girl's shirt, shocking the three of them.
"Orange juice! What's orange juice doing in the bottle?" Fuji turned the bottle to see a scribbled 'Fuji'. "Yuuta…"
"I thought you were going to drink that!"
The girl held onto her stained shirt. Her eyes grew watery and soon…
That was the last time they were going to label identical things by just 'Fuji'…
"Maa maa… You're funny you know that. You didn't cry when you fell down with that bloodied leg, but cry because your shirt is stained. hehheh" Fuji comforted her as they walked back home. He was holding her hand with his left hand and on the other, holding Yuuta's hand, "We'll go home and wash the stickiness of the leg okay?"
Yuuta ran forward and to the girl, tugging at her sleeve, "Ne… Don't cry. I'm sorry, onee-san. I'm really sorry. Don't cry ok?"
"Sh-shirt… S-hirt sniff" She sniffled as she eyed the stain as though staring at it would make it go away. Out of the blue, Yuuta started whimpering and getting all teary-eyed before …
Fuji looked to both sides "Ahh… isn't today just great…" He gave a little chuckle and dragged his two weeping luggage home.
"Don't worry, I'll just tell her that I spilled orange on you."
"I want to knock! I want to knock!"
"Hai hai, Yuuta. Go on."
Frantic footsteps could be heard behind the maple-shade door. A lady opened the door anxiously. The woman blurted out something in English as she bent down and and hugged the girl.
A small conversation struck between mother and daughter. Probably questions. The usual. Yuuta and Fuji stood there smiling though they had no idea what was going on as they were speaking in English. Fuji just watched her from behind. He loved happy endings. (aww…) He'd never seen her talk so much since she moved in. She was making big actions and pointing to them, ranting on and on. Best of all, she was smiling.
The lady turned her attention to the pair of siblings behind her daughter. Changing her mode of language to Japanese, she patted them on the head, "Why, aren't you the kids of Fuji-san, thanks for bring her back… what are your names?"
"Daijoubu. Just glad to help. I'm Syusuke" Fuji smiled. He couldn't help but notice that the girl was hiding behind her mother and peering out from the back. He waved. She hid her whole self behind and only her dark hair could be seen.
"I'm Yuuta!"
"haha... how cute. Come on in, I've just baked some fresh cookies."
The boys sat at the teak dinning table as the lady brought out a plate of steaming chocolate cookies and 3 cups of hot chocolate. The girl had ran up quickly to have a change of clothes before coming down. She changed into a blue shirt and felt that the orange stain on the white shirt was really a thorn in the eye. It looked horrible! Ekk… I must wash it… I MUST wash it!
"Careful, it's hot."
"Ne… Cho-basan" Fuji stood up and reached for a cookie, "About her shirt…"
"Oh, it's ok. She's always spilling things on herself and falling down. She's very clumsy. Don't worry about it."
She told her mom…
"Ne… ba-san, why doesn't she talk to anyone else? I'm sorry, haha, I can't quite pronounce her name." Fuji popped the question that had always been on his and Yuuta's mind. However, Yuuta had been too busy humming and chopping down on his cookie and using the cookie to play with the froth from the surface of the hot chocolate.
"It's ok, most Japanese people have problems with that too. Just call her Yuki. I put that name in so that her teacher can call her." Cho-basan giggled, "You sure are a smart and observant boy."
"Everybody says the same thing too!" Yuuta looked up and mumbled with a mouth full of cookies, "They call aniki a 'tensai'!"
"Ah… so I see." She patted Yuuta on his head again, "Ano... how should I put it… Well, don't you notice anything about how she speaks since we've came in?"
"Well, I don't really know what she said. She was speaking in English all the way and I don't really understand it."
"Exactly." Cho-basan chirped, happy that the young boy in front of her could comprehend.
"Huh?"
Then again…
"She can't speak Japanese."
"Hontou? You mean she doesn't understand a single thing?"
"Not really. She understands but just can't speak it. That's why she isn't talking to anybody, because nobody would understand her."
"Sou ka…" Fuji sat back in his chair and pinched his chin lightly before brightening up as though he had an idea, "I can teach her!"
"Oh, but that's too much to ask for…"
"Don't worry, I taught Yuuta how to talk."
Yuuta looked up in puzzlement "No you didn't. Okaa-san, Yumiko-neesan and Otousan did!"
"Whatever. Don't interrupt Yuuta dear… Just eat." Fuji reached forward to take a cookie and put it on Yuuta's plate "Anyway, I've always wanted to learn English. Maybe I can pick up something along the way!"
Thumping sounds were heard. Yuki appeared, drenched, wearing a wet blue shirt and holding the wet orange-stained white shirt.
"Mama, can you help me to wash my shirt?"
"Ringo" Fuji held up and pointed to a red delicious apple that he took from the fruit basket on his dinning table. He had brought Yuki to his house for her Japanese lesson.
"Bingo!" Yuki smiled and tried to mimick. Unfortunately, an apple is not equals to a number game.
"No no. Ringo."
"Ringo!"
"Good, so that is how you call 'Appo' in Japanese…"
Yuki frowned and took the apple from him. She pointed, "Iie. 'Apple'."
"Appol"
"Ap-ple" Yuki slowly pronounced her words to make sure that he can mimick too.
"Apple?"
Finally…
She smiled, "Good boy." She patted him on the head, but to his horror, she took a bite out of the apple. The last apple of the basket.
"Hey that's mine!"
"Opps. Gomen." Yuki looked at the apple guiltily and looked as if she was going to cry.
Realising that tears were coming, Fuji quickly comforted her, "Never mind. Let's share it then." He took a bite out of the same apple and held up a pencil, " So what is this called?"
At present
Yuki looked up to see a questionable smile on Fuji's face "Ne… Syu, what are staring at?" They had been doing their homework at the dinning table.
"Betsuni." He continued smiling, creeping Yuki even more
I'll never let you be alone again…
"… Right." Yuki decided to go back to her work to distract her from him. Trying to find out what he was up to is just as bad as when he takes action, "Now stop staring and go back to your homework. And finish your apple before all the Vitamin Cs evaporate. " With that she wrote her name on her assignment sheet, 'Cho Yuki'
He chuckled. It was about apples again. Same table, same sitting position.
Somehow, I wished I haven't taught you how to speak. Maybe then,… oh never mind. I'm not for mushy words anyway…
A/N: well hope you like it. I hope the next chapter comes out soon. Hehe… I'll pray that I have time. till then ja
Key-
Baa-san : auntie
Okaasan: Mother
Otousan: Father
Nee-san: older sister
TBC