I meant for this chapter to come out sooner, but...well, it didn't! I'll try to promise the next chapter in a week? (Depending on how many reviews I get, bwahaha! Jk, jk.)
I started revising some of the older chapters. I added some little tidbits of Tamer interactions, if anyone is curious. These changes won't be anything that will totally CHANGE THE PLOT FOREVERZ, but I thought you'd like to know about it.
For some reason, whenever I upload stuff, the formatting gets all wonky. (Like, a whole chapter turns out bolded...) No matter how many times I proofread, there's always some sort of error! I don't know what it is... please, just excuse it.
Special thanks to - Kaoru2585, Dream Ablaze (I've been meaning to take a look at your fic DX... I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to do so yet), laurfalove, Kira, erinsgirl, gaaralover4ever123, Glory Nizenea, anon for leaving reviews. It makes me so happy reading them.
And thanks for adding me / Ten Days to your favorites / alerts - Dream Ablaze, gaaralover4ever123, Sayumii, Kaoru2585, Randomdemoncat, and Glory Nizenea!
CHAPTER SIX: School Festival (Part I)
"We'll be moving in and living with the Akiyama family! Isn't that great? Now you can spend endless time together!"
Endless... time... together?!
Ryo smiled at me sheepishly, "Welcome home!"
I rolled over in bed. I found it very hard to sleep in this new house. I missed sleeping in a futon in the safety of my old home. Ryo's house was relatively modern and "western." The complete opposite of my traditional Japanese tatami mat house. I would've rather had it the other way around... having them move into our house instead. Or better yet, not having to deal with this at all! My mom replied it was for the best, saying she could use the money to pay for the wedding...
I closed my eyes and leaned back. Everything had happened in such a rush. My mom drove us back to the Akiyama house after the cafe incident. During the time we'd been away, she'd managed to move all of our belongings to the Akiyama's already. ("But, Ruki! If you were here to help with the moving, you would've opposed to it! And then nothing would've gotten done!" my mom explained, totally missing the point.) I had to come home early for the next couple days to get all of the unpacking done.
I turned my head to its side and stared at the alarm clock, just waiting for it to go off. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I stared at the red numbers blinking angrily for a moment before jabbing the off button. I sat in bed for a moment, listening to Ryo brushing his teeth in the bathroom. I sat there waiting for him to be done. I refused to see him this early in the morning.
...I guess all of these changes are driving my sanity further and further away.
--
"Morning, Ruki!" Juri greeted.
"Hey," I replied.
Juri but her lip worriedly, "You don't look to good, Ruki..."
"It's nothing. I didn't get much sleep, that's all." I eyed Ryo accusingly...surprisingly, he was sleeping at his desk.
"Again? That's no good, Ruki! You know, this week is the-" she was cut off by the bell ringing. "Talk to you later," she said quickly as she walked towards the front of the class. Juri and Takato were our class representatives, and they usually made announcements at the beginning of class.
"I'm pretty sure everyone's been aware about what's happening this week! It's time for the school's Spring Festival! We have only three days to prepare," Takato started off.
"Our class decided on doing a dinner theater. Or, rather, a snack theater. We'll be performing a romantic comedy while serving snacks to the audience. Class 3D is going to be performing in the play, and we'll be running a cafe to go along with it. They have mostly everything set, we just need to help decorate the stage," Juri continued.
"Alright! Spring Festival! We finally have some time to relax!" One of the boys cried out.
Something snapped. We all glanced up at the front of the class, feeling the temperature seemingly drop. Juri, who had been holding a pen in her hand, had broken it in half with the sheer force of her temper. An aura of ferocity was emitting from her.
"Time. to. relax?" she asked in a falsely sweet tone, "THIS IS A TIME OF WAR BETWEEN THE OTHER CLASSES!"
"Nice going, you made Katou crack!"
"IF WE DON'T REAP THE MOST AMOUNT OF SALES COMPARED TO THE OTHER CLASSES, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?" Juri barked at us.
"Now, now, Juri... calm down a bit. The Spring Festival isn't about beating the other classes...It's a time to celebrate our youth and friendship and lo-" Takato said gently, trying to calm her down. She shot him death eyes. Takato backed down, laughing nervously.
"IF WE DON'T GET ENOUGH SALES, I WILL HAVE YOU GUYS CLEANING UP ALL THE TOILETS IN THE SCHOOL. DO I HAVE MYSELF CLEAR?" Juri asked, her eyes blazing.
The class gulped nervously.
"WELL? AM I CLEAR?"
"Y-YES, MAM!" the class cried as our homeroom teacher walked in.
"And that ends the announcements! Have a nice day everyone!" Juri smiled sweetly as she bounced off to her seat.
"I hope everyone decides to follow Miss Katou's lead!" our teacher gushed, and began the lesson.
--
"Alright, now I've divided everyone into different committee groups to be in charge of different activities. I also appointed a leader to each group to make sure everyone keeps on task!" Juri said after school that day. "I'll be calling out the groups now..."
I peeked at my watch. I had to get "home" to start on the unpacking. There were also some other things my mom said she wanted to discuss...
"...-yama and Makino will be in charge of snacks," Takato concluded. I looked up at the mention of my name for a brief moment. As I glanced back at my seat, a certain Akiyama kid had plopped himself in front of me.
"What are you doing?"
"Aren't you glad we're on the same committee?" Ryo asked. The class was in full action, getting ready for the festival.
"Why do I have a feeling that this wasn't a coincidence that the two of us ended up together - alone like this?" I responded, glancing at Juri's direction. That would be strike one for today.
"Now, now! That doesn't matter," Ryo chimed. "Let's get on with this planning business. We're in charge of catering. I was wondering, actually. Couldn't you just ask your mom to request a catering service for us? Being a model, she has connections, right? I have some other things to work out at home," Ryo explained quickly.
"U-uh...alright..." I said, surprised at his sudden serious tone.
"Great! I'm counting on you! See you later," Ryo grinned, his eyes mischievous, then, he bent over a kissed the top of my head.
"Y-YOU!" I cried, heat rising in my cheeks. I frantically glanced around to make sure nobody had seen.
"Byee!" Ryo called, skipping out the door.
"Hey! Hold on a second!" I jumped out of my seat, with intentions of smacking that grin off his face. I chased after him, but, at the door, I was knocked over by a large crowd of people wailing my name. "DON'T GO MAKINO! WE NEED HELP!"
"W-what?"
"If you're already done, can't you help us paint these sets!" Kazu said.
"No! We need to repair these costumes first! You know how to sew, right?" Kenta moaned.
"What's the difference between this paintbrush and this one?" Takato asked (...while holding two identical brushes.)
"Hey, Ruki...do you know how to work the lights?" Jenrya questioned.
"Ruki, please. We need extra hands," Juri pleaded, tugging at my sleeve. "If not I'll tell everyone Ryo kissed you goodbye today," she continued, her voice dropped to a dark tone. Strike two.
"A-Alright." I replied, pulling away from Juri's grip.
Three strikes, I'm out?
--
It took me a while to find my way to the Akiyama house. I had accidentally headed back towards my house. It wasn't until I saw the "FOR SALE" sign staked in front of it did I realize that I no longer lived there. I unlocked the door and slumped in.
"Tadai-" I stopped in mid-phrase. "Ojamashimasu," I called as I closed the door behind me. No answer. I put away my shoes and trucked on in.
"What is the meaning of this?" I heard Ryo's voice booming angrily in the living room. It was the first time ever his voice had sounded so harsh. I stayed frozen in the entrance hall as I listened.
"Your father sent us a letter. He wants money," Ryo's mother replied.
"No father of mine would ask something like that from us. Mom, please, don't give him anything. That bastard doesn't deserve it."
"Well, he said he'll return it...It'll be okay, right?"
"Mom. Don't do it. I'm begging you. Can you really trust that guy anymore?"
"I'm not thinking of him in that way! I'm thinking of him as an acquaintance who needs my help!"
"YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT!" I gasped. Ryo never yelled like this...
"He's your father, Ryo!"
"What kind of father leaves behind his wife and child? Mom, you've gone through so much pain, already. I can't stand it!" I heard footsteps thumping up the stairs.
"R-ryo?"
"Yeah?" he answered thickly.
"In the letter. He also said that he wants to meet you," Ms. Akiyama's voice was quiet. I heard bitter laughter from Ryo before he continued his way upstairs. I stood there a few moments and waited for Ms. Akiyama to return to her room.
"Ryo," I whispered. Even though he'd told me about the situation with his father...I never knew that he was still this hurt from it. A sense of guilt pulsed through me. I felt angry. I felt almost angry for him. I made my way upstairs, threw my backpack into my room, and stood at Ryo's door.
Now what?
It wasn't like I could burst through and say, "Don't worry about your dad! He's a nutcase!" I would have to admit I was eavesdropping. Or, even if I did, wouldn't it be weird for me to comfort him? Rustling came from the other side of the door, and the doorknob turned. My heart began pounding like crazy. I quickly dashed back into my room, diving into the bed.
"Ruki? Are you there?" I hid my head under the covers, smashing my face into my pillow. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away now. "I'm sorry about leaving so early." His footsteps echoed closer to my room. The door swung open. "Ah - oh. You're sleeping." He walked closer to my bed and sat down (much to my annoyance). I tried to stay still, my heart was still beating rapidly. Silently, he stroked my hair. I stiffened, feeling my heart race even more. What was this?! "I'm sorry, Ruki..." he murmured. He stayed at my side for a couple moments more before setting back to his room.
I laid in my bed for moments more, listening to my heartbeat race.
A couple hours later, Ms. Akiyama called us down to eat dinner. My mom was out late doing some work. Ryo didn't show up as we ate.
"Ruki? Could you check up on Ryo really quickly?" Ms. Akiyama asked.
"U-uh..." I stuttered, "I was thinking of washing the dishes."
"I'll handle it! You go on ahead." Ms. Akiyama replied in a slightly pushy tone.
"...okay..." I walked off in defeat. I stopped at Ryo's door and knocked lightly. "Ry- Uh. Hey. Your mom wants to know if you're going to eat dinner..." My voice sounded oddly warbled. When there was no answer, I knocked again. "You there?"
As I retreated, a small voice from the room called out a "no." I had half a mind to go in, but I couldn't.
"I see," I answered, and hid away in my room again.
--
The next morning, Ryo hadn't shown up for breakfast. This was odd. The house was awkwardly quiet. My mom was still away from work. Ms. Akiyama had headed off to her job at the local supermarket.
I wonder what he was up to? He had gotten up earlier than me yesterday, so I assumed he'd be the early riser type. The conversation he had with his mom kept repeated over and over in my head. Then how he isolated himself in his room afterwards...
"I-I'll just check up on him one more time," I reassured myself as I climbed the stairs. After all of what happened, this door of his room seemed to look so...lonely. I heard some shuffling inside, reassuring Ryo was up. Okay. He's still alive. Good.
As I turned back round, I heard the sound of glass shattering. I jerked back around a yanked opened the door.
"RYO?!"
I took one step into the room and found his body on the floor. His right hand was bleeding badly. Glass shards surrounded the injured hand.
"R-ryo?"
Most of you are probably familiar with the Japanese terms, but here's a short translation/explanation anyway!
"Tadaima" and "Ojamashimasu" - these are two greetings you use when entering a house. "Tadaima" means I'm home/I'm back, used when you've come to your own house. "Ojamashimasu" is used if you're entering somebody else's house. Since Ruki isn't comfortable being at the Akiyama's, she used "Ojamashimasu." (Although, she wanted to say "taidama" !)
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