Thanks to my reviewers! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
Here we are with the next chapter (finally) XD I think I need a beta reader for this...or just someone to preview it and see if there's anything particularly wrong with it. Is anyone willing to help out with that?
Anyways, the dinner party is starting to wind down and a few important conversations are finally had.
Enjoy!
Chapter 6: The first clue
Love is like a waterfall
With rolling waves of mist
Surprising those who watch
With desire to be kissed
He had forgotten how hard Kouji could punch.
Kouichi groaned quietly and tried his best to sit still despite the discomfort. The ice pack against his cheek was soothing and cool against the quickly purpling bruise, but the chill traveled beyond the injured area and onto healthy skin. It left the entire side of his face numb, a feeling that was almost as unpleasant as the pain.
His mother and Mimi were sitting together with him, taking turns changing the ice and covering the bag with dry towels. Neither was particularly happy with him. Not that he blamed them.
Kouichi knew that the entire thing was his fault. He didn't have a problem with accepting obvious truths as, well, obvious. Given the circumstances, he couldn't exactly deny it either. He could have left Izumi out of the party. He could have let his brother know about her. He could have let them find each other on their own time. He could have left Kouji well enough alone after they came back.
But where was the fun in that?
Then again, where was the fun in getting punched by your own twin brother?
Kouichi wisely chose not to think about that.
Mimi obviously had a different opinion. "What were you thinking?" She was pouting, pink lips scrunched up in a very appealing little circle. The spot of moisture in the middle of her lower lip scattered his thoughts. When he didn't reply immediately, however, she turned her face away and huffed. Behind her, Kouichi saw his mother shaking her head resignedly.
He winced. "I honestly don't know."
"You don't know," she repeated, expressionlessly.
"Erm, I'm sorry?"
"Don't give me that. What were you trying to do?"
"I didn't expect him to punch me, if that makes you feel better," he offered weakly.
Anger and curiosity swirled in her soft, doe-like eyes. For the moment, curiosity won. "What did you say to him?"
Kouichi paused. How to explain? "It's kind of a long story…"
Mimi scowled and pulled her pink dress down over her knees. Then she crossed her arms and glared at him. Kouichi decided it was probably not a good time to tell her that she couldn't look intimidating to save her life. "I've got time." A little triumphantly, she added, "And you're not going anywhere."
Sly woman. Kouichi groaned again and looked at his mother for help. She glanced up at him and grinned. "Well, tell her." She tapped the ice bowl in front of her and smiled. "I'm going to go talk to Kouji."
She walked off before either of them could protest.
Correction. Sly women. "Fine," he muttered. Leaning back on the wicker chair that had been left outside, some distance from the patio, he tried to find the right words to start. 'Long story' didn't even begin to describe it. The series of events that led up to the whole mess was practically an epic in and of itself. "You saw him with her today, right?"
"Hel-lo, you were there," she snapped.
He glared at her. "It was rhetorical."
"Fine, go on."
"Okay. There was a group of six of us when we were kids. All three of us were part of that group, and everyone got along pretty well for the most part. I didn't really become a part of it until much later, though… It's kind of complicated." Understatement of the century.
He could see her brow creasing slowly. "You've told me this before."
"Not all of it."
"Obviously." She paused, then quietly murmured, "You know, I asked Izumi about it too."
Now it was his turn to stare at her with surprise. "What?"
"Well, she's my friend," she muttered defensively. "And she was pretty good about telling me her side of the story. Unlike a certain someone, you know."
He was silent for a moment, feeling warmth in his cheeks. "Not exactly my fault."
"You're changing the subject. What were you going to say?"
"Depends. How much do you know?"
"She was friends with everyone until she moved to Italy at thirteen."
He blinked and waited.
A sigh. "Well, there was a lot more detail," she admitted. "But most of it isn't relevant."
"I…see," he replied slowly, the wheels turning in his head. Wasn't there something that Kouji told him about the year they turned thirteen? Something…
Mimi poked his side and he realized that he must have stayed silent too long.
"Sorry," he said. "Thinking. Anyways, you probably know the basic gist of it. Did you ask about my brother?"
"I did, but she didn't really say anything in particular. Although," Mimi grinned, "she did say that they were pretty close."
"Her words or yours?" he asked, feeling a smile bubble up.
"Hers." They shared a knowing look.
"I'll pick up from there, then. Izumi was the only girl in our group. I think she was probably the only girl Kouji talked to before age fifteen. Besides his stepmother, you know."
A cluster of giggles escaped Mimi's lips and she covered her mouth. "Not surprised."
"Yeah," he breathed, watching how her charming smile made dimples appear on her cheek. "They were best friends. Confidantes, too…I'm pretty sure that he hasn't even told me half the stuff that he's told her. That might be part of the reason that she didn't tell you much, actually. Izumi really understands him. She knows that he likes to keep things to himself."
Gentle fingers rose up to touch Kouichi's cheek. "You understand him too."
"Not as much as I used to," he admitted ruefully. "There are a lot of things that he refuses to let me know. Like when he has problems in his life. Kouji doesn't like people worrying about him. And that's what I'm best at. So I'm not surprised."
A considering look settled on Mimi's face. "But Izumi gets to know? Even when you don't?"
"Sometimes."
"Does she know about the other story? The one you were telling me before?"
Kouichi stopped fidgeting long enough to stare at her. He was pretty sure that he was gaping too. For some reason, the subject change completely threw him off. "You know, she might."
Slowly, Mimi tilted her head up. "Will she tell me?"
"You know," he mumbled faintly, "You really don't need to ask her about it."
There! A triumphant gleam broke through her darkened eyes. "So will you tell me?"
Kouichi laughed out loud. "Later. Tomorrow."
"I won't let you get out of it."
"Trust me," he said breezily, "I don't mind retelling the story at all."
"But not now."
"No, right now you asked a more important question. I think I should answer that one first."
Her hand reached over to his other cheek, the injured one. She pulled away the ice pack and stroked his chilled skin gently. From the way she winced, it didn't look good. As the evening air blew against the skin, the numbness melted away and he felt the ache return. She patted his cheek and made to put the ice pack back.
He refused, "Don't need it anymore." A faint grin played on his face. "Should I continue?"
Mimi had also regained her cheerfulness. "Please."
Izumi could feel the headache pounding away at her skull.
No, she hadn't dropped food on her lap or humiliated herself in public. She hadn't stuttered or chewed a hole into her bottom lip. She hadn't done anything wrong, actually.
So why did she feel so embarrassed when Kouji slammed his right fist into his brother's face?
Nothing about this situation made any sense whatsoever.
Izumi wasn't a violent person. At least, she didn't consider herself one. Some people would probably disagree, but that was to be expected. While she certainly wasn't a peaceful angel, Izumi did try to limit her slaps to those who really deserved it. And even then, she only gave in to the urge when she was very angry.
Kouji didn't follow the same logic. It was actually one of the things she envied about him – the ability to always follow through with whatever he said. It was probably impossible for him to not be honest. If he was angry, he would hit you. If he was happy, he would…well…
He usually wasn't happy, so she didn't have enough experience with him in that mood to accurately predict his actions. But he probably wouldn't hit anyone. (Actually, the last time she had seen him truly happy, it was after knocking Takuya out. But that was a long time ago, never mind that her memory of that day was still perfectly clear, so it didn't count.)
So why did Izumi find herself blushing when Kouji socked his poor twin in the face?
Simple. Because she had the strangest feeling that it was her fault.
Izumi knew Kouichi nearly as well as she knew his brother. It wouldn't be enough for the devious mastermind to simply guide a boy and a girl together and then let them be. Oh, no. That was not Kouichi's way at all.
She and Kouji had debated for years whether Kouichi was actually aware of himself when manipulating other people. It had always been her firm belief that Kouichi had nearly innocent intentions and just dropped enough hints to make sure that things would fall into place exactly the way he wanted them to.
Kouji just jabbed her in the shoulder and declared that his brother and innocent did not belong in the same sentence.
Now, she was inclined to agree with him – Kouji, that was. Because despite the fact that the older twin himself was completely out of commission due to the dark bruise blooming on his cheek, he somehow managed to leave them in just as embarrassing a position as before.
She and Kouji were practically alone at the table. And people were staring.
Izumi really wished that she had taken the opportunity to leave along with Mimi and Tomoko-san.
Kouji looked like he really wished that he could throw his brother another punch. But instead, he did something very unlike him.
He opened his mouth and let a few hasty words tumble out.
Apparently, he was feeling talkative tonight. The confounding fact that Kouji had willingly initiated a conversation in public took her off guard. As a result, she completely missed what he actually said.
When he looked at her expectantly, she realized that he must have asked her a question. Izumi flushed. "I'm sorry?"
He was surprisingly patient. "I said, how have you been?"
"Oh," she mumbled, moving the thin slices of beef around her plate. "Fine, I suppose. You?"
"Fine, I suppose."
She grinned at him ever so slightly. "Hey, go find your own ambiguous remark. That one's mine."
He raised an eyebrow. "Copyrighted?"
"Yep! As of," she glanced at her wristwatch, "twenty seconds ago."
His lips pressed together into a thin line, but she could tell that it was only to keep from laughing. "Very well. Let's try that again."
"Okay," she cleared her throat, "You start."
"How have you been?"
"Fine, I suppose. You?"
"I suppose, fine."
She choked on a piece of green bean. As she coughed, she felt a firm hand settle on her back and a few soft chuckles in that direction. She looked back when her breathing eased again.
Tomoko-san was smiling at her. "Am I interrupting something?"
Izumi grinned back, "Only me in the process of suffocation. Nothing major."
Across the table Kouji snorted and muttered something under his breath.
She offered him a sugary sweet look and asked, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"No."
"Really, because I could have sworn you did."
"It was nothing." Was he blushing?
"Really, nothing like 'Maybe you should have'?"
He sputtered. Blood rushed to his cheeks and she thought briefly that he looked nice like that. Then again, he always looked nice, didn't he…?
Tomoko-san and Satomi-san were laughing together. Kouji growled at them and quickly rubbed his hand over his face as if to erase the blush. His stepmother was leaning back in her chair and no longer eating.
"You're done?" she asked Satomi-san, only to receive a gentle shake of her head as a reply.
"No. But if I eat while you two are here, I might choke," she pointed out cheerfully.
Izumi didn't have time to reply because Kouji seemed to have gathered his wits about him again.
"I'm glad to be of service, Mom." Dry and sarcastic, just the way he had always been.
"Yes? So will you start phoning home when you're supposed to?"
Tomoko-san chimed in, "Right, right. Will you?"
Kouji looked like a trapped animal, so Izumi decided to rescue him. Out of the pure goodness of her heart. "I think," she proclaimed clearly, "that Kouji must be allergic to socializing. It's a serious medical condition nowadays."
Tomoko-san laughed behind her hand. "Should I get him medicine for it?"
"If you can drag him to the doctor's," Satomi-san pointed out dryly.
"Oh, but he's such a big boy. I don't know if the family doctor will see him anymore…"
"That's fine. Just send him off to find a pretty nurse!"
"Why, I never thought of that before!"
"Two birds with one stone!"
"Absolute genius!"
"Mom…Mother…" Kouji was groaning and rubbing his temple.
Izumi felt strangely content, like a part of the family. Like she belonged. It was a very good feeling.
Kouji probably didn't feel the same, but that was all right.
All at once, both mothers seemed to quiet down. The mischievous look in their eyes hadn't completely faded, but the easygoing teasing had. Izumi could literally feel a serious mood looming over their heads, in a way that made her feel anxious for some reason.
"Izumi," Tomoko-san said quietly. "It really is good to see you again." Izumi could see Satomi-san bobbing her head in agreement in the corner of her eye.
She tried to smile cheerfully but didn't know how successful she was. "Thank you, Tomoko-san. You too," she mumbled.
Tomoko-san reached over Mimi's empty chair to take her hand. "Just Tomoko is fine. I've told you before, right?"
Izumi's lips twitched. "Yes." Her hand felt limp and weak in the older woman's grasp. "I know."
Kouji suddenly tapped her glass gently. The table wasn't very narrow, but he had relatively long arms and it was easy to reach her side with the aid of a butter knife. The clinking sound caught her attention quickly, and she turned back only to see him lifting his own wine glass towards her.
"A toast?"
She blinked, not really knowing what to expect. At the same time, though, she realized that it would be rude to refuse. She picked up the delicate chalice and extended her arm forward. "Do your worst," she challenged with a grin.
His eyes were surprisingly light and amused. They were almost sky-blue. It must be the candlelight, she concluded. The strange flickers made him look so much younger than usual, and it took a great amount of effort on her part to stay calm.
Kouji was sitting up straight, determination lining the curves of his chin and lips. "Here's to engagement."
What?
She nearly dropped the wine glass in her hand. For Kouji, that was incredibly bold. No, scratch that. For Kouji, that was utterly insane. Izumi gaped openly at him until understanding dawned.
Kouji wasn't referring to himself. He was talking about his older brother.
Izumi knew that not everyone attending the celebration approved of Kouichi. The quiet comments and furtive glances that they threw the older twin were evidence enough of that. On the other hand, it was only through previous experience with Kouji, Kouichi, and the rest of their family that Izumi could recognize the subtle snubbing for what it was. But of course this was Mimi's first time meeting any of them, so Izumi hoped that the other girl wouldn't catch on. The way that the rest of the family shied away from the two and only offered the briefest of pleasantries was appalling. Of course, most of the blame lay with the difficult divorce that made Kouichi a stranger to this half of his family, but that was no excuse. They should be congratulating, not avoiding, the happy couple.
Kouji was just making his position on the issue very clear.
Yes, that was it. What else could it be?
She swallowed hard. "And to happy endings." The wine glasses clicked together with a strange finality and she sipped the sweet red liquid.
Kouji's gaze was firmly trained on her. Izumi could feel it, but she still didn't glance up from the frothing wine in her hand. Strange, that. She had never avoided his silent stares before, but today she felt an inexplicable dread of looking at him too long. And she didn't even know why.
Izumi realized that it was probably late. The moon had already crossed half the sky and she had classes tomorrow. And she didn't even know where Mimi was…
"Excuse me," she murmured. She gathered up her skirt and stood up. The wind was very mild today and even the soft silver scarf was immobile. Only a brief rearrangement of her barely ruffled clothing was necessary. Izumi finally turned to bid the rest of the party farewell – a mistake. Dark blue eyes hadn't moved from their target and she caught sight of them on her way up.
Izumi froze. Breathing seemed to be the most difficult thing in the world right then and there. The lazy, intense examination combed her from head to toe. A silent, demanding interrogation.
It felt like hours before his eyes met hers again.
Then the thoughtful, brooding look finally left Kouji's face. A completely blank and emotionless mask replaced it as he straightened his back and nodded briskly at her. "Good night."
"Good night," Izumi managed to say. She went off to find Mimi.
Thanks for reading, please review!
