Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Eight

A/N: Keepin' it light and (hopefully) funny. I've been obsessed with light comedy lately and I'm really having fun writing this. Thanks for the hits and reviews, guys. You are awesome.

Not mine. Unbeta-ed but run though grammar and spell check. Have a nice day.

This may serve as a bribe for PurpleSkye, if she reads it.

If there was one thing that would snap the last of Ootori's nerves, I was pretty sure it'd be me. His wrath hung heavily on the air and the tension made me feel even more nervous than I already was. Even Tachibana-san, who drove in silence on the front seat as we scuttled around uptown, could sense the apprehension that surrounded us; he kept trying to unloosen the knot of his tie, and he kept glancing up to Ootori's reflection through the rearview mirror, afraid that his master might soon burst into flames or worse, swallow me alive.

I was silent for the rest of the ride and even if my bladder was complaining, I knew better than voice it aloud. It was one of the most important things that I learned within a short span of time especially when being around a pissed Ootori: silence saves lives.

We arrived shortly after, and Tachibana-san parked the car in a spacious lot just outside a large house. If the house was bigger than the Ootori mansion, I could hardly tell. Perhaps the only difference I could exactly point out between the two houses was the architectural design. Whereas the Ootori mansion was more avant-garde, this one had a quaint feeling to it, in a somewhat modern way.

Tachibana-san pulled me out of my thoughts when he opened the door for me. I smiled and thanked him quietly while stepping out of the car. Before I could even stand straight and smoothen the creases off my dress, Ootori appeared night next to me; I tried not to look at his grey eyes.

"Let's have last minute instructions," Kyouya began and I listened carefully, in case he'd devour me when I failed to comply with his orders. "Let's modify the honorifics a little bit."

I glanced up to look at his face and thankfully, his glasses obscured the dangerously fierce look he always wore. "Ootori-san is fine for me," I told him honestly.

"But it's supposed to be more than that," he said. He brought a finger up to his chin, as if deep in thought. "How about Kyouya-sama?"

"Sama?" It was my turn to scowl and glare at him in disbelief. I protested without completely intending to, "I'm not your servant, you know."

Behind his clouded glasses, I could tell he was trying to murder me with his eyes and I knew I shouldn't have said that. There was an uncomfortable pause that made me remember that my bladder was full and I needed to pee. I fumbled for something to say, anything, to ease my discomfort when I realized my voice was too weak and too small. Before I realized it, he began to intimidate me again. "How about Kyouya-san?" I suggested. "No, it's a little too formal as Ootori-san."

"Kyouya-san sounds fine," he told me. "Then, it's settled." He turned around to walk away when I suddenly grabbed his forearm to stop him. "No, wait!"

His eyes were now visible, and when he turned to me, they locked on mine. A few seconds later, I averted my eyes, the fear overpowering me. Slowly, he slipped his arm away from my hold as if telling me not to touch him without his granted permission. I tried to recover instantly. Clearing my throat, I began, "Besides, I'm older than you so I deserve more respect. Since you're younger, I'll make it Kyouya-kun."

"You're making a big fuss about it," he said. Even though his face told me he was ready to strike at me at any moment (in a strangely calm sort of way), his voice still remained steady and composed. "Kyouya-san is fine. Now, let's go."

"No, wait!" I interrupted. "Kyouya-kun is too common. Since we're a couple—" He interrupted with a "We're not a real couple," but I ignored him. "— I should call you in a more . . . unique and special way. Most of our classmates call you Kyouya-kun. Akiko calls you Kyouya."

I bit my lip and pondered about it for a moment. "Ah!" I screamed when something came to mind. His expression didn't show his surprise but apparently, the sudden noise startled him. I apologized quickly and looked up, prepared to declare my opinion. I blinked more than necessary and aimed him a sweet smile. "Gankyo-kun."*

Another awkward pause and I waited for him to respond. He stared at me with a straight face and I had to look away from his eyes again; it was mandatory. Almost out of the blue, I searched the vicinity and my eyes landed on a pair of tall trees not far from where we stood. I admired the orange and pink leaves that fell on the ground for a second or two before I recalled that I actually needed to pee.

"All right," he started and I snapped my head back to his direction. He leaned forward, invading my personal space. I blushed. His voice was a tone lower and seemingly mocking. "O-BAA-SAN."

A wicked smiled ghosted his lips as I tried to comprehend his words. Soon, he retreated an inch away, with a chuckle trying to escape his mouth. "Since you're older than me, I give you the honor you deserve."

Quickly, he turned around and walked out on me.

"You!" I threatened while thrusting my forefinger in the air. "I'm not even twenty yet! I'm only three months older than you, YOU!"**

You, freakin' scumbag! Age a hundred years!

After deciding it was better to keep quiet and give up complaining, I followed Ootori as he led the way to the large, ornate entrance of the mansion. The doors opened enchantingly (like in a palace of a fairy tale where doors open on impulse) and revealed a line-up of servants in cute, laced, black-and-white, maid's uniform. "Wow," I whispered almost subconsciously. They looked like life-size dolls inside a large museum, which somewhat reminded me of the lolita cosplays my friends did back in the countryside every school festival. Before I could allow the nostalgia to overwhelm my senses, Ootori tugged my arm down and I had to shuffle forward to catch up with his pace.

Unlike its modest exterior, the mansion's inside looked better and more modernized. As compared to the Ootori's English furniture (which was more of Elizabethan), the lobby of this mansion was mostly decorated with shapes and patterns (typically German); the paintings that hung on the hallway were all modern, abstract art. The walls were—whoa—they were made of thick fiber glass and inside the glass walls were an abundant collection of marine animals, mostly varying species of fishes. I ran to the direction of the large aquariums and pressed my face against the thick glass to admire them for a while. I've never been to an aquarium before, and it felt like a dream come true. I realized Ootori was beside me.

"What year is it?" I asked him, my voice laced with confusion and with a toned down, child-like curiosity, almost lost in thought.

With a puzzled and a barely-recognizable annoyed expression, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Who has successfully invented the flux capacitor?" I felt dazed. Subconsciously, I rubbed one side of my face against the cold surface, checking if this was real. I continued, "There's a beautiful house underwater. I can't believe that I'm underwater."

Ootori shook his head in frustration. "You've completely lost it."

"Gankyo-kun, let's go back to the present time."

He snapped at me, not that I was surprised that he did. By now, I'm almost used to it. "Stop this nonsense. We're already late." He pulled my arm and dragged me away from the large aquariums.

"Gankyo-kun," I spoke his name. My bemused voice didn't change. "I believe I really need to go to the bathroom right now."

"No."

"But I really need to pee," I told him. He had his hand on my arm and he was towing me up a flight of stairs.

"Must you be difficult?" he drawled. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're delaying us on purpose.

He had a point. Meeting Akiko (outside of school, especially having Ootori introduce me as a girl who replaced her position as his girl friend) made me nervous as much as Ootori's presence did. But above all, "But I really need to pee!"

He aimed me a look, and it understood him perfectly. I pursed my lips in silence and silently followed him until we reached another large door on the hall of the second floor. He didn't push it open, but the doors swung magically to reveal another equally beautiful room. I was in awe. Only when a girl with elegantly long hair, a wonderful smile and a pink, pretty dress did I jump in surprise and jerked back in reality.

"Kyouya, Ashina-san, it's so nice to have you here," Akiko greeted with a soft voice. She pulled Ootori in a tight hug after kissing both his cheeks. I was stunned beside him. When they pulled apart, she turned to me and gave her biggest smile.

I swallowed hard. I have a bad feeling about this. And, I really have to go to the bathroom.

To say the room was spacious would be an understatement. It wasn't just spacious; it required a far more difficult adjective, to which I could not describe properly without sounding rude.

If I estimate correctly, the room may actually have enough space for our house (in the countryside) to fit, and then some. The length of the dining table seemed endless, and it occupied more than half of the entire space, which reminded me of the tables in the Harry Potter movies I used to watch with my friends back in middle school. The chandelier was enormous, the windows looked like they were eating me alive, the ceiling was too high—I felt so puny and helpless. More to that, I was uncomfortable and I felt like having an extreme nervous break-down. I shot Ootori, who sat across me on the table, a pleading look that I hoped he would understand; he did. But unfortunately, he was too busy returning me an apologetic expression that he paid no attention to my distress. Worse, my bladder was threatening to burst soon.

Akiko was talking alien language with Ootori (he smiled a lot and for a moment I wondered why he was the opposite when he was with me). Nonetheless, I tried to ignore their banter as much as my ears can. Sighing in defeat, I crossed my hands on my lap and stared blankly at the intricate patterns of the table cloth in front of me (I tried not to the dozens of utensils on top of it).

Soon, lunch was served. It was a large array of seafood platter and everything else mouth-watering and delicious. I could grab the lobster (it was tempting me) on the silver plate in front of me, if only Akiko wasn't here. In front of wealthy people, I knew how it was a must to observe proper etiquette. Ootori would murder me if I didn't.

"Aren't you, Ashina-san?"

"Eh?" I heard my name. Something brushed lightly on my leg but I disregarded it. It was Akiko who spoke. "Pardon?"

"You're on the track club," she repeated patiently. "Aren't you?"

"Ah," I began, afraid that my voice might sound pathetic in case she'd laugh. "Yes."

"I know someone from the track club too and he's really adorable," she spoke rapidly but her voice remained soft. I suddenly wondered what happened to the Akiko who snapped at me in the classroom not long ago. "His name's Ikuto Miyagi and he's an upperclassman. Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes."

I swallowed (audibly) and reached for the nearest glass on the table. Even though Akiko actually acted kind to me (so far), I couldn't help but feel tense. I drained half of the water on the glass and I could feel Ootori's eyes bearing holes on my forehead. I tried not to meet them.

"Oh my god," Akiko screamed and I jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. "Your dress is really nice. Where did you buy it?"

"Uhm. Ooto—Gan—(Ootori cleared his throat)—Kyo-kun—bought it for me," I told her, feeling a little relieved that I didn't slip (at least not that much).

Her smile turned nostalgic. She turned to Ootori. "I remember Kyouya used to give me the same expensive things. He loves to spoil me, don't you, Kyouya?"

"I didn't buy that dress," Ootori told her, straight-faced. I turned to him and shook my head in disagreement because in case he didn't notice, I just lied for him. He continued, "In fact, I didn't spend any money on it."

'You're so cheap, Ootori!' I want to give his knee a good kick. Only, my leg couldn't reach as far.

"Oh," Akiko's voice sounded disappointed and her response surprised me. I jerked my head to her direction. As soon as I saw her, the emotion instantly changed. "That's kind of boring, don't you think?"

"Why do you think so?" Ootori asked in a slightly amused voice. Akiko reminded me or the same annoyed Akiko a few days ago.

"There's nothing you can't buy with money," Akiko responded. I felt the sudden change of atmosphere and it was but anything positive.

I felt something (nothing) poke on my bladder and I cringed. I should do something and I should do something quick. I cleared my throat, interrupting them. Hiding my lips from Akiko, I whispered under my hand, "Pst!" He glanced from his plate to my direction with a questioning look on my fairly questionable position. I continued, "Ootori—I mean, Gankyo-kun, I need to pee!"

Akiko giggled beside me and the tension was suddenly eased. Within just a few seconds, she had completely changed her expression. "You don't have to whisper so loud. I can hear you."

I failed Life.

Ootori shook his head in dismay. Without a word, he pushed himself up from his chair and asked Akiko where the nearest bathroom was located; he'd accompany me. She shook her head no. It was inappropriate for a man to accompany a girl to the bathroom so Akiko volunteered. "Come."

I frowned in disapproval. In a futile attempt, I shot Ootori another helpless look but as if mocking me, he swallowed a mouthful of lobster meat.

I sat on the cover of the toilet bowl a few moments later, hoping that Akiko would go away and leave me alone. The door of my cubicle was locked but I could hear her soft humming and the sound of the faucet-water running from right outside. I was at lost. I couldn't think of any other way to escape from her, especially now that my instincts are telling me to leave. Something bad might actually happen and I could feel it.

"Are you done?" she asked quietly but her voice echoed against the walls of the bathroom so it was twice louder. The tone of her voice made me shudder without any reason at all.

"Uhm—almost," I lied. "You can go if you want. I can find my way back."

"No," she told me. "I know you're done so you can get out of there now. I want to talk to you."

I swallowed audibly. I knew this would come. Sighing, I bit my lip and unbolted the lock of my cubicle door. Akiko stood right across me, her arms entwined and her expression unreadable. As I sat on the lid of the toilet bowl, I looked at her with a helpless sigh.

"Get up," she ordered, her voice firm.

Even though I couldn't feel my legs in anxiety, I struggled to keep myself steady. After clearing my throat and thinking of a good excuse as an escape route, I began, "Uhm—maybe Gan—er, Kyo-kun (surprisingly, it transformed to Kyo-kun when it was Akiko I was talking to) might be looking for us."

Akiko didn't look concerned. "I assure you, he's not."

"Uhm—"

"I know about it so don't pretend you don't know anything," she told me, her eyebrows threatening to disappear under her hairline.

Know about what? That I have really bad breath in the morning? Oh my goodness, I'm doomed!

Akiko scoffed when I remained silent. "You're not Kyouya's type in the first place. That guy does everything for merit and you are worth nothing to him."

Eh? What is she talking about?

"Fine," she continued. "I'll play along with his little game and see what happens from here. But I assure you, I'm not going to lose."

Is she talking about the pretend? How does she know about it? I never told anyone, I swear.

Akiko, I realized, was still talking with a wicked smile on her lips. "Let me just warn you: the loser will hurt the most."

At an instant, the smile turned softer and her expression was a lot nicer. "As I was saying, Kyouya might be looking for us now. Let's go?"

I froze. Akiko offered her hand and I took it. It was warm but I felt the hair at the back of my head stand on end.

"Oh, yeah," she whispered on my ear. "Don't tell anyone of our little girl-secret, ne?"

I nodded meekly. When Akiko opened the door of the bathroom, Ootori was there. He smiled at Akiko. "I'm sorry but we're going, Akiko."

"Is that so?" she returned his smile. I felt dizzy. "How about tea?"

"No, thanks," Ootori pulled my arm from her hold. "I remember we still have something important to do. I'm really sorry."

"Okay," Akiko pushed me to him. "I guess I'll just see you around. Bye, Ashina-san."

Still too stunned, Ootori pulled my shoulders closer and guided me away from the bathroom. It was too much to process, and I've never been so confused. When we reached outside, Ootori pushed me away and it was only then that I was able to gather and rearrange my thoughts. Maybe I should tell Ootori about my encounter with Akiko on the bathroom.

No, I shook myself inwardly. That's not right. He'd accuse me of telling someone about out agreement and he'd kill me. Besides, Akiko told me not to tell anyone and who knows what she'd do to me. Either way, I'll end up dead meat.

"What's the matter?" he asked, my eyes rooted on my toes.

"Uhm, let's go home," I told him as I walked past and made my way to the car.

"Akiko told you something." It was not a question. I turned to him and faked laughter.

"There's nothing. Ha ha ha." It sounded robotic. "You're talking nonsense, Gankyo-kun. Ha ha ha."

He followed me to the car. "It doesn't sound like nothing," he said. "You sound suspicious."

"Ha ha." I faked another laugh. "That's stupid."

I turned to Ootori and when I saw his eyes, he sneered, as if telling me, "No one calls me stupid or he'll die."

I bit my lip. Yes, indeed. Silence saves lives.

Tachibana-san drove around town while humming with the sound coming from the CD player. Surprisingly, Ooto—I mean, Gankyo-kun was in an elevated mood. His smugness had improved and his fingertips tapped along with the rhythm of the music. I wanted to go along the lightness of the atmosphere, until I remembered Akiko's words to me. It left a lot of questions, doubts and suspicion. The mere tough of it made me feel dizzy. I pushed the thoughts at the back of my head and looked outside the window to the plate numbers of each car that passed by.

Out of the blue, my stomach growled loudly and I ran my fingers on it. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything for lunch. There was too much food on the table, but I was given no chance to taste any of it. Worst, the banquet even looked delicious and appealing that I could only experience it perhaps only once in a lifetime. I felt stupid for letting it all go. More and more, I feel extremely sorry for myself.

"Uhm, Gankyo-kun," I began. His eyes were on me, staring in disbelief.

"You are very unattractive," he told me, a smile ghosting his lips. I frowned.

"Well, sorry for being unattractive," I scowled. "But look, I'm really hungry."

He turned to Tachibana. He asked, "Do you know any good restaurants around town?"

Delighted that he was actually trying to be nice, I hastily interfered in case he'd overdo it. "Wait! I know somewhere good. And cheap."

"What are these called?" Gankyo-kun asked, eyeing the bunch of fish cakes and pig intestines with great disgust. He stabbed the fish cakes repeatedly with a toothpick and I had to tell him off before Vendor-san would notice he was making fun of them. We were in a food stall where Shiki led me once and since then, I was hooked with the taste of the food.

"These are fish cakes," I told him while swallowing a mouthful. "Those are pig intestines, chicken liver and the rest."

He looked pale. Green and pale. "Are you all right?" I asked, while reaching for his forehead to check his temperature. He felt fine.

"These aren't even safe," he said. "This place doesn't even look sanitary."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him incredulously. "You haven't even tasted one yet. Come try it."

I stabbed a fish cake from my small paper plate and offered it to him. He backed away in revulsion. "That's very unhygienic. Besides, this place is prone to a lot of airborne germs and bacteria. The food may even be infected with E. coli or amoeba. Does this place even have a sanitary permit?"

Vendor-san was staring at Gankyo-kun with an annoyed expression and I bowed at him, apologetic. Gankyo-kun was still talking. "—the sauce is in an open container. That's really unclean."

I nudged his arm with my elbow to silence him but I failed at body language.

"Ya!" Vendor-san screamed and pointed a finger at Gankyo-kun. I jumped. "If you're not going to eat here, shut up! Go away!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Gankyo-kun started. "But may I see your sanitary and business permit?"

"What?" Vendor-san sounded pissed. I couldn't blame him.

"Uhm—I'm really sorry, Vendor-san but we're leaving." I bowed and dropped a few coins on the coin box.

"That's right!" he yelled. "Leave."

"Don't be sorry, Ashina." He moved closer to the stall to sneer at Vendor-san. "Sir, I'm only asking for your business and sanitary permit—"

"Uhm—" I interrupted loudly. Grabbing Gankyo-kun's arm I pushed his back to force him to bow. "We're sorry. We're really sorry."

Soon, we were back on the backseat of the limousine, safe and sound. Gankyo-kun was quiet as Tachibana-san started the car. I was trying to catch my breath. When I did, I turned to Gankyo-kun.

"Ya!" I scolded him without thinking twice. "What's the matter with you? Vendor-san was really nice and the food was great. Why do you have to admonish him like that? How can you be so rude to people? You're really nice to Akiko when she's actually a—" I bit my lip. Oh my god, I almost slipped! "Anyway, why do you have to be so rude to me, to Vendor-san? Just because we're commoners, doesn't mean we're lesser human."

"Is that's what you think?" he drawled. His voice and his eyes made me feel smaller.

"Uhm—yes." My voice was weak, I stuttered.

"Yes," he told me. "You're right." He sat back on his seat, the back of his head pressing against the headrest. "I don't receive any merit from you, that's why I'm rude. I'll tell you a secret." He glanced at me. "I'm not a very nice person."

"I've already established that," I told him.

"That's good."

"Uhm, Gankyo-kun?"

"What is it, Obaasan?"

"I'm still hungry."

*Gankyo means glasses in Japanese. In the manga, Hatori mentioned how she procured Kyouya's name and she revealed it was from the 'Kyo' of Gankyo. Lol. So from now on, Ashina's going to refer Kyouya as Gankyo-kun or Kyo-kun.

**On previous chapters, I never mentioned them exchanging birthdays before, but allow me to say Kyouya's birthday was listed on the calendar function on the yellow handy phone and she accidentally found out about it. Yes, I know. How fickle. But to make things simpler, let's just leave it that way.

Note: It's currently autumn in this story so it's around October.