Chapter 9: Invitation for a Date

It's me, Miyano Shiho.

It was the worst day of my life. No… at that time, it was the second to third worst day of my life. I'm not really sure what I should rank it as. If everything just goes wrong, how am I supposed to know what's right?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dinner won't be for a while, so you might want to unpack a little first," onee-chan suggested, going back to stirring the pot of what I figured was curry.

Nodding, I climbed up the stairs and headed for my room. Once there, I changed my clothes before looking around. Having just arrived the day before, I hadn't gotten a chance to take a closer look at the room I would be living for the rest of my high school year. Surveying the area cluttered with boxes unopened, I sighed.

I turned to the one closest to me and removed the tape. I was surprised by what I saw.

Inside the box, on top of everything else, was a book. Now, this wouldn't have been such a big surprise, I did have a fair collection of books after all. What did surprise me, was what book it was.

Apoptosis: The Life and Death of Cells

It was my father's book. My father's research. My father's life.

He gave me that book on my birthday, told me to study it, to continue his research when I grew up. Being the daddy's girl I was, I nodded, smiled happily, and hugged him as tight as a child possibly could.

He died the next day.

It was an accident, they say. It couldn't be helped, they say. We were the unlucky orphans as a blown up laboratory held the corpse of our parents, they say, though in honeyed, buttered words that goes more along the lines of "the unfortunate children who were left behind as their parents passed away due to a series of explosions that occurred in the laboratory."

I didn't believe them at first.

When they didn't return the next day, I thought it was just because I was being a bad girl. Because I wasn't studying the book he gave me.

So I studied. I read the book over and over, and became the only nine-year-old who could possibly tell you the difference between apoptosis and necrosis, the only one who had probably even heard of those words.

They didn't come back.

Right after the funeral, I guess I had accepted the fact that they were dead. Somewhere along the line, I threw away my stupid delusion that they were ever going to come back.

With that delusion, I remember throwing away this book. So why was it here?

I flipped the first few pages, and was even more surprised when a pressed rose revealed itself. It was acting as some sort of bookmark, being exactly where his research ended.

The Production of Apoptoxin

I was about to stand up, was about to go down and ask onee-chan about the book, about the rose, when I remembered.

Onee-chan doesn't like talking about them.

I froze. Frowning at the leaf design on the cover, I put it on the bookshelf and continued unpacking until she called me for dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, how was school?" she asked, before I even sat down.

"Like I said, it was interesting." I turned my attention to the curry in front of me.

She raised her finger to her cheek and said thoughtfully, "If it makes you say that much, then something good must have happened. Tell onee-chan all about it."

Waving my fork at her, I looked up from my plate and met her eyes. "Is that all you-"

Is she… sad? There was a hint of darkness in her irises, unlike its usual cheery brightness.

"Is something wrong?" she said suddenly.

"I think I should be the one saying that," I replied. "Did something happen?"

Surprise entered her eyes, then suddenly disappeared. With a laugh, she tried to cover it up. "What are you saying, Shiho? What could possibly happen?" she said in a light tone. "Anyway, did you meet any cute guys?"

An image of Shinichi Kudo entered my mind. Or was it Kuroba Kaito?

I sat motionless for a moment before brushing her question off with an "as if." That short moment of hesitation however, was more than enough to alert onee-chan's radar.

"So you did meet somebody! Who is it? Who is it?"

"I didn't meet anybody," I said coolly, and proceeded to ignore for the rest of dinner. She seemed amused, up until I took my dishes to the sink. Before I climbed the stairs, I stood by the stairway and looked back at her to say "oyasumi (good night)," when I saw that the sadness I noticed earlier had once again settled on her face.

Knowing that she would just avoid the question if I asked her again, I just whispered, "…oyasumi…" and headed for my room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As I walked out the door of my new home the next morning, Akemi-nee-chan bid me, "Itterashai! (take care)"

Wearing a small smile, I whispered back, "Ittekimasu. (I'm going)" I made my way to the gate and when I had closed it, a warm voice sent chills down my spine.

"Ohayou."

He's here.

I gritted my teeth, but I didn't let him see any emotion on my face. I turned to look at him, not a glare, not a frown on my face, but sending him the signals of 'What the hell are you doing here?'

He merely smiled in return. Walking towards me, he made me wary. When he took my hand, I stopped breathing.

"Ne, Miyano-san."

He held my hand closer to his face, and only when I felt his lips did I break free of my state of immobility. Snatching my hand away, I was about to slap him, but he once again held my hand and smiled.

"Will you go out with me?"

Hell no.

I let the glare that was itching to come out break free. About to voice my thoughts, I opened my mouth. Then, I came to a realization.

If he's the same type of person as him, then he's only asking me out for the sake of going out with every girl on campus. If I go out with him once, then he'd stop bothering me for the rest of my life.

"If I do, will you leave me alone?"

He seemed surprised by the way he let down his guard, by the way his eyebrows shot up his forehead. Then he regained his grin and walked around me, as if to check me out.

"Aa (yeah), that's right. As long as it's on the record that you went out with me, I'll get off your back."

Not bothering to follow his circular movements, I closed my eyes and stopped my hands from turning into fists. How could he follow me all the time? Why must a reincarnation be here, of all places?

"How long do I have to go out with you?"

The few seconds waiting for his answer was torture. Please let it be only a day, please let it be only a day.

"Hmmm… Well, how about until the dance?"

I felt his breath on my face. Opening my eyes, I could see he was mere inches from me. Taking a step back, I pushed my glare up another notch.

"What dance?"

He moved a step back and shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure what dance," he said, "but it seems that the teachers are plotting something."

He turned around and walked in the direction of school. With a backward glance, he told me, "Come on, I'll tell you on the way," before heading off.

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying words I would later regret, and just followed him, making sure I was a few steps behind. He slowed his steps, though, and caught my hand, so that we were side by side. I pulled my hand away, -again-, and said in a tight voice, "Don't act as if I agreed to go out with you. I haven't."

Grinning, he took my hand for the third time, and just before I moved to slap him, he whispered, "No, you haven't. Not yet. Besides, it's not like you have a choice, right?"

What?

"I see it in your eyes. No matter how long I propose our "relationship" might last, there's no way you'd refuse, is there?"

Seeing that I wasn't pulling away this time, he comfortably fit my hand in his and continued, "Now, what we talking about? Oh yeah, the dance. The teachers are plotting something. They're gonna hold some sort of prom because of that stupid dance class.

"Nobody knows when it's gonna be, but I imagine it's gonna be in a month or so. Go with me to the dance," he said, "and the contract expires." He held his other hand out to me, and gestured for me to take it.

It's only a month, I can endure it, I tried to convince myself.

But then, another voice in my head intervened. 'The week you dated him was hell. How do you think you can take a month?'

Just shut up okay? Shut up.

'I can't shut up. I don't want to shut up. Come on, baka (idiot), use your head for once. How could you possibly live if you spend a month with him? Wake up will you?'

What do you want me to do, then, stupid voice in my head?

You're supposedly a genius. You can think of something, can't you?

It's not that- I looked at his waiting hand, at his waiting smile. The gears in my head started to turn. "Don't you think a month is to long?" I asked.

"Too long?" he repeated, with a confused expression.

"I know people like you only date for a day or a week. Wouldn't it stain your reputation if you go out with me for a month?" I challenged him, in a tone that was confident.

There was an expression of surprise on his face, which he managed to hide with a smirk. "You seem to know a lot about 'people like me.'"

I raised my eyebrow at him, just enough to show him I meant it. "Just enough so that I can avoid wasting my time with 'people like you'," I answered, emphasizing the words 'people like you'.

He grinned, a self-satisfied smile on his face, much like his smile. "I get it, I get it. You're nervous about being with me, aren't you?"

Where the hell did you get that idea?

"I understand, don't worry. How about we start next week then? Let's go on a date on Sunday, my treat."

I've heard those words before: "Let's go on a date on Sunday, my treat." I even remember what I replied: "It better be, you're the guy after all."

But there was no way I'm gonna say that, not to him. So I merely stared at him, giving no consent or complaint. He took it as the former, capturing m hand in his and pressing it to his lips before I could react. With that, he turned his heel, winked at me, and ran off with a "See you Sunday then!"

What did I get myself into?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

School. Each step I took was bringing me closer to that place. With each step I took, I tried to remind myself, You can do it. With each step I took, I had managed to convince myself that everything was alright. At least, for the time being.

His fan club was already there, hovering and squealing behind him like a pack of loyal puppies. No, it wasn't something as cute as puppies, I just can't think of the right word for now.

Nobody seemed to notice my arrival, except for him. With the barely noticeable wink he shot at me, I passed through the entrance and into my classroom where I proceeded to stare my day out of the window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Classes. Again. Some of those no-good teachers tried to set me up, but other than that, everything was fine. There were only two teachers who actually… struck a nerve?

Did they? I know one of them, the Bio teacher, Shia Robby-sensei or something, reminded me of my father. No, he did not look like him, in fact he was anything but. He reminded me of him because he had a lecture about my father's research.

Apoptosis.

I never knew they taught things like those in high school, but I tried my best not to show my surprise.

He asked me what apoptosis was. I answered, with the ease of knowledge that came from 6 years ago. My father would have been proud of me, or so I hoped.

The other teacher was the English sensei who I was sure was hiding something. She had a fake, awkward Japanese accent, and a stare that seemed like she knew everything. She even looked at me and whispered, "I see," as if she knows everything about me.

Other than that, the morning was okay, as okay as it could possibly be (which wasn't much).

Lunchtime was the only thing that pissed me off. And guess who the person who managed that was.

Kudo.

The one person who could have possibly been my friend.

"Miyano-san. Do you play soccer?"

I thought he was the one person who could have made me feel better, so I was about to answer him. But I didn't know the answer. I tried to remember, where it was, who it was exactly that taught me soccer, but I couldn't remember.

He probably mistook my silence for annoyance or something, so he asked another question.

"Ummm… where did you learn about apoptosis?"

Another question I could have answered. But for some reason or another, a lump was stuck in my throat. Why was that, I wonder. (Please note the sharpness in what would have been my tone, if I this wasn't typed out.)

"Miyano-san?"

Gentleness.

It was in his tone. It was something I've only received from my sister in this past six years. It was something I wasn't used to. Why was he being like this to me?

So I asked him, I turned my gaze from the window to his eyes and said in a whisper that even I could barely hear, "..what's it to you..?"

He held my gaze, his eyes asking questions. Then, he said the one thing that ruined what would have been my trust for him.

"Have we met before?"

Anger. Fury. Rage. Resentment. Call it anything you want, but that's what I felt when he said those words. The moment those words reached my ears, an image of those two filled my vision. Something I did not want to see.

Unable to control it anymore, the frustration from six weeks and six hours ago all bursting out, I hit my desk with my fists and hissed, "Did your best friend teach you that line?"

I didn't look at his face. I didn't want to see Kaito there. I didn't want to remember.

So I left him. I left the classroom. I left the school.

I was, technically, cutting class, leaving five minutes before the bell, but I didn't care. Not at that time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hallways, streets, and finally, home. Onee-chan was at work, the house was silent. I went to my room and changed into my favorite clothes, the blue t-shirt my father used to own, and the sweatpants that used to be my mother's. Call me sentimental, but in truth, the only reason I liked those clothes were because they were comfortable.

I'm such a liar aren't I?

Curled like a ball on my bed, I thought to myself, Why did I even see Kaito anyway? He's never said that line to me.

I guess… somewhere along the line, his face and Kaito's face had managed to-

Pathetic.

That's what I am. You agree, don't you? Why was I acting like that anyway? Why was I being such a-

I sighed, and sat up, casting my eyes downward. What is wrong with me?

"When you're sad, or things just don't seem right, play soccer."

The sudden voice disturbed my self-pity, and I had already asked out loud, "Who's there?" when I realized it was just a voice in my head.

"Things are always going wrong. That's just the way things are in life."

I was confused. Whose is this voice? What was it trying to say?

"When life is in shambles, play soccer. You'll feel better, for sure."

A childish voice. A memory?

The whole time the voice was speaking, the opening notes of La Cumparsita was playing in the background. But now, it had faded away into silence, leaving me alone in that little room.

At that very moment, a strong gust blew through the surprisingly open window. An almost empty box that I had placed on my desk the night before suddenly fell. The flaps opened, and out came…

A soccer ball.

So I sat there on my bed, wondering if I had somehow managed to gain ESP, if fate or some other deity was playing games with me, or if I was just plain going crazy.

Wind blew once again, this time pushing the ball in my direction.

I decided at that time that I was going crazy. But I picked up the ball anyway, turned it in my hands, and for some reason, left the house and headed for the park.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"When you're sad, or things just don't seem right, play soccer."

How could a child be so right? Kicking that ball in that abandoned park, I definitely did feel better. Somehow, it cleared my mind of the problems to come. I was grinning, grinning like I hadn't for a long time.

By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, I was a whiz at aiming for the mark on the wall. Panting a little, I targeted the circular pattern once again, expecting a bull's-eye.

Most things don't always go as you expect them to, do they?

I missed, completely. The ball hit the wall some five meters from the target and rolled out the park. With a 'tsk' spund, I walked towards it, when someone picked it up.

I opened my mouth to shout, "Please give the ball back," when I saw who it was.

Kudo.

He kept his eyes on the ball, which he threw in the air, catching it with the other hand, before raising his eyes in my direction.

"Miyano… san?"

I responded with an equally surprised, "Ku…do?"

There was an awkward silence for a moment, before he self-consciously ran his hand through his hair and asked, "Is this… um… yours?"

My barriers went up. I didn't know why, but I went on the defensive. I replied, in a challenging tone, "And if I do?"

People would normally stutter, say "n-nothing." Or if they don't, they'd say, "I was just asking," followed by a "jeez…" Or they'd get indignant, stand up to me and say, "you got a problem with me, girl?"

He didn't do those. He smiled, and asked, "May I join you?"

I was relieved. Because he wasn't mad at me. Because I wasn't going to be alone. Because, even though he looked a lot like him, they're not the same.

But I didn't show him that.

I turned around, waving my hand in a gesture of 'whatever,' and said, "I never said anything about leaving."

The next thing I heard was the stomping of his feet and the thump of the ball as he ran my goal and shouted, "Let's see how good you are!"

I acted out of character. I played with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So, Miyano-san," he said in between pants, "How did you get so good?"

Keeping my hand on my chest, trying to even my breathing, I asked him, "I'm... good?

We were sitting down on the ground stripped of grass. I was sitting up, he was lying on the ground beside me. Smiling he answered in a playful tone, "Hey, you managed to be a challenge for Teitan high's soccer star, you have got to be good."

I raised my eyebrows at that. "You're Teitan high's soccer star?"

"More or less. So, where did you learn?" he persisted.

"I… don't really remember. I don't even know why I did this. I just… did."

He looked at me. I expected a "you're weird," or, a disgusted look, or… something. All he did is smile and said, "Hmmm…"

Then he sat up, rising from his lying position. "What about apoptosis?"

"What about it?" I asked, looking at him.

"Where did you learn about it?" He looked right back at me, not a shred of hesitance in his eyes.

That might have been what unnerved me. That might have been what made me do it. That might have been what made me tell everything to him. Well, almost everything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By everyting, I mean the ups and downs of my life. The death of my father, the moving, the transferring, everything.

By almost everything, that means I wouldn't include the-

Well, that's it for now.

Signing off, ~Miyano Shiho~

Chapter 9: Invitation for a Date end

Author's Note: Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! It's Oct. 20th where I live, and it's my birthday! That's kinda why I updated. LOL. Wish me a happy birthday guys!

Anyway, I'm spry for the late update, and for the next announcement I'm gonna give. I won't be updating for the next few months. No, the story's not on hold. I'm gonna write a little day by day. I just don't think I'll be able to update, that's all.

But, don't worry. The next time I DO update, it'll come every other day. The next I update that is. For now, I'm sorry.

Also, I edited chaps 1-8, so you may want to look those over again when I start updating.

Note: The book "Apoptosis: The Life and Death of Cells" is authored by Christopher Potten and James Wilson. La Cumparsita is a musical piece written/composed by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez in 1917. They belong to their respective copyright owners.