Author's Note:
Apparently, my computer uploaded the wrong draft for Chapter 9 so I had to reupload it. In other words, I've replaced the document for Chapter 9 of this story. But the only thing that changed is the ending – since, if you noticed before, that the former chapter 9's ending was cut off and obviously not finished. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe a saving error? Ugh. I think that technology hates me. Like everything else in the world... -_-
I also apologize for not updating. I was pretty much dead for a while.
Oh. And I apologize beforehand if I offend any transgender people or transvestites. I have nothing against them. It's just that I felt like writing about some imaginary ones.
-oOo-
Chapter 10
It was a few more awkward minutes after that something actually happened besides the various death-glares being exchanged by the two males. Syaoran had been quietly steaming at the 'couple' in front of him; they were now sipping apple juice together, their straws in the same cup. He tried not to show that he felt somewhat left out, but of course, he ultimately failed.
Touya, being gifted with a sixth sense, could smugly feel the emotions boiling beneath the artfully messy chesnut brown hair.
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura peered at her friend who hadn't touched his curry noodles. "Are you okay? You haven't eaten..."
Eager to ease her worries, he shook his head. "No, I was just thinking about some things..."
Which wasn't a lie. But Sakura didn't seem satisfied, truth or lie.
"If you don't like curry, maybe we can ask for something else?" Sakura persisted.
"No, it's okay." To show that he meant it, he shovelled the noodles into his mouth with his unused pair of chopsticks. Somehow, he even made that usually rude and disgusting action look like it actually followed decent table manners. "See? I love curry noodles."
It was then that Syaoran realized that it was not a good idea to stuff his mouth with burning hot curry.
Touya snorted. It was painfully obvious that he was trying too hard, but as a sadist, Touya decided he wanted to see Syaoran suffer some more.
"So, gaki."
Syaoran gulped down his mouthful of scalding curry and turned to face the black haired man.
"Yes,-" Syaoran broke off, suddenly realizing that he didn't know the man's name.
"Okay. There's one thing I want you to get in your little head, gaki." Touya got straight down to business. "Either you break off whatever relationship you think you have with Sakura here, or you get something else broken off of you. I think it's a sensible deal, right?"
Syaoran couldn't help but look at Touya like he was an idiot. He, as in Touya. Not Syaoran.
"May I ask what other options are available for me?" Syaoran inquired delicately, not wanting to add oil to the already fierce fire.
"You mean options for breaking?" Touya's smile suddenly darkened and the temperature of the booth the three were sitting in had dropped quickly. "Let's see. We can break - "
"'Nii-chan!" Sakura stood up abruptly, staring daggers at her brother. "Syaoran-kun is my best friend, not something that you can just break!"
"But - "
"NO BUTS!" Sakura slammed her fist towards her brother, who either didn't see that coming or did see but felt like being punched by a petite teenaged girl. It was more likely the former than the latter, in this case.
"KAIJUU. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IF ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD BE PUNCHING THAT GAKI OVER THERE!" Touya yelled, outraged at his sister's extremely accurate attack.
"Why should I be? He hasn't done anything wrong, so why?" Sakura said, her fist aiming for another good smack. "You, on the other hand..."
Touya braced himself for another hit and so was wary of her clenched hands. What he didn't expect was an ultimate kaijuu attack.
THWACK.
Touya quickly excused himself to go to the restroom, his hands nursing his wounds. His arm and shin were now throbbing repetitively. They would soon bruise, he thought sadly. Gathering the rest of his manly pride, he scooted off to treat his injuries, but not without a single last glare at his nemesis.
"Um..." Sakura seemed awkward again. This wasn't something she wanted to show the boy she was best friends with. "Please don't mind him, he's an idiot."
"No problem..." Syaoran replied uncomfortably. "I just realized he never introduced himself to me. So who exactly was he?"
Sakura laughed. "Sometimes my brother gets so into his older-brother protectiveness that he forgets the most important things. Like his name, for example."
Quickly sipping up the rest of the apple juice before Touya came and hogged it again, she continued. "He's Kinomoto Touya, my older brother who is currently in college."
Her words echoed continually as he let it soak into his brain.
"My older brother…"
"My OLDER brother…"
"My OLDER BROTHER…"
Suddenly, Syaoran experienced an epiphany. He felt a glow from the information sinking into his mind as he realized that the man he had been so upset with was actually his best friend's brother. That didn't really fix what was already damaged(i.e his ego), but he knew that now he could rest in peace (not actually dying, but you know) without the thought of a rival plaguing his mind.
Wait. Did I just think that Touya's my rival?
Rival for what? ...? I'm so confused.
His bemused expression must have revealed itself on his handsome face because Sakura quickly asked, "Is something wrong, Syaoran-kun? I'm really sorry if nii-chan offended you… He's just like that."
Shaking his head, he assured Sakura that he wasn't upset about anything that Touya had said.
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about more things."
"Like what?"
"…Um…" Syaoran thought wildly, his eyes darting across the restaurant quickly for inspiration. "Uh… I was thinking about…My sisters."
"What about them?"
"They emailed me…uh, last week."
"About what?"
"Um…" he wracked his brain. It felt almost impossible to lie to her. "One of my cousins might be coming to Japan…"
"Oh? What part of Japan?"
"Um… Since she's younger than me, she's probably going to come to Tomoeda to live with me…"
"I see. So you're close?"
"Um… Yes?"
"Since she's coming here, will you introduce her to me?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you answering my questions with questions?"
"Um… I don't know?"
He carefully sipped the steaming tea in his cup, savoring the refreshing taste it had. He watched his friend's green eyes looking suspiciously at him but he broke off the connection as he suddenly glanced at his watch.
"Um… I think the others have finished their movie…"
"We should hurry back then. Ugh… Why is nii-san taking so long though?"
"I'll go to the bathrooms to check. Wait here, Sakura."
"Um… I'm not sure if you're safe going alone though."
Syaoran looked puzzled. "But this is the men's bathroom we're talking about. I'm pretty sure girls aren't allowed in there."
Blushing furiously, Sakura shook her head. "No! I meant that Touya might –"
-pummel you into the ground if I'm not watching…
She couldn't finish her sentence that had been half formed as an interruption came.
"Excuse me, would you like the bill now?" the waiter had returned, his shy disposition still in place.
"Yes please." Syaoran dug into his pocket for his wallet but Sakura stopped him.
"It's okay. Touya has the money; it's just that he's really really stingy. When he comes back, we'll pay."
"No, it's fine, I got it covered, okay?" Syaoran insisted, pulling a few bills out.
"Um…. If you can't decide, maybe I should come back later?" the waiter asked awkwardly. He was watching the two teenagers in a depressed way; he was hoping that the girl wouldn't be attached to someone already. But after studying Syaoran, he concluded that he would be no match for the chestnut haired boy.
Seizing her chance, Sakura agreed. "Please come back later, after our friend returns to the table. Sorry for inconveniencing you –"
Sakura squinted at the miniscule nametag on the waiter's chest. " – Nobu-san."
"I-i-i-it's no problem whatsoever, ojou-san," he stuttered, joyful that she had said his first name.
Syaoran glared his way, amber eyes flashing. Nobu shivered as he saw death in the concentrated gaze. He shuffled away quickly, muttering under his breath.
"I have a feeling that you're the one who's not safe being here alone, Sakura…" he said as he watched the nervous looking waiter approach another table cautiously.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked obliviously.
Sighing exasperatedly, Syaoran stood up. "Don't go anywhere and wait for me to come back with your brother. Don't go with any strangers or accept any candy or anything from them. Don't go into white vans or with anyone you don't know. Okay?"
"Geez, Syaoran. You make it seem like I'm some little kid who can't take care of themselves. Relax. I'm not going to be kidnapped or anything in the next few minutes. You're almost as bad as my brother!"
"I'm just worried for your safety." Syaoran said, annoyed that he had been categorized as the same type as her older brother. Sure, he was slightly –oh, alright – very possessive and territorial, but it didn't mean he looked like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Touya was the epitome of that speculation.
He got up and made his way towards the restroom. Shrugging, Sakura continued to sip her apple juice.
She never noticed the door of the restaurant whisk open and a small group of people walk in.
"…Sakura?"
-oOo-
After he winded down the aisles of the restaurant and ignored the interested eyes of the females (and some males…) in the establishment, he finally made it to the bathrooms.
It was there where he heard chattering and collision of more than a dozen voices.
"What's your name, hmm?" a dangerously sweet voice purred.
Syaoran, curious at what was causing so much commotion, turned around the corner and was struck at the sight.
"Give me your phone number, sweet-cheeks," another voice hummed.
"Look, I don't know who the hell you are and I never ever want to, but please get the hell out of my way!" a furious yet familiar voice yelled.
Syaoran stared at the scene dumbly. More than a handful of … transvestites…were surrounding one particular guy, cornering the latter.
"I'd like to get to know you though, hot-stuff," a sugary voice said.
Touya was now shrinking into the corner of the exit, his onyx eyes spilling lasers at the seemingly unaffected cross-dressers. Well, saying "unaffected" would be an understatement; they were melting at the sight of Touya's fierce black gaze.
"Ooh! I love it when you have your game-face on! 3 3" a fourth speaker squealed, causing Touya to wince.
Syaoran was torn between laughing his guts out and helping the poor guy. He decided to laugh a bit before going to Touya's rescue.
Unfortunately, one of the fanboys – ahem, fan-girls? – caught sight of him.
"OH EM GEES!" he/she delightedly shrieked. "Another one!"
Syaoran opened his mouth to ask, "Another what?" but he was frozen to the ground as a good half of the crowd rushed over to him instead, giving Touya a slight amount of breathing room.
I'm sorry Sakura. This is probably going to take awhile.
-oOo-
Sakura sighed, waiting for her best friend and big brother to return to the table. She was freakishly bored, even after the waiter took pity on her and handed her a kids menu and a few crayons.
She was coloring in the mascot (a black plushie with catlike eyes and ears, a pair of wings, and a swirling tail) fervently when she heard her name being called.
"… Sakura?"
She didn't stop her coloring, thinking that it was probably someone else the person was addressing; after all, 'Sakura' was not an uncommon name in Japan.
Concentrating on shading in the blue of the mascot's eyes, she didn't look up.
"Kinomoto Sakura?" the person called again, more urgently this time.
Sakura froze. There was only one person she knew called 'Kinomoto Sakura'. And that person was definitely the one being called, the one coloring as if there was no tomorrow, and the one who turned into stone as she heard the person she despised calling her name.
"… You…" was all Sakura could utter as she looked up from her coloring book.
-oOo-
Syaoran was definitely stuck in a predicament worse than facing an angry older brother of Kinomoto Sakura. He was facing an angry older brother of Kinomoto Sakura and at least a dozen trannies dressed in very very inappropriate clothes.
"Oooh! Look!" another one pointed at him.
"We should definitely come here again! This place is crawling with ikemen (Japanese for hotties, or good looking, etc)! They even have a tranny appreciation day, when all trannies get 30% off their whole bill!" a very heavily accented cross-dresser announced, his/her obviously fake long tresses of red hair shaking with excitement.
"I second that, Hanako-chan!" a very low voice agreed. It was very strange to hear such a soothing, low-pitched, and all in all very manly voice attempt to squeal like a little girl.
"If Mimi-chan says so, we must come here every other day!" one of the group said. He/she was dressed so provocatively, that even strippers would be ashamed. And that was definitely saying something.
How the hell did he/she even get in here? He/she's like wearing almost nothing!
Syaoran tried to erase the image from his brain, his conscience frantically scrubbing itself with mindsoap.
I am never eating here again.
"Gaki!" a slightly panicked voice called for him.
He realized that Touya had been addressing him, beneath all the flashy colors and frills. He fought to make eye contact with the older teen, who was drowning under the lace and silk.
Touya mouthed something that looked like a string of profanities (luckily not shot at him, but at the trannies) and then started mouthing something that was indeed meant for him.
"Gaki. Why'd you leave Sakura alone? Ugh, never mind that. I've got a plan that'll probably let us out of this hellhole." He mimed the words quickly, making it hard for Syaoran to decipher the cryptic words.
Anxious to leave the 'hellhole', as Touya had christened it, Syaoran nodded with all his might.
"WILL YOU PLEASE LET GO OF MY BOYFRIEND?" Touya screamed into the air, his yell actually shaking the ceiling of the bathrooms.
Everyone froze, including Syaoran, whose mouth was hanging open and almost hitting the filthy public restroom floor.
"WHAT?" he mouthed to Touya, who looked utterly ashamed and depressed at calling the 'gaki' his boyfriend.
"WHAT?" everyone else flapped their mouths helplessly, looking at each other bewilderedly.
"You heard me. He's my boyfriend." Touya looked like he was going to pass out from the effort, but fortunately, the trannies mistook it for passion.
"…WOW," Mimi-chan of the lowest of the low voices said, his/her wide brown eyes glittered. "A REAL LIVE BISHONEN COUPLE?"
"Oh, Mimi-chan! Our dreams!" the one called Hanako exclaimed. "OUR DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE! I KNEW THAT GOING TO JAPAN WOULD FULFILL OUR WILDEST FANTASIES!"
The other cross-dressers grinned. "Let's hit Korea next, baby."
They gallantly skipped out of the restroom, leaving a petrified Touya and Syaoran on the tiled floor.
"Oh. Sorry for tainting your boyfriend's innocence, bishonen." Mimi-chan said, his/her gaze on Touya. "But you guys can makeup later, right?"
He/she winked flirtatiously at the stunned Touya and then sauntered out of the bathroom. Hanako blew a kiss at them and then followed her posse out.
Syaoran got up slowly from the cold floor and stared at Touya.
"That was your plan?" he asked, his mouth still hanging.
"I'm sorry, I really am." Touya muttered mournfully. "It seemed the most effective at the time."
Syaoran nodded, speechless at what had just happened in the restroom. He was definitely not coming back here.
"And just for the record, I'm straight." Touya said, struggling to get up. "Even if I were gay, I wouldn't look for someone like you."
"I'm glad we agree on something." Syaoran stated solemnly.
-oOo-