Kaichō wa Maid-sama! 2005 © Fujiwara Hiro
Lala Magazine under Hakusensha Publishing
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Chapter 09: Day Off
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"Takumi."
No response.
"Takumi..."
The person in demand hummed as he stirred in his sleep.
"Takumi!" The almost-whining voice of his wife reached his sleepy ears. He could feel her finger poking his cheek. He cracked an eye open and caught her hand.
"As much as I want to hear you saying my name..." he mumbled in his husky voice, closing his eye again, "it's still dark, Misaki. Go back to sleep."
"It's already six AM."
He hummed again, keeping her hand in his.
"We're gonna be late for school."
Takumi sighed and finally opened his smoldering emerald eyes. How could they look so beautiful when he'd just open them? Shouldn't they look tired or something? "Who said we're going to school today?" His voice was still thick with sleep and yet, he sounded so unbelievably sexy.
Misaki blinked. "Eh? But–"
"No buts," he said firmly. "You just had a fever last night and I bet your mummy arm is hurting."
Misaki made a face. "Maybe I can't. But you have to go," she insisted, pulling her hand free from his grip. She brushed his messy blonde hair away from his face and pinched his cheek with just-woke-up strength.
They were lying face-to-face on her bed with a good distance between them. Under the blanket, their legs were touching but not quite tangled up to say they were intimately close. Takumi kept his hands from straying over her (which he did whenever they sleep together) because he was worried he might accidentally graze her wounded arm. He stayed with her throughout the night, monitoring her temperature and diligently flipping the wet cloth on her forehead every so often. Her fever subsequently went down after midnight and they both slept peacefully.
"Like hell I'll leave you here alone," he grumbled. He inched closer until his forehead touched hers and closed his eyes.
"W-what are you doing?" Misaki whispered, shrinking into the pillow. The tip of his nose bumped against hers and it felt so damn nice. She stared at him wide-eyed, stupidly thinking how long his lashes were and how deep his medial cleft was that it made his upper lip heart-shaped.
"No fever..." he said. Then he pulled back just enough to look at her and smiled. "That's good. Are you hungry?"
Right on cue, her stomach shamelessly rumbled. Misaki turned red as her husband laughed; the huskiness in his voice was gone and his happy laugh sounded like bell chime in a wonderful morning wind.
"I'll make you something to eat," he sat up and stretched his arms over his head, which Misaki envied so much; she couldn't do that until her arm is fully healed and it felt so stiff now, like it was demanding a nice, long stretch.
And then she realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Good thing she was already blushing. She closed her eyes tightly and burrowed under the blanket, mentally slapping herself for thinking how cool his naked body was. God...
"Hey, come on, Misa-chan." Takumi yanked the blanket off and took her hand from her good arm, gently pulling her. "Come on, up you go."
Misaki sat up and the world started spinning out of control. "Ugh..." she grunted as she gripped her head.
"Whoa. Take it easy." He caught her and steadied her by the shoulders. "Here," he opened his arms with a big grin on his annoyingly handsome face.
"W-what–"
"It's alright, come here." He didn't give her a chance to protest as he slipped his own arms under her armpits, wrapping her and lifting her up like a two-year-old.
"Oi, what do you think you're doing?!" Misaki yelped. She grabbed onto his shoulders, wincing when she pressed her injured arm too hard.
Takumi hoisted her off the bed as if she weighted a pound. Her feet touched the floor but he didn't let her go. Instead, he squeezed her tightly.
"Good morning, my little wife!" He said in a playful tone as he crushed her against his body. He buried his face on her wild hair, inhaling deeply like he was sniffing all the fragrance off her hair.
"Can't... Breathe... Takumi." Misaki would've giggled if she wasn't too short of oxygen.
He laughed and she felt it on her own chest as she was squashed against him. He smacked his lips on her cheek, making that loud, wet kiss sound and finally let her breathe.
Misaki gulped in a lungful of air and looked at his radiant face. "Seriously, Takumi..." She shook her head in amusement. That was quite a lively morning kiss; her cheek tingled sharply, not just figuratively but also physically.
"That's my energy kiss and this" –he leaned towards her other cheek and softly, lovingly pecked it– "is my morning kiss," he whispered.
Misaki felt like melting into a useless pile of goo on the floor. This kind of guy only exists in shoujo manga, why was he here? And why was he married to her? Why did he have to be so freaking sweet at just everything? Why couldn't he stop being so charming and gorgeous and kind and...
"Hey, are you alright?" Takumi shook her lightly.
Why did she feel like falling?
A gurgle of unintelligible words came out from her.
He laughed and pulled her out of the room. "What do you want to eat?"
"... Koko Krunch."
"What?"
"I want Koko Krunch. With lots of milk."
"You're such a baby," he chuckled, kissing her temple as they went down the stairs.
And so, their early morning started with bowls of Koko Krunch and a carton of milk.
Misaki tried to persuade her husband to go to school since she was fine now, except for her stinging arm. But Takumi wouldn't budge; he didn't want to leave her alone. And secretly, she liked it. She liked it because no way in hell she'll allow him to be flock by girls while she was at home, mending a stupid injury.
They talked and talked until their cereals became soggy. They weren't even aware of what they've talked about; the stories just flowed endlessly. Even though they see each other every single minute of every day, even though they speak to each other more than the average times normal people do, they never run out of things to say. Is this what marriage supposed to be?
"Ouch!" Misaki yelped when she accidentally hit the sofa with her mummified arm.
"Hey, careful," Takumi berated her softly.
She plopped down next to him on the sofa in their cozy living room, exhaling loudly as she did. The TV was on, showing some random medical advertisement.
"Should we change the dressing?" Takumi asked, pointing towards her arm.
Misaki laughed, "You've just saw that in the commercial, haven't you?"
"Obviously," he rolled his eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes on me!" Misaki playfully shoved him with her good shoulder and pinched his nose, laughing out loud in glee.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Misa-chan!" He cried, "You're gonna break my nose!"
"Don't be ridiculous, your nose isn't gonna break with mere pinching," she snorted.
"Let go, Misa-chan." His voice sounded so funny she giggled like someone was tickling her. He frowned. He caught her wrist and stared at her deadly serious. "Let go or I'll kiss you senseless."
In less than a second, Misaki flew a meter away from him, at the far end of the sofa; blushing from the roots of her hair all the way down her neck.
"You're so easy to tease," Takumi smirked, touching his red nose.
"D-don't you dare..." She stammered, helplessly loss for words.
"I won't," he said and stood. "Unless you want me to." He grinned slyly.
"Why would I –oh, stop smirking!" She flicked a throw pillow with high-point accuracy towards his face.
"I know you want it," he taunted, catching the pillow easily.
Misaki turned even redder because buried deep within her, she knew he was right: she wanted it. But she was scared. Of what? She wasn't exactly sure. Was she afraid of falling in love with him? Maybe. There were a lot of questions boggling her mind lately ever since that afternoon in the park; about what she really felt about Takumi; about what's going to happen to both of them; about how their lives would end up after this –this thing between them. Stuffs like those began seeping in her head at night when she lay on the bed alone, staring at the white ceiling of her own bedroom. She couldn't help but think about these things. They were in a fixed marriage, after all. They weren't exactly two persons in love with each other to begin with.
"Anyway," Takumi quickly said, seeing the sudden change in his wife's face. "Let's change the dressing of your mummy arm."
"O-okay..."
He took the box of first-aid kit they've just bought yesterday from the drug store. He washed his hands and doused them with alcohol. Then he sat on the floor right in front of her. Misaki held out her arm for him to remove the gauze. He started peeling it very gently; his face contorted into a frown of deep concentration.
"Tell me if it hurts, okay?"
"Can I just punch you?"
"No."
"Okay."
The smell of antiseptic roused as Takumi unwrapped her arm.
"It smells like hospital," Misaki said, making a disgusted face. "Can't I wash it or something?"
"No, you can't. Try keeping it dry for at least another day," Takumi muttered, still concentrated on his work.
"That hurts," she hissed. The last wrap was stuck onto her skin and pulling it off meant pulling at her wounds.
Takumi slowed down, mumbled a small sorry and extra carefully removed it. The stitches and cuts were revealed.
"Oh, wow," Misaki said.
"It looks like Chucky's face," Takumi added. He took a cotton swab, dipped it in a bottle of antiseptic and began cleaning her wounds.
Her arm was decorated gruesomely with stitches of different lengths and various shaped open cuts. The skin around the edges were either dark blue or sickly yellow.
Misaki winced at the sight, at the smell and at the painful stings every time her husband dabbed the cotton swab. Again, she mentally cursed the stupid idiot who didn't know better than to throw rocks at glass windows.
"Who do you think did this?" Takumi asked softly, wrapping the new dressing.
Misaki grimaced. "I don't want to point my finger to anyone. And honestly, I don't really care."
Takumi bit his lower lip and nodded, taping the gauze. He sighed, "If you say so. Okay, it's done."
"I said so," she muttered. Then she smiled at him and said, "Thank you."
"Want me to sing the pain, pain go away song again?"
"It's not that painful now," she replied.
"How about I kiss it again for fast healing?"
Misaki laughed and gave back to him her arm.
•••
At eleven in the morning, Takumi was lounging on the sofa with his head on Misaki's lap while she absently ran her fingers through his hair over and over again like she was trying to weave a cloth from it. They were totally engrossed in watching the movie playing in blu-ray that they weren't even talking since the beginning of it. They didn't seem to have plan on making lunch any time soon.
They've been meaning to watch it for a long time now but school things and household chores were never-ending. Today seemed like the only day allowed for them to do so.
The movie was halfway through when their believe-it-or-not, it-was-never-been-used doorbell rang throughout the house, making the couple jerk back to reality.
Takumi paused the player and stared at her with comical horror plastered on his face.
"Who could that be?" Misaki whispered, staring back at him with huge eyes.
He shrugged and heaved himself up. "I'll get it." He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his black shirt, which, by the way, looked freaking cool on him.
Misaki adjusted on her seat and straightened her clothes, as well. She watched Takumi disappeared through the door to answer whoever's on the gate. She heard a few people talking enthusiastically and then footsteps on their short brick way. She stood up, curious to see who they were.
Then her mom burst in the door with that sweet smile on her face.
"Mom!" Misaki exclaimed with a sudden hard kick of her heart. She didn't know she missed her mom so much until she saw her. She hadn't seen much of her mom –her family, in general– since she got married.
"Misaki, honey..." Minako put down the big bag she was holding on the coffee table. She embraced her daughter in her warm, loving arms and squeezed tightly.
Misaki fought the sharp urge to yelp in pain and tried hard to return her hug.
Her dad came next through the door, followed by Takumi.
"Dad!" She was engulfed in his strong arms and this time, she screamed out as her injured arm was squashed.
"Oh, sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Sakuya let go of her like she had electrified him.
"It's okay," Misaki breathed, clenching her arm. "I'm okay." She caught Takumi's look of worry and shook her head to assure her worrywart of a husband. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? Don't you have to go to work today?"
"Shouldn't you two be at school today, as well?" Sakuya shot back with that creepy grin he had. His critical eyes darted back and forth between them, as if looking for any magical loopholes.
"Misaki had a fever last night and I thought she ought to rest. I don't want to leave her alone so we stayed here today," Takumi answered, somewhat really carefully, as if he was choosing his words with monumental awareness.
"Aw, that is so sweet of you, hon," Minako patted her son-in-law's burning cheek. She turned to her daughter and smiled. "Well, your homeroom teacher called yesterday to tell us what had happened to you. We didn't have the chance to pick you up since your dad and I have work. And we know Takumi-kun would take good care of you."
Takumi smiled sheepishly; his ears turning pink. Misaki would've laughed if she wasn't blushing, too.
"We just drop by here to see how you are. You look pretty much alright now. And..." Sakuya stared at her scrutinizing, "is it me or you're getting more beautiful than ever?"
"Of course, she's beautiful," Minako said, like any mother would say. "Right, Takumi-kun?"
"Yes, she is," Takumi agreed without a pausing. He smiled charmingly and winked at her.
Misaki mentally palmed her burning face. "Can we drop the topic, guys? I'm standing right here, it's embarrassing." She glared at her dad.
"We brought food, by the way," Sakuya said, suddenly changing the subject and pointing at the bag on the coffee table.
"Oh, thank you. Good thing I haven't started anything yet." Takumi took it. "I'll get this ready on the table," he said and quickly brought the bag to the kitchen, glad for anything that could get him out of his own living room. Unfortunately for him, Sakuya followed.
Misaki watched the guys disappeared through the kitchen hall and wished her husband the best of luck.
"So, tell me," her mom grabbed her good arm the minute they were gone, and pulled her towards the sofa; her sweet smile was now replaced by a predator's grin Misaki didn't know her mother was capable of making. Her face was practically glowing and her eyes were twinkling like a teenager in love for the first time. "How was it?"
"How was what?" She asked, even though she knew what her mother meant.
"Takumi-kun. Your marriage. Your new life! Come on, tell me," Minako insisted. Yup, definitely a teenager in love for the very first time.
"Mom, please. There's nothing to tell. It's not as if we both wanted this. We weren't in love, okay?" Misaki said exasperatedly as she slumped her back on the sofa lazily.
Her mother perked up. Or perked up even more. "Weren't? So now you are?"
"We are not in love with each other. Present tense." Misaki rolled her eyes.
"In the process, then?"
"Mom..."
"Have you kissed?"
"Mom!" Misaki's voice jumped an octave higher.
"What? I'm just asking."
"Seriously, mom," Misaki sat up straight and faced her teenage of a mother. "It's not a matter of being selfish that I don't want to share it with you, or with anyone," she said slowly and trying not to sound improper, "but it's sort of a private thing between us, don't you think? You never heard me asking if you and dad ever kissed."
Minako pouted childishly and was quiet for a second. "But does it mean it's a yes?"
Misaki sagged on the sofa again, more tired than ever. "I didn't say yes."
"You didn't say no, either."
Misaki let out a long sigh.
Sometimes, talking to mothers can lead to serious energy deflation that can result to a sudden death. Whenever she switched the TV on the local news and there were some political disputes or legal debates going on, sometimes she thinks that mothers should be there. Like, they should be the only people on earth allowed to be lawyers and prosecutors and judges because mothers are five miles deeper than hell when it comes to reasoning, arguing, debating, etc. They'd make a damn good living out of it.
And she didn't even ask her about what had happened in school that rendered her daughter one arm less! Whatever you do, do not trust the priority list to her. She's always been the person who's gonna save the cat first before her children in case of fire. Not that Misaki and Suzuna still need saving, but you get the picture.
"Misa-chan..." Takumi called out almost weakly as he slowly emerged from the hallway. He was flushed –seriously flushed, not just his ears but his whole face– and looking like a lost kid in a giant mall. "Minako-san, lunch is ready."
"Ah, we're coming!" Minako turned to her, "Your dad cooked your favorites." Then she stood and sauntered towards the dining room, her eyes roaming around as if she'd just noticed everything besides her daughter now. When she passed by Takumi, she said to him, "Call me mom," which made him even pinker.
Misaki heaved herself from the sofa and walked towards him. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Your dad," he whispered. And it was quite enough to know what had happened to him. His whole face was like, I don't wanna go back in there. Please don't make me.
Misaki wanted to laugh but she felt the same way so she didn't. She took his hand and dragged him towards the dining table, giving him the best I-am-not-doing-this-alone-you-are-coming-down-with-me-in-hell look.
"Dad!" She yelled.
"Oi, Misa-chan," Takumi tugged her hand, warning her. But she ignored him.
"Stop harassing my husband!" She said.
Takumi felt something warm jolted in his chest. My husband. That was the first time she ever say the word with a possessive pronoun. Somehow, no matter how insignificant it seemed, it made him happy. Very happy.
Sakuya beamed as if to taunt her more. "Oohhh... So now you're claiming him as yours."
"Dad, we are married," she said, feeling like a deflating pathetic balloon.
He looked at Minako and smiled. "There you go, the answer to your every question, my dear."
And Takumi was stupidly felt like soaring in the sky. He couldn't keep his lips from smiling widely, while his wife dug the heel of her palm on her one eye, thinking something like, Goddammit, the horizon is infinite; I cannot see the end of this.
•••
For the first time since they got married, the young couple found themselves in an uncomfortable situation in their own home. Misaki sat beside her husband in one side of the dining table, opposite the parents. Seriously, put a hanging lamp over their heads and welcome to an interrogation room.
"This is quite a home you've made here," Sakuya commented. "The last time we came here the walls were echoing our voices but now it's warm and pleasant."
"And I like your dining utensils, their always in pairs. So cute! Especially those couple's mugs," Minako added.
"Erm, thanks... I guess," Misaki mumbled. She was trying to eat the pork cutlet cooked by her renowned chef father. It tasted delicious, of course. Her favorite pork cutlet ever. But why did she suddenly found herself mentally comparing his cooking with Takumi's? Surely her dad has far more superior skills than him...
"Misaki? Are you alright?" Sakuya pointed to her bandaged arm, "You can hold your fork just fine, can't you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, dad. I can do it," she replied and gripped the fork more tightly. She elbowed Takumi and pointed her spoon to the plate of veggies near him, which he took and served some on her plate.
"I see you two are getting along well," Sakuya said, eyeing them with a smile.
The two shrugged nonchalantly.
"We don't have any choices but to get along or else this house would be in a critical state by now," Misaki muttered.
"Do you always get into fight with each other?"
Were they in an interview for a magazine or what?
"Yes," they answered simultaneously. Realizing how childish they sounded, the two blushed and chuckled nervously.
The older couple laughed out loud.
"You're always sleeping on the couch, then, Takumi-kun," Sakuya said.
"Um... I actually sleep in my bedroom," Takumi replied hesitantly.
Sakuya frowned for an immeasurable moment, like he was processing it first. Then he blurted out, "What?!"
Misaki and Takumi jerked on their seats and blinked, confused.
"W-well, I mean, sure I don't want my Misa-chan to go popping out babies yet–"
"DAD!"
He ignored her. "But there is a reason why married people sleep together on one bed!"
"Do you realize you've just said the most awkward thing ever?" Misaki touched her forehead as if she was on the verge of falling off the chair and fainting. "It's not like we're married because we wanted to."
"You haven't sleep together? Ever? Oh, in the literal sense of the word, okay?" He continued on like he was deaf to her. "No, wait. You did..."
Her heart dropped to her half-filled stomach. Was there a visible evidence that they have, indeed, been sleep together?
"In your honeymoon cruise, right?"
Misaki blasted out the air she was holding in her lungs. "Right," she exhaustedly mumbled.
Takumi sat there rigidly, looking like he was forcing the pork cutlet down his throat.
God, what's more embarrassing than having a lunch with your parents who kept on asking about your marriage life? Like, what the hell?
"But you still don't share the bed in your own home! How are you supposed to take another step in your marriage?"
Misaki bit out: "Isn't it enough that we're living under the same roof, eating meals together, going to school together, watching TV together and–"
"I think that's enough togetherness, right, honey? There's always a start," Minako smiled at them and put her hand over her husband's, silently telling him not push the subject anymore. "Does anyone in school knows you two are married? Friends? Teacher, perhaps?" She asked casually.
They shook their heads no.
"They knew we're dating, though," Takumi supplied before Sakuya and Minako could open their mouths to say something, probably to protest again.
"You didn't update your personal information in the school record?"
"No," Misaki shook her head. "It's troublesome. Besides, we're going to stay in Seika in just less than two years now. It's better to keep things this way. I don't want to make a big fuss in school about us being married."
"Why would it be a big fuss in school?"
Because if you declare that the most popular, not to mention most gorgeous –no glorifying intended– guy in school is your husband, all hell will break loose, Misaki thought. And, hello? We're in modern Japan where young people just not go on marrying each other out of an ancient promise made by their grandparents! "Nothing," she said instead. "Just..."
Minako frowned but kept her mouth shut from asking anymore questions. Misaki and Takumi stole a glance at each other and ate quietly.
"Anyway, I heard you're going to Hokkaido this weekend," Sakuya said, as a matter of fact.
"That's the plan but," Takumi looked at his wife, who stared back at him a big What? on her face. "But I don't think we can, given her current condition. Maybe we should reschedule sometime after the exam week."
"Right. You might want to give your arm a rest to heal faster. Sorry about that, honey," Minako said, knowing her daughter's obsession over Hokkaido. "Well, I hope you feel better soon and both of you, good luck on your exams."
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"Let's never do that again," Takumi sighed as he closed the door.
Sakuya and Minako still have to go to work after lunch, so they finally left. They've just been under their roof for not more than an hour and the young couple felt like they sucked all the energy from their house.
Misaki couldn't agree more but there was a bigger matter pressing inside her head. "We're still going to Hokkaido, right? You weren't serious about canceling our trip, right?" She was pulling his sleeve and was giving him the most adorable puppy look ever.
"Misa-chan..."
"You promised!" She pouted childishly.
"I know." Even though he never really said it was a promise. Takumi sat on the armrest and caressed her hair. "But we'll have to see first, okay?"
"I don't want to see," she said stubbornly. "I want to go."
"We'll go, but maybe not this time. You just had a 38 something fever last night," he pointed out.
"No, no, I want to go this weekend. Please, Takumi?" She begged, practically clinging on him and forgetting the term personal space and that they were supposed to be in a fixed marriage. "Please, please, please. Look," she grabbed his hand and put it on her forehead. "See, I don't have any fever now. Can we go to Hokkaido this weekend?"
Takumi sighed amusedly, staring down at her like a devotee would stare at his beloved saint. She always had a way around him when it comes to whatever she wants. And he always fell for it. "How am I supposed to refuse when you're being so cute and cuddly?" He pinched her nose and sighed again. "Fine, our trip is still on."
Misaki let out an uncharacteristic squeal and gave him a one-arm hug. "Thank you!" She laughed.
"Hm-mm..." He mumbled, suddenly struck by how sweet she smelled. He patted her back softly and kissed her exposed ear. "Let's finish the movie, shall we?"
"Sure," she beamed.
And it seemed that the short visit of their parents was automatically blocked from their memories as they resumed their usual position on the sofa and Takumi pressed the play button on the remote control.
Minutes into the movie, Takumi spoke while his gaze was still transfixed on the TV. "Say, Misa-chan..."
"Hm?"
"What does your dad mean when he said there's a reason why married couple sleep on the same bed?"
"Hell if I know." Misaki ran her fingers through his hair almost unconsciously.
Takumi paused the movie and looked at her with eyes so beautiful and innocent. He smiled and touched her cheek. "Do you want to find out?"
•=•=•=•=•=•
15 July 2014
おわり
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SORA'S RAMBLING CORNER:
Nyaho! My first update in July, sorry for being so late; my long lists of book and game queries are dragging me to my personal paradise. My multiple fandoms, my awesome list of summer anime, the movies simultaneously coming out, my Japanese class, the pile of chocolates under my mom's bed, the food in the fridge, the coffee, the computers, the internet, the cats, the dogs, the wind… basically everything is distracting me. Damn.
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Kinda long yet it felt so short. And the dialogues are going nowhere. Actually, the whole story is going nowhere. Just like my life. LOL. I feel like it always lack something.
Please excuse some errors. Thanks for dropping by :)
Well, see yah in Hokkaido! (If I even arrived there safely.)