Relocated to a different country safe and sound. Whoo! I still need to stop neglecting my term papers...
Double-digit chapters! Psh—I think you should just study, darkredcrystal ;) and HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Have a good one! Cheri and darkredcrystal, a message from each of you in the same day—are you two conspiring together now?
Mucho thanks to Lexy4eva, loser94, Cheri, darkredcrystal, and last, but certainly not least -black-.x.-rabbit-! Thank you all for your reviews! Thank you for your comments and questions. I'll try my best to keep updating regularly and I deeply, deeply, deeply appreciate your wonderful feedback!
Counting the Differences
Chapter Ten
I walked out.
After Davina hung up the phone with Shin, she texted Mira and Jayla. Moments after her message sent, her phone vibrated in her purse, but she didn't bother to check. They would be asking for information to understand what happened, but Davina wasn't sure if she could comprehend it herself.
The sun was almost set behind her as she sat in her previous spot near Hachiko.
What was said and done seemed so blurry to her now that the only proof of her intense anger were her sore fingers and knuckles from cracking under her chair. Davina flexed her hands with difficulty, unable to believe how hard she had held on to her seat. She bit her nails nervously and constantly peeked over her shoulder in case Tatsuya or any of his friends saw her or perhaps she could finally spot Shin before he had a chance to take her by surprise.
Over the phone, Shin hadn't sounded annoyed or bothered. Originally, Davina had planned to come off as more relaxed in her voice, but when he answered with "doushita?" the words spewed out short, quick and less intelligent than she had hoped. "Hachiko. Onegaishimasu." Before she could add to or redeem her statement, Shin had already replied, "wakatta." Understood.
Her throat had constricted at that moment and Davina could only end the call, unable to utter a single word. Waiting by Hachiko, she simply held her phone in her hand, worried about missing a call from Shin, but not willing to check the growing number of messages from her friends. Whenever her screen darkened, she would activate the menu by pressing a button to watch the time. Minutes dragged on for what seemed forever with Davina trying to calculate how long it would take for Shin to arrive.
She wasn't even sure what she was planning to tell him when he arrived. She'd rather not talk about it, but Davina couldn't predict if Shin were willing to leave it at that. Maybe she should cancel...before he got far away from home... The cursor on her phone rested on Shin's number, waiting for her to press 'send.' She sighed with hesitance then deactivated the menu. She had plenty of reasons to cancel, but only one not to cancel: she wanted to see Shin.
Her fingers continued to flex, but the tightness in her hands refused to relax. Davina resorted to people watching and noticed a small group of businessmen trying to be inconspicuous, but making obvious gawks at her and little murmurs to each other. By instinct her palm frantically smoothed over her hair and through her fringe. She turned her back to face away from the businessmen, hoping they would eventually move on. Sighing to calm the restlessness building within her, she checked the time on her phone once more, still not reading the growing number of messages from Jayla and Mira. Trying to zone out the noise of the dense crowds of people surrounding the street, Tatsuya's and the voices of his friends echoed in her memory.
"Do you honestly believe that garbage is capable of any feat except crime?"
"I have my doubts."
"After the tutoring, you don't have to see Sawada again, right?
"I'd...rather you cut ties with Sawada after the tutoring."
"There's no reason a lovely girl like yourself should be with garbage like that, 3-D or Sawada. "
Davina shuddered and nearly jumped out of her skin when someone's hands grasped hers. A familiar hand with a thumb ring—Shin. Remembering all the times Shin's hands had simply brushed along hers, she couldn't believe his hands were fully clasped around hers. His grip was firm yet Davina felt the strain lessen within the joints of her hands. She inhaled deeply, only to realize she had been previously holding her breath. Suddenly the harsh sounds of Shibuya roared around her and Davina remembered where she was.
Shin merely sat there next to her, carefully caressing her hands. When he first saw Davina, her exterior seemed mostly stoic, a little cold, but her hands were shaking. He was amazed she hadn't noticed him slip in next to her, but when had she ever noticed his entrances before? She was startled, but instantly calmed when he held her hand.
He peered down at her, waiting for her to lift her head. Davina gulped and slowly turned to face him. Shin's poker face was showing, but in his eyes he exhibited concern. Meanwhile Davina's expression was delicate and chary. Nothing needed to be said between them as Davina had feared. She suddenly realized that it was the first time she had seen him clad without a school uniform. She gulped again and slowly lifted her hands from his grip. Her fingers lightly glided around his waist and to his back and pulled Shin closer so she could rest her head on his chest. The fabric of his gray sweater felt soft on her cheek as she shut her eyes.
Slight recognition of the risk Davina was taking in the vulnerable state she was in caused her to stiffen and reopen her eyes, unsure if Shin were to reject her.
Shin felt her slight withdrawal. He peaked down and saw her hunched up with uncertainty. He figured it to be a fear of rejection. He heard Davina give a sharp intake of breath as his arms pulled her further into his embrace. After a moment, she relaxed and was simply held by him. Even with the rush of urban life around them, the loudest thing she heard was her own soft breathing against Shin's chest.
When Shin received her phone call, he was with Kuma, Minami, Noda, and Uchi at the pool hall. They had just broke into their second round when Shin's mobile phone rang. The boys had watched Shin's frozen expression, trying to predict who was on the other side. Their guesses were confirmed when Shin set his pool stick down and uttered, "Something happened. I'll see you later."
"Something bad?" Minami blurted before Shin climbed down the stairs.
"Not sure yet." Shin quickly responded to reassure his friends who were preparing to follow him. They watched Shin slide down the stairs and disappear out of the hall.
"Too bad about the game." Noda muttered, managing to get a head-jerk from his surrounding friends in agreement.
"Do you think we should go after him? Just in case." Kuma asked, resting his chin on the tip of his pool stick.
Uchi stretched before positioning his next shot. "It will be just them two. I don't think any of us can really help in that sort." Each of the boys offered a groan as their agreement.
Silence fell over the table as the boys thought to themselves, coming up to their own conclusions as to why Davina had called him, and wishing it to go well for Shin.
Shin didn't go to Shibuya expecting any answers and it would have been insensitive of him to ask. He hadn't expected her to hug him though.
Her hands had stopped shaking and the rest of her appeared calmer. After Davina had embraced him, Shin noticed prying eyes from strangers, seeking glances at them interestedly. Davina peered up above Shin's arms and saw his attention occasional wonder and realized they were receiving some inappropriate stares from strangers. She abruptly pulled away from Shin's arms, pretending to be fixing her fringe to hid her blushing. "I'm...sorry, I didn't rea...I'm sorry." The words spewed out so fast she wasn't sure if he heard her clearly.
Fretful, Davina unzipped her purse and checked her phone; more messages from Jayla and Mira, too many now to check.
Shin rebalanced, having been partially distorted when Davina shoved back, and reached for her hand. Davina stopped with her phone, spotting Shin's serious face from the corner of her vision. His grip squeezed stronger than before. "Your hands were trembling," Shin murmured.
Davina finally turned to face him, leaning in to hear him speak. "What was that?"
It was the first time that night that Shin got a chance to get a good look at Davina. She was dressed rather nicely and her clothes weren't rustled in any sort. Her makeup around the eyes was slightly smudged, but no puffiness, redness, or tear-stained cheeks. No cuts, scraps, or any tenderness from what he could see on her arms and legs. Tsuchida hadn't laid a hand on her. Still, her movements were restless, more so than usual. That hug and that shove back were out of desperation; the girl had been through some serious stress.
"Shin?"
Shin blinked. Davina had scooted closer with a confused expression. When his eyes met hers, the apples of her cheeks turned to a soft pink. He remained silent and simply gazed at her, trying to think of what to do next.
Davina felt gutted by butterflies in her stomach, but her limbs didn't move her away from his gaze. His scent made her gulp and her eyes were fixed on his lips. She couldn't help but flinch when his head had slightly tilted toward hers. The awkwardness hit them both and Shin sighed as he flipped his hair from his brow. Davina slowly leaned away finally, piecing together what had happened since he arrived. She felt her hand squeezed and glanced up to see Shin stand up.
"Shall we go? Do you need to go home?"
Davina hesitated. Before she could reply, her stomach growled furiously, reminding her she hadn't eaten all day in anticipation. "Avoir un creux." She muttered to herself.
"Eh?" Shin groaned. It wasn't until Davina's arm wrapped over her stomach that Shin understood. "I know of a place." He lifted her hand to gesture for her to stand as well. Davina adjusted her bag strap and tossed her phone into her purse. It vibrated again to cue another received message in her inbox, probably from Mira and or Jayla.
The further away they got from Shibuya, the more color seeped back into Davina's complexion, Shin noted. After spending most of their trip in a daze, Davina was able to recognize with relief the same old train stop from whenever Shin walked her to Shirokin. She was gracious to leave the packed craziness of downtown Tokyo. The surrounding area of Shirokin was still plenty busy with open shops and pedestrians, but far less hectic. Off one of the streets that lead to Shirokin, Shin stopped suddenly in front of a ramen-ya and glanced through the windows. Davina couldn't help but grin at the thought that in an effort to calm her down, he had taken her to another ramen-ya, like the one on the night they had first met.
"Is ramen your favorite?" Davina asked in jest.
"One of my favorites, but since we're in the area, Kuma's family wouldn't let us eat anywhere else."
Kuma's family? "Huh? Kuma—?" Before Davina could finish her question, Shin had already stepped under the white banner with red lettering. Davina pulled the banner aside and stepped into the little restaurant. A large woman wearing a chef's outfit approached Shin in delight.
"Hungry Shin? Are the rest of the boys behind you? Tell my idiot son to come help me in the kitchen!"
To that comment, Shin smiled. She waved him towards the bar, but before she could turn away, Shin replied. "Actually, it will just be two, me and a friend." The woman and Shin turned their attentions to the entrance and saw Davina stepping through the banner. She immediately paused due to the addled expression of the woman but when Davina had a good look at her, it clicked in her head: that was Kuma's mother. Davina grinned and approached Shin while Kuma's mother's eyes followed with intrigue, her delight muted. After another second of eying the girl from head to toe then back at Shin, Kuma's mother cheerily sighed. "Sah, two bowls of ramen, ne?"
"Onegaishimasu." Davina slightly bowed her head. Kuma's mother gave another quick exhale of breath, "hai, dozo, dozo!" swaying an arm towards the bar, then rushed to the kitchen.
"She could only be Kuma's mother..." Davina uttered to herself, not expecting Shin to hear, but he managed to smirk.
The restaurant was sparse; a few bachelors were sitting off to the side near the wall. Shin heard them whisper to each other about the "red-headed girl," but Davina was too busy pouring him a cup of tea to pay attention. After she shoved the steaming cup in front of him, Shin filled her empty cup.
Like the first night she had met Shin, the tea warmed her insides and she instantly felt better. Shin's chin rested on his interlaced fingers, listening to her slurping her tea. Again, he was satisfied that the shivers in her hands and the paleness on her face were gone. She took his cup back and refilled it.
"See, I'm learning. I don't ever pour for myself anymore." Davina said, ignoring disorientation of the former situation. Shin was plenty ready to ask her what happened. However, he decided to wait for her to relax for a while before.
Over the bar, Kuma's mother and father were whispering animatedly to each other while preparing the food.
"Friend, eh?"
"I've never seen hair like that before, you think it's fake?"
"She seems lovely enough, though seeing him alone with her is a little strange. I never knew him to be interested."
"You go deliver the bowls."
"Me? I don't know..."
Shin fought the urge to acknowledge their statements, but was able to give a sincere 'thank you' as Kuma's father placed two beautiful glass bowls of ramen in front of the two teenagers.
"Itadakimasu." Davina confidently broke apart her chopsticks and dipped them into the steaming bowl of ramen.
"Dozo." Kuma's father quickly shied away, catching glassy eyes with Shin before he returned to the kitchen.
"You can tell they're Kuma's parents. Especially his mother." Davina said in between chews. Davina imagined that she appeared fine, but in reality she was annoyed with herself that she apparently needed to make small talk when there were other pressing matters. She still could barely face Shin after she had embarrassed herself and hugged him. Her ability to speak in Japanese was still limited to mostly small talk and she wouldn't bring up her night with Tatsuya unless Shin asked her. Shin didn't seem curious, otherwise he probably would have asked her. Jayla and Mira desperately wanted to know, judging by the now innumerable amount of messages on her phone.
She shyly glanced at Shin as he ate his ramen in silence. Even if he did ask, what would she tell him? Um, yeah, they called you, Yankumi and all of 3-D trash...
"Davina?"
She clenched her chopsticks tightly. "Huh? Oh..."
She squeezed her hand into a fist to stop from shaking. Shin set his chopsticks on his bowl top and took his cup as he leaned back in his chair. "Something wrong?"
Davina gulped, but pretended to be occupied with her ramen. "Betsu ni...nothing."
Certainly not true, judging by the way her hands quivered. Shin sipped his tea. "You called me for a reason."
Davina briefly froze. After sighing, she paired her chopsticks, placed them on her bowl, and then turned to face Shin's serious concern. Her worries of repeating Tatsuya's words were overwhelming; she sighed again to remain collected. "Really, now I look back and it's not such a big deal anymore."
Loud running steps caused them both to twist around and before Shin could reply or protest, Kuma, Minami, Uchi, and Noda filled the gap at the door. Each of them cursed as they filed through under the banner. It was the first time she had seen them in regular clothes, instead of their uniforms.
The bachelors peered over their shoulders cautiously, stiffening their previously casual positions. Minami flicked his finger at Shin. "Nah, Shin, you should have told us you were coming here!"
Uchi sat on Shin's other side, smoothing his hair. "Believe it or not, Kuma's parents gave us the call."
"Didn't believe it at first." Noda added, filling up another seat on the bar. "Came here to see for ourselves."
"Parents said you were on a date. Shocked us for a moment, figured you could ditch us for a girl, but we realized you were with Davina. Aka-chan, they had called her."
The boys laughed to themselves. "Ne, you two picked the least social area to sit. A table would suit us all better."
"We chose this spot because we weren't expecting extra company." Shin murmured to himself.
Davina held her tea cup to her lips and felt the steam on the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Shin wasn't thrilled to see them, but Davina wouldn't let herself fret yet. She had hung out with these boys before; they have never done anything to make her uncomfortable.
Uchi nudged Shin as the other boys leaned in to listen. "Hey, did she tell you what happened?
"She's sitting right there..." Shin replied, openly annoyed.
"But did she tell you?" Noda spat, lowering his voice even further.
"Not before you lot came." Shin responded. They all glanced away, befuddled.
"Ne, Dabina-chan," Minami pressed himself on the bar to see Davina next to Shin.
Davina's eyes widened a bit and she tilted slightly to see the rest of the rest of the boys by Shin.
"Did ya ditch the wise-asses of 3-C to hang out with the better crowd?" Minami puffed his cheeks in jesting pride.
Davina straightened and simpered at his remark. "It would seem so, huh?" She turned away again, pretending to be focused on her ramen. The boys didn't notice her withdrawal, except Shin. Before he could say anything, Kuma's father walked by.
"Ah, the rest of you came! So that'll be four more bowls of ramen then." He adjusted his falling hat from his brows. "Teruo, come help me in the kitchen."
"Shut up..." Kuma muttered viciously. "I'm with my friends and we want to be left alone."
Davina's jaw slightly dropped. Kuma actually said that to his father? Kuma's father lips thinned and his ears turned red.
"Speak for yourself, I'm starving!" Minami slapped Kuma's back, lightening up the situation.
"Four bowls! Onegaishimasu!" Uchi grinned, holding up an arm, waving four fingers. "Ah, wait, Kuma, should we order another four bowls for you?"
"Shut up!" Kuma yanked Uchi back into a choke hold, however Uchi continued to laugh along with his other friends. The bachelors from the other table slowly scrambled up, ready to flee if the situation worsened.
"Teruo! Stop it, I say!" Kuma's father exclaimed.
Kuma's cheeks blew up in size, but he reluctantly let go of his blond friend. Uchi fixed the collar of his shirt, still smirking at Kuma. Kuma's father cursed to himself with a half-amused expression as he headed back into the kitchen, "I swear, he's not mine."
Davina couldn't comprehend it. Kuma's father didn't put him six feet under? Sure, he seemed angry, but that was worst of it. Maybe he didn't want to yell at Kuma in front of his friends... If he were her father...she doubted that he would mind yelling at her and allowing people to believe that he condoned that sort of behavior from his daughter.
"Gah, my father, such an old man. Why can't he just leave me alone?" Kuma groaned.
The bar areas quietened to where the only noise came from bubbling from the kitchen. With her father's face plastered in her mind, Davina slowly spoke up. "Your father isn't bad. My father...never allowed me talk to him like that. I really don't understand." The bubbling and boiling from the kitchen grew louder, the tension building in their corner. Shin's thumb glided down his bottom lip; she had never mentioned her parents before.
Kuma, whose cheeks were still puffed, balled his hands into fists in his lap. His lips thinned and his voice rose in volume as he blurted out. "What was that? Don't you talk about things you don't understand—
"Kuma!" Shin bellowed harshly, bringing Kuma to a halt. The two boys met eyes for a moment but then Kuma retracted, sitting his bottom into his seat.
Davina's blood boiled inside, and feeling the five pressing stares next to her, she severely bit her lip. She didn't want to leave just yet. She wanted to say something, anything. Kuma, my anger was not directed at you. Please don't believe that I think you're trash. Don't any of you believe that! Please don't misunderstand... The air became too thick to breathe. Four guys and a girl is a crowd, five guys and a girl is a crowd. Davina reached into her purse, and pulled out a ¥1,000 note. She dropped the note next to her half unfinished bowl of ramen, forcing herself not to look at Shin.
Don't worry, after Monday, you won't have to deal with me again, Davina strode and swept the banner with a hard flick of her arm too fast for her to decipher the thought into Japanese.
After digesting the initial shock of Davina rushing out, Shin, without uttering a word to his friends, stood from his chair and bolted from the restaurant. When Shin disappeared from their sights, the boys turned back to the deep, enveloped in silence for a few moments.
"Ne...what the hell was that?" Uchi pondered, keying for his friends' input.
"Kuma probably hit a nerve." Noda answered, sighing while setting his chain on his palm.
"She hit my nerve!" Kuma barked. "Bringing up her father, like she can relate!"
"Calm down, Kuma," Minami patted Kuma's shoulder. "Maybe we shouldn't have come, Shin seemed like he had a decent handle on the situation."
The boys nodded their heads.
"We'll wait for Monday to find out what happened then." Noda added. "Hopefully, we didn't screw it up for Shin."
Davina fumbled with her phone while taking fast, and unstable steps towards the station, towards home! Jayla and Mira could understand her and give her a listen. They knew what it was like to be the odd one. They wouldn't judge—
She groaned harshly as she was halted by a severe tug on her arm. She knew it was Shin, even before he circled around to face her. Davina heard Mira's voice from the speaker 'Hello? Davina?' before she pushed the 'end' button.
Davina didn't bother to guess what Shin was going to say. She considered just ignoring him and leaving, but she realized his hand still gripped her arm.
Her forehead just inches from his chest and poker face, he uttered simply "doushita?"
She bit her lip It wasn't worth upsetting Shin or being misunderstood because her Japanese wasn't good enough. "Nothing." Davina nudged her arm for him to release but his grip remained tight.
"You walked out. For what reason?" Shin provoked.
Davina's throat tightened. Lucky guess. Still feeling his grip, she answered, "I heard some things that I didn't want to hear, alright?"
Her monotone voice was forced, Shin noted. The way she left the restaurant when Kuma started getting agitated was for desperation and self-protection. In Shibuya before, he had concluded Tsuchida hadn't physically harmed her.
"What did Tsuchida say?" He asked slowly for her sake. His grip never loosened.
"Not just him. Akihito, Kazuo, and...Haruki." Memory of his jeers made her twitch.
Inoue, Haruki? Did those three just show up or had Tsuchida planned for them to arrive? "Was it planned?"
Davina recalled the expression of pure surprise on his face when they arrived at their table and his building agitation afterward. She didn't doubt he was an innocent bystander in his friend's scheming, but he was guilt by association when he said those words to her... "Not planned. Definitely not."
Shin exhaled; he really didn't need to ask what they had said. The fact that Tsuchida's friends showed up already explained why Davina left soon after his friends came to the restaurant. His hand loosened on her arm and trailed down to her hand, her fingers stopped quivering. "Why did you walk out?"
Davina stared at her hand in his. "They said, 3-D won't save Noda's teacher from being fired. Tatsuya said...cut ties with Sawada."
She didn't dare see his expression. At first she wanted to wait for a reply, but words spewed from her mouth like vomit. "I'm so sorry, Shin—"
"Why be sorry?" Shin's deep timbre voice responded, interrupting her apology. "You didn't listen to him, right? You called me and you're here with me, right? Why feel guilty?"
An internal weight was lifted within her and the fretting sensation wishing for her to flee had evaporated. Davina's eyes slowly moved from her hand in his to his set. Shin had come after her and Tatsuya hadn't. Her stomach ached with nerves and the roof her mouth grew dry. The nerves in her stomach clenched when she realized that she could feel his breath against her cheek. Shin whisked away hair from his brow and squeezed Davina's hand. He titled his head toward hers and Davina shut her eyes to wait, the butterflies fluttering painfully in her stomach.
A generic ringtone rang, abruptly bringing them both back to reality. Shin sighed as he twisted back to answer the phone in his jacket. Davina opened her eyes and fixed her fringe, slightly blushing.
"Uchi?" Shin had his back towards Davina with his head slightly ducked. "We're not far. We're fine. No, I don't think so. No, I don't think she would want—
She? Davina suddenly came forward and grasped his elbow. "Hold it. Wait."
"One second." Shin slowly turn around and faced Davina with his cell phone pressed to his ear.
Davina inhaled a deep breath and slowly allowed her words out. "If they don't mind..." She could hear Uchi's subtle murmurs of confusion from Shin's speaker. She gripped the strap of her bag tightly and slightly squeezed Shin's arm as if to give her reassurance. "I'd like to go back."
Her voice was just above a whisper, but Shin heard her loud and clear. He blinked and ducked his head to answer Uchi's repeated shouts for a response, but Davina saw his lips barely curve before his hair fell over his face. She let go of his arm and stared at the pavement while she heard him mumble fast words to Uchi.
Shin ended the call then flipped his hair away again before shoving his hands into his pockets. Before he said anything, Davina turned around on her own accord. Surprised by her boldness, Shin grinned at her back before following her.
Davina brisked too quickly for her nerves to gather the depth of the situation. She swept the banner as she stepped through, hearing her shoes clap against the floor. Uchi was still holding his mobile when she approached the bar. They each slowly turned back to see her before she retook her seat. She grabbed her chopsticks and had a full bite of still-warm ramen. She still felt their intrigued stares at her side, but she ignored them.
Shin finally moseyed into the room, visibly taking his sweet time. Davina heard Shin's chair scrap back as he pulled it and she knew he was there. He too grabbed his chopsticks and continued eating his ramen as though nothing had happened.
The bachelors at the other table were cocking their eyebrows at the scene, unsure what to think. Minami was the first to move, leaning back in his chair, to gesture to Kuma. He nudged Kuma in the shoulder until Kuma let out an annoyed yelp, "Fine!"
Shin and Davina stopped eating, mid-slurp.
"Dabina-chan, gomen." Kuma gave a slight, forced bow of his head.
Davina swallowed her bite of ramen and smiled at Kuma. "Don't worry about it."
Kuma's face become less red and other boys whooped. Kuma rubbed his stomach and drummed on the bar. "Old lady, old man! Where's our ramen?"
"Na, Kuma, will there be any left for us?" Uchi remarked, snidely.
"Nani? What was meant by that asshole?" Kuma flared the whites of his eyes at Uchi.
"Big-guy," Minami put his arms around Kuma. "We ordered our own ramen."
Kuma's mother glared at him through the steam of the kitchen. With a loud clang she set the bowls on the counter, but after doing so, she gave a quick slap on the side of Kuma's head. "Agh, who does he take after?" She twitched her neck, then smiled at the boys, "Hai, dozo!"
Minami, Uchi, and Kuma inhaled the steam of their food gleefully, while Noda left his spot to pull an idle chair from an empty table to sit between Shin and Davina. From his jacket, he revealed his leaf-green English book. As his flipped the pages, Davina was at awe at the growing wear, tear, and dog-eared pages.
"Just a quick question...which page was it...?" Noda mumbled to himself as he searched through his book.
The other boys groaned at the sight of Noda's book. Uchi stretched his arms behind his head, "I swear, after that exam, I'm going to burn that book."
"Monday is the final tutoring day." Noda responded into his book.
"Is Dabina-chan fine with seeing Tsuchida for tutoring on Monday?" Minami asked, chewing his food while leaning to see Davina's response.
"If Dabina-chan wishes, we can make sure Tsuchida and his friends know they aren't welcome?" Uchi chimed in, cracking his knuckles in a fist.
Davina blinked then sipped her tea, allowing herself time to consider. Shin peered slightly to his right to see her reaction to Minami's question. Her hands remained still, no quivering, he noted.
Just an hour ago, maybe Davina could have gotten agitated at such a question and considerations of the possibility of seeing Tatsuya again. However, even Davina was surprised at how the idea of seeing Tatsuya again wasn't nerve-racking in the least. The concerning stares from the five boys she had known only for a short time had killed any and all intimidation. She set her teacup down, unable to cover up her smile.
"Monday tutoring will go on as usual." She declared then turned to Noda and the section he pointed out in the book.
Shin looked to his right and saw Davina and Noda engrossed with an English question. Shin then looked to his left and saw Uchi, Minami, and Kuma chat casually while devouring their ramen. Shin returned his attention to his bowl. For the rest of their time spent to the ramen-ya, Shin remained introverted, too satisfied to say a word.
Davina couldn't remember for certain how the situation came about.
"I'm taking Davina home."
"Ohhh, Shin, where does Dabina-chan live?"
"I wanna see!"
"Ambassador's estate..."
"Fancy businessmen digs..."
"I WANNA SEE!"
Shin hadn't told them it was an army base. He never really gave the boys permission to tag along, but Davina didn't have any problem with them, and he didn't bother to stop them. All the way to Minato-ku, the boys were excitedly making their guesses.
"Private movie theater? You think Dabina-chan will let us watch the new releases?
"Free or not, they would be in English without Japanese subtitles."
"Hey, do you think she'll let us take our dates to the private movie theater?"
"Sah! I bet we could get girls really easy if we told them we had a private movie theater."
Davina shook her head to herself while she listened to their conversation as they walked towards Roppongi. Private movie theater? Where did they hear such things? As they strolled through the city, the boys walked on in front even though they weren't sure of where they were going, while Shin and Davina strayed on behind.
"Sure is far..." Kuma whined.
Noda stopped to wait for Davina and Shin. "Neh, Dabina-chan, wouldn't the train-stop in Roppongi be faster?"
"Also, wouldn't the main street be quicker? These off-streets are boring anyway." Uchi chimed in.
Davina bit her lip and slowly turned to see Shin. Shin seemed unfazed, his poker face going strong. So, Shin hadn't told them about that night...
Noda, Uchi, Minami, and Kuma were still waiting for an answer, but Shin continued to walk, not answering and not giving any evidence of Davina's terrible association with Roppongi. Davina awkwardly followed behind Shin, avoiding the puzzled looks on the boys' faces. Eventually, the boys continued on, knowing their questions were simple and the reasons they weren't receiving answers weren't so simple.
The boys gazed up through the gates at the large 1950's décor white building. They read the sigh, "haadi barakusu."
"Iiyo na, Dabina-chan." They mused to her while Davina searched her bag for her military ID.
"Does this mean that Dabina-chan's parents are in business?" Noda pried his eyes away from the view to ask Shin.
Shin shook his head. "Nope, the military."
"Military?" Kuma pondered, matching the same interested face of his friends. Davina is a military-child? They finally spotted the glares they were receiving from the white-gloved guards. They all watched as Davina handed her card to the military officer. He quickly returned it and politely said, "you're free to enter Ms. Summons."
At first glance, Davina a military-brat? Her? They all had seen military-personnel in movies. Tough, stern, fierce. Davina, the ballerina who had danced for their class just a few days prior was not quickly identified with such insensitive characteristics.
After a short pause when Davina replaced her ID into her bag, judging by the silence, it was apparent that it was time to say goodnight.
"Will I see you Monday?" Davina asked Shin a little too soft because she was slightly embarrassed, gripping the handle of her purse tightly. She tilted her neck and pretended to be fixing her fringe so that the lighting above wouldn't show her blushing.
"Most likely. Even if I miss school, I'll come get ya." Shin stepped closer, but he peeked over his shoulder at Uchi, Noda, Kuma, and Minami. Oh, they all thought. Maybe they should leave them two alone...?
"Say, Dabina-chan, show us around sometime, ok?" Minami began, giving a slight wave of his hand, paving the way for the others.
"See you Monday." Uchi and Kuma added.
Noda held up his book. "Thank you for answering my question. See you Monday."
The boys then made a swift exit down the hill, softly mentioning about waiting for Shin at the intersection.
Grasping one of the bars for balance support, Davina watched the boys leave in order to avoid, if only temporarily, the impending goodnight to Shin. Her stomach had whirled when he hadn't left with the rest of them and now the butterflies were circling her torso. Why was he staying...? But of course, she didn't want him to leave! Oh, why was she so nervous? Why was she grasping the bar so tightly? Was she expecting something...?
She felt a soft tug on her hand and turned to see Shin, standing against the light, loosely holding her hand. His thumb gently brushed over her fingers before he released her hand entirely. His face was in darkness as he pulled Davina closer to him by her waist. Her cheek pressed against his chest; she could smell his lovely scent within the fibers of his sweater. Her arms snaked under his and up his back to pull him closer. His finger trips were tangled in the ends of her hair and his chin pressed along her temple.
"You never did answer my question: why feel sorry?" Shin inquired softly.
Davina smiled into his sweater. Was he referring to when she profusely apologized for hugging him in public and when he explained how she had already defied Tatsuya's wishes? "What if I'm not sorry anymore? Do I still have to answer?"
She could feel Shin's smile against her temple. "No, not really." He murmured.
Davina wasn't sure how long he held her there, but after what seemed like a relatively short amount of time, Shin's grip loosened and they parted. To give her hands something to do, Davina held the strap of her bag firmly. "See you Monday. Oyasuminasai."
Shin reset his hands into his pockets. "Oyasuminasai."
As Davina spun on her heel, she heard a faint whisper, "O-Aka-chan." She halted with a stomp, her mouth slightly open, but when she finally turned around to confirm it, Shin was already walking away. Davina shook her head and rolled her eyes. She watched him until he was fairly away before she entered the military base with a skip in her step.
Shin couldn't help but notice the glaring suspicion from the guards as he left the gates. He also couldn't deny the inevitable bombardment of questions from his friends when he reached the intersection. Kuma, Uchi, Noda, and Minami were sitting on the curb, chatting when he found them.
"Ikuzo." He uttered to them, which led to the abrupt end of whatever their previous conversation was and began the thousand questions Shin had to endure for the rest of the night.
"I sure hope you made a smart move—you two were up there alone for quite a while." Uchi mused, gazing at the sky with a sigh.
"Nothing happened. Stop asking." Shin muttered, knowing he wouldn't hear the end of it.
"So you say, Shin. We've been to enough parties with you to know you're a heart-breaker." Minami chimed in.
Where do they get such ideas? Shin blinked to himself and not answering, effectively ignoring that comment.
"Military parents, huh?" Kuma thought out loud. "Do you think that explains...her comments earlier?"
Ah, yes, it all suddenly made sense. If her father was a militant, then it could provide backing for her not being able to understand being disrespectful to parents. If his father had military training, Kuma thought...he admitted that he probably wouldn't mess with him either.
"Yo, Shin? Are you going to tell us why we avoided Roppongi station and the main streets?" Noda pointed out again, successful in putting the rest of their questions to a standstill. All of them were curious about that.
Shin shrugged. "The main streets are busy. It's a matter of safety." He hadn't lied or misled them, however they were quick to be unsatisfied.
"You worry like an elderly man, Shin." Minami chided. "Hey," he nudged Noda. "Do you all think she'll let us bring our dates to their private theater?"
The boys spent the rest of the way home indulging in their plans to invite girls to a private showing of a movie not yet released in Japan—it was an American base right? They would surely get movies before the rest of Japan.
Shin gladly excused himself out of the conversation. He doubted there was a private theater, but didn't want to be the 'heart-breaker' who informed them all otherwise. He hadn't expected such an eventful night—he was always saying that whenever it concerned Davina. Shin had before figured it was him who had weaved his way into her life, yet he realized that it was reverse. A telephone call from Davina had deranged a night with his friends where they were just supposed to play pool. He also hadn't expected his friends to personally ask the crucial questions about his association with Davina. Even since reuniting, he hadn't figured those questions would ever have a chance to come up.
Smart move? Technically, it had first been her move. Though...Shin still remembered the soft texture of her hair and the weight of her head on his chest. He also vividly remembered how her hands shook until his soothed hers. Shin admittedly didn't have all the answers of what exactly occurred, however Davina had been severely upset. Monday tutoring would continue as usual and he'd make sure of that.
Had a lot of false alarms, huh? *devilish smirk* Though this chapter is a bit shorter than the last several, I hope you're not disappointed. And to answer -black-.x.-rabbit-'s question of when: of course I can't say if it will even happen. I can't make it easy for them, ya know. Do you think I'm being too mean to Davina? ;)
Thank you for reading and please review! Even if you don't, I promise not to keep the next chapter hostage.