Disclaimer: Takaya Natsuki is the rightful owner. I'm merely borrowing her creations for my own diabolical ideals. No, really.
A/N: I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, and I really like it, too. Hope you readers enjoy it as much as I do: )
Life's Many Indulgences
Chapter 10: Through My Own Eyes
"How's your back?"
"It's fine."
"Are you sure?"
The subject needed to be changed - off Tooru and onto Kyo - let's begin.
"Wasn't the welcoming part fun yesterday?" Tooru asked, gazing over her brother's shoulder as he busied himself with writing on a piece of paper (most noticeably some of his step-father's paperwork). "I enjoyed it. Didn't you, Kyo?"
"If that was what you can call enjoyable . . ."
§KYO'S INTERPRETATION§
"You actually showed up," Arisa teased, poking a finger into Kyo's chest. "Didn't you say you weren't going to come?"
"I wouldn't if Tooru wasn't so damn persistent!"
"Awwww, are you being bullied by your little Tooru?" Kyo growled, getting angry at Arisa's annoying bantering. "Want me to sharpen her skills? She can become an amazing bully if that were the case."
"No, thanks, and she did not bully me into coming here! I decided to come here of my own accord after thinking about it!"
Tooru, a bully? Dream on . . .
"Your electric waves tells me that you are very troubled, aren't you?" Saki inquired, quite of the blue, really.
Kyo, indeed, was troubled and he had good reason to be, too. He could see that several of his fanatics have gathered together, and they were looking at him. Not all of them knew that Tooru was his sister, and he was afraid that they might do something to her if he left her side right now.
"I don't like outings like this, that's all. There are too many people."
"That reminds me - Tooru did say her brother isn't a people person. Guess it's true. Come on, Mizunashi, lighten up and enjoy the party."
"You damn Yankee, don't act as if it's so surprising!" Kyo nearly yelled. Everyone knew that he was not a very sociable guy, and it irked him that Arisa was probably faking not knowing about it? "Ad how can I enjoy myself . . . In this . . . In this atmosphere?"
Kyo's fanatics were moving in (most likely making Tooru their main target).
"Oh! I see Kishida and Shimazaki over there at the food table!" Tooru exclaimed. She was unaware that several pairs of eyes were fixed on her, jealous gleams coming to them. "They look like they're having a lot of fun."
Kyo fanatic one began the sequence . . .
"Ah!" A girl from out of nowhere came up behind Tooru and (supposedly) accidentally spilled her cup of juice onto Tooru's back. "I am so sorry! Are you all right!"
Tooru turned around, shock coming to her features. "Huh? My back is wet."
"I didn't mean to do that! It's all my fault! I should have watched where I was going, but I was so busy looking for my friend that I've ran into someone! Here," the girl took Tooru by one arm, "let me escort you to the restroom and help you clean up."
"Want us to come with you?" Arisa offered, being the ever caring Yankee that she was, when it came to Tooru.
"No, I'll be fine, but thanks," Tooru replied, smiling merrily.
Kyo wasn't sure if this girl was one of his fanatics, because he has so many that it was hard to recognize them all. Still, he felt a little uneasy and was tempted to follow after his sister and the girl.
However . . . The chain continues on . . .
Kyo fanatic two (whom Kyo definitely recognized) came towards him, fawning over Kyo like he was her God. Kyo fanatics three and four joined in, making sure that he was kept distracted.
"Kyo, please be my boyfriend! I'll love you forever and ever!" one girl cooed. "I'll love you for all of eternity, even!"
"Ugh, get away from me! I want nothing to do with you pestering girls!"
"No matter what you may call me, I'll still love you! I can say it in Korean, Mien, English, and Chinese, too! Listen! Sarang hae yo! Yeh hahm mayh (not the actual spelling - wrote it the way it sounds, LoL). And 'I love you!'. And wo ai ni! Please be my boyfriend instead! Kyo! Kyo! Kyo!" another girl pleaded, eyes all big and watery.
"Don't call me by my first name!"
Kyo was stuck in a bind, and he wasn't going to go anywhere.
§END OF INTERPRETATION§
"Don't let my injury bother you so much. It's not a big deal." Tooru couldn't understand why her brother would be so mad. "As you can see, I'm all in one piece."
"That isn't the point; eventually, Usuda's will after you, too, since you associate with him. Do you want that?"
§TOORU'S INTERPRETATION§
"Here, take off your shirt. I'll lend you my jacket."
"Um, okay." Tooru went into one of the stalls to take off her soiled shirt. She heard a splashing sound, but thought nothing of it. Right when she opened the stall and walked forward, her foot met with water and she fell, landing on her back. The girl that escorted her was nowhere to be seen. "Aaauuuuhhhh!" It was quite some landing. "Why is there water here?" Now not only was she shirtless, her skirt also got wet, too. "What should I do? Now my skirt is all wet. Where did Susume go? Susume?" Tooru got wind of her name when they were walking to the restroom together.
No response.
Option one: put back on her shirt and walk outside thoroughly soaked.
Option two: wait in the girls' restroom in one of the stalls until someone came in.
Tooru chose option two.
"Hey, look, that girl came back, but where's Tooru?" Arisa asked.
"Maybe she's still using the restroom," Saki commented. "My electric waves don't sense anything bad."
Several minutes went by . . .
"You two are that girl's friends? The one that got wet?" a girl asked. Saki and Arisa nodded. "My friend, Susume, told me that she's gone on home already, because she needed a change of clothes. My friend really is sorry. I apologize on her behalf, too. We are really sorry."
"It's not a big deal." Arisa turned to Saki. "She went home, huh? That does seem like something she would do, since she has nothing to wear if she remains here. It is getting late anyway - think we should be heading home, too?"
"Sure." Saki made sure to gaze over at Kyo, telling her friend with her eyes that they needed to inform Mizunashi first.
"Hey, Mizunashi, we're going home! Your sister's already left!"
"Kyo, that brunette-haired twit--I mean girl is your sister?" one of the fanatics asked. She appeared to be somewhat troubled.
"Yeah . . ."
"Oops," the girls chorused.
"Oops, what?"
The girls dashed away before he could ask them any further questions.
§END OF INTERPRETATION§
"Usuda has fans, right?"
"Way more than me . . . Thankfully . . ."
"What was that? I couldn't hear you."
"It's nothing, Tooru." Kyo forced himself to smile and patted his sister on top of her head. "Just be more careful next time. You may never know what a crazy girl might do to you. And always remember that if you need help, you can call for me. I'll come if possible."
"I know." Tooru smiled back.
XOXOXOXOXOX
"How's your back, Mizunashi?" Yuki asked, when he noticed the grimace on the girl's delicate face. "Would you like to go to the nurse's office?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine! I wouldn't want to trouble the nurse, because she has a lot of students seeing her everyday." Yuki sweat dropped - the reasons there were so many students going to the nurse's office, was so that they could skip class in a non-conspicuous sort of way - lest it was a regular, then the teacher would catch on eventually. "Thank you for being concerned. You're just like Kyo, because he keeps asking me if I'm all right, too."
"Is that so?" Yuki blushed - he and Kyo have something in common (well, sort of).
"I almost forgot! My mom," Tooru took a piece of paper out of her left uniform pocket, "told me to give this to you. I didn't read it because she told me not to. It must be something very important."
"I-I see." Yuki took the paper from her.
"I'll be going now." Tooru bowed and then excused herself from Yuki's presence.
Yuki opened the paper and read: if possible, please do come over again this Saturday to have lunch with my family. Having another boy around helps lighten Kyo's lonely mood. You are a very polite boy and it's nice to see that you're healthy and out-going; Kyo could learn a thing or two from you.
Yuki laughed on the past part.
XOXOXOXOXOX
"You sure look pleased, Mr. President."
"Yuki . . ." Kakeru bumped shoulders with the other boy, ". . . and don't lean on me, second vice-president."
"Hey, I have a name, you know?"
"As of I and my name is not Mr. President." The gray-haired teen's cheery mood completely vanished, all thanks to Kakeru (as noted before), the male version of Kimi. "Did you come to bug me or do you need something?"
"Both, Yuki. I need you to evaluate the welcoming party's expenses and then as an entire student council group, we need to figure out how to pay off the remaining amount we owe."
"You mean not everything was covered for?" Yuki was appalled - Kimi was the one who said to leave everything to her from the get-go - he should have known better.
"Ahahahaha," Kakeru rubbed the back of his head with one hand, "Kimi spent a little too much, it seems. Besides, weren't you with her when she went shopping?"
"That's right . . ." Yuki felt so foolish - it was because of his desire to be with Kyo, that he (without thinking things through) left Kimi alone to shop. Girl plus money times stores equaled trouble.
"What do you mean by saying, 'that's right' in that sort of tone? You were with her, no?" Yuki didn't want to admit to the truth, but he had no choice. The student council president shook his head. "You're kidding! The 'I'm-always-so-responsible' Yuki left Kimi by herself to shop for the party goods? What were you thinking, man?"
"He went after his crush, of course!" Kimi answered. "He--"
Yuki was right beside her so fast that Kimi hadn't realized her mouth was clamped shut by his hand. "Don't say any more, Kimi. Keep this between us."
She pulled his hand away. "So what I assumed about you is true?" Her eyes began to sparkle . . . Scarily.
"A . . .Assumed?"
Oh, no . . .
Assumptions can and always could be proven false . . . Yuki, on the other hand, made the assumption become truth rather than false thought.
"It is true! Your face shows it all! Oh my god, Yuki, that comes as a shocker to me! Is that why you hate it when girls ask you who you li--"
"Kimi, seriously, not another word." Yuki had once more placed one palm of his hand over his mouth. By this time everyone in the student council headquarters (aka classroom) were looking at them (excluding Naohito, who was busy rummaging through a bag).
By the time Naohito did look up, he noticed everyone staring at the first vice-president and student council president. "Did I miss something?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to ask," one of the student council members began, "Yuki, what did you think of the welcoming party? A friend of mine would like to place your comment inside our school newspaper, since it's pretty important to have the student council president's opinion be heard. We might hold such outings once more if we ever receive any international or transfer students."
Saved by one girl . . . One single girl . . . Thank the heavens.
"What I thought?" Yuki pondered.
§YUKI'S INTERPRETATION§
Those humongous letters - the reason became known - Kimi thought he needed guidance for a mere two to three lines? How pathetic on his part, and how idiotic on her part. Yuki didn't notice the letter posters ever being held up, until the play actually began . . .
Blah, blah, blah - the scenes went by, he said his lines, the curtains closed. The end. However, the real delight of this entire party was the fact that his crush showed up! It was very rare and far in between when it comes to the red-head attending any sort of school convention or outing - truly a miracle this time, wasn't it? Kyo was surrounded by his fan girls very shortly after the play ended though. The gray-haired teen felt he lost his chance to go talk to Kyo . . .
The usual results of Kyo's shouting when surrounded by unwanted attention:
"Don't call me by my first name! I don't even know you!" Kyo cried, ready to throw some punches this way or that. "And, no, I don't want to be your stinkin' boyfriend! Get the hell away from me! Get away!"
"But, Kyo, we love you!" the girls would all say in unison, almost sounding like a expertise choir.
"What part of the word no do you all not understand?" Kyo is furious at this point, embarrassed, too, though, since he was making such a ruckus in front of so many people.
"Gee, Mizunashi sure is lively," Saki stated.
Yuki gasped, surprised that her voice was so close to him. In fact, Saki and Arisa were standing right beside him.
"Say, Prince of our school, you aren't going to help out a fellow comrade?" Arisa asked, whistling when Kyo nearly got kissed by a girl. "Whoa, that was close."
"The fisherman teems in fishes aplenty into his net, and inside the fisherman's net they'll stay. When hooked, it's awfully hard to get out, right, Arisa?"
"Not sure what you mean, but I guess."
Yuki understood - Kyo was the fisherman, the girls the fish - the net . . . Their infatuation with the red-head. Was he considered as one of the trapped fish in the fishermen's net, then? Yuki wasn't too sure.
"Well, let's go back to where we were, in case Tooru comes looking for us." Saki turned to leave, followed by Arisa. However, Saki stopped short of leaving Yuki's sight completely, to say, "see you around, Usuda. Your electric waves seem to reap good results."
"Uh, yeah, see you around, Hanajima, Uotani."
"Yuuuukkkiiii!" Kimi catapulted herself onto him, knocking him to the floor. "You were so great on stage! I am so proud of you!"
"Are you my mother?" Yuki asked, obviously being sarcastic.
"Awwwww, wanna call me Mama Kimi, then?"
" . . . no, thanks."
§END OF INTERPRETATION§
"It was fun," Yuki replied, smiling. "Events like these helps bring the school together, making us feel like a large family."
Kyo was there and that was what Yuki felt made it worthwhile, despite some of the unwanted incidents that transpired.
Chapter 10: END